Meh.

Middle of February--eh, who am I kidding...it's nearly the END of February! We are eager to be nearing our Spring Break at the end of March. I think both of us are hitting that point where you just need a break. Mercifully it's coming soon as we always coordinate our Spring break to fall in line with the Spring Holy Days. This year they begin March 24th...so we will take that week off--and the week prior so I can have adequate time for de-leavening our home. I have a love/hate relationship with de-leavening. LOL! I LOVE the results of it---order, organization, cleanliness...but I hate the process! LOL! But then that boils down to my STRONG dislike of housecleaning. (grin)

I have several blog posts ready--in my head. I just have been very busy with a lot of things and haven't gotten them typed up yet. I even have photos for them. But there are just not enough hours in the day to do every single thing I want to get done.

Know that feeling??

Adventures in Gardening~ Timing

In this post, I will talk a bit about what I do to plan the planting of my seeds. Let me start by saying that last year, there were only a few things that got started as seedlings. Everything else just got put straight into the ground because we didn't get started early enough and wanted to get it all in ASAP! But this year we have plenty of time for the early planting process.

If you are like me, you are still kind of learning about when to plant what...needless to say I was tickled to find this fabulous Planting Guide on the Baker's Creek website. It goes into a great discussion about what needs to be planted early, what should be started as seedlings and what can go straight in the ground. It also gives a great summary about germination times if you want to plot it so things grow together. I printed it off and have it in a folder for quick reference.

Another great resource is the book The Heirloom Life Gardener

I bought this at the end of the growing season last year---but man, i wish I had it from the beginning because it has soooo much information! Separated out by vegetable, you get a host of information about the whole process from planning to planting to harvesting to seed collecting to preserving!

Here is another great resource-Free Vegetable Planting Guide. This guide gives you a basic list of the main vegetables and has a way for you to calculate when to sow your seeds based on the last frost and a place for you to write it down. Quite handy. I printed one off for myself.

Between these resources, I can now go through my seed list and figure out which things I can start the soonest and which things to plant where. I want to rotate my crops a little this year--it won't need a lot since it was our first year.

Now I'm having to squirrel away egg cartons from my husband...he saves all our cartons to give back to our egg man (we get farm fresh eggs) but I'm going to need some for my seedings...although I am considering this method:

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or this one:

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We always have newspapers or toilet paper rolls, so either of them would work--and are biodegradable so I can just plant the whole thing. I think Little Britches would enjoy these methods. He picked a few seed packs for himself and he enjoyed watching his seedlings grow last year.

So that is how I plot out my timing for the planting. We have late frosts...so I can't get very much actually INTO the ground until late April or early May unless it is supposed to go in before the final frost. But I have a lot of porch containers for my herbs and flowers that I CAN do earlier. I love that first day of getting my hands dirty!

The next post will be about some ideas I am thinking of for planting the actual seeds...to keep the plants under control---mostly a lot of Pinterest ideas!

Homeschool Mothers Journal~ 2/3

In my life this week…
I am determined to get in Bible Study EVERY morning before the boys get up...that means getting to bed before midnight so I can get up at 7am. Sigh. It will be a challenge, but I'm up for it!
In our homeschool this week…
we are studying ending blends, the Israelites wanderings in the wilderness, geography review, science with water and more!
Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
we are working on getting our April trip lined up to go to South Carolina. We have to see how it works out as my aunt will have chemo earlier in the month and our trip will be determined by how she feels.
My favorite thing this week was…
our fabulous day of science on this past Friday. We rocked it! LOL!
My kiddos favorite thing this week was…
family movie night on Saturday. We let them enjoy Stuart Little 2 and then Open Season 2--the first was okay. The second...well, my husband and I declared that we lost some brain cells. LOL!
Things I’m working on…
I'm trying to catch up on crafting some cards for the magazine as well as for a friend. I've got some new recipes to try this week...I love trying new recipes!
I’m cooking…
See the question above!
I’m grateful for…
good health. Warmth. Pantry fully stocked. Love of my family. Excellent friends.
I’m praying for…
so many people for so many reasons...
A photo, video, link, or quote to share (silly, serious or both!)…

Nature and Verse

This Sabbath we were unable to attend services. We were hit by this "Alberta Clipper" and it blessed us with gorgeous snow; however, church was cancelled in the concern of safety for the brethren. The boys and I enjoy looking at pictures of nature on the Sabbath as we marvel at the amazing Creator. Today, a few of the photos we saw brought verse to mind, so I added some verse to them. Enjoy!

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Wash me whiter than snow...

"He sends His orders to the world— how swiftly His word flies! He sends the snow like white wool; He scatters frost upon the ground like ashes. He hurls the hail like stones. Who can stand against his freezing cold? Then, at His command, it all melts. He sends his winds, and the ice thaws." 

Psalm 147:15-18

This morning we woke up to frigid temperatures and about 2-3" of snow. I happened to step out early--about 8am so not too long after sunrise and I snapped what I think is just a stunning picture. 

(Click picture for a larger image)

It really helped put me in the mind for preparing for God's Holy Sabbath. It was so peaceful and calm and quiet. The snow made everything white and clean and I was just overwhelmed with thoughts of God and my relationship with Him. I started thinking of King David's beautiful poignant psalm which I love:

"Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." Psalm 51:7

What a beautiful sight that must be to God...to see us after we repent from our sins and He's granted us His forgiveness and grace--we must look all sparkling clean and white like this beautiful field outside my window.
♥ No wonder it brings Him such joy and the angels rejoice.♥ 

"Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." 

Luke 15:10

May all my brothers and sisters in Christ have a most beautiful and blessed Sabbath--may you experience our Father's peace and be filled with abundant joy!