Mister M and I are still enjoying being newlyweds. We get a whole year right?? We launched a little family project we hope to grow into something special in the arts and crafts community one month ago today: Modern Roots - it’s like Facebook or Twitter for the crafty. I’ve been trying to keep up with a little craft blogging at Knit Frog these days. And, my sweetheart spouts his technical genius over at techblog.modernroots.com.

In other news, there will be a Pearson family reunion on July 10th in Madison, WI. My Dad is coordinating lots of details. Mister M and I will be going up early for a fishing trip with Dad, and then are hoping to see lots of family we haven’t seen in years. I haven’t done any fishing since I was a kid, so I’m super excited for both, and looking forward to the summer already.

Mr. McCuistion and I kicked off our first garden about a month ago with a few friends over to help us plant. Since then, it’s been a real joy to experience everything a garden has to teach us. So far, nothing has been terribly difficult as long as we pay attention to the garden on a regular basis. The hardest part was most definitely the ground preparation and everything that lead up to the planting. I give Mr. McCuistion and our good friend Mr. Nick Carter all the credit on that. The fun part is watching things grow, and learning how to protect our little green friends.

The first real challenge after I learned to distinguish the difference between a weed and an actual growing plant looks like were the pigeons that wanted to eat the new sprouts that were just budding out of the ground, and I believe one of those beasts got our very first strawberry that was ripening. We resolved that by buying a net that I now have to remove once a week to maintain the garden.

Almost immediately after we wrestled with winged beasts, I began noticing dozens and dozens of mushrooms popping up all over the garden. I expected weeds, but this? I tried picking them all, but they sprung up again over the next two days. I called the nursery, however, and they advised me not to panic. Pushing them right into the ground and watering the garden a little less for awhile will cut down on mushrooms, and they will not hurt the veggies. Another garden problem solved!

Mister M and I managed to sneak away for a long weekend to visit some lovely friends in Tooele, UT last weekend. It was a nice reminder to slow down every now and then and not let life trick us into getting too busy. The fall colors in Utah were a sight to behold, and the hospitality of kind friends is a rare treasure that we cherish. A special treat for me was to visit a homespun fiber dying operation in Genola where I got to see how the fiber dying process works, have lunch with Ms. Katy Cowley and the ever-so-talented Mrs. Carolyn Greenwood of Greenwood Fiberworks, followed by my very first spinning lesson with bat made from fresh scrap fibers. Ms. Cowley and I picked up new spindles on the way back to our fellas. I fear I have a lot of practice ahead me before I hand spin any yarn that I may enjoy knitting with, but I do enjoy seeing how the whole process works. Hmm… I wonder if the Mister will let me get a sheep. Don’t worry Mister McCuistion, I may just stick to my knitting.

Mud Run 2009

Mister McCuistion and I had our garden planting party and BBQ last weekend. We had over some lovely and helpful guests who helped us get seeds and plants into the ground on an unexpected unseasonably hot day, and they helped us kick off our first garden in style. We hope to invite them and others to a harvest party in a couple months. We should have a very big salad with some yummy strawberries if all goes well. Perhaps a keylime pie for dessert!

Mister McCuistion is on the bottom right.

We cut them down to the best 74 photos but that’s still a lot. So please be patient while the page loads. (Click on any photo to see it enlarged.)

Mr. McCuistion and I are back in the work-a-day life, but very much in the wonderful honeymoon phase of marriage and hoping to treat each other with kindness and keep it lasting as long as possible. The Mister thinks we might be able to transition from newlyweds to oddlyweds at some point.. I wonder which year that might happen. Perhaps it already has.

NEWS FLASH - We’ll be posting our wedding photos soon. We have seen the proofs, but are waiting to receive them from Vegas so we can post them. There are some really nice shots. We can’t wait to share!

Marriage Day 9. An Ocean Voyage. It was humbling to witness first-hand such beauty in the ocean today. We were at sea for four hours, and saw sea lions, elephant seals, lots and lots of common dolphins, and Risso dolphins (larger and found in deeper waters).