We had a busy weekend at my house. We spent most of Saturday in the yard. It was time to harvest the winter garden and replant, and the palm trees were ready for another trim too. I wanted to share pictures, but by the time we were in it I was far too muddy and messy to grab the camera let alone use it. But I have some before and after shots of some garden spots:
The three rows of produce you can see in the first photo included carrots, spinach and green onions. The half row of green onion filled two gallon bags when cleaned and cut. While I’m sure I’ll never get through them all, I’m sure some neighbors will be happy to receive some spoils. *wink* The spinach was wonderful to enjoy fresh while it lasted and these two rows of carrots gave us 6 gallons of work to pull, top, peel and slice. I couldn’t have done it without the family’s help. My son (who is still calling days ‘weeks’) exclaimed happily while we were washing and topping the pile, “This is a GREAT week!” Which translated, roughly means “I’m having a great time today!” I had to agree as to me there is nothing better than spending quality time working or playing together as a family. There is still the final phase of storage waiting for me with the carrots, but the hard part is done.
My little garden spot is finally getting to the point where something can grow in this harsh Arizona ground. It’s a lot of work! And it gives me greater appreciation for my pioneer ancestors who had to put so much into the development of land to grow things and become productive. Within a few more plantings I expect things will be almost right as roots continue to break up the hard soil underneath and I continue to feed the top soil with needed nutrients and fertilizer. But work is good and I’m grateful for the lessons it’s helping me teach my family.
Blake toiled long and hard with a volunteer palm that decided to take root right next to the corner of the house. It was growing so quickly that we had to cut it down. Hats off to him doing it the old fashioned way with nothing more than a handsaw. That was hard work! The middle section has popped up in the past couple of days which we’re speculating may be because the outside is drying so much faster but we really have no idea.
And here’s the last of the pictures I have to share of my small flower bed behind the house. The pictures are only about 4 weeks or so apart. I love this time of year when so much is in bloom here and so pretty to look at.
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I had great hopes of getting work done both outside and inside yesterday. Somehow, the hours seem to shorten when you get into a project and consequently the entire day for me yesterday was spent in my yard. I’m not sad though. It’s always a wonderful feeling to get your hands busy and see the fruits of your labors at the end of the day.
Pictures never do justice to the amount of sweat and work that go into so many things in our lives. And it never ceases to amaze me how something that looks like such a small amount of work is so deceiving. When I began in my yard, the goal was to get the garden bordered with flowers, some of the workable bed tilled and ready for new seed and above all get the weeds under control.
I stopped for flowers on the drive home from taking my son to school. Then finished the one online project that had to be done and went outside. In the hour and a half I had before returning to pick him up I managed to get through the weeds in the front of the garden and a few of the flowers planted. In fact, the picture at the start of this article was taken just as I left to pick him up. After lunch it was harder to keep going because it was getting hot. But he had a friend come over to play and that kept me outside and going. I made it through the rest of the garden, planted the planter boxes and even got through the rose bed. I hate weeds.
Although it may not look like much, it was the product of many sore muscles and a very good night’s sleep. All in all, a healthy day’s work. *smile*
Today I’m hoping for a quieter inside day and some time to catch up on weekend blog reading and computer projects. They’re easier on the hands and back.
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I couldn’t do this in Idaho, not this time of year anyway.
My 5 year old son was so delighted to help me pick and shell the peas that he kept exclaiming what a good farmer he was. He’d pop as many in his mouth as he’d drop in the bowl and that delights me given that he once threw up a bite of carrots just to prove to me how much hated them.
I love the helping stage he’s in and especially helping with garden and yard stuff. I grew up with that element and I’m grateful to have it to any degree in my kid’s lives. It’s wonderful for kids to plant a seed, help it grow, keep the weeds from it and then enjoy the fruits of their labors. In our world today there are so few accomplishments that we can see and touch. I love teaching my kids the important lessons gardening can provide and I love that I have kids who enjoy learning them.
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Friday brought more rain showers for us last week and they were heavy. You can see how much water was flowing down the entire street that afternoon!
I was afraid it would wash out the new garden, but thankfully what had made it up had just enough roots to withstand the swimming pool factor.
The only bad result was losing our cable service for a day - and believe me, no internet access for a whole day is a very big deal for this mom!
