The kiss of the sun for pardon . . .

Gardening advice from a novice gardener:

1.  Throw out the gardening gloves.  Dirt feels good between your fingers.  (Gardening gloves will definitely save a manicure but it's just not the same).  There is something almost spiritual about getting down with the dirt and leaves and just digging.  Toss the gloves out and dig in.

2. Take cuttings/bulbs/plants from family & friends.  I'm not suggesting sneaking over in the night and stealing hostas from your neighbor.  Offer up something that you have in abundance and see if you can make a trade.  I have hostas, daffodils, lillies, lambs ear, autumn joy and much more that came from many other gardens.   Mature plants can be quite pricey and I love looking around and remembering where some of my garden dwellers came from.

3. Use your imagination.  Gardening is so much more fun if you get creative.  Use something unconventional as a planter (My aunt has old work boots filled with Hens & Chicks and once planted an old bathtub.  My dad has a fire hydrant).  Use something old that you were considering throwing away - a rusted out bucket, a rickety old chair, etc.   Make something yourself: stepping stones, mosaic decorations, bird baths. 

4. Get out there early.  My mom & I used to get a hot cup of coffee and walk thru the garden in the early morning.  The smells, the sounds, the sights . . . they are different in the early morning light.  That is one of the things I miss the most about my mom. 


Some pictures of my gardens this year . . .

 Honeysuckle & clematis climbing up our arbor

The clematis loves this spot in my butterfly garden

 Lola's favorite drinking hole . . .

 LOVE these giant hostas

Bleeding hearts. My mom's favorite.

I am a very sentimental gardener.  Most of my hostas came from my Aunt Gloria and Aunt Gilda, who got them from my mom's gardens over the years.  I LOVE knowing that my mom's green thumb once tended to them.  I try to use things in my garden that have personal meaning to me or that I have made by hand. 

 This fountain used to reside at the Graham home at Lake Tapawingo in the 1950's.  My mom had it in her yard for many years.  It had a ton of cracks and leak and was getting difficult to keep it running after all these years, so I decided to use it as a planter this year.

 Erica & I made these cute little lady bugs.

 This turtle shell is made from my Grandmother Hilgedick's wedding china.

 Memory garden stone

This statue came from my Grandfather Hilgedick's garden

 I made this gazing ball from a bowling ball that my friend Erica found at a flea market

My garden stepping stones.  My mom & I made most of them more than 10 years ago.


I have found so much serenity and healing in my garden.  Just wanted to share my little corner of the earth.   Also,  I can always use a partner on my early summer morning walks 'round the garden.  I promise you'll love every minute.

Twine wreath & Swine flu. Ok, not really.

It's been a LOOOOOOONG week over here as influenza has made it's way around our house. Sophia, Matt and Ava have all been down.  (Graham & I are taking Tamiflu and hoping to avoid it!)  Needless to say, taking care of sick people and cloroxing every square inch of the house has been my agenda this week! Spring Break starts at the end of the week and we are excited and ready!

We FINALLY got our new couch! YAY!

I think G likes it.  :)

Good-bye Big Red. 

I did manage to get one project completed this week!  I have been dying to make a twine wreath.  I saw something similar on pinterest and thought it looked like something I could handle.  I needed something to hang on the front door in between seasonal decor.

 I wrapped my "M" in twine (2 layers, to cover well) and used a little bit of wood glue to secure the twine in the tricky places.  Hot glue would probably work great, too, but my front door gets so hot from direct sun that hot glue always melts!!

 Here is the fully wrapped "M".

I wanted to embellish with some fabric flowers so I looked at some online tutorials and then played around until I got the look I wanted.

 First I cut my fabric into a strip . . . about 1 inch wide.  The longer you cut your strip, the bigger the flower. 

 I tied a knot for the center or "bud"

 I folded my strip in half length wise and started wrapping it around the center.

 Occassionally, I would twist the fabric.  I noticed it gave the flower more dimensions.

