I asked my 9 year old, "What do you think I should blog about?" She replied, "You should write about what you do!"  This took some time to ponder.

What do I "do"? 

I am a creator. I love to create on every level. I love creating delicious food, clothes, home decor, quilts, flower beds, vegetable gardens, ponds, bird feeders, crafts, vacations and (my personal favorite) memories. I love to think about how my 3 kids will remember their childhood. I do things to create a fun, loving home. I spend countless hours a year in advance planning their springbreak, summer, holidays and school breaks. I want to give them a love of travel, adventure, nature, their roots and family. I "do" housework, laundry, ironing, taxi driving, shopping, cooking, cleaning and organizing, but I would not characterize that as really what I do. 

I am a nurturer. I love to nurture anybody and anything. I love plants. I love the process of caring for them. I feel rewarded when they are healthy and happy. I get upset when they have diseases. I spend hours researching every little thing that is wrong with them. I grow vegetables not so that we can eat them and fill the freezer, but to see the most beautiful tomato or peach. I have been known to take a picture of the most perfect peach and not even want to eat it. I nurture birds. Everyday I feed them and give them fresh water. I make houses for them in the winter and put hair and ribbon out for their nests in the spring. I can hear the blue jays squawk or the sparrows chirp and know there is danger. I drop whatever I am doing and run outside to protect them. I have saved sparrows and ducks from hawks claws and nest from snakes because I ran out when I heard a certain call. I pick up injured birds on the road and nurture them to health. I love being a mom and wife because I get to nurture.  I spend every waking hour nurturing bumps, bruises, appetites and necessities, but my favorite...hearts. I care so deeply about their emotions. Are they happy? Are their emotional needs being met? Do they feel safe, secure, confident? What would I be doing if all their physical needs were met and they couldn't resolve a conflict in a healthy way?

I am spiritual. I love the Lord. I love his peace. I love the way he has re-fathered me by giving me a husband that mirrors God, the father, unconditionally and sacrificially.. loves. I love his creation in nature. I feel connected to him when I travel, camp, sit in my garden and watch the birds. I love his Holy Spirit. I love when he speaks to me as I journal or read the bible. His words and thoughts are so comforting and encouraging.

I am a teacher and trainer. I  spend countless hours everyday training my arrows to fly straight when they leave the quill. I train them to be efficient, organized, clean, skillful and disciplined. I train them to not procrastinate, be patient, flexible and to communicate. I work to help them understand themselves, their personality and birth order, in order for them to have a good self esteem and be able to interact with others. I train them with manners, skills, discipline, work ethic and emotional authenticity. The bible says to train your children in the way they should go and even though they may go away at times, they will eventually come back to it.

Emotional authenticity...I am authentic. That is what I am going to blog. That is who I am. I speak before thinking. I have an intense need to understand motives including my own. I am "unfiltered"...so I am told.

So, welcome to my blog where hopefully you can relate on some level whether it be mom, spouse, christian, parent, daughter, sister, diy, inventor, traveler, animal lover, bird watcher, gardener, volunteer, trainer, empty-nester and a imperfectly perfect human.

CONTACT INFO: 

Nicki Adkins
email: nicki@nickiadkins.com

The Edge

 Floor Plan:

Exterior:

Interior:

Steps to winterizing the greenhouse

This is a technique I use to button up the greenhouse for winter.

1) wrap all large pots with bubble wrap in order to hold on to the warmth.

2) spray foam in any holes along the base between the concrete blocks and ground in order to keep air leaks to a minimum.

3) use eyehooks on the ceiling, below the rafters, on each beam and tie a string/ wire that can be lowered or raised on the ceiling. So there is a string that the vinyl plastic is resting on below the beams. About 2 years ago, I went to Joanns Fabric and bought about 5-6 yards of heavy duty vinyl in the tablecloth area. I sewed it together to make one large blanket in the exact size of the greenhouse. Each year I just unfold the vinyl, lower the string and lay the vinyls over the strings. Pull to raise and tie around eyehooks.  It keeps the warmth in and allows the sun to shine through.

4) place a couple of fans and a few utility heaters that are set to come on at about 55 degrees. Place them to circulate the air around the greenhouse.

That's it! I overwinter ferns, pineapples, limes, lemon, cherry, herbs, papaya, coleus, violets and geraniums. It stays a consistent 20 degrees warmer than the outside temperature. I water throughly once a week.

Happy gardening!

Winter morning over the orchard

Great is his faithfulness morning by morning

Fall Blooms

Sarah (my 13 yr old) took this through her glasses

 It is a beautiful time of year. The air is cooling off but the sun is still warm. The summer blooms are disappearing and the last bit of color with the fall flowers are providing the last good show before winter.  I love this time of year because when I go out to walk through the garden the hummingbirds buzz by and the butterflies and bees are busy getting that last big pollination.

Even the frogs are preparing to hibernate deep down in the pond. It is actually a funny story. I left this pond to it's own devices. I stopped cleaning it and took out the pump and figured I would clean it out this winter. However, I started seeing these cute BIG frogs everywhere. They sit on the rocks and sun themselves and when you walk by the screech and jump in. There must be 10 frogs in this little pond.

....and the honey bees are in full swing with what I am convinced is their favorite flower group, the salvias. I wonder where all that honey is?

giant celosia with a giant wasp

the honeybees go crazy for this stuff

the bloom are 8-10 inches

 Other salvia's:

hot lips: looks like ducks?

hot pink

 I also find the bold yellow flowers so inviting this time of year:

sarah took this: beach sunflowers

they get to be about 12 ft tall and need staking

tarragon

beautiful dainty flower and perennial

melampodium

We can't forget the cools season crops for fall:

buttercrunch lettuce and romaine

brussel sprouts

broccoli

 I also found these morning glory vines. The most interesting thing is that I planted the seed in Purple years ago and each year it comes back (invasively) in different colors...plant genetics in real form:

Here are a few other interesting and beautiful fall bloomers in zone 8b

snowball viburnum

fire spike, hummingbirds love it!

lantana

old blooms from the garlic chives

look at those seed heads on garlic chives

We can't forget the butterflies and moths, busy at work before winter:

Fall gardening comes with good weather, amending your beds, pulling all the weeds from summer and pinestrawing for winter.  I find it amazing when God grants us the gift to care for his land, he provides the season to coincide with the tasks...beautiful weather, blooms and insects to surround the ardous work...the beauty is the distraction.

Happy Gardening!

Nicki