Where the heck I have been!

I know that I have been a bit absent around here lately, but...

We have been working up a storm here at the old Fey household!

before we started the backyard over... again...

...after all the compost was worked in and sectioned off

We have our entire garden planted now, and we also have a bunch of new stuff in the front yard.

This is a closeup of the lilies of the valley that carpet the front. They were here when we got here... but were buried underneath years of neglect and decomposing leaves. Once we started cleaning up, we were amazed by these beautiful and incredibly fragrant wildflowers! They are now some of my favorites. My hubby doesn't like them because they are only in bloom for a few weeks and then they just kind of look like weeds... but I adore how our whole yard smells and looks for that glorious month.

So they stay!

It is an amazing thing what smell can do for you. Sometimes when arriving home tired, slightly frustrated from some family adventure, I will open the van door and suddenly feel better and realize that fabulous smell has already made me relax and feel the sense of home. That's a pretty sweet thing, as far as I'm concerned!

Not to mention how good I think it is for the kids to help and watch things to grow.

Playing in the dirt was always one of my favorite things to do as a kid, too!

My new initiative to get healthy for real is going very well!

I have been working on taking off this extra weight since Roscoe was born. It has been 18 months and with the hernia there was almost no exercise in the last 6 months before my surgery. I had a much harder time losing when my hernia started to get really bad, but maintained my weight. Although my food was not too bad... it wasn't enough. I needed to be able to move to get this thing going. So, once I was able to start really moving things started going pretty fast. I guess it was time to just get to it! Now that I am healthy enough to work hard... I'm hoping that this momentum keeps going!I have just this last week crossed a milestone and officially lost 50 pounds from the day after Roscoe was born. Wow! That's a whole lot of weight!

I really didn't realize how awful this hernia was, until now that it's gone and I don't feel horrible all the time!! HOORAY!! I can not tell you how easy it is to feel positive when you are not in constant pain! ...now don't let me fool you.. I have not been all dreamy cloud nine or anything... real life here ya know... but I am just now beginning to see how much this thing effected everything in my life, without me ever acknowledging it.

So, I have been walking everyday. I walk anywhere from 2-4 miles... depending on the day and circumstances. I walk to the park near my house(a little more than a mile) and then walk the mile track there. I have been speed walking... it feels really good to push my body and actually do it without horrible pain... cool! My muscles burn... and I am tired at the end of the day now... but that's a good thing. Of course less manic late night energy means that my blog time is pretty much cut down to nothing! But if that's what it takes then sadly for my blog... it is what I must do right know.

Also, I have mentioned the love/hate relationship I have with this HUGE tree in our back yard.. well this right here is a reason to hate it... this is EVERY SINGLE DAY!!

I kid you not... I have been putting in hours everyday raking and sweeping out all the little seedlings. It is also a reason to love the tree, a free and useful workout opportunity! It is good brain numbing physical work. It has a purpose and an achievable goal... which for whatever reason right now feels really good to me! Well, almost achievable... it is also a good lesson in laughter because as I am raking they are falling in buckets, in front of me and on my head...and it is definitely a laugh or cry moment... every time!!

I am thoroughly enjoying all this extra time that I have been outside and of course my kids love it too! I have also been taking them to the park every single day to play. They are feeling great and I want very much to instill a healthy love of the outdoors with them. I have always felt grounded when walking through or looking at nature... and I want my kids to feel the same way. I love to see them lose themselves in a field of dandelions gone to seed. Exploring the jungle gym at the new play area we've discovered. Watching ants carry food... being fascinated with a spider wrapping it's prey... the list is endless and watching them discover is one of my favorite things in the world.

So I hope that you can all forgive my definite loss of focus. For right now I am throwing myself whole heartedly into this new way of doing things. I am eating well, playing hard, working harder and enjoying the whole process. I am spending much less time on the computer and because of this I haven't had time to write nearly as much as I'd like to.