 When my flower was the right size, I glued the end of the fabric to the bottom of the flower and let it dry for a few hours.

 Once dry, I glued my flowers to the twine (once again I used Elmer's wood glue).  My fabric was stringy (it was suede-like), and I actually thought the frayed look was kind of cool.  If you wanted to avoid that look I suggest using fabric that doesn't fray quite as easily. Finally, I attached some ribbon to the back with a staple gun & hung it on my door!

*NOTE TO CRAFTER: Try not to drop your twine wrapped letter on the floor in the process of hanging.  It will proceed to break in half, causing you to start over.  Ugh!
I LOVE the finished product!!



P.S.
I make an effort to be joyful every day and to be thankful for my many blessings.   This week brought to light just how blessed I am.  I have decided that I should be thankful for EVERY moment.  Even the crappy ones.  Cause they are my life, too.  I see people around me struggling with issues much bigger than a house full of influenza.   
A wise man once told me that the road of life (and marriage) will have some bumps and curves in it.  He said that you should anticipate them and you can learn to negotiate them smoothly.  They also make the smooth spots sweeter.  He was right, as usual. 
Thanks, Dad. 

Dancing with Dad & Feeding the birds

We have had an exciting week around here! Ava girl lost another tooth!

Also, we have spent a ton of time outside enjoying this beautiful weather! Swinging, playing, taking walks and riding bikes . . .

Sophia and Matt attended a Father/Daughter Dance at Lord of Life (Sophie's preschool) last weekend.  Jim & Maya Mellody came along with them.  Jim & Matt got their girls beautiful corsages, took them to Winsteads for dinner, and then danced the night away.  What a magical night!

 My mom gave me a recipe for homemade suet cakes many years ago.  I love making my own . . . it's easy and cheap.  This recipe holds up well, even in the hot temperatures. Sophia helped me whip up a batch this weekend.  She loves helping me in the kitchen! 

All you need is lard(manteca), peanut butter, corn meal, quick oats, flour and bird seed.  You can also add dried fruit.

Melt lard & peanut butter over medium-low heat and stir.

Stir in the rest of the ingredients

Pour into forms.  (I use old ones I have saved from store bought cakes)

Refrigerate until solid and then feed to the birds!!

NO MELT SUET

1 cup lard (manteca)

1 cup peanut butter (crunchy or creamy)

2 cups corn meal (yellow or white)

2 cups quick oats

1/2 cup flour plus a little more

1 cup bird seed (or raisins or dried fruit)

Makes about 4 cakes.

Create

I always enjoy reading blogs from my friends and from fellow runners.  There are so many exciting things going on in our lives, so I thought I would resurrect my blog and start sharing some of them!!
The kids always keep us busy!  Ava has started taking karate (she LOVES it!) and Sophia has started dance class.  Graham started Mother's Day Out once a week, which gives me a day to myself.  Yahoooooo!  I will be doing a ton of running, crafting, shopping and sewing every Thursday!!

I am really excited about our newest project, the "dining room turned craft room"!! We decided it was wasted space to have a formal dining room (that we used once a year) considering we are a crafty bunch and always have projects going on.   We found an adorable and functional craft table that can be used for crafting, sewing or even homework!  I decided to work on a few projects that were inspired by Pinterest (yes, I'm addicted) to add some color to the new craft room.

The first project was amazingly easy . . .Mod Podge letters!  I found raw wood letters, craft paper and mod podge at Joann's. First, I painted the edges of my letters black.  (You could choose any color or leave the edges raw.)  I traced my letters onto the craft paper, cut them out and attached them with a layer of mod podge.  I added several layers of mod podge on top of the letters, then embellished them!  I love how they turned out!  It was so easy, I think I will let the kids do a project with mod podge in the future!! 

My hope for this blog is to keep my family and friends updated on the happenings in our lives, but also to add some joy, some inspiration, and some happiness to your lives!  Love you all!