From The Patch

We Have PLANTS at The Weed Patch!!!

A little over a week ago we started getting some of our plants in to the store, and we're just SO excited!  Part of our thrill is, of course, directly related to everything we're doing at home in the yard - and it's fun to see what some of our options are at the store.  But that's not all - we've got some amazing prices on our plants, as customers have pointed out recently.  Since the back patio isn't yet finished and opened (still have to clean it up and fix the roof...!), our current options are lined up ready for you to browse as you walk in the front door of the store - and we must admit, we think it looks pretty darn great!

We've got both annuals and perennials - from Osteospermum and fuschias (the non-hardy variety for hanging baskets) to bleeding hearts, hostas, lilys, Peonys, a killer Rudbeckia (Black Eyed Susan) that grows SIX FEET TALL, Fuschias (the hardy variety), and SO much more... now is a great time to come in to the store!

Do you have a garden at home? What's your favorite plant(s)?

Is Spring FINALLY Here?

Adopt the pace of nature:  her secret is patience.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

As we've been getting going in the garden here in Seattle, we've discovered some volunteer tulips mixed in our raised bed.  More specifically, mixed in a couple of holes in the cinder blocks we used to contain our raised bed... we're not sure if the squirrels put them in there or what, but they are a surefire reminder that Spring is here... or at least, is supposed to be!

This year has been one of the coldest and wettest April months on record here in Seattle.  Our beautiful sunny days have been few and far between, and we've had to be...well... patient.  

I went outside this afternoon and found this beautiful tulip just opening up.  What a glorious sight!  And welcome, Spring - maybe?  (*note that the weather is calling for lots of mountain snow over the next couple of days, with overnight lows here in the 30s - again... *sigh*)

Has Spring Sprung where you're at?  
What the first thing that makes it truly feel like spring for you?

Our Beautiful Easter (2011)

What a wonderful Easter we had this year!  

To start with, we had some really exciting news this prior week - but that's just going to have to wait for another post, because it NEEDS the justice of its own post... ;)

This year we drove down to Janene's parent's place in Union, Washington.  It had been quite some time since we were able to get down there, and it felt like coming home.  Don and Esther have a beautiful home, and it's so easy to just fall into relaxation mode.  Of course, Janene went down on Friday night so she could spend all day cooking Easter dinner (by choice - it's one of her favorite things to do, cooking), so by the time I got down there Saturday after work there wasn't a lot to do... (and thank you AGAIN, Marcia, for covering Saturday afternoon so that I could leave earlier - I can't tell you enough how much I appreciated that).

Saturday afternoon Grandma and Ben spent some time dying eggs.  I think both were in seventh heaven!

Sunday we got up and went to church.  Well, Janene attended - Ben was quite fussy (he's growth spurting) and there was really no way I was going to do that to the poor gals at Sunday School - so Ben and I wandered Shelton a bit, spending no small amount of time on the historic train (Ben's STILL talking about that...).

Dinner was a relaxed affair, mostly because Janene cooked all day Saturday.  I don't know why, but we didn't get any pictures of the food - weird.  But it was GREAT!  Flank steak seasoned with fresh herbs out of our garden, roasted veggies, fresh roasted asparagus, broccoli grape salad... yum! (And yes, I ate too much, again.)  The company was wonderful, too - of course!

We finished the evening with relaxed conversation, The King's Speech, and TWO fantastic desserts!  Janene baked Martie's Dark Chocolate Cake as well as this FANTASTIC Strawberry Lemon Tart (recipe here, on epicurious.com) - holy cow we were spoiled.

We're so incredibly blessed to have such an amazing family and friends - and most importantly, a personal relationship with God - who sent his one and only Son to DIE for our evil.  As a father, this point has truly come home - the sacrifice was greater than I could ever have imagined before having a son.  If you haven't experience the amazing love that only comes from God, we'd be happy to share it with you - just let us know.

2011 is already into its second quarter.  And it's going to be an absolutely insanely busy year for so many reasons.  But this year, even more than in the past, we're giving it all up to God, and letting him take the wheel.  Won't you join us?

 

My Garden Nursery

Today we had a wonderful little adventure at a nursery we've driven past hundreds of times but never managed to stop in at - "My Garden", on Bothell-Everett Highway up by Mill Creek.  This was perhaps the most amazing nursery visit we've ever had, and we would highly recommend a visit!

Firstly, the place is just beautiful.  They of COURSE have plants - and lots of them - from indoor house plants to trees and everything in between (we got 4 different kinds of strawberry plants!).  They have garden gnomes, home decor, gifts, garden supplies for everything from starting seeds and up.  

