Down and Dirty

It's the end of February and it's not to early to start planting some seeds indoors. Before I could plant my seeds, I had three houseplants that needed re-potted. My 1 year old Christmas cactus that did bloom again this year and my three year old orchid that bloomed for the second time last year. The kalanchoe was a recent gift from a friend when my husband was in the hospital.

I have not replanted the orchid before but I know it needed a little more space. The orchid mix is extremely light and airy. The roots aren't really attached to any soil. Hope it will be happy in it's new pot.

For my seeds I mixed starter mix with regular potting soil. I plan to keep my herb pots indoors. Seed starter is very light and airy. Adding regular potting mix gives it a little more weight for the roots to grow in. I planted a lettuce mix in a larger pot. I planted chives, tarragon, oregano and cilantro.

Read the planting instructions on the seed packet, each seed has a different depth to cover the seeds. Once I've planted the seeds I lightly spray the top of the pots with a spray bottle. I do not soak the soil at this time. I have cut juice containers in half and set them on top to help keep in the moisture.

The seeds needs to stay moist. I will spray them at least twice a day during the next couple of weeks.

Most seeds will start to germinate in 1 to 2 weeks. Once they are a couple of inches tall the plants will need to be thinned. You thin them be removing some of the little sprouts, pull them up roots and all. This makes room for strong healthy plants and no overcrowding. Since they are in pots they will be more crowded than if I was planting them in rows outside.

The seed package will give you an approximate time for maturity which is when you can harvest your herbs or veggies. I've never grown lettuce indoors, but it grows very good outside in pots so I thought I would give it a try.

You can use this same process and put seeds in individual peat pots to start indoors then move them outdoors when it warms up. I will start some veggies indoors in peat pots in a few more weeks.

Happy Planting!

For now I just wanted to get some herbs started indoors. And I also planted a lettuce mix.

These are sitting in the windowsill of a south exposure window. The juice bottles will help keep moisture and heat in while the seeds germinate.

Bearing One Another's Burdens

A friend recently commented that I hadn't posted on my blog recently. The reason was that last weekend the one word that stuck in my head that I would have titled the post would have been "Wallowing". And I prefer to be more positive in my blog posts.

But I have to admit there are times where it is perfectly acceptable to allow yourself to wallow. Along with my wallowing there were occasional bright spots and signs of better things to come.

This wallowing came from a variety of things that piled up on top of me. And most of the time it's not really about me, but about feeling the pain and suffering of those around me. So this week I thought more about how we bear one another's burdens.

Rather you think you do this or not I believe that we all do this, or I would like to think that we all do this at times. I wondered if those that are suffering and in pain (not just physical) understand our journey with them. I know they don't want to impose their suffering onto us and they don't do it with intent, but it is there for us to receive and to help them bear it.

We do this by listening, by providing any physical assistance we can and by providing emotional assistance, encouraging words along their path.

Here is an excerpt from the Liahona Magazine, Nov 2006 that captures this much better than I can.

By Elder Dallin H. Oaks

He Heals the HeavyLaden

Healing blessings come in many ways, each suited to our individual needs, as known to Him who loves us best. Sometimes a “healing” cures our illness or lifts our burden. But sometimes we are “healed” by being given strength or understanding or patience to bear the burdens placed upon us.

The people who followed Alma were in bondage to wicked oppressors. When they prayed for relief, the Lord told them He would deliver them eventually, but in the meantime He would ease their burdens “that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses … that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions” (Mosiah 24:14). In that case the people did not have their burdens removed, but the Lord strengthened them so that “they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord” (v. 15).

This same promise and effect applies to you mothers who are widowed or divorced, to you singles who are lonely, to you caregivers who are burdened, to you persons who are addicted, and to all of us whatever our burden. “Come unto Christ,” the prophet says, “and be perfected in him” (Moroni 10:32).

