Turning Over A New Leaf. (Pun intended.)

Ok, BUT FOR REAL- there are absolutely zero oak shoots/renegade liriope/dollar weed to be found in my front yard's flowerbeds, y'all. That hasn't happened since the summer before Luke was born. (Yikes. I KNOW.) 

Having all the babies and subsequent toddlers and then inquisitive preschoolers (and a truckload of neglect, let's be honest) has kept me out of my flowerbeds for over six years. Have you ever tried to weed things while your youngest kid cries in his exersaucer, your middle toddles just well enough to smash her face on the sidewalk every 7 seconds and scream like she's lost a limb and your oldest tries to cut his fingers off with the pruning sheers?? Mercy sakes alive. IT WAS NOT HAPPENING.

 But now that I can trust all the kids not to eat fertilizer or impale themselves with garden spades or wander into the street- I'M BACK, BABY. I started clearing out some of my front flowerbeds a few weeks ago and I haven't been able to stop. My Mom came last weekend and we were able to get into even more of my poor, neglected beds (and get soaked to the bone during a morning working through 1" of rain BECAUSE WE ARE STUBBORN LIKE THAT) and once this week got underway I've powered through the last two areas I needed to clean out by myself. (With more of the three kid's "help" OF COURSE.)

We've discovered a garden snake's nest complete with 8 unhatched eggs that we can't wait to watch hatch, pulled up enough dollar weed to fill up 614 trash cans, disturbed approximately 17,482 earthworms and spiders, accidentally chopped one other poor garden snake in half, pulled our fingernails back opening 21 bags of mulch (It never goes as far as you'd think it should. 2 cubic feet is tiny!) and ripped out the knee of my very favorite pair of old jeans. I'm currently Pinteresting DIY patches. 

I haven't worked outside this much in YEARS. (Don't judge.) My Mom loves her yard and toils endlessly in her beds to keep them looking like the cover of a Southern Living magazine.FOR REAL. They are beautiful and amazing and so perfect people drive out to my parent's house to have their pictures taken around them. She puts me to shame. I'm not there by a long shot, but I will say it feels good to look outside and see the results of my hard work.

 I love you, sweet Summer Time!