Nurse Changa, thank you very much

It's offical - I'm a graduate nurse! I finished writing my final exam this morning and unless there is some sort of unforseen disaster, I am all done my BSc Nursing!

I can't believe it's done! 3 and a half years went by really fast... although it didn't always feel like it was going by all that fast some days. I'm so proud of myself... now pass me a beer!

This week’s Méli-Mélo

Bentley the Kleptomaniac
It would appear we have a sneaky kleptomaniac on our hands. Bentley likes to collect things and hide them in his crate. We’re crate training right now so unless we have all our attention on him, in the crate he goes. This way, if we catch him doing something he isn’t suppose to do, we can correct him immediately. He’ll be in the crate for a month or two until he learns the rules of the house. For the most part, we’re pretty good at keeping an eye on him, but once in a while we’ll slack off, i.e., I’m just going to run upstairs to pee, he’ll be fine for a minute or, I forgot something in the basement, I’ll be right back. And that’s when the klepto strikes! His favourite steal is Mr Perfect’s slippers. Other things he’s stolen? A box of Kleenex, a dish towel, plastic cups, one of my slippers and a plastic cover for a juice container. The thing is, he never even attempts these things when we’re around. Silly dog.

Bentley the sleeper
We’ve had our big guy for a little over a week now and going to bed is now under control. He no longer cries when we go to bed – success. He does, however, cry bloody murder from 6 am until we get up. *sigh* So far we’ve been ignoring him and hoping this will eventually stop. He’s such a lazy little bugger too! It amazes me that a dog that can run 45 miles/hour can be so lazy! After our evening walk with the dogs, then are both done for the night. It’s hard to get either one up for the last pee of the night! Hah!

Pacha the little big sister
It would seem to Pacha that Bentley has always been around. It’s like she doesn’t realise that he’s new! They both get along great and Pacha is usually the one who initiates play when we are outside. It’s wonderful to see our little girl playing because it’s not something she does very often. She also seems to like Bentley’s crate. The other day I was getting Bentley ready to go to the vet and Pacha came up when she realised I had taken Bentley’s leach out. She knows they always go for walks together and she got excited for the potential outing. I told her no, only Bentley was going to the vet. If she knew the word vet, I know she would be happy she wasn’t going. I finish getting Bentley ready and turn around looking for Pacha. Where was she? In Bentley’s crate. She was like: “the big guy is going out? Woohoo! I get the big bed!” Tee Hee! Another thing she does which makes me laugh, is she’s always walking under him... like it’s perfectly normal for her to do so. If he’s in her way she won’t walk around him, she’ll just stroll under him. Hah!

Preceptorship – 66% done!
I can’t believe I’m two thirds of the way through my preceptorship! Holy crap! I’m almost a nurse! The preceptorship is going really well and the staff is even trying to convince the nurse manager to hire me... even though there is a hiring freeze. It feels great to be wanted. :-) Pediatrics is really my world.

My future – I signed on the dotted line
It’s official! I have a job in January. I finally signed with Hospital F last week and I was assigned to the pediatric department! I am so happy! Even though my preceptorship is with Hospital E, I’m really happy to have signed with Hospital F. For the time being, I think it’s a better fit for my personality.

I think that’s it for now!

Pictures in spades!

Yesterday we brought home our new puppy... well, he's a bit big for a puppy! We finally got our Greyhound and Hami was the one chosen for us. This morning we decided on his new name: Bentley... I just hope my Grampy of the same name doesn't roll over in his grave! :-S So far his introduction into our home has been absolutely wonderful! It's been BEYOND our expectations, in fact. Pacha is completely in love with him (and vice-vera) and she is reacting like she's known him all her life. Last night they played together in the snow and I've rarely seen Pacha so excited. It was quite hillarious to see Little Miss Pacha trying to catch super speedy Bentley! Hah!

We also had an interesting adventure bringning him home in the pick-up truck! Tee Hee! He's a bit big for the cab and we were all crunched it when he thought it was a great time to fart! Phew! What a stinker!

