• Mar. 27, 2008 - Calm my Anxious Heart
I think that God is continuing to train and teach me in the area of anxiety. As I think about it, however, I don't really worry, per se' about things that many people worry about. When Carl was in Iraq for a year I really didn't worry about HIM and his safety at all. God just granted me a perfect peace that he would be ok and home with his family--although at the time---even up until just four days in advance, it wouldn't be soon enough. I will readily admit and be proud of the fact that I'm a woman who needs her man. :)
What I worry about are things that I find to be much more dangerous. I find that I experience intense anxiety over the fear of man. What people are thinking......am I doing enough, am I BEING enough.....am I serving enough and in the right way......etc. It's disabling really because I feel that it does not encourage me to be the woman that God truly wants me to be.
So, as this is a homeschooling site, I find myself once again wondering the same old question that most homeschool moms I know ask themselves all the time.......am I doing enough with my children........ I wonder sometimes if this is a product of the public school system that most of us were exposed to. I am not going to go into a step by step scheduling of our school day as the is not the direction I am interested in going into with this blog. I think the direction I desire to take is this thought: WHEN will we come to the point in which we remember (not realize because we KNOW the truth) that God has called us to this task and He will see us through if we will look to HIM for the guidance and the answers. There are so many approaches to homeschooling. I can only praise the Lord for that because we are such unique and different individuals. One size does not fit all.
So I will admit to being an anxiety sufferer but I will appreciate God's perfect working through this. Which leads me to the next point. A friend told me recently that the concept of balance isn't really biblical but I measure life by it regardless. A BALANCE in anxiety. So, say we come to the point in which we worry little but we also act little......... We become so contented with life that we just get into a rut. No change, no worry? Right? Wrong. I am a firm believer that if we are truly in tuned with the Holy Spirit we will see the needs around us and He will motivate us to act. I'm speaking to myself here...... I seek that balance.
Can I share for a moment? We struggle with the issue of seeing needs. When we lived overseas we saw a group of individuals who had a great need for the Lord. Without going into detail, it involved the mafia and human trafficking. Horrible, awful stuff. We would SEE this with out eyes on nearly a daily basis. We had SUCH a heart for these women and deeply desired an outreach for them. We sought out opportunities to serve them in small ways such as bringing them bread and such like that but when it came down to actually seeking opportunities for greater outreach we found that there was nothing. Now, we know that God is MUCH bigger than what we can see with our eyes but the fact was.....there were these women.....and NOONE was reaching out to them. All attempts at reaching out to them were thwarted in the past and we were discouraged on every front.
Now, for me being at the time a young mother of 2 babies.....I was in over my head with life in general. For my sweet husband, though......this was a great frustration. HOW could God place such a burden on our hearts without giving us the opportunity to do something GREAT and GRAND with it. I might add that we were reading "Fox's book of Martyrs" at the time.
So the years go by......and it's revealed to us that this is still an issue on the forefront of our minds...... Could it be that sometimes God can give you a great burden for somebody.....simply to pray? In our world of doing it seems so "inactive". However, isn't prayer the most powerful thing there is? Can we really trust God to answer our prayers as thousands of men, women and children suffer daily from the affects of the atrocities in this world? Can we trust the God sees them and cares for them as much as He cares about those of us who have plenty and waste our time worrying about whether or not we are doing enough math with our children?
I would like to think the answer is "yes". But......to wrap it up in a neat, tidy package.....there HAS to be a balance. Prayerfully seeking HIS permission to act.....and perhaps our prayers......just perhaps they are needed by the person or persons who WILL be involved in the acting.......perhaps.....God......can......be.....trusted.....after.....all.......and I don't have to be the one to physically see the result...... Just perhaps......
Pray, please, for my sweet husband who still struggles in this area. And pray for me as well that I will have the will to act when God calls me too. |
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• Jan. 2, 2008 - Once again
The holiday and the awful eating habits that go with it have truly caught me red-handed again......or so my scale tells me---egads! 8 pounds?! How could that be?! So I'm back in my intense workout phase again and really, I'm excited about it. I feel like when my home and my "temple" are together, "I" am more together. I'm also back to drinking water regularly and taking vitamens. I was on a "hydration by coffee" plan for quite some time and it just doesn't work well.
