our poor potted plants who have been living in pots since april...
finally got planted in the ground this week and they look so happy! we are growing tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, carrots, green peppers, jalapenos, and some herbs. thanks in a large part to my mama who planted a lot for us and gifted us our very own patio garden!
much like our garden plants, we are also putting down roots. the boxes are all unpacked, everything is in its place and we have a home! we had a lovely housewarming party on sunday and it was great to be able to share with loved ones the home that God has blessed us with. we are looking forward to many fun times with friends and families. it really is the people who wander through our front door that make the space come alive!
my herb garden and the chicken coop in progress.
a friend from our home community was getting rid of her chicken coop at just the time the boys were designing plans for our coop. needless to say, julia gifted us all the parts of her hefty and fun coop! we hope to get our little egg layers at the beginning of august!
painting our room
the finished product
adorable roommate ellen trying her hand at our hand-powered lawn mower (we decided it's kind of like vacuuming the grass)
we are trying to do our part in living a sustainable life (thus the lawn mower) and have made a clothesline and hope to develop our compost system. little things we do can have a big impact!
luke + chai + hammock chair - view of safeway parking lot = best kind of morning ever
the hassle of getting this chair back from paraguay is all worth it when i get to sit in it, relax and enjoy a cup of tea. our corner of portland is busy and there is always something or someone to watch. buses pass, fire engines zoom by, grocery shoppers hurry to safeway, the excitement is endless... when i sit in the hammock chair, i feel like i am in peace in the midst of the chaos that surrounds me.
plates of cookies waiting to be handed out to our new neighbors. ellen and i had a baking bonanza and made snickerdoodles, no bakes, macaroons, and molasses crinkles.
last night, we handed out 15 plates of cookies to our neighbors. the responses we received varied, "holy cow." "hey honey, you've got to come out here and see this." "are you guys the welcome wagon or something?" doors barely cracked open and we were talked to through a screen door. or when we went to the apartment building that looks down on our yard, we were handed a plate of chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven in exchange for our cookie offering. what a treat! sure making cookies and handing them out to neighbors and sounds cliche, like it's something that everyone does. we decided that no one actually does it anymore; it's just something that is easy to talk about. so, we put our feet in motion and met some very interesting characters on our block. a previous neuro-scientist that now has a 9-5 job and lives with his three cats. the owner from the most delicious neighborhood bakery and her wife. an ecuadorian lady with her cuban husband. a young family with a three week old baby. single mom with her three boys. there is so much life right here on our street. introducing ourselves was hopefully just the first step in developing some meaningful relationships with these folks. God has placed us here, now may he use us as he pleases.
oh yes, in other news, i found out last week that i will be working full time at Kelly K-5 Elementary in the Lents neighborhood (where Rusty works). i will be the SUN extended day coordinator and parent engagement coordinator. exactly the job i was hoping and praying for. looking forward to starting next week!
