Bloom Where You Are Planted

I have a confession to make and it might shock you!!! I do not have a green thumb, actually its rather fleshly colored. (Tee hee) Anyhow, it is the truth though. I am not a good gardener. I tend to get impatient waiting for things to bloom and grow and half the time I don't have a clue if I am yanking up weeds or gorgeous flowers. I have decided I should stick to planting tree's and creating rock gardens. The less maintenance the better. All though, part of this problem is due to the fact I am so thinly spread that I don't have a great amount a time to devote to tending to a garden, the other issue I have is lack of knowledge. Every spring I get the urge to plant and create a beautiful flower garden but I seem to have a problem not knowing where to start. I always find it amazing how fast the tree's and peoples gardens bloom out with all the spring blossoms. We have already mowed the lawn a few times this month and have had some awesome weather. I've got a start on a tan already and summer hasn't arrived yet LOL. I love being kissed by the warm rays of the sun especially those first warm days after a cold and dreary winter! I am sure those little blossoms asleep under the blanket of snow feel the same way!

We planted some trees this month. The children had a blast helping Hubby and I make our yard look more beautiful and do something positive for the environment. They also create a nice hedge and once the fencing is done between them, our property will be more visible to potential future buyers. While they were busy planting, I was busy doing something I really enjoyed -taking pictures of it all!

~Hubby getting ready to dig another hole!



~Reuben mowed the grass while Daddy dug

the holes!

~The Twins helped Daddy put the tree in the hole!

~Time to spread the mulch!

~Alex & Emily carefully water the trees!

~The almost finished result!

*You can see our neighbours garage in the background of this pic.The tree's help to section off our properties. Our plan is to put fancy fencing in between each tree. We opted for that instead of just a fence. We can't wait until it's finished!*

As I stated earlier, I personally do not have a green thumb and even plastic plants don't survive me! HAHA.....Well actually, it's more like they don't survive my rambunctious children. I'll never forget the time I bought a real, gorgeous tropical plant for the house. I was diligent in watering it and caring for it. To my surprise despite my ungreen (is that a word LOL) thumb it was growing so beautifully, until one day Alex decided to give it a 'haircut and use the stems as a microphone! I was so sad to see all the lovely green leaves on the floor and determined in my heart I'd never pay over $60 for a plant like that again! Even though, I got a little upset, it was hard to stay angry and discipline him for it because he was so cute at explaining why he did it. I did manage to capture a picture of him singing into the limbs of the plant. :-)

~Alex singing into his new "microphone"

after he gave the plant a "haircut"!!! Kids are so creative eh?

Even though I don't have the coveted green thumb, I do love flowers, plants and tree's. When we bought our house a few years back, there was a gorgeous flower garden in the front of the house. Needless, to say I tried my best to weed it but unfortunately, I don't think it was just weeds I was pulling out of it. I tried googling gardening tips and pictures of the difference between weeds and actual plants but I didn't have much luck. So, I just pulled everything out with the intention of replanting. The only plant that survived my antics was a beautiful flowering bush in the middle of the garden. It's a small tree that blooms out vibrant red blossoms and I have no clue what it is. I love it though. It's so pretty. My decision this year about that garden is to turn it into a rock garden around this beautiful tree so that the tree can stand out and not be cluttered. It has grown a lot over the past 3 years and is taking up a lot of room in the flower box. One thing I have learned though through this experience is that most plants do bloom where they are planted.

You know, our life is often like a garden. Sometimes, we allow weeds such as sin, anger, bitterness and hatred to grow choking out the beautiful person that we really are. We can often get to a place where we are not content with what we have and long to be planted in someone else's garden. However, keep in mind that you and I are right where God wants us. He has planted us in these specific spots for a reason. Every day as his plan for our lives unfolds, he desires us to bloom so that we can touch the lives of others and lead them to Christ. He wants us to bloom where we are planted and if we allow that to happen, we will live a life of joy, peace and happiness.

~Jeremiah 29:11- "I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out--plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for." ( The MSG Bible)