As for the girls and I, we worked hard yesterday getting the office rearranged and it feels so fresh and clean in there now. We are getting ready to start school again tomorrow and I really just want to feel like I'm on top of things.
Carl will be home now in less than 6 weeks. Praise the Lord!!! |
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• Jan. 1, 2008 - Top ten things I learned from this past year
1) It means so much to have my brother call me from work. Those phone calls were sometimes make-it-or break-it for me emotionally. Thank you so much, Leland. You filled in so many gaps and helped me feel truly loved and supported. *sniff*
2) If you get stopped on base and you're going over 15 mph over the speed limit--even if it is that it is a different base and you thought the speed limit was higher than it is and you have 2 extra kids with you and it's dark......you WILL go to court AT that base an hour away, talk to the judge and lose your base driving priveledges for 3 months.......and you WILL survive. But not unscathed. ;) And, you know what? I'm STILL sometimes a bit of a flaky driver...... *sigh*
3) Sometimes the best schooling comes on days that you don't plan on it.
4) Sometimes God will place people in your life that you never expected......no matter how much you fight the friendship, if it's His plan, the friendship will stay.....and bless you beyond measure. Thank you, K....you have taught me so much and been such an encouragement to me......I don't know what I would have done without your wisdom and loving friendship. You are such a blessing in my life.
5) Ok, if you let grease come to a boil on your stovetop, it will catch fire but your dog will warn you before it bursts into flame. When it does burst into flame, be sure to use a metal lid to put out the flame---which by this point is 2 feet high---glass ones will break......enjoy the nice round black spot it's left on your back deck. :)
6) If your children leave the light on in the van and you realize the battery is burnt out, know that you will always be provided with a wonderful neighbor that will help you out.........just do NOT back into his truck on the way out of the garage---completely forgetting he is back there....... *sigh*
7) If your sweet child and her friends are at the park and her friends decide to build a sand castle on the bottom of the slide, do not allow your child to jump off the side......she will break her arm.........badly.
8) A 15 month old can ultimately break her arms in two seperate innocent falls----and not be marred for life.
9) If you have a child that likes to remove or get into her diaper.....tights and a onsie works better than anything else----but there are NO guarantees. :) Oh, and it WILL pass
10) Puppies are cute and labs are good dogs---but if you are a novice dog owner, don't get one 3 weeks after your husband leaves on deployment.
11) It's really ok to cry until your shoulders ache---for no other reason than the fact that you are so lonely and you desperately miss your husband.
12) It's really ok to accept help---even if others seem to have it more together than you do.......they don't serve you because they feel sorry for you or pity......but because it blesses them to be a blessing to you.
13) God truly ordains the timing of things......and He makes NO mistakes.
14) Nothing but nothing replaces the biblical covering of my husband over our family......and he's going to be home in 6 weeks---thank you, Jesus!! |
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• Jan. 1, 2008 - What I've learned from the Lord in this last year.......
1) That He is faithful
2) That service takes on many many forms and He will use us in the capacity that HE chooses, not in they way that our preconditioned minds think He'll use us.
3) That He is a God of order and the more I order my life the closer I will be to Him
4) That He truly does have a plan in all of the comings and goings of our lives
5) That our homeschooling is absolutely from Him and He blesses it in spite of my own weaknesses
6) He likes me a WHOLE lot more than I like myself
7) He uses children to impart some of his deepest and most intimate concepts.......which are usually some of the most simple ones. :)
8) That even when I'm down and sad (which was more often than I care to admit) I was never alone.
9) That He provides the people I need at the times that I needed them----even though I often questioned His placement of people in my lives---and realized that they were EXACTLY what I needed.
