After just 30 hours on the market, we sold our house. The process was fast and furious and involved a lot of time at Chick-fil-A and our friends' house to pass the time during showings. But it only lasted for two days, so we really can't complain.

We all know people whose houses don't sell for months, and that reality was definitely on our radar. So we don't take it for granted for a second that God so abundantly answered our prayers for a quick and seamless sale. (I don't want to jinx anything, but at this point, we plan to close August 1. We obviously have a whole lot to do - like finding a new place to live and moving - before then.)

So if I had to rank the things I'll miss about this house, it would go something like this:
1. Our neighbors
2. The garden
3. The actual house

I think because the garden was one of the few things we really invested into this place, it's a bit of a bummer to leave it behind. But thankfully, we still have a month to enjoy a little more of its fruit.

Here's what we've grown (and all from seed!):
Kale
Snap peas
Green beans
Zucchini
Tomatoes (two kinds)
Carrots
Bell peppers
Jalapeños
Cucumbers

To say I planted things too closely together is a major understatement. It looks like a jungle, but at least it's all growing! And sometime in late summer, the new owners will have to dig the carrots out from under the tangle of cucumber vines.

Thanks again for your prayers and encouragement during this crazy transition. It's been a privilege to take big steps of faith and watch God unfold miracles before our eyes. 

DIY: Chalkboard-Style Garden Markers.

This year, I've attempted something big: planting every bit of my summer garden from seed. For the tomatoes and peppers, I gave the seeds a head start by planting them indoors - but for the rest, I've planted them straight into our newly built raised garden beds. As a very amateur gardener, this feels ambitious. 

So to celebrate (and because I can hardly remember what I planted where without clear markers), I made these quick and easy garden markers. The supplies are readily available at any craft store, and they end up costing less than a dollar each. Score. I love the white-on-black chalkboard style, but creating them with chalkboard paint and actual chalk (which I've seen done on Pinterest) seems so impractical. Wouldn't the chalk just wash right off in the rain? With this method, you create a chalkboard look without it being an actual chalkboard. Same effect, much more durable.

Supplies: 

+ Wooden garden markers - purchased at A.C. Moore for $0.69 each, or available at other craft stores

+ Black outdoor acrylic paint + foam brush

+ White paint pen - Sharpie brand worked great

+ Polyurethane

1. Using a foam brush, paint the top portion of each marker (both sides) with black outdoor acrylic paint. I loved the brand I used because it only took one coat to cover the wood well. Let dry completely.

2. Use your paint pen to write each plant onto one side. (If I'd done this over again, I would've written the words on both sides so I could see it at any angle.) I freehanded these, but you could easily write them in pencil first, then trace over your pencil lines with the paint pen. Let this dry completely, which shouldn't take long.

3. Once dry, use the foam brush to coat each side with polyurethane, which should keep them looking great, rain or shine. Let these dry completely, too. It helps to prop them up in a jar so that both sides dry at once.

4. That's it! Plant them in your garden and enjoy.

That one time I kept a plant alive.

I like looking at flowers, smelling flowers, and even painting flowers. But keeping them alive? It's never been my forte. I've tried my hand at a few houseplants since we've been married and I either forget to water them, overwater them, put them in the wrong spot, or something. Once, when my mom came over to visit, I said, "Look! Am I not doing great with this one?!" At first glance, it looked green and full and, well, mostly alive. She looked a little closer and thumbed through a few dry, brown leaves at the bottom and said, "Yeah... uh huh." Point taken. It's just not my gift.

When we moved into our house in October, my sister-in-law Shannon brought over this pretty orchid as a housewarming gift. I'm sure she was clueless to my history with plants or she wouldn't have entrusted it into my care. Still, it felt like a fresh start. A new house. A new plant. A new color thumb? Perhaps. I figured if I had the wherewithal to buy a home, surely I could keep one plant alive and thriving.

