TreasuresInTerraCotta

As it turns out, May was a month of flowers around here.  We don't even usually celebrate May Day with flowers or grass or sweets or May poles, but we may have to start.  We started the month with a happy reappearance of flowers on "old" plants.  These verbena and alyssum survived the mild Arizona winter and the previous hot Arizona summer to make this happy coupling.    I picked up this mini-rose bush after Thanksgiving, but it only recently began flowering.  (Did you know that after big holidays item in the floral department at the grocery store go on super-sale!)  The flowers open to a pretty yellow with bits of pink on the leaves.  These are nasturtiums!  I have never grown nasturtiums before and these were a long time coming.  We planted them in the ground last Fall.  A little plant grew up but it stayed little for a very long time.  The leaves are so interesting that I just decided to leave it alone rathe...

Calvin read out loud to me for about 45 minutes this afternoon. I practiced my knitting.  I could get used to this!

I have a love-hate relationship with tomatoes.  I love to grow them and eat them.  I love the way the plants leave your hands yellow and with a pungent smell.  I love tomato blossoms and baby fruit. But I hate the way the birds (and critters) eat tomatoes the second before they are perfect for picking.  I hate that I waste so many not knowing what to do with them.  And I hate tomato cages!  They are ugly, they are always bent, they are always in the way and yet, somehow, not exactly doing their job. Not to mention that you have to find something to do with them in the off-season so you don't poke an eye out.  I have tried a few different staking options but never been perfectly happy with any of them. And then this year, I saw these pretty tomato cages. Aren't they cute and colorful and vibrant!  So, I decided to give the dreaded cage another try!  I think we put them around our plants at just the right time.  They a...

We've become big fans of using birthday money and Christmas money and fun money for outings.  Sometimes it's just to get ice cream, but sometimes we go mini golfing or bowling or something fun like that.   The boys got some fun money for Christmas from their aunt and uncle in Oregon.  And then I found a Groupon for a local put-put golf place!  It was like getting twice as much fun for the same price.  Now that's a good Christmas present! We took advantage of a cool and cloudy day and hit the greens. I always love the fun buildings. Boys looking not too happy...probably just because I made them hold still for the camera. (x3) Boys with golf clubs! (x3)  Good thing there was nobody else on the course that day! Thanks Uncle Todd and Aunt Christa (and Tori, too)!  We had a great day! And because we got two Groupons we get to do it all again before the end of the month!

We've been doing school outside for over a month now. Southern Arizona in April and May is beautiful!  And with a little shade, the mornings have been perfect for working outside.  Not to mention that the trees and plants are all blooming and we've taken special note of the birds and butterflies that are visiting our yard.  We moved the table into the grass and it gets wonderful dappled shade all morning.    And a quilt usually hangs out in the grass too.   We all seem to be better workers outside.  It's like we crossed a threshold and suddenly concepts are making sense, handwriting has improved, we are a lot more productive, and we have a lot of "recess"! Science and mess-making are easier! Reading, math, coloring, cutting...taking shelter from the seeds falling from the trees.   Bikes and markers everywhere!  Sometimes life is messy.  I hadn't plan...

More fun Phases of the Newly-Mobile. The eating plants...and eating dirt phase.  The toilet paper phase  The playing in water phase The Kleenex phase If you are not familiar with this phase, a one year old can empty a Kleenex box, one tissue at a time, in about 30 seconds!  Did I mention the Pantry AKA Cereal Phase. And this after Tyler was kind enough to replace the baby latch that broke since the time Baby #2 was in the Pantry Phase! I'm sure there is more fun on the way!