Fresh Flowers

I'm not great at decorating. I never seem to know quite where to put things, but I do find pleasure in expressing myself through the atmosphere of our home. I like color. I like all things natural. I like to change things around. Nothing fancy. Nothing complicated. Just me.

If I had my way we'd live in the forest in a Frank Lloyd Wright home and God's creation would be all that we would need. But for now, I do my best to bring the outdoors inside. And what better way to do that then through the use of fresh flowers.

In our last home I painted a rectangle on the wall the size of a large frame in slightly darker shade. Then I attached picture hangers to 5 inexpensive bud vases and arranged these inside the rectangle for a three dimensional, one-of-a-kind, ever changing piece of art.

In this home we have textured walls. I've been missing fresh flowers and the way they instantly brighten up our day- until now. I had my favorite picture of the kids enlarged for our fireplace, but have been at a loss as to what to do for the rest of the decorations. Fresh flowers in staggered vases is the perfect solution. Last week it was red tulips placed individually in six different vases. For the next two weeks or so, it's these post Valentine roses that I'll be admiring. I look forward to summer when I can pick flowers for my own garden to display. Now all I have to do is figure how to hang this heavy frame.

May Garden

The weather this past week has been PERFECT. This has inspired me to spend a lot of time digging and moving plants around. It's kind of like rearranging furniture. Most of these plants came from my mom's, sisters' or friends' gardens. I can't help but think of them when I'm tending to my Garden. I love to share, too, so let me know if you ever need some flowers to fill in your garden. The pastel spring colors are fading and soon the bright yellows and reds of June will be here.

Underneath our living room window. It's fun to watch the birds come and feast (before the bird feeder broke).

I saved these lillies from my dear friend, Carrie's, house last Spring before they started a landscaping project. I'm excited to see what will happen now that they are established.

Our up and coming butterfly garden- a part of our Certified Wildlife Backyard Habitat.

The tree is finally tall enough to provide some afternoon shade. Nothing has ever survived this spot in the garden. Now, hopefully, the plants won't get fried in the July sun.

And lest you think all is perfect, this is our backyard "garden". Grass wouldn't grow here so we dug it up a few years ago and it has sat there since.

I have visions though:

Lasagna Garden

Three years ago Sean bought some railroad ties from Menards and put down these two raised beds on the sunny side of the house. We bought ALOT of dirt to fill them in and had a pretty descent garden. Last year, however was a different story. The ground was pretty well packed and weeds had found a home there. The peppers, cucumbers and squash were a wash.

Well, this year I'm determined to do better and with some encouragement from Alaina and her beautiful vegetable garden I decided to try something new. A Lasagna garden. No, this is not growing ingredients to make lasagna. It is a way to layer the garden in order to cut back on weeds and fortify the soil. There are tons of methods for lasagna gardening online. We just went the simple route. We could have done another layer, but this is what we accomplished for this year.

Before. It looks like a desert. How could anything grow here?

First we laid down cardboard (newspaper would work as well). This suffocates any weeds and decomposes quickly. I made the kids lay down on it because it was so windy. Do you like the shield cut out there in the middle?

Next, we watered the cardboard well.

A thick layer of Organic Peat came next.

Then some manure was put down. I probably should have had more than this.

Finally a nice layer of mulch to top it off.

I let this garden be for about two weeks before planting. No weeds as of yet. I was amazed at how soft and rich the soil had become in that short time! We've planted tomatoes, peppers, cauliflower, beets and watermelon so far in this bed. The other one will have spaghetti squash, yellow squash, cucumber and zucchini. I read in several places that the plants in raised beds do better when they are placed closer together.

The Gardener

Gardening has been woven into the fabric of my life. When I was two my parents moved to the country and built a home. A few years later the garage was converted into an apartment for my grandparents.

Each spring a local farmer would come and till up about a half acre of that land. My dad would gas up the rototiller and start making rows. Cindy and I would follow behind with handfuls of seeds or small plants and milk jugs full of water. The little girls would ride back and forth on the cart pulled by the lawn mower to fill up the jugs at the house.

We planted corn, peas, carrots, beans, squash, cucumber, strawberries, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, peppers, lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, watermelon, cantaloupe... if it could grow in Indiana it was in our garden. When my Grandpa died he had just planted some fruit trees and began a grape arbor. I've often wondered what those trees must be producing today.

Starting in early May, every Saturday involved several hours of garden work until the last potato was dug on Labor Day. There was always work to be done because the garden was always changing. But the fruits of all of those hours was amazing.

Mom would send us out with a big, yellow Tupperware bowl for a salad. We would pick the vegetables right out of the ground and in fifteen minutes they were on the table. Our favorite was choosing strawberries for desert. To this day I've never tasted anything as pure and sweet as those berries. Better yet was the taste of sweet corn and pickled beets in the middle of winter. The garden continued to bless us every month of the year.

Now that I have my own family and home to manage I am astounded at the enormity of this garden. I can not imagine how I could ever fit something of this scale into my life. It worked for us then because we did it as a family. Also, my grandpa took it on as his daily work. Many an early morning we would wake to find Grandpa and Mom out hoeing in the garden as the sun rose. My mom says this is when she talked to God.

Through the years the gardener in me has come to the forefront. I have dreams of growing sustainable food, but for now I'm finding joy in perennial flowers, particularly those native to Indiana. Most of my plants came from my mom and sisters' gardens. A few were moved from our first home. Others I have had since they were just a single plant.

There is something very satisfying in watching the cycle of life. I love opening the front door and seeing the changing landscape. Getting my hands dirty is work that I enjoy. More than that, it gives me a quiet place to pray and ponder. Tending my little flower garden is good for my soul.

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." John 15:1

Bleeding Hearts

Spring has Sprung

Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy. Acts 14:17