an unexpected bloom...

every year we get grandpa neilson a plant for christmas. it is usually one that we plant and watch grow... like paperwhites or amaryllises. well a few years ago, we got him an amaryllis. it bloomed and it was beautiful... and we all loved to watch how fast it grew. eventually the blooms died and we trimmed it up and someone ended up setting in the carport. then last summer... i saw that it was starting to grow again. so we began watering it and it produced nice big healthy leaves, but no blooms. eventually the leaves starting turning yellow, so we trimmed it back again and put it back in the carport. well... this same little amaryllis bulb started to grow again last week. we brought it inside and started watering it... and practically all of a sudden we have a beautiful amaryllis bloom... with two more to follow shortly. i didn't know if it would ever bloom again, but it has. maybe after it is done this round i will take the bulb out and clean it up... or maybe we'll put it back in the carport and see what happens next year! :)

hello & goodbye...

one of my sunflower plants has bloomed [the other one is close too]. it just amazes me that this tiny little sunflower seed that i planted a couple months ago can be three and a half feet tall and have a beautiful happy sunflower bloom today.

sigh... i love my garden! :)

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it feels like just last month that nicole and i got these adorable tiny turtles... even though its been almost a year. chip and big bertha have literally quadrupled in size. they kinda stink... but i sure liked them. however... since they were in austin's room... and since he has been the one taking care of them, he has decided that the turtles are too much work to keep around any longer. he is donating them to his science teacher [and a good friend from our ward]. she has a nice gigantic tank in her classroom with a couple other turtles. so chip and bertha will have more room and more friends. it will be good for them.

sigh... i'll miss those turtles...  :(

...last year...

...now [big bertha]...

...chip...

ps... i love that turtles are always smiling! too funny! :)

a note from me...

dear everybody,

so here's the deal. my zucchini are already flowering... and i really think that it is too early for that. i know its been warm here and junk, but isn't this too early? i really have no idea what i am doing... i'm just winging it and having fun, but i really would like this little garden to work. so if you have any suggestions or ideas or even just random little pieces of information i sure would appreciate it if you shared them with me!


many thanks & much love,
kendle


ps... grandma's hibiscus plant is just exploding with blooms! they sure do make me smile!!

last week...

so last week was kinda busy... dustin, austin & dad worked in the backyard all day friday [and a good chunk of thursday too]. they rototilled the crap out of it... they got the waterline and the sprinkler system in. apparently we have a quite a bit more we need to do before we can put the actual sod in, but its getting there!

::

saturday... there was a giant regional ysa activity [nicole was in charge... so i got to help out a lot.] it turned out great... and it was a whole ton of fun, but im not gonna lie... it was a long day. and then!! that night kelsey got  home from byu! she and a friend drove in from provo. it sure is great to have her back!!

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also... the cacti are all blooming right now. its quite the sight. its a unique beauty, but i sure love it! :)

$ a very exciting day!

today was a extraordinarily fun filled day! 

it started rather early with a bobcat in our backyard... no, not the animal... it was the machinery bobcat thingy. and can i just tell you how impressive it was? wow. amazing. anyway. brother weigal came and moved some dirt around so we can put in a retaining wall and start making our backyard look prettier! we've got some good ideas for it, i think! and hopefully we can get the retaining wall done in the next couple of weeks so that i can plant my zucchinis and stuff! yay!! :)

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and i went on a date today... with my good friend zac [and nicole and her date]. we went to the reid park zoo here in town [and it was an absolutely perfect day weather-wise] and then after we went back to zac's house to play games. it was a super fun little date! thanks to zac for a great time! ooh... we also got free taco's from jack in the box because the ua won their basketball game against usc [86-85... 2ot] woot woot! go cats! haha...

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also... its spring time in the good ol arizona [mom brought home daffodils!]  

 

 

:)

+ delightful...

"delightful" is a truly wonderful word. people should use it more often, i think. anyway... today is day 18 of the herb garden experiment... and it really has been absolutely delightful! my cilantro has exploded... its growing so fast! and my sweet basil is already smelling like sweet basil... and it smells wonderful! i wish you could smell it! i cant wait till its grown... i think im going to have to make pesto! :)

 

 

"in all things of nature there is something of the marvelous."  - aristotle

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ps. i love spider mums... and daisies....

{hibiscus}

three years ago, last saturday, my grandma neilson passed away. i cant believe its already been that long. we all miss her. but anyway... since then, my grandpa has been wintering with us. each year he and my mom go out and buy some flowers. last year i think they bought a big basket of geraniums. on saturday, he and my dad and my brother went to lowes and got a beautiful hibiscus plant in remembrance of her... anyway. its gorgeous. here are pictures...

:)

a nice suprise...

so. we [in the rmyl] share our office with a byu ward... and sometimes theyre annoying... and eat our candy and steal our post-it notes and move our chairs and leave their stuff all over and what not... sometimes they leave their candy and we eat it... or they leave their sacrament bread [the loaves... not the little bits] and we make sandwiches out of it.

most days its no biggy... but some days it is. apparently they left of very important looking keys here recently... paula called the bish and he came down to pick them up today. and he brought me [& alex] and paula and pattie each a boquet of little mini carnations... i thought it was very sweet of him... and he apologized for any nuisances caused by their presence. anyway... it was very considerate and sweet of him. so thanks to bishop who gave us flowers! :)

flowers always make me smile... and i was having a really good day anyway... so it just made me doubly happy! lol...