Jolly Grove Garden- Sod Removal

I must tell you! Things are happening at the Jolly Grove Community Garden. We knew going in that this garden had some remarkable connections as it is a collaboration of the Land Bank, South Lansing Community Development Association(SLCDA) and the Garden Project. Recently, we acquired yet another corporate association as Comcast has chosen the Jolly Grove Garden as a recipient for their Comcast Cares Day. This means that we will be holding a workday sponsored by Comcast where things are truly going to come together and make this plot of land into a garden.
In order for the site to be ready for the workday we had to lay out the plots and remove the sod. With the BEAUTIFUL weather the leadership of the garden decided to act fast while the ground was ready. Here is what got done on April 1st.
Here is the site first thing in the morning.

Some picked up trash.

Some picked up sticks.

While others measured out the plots.

Then with the land prepped, we used the sod cutter to remove the sod.

Here is the boy rolling the sod.

Mounds and mounds of sod. By 3:00 we were finished and all plots were defined and the sod was removed and rolled.

The crazy crew feeling victorious! 8D

It was a wonderful day, with much being accomplished.

Now, we are looking forward to April 24th; the Comcast Cares Day. Where we will install the fence posts, fence, build a shed and benches, put up the sign and perhaps even plant some flowers. Woohoo!

Highlights of Meijer Garden 2010

With the butterflies flying at Meijer Garden we joined our homeschool co-op on a visit.
I must say the diversity of the plants and flowers there is amazing. I must also state that the following pictures were taken by my mother, who did a fabulous job. Thanks mom!

Cactus

Pitcher Plants

My beautiful butterflies.

Butterflies all around in the aviary.

How many butterflies can you find on this one plant?

Don't forget to look for the birds...here is a blue one, an orange one and a yellow one.

Jailed? Not really, they are enjoying the kids gate of the Children's Garden.

Butterfly dress-up.

Archeological dig.

When we did our sculpture study back in January we studied Marshall Fredrick. After reading, The Outdoor Museum: The Magic of Michigan's Marshall M. Fredericks, we fell in love with his work. We even visited his museum. So we were delighted to revisit so many of his sculptures at Meijer Garden.
Here is the Leaping Gazelle...

Which is actually a fountain.

More Marshall Fredrick.

Red-Tailed Hawk looking for lunch.

Davinci's Horse...we were highly anticipating this sculpture after reading Leonardo's Horse by Jean Fritz

I absolutely LOVE the expression of the grandfathers face.

What kind of bird do you think might hatch from these?

Strike a pose.


Hope you enjoyed our trip to Meijer Garden as much as we did.

Face to Face With a Butterfly

The butterflies are back at MSU gardens.
The thing I love about the butterflies at MSU besides the fact that it is free, is you can get up close and personal.
My boy face to face with a Zebra butterfly.

You can hold them just remember to never touch their wings.

It's best to dip your fingers in sugar water and hold your finger in front of them. They will climb on and you will get a close look at your favorite butterfly.

Chrysalis await to emerge and newly emerged butterflies dry their wings. In a few more weeks you will be able to see all 4 stages of a butterfly as eggs are laid and caterpillars can be found on some of the plants.

While there we always go on a hunt for tree frogs. Hint look on the cement wall and the large tree by the pond.

Next we head out to play in the Children's Garden. While there are not many plants in bloom, there is still plenty to do.

Yesterday we had perfect sunshine for testing out the sundial.
4:20pm


If you haven't been, I highly recommend the MSU Children's Garden and Butterfly House!
Don't forget there are parking fees during the week. Not sure about the weekends this year.

I Am Carrying On a Great Project and I Can Not Come Down!

