TGIF.

Two new spots to check out:

1. The Barry Family

2. The Zitzlsperger's

Happy Friday all!

Ten on Tuesday.

1. Someone is 26 months today on the 26th. I think that's like your apple juice birthday or something.

2. In an attempt to get some lovely 26th month photos while we're on our way out the door in 90 degree heat (read: QUICKLY), I snapped several that I both love and hate. They are adorable but not sharp, but that's what you get when you're holding the door with your foot while balancing on the other leg and having to use a too-slow shutter speed to make up for the lack of light right there in that particular spot. But it doesn't matter today. Just don't click on it. It looks fine smallish.

3. Someone else is 30 today. And did the most amazing thing for her celebration. I beg you, go check it out.

4. I shot the teensiest two week old today on the loveliest front porch. Oh how I want a front porch. A deck is not the same.

5. We are going to have to get a new car.

6. Did I mention that it's 90 degrees? But we're still using blankets downstairs.

7. When I returned home this evening from above-mentioned photo shoot, the little one was overjoyed to see me. Not that I want to go back to work like ever, but I am in love with how good it felt for her just to be overjoyed to see me, I mean, couldn't talk fast enough telling me all about what I'd missed in an hour and a half.

8. This is a great creative spot. What scrapbooking is meant to be, what it looked like when I started as a girl and what I need to get back to. Someday.

9. Maybe if we ever get an actual vacation.

10. I am so excited to tell Alla in the morning that I'm taking her to see Happy Feet - for free!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Listen, on Mondays I figure you need something cheerful to start off your week. So here ya go, the little piece of earth that's making me very happy these days.

Alla's marigold, that she grew from seed

Lettuce (when am I supposed to pick it?)

Cosmos, can't wait to have those in a vase

Sunflowers, can't wait to see Alla's face when those bloom

Zucchini growing like madAnd basil, which I hope will make a lovely pesto

Ten on Tuesday.

1. We're back. Ron gets back tomorrow. I love home.

2. Army Wives is great! Thanks, A.K., for the push to watch it. It is my summer show. Considerably better than North Shore or Summerland from two summers ago.

3. I still really want a pumpkin plant for the garden. How cool to show Alla how it grows!

4. I need a new sun tea pot, except when searching for one online, I found this filthy piece of information on why I should not make suntea.

5. Stace, here's what to do with those old wooden spoons.

6. I haven't taken pictures in a couple weeks, so I made sure to grab the camera when we went outside yesterday for 'shalk' time. Is it wrong to make a chalk outline of your two year old daughter? She is still amused by it, saying even this morning upon seeing it again, There's Alla!

7. Overheard at dinner tonight, while I was pretending to be busy washing dishes:

(Alla to her pasta)

Ok, pasta, I tell you a good question.

WE HAVE TO EAT YOU!!!!!!

8. The game she played after chalk time -

The wind is blowing me!!! And then,

I came back! I love you.

9. My good friend brought us a bowl of cut up fruit tonight. Because she just knew we were tired of eating crappy food while we were in a hotel for a week. She was so right. Thank you, Elizabeth.

10. It was 58 this morning. I love 58. The windows were open all day. Fresh air. No a/c. Ron will be so proud.

** And the bonus...

I love those curlies in the front that stay there all day.

Ten on Tuesday: The Early Bird Edition.

Thank you all for your support, thoughts, prayers. We feel them...

What we're doing in this very in-between time:

1. Park playdate today. Our park is completely shaded. You can't beat it.

2. Which leads me to this: I broke down and turned on the a/c for bedtime last night. My breaking point was 84 degrees in the house. And since it wasn't going to be cooler today, I figured we might as well go on and start it up for the summer. No need to suffer the miserable heat. Now 72 in the house feels chilly.

3. Took a splinter out of the little one's foot. Walking around barefoot is only fun til mama has to pull out the splinter.

4. I'm watching old episodes of 90210 on soap net. With all this miserable nothingness of summer television, I'm excited to have found this. Now, I've seen all these episodes, probably a few times, and I still did not remember that Kelly and Matt were engaged. Are we after her and Brandon left each other at the altar? What I really loved was watching the one where Steve and Janet led everyone on that scavenger hunt to their impromptu wedding.

5. Took Alla to see Shrek the Third on Saturday morning, on Stacey's recommendation. She mostly liked it:) The part where Shrek is having a nightmare about his future baby that violently spits up across the room did not thrill her. Kind of freaked her out and induced immediate sobbing. But we stayed til the end, and she delighted in the three little Shrek babies rolling around in the mud!

6. The other part of that movie that made her cry was when they played Damien Rice's 9 Crimes. It was like she could feel how sad that song is or something. Again, immediate sobbing.

7. The garden is up and [hopefully] growing: dahlias, zinnia, lettuce, cosmos, zucchini, strawberries, sunflower, and Alla's little marigold that she's been growing from seed since Easter. Tomatoes soon.

8. Listening to The Weepies which reminds me so much of when we bought that album last summer. Oh the memories. Hot, long days with her on my hip and quick jaunts to a store or two here and there before naptime. And the world spins madly on.

9. Going shoe shopping. Leaving her sitting there playing with the foot measurer thing for a second, then turning around and finding her pants off and she's telling me she has to measure her leg. Oh that funny girl.

10. Ron's dad will be laid to rest on Thursday. Please continue sending your thoughts and prayers...I'm not sure how long it takes for the ones left behind to truly rest again.

On This Day.

We are mourning the loss of Ron's amazing father.

We are so thankful for the long visit a few weeks ago.

We are realizing that the little one goes on with her days

just wants to feel familiarity

mama's tight squeezes and a friend's hug.

Ten on Tuesday.

1. Took Alla to the farm last Friday and she keeps asking to go back. She got to hold a baby chick, a kitten and a puppy, feed the cows, and pet the piglets. I think she's in awe of the fact that roosters actually do say cockadoodledoo.

2. Watched the first 4 episodes of Desperate Housewives, and my husband is hanging on because we also watched the first 2 episodes of Alias. How many seasons are there of Alias?

3. Did anyone record Army Wives? I read that if you're a Grey's fan, you should watch it. It's saved.

4. Does every household have at least one load of laundry to do everyday?

5. Ron built me a frame for my garden this weekend and together we dug up the grass in that 32 square foot space and that was a heck of a lot of work. The family that gardens together stays together.

6. All worth it, though, because Alla and I hit up the Farmer's Market this morning for dahlias, zinnia, basil, parsley, and the most amazing fuschia hanging basket you will ever see. Photos to come.

7. This is working out well: I got my new Real Simple yesterday, and I'm still working on the previous issue. I love that.

8. The most thrilling part of digging up the grass? Seeing how many worms we'd find. And a couple slugs. Alla let the worms crawl on her arm but not those ew-weee slugs.

9. Signed Alla up for swim class (we won't be calling them lessons, exactly) yesterday.

10. The first of our three-part nature classes is Friday. First up: Fabulous Flowers.

Happy June everyone!