The Summer of Self Improvement

So, with a new baby and a new fresh start in the employment department I decided that I was going to make the best of things instead of sitting around feeling sorry for myself and stressed that two kids are SOO much harder than one.

Born from this is the Summer of Self Improvement! I am going to spend the summer doing things that I normally never had time to do. Working 10 hour days around 40 children (I LOVED my job so no mis-understanding) left me too tired and over stimulated at night to do much of anything. The weekends were always left for family time and visiting, chores and home projects, running around like banshees and not a minute to ourselves. Now without that stress and lack of time I have decided to use my new found time to do productive things. Who knows maybe I'll even blog about it (can't think of anyone who would want to listen to the ramblings but who knows lol).

I have already begun my garden, project one - while I do this every year this time I am vowing to actually take care of the damn thing. I am going to (with the assistance of my little fashionista) actually weed it and create a nice functioning garden that I am not afraid to walk around in, in fear I might step on a snake or other hidden surprise. We are going to paint or color handmade signs for all the plants and when the harvest is ready we are going to take our vegetables and actually make things with them (my mother is dropping right now at the thought of me cooking). We are going to make homemade baby food, not because I am a organic nut but just because if I have the time and it is better why the hell not. I appreciate organic and wish I could afford the lifestyle so lets start with baby steps or in this case baby food.

Project two- A few weeks ago we purchased a tye dye kit. I thought it would be a nice project to do with Celie and Ben however it has been sitting on the shelf for almost a month collecting dust. Yesterday I had my inspiration for the Summer of Self Improvement when I looked at the box and felt the twang of guilt for not completing this project I promised her I would do. Sooooo outside we went armed with t-shirts, white burp cloths, gloves and our dye and we squirted and sprayed and got covered in red and blue dye from our hands to our feet. Of course Celie got sick of this project after the first two items but we powered on until all the dye was out of the bottles and on us (some managed to get on the shirts). This morning we opened our treasures and revealed our work. The burp cloths came out fantastic. The fabric soaked up the dye perfectly and the patterns are bold and dramatic. The T-shirts however did not get the same beautiful affect. For some reason the dye just beaded off the fabric instead of soaking down into it. We were left with a mostly white shirt with some dye here and there. Maybe a cheaper quality shirt (we purchased a nicer quality hanes shirt) like an undershirt would work better. Trial and Error, a reason for another project for another day.

Off today to purchase a few more plants for our garden. I need squash (which I hate but Andy reminded me it's good for baby food) and I would love some peas or green beans but haven't been able to find them at the local farms and nursery's yet. We are going to get our materials for our garden stakes and either today or tomorrow will be tackling that project. I will post pictures of our projects in our Summer of Self Improvement album and who knows maybe I will start that blog ;}