No edits, no filters, no iPhone, it's all Iris. ALTERNATE BLOG POST TITLE: Reason why I rushed out the front door early this morning and nearly beaned myself into unconsciousness (pro tip: check to make sure the storm door is actually unlocked!) I wanted to get this shot before the raindrops evaporated -- I blame all you more-expert-like photographers out there AND Instagr.am! © 2003 - 2012 This Full House Freshly-Brewed Elsewhere: I am very honored to be working with Hallmark as a Life is a Special Occasion featured blogger, which allows me the opportunity to share personal stories, insights... Read more →

Growing up, my parents always grew their own vegetables in the summertime. We lived with my grandmother before I started grade school and she had a vegetable garden. Later, my father would build a greenhouse in our backyard, using plumbing pipes and sheets of plastic film salvaged from an abandoned work site (or believed to be abandoned, anyway) which would one day play center stage for make believe expeditions to Egypt and China, late night bug hunts and marathons of hide-and-go-seek. My parents surprised us with plotting out and planting our first vegetable garden, a few weeks after my husband,... Read more →

My friend Diana wrote a wonderful blog post on the acceptance of messes (feeling pride in tending to her less than perfect garden) and, well, for me, hers is such a timely story. My parents always kept a vegetable garden. Growing up in an urban area, surrounded by ironworks, factories, several blocks of shared housing, warranting little more than a quick glance, before the traffic light changes, we were one of the few families to do so, in our neighborhood, anyway. Still, their vegetables were always so beautiful and, my kids spent hours playing in their green house, when they... Read more →

Pardon me, while I tap into my Hungarian roots, here, but I love this time of year, minus the wet. Some of my favorite flowers are blooming, RIGHT NOW, most of which we adopted from my parent's garden, before selling the house they spent 30+ years, rebuilding, literally, from the ground up. It was just too much for them. After 7 years of successfully negotiating dozens of hurdles that life continues to throw at them, my parents are still making beautiful things happen, in the dirt. It's in their blood. I've read that there are over 200 varieties of Iris... Read more →

This is my paternal great-grandmother, Maria, in Hungary. My father spent many childhood summers, giving up his "city boy ways," living the "simple country life," with Maria (his mother had him late in life and, apparently, he was a handful!) and, according to my father, it was anything and everything...but, simple! Still, as tough as Maria's life was, my father insists that she was the sweetest, kindest, most gentlest person on earth. Unlike, her great-granddaughter (that would be me!) who is about ready to snare her some Bambi! Exhibit A: Deer tracks (post-sprinkler) this morning. No, I don't want to... Read more →

DAY 1 of our spring break/challenge was a total RainFAIL! Then, Day 2 and it was time to send out for an Ark! [wipes feet] Moving on. I'm scheduled to work at the gym, this afternoon (stupid braces, dumb college fund) but, I left the camera home, with my kids and, well, it'll be interesting to see what they come up with. Yesterday, I decided to allow my 2 oldest girls to sleep in (as if, I could wake them, or I had any other choice) and took Doofus-Dawg for a walk. Having spent the last 3 days home, alone,... Read more →

Cross-posted to our 365 Days microblog project -- where I'm taking a self-imposed timeout, every day, to post wordless (you're welcome!) Check out the Official Wordless Wednesday HQ Tag, you're it: Wordless Wednesday Also, got some freshly-brewed crafty handmade stuff over at my shopping blog: Klutz Fashion Origami © 2010 This Full House - All Rights Reserved. Read more →