much ado about nothing

- The peonies are in full bloom and as beautiful as ever.

- The backyard pond frogs are basking in the sunshine.

- My closet is out of control again. I desperately want to tackle it.

- Inspired by my half marathon running friends, I went out on Monday and bought some new gear. 

You cannot go to an event like that and not get inspired. I ran 10k on Monday and again today. 

I tell you this because I was one of those people that couldn't run, or so I believed. 

I am not an athlete. I never have been. I am not naturally talented at sports.

I don't love every minute as I run. 

I do love when I am finished. I do love that I can push my body 

forward with my mind and do something hard. I do love the inner confidence that comes with 

achieving something you thought you could never do.  

How long will I keep it up? 

I don't know.....

It doesn't really matter. I am not in a competition. I am training my mind to never say never.

"In the spring, at the end of the day you should smell like dirt." ~ Margaret Atwood

We have had big plans for the past 6 year of planting a vegetable garden. For one reason or another we never have. But this year the kids begged and begged for a garden of their own. So Darren took those interested, built grow boxes, wheeled barrow after barrow full of soil, and finally the beds were ready. Off we went to the store, and an hour later we were home with enough seeds for 5 families, I'm sure. The children planted the seeds, and have faithfully been checking their boxes daily. 

We waited.....

and Mother Nature did her thing...........

The backyard is one of my most favorite places to be. I love gardening like I am 60.
(If you are 60 and love to garden, that is a compliment, by the way!)

Nothing is more rewarding to me than when spring finally arrives and everything begins to grow. 

"I cannot go to school today,"

Said little Peggy Ann Mckay.

"I have the measles and the mumps,

A gash, a rash and purple bumps.

My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,

I'm going blind in my right eye.

My tonsils are as big as rocks,

I've counted sixteen chicken pox

And there's one more--that's seventeen,

And don't you think my face looks green?

My leg is cut--my eyes are blue--

It might be instamatic flu.

I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,

I'm sure that my left leg is broke--

My hip hurts when I move my chin,

My belly button's caving in,

My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained,

My 'pendix pains each time it rains.

My nose is cold, my toes are numb.

I have a sliver in my thumb.

My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,

I hardly whisper when I speak.

My tongue is filling up my mouth,

I think my hair is falling out.

My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,

My temperature is one-o-eight.

My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,

There is a hole inside my ear.

I have a hangnail, and my heart is--what?

What's that? What's that you say?

You say today is . . . Saturday?

G'bye, I'm going out to play!"

~ Shel Silverstein

flowers in the powder room

 Little details make such a big difference - like fresh flowers in the guest bathroom 

(or really good fake ones)!

These ones are real hydrangeas from our garden, but I will be on the look out for some artificial ones for when the weather turns cold and they are not in bloom.

Canning Jar Garden Lanterns

Our friend Shauna is getting married next weekend and I offered to make the canning jar garden lanterns for her backyard reception, which we saw in a picture on the internet. So my girls and I got to work. We found all the supplies at Walmart. I was kind of particular about the jars (I didn't want jars with fruit on them). 

Next I needed to buy some tea lights. I found these really BIG ones in the candle section. 

They came in a package of 12 for $3! They are perfect for this project. 

They fit the jars really well, without looking too small. Seriously, these things are huge!

If you are going to use them just for decoration you can remove the metal cups (which looks better), 

otherwise if you are going to light them they need to stay on, or they will melt into a puddle of wax (I tested). 

You could also use votives that are already in a little glass holder. 

But since we were making quite a few and trying to be thrifty about it, this worked just fine.

I took a 2 foot piece of wire, folded it in half and made a small loop.

Then I wrapped the wires around the jar...

and twisted them together on the other side.

I continued to twist both wires together and put them through the loop and the other side of the jar.

Next I wrapped the ends around the wire handle.

You can either leave then plain (which is kind of my favorite. I know - I am so boring).....

 or tie a ribbon around them, burning the ends with a lighter. 

Shauna wanted ribbons in different garden colors.

 Now they are ready to be set out in the garden and/or interspersed among the dishes on the table and counter. 

They are super simple, but so cute. I think they will be perfect for her casual garden calling reception. If nothing else, we had fun!

Home Stretch

We have been working like crazy trying to get the hen house and run finished. We put the fence up, did some more painting, made a gate, cut down some trees, planted a garden in front of the run fence and cleaned up an area behind the hen house to put the food and bedding. We still have to add some trim to the house and the top of the fence, paint the gate, the posts and the trim, and finish the roof. Then I think we will finally be done.

We got some Ameraucana chickens a couple of weeks ago. Our other little chicks will all be brown and white and lay brown eggs, These hens will lay blue/green eggs, and they add such variety to our little flock - every one of these birds is a different color. The only tricky part is that you cannot tell what gender they are until maturity. So out of the 6 chickens we bought we are hoping to end up with 3 hens - any roosters will have to go.