How does your garden grow?

There are no silver bells in my garden, but it was my late Nana who sang that rhyme and passed her love for gardening to me. Thanks Nana.

Or perhaps it was that one time, some herby lady at an art show told my Mom (the woman that quite literally has killed a fake plant...I love you Mom!) that she was the one with the green thumb, and I wasn't. Perhaps my avid gardening is a way to prove to that lady that her "intuition" was wrong. Or perhaps she was right and I just have to work harder at the thing I love than if I was a natural green thumb. Perhaps I will never know.

What I do know is that as soon as I moved into this house with my husband, I planted plants. In. The. Ground. It was my way of establishing roots and it felt soo good. I had been carrying plants around with me in pots for years and they never seemed to make it - except for my precious jade.

I started a perennial butterfly garden 4 years ago and yes, it is "growing butterflies". In those years, I have learned that native and Florida friendly plants in the ground are my friend, and if they don't make it, they were not meant to be. Since my front garden is now surviving on it's own with little help from me, I decided to take on a new challenge and jump into vegetable gardening this year. By jump into, I mean, this is not one or two tomato plants! And by this year I mean, I have been talking about it, asking friends questions, and planning my attack in detail over the past year. To my own defense, I could not plant a thing last year due to our major renovation project and my poor butterfly garden had been horribly trampled and overgrown when we moved back in. Expanding into vegetable gardening drove me crazy so I planned, and planned, and pinned and pinned.

Into the veggie deep end we go!!!

I convinced my husband to build 4 of these raised beds. I was sure that it would be way too much space, but alas, I have easily over filled them.

He also shoveled the soil mix into the beds for me! Boy, was it a lot of soil. Thanks Hubby.

Just like grocery shopping, I advise you to go veggie plant shopping on a full tummy. I think I was hungry, because we got A. Lot. of veggies. 4 strawberries, thyme, oregano, 3 parsley. Tons of sweet Georgia onions, carrot seeds and asparagus (that's another story). 3 basil, 3 cherry tomatoes, 2 roma, 3 celebrity, 3 more basil, 4 green bell peppers, 2 red bell, white eggplant, purple eggplant and 3 cucumbers. Oh, I put pea seeds out too. Rosemary, mint, and lavender are mixed into the butterfly garden. If all these tomatoes actually show up, I am going to need to learn how to can.

This year I am determined to have sunflowers!! Every year something goes wrong while germinating, or planting, or watering or growing. This time, we sowed them straight into the soil, everywhere! All we can do now is water and hope.

Now, how did I do all this with a toddler you may ask.

We had lots for her to help with...

Measuring.

 Hammering.

Shoveling.

One shovel full plus one handful. 

Planting

Strawberries!! We must have strawberries!!

Dig Dig dig.

Sprinkle seeds, Sprinkle seeds. Sprinkle more seeds.  

Water water water.

Happy Gardening

Earth Day Book review

Spring has sprung and Earth Day (April 22) is just around the corner.  We have started reading a few of the many, very beautiful books from Barefoot Books. Stories about Mother Earth and living in harmony with the natural world. Here are a few of our favorites. You can find these wonderful books at Butterfly Book Nook.

My Mama Earth. (ages 1-7)

These gorgeous pages paint a picture of Mama Earth's touch on each day. It is a simple story of the magnificent aspects of nature. The lyrics are imaginative and rhythmic and the youngest tots on up to adults will enjoy reading and reciting. "My Mama wakes the eastern sun, and weaves her magic till the day's done"

Whole World (ages 3-7)
A book of the song you likely grew up singing. Again this book has beautiful high quality art on every page. My favorite part is that it alternated "He's got the whole world in His hands" with "She's got the whole world in Her hands"  There are eco-tips in this edition and a singalong CD too.

 

Earth Tales ages (5-11)

The seven folk tales illustrate how different cultures around the world set out to live in harmony with the natural world. These stories are reminiscent of ones that would be told throughout generations around a fire. The stories are beautifully written and elaborate for the older child, but a younger one would also enjoy being read to. Each of the tales is followed by a hands-on activity that promotes green living and reinforces the eco-messages of the stories. 