Here’s our big boy (with Pacha underneath him!!)







Bentley likes Pacha’s bed...



... while Pacha checks out Bentley’s digs



They finally decide the crate is the best place to hang out. :-)



My favourite picture so far!


In other news, we finally got a preview of our engagement pictures. Enjoy!


...

Preceptorship – Day 1

I just wanted to give a quick update on my first day of preceptorship. I had a great day and the staff seems really nice. The floor was quite calm so it was a good way to ease into it. I was glad I didn’t feel all that lost since it’s a different hospital than I’m used to. Tonight I do my first night, so we’ll see how I survive. Wish me luck!

We also put up the new pup to be’s crate. Here’s an interesting comparison between Pacha’s bed and the new guy’s crate!


EEK! It's huge! At least it's just temporary, until he gets used to his environment. In this picture you can see that even though Pacha's bed looks small compared to the giant crate, it's still twice as big as she is!

In-Home Interview

We had our interview with MGAP last night and it went very well. The evaluator came over with her 2.5 year old Grey named Romero. He’s a beautiful big brindle boy and such a sweetie. I was really happy to see Pacha react quite positively to him. In fact, she even tried to play with him a bit. His owner had him on a leash so he wouldn’t wander around the house, but if it weren’t for the leash I think the dogs would have played together. After they left, Pacha was all excited and hyper, which was awesome to see! We’re really hoping a second dog will teach our lazy pupster how to play. :-)

The meeting lasted about an hour and she was able to answer many of our questions. Romero was funny and clumsy as many Greys are. It’s like they don’t realise they have these long awkward legs. Tee Hee! Anyway, there are currently 5 dogs in foster care and 7 more are coming up from the track this Saturday so there will definitely be a dog for us.

I was also really happy to see that Mr. Perfect was ready to keep Romero if they had let us. Hah! He is definitely on board with getting a second dog and likes the Greyhounds, but I know I’m definitely the bigger Greyhound fan. I sometimes worry, that I might have swayed him. I tell him this all the time and then add... I know, I have issues. To which he nods in agreement. :-)

We may be proud owners of a Greyhound this week!

As I mentioned in the previous post, we’ve applied to adopt a Greyhound through a rescue organisation (Maritime Greyhound Adoption Program). We have our in-home interview this evening and an orientation session this weekend. We might even be taking our new dog home this Saturday! Wow! It’s quite the process and the dogs are actually matched up to our family and particular needs. The president of the organisation is a dog behaviour psychologist and she’s the one who chooses the best dog for each situation. She is currently considering two dogs for us:

Race name: Regal Tumbler
Age: 2 years old in June
Sex: Male
Weight: 78 lbs
This handsome white and black boy with the very cool ears, is very laid back and calm and tested as cat tolerant. Friendly, happy tail wagging, and has a loving personality. Plays well with other dogs and people; energetic but not hyper at all. Likes cuddling, grooming, crate trained, and has good leash walking skills. A really wonderful boy that anyone would be thrilled to have.



Or

Race name: Hami
Age: Turning 3 in November
Sex: Male
Weight: 70 lbs
Beautiful white and dark brindle boy. He is good with cats and small dogs and will probably be great with children too. He is outgoing, very friendly and doesn't mind a busy home. He will fit in most anywhere and make an excellent walking companion.


Hami is a regular rescue, while Tubbler is from a prison training program. The Prison program dogs are trained in basic obedience for 10 weeks by inmates in a Florida State Prison. All the prison trained dogs learn verbal commands and hand signals for sit, stay, down, come and heel. This is such an exciting program and a win/win situation for both the prisoners and the greyhounds. For example it puts greyhounds in a place until they can find homes, it teaches Inmates patience and responsibility, it relieves inmate idleness in prison facilities, and it allows Inmates to give something back to the community, just to name a few. Click on the link Give a Second Chance to check out a video that definitely pulls at the heart strings.

