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A few weeks ago John and I celebrated our 12 year wedding anniversary in our garden. It was a change of scenery compared to our anniversary celebrations in the past where we’ve usually travelled somewhere or made dinner reservations out at a special restaurant – (Darn you Covid!). But it was a beautiful night nonetheless and just as special celebrating at home. We enjoyed a delicious meal John cooked – one of our favorite dishes, Rack of Lamb with Risotto. He’s perfected his recipe over the years and I always look forward to him cooking it for us!

A CASUAL SUMMER TABLESCAPE

To create an elegant and effortless table, I set out a white linen tablecloth, white linen napkins, and cotton placemats.  I put out yellow dahlias I picked from the garden with pink anniversary peonies from John in a ceramic vase for a relaxed, summery look. Tapered gold candlesticks completed the table.

FLOWERS

I clipped these gorgeous dahlias from my garden that morning and mixed them with these lovely pink peonies John gave me. Photos don’t do justice for how these flowers pair so well together for a stunning bouquet. Peonies were our wedding flowers 12 years ago, so I love that I get to enjoy these special flowers every year during this season.

SUMMER DRESS

Since Covid started and with businesses being closed, we hadn’t had a reason to get dressed up and go out, but we liked the idea of getting dressed up for a special dinner at home to celebrate our anniversary. I wore a dress by Callahan in Rust. I wanted to wear something comfortable, still dressy and look romantic and this wrap style dress fit the occasion. For shoes, I wore my favorite white Sam Edelman block heel sandals.

Although we do miss dining out at restaurants, making our everyday surroundings at home elevated with little touches is just as special.

Happy Anniversary John! I love doing life with you. Hopefully we’ll get to travel again and celebrate somewhere afar next year.

June 21, 2008; San Juan Island WA

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Seemingly overnight, our way of life has changed, and a lot of us have been feeling anxious for ourselves, our loved ones, and the future. When businesses, schools, and workplaces closed in March, I found myself retreating to the garden for comfort and to observe some of my early blooming flowers. These early spring flowers that surrounded me brought me comfort and peace. It was only a matter of days when the trees would start filling in and the weather would start warming up so I could get my hands in the dirt again to dig and plant.

Wisteria March 18-25, 2020

There has never been a better time to grow your own food and cultivate a garden. Looking at this pandemic through the lense of gratitude, I am grateful that this pandemic started/is happening in the spring.

Looking back in March, when grocery stores started experiencing shortages in supplies and food, it was understandable that some folks would start putting two and two together. Even if you have a healthy supply of food now, what would happen this summer and into fall? Will there be food shortages? Will my family go hungry? Maybe it was time to revive the Victory Garden – to plan for the future, just in case.

US government War and Victory Garden propaganda posters from World War I (left) and World War II (right), respectively. Images reproduced under Public Domain

 

Historically, for the average American during World War II, the Victory Garden was a practical way to contribute to the war effort. The ideal Victory Garden produced fresh vegetables in season and plenty to be preserved for winter and produced a significant amount of healthy food, allowing agricultural produce to be used for the military and the Allies, and reducing the use of tin and transportation.

(Source: Lingeman, Richard R. Don’t You Know There’s a War on? The American Home Front 1941-1945. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1970.)

 

Today, a Victory Garden doesn’t need to be big, nor does it need to have everything under the sun and provide for the masses.  It can be as personal and as intentional for todays modern families. This is our third year or gardening in North Texas, and we continue to modify our plans each year based on what we’ve learned, loved and didn’t like from the year prior.  For our family, we know what vegetables we love to eat with almost every meal, so we based our garden plans this year on those preferences: tomatoes, basil, peppers, herbs, beans and peas. Personally for myself, I love flowers, so I knew I would always grow flowers in one of the garden beds.

 

The Process

In March, we cleaned up the backyard and our raised garden beds to get them ready for the new season and new seedlings, while making space for annuals that would reemerge. To get started, we sowed some seeds indoors, kept them warm and gave them plenty of light and water.

In April, we moved the seedlings outdoors and planted them in the dirt and in containers. We also took a lovely social distancing drive out to the countryside to support one of the local farms selling seedlings and brought home a few more. With folks self-isolating, self-serve farm stand stations and honor systems were a godsend. We planted a mix of homegrown and store bought seedlings in our garden beds for companion planting, and added some pollinators to attract bees and butterflies.

 

Honor System

 

Pepper containers

 

Pincushions as pollinators

 

It’s now May and in just a month and a half’s time, I’m enjoying the peace and beauty our garden brings. John added these string lights to add some ambiance to our garden oasis.  Even though crops aren’t ready for a while and flowers haven’t bloomed yet, it is this little plot that brings us joy every day watching the progress and growth during this unique time.  The butterflies and the bees are doing their job and now we let nature take its course.

I can’t wait to see what June brings to the garden and how it will shape up by then.

