I haven’t just been virtual farming my friends….and I have proof.
Before:
Side entrance into the back yard
After:
Weed cover is down!!! As soon as we have some disposable $$$ lava rocks will go in here.
Before:
Back garden on the side of the sun room (lanai).
After:
This is work I did this morning.
Work in progress:
For other garden projects click here.
The weather today in my neck of the woods:
Another absolutely gorgeous Florida day!!! I have spring fever to the nth degree…and it is NOT a spring cleaning fever….it is lay around in a hammock ALL day and late into the evening spring fever….now to buy a hammock!
A simple pleasure:
Playing Farmville. I know it sounds crazy but it totally relaxes me. Awhile back my husband’s cousin asked on her Facebook page…”What inspires you?”. I answered…..my farm on Farmville.
Here is why. I love the virtual creativity of creating a farm with the tools given you (or earned). This has TOTALLY inspired me to really become creative with my backyard…with the tools I already have.
For example:
I would love to have a raised vegetable bed. But we just cannot afford it. But I did have several unused containers in the shed. Voila. I am now growing tomatoes/squash/sweet red peppers in containers.
I would love to have a lush butterfly garden that I can look out on while working in my home office. But I hate weeds!!! THAT is just WAY TOO MUCH WORK!!! But weeds don’t grow in containers as fast and furious as they do in the ground. So I have container gardens hanging all along the fence line.
And the list can go on of the changes that I am making, using what I have…
and literally because I have been inspired by Farmville. Weird, I know. But true.
I am thankful:
That Miss Sam’s Uncle Scott and Cousin Logan asked her to spend the day/night in Daytona today and tomorrow…..and that Miss Sam said yes. That is a HUGE step forward for Miss Sam!!! We are diligently working on moving out of our comfort zones…..our new motto is:
If You Don’t Step Out….You Miss Out
From the kitchen:
We had a fabulous cookout here at our place this Easter.
We had steak/baked potatoes/corn on the cob/broccoli/salad/my MIL’s famous potato salad….with peach shortcake and Oreo pie for dessert.
The grill has been christened…let the spring/summer grilling begin!!!
From the learning rooms:
Miss Sam is excelling in all her Virtual School courses. I can’t reiterate enough how great a fit Virtual School is with her learning style.
I am FINALLY finished reading:
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. It is a very intense novel. I believe it will find it’s way into the category of “literary classics” much like Dostoyevsky – one of my favorite authors. I loved.loved.loved it. I have her book Swan Thieves in my to be read pile.
Speaking of the To Be Read Pile…all the books I mentioned last week have been returned back to the library. Instead I had a copy of An Irish Country Doctor that I had picked up months ago. And read it in a few days. It was FABULOUS!!! If you liked the Mitford Series you will definitely like this series. I got the next one An Irish Country Village yesterday from Amazon used.
But it will have to wait because I started reading:
Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham and I am completely hooked.
On My Mind:
Watching my little girl grow up. It’s a difficult yet rewarding task.
Creative Projects:
Hearth and Home:
STILL not much going on there. Dust continues to make itself comfortable on EVERY surface. I love having everything green and blooming again but the yellow pollen clashes with my decorating theme.
I laugh:
Because just when I think I have heard it all from my students….I get zinged.
We are studying cultural bias in standardized testing. One of the tests I give asks where the “Hully Gully” originated. Of course…not one student even has a clue what the Hully Gully is….sadly….I AM old enough to know.
For the first time in all my years of teaching a student asked “Can you give us a demonstration???”
He…He…NO!
Inspirational Quote I’m Sharing:
There is nothing in time or eternity more absolutely certain and irrefutable than what Jesus Christ accomplished on the Cross – He made it possible for the entire human race to be brought back into a right-standing relationship with God. He made redemption the foundation of human life; that is, He made a way for every person to have fellowship with God. ~ Oswald Chambers ~
A picture thought I am sharing:
The weather today in my neck of the woods:
Bright and sunshiney day …. but a cool 57 degrees outside!!! Usually by this time we are experiencing 80 degree temp days. I hope this means we have a rather warm but not HOT summer.
A simple pleasure:
Sleeping in on a weekday. I had to let Psycho Girl out three times last night…and of course Marbles is her Faithful Companion so he has to “supervise” her middle of the night jaunts. Well, okay, honestly…she won’t venture outside without him. Like I said….Psycho Girl Extraordinaire.
I am thankful:
For my Aunt Mary who kept EVERYTHING (letters/photos/certificates) that has to do with every member of my Dad’s family.
