Life Lately

Life Lates = Working A Lot + Socializing with BFFs + Growing Grass (yes, still)

Here are the Details,

I am transitioning into a different role at work that I am super excited about.  Hurry May 6.  Until then, boss man has made a list of things I must accomplishment.  Which equates to extra hours at work, less sleep, more stress.

My bff lives in Australia.  She is in the States for 3 weeks.  Which means obligatory visit to see her of course.  I spent last weekend traveling with another bff to NJ outside of NYC to
1)  reminisce and relive our college glory days, kinda like this : Life in Your Early Twenties VS Life in Your Late Twenties
2)  catch up on all things life
3)  and stay up way too late drinking wine and champagne.  We found this hilarous : SNL Sketch of the Week: “Moet & Chandon”

And, Hubs and I grow grass.

Thats all folks. 

Grow Grass Grow!

We have spent the past 2 weekends tending to the grass we are trying to grow in the backyard.  We weren't sure if the grass was really growing, but lo and behold, after analyzing progress against the post mossing pictures we really are growing grass!

Nonetheless, our days and nights are full of watering, re-seeding (courtesy of me ... I think it helps, especially when you see 40 birds eating away our seeds), and praying to the grass gods. 

Setting up the Sprinkler

Water, water, water

Our local Home Depot Garden section knows us very well.  We always ask Thomas for help - he seems to know exactly what will work.  What he has told us to use:
- Rebel Shade Grass Seed
- Scott's Starter Fertilizer
- Water, water, water

Since we cannot water the frequency required during the work week, we decided straw was a must.  We also thought some peat moss (although there are mixed reviews) would help.  So, we put 2 things of peat moss down and 2 bales of straw down over the brown areas.  There are a lot of brown spots.

In other growing news, Spring has Sprung.  I love all the shrubs, trees, and flowers we have. They all bloom at different times and being our first Spring in our new house, it is fun to see what pops up next.

Not sure what this tree is, but it blooms nicely!

Our Hydrangea Bush

Tulips

Moments of Silence

These past couple of days have been filled with sadness, reflection, and emotion.

First and foremost, my beloved Grammie passed away on Thursday night. I did not cry why I heard the news; I knew she was at peace and in a better place. Almost 5 years ago today, my Papa died and Gram just wasn't the same. Her health immediately plummeted and although she tried to remain cheerful, she was deeply saddened by her loss. Like any elder, she has had her medical issues. Early last week she went in for an MRI for her stomach - she had been complaining of stomach issues. The Doc said she had cancer and I think at that moment Gram knew this should be her time. The ceremony was amazing. The Pastor talked about her grace, cheerfulness, service to her community, and her love for her 3 Grandkids. Gram was truly a fabulous lady and I will miss her greatly. Some of the best memories of my childhood are at Grammie and Papa's house. I would spend several weeks at their house in the summer. I would help Gram in the garden - picking berries, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, corn, etc. Then making jam and freezing veggies. We would bake countless cupcakes and go for our standard 1 mile walk after dinner. Papa would drag me around town with him and I would help him do all his errands. It was a great time!  Nonetheless, both of them are kept in a special place in my heart.

Next, the 6 year anniversary of the VT shooting was yesterday. I was there and remember vividly hearing the news that day. Luckily, I was working on my Master's Final Project Report at home. But on of my friends had headed to class. She texted me while in class about being on lockdown. I had my eyes glued to the TV and saw Norris Hall. It was one of the engineering building that I have had plenty of classes in - I had one that semester there. Patton Hall (my Civil Engineering home base building) was directly across from Norris and a fellow Master's student was currently in the building giving his dissertation. It was startling and I was in shock. Although I was interested in learning about this individuals motives, I couldn't bear to watch the news throughout the following days. I attended the service shortly thereafter in the Drill Field and visisted the memorial after graduation. Nikki Giovanni's Convocation Address in April 2007 says it all (via VT}:

We are Virginia Tech.
We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We are not moving on, we are embracing our mourning.
We are Virginia Tech.
We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly, we are brave enough to bend to cry, and we are sad enough to know that we must laugh again.
We are Virginia Tech.
We do not understand this tragedy. We know we did nothing to deserve it, but neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS, neither do the invisible children walking the night away to avoid being captured by the rogue army, neither does the baby elephant watching his community being devastated for ivory, neither does the Mexican child looking for fresh water, neither does the Appalachian infant killed in the middle of the night in his crib in the home his father built with his own hands being run over by a boulder because the land was destabilized. No one deserves a tragedy.
We are Virginia Tech.
The Hokie Nation embraces our own and reaches out with open heart and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds. We are strong, and brave, and innocent, and unafraid. We are better than we think and not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imaginations and the possibilities. We will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears and through all our sadness.
We are the Hokies.
We will prevail.
We will prevail.
We will prevail.
We are Virginia Tech.

{via VT}

Finally, I returned from Gram's Funeral to hear the news that 2 bombs went off during the Boston Marathon.  Another act of violence during an event that should be joyous.  Marathons are hard work (not that I would know, the thought of 26.2 miles scares me from even trying).  People train for months for a marathon, they push through pain during the race, and feel complete relief, joy, exhaustion, and pride upon completing the race.  It is a great achievement.  Yet for so many, it was ended early by an act of violence.  And innocent bystanders were hurt - the backbone of the cheering department that so many racers thrive off of.  Comedian-actor Patton Oswalt said this on his Facebook page - "So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, 'The good outnumber you, and we always will.' " {via CNN}.  It helps to remind me that good will always prevail and that we cannot be stripped of hope.

