my precious nephew & his sweet momma are starting a new chapter in our little town. it’s already such a gift to have them so close! this weekend my momma came up & on saturday we picked up oliver for a little date.
we went out for donuts & then came back to the farm for a bit of exploring.
we walked throughout the garden & he picked out flowers. he pointed to them, i cut the stems & we placed them in a jar together.
back inside, we played with toy tractors & drew with colored pencils. i wrote “Oliver Loves Mom!” on his doodles & cut it into a small tag for his mom’s bouquet of flowers.
he dug through the fabric scraps & picked out his favorite to make fabric ribbon.
such a simple little project with such a special little guy!
what are other fun & inexpensive activities to do with littles? we cannot wait to have weekly dates with him!
love,
natalie
if you’re new to this space, welcome to the “in the garden” series! during the spring & summer months, in celebration of gardening, i share a monthly garden overview of what our garden looks like along with garden happenings! welcome!
july was an unexpectedly busy month full of time-sensitive bathroom remodels (hello moldy walls & floors!) & prep for my canning workshop. it was also a hot month. a lack of time combined with hot days & very little rain makes for a not so pretty garden. of course, our garden often looks less than pinterest-worthy as we transition from late summer to early fall crops.
in the garden – august 2015
our cherry tomatoes continue to produce. we planted a bumper crop of both cherry & large tomatoes a few weeks after our initial tomato planting, which has allowed for harvesting throughout the entire summer.
we got a very late start on cucumbers, but we’re excited to finally start makin’ pickles in september!
speaking of pickles, i am teaming up with euna mae’s to co-host a pickling party at her shop on september 12th! i’ll teach you how to make my very favorite spicy dill pickles! local friends, check out the details & sign up here! it is sure to be a fun one!
we’re also still harvesting loads of zinnias & basil. i don’t even want to think about the change in season when we will no longer harvest large bouquets of garden flowers each day!
our beans are coming in quite nicely. i love fresh green beans & freezing the surplus for fancy winter meals!
other garden news:
+ i am canning tomatoes like it’s my job right now. i am using this recipe exclusively & loving it. i can’t imagine why anyone would do anything else!
+ i plan on roasting some tomatoes & freezing them for pizzas this winter. does anyone have a favorite recipe?
+ we’re currently planning our fall garden. fall gardens are my very favorite. oftentimes gardeners stop planting after the end of the summer’s tomatoes, but i find we have the best luck at the beginning & toward the end of the season. hello, beets, carrots, lettuces & greens!
not sure what to plant in your fall garden & when? grab a planting poster from my shop! it’s designed for specific regions throughout the entire USA, guiding you through what to plant & when. use the code “FALLGARDEN” at checkout to receive 25% off your order until this sunday night (that makes each planting poster just $15!)! happy gardening!
what’s happening in your august garden?
love,
natalie
last saturday i woke up with the sun & met three of my good girlfriends for a photo walk around our downtown square. my friend, nikki of nikki toth photography, is a professional photographer & guided us on our photo walk. she has amazing talent (she took our family photos last year!) & a wealth of knowledge. it was such a gift to learn a bit from her.
here are a few snapshots from my camera on our walk…
a lot of my creative work is task-driven & marked with deadlines. it was incredibly inspiring to spend the morning with just my camera & a few girlfriends shooting at my leisure. i left feeling recharged & spent the rest of the day crafting & sewing.
thanks so much, ladies! i can’t wait to do it again! xo.
have you ever gone on a photo walk? how to you recharge creatively & get inspired? please share!
love,
natalie