10) God is good, all the time...all the time, God is good
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• Oct. 16, 2007 - A few thoughts on SAHM's and homeschooling
So the girls and I went to this fall festival in our neighborhood the other night after a particularly harrowing day which included lost keys, a locked glovebox (no, the keys aren't inside) a near house fire (did you know it's not wise to leave grease on the stove?) an abscessed fire ant sting that looks suspiciously like a spider bite, etc etc etc. So anyway, we're at this party and inevitably the question comes up, "how are you" and I go into what's going on. What is their first response? "Katrina, WHY don't you put those kids in school?!" Do they not realize that would not be a help to me but SO much more of a stressor?! They just look at me like I'm an alien when I tell them that. To them, school is just something that you do--no reason to think about it or question it--you just do it.......You don't do research on who you are leaving your children in the care of.....you just do it and hope there are no problems. I'm sorry but that just does not work for me. I may be a bit of a control freak but goodness sakes, these sweet babies are given to me for such a short amount of time......you had better believe I'm going to be on top of them and what they are learning and who is teaching them. If they have a question about something that is a little "iffy", it's ME they go to. Noone else. Period. I love knowing what they are learning. I teach them the tough things because they are my kids and I know what they can and cannot handle at their innocent precious ages.
So my hands are awful. I have ragged nailbed and my nails are short from an annoying habit of biting them. My hair has sreaks of gray going through it from it just not being colored. Am I letting myself go? Heavens no....I get up daily and workout to keep my body and mind in shape. Do I have a spotless house? Well, no....I tell people, "It's not a pit--just lived in" We LIVE here. It's the house where we have laughter and love and yes, perhaps I have a bit of laundry needing to be put away and I'm inundated with those darned Abeka worksheets everywhere that I don't know what to do with but......when it's all said and done, at night I tuck my sweet babies into their beds just like my dad tucked me in when I was little. I kiss them and pray with them and talk to them for a bit......
And I can't imagine missing this for the world. :) |
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• Oct. 4, 2007 - Kids still sick
Well, as it does, this nasty funk has definately made it's way throughout our household. As much as I hate to see my kids sick, though, I am appreciating just some down time at home. Those of you who garden and do it well have my full kudos. My beds are a scary, sad mess right now and I'm feeling the crunch of getting them to look nice before Carl comes home for his 2 week r and r in just a little over 3 weeks (!!!!!) My friend Diana will be helping me next week to get them into tip-top shape--and all for the price of supplies and a free birthday cake. What a blessing she is!
School is going well. We love homeschooling and feel so blessed to be able to be at home. |
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• Sep. 30, 2007 - Feeling a little sad today
| Be it sleep deprivation, the fact that I have 3 sick kids, the fact that we have to miss church because of the kids being sick, or just simply the fact that I desperately miss my husband......I need prayer today. |
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• Sep. 16, 2007 - Some random thoughts
Ok, I'm sure that we are no exception---most of us who choose to embark on this homeschooling adventure do so with the hope and plan for our children to not only become rounded academically but also to become men and women of character and selflessness. I am constantly struck as to how some of the older homeschooled kids I see are so selfless and giving of their time and energy to others. I don't know about you, but I am a very very self-centered person. I struggle to die to self constantly. Well, one of my dear friends also has a husband gone in Iraq for one year and she has two teenage girls that come and help her from time to time and they will stay 2-3 weeks on end. These girls are amazing. They work so hard and they have great attitudes about working. They make meals for the kids, play with them, clean and even help with some of the teaching while Kim gets a few things done here and there. These kids are 13 and 15. Well, I was around them yesterday and had a thought--when *I* was that age all was so silly and selfish. All I cared about was being pretty and finding a boyfriend and being popular. I would have been willing to help someone for a time.....but my attitude would have suffered greatly and I would have become sully and irritable after a short length of time. I was a ROTTEN babysitter when I was a kid because all I cared about was talking on the phone and watching TV. :(
So Kim and I were talking about this yesterday--what it was like to be the product of a "me" generation and how much that has affected and poisoned our mindsets as adults. We talked about things that we could do to make the trend stop HERE and NOW. More than ever, I'm encouraged in homeschooling and keeping my babies out of the influence of selfish, silly kids. I mean, their mother is selfish and silly enough......:( By the grace of God, and in spite of myself and my own upbringing, God is working through my past experiences and my prayer is that He helps me to train up these ladies I have been trusted with to be ladies that honor Him above all else......above rubies, I should say. I often wonder how we have been so very very blessed to be given these 4 daughters to raise....it's humbling, really.
