Well…..what we are learning out here is that all things grow with love……..everything grows more colorful, more beautiful…and even more delicious………we have several fruit trees out here at the ranch…and the cherries and the apricots are growing like crazy right now…some of the cherries are even ready to be picked….the whole tree is alive with these beautiful fruits……..it’s like a new painting every single day around here…

I know you are are probably getting sick of me talking about the tomatoes…but any time anyone ever asks me if I could only have one food for the rest of my life…my answer is ALWAYS and very undoubtedly garden tomatoes…..we have 12 tomato plants…..lots of red tomatoes and cherry tomatoes…but this year we are also trying varieties of black tomatoes, orange tomatoes, yellow tomatoes and even some WHITE tomatoes….can’t wait to see and taste them all…..our EARLY GIRL variety of tomatoes is already growing fruit…..YAY!!!

The ranch is my new love affair……..but I am also love love love love loving the turquoise barn…which has now been coined THE ART BARN….so I painted up a sign for it on Saturday…..it is going to have a really cool vintage metal hanging system and will hang outside the turquoise doors of the turquoise barn………..can’t share too many photos til after camp.

We are finally starting to decorate the inside of the barn…today we put together our paper lanterns that we have had since our first camp in 2009….tomorrow they are all getting a makeover with pom-pom and fringe trim…ribbon…and a bit of paint….they are gonna be all brand new and funkified before they are hung with the new lights that will go in the barn…

Here’s Kallie hanging some of the trim in the barn over the lounging area…..we have a couch and some comfy chairs smack in the middle of the art area….it is dreamy times a million….

and this….THIS….is what you would call MOSS GRAFFITI……and my friends….it is SO SO SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SPECTACULAR….but we can only show a peek because we want it to be a big surprise for the campers. Moss words…..seriously………MOSS WORDS. AMAZING……..looks so much more amazing in person.

Today all of the babies and kiddos were SO GOOD while we worked all day…seriously…we worked for almost 12 hours…..and they were here for so much of it….taking turns taking naps…playing all over at the ranch and generally just being cute…………here’s Lydia enjoying her mama’s ice water (Sonic has the best ice in the entire world)

If you look REALLLLLY CLOSE…you can see Mitchy watering the grass out in the entry of the forest…….

AND…..here’s the pots we will be placing this week…the entire deck is covered with pots that I have planted, watered, deadheaded, babied, sweet-talked to, loved and encouraged to grow grow grow….they will be being put all over the property….there are about 50 pots…..they will be placed among the trees, the flowerbeds, the vegetable garden, the orchard and the forest….Marq has a drip system all set up that will keep them healthy and happy and blooming…..

I know you will think I am a total dork, but I actually cried when I went outside a few mornings ago and saw these little flowers in the nasturtium leaves….ya see…I planted a whole bunch of them from teeeeenie tiny little plants and I had no idea what they even were…as they have grown bigger and bigger and bigger….I absolutely fell in love with their leaves……then weeks and weeks later….they suprised me with little flowers one morning………..this whole gardening thing is more of a joy than I could ever explain…it has been healing, and blissful and grounding and amazing…I will NEVER EVER EVER go another year without having a million flowers and a huge garden………..this is a true love for me….

and this butterfly keeps visiting………..everywhere I go on the property……I don’t know if it is the same one…but I like to believe it is……she is my little brave girl butterfly friend….

ahhhhhhh….and here is the rose garden……………next to the huge honeysuckle that smells like heaven….we walk past this everytime we go from the barn to the house….

AND YAHOOOOOOOOOO WE FOUND A BUS……and here it is…I will wait another day to tell you just what this bus is for…but imagine the coolest, funnest, most amazing, colorful & happy project in the entire universe and you will be pretty close to our vision….this is the new official Brave Girl Bus….and we are working on a name for her……….she is a beauty…

Ok……off to bed!!!! Another big day tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for coming along with us!! Lots more to come….

xoxox