A good, productive weekend.



It's organized, really!

Got a lot done this weekend...again! We're staying on track with our goals...my husband and sons especially. They did a lot of digging...a lot of sprinkler setting...a lot of plumbing...and now, we finally have sprinklers in our backyard. I almost can't believe it... And I almost can't believe that means sod is coming next! I can't wait to see GREEN in our backyard.

I, on the other hand, took the time to tidy up the garden space. It was a mess...and had become a bit of a dumping ground for random garden supplies. There were flower pots full of dead plants that didn't survive the winter (or the chickens!), coiled up chicken wire from our old fence, cages and supports and trellises...messy.

I moved everything out of the garden area and onto the side yard (so I could get a better look at the garden space I'm working with this summer). As I was moving the old pine boxes around and wondering what to do with them, my husband suggested turning them into shelves. I thought it was a great idea! So...that's what we did.



Deadly pine boxes turned utilitarian garden shelves.

Piled one on top of the other, these old pine boxes that were horrible as raised bed gardens are perfect for storage on the side yard! Ian made them sturdier and safer by screwing them all together. I was able to move all of my pots out of the garage (freeing up garage/pantry shelf space for Preparedness supplies!) and onto the side yard shelves. I've been wanting to move that stuff for so long...it felt good to actually DO it!

I also took a little time to sit on the deck and take a look at what seeds I have...still need to pick up some pumpkin, watermelon and cantaloupe seeds and maybe some more flowers, I'm thinking sweet peas and more nasturtiums. (And maybe a little something else that catches my eye...short sunflowers? ;)

The weather was perfect yesterday...cool and breezy...thank goodness. It made life and work a lot easier for Chris and Ian who were really working hard to get the sprinklers done and covered over. After a good long day in the yard I grilled some slider size burgers with cheese and an experimental onion topping...accompanied by oven fries.

All in all it was a good, beautiful, productive weekend. I'm grateful...

How was your weekend?

Everything has a purpose.

This is a little "chicken salad" I put together for the girls...some beans from the garden, their seeds were really big so I chose not to cook them...some apple that sat too long on the shelf in the fridge...and not pictured is a piece of toast that got a little too toasty.

Between the chickens and the compost pile nothing goes to waste around here! Or at least it shouldn't. I am not super diligent in my composting. But I am doing better and better. As with everything else, there's a learning curve. Not to mention, the birdhouse gourd vine has overtaken the pile...it's covered! So I need to find it again...and continue adding scraps so I can have some good compost next spring. It'll be here before we know it!

So I was taking my shower and thinking about the chickens and the garden and this little glass of scraps and life and how God and His creation are so amazing. Nothing goes to waste. Everything...and I do mean everything...has a purpose. He uses it ALL. Even the ugly scraps. Even the "stuff" that we think is garbage...a waste...unusable...God will use it. And not only will He USE it...He will make it BEAUTIFUL.

I know. I know it seems impossible. But...as the bible says, "with God all things are possible". Not some things. Not certain things. Not things that are good and acceptable. ALL things. God can do anything. A-ny-thing. The problem...or the obstacle...is me. I am the one that hangs on to hurts...or sins I've committed...things that I've done in life that I am not proud of...anger, depression...I hold on to them. Almost like a security blanket. I keep them hidden in a place only I know about... close...nearby...at the ready...just in case I need to drag them out and drag them along to my pity party. I keep them handy for when I need them to further condemn myself. To hold them up in front of my face...like a mirror to prove that I am unusable... garbage.

But then here comes God...the ultimate Gardener. The ultimate Composter. The ultimate Recycler. He takes all of my garbage...if I let Him...and He turns it into something useful. And even something beautiful. He takes away the condemnation. And the pain. He takes it away and fills that space with Himself. With His love. His spirit. And the more I allow Him to fill me up, the less room there is for the waste. And the more prepared I am to move in His will...and to live my life for His purpose.

Isaiah 43:18-19

18 "Forget the former things;

do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.

Whose idea was that?

NO.MORE.GARAGE.SALES. EVER. EV-ER.

It was hot. And sweaty. And SLOW. I had been stashing stuff for way too long..."for the garage sale"..this elusive garage sale I kept insisting that I was going to have.

I think we made around $250...which is better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick...

And would you believe that an older woman who spoke broken English stole from me? I gave her a great deal on a pile of boys shorts and swim trunks and she ended up stealing a few items! Really?! Stealing? At your age? From a GARAGE SALE? Not to mention my magic number was "one dollar". I was giving stuff away! She didn't need to steal it!

BUT...then there was the nice lady that wanted some of my used christian books that I just gave to her...so she told us to keep the 50 cents change because she was so glad to get a pile of free books. It was a nice gesture.

Bottom line? It's over. And it's ALL out of my house and garage and shed. Next weekend? Garage cleaning and organizing. I can't wait...for real. That is one chore that is long overdue.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I must lie down. I'll post about something more interesting later...

Someone gets a present!

Congratulations to dmoms of this is my life! You guessed that this ball of string had "something to do with baseball" and you were right!

This ball of "garden string" is actually the innards of a baseball. It was all wound up into a ball and then covered with leather and sewn together. Reggie, our dog, got a hold of this poor little baseball and chewed the leather to smithereens leaving this little ball of string. I was going to toss it in the trash...but instead tried to figure out a use for it. Aha! Garden string! Perfect. Reuse. Recycle. And when it's done helping me in the garden, into the compost it will go to become food for next years garden. I love it!

Hey dmoms! I need your mailing address again. In all of my "organization" I misplaced it. Sorry!

And good job on the educated guess...you are very observant!

Sunday morning quiet time...

It was nice and cool in the garden this morning. And pretty quiet since I hushed the girls with the leftovers from a bag of shredded wheat. Earlier one of them squawked so loud I thought she might have laid me an egg! But...no such luck...yet.

The garden is thriving and I am loving it. The beans (on the left) are growing like crazy...the pole beans are wrapping their tendrils around the poles and each other, braiding their way all over the place. The bush beans are already producing beans...the pole beans are a bit behind. I didn't read the package so I don't know if this is right...or if the pole beans just aren't going to produce? Time will tell.

I picked a few things this morning...tomatoes, a regular zucchini and an Eight Ball zucchini.

Between my zucchini and my friends' zucchini I'm going to be in over my head here pretty soon! And I've even been sharing! I've left piles of produce on two of my neighbors porches, I sent a small bag home with my mom and dad and later I'll be dropping off a bag for my bro and his family. And there's still more! So, later this afternoon I'm going to bust out the Cuisinart and shred a bunch for freezing. It will be nice in the winter when I want to make zucchini muffins and such.

The picture below is of the garden path. Or...should I say...what was the garden path? The Birdhouse gourd has boundary issues and is just growing all over the place. This is one case where I'm OK with something overstepping boundaries...it's so pretty!

And it's got many little gourds starting. I notice that a lot of them start but not all of them necessarily mature. So we'll see how that goes. (It's an experiment. Remember?) So we've got the gourd on the right and the Eight Ball zuke and tomatoes on the left. And of course the nasturtiums creeping and climbing all over...they add such fun color to the garden.

Can you guess what this is? I know, I know...it's string. But can you guess where it came from?

I don't know that you'll ever guess...but I'm going to put it out there and see if anyone comes up with it's original use. I have to say, I am cracking myself up with the whole reuse/recycle thing on this one. And if you've been keeping up on my blog and my family and what we've got going on...you just might be able to figure out where it came from!

Anyone wanna give it a try?! If you are the first one to get it...I'll send you a present!!