So, to conclude my rambling spaghetti thoughts......We aren't bound to the way we were raised or to our pasts and how they shaped us. God can still use these things to make us into the women (and men) he wants us to be as well as help us to train our children to be people that will honor Him. I feel like I've been given a new lease on life.
Blessings today, everyone |
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• Sep. 6, 2007 - My life in a nutshell
For some reason it seems that we have suddenly upped the fun factor in our family. After making 2 full pots of homemade tomato sauce yesterday I told the girls that I would take them to do something fun as they were very well-behaved while I was working. I had heard of the circus being in town so we went ahead and went to that. Had a great time. I never cease to be amazed as to what people and animals can do. (Here I shut off my animal cruelty red flags that keep going up). Anyway, it was a great time despite the fact that child #2 had a rotten attitude when we left about not being able to have her face painted. Hey, after tickets, cotton candy for everyone, elephant rides, pony rides and coloring books..... I was out of money. What can I say?! We had a good hard talk about her attitude and she is consistantly in my prayers for that right now. If there is a problem or an issue to be had, it's to be had by her.......
Dealing with some issues getting #3 to stay in her bed at night as well as some tendencies to lie. So we discipline and discipline and discipline......so last night she was out of bed and being crazy and fell and busted her lip open--screams, blood everywhere.....10:00 at night. I was so frustrated. So I got her cleaned up kissed and settled her and the rest of the kids back in bed. My oldest comes in with a note a bit later saying, "Mom, Im sorry about too nite. (#3) still is too litttttle." So I ask her--"Was I too hard on your sister?" She says no and I'm feeling a bit better. I honestly don't know what I'm going to do to keep that child in her bed. She is one that gets really crazy--we have deemed the actual action as "slippy floppy" (named as such by #3 herself). It's accurate, she slips and flops around like a fish. That is usually my sign that she needs to sleep. It may help the mental picture that she is only 3 years old. Lord, give me patience with my children........
So today I'm up at 4:00am after a nightmare that my mother is critiquing the way I've kept house as of late. I need to get in my 45 minutes on my elliptical machine as we got lazy last night and I picked up KFC on the way home. Ok, so I did at least peel off the skin.....but I'm not sure that really made a difference. The mac and cheese was YUMMY! I thoroughly enjoyed myself. It doesn't help that on a whim we ate at golden corral the night before. I try not to do that very frequently. So I have to up the workouts to accomodate for my poor eating habits as of late. today is the girl's first day of gymnastics and then we're going to eat a picnic lunch with some dear friends at church. Then it's home and off to take the dog for a roller blade.
I'll close my eyes after a brief amount of time in front of the TV and it'll be time for yet another day.....
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• Aug. 31, 2007 - Chaos is key....
Or I think sometimes it just has to be. ;) So yesterday the girls and I had a great day of school in the morning an we got ready for our regular book study as a small group of ladies and I are going through "Created to be His Help meet" by Debi Pearl. I'll tell you, it's hard to read at times but definitely beneficial and a worthy read for any woman who wants to be all that she can be for her husband. Carl is in Iraq and he's seen changes in me that are amazing to him. Can't wait until he is home ! ;) Ok, well, after the short book study we had the Usborne book lady come to our home. Keep in mind that right at this point there were about 14 kids at our home. It was great! We love these books as they are so colorful and cheerful in their presentation of education. At one point we had kids sprawled in every possible space reading books of their own choosing. I'll have fun placing my order in a few days! ;) I'm a book fiend to the core. We can hardly pass them up!
