Seeing that I had some seriously hard work ahead of me, I decided to jump start my morning with a smoothie.

 

 

 

My Jump Start Smoothie (makes 1 smoothie)

 

 - 1/2 cup ice

 - 1/4 cup Green Goodness Smoothie (It's this drink here. But don't be scared it's green, but so delicious!)

 - 1 cup of frozen fruit (I used what I had which was a mixed bag of mangoes, strawberries, pineapples, and peaches)

 - 3/4 cup raspberry lemonade (My favorite is this one. Plain lemonade works just as well!)

 - 2 Tbsp of sugar, for sweetness (Honey could work here also.)

 

Blend all of the ingredients in a blender and enjoy! If you find the smoothie too thick, add a little more lemonade to smooth it out.

 

So with the added fuel I began to work in my garden, and I worked so hard I got a blister on my left hand, even with gloves on!

 

My essentials for the morning...

 

 

I even had a little friend of mine greet my by the gate. This little one has been with me a while. I clean out my garden and it eats the bugs. It's not even afraid of me when I walk in and out the garden. I think we have a mutual understanding.

 

 

So after the blood, sweat, tears, and the blister, I finally finished phase one of my Operation Garden.

 

 



 

The garden is now completely clear of all the debris! And yes that giant pile was rake to the deepest depths of the back yard, far, far away! Now that the hard work was over, I had a chance to take in some of the beauty around the back yard.

 

 

This rosemary has been growing the corner of my garden for at least 5 - 6 years and it continues to grow with each passing year. I'm sure it will be as tall as me soon. I use it for so many recipes and teas. It's truly aromatic and so yummy. The best part about it is that is one of the easiest herbs to grow. I planted it in that spot, water it occasionally, trim it when I need some of it. It dies in the winter and comes back in the spring bigger and bushier.

 

Here are some other flowers from around the yard that have already blossomed: