Thankful Thrusday

"...He has given a life, a life abundantly."

Outside the kitchen window the self sewn amaranth is drying as the wild birds are comically dangling from it gleaning the seeds.
I came home Sunday night from the folks and had a few fine gifts given to me.
My MILove sent home some empty containers (I put everything in jars in the pantry to avoid insect infestations).

She thought of me while watching a "Sewing with Nancy" TV show, she ordered the book for me.
Then she gave me the project she sampled and the lovely fabric too.
She made me some more knitted cloth for pot holders.
Lots of coupons too...they really did help a lot this week.

This bird house was made from the fallen oaks in Connecticut from this winters ice storms.
I love it when folks get creative.
My sister gave it to me for my birthday.

Monday the field trip to the state capital.
My friend came with her daughter too.
Unfortunately the girls (hers and mine) were in a tiff.
We had a real nice day considering it got up to 108* outside.
On a school buss with NO A/C

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Arizona State Capital

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This was my group.
Oh they were great kids.

Now on Tuesday morning my Dove came out of her room with a new look.
A new attitude to match it too :)
She is growing up so fast!
Daddy Man made her a CD of the Jonas Brothers, Camp Rock.
She is now listening to the music every morning (for the last week) while she showers.
What a wonderful child she is.
We are tending to the conversations of the Pre t*en year...
Soon she will be in her last year of early childhood.

Tuesday evening my beloved and I tended to gathering the last of the poppy seed and clearing off the walkway.
Seeds were also saved of the vines.
It is so hot now that the plants are off the eave and set under the others for some shade and heat relief.

We spent the evening Dove and I watched the Camp Rock on my computer to pre screen it.
I do not like to just let them get so involved without seeing if it matches up to my boundary.
It was so wonderful sitting there with my daughter. Every once in a while she would open up and tell me about the deep things she thinks about.
I am so glad to slow me down and spend that time listening.

So tired on Tuesday Morning I had no idea of how I might attend Bible Study.
I saw this and so set it up and made it a few minutes late.
I wish I had not gone...

Sadly pharisees were in their click.
I am an odd bird fly to my own view of the by and by.

An extremely small group now.
Pharisees have a way of filtering out those who are week, or sick are any unlovely.
Really Really SAD!
The two ladies in the foreground are an exception.

It took me much of Tuesday to over come the grief of it all.
Tuesday evening was a hard one for my darling too.
At his employ they had a catastrophic failure.
No lives lost thank God.
Millions lost, however.
The same day however there was also a grand success of a different project.
So it was a hard evening compounded by the efforts to go get a water tank.
My darling hurt his foot then the tail gate malfunctioned.
We all stayed home and postponed the trip to get it.

The last 5 days this is what I have been doing.
Loading up the freezers to get us through the summer

As many of you do for the winter I do in the summer.
In the heat of it groceries can spoil easily.
Food born illness is a real life threatening issue.

The heat in a car can get over 140 in 5 minutes here.
Going out in summer is avoided by me with great effort.

So I hit lead ins and got chicken breast for .77 a pound.
A lot of it.

Lunch meat is a staple here.
So with a smoking deal this freezer was loaded.
Note I remove the paper packaging on things.
Paying to chill card board is a little silly.

All groceries are on average only 30-50% of at cost.
I stood amazed at what I was able to get for so little.
No summer shopping!
YA!
Foiled are those onions harvested.

Yesterday I finally got the water tank.
I was able to get it for the same price as just the skid on the bottom of another one.
330 gallons

It was a wonderful drive on an aptly perfect rainy day.
It was so pretty out.
A good 30 mile trip I think S and E of here.
It was through the open lands, the farms and fields.
It was a good drive to heal the day before.

My life abundant...A raining day to go get the water tank.
Funny irony isn't it.
I know that this is going to make a real difference in the stewardship of the water resorces available to me for the garden.

It will find it's permanent home here. under the eave ans will gather the run off water from the roof. sq.----of the roof X .06= gallons for 1 inch of rain fall.

The fellow also had these screw on lidded buckets for food grade storage.
I got 4 of them. Now the bulk storage will be much easier to access and to keep safe.

Garden details to be found on
BEE BLISS BLOG
Last night several hours spent on this layout of the garden and the extension.
I planned for crop rotation. Nitrogen( high, medium, low) beds to suit the like minded plants.

This morning I did this work.
Because I was given this
:)
Staked out the plots for the extension.

Changed the plot from this....

To this...

It will have 2 ft raised path by the house wall , then 4 ft. recessed center bed, then 2 ft raised path and a 3ft recessed bed by the fence wall.
Study has taught about using gravity for water conservation. It I need to Hill Up the plants I will still be below grade in the main of the bed.

This will be the forth of the days that this has been an afternoon family time.
The kids and I really enjoy this time of laughter and just silliness.

They both made it through another school year.
Today is the last day of school.

I got them a little graduation gift.

Life...
More abundantly...
He wasn't kidding.
:)

Forever in gratitude.