Garden Fresh Tomatoes!

Jellybean and I went out to the garden yesterday and lo and behold we found ripe, red tomatoes ready to be picked.  Jellybean had such a look of wonder on her face and wanted to hold all of the tomatoes.  She could hardly wait to get them inside to eat them.  She loves tomatoes.

Sliced up San Marzano tomato.

You probably don't know, but for there to actually be tomato plants in my garden that have produced real, bonafide tomatoes is a HUGE deal.  I have had so many tomato growing disappointments over the last ten years that I had almost given up.

Lovely cherry tomato #2. Hope to have more of these delicious little things.

I have such fond memories of garden fresh tomatoes growing up that I just had to give it one more try. I have another big, beautiful tomato that is almost ready to be picked. It will make a glorious tomato and bacon sandwich.  Just in case you are wondering: I like to toast the bread and put a thin layer of miracle whip. Homemade root beer would also be lovely; good thing I have that in the works...

A mouth full of tomato.

For the record, I think my success this year was due to two factors: More regular watering and a nice big flower garden that attracts billions of bees. I hope to have even more success next year. Maybe I'll even start a salsa garden?

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Simple Air Plant Terrarium and Mantel

I've been working on putting some decorative touches into our new home.  For a while now, we've had a blank glass coffee table that I just couldn't decide what to do with.  I saw an air plant terrarium for sale recently that really inspired me.  The terrarium for sale was too rich for my blood, but I thought I could pull something together that had a similar feel.  So, this is what I came up with.

Any lantern would do, but I really liked the look of this lantern that I purchased from a local boutique. I threw in some decorative rocks and spent some time picking out a cute little air plant to put inside.

I learned from the garden store that the grayer the air plant is, the more light it requires.  The one I chose is darker green and should need bright, indirect light. The fun thing about the air plant is that it doesn't require soil. This little one will need to be dunked in water a couple of times a week and that's it.

I've also been working on the mantel in this room.  I added a few things to it in the last week as well.

If you are wondering what was going on in the corner of the room I didn't include in the above pictures...

Yeah, that's what was happening there.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

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Can you tell the good plants from the weeds?

We have been blessed with some beautiful weather here and there is so much green coming up in the garden. I've been out with the kids for a little while each day weeding our flower beds.  Mostly, the kids will play while I weed, but occasionally, they come over and want to help.  This has brought up some interesting discussions on which plants are good plants and which plants are weeds.

Buddy thinks the concept of good plants and weeds is funny and makes a game out of it.  "Mama, you're a weed, I'm going to pull you out because I'm a good plant."

Jellybean, wants to help, but doesn't yet have enough understanding to do so.  Today, in her efforts to "weed," she plucked every bud off of a little plant that was just about to bloom.  After that, I kept a better eye on her and handed her the weeds I had pulled to place in my trash bucket.   

My gardening buddy.

While I've been weeding, I've been thinking a lot about how I'm trying to teach my children about the good plants and the weeds that they'll encounter in life. Each day, I am teaching them what is important and what isn't; What is good and what is bad.  It is sometimes hard to distinguish between the the good plants (things that will bring joy into our lives) and the weeds (things that will diminish our joy and drag us down). Sometimes, the weed is readily identified, has shallow roots and can easily be plucked out. Sometimes it is difficult to identify the weed before it has sent runners out and has taken over half of the garden.

This plant no longer has buds. :(

As a parent, I want my children to be able to see the difference between what will be valuable in their lives and what won't be.  I want them to have joy in their lives and not be hindered by the weeds that will inevitably pop up.  I guess the teaching starts with my example.  I imagine that a little weeding in my own life would be beneficial.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