The Lazy Gardener Has Failed

Wouldn't it be lovely, if gardening only consisted of good things.  Good things, like this:

and this:

and even this:

But it doesn't.  Instead we have to deal with the good, the bad and the ugly.  Right now the bad and ugly are overwhelming me.  I can't remember a time when I had weeds four feet tall, but I have them now.  A few neighbors along my fence-line never weed, so that makes my job tough, and one feeds her pets (meaning wild birds) thistle seed.  It's probably the worst seed to feed birds in gardening terms, not bird terms.  The thistles are everywhere and multiplying rapidly.  Not that I am perfect.  I am far from that.  I have labeled myself the Lazy Gardener.  I do that well.  So last year I gave up.  Big mistake.  Honestly, I think the Phentermine in my system ran out and all my gardening frenzy before was chemically induced.  Yikes...that's a story for another day.  This year I am paying in spades.  Not the gardening kind of spades, which I imagine would be a good thing.  HA!

The time has come.  Time to take serious action.  The animals think this yard is a wildlife sanctuary and are claiming it as their own.  Animals are a good thing, but not in herds.  The word is out in the animal kingdom that the "kegger" is here and there is a line at the fence gate.  Among the animals moving in or through in the last six months have been the usual, rabbits, chipmunks, gophers and squirrels, but more recently there has been fox, mink, possums and a raccoon.  They all can stay, except the raccoon.  That dude does his business under my pool deck.  Let's just say sitting and relaxing with friends and neighbors isn't as wonderful when the smell is noxious.  Ugh.  I need Billy the Exterminator stat!

So this is the plan.  Regular lists don't work with me.  I need the embarrassment of photos for the public to see and heckle me about.  Behold my back yard with a to-do list included.  Pretty smart, right?

Standing on my back steps going clockwise:

Yeah....monstrous.  Insurmountable.  Joyless.  OK...realistically none of the painting will get done.  I hate painting.  I will hire someone for that.  But the rest is do-able.  Well, maybe not the building of the lattice screen.  It's do-able, but not by me.  I am the Lazy Gardener after all.  I don't want to shock anyone, especially myself.  So this is my goal for the week.  I will report back next week and then we will tackle another area of the yard.  If I live. 

Wish me luck.

Mr. Jack and Mr. Clean....I Love them Both.

This week was busy.

♥ I loved it ♥

My "stand in" godson had his graduation open house yesterday.  

Not to mention a parade and concert before hand.  

He's in a drum corp and carries the largest bass drum.  

Music is his life and love.  

I guess you can tell where he is headed next year due to the shirt.  

He is so excited and so am I.

He is awesome.  End of story.

OK...not end of story, but enough said here.  

Due to my love of procrastination, I spent the week working on his gift.  Let's just say that I made his graduation card three years ago.  I planned what I would make him three years ago as I gave a similar gift to his brother - my actual godson.  I started buying gift cards months ago, but the gift card holder construction began this week.  Squeaked it out in the nick of time.

This is what it ended up looking like.

I was going to add wording under Jack's, like cards or something.  However, I ended up putting other items in it other than gcs.

Sometimes less is more.  

Here's the inner pages:

  

Each inner page is a folder-like/envelope to hold gift cards.  

I have to thank my BASB buddies for their input along the way.

They played a huge part in helping me with this by giving me

suggestions, feedback and listening to my incessant whining.  

♥  Thank goodness for friends!  ♥

 So it is finally done and it has been given.  A friend asked that I list what gift cards I put in the holder.  Basically it is a variety.  The main thing I did do was research what shops and restaurants were around the campus that Jack is going to attend.  I also took into consideration that he would be shopping for dorm items before hand, so cards to Bed Bath and Beyond, Kohl's and Target were added for that.  To complete his gift I bought a medium sized Rubbermaid storage container and filled it with items, like a sewing kit, safety pins, first aid kit, microwaveable food, cereal, peanut butter, a laundry bag, plastic utensils, Kleenex and the oh so important - room deodorizing spray.  Almost anything will work.  I should have put a big framed photo of me in that.  Darn.  I will have to send that after he is there.  ;o)  I threw everything in the container, including the gift card holder, and snapped on the lid.  No wrapping required.  Done.  He loved it. 

