Concrete Jungle Garden

I was planning on having a big garden this year and one of the biggest disappointments of moving into a 3rd floor of an apartment complex was sacrificing the garden. Then I stumbled on a great article posted by Better Homes and Gardens about how to grow a garden using containers. So this year we made a little container garden on our teeny tiny balcony!

The best cost effective containers we could come up with were totes. So we got two 18 gallon totes and my hubby drilled some 1/4 inch holes in the bottoms of them for drainage.

Xander wanted to help carry in the potting soil.

Yes, our kids are crazy strong. They held a bag of potting soil up between the two of them!

After the kids showed off their strength with the potting soil, I cut some chemical-free landscape cloth and lined the bottoms of the totes with it so that the soil wouldn't fall out with the water.

We filled them with potting soil and then added our plants. We planted one pepper and one tomato plant together in each of the larger totes.

Xander was very, um, "helpful". He had fun watering and digging in the dirt.

We had two smaller totes we got for free (yay Craigslist!) and planted cucumbers in one and acorn squash in the other. Gabriella was very hesitant to get her hands dirty but she enjoyed helping me pat the soil down around the plants.

Here it is. Our little garden in the middle of a concrete jungle. We planted 3 acorn squash, 5 cucmbers, one roma tomato, one early bird tomato, one jalapeno and one poblano plant. I am excited!!

All of our plants are non-gmo and no-pesticides used.

All day long the kids check out the window at our plants to see how they are doing.

I think my Grandpa would be proud to see how much they enjoy gardening!

Our Twins

It's been a rough week. Without going into a lot of details, it sums up simply as: I had a miscarriage with twins. I was heartbroken to say the least. Tears flowed and flowed and no matter how I tried I just couldn't stop them.

Looking for God in the situation was so difficult. In my grief, I continued to look at Him. His eyes were hidden from me, but I knew they were on me. It was a "dark night of the soul" moment for me, a testing of all that was instilled in me this last year.

After three days of silence from God, He met me in the most beautiful moment.

I was at our church's women's retreat and lying down in the soaking room. I didn't want to talk to anyone, didn't want to show my tears, and didn't want to have to pretend like I was fine. As I laid on the floor I saw myself surrounded by angels. Angels who were gentle and strong. I stood there surrounded by them and just breathed, in and out, as everything around me came to a stop. All the swirling emotions and thoughts from the last few days and the last year. One of the angels whispered to me, "this is a safe place", and I knew they were right. I haven't been in a safe place for over a year, but in that moment I knew I was.

I watched as God walked towards me. He gently began to peel off layers of me that looked like my body. Hard, crusty layers that I had put up to keep people out, and to protect myself with. In that safe place I knew it was time. After the layers came off, He picked me up in His arms, like a baby, and began to walk up an endless flight of stairs. "I've got you," He whispered, "just breathe" as He just walked up the stairs, never hesitating, never wavering. His hair was so soft, like a pillow. I felt the world melt away as I laid my head on His shoulder and just let Him carry me.

We got to the top of the stairs and He said, "I have something to show you." As He set me down, two little boys ran up to greet me with hugs. In an instant I knew they were mine.


Two little boys, and they are beautiful. Timothy has dark brown hair like his daddy, and dark brown eyes. He likes it best when Jesus calls him Timmy. Titus has the whitest blond hair and blue-green eyes. He was very quiet and barely spoke, except to wipe my tears away and ask why I was crying. He likes to be called Ti-Ti. They showed me all their favorite places to play in Heaven. The pond where they can skip on top of the water, the places they like to play in the garden and the place their secret place where Jesus comes and hides with them. They have a cute little brown and white dog that follows them everywhere. Timothy told me that the angels came and carried them to Heaven. When they got there all the angels sang and cheered for them, then Jesus came and gave them big hugs. They met Grampa Thomas in the garden and took me to see him. I ran around playing with them for what seemed like forever and just a moment at the same time. They are so beautiful and full of life. They are amazing. It was so wonderful to hold them in my arms and give them so many kisses. They hugged me and held my hands and it was like we had known each other forever. They weren't sad when I left, they were with Jesus and they just laughed and told me to come back to play with them soon. They are perfect.


In that perfect moment, I knew that God was in control. That in all my sorrow and heartache, my two perfect boys were with Jesus, they were fine. I am so thankful that even in our darkest moments, God is always good.

 I will say it again,

  God is always good.

 We just don't get the opportunity to see it unless we 

CHOOSE

to look for it. Even in the darkest nights, we can see the beautiful, we just have to keep our eyes open and looking for God. 

Fun in the Garden

On Saturday it was surprisingly nice weather and we headed out to my parent's house to plant some seeds and visit with my family.

We went in to give the kids a bath after breakfast but Xander's bottle of baby wash had spilled and half the bottom of the tub was covered in it. I turned on the water and we had the hugest bubble bath ever! 

We rode out in Matt's new to him car with the windows down. Gabriella's hair was going crazy!

Silly Roo!

James picked a bunch of birdbill flowers and was very proud of them

Matt made a ramp for the kids to play cars on. They had a blast!

A big ol lizard my mom found

Jonathan was using the tractor to till up the garden and James got to drive for awhile.  

Gramma came out and was watering her roses. 

When I told Gabriella it was time to head up to the house to get lunch started she said, "Come on, great gramma, its time to go!"

Some lettuce starts we got from the Scotts (an awesome family from our church with an organic farm)

Two weeks ago Jonathan and April and James planted a bunch of chard, kale, lettuce, spinach, onions and carrot seeds. 

The other raised bed and strawberry plants behind it

Mom and I planted 4 types of tomatoes and three types of peppers in the greenhouse. 

Farmer Roo

Matt was installing a cold air intake valve on his car and James was "helping"

For lunch we roasted hotdogs and tried out mom's new fire-pit. It was a little smokey! We told April she must have been the most beautiful one there because no matter where she sat the smoke was blowing in her face!

Waiting for our hotdog!

A picture with no smoke!

Eating hotdogs!

We roasted a few marshmallows. Gabriella was super excited because she got to hold the roasting stick for the first time. 

About three minutes down the road on the way home she fell asleep holding her rice cake with almond butter.