After she left one of the families ended up hanging around and so since we were having company for pizza anyway we just asked her to stay as well. It ended up being a GREAT time. We just were all so free and we laughed until we cried. The kids had a blast and I felt so blessed to have the friends and support that I have at this time. We were sad to see the evening end although the kids were turning into pumpkins and I seriously needed to get them and myself to bed. It was so much fun, though. We just loved it.
On a more sad note, had a disagreement with another dear friend of mine and we are in the stages of reconciliation. We have been friends for a long time and I'm very thankful for her. :)
On a HAPPY note, Carl Wayne made rank!!! His hard work has paid off! So, congratulations to my dear, sweet, hard working Carl!! Yay!!! Believe me, making rank is not an easy thing so we were very happy!
So, until next time.....
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• Aug. 28, 2007 - My girl needs more time with me....
Ok, I am home 24 hours a day 7 days a week devoting myself to my kids and homemaking (although to look in my sock drawer you'd wonder about the latter). Anyway, I do not send them off to school or daycare, etc. I am with them all of the time......
However, last night my oldest tells me, "I don't get enough time with you, mom" How do I work on that? Do I need to hire a weekly mom's helper so I can get away with one kid at a time?
I feel so stressed for time sometimes that just the thought of fitting one more thing in is almost overwhelming although I know for her (because she is very much like me) this is a real need in her life and somehow I'm going to have to make it work.
I did tell her last night that in just 6 short months Daddy would be back and we'd be able to get away together a bit more frequently and that encouraged her a bit. She helped with laundry last night just to be near me. I suppose I could use that a bit more often!
Anyway, ideas on helping Kiernan feel like she's getting the mom-time she needs when mom doesn't even get the mom-time that SHE needs.......I need ideas....... |
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• Aug. 27, 2007 - Good talk with my MIL last night.....
Ok, so I have allowed myself to succomb a bit to some pride and a bit of arrogance here lately. I have climbed on soapboxes and preached my "newfound wisdom" to the world whether they like it or not. Anyone who knows me that people like me are my pet peeve so it's interesting that I've become that way. Well, last night I was on the phone with my MIL and we were talking about her recent visit to MY parent's house for the baby shower and we got on the subject of parenting and teen rebellion, what-not, which seems to be an issue that the Lord has been bringing up over and over. Well, in my utmost of wise voices I told her, "we will not be going through that so much because of thi and that and this way that we parent and that way that we believe and this that we do and that in which we do not do and will not allow and besides we're Christians and we PRAY for them AND we HOMESCHOOL blah blah blah blah....."
She is very quiet.....very very quiet........and then she says, "Yes, Katrina, I did all of that as well......"
Well, she didn't homeschool.....BUT.....other than that.....Carl was a hellraiser (pardon the term) when he was a kid. He drank, partied, did some drugs, you name it, it was done......in a Christian household.
So, it is my belief that we all have some sort of disfunction in our households......whether it be the "big" things like porn addiction or the little things like a tendency toward legalism or pride....... It truly is by the grace of God that our kids make the choices that they need to make when we are not watching. I have really enjoyed a book by Ted Tripp called "Sheparding our Child's Hearts". Which is, as the title suggests, all about the heart of our children.
So, basically, I have no answers except to know that try as I might, my kids are in God's hands--their hearts are His right now and I have to do my part to really pray for them NOW that they will indeed know Him later and seek Him. Carl is a godly growing man of God now at the age of 38. At the age of 21 he decided he needed to stop goofing off and really commit his life to the Lord. Is he perfect? No. Has he arrived, no way....... Has God used what happened to him in his early years to shape who he is now? Absolutely.
Lord, protect Carl's and my hearts and my kid's hearts. Help us all to glorify you in all that we do knowing that, ultimately, the glory is yours and yours alone. |
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• Aug. 24, 2007 - I'm actually blogging
This should make some folks very happy as it's been a very very very long time! I don't even know where to start! We started school a few weeks ago and we're loving it. It's the perfect mix of structure and flexability so that I don't feel stressed and yet I still feel like we're accomplishing what we need to. Both of the girls have decided that they want to start learning to write in cursive so that's been a new and unexpected challenge.