One day last summer a couple of girls rode their bikes past our home. They stopped to chat with us.
The next day they came back. An hour later we had 10 kids in our back yard.
The next day we had 12. Upon finding out that we homeschool some asked if I would teach them during the Summer. I agreed.
Nearly everyday for the remainder of the Summer I had kids coming over. Most would do some sort of school. Some wanted to do Spelling, while others wanted challenges in Math. Others wanted to play basketball or skate. What they really wanted? Someone who cared about them. A safe place to play without worry. A snack and a friend.
So our family became the caring face and listening ear. Our home and yard became the safe place; we played basketball, let them ride our skates and our bikes. We would dish out snacks and we definitely made friends.
One girl in particular would stop by nearly every day. Before long I noticed a spark about her. I knew she had faith. One day the Holy Spirit nudged me to ask her what she prayed for. So I did. I will always remember her answer.
"I pray that my friends and I will be safe!"
I knew God had called me to open my home to these kids and I now I knew why. Our home, our family was a direct answer to her prayers.
Fall came. Kids went back to school. Temperatures dropped and the kids came around less and less.
All except Taylor!

She would come over every now and then. We had tea parties, played school and board games. Before long she was joining us on trips to the YMCA. So we helped her get a scholarship so that she could come with us every time. Eventually pretty much everywhere we went Taylor came too. And then Chi.
Chi started coming over with Taylor and we loved on her as well. Sharing meals, conversations, games, trips to the Y; life.

They have joined us on skiing trips, trips to the animal farms, parks, the circus and the Youth Gardening Conference.

Here is a picture of Taylor getting over her fear of snakes at Nature Discoveries Go Wild weekend.

These girls have become more than my neighbors, they are my adopted daughters.

I am carrying on a great project and it is this; TO LOVE MY FAMILY AND TRAIN THEM UP TO BE FULLY FUNCTIONING CITIZENS! AND TO LOVE MY NEIGHBORS! FEEDING THEM, LOVING THEM, TEACHING THEM, NURTURING THEM AND ACCEPTING THEM AS THEY ARE AS IF THEY WERE MY OWN.
I am carrying on a great project and I can not come down!
My desire for this year is to involve my new family in something productive and rewarding. So we will be starting a youth community garden a couple of blocks away from my house. Together we will dig up the earth, plant seeds, weed and water. We will see the fruits of our labor. I will pour into them in every way possible. I hope to teach them more than how a plant grows. I hope to show them how they too can grow into productive people. I hope to show them that they will be known by their actions as either good fruit or bad, the choice is theirs. I hope to see them succeed both in gardening and in life. The teacher in me hopes they will learn great things. The mother in me hopes they will know they are loved. The neighbor in me hopes we can be a positive light to our community.

Today in church I learned that Nehemiah was in the midst of rebuilding the wall, doing a great work that God called him to do, while others tried to call him away from the work. His response every time was, "I am carrying on a great project and cannot go(come) down." He kept to the work God called him to do and did not let the opposition steer him away.

I take from that this; I will not be called away from my calling to care for these kids. Be it two or twenty. Even when I get crazy looks and glances when I arrive somewhere with my "Gaggle of children." Even when I struggle to transport them to the various things we may do. Even when life happens and they go through hard times, especially then. Even when my garage door gets beat up from skates banging into it. Even when the pantry is thin. Even if our vegetables refuse to grow or the labor is hard.
Even then... I am carrying on a great project and I can not come down!

Casulties of Winter; Spoils of Winter

Monday, March 8th, 2010
The weather outside was sunny and 50 degrees. Whenever the temperatures begin to rise the bees once again become active. I decided to head out to the hive and see how things were going. When I got there I found dead bees on the ledge and no activity. So I took a screwdriver and brushed away the dead bees trying to create an opening for the bees to fly in and out. Except they was no activity. Nothing!
Opening up the hive, my suspicion were confirmed the bees DID NOT SURVIVE the Winter.

THOUSANDS DEAD! Casualties of Winter...

Here is the bottom of the hive were you can see layers of dead bees.

Since the bees were gone, we got to take the spoils. We told them in the Fall; Use it or lose it!
They did not use it all so we brought the hive boxes inside to extract the honey.

Here is a full frame of honey.

With a heated knife we scrapped of the wax cappings.

Then placed them in the extractor. Spin spin spin...

Once extracted we poured the honey off into a strainer.

The strainer bulging with honey.

Honey bears waiting to be filled.

The whole family took turns filling the bears and jars.

Honey anyone?

15 little honey bears all in a row. This here is about 10lbs of honey.

In all we got about 23lbs of...Sweet liquid GOLD!

Yummy, yummy honey!

