getting the beans IN the garden

I watched today as my beans jumped in mud puddles all over the backyard.  The melting snow coupled with warmer temperatures (finally) created the perfect day of mud jumping.  One of those sweet moments that I will have ingrained in my mind forever.

The beans are great.  

They each have their own favorite plants and are fantastic at caring for the garden.  They take time to look in the soil and explore as we go and they care if someone is careless with our plants.  Like when the tree trimmers were cutting back some branches from our gigantic ash tree and my son was concerned that they smashed our flowers.  He actually told one of the men that he hurt one of his mom's plants.  For me, it doesn't get sweeter! 

My ideas about the garden have changed.  LIVING in a garden with children is much more fulfilling than wanting a perfect space.  It has become more of an experiment with them working by my side rather than a museum of plants.

I hope to capture and encourage even more exploration this season.  Here are a few finds I thought were neat to get kids excited about being active players in the garden....

I found these organic seed collection boxes HERE  They carried many different boxes ranging from flower assortments to veggies.  

And I've been hunting for books.  This one is adorable.  It walks kids through planning and mapping out their space.  I have zinnia seeds I saved from last year to go along with the book.

We are going to be doing a little bit of journaling this season as well.  Probably just in note pads but this journal by Creative Kids caught me eye.  It has some great writing/drawing prompts for little ones.

And I think we may be trying some fun art projects like....

VIA

via-justinablakeney

Here is to getting people IN the garden!  Happy week everyone!  

happies

some happy for the week....

Being inspired by my friend Amy over at her lovely blog Love Made My Home to start diving into yarn.  There are many joys in her space and working with yarn is one of them.  Her most recent stunning creation is this blanket....

It has pushed me to work harder at crochet as it is my goal to one day make one like this!  

My only wish is that she lived closer so that we could sit and work together!

This book....

The Layered Garden by David Culp.  I won this book in a giveaway at my friend Jason's blog, Garden In A City.  I have not been able to put it down as the inspiration is mesmerizing as is Jason's garden!

I wish I had a picture for this story but I don't....just trust me on this one.  I have mentioned before that we have crazy squirrels in our yard.  Well when looking for the beans' sand shovel my husband just happened to look up and there it was.  50 feet up in our old ash tree.  Just sitting on a branch.  Ha!  We all just stood there (neighbors included) with our mouths open!

This happy window....

Teaching my bean to weave on our homemade cardboard loom...

some of my summer pots...

shade scene...

whimsical planter...

new favorite perennial for foliage..

Golden Japanese Spikenard

favorite annual of the season...

Oxalis Fireglow

veggie eating in the garden

my sweet girl has a talent for bouquets

Hope that your weekend is full of happy little things....be back soon to share a garden treat with you!!!

working it out around here

 We have finally had some nice weather!!!   Today we were busy relocating some of our raised garden beds and the beans helped me drill our box together.  I made a special point to tell my daughter that she is a strong girl who can work a drill just as good as any boy!  The good thing about my little helpers is that they are amazing at amending the soil for me and finding worms to add to our boxes.

The lovely Jennifer from Three Dogs In A Garden  (her blog is beyond inspiring) sent me this gardening book for the beans.  It has so many project ideas for little ones in the garden.  The beans have already bookmarked the ones that they would like to try for this season!

And I would like to add that Jennifer was one of my first followers.  Always leaving me encouraging comments when I had none.  And for that I would like to say thank you Jennifer!  

Busy working Beans!

So with a couple of jobs checked off the list in the garden here is a project that we knocked out inside.


A year ago we tackled our tiny bathroom.  (we are lucky to have one off of our bedroom) I enjoy being somewhat of a minimalist so a small bathroom actually works for us.  It is the size of a closet and its 1967ness was really starting to show.  With a broken toilet. rotted pipes, and funk growing in the shower we decided to fix it up. 

Do you like our wire hanger rigging?!?!  

With the space being so small it was a bit hard to even take a picture!  The little things that help us live in our small bath are hooks for hanging, trays for extra this and thats, and a large medicine cabinet over the sink for storage.  The old vanity was donated.  Its replacement is an extra small size that makes the space feel larger.

And the week has already been a good one!  I will be around to visit your blogs here in a bit as it has been a bit busy here!  At a doctors appointment today I was taken when I walked into the office building and was greeted by a stunning indoor garden.   It was a reminder that even when your mind is consumed with other things that it is important to slow down and look around you.

May your week be filled with beautiful things!

Fine Foliage

This past weekend I went to see Karen Chapman speak about her book Fine Foliage.  I have been intrigued with this book for some time now, and was delighted to see that she was doing a speaking tour in the Chicagoland area.

The barn where the presentation was held was decorated with sprigs and pots to add a bit of garden to the room and the adjoining greenhouse was open for us all to stroll through for that bit of spring inspiration! 

Her humor coupled with her keen eye for plant combinations left me inspired and driven to do everything I can to make my garden layered with harmonious colors, forms, and textures.  Karen's presentation spoke to me because the emphasis, as the title portrays, is on foliage first and then flowers when creating the garden.  I enjoyed learning about color echoing which is the idea of picking up common color tones from the plant foliage you select.

Here is an example of a color echoing combination that I came up with for my garden...

The lime green of the Bellwort compliments the green in the sedum leaves.  And the barberry's tones pick up hues from the sedum.

I would highly recommend Fine Foliage to anyone who is looking for amazing foliage ideas to carry their own garden through the seasons.  And if you would like more inspiration Karen has a lovely blog called Le Jardinet.

Here is to a great week! 

Happy Making, Baking, and Growing!

pots and boxes

Planning and dreaming has begun for this years garden.   Given the fact that we have limited sun and a basic suburban lot, containers are calling me more then ever.  I've been diving into Kay Maguire's book, Grow Your Own In Pots whenever I have a free moment between diaper changes and laundry.  It has been a delightful read for the simple fact that it has given me some creative ideas for growing just about anything in a pot.  And when you have limits as a gardener you need alternatives!  

The fist thing I will be creating from the book is a designated "Italian Pot."  

sweet peppers...arugula...basil

And with all of my garden binders and art stuff tucked in little nooks all over the house, the new work room is also being planned.  A place to spread it all out and create in one space. To hang inspiration photos for projects and garden work. I look for free storage for this space wherever I can.  So when I saw this sturdy box from a Christmas present I knew that I could jazz it up to hold little trinkets.  

Some cool paper and twine did the job!  Just a little glue and some HGTV with the hubs and this box was done in one episode of House Hunters.  Free is good!  

Keep dreaming folks!  It's what makes life fun!  

Happy Making, Baking and Growing!!!