We are 7 months into a 13 month deployment and doing pretty well although we admittedly have our good days and our bad days. I have all but given up on having any commitments outside of the family until after Carl gets back. I am still doing my cakes, though......and that's been good if I can keep it under control and not feel like I'm losing money on them. Tomorrow I have a table set up at Momfest 2007 so I'm hoping to actually generate a little bit of business there.
Right now I'm worn to the bone. It's almost midnight and I'm still up working on stuff so I'm off to bed. Until next time! |
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• Oct. 20, 2006 - Back again
I tell ya, life is busy busy these days--it's insane, really, and I don't expect anyone to read this simply because it's taken me so long to blog. I'm sure everyone has given up now.
Where do I start, though........well, we met my parents in Williamsburg and had a great time in Old Colonial W as well as Jamestown and Busch Gardens. Being active military we get one free trip to BG every year so we took advantage of that. We had such a good time, though and it was good to see family again. We were home for two weeks and we packed up to head on our annual road trip up to MO and IA. We had family on both sides that we wanted to see before Carl left on deployment in Feb. Unfortunately my grandmother passed away two days before our trip started and we missed Carl's aunt by about 2 hours. They were both very elderly but we were still sad just because we'll miss them. As for both of them, though, they are in a heck of a better place than we are here on earth so I'm really happy for them. The trip to MO and IA was pretty good for the most part. There was some family tension but I suppose that's standard. We were able to school consistantly, though, and that was really good. The kids loved having something somewhat normal so that was helpful. Carl and I left the kids with my folks one night and headed off on an overnight get-a-way to our honeymoon b&b and had a wonderful, wonderful time. This is the place: http://www.lakecliffhouse.com/sunset.html I tell ya, it is truly a beautiful place and the owners are wonderful folks. We just loved it. Carl and I needed some time to catch up with each other and this was the perfect way to do it. We talked alot about life after the military and what we wanted to do and I think he wants to run a business together and that sounded just wonderful to me. This seperation is really so hard sometimes. I just want him home.....
The deployment is still on for February, BTW and it's still for one year. We're preparing...... So, after we got home from our trip it took about 2 weeks to become readjusted to our normal routine and, to be honest, we're still working on the kinks but that's just how life is.
Kiernan is reading at a 3rd grade level now and has finished all 5 of her HOP boxes so we're excited about that. Math is a bit of a struggle for her but we're plugging through little by little and we're thankful that we CAN do that at our own pace--we learn to excellence. She is also in her 1st grade handwriting book and Tirzah's finished up her pre-K book so I need to get her a new one. Thea is starting to learn her letters, shapes and colors and she's proving to be a little to smart for her own good! ;) Jayslyn is cutting teeth and busy learning to crawl and get into things. She's a riot.
I honestly need to update more often
Blessings to all |
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• Aug. 4, 2006 - Yahoo!!!
I have not been able to get into this blog for AGES now!!! I couldn't sign in or anything but here, here I am and I'm so excited!!!! Ooooh, the thoughts that have gone through my head and I've thought about how I should blog that particular piece of wisdom!!!
Alas, Katrina is back and better than ever!!!
I'm just kidding. ;)
We have been super busy lately, though and it's good to be back online. |
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• Jun. 1, 2006 - Getting busy and out of the routine of blogging
Wow, so lately we've been swamped with household stuff getting done. First of alll, we had our floors done and they look GREAT! They were a white speckled sort of linoleum and now they are a wonderful sage porcealin tile. Some friends of ours from church worked on it with us and it was great to get to learn how to do it. The greatest blessing of all, though, was getting to know the other family as they became really good friends in the process. God works in truly mysterious ways!! We then had our deck extended and that took a couple days. There are pictures on our webshots page if you are interested. http://community.webshots.com/user/thedouds Then this week we're getting new countertops! I tell ya, we love that tax return!