Shannon mentioned something about feeding it ice cubes, so I looked it up. Apparently orchids (or at least this orchid) love a slow watering technique, and ice cubes do the trick. So I feed the orchid three ice cubes every Monday morning. Apparently mornings are key, too... or so I read. And look! Just gaze at her for a moment. Isn't she beautiful? And can you believe she's survived for 5 whole months? I know... me neither. She's even inspired me to branch out a bit and try an aloe plant, a gardenia, and another something green and flowery that I don't know the name of. And they're all alive!

PS - We tried to extend the sticks to make it grow up a little bit more, but now I'm thinking it will always be this size. Orchid experts out there... is that true? Once a medium sized orchid, always a medium sized orchid?

Harvest time.

via Instagram (@whitneynewby)

We had decided not to do a garden this year, but at the last minute, we Shawn planted one anyway. It's completely overrun with grass and weeds (he prepped the soil, mulched, the whole bit! Nothing helped!) but it's still producing some pretty great stuff. Including 15 jalapeños that I picked yesterday off of one bush. What's a girl supposed to do with 15 jalapeños?

Anyone have a great salsa recipe that I could make and freeze? 

I will love you forever if you will point me to it. :)

Garden update.

I'm a little sad to admit how neglected our garden has been this year. Nevertheless, it's been so good to us despite us letting it run over with grass and weeds.

Here's what we've got so far:

Green bell peppers

Bushes of basil (literally... bushes. Anyone need some?)

Our first baby tomatoes!

Arugula (which actually looks kinda pretty in a vase)

Jalapeños

And tons of okra

And finally...we have something we didn't even invite...

Watermelon is a funny thing. It likes to grow all over all of your other plants - so we didn't plant it again this year. But lo and behold, it came back anyway! As long as it's here, I hope it produces many sweet watermelons!


What's growing in your garden??

Call us Newby Farm.

Before we left for Chicago for a long weekend, Shawn & I went out to our garden to pick what was ripe and leave it for our neighbors. We picked several of these:


But somehow, we missed one that really needed to be picked, and it got quite huge while we were gone.


I wish you could've seen it in person.
It literally fed four people for dinner last night!
I love that little garden of ours!

Gardens and friends.

I have a nurse-friend. Her name is Cherry.
She's been a hospice nurse for as long as I've known her (and a lot longer than that), and until I went to nursing school, she taught me everything I know about nursing. She is such a perfect fit for her job - a job that takes just the right person, as you can imagine.
She gave me my first blood pressure cuff on a mission trip to Mexico and taught me how to use it.
She even let me shadow her for a few days while I was in high school and let me put in a catheter (remember that, Cherry?!). She cheered me on when I started out as a nursing major in 2004, but then the Lord took me on a different adventure for a while. It was one I have never regretted because it led to meeting Shawn, but I think Cherry always knew that I was cut out to be a nurse.

All that to say, Cherry is the first one I call when I have a great nursing story. They're abundant, you know. I have seen things this summer that I never even knew existed. I know I can pick up the phone and say, "You'll never guess what I saw..." and she'll understand. Because she's probably seen it too. And then she'll say, "Well, you won't believe this..." and we go back and forth with story after story. I'm so thankful for her - for her inspiring example as the most compassionate nurse I know - and also how quick she is to laugh. Sometimes, it seems, you either have to laugh or cry.

So you're probably wondering what all of this has to do with vegetables (like the picture above)? Nothing, actually. I just happened to be talking to her while I picked these out of the garden to go along with dinner tonight. And then I decided to show them off. They're not much to look at - yet - but I have a feeling it's only a matter of days until our garden is producing more than we can even handle. Hooray for summer!

Bliss.

Dear Saturday morning,

I've waited (not-so-patiently) for your arrival all week long.
Now you're here! And you're glorious.

This week was exciting,
exhausting,
stretching,
and affirming
that nursing is exactly what I'm supposed to be doing.
It is such a privilege to learn at such a rapid pace
(about a week and a half of a normal semester per day)
but I could not be more thrilled to be part of this program.
I can't believe at this time next year, I'll be taking the NCLEX
and, Lord willing, starting a job!
I'm praying He leads in what setting I'm supposed to pursue...
so far my favorites are acute care/trauma and community health,
but we will see.

