Chick-sitting

We got to chick-sit a few weeks ago to get keeping chickens out of my system.  They we're so little, I worried about them constantly.  Nope, not ready for pets yet...but we had a good week.

Homegrown Lunch

Our spring lettuce is so yummy!  The kids are even eating salads more now.  And apparently, I love cheese. 

Hope your weekend is full of spring goodness!

Randomness with Link Love Sprinkled On Top

• Put up my LOVE sign.  It is February, you know. Printable font is here. 
• Read a beautiful book, The Book Thief, last week.  Here's one of three quotes I saved from it, 
• "'Look at the colors,' said Papa.  It's not hard to love a man who not only noticed the colors but also speaks them." 
• Now, I'm reading a loaned copy of Backyard Homestead.  Any seasoned gardeners with tips for a newbie? Like where I can get free, clean dirt?
• I've been talking to our agency.  No word yet, but I think our baby is at another orphanage, not one owned by our agency, so it is taking a while to get more information.  But soon, they tell me. Soon.     hmm-mmm.  I'll believe it when I hear it.   Adoption is not for the faint of heart.  And we haven't even met her yet.  
• I'm taking an SLR Photography class starting at our local rec center.  Anyone in the Plano area interested in joining me?  
• Stop by Better After, One Pretty Thing, and The Crafty Crow.  They are really cool sites, and you might see me over there!
• Enough self-promoting...what are you all up to?

September

Reading:

Hold On To Your Kids by Neufeld & Mate. Essentially why parents need to matter more than peers.



Home Grown Kids by Raymond & Dorothy Moore. An urge to parents to consider teaching children at home informally in the early years. They have also written the book, Better Late Than Early.

Learning:

New love is amazing, but love realized is even more wonderful.

That is is my desire that:

I am more concerned with principle than social pressures,

I cherish my children more than my own freedoms and

I am willing to study to provide them sound values, academic excellence and a sense of self-worth.

Working On:

A Car Seat Makeover for a baby girl due in October using these fabrics:



Deciding what fall color needs to go into my window box and large pots.

Trying Not to Think About:

The Phone Call that hasn't happened yet...I am granting myself a phone call to our agency on Wednesday, though, to ask for a status update, Come on, Wednesday!

What have you all been up to?

Square Foot Gardening Anyone?

Reading:: Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew.

And now I'm getting really excited about spring.

Sheesh, did I just say that? It's not even Labor Day. Okay, so I'm over summer. Ready for fall. And I'll use the winter to plan my own square foot garden.

(I know it's a strange time to be reading about gardening, but our library's wait list for this one was a mile long. Mr. Smarty just brought it home today.)

So far, here's what I've found fascinating:

The author suggests to start with a 4 foot by 4 foot block per person. If you start in early March, in two months those 16 square feet can produce:

4 head Oak Leaf lettuse
16 standard size carrots
9 bunches of spinach
32 radishes
16 scallions
4 heads Salad Bowl lettuce
16 beets, plus 4 bunches beet greens
5 pounds sugar snap peas
4 heads Ruby lettuce
9 Japanese turnips
8 bunches Swiss chard
1 head cabbage
4 head romaine lettuce
1 head cauliflower
1 head broccoli
16 small, round carrots

And by then the weather is warm enough to start planting and harvesting tomatoes, peppers and squash.

Some friends brought this gi-normous zucchini discovered in the garden. We used maybe a fourth of it for dinner one evening, and another half for zucchini bread.

Anyone already square foot garden? I'd love to hear any experiences with it!

{Window Box and Container Gardening}

We've been in our house for 5 summers now. Each year I seem to make one gardening or outdoor goal-one year I put in a raised bed, one year we added a fig tree. Last year, I extended out front flower bed and added a flag holder (rather delegated the tasks to my FIL). This years one goal, I am proud to already have achieved. Again, my FIL made my day, or summer, by drilling into our brick window sill to attach a window box.




