Trimming

My Yaupon Hollies have been out of control for a while. I prune them every year, but I have been wanting to add some shape and interest to them. Also, I think I need to prune the forsythia hedge a little more to get it to grow fuller.

See?

 

I've seen Yaupons traditionally shaped into domes and I like that, so it's an option. I have also seen some really cool disc shaped Yaupons so that's an option too. And the hedge is vital as noise pollution buffer.



And the hedge in progress for the East side of my English courtyard is in need of something. Probably 2-3 more Japanese Barberry to fill in those gaps. I probably should have planted those back in the Fall, but I am optimistic that I can pick up a couple at the garden center and be content with the results this Summer.

Dances and Dinners (February Recap, Part Un)

Wow! What a month! February is normally a busy month for us but this year there was even more to it!

The first event of the month was the Daddy-Daughter Dance that no one wanted to go to! Emi will be too old for the next one and I doubt I will ever again get Aubri to wear another dress so I had to nudge everyone into going. I think they had a good time.

Weekending

This long weekend felt a little longer than it actually was because Scott was down with the flu. Single momming it made me appreciate how much I could not do this alone.

Friday wasn't too bad because I was in Errand Mode already: I delivered a trunkful of donations to Salvation Army, big grocery shopped at Sam's, unloaded groceries at home, got my hair chopped off, picked up some farro at Sprouts, picked up little ones from school,  gave them a snack at home and then picked up the bigger one plus one at her school.  Emi and her friend wanted to see Ride Along 2, so I hauled all of the kids up to the theatre to drop them off, then me and the little ones picked up the remaining items needed for the weekend and made naan personal pizzas that night so dinner was easy.

During all of this, I kept Scott dosed with Theraflu and in bed because we really needed him better. Emi's movie was over after the little ones were in bed so I was able to fly solo to pick her and her friend up from the theatre. Night one was over and I was feeling a little worn out.

Comforting

I saw a post for One Pan Farro with Tomatoes from Smitten Kitchen and I knew I needed to try it soon. Because I also tried a version of this recipe lately and I need some balance.

Smoked Salmon and Tomatoes

Snow Day

After work on Friday, we went to the bookstore to get a Latte Macchiato and a half price calendar. We ended up with the World's Best Father calendar. Love it! Then we hit the grocery store so I could camp out in my pajamas all day Saturday; being domesticated.