In all of this, we are somehow miraculously staying on top of school and that's going well. Kiernan is just about to finish level 2 of her hooked on phonics and we're in week 6 of sonlight K. Despite all of my fretting about which curriculum to use once we were done with Weaver interlock, going with sonlight was definately the best thing. We have really enjoyed the read-a-louds and look forward to each new one we start. Our biggest problem is dealing with the interruptions that come with daily life.
Well, more to be said, but limited time to say it in....we all know the routine..... Until next time, blessings to all! Have a great day!!
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• May. 12, 2006 - So today......
....I'm on my hands and knees scraping up linoleum adhesive. We decided to do some major home renovations here recently and so we're replacing the kitchen linoleum and the dining floor carpeting (lunacy, I swear!!) with some beautiful sage green ceramic tile. We are getting a good deal by having some friends of ours help us out. Now, after this, we are having new countertops put on and then after THAT, we are extending our deck. We feel so blessed to be able to do all of this and we hope that it will help the resale value of our home.
So, I get up this morning and tell the kids right off the bat--"Kids, today we're taking off school so Mommy can get some work done on the floor". Well, that went over not so nicely and we ended up doing school (Math and handwriting) and they all had good attitudes and were eager to learn. I hope noone ever tells them that they aren't supposed to like math! So I feel doubly accomplished. I will post before, during and after pics of our Kitchen when the projects are completed.
Have a great day everyone!! |
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• May. 11, 2006 - Please respond
Can you see the pictures I've posted? I can see them here so I wasn't sure if there was something not working but I've been told they haven't come up. Let me know, please! Thank you! |
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• May. 11, 2006 - How quickly it spirals.....
So I went out to kiss my husband goodbye and wish him a nice day when my eyes are assaulted by the sight of one of my gardens. In the few days since I've been able to tend it, it's become overrun with weeds again. It seems like such a short time ago that it was looking trim and tidy and now, well, it seems I've got my work cut out for me once again. It's the same with my beds out back. I've got these little seedlings developing between my plants as well and they are SUPER hard to pull because they are so tiny. What I suppose I need to do is just take my little hadn tools and get to work but it's supposed to rain today. Sp, here I pray, Lord--give me the time I need to get the things done that need to.....help me manage my time more effectively.
Which goes to the natural thought. Sin in my life is like a weed. I don't even know it's there sometimes until one day I look and it's fully grown and as ugly as can be. It coveres and chokes that which does seek to please you, Lord and makes it hard for me to be effective in my walk. Help me, Lord to do weeding in my own life as well as in my garden this week.
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• May. 9, 2006 - Pictures of our gradening venture
Green Beans and Peas--we've since staked these and added in some lima beans, cilantro and I *think* we have some potatoes coming up from the previous owners
Some of our roses from our bush--under the bush we planted some wildflower seeds but they never came up so instead we have a lovely weed garden that I need to clean out and work on
This is our herb garden full of lemon balm, chives (which I learned just last night is WONDERFUL chopped up together and rubbed on chicken....whoda thought, huh?! Anyway, We also have about 2 LARGE bushes of a mystery herb that we've yet to ID and would love some help on. Then in the background, we have 4 tomato plants and 6 squash plants.
This is our corn and pumpkin hills in which I HOPING will sprout soon....otherwise we'll have gone through our second package of dud seeds. I'll update if things change.....
Ok, on the top of the picture here are our strawberry plants and we've actually been able to get a few off of there now which has been fun for us all. In the middle I have planted some pepper plants and they are doing "just ok". This gardening novice is learning as I go. In the tire are some more of those "wildflower seeds" that didn't take and now we have some weeding to do. Then, all the way at the bottom we have our asparagus that came up earlier this year. We had asparagus grilled with red peppers, onions and mushrooms last night for dinner and it was definately something that we couldn't get enough of. WONDERFUL!!!
So, that's our gardening venture and we've had a good time with it so far. We're all learning a lot and I'm already thinking of things I'll do differently next year! lol
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