Good Ol' Kijiji

We’ve been checking kijiji regularly for potential dogs to adopt. So far no luck, but some of these ads are freakin’ hilarious! I wonder what's worse: dating profiles or dog ads?

"3 year old beagle spayed and neutered"
Wow! A hermaphrodite beagle!

"Looking for a purebred lapdog"
I’m not familiar with that particular breed

"Looking for a puppy for my son for Christmas. Must be either a Boxer or a Maltese"
Ummmm... you do realise those two dogs are complete opposites, right?

"Looking for small puppy. Must be well behaved. Will return if not."
Sure... dogs don’t require any work so this should definitely work out!

"Pitbull for stud garante 10 puppys unless someting wrong with your dog"
That’s some dog! He can predict how many pups he will produce. Very impressive!

"Puppies for sale. Mom is a maltese and another breed weighs 6 lbs dad is a shi tzu chihuahua max weighs 10 lbs. Asling $650"
Ummm... you do realise you are charging $650 for a mutt... right?

And my favourite:
"Looking to trade one of my Bull Mastif puppies for an SUV."

I get the feeling Kijiji won't be the place we'll find our dog.

Earlier this week we applied for a retired Greyhound race dog from a Greyhound rescue organisation. I can't wait till they contact us. How can you not love this adorable face!

Pacha pulled the veto card on Marshall

We brought Pacha to meet Marshall last night. The meeting went well, but it just wasn’t the vibe we were hoping for. Pacha seemed almost fearful of Marshall and she cowered between my legs. I have never seen her react to another dog that way before. Marshall was definitely more interested in Pacha than she was in him. He tried playing with her and after a while she played back, but he’s such a hefty guy that he ended up playing pretty rough with her.

Mr Perfect was really great with Marshall and he definitely had the dogs respect. I on the other hand, found it a little more challenging. Obviously, my energy wasn’t as assertive as Mr. Perfect’s. Marshall would jump up at me and snap while trying to play. I tried correcting him, but was only partially successful. I’m sure I would get the hang of it fairly quickly, but my concern would be his reaction to kids. I'd also worry about how rough his playing could get with Pacha when we aren't home. So, between Pacha’s reaction and Marshall’s snipping, we decided he wasn’t right for us.

It’s a bit disappointing but I know we made the right decision. He would really be an awesome dog for people not planning to have children or even just school age children.

Mr Perfect’s dog

Since visiting the SPCA last week we’ve been talking about the pros and cons of adding another dog to our family. For some strange reason, Mr. Perfect thought I was against getting a second dog, while I always assumed we would eventually get one. After clearing up this little matter, we agreed that adopting might be worth exploring. I had always thought we would get a second dog after our first kid (since we could see how Pacha reacts to the babe), but is post-partum really the best time to be training a dog? WE realised that this might actually be a good time to introduce a new dog. Mr Perfect would love a Boxer. I, on the other hand have a penchant for Greyhounds. When it comes down to it though, Boxers are a more manageable size than greyhounds.

Over the weekend we set some ground rules: we will not be swayed by a cute face, chemistry and energy has to work with our family, no rash decisions, Pacha’s reaction to a new dog is an essential element in our choice and any dog has to pass my allergy test.

Last night we headed back to the SPCA to see if “Marshall” was still there. When we did our initial sweep of the premise he appeared to be gone. Mr. Perfect was clearly crushed. :-( Then we found out he had already been transferred inside for the night. Yay! We asked to take him out for a walk. We did our best Ceasar Millan imitation and stayed calm and assertive. Marshall seemed to react well to our assertiveness. We waited for him to calm down before heading out for a walk. He wasn’t really that agitated, but you could see by his breathing he was curious/excited. He pulled a little during the first part of the walk, but within 5 minutes (even less) he was calm and walking in a perfect heal position. At the halfway point we made him sit and traded the leach. I had the lead now and I can honestly say it was like walking Pacha – I barely noticed he was there. I corrected him a few times, but that was really only when I noticed he wasn’t perfectly calm... it’s like I stopped his excitement before it escalated and he started pulling. When we gave him back to the SPCA employee, he was noticeably more excited, but you could tell her energy was different too. Where Pacha is calm 100% of the time, Marshall takes his cues from his leader. He’s definitely different than Pacha, but that’s also what we are looking for. I love Pacha more than anything, but she is also one lazy puppy. Hah! It would be nice to have a dog that can play fetch, go for a run and keep up with us on a hike. In that sense, Pacha is like a cat, except that she’s fun. :-P

