Spring is finally here...

...and so is a well-deserved THANK YOU to all that were able to help out for my birthday. This year when Josh asked me what I wanted for my birthday I couldn't think of anything at first. Our "Little Plastic Castle" is already filled with lots of love and "stuff", which I am constantly trying to condense into less "stuff" (currently less dog hair as shedding season is upon us, but that's a whole other posting in itself).  Being pregnant, the lovely clothes I admire at the newly opened Anthropologie just don't fit, so as I thought about it more - all I really wanted was help. Help with our garden.  Pregnancy also brings about less ability to help create the garden we were hoping to have again this summer, so I decided to get creative.  

We decided to plan a work day birthday party, which became a work weekend.  We recruited all that were willing and able to help out with pulling weeds, building garden boxes, hauling giant steel racks with their bare hands, and other odd jobs around the yard. 

Here is a BEFORE shot of the garden:

YIKES, weed city!

By the time the weekend rolled around, Mason was trying to recover from two days of being puking sick, yuck, and the weather was mild enough to get things rolling.  I felt so incredibly loved to have so many friends and family members over to help transform the winter weeds into a space where we could begin to envision our garden.  I know everyone has a million things going on, so it meant a lot that everyone could make time to help us out.  

As the day moved along, I worked on feeding the troops and trying to find time to visit a bit while Mason napped.  It wasn't until Sunday that he was feeling more like the little gardener/hard worker he likes to be.  Josh found time to bond with his brothers while building many HEAVY duty redwood garden boxes.

A mighty team conquered an unbelievable patch of weeds that had taken up residence in our garden.



 The HUGE metal racks behind our garage were finally on the move as our team pitched-in to haul them up onto the hill.

Luckily, I had gone inside for a minute to miss the daring stunt Josh had as he rolled with one of the racks as it flipped.  Escaping injury, he was a bit stunned that he managed to remain inside the thing and not under it.  Whew, I am glad I didn't see it, although I am sure it would have been a great installment for the next "safety video".  

By Saturday evening the crowd was tired, hungry, and ready for rest and BBQ. 

 

Sunday morning brought cooler temperatures and a sprinkle of rain here and there.  Our new team arrived to help shovel gravel and dig 40+ post holes to sink the garden beds securely in their spots.  (Sorry Val and Bob, somehow I never got your photo, but even without evidence I will remember all your hard work and loved having it).  

Like I said, Mason was more like himself and was ready to play with his cousins and then "dig some dirt out with his shovel."

Hey, is that the same weed patch you saw earlier? Hardly recognizable. 

All your hard work has since inspired our neighbor to take those HEAVY racks, put them to good use, and free us from the eye sore they have been behind our garage. It inspired Josh and Mason to gather truckloads of soil, compost, and bark to fill boxes and create pathways, as well as plant strawberries, peas, chard, carrots, lettuce, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, flowers, and herbs.  They have nurtured our artichoke, fruit trees, and pumpkins that have returned to the garden, and installed a drip system to help conserve water and time spent watering.  All this and it is only April!  We couldn't have done it without you. 

A final HUGE Thank You to all that gave their time and/or donations to help create a memorable weekend.  It will be a birthday I cherish.  I look forward to inviting you all back for a relaxing garden party, and I promise you won't have to pull any weeds this time.  

I love you all!