Orchids

I would say that my history with plants has been a bit odd.  I never really thought of myself as a plant person until very recently.  For a while, I actually didn't like plants that much because I killed so many of them that they felt like a waste of money.  I realize now that the dark, cave-like house we were renting was a big factor as to why so many of my plants died, especially all those poor succulents and cacti.  😢  About 5 years ago, when Joe and I bought our house (which has lots of bright, beautiful light), I also bought a dying orchid from Lowes for half off.  Much to my surprise, the orchid grew a new stem and bloomed.  My success with this orchid (which I understood to be a very difficult plant to keep alive) gave me the confidence to buy more orchids and other plants.  I learned about propagation and gave it a try on some random plants I had received 7 to 8 years ago from various family memorial services.  These plants had been the only ones that survived the cave we were living in and quickly began to thrive at our new house with more light.  My success with propagation only fueled my interest to learn more about plants.

In May, my friends and I quite unintentionally found ourselves at Honey Plant.  The short version of that story is that we were participating in the Fort Wayne Treasure Hunt and were hungry and decided to eat at Big Eyed Fish, but Joe and I forgot to grab masks and as we were discussing what to do, we were standing in front of Honey Plant and saw a sign on their door that said free masks available, so we went in.  We walked out with masks and new plants.  Ever since then, my love for plants seems to have taken a turn more towards obsession.  I'm still pretty new to truly understanding how to properly care for plants, but my plants are thriving, and they brighten up my life.  For the record, we still have WAY fewer plants than we do board games.  😅

6 out of my 8 orchids are currently blooming, so I had to capture some of their beauty!  Fili really wasn't interested in participating in this little set up.  He didn't even want his treat.  But at least he sat still for some pictures.  😊

I can always count on Kili to eat basically every treat offered to him.  He is such a cute ham.  😍

Haleth tends to freeze up whenever I set her down.  She did stretch herself far enough to reach her treat, stuff it in her cheek, and then she sat and stared at me.  She's so stickin cute!!  😊

 

Chilling by the Window

I have definitely been struggling to get some things like blogging and posting on social media back into my schedule and routines.  I know that part of my struggle is that I find myself disliking social media more and more.  But, I'm trying to refocus on the good because it is there if you look hard enough.  I also want to make sure that I am being a part of that good.  I often wonder if posting pictures of my pets, animals, and babies can make a difference and be "good", but these are all things I find joy in and I hope you can too.  😊  So here is the start of me getting back into social media.

Fili has been less interested in being held and I haven't been holding him as much which just continues the cycle.  But I know he is a happy little guy, so he can be left alone more if that's what he wants.  😊

I have not seen Kili awake much but I've also not been spending as much time with my hamsters.  I do know that Kili is happy being held and snuggled.  He's a sweet round boi.  😁

Haleth definitely prefers to hide and wait to come out until we go to bed.  However, whenever I do bride her with treats to come out, she does seem to enjoy being held and having the opportunity to explore.  So I keep working with her.  I call her my sweet wittle yam.  😍

Granite Sample

As I have mentioned before, Joe and I have been saving up to update our kitchen.  Since we made the decision that we would do it this summer, our plans have evolved so much.  The process of picking out flooring and counter top took us a while.  When we were finally in agreement, we headed to Lowes to place our orders, starting with the laminate counter top we picked out.  Much to our surprise, we we told that due to the difference in installation fees, granite has been coming up cheaper than laminate and sure enough, that was true for us.  So we obviously choose to save money and buy granite instead of laminate.  😁  However, this put us back at square one in terms of picking out flooring that matched the new counter top we picked out.  It's been a long wait since placing our order, but today the company is here taking the actual measurements for the granite counter top.  Once that is installed, we'll order our flooring and schedule to have that installed.  We definitely aren't going to have this finished before school starts, but we are fine with that as it will be so much nicer than we were hoping for!  In the meantime, I've been staring at this tiny sample trying to imagine how awesome the kitchen will look when it's finished!  😍

Fili apparently doesn't like watermelon.  That's okay though since hamsters shouldn't have that much of it anyways.  He also didn't want to sit for pictures, but I got one of him.  😅

Kili seemed interested in the watermelon, but also didn't actually eat any of it.  He's always been very food motivated, but now I know that there is something he won't eat.  😂

Haleth didn't really fit on the small square of granite because she refused to get close to the watermelon.  She kinda just froze when I set her there.  I think between the cold granite and the new food in front of her, she didn't really know what to do.  She sure is cute though!  😊

Cutting Board

The last couple weeks have been a weird mix of feeling like time is both dragging on and flying by.  I missed posting last week or even earlier in this week.  Overall, Joe and I are having a wonderful summer break.  But, we have been dealing with car troubles this week.  Thankfully, with a new battery and starter, I think we are good to go again.  Shout out to our friend and neighbor James for driving us around this past week!