He also passed the allergy test with flying colours! I rubbed my hands all over his coat and litterly stuck my fingers in my eyeballs! I rubbed my eyes as much as I could and has NO reaction. This is awesome news because I sometimes irritate my eyes just by rubbing them, so this means I'm definitely not allergic to him.

So now we wait for the SPCA to approve our application. We also decided that, since we are going away this weekend, we wouldn’t bring a dog home until Sunday. It’s just not fair to the dog to bring him home for 2 days and then drop him off at a kennel for two days. The SPCA won’t put a dog on hold, so we are leaving it in fates hands – if he’s still there on Sunday, then he’s our dog... if he’s not, we’ll just keep searching. The only problem is, Mr Perfect has already adopted him in his heart. :-)

The lure of a cute face

You know the scenario: you just happen to check out the SPCA website and happen to see a dog from a bred you would like and accidently end up at the SPCA on a rainy day staring on an adorable face the other side of a cage. No. We haven’t adopted another dog, but we sure are tempted. Mr Perfect’s always said he would love a second dog and has a particular soft spot for Boxers. I too would love another dog but sometimes I worry a second pet would create unbalance in our perfectly sweet and calm pupster Pacha. As well, there’s the kid factor. Right now, we’re fairly certain Pacha would adjust easily to a new crying babe, but any other dog is an unknown case. We resisted the urge to bring this beautiful 2-year old Boxer named Marshall for a walk, but then sat in the car debating on what to do. We finally agreed to come back when it’s not raining to bring the guy out for a stroll. We figure it should give us a few days to mull over the idea of a second pup. Either way, we would have to introduce him to Pacha to make sure the chemistry is right. Anyway, here's a picture of the big guy:

Before and After

The front porch is finally completed!

Here is the progression of the work


Here are some additional pictures of the process



Mr Perferct working. Our bizzare neighbour spent most days watching Mr. Perfect work.


Pacha inspecting the workmanship


I'm so happy!

So much for leverage or decisions

** Note: I’ve changed the name of Hospital A to Hospital F and Hospital B to Hospital E. If you’re a local you’ll understand why and it will hopefully be less confusing.

I just talked to the nursing director at Hospital E and they have no full-time permanent positions to offer. They do have positions in ICU but they don't hire new grads (but I'm not interested in ICU anyway). I'm frustrated and sad that I don't have more options. I mean, Hospital F’s offer looks promising, but I was really hoping I would have options AND leverage when I graduated. I DO have lots of options... just not in my city. I'm also especially frustrated because I'm doing my preceptorship at Hospital E, with no apparent chance of a job there. Had I known I didn't have that option I would have chosen the Hospital F for my preceptorship. It means doing a month at the Hospital E, learning the ins and outs of the department and then having to start all over again when I start at Hospital F in January.

She said she could meet with me near the end of November and when I told her I already had an offer from Hospital F so I would like to meet earlier, she said I should take the offer from Hospital F because she wouldn't be able to make me an offer anyway. How is this even possible in the midst of a national nursing shortage?! Is it silly that I'm so upset over this?

For the last few months our professors keep telling us: choose wisely because your first year is crucial. Choose a hospital that offers lots of support for new grads and Hospital E has a better reputation in this department than Hospital F. Now it seems it’s not even a choice.

I’m being over dramatic, right?

Decisions, decisions.

I’m getting really annoyed with Hospital E and their complete lack of wooing. Humph. We’ve been wooed by local Hospital F, two other hospitals in the province, one in Ontario and one in Quebec. Seriously, Hospital E really isn’t in the game this year. In fact, it seems impossible to even get a meeting with someone. Unless I’ve been blacklisted, I really don’t know what’s up with them.

