A bit of mulch

I'd like to begin this post by saying that I thought these photos were far better than they are in reality. Oops.

This here is one of them "before and after" entries -- or my general opinion on how much (mulch) nicer things can look with a refreshing layer of color. (My philosophy is the same regarding my hair.)

Back with a vengeance

After a long winter's nap, I am back to the ol' blogeroonie. To be fair, I really haven't had anything house or yard related to talk about as all it did all winter was snow. And since I hate snow, I had no interest in discussing it.

We are just ending a two-week vacation that led us to Sanibel Island -- my dream home -- and back on a flight from hell. (13 hours, door to door, to get from Florida to Massachusetts.) But it was such a treat coming home to see these little guys! A blanket of phlox. They have filled out so much since I planted them last year, and they are starting to drape over the wall. I think next year will be even prettier! A reward for investing in perennials.

10,000,000 blossoms

10,000,001

A bit of cleaning needs to be done. Ignore that and focus on the pretty stuff.

Holidays in review

I'm pretty sure Christmas was here at some point. It was a complete whirlwind, but it was here. And we were merry. Josh and I do our presents on Christmas Eve, and little miss Tuukka was in rare form. She had to be in the middle of everything, and even sat on the arm of the couch so that she could be right next to the tree when I was playing Santa and passing out presents. And since she was a good girl all year, Santa brought her some goodies as well.

Someone is spoiled rotten.

Test chicken

Oh yeah, I have a blog. Geez, I nearly forgot!

Much has been going on, mostly related to us running around like chickens with our heads cut off now that its the holiday season. And speaking of chickens...

May I present my first baked chicken! It was my test chicken before our Thanksgiving celebration that included about 20 family members on my Mum's side of our family. The chicken was about 7 pounds.

Chicken Little.

This beauty, however, was a good 20 and took about 4 1/2 hours to cook. I basted it every half hour -- it was a delicious labor of love. And nobody died after eating it!

Turkey Lurkey.

I realize that many people cook this way on a daily basis -- whole chickens and so forth. This is new territory for me, and makes me feel quite domesticated. I'm excited to work on some new stuff soon -- I am making it a New Year's resolution to learn how to cook at least five new things next year. Doesn't sound like a lot, but I'm a slow learner. Obviously.

A whole lot of nothing...

...has been going on with this blog. I feel like the past two months have been a whirlwind of work, family events, and never ending to-do lists. But then sometimes, things slow down enough to enjoy the little things. And the fuzzy things.

Priorities, people.

Tricks and treats

It's that time of year again - time for the annual pumpkin carve-off that Josh and I have each October. It's not really competitive, but it's definitely serious business. Josh had his design chosen a week ahead of time, while mine was Googled at last minute. We are both happy with our creations and hope they hold up long enough to use them on Halloween. We also feel that his bears a striking resemblance to his grandfather, which has been the topic of hot debate within the family. Pretty amusing if you ask me.

His & Hers.

Bring on the trick or treaters! We're ready for you!

Long time no see!

Worst. Blogger. Ever. Who wanders off from their blog for two weeks? This gal, evidently! Truth be told, there hasn't been a whole lot of excitement going on in the garden front. I do, however, wish to share this beautiful blossom with you. This beauty is half dahlia, half peony -- my two favorite flowers in my favorite color. Of course, the woodchuck ate the first blossoms that it had earlier this summer, and it took the rest of the summer for it to rebloom. I was thrilled to be able to enjoy it again before we hit freezing the other night. I hope I get to see it again next summer!

The highlight of my gardening career.