Lauren Lejeune

I hate to admit it, but I have multiple personalities.

Not in the sense that you’d think upon hearing those words, but two distinct personalities: my summer self, and my winter self. One is motivated, happy and outgoing. The other is reclusive, sleepy and overall not my favorite version of myself. It’s almost the beginning of May, which means I’ve hung my winter coats and personality up in the closet and will not be pulling them out till absolutely necessary. 

It has always baffled me how much the weather has an effect on someone’s mood. The sunshine is like a happy drug for me, and one good afternoon catching some sun rays will charge me back up like a reusable battery. So when I say I am SO thankful summer is almost here — I mean it wholeheartedly. In fact, spring cleaning and garden preparation is underway.

This weekend I cleaned out some of my flower beds and threw out some new flower seeds. I’m a big fan of the wildflower mixes, but this year I also want to try my hand at having a cutting garden. I love having fresh flowers inside and it would be more rewarding if they were flowers I had grown myself. 

I also started my vegetable garden seeds inside. It’s a little difficult to find a spot inside to set a bunch of seed trays, as the windows in my house catching the most sun are not in a convenient spot. Last year I put them on my kitchen table, but now I have my menace of a cat who tries to eat any and all plants he can find. I ended up moving my dresser under my bedroom window and setting them on top of it. 

This will be my second year ever gardening by myself. I always enjoyed helping my mom or grandmother in their gardens, but it’s fun to try it on my own. Most things in my life are trial and error (more error if I have to be honest), but the journey in learning whatever the project is has been very fulfilling for me. 

I also bought a million hearts plant from the Garage-O-Rama that was held at the fairgrounds a few weeks back and today I tried my hand at propagating. I really hope they start growing new roots, because it physically hurt me to cut my plant. I am not known to have a green thumb, but I want one so badly. 

There is so much to look forward to this summer. I have a few trips planned, but really I am just excited to spend some time outdoors with friends and family. There is a lot of work to be done in my yard as well, and thankfully Nate likes to mow so I can focus on the fun stuff: trying to keep all of my plants alive.