Tween Trust

In a state much like Michigan, in a city much like Lansing in a car much like my own, a conversation took place between a woman and a tween. While the details of this conversation will remain confidential, the woman in this situation felt there was much to be said on the matter.
You see it boiled down to broken trust. And while trust had not been broken with the woman, she feared that trust was being broken in other relationships of this dear tween.
So here is the advice the woman shared with the tween:
Communicate with you parents. Speak truth to them. Even if you feel that you will disappoint them or be disciplined it is easier to come clean than to break trust. For once trust is broken it is a very hard thing to regain.
In regards to this tween who is highly trusted, the woman reminded her of all her privileges. Weekly trips to the skating rink, money for a variety of activities, roaming of the neighborhood to play with whomever the tween chose, a trust that she is where she says she is and because this is so she is allowed to do so.
The moment trust is broken all of this changes! The moment a parent finds out they have been lied to or blatantly disobeyed it all changes! They will question every request you make. They will follow-up on every place you say you will go. They will refuse you certain privileges and activities not knowing who will be there and whether or not they can trust you to make the best decisions.
TRUST IS A PRECIOUS THING MY FRIENDS...DON'T LET IT BE BROKEN.

Our Intro to Community Gardens

As a child I hated vegetables. I know hate is a strong word but when it came to vegetables it adequately communicated how I felt about them. With the exception of carrots, corn and ketchup I fought every bite my parents forced me to take.
As an adult I was a vegetarian for 2 years; exploring all types and varieties of vegetables. Slowly over time I learned to love them. Even my childhood nemesis, green beans!
At this stage in my life it appears I am entering yet a new level with the green earth and that which it produces. I, my friends, will be involved this year in a community garden.
Last month I got word of a meeting for those interested in starting a community garden on the Southside. After seeing the Hunter Park garden and all the positive stuff happening on that side of town, I was definitely interested so I attended.
I was encourage, inspired and über excited!
I began seeing this as a way for my neighborhood kids to get outdoors. Learn about nature. Take pride in growing their own food. Having a safe place to hang out and do something productive. I began to dream.
The kids and I attended the Youth Gardening Conference where we gained an immense amount of information. Two of my adopted neighborhood kids came along too. We were all hooked and definitely wanted to do this community garden thing ourselves.

Tomorrow is another planning meeting for the Southside community garden which will be located at the corner of Jolly and Pleasent Grove across from the firestation. If you find yourselves in this area and our interested in joining our efforts and vision casting yourself, JOIN US! Let's make a positive change in our neighborhoods.

Community Garden Interest Meeting Saturday, March 6, 1-2:30 p.m., Lansing Fire Dept. Station #6 Community Room (5135 Pleasant Grove Road)

For those in the greater Lansing area, call the Garden Project to find a garden near you. Literally 20-40 gardens are in the works in and around Lansing. Chances are there is one near you!
To contact the Garden Project you can email gardenproject@ingham.org or call anytime! (517) 887-4660

How about you? Are you involved in home or community gardens? I would love to hear what you are doing.

Saturday Afternoon Skiing

Inspired by the Olympics we decided to try out Cross Country Skiing at Birchfield Park.
We suited up, rented skis and hit the trail.

The boy was a natural. Easily finding his rhythm and conquering the hills.


Little girl found her balance and plugged away. The first challenge we had was "Duck Walking" up our first hill. Which she did. She even made it down rather well.


My sweet 'adopted' daughters joined us as well. The first 15 minutes or so were rough but by the middle of the course we were all staying on our feet.


Our clan...I propped the camera on a post and scooted over to get in the picture.


It was a beautiful sunny day to hit the snowy trails.


Victory! We made it.


We totally enjoyed it and will be doing it again soon.

