The Cotton Shedd

Indoor Herb Garden

It is so hot here that herbs do not survive the summer.  I do like to cook with fresh herbs - especially in the summer.  So the newest garden experiment is an indoor decorative herb garden.  I have parsley, cilantro, thyme, basil, and stevia and I will soon add oregano.

 

They make the room smell earthy and it adds a refreshing feel.  So far the plants seem happy in this south facing window.  Time will tell.  As an added note, watering the herbs with water drained from the sprout jar gives them a bit of a boost.

Hope Chests Old & New

When you are my nine year old daughter you get a really big present.  A hope chest made of solid cedar and made by an Amish woodcrafter and shipped all the way to AZ.  I obsessed with finding the perfect chest - durable, practical and beautiful and similar to mine.  Something to survive a 100 years or more.  The fun of filling it through the years is just beginning.  Filling it with things that are useful and full of love to  connect a new home with an old home.

 

So far there are Sue Gregg cookbooks and hand knit dishcloths made by my daughter - her first precious knitting projects.

My hope chest was once filled with things for the future and now it is holds precious memories - baby shoes and first outfits, letters and letterman jackets.  It once belonged to my grandmother and when she went to her final home it came to me.  Someday when I go to my final home it will go to my grandaughter or great grandaughter, Lord willing.

 

This is a wonderful tradition that is being lost.  A great resource  by Rebecca Wilson on the hows and whys is a good starting point to begin building a hope chest for yourself or your daughter.