Shopping For The Garden

I can't remember the last time I went through the gardening area to look at something other than flowers.
I take care of that department ... and James takes care of the vegetable plants, etc.

However, we got a new Rural King recently & they have a delightful bunch of interesting plants!
I couldn't help but snap a few pictures of them -- such a wide variety.

A Citronella plant ... a Stevia plant ... how neat are these?

Cinnamon basil ... never knew there was such a thing.
There were maybe 5 or 6 different varieties of basil!
We bought the sweet basil plant.

And the lemon balm smelled perfectly lemony.

We went through smelling every other plant ;)

I could've gone on & on snapping pics of plants I'd never seen before.
By the time we were done, we were wishing our garden was a bit bigger.

We made our purchases & put them in the raised bed garden as soon as we got home.
(Gunnar built it two years ago -- take a look at it if you haven't before.)

Here's the little sweet basil.
It's ganna be delicious in something Italian.

All done.
We've got it chock full ... maybe too full.
Along the back side of the bed, we planted our tomato plants in containers
& we planted a couple cucumber plants under the tree.
That was an experiment, so we'll see how it goes.

You can see the bunch of chives in the above pic.

We planted those two years ago.

I cut off a whole mess of those & soaked them in a bowl of ice water to clean them.

I let them dry on a kitchen towel, chopped them a bit finer & bagged them up ...

one for us & one each for our married children.

We've been enjoying these chives in salads & potato dishes.

 

And this lovely bouquet of flowers, well, these are from the chives too!
The lavender blooms are actually edible too, but we never have.

And lastly, this adorable bunch of flowers are been sitting in my window sill too, waiting to be planted.

These were a gift from my sweet young friend, Hannah, as a Mother's Day prize.

Aren't they so fun?

We are looking forward to all our vegetable plants taking off ... and it'll be good eating soon.

Nothing like fresh, homegrown garden food.

All the flowers in the front garden, along with the pots & containers in the back have been planted too.

I'll show you those tomorrow.

Take care, sweet friends~

Who doesn't love a good party?!
You can find me here linking up with these great blogs.
Monday           Amaze Me Monday  The Dedicated House
                     I Should Be Mopping the Floor     The Hankful House     The Modest Mom
Tuesday        A Delightsome Life    A Bowl Full of Lemons   So Much At Home
                                    Titus Tuesday  A Stroll Through Life
Wednesday   Raising Homemakers        Savvy Southern Style      
                              The Thrifty Home   A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Thursday    Between Naps on the Porch    Katherines Corner   Lamberts Lately
Friday      Rooted in Thyme  The Thrifty Groove   Farm Blog Hop  Best of the Nest
                                French Country Cottage  The Girl Creative
Sunday    Nifty Thrifty Things  Sew Many Ways

Hello sweet blog friends.

I've really missed you.

Whew ... where, oh where do I start?

As much as I have wanted to share all that's been going on with you here in Bloglandia,
I also didn't want to share.
I wanted to hold in it,
keep it to myself,
cherish it for a while.

Ever felt that way?

My emotions have been so all-over-the-place that putting them into words seemed like an impossibility.

Quite frankly, it seemed wrong to even try.
I knew I wasn't able to find the right words, the precise expressions to fully convey
the magnitude of what my heart was experiencing.

I guess to sum it up, my mind has been stretched to it's limit, my heart full to overflowing.
And so, as not to do it a grand injustice, I kept it all to myself ...
replaying all the sweet memories over & over in my mind.

I've also been processing ... letting my mind settle a bit after a wild whirlwind of a summer & fall.

Annnd... a task that could be avoided no longer,
I've been bringing some much needed order to this house that's been neglected for a while!
I'll tell you all about that later.
Weddings are much more fun to talk about ;)

So, just in case you missed it, our twins sons got married within 3 weeks of each other!
I got my first daughter-n-law on September 20 ... and the second one on October 12.
They are both some kind of wonderful <3
Each wedding was perfect.
I can't wait to show you how gorgeous they were as soon as the pictures are back.
Here are a few snapshots for a preview.

Handsome Gunnar & Gorgeous Abigail~

Handsome Garrett & Beautiful Carissa~

The four newlyweds!

So yes, quite a whirlwind.
Seriously?
Having one child to marry is a big enough deal ... but two so close together?
Yes, it was a very big deal!

In addition to that, both boys bought their first homes within a few weeks of each other!
We are SO proud of that accomplishment!
All the saving ... and saving ... and saving paid off!!

It was pretty neat for Garrett to be the realtor for both his & Gunnar's home.

From August 22 until the second week of October, we found ourselves helping both boys,
all of us working tirelessly remodeling two houses.
Both purchased very nice homes, but they wanted to do some updating to prepare them for their brides.
{Again, so many, many details I could've shared along the way,
but I guess they just weren't meant for the blogosphere.
It's hard to be working from sun up to sun down & blog all at the same time!}

Garrett & Gunnar at work on Garrett's house ... doing what the Penningtons do well:  flooring.
Garrett put in a gorgeous terrazzo floor.

Gunnar chose & installed a ceramic tile that looks like hardwoods ... super cool.