I met with Hospital F this morning and a job offer is on its way. I was honest with them and stated I would be considering both local hospitals and they respected my decision. However, they do need an answer from me by November 15th. From now until then I’m hoping to get a meeting with Hospital E so I can at least have something to compare. The most frustrating part is, I’m doing my preceptorship at Hospital E because I wanted to be able to compare both paediatric departments (I’ve worked several times in Hospital F’s peds unit) before choosing where I wanted to start my career. However, I need to make a choice by November 15th and my preceptorship only starts on November 17th. Blarg.

I got peds!

I got the preceptorship I wanted in paediatrics! YAY! I’ll be doing my preceptorship ay Hospital E and I start in a few weeks. My preceptorship is the final stage in my bachelor program – once I’m done I’ll be a nurse. WOW! The difference between a preceptorship and a clinical practicum is essentially the one-on-one work. In a practicum you have a teacher and are in a group of 5 to 7 students and usually have up to 4 patients. In a preceptorship it’s just you and a nurse. The first few shifts you work together while she shows you the ropes. Once she feels you’re ready she gives you the full patient workload (usually 6 to 8 patients) and steps back to just observe. It’s like being a real nurse but with a safety net.

I’m so happy I got my first choice! My second choice was in neuro but it wasn’t so much because of my interest in the field, but because it’s a unit I feel comfortable in and it would have given me some great learning opportunities.

I also have a formal interview with Hospital F on Tuesday so I’m looking forward to the continued wooing from them. Hopefully now that I have my perceptorship at hospital E they’ll get on the wooing train too.

Let the wooing begin!

I just got back from my first informal meeting with one of the hospitals regarding jobs once I graduate. You know it’s going to be good when the first thing they say is, “it’s not a question of whether or not we choose you-It’s whether you choose us" and "what can we do as an employer to convince you we're the best choice". Sweet!

Now that I’ve seen what Hospital F has to offer, let’s see what Hospital E can do for me. :-) So far Hospital F is looking pretty good... if they could throw in a signing bonus I think I would be sold. It’s surprising though, because I was sure it was going to be Hospital E who would win me over. All I can say is they better start wooing soon or they might lose me.

Mama Pacha, aka Pacha La Sagouine

Just me annoying my puppy. :-)





I don't know, but I see a certain resemblance to La Sagouine

How much do I love my future husband?!

Yesterday I left at 6:00 am for a 12 hour shift at a local senior citizens home as part of yet another clinical rotation. When I left, my house looked like this:


When I came home my house looked like this:


I was so excited to see my soon to be new porch! Mr Perfect worked so hard all day!

Hopefully soon it will look something like this:

I know it’s some really bad photo-chopping and it’s actually going to be pressure treated wood and not white, but you get the idea. I can’t wait to see the final product!

It’s Crunch Time!

This week it was back to school and I realised just how accelerated the accelerated program really is! Essentially, I have 60 days to finish up the bulk of my semester. WOW! That means 6 weeks of concentrated classroom time (one week for mid-session break), 4 exams and 4 major research projects in the next 60 days! Once those 60 days are done, all I have left is my perceptorhip which is 12 shifts, one-on-one with a nurse. The wonderful thing about the perceptorship is no homework, no exam, no projects! It’s just 12 shifts of normal work and I’m done!

This semester is going to be a whirlwind!

One Last Time

I realise I’m much more excited than I should be, but this morning I registered for Fall classes and I realised it’s the last time I’ll be registering for classes FOREVER! I won’t have to fight with the stupid computer program that always blocks my registration because it thinks I don’t have all the required classes. I’ll be paying my tuition for the last time.... I’ll be waiting in line for hours for my student for the last time... I’ll be buying school supplies for myself for the last time. It’s all so exciting!