For my Mother who painstakingly sorted through EVERYTHING when the family homestead was to be sold and then graciously gave it all to me.
From the kitchen:
Lasagna sauce is in the crock pot as I write this. My cooking schedule was a little off this weekend due to a number of outside projects!!!
From the learning rooms:
Signed Miss Sam up for the classroom portion of Driver Education with Florida Virtual School!!!!!! OMG!!!!! As her Cousin Logan is always ready to point out:
“She can’t even keep a golf cart/four wheeler on the road yet!!! You’re going to trust her with a car????”
I am almost finished reading:
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. It is a very intense novel. I believe it will find it’s way into the category of “literary classics” much like Dostoyevsky – one of my favorite authors.
In the line up:
Little Bee by Chris Cleave
Noah’s Compass by Anne Tyler
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Added yesterday after trip to the Library to pick up the book Little Bee (I just can’t help myself):
Fire and Ice by J.A. Jance
Damage Control by J.A. Jance
Still River by Harry Hunsicker
On My Mind:
I have heard so many good programs on Moody Radio Florida these past few weeks that while I am driving I almost wreck trying to write down names/quotes/books.
I wish I could hibernate for a week in a cabin by a lake to write down and contemplate all that has been running rampant in my mind from the recent broadcasts on these programs:
Creative Projects:
Hearth and Home:
Not much going on there. Dust is still EVERYWHERE…how can there be pollen when it is 57 degrees outside?????????
Am managing to get some laundry done in between all my creative projects.
I laugh:
Because I think I can squeeze a hundred gazillion things into a 24 hour day.
Inspirational Quote I’m Sharing:
Knowing our purpose strengthens us to keep going. It drives our anchor of faith deeper so we’ll have power to stand tall against many forces. ~Erin Keeley Marshall ~
A picture thought I am sharing:
What???? It’s NOT Friday yet??????
The weather today in my neck of the woods:
A comforting rain is coming down outside with some thunder boomers every half hour or so. A great day to sleep in (which I did) and to pursue some creative projects (which I will). A great day of rest after doing yard work the better part of yesterday in the great Florida sunshine with a slight breeze that we were blessed to experience yesterday.
A simple pleasure:
An ice cold glass of lemonade – filled to the brim with ice and sugar….which I am enjoying as I type this.
I am thankful:
For all the documents I have regarding both my husband’s genealogy and my own genealogy.
From the kitchen:
Took the grill out of “storage” last weekend and it’s ready for the steaks to be grilled tonight.
What is a good (very easy) side dish for grilled steaks????
Also will make Lasagna today so my junk food junkies will have something substantial to choose from on the nights I teach this coming week.
From the learning rooms:
Florida Virtual School has been such a blessing for Samantha’s educational pursuits. It is a great fit for her learning style. Miss Sam recently commented that English and World History are her favorite subjects.
Algebra continues to present it’s obstacles but Miss Sam works diligently in overcoming them with the help of her fabulous Algebra teacher. She would never have received the intense hands on help that is provided her through Florida Virtual School in our local public schools. Algebra would have continued to defeat her.
Biology continues to present it’s obstacle’s to me. Case in point…a recent fossil experiment:
I am (still) reading:
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. It is a very intense novel. I believe it will find it’s way into the category of “literary classics” much like Dostoyevsky – one of my favorite authors.
In the line up:
Little Bee by Chris Cleave
Noah’s Compass by Anne Tyler
Dracula by Bram Stoker
On My Mind:
For the past two weeks I have been having doubts about how I utilize my “quiet time with God”. I always read my Bible….I have studied all of the New Testament and now am working on 1 Kings. But I also have four other books that I read a chapter a day from.
In recent days I have found that this time is becoming less inspirational and more routine. Leaving me feeling less inspired and just “mucking” along in ordinary life.
I went to teach my classes last Wednesday night with this less than inspiring attitude. Not quite the “blues” but very much resembling the “blahs”.
And there in the classrooms at CFCC God whispered…”I Am still here”. My students lifted me up and out of my “ordinariness” and had me joining in their “extraordinariness”.
Creative Projects:
Hearth and Home:
Continued to work on the side gardens yesterday. Therefore, not much in the way of “shoulds” was accomplished inside the house. Isn’t that the way it “ought” and “should” be????????
The tools of the trade.
The theme this year is…container gardens…container gardens…container gardens.
Although I am not a lover of Marigolds….these were buy one 6 pak and get the second one free. Could not resist.
And here are my “big boy” tomatoes, a squash plant, and a sweet red bell pepper plant. Yum.
