In the Beginning

I have always had an excuse, a decent reason as to why my flower beds look the way they do. Countless half-hearted attempts at making the exterior of our house look somewhat attractive. I am a new mom and not to say that I have extra time on my hands these days because, as with all children, my blue-eyed bundle of joy and being a stay-at-home-mom take just about every spare moment. However, every woman needs a hobby; something different to focus on for a short while. It's springtime and with nice weather come walks and jogs outside. As I stroll closer to my little blue house on the hill, I simply can't ignore the state of my yard. This June will mark four years in this house and as I said before there has always been a reason. June 2006, we moved in and unpacking, organizing, painting and decorating consumed most of my time that summer. On top of that, I was too busy looking for a wedding dress and thinking about what flowers I wanted in my bouquet to even consider what kind of flowers were being choked out by weeds just outside my windows. The following year I was getting married in a few short months and spent the least amount of time necessary pulling weeds and watering plants. I don't even know what happened to the summer of 2008. I was running quite a bit and working later hours, which left very little daylight to manage a garden. That fall I got pregnant and spent the summer of 2009, searching for shade, waddling and caring for a sweet baby girl.
I called my mom yesterday and asked if she would help me figure out what to do with the seven flower beds that are scattered about our yard; quite a handful for a novice gardener. She was probably stunned that I was finally taking an interest in a pass time that she greatly enjoys - and is quite talented at too. So, I guess I have a new hobby, a new goal. This is most definitely a challenge. I do not have a green thumb (both of my thumbs are brown, for certain) and I can't even keep a houseplant alive for long. However, by June of 2011, I want to feel proud as I make my way up the driveway and I want to be able to think to myself, "This is one of the prettiest yards on the street." Just like I have always thought of my mother's gardens. Who knows, maybe I'll make her proud too.