June 26th - Paradise

Start Quote

It doesn't matter where you live, 

every woman can delight in this simply abundant pastime.

A wonderful way to begin is by bringing the outdoors in

with plants that bloom all year long.

But not just any plants.

Please leave the spiny spider ferns or rubber plants

in the office reception area where they belong.

Instead, consider fragrant plants redolent of romance:

camellias,

freesias,

narcissus, 

hyacinths,

heliotrope,

jasmine,

[which is one of my favorite scented flowers, btw]

violets, 

scented geraniums.

[which are edible?] 

 

End Quote

Small world isn't it?

Today, before I read in the book, 

I asked Robbie what he felt about putting more plants in the house.

I was thinking something like this.

 

I was thinking that I wanted a small garden, 

whether it was herbs or flowers 

or the poor succulent I have outside in exile,

and I want it inside my kitchen window over the sink. 

Robbie just said yes. 

YES!

When it'll happen, I don't know. 

"Gardening really has no beginning and no end...

Bottled under glass, blooming at your elbow, 

the indoor garden has an immediacy 

that gardens outside cannot match. 

The aromas impart an intensity that will not be ignored...

Deliciously distilled, delectably varied-

that is the essence of paradise."

-Tovah Martin 

I can't wait!

I wonder if Robbie's allergies will allow me 

to have fragrant flowers inside the house though....

hmmmm.

***

Gratitude Journal

***

1) A 90 something degree day felt amazing compared to the triple digit heat. Thank you Lord.

2) Chick-fil-a, and one of my very best friends. So we haven't seen each other in 2 years, and after a couple years you maybe start to wonder if they still love you or not. And then you meet up finally and realize there was never any need to fear, you were both just extremely busy, for 2 years. She was getting her master's degree, I was raising two one year olds and a two year old. It made my heart so happy to hear about her life and what she gets to do for the next two years, to hug her and talk to her...Good friends are one of the greatest blessings God has given me. I am truly blessed. 

3) Taking care of my roses. The last week of triple digit heat really did a number on them. I knew I hadn't killed them, it's not like I stopped watering them or anything, the heat was just really intense and there is no respite for them from the sun (at least not for a couple years, the tree needs to grow a little more). But then out of all the burned leaves and death, there was new growth. Stronger and brighter than before. It made me think of life, and how where there is a will there's a way. It also made me think of the refiner's fire, how you can just choose to roll over and die or you can choose to continue to grow and have hope.

4) Little things that lead to other things. We were in the car and Usher's Yeah came on, and I immediately thought of this scene. Well, thinking of that led to a movie night with Robbie. It's nice to sit and laugh and hold hands etc etc...

5) FHE. It felt so good, to go see Grandma Great, to watch a scripture video, and feel the spirit. On Sunday the lesson second hour was how to prepare for the second coming of Christ. One of the things was that we have to be valiant in our testimony of Him. That's all I could think about as we watched Stephen be stoned to death, and Paul risk his life to preach the gospel, and ultimately lose it because of his testimony and missionary work. They were valiant in their testimony of Christ. I love this gospel, I love my Savior, and I love that I get to try every day to become more like Him.