First things first.

So, y'know how there's that understood chain of events that happens once you meet "The One"? Like...love...really love...engaged...naivete...married...more naivete...decorating the nursery...babies...etcetera. Well, in between the "married...babies"...I've been told that certain happenings should take place in order to deem one ready for los bebes. It's called the, "Can you keep a living thing alive?" test. And it starts with houseplants.

Remember when I planted my herb garden on the porch? Yes? Basil, Rosemary, Thyme, Mint...all delicious, aromatic and lovely little organisms. Well, I also have a few other houseplants just for the decor factor, and with a few cuttings here and there as well. Here's how they're all doing:

"Devil's Ivy" or Pothos plant--thriving!

Clipping of Pothos--precious!

Philodendron--growing!

Philodendron clipping--perfect!

Herb fiesta--three out of four?

So.....if you did not notice....I'm missing an herb. Cue the funeral dirge--the Thyme died. Dead as a doornail. Or a doorknob. Or a stone. Dead and gone, as T.I. would say. We went on vacation and, alas, the Thyme was not hearty enough to withstand the hot, hot heat of a southeastern summer.

Ok, the plants and babies theory: apparently, the order is plants, fish, dog, baby. If you can keep the three previous living things alive and healthy, it's a good indication of your readiness for the responsibility of a bambino, (according to someone). Basically, if we do some simple math, I'm at approximately an 86% success rate, (I'm counting the clippings as one plant). YIKES. If I was a goldfish I would be hoarding food flakes and hiding in my plastic tank castle.

AnyHOW, regardless of Andrew's and my proximity to reproducing a squishy, pooping, screaming, delightfully cute little rugrat, we are definitely getting one of these regardless of how the whole fish thing turns out:

Oh, hello, Love! (Vizsla puppies...me wantie).

Can we all say a collective, "yes, please!" In fact, let's skip the fish and cut to the chase, ignoring my slightly brown thumb altogether: I gotta get me a puppy dog!

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

So, you're all really fond of me, right? Since I haven't been writing, right? Right? It has been many moons since my last post, and even more moons since I wrote about something worthwhile, methinks. This might just have to be a list post.

1. Let's just get this part over with: I did not get the job that I interviewed for back in March. It's a long story that I won't tell because I'm tired of hearing myself say it. Found that out about 2 1/2 weeks ago. Fun times. But, I did get a part time job that starts tomorrow, (and has nothing to do with medicine), that will give me the chance to get out of the house, put my hands to something, and make a little moola. Me likey moola. After all this, I think I'm going to be one tough broad. Not tough as in chewin' 'baccy and foregoing measures of personal hygiene, but tough as in "onward and upward", "keep on keepin' on", "if it doesn't kill you it makes you stronger". Basically, once I get a "real" job, you should keep your distance. ;)

2. My heart was wrapped in Clover--North Carolina, that is. A few weekends ago we celebrated the upcoming wedding of Jamie and Kent at a little bachelorette soiree involving delicious food, sun, gorgeous lingerie, and lots of laughter. And speaking of weddings, many congratulations to Cory and Brad--engaged at last! Love is in the air, my friends. Or something's in the water.

3. Andrew and I have been tearing up the road in the last week. At least tearing up I-95 and I-40. Like ten times. That's what it seems like. But we spent a great Mother's Day weekend with the Armstrongs in Hendersonville, just hanging out and enjoying each other's company. We drove all over the place, saw the fam, played doubles tennis (or tried), and celebrated the goodness of mothers everywhere.

4. Bless your pea-pickin' heart! My friend Grace and I have signed up for a farm share. But we're sharing it. So, we're doing a farm share share. The fancy name for it is "Community Supported Agriculture", or CSA. Basically, we paid Brinkley Farms a flat amount for a summer/fall share, (but we're splitting it since we don't know exactly how much food it is), and every week we pick up a box of our requested fresh-from-the-farm produce at a drop-off location of our choice! They offer 50 different kinds of vegetables, some fuit, fresh eggs, farm raised pork and beef,(no hormones or other craziness added in to "beef" them up, heh heh), and it comes down to about $15 a week--which we spend that much on produce at the grocery store anyway! Not only are we supporting a local farm, but we're getting fresher food, (thousands of miles fresher), and foregoing all the chemicals and other junk sprayed all over grocery store foods. Sounds like a deal to me! Do yourself--and your community--a favor and do a quick google search of farms that offer a CSA program near you. DO IT. You know you want to.

5. I may or may not have killed my Basil. I left it for four days. It is very shriveled and sad looking. I've watered it three times already today in attempt to revive it. I may have to start CPR and mouth to mouth soon. Things are getting hairy. But I mean really. Am I going to ask my neighbor to come over and water my high maintenance Basil while I'm gone? I don't think so. Suck it up, Basil. No, really. Please suck up all the water I've poured over you in the last few hours. Please? Find the will to liiiiiive!

I'm sure there's more. But I've been out of practice for so long it may take a few posts to limber up, if you will. And I will. Oh, I will.

Who puts the "G" in ROY G. BIV?

I do! If you don't know what I'm talking about, you should probably track down your fifth grade science teacher. (I'm sure he's on facebook, so it should be a snap.) So, the "G" stands for greeeeeeen and even though I've already done a "going green" post (about switching to green household cleaners) I read a blog post this weekend by a girl I went to high school with about the amount of plastic trash she picked up on the beach during a surfing "sesh" in California where she lives. Long story short, the slogan litter trashes everyone finally got through my thick skull. Now, I was raised a tree hugger--my parents recycle everything, they compost, grow their own vegetables and other sundry foods--but now that I'm an adult and very mature ;) I decided to take one more baby step towards doing my part to save this planet from choking on it's own discarded shiitake, pardon my Japanese. I purchased (for $0.99 each) five reusable totes from Harris Teeter. One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind, right? Right. And, BONUS, when they wear out, you take them back to Harris Teeter and they replace them fo' free!



(I know, who takes pictures of their groceries? I'm trying to create visual interest here, people. Sheesh.)

"Going green" has definitely become trendy--kind of like celebrity philanthropical endeavors--but it's a trend I'm happy to hop on board with--I think because--unlike tights, platform stilettos, bib necklaces, mismatching patterns, coral lipstick, and mauve nail polish--it's benefiting others and not just the proprietor, -er the tote toter. And, hey, it might actually have some staying power. I hope so.

The reason I rushed out and bought reusable grocery bags is because plastic (not just bags) is one of the major perpetrators (80%!!!) of ocrean litter--one of them being a giant floating trash island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Growing up on the coast, I just remember as a teenager going to the beach every other day--or every day-- in the summer and seeing people leaving their solo cups, water bottles, Chick-fil-a cups, or whatever in the sand as they gathered up their towels and beach chairs to head back to the beach house. Or seen someone literally watch their empty cup, can, plastic bag tumble down the beach in the wind and not even move a muscle to retrieve it. Just because you're on vacation doesn't mean you get to take leave of your senses, people! Gah! As the tide rises it inevitably sweeps all that trash out into the ocean for any of the sealife to mistake it for a tasty meal. How would you feel if you sat down to tuna tartare and moments too late realised it was trash tartare? Not cool, humans. Not cool. Epic FAIL.

BUT. Now is the time to redeem ourselves. Ever heard the saying many hands make light work? Well, it's true. Everyone can do their part to lighten our planet's load and preserve the beauty of God's creation for present and future generations. Do it. You know you want to.