He also gutted the bathroom & installed lapboard.
{Matt was such a huge help & we could never thank him enough!}
I gave it a whitewashed paint treatment & it turned into the cutest cottage-y bathroom ever.

There were countless friends & family that pitched in to help ... & at the end of all the work,
both houses looked & felt like brand new!
We are so grateful for the blessings God has bestowed & we take none of them for granted.
Maybe I can share more of the before & after pics someday.
Course, the special touches from my sweet daughters-n-law have made the houses into 'homes'
& we are so proud of them.

God has been & continues to be SO good.
His faithfulness is sure ... and applies to every aspect of our life.
He continually demonstrates that.

I was sure that my heart would never recover from missing our boys so much.

I was certain that the transition from what has been for almost 20 years
to what is now would be nearly impossible for this momma's heart.

I was so afraid of the new & filled with questions .

And the only reason I have not been overtaken through all this is that I was PRAYERFUL!
James and I were saturating ourselves & each other with prayer.
That was the key.

And why is it that we are still sometimes surprised when God answers?

That is precisely what God has done ... He has heard & answered our prayers.
We are transitioning just fine.
We don't feel a gaping hole of hurt, sadness, & emptiness.
Yes, we miss them terribly.
Yes, there have been tears ... plenty.
There are days that I ache to just hear their voice or see them walk through the door.
I miss them at the table each evening, eating together & sharing about our day.
But I remember that James & I did our part, our job as parents.
With the help of the Lord, we trained them to manhood & prepared them to establish their own dominion.
I also reflect back on how I felt when we got married ... how excited we were to begin our new life together.
When I take control of my thoughts, it snaps me out of that selfish, only-thinking-about-me mode
that can so easily take me over.

James & I are also enjoying this one-on-one time with our last boy at home, Mr. Riley.
He turned 17 in the midst of all this activity!
He's been shopping for his first vehicle for a few months now, determined to find just what he wants.
He worked full-time for JL all summer & is now working part-time while he finishes his senior year.
{He's misses his brothers around the house too, btw.}
Isn't he so handsome?!

So... to sum it all up, I wish I could've documented every detail here on the blog,
but I think it's probably just how it needed to be.
I have a heart full of moments & memories that I'll treasure for a lifetime.

I've experienced lots of new things, shed many tears, & learned valuable lessons about myself & others.
I've looked on with a proud heart at the man God gave me & the 3 sons we created together.
We've shared in two of the most important days of their lives.
Our family has grown as we've welcomed two of the loveliest young ladies on the planet.
And we anticipate God's provision, blessing, & faithfulness in the years to come.
Isn't He so amazing?

Thanks a bunch for listening to my heart.

I'll now resume the regularly scheduled postings about decorating & yummy food ;)

Who doesn't love a good party?!
You can find me here linking up with these great blogs.
Monday          C.R.A.F.T      The Dedicated House  I Should Be Mopping the Floor
                  Between Naps on the Porch  The Modest Mom
Tuesday     A Delightsome Life   A Bowl Full of Lemons    Titus Tuesday      A Stroll Through Life
Wednesday   Raising Homemakers        Savvy Southern Style         Adorned From Above
                    The Thrifty Home   A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Thursday    Between Naps on the Porch   Serving Joyfully     Lamberts Lately
Friday      Rooted in Thyme  The Thrifty Groove   Farm Blog Hop  Best of the Nest
               French Country Cottage  The Girl Creative
Sunday    Nifty Thrifty Things    Suburbsmama    Sew Many Ways

A Valentine's Proposal!

February IS the LUV month, after all ... so Gunnar decided to take full advantage of it
& he PROPOSED TO ABIGAIL!

They've been sweethearts for 4 years & very long distant, at that.
{She lives in OK}

Through much planning & prayer {& our blessing -- & the blessing of her dad}, he popped the question.

After breakfast with her family & his two brothers, Gunnar told Abigail that they would have morning
devotions together, just the two of them.
He read from his Bible first, then asked her to read a portion from hers ...
the Bible he bought for her a while back.

When she opened up her Bible & turned to the passage, here is what she found:

At the top, he wrote:  WILL YOU MARRY ME, along with the date 2-14-14.
The scripture passage he chose to highlight was Matthew 19:4-6.

"He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning 
made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother 
and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh, so they are no longer two 
but one flesh.  What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Course, the ring was tied to the ribbon marker.

Isn't this just the perfect proposal?

 

We couldn't be happier for them.
She will make a wonderful wife to Gunnar & we are happy to welcome her to our family come fall.

Our prayer is that she will enjoy all the wedding planning festivities over the next several months
& will have the wedding of her dreams.

{Got some more excited news -- just running a bit behind in sharing it with y'all!}

Let us take a look at Lettuce~

Gunnar's raised bed garden is coming right along.
Thought I'd give you a picture update.

Isn't it beautiful?
I love the blackness of the dirt against the vibrance of the green.

Gunnar has been growing little starter plants, various peppers & tomato in his window sill
& just planted those too ... they are just a bit small to see in this pic.

