Christmas On Valentine's Day!? :)

Christmas arrived on Valentines Day, for me this year, on account of UPS arriving a day ahead of schedule with my Christmas garden seed order from Territorial! :) And now I have "visions of Seedlings dancing in my head"! :)

I couldn't resist opening the box immediately and assembling my new mini greenhouse! :)

Lucky for me, it's lightweight, and will be easy for me to carry out to my shop room where I'll be growing the seedlings, - so I didn't get too far ahead of myself! :)

It's been years since I started tomato and peppers from seed, as they came out spindly, and I vowed I'd never bother again! - But my resolve failed when I saw all the tastety tomato and pepper varieties that are not available in any local market or nursery! So I've been studying, and picking the brains of trusted experts, and am going to give it the old college try once again!! :)

If I succeed, I will need this mini greenhouse for the transplants, and it's a unit I can also move outdoors when it's time to harden them off for the garden! :)

If I fail at growing hardy tomato and pepper plants again, the greenhouse will still come in handy for growing flowers and other vegetables, so it's still a good purchase, either way! - But if I can learn how to achieve success with starting tomatoes and peppers from seed, - there will be a bounty of flavors growing in our garden that will greatly surpass the flavors I've been able to grow, thus far! :)

Wish me luck!! ... I'm going to need it! :)

Look Into His Eyes! :)

Look into these eyes! Do they look vacant to you!? :)

Potty training has taken Coal longer to learn than it took our other dogs and, as you can see, we've literally worn a path in the lawn taking him out to the designated potty area, day and night! :)

We've made the treck with him more times than we care to count, in the last four weeks that we've had him!

I will tell you that there Is intelligence in those eyes, - I see it all the time, - and sometimes I grin, thinking he is trying to be patient with Us, wondering if he'll ever get us trained! :)

Today is a new record, of four days in-a-row without any accidents in the house, and I know it's just a matter of time untill we realize he is really and truely potty trained! :)
Already, he is a great companion, and we can't help but love and enjoy him! How could we feel otherwise, - when we look into his eyes! :)

Seeds and Blessings! :)

Anyone who knows me wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that, on occasion, this time of year, my table could be covered in seed packets!

Any gardener can tell you that one of the most integral parts of gardenig is the planning! In a vegetable garden, crops need to be rotated yearly, so one must decide where to plant veggies this year, and still meet the plants sun and shade requirements! :)

I've discovered that it's beneficial to the vegetable plants to have plenty of colorful flowers growing, to invite the pollinators! :)

I'm so passionate about gardening that there are times my blog is more about my yard and garden than anything else, and I'm fearful the few blog followers I have may be too bored to stay with me.

However, my blog is about Enjoying The Journey, and this blog Is My Journey, after all! :) So I share the joys and loves in life that I'm passionate about, in hopes that there may be a few of you out there who share my joys and may be uplifted by my journey! :)
After all, the best way I know to enjoy this life journey is to make a point of doing those things one most enjoys! For me, that's living the gospel; spending cherished time with family; spending as much time working in my yard and garden, as my busy life allows; giving service; enjoying pets and nature; and counting my many blessings! :)

Here's hoping that you find some enjoyment in it, too! :)

Dog Days Of Summer! :)

Lately I've been missing the dog days of summer. I miss the warm weather and the opportunity it brings to be out working in the yard and garden!

And I miss my good friend, Buddyman, and the way he always wanted to be wherever I was!

He knew the art of laying back and enjoying those peaceful summer days, and just looking at him would make me feel relaxed too! :)
As we begin the long process of training a new companion, I'm pleased to see the shadowing behavior in Coal, that we so enjoyed in our other dogs! He, too, wants to be where we are, and I trust when summer comes, he will be out there with me, enjoying the dog days of summer! :)

Celebrating In Levi 501's! :)

Even though I'm still 4 lbs. away from my weight goal, I've decided to go ahead and do this post in response to requests from friends who haven't see me since I've lost the bulk of my weight! Truth is, it takes around 10 lbs. to show on my near 5'9" frame, anyway, so I just as well do this post now, as I doubt those last 4 lbs. are really going to show enough to make it worth waiting! :)

In my thin days I used to love wearing Levi 501 Button-Up Jeans! I stopped wearing them when I put on weight as, in my oppinion, they are made for a lean body! When I started counting calories, and realized it works, I knew I would one day celebrate by buying them again, when I lost my excess weight! After losing 49 lbs. so far, I'm thrilled the day has come to be able to wear them again! :)

So to those of you who have been watching and sharing this weight loss journey with me, Thank You for your support! I'm thrilled to say I'm celebrating my leaner body in Levi 501 Button Up Jeans, and lovin' it!! :)

Spring's Sweet Reassurance! :)

Spring's Sweet Reassurance! :)

Spring has peeked her head in on this January day! :)

It's such a thrill to see her cheery, warm, sunshiney ray!

She only is just passing through, then she'll hide her face,

For she's polite to Winter, who also has her place!

Honey bees are stirring, they ask her to please stay!

She smiles back reassuring, "I will, and then we'll play!" :)

It was a kind reminder that she will come again,

And oh what joy we will enjoy for she'll stay longer, then! :) - BJ. Barnes

Here's hoping you're enjoying a little Spring where you are, this January day, and if not, - here's hoping you enjoy a little of the early Spring, with me, that I happen to be enjoying here! :)

Meet Coal ! :)

Meet Coal, the newest member of our family!! :)

So far he has proven himself to be the most well adjusted, best socialized pup we have ever met!

It took us awhile to decide on his name, but he came by his name by way of his coal-black coat, as you can see! :)

Not only does he have a pretty face, and nice lines, but he is true to his lab instincts! Here he is pointing, at the edge of our field! :)

He's already won our hearts, we seem to have won his, and we're looking forward to many fantastic years ahead, with him by our side! :)

Now please excuse us as there's much playing; munching; water lapping; training; sleeping; and endless exploring to do! :)