What are some new things you’ve planted this season?  What are you growing in your Victory Garden? Share in the comments below!

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Easter 2018 with a real live Easter bunny, Dallas Arboretum

Easter is going to look a little different this year, but not too different from Easters in the past. I love the Easter season almost as much as I love Christmas. I may not go all out with Easter decorations around the house, but I will put a bunny or two out and have lots of spring floral stems scattered throughout. The only difference our Easter celebrations may not have this year is going to church and Easter events around town i.e. pictures with the Easter bunny, easter brunches, etc, which I am totally ok with missing if it means we are doing our part in social distancing and slowing the spread of the virus. The one thing that remains steady in our home is the Easter egg hunt John and I set up for the kids outside in the garden at home.  We’ve been doing our own easter egg hunts at home throughout the years, and we are looking to maintain some level of normal in the midst of these extraordinary times we find ourselves in today.

Easter morning is another opportunity for us to spend time outside, enjoy the spring weather, hunting for clues and little hidden treasures sprinkled around the yard and garden. After the hunt, we rush to the patio to see what the kids got and help them eat their candy. Once we’ve had our sugar fix, we settle in for a yummy easter brunch with our favorite breakfast and brunch foods that I’ve whipped up that morning – bacon, quiche, pancakes, fruit and pastries. Easter dinner consists of rack of lamb cooked by John. 

Easter 2019

Easter Baskets

by David & Leanna

I got started on the kids’ easter baskets a little earlier this year and I’m glad I stashed some things, not because of the virus, but I just have a habit of collecting small quantities of items and supplies throughout an extended period of time rather that buying everything all at once.  I usually build my baskets based on age of child, interests at the moment, and something they’ve been wanting, along with the traditional easter candy of course.

Here’s what I’ve put together for both boys. I started with a neutral basket I had from last year that works year round. Hearth & Hand (also shown above) makes these great wire baskets.

Then I start to fill it with the following items:

Since the world will be staying home during Easter this year, how will you celebrate the spring holiday at home? 

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While on spring break, we recently received notification that Jonah’s school district has decided to close schools from March 16-20, 2020 for Coronavirus prevention measures.

As a family, we are staying calm, using common sense, and continuing to practice good hygiene by regular and frequent hand washing. When it comes to grocery shopping, we are only buying what we need.

Now that Jonah will be home from school for a week, I have put together a homeschooling schedule to stay organized and continue his learning and education at home. Feel free to use it and tweak it to work for your student’s curriculum and family lifestyle.

I broke up his schedule to incorporate the core subjects he’ll be missing at school, while adding two online resources: Scholastic Learn At Home and GoogleClassroom, mixed in with snack breaks, outside and creative time. There are a ton of online resources available, but I also recommend working with your student’s teachers and district to see if they are offering or recommending any online/remote learning tools while schools are closed.

Jonah’s Homeschool Schedule

Scholastic Learn At Home

Google Classroom

As we are faced with a situation that is unfamiliar, we realize that our ‘homeschool day’ may not be perfect and that’s ok as we adjust to something new and there will be some bumps along the way. We got this!

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It’s been one week since the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant along with his daughter Gigi, and other families traveling together last Sunday – John Altobelli, his wife Keri Altobelli, their daughter Alyssa Altobelli; Christina Mauser; Sarah Chester, her daughter Payton Chester; and pilot Ara Zobayan. I haven’t gone a day this week without thinking about all the families, friends, and communities the fatality has affected.

I didn’t personally know Kobe Bryant or any of the passengers on board, but the situation itself is relatable and felt on so many levels because innocent loved ones, children, families were involved whose lives ended abruptly. To lose a child is heartbreaking as a parent.

You don’t have to know someone personally to recognize their contribution to the world and their long lasting legacy as an athlete and a human. Kobe Bryant was the face of basketball for almost 20 years and is regarded as a symbol of perseverance, strength, and love.

Early Memories of Kobe Bryant

Freshly Forged, courtesy of NBA Properties Inc, 1997

Kobe Bryant was 17 years old when he got drafted in the NBA, straight out of high school in 1996, and 18 when the season began. I remembered the event well because I was a sophomore in high school where I played on the women’s basketball team. Naturally, I followed some sports coverage and sports news, especially basketball. As with fellow athletes on our high school basketball teams we were excited and inspired by this up and coming high school athlete turned pro. Admittedly I wasn’t a huge Lakers fan as I was a Sonics fan, but many of us in high school still viewed Kobe as a peer since he was our age when his NBA career started which made him that much more relatable. He was fun to watch throughout his 20 year basketball career, and despite some of his misgivings and mistakes, he grew and matured into a loving husband, father, and devoted coach before leaving the world.

Continuing to send strength and love to all the families. RIP Kobe and Gianna Bryant, John, Keri and Alyssa Altobelli, Christina Mauser, Sarah and Payton Chester, and Ara Zobayan.