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I like new things. I like new weeks that start off right, new growth that comes with spring and new determination that comes from the adrenaline of starting or beginning something. Today was the beginning of normality again for me after a week of spring break. This morning marked the end of mounting house demolition and return of order and cleanliness. After a week of kids out of school and a weekend to boot, the place looked like it’d been attacked by the Cat in the Hat. I determined to stay off the computer until I could relax with a clean home. Now it’s done, the kids are at school and I’m ready to dig into some computer time. And it’s been a slight break on my blog too with crazy things happening and the kids out of school, so it’s nice to dig back in. *wink*
I couldn’t help but look around my home yesterday and wonder if anyone else’s looks like mine with “regular” use. It seems I’ve been picking clothes up (not to mention myself after missing a few of the stairs on the way down - yipes), wiping down counters and bathrooms with antibacterial wipes and running the washer and dryer all day…oh wait, I HAVE been doing all that. *laugh* My son was happy to have some help finding his room this morning. He does an okay job picking things up but he really appreciates having mom come and help go through all the toys and get everything back together. Funny how those toys are so much more fun to play with when all the pieces are together. It was like a trip to the toy store for all the stuff we found together. And I think he went through at least a half dozen wipes helping me clean his bathroom. I love that he loves to help.
The yard got some serious attention this weekend too. We had really hot weather (broke records even) last week and the unusual heat wave really brought new life to a new level. We got rid of all the dead stuff and everything is flourishing. I’m sure it will unrecognizable in another couple of weeks. I was so happy to see green buds in my ficus tree that was hit so hard with frost this winter, and blossoms on our citrus tree this year. Yay! And of course more roses!
So what’s new in your neck of the woods?
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I was out catching up on a few blogs and was impressed with Carmi’s question for the day: “When you take a moment to observe what others do not, what do you see?”
Carmi impresses me on many levels. His blog is simple, inviting, engaging and thought provoking. His photos are awesome and I love how he packs so much value into so few words. So I’m picking up his challenge today. A few days ago I shared some photos of what inspires me - the word that defined them all was growth.
Today I’ve gone back and edited the photo of the rose bud and added it’s counterpart taken a few moments ago - exactly 5 days later.
Carmi, this is what I see. It is potential, it is growth. It’s always there, but so often overlooked with harsh judgements, haste or just plain ignorance. This is what I strive to take the time to observe. Thanks for helping me stop for a moment and share - not just stopping to smell the roses, but stopping to see them.
So it’s so NOT wordless, but it works for me so this will be my WW post this week. *wink*
Check out the new Wordless Wednesday HQ!!
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Oh good grief Kailani…..like I can choose ONE thing?! Anyone who knows me know that I’m all over the board with talent dabbling and inspirational stuff. At the heart of my inspiration is my family, but I already post and share pictures of them on my blog on a near daily basis so for today let’s simplify it to pictures just taken on one word: growth.
Now head over to An Island Life and join in the fun. *wink*
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Nothing is quite as much fun as raising kids. As parents, you learn more than all your cumulative years put together. Kids have a way of reminding you of all the really important stuff, the stuff that we bury or forget as we grow to adulthood, the stuff that gets lost in the shuffle of daily grind activities. At the end of the day there is nothing as satisfying as being able to discuss with your spouse what really good kids you have as you reflect on the day or recent past. The warmth that comes from their secure smiles, willing hands, loving hugs and kisses are immeasurable. And while we can’t take credit for their good looks, we absolutely can for their happy natures and constant display of feeling safe, secure and loved. They are living what they learn and there aren’t words to express my joy and satisfaction that they are both flourishing.
This picture is one of my recent favorites because it shows my little guy ready and willing to help get the garden ready. I wish I could have taken pictures as he helped me plant seeds yesterday too because that was just awesome. He’d get done with a handful and then wipe his brow telling me what hard work that was and how he need a drink, then he’d go get the glass of water and take a big gulp, turn around and come back for more. He’s also been faithful in the past couple of weeks checking on seedlings planted in the patio garden. His love for learning, helping and growing are so inspiring to me.
My daughter joins in the chorus by continuing to reach out to the less popular kids. She amazes me. Even through the not so nice treatment of the other kids for playing with the less liked of the group, she’s persistent and continues to be a friend to everyone. I am in awe of her strength and her ability to make anyone around her feel comfortable and want to be with her. I think she’s going to be one of those really strong plants that take a little longer to sprout because she’s working on building deep roots. She presents signs of leadership and non-conformity at the tender age of 9 that really amaze me. I think the day is fast approaching when she’ll be “nigh unstoppable.” The day she decides to make learning the words of songs important she’ll take the world by storm with her amazing voice. This kid has some serious potential that is just starting to surface.
The recent night time discussions with my husband have been of how really good our kids are and how grateful we are for them. How considerate, how kind, how helpful and how willing to work both of them are. How much joy they have brought into our lives and how we can’t imagine life without them. There is no doubt in my mind that nothing in this life can or will compare to the joy and success of raising good kids. Kids who WANT to be with us, to spend time with us, to make us proud and happy and who want to be like us. In the end, it’s all that’s really going to matter. I think if we all understood that more we’d remember to make them our focus more than we do. I am confident that all the success in the world cannot and will not compensate for failure in the parenting department, nor will it compare to the joy of success in it.
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I don’t miss cold winters. I’ve never once felt bad about moving back to the land of sun this time of year. This year is no exception in this regard, but it sure is for cold temperatures.
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