Five simple things

July fourth is today and boy do we have a fun road trip ahead of us.  We are headed over to Newport to watch the fireworks from the south jetty.  I can't wait, but before that, here are the things that made my week awesome this week!

1.  These Donations.

  

Because at the change of every season, we learn to let go and live more simply.  We are following tips on living a minimalist lifestyle and it's a hard choice sometimes, but we are doing it.  I am going to start a series on my blog soon of how we go from a living large family to a living minimal family.  Stay tuned for that.

2.  These Berries.

Because even though they are overripe, they made the best jams and jellies.  You can see my tips on making great strawberry jams and syrups here.

3.  Our Brown Yard.

Because I decided to water it this year to see how much our water bill would be.  I am watering in the evenings while we eat dinner, and shutting it off before we go to bed,  We'll see if the watering is worth it.

4.  This Doggie.

5.  This Moment.

Because meditation and alone time is very important.  Even if you have a lot of alone time, meditation is a great way to get back to center.  Check out some ways to improve yourself at Diary of a Yogi.

What happened this time last year?

Our garden currently (the cleanup)

Well, it's another year, well season, of garden cleaning here.  We, once again, let the grass grow in the beds.  It was out of laziness, seriously, we just were lazy in covering them.  I think my laziness was due to the fact that I have been wanting to move the raised beds for a few years now.

Even Baz thinks the garden area is too overgrown to lay in.  

So from this......

To this is what we did.  Instead of digging all the grass out of each overgrown bed, we decided to just move them completely to a different area of the backyard.

We used thin fence post, the same once used for solar light finals, to hold the two beds together when stacked on top of each other.

We covered the bottom with a sheet of weed block.  We stapled it down so that it wouldn't shift when we turned the beds over onto the ground.

We stapled the first sheet with staples being about an inch apart.  We then staled another sheet to the back to double up on the weed block and stapled it with the staples about eight inches apart.  

Weed Blocker we used.

Once we got both of them in position where we wanted them, we then added the posts with a screw in the top bed and a screw in the bottom bed to hold them both into place.

With the dirt added on top of them, it will hold nicely.  

Now to clean up the rest of the yard and make it more of an oasis.

We added a container of lady bugs to the garden at night to help with pollinating and to each all of the pesky aphids that seem to want to munch on our goodies.

Now that the garden is all cleaned up and ready for dirt, we are excited to get our little plants into the ground and reap what we sow. 

I've also purchased some hanging baskets that I can't wait to brighten our yard.

After our garden cleanup, we took a short walk around the block and through town.  It was dusk, so the photos I took are a bit dark.  We found some chalk drawings on the bridge.

Stay Tuned!

Great Garden Reading:

What happened this time last year?

This post contain[s] affiliate links.  The links are associated with a company that I back and the clicks on those links or purchases you make using those links help our family.  Please consider using my site affiliate links for your purchases.  Thank you so much for helping our little family.

Five simple things

It's Friday, a hot Friday here.  It got up to 101 here today, which isn't all that hot to me, since I am from Arkansas where the humidity is so high you can't breathe.  I love this kind of weather, it's pool weather!  Yay!  Well, here's what made my summer week awesome!  Be sure and link up with me each week below the post to share what made your weeks amazing.

1.  These Raspberries.

  

Because they came from our own raspberry bush and they taste amazing right off the vine.

2.  This Gnome.

Because it was a card and it was perfect for the occasion.  

3.  These Lucifer's Tongue.

  

Because they are growing like crazy already and so beautiful in front of the house.  

4.  This Carpet.

Because it was outdoors and now it's indoors.  It's the perfect shade to go in out great room.  It's called the Honeycomb Rug.

5.  These Vegetables.

Because they came from our garden and are delicious!

  

I have even been using the cucumbers for my Sassy Water Drinking.  

Want to join this link up?  Add your link below to share what made your week amazing!  This link up happens every Friday, so come back once a week and let's network.

What happened this time last year?