Gardening is a HappiMess

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Delta via Mode Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Delