My sweet Nephew is getting so big. Landon is 4 months old now and he is getting such a fun personality. I love that I can make him belly laugh. Ok well, I'm on vacation so I don't have time to type much but I just wanted to post these cutie pie pictures.

Kate and Will's cousins came to visit for a week this summer. My mother in law brought me 4000 ladybugs for us to release in our garden to eat the aphids. The kids had so much fun letting the little ladies out. They giggled as they would crawl up their arms. Summertime with family is the best.

Here is my cute herb garden! My dad gave me this old trough and we decided to plant an herb garden in it. I have Basil, Cilantro, Oregano, Dill, Lavender and Rosemary. I have used a bit of the herbs in cooking but I really need to learn more things to cook with fresh herbs. This is a year of a lot learning for me. I love to walk by and just run my hand thru the herbs and smell the beautiful fresh scents. I also have a few seculaunts. We had a lot around the house growing up and I really like having things from my childhood. My parents brought me this Burro's Tail succulent when they came to visit for Memorial Day. My great grandmother had given my parents one when I was a kid and I remember always having it. The little pods are so fragile but the plant is beautiful and I am happy to have my own. I also have Jade, a moss garden and a few air plants but I don't have any pictures to post. AND in case you are wondering, my lemon tree is doing well. I hope the lemons turn yellow soon. I'll do a post on that when they do.

This year I am growing my first vegetable garden. I have been wanting to do this for years but this year it is happening. Josh borrowed our neighbors tiller and made a frame out of garden timbers. I am pretty blessed to have such a handy husband. Buying our 70's ranch home last summer has really put his handiness to the test. So anyhow, back in October 2009 I wen tot Bend, OR (See our blog from that trip) with some friends and on the last night Kristy and I went to see a documentary called Ingredients. That night I told Kristy about how I wanted to have a garden and grow food for my family. We talked about how it is just not a little project but how it is a way of living. The desire to do this came from way deep inside me. I left that trip refreshed and inspired. This year I am beginning to make that dream happen. I am growing Squash, Zucchini, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Texas Sweet Onions, Jalapenos, Red/Green/Orange Bell Peppers, Cantaloupe, Lettuce and Spinach. It was a lot of hard work to get the garden started. I spent several days barefoot sitting in the garden preparing the soil and now I am absolutely enjoying every little new growth. The kids and I check together every day and enjoying being in the garden. The other fun thing I have been doing since last summer is composting. I just started my second pile and I am loving it. Did you know there are a million things you can compost? Maybe I will do a separate post on that later. The other night I decided to take pictures so I could show you all something that I am loving so much. What I need now is some good recipes and someone to teach me how to preserve. If you know or have any recipes let me know!

 

I photographed these two sweet girls at their grandparents house, which happened to be in my neighborhood! It was warm out and as usual two year olds don't like to sit for more than a second, but I just adore the first image. I enjoyed spending my morning sitting in the grass with these two cuties. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and staying cool!