I said “Yes to the Dress” and other updates

I bought my wedding dress yesterday! Just like when I met Mr. Perfect, I knew instantly it was the one. Awww, how corny am I? It’s a second-hand find which makes it even more “me”. Hah! Now it feels like it’s all very real. :-) Unfortunately, you won’t get a sneak peak at the dress since my husband-to-be happens to be an avid reader. I guess you’ll just have to wait another 9 months.

5 shifts to go – the countdown begins.
I’m almost done my LAST clinical rotation. I can’t believe the end is almost here! Once September hits, I’ll only have 5 classes left, plus my preceptorship and then I’ll be a real nurse. Crazy how time flies, huh? My current rotation is in critical care. For the most part it’s like any other rotation with the exception of a killer exam and a few shifts in the ER and in ICU. My teacher is the evil nurse who made me cry my first semester in nursing. So far though, I seem to have gained her respect and haven’t been yelled at. I’m keeping my fingers crossed! I also hate to admit it, but I'm actually learning a lot from her.

Save the date... or maybe not

We had chosen a date, a ceremony location and a reception venue... but that seems to have gone out the window. A few days ago we had chosen August 20, 2011 with the ceremony at the Free Meeting House (local historic house) and a reception at home. I was all set to reserve the ceremony venue.... but then we started thinking. Damn brain. August is awfully far away and we have plans for a family ASAP, so we began evaluating the possibility of a May wedding. We had chosen August because the odds of nice weather seem to be better. However, after checking the weather for a variety of dates for the last 10 years, even August isn’t a safe bet. In fact, it has rained as many times on August 20th over the years as it has on many dates in May. When it comes to weather, there’s just no planning! So as of this morning, we have chosen May 28, 2011 as our new wedding date. We would have liked May 21st, but I forgot there’s the little matter of my graduation ceremony. OOPS.

Mrs Perfect? I like the sound of that!

That’s right; Mr Perfect popped the question last night.

So how did he do it? Well, the short version is, I went to the washroom and when I opened the door to come out, he was down on one knee with the open box. Hah! I think he said, will you marry me and I said ABSOLUTELY!

Here’s the longer version of the story. We spent the day working outside in the sun; me in the garden, him on his car. By the time supper rolled around we were both exhausted from the day so we decided to go out for supper. There was a multicultural festival downtown so we thought we would head there for some international cuisine. The options weren’t much so we ended up at a pub. Well, the beer was damn good last night and we both had two. After we paid the bill and were almost ready to leave, Mr. Perfect said, you know, I would totally have another beer. Too bad we have the car, I added. He said, screw the car, we can come pick it up tomorrow morning – so we had another beer... and another... and another... and a pitcher of beer. It was completely spontaneous and fun! At one point he asked me, if we were to get married, when would it be? From there, we talked a lot about our “hypothetical” wedding. By the time we finished our last beer and literally stumbled home (we walked), we were giggling and giddy. Most of the way home I was complaining I had to pee so as soon as we got home I ran upstairs to the washroom and when I came out, there he was. I kept saying, but what about your plan? He said this was better than his plan and totally felt right.

He was planning on proposing later on this week. His plan had been to put rose petals and candles from front door to our bedroom. There, I would have found a letter telling me how much he loved me and at the end of the letter it would have said "turn around, and he would have bee there. The half-drunken bathroom proposal was even better and so us.

Here are a few pictures of my absolutely gorgeous ring! It’s white gold with a center diamond and 8 sapphires on each side. It also has some gorgeous detailing on the sides. The big day will be next year - later summer/early fall. :-D






We shared the news with family and friends yesterday (and half the Internet, of course). Everyone is overjoyed for us. If we're facebook friends, please don't mention anything just yet. Mr. Perfect's brother is coming home on Friday and we want to share the news in person.

Dude – Chill! You’re Stressing me Out!

I’ve been working at the hospital as a student nurse for over a month now and so far it’s been fairly good. I’m still finding it very difficult to change departments almost every shift, but it’s getting better. It’s great that I’ve been getting more comfortable with the environment and my role as a nurse. Hopefully it will pay off during my next clinical work that starts in a few weeks.

