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How to Bring the Magic to your Garden
Growing up, dad had a vegetable garden out in our front field in the middle of an old riding ring. To get there, we’d have to wade through weeds, keep our eyes open for snakes, and battle the blaring sun. I never had much interest in venturing out there unless it was a picking day and we were instructed to bring in the beans and clip okra. As I’ve started my own gardens over the past few years, one of my goals has been to involve my kids in the various stages. Initially, I had a very simple view of letting my oldest have his own small box once he…
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Bluebird Box
This morning I spotted a pair of bluebirds checking out the box I hung last spring. Last spring, I hung the box just a little too late in the season and it’s been empty all year. Sadly, after snagging this picture, my boys went screaming through the backyard, and the bluebirds flew off. I’ve enticed the boys back inside with animal crackers and Curious George, just to give the nesters a chance to realize my yard isn’t that terrifying. I’m seeing some fluttering around the box again! I think I’ll take the boys to a park since it is so lovely outside.
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Crunch Time!
There are basically 10 working days left before my BIG SHOW at the Handmade Market. I’ve got the kiln loaded with another round of plates and bowls waiting to be bisque fired, free business cards have been ordered (I hope 100 will hold me for the day), and I’ve set up a Square account so that I’m able to take credit card payments if needed. I don’t have a banner or sign for the table, but I have to limit the amount of money I sink into this. At this point in the game, it is probably too late to think of throwing another entire batch to fill the kiln,…
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Gardening with Kids Gone Wrong
I ought to be smacked for always painting a picture of gardening bliss and pleasant domestitude. In reality, my legs are daily molested by mosquitoes, the Man-child wails when his clothes accidentally get wet, and due to intense sweat, I have to change clothes every time I come back inside. I’d complain about the Baby eating things outside, but compared to the cat poop he ate inside yesterday, I’m happy for him to consume how ever much mulch and dirt he likes. Yesterday, the boys took an hour to fall asleep at nap time, after much wailing by the Baby who woke up before the Man-child. Wanting to let my…
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Our Garden Walks
Dahlia that I found on clearance at Lowes While I’m not much of a routine person, our mornings nearly are always the same. The boys wake up right around the time my husband hops in the shower, they play on the bed or in the bathroom until he is dressed, and then we all go downstairs where they get chocolate milk and begin systematically destroying the first floor of the house with their toys and breakfast. Around 8am, we bust out the back door in our pjs (or diapers) and each enter our own worlds. The Man-child chugs his trains around the deck, the Baby toddles through the garden paths…
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Discovery: The Garden, A Child’s Exploration