In Bloom

 

Spring has definitely arrived on our little homestead. Zinnias are happily hanging on the back porch.

I don’t even mind that the daffodils are spent, and the pear trees are losing flowers with each day.

That just means that warmer days are finally here.

It doesn’t get much better than 78 degrees and sunny. Perfect hammock weather.

And time to plant the vegetable garden.

The herbs have awakened from their winter dormancy.

     

Pink petunias grace our back step.

And English lavender, too.  It smells so good in the gentle breeze.

Just days ago those pear trees at the end of our drive were COVERED in white.

But I don’t mind the green. Green is more than welcome here after the long, cold winter.

I don’t ever remember it being so cold for so long here in Alabama. Record breaking cold.

Pink roses are one of my weaknesses. I never feel like I have enough of them.

 

And this one last pansy is holding on despite the warmth. It’ll be gone soon.

And so will these pink blooms on the tree that overhangs our pier. But, for now, I’m soaking up the goodness of Spring.

Our first one here on the homestead.

Life is good.

March is for flying kites

I remember like it was yesterday, how exciting it was when the wind whipped around me in the spring…

And I knew it was kite flying weather.

I would work, ceaselessly, until I finally got my kite into the air. And I would watch it for hours.

There’s nothing quite like the thrill of flying a kite.

My sweet babes agree.

Would someone please tell that man to give the kid his kite?

  

It’s been beautiful kite flying weather around here lately.

I hope it lasts a little while longer.

Family Game Night and Aunt Patty’s Spaghetti

I love my family. Every night last week they made sure we had something good to eat.

My mom made chicken tetrazzini.

My Aunt Pam sent us pizza.

My grandfather made fried chicken.

And my Aunt Patty made us spaghetti.

It was a tremendous blessing to not have to worry about what we would eat for dinner.

Aunt Patty read my mind and sent these delicious cheesy garlic biscuits. I was seriously craving biscuits that day!

Isn’t her Pyrex gorgeous? I haven’t decided if she’ll get them back, yet. Just kidding, Aunt Patty!

We love to play board games around here.

Scrabble is a family favorite. It’s a good way to help kids build spelling skills while having fun.

Even the littlest one gets to play with her own letters.

For years, we played on the board that I grew up with.

But for Christmas this past year, we received this Scrabble Diamond Edition. I highly recommend it.

And to keep us honest, when a word is in doubt, we look it up in Daniel’s dictionary.

Can you believe they argued with me about the spelling of G-R-O-O-V-Y?

It supposedly had to have an E in there between the V and the Y.

A little known fact about Melissa… She’s a serious speller. The stuff of spelling bee legends. No joke.

And my husband is seriously competitive.

See how he’s pouting? He HATES to lose.

Yep. That would be my score on the right.

Even doped up on prescription pain meds, I still have some mad spelling skills.

But, to be honest, my brain was swimming at times, and I erased MANY times due to various errors of addition.

Would you believe I once won a math marathon in high school? Seriously shameful.

I’ll be so happy when I can give up this nasty medication.

Feeling Grateful

Just look… mama’s not down long at all before they break out the junk food!

Hmmm… I know a certain Daddy who did the grocery shopping this week.

Well, at least they seem to be enjoying it! It’s hard to be upset with those cute little faces.

Especially when that sweet daddy of theirs took them outside for a photo op in the new swing…

Instead of hiding the evidence, which I found when I downloaded my pictures this afternoon.

I’m feeling very grateful today for family and friends…

Who call to check on me, and bring me meals, and send me flowers, and send sweet notes of encouragement.

I’m especially thankful for those of you who are praying for me.

I can feel it, despite the pain. It’s what gets me through. Thank you. And keep those prayers coming!!!

Recovering

   

Today, I’m feeling blessed to be at home. Recovering from neck surgery. Surrounded by love.

These are from my sweet Sara Lynn, who loves giving her mama fresh picked flowers. I love you, baby girl.

 

This gorgeous Spring day is a gift from God. So beautiful. So refreshing.

Good motivation for me to heal and get out there in my garden.

This is my favorite comfy chair, where I will spend the next few weeks healing.

Surrounded by seeds, gardening books, cookbooks, and my favorite quilt. Good stuff.

This morning I discovered a love note, from my son, who I adore. He does little things that make me smile all the time.

Daniel, you are so special to me.

A closer look at what’s on my shelf this week. Tucked in between the cookbooks, are a few of Daniel and Sara Lynn’s favorites.

I’m determined to make this a good week despite my circumstances.

I’m sure the liquid pain medication will give me a little extra help in that department. : )

An Idyllic Spring Weekend

When it finally stopped raining, we promptly headed to our local Farmer’s Coop.

We came home with several varieties of onions to plant and…

We are now the proud owners of 18 (EIGHTEEN!) baby chicks. Much fun was had this first day of spring.

 

Sammy didn’t know what to think of all the chirping. One thing’s for sure…

We’re going to have to watch her around those chicks!

 

Just so you know, when the sun finally made an appearance late Thursday evening, after being cooped up in the house all week,

we didn’t hesitate to get out there in our pajamas!

Eww… Worms! I don’t hate ‘em. I just don’t want to touch them.

Fish were caught.

Crocs were worn.

We laughed.

  

My littlest love picked me many flowers.

Chalk pictures were created.

Isn’t she adorable? My little climber bit the dust this week. Ended up with a strawberry across that sweet little cheek.

Poor baby.

 

I started 100 seedlings. Whew! I’m glad this was something I could do sitting down.

 

A front porch swing was a welcome addition to our little farm.

 

Ground cherries, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and celery were all seeded.

 

I love to use Jiffy Peat Pellet Greenhouses. They make starting seeds easy and they are inexpensive.

I always save mine to use the next year because you can buy refill pellets. You can get them anywhere that sells seeds or plants.

 

I use seed starting mix for the transplants I want to allow to get larger before transplant, like tomatoes.

And I like to wet it before I add the seeds. Much easier that way.

I was glad to have a garden helper today. Thanks, Daniel!

When our work was done, we gave the swing a little test drive.

It’s a keeper!

After Sara Lynn fell, and hurt her cheek, I asked her what would make her feel better.

I was thinking of the boo-boo bunny (a clever little ice pack) or maybe a kiss. Nope.

She wanted pretty toes… That’s my girl!

This is what we should have been doing this week. Cleaning out all the odds and ends from the garage.

I mean, really. We’ve been here 6 months!!!

All in all, I’d say this was a wonderful Spring Break. I hope your first day of Spring was as fabulous as ours.

Just a note, I may be a little scarce around here over the next week or two. I’m having surgery again Monday.

I have another ruptured disc in my neck. Please say a little prayer for me that I will be healed of this pain very soon.

I have so many things that I want to do! And many things that I need to do.