hello??

i don't think i had ever been away from my blog for this long.

everything has been so busy lately and unfortunately, blogging got the short end of the stick.

there has been so much going on lately, all good.

God is good. always.

how could i have lived so long not believing that.

well, to be honest, believing that for others, but not for me.

do any of you struggle with that feeling of not being worthy?

of not deserving his amazing love and grace?

that miracles are for others who believe but not for you, 

and not for a girl like me?

that's what i believed. 

i did. it is not a good feeling.

through prayer, fellowship with good friends who love God, prayer warriors,

women of faith all placed in my path by God 

because of them i can freely embrace my identity in christ.

i know what the word says about me. 

i will no longer fall prey to the lies i once believed, 

as long as i keep reaching out to the one who holds me in his hand.

i am no longer who i used to be a year ago...

god has been working in my life chiseling, refining me, to be who he has called me to be.

i am like a flower...it's my time to bloom.

i am like a caterpillar undergoing metamorphosis in it's cocoon,

ready to soon burst open and enjoy my new wings...a new creation in Christ.

only Christ has the power to work miracles in your life.

do you believe that?
believe with all your heart

"For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified..."
Romans 10:10

thank you for visiting and stopping by

carrots

 earlier this spring we planted carrots among other veggies.

we also planted tomatoes which were doing well until max got a taste of them.

 number two decided to harvest his carrots today.

he was excited to see the carrots.

riley is such a curious puppy.

we gave hime one to see what he would do.

i guess a carrot is a healthy treat for puppies.

before and after

last year hubby made this arbor for me.

 you can read about it here

we planted eden climbing roses in hopes of adding some beauty to this otherwise ugly space.

 this is how the arbor looks today, exactly one year later.

the roses are growing beautifully.

they did not have many rose buds i think because it has been busy growing.

i did manage to find a few blooms, just beautiful.

i can't wait for it to completely fill the arbor.

green just adds life to a space.

 speaking of green, this was my back patio last year.

and now these climbers are just filling up the space, 

hiding away my prison block wall.

have you been experimenting with green?

thanks for visiting.

  

dinosaur garden

i had seen pictures on pinterest of fairy gardens that i liked.

i decided to make a boy version of a fairy garden and make a dinosaur garden.

i used a variety of succulents and a couple of other plants that looked jurassic.

i added a few of the boys' dinosaurs and a small burlap bunting i made for a touch of whimsy.

a terrifying t-rex

it was super easy to make and  is fun to look at.

our new dino garden will go perfect in our garden,
perfect for  curious, playful boys

hope you are having a great weekend.

thanks for visiting.

p.s. i am joining jenn rizzo's creative friday link party. you should check it out.

garden of weedin'

i spent a good part of the day in my garden

there was a lot of weedin' to do, i mean lots!

i did quite a bit of pruning too.

i am a harsh pruner, sometimes i feel bad after, but the plant always recovers wonderfully.

here is my eden climber doing so well.

hubby was able to add lines to attach the climber, yay for hubby!

this monster zucchini plant gave us our first gigantor zucchini.

tomatoes are doing well 

after all the weedin' i took a break and sipped on some iced tea.

i did spend an enjoyable morning in the garden, thanks to number two's 4 hour nap.

garden dreaming

dreaming today about this dreamy backyard sitting area

about how fun it would be to have had a tepee like this for the boys

 about this cute cottage shed and the hours of fun a girl {or boy} could have in there

about a relaxing space to sit and have a nice cold glass of ice tea.

now back to work to make my garden dreams come true.

wishing you a great sunday!

all images via pinterest

good friday

good friday!

today we spent the day in the backyard getting down and dirty.

 it all started with a trip to Lowe's to buy plants

 for the garden boxes hubby made for me. 

he usually builds something for me when he is on spring break, i don't mind at all.

he loves me like that :)

 it was a family affair. number two got new garden gloves and helped me with the planting.

max was curious sniffing the new plants.

i hope he doesn't take a liking to them.

hubby and number one worked on digging holes to transplant some of the overgrown bougainvillea.

 we planted edibles: strawberries, red and yellow bell peppers, serrano peppers, and tomatoes.

i am going to experiment and try to make a tomato topiary using this form.

here i planted red onions, green onions, cilantro, basil, sage, and carrots by request of number 1.

 this is the first time i attempt growing my own veggies, we are excited to harvest our own food.

i was so happy to find this beauty.

my first bloom this year from the climbing eden we planted last summer.

you can read about it here

my backyard is slowly evolving into my personal garden of eden, my happy place.

a new addition to my collection of succulents, it is called "cobweb".

of course it wouldn't have been a family affair without this guy running around with his favorite ball.

wishing you and yours a very happy easter.

every plant that my heavenly father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.

matthew  15:13

day 5 & 6

grateful for a beautiful garden to weed, plant and rejoice in as the flowers bloom.

i spent part of sunday and monday pruning and weeding my backyard garden.

 gardening is so relaxing...

i found this beauty

they bloom in march

simplicity, pure white beauty.

as i was working in the garden, i felt such peace and joy

the joy that only comes from one place.