Sling it, kid & hair for the garden

Sunday, Keagan fractured his arm (it's basically a hairline crack).  He needed a sling, and not one single store in our area had them in kid-size. After hitting up a series of stores with no luck, Keagan and I returned home with a mission.  We were going to make one ourselves!  Why didn't I think of that in the first place?

We used some camouflage fabric from a hand-me-down shirt to create this cute mini-sling.  The soft, worn t-shirt material makes it comfortable and breathable.  Perfect fit for this little boy!

Of course, having a "bum arm" hasn't slowed him down any.  He's still on the go!

Speaking of my little Keagan, as you can see, he got a major haircut! While I miss his wispy locks, I love his short hair.  (I'm a little torn- I really loved his long hair! He looks so grown up now, which is cute, but... eep! What happened to my baby?)

A while back, we learned that human hair is great for keeping certain bugs from nibbling at your garden! So, after his haircut, he got to sprinkle the trimmings throughout our plant beds!  Talk about making the most of what you've got!

The first taste

Our gardens aren't producing much yet, but some of our tomato plants have finally brought forth the fruit of our labor! If you've never had a homegrown tomato.... you're really missing out!

Our hanging strawberry plant is having a tough time. Every single berry that buds ends up drying out.  Our weather has been quite strange- very hot and dry... and suddenly a cold blast (with no rain).  Our city water seems to damage our plants as well. It's all been an educational lesson, though.

We have two (out of about ten) squash plants that survived (so far). Something kept munching on them until I finally sprinkled hair clippings and baby powder around.  There were three, but I tried to transplant one and.... yeah... I killed it.

I'm just thankful God was gracious enough to at least allow us a taste of our produce. It's just so amazing to be able to pluck something from my own yard and eat it. I often wonder what it would have been like in Eden.  What will it be like when Christ comes to reign in the new earth?  Am I the only one who ponders food in this manner?

They've been anticipating this....

The kids have eagerly anticipated this day. We've saved containers to start our seedlings, and today, we were able to begin our little garden.



Brandon began by explaining how it worked. I'm not sure anyone was listening, since they couldn't wait to poke their sticky little hands into the dirt. 


Chip looks on as the group talks about seeds.


Merikalyn refills old water bottles for the project while Alexis, Nolyn, and Keagan check out all the different seeds.


Alexis uses a measuring cup to distribute the soil.  Later, we head/palm ourselves for using Miracle Gro. We've had the bag for a while and didn't think to purchase something organic. We still have many more seeds, so we'll be picking up a bag of something else.


Keagan loves getting a chance to dish out the dirt.





Tara and Nolyn watch on.  Slow going when everyone has to have a turn!


Evidence Mandy was there (snapping mobile photos, of course).



The kids have really been enjoying the outdoors.  They're excited about the future, and I'm glad we're taking the steps to get them involved.  I feel so connected to my ancestors when there are seeds in my hands and dirt under my fingernails.

It is my hope, when we finally do step foot on acreage that is our own, our children won't be completely shocked by the culture change.