My parent's mimosa tree...

The mimosa tree has blooms that so fragrant and sweet, like a rose.  And the greens gently fold up in the evening.  My girls ♥ to climb this poor tree that grows in my parent's front yard.  Olivia has a large scratch down her leg from her attempt to climb last week. 

 They almost look like fireworks.

I use this large slice of an old oak tree to do many things...I laid our harvest of cilantro, beets, potatoes and lettuce on it earlier this week and now, I'm gathering coriander seeds (which is what you get when you let your cilantro flower and then dry)...I will grind up most of them using this mortar and pestle.  Today, I added them to a pot of beans.

(a part of photo Friday:  this week's theme is wood)

Garden haul today...

Rob is working in the garden...he was hoeing and accidentally upturned 6 red potatoes that were near the surface.  I like that one that looks a bit like a peach! 

We have lots of lettuce, here is some romaine (we got the Rocky Top Lettuce Mix from Baker Creek when we were in Missouri last June, unfortunately, those are the only seeds from there that are really thriving), lots of cilantro which self-seeded from last summer, 2 golden beets and one teeny green tomato that I accidentally plucked off while pulling some weed that was growing around that tomato plant.

 

I went to the farmer's market at Nativity school in Pleasant Ridge and got these beautiful yellow and red tomatoes...so full of flavor!  We made gazpacho.  I left the skins on the tomatoes and it turned out just fine!  ♥

Eating fresh...

Yes, I ♥ salad, but not every salad, there are lots of salads that are made with poor quality vegetables.  My favorite is fresh dark greens, maybe speckled, or red lettuce with avocado, lemon juice, cucumbers, feta, sunflower seeds, carrots, cucumber, maybe some cilantro, dill and tomato...with olive oil.

Our cilantro is flowering.  I cut some yesterday and put it in a bouquet to give to my little niece, Natalia, who turned 2.

I got a scroll saw when we lived in Georgia, and I love using it to cut things out of wood, to paint...

Hannah knit a little owl and sewed on buttons for eyes to give to Natalia.

My sister made a cookie, covered it with cream cheese frosting and fresh raspberries, kiwi and strawberries, instead of a cake...  Isn't it beautiful?