It's about time for a salad, don't ya think ... & a green onion or two?

Just one minute while I stir up a bowl of homemade ranch dressing.
You're looking pretty good there, lettuce.

This delicate dill just might make that ranch dressing a little tastier.

Remember how I told you about the cilantro making its grand appearance in the salsa?
Completely stole the show.

And last but not least, these chives are about to perk up some garlic mashed potatoes.
Ah yea, we are loving Gunnar's little raised bed garden.

It may be little garden, but we're grateful for it.
Nothing like walking out the back door & clip off some fresh herbs or tasty veggies.





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monday         Make It Yourself Monday        The Better Mom       C.R.A.F.T     Sunny Simply Life
Tuesday    Domestically Divine     A Bowl Full of Lemons    Titus Tuesday      A Stroll Through Life
Wednesday   Raising Homemakers        Savvy Southern Style         Adorned From Above
                   Women Living Well    Southern Lovely     The Thrifty Home
Friday    Happy-Go-Lucky     The Thrifty Groove      Farm Blog Hop
Sunday  Suburbsmama    Sew Many Ways

Cilantro from the Garden

Oh, sweet friends in blog land ... oh, how I wish you could SMELL this fresh cilantro!!
I'm tellin' ya, the only way to describe how great this smells is to imagine the smell
of store-bought cilantro & then times it by a hundred!
Ok, that may be a slight exaggeration, but not much.
It smells crazy good.
For a girl who's a big cilantro fan, I'm loving it.

But since you cannot smell this, we'll have to just settle for admiring it's beauty, shall we?
It's such a vibrant green ... & it smells so good it's tender leaves are so pretty.

This is the first thing picked from Gunnar's raised bed garden & I'm quite excited!
By the end of the summer, after enjoying the 'fruits' of his labor,
we'll all be thanking Gunnar for having the vision & taking the time to build this!

For tonight, this fresh cilantro is the superstar of our favorite homemade salsa.
It's going alongside tacos.
Fiesta time a la casa de Pennington!

Now, just in case you haven't tried your hand at making homemade salsa,
here's the link to our favorite recipe.
It's very easy & authentic tasting, so you've got no excuses.


Until next time,






  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monday         Make It Yourself Monday        The Better Mom       C.R.A.F.T     Sunny Simply Life
Tuesday    Domestically Divine     A Bowl Full of Lemons    Titus Tuesday      A Stroll Through Life
Wednesday   Raising Homemakers        Savvy Southern Style         Adorned From Above
                   Women Living Well    Southern Lovely     The Thrifty Home
Friday    Happy-Go-Lucky     The Thrifty Groove      Farm Blog Hop
Sunday  Suburbsmama    Sew Many Ways

Gunnar's Raised Bed Garden

Tell me Mr. Gunnar ... how does your garden grow?

 

From the looks of it, it's ganna grow just fine ... just fine indeed.

Meet new gardener, Gunnar~

 

He decided, on a whim, to build a raised bed garden.
It was a warm evening a couple weeks ago & we'd just finished supper.
He announced that since it was nice out & he had some free time that evening
that he was going to run to Lowe's & pick up the supplies to build a raised bed.

We've talked back & forth, as long as we've ever lived in this house, how we miss our garden.
Fortunately, we've been blessed to have one in every home we've lived in til this house.
James & the boys have even planted a garden at various properties, but it's hard
to keep up on those when you have to drive a ways to get to the garden.
It's just not as convenient as having one in your own backyard.
Garrett planted on last year at a church property & we enjoyed the harvest all summer long.
However, they didn't offer the space for planting this year.

While we were happy & on board with the whole project, 
James & I didn't think Gunnar would have enough time that evening to plan, 
measure, drive to Lowe's to get the supplies, & build the bed, all in a couple hours time.
But that's precisely what he did!
He showed us ;)
Course, it was perfect timing that his friend, Eric showed up just as he got home 
with the wood.

And in no time at all, here's what they built!
{I forgot to snap a pic before it was filled with dirt.}

The next evening, Gunnar called up Grandpa Alexander & off they went to haul in dirt.
Then, to the fun part ... planting!

With Grandpa's advice on what to plant when, he started a variety of lettuce, 
cilantro, dill, & green onions.

In a few weeks, he'll plant the tomatoes & pepper plants ... & whatever else he decides.

We are so proud of Gunnar building this little raised bed garden.
He is quite excited to be able to go out the backdoor & pick the produce that he grew himself.
Can't get much more fresh than that!

As for me, well, I'm watching my boys turn into men right before my own eyes.

He planned & carried out this whole project on his own. 

I am so grateful for the blessing they are to our family. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monday    The Hankful House     Make It Yourself Monday        The Better Mom
Tuesday    Domestically Divine     A Bowl Full of Lemons    Titus Tuesday      A Stroll Through Life
Wednesday   Raising Homemakers        Savvy Southern Style         Adorned From Above
                   Women Living Well    Southern Lovely     The Thrifty Home
Friday    Happy-Go-Lucky     The Thrifty Groove      Farm Blog Hop
Sunday  Suburbsmama    Sew Many Ways