Category Beauty

Fairy Gardens

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Fairy Gardens

Fairie Gardens.jpg

Fairy Garden and Dudenhoeffer’s Countryside Gardens in Frankenstein, Missouri. You need to check it out!

 

I have never had my own fairy garden but I think I need one.

When visiting our local green house, Dudenhoeffer’s Countryside Gardens in Frankenstein, Missouri, my kids were enthralled with Kathy’s fairy garden. I have seen and read a lot this summer on fairy gardens. It is really kind of interesting.

People will turn just about anything into a whimsical space for frolicking fairies. I have seen the Tinkerbell movies and I know how they are supposed to work in a child’s mind, but have not taken the initiative to create one of my own. (My daughter has different plans.) 🙂 One of my future goals for our flower beds is to spend time with my kiddos creating their own fairy gardens. It will be fun to see what they build or create and what they thing the fairies will like.

I have seen where old milk crates, chairs, dresser drawers, and even toilets have been turned into a play place for the imaginary creatures. Some fairy gardens have waterfalls and flowers. Others are designed around rocks and succulent plants. Most all have some sort of cabin or cottage for the fairies to rest. All have something fun and exciting for the winged wonders to check out. The detail and color that can be found in these tiny hideouts is so exciting. But I guess the thing that really makes them impressive is that, aside from their small-scale, someone dedicated a great deal of creativity and inspiration into building the sweet spaces.

I really think I need a fairy garden so my imagination, along with the fairies, has a new playground.

Imagination is alive and well in fairy gardens. Imagination is something that too few of us exercise enough. A fairy garden may not be your cup of tea, but this summer I encourage you to find something that stretches your imagination. Give your creativity a work out. Try a new hobby, visit a new town, check out a concert or poetry reading, take an art class, or design a webpage. Everything you need to start your whimsical workout is inside you. It shouldn’t take much more than some faith, trust, and pixie dust to get things going. 🙂

By: Melanie A. Peters

 

Soup in Summertime

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Soup in Summertime

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I don’t make soup very often in the summer. I don’t know why.

Yes, it is hot outside, but thanks to the miracle of air conditioning, it is plenty cool inside.

Summer is when the perfect ingredients are fresh from the garden and it is so easy to have a bowl of soup with a salad and be on our way.

We eat meals every day at home. I believe firmly in cooking and eating together, so soup is perfect. My kiddos can help prepare and add the ingredients and then we can enjoy the fruits of our labor together. Plus left overs can be a life saver on a busy day, and soup is often better the second time around.

The message of today’s post is this: Take time to consider options that are available to you which you wouldn’t normally take advantage. If there is a free service or program, check it out. Enjoy the things your community has to offer like park programs, nature talks, free concerts, art shows, car shows, or patronize a farmers’ market.

If fresh fruits and veggies make themselves available to you, be grateful for the source and share in the wealth. My father-in-law brought us a bucket of zucchini and potatoes from his garden. I prepped and froze some zucchini for us, grilled some, and shared the rest with our neighbors. Continue reading “Soup in Summertime” →

I Made It Myself!

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I Made It Myself!

I made it myself watercolor

Recently my amazing friend Sonya hosted a painting party for a group of our friends from school. She created a simple, landscape watercolor scene and then guided us through the steps of painting our own landscape.

Because the painting was a watercolor the lines were not finite and bled into one another. For some of us the lack of clear delineation between background and foreground and water and land was disturbing. Sonya assured us that the watercolor was really a “loose landscape,” to which we came up with some interesting interpretations.

It was a very cool experience.

We ate and drank and talked and painted. We took photos and shared our thoughts on the process. We celebrated the differences in each artist’s work and surprisingly the emotions we each felt were as diverse as the results of our work.

Some found the experience to be fun and relaxing, while others found it nerve-racking and stressful, they were just there for conversation and painted to be a part of the experience. I am pretty sure a few came just to see if they could test Sonya’s patience. ( Seriously, who puts orange in a cool toned sky line?) 😉 In the end we were all excited to be finished with our paintings because it meant, while we worked together, Continue reading “I Made It Myself!” →

Pretty Ugly Words – Wise Words Wendesday

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Pretty Ugly Words – Wise Words Wednesday

Pretty Ugly Words

“Hey, those ugly words don’t match that pretty face,” I said to my daughter after she spoke meanly to her brother.

