A new entry?!!

It's been months since I've updated this blog. During that time, seasons have changed, computers have died, it's snowed in GA in late Fall...life's been crazy. All in all though, I'd like to use this blog to add some focus to my routine and keep me on track. It's the time of year where some reflect on the past year and set goals for the year to come. What a great start!

Some things that I'd like to prioritize in the coming year:
-Daily quiet time...learning, praying, hearing what God has for me each day
-Planning and executing homeschool lesson plans...using our time more efficiently
-Getting caught up on things I love...reading, gardening, and scrapbooking

A small list but I'm sure it's more challenging than it seems :)

Garden Update

I'm so excited about our garden this year. My friend, Katie, bought me the book "Square Foot Gardening", and I think I might actually be able to grow a tomato in Georgia!!! I imported all the dirt for the garden -- vermiculite, peat moss and 5 types of compost. Derek built me a 4'x4' frame with 1'x6' boards, and then we stapled a weed blanket to the bottom. He tacked some 1" lathe on top, creating a grid, so that I could plant each square foot to my heart's desire. I also have a few herbs growing in pots.

Katie and I swapped many seeds and seedlings, and they are all so cute right now. The deer have not found the treasure of our garden yet -- lettuces! I think we might have to make some kind of deterrent down the road, but we'll build it after the invasion. Although, yesterday I found 2 little teeth marks on a leaf of my mustard greens. Those leaves are spicy! I wonder if that is what scared the critter away, or maybe it was our cat, Nickel, who likes to stand guard under the hydrangea bush close by. Chipmunks are easy to pick off when he's got such a great hiding spot.

Ben planted the spinach seedlings I started from seeds.

Jack and I started the bush bean seeds right in the garden. They seemed to pop open overnight!

We look forward to watching our plants grow bigger each day! The weather has turned warm this week (high 80's, low 90's). I can't wait for tomorrow's rain to bring in some cooler temps for the weekend.

Hello Out There!

I'm finding it incredibly hard to believe that Spring is just a few days away. We've endured the "harsh" Georgia winter long enough, and beautiful days have arrived. Did I mention our abnormal Georgia winter? We had about 4 inches of snow in late February that thrilled us to no end. We made snow angels, snowmen and even borrowed sleds from the Culpeppers so that we could tackle the steep 16th hole of the golf course. We were chased off, but that was fun too.

Ben turned 8 in December and Jack turned 5 in February (someone else turned 40 in March, but we won't discuss that right now). When seasoned parents told us not to blink as they grow up, they were so right. It's amazing how big they're gettting and fun to watch them grow into their personalities. They are enjoying their school year so far. Our homeschool co-op has ended for the semester, so we have an extra afternoon each week to either catch up on our studies or take field trips. We're looking forward to our annual strawberry patch run in April. At the end of April, I'll be taking the boys with me to visit Nana, Papi, Auntie Lisa and Karsen in Scottsdale. The boys are so excited, and we're already planning things to do for our 10 day trip.

Derek is enjoying his golf game more than ever and is helping coach a local high school team. He is a very patient teacher and has a good "eye" for swing flaws. I should know! He' s my favorite golf instructor. :)

Again we'll be attempting a garden this year. I'm very excited to try the "Square Foot Garden" method. I've heard great things, and my garden in the past has just fizzled out every time. I hope to actually eat home grown tomatoes this summer!

Well, I've babbled on long enough. We hope all of you are ready for Spring!
Love,
Michelle