My big issue with working at the hospital is realising just how stressed out everyone is! It almost doesn’t matter what floor you are working on, they are always short-staffed and over worked. Last week, while working on the maternity ward, all the nurses had worked double shifts in the last few weeks... that means working 24 hours straight. 8-0 Working a double every couple of weeks appears to be the norm for most of the hospital. It’s freakin’ scary. Yesterday, while working in paediatrics, one girl started to cry because she was over-worked. The horror stories just keep coming. Ugh. It’s been stressing me out but I’ve been too afraid to mention it because people might say: “I told you so” or “You can’t freak out now... you haven’t even started!” I didn’t sleep much last night or the night before because all of this has been on my mind... this morning it caught up to me in the form of a migraine. Even though I tried my best to push through it (medicated, showered, etc.) I just couldn’t and ended up calling in sick. It has me a little freaked because I’m not even two month into it and already calling in sick?! Gah!

Anyway, there’s not much point to this post other than needing to get this out.

Sowing the Seeds of Love

I’ve had the Tears for Fears song, Sowing the Seeds of Love (gotta love the 80s), in my head the entire morning as I weeded and worked in my garden. The vegetable garden is coming along nicely even though we’ve had to replant our beans. Today we planted extra seeds where the initial ones hadn’t taken.

Here are a few pictures of our crops






I also worked in my flower garden and have some new flowers to share.


I have no idea what these flowers are, but they are pretty funky!





I’m really excited about the plants I started all on my own this year because you can really see the progress in the last month.

As you can see there is a significant difference from my previous post.



Finally, here's a pic of my purrrrty unknown flowers in a vase




I think I'm officially a gardener. :-)

Turning Over a New Leaf

For most of my life, I’ve been known as a plant killer. Black thumb does not even begin to describe my evil appendages. Well, that was until now... or so I’m really hoping.

The former homeowners of my house were avid gardeners and since buying the place three years ago I’ve pretty much been of the “live and let live” state of mind. This year, I decided to tackle the weeds and hope to salvage at least a few plants. I started weeding in the early spring and did my best not to pull out the potential flowers. So far, it looks like it has paid off. The spring started off with some gorgeous pink phlox (the picture doesn’t do them justice as it was taken when they weren't as full).


In May I was inspired by Mr. Perfect's Mom to try my hand at my own gardening. Armed with a book she lent me, I started planning out a flower bed that was all my doing. I realise it’s small, but my book says it’s better to space out your plants in the beginning. :-)

Here's a picture I took right after I finished planting them. It's hard to tell from the small image but I identified them in the picture: Purple Cornflowers, Hosta, Dianthus, Artemisia and another Hosta


A slightly nicer shot


These days I’m delighted to report a myriad of interesting flowers have appeared around the house including:

Wild Roses




Yellow Irises


Some kind of small yellow flowers on a green shrub


Cute little purple flowers


AND, I’m still not done! This weekend, Mr. Perfect and I planted a vegetable garden! I would never have attempted this without the careful direction of Mr. Perfect. He grew up always having a garden and has even had a few himself. We started yesterday by cutting out the grass and turning the soil. Mr. Perfect’s parents even dropped by to give us a few pointers and test the soil’s pH level. Once we were done our hard labour, we parked ourselves in front of the soon to be garden and enjoyed a few beers while admiring our pile of dirt. :-) Today, Mr. Perfect tiled the soil (with a mechanical tiller so it was a one-man job), then we formed rows and planted our seeds. Well, we started planting... that’s when a torrential rain storm started. We tried to keep going, but we could barely see anything and our hands were so muddy you couldn’t pick up the seeds. We tried waiting it out in the shed (very romantic, might I add), but then decided it was best to let it dry before continuing. After supper we picked-up were we left off. Here is the final product:


You might not be able to read the names, but we planted: yellow and green beans, onions, peas, tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, green peppers, cucumbers, corn and spinach!