Simply Spring

Oh, has Spring ever hit Western Washington. It is 80 degrees today!
Break out the summer skirts, I am in heaven.
We spent this morning at the park with preschool friends.
Now the children are enjoying a little quiet time, and I have a moment to write about our week.

A few weeks ago we made these yummy Chocolate Sugar Cookies. They are Martha Stewart's recipe and we love them. They are so rich, that one is plenty. Make sure that you use unsalted butter, I used salted the first time and unsalted is much better.

Our little children's garden is coming along nicely, salad gardens fill in so quickly, and are an instant reward. I love that.

My bigger garden is coming along also. We have moved our fence out to the very back of the property line. The back of our lot faces an alley. We park back there sometimes. We are converting that back parking area and some of the grass in to my *bigger* garden and the chicken area. I am so excited! You can see my coop in the photo, just waiting to be moved to it's new home as soon as we finish moving the fence. We also need to finish the demo of the old fence, but you can see the new fence in the background. It will have a panel of lattice on the top for light to filter through.
I am a country girl at heart. We bought our home 14 years ago, in an urban housing neighborhood in a smallish town. We love our town, but I yearn for more open space. My dear hubby has put so much of his heart and soul into making our home a beautiful one, which makes the thought of ever moving a painful one. We are here for the long haul, so I am choosing to grow where I am planted~literally. I am trying to reclaim some unused areas of our lot and make them *work* for us. I guess we are what you would call "urban homesteaders". My vision would be to grow the majority of our own produce and have fresh eggs. This garden is a small step in that big dream of mine.

On Mother's Day our first baby birds of the season took flight for the first time. It is so cute to see them flutter around while the Mama and Daddy feed them and gently guide them in their first flying lessons. This bird house hangs in our large Sweet Gum tree. We have a *birds-eye* view of the lives of these sweet little creatures outside our dining room window. This is the 6th year that we have had nesting birds in the birdhouse. Each year the pair have 4 hatchings, one each month from April until July. I am so blessed to be able to witness this miracle with my children. Birdwatching is one of our favorite things to do.
This weekend will be spent getting closer to having a real garden, and we are sure to be blessed with beautiful weather. Yay!
I can feel our homeschool year winding down, as every moment of free time beckons us outdoors. There is so much energy in the air. So much inspiration, I love this time of the year.
Well I am headed outside to enjoy the rest of this blessed day. Have a wonderful weekend.
In God's Love, Tami