A Little Luck Is All You Need!

Without even meaning to, and certainly by surprise, I found a four leaf clover today!  I've wanted to find one my whole life, and there it was just staring me in the face as I just happened to look down!  How lucky is that?!

What makes it even crazier is I had just congratulated a friend of mine yesterday on finding one herself.  I told her I was so jealous!  And what-a-ya-know, not even a day later, I find one of my own!  I've been so excited all day!

A Bit O' History From Wikipedia:

The four-leaf clover is an uncommon variation of the common, three-leaved clover. According to tradition, such leaves bring good luck to their finders, especially if found accidentally.  According to legend, each leaf represents something: the first is for hope, the second is for faith, the third is for love, and the fourth is for luck.  

It has been estimated that there are approximately 10,000 three-leaf clovers for every four-leaf clover.

...Maybe I should go play the lottery tonight!  I'm feelin' lucky!  

This plant made my day!  How 'bout yours?

AIM: Baseball Equipment Drive

I've mentioned a few times lately that I'm leaving June 8th for a mission trip to the Dominican Republic to hold a baseball camp for 2000-3000 kids.  Obviously that camp would not be successful without donations of used equipment from our community.  A couple of Junior High girls made this awesome video for our equipment drive.  They did an amazing job, and I wanted to share it with all of you.

Baseball Equipment Drive Video

If you live in the Houston area and want to help out with donations, let me know and I can make arrangements to meet you, or you can drop off equipment at either of these two business locations:

Buds and Blossoms
14120 Cypress N. Houston
Cypress, TX 77429

or

Emco Press
4935 Milwee St
Houston, TX 77092


Current needs are: old gloves, bats, baseballs, bat/dufflebags, helmets, basketballs,volleyballs, nets, catcher gear, training tools, cleats, and uniforms.

Also, I'm still raising money for my husband and son to join me on this trip.  If you'd like to make a monetary donation, you can send checks made payable to Athletic International Missions in c/o The King Dominican Fund to the Buds and Blossoms address above.

Lastly, if you'd like to join us on this mission trip, please let me know so I can get you more info.  We still need 20-25 more volunteers to join us!

Thanks you in advance for your generosity!

'Frostproof' Gardenia

I've always said that when I die, I want heaven to smell like Gardenia's.  I love their sweet scent, and I am so excited that mine are in full bloom.  My mom had Gardenia's in our backyard while I was growing up, so I'm always reminded of her when I smell them. It's plant nostalgia at it's best!

These Spring bloomers do very well in a partly sunny area and prefer an acidic soil with moderate amounts of water.  The 'Frostproof' variety is a glossy, dark green leaved, evergreen shrub that reaches 3-4 ft.  Its name comes from the flower buds ability to resist damage from a late Spring frost. It's quickly become my favorite variety of Gardenia for it's round compact growth habit.  It's perfect for a low growing shrub in front of taller bushes or in front of windows. 

My favorite thing to do is bring my favorite scent inside.  I pick off some blooms (with the help of my youngest son) and float them in a bowl of water for a day or two.  They will fill a room with heaven in no time!

This plant made my day! How 'bout yours?

The Fruits of My Labor

As I write this, there is a video game blaring on my T.V. that my boys and husband have been playing since we got home from church.  They are in the final stages of a game with a determination to beat it today.  My two-year-old has interrupted this very sentence a few times just to come sit on my lap and see what I'm up to.  Just now, my oldest son walked up to me to stare over my shoulder and see what I'm doing on the internet.  The washing machine is on spin cycle while the dryer is in the final stages of drying the last load of towels (for today.)  All this to say, it's a bit loud in here!  I already retreated outside to walk my gardens, but I'm rethinking why I decided to leave the serenity of my plants to come back inside! Oh yeah, it was those darn mosquitoes!