I LOVE LOVE LOVE driving up or walking up to our house and seeing it!

Since it's still early in the season, the plants are still getting bigger, but already they look fantastic. I used the same plants that I have in large pots at the front door and on the back patio. For a really full and dramatic look, I like to pick about three plants per container. Each one brings a different element to the look.

One plant cascades, or drapes over the side. My favorites are purple and green sweet potato vine. I also like vinca vine.

Another adds full color. In two pots this year, I'm using lantana because it thrives in the heat and lasts till late fall. In another pot I have dianthus because in our part of Texas it's a perennial and often blooms all year.

The third plant adds dimension-a spiky, tall plant-like an ornamental grass. And if I was a real planner, I'd plant bulbs for surprise height in the spring and fall. Maybe since I'm on a such a roll with achieving my goals, I'll add that one to this years list!

I found a BHG container garden plan that looks JUST LIKE what I've got. I'm wondering if some BHG photog snuck over here last summer...seriously, come back in August, and this is exactly what you'll see:

A. Canna 'Pretoria' -- 2
B. Lantana 'Lucky White' -- 4
C. Coleus (Solenostemon 'Dappled Dawn') -- 1
D. Coleus (Solenostemon 'Dark Frills') -- 2
E. Vinca major 'Variegata' -- 3
F. Melampodium paludosum -- 1
G. Sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas 'Margarita') -- 1
H. Maidengrass (Miscanthus sinensis) -- 1

Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. Romans 1:20b

If you're visiting from Kimba's Garden Party-thanks for stopping by! Stay for another 30 seconds and check out today's post!

{Thanking with Succulents}

Monday was our last day of our homeschool co-op for the spring semester! That seems early, but I was ready. The stuff needed to teach two classes and send three kiddos to classes for 6 hours, is overwhelming. I start packing Sunday afternoon and don't stop until we're on the road with my two travel mugs of coffee in the cup holders Monday morning.

Okay, enough whining. Every other mom who is a part of our co-op works just as hard at making the experience as enjoyable and beneficial to each child. So, on this last day, I brought little mugs of thanks for the moms who teach my kids and the moms who assisted my classes. (stay tuned for pics of how we wrapped up the Little House class)


Mugs were from the Dollar Tree, where I am pretty certain every homeschool mom frequents on a regular basis. Succulents and ferns were from Lowes. Each gift was under $5.

And, I had to give myself some love....


For more succulent inspiration check out the Nesters post where she used old milk glass containers she'd collected over the years.

{Spring is Close!}

Remember these White Verbena pictures I shared last fall in a note-to-self-post? Spring is days away! (Happy Birthday, Mom!) So I'm getting my pots ready...


This is how it's done:


pictures: A Soft Place to Land

Belle's View of Home

I'm tellin' you: this girl can take some good photos! The title of this post could also be "Things That Make Me Smile Coming Home From a Long Run" but that's kind of long. But this is what made me smile coming home this morning:

1) My FLAG! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU DAD! My FIL came over Friday and helped me install the bracket for my flag (or rather let me watch him stand on a ladder and bring him water)! It was my goal to have a flag flown by one US flag-flying holiday this year-whew! Just in time!!!!)

2) My big pot of lantana, sweet potato vine and mondo grass! The lantana I got this year is such a bold color-I just love it!!!

3) The three hugs I got around my sweaty legs-when do kids realize their moms are sweaty and stop hugging them after runs? Well, mine still grab my nearest limb and claim me as their mom and I am savoring it.

4) Mr. Smarty unloaded the dishwasher AND made the bed with all my extra COMPLETELY NECESSARY TO BE BEAUTIFUL pillows in their right spots!

And now, without further ado, here are Belle's photos from this morning:

Note to Self for Next Spring

Would you look at this cascading White Verbena? I must remember to try this project from Kimba next spring:

This is how she did it:

She buries the top pot about 1/3 to 1/2 way up so that it stays stable.
I have nothing to add, but "GEEEEEE-nius!"