I laugh:
Because northerners think we Floridians don’t experience the change of seasons. Well…..I have a whole backyard full of half raked leaves that visually say otherwise.
Inspirational Quote I’m Sharing:
A life of faith is not a life of one glorious mountaintop experience after another, like soaring on eagles’ wings, but is a life of day-in and day-out consistency; a life of walking without fainting. ~ Oswald Chambers ~
Picture thoughts I am sharing of future backyard projects:
Hook the rain barrel up to the gutter…should have done it yesterday…it sure would fill up today…but I was too blasted tired by the time the sun was setting.
What to do….what to do…what to do…with all these bricks?? They will eventually be the border for the back garden.
And here is the back garden (not the veggie…it’s not been built yet). As you can see….still a work in progress. Must get my strength back to lift that rake and shovel.
And then I must confess…we need to make time to clean our gutters. Is that a tree growing out of one??????? No sense in hooking up the rain barrel until the gutters are clean.
As per Miss Sam’s request…I will be increasing My Daybook entries as she “likes these ones best”. (Hmmmm…how is that English class going????)
The weather in my neck of the woods:
Our weather is becoming more like what we are used to here in the Sunshine State…a bit windy but that is what March is all about.
A simple pleasure:
Sleeping until 9:00 because my wonderful husband let the dogs out before he left for work.
I am thankful:
That I love my home.
From the kitchen:
Still not doing real well in that area. I did make meatloaf this weekend and it seems to be serving us well as leftovers. Other than that it’s chicken or tuna salad and the occasional fried egg sandwich (yum!).
From the learning rooms:
Sam continues to excel with Virtual School. It really suits her learning style.
I am (still) reading:
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. It is a very intense novel. I believe it will find it’s way into the category of “literary classics” much like Dostoyevsky – one of my favorite authors.
On My Mind:
Reading The Historian has really had me exploring my memories of times spent “researching” in libraries. I love researching and am thankful for the Internet. However, I believe students today are missing out on the wonderful sensory experience of traveling up into the “stacks” in search of ancient (well, they weren’t so ancient when I was a student…he..he) volumes of well worn and well loved literary works. There is something comforting to me about being in a library “surrounded” by so much knowledge waiting to be “opened” up and “explored”. The smell of an old book is like an exotic perfume to me.
One of my most favorite memories is exploring the top floor of the library in my “hometown” of Franklin, Massachusetts. One of the most unique features of this library is that the second floor had glass floors!!!! Did you know that it was America’s first public library??? Now you know.
Another one of my favorite libraries was in the town of Medway, Massachusetts. It was an old farm house. A new modern library has now been built but here is where I used to sit (at the church across the street under one of those beautiful trees) to read my day’s “bounty” before heading home on my bike.
Hearth and Home:
Worked diligently on my “backyard” side garden over spring break. Back breaking work…but oh so worth it. The bird feeders are up, the birdbaths are filled with fresh water, the winter poinsettias are now planted along with containers of tomatoes, yellow squash and red sweet peppers. A job well done and very satisfying.
I laugh:
Because I think I can lift a 40lb bag of organic garden soil and not pay for it the next day.
Inspirational Prayer I’m Sharing:
Lord, the pull toward responsibilities away from home is very strong. I forget that all my work to help others must start with the precious souls you have placed closest to me. Please help me love them first through my words, actions, and time.” ~ Erin Keely Marshall ~
A picture thought I am sharing:
Old Faithful (Marbles) and his not-so trusting sidekick Psycho Girl (Snickers)
When I originally saw the quote for this week’s In Other Words, I instinctively decided that it wasn’t a quote that I had a lot of insight about. I have been enormously blessed in my life and have experienced little of what this quote initially spoke to me about.
However, when I noticed that my longtime cyber friend MiPa was hosting this week I thought, oh I wish I had something to write about so I could honor her by participating. Still struggling, I decided to read what she had written. Something I don’t ordinarily do when participating in this particular meme because I don’t want my initial thoughts influenced by another’s interpretation. But I needed MiPa to speak to me today. And she did.
During the past five years I have made what I would call “radical” changes in my life. When opportunities present themselves to talk about these changes I find myself stating:
“If it wasn’t for _________ I wouldn’t be in this place of contentment.”
Depending upon the opportunity, I would fill in that blank with:
my husband
my therapist
my antidepressant
my age
I never ever filled in that blank with God when talking with others.
Yet, in my private moments, whether it be driving to class, walking around the neighborhood, or doing nothing in particular…I ALWAYS fill in that blank with God.
