Recap of ApeyMAY - Ready for Summer!

It has been a crazy and very stressful Birthday Month, otherwise known as ApeyMAY. We did a lot of things I love to do.

We took a trip to the beautiful Nashville, IN for their Taste of Brown County celebration.

It was chilly, but walking around casually and looking at all the art and gifts, then trying all the food samples made for a good day. I liked getting there early, before the crowds, and having leisure time to explore.

I set up my pond, having to empty it and re-fill it once when the 7 year old knocked a tiki torch over, spilling torch fuel into the water.











I discovered the frog from last year had hopped its way back into the pond and definitely didn't want to kill it.
I also bought the water plant this year. It is really helping to keep the pond clean.

I have no idea what I am going to do with it over the winter.





Using pots to house the plants that wouldn't fit in the little flower bed, I created a little hummingbird garden. I'm hoping it attracts one or two. I did see a shadow of a hummingbird one evening in the front window, so I think it worked.








 For my birthday, I bought myself some entryway organization. This is the before picture of my entryway..

 This is the after. I like being able to hide the shoes, sit there if you need to, hang up backpacks or jackets, and I re-purposed two of those pictures as calendars for each boy for summer. The glass is a dry erase surface. :)

 I also bought myself a fire bowl. I have wanted a fire bowl for a long time.











I even got to build my first fire in it and enjoy it one bug-free evening. The dog was excited, too!

We took the boys to the first festival of the year to ride some rides. Here they got to enjoy their first Himalaya, which is one of my favorites.

I have been trying to keep up on my garden. It is harder to weed it this year, as more weeds have popped up in the established soil. Baby maple trees are the worst! We had a cold snap right after I planted, then it rained for 4 days, so some of the seeds did not germinate, and my peppers hated it. I had to replant. We shall see what kind of harvest I get.

I also planted this tulip tree in the perfect spot in my yard. The boys brought home 2 for Earth Day. One was accidentally mowed over by a careless 11 year old. This one, however is loving its new home!









The stressful part comes from work. I am so glad it is the end of the year! They say the third year is when you really find your stride. I'm hoping next year is smoother. This second one was full of learning experiences! I already have plans for next year; ideas of things to change and improve. Working in a class like mine, every year will be new, bring new challenges, and be completely different. I enjoy this. It also brings new stresses. These I have to learn to deal with. For now, I am ready for summer and a mental break for my mental health!