One of the first things I think of every morning is, "I wonder how my plants are doing..."
And I can't wait to get outside to water and check on everything!
It's become sort of my summer morning ritual.
I enjoy my coffee, make a hot breakfast for my kiddos, have my devotions...
"It is my first business every morning to make sure my heart is happy in God!"
~ George Mueller
Then I'm OUT THERE!
We have a little garden/patio area right outside our back door that looks like this...
The kids come out with me, too.
They like to play while I putter around the yard.
This morning they were in and out of the garage and their little cabin...
Our barn cat, Oliver, likes to join us, too.
He usually sits here on the bench and watches me work...
He does a good job for us. We never have mice in the house!
Right now the peonies are in bloom...
(I have some in the front yard, too!)
As well as the roses...
And one final patch of irises...
~ June ~
"Far up in the deep blue sky,
Great white clouds are floating by;
All the world is dressed in green;
Many happy birds are seen,
Roses bright and sunshine clear
Show that lovely June is here."
~ F.G. Sanders
I water annuals, as well as anything new that either Micah or I have put in the ground, and dead-head as much as I can. Although I can never get to everything.
The little pot next to my bench is spearmint...
I laughed when I saw its tag at the store. It read, "Harvest time: Immediately"
This was funny to Micah and I because gardening has been a bit of a struggle for me. I'm not a patient person, and gardening requires patience, as we all know.
I want instant gratification!
So, I've gotten frustrated over the years.
Micah will plant a tiny tree and say, "There. In fifteen years, it'll be exactly what we want." And I grumble and respond in exasperation, "But I want it to be grown RIGHT NOW!!!"
So, when I saw "Harvest Immediately" on this spearmint, I brought it home to show Micah and I said, "THIS is the kind of plant for me!" And we laughed!
Our gardens (and our children) have been tools the Lord has used in my life to grow me in patience.
(I love how Elsa is holding her dress out.)
"Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace."
~ May Sarton
We spend about a half hour outside each morning, then we come in to start on school, chores, and laundry.
I always bring fresh clippings in with me to put in vases and scatter around the house.
This was my bounty from this morning...
It had rained last night. The best time to clip peonies for display in the home is right after it rains. The rain washes all the bugs away!
"Men build houses but women make them into homes. There will be loveliness in the home where true love causes order and comfort to reign. For the poorest room can be made lovely by a woman's cunning hand. She will put flowers at her window, and flowers on her mantle and table."
~ Bernard O'Reilly
Do you do this, friends?
You should!
It is like medicine!
"Motivation medicine" ~ Haha... Inspiring me to get going on my housework!
Thanks for stopping by my blog today!
You all have been wonderful to me!
As always, please feel free to leave a comment.
I love hearing from you!
xo,
~ Courtney ~
Beautiful!!!! Do you buy flowers to plant with the goal of cutting some to bring inside? The flowers we planted look pretty outside but wouldn't work well to cut. Your gardens are fun to see! God is so creative to give us all these flowers!
ReplyDeleteYes, He is! And yes, we have planted with that goal in mind. There are some plants that I tend to favor, so we've planted more of those over the years. (Like roses and hydrangeas) What plants do you have that you don't think would work well to cut? I know I have some that I don't prefer to have in the house, like Lilies for example. They're messy and overly fragrant....
DeleteVery interesting information, worth recommending. However, I recommend this: 마곡노래방
ReplyDelete