I have what I would call a “quiet faith”. Yet lately I have been feeling God nudging me.
Here are some “words” that He has placed into my daily readings:
Erin Keeley Marshall from The Daily God Book:
“Whom do you influence? Just by breathing and functioning in the world, you touch other lives. Besides friends and family, how about the grocery store checker? the postal worker? the furnace repairman? Your world is larger than you may imagine. Even if you don’t communicate with many people in one day, you surely cross paths with numerous individuals over a month or a year.
What impression do you leave on them? Does your smile and the atmosphere you bring into a room invite others to know God better? It doesn’t take much to give someone a taste of God’s love – a luxury that can be in short supply in the days of many.”
Marybeth Whalen’ The Power of the Word. (I highly recommend reading the whole devotion). I read this just this morning and her prayer spoke volumes to me:
Dear Lord, please help me to remember that Your Word is powerful. Help me to speak it to others in my everyday life. Thank You for placing people around me who need to hear Your Word, and help me to be more aware of opportunities to share it. Please use Your Word in the lives of those I speak to and bring about change and renewal. I don’t want to take Your Word for granted. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
And I just recently read this in the Life Application portion of my Bible:
Who is my neighbor? Does my life-style – my work, my play, my buying habits, my giving – help or hurt people who have less than I do? What one thing could I do this week to help a helpless person?
During my “less” moments (to quote MiPa) and my “more” moments, God is always my strength and my refuge.
How selfish of me to not share this with those that are struggling with their “less” moments. God continues to nudge me to tell others:
“When you get to the end of your rope and there ain’t nothin’ you can do, that’s when God takes over.”
After all, Denver Moore had to have heard these powerful words from someone else before he believed them for himself.
By the way, the book Same Kind of Different as Me has been on my to be read list ever since Susan from Learning For Lifetime recommended it a few years back. I really must read it!!!
Thanks MiPa for hosting and for speaking to me today.
Also many thanks to Heather from An Untraditional Home for selflessly providing me this space in cyber space to “speak” what’s on my mind.
What can you do this week to help a “…….less” person?
The weather in my neck of the woods:
It is an awesome Florida day!!!!! Sunshine….and a balmy 65 degrees!!!! Yee-Haw!!!!
A simple pleasure:
Grabbing my camera and heading out for a photo field trip. Miss Sam has been “hogging” my camera lately and I had forgotten how much pleasure I get from searching out the beautiful and the forgotten parts of our Florida paradise. To check out a few of my favorites that I took this past Saturday…click here.
I am thankful:
That it is Spring Break and I have kept my “day planner” empty of any obligations.
From the kitchen:
Nothing…zip…nada….if it’s frozen it’s dinner. Sorry…that is how I roll sometimes.
From the learning rooms:
Sam received an A in the following subjects: Biology I, World History I, and Life Management. This week begins the second week of English I/Biology II/World History II. Still struggling with Algebra…but that is okay.
I am reading:
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. It caught my attention from the first sentence and I have found it hard to put down since. It went with me to the Boat Show….the veternarian….
On My Mind:
Embarking on my own literary adventure. As many of my faithful followers know – I have long been talking about fusing my photos with my writing. Although I have taken a step down and am not pursuing photography as a business…it is still a passion. And so…with no obligations on the “day planner” this week, my hope is to go full steam ahead on my “fusion” project.
Hearth and Home:
Finished up the front outside projects. Plastic tarps are down…lava rocks are getting ready to roll…container gardens are in the planning stage.
Starting up on the backyard outside projects. Lots of clean up work out there since the “arctic blast”.
I laugh:
Because no sooner does one home improvement project get accomplished than there are five others waiting in line!!!!
Inspirational Prayer I’m Sharing:
“Lord, I often overlook opportunities to shine your love. Please deepen my sensitivity to notice others who could use a smile or a word of encouragement.” ~Erin Keeply Marshall~
Some picture thoughts I am sharing:
Although this is not quite as in focus as I would have liked, I feel as though it truly portrays how I feel about my “literary adventure”.
Now here is one that is just for fun…my friend and I collected these shells on the Homosassa River and carried them to Fort Island Gulf Beach for this special “photo shoot”….fun, huh?
This morning I headed over to Kathryn’s blog Expectant Hearts to find out what this week’s In Other Words quote was. That is where I found this incredible post about Patches the Bear and how it made it’s way into Kathryn’s home and heart. What a needful and neglected mission field this bear has!!! Please pass this information along.
Will post my response to this week’s quote…perhaps tomorrow. Have a garden full of rocks I need to sort through.
