The sunflowers are trying to tell me there are ripe tomatoes in there,  but I think it's a trap!

Sometimes, when I say, "I love you, Bean!" she replies,

"I'll always love you forever..."

Melts.My.Heart.

The above picture is how our garden looked after the fencing and gate was installed in the middle of June. Eddie had made additional raised flower beds and the garden had been planted. The tomato plants were getting taller, things were good.

Jump to the week of Fourth of July...

Our garden since then, has become a sort of Little Shop of Horrors!

"What happened?!" you may be asking.

"I blame White Lightening," would be my reply. 

White Lightening is the compost-soil mix we ordered this year for the garden and to fill the rest of the flower beds Eddie made. I wasn't quite sure if it was the soil mix that made things over the top crazy in the garden, but two work colleagues ordered the same soil for their gardens this summer and both are experiencing out of control gardens as well.

Somewhere, in the midst of the tomato plants in one of the beds, a jalapeno pepper plant has disappeared, along with a 3 year-old and well-established sage plant. I couldn't tell you how to get to them, even if we could pinpoint where they are under those too long and leggy tomatoes.

I tried supporting the tomato plants with with baker's twine to the gate at one point, but the weight and width of each is obscenely out of control and very heavy. (Alas, we can no longer get to the blueberry pots in between beds against the fence, either.)

Meanwhile, I'm starting to save every tomato tart, tomato sauce, and tomato preserves recipe I can find. We are going to be lousy with tomatoes, if we don't get pulled into the plants ourselves trying to harvest the fruit.

Be wary of White Lightening!

We finally got the link to the professional pictures taken at John & Axel's wedding. Esther Judd Photography did the honors. Here are some highlights from the beautiful event!

John did his own mock-ankle tattoo a la Count Olaf from A Series of Unfortunate Events. This was purely for the kiddos in attendance, and for his, our families and a few select other's enjoyment. Most people didn't get the significance, but if you are a fan of the books (Lulu and I just finished the series), you'll get it.

When you get married on a Sunday and order a cake from Jaciva's bakery, you have to assemble the cake yourself since the bakery is closed on Sundays. Fortunately, when they delivered the cake on Saturday to the hotel, they put together a cake assembling kit containing rubber gloves and plastic aprons. It was quite entertaining to see John and Axel in their wedding finery, looking like butchers, putting their wedding cake together. But when you have been together for 28 years like they have, this is just par for the course.

Beautiful!!! The cake was two flavors. One layer was carrot, the other was chocolate.

The couple of the hour!

The wedding party. You can see my dress and shoes I made much better than my post before.

One of my favorite pictures taken! Me escorting John down the aisle...

After the wedding, during the luncheon, I presented John with a swatch of silk fabric I'd had tested out that was a pattern printed on it of an image of he, Axel and I from my 40th birthday party. My original thought was to make my dress for the wedding out of that if it worked, but it didn't in the end. 

John folded the fabric into a pocket square and wore it for the remainder of the reception, instead!

Bean looking all wide-eyed, enjoying her 'special' drink.

All of us together, in our matching and coordinated attire. I made all our dresses and Eddie's bow tie!

Bean!

The Bear and the Bean.

Eddie's bow-tie!

Ever since, May, I have barely had time to get done what I need to get done. John & Axel's wedding segued into the end of school for Lulu, Grandma & Grandpa visiting, Bean's tap recital, Father's Day, my birthday (which I was sick for, boo!), having to get a new dryer since our old one died, my mom going out of the country for nearly three weeks, taking care of her garden and the cat, working full-time, schleping kids to and from school & camp before mandatory pick-up times or else suffer fines, an occasional concert date with Eduardo, and then the usual housework, grocery shopping, et al. And that was all just in between June 1 until today. The first week of July we entertained Eddie's long-time friends who visited for the long holiday weekend from Vegas and L.A., respectively.

Whew! No wonder I'm exhausted and shocked to find that it's nearly the middle of July.

This weekend has us seeing a matinee of Book of Mormon and then an early dinner date using a gift certificate we won in a fundraising event at Christmas.

Meanwhile, our garden is doing way better this year than I could have ever expected. That has to be watered every night as well.

Just add it to my very long list of things to do/be done...

I made Lulu a new summer dress a few weeks ago using a super soft old sheet and making a version of the following pattern but sized for her:

I have the same dress but in two complimentary fabrics that I made at least a year ago. It's a very comfortable dress and it always gets compliments. There will be more of these dresses in our future collective wardrobes!

This big a box for this tiny of an item. ..