I've written a hundred posts in my head... so all I need to do is work on the technology that can take the idea from my head and put it straight up here for you guys and we'll be set! : )

I hope that you all are enjoying the nicer weather(and I hope that the nice weather has visited your area!). I wish all of you new beginnings and the freshness of spirit that the season requests!
OH YEAH, I almost forgot! I am getting my new tattoo on Monday! I am getting so excited! This is one that has been in my head for awhile now. I decided since this has come at my 50 pound loss I can label it my reward for hard work, and when I finally get the other 50 pounds off I will get myself another one! I think it is a nice goal for myself because it is something that I want and now I can work for it!
I hope that everyone has a spectacular weekend! : )

Today I am grateful for so many things it's hard to narrow it down!
I am thankful that we have had the ability (physicsally and financially) to put all this energy into our beautiful surroundings.
I am thankful that the kids and I have been able to go to the park everyday, and that we have such an amazing assortment to choose from here in the Burgh!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you Moms reading this.

I hope that you all feel as thankful and lucky as I do, to have the best job in the whole world!

I'm not gonna lie and say that everyday is awesome... because I live in the real world.... some days stink... but most days I wake up with a smile and go to bed with one too!

I am super lucky to get to stay home with my kids. I get to watch them grow and learn, explore and discover, experience and blossom every. single. day. I can't imagine a better way to spend the majority of my days.

I am blessed to have some spectacular kids who have given me the chance to find out some of the best (and worst) parts of myself, by making me what (in my opinion) I do better than anything else in this world... being a Mama.

Thank you guys for giving me the gift of Motherhood!

You are all amazing in such different special ways.

I never knew a deeper or more powerful love!

You all make me so proud!

and with that... my babies!

Today I am thankful that I have been able to deliver three beautiful spirits into this world, and in that discovered one of the best parts of myself.

I am grateful to have been able to have healthy, beautiful children who will make this world a better place, in their own special ways!

selfish blogger

So I hate to break the news to you, but I recently have had to come to accept that I am a selfish blogger. I wish that I could come and write something everyday... but often I just can't find the time in my day to sit here and write.
I wish that I could because I think of things constantly so at any given time I have 10-15 thoughts rolling around in my noggin.... and so when I am able to come and write I often find myself just needing to purge and not write a pretty and thoughtful post... and they are always way too long too.
sorry- but I guess that this is way more about me than you the reader... although I really like that people read it... I guess that's why I'm selfish -eh?
I do read all the blogs that I am subscribed to, but often don't comment on them... although it would only take a few more minutes... why do I do that?
I don't know either... but I'll work on it ok?

so here's some of the junk in my head:
Spring- I love it so much. I wish that it wasn't quite as rainy, but of course that is what makes it so darn pretty.... and from there we go to how much I love being able to take the kids to the park to play, and getting them some glorious sunshine and exercise. plus they have been playing outside in the backyard so much lately.. getting filthy and having a great time...

our garden- the front yard got a lot more of the garden budget this year than last... which is awesome. It looks very pretty...and I will post some pics here soon... I'm working on putting them on flickr too...
we are also moving the placement of the back garden, which is a LOT of work, and not being done by me yet (still healing, and although it's going well...it's not that good yet!), so my poor hubby has to do all the hard labor... but I am the one who gets to plan out the whole thing.. what we'll grow and where everything will go. We have a bunch of plants ready to go into the ground as soon as we get the actual ground ready... it's getting there and the new position will really help with the whole big ol tree covering the whole darn yard thing.. that we dealt with last year. of course that means we have to move grass(that finally was getting a good hold this year) and a lot of the actual dirt because we put a lot of good stuff into it... not to mention taking out some of the stuff that we don't want in it.. at any rate.. there's a lot of work in progress right now...

my health- I have been doing a great job with adding more movement and exercise into my daily activities... and also tracking my food... I am losing weight already (mostly water for now.. but encouraging nonetheless) and hope very much to keep going in this positive direction.

my tattoo- I am really ready to get the darn thing... but had to go into my savings for it... so will have to save a little longer... I don't think that I could actually sit for hours just yet either... so it's ok... but man do I have the itch... it's killing me over here! : )
there's other stuff but that was what flew out for now... so I guess that' it.
Oh yeah!!
I also received two blog awards in the last few days too... but I feel like they should get a post of their own. Thank you ladies for the honors... and I will write that post soon... hopefully tomorrow... but for now I have a terrible headache so I think I need to get some sleep!

Today I am grateful that it is Spring, and all I have to do is look out the window to feel inspired and optimistic.

I am thankful that my hubby has tomorrow off so we can work on the garden... I can't wait to get dirty and get to watch life bursting up from the ground! good stuff!