My American Idol Top 12 Picks

The Ladies
1 Crystal Bowersox
2 Didi Benami
3 Katie Stevens
4 Katelyn Epperly
5 Lily Scott
6 Siobhan Magnus

The Guys
1 Casey James
2 Andrew Garcia
3 Big Mike Lynch
4 Alex Lambert
5 Todrick Hall
6 Lee DeWyze

Something Beautiful

It was a day like any other. It was a night I never wish to forget.
Every other Monday our family joins together with others for small group. A time of encouraging one another in faith, teaching, prayer and fellowship. Still in it's formative stage, we have decided to do a study called, Faith Begins at Home by Mark Holmen. I highly recommend it as it is an excellent read but more importantly, it is changing our home.
Upon returning home from small group it could have been like any other night. The Olympics were on and I could have easily settled myself in front of the TV, cheering on Team USA. My husband had another plan. A challenge.
It went like this. He challenged the kids to find every bible in the house that they could find. For the next ten minutes we searched every room, pulling bibles off of book shelves, head boards, out of desks, and bins. Then we gathered in the living room with all that we had discovered. What happened next will be a cherished moment for the rest of my life!
He asked the kids to tell where they had found each bible, who it belonged to and the last time it was read. WOW! They varied in their locations found, in whom they belonged to and the last time they were read. One had been opened that day, another a week past, but more likely months and some well over a year. Then my dear husband, whom I was falling more and more in love with as this evening past, asked each kid to share 3 stories they knew from the bible. Daniel and the Lion's Den, David and Goliath, Noah's Ark, Isaac's Blessing and Jesus Walking on the Water. Then mom and dad shared the stories that came to our minds. And for 30 minutes plus as a family we shared. Remember the time...Jesus turned water into wine, the fisherman cast their nets and Jesus told them to throw it on the other side....AND when they did there were A TON of fish. or the time that Jesus took the little boy's bread and fish...how many was it...2 and 5 ...2 fish and 5 bread??? On and on the stories poured out from the hearts of my family members. Twinkling eyes as details we told. Love overflowing. Reacquainted with old friends in the Word. It truly was something beautiful.
As the night came to an end my husband issued his next challenge, find stories in the Bible they wanted to know more about; Jonah and the Whale...do you want to imagine what it was like living inside the whale? What would it have felt like, smelled like, looked like? What does the Bible say?
With full hearts the kids were sent to bed.
The next morning...My son woke up and the first thing he did bless his heart was grab his Bible. Opening it to Genesis 1:1, he began to read. He read and read until I pried him away to eat some breakfast. As soon as he was finished eating, he went back to his chair, picked the Bible back up and continued on. School time came and he looked at me with hungry eyes, "Mom, can I still read my Bible?" My heart melted and any Math lesson that could have been on the days schedule was suddenly insignificant. Suddenly I found myself in that moment that I have always prayed for. I ditched the seat work and made a deal; as long as he was reading the Bible he did not have to do any seat work for the day. At any time he could stop reading, it was up to him. He chose to read. My reluctant reader CHOSE to read! For over 3 hours the boy read. Making his way through Genesis, creation, Adam and Eve, the fall of man, Cain and Abel, the genealogy to Noah, the Flood, the covenant of the rainbow and the son's of Noah. He read 10 complete chapters. Calling out excitedly during different parts of his reading. "MOM, did you know Adam lived to be 930 YEARS OLD!" Me thinking that maybe I could slip a little bit of math into his morning called back, "Can you even count by 10's to 930?" He can and he did remarking, "THAT'S OLD!"
Long ago it used to be that a child was taught to read for one reason and one reason alone, so that they may be able to read for themselves the Word of God. It used to be that the only book a family owned was the family Bible. Now it seems to be a book of many, hidden away on a shelf or lost under a layer of dust. May it never again be true for this house.
I went to a homeschool conference just a few weeks ago and during it I was reminded, all that we need to know can be found in the Bible. Reading, Math, Science, Geology, History, Geography, Family Relations, Sex Ed, Health, Genealogy, Manners, Morals...the list is long. If we accomplish nothing else this school year I will be content in this. My son has found a love for the Word of God and this is yet again something beautiful!

Finding My Voice

It seems for so long I have been silent. When I speak it is in short snippets on a facebook status.
I feel like I have been on a train ride headed towards some wonderful destination but never quite reaching it. At each stop along the way giving a quick update and then getting back on the train to ride through life.

It's not that the last few months have been bad. It's not that I have not had things to say. It's more that I lost my passion. I lost my focus. I lost my voice.

I have to say that right now, this week, this day, this moment, God is doing a miraculous work in my heart, in my life and my home. I think I am finding my voice.

Watch out blogosphere....I do believe I'm back!