7 Lessons You'll Learn as a Beginning Gardener

Want to start gardening? Understandable. 

Attempting your first garden now? Me too. 

Here's 7 lessons I've learned so far in the process.

Three tires in my "tire" garden.

1. Jump Right In

For me, the biggest obstacle to having a garden in the past wasn't time, start up money, bugs, or plant disease.... My biggest obstacle was myself. I love to have a comprehensive plan well in advance of any actual attempts at a task. Often times, just the thought of gardening would overwhelm me. A beginning gardener knows so little; how was I to plan without knowledge?

35-36-37-38-39 Weeks Pregnancy Update! {Late Post}

Lookie at what I found in my draft box!!! 

Please allow me to share this post from February!

One month! It's taken me one whole month to write another pregnancy update.... And guess what? This post will be mostly pictures, which are fun anyway.

We have not gotten internet at our home yet, so I have two options when it comes to blogging: type everything on my phone or go somewhere with free internet (coffee shop or library). Neither is convenient, and lately I've been such a homebody-- but that's for the pregnancy update!

This picture is from the middle of January.

She's Growing!

Our darling daughter Abigail has certainly grown in the past month. My belly has gone from 'Aw, you have such a cute little belly' to 'Woah, mama! When are you due?' in a matter of weeks. When I bend at my hips, I can definitely feel her weight pressing against my abdomen skin and legs.

The picture on the left is from February 1. The picture on the right is Christmas Day.

With Abigail's growth, I have gained stretch marks on my belly; they showed up at 35 weeks. Although they are slowly beginning to take over my belly, they are not an angry red- more of a whitish stretched look. Some are pink.

My thoughts on stretch marks? Ready for my response??

I'm Baaack!! And I'm NEVER Putting Away Laundry Again!

Three months ago, on March 4, the most adorable of God's creatures was born into our family.

I fumbled my way through the first few weeks of mommy hood, continually being humbled and amazed by my precious daughter and the responsibility of her care. Needless to say, I took a hiatus from blogging. I'm back now, though, and I am boldly proclaiming:

I am NEVER putting away laundry again!

Pizza, Pizza!

I've found it! I've found it!

The 100% whole wheat pizza crust recipe I have been looking for has finally been found, and I am so excited to share it with you! I found the original recipe on the Tablespoon website, decided to "go for it," and am so joyful that I did.

This recipe was incredibly simple to make and produced a soft, yet firm crust. 

**Note: You must prepare the crust 45 minutes to an hour before your intended eating time so the bread dough can rise. As a working wife, I always hated hearing about a "perfect" pizza crust recipe that needed so much time to rise. If you are disappointed by the rise time I've just indicated, I'm sorry. Try preparing the dough on a weekend, freezing, and then using for a quick meal during the week.

A Magnificent Day!

Be prepared! The kisses are coming!

Told you so... 

And why ever not, when the Lord has created such a magnificent day! My phone camera certainly cannot capture the supreme excellence of His nature.

Celebrate the Warmth! {Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili}

The winter months can bring such a chill to the air, 

but cooking in the kitchen can always add warmth to a soul.

I am enjoying the beautiful landscapes that surround us on every side in our new home in north Idaho. I am also enjoying being able to make "warm" recipes that would have had everyone roasting in Houston, Texas. I am celebrating the warmth with a new recipe I found on the Williams Sonoma "what's in season now" website.

My husband makes a pretty mean chili, but a different spin on chili sounded interested. the sweet potatoes are in season, and the garnishes sounded fresh-tasting. Plus, this recipe looked surprisingly easy to make.

Indeed it was both easy to make, interesting, and delicious! I did make a few changes from the original recipe, so be sure to read both if you are interested in making this chili for yourself.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

Home is With the Heart {Video Tour + Pictures!}

Putting our home together has been such a pleasure the past week. I am so blessed to have space, amenities (like running water!), and furnishings.

The real blessing, however, lies in the knowledge that home is where the heart is. My heart is with my husband and our soon to be Earth-side Abigail. I feel so honored to be responsible for the care and overall environment of the place they rest, eat, play, learn, and live. God is truly good!

Without further ado, here's an updated video tour of our home. (Please ignore my breathlessness-- 35 weeks pregnant....) Pictures follow the video along with an explanation of various areas & God's provisions since moving in.