Giuliana & Bill: Obsessed

The show 'Giuliana & Bill' has been replaying on E! on Sunday's over the past month or so.  I caught parts of Season 5 replay during our patio install breaks.  One rainy Sunday (can't remember when) I was able to watch a couple of the shows, DVRed the rest, and was hooked.  So much, that I just had to watch Seasons 1 through 4 that I missed. 

So, like any normal person, I signed up for a free month of Netflix (after spending $2.99 a show on FIOS to complete the first part of Season 5) and have completed Season 1 & 2 in record time - 4 days.  Now, do take into consideration that these first episodes were 30 minutes long, and without commercials, that makes them a whopping 20 minutes.  10 eposides per season that totals a whopping 200 minutes of viewing per episode.  So, 7 hours in 4 days.  And, there was literally no other show watching that went on.  Is that a lot?  Am I making too many excuses.  Oh, well, I love it!

I even was able to get Hubs 'into' the show.  Watching 4 episodes in a row is a little much for him, but he is totally on board with watching 1 or 2.  Out of all the reality TV show watching I make him watch (remember, we only have 1 TV), he likes it.  He likes their personalities. 

Anywho, I just made it through the first part of their fertility issues.  I, like so many other women out there, are concerned about the whole 'baby-making' ordeal.  For so long you try not to get pregnant, and then when you are ready, it can be tough.  Not only is there such a small window to get pregnant each month, you have age, time, and possible other issues that start to work against you.  Ay carumba.  I am intrigued, nonetheless, and can't wait to tune in and watch Season 3 and 4 (where can I get this for 'free' or a low rate..hmm). 

And as for Giuliana & Bill, she is fab - totally funny and dorky.  They are one 'reality TV couple' that seem perfect for each other. 

Plus, I love their fab new home!  See it here.

Searching for: A Tripod Lamp

Our Living Room is by far the furtherst along in all things related to decorating and decor.  It helps to spruce it up with brand new furniture, a nice fluffy rug, some excellent built-ins, a gallery photo wall, and fancy schmancy technology (aka Apple TV, Bose Surround Sound). 

What's left:  a new lamp that 'fits' the space, some curtains, and a nice mirror on the entryway wall behind the couch.

On the subject of a floor lamp, I have searched high and low for something that I like.  I feel that it needs a 'beefy' base, something that 'fills' the space in between the chair and couch.  We already have plenty of table - a coffee table and sofa table - so a side table isn't needed. 

At first I thought a candlestick lamp would look fab.  Maybe something like this.

Brentwood Floor Lamp Pottery Barn

Then I thought height and shade size was really what I needed.

Sutter Floor Lamp Pottery Barn

But recently, I have my eyes on a tripod lamp.

Piedmont Floor Lamp Pottery Barn

Tripod Floor Lamp West Elm

What I am leanin toward is (now, after finding it on PB, pretty sure it is new) the Piedmont Floor Lamp.  Committing to the purchase is another thing.

Moss Away

I may have mentioned, I may have not, that we have TONS of moss in our yard.  It is the one thing our yard needs major help on.  Shrubs and flowers - we have plenty; Grass - we have none!

During our last Home Depot trip, we found the Lawn and Garden expert who recommended a product to treat moss.  I am pretty sure it is called 'Moss Out', but I will update if not.  We put 2 bags of 'Moss Out' in the fertilizer machine and treated the yard.  You are then supposed to water the lawn so that the granules dissolve and begin treating the moss.  We just waited for it to rain that night (that was planned). 

So, this weekend, we were ready seed and fertilize the backyard.

First, we raked up the moss.  Because we had soooo much moss, we literally had to rake every square inch of the backyard.  Even in places where we had some decent grasss we found out that there was a nice moss undercoat hiding out.

Moss Piles

Next, we built a compost bin so we could spare sending these clippings to the dump.  I don't have pics yet.. oops

It was amazing to see just how brown our backyard is.

Brown Yard

Then we headed to the Nursery and bough 1 yard of topsoil to spread thinly overtop the yard.  This fills in holes and gives the seed something to 'grab' (right?  I will have to ask hubs).

After brunch on Sunday we headed back to the backyard and spread about 1.5 bags of Rebel Shade Grass mix.  Topped it off with Scotts Starter Fertilizer.  And spent the rest of the evening watering every square inch of the yard.

We now have to attempt to figure out a watering schedule - the mornings are going to be tough, but I am pretty sure this is a requirement if we have any hopes of growing grass.

Oh, and trying to keep the dog off the yard.  Bonus tough.

Oh, and we bought 2 more colorful adirondacks chairs!

An Easy Weekend

Hubs and I have been super stressed and exhausted from work.  Therefore, we have done very little over the past week or two.  We have focused on relaxing, which has included sitting by the fire pit, sipping some cocktails, grilling, and watching movies. 

This past weekend, we did manage to mulch the flower beds in the backyard and build a horseshoe pit.

But, really, we did a lot of this.

Starting a Fire - Man & Dog Love a Good Fire



'Hey Grouper, come stand by me'

Smile

Lets Eat!