At times we may despair that our burdens are too great. When it seems that a tempest is raging in our lives, we may feel abandoned and cry out like the disciples in the storm, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” (Mark 4:38). At such times we should remember His reply: “Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?” (v. 40).

The healing power of the Lord Jesus Christ—whether it removes our burdens or strengthens us to endure and live with them like the Apostle Paul—is available for every affliction in mortality.

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,” the Savior said, “and I will give you rest … unto your souls” (Matthew 11:28–29).

As we struggle with the challenges of mortality, I pray for each of us, as the prophet Mormon prayed for his son, Moroni: “May Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings and death, … and his mercy and long-suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your mind forever” (Moroni 9:25).

Orchid

All good things must come to an end. After having blooms for about 3 or 4 months my orchid is done flowering. It was wonderful having the blooms during the dark winter months. It will be 3 this Valentine's Day. I'm going to continue to care for it and see what it does next.

I just realized it's Friday, it's watering day for the orchid. I guess I've been distracted lately (read previous post).

Feels Like a Typical Friday Night

Friday night at our house, I'm on the computer and Wally is watching wrestling. Feels like a typical Friday evening. Who would suspect that a week ago yesterday Wally was in the hospital having surgery. Last Friday night wasn't typical. It was spent in the hospital. As were the days following that.

There was very little television, not much time spent at home. Time off from work and long days spent by his bedside at the hospital. And then they send you home. They send you home with the stitches removed and tape covering the incision and a catheter and pain pills.

He just started eating light liquids on Monday. We have advanced now to scrambled eggs. I have joined him on this interesting diet of lighter eating. It's not bad at all and it's just temporary.

The surgery went well, and he'll have a full recovery. But recovery takes time. While sitting by his bedside at the hospital I kept in touch with the outside world on my cell phone with free Wi-Fi at the hospital. Facebook, Pinterest, email and Words with Friends helped take my mind off what we were experiencing.

It was such a good feeling to come home on Tuesday. Each day is another day closer to recovery. Today we removed the catheter. He has more freedom to walk around the house now.

During the long hours at the hospital, many things were not important that had been important the week before. And that was all right, it still is that way a little bit. The staff was very professional and pleasant and understanding.

Now we are home. We have our daily routine, meals, resting in the living room, resting in bed. Airing out the incision, changing the bandage, checking the temperature, moving the blankets, tracking the medicine. It's different now at our house. He's on the road to recovery, one day at a time.

In the Event of an Emergency

 

 

 These pictures pretty much sum up the week we just experienced. What can I say, the snow started on Sunday. On Monday I worked from home and we went to a Doctor's appointment in the afternoon. It snowed some more, I worked from home again on Tuesday and Wednesday. It snowed some more I worked from home on Thursday until we lost power. Then we sat around in front of the fireplace listening to the radio, talking, reading and eating tuna sandwiches.

Then the power came back on about 5:30. And then it snowed again and the freezing rain and wind came. The tree branches cracked and broke under the weight of the ice. On Friday night it rained and today it's in the low 40s. I went out and ran errands. It was nice to be in the car and to drive about. I saw a lot of the damage from the ice and wind.

There are a few things I learned about my emergency preparedness skills, I need to have more batteries on hand. And I need one of those battery operated chargers for my cell phone. We have lots of fire wood, blankets, candles and food. We were quite comfortable. But you really appreciate having electricity. It makes the cold more bearable.

Missing Pictures

It was shortly after New Years when I went to print my blog that I discovered my pictures had dropped off the blog. I have yet to figure out what has happened. Not sure if it's a formatting issue, Google issue or just me.

I could take the time to reload the pictures, but I'm not in the mood for doing that just yet. I'll keep snooping around blogger and Google to see if I can figure it out. I have all the photos on my computer so I'm not too concerned, but I did enjoy seeing them in my blog post.

I Need This at My House

This was so cool at the EMP Museum. It was in the Horror Movie Exhibit.

