Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Chris' adventures in Boy Scout camping!

Here is my son Chris on his first camp out! I made his Dad document it for several reasons
A. Mom's don't attend camp outs
B. To ensure proof of his safety
C. To get details Dad's forget to provide


Camp outs allow boys the opportunity to hold up mountains by themselves!


Scale places their mother's would not let them!


and generally behave like the boys they are!


I'm glad Chris had a great time at the camp out!
Well rounded Moms know Boys need time alone with their Dad's to become well rounded young men! Even if you need to send a camera and GPS to ensure their safety!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

My spring flowers!


I love this Japanese Maple it reminds me of the one my parents planted when I was born. and these stones we got from Nantasket Beach in Hull,MA where I spent my summers as a kid.

This plant is called Bleeding Heart which has the prettiest little heart shaped flowers. The plant to the right is Bee Balm, it has the coolest red flowers which attract Humming birds all summer.


This Rhododendron is the lightest pink, I love it and I don't know what this plant on the right is called, but I love the red leaves in the spring and fall!


My neighbors beautiful Pink Dogwood, I get to enjoy every spring. The yellow flowers are called Lions mane.


And last some pretty Purple Phlox and the purple annuals we will add to spice up our flower boxes and beds this year.

Spring is garden time!

We find ourselves in the garden several days each year weeding and pruning. A gardeners work is never done. I love the days we spend there as a family. I think because in the end we can stand back, with our dirty hands, and see what we've accomplished together.

This year our new project was to build a vegetable
garden. This is the location we chose!


The kids were so excited they invited the neighbors to help. Kent and Christopher built the 4x8 boxes. Then the kids went to work filling them with Earth and compost. When the boxes were about 2/3rds full, they began planting. It took about three hours all together. Not a bad days work.











We planted tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, peas, onions, basil and cilantro. I can't wait to start collecting the fruits of our labors. It's amazing the vegetables the children will eat when they plant them themselves.
We hope to make salsa with the with the extras and can it for the the winter. There is nothing like your own homemade salsa on a cold winter day, you can sit back and remember the green grass and the smell of the earth and tomato plants, as you dig in.

These are our blueberries we planted four summers ago.
Each year we get more of these pretty blue babies. I hope one year to get enough to can these, too!




Thursday, May 7, 2009

Family Hikes!



In an effort to be more well rounded our family has taken up hiking! We love nature and it's given us a reason to spend more time together on Saturdays and less time doing work in the yard and carting the kids around to friends and activities!

Our kids enjoy climbing rocks, finding the best walking sticks, eating homemade trail mix and running ahead to tell us what to expect next.
We enjoy the together time and the excuse to slow life down and see the world God has created for us!
At church this month our Primary activity is Families that Hike Together enjoy life Together. I think it's true. Take your family on a hike this month and enjoy the great outdoors!




My Kids!



These are my beautiful children. My mission is to raise them to be smart, Kind, creative, interesting and loving people. How will I do that? By being a well rounded Mom!