It finally rained this past Friday after a month without a drop.  I came home from work and sat on my back porch listening to the drops tapping on the tin roof.  I could practically hear my plants rejoicing in the rain as they absorbed every drop.  (Okay, so maybe I was the one rejoicing.)  But, I just love how much greener the leaves are after a good rain!  The rain continued into Saturday and now that Sunday is here with lots of sunshine, all the little garden creatures are out and about again...including the mosquitoes!  But sometimes it's worth becoming a meal to go out and enjoy some of the fruits of your labor!

These Black Swallowtail cat's are really enjoying my Dill

A baby cucumber...

...and one ready to eat!

These somehow never make it out of the garden...I eat them right off the vine!

My Basil

The last of the Peaches on my Peach Tree

These plants made my day!  How 'bout yours?

Currently in May

I normally do this post on the 1st of every month. I missed last month's Currently post completely because I was so busy with work, so I figure while I'm still in May I should post my Currently post while I have the chance!

Current Book(s): I'm in the middle of the third book of Fablehaven and the newest book from the Sookie Stackhouse series.  I've kinda had to put books on the back burner due to my crazy work schedule.  But I'm trucking along through these two at a slow but steady pace.

I started reading the Fablehaven series after my husband recommended them for our kids to read.  I wasn't all that impressed with the first one as an adult read, but the second and third have been surprisingly better and more in depth that the first.  I would recommend them to anyone  who has kids that like reading adventures.  

Of course I'm hooked on Sookie, so I interrupted the Fablehaven book to start this one that just came out.  I haven't read far enough into this one to have an opinion yet....but it's Sookie, so I'm sure it'll be a good one!

Current Playlist: I've been on a Texas Country music kick here lately.  It just seems to match my mood with Spring in full swing where the nights are still cool enough to sit outside, watch the hubby grill something for dinner, and hang out with friends and family.  There's just nothing better than that!  Fav artist at the moment would probably be: Hayes Carll

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: Eating the chocolate covered strawberries my kids got me for Mother's day!  mm,mm,mm!

Current Color:  I've really liked this Coral Pink color lately...not usually fond of pink, but this one is bright and fun.

Current Drink:  Sweet tea and Coke...the usual!

Current Food: We did a crawfish boil at our house...my favorite Spring time meal!

Current Favorite Show: I've tried to keep up with DWTS, but that seems to be a lost cause here lately!  Not much time to keep up with TV!

Current Wishlist:  I wish for funds to keep coming in for my family to join me in the Dominican Republic this June for a mission trip I'm going on.  I'm so excited to be a part of this group.  It's been amazing to see the various pieces of the puzzle come together for this trip to be a success!

Current Needs: I need a new pair of summer work shoes (which is actually my mother's day gift.) I just haven't had time to go pick some out.

Current Triumphs: I crossed off a 101 in 1001 list item this past week!  I took my boys dewberry picking at my farm and then came home to make miniature pies for them to eat.  My Grandma would do this for me when I would stay at her house, so I'm excited to share the experience with my boys.  I'm still waiting for the rest of the big pie I made to disappear so I can make Dewberry Delight, my ReeRee's specialty!

The harvest!

The mini pies!

Current Bane(s) of my Existence: Mosquitoes!  Why can't we just sit outside and enjoy a nice evening without becoming a meal?

Current Celebrity Crush: ehhh...not much on celebrities this month.

Current Indulgence:  Well, the Dewberry Pie is calling my name right now...

Current #1 Blessing: Life is grand!  My family is all good, Spring is here, I get to garden everyday after work (and sometimes while I'm at work!), the butterflies are out, and I'm perfectly content!  What more could a girl ask for?

Current Slang or Saying:  Hmmm, I don't think I have one at the moment.  

Current Outfit: A solid color T-shirt about the color of the coral above, khaki capri's , and flip-flops.

Current Excitement:  The AIM mission trip to the Dominican Republic!  I got my passport in over the weekend (yay!), and I went to get my son's made today just in case the funds do come available for him to join us.  

Current Mood: Exhausted from work but elated that Spring is here in full force.

Current Link: The AIM website!  Check it out and see what the mission is all about!  It's truly awesome!

Happy May!