Finally!!!!

... I am back!!!

I kind of disappeared in a mountain of recycled materials and 700+ kids trying to make something out of it.

It was SO, SO, SO MUCH work!
2 weeks on non-stop working.
WOW

Three days later and I am still pooped!!!
But it went GREAT and the kids had a fantastic time!!!!
We even heard some say "this is better than recess!" ... it doesn't get much better than that!
By tomorrow I should have my first post ready over on Art Attach ... I'll post a link.

But now I am back to being a mom (for this week, next week I am back teaching) and can just take care of my poor, very much neglected Ls.

Today we took it super slow (partially because I had spilled a VENTI latte over my snazzy Mac cordless keyboard and had drowned it).
It took Pat 2 hours of arguing with the Fry's store manager (he had purchased the extra warranty) but they wanted us to bring the ENTIRE computer in - with all my data - to test the system.
He ended up going to Best Buy and just bought a new one ... that was one fancy $70 latte!!!!

Anyhow, so we took it slow and FINALLY I made my way into the garden.

I hadn't been back there all year.
GP had planted some broccoli, tomatoes, peas and herbs with the Ls but the snails were rather quick and took huge chunks out of everything.
On top of it it had been raining like crazy and it just didn't feel like gardening time yet.

BUT today we made it and this is what we found ...

eaten peas

big chunks out of my broccoli (with SLIME residue as proof)

GP had told me about this expensive soil you can buy that has added, broken shells. Supposedly the snails don't go on it since it will cut them.
We may be poor BUT we do have  a lot of shells from our trips to the beach so we made our own SNAIL-CUTTER-STUFF ;)

Lulu loaded a bag full with shells we had.

She then jumped on the bag (how fun :) but her 30 itty pounds don't do much to shells.

 I took my snail aggression and a hammer ....

and went to town ...

et voila "snail cutter stuff" as Lulu calles it.

Here is our first broccoli in the making ... so pretty!

Our first two "early girls".

Besides the snails we have three more pests to deal with.
Two of them dig, poop and dig again, the third digs, eats what the other two pooped and then then runs all over the plans.

I don't think shells will help with either of them so I hid my new seeds under some plastic lids so the little ones can grow without being pooped and trampled on.
I used pins to pin the lids down ... no paw will reach it!!!

GP; I moved the herbs all into the original herb garden you built.
The container was getting full and the herbs did so well there last year.
I planted a melon the the big container ... we'll see if it takes.

GP's ingenious idea ... plant in concrete blocks. The snails and cats want get to it.
Unfortunately the birds took the seedlings that grew but I am trying it again .... and this time with a cucumber (I have yet to be successful with them) but we'll see.

After a nice dinner for three (Pat is slaving away as usual) we played a little game of Jack Straws and had a fun time.
Both Ls were playing it and neither threw a fit ... that is what you call SUCESS people!!!

L showing off her new SHORT hair style.

I LOVE it!!!
I can brush her hair in 1 minute and NO SCREAMS and TEARS ... success again!

And then, when we were just getting ready for bed (after a quick PJ run to the grocery store since somebody was out of diapers) we found this little guy ...

Another one of Oscar's off-springs.

Remember that super territorial Shrub Jay couple that builds a nest in our Orange Tree every year?

Last year we found one of the babies and brought it to the Wild Life Rescue and today another one fell out of the nest (these kids are like their parents, NOT VERY BRIGHT!!!).

Every year I want to do something about this darn nest to make super-aggressive Oscar and his wife move out but every time it's too late and we hear little baby screams.

I haven't seen mom or dad around today ... I guess they gave up on Junior already and took off (I hope they did!).

Junior is in a box in our garage, hopefully sleeping (and not being D-E-A-D) and we'll take him to the WLR as well. 

They feed these guys and then release them, once they are ready to irritate helpless renters and their pets.

Pat said I should let nature (meaning Meow) take its course but then I had him on my arm, all shaking and sad and we just couldn't leave him out there, to be eaten by my fat cat. 

Poor, stupid, baby Oscar.

So this is it for now.

Just a quick recap of one day after missing so may other days.

Life in the CZ household is CRAZY right now. 

Summer can't come soon enough!!!