that about sums it up

To maintain a joyful family requires

much from both the parents and the

children.  Each member of the family has

to become, in a special way, the servant

of the others and share their burdens. 

Each one must show concern not only for

his or her own life, but also for the lives of the other members of the family: 

their needs, their hopes,

their ideals.

Blessed John Paul II

A gift from Lousia May Alcott

A SONG FROM THE SUDS

Queen of my tub, I merrily sing,

While the white foam rises high;

and sturdily wash and rinse and wring,

     And fasten the clothes to dry;

Then out in the free fresh air they swing,

     Under the sunny sky.

I wish we could wash from our hearts and souls

     The stains of the week away,

And let water and air by their magic make

     ourselves as pure as they;

Then on the earth there would be indeed

     A glorious washing day!

Along the path of a useful life,

     Will heart's-ease ever bloom;

The busy mind has no time to think

     Of sorrow or care or gloom;

And anxious thoughts may be swept away,

     As we bravely wield a broom.

I am glad a task to me is given,

     To labor at day by day;

For it brings me health and strength and hope,

     And I cheerfully learn to say,-

"Head, you may think, Heart, you may feel,

But, Hand, you shall work alway!"

from Little Women



Gardening for Lazy People

I love my herb garden!  It's almost no maintenance since many herbs are perennials (they come up every year without me having to do a thing), most are really hardy (which means that even I can't kill them) and are beautiful and really good for you!

my herb garden......soapwort, basil, mint, fennel, oregano, nutmeg thyme....

variegated sage, feverfew, lemon balm, and flowering sage

I love this variegated sage......such a lovely sunny color

soapwort in flower......am experimenting with making shampoo and

baby wash with this

mint and lavender.....so lovely

Firecracker and I dressed up some orzo with some of our fresh herbs for lunch:

 

1/2 lb of orzo, big blob of butter, garlic, chopped tomatoes, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, chopped herbs (basil, oregano and thyme), juice of half a lemon, salt and pepper....simple and so delicious!

And to go with supper, we have a 1/2 gallon jar stuffed with mint, lavender and lemon balm out in the sun for herb-and-lemonade! 

Fresh herbs are just about my favorite part of spring!

Laundry Mayhem

Yep, that's a load of diapers pinned to a length of twine in the middle of my totally messy house.

I'm so proud.....Either 1.) it must stop raining almost every day or 2.) the guy coming tomorrow to fix my dryer must be successful.  But, at least the Griz's pee catchers are clean and will soon be dry!