Mother’s Day Week
By KK on May 14, 2007 in Homemaker, Gardener, Thinker
My Columbine flowers and beautiful black dirt.
I hope you Moms had an extra- wonderful week. We had an early Mother’s Day dinner last Tuesday at Outback. It’s a place where we know what to expect and the food is consistent. We prefer to go during the “downtime” because Mother’s Day weekend is the busiest/craziest days of most restaurants in our neck of the woods. I want to avoid waiting for 2 hours to be seated. When we were newly married my husband used to take me to pricier restaurants but after realizing that steaks taste better in Outback, specially when we don’t spend $50 per plate( that’s without drinks, which costs $7 per 1/2 glass[that’s a whole bottle of Zinfandel from the wine warehouse from up our street]). I learned that when you’re paying a mortgage, 2 car notes, a whole bunch of insurance, ballet lessons, etc. you would want to get the most value of your money. It’s not being cheap but simply being cost-effective.
I had to blur the faces of other children since I didn’t ask permission to post their picture.
Thursday afternoon, Little K had a Mother’s Day Tea at her pre-K. The children had a mini-presentation of different songs learned since January. I was so proud of my daughter singing her Days of the Week in English and Spanish without missing a beat. They performed 4 songs and she was so into it. I wished I brought the video cam instead of just the still cam, but it’s kinda OA(over acting) to have 1 camera on each hand when most of the other mothers didn’t bring any. Later, I was thinking I could have mounted the video cam on a tripod. Well, I’ll do that next time. After the performance, we were treated to an ice tea and cake reception served by our little ones(at least the ones who were in the mood, mine was so excited to serve mommy). Little K was so relieved that her little secret surprise was done.
This weekend we went to our usual get-away at the Eastern Shore, Maryland. We were planning to go Thursday evening but there was a serious accident involving 3 fatalities in the West bound Chesapeake Bay bridge and motorists were stranded for hours. We ended up going Friday evening instead.
Saturday, my husband was supposed to be meeting someone in the morning but it didn’t materialize because the poor fellow’s two year old car over-heated and had to be towed to a Chrysler dealership. So we went to our Super Walmart shopping for provisions for the week(they sell the organic milk for $3 per 1/2 gallon). I also went on a guilt free shopping spree(it’s Mother’s Day weekend remember?) at Ross and got some good deals on high quality items. I was able to buy 1 Liz Claiborne blouse for $9.99 instead of paying $60 msrp, 1 Jones New York blouse for $9.99 instead of $40 msrp, a beautiful cardigan $10 instead of $50 msrp, 2 matching big wooden Burnes of Boston picture frames(16×20) for $11.99 each instead of $30 msrp each and a bag sea shells for Little K(that’s another post).
Then we headed to Home Depot for grass seeds and lawn soil because the HOA will send us another friendly reminder letter if we didn’t fix the ‘problem’ (weeds and bare spots). As we were getting out, I saw that they were having a tent sale on area rugs. We have been postponing our purchase for an area rug because we just paid off replacing the carpet with the hardwood(not laminate) floors last year. We have a blanket for a rug so that our dog can jump up on the couch and not slip on the floor. It’s also a safety issue and we don’t want to be sued by our guests from tripping on our makeshift ‘rug’(It’s America people, law suits are a way of living around here). I picked out a rug, I knew my husband was hoping that I settle for the cheaper one for $119 but one rug that had better quality(anti-static, environmentally safe, dust-free, etc for $70 more) already caught my eye. I wanted one that I can live with for 15 years or so. It’s Mother’s Day weekend remember? Besides, I was going to pay it cash with the anniversary gift we received from a very kind hearted and generous lady.
Our next stop was our favorite produce and garden center, I asked my husband not to surprise me with flowers from Costco. I wanted flowers that I can plant in the garden. During planting months I prefer flowering plants that I can put in the garden and bulbs during the Fall. If these flowers thrive, we’ll be able to enjoy them year after year.
Mother’s Day morning my husband prepared a special breakfast of garlic fried rice, lean Canadian bacon, brown sugar sausages and pineapple with cottage cheese. Little K was supposed to help but she was too busy admiring and counting sea shells as soon as she got up. He also cooked lunch of ground turkey and Asparagus. (Thanks Honey!)
After church and lunch, I was able to relax and enjoy the rest of Mother’s Day planting my flowers and admiring the beautiful dirt we made. You see, we have been composting for more than 5 years and because we didn’t know better we piled up the compost materials(bio-degradable materials) so high it was literally back-breaking to turn the pile so we just let it sit and it’s the first time we harvested dirt. I know some of you who have never gardened might be scratching your heads wondering what is so exciting about dirt. You have to try it sometime.
From what I can remember I preferred spending Mother’s Day afternoons in the garden. There was one year, I asked for rocks not diamonds mind you; but real river rocks and I ended up hauling half a pick-up truck full of them. I can just wonder what I’ll ask for next.
How was your Mother’s Day week?
julie | May 15, 2007 | Reply
Tina, I envy you for having the time and the skills to grow a flower garden. I do not have gardening skills, I never know why. I do love flowers but…My daughter loves rocks too. Almost everywhere we go, if she sees good rocks, she gets one or two.
Have a good week ahead of you!
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Hi Julie,
Ah, I have to make the time. Skills? I’m no pro but I try to keep learning. Even if you just start with flower pot gardening. I don’t know but I have this compulsion to have rocks around me. Maybe because it reminds me so much of creeks and rivers where I used to sneak to as a kid. Maybe that’s why your daughter also likes to have rocks. I want a big rock and I wouldn’t settle for those fiber glass versions but it’s $300+ for the real thing. Manalo sana ako sa lotto at bibili ako ng malaking bato.