I also have to take a moment to talk about this GORGEOUS cutting board!  My brother-in-law Quinn made this!  😍  Y'all should make sure to hit him up!

Fili is the king of tunneling and recently he made his nest against the side of the tub so I've been able to watch him sleep.  He's so stinkin cute!

I recently caught both Kili and Fili awake at the same time, each sitting in the same corner of their own bins, eating a snack during the day.  I love how connected they still are!  Isn't Kili is so precious?!

Haleth is the cutest little teddy bear!  I wish she was a bit more cuddly, but I am okay with her being timid.  Thankfully she can easily be won over with treats.  😊

Chair

The weeks seem to be flying by!  We've made some exciting progress in regards to our kitchen/dining room remodel, but so far it's just in purchases, not actual work.  It looks like Joe may be back in school before all the work is actually completed, but that is fine.  I have definitely been struggling a bit to keep a good routine/schedule going to keep up with all the extra work I'd like to do.  The "to do" list seems to keep growing, but I haven't really felt too overwhelmed yet.  I know I'll get it all done eventually.  And if not, it must not have been too important, amirite?!   😅  But seriously, I am feeling so blessed that I can ease up a bit on work and lists to instead cherish this extra time with Joe.

Fili definitely loves walnuts more than anything else.  A good walnut always makes him stop and eat.  😊

Kili pouched his walnut instead of eating it which really surprised me.  I guess he was worried that I would take it away from him.  😂

I did a really thoroughly cleaning of Haleth's bin yesterday and removed probably 75% of her old bedding for fresh bedding.  I don't do that often because it's stressful to hamsters so instead, each week I normally just throw out the messiest bedding and all the sand and replace both with fresh stuff.  Anyways, she didn't seem as upset as I thought she would be, and I picked her up and held her a lot during the process.  I think she's finally really comfortable enough to handle new situations and changes well without freaking out, so that's nice.  😊

Pretty Flower

Summer break is here!!  Actually it started about a month ago and I got too busy to post this, so I've rewritten it like 3 times now.  😅  I love planning and dreaming into all the things Joe and I could do over his break.  We have discuss what we'd like to do and have already done quite a bit.  What started out as plans for a DIY remodel of our kitchen and dining room has been turning into plans to hire it out, but regardless of how it gets done, I'm really, really, really looking forward to not having carpet in the kitchen and dining room any more!  Of course we want to visit zoos and take some day trips with our friends.  We will definitely be playing lots and lots of board games.  As always, there is yard work, church work, and photography work to do too.  But more than anything, I'm just loving having more time with Joe!!  He is ridiculously overworked, and so my prayer for this summer (and every summer) is that it will be restful and refreshing for him.  

Fili is still my most active little dude that I get to see the most often.  He's a sweet little guy and loves the attention!

Kili has been out more which is so nice!  Both he and Fili aren't tiny, crazy little hams anymore and have instead turned into plump hams that like to chill.  As they continue to age, I have to be more intentional to do health checks on them which often means waking Kili up since he naturally gets up so much later than Fili.

Haleth is still quite timid about being picked up, so I still bribe her with treats.  Once I've got her in my hands, she's fine and enjoys exploring.  Hopefully she will eventually get to the point of not needing so many treats to convince her that being picked up is fine.

Tulips

For the last couple weeks, I've been taking advantage of the cooler weather and lack of bugs to get a whole lot of yard work done!  I found myself really enjoying the work, even though it is pretty hard at times.  I'm pretty sure my level of enjoyment is a direct correlation to the amount of money I spent on plants and supplies.  The fact that Lowes is like 3 minutes away definitely helps too.  😁  Joe and I never necessarily neglected our yard before, but we certainly did the bare minimum and didn't spend money on it since we were so focused on fixing up the inside and taking care of the water problems in the basement.  But this year, we decided to put some real effort and money into the yard, and it's already looking so much better!  With some landscaping fabric, mulch, and edging, I'm hoping that pulling weeds will be a thing of the past.  There is still a lot of work to do though, and so far, I've mostly only focused on the backyard.  I could say more, but I'm actually getting ready to head out and work for a while before it gets too hot.

Fili always seems so excited to see me but then acts like he doesn't want to be picked up once I reach for him.  He's a silly boy!  😊

I've been catching Kili awake in the mornings and during the day more again.  He still isn't awake at night though, so he hasn't been getting as many cuddles, but he's doing well.  😊

I've noticed that Haleth likes to do some rearranging at night.  She pushes her wheel out, throws the sand out of its dish, and moves around her toys.  I tend to put everything back so she can start all over again the next night.  I think we both find this entertaining.  Although I suppose I could be annoying her.  It is her home after all.  😂