Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory aka "The Domes"

When I was a little girl, my grandma took us to the Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Most locals affectionately call it "the Domes," since it is comprised of three one-acre climate-controlled domes, abounding with beautiful flora.

I've loved plants ever since I was a little girl.

Visiting the Domes is one of my favorite childhood memories and I've always wanted to go back.  

It never seemed to work out though.  

One of my cousins even got married at the Domes and wouldn't you know it, I wasn't able to attend that wedding!

When we decided to go to Wisconsin, I excitedly checked their web site, only to discover 2020's mark,

They were closed. 

After our plans for this Wisconsin trip were changed multiple times for all sorts of 2020ish reasons, 

I checked their web site again, hope-hope-hoping and discovered that they would be reopening to the public on our very last day in Wisconsin!

With our reservations made, the girls, my mom and I were THRILLED.

The first dome is the Show Dome.  

It consists of more planned and choreographed flowers and arranged beds, usually seasonally themed.  

In this case, there was a strong orange and purple emphasis, which I found to be surprisingly stunning.

I was particularly intrigued by the idea of using different colored and patterned foliage.

It's not an idea that I've utilized much in my own flower beds at home.

I will certainly be considering that in the future.

We strolled through the one way paths, amazed and in awe of each plant species.

The girls were fascinated and excited!

They could barely contain themselves, running ahead and scurrying about with shouts of "Look at this one!" and "Can I have your camera?!"

This totally made my day to watch our little naturalists appreciating the Domes in a big way.

Stay tuned, there are two more Domes!

Dominique

Other pictures from Mitchell Park Conservatory:

Dome #2

Dome #3

A Pallet, A Wagon and an Old Watering Can

Over the weekend, I got to be a part of our church's Fall Fest Drive Through Carnival.  

Putting this photo booth together was so fun and definitely gave me all the autumn vibes.  I gleaned items from the basement, my decor cupboard, the woods, our barn, the local Amish market and my linen closet.  I love being a little scrappy!

In addition to putting the backdrop together, I got to man the booth. It is my absolute FAVORITE job, probably because I get to talk to every person that decides to make their way through our drive through.  

Plus, serving the people of our community together with your family and friends is unexplainably amazing.  There's a miraculous kind of bonding that happens.  

Every time we serve, I am bowled over by what God does in my own heart and family.  We expect to bless others and when we find ourselves blessed, we marvel at the mystery of service.

Dominique

Discouragement: An Opportunity

The longer we parent, the more I am convinced that there is no substitute for the day after day, moment by moment investment of consistent, loving parenting of our children.

No one really knows the exact formula of correct parenting.  

The weight of wondering if you're doing "all the right things" can be heavy. 

I have moments of charging ahead confidently and moments of mulling, wondering and hesitating.

I used to see that mulling and wondering as discouragement at its deepest.

Lately I've been reminded how much it can be a place of humility.  

It's a time to realize and remember my own imperfections, allowing those imperfections to be that glaring ever present reminder of my need for God.  

It's a time to remember how God led me to my own convictions.  

It's a time to pray.  It's a time to open up the Word and look - really look - at what He says.

It's a a reminder to stop, to clear through the under brush and again find the path God wants us on. There's always the "brush" of other people's opinions.  Their comments.  Their philosophies.  Their ideas.  Their methods.  

It's a time to remember how much grace there is for me in this role, this job.  

So much grace.

Out of humility, God can grow the harvest He wanted all along.  

Dominique

Lesson Learned

Well, friends, another crockpot bit the dust.  It was less than 5 years old.  

Thank God it died while I was home though.  

I went to plug it in and it made a huge popping noise and threw out a freaky spark!  I am so thankful that nothing caught on fire.  

Henceforth, I shall check the cords of my appliances before plugging them in and leaving them "do their thang" unattended.  You know, an ounce of prevention and all that.

I'm just grateful over here.

Dominique

Lions Den Gorge Nature Preserve

When our plans changed multiple times in our Wisconsin trip, I did some googling, 

                     

and discovered Lions Den Gorge Nature Preserve.

Nestled directly on the coast of Lake Michigan, only a short drive from my relatives, we drove over to check it out.

I knew the girls would love the boardwalks, since we've adventured on marshy boardwalks before.

We did enjoy the marshy area, but we were completely enthralled with Lake Michigan.

The lakeside breezes were tantalizing and drew us along the coast.

The girls were charmed by the bluffs, which had a just a little Prince Edward Island flair, reminiscent of the Anne of Green Gables movies and books.

Grandma remembered binoculars so we were intrigued by finding boats and ships out on the water.

The serenity of this place was indescribable.

It made me think back to being on the lake as a child with other family members.

Perhaps the lake is in my blood.

We ventured further, in search of the stairs down to the beach.  Thankfully, the promise of the stairs kept the Blossoms from trying to venture down the bluffs.

The forest grew denser and more enchanting.

Aha!  Here's the stairs.  

Grandma counted 112... or something like that.

And now, for the rock picking.  All respectable adventures require some semblance of specimen collection.  

We found plenty for our collection, as we avoided the pounding strength of the surf.  

Lake Michigan was magically memorable.

Dominique