Our little garden

Getting outside more often is one of the ways we are making life simpler.  Getting fresh air is especially beneficial for my kiddos...I swear they sleep better when we've been outside!  In our new house, we have a lovely little back yard.  Not huge, but we aren't in the stage of life right now that is conducive to a large yard, and all the time and energy it would take to maintain it.  It is fully fenced, has dirt, grass, trees, and a greenhouse...the perfect place for two year old adventures!  We've had a lot of fun cleaning up the yard and garden area and making it a fun and relaxing place to spend family time.  Jake put together our little fire pit today, so we'll be out making s'mores very soon!! 

I have never had a garden, and have actually never successfully kept any indoor plants alive.  So embarrassing!  But now that we have the space, we thought it would be fun to plant some vegetables and see how they do.  We bought mostly starts and they are doing great!  So excited to eat veggies from our very own garden!!

Doesn't it look scrumptious??!  We have lettuce, kale, pole beans, red peppers, broccoli and cauliflower.  So far, we've only lost one lettuce plant, but everything else is doing well!  And just today, I planted carrot seeds and sunflower seeds...we'll see what happens with those :)

 

SOOOO excited for fresh tomatoes!!  And thanks to a bag of Costco potting soil, they are HUGE!  And aren't the planter boxes lovely?  My dad made them for me :) 

 

And look at these beauties!  I love surprises from my garden!  There are a few random flowering plants around the house and I am always surprised when I go outside!  I didn't know I loved peonies until I went out this morning and cut them :)  And they smell so good!

Have you ever seen light purple roses?  They remind me of those tiny purple, pastel marshmallows :)

 

I am sitting here, so totally content with where God has brought us over the last few months.  Windows open, the smell of fresh flowers, kids napping...these are all things I am thankful for right at this moment!   

 

 

GIve me the simple life

"Some find it pleasant dining on pheasant,

those things roll off my knife;

just give me tomatoes and mashed potatoes,

give me the simple life"

-Steve Tyrell (in Father of the Bride)

 

Have you seen Father of the Bride?  Those are two of my favorite movies and bring back fond memories of watching it with my dad, both of us trying not to cry.  We even watched it the night before my wedding...big mistake!  We both bawled :)  I watched it recently, and a few lines from the opening song have been playing in my head for days...give me the simple life.  Our pastor has also been doing a series from Ecclesiastes, about all the striving we do it life for things that are not eternal.  How much time is wasted gaining more and more in this life, and what is it worth?  Nothing in comparison to the salvation we receive from Jesus Christ. 

 

My head and heart have been battling over the last few weeks.  I have been craving the simple life.  Sometimes I just want to pick up our family and move to a little house on the prairie, away from the chaos of this life, and away from all the distractions that constantly seem to draw my focus away from what is most important in life. 

 

Don't get me wrong.  I love and am so grateful for the abundance of modern conveniences we have at our fingertips.  But that is the problem...I think I have become too in love with those things.  Why can't I be content spending my time playing with the kids in the backyard, working in the garden, baking fresh bread, hanging clothes out to dry, going for walks.  When did checking my facebook become more important than greeting my husband as he walks in the door from a day at work?  I don't even get that many calls or texts in a day, but if I forget my phone at home, I feel lost.  How did that happen?  Why have I let it happen? 

 

Is it possible to even achieve a simple life these days? The times have changed so drastically and it makes me sad about what life is going to be like when my kids grow up.  I want them to desire real relationships with people.  I want them to love spending time outside, away from the TV, phone, computer, tablet, Kindle, XBOX, or anything else that demands our attention.  I want my kids to be in awe of the beauty in God's creation, not in how amazing the graphics are on the newest game. 

 

I am, in no way, trying to be judgmental.  This is just the way our society has become, and I think we are all guilty of trying to keep up, to some degree.  This is just where my head and heart have been, and I think you can see my struggle. 

 

I want to make it my goal to create a simpler life.  I don't know exactly how that is going to happen, but I still want to make it a priority.  The Lord has blessed me with a love for homemaking.  I love learning how to make things from scratch.  I love keeping a clean, organized home (not that it always happens, but I try).  I don't think it's realistic to move to the prairie, but I think I can achieve a simpler life.    And I love spending time with my family, but I need to do a better job making them my priority.  Making them feel just how loved and special they are.