Christmas Weekend

The weekend started on Friday 23rd as we celebrated Gisele's 11th birthday at Trophy Cupcakes in the Wallingford Center.

Saturday December 24th - waiting for the Sounder Train.

Shawn Kemp raised the 12th man flag and then came around and took photos with people. He sat in front of us for a little while.

I sure hope all these camera men made it home for Christmas. They were fun to watch.

Christmas Day. From left to right: Wayne, Natalie, Scott, Melissa, Tim, Gisele, Wally, Trudy. Missing from photo is Carla who was in San Francisco.

Wayne, Trudy and Natalie

Awesome experience at the EMP Museum in the Horror Movie Exhibit. Go to the museum, buy your tickets online in advance for a discount. There is so much to see and do there. The hands on music area is really fun too.

Here are the scissors from the Edward Scissorhands movie. Probably as close as I'll ever get to Johnny Depp.

Natalie in Avatar boots. The Avatar exhibit was fantastic.

Wayne, Natalie and Scott outside the EMP.

Dinner Table Lamentation

My thoughts as I set the dinner table this evening - table for 2

Before Christmas - table for 2 - anticipation

Christmas Eve - table for 5 - enjoyment

Christmas Day - table for 8 - bliss, family together, missing one

Today, two days after Christmas - table for 2 - separation, sadness, quiet

Christmas Eve Eve

I don't think I need to make any apologies for not blogging for a month. Considering that it was the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Can I just say I've been a little bit busy?

Thanksgiving was pleasant and low key at our house. There was just three of us. We had the full dinner then my friend and I spent the evening on a sewing project. One ironing board and two sewing machines, it was a lot of fun.

Another thing I've been busy with has been some photography Christmas gifts. I'll post photos after Christmas so as not to ruin any surprises.

It's Friday night and the husband is watching Friday Night Smackdown. I'm waiting until 10:20 p.m. at which time I can leave for the airport to pick up the kids.

We are looking forward to a fun filled Christmas weekend starting tomorrow with a Seahawks football game. This will be my first Seahawks game and we might even have fairly good weather. We're planning on riding the Sounder train.

The shopping is done, the presents are wrapped, the groceries are stocked. Now we wait until Christmas morning.

Merry Christmas to you all. Hope you have a beautiful Christmas Day with your family and those you love. And for those who are away from family at this time, be with friends and know you are loved and missed.

Merry Christmas!

Focus

As an amateur photographer I have learned a great deal about the importance of focus when taking pictures. It doesn't matter how expensive my camera is, I on occasion still take a blurry picture.

I believe in anything we set out to do focus plays a key role. And I don't think that we give it the attention it really needs.

Today at the gym I went to a Zumba class. For 55 minutes my mind was free of all my worries, my long to do lists, grocery shopping, what's for dinner, fill in the blank, the list goes on.
 
For that 55 minutes I was focused on the class. I was focused on the teacher, on what my body could and couldn't do. I was focused on how good it felt to dance, to move freely. I enjoyed the music.

And it was on the way home from the gym that I realized what great joy there is when we focus on what we are doing. Before the class I was reading a book on the treadmill. So engrossed in reading I was oblivious to the people around me. Focused and thoroughly enjoying it.

There are plenty of times during our day where we can sit and plan, make lists and prepare for the next event in our lives. And I believe all that is necessary. I do some of my best thinking and mental list making while I'm driving or when I'm laying in bed in the morning.

And there are other times when we are out to dinner, enjoying a movie, watching a performance, outdoors for a walk, listening to a speaker, fill in the blank, the list goes on - those are the times we need to be there completely. 100% be there, focus on what you are involved in and enjoy it. Be there at that moment.


I think that's why meditation works. It causes you to clear your mind and focus. Try it next time you are involved in an activity. Whether the activity was of your choosing or not, choose to focus on what you are doing and see if that makes it that much better for you.

After all life was meant to be joyful.