Girlie | May 15, 2007 | Reply
we had to celebrate mother’s day on a saturday, sunday was spent celebrating with mothers on both sides of the family.
i’m not really sure if i have a green thumb, i never tried gardening. but i love to have beautiful flowers, but the thing is walang lupa sa paligid namin, panay semento, flowers will not be in full bloom pag sa paso =(
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Hi Ate Girlie,
Green thumb is all in the mind. As long as you are willing to learn and make sure to water the plants you’ll do fine. Ate Belle is right. Flowers will bloom even in pots. I have potted flowers too, I even have African violets growing in Little K’s room. Go to Silang Cavite and buy some plants that you can put in pots. The larger the pot, the less watering it needs. Like Ate Belle said Geraniums are excellent for the warm weather.
Belle | May 15, 2007 | Reply
Tina, the two of us have something in common. I spent yesterday in the garden planting flowers in pots and veggies in the garden. We do have a compost pit that is about 5 years old. It is a three-compartment-compost. The first box contains raw weeds and soil, then it gets transferred to the middle box after some time, and the finished soil goes to the third box.
To girlie, you can plant geraniums, and other flowers in pots. Or you can buy wine barrel and fill it up with all kinds of flowers, or veggies, or even herbs.
Tina, hope you will take pictures of your flower garden when it blooms this summer.
. I’ll surely take pictures. I have some pics from the past and will post them sometime. Most of them are the annuals and not an established garden yet. Wow, your composting method is high tech 
. We just dump the stuff at the backyard, we will look into a less crude system later.
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Hi Ate Belle,
Ah we both like playing dirty hehehe
I don’t think there are wine/oak barrels in the Philippines, Ate Girlie can look for large pots.
Mary | May 16, 2007 | Reply
A girl after my own heart.
Congrats with the good deals at Ross! Love your flowers too! I hope you can post pictures of your rug and the river rocks.
We spent Mother’s Day buying vegetables from the nursery. We got eggplant, tomatoes, cucumbers, and herbs. And I have Arican violets that I’ve had for more than 6 years now. Coincidence?
We don’t compost though, and for that I salute you. hehehe
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Hi Mary,
I found another Ross admirer :). I’ll post a pic of the rug and river rocks when I get the chance. My husband does the vegetables. My African Violets are 5 years old. What a coincidence! We try to be Earth friendly when we can. Composting lessens the volume of the garbage.
MM del Rosario | May 16, 2007 | Reply
I have only a small garden and i am still able to plant some herbs, tomatoes and even sayote. i like to have a compost pit baka lang magreklamo yon kapitbahay
. It’s great you have your herbs, tomatoes and sayote. Sayote can thrive here because the growing season is short and by the time they will fruit it’s winter time. They sell those compact compost bins, yung parang roleta ng kapalaran style and your neighbor wouldn’t even know it.
ko.
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Hi MM,
It’s better to have a small garden than none
marie | May 16, 2007 | Reply
Belated mother’s day! I love flowers. When I was still young and single we had a garden with varieties of flowering plants like roses, rosal, sampaguita dama de noche, etc. What I cannot barely forget was my mom sends me to get horses manure “tae ng kabayo” to fertilize our plants. You know we live not very far from the Sta. Ana race track. Hahaha kinda groooosssss.
. We buy dried cow manure here for fertilizer, we are trying to be organic.
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Hi Ate Marie,
Your garden must have smelled so fragrant with all those flowers. You can just flash a smile and wink at the stable hands and they’ll deliver the horse manure to your house
analyse | May 17, 2007 | Reply
cute naman ni little K. i like the picture very much, you just captured a great moment there. how’s my mom’s day? i was watching les mis. that’s my mom’s day treat hehe.. french mom’s day is on june pa yata, so i had no gift yet, but im not expecting anything, i’d prefer to spend a day in the park siguro…
AnP | May 20, 2007 | Reply
your daughter is gorgeous!!!
that’s a great way to celebrate mom’s day
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Hi AnP,
Thanks for the gorgeous comment
, from a mom of 2 gorgeous sons.
ladycess | May 21, 2007 | Reply
oh that baby of yours is sooo cute! and your husband is so sweet
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Thanks for dropping by Ladycess.
jeannie myron | May 21, 2007 | Reply
Hi Tina, thank you for sharing your columbine photo! I am growing some columbine seeds to be transplanted in the fall.
Jeannie
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Hi Jeannie,
Wow! From seeds, that’s hardcore gardening. It’s difficult for me to grow things from seeds. I just buy the seedlings.
jeannie myron | May 21, 2007 | Reply
Please post more pictures of your garden. I’m a newbie gardener. Maybe next season my flower bed will be prettier.
Someday, perhaps when my boy is in high school (haha) i’ll make my own compost.
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Hi Jeannie,
I’ll post more photos when things settle down a bit. I’m also a newbie gardener, I don’t think I’ll ever claim to be an expert because we need to keep learning.
ate marie | May 21, 2007 | Reply
I tagged you.
Rach | May 23, 2007 | Reply
Sorry haven’t been able to visit in a while. As late as it seems, belated Happy Mother’s Day. Glad you had a lovely celebration. It must have been nice to wake up to the aroma of your husband’s cooking.
Congrats to Little K for a great performance.
Good luck on your gardening. Hope you enjoyed planting those new flowers and seeing them bloom. Take care!