Not Me Monday - AND Lessons learned in the garden

It's Monday and you know what that means... actually, there are so many things happening on Mondays now that I don't even know what carnival to actually participate in. Lynette Kraft at Dancing Barefoot on Weathered Ground has a "Getting to Know You" carnival that I have really enjoyed every Monday lately. It's been so interesting to meet some new bloggers and just see what else people are saying that aren't necessarily in my realm of consciousness. If you get a chance, go check her out!

I'm not sure if MckMama is actually doing Not Me today, because, see, Stellan has been back in the hospital again! But even if she doesn't do it, I think you should pop over there and say a prayer for her.






So... what did I not do this week? Well, first and foremost, I absolutely DID NOT forget to call my dad and my father-in-law AND my step-dad for Father's Day. It would have been impossible for me to forget these three amazing men who have contributed so much to who I am today.


My dad, who I have told you many times, is practically responsible for who I turned out to be in life; an animal loving, barefoot, country girl at heart, gardening, outdoor living, rebellious, beer-drinking, argumentative, conservative, freedom loving, loyal, open-handed, authentic, Southern girl!


My step dad, who is giving beyond words, who loves my children and my family, who has loved me even though I didn't always do what he thought I should, who has spent countless hours in my service, who loves the Lord and my mama.


My father-in-law, who is insightful, funny, and tolerant of me, even though I am sure there are times he would like to ring my neck. He calls me his favorite daughter-in-law, and it's no less sweet that I am also his ONLY daughter in law! :) He's a fun guy to be around, he loves me and my kids like his own kids, and he always has wisdom to share when it comes to dealing with life.

So, you see, all three of these "fathers" in my life deserved no less than a mere phone call from me... and it would be so inconsiderate of me NOT to call, so of course, I did. :)

The big boys had their finale performance from their performing arts camp this Saturday. Jack certainly DID NOT have a drum solo at the end of his Latin Music performance. If he had been going to perform a solo, he would have told me in advance, there's no way he could have kept something like that a surprise! :) And by the way, I wasn't one bit surprised and astounded that my son could play the drums like that after one week of classes and I also wasn't one bit proud of him! :)

Now, on to the Gardening portion of my post.... anyone need any cucumbers? Or flowers?

Note to self, a family of six people do NOT need five cucumber plants to provide enough cucumbers for some fresh summer snackin'. And if they DO, in fact, decide to open a pickle factory, another good thing to note is that I need to make the garden bigger if I am going to accommodate five cucumber plants!

My granma always grew Zinnias in her garden, so I am too. I love cutting them and bringing them in because it reminds me of her so much. Her favorite flower was the carnation, but I think of her when I see Zinnias because we grew them together and picked them together when I was a child. These things are bringing me SO much joy this summer. I just have a little walk down memory lane every week when I am culling out the full blooms and bringing them inside. Arranging them in this pretty vase and having fresh flowers in my kitchen and bathroom has been such a joy this summer. Thank you, Granma, for continuing to give me joy in my life by the legacy of life you left me with!

Love to y'all! Happy Monday!