One spoonful at a time...

And so the digging drags on...on and on...and on. Our hillside looks very much the same from the outside view, but progress in building our terraces IS being made, I promise. One little spoonful of dirt at a time.

We are desperate, folks. Resorting to child labor is our only option now.

She may look cute and dainty, but this girl is a workhorse!

Check out the size of that root! And Nate's hat! That is mid-1980's vintage villager ware from Shenzhen, China.



Grr! My hot hubby the stump hacker.

So, yes. Every week we think we're almost ready to finish digging so we can order the blocks and install them to build our walls. And each time we hit some kind of big kink in the road...well, more literally, roots in the dirt. There are a TON of them, and they're BIG! It takes as much time to remove those silly roots as it does to just dig the darn trenches. Grrr. Can you tell I'm growing a tad grumpy and impatient? It's time to PLANT already!

All of this is teaching me a very big lesson: never plant a tree unless you KNOW you want it there FOREVER! Because digging up the roots (unless you have access to super heavy duty machinery) is a nightmare.

Which brings me to deep philosophical point #1. Roots like it deep (or wide, if you're a redwood). So - if there is something important you are trying to create, control, or master - do it deep, and do it right if you want it to last. I came across this great quote from educator Charlotte Mason:

"The mother who takes pains to endow her children with good habits secures for herself smooth and easy days; while she who lets their habits take care of themselves has a weary life of endless friction with the children. All day she is crying out, 'Do this!' and they do it not; 'Do that!' and they do the other."

That quote often crosses my mind throughout the day as I encounter choices of how to teach my little ones those lasting lessons of life - like cleaning up after yourself, daily chores, sibling friendship, being polite, being honest, not picking your nose in public, etc. I am so, so grateful for the many mother-mentors who give me courage through their example to be firm but loving at not letting bad habits get root, and encouraging good habits in a proactive, fun way. Who knew that would be just as important as teaching ABC's and 123's?

But - though I wax philisophical - the practical issue at hand remains. How much longer will this terrace project continue?? After months and months, I must admit the thought has crossed my mind once or twice: "So, WHY are we doing this again, anyway?"

Someone had the gall to ask me (as if I hadn't already asked myself a gazillion times) "so...does the money you plan to save from growing a garden come close to what you are putting into this?" To which another very insightful person also listening replied "they're not just growing a garden, they're growing children!" Isn't that a fantastic answer?!!

We definitely could have just left the horrendously ugly juniper & ivy infested hillside the way it was. Or we could have just contracted out the work entirely (an option Nate has suggested more than once :) But cost savings aside, we are making a dream come true, and teaching our children the value of work in the meantime.

Natalie loves it when it's time to dig. As soon as she sees either Nate or I pick up the shovel she insists "tell me as soon as you find a worm or a rolly polly!" She is the critter patrol. And Lucas loves to get out all his little digging tools and pretend he's digging too. It may seem like just 'play' to them, but it is meaningful family time to all of us.

So, in a nutshell, this is a HUGE project. Much more than anticipated. But to be honest, I really enjoy it. As Nate and I dig out there together, I savor that time we get to just dig and build our dreams together. We joke about all the projects our next house will NOT have, but to be honest, we both know a home is what you make of it. The terrace going to be beautiful when it's done. Maybe there will be some vegetables to harvest before the end of the growing season. But what matters is that every day when we look at it, we'll see not just the end result, but all the memories that made it.

Doesn't that all sound so cheesily sentimental? Well, I have to disclose one important fact - we ARE going to contract out a big chunk of what is left. We found a great contractor who came highly recommended, lives just around the corner, and has advised us and is going to help us with the building part when we're ready. Hooray for Jason Brandt!!

Which brings me to my philosophical point #2. It's okay to ask for help!!! If you're in over your head - holler! I love those moments - almost daily it seems - when I face a situation with my children, or my calling, or any other random issue at hand that I just can't figure out by myself. Those heartfelt, heavenward pleas for help are my lifeline. I'm so grateful for my Father in Heaven. I'm so grateful for Jesus Christ. I'm so grateful for the Holy Ghost. I'm so grateful for the scriptures, for living prophets, and personal revelation. What in the world would I do without them?

I'd still be digging...one measly spoonful at a time...