Her unkind treatment of her brother led me to be less than kind to her. Was this the parenting solution for a future Mom of the Year?

Probably not.

I stopped myself before adding another harsh comment and hugged both my kiddos and told them I loved them and it hurt me to see them being mean to one another. But do I do this every time they fight? No. I am human.

Too often I find myself thinking hurtful or vengeful thoughts when someone acts in a way that I don’t appreciate. This is not the answer. If I want my heart and face to be that of someone who is “pretty,” I need to work on a kinder thought process.

I think a lot of us could use a reminder of what it is to be “pretty.” Pretty kind. Pretty generous. Pretty compassionate. Pretty flexible. Pretty patient. Pretty reliable. Pretty fair.

Give your intent a pretty purpose and the energy you generate will be a beautiful thing.

By: Melanie A. Peters

Green Grass Moments

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Green Grass Moments

Green Pastures.jpg

In early summer (when we have been lucky enough to have rain) the fields are tall and green. It almost looks like the cows can hide in the weeds.

There is something magical in watching the grass and weeds dance in the wind. As I enjoy the breezes that blow my hair back, the frolicking foliage makes the day so much more grand.

The old adage of greener grass on the other side of the fence feels true here.

As I walk down our gravel drive and take in the view of the cows, trees, and grass, the field seems to be a softer, more peaceful place. My crunchy footsteps on the rocks sound like rude interruptions to the scene. I move to walk along the fence row, but even the swoosh of my feet in the grass seems too harsh for the pastoral setting.

Maybe it was God’s way of telling me to stop and take in the sights and sounds that were being provided. So I stopped, looked, and listened. I could hear the cows move, and moo, and munch on the grass. I could hear the birds calling out to one another. I could hear the distant hum of the fans in our barns, cooling the turkeys. A bunny ran, and stopped down the driveway to check me out, and then went back on his little bunny way. The neighbor’s rooster crowed. It was a terrifically rural moment. Continue reading “Green Grass Moments” →

Perennials – anniversary of beautiful things

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Perennials – anniversary of beautiful things

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I really enjoy the perennials in my flower beds. Not only are they beautiful but they are dependable.

Each year I can count on them to show up just when spring and summer are taking off, and I know that their colors and fragrances will attract the buzz of bees and the flutter of butterflies.

When they bloom, I celebrate another year of wonder in the miracle of their growth.

Similarly, I celebrate the anniversary of saying “I do” to my husband. Today we celebrate ten years of marriage. Like my perennials, I am always amazed by the beauty and dependability of our love for each other.

No, we don’t always flourish in agreement. Yes, we sometimes fail to sprinkle one another with compliments or quality time, but we do always find safety and happiness in coming home to each other and joy in watching our children and lives together blossom.

Today celebrate the miracle of something that is dependable in your life.

Enjoy the sensation of an embrace or kiss. Be reassured by the ability to count on their presence. Feel the flutter of the butterflies in your stomach from the excitement of confidently knowing they are a part of your life.

By: Melanie A. Peters

Happy Anniversary, sweetheart!

 

first blooms

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first blooms

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First blooms on Joseph’s Coat rosebush

These blooms are particularly special to me because they are on my Joseph’s Coat climbing rosebush. Next to this bush stands a statue of St. Joseph (a gift in remembrance of my husband’s Grandpa Joe). When I planted this bush last year, it was nothing but brown branches. By the end of fall it had sprung a few green branches and leaves but showed no sign of bringing forth the multi-colored flowers that I had seen on other Joseph’s Coat bushes.

When these blooms open, they will possess petals of yellow, peach, and pink. They will grow a rainbow in each flower. They are one of the miracles of plant husbandry and science. Now I just have to keep them alive. 🙂

My Joseph’s Coat roses are like so many of life’s situations. We hope and pray that the opportunity to flower will be there, but we have no idea what it will look like when it gets here or how big it will be or how beautiful it will become or how hard it will be to care for. Continue reading “first blooms” →

Box Turtle

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Box Turtle

Box Turtles.jpg

Our racing turtles Elsa (bottom corner) and Fasty Big Guy (top) in their box with lots of strawberry stems, grass, tomato, and tree bark (for decoration).

