Day Seven: Working Hard

Today's photo comes courtesy of MM. I was out in the yard from about 1 pm to 5 pm and then again from about 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm and he decided to snap some shots of me working since he couldn't help. The poor thing is going crazy, especially while he was watching me out the window. He told me he's never wanted to do yard work so bad in his life. He's still feeling rough and will be going back to the doctor on Monday. Please pray that he will recover soon!

Sorry for the tangent; back to the picture! I got a TON of yard work done in the back today. I was able to mow and weed-eat, clean out the sheds, scrub down the patio furniture and the dogs' water bowl, clean out our "entertaining area" by moving our weight bench and various weight plates to some available shed-space and rearranging the furniture, cleaned the back stoop off, trimmed some dead-wood from the trees, weeded half of the garden, swept out all the fence bases, and, finally, watered everything.

It was immensely satisfying to see the back yard so neat and clean-looking. I almost wish we were expecting company so we could go out and barbecue! The pic is of me weeding out the lettuce beds. I've been very negligent about the weeding lately, so it was a big task, but I'm so glad it's done.

Tomorrow I hope to do more of the same in the front. I might even get some before/after shots to post tomorrow night!

"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 - 2, NIV

Handmade Favorites for January 31, 2009

The theme for this week may seem a bit premature for some, but if you're a gardener; you'll understand. The second I harvest the last vegetable from the garden, clip the last dead rose or cook my last "homegrown herb" meal, I begin dreaming and planning next year's gardens. The middle of January tends to bring two things with certainty; cold temperatures and garden-talk. We discuss what will be grown, what tools need to be cleaned, sharpened or purchased, what the schedule will be and where we will buy seeds from. The garden catalogs are most likely already out and dog-eared in many homes across the world. Because I'm planning and dreaming about beautiful gardens, that seemed to be the natural selection for this week's theme. (Besides, we could all probably use a bit of cheerful greenery right now.)


The first item I selected is this beautiful hand-bound Herbal Journal by susanholland. Susan is a book-maker out of Spain and has some beautiful journals, but this is by far my favorite. I do love to keep a journal about my garden and this one is perfect with it's vintage-style Italian paper cover and blank pages.



Photo used with permission from Susan at susanholland.


I chose these Custom Engraved Garden Rocks as a favorite because of their beautiful and organic utility. I love items that are beautiful and serve a purpose. These stones are hand crafted by sjengraving. They just seem like the most natural and fitting way to label a garden's contents. I feel they would also be wonderful for other herb gardeners, such as myself, that only have room to grow herbs in pots on a window sill.



Photo used with permission from Tony & Joanne at sjengraving.


This beautiful Stoneware Planter from Letsgetmuddy is another great example of form meeting function. This is a beautiful pot and I can just imagine the possibilities; small herbs, succulents, African violets; the list could go on and on! I love the calm colors of the glaze on this pot. The story of how these pots came to be is wonderful and there are many other great finds at the shop! (Hint: check out the awesome Raku planters!)



Photo used with permission from Barbara at Letsgetmuddy.


Craftsbykrisa is a shop with a plethora of rustic, hand crafted finds, but the best, in my humble opinion, is this Garden Wall Hanging. I adore the diminutive garden tools that are attached and would proudly display this in my home. This sign is full of charm and would be welcome in any garden.



Photo used with permission from Krisa at Craftsbykrisa.


Every gardener needs accessories that shout the praise of this fulfilling hobby and so I bring you the Avant Gardener tote bag by jpharris. The artist creating this tote is Jen P. Harris from Brooklyn. A percentage of the proceeds from the Avant Gardener line has gone to community gardens around NYC. Most of her items are printed on 100% recycled or organic cotton. This awesome tote speaks to both the gardener and the do-gooder in me! I would carry it everywhere; grocery shopping, the farmers' market, the library and etc.



Photo used with permission from Jen at jpharris.


I don't feel I can post a handmade favorites feature without posting at least one piece of jewelry. This Lavender Leaf Pendant is a very elegant accessory. The artist, Riki from RikiCraft uses an actual leaf from her garden and paints it with precious metal clay to create this 99.99% sterling silver pendant. This would be a piece I would wear all the time. I feel that it is one of those great, universal jewelry items that can be dressed up or down and suit any outfit perfectly. There are several other leaf pendants to chose from, but the lavender is my favorite. Isn't it gorgeous?



Photo used with permission from Riki at RikiCraft.


Finally, the best way to end any post; BAKED GOODS! This cake is courtesy of the queen of domestication, Martha Stewart. I just love the miniature fruits and vegetables! Can you see the radishes, strawberries, artichokes, tomatoes and many others? Too cute!



Source: Martha Stewart.


Well, that's it for this week's edition! I hope you enjoyed it and checked out some wonderful artists as a result. Here's to a wonderful season of fresh produce, delicious herbs and beautiful flora for us all!

As always, many blessings to you and yours!

I'm not sleeping, but at least I'm being productive...

I did end up coming home from work early this afternoon to attempt to sleep. I got a good 3.5 hours in, but had to get up to do some grocery shopping. That's all done for the remainder of the week, so now I can focus on other things.

Since I knew sleep would be elusive again tonight, I decided to tackle the pumpkins Jason grew and harvested. I've been putting them off because I knew it would be a lot of work, and it was. They had to be cut up, seeds removed and washed, stringy mess removed, baked for 1.5 hours, pulp removed from rind, pureed and canned. I'm not so sure that it's worth the work. I love that his first pumpkin plant was so successful, but it's a lot of work for something that cost $0.79. It does look nice and fall-y sitting on the counter, though. I'm just hoping that whatever I decide to make out of it turns out nicely.




I did do my devotional last night. The scripture of focus was Psalms 139: 13 - 14; "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." The subject of the devotional had to do with all of the parts of the egg and how most of us don't think about what the egg would have turned out to be if we had allowed it to be fertilized and hatched. I think the parallel is a good one; that God has that picture in His head every time a child is conceived. It reminded me of an online argument I was reading that involved an acquaintance from another church I attended. She was voting on a particular candidate and a friend of hers asked how she, as a Christian, could vote for someone who was pro-choice. The voter responded that abortion was okay if the mother was raped, forced to conceive by her parents/spouse, or if it was medically necessary to save the mother. I understand the reasoning on the latter, but it BOGGLES MY MIND that a born-again Christian can honestly believe that an abortion is okay simply because the child was conceived under unfavorable circumstances. God allowed that child to be conceived, for His own divine purpose, and I feel it is a direct attack on His good and perfect will to condone such abortions. A child is a child and murder is murder. God loves us and has a plan for us, regardless of how we were conceived.

Well, that was my rant for the day. It was not meant at all to be political, but sorry if it was. If you're offended because of my biblical viewpoint of abortion, that's okay with me. You're entitled to your opinion and I to mine.

On that note, I'm off to do another devotional and then see about this bed thing. I hear that it's marvelous!!