This is the view from the far left side of our yard. Our 3 "square foot" gardens (actually 18" squares) are going bonkers since we've had record rain this year and now it's starting to warm up. Each of the garden boxes cost around 8.00 in supplies (for the lumber) and are 6' x 6'. Joey made them and they went together really quickly. Peety, my 16 year old, does most of the gardening so we just pick up some seeds or plants every time we're at Home Depot or a nursery. It's growing fast but we're not spending a fortune on it (at least not all at once!).

Here's what we've fit in just this part of our yard! I've got the ingredients for a salsa garden (tomatoes, chili peppers, cilantro, and onions) and now all I need is a lime tree to finish my mojito garden (I've got the mint, and the rum's in the pantry!). We've been eating salads from the lettuce and I'm really amazed at the flavor in the lettuce. I didn't realize how bland store bought lettuce really was until now.
The lemon tree buzzes all day long and look at this bee with full pollen baskets. Joey loves studying about bees and he smartly informed me that the golden ball there is called a pollen basket (there's one on the other side of her too). I appreciate their help in the garden.
Here are some baby lemons (the little green parts). They are usually ripe enough to harvest around late December. I think we're going to have a record breaking crop this year if all goes well. The smell of these blossoms is simply heavenly.
This is the other side of the yard and you can see why we haven't done anything with it. We don't want to ruin the boys fun. The mud pit is created every time we leave the sprinklers on and they can't help themselves. They are irresistibly drawn to it. Girls don't do this. It's a strange male phenomenon. Someone should look into that.
Oh, and lucky me! We had the Ackerman's over for dinner Thursday night!! As in Bari J Ackerman and family! We had a great time with them and their adorable girls are absolutely a blast (my kids told me so)! Bari's family lives down here and they were visiting. Here we are enjoying our cheesecake and here's the cheesecake recipe. It's amazing, try it! Bari's next collection is shipping later this month and I'm getting it all in the store (and I got a peek of the next collection after that, eeeeek!).

Good times! Have a great weekend! Yes, I'm still working on my quilt. Hopefully I'll have some progress to share real soon!
