Yay for Tuesday! I'm off on a first grade field trip today for M, and we're headed to a local botanical garden. I am so ready to be surrounded by buds, blooms, and butterflies, as well as very energetic seven-year olds. I always get itchy to return to the classroom when I get these sorts of opportunities, but my fortunate role on this journey is just to be a proud momma. I love that.

The kiddos, hubby, and I were up to some more garden goodness this weekend. We hit nursery #2 for thyme, dill, and some wonderful fragrant honeysuckle.

I also found seventy-two (72!!) different varieties of succulents, and I've been dying to have some of these beauties in our home. Each species was more intricate and amazing than the next. I forced myself to decide upon just two, and these little hen and chicks found their way home with us.

Add to this two neon bottles of paint that I just had the urge to pick up last time I was at Michael's and here we are with some terracotta neon goodness. The kids and I had fun painting shapes of neon to our pots.

I'm still not sure how I feel about neon making a comeback. I was really into the trend in the mid 80's, and I might have worn out my lifetime allotment of hot pink in middle school.

BUT, neon combined with the natural, I find that kind of intriguing. A happy juxtaposition.

These smiling circles are made with stampers and pencil eraser tops. Terracotta just drinks up the paint so I did apply a second coat to make sure that the neon remained bright. Here you see the dampness of the soil has already added a level of saturation to the colors.

These succulents now adorn our deck, but I think I might even steal them away for a sunny spot in the kitchen.

And best part of these beauties? They are basically indestructible. Perfect.

Have you been adding any neon to your life? Or featured some everlasting succulents in a special spot? Say more, please.

Thanks for stopping over! I have another crafty project I'm super excited to share with you tomorrow. I hope you'll join me again...it's always lovely to have you here. Thank you.

XOXO,

MJ

I adore dirt. Deep, rich, perma-brown soil. The potential for life within that faceted color - amazing. My kids laugh every time we pass the farms around us (yay Midwest!), and I point out -  again  - how gorgeous the newly plowed brown dirt is. 

Six Mother's Days ago, when the celebration of mom was a bit different than this year, my hubby created four happy green spaces for me. They all look just like this and frame in our back deck. The paving stones, four rows high, have served as balance beams and butterfly perches for many years now.

I guess I should start off by telling you that I married a green thumb, well, and the rest of him, too, but I was lucky to have a built-in, intuitive gardener right from the start of our relationship. It began with the hanging baskets he nurtured and pruned (and romanced me with) and now flourishes with a full vegetable garden, luscious lawn, flowers galore, and assistance with these four lovely crescents.

My herb garden is open for smells, plucks, and harvesting any time of year. Oh, and you're welcome to come weed and fertilize, too, before I need to plant our latest crop. I wanted my garden to be near our deck and low to the ground for the kids to climb into and be immersed in the cascading smells of herbs. It's our sensory garden.

On Saturday we took the fam to this gigantic place to select the first round of garden goodies. My hubby and I can be dangerous in a nursery, and we can pretty much talk each other into any strange plant that catches our fancy.

Chocolate peppers. Check.
Cantaloupe (in a Midwestern May?). Check.
White heirloom tomatoes. Check.
Marjoram. Check.

We typically make 4-5 runs to all of our local garden haunts before planting season is over.

I'll admit that many harvests have come and gone without me chopping and creating with my herbs. I don't can or dry or even cook with many of the plants I grow, but I'm okay with that...

Many of them I leave just for L to come by and pick off the tiny lavender flower buds ("dis for you, Mommy"), and C to uproot the scallions and take a deep whiff of the savory, and M to perfect her cutting skills with my herb scissors.

Because this is our garden really, not mine. Just as I always wanted it to be. It's for me and them, and when we're all ready, we'll figure out what concoction we want to create from the rosemary and lavender we love to pluck off in pairings. And that garlic clove will be just as appealing roasted as it is to hold in small hands and observe.

Pars Caeli Sensory Garden for 2012: 

Lavender, chives, rosemary, and oregano (still growing strong from last year)
Sweet Italian basil
Lemon sage

Yet to be purchased in the next rounds at the nursery:

Thyme (who doesn't want more time?)
Cilantro
Dill or mint (these must be contained)

Are you a gardener? Try your hand at herbs? If you have a hankering, plant a small pot of basil and just let it sit with you when you lounge outside. Smells from Heaven.

Thanks for stopping over. I'd love to hear how your garden grows.

XOXO,
MJ