Gardening with Coffee in Hand

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of The J.M. Smucker Company. The opinions and text are all mine.

There is a standing joke around our house that every hobby I have ever had has turned into a business…some how, some way.  Being an entrepreneur is just in my blood…whether it was music, which I found myself teaching for 19 years…photography which I turned into a professional business 8 years ago or hand stamped Jewelry…whatever, it’s always been a fun adventure!  Yet as I have grown older, or rather grown up, because we all know that sounds better…I find myself loving gardening.  I have never thought of myself as having a “green thumb,” yet I so enjoy our flower beds, our fruit trees and vegetable garden.

Most mornings you’ll find me with a cup of coffee in one hand and my little E in the other hand…or her walking by me doing the one finger hold…that which I’ll never get tired of!  Finding our way outside to check on our flowers and garden has become a daily ritual I think. This just relaxes me and tends to be my little “me” time even though most times I have a cute little shadow in tow.

Since we became home owners two years ago – of our sweet little cottage- while we build our “big house”…I find I love and enjoy making the outside of our place pristine or might you say, picture perfect!  It’s truly been a trial and error for me…I don’t spend hours reading or researching plans, honestly I’d rather spend hours at the local feed and seed store talking to those ladies that are full of knowledge and wisdom about plants.   I think I could spend my husband’s entire pay check there…I love walking around looking at everything!  Yet alas, I don’t have that time or money so I’ll take these ladies word and then go home and plant – finding out for myself what works and what I love.   I’ll plant a hodge-podge of flowers, all random, nothing uniform…then hope for the best…or rather make sure I fertilize them every so often.

There is something rewarding and satisfying when I keep a plant alive…then it grows…it produces beautiful blooms, vegetables or fruit.  I find myself really enjoying it and relaxing with it.

The first year I decided I’d be a thrift shopper when it came to flower plants.  WRONG decision.  But I’m learning, right?  It’s all trial and error.  This one was an error all right.  I stocked up on bulbs that were on clearance…put them in a cool and dry spot, just like the package told me to, right?   Fast-forward a year later…I planted them and anxiously awaited to see little green leaves to sprout up from the ground.  I watched…I waited…and I’m still waiting!!!!!!!!  These never did anything…well I take that back…one finally decided to debut and popped up this year.  There is still no flower on it, just pretty green stalks.  So needless to say I haven’t frequented the discounted bulbs again and I won’t!

So there are two things I really find myself enjoying and that is my flowers/gardening along with my coffee in hand on a nice morning with my little family, strolling along our property exploring creation and our labor of love.

When I asked the mister to swing by Walmart on his way home from work and pick up this New Folgers Simply Gourmet coffee…he texted me back, from the coffee aisle, with a picture of all four flavors asking me which one I wanted.  Why?  Why should this be such a hard decision…if you can guess by now I went with the Chocolate…it was kind of a no brainer to me…chocolate + coffee = WIN!  Second in the race was Caramel then Vanilla… or Cinnamon!   Which flavor would you pick?