Raised Gardens

We have lived in South Carolina for almost three years now.  For two summers, we have tried to have a backyard garden.  For two summers, whatever we planted has been overrun by weeds or killed by a combination of nutrient-less soil and the HOT SC summer sun.  Seriously, we have YET to eat anything that we've tried to grow in our yard.  So this year, we are doing a lot more planning and preparing for the gardening season. 

I will still be working full time and we will have a newborn baby in the house, so I don't expect to have hours to spend on ANYthing, much less gardening.  With the time constraint in mind, we decided to build raised garden beds to cut down on the weeding we'll inevitably have to do.  We first drew out what we wanted on a piece of paper and then made the decision to go with half cinder blocks for the walls.  The half blocks are only 4" wide versus 8" wide for a regular cinder block.  We went with the half blocks because it would still give us enough strength, especially after filling them with wooden stakes and sand, but also give us more planting room inside the beds than a full cinder block would give. 

The area in the yard was already cleared out from last year's feeble garden attempt, so we just covered the section of ground with clear plastic to keep the weeds out of our beds and started the first row of blocks.  Marcus build three beds so that we would have room to walk in between them to make weeding and harvesting easier.  We also used left over fencing stakes and fence wire to fashion homemade trellises next to the fence. 

After making sure everything was secure and stable, we filled the three beds with organic topsoil that will (hopefully!) be much more suited to growing vegetables than the sandy soil that we are blessed with here on the beautiful coast. 

To make everything more visually appealing, we painted the blocks a light green.  We wanted to add the lattice to cover up the cinder blocks, but it is turning out to be more of a pain than we originally anticipated, so we may just leave them alone.  We filled the pathways between the beds with river rocks and trimmed everything out with metal edging to keep the lawnmower from shooting rocks everywhere. :)

The three small planter boxes on top of each bed are the kids' gardens (we even have one for Mason!).  We think it's important that they know where food comes from, so they (especially Taylor) will have a hand in everything that grows in those planters, from picking out what to plant, to weeding, watering, and harvesting. 

We are still in the process of deciding what to plant where, so my OCD/nerd self created a diagram on Excel that we can fill in and change around depending on what we want to grow.  The goal is to get the seeds in the ground before Mason arrives, so we'll probably be planting around the end of February. 

I can't wait to see what we are able to harvest this year!  I'm looking forward to (hopefully!) making homemade baby food for Mason and exploring how to can and freeze what we are able to harvest!

37 Weeks and Girls' Day Out

Mason is officially full term!  He made it to 37 weeks this Sunday, so now we are just getting a few final things taken care of, like making sure the car seat cover gets washed and then installed before he arrives!  We made a trip to Savannah on Saturday to stock up on diapers, wipes, laundry detergent, and other necessities.  I had a couple of gift cards to Target, so I got to pick up a few new nursing tanks and other odds and ends.  Of course, while we were at the mall, we had to stop by Bass Pro shops so Marcus could get a few things for the upcoming cobia season. :)
We ended up doing a LOT of walking and I was tired that evening, but it was a very productive day and the kiddos slept all the way home.


On Monday, we had President's Day off work, so Taylor and I had our last girls' day before Mason arrives and we are outnumbered by boys! We went to IHOP for breakfast and she got the Create-a-Face pancake that comes with strawberry eyes, a banana slice smile, and a tube of yogurt.

 She definitely enjoyed the WHOLE thing, lol!  Plus some of my bacon!  Hungry girl!

After breakfast, we both got our hair cut.  Mine was just a trim, but Tay went from this:

(Yes, that's a toy train stuck in her hair. Don't ask!)

 to this:

  I absolutely love it shorter!  I think it looks adorable on her, especially as blonde as she is!
After haircuts, we got pedicures and she got a manicure.

 She chose purple glittery polish for her toes and HOT pink for her nails!  She and I both had a great time and I'm looking forward to when we can do it again!

35 1/2 weeks!

As of today, I am 35 1/2 weeks pregnant! 



Mason was measuring right where he should be as of my last appointment, so it looks like his crazy-fast growth has slowed down some.  According to babycenter.com, all of his organs are fully formed and from here on out, he will just be gaining weight!  This is not necessarily good news for Mom, LOL! Look how tired I already look in the belly picture!! :)  He is getting heavy to carry around all day! 

Honestly though, this has been the best pregnancy so far.  I have had only minor issues with heartburn and my hips hurting, but that's too be expected, especially this far along.  I did have the WORST sinus headaches that I've ever had a few weeks ago, but I'm not entirely convinced that was pregnancy related.  It seems like the sinus crud is going around here lately.  I'm just thankful it wasn't the flu!

I've already got Mason's hospital essentials packed and ready to go, now I just have to get my stuff ready.  I don't plan on taking much because Marcus will have to go home at some point to be with our other two kiddos, so he can bring me whatever I decide I need/want then. 

I finished the birth plan worksheet that I printed out, so we'll see how close to it I can get this time. :)  The goal is to go au natural(!), but since this is another VBAC, the docs feel way more comfortable at least inserting the catheter for the epidural just in case there's an emergency and they have to get me into surgery quickly.  We are praying that nothing like that will happen, obviously, but there's always a small risk because of the prior C-section.

Mason continues to be the most active baby yet-it is rare for him to not be moving around in there! It's definitely going to be strange not to feel those kicks and rolls once he's born!  He makes me laugh because I can sit on the couch and watch him roll from one side to the other or stick his elbow out like he's stretching!  I'm pretty sure if Mommy was skinnier, we would be able to see the sharp outline of a hand or a foot pressing out of my tummy!

The countdown to Mason has begun and we are eagerly anticipating his arrival!!