Each spring our daycare celebrates the letter T by holding turtle races. My children are obsessed with these races. They nearly run me off the road every time a turtle is spied along the roadside with their desperate cries of, “Stop, Mommy, we need that turtle. He looks fast.”

We capture multiple turtles each spring. (We “lose” at least 1 each year because someone forgets to put it back in the box or the decorations added to the turtle’s environment provide a perfect escape route.) Our turtles are always returned to the wild after the races are complete, and I like to think they don’t bear too many emotional scars from the affections of my children.

Capturing and caring for the turtles for a day or so before the race offers plenty of lessons in kindness, compassion, and responsibility for my kiddos. They also have a chance to learn about nature and how our choices impact the environments of animals like the turtles. They are very aware and show tremendous consideration for how the turtles feel and towards their return to their natural environment.

Often I feel like one of those box turtles. My surroundings are commandeered  by something bigger than myself and I have little or no control of what is going on in my world. Sometimes the box seems way too small for me and other times I am not sure which way is up.

I really, really wish I could have a shell to hide in sometimes too.

Here is the happy part of my box turtle metaphor. I am controlled by someone bigger than myself. Someone who has an infinite understanding of what I am going through and a clear vision of what I am meant to do with my life. He knows what is best for me and will guide me to the ultimate finish line. If I continue to plod along, doing the best I can, I will get where I need to be and accomplish what I am meant to do. My world has been designed with a greater good in mind and provides me with limitless possibilities to live up to my potential.

So my message for all my fellow turtles out there is keep going. Don’t let the smallness of a situation hold you back. Look for those decorative escape routes (like the tree bark in the photo above 🙂 ) or remain steadfast for opportunities that are coming your way. Don’t spend too much time in your shell, you might miss all the world has to offer.

It’s a big box out there, little turtle!

By: Melanie A. Peters

 

 

 

Mayella Ewell’s Red Flowers

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Mayella Ewell’s Red Flowers

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Caring for my flower beds and potted plants today, I couldn’t help but reminisce sadly as I pruned the plants on my porch. They are a vivid red and reminded me of the red flowers cared for by Mayella Ewell in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.

The red flowers in the novel were the only beautiful things in Mayella Ewell’s life.

Mayella Ewell was the poor, ignorant girl who falsely accused Tom Robinson of taking advantage of her. Her accusation came after she tried to reach out to Tom for affection, but was politely rejected. Her rejection was especially painful because her abusive father discovered the two at just the wrong moment, and after Tom fled the scene, Bob Ewell gave Mayella a vicious beating.

Those flowers were essential to Harper Lee’s characterization of the tragic girl. When asked if Tom had any previous interactions with the girl, Tom told of times that he helped her chop fire wood or do small tasks around their home. He recollected seeing her water and care for the red flowers. They were the one bright spot in the Ewell’s dirt-swept front yard, just as Tom’s visits were probably the one bright spot in Mayella’s day. Continue reading “Mayella Ewell’s Red Flowers” →

White Puffy Cloud Days

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White Puffy Cloud Days

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There are so many beautiful days in the year. Days when the sky is the perfect shade of blue and scattered with white puffy clouds. I remember my high school English teacher talking about white puffy clouds days and about how we should be outside to celebrate them. I always wondered why we didn’t.

As a teacher and a mom, I find myself trapped inside too often on those glorious days. I have been known to say, “Ok kids, we are going on a field trip” or “It’s a white puffy cloud day and we need to write about it” and out we go. This is not popular with all the other teachers or students in my school, but it will be ok.

With my own kiddos at home, I try so hard to take walks or play ball or swing on the swings on these white puffy cloud days. Clearly the day was made for play and taking time to move lazily (like those big ol’ clouds).

If you find yourself looking out at a white puffy cloud day, find a way to be a part of that day. Take a walk on your lunch break. Assign a writing assignment or short outdoor lab for your class. Go on a nature hunt with your kids. Hold hands on the back porch with your sweetie.

Be a part of the white puffy cloud movement!

The white puffy clouds were made to be a part of your world so be with them.

By: Melanie A. Peters