A few things I'll be doing today:

1. Admiring our new garden, in its very humble beginnings.

We planted a vegetable (and fruit) garden last year,
and despite our lack of any gardening knowledge - it worked!
We're hopeful it will this year, too.
We've decided not to plant any vines this year,
as it was so difficult to find anything under them once they completely covered the rest of the plants.
So far, we've planted 3 types of tomatoes (including a kind called "Mr. Stripey," whose name cracks me up). We've also planted jalapeños, bell peppers, okra, squash and zucchini, and more.

Grow, little garden, grow!

2. Playing with my new toy.

My new sewing machine came in the mail yesterday!
I was only home for about 20 minutes between class and work,
and I spent every second admiring its never used buttons,
smelling the brand new plastic,
and dreaming of projects for the future.
Seriously, I'm so excited.

I loved my $27 thrift store machine dearly,
but it'll be so refreshing not to fight with a machine
to do what you're asking it to do.
This one is like driving a Cadillac in comparison!
I have a feeling a lot of my Saturday will be playing with her.

3. Studying. No surprises there.

4. Teaching. No surprises there either.

5. Loving every minute I get to spend with my Shawn.

So Saturday,
I wouldn't mind if you smelled like fresh brewed coffee,
looked like warm sun through our windows,
and took your sweet time.

Love,
Whitney

Country living.

I had a proud country girl moment a couple days ago. Side note: If you know me well, you know I'm far from a country girl. But I'm trying! Shawn and I won't live in the country forever, but for now, we're trying to make the most of it. :)

I realized I had tomato soup on our menu for the evening, but when I checked our refrigerator, we had one lonely tomato left. So I went out to check our garden, and guess what? We had 4 pounds of ripe tomatoes, ready to use!



Somehow, it's still so surprising to me that our garden even worked. And it also surprises me that near the end of October, we're still picking things from it almost daily. There are still lots of tomatoes on the vine, about 20 jalapeños almost ready to pick, and lots of green bell peppers. Shows how little I know about gardening. :)

On another side note, we really do live in a gorgeous place. This was our front yard one morning this week.

Come visit? :)

"Come see the watermelons!"

It's the phrase that comes out of my mouth almost every time we have visitors.

"Come see the watermelons! They've grown so much since you've been here last!"

(This may or not be the case. In fact, with my parents, it's probably not. They've come to "see the watermelons" at least about 10 times by now... and seen how slowly they grow.) 

But since I haven't bored the blogging world with their daily progress, I thought you'd make the perfect audience to show off my beloved crop. I still can't believe they're actually growing! In our back yard!

First, though, I should give a couple other vegetables some credit. 

They've been here far longer than the watermelons and have been ripening so quickly that we end up eating them almost every night.

Dear Squash,
I made the mistake of planting two bushels of you instead of just one. I had no idea I would pick at least a piece of you every. single. day. I don't think I'll be eating squash for an entire year after this.

Roma tomatoes. Too cute (and delicious, when they turn bright red).

What is that I see... could it be??
[Don't mind the weeds all around...]

Ah! This is my favorite one (the biggest so far).
Does anyone know the signs to look for when they're ripe enough to pick?
This one tempts me to pick her every single day, but then I think of the look on Shawn's face if I were to pick her too early, and I leave her alone.

And cantaloupe too! We forgot that these were in our garden until we noticed they looked like white watermelons for a while... then they got that rough skin that told us they were cantaloupes! Not my favorite fruit of all time, but I know I'll love them from our garden.

Watermelons. Two kinds. These guys are friends, I can tell.

So I guess with about 15 watermelons so far and at least 10 cantaloupes, we might just have to open a roadside fruit stand. Or share them with friends. Or just eat them all ourselves. Either way, thanks for being my little guinea pigs and googling over them too. 

Newby farm.

The buttons are bursting off my overalls just about now...

I am one proud garden mama.

Look what I found hiding in our garden this afternoon...

I guess all of the composting, digging, weeding, coaxing, praying for rain, and waiting is beginning to pay off.

I can't think of a better way to celebrate the first official day of summer.