 And now it is on to cleaning.    

Someone send this man to me.

I can now solely focus on cleaning and organizing the rest of my scrap area.  That re-begins today.  I am actually very excited about this now.  Before all I could think of finishing the project.  I better get crackin' before I figure out that sitting on a computer is way more fun than cleaning.  HA!  

Thanks for stopping by!

Enjoy your day!

Oh Crap.....

I didn't remember this thing still existed until I received an email from my friend, Briana, who told me I better get to updating this or she will drop her stalking of me.  With that I suppose she will then remove the planned shrine of me from her blog.  An ego like mine will not let that happen.  HA!  This brings me to the realization that I have the best friends ever.  Not only are they fun, humorous and talented, but they also feel comfortable enough to kick me in the butt when need be and they don't mince words.  So here I am and while I haven't created too much as of lately, I have done a little.

The above were done for the current BASB challenge.  This time I am hosting and the challenge is to use frames or framing somehow on a layout or card.  Super easy challenge as I think most people in some way or another frame whether through actual frames or white space or any other inventive way.  The challenge is still open, so you have plenty of time to join in.  Deadline is June 14 at midnight central time.  Prize is a $10 gift certificate to Studio Calico, which happens to me my kind of Disney World without all the spinning tea cups.  I'm old.  I can no longer handle spinning.

Other than a bit of scrapping, I have been busy weeding my gardens.  It seems I took last summer off.  You do that and you might as well start over.  A few years ago I wanted to remove all the grass in my yard and install gardens, so I did.  I now want to remove all the gardens and install grass.  Everybody warned me, but I am a stubborn cuss.  The above is the only part of my yard I feel proud enough of to show off.  That was a couple weeks ago.  It's now de-petaled and hanging limply.  Peonies need to last longer.

Other recent happenings:

He turned 13.  Ack.....13.  He loves learning about WWII, flight simulators, P51 Mustangs, Legos, Nintendo DS, laughing, hanging out with friends and playing soccer.  Girls are still weird.  I give it three months and that opinion will change. 

We found a new pet.  For two days.  He now lives with 400 of his friends at the Wildlife Rehab Center.

Out of the blue she decided to give softball a try.  She choose this over soccer.  WOW.  Huge shock.  She loves softball.  Either that or she loves the social part of it.  Does it really matter which one at the age of 7?

He wants a puppy.  Would someone just give this kid a puppy? Other than yearning for one he is still trying to find his niche in the world of sports.  Karate may be the answer.  Until then he will swim until he grows fins and play his Nintendo DS until he is grounded.  Yikes.

He turned 21 and promptly proved his age by bringing home liquor and offering it to every non-drinker over the age of 21 at his party.  Poor guy is surrounded by fuddy duddies. Found out today that he will graduate from the U of MN early.  I am so proud of him. This summer he will spend his time at a popular local lake.  Nope.  Not R&R.  He is interning for the DNR and will be checking each water craft for mussels and milfoil. 

He turned 18 and then graduated.  Sigh.  Time flies.  I have never seen somebody so happy to graduate in my entire life.  The smile never left his face.  A smile didn't leave my face either.  I will miss him when he heads to college next year.  Until that time he will fill his summer with drum corp, parades and playing in a jazz ensemble with his older brother. 

Speaking of jazz ensemble, I was able to see them perform at a local coffee shop on Memorial Weekend.  Our group made them play requests much to their chagrin.  You boys better learn Take the A Train.  That is my next request.  BTW...they sounded awesome!

So that is that with them.  About me....

The pool is open.  Patio time with the fun neighbors has started.  The carhops at Sonic know me by my first name.  Summer is in full swing.

I am also in the middle of a renovation of my scrap area.  That all started with the purchase of an Expedit shelving unit from Ikea.  Dang Ikea.  I think this is an endless project.  If you don't see me here in a month, contact Briana to kick me in the behind.  She's good at that.♥