The Seed Is Sown in Good Soil

Signs of Spring are finally here... The Bees are Busy!

Yesterday we planted our first seeds to begin our kitchen garden.

My sweet girlfriend even participated in our first planting...she brought me potato seeds! Of course, Idaho is famous for potatoes and I would be remiss if I did not provide a space for them in our garden...

My children eagerly gathered around our pristine new boxes of deep rich soil and we discussed the art and science of gardening... Homeschooling at it's best!


My son eagerly obeyed my instructions and planted the individual seeds in the holes I provided for him and gently covered them up. He is very excited as to what will happen! " When will they grow?" As we thoroughly watered our meager little seeds, my son fully expected IMMEDIATE results! I explained that this would take several weeks... of waiting patiently for the fruit of our labor...

My Daughter and I were talking about why we plant seeds in deep fertile soil rather than shallow hard soil. She explained to me that she had already studied this topic... I asked here where she had read about it... I fully expected to hear her tell me... in her science book... No, she told me it was in her Bible! The Parable of the Sower, found in Mathew 13:1-23.

A farmer went out to sow his seed.
As he was scattering the seed,
some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky places where it did not have much soil.
It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.
But when the sun came up,
the plants were scorched,
and they withered because they had no root.
Others seed fell among thorns,
which grew up and choked the plants.
Still other seed fell on good soil,
where it produced a crop- a hundred,
sixty or thirty times what was sown...

...Listen to what the parable of the sower means:
When anyone hears the message about the kingdom
and does not understand it,
the evil one comes and snatches away
what was sown in his heart.
This is the seed sown along the path.
The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places
is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.
But since he has no root he lasts only a short time.
When trouble or persecution comes because of the word,
he quickly falls away.
The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns
is the man who hears the word ,
but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth
choke it making it unfruitful.
But, the one who received the seed that fell on good soil
is the man who hears the word and understands it.
He produces a crop,
yielding a hundred,sixty or thirty times what was sown.

The Holy Bible, NIV

I was truly blessed today by my daughter's understanding of gardening...

"I Want To Be Just Like My Daddy"

Thomas has been maturing quiet a bit over the past few months... It has been wonderful to see him grow and develop skills that will further him along in his education and in life.

He adores his father... and, wants to be just like him! A few days ago we were out shopping and he noticed a suit on the rack... He gasped in delight and exclaimed... "Oh Mommy I want to be just like Daddy! Please may I have this suit..." I could hardly keep myself from smiling and of course I bought the suit for him. (It was an Easter Special on Sale, no less.)

What a joy to see him waiting to show his Daddy upon his return home from work...

Father and Son, Easter Sunday

His father got a real kick out of it too!

As parents, my husband and I feel we have a responsibility to live out our lives purposefully... thinking through the smallest decisions and modeling behavior and love through our example in front of our children and in the midst of life circumstances. It is such a blessing when we see the fruits of our labor... in the smallest little ways... and, it is such an encouragement to live out our convictions and to continue the hard work of training them up in the way they should go...

Beautiful Girlhood

Girlhood is the opening flower of womanhood.
It has charms all its own. The wonderful change from the child to the woman, the marvelous blossoming of young, healthy girlhood, will ever be God's great miracle in life's garden.

Girlhood is like a half-open rose.
We are charmed, both by the beauty of the bud and by the wonderful coloring of the rose.
We behold the familiar traits of childhood that have always charmed us and held our affections, but blended with these in ever changing variety are
the graces and powers of womanhood.

Excerpt from Beautiful Girlhood, M. Hale, Revised by Karen Adreola

Sarah presented a speech at the
District 4H Illustrated Talk and Demo Contest this past weekend...

It seems my little blessing of a child is growing up. Today she marks the occasion with TEN birthday candles atop her cake. Where does the time go? It is so obvious to me as I look at her... those young little chubby cheeks have slowly melted away...to a more mature, beautiful and slender face. Her legs and arms have become long and out of proportion to the rest of her and she has even shown sign of fluctuating emotional moments! (Oh the dread of hormones...)

Sarah sharing a silly moment with her girlfriends!

Today she stands on the threshold of girlhood. I likened it to a garden for her. I explained that all of her life she has played in a beautiful walled garden... safe and secure . This was her childhood. Today the garden gate has been left open for her to peek out into the wide world around her. Someday, I told her, she will walk out into the wide open world and rarely return to her safe garden... accept for an occasional trip to enjoy it's nostalgia and familiarity... She will go out and create her own garden. This is what womanhood will be...

Yet, for now she is not given leave to wander freely, she is given permission to step outside the garden gate and explore and enjoy the fields and the streams... and practice gardening.. on her own, within close proximity of her safe and loving garden. This is what girlhood is.

Girlhood is an in-between spot. A time to grow and learn what it means to be a woman. Yet, the little girl enjoys the wonder and joy of childhood... carefree and safe within her own home and family.

As we all know, girlhood is not without danger. Sadly, the world outside can be filled with disappointment and emptiness...

In light of this fact, I truly believe God has placed her Father and I in a position to protect and guard her, as well as, train her up... to be ready to face the joys and evils of this world and thrive in it.

A proud Mother with her beautiful daughter!

To celebrate this special birthday for Sarah, we decided to invite some close local friends and hosted a lovely tea party complete with all the finery... white linen, bone china, and tea with sandwiches and little sweets. I also invited the young girls and women to share from their hearts a bit of advice and Godly wisdom for Sarah... as she begins the path of girlhood...

It was a lovely time... and the thoughts shared were most helpful and beautiful. Sarah has a new memory box to place the written sentiments in... to look upon in the future whenever she needs a little encouragement or wisdom along life's journey...

It was a lovely party! We missed all of you who are so much a part of Sarah's young life... If you would like to send her bits of wisdom for life's journey ahead, feel free to send her a note of encouragement.

A Vegetable Garden! A Work in Progress

Every winter I enjoy looking through Gardening books and magazines in hopes that Spring will come... and I dream... and plan a true vegetable/kitchen garden. I have never actually planted a garden mind you... it has been a fun occupation to dream about it.

I have had much success and pleasure with tending my landscape gardens as well as potted gardens...we have enjoyed lovely flowers, tomatoes and herbs for salads.

Yet, my interest in more has grown, year after year, into a desire for a true working kitchen garden that we can harvest throughout the summer and fall.

Well, it's time to actually do it! My sweet man spent this weekend crafting two 4X8 foot raised beds! They are extra deep so that I can tend to them without hurting my back and they should be easy to maintain.

I will keep you posted of our education in the art of square foot gardening throughout the spring and summer... any suggestions would be welcome and appreciated.

Look Ma! No Casts!!

Today was a very much anticipated day... We are so thrilled to be rid of those hard clunky casts!


Thomas is doing great...

As soon as we got home...he insisted on jumping into the bathtub! I think of all the things Thomas has missed most while in casts... it was his bath time. He would cry when he heard the bath water running knowing he was not able to have one himself... Tonight, he had a nice long warm bubbly bath! :)

As you can see, he looks good!

Thomas' feet post surgery and casting!

The Doctor says he needs to see how Thomas' feet will look after a bit of time...
at this point, he is happy with the results...

As for his current condition, Thomas is in good spirits, but is unable to put any weight on his feet... they are very sensitive and in a bit of pain... so I am letting him work at his own pace... I am hopeful after a few days he will be gaining more and more strength...

Keep him in your prayers!