Mother’s Day… Farewell, Until Next Year…

The day started with me, the hubster, and the K-9 Doodle in bed with sun rays peeking through the drawn shades. Ahh… Mother’s Day. It was 8:45am when I finally decided that I could not sleep any longer. I had a bit of time to do whatever I chose before getting ready for church. Today, Amy Rolof, from the TLC hit show, Little People, Big World was speaking. If not for this reality TV Mom speaking today, my goal would be to not leave the house.

My favorite Mother’s Day to-date is where I spent most of the day in bed, reading my Encyclopedia of Presidents (Yes, I’m a history dork. But, it was the Scholastics version I picked up at the kids’ book fair one year, so it did have plenty of pictures and stuff to keep my interest), and napping.

The Encyclopedia Mother’s Day was before we owned a house, therefore before we owned a yard. This morning I was torn… a small sliver of me yearned for some relaxation, and today, who would blame me if I chose to relax? But a big part of me wanted to jump out of bed, round up the troops and do yard work!

PB, the 13-year old of the house, and I worked at the Scented Acres booth at a plant sale yesterday (this is my mom’s Lavender business… must check them out online!!). The daughter and I were able to sneak away from my mother a couple times to shop, the front porch now showcasing our purchases. We scored a variety of sunflowers, watermelon, and marigolds (I don’t even like marigolds, but it was a 4H Fundraiser for $.50 each… how could I say no?). We scored a pink peony, a raspberry bush, and some succulents.

About two… maybe three years ago, I bought a pot of Hyacinth at a local spring festival. The black gallon-size pot that was meant as a temporary home is still housing the hyacinth. I actually forgot what was in there until it bloomed last year. This means I neither took the time to toss the pot that appeared to only have dirt in it, or plant the bulbs. That was last year. This year… same story. It still sits in the pot.

I know where I want to plant these newly adopted plants… just like I’ve known where I want to plant the Hyacinth for years. What keeps me from just putting it in the ground you ask? Excellent question. The area just isn’t ready. The sound of that answer doesn’t do justice for the reality it holds. I want to plant it in a bed that surrounds my Magnolia Tree (not to be confused with the disliked Marigold). Easy enough, eh? Except I don’t have a bed around my Magnolia Tree. I also want to put grass along that side of the yard, which I feel should be done prior to making a bed. So, in order to get that Hyacinth out of the pot, I would need to put sod down (too impatient for seed, although, I’m sure the seed would have produced in the last couple of years I’ve been in this predicament), I would need to build a bed around the tree, fill it with soil, and plant the Hyacinth. Even this small list doesn’t sound so bad. EXCEPT… I don’t know what type of grass I have, how do I get sod to match? What type of bed do I want around the tree? I think I would like to be able to sit on top of it, so I’m thinking wide concrete blocks or bricks of some kind. How many will I need? I don’t want to buy too many and waste the money. And if I make it tall enough to sit on, do I really want to fill it all the way with soil, knowing nothing I plant in there will have that deep of roots? Oh, the task is now overwhelming. So, I think I’ll go do the dishes.

I pray the fate of these knew adoptees isn’t the same as this poor, seemingly orphaned Hyacinth.

In the midst of my mind wandering through the world of gardening, I hear the girls down the hall. They planned to bring me breakfast, they even set their alarm to try to get up before me. I may be bias, but I have the best kids in the world. I am really not a breakfast person, so I was relieved when my youngest asked me if I wanted food right away… the look on her face told me that she would prefer to play… so, I said no with relief that I wouldn’t have to force down any food this early.

As I lay there longer, I wonder… what would happen if I stayed in bed. Would everyone stay home, in their pajamas all day? Would the blinds get opened to allow my lounging family to absorb the beautiful and somewhat rare Northwest Spring sunlight? Would the hubster make sure everyone got ready for church and gently remind me to get ready (like I do him so often)? Would the house be cleaned or become a disaster of tornado magnitude?

As I contemplated these things, Abby, our K-9 Doodle mastermind, delivered a Thank You card from the girls. It was tucked into her collar, she jumped on me… full throttle to deliver it. She is extremely intelligent. I think she will be a guest blogger at some point. I’m feeling lucky; smart dog, amazing kids, awesome husband…

I eventually got up to a messy house, and a happy family. We went off to church, to see my Mumster, and the Mother-in-law, and came back home to finally get some yard work done. By the time the sun went down, we had made a last-minute decision to pull our nine remaining rose bushes (more like rose trees that wanted to take over my house… ever seen Disney’s Sleeping Beauty??), and in order to prevent our front yard from becoming a forest, we pulled a tree of unknown origin that continuously reseeded itself, I think it had the bunny gene. We had bbq’d burgers, per Mom’s request. I was spoiled with kind words, a pot of beautiful purple tulips (to eventually join the front porch kids), a handmade rose made from modeling clay, a cheese plate shaped and actually MADE from an old wine bottle (did I mention my kids were talented?), cards, and help in the yard.

I am honored everyday by the kind of people I see my kids growing up to be, their actions today were just icing on the cake I call my life… and tasty it is. I didn’t get to read about Abraham Lincoln, or even take a nap. But, today was a great day.

To top it off… I officially started a blog!! I’ve wanted to do this for a long time… and now I have. My name is Stephanie, and I am the Mad Hatter. I’m not angry, just a little mad… we’re all a little mad sometimes! I may not be the most fashionable person in the world, but I wear many hats… today the one I wore the most proud was Motherhood.

Until we meet again…