The Sun Mother - Australia
Why the Sky is Far away - Nigeria
She Who Is Alone - American Southwest
Grumpy Gecko- Bali
The Magic Garden - Kazakhstan
Amrita's Tree - India
Stink Water- Wales

My favorite excerpts from The Sun Mother.

The Great Spirit spoke again. "It is time you wake the Earth." The Sun Mother smiled a sunbeam smile, and the Earth was warmed.

...

 When the Sun Mother walked out into the world again, she was leading a kaleidoscope of butterflies behind her. The insects fluttered from bush to bush and the world was a dance of shimmering color.

...

"Look around you  - this is the place you belong to. All around you are your family: the land, the wind, and the waters, the plants and the animals. You are all part of the same spirit..."

If you are interested in these or other Barefoot Books please contact me via FB page Butterfly Book Nook or check out my marketplace with Barefoot Books

Happy Reading

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

 Let the Good Times Roll!

Carnival season starts after epiphany (the twelfth night after Christmas) and goes until Lent. Festivities don't usually get started until it gets closer to actual Mardi Gras day, but in our home we take the tree down and start listening to our favorite Zydeco music on Jan 7.

If you want to get into the Mardi Gras spirit too, check out the Putumayo New Orleans Playground. It is zydeco music geared towards kids. This album is in the main rotation for our Mardi Gras kids playlist. It has favorites such as Choo Choo Ch'Boogie, Second Line and Whole Lotta Lovin' and When the Saints Go Marching In - Big Band style. I'm Loving it.

Mardi Gras is a family affair for us. My husband is in a crew in south Alabama so we've been doing the Mobile festivities, parades and ball (my favorite part) for years. He actually has been involved long before I came around. But, with my love holidays, I was destined to celebrate. 

My First Ball - 2007

Wait wait wait! Did I just say Mobile, Alabama? But, I thought Mardi Gras was in New Orleans! 

That's right there is a Mardi Gras Celebration in New Orleans and it's known for being the wildest celebration around. There are many little towns from the Panhandle of Florida to Louisiana that have their own way of celebrating, with parades and such. But Mobile is the Original Mardi Gras! That's right. First.

In 1703 the tiny French colony of Mobile observed North America's first Mardi Gras.

In 1830 a group of men dawned rakes, hoes and cowbells and took to the streets with much noise rightfully calling themselves, The Cowbellion de Rakin society. Allthough they marched on New and not Fat Tuesday, they were a true antecedent of Mardi Gras in Mobile and the first mystic societies, which were later formed in the 1830s.

Later, in 1857, the Mobile members of the Cowbellian de Rakin Society traveled to New Orleans and assisted with the formation of the Mystic Krewe of Comus, to this day New Orleans' most prestigious Mardi Gras society. 

 

There was a pause in festivities in Mobile during the Civil War. 

On Fat Tuesday in 1866, Joseph Stillwell Cain set out to raise the spirits of Mobile. He donned Chickasaw Indian regalia, called himself "Chief Slacabormorinico," climbed aboard a decorated coal wagon pulled by a mule and held a one-float parade through the streets of Mobile. Mardi Gras with all its frivolity was reborn!

Cain founded many of the mystic societies and built a tradition of Mardi Gras parades. In fact, he is remembered each year on Joe Cain Day, which is the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. Known as "the people's day," Mardi Gras revelers decorate anything they can push, pull, or drag for the Joe Cain Procession and parade, which is as much fun to watch as it is to ride. 

(Most of this info is from here)

Lottie all dressed up - 2011

As I mentioned before, Mardi Gras is a family affair for us. The Mobile celebrations are a different breed then the wild ones you have heard about. I for one, have not seen boobies flashed for the sake of getting the most loot, but notice that it's the cute kids getting pummeled with stuffed animals, beads, binky things and Moonpies.With parade spectators usually only being one or two deep, its not hard to get away with more loot than you can carry anyway, sans booby flashing.

 Sunnin' my baby belly - 2009

 Do whatch'a wanna - 2008

Happy Mardi Gras