And they have a train table, which pretty much sold Ben.

So WHY were we so incredibly impressed?  I mean, besides all the fantastic product that should be part of any decent nursery?

Simple.  Absolutely first rate, blow your socks of, unheard of customer service.  From the moment we walked in the door we were literally taken care of like we were royalty.  Ben was given carrot seed packets to use in his new veggie garden.  Every question we had was answered immediately - and even some we hadn't thought to ask.  We chatted about everything from gardening to trains, and truly made to feel welcome.  We've NEVER felt so incredibly welcome at a business where we were total strangers.

So if you're in the area, definitely take a moment to check them out.  If you're not in the area... http://www.mygardennursery.com/ is a great place to start!  And don't miss 'em on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/my.garden.nursery!

A Spring / Easter 2011 Preview...

Hello wonderful friends!  Welcome to MARCH!  Can you even believe it?  This year is going SO incredibly fast it's just insane.  But it's Spring(ish), and Easter is coming down the path... So here's a very brief preview of some of the beautiful new products we have in the store (including some GREAT new ESC, tons of Blossom Bucket for those fans, and SO much more!)  Here we go!

 

What's your favorite holiday and season? Does it feel like Spring yet where you live?

A Glimpse of Spring at Country Village!

Spring is definitely on its way here in Bothell's Country Village! It's not too tough to tell - there's flowers starting to poke their shoots from the ground, and the world is waking up a bit. That, and there's baby bunnies and baby ducks running around....! Pretty soon we'll probably have baby chicks! Here's a few shots of the brand new ducklings that we were able to grab the other day. Hope they put a smile on your face!

Are you seeing any signs of Spring where you're at?
What's your favorite "hint" that Spring is just around the corner?

Valentines Day 2011!

Valentine's Day is quickly approaching... do you have all your special decorations yet? We have LOTS! Here's a photo tour of some of our products and displays - c'mon in to check them all out!

What's your favorite Valentine's activity?

A Garden for 2011!

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did.  So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. 
~Mark Twain

Well, we're already almost through January 2011.  We have so many wonderful things to do this year, but the year is already almost 1/12 gone!  Time sure does fly, it's absolutely incredible.  Of course, the store tends to do that, as there is simply so much to do!  

 

At home this year, among other things, we have a goal to eat as much from our own garden this year (and many years forward!) as we can.  This is a rather large undertaking for us, as we have several beds to dig out and prep in the coming weeks - we had one moderately successful bed this past year, planted very late in the season.  This year, we're planning on adding four beds, plus a raspberry bed, as well as a full container garden.  We'll be documenting our toils and rewards throughout the year, and we welcome any advice more experienced gardeners may have!  

What are your big goals for this year?  Have you started on them yet?

It feels like Spring!

Today we took some time to relax, and we went to Flower World here in Snohomish.  We love Flower World - and today was perfect, as there wasn't anybody else there!  Ben ran all over the place - quietly, interestingly enough - and all the staff thought he was quite cute.  We saw so many beautiful plants and trees, and Ben particularly loved the pond with the turtles and fish, as well as all the waterfalls.  Since it was raining, we didn't do much outside today, but inside was enough.  

We initially went to get our creative juices flowing for our new garden this year - last year we loved having our veggie garden so much that this year we're adding several beds, and it's never too early to start planning!  (Actually, some would argue that we're late...)  

We did end up getting a new house plant - we're going to fill the house with plants, as well as the new gardens.  I (Chris) have always loved plants, and in addition to an increase in air quality I'm excited for the relaxing effects that plants have for me.  Even though the wind and rain was a bit cold, today still felt a little like Spring!  

Are you looking foward to Spring this year?  What are you planting in your garden?

 

The Greatest Gift of All!

E

aster is the recognition of the Resurrection of Christ from the dead.  As Christians, we recognize this as the fulfillment of God’s promise to conquer death and offer humanity redemption for our sins.  All we must do is accept Christ as our Savior, and our sins are washed clean.  The following passage is from Mark 16, and speaks of The Resurrection.  If you are unfamiliar with the story of Christ’s crucifixion, we encourage you to read Mark 15 for those specifics.  We have chosen to focus here on Christ’s Resurrection for two reasons:  the practical space constraints of this page, and the realization that it was not until Christ arose from the dead that our sins were forgiven and we were given the opportunity to accept God’s love and start a personal relationship with Him.

Mark 16, The Bible
New International Version

The Resurrection
    1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

    4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

    6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ “

    8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

    9 When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. 11 When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.

    12 Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. 13 These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.

    14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

    15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

    19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.