Episode #7 - Dot's Cottage Garden

When we were creating our Sweet Memories Garden, 

Dot was going through a Victorian phase. 

 She was enchanted with cottage gardens...thus the 

theme for her garden spot.

The vine covered fence separates Dot's garden 

from the rest of Sweet Memories, making it a secluded spot!

Included in her garden are our friends 

from The Hundred Acre Wood...

Pooh Bear

Eeyore...

And the ever timid and sweet Piglet!

This is an enchanting garden spot perfect for 

tea parties and story books!

I hope you enjoyed your visit to Dot's Cottage Garden. 

We'll see you next Friday for another view from 

our Sweet Memories...A Children's Garden

If you're new to my blog you might want to check out the tabs up top to see more of my children's garden spots and to meet my kids!

Sweet Memories Garden - Episode #6 - Woody's Arch - A Place for Meditation

Of all the special children's gardens in Sweet Memories, (see tab at the top of my blog for more info.), Woody's Arch is one of the few that I can access with my wheelchair.  When I enter, I feel like I'm entering a secret, special place all of my own!

It has become a place to escape, and meditate on the simpler creations that surround me.  

One day I was sitting here just being quiet and listening.  All of the sudden a movement in the wood chips next to the sidewalk where I was sitting caught my eye.  Something was under there wiggling and squiggling.  I couldn't see what it was so I waited and watched.  Before long a pill bug emerged and went on his merry way.  I soon began seeing all kinds of movement going on under the wood chips...movement that had been there all along but I had never noticed!

Last autumn brought the most beautiful colors to Woody's Arch...Virginia Creeper covers the arch that my father and sons built for me.  This vine is considered by some to be too invasive, but it brings such beauty to our Sweet Memories Garden and becomes the focal point!

As I sat here in the autumn, the sound of trickling water from Chip's Pond and the falling of leaves brought a calming peace and assurance that God is mindful of even me.  He has given me this lovely earth to enjoy and I am surrounded by his creations!  "...all things denote there is a God; yea even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it... (Alma 30:44, Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ).

In the foreground of the above photo, you can see Chip's Pond.  This is a place of constant motion, not only from the fountain, but birds, our cat's, and the dreaded hornets come here to drink.  Chip's Pond is visible from Woody's Arch an I have enjoyed the view...even the hornets, 

which we are infested with, don't seem so threatening!

Below is a view from behind the fence, looking through the arch into Sweet Memories Garden.  

I hope you have enjoyed your visit!  Stop by any time and rest yourself!

The following link will take you to the rest of Our Sweet Memories Garden spots...each one of our children have their own spot that they have designed and maintained!
http://myelevenreasons.blogspot.com/p/sweet-memories-childrens-garden.html

Sweet Memories Garden - Episode #5 - Busters Corner

Buster designed his flower bed when he was about 4 years old.  The Old Fashioned Purple Lilac provides the shade.  Notice there are no glowers to care for.  If you look closely to the far right, you can see a metal stake with a metal flower...this was the only flower he wanted!

  

He has several statues... children on a slide, a little boy fishing, and a little boy sitting next to a bird bath.

His little bench and tic-tac-tac toe game are the focal point.

Busters corner is located between Tatty's Bunny Hollow and Bogies Brigadoon. 

 Making all 3 gardens a delightful place for children to play and use their imaginations!

You can see the other children's gardens in the 

Sweet Memories, A Children's Garden tab at the top of my blog!

Next weeks garden post will be on Thursday instead of Friday...come by 

and see my favorite place to meditate and relax...Woodies Arch!

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Sweet Memories Garden - Episode #4 - Tatty's Bunny Hollow

Welcome to Tatty's Bunny Hollow Garden,...

It was named Bunny Hollow after one of the stories I'd written about my three youngest and their adventures in Sweet Memories.  You will meet several of my storybook characters in her little garden!

This is the stump where Ol' Grandpappy lives with all the other rabbits in Bunny Hollow

Mr. Gus is a grumpy but funny mole that tries to avoid my little girls,

 but seems to always peek out when they're looking.

On one of their journey's to Bunny Hollow, my girls meet Mrs. Myrtle Turtle.  She is on her way to the Bunny Hollow birthday party but is so slow she will be late, 

so the girls put her in their basket and give her a ride to the party.

In this photo you can see Mrs. Myrtle Turtle resting from her bumpy journey in the basket.  Also there are 2 chipmunks that just happened by, and if you look up  in the stump you can see Figaro and one of his sisters.  They are naughty little sparrows that belong to Toot and Flute.

Some of my favorite stories to read to my children are by Beatrix Potter. 

 If you look closely, you can see the hedgehog, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, 

a delightful character from one of her stories!

This is a birdhouse that my brother made for me several years ago.  It sits a-top the stump in Bunny Hollow.

Thanks for stopping by Bunny Hollow and meeting all our little friends.  Tatty loves her garden.  

She planted sweet violets in it because she knew they were one of my favorite flowers!

Next week we will visit Busters Garden...this is a totally little boy garden.  Hope to see you there!

If you are interested in reading other posts about our Sweet Memories Garden, scroll up until you get to 'Sweet Memories, A Children's Garden'. on the LEFT side bar!

Sweet Memories Garden Episode #3 - Bogie's Brigadoon

(The pictures turned out a bit fuzzy, sorry about that.)

Bogie used to like the movie Brigadoon.  That is why he called his garden spot Brigadoon.

We made the toadstools out of old metal bowls that my sister was getting rid of.  

First we spray painted them red, then hand painted the white dots on with acrylic paint, 

and finished them off with a coat of sealer.  We then planted cedar posts in the 

ground and secured the bowls on top with a screw! 

The Tic-Tac-Toe table was a fun addition!  

We used Gnomes and frogs for the  playing pieces!  

There is also a pipe in the ground next to the table to hold a large umbrella for shade!

The toadstools on each side are for sitting on while playing!

This gnome used to belong to my mother.  

When my parents passed away, it came to me.  

Bogies garden includes a spot in a corner next to the house, 

so we put our new gnome here!

Brigadoon is a very low-maintenance garden.  with artificial tarp covering the ground,

 there is no watering and very little weeding!

Hope you enjoyed Bogie's Brigadoon Garden Spot!  Next week we'll visit Tatty's Bunny Hollow!  Hope to see you there :)