Four Months Gone

Today marks four months since Hubby officially left home on his journey to the sandbox. What has happened and changed over the past month?

- Number of meals cooked this month: 0 
Running total for deployment: 0 
(Note that I do not count frozen pizzas, chicken nuggets or baking a hamburger in the oven as cooking.)

- Ah…cooking. I feel a resurgence of this fine art coming to light in the Sullivan household. I'm becoming addicted to Pampered Chef and all of the neat little kitchen gadgets they offer. Yes…new recipes, new tools, new goals. When Hubby gets home, he'll be pleasantly surprised.

- Just like his last deployment, the first three months flew by, only to reach a screeching halt for month four. The days are creeping by, and I can't wait for him to come home. Just a few more months to go!

- Scrapalooza has taken a bit of a back seat to the great outdoors. I know, I know…how will I ever get caught up if I keep on procrastinating?This month saw the completion of only 36 pages. I haven't given up totally, it's just that spring is…uh…springing around here and I just can't seem to stay indoors!

- Ah, spring. Outdoor projects. I've tackled the paver project alongside the house, laying the foundation of my container garden. I'm very proud of my work! Also purchased a patio umbrella to make the back patio more bearable during the summer heat. I've tackled the embarrassing weed patch next to Hubby's parking space and have gotten rolling on populating my container gardens! I've even put in a flower bed between our back patio and the fence! I genuinely hope that I'm finished with all the heavy lifting in the garden for the year. I want to focus on planting from here on out! I'm formulating plans for planting when I'm assured of true spring weather - dahlias, zinnias, gazanias, jasmine, lavender, strawflowers, sunflowers and osteospermums…oh, my! I plan to unleash a riot of color in my front garden, and a bit of a cottagy feel in the back garden. I can't wait!

- Additions to the garden this month include golden yellow hibiscus, blue(!) hibiscus, four strawberry plants, two Spanish lavenders, two French lavenders, an ever blooming gardenia, and the planting of dahlia tubers. Also received a gift of mystery tubers that I plan to plunk in the ground today…we'll see what I got! Also expanded my collection of pots, and am constantly on the prowl for more!

- Hubby will be proud of me when he hears the extent I went to to protect the black beast from a passing hail storm! In an effort to keep hisPrecious ding-free, I braved the frigid storm to move his car under an overhang in the corp yard at work…dousing myself with freezing cold water from the lid of a garbage bin in the process. All was well…the car escaped injury. I didn't catch cold. Yaay!

- Reports from the Front...we have a super field officer that is capable of corralling multiple animals in a single call. The only field officer I know that has had the need to call for back up because his truck doesn't have enough room for all of his animals! This month, he caught the Great Dane that we chased all across the city. And there was much rejoicing. Animal Services answers the call of animals in need, careening down the highway to make it to a vet hospital in order to rescue animals from an electrical fire! Everyone made it out safely, and all the animals were ferried to a local kennel for safekeeping. We also met our weird quota in one day…accepting owner surrenders of a rat and a rescue of an injured wild bird. Side note on the rat…he is destined for great things! Originally purchased as food for a pet snake, he escaped that grizzly fate when said snake died before getting the opportunity to feast. We suspect foul play on part of the rat. He bears a striking resemblance to the rat I had in my garage, and we all know that HE was a wily one! Also…had to chase the bird around the office when he escaped from his basket. Only Animal Services could have a day like that and take it in stride!