the garden is a huge part of our home life during the spring, summer & fall months. we provide vegetables, herbs, flowers & eggs to a small group of families during the summer months so most of our day is spent weeding, watering, planting & harvesting in the garden.
during the spring & summer months, in celebration of gardening, i am going to share a garden overview of what our garden looks like along with what we plan to plant throughout the month!
the garden – may 2015
we are eating fresh salads every evening. spinach, lettuce, kale & radishes are bountiful!
the onions are coming in nicely. we’re excited to replenish our pantry with this staple.
we anxiously await cabbage & broccoli from the garden! this might be our best crop yet (we covered the plants with row cover until they were nice & strong to prevent pest problems early on)!
we are enjoying sautéed garlicky swiss chard for dinner! the sugar snaps are slowly growing & soon we’ll have fresh peas for snack time.
we also just finished planting all of our flowers for the season! the garden is going to be so colorful!
what does your garden look like in may? please share!
love,
natalie
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don’t forget to take advantage of the epantry gift by signing up today! with your first order you will receive a free 100% organic soy candle, a $5 credit AND free shipping! hip hip hooray!
if you’ve been around these parts for awhile, you know i am epantry’s #1 fan. i love to sing their praises from the highest mountains!
epantry is a wonderful company that sends your favorite home supplies right to your door! they’re cheaper than what you’ll find at the store & simply put- the folks behind epantry are just so nice. plus, you can make thoughtful decisions about what you need versus those impulse purchases we tend to make at target (ahem).
epantry also allows me to budget my household spending more effectively, which is a major plus. never run out of toilet paper again, my friends!
epantry just launched their grove collaborative 100% organic soy candles & y’all, i’m in love. i’ve got a big crush right now on their seasonal scent, blood orange. it’s citrus-y sweet & makes your house smell clean even when it’s a hot mess!
grove collaborative candles are hand-poured by a sweet family business in indiana & made with 100% organic, united states-grown soy mixed with 100% pure essential oils. the small candles burn for 70+ hours & they’re inexpensive, friends!
luke & i always try to be intentional about what we bring into our home. soy candles burn cleaner, longer & they’re better for the environment so the grove collaborative candles are a no-brainer for us!
also, my people- you can reuse the mason jar (or recycle it!)!
crafty sistas, can i hear an amen?
here’s a step-by-step for cleaning out those jars if we’ve got any skeptics in the house tonight…
1. once you’ve completely burned down your candle, scrape the remaining wax with a knife (making sure the wax is completely cool…) until it is in tiny bits at the bottom.
2. dump out your wax into a plastic baggy to reuse or into the garbage can. pull up the remaining wick & throw that away, too.
3. clean out your jar with soap & water. you can let it soak for just a minute or two, but yes – it is that easy to clean out. no chemicals necessary. if your label is extra sticky, rub a tiny bit of coconut oil on the surface & scrub for just a bit longer.
4. rinse out your jar & dry. this whole process took me all of three minutes. yay!
once you have your clean jar, there are hundreds of ways you can reuse it!
today i thought i’d share three ways i have reused my candle mason jars!
1. craft supply organizer: i use jars & cans of all types for holding my craft supplies. it keeps them organized & in sight for when my next big idea hits! i currently keep my washi tape in one of my reused candle jars. i simply wrapped the jar in ribbon & included a labeled tag for reference. easy peasy!
2. teacher appreciation gift: teacher appreciation day is on may 5th & what better way to tell your teachers just how much you love them than a jar full of pretty desk supplies to get them through the last few weeks of school?!
to make this gift, i filled the bottom of the jar with confetti. i added a cute wooden tag & clipped four decorative mini clothespins to it. i also added tiny sticky notes, gold paper clips & turquoise push pins! i tied the jar with ribbon & added a fun homemade tag. i used what i already had on hand & with my reusable jar, this cost me $0! woo hoo!
3. last minute gift idea: instead of reusing the jar, simply just gift your loved ones a candle! with every order to epantry, i always include one or two candles for easy gifting. i grab one from my stash, whip up some fabric ribbon & add a fun little tag or chalkboard tag (purchased from target in the $1 bin)!
this would make the very best mother’s day gift for all those women in your life who are mommas or ache to be.
with a little elbow grease & bit of resourcefulness, there are so many ways you can reuse & re-gift your grove collaborative candles!
click here & sign up today! it’s honestly been one of our best decisions for maintaining chaos-free housekeeping & our home budget!
how do you reuse & regift packaging within your home? i’d love to read your ideas! please share!
love,
natalie
the one word that comes to mind to best describe sister camp would be restful.
tucked away in the ozark mountains of arkansas along the buffalo river, we lived & created for three whole days.
sweet d’wana of mountain girl melodies asked if i would teach on the art of gift giving at camp. other than that, i knew nothing else about camp.
when we settled into our rooms & met together on friday evening, d’wana informed us that sister camp was simply about resting. we were there to breathe, to rest our minds & ease our hearts.
y’all if i would have had the energy to ugly cry, it would not have been pretty.
oh, me? rest?
& that is exactly what we did. the camp staff loved us & served us so well.
sweet naomi & her momma made the most delicious food. friends, i gained four pounds. i wish i were lying; it was that good.
everything was just beautiful… every detail perfectly executed & every corner oh so lovely.
we were invited to journal, to meditate, to nap (thank you, jesus) & to pray. there was so much free time to just be. i never get that time at home; it was truly a retreat from the rush of everyday life.
on saturday, we made our way up the mountain to d’wana’s cabin in the woods. this is her space for creating & she invited us in to make alongside her.
we made mini quest boxes & clay pendants.
i had the privilege of sharing my thoughts on the art of thoughtful gift giving with the campers. we made lavender sea salt scrub to gift to others using ingredients easily found in one’s pantry. remember, gifts don’t have to be expensive to be meaningful.
the sister camp staff absolutely spoiled us with swag from some amazing makers! i came home with all kinds of goodies!
this camp allowed us to rest, but it also gifted us the amazing opportunity to simply come just as we already are.
sister camp was that soulcare i had been craving. it was an invitation to bond with my fellow sisters, from all ages & backgrounds, & a reminder that there is indeed a seat at the sisterhood table for each & every one of us.
if you would like to join d’wana at her next sister camp, registration opens in august. i would absolutely recommend saving money to go. it’s worth every penny & so much more.
thank you, d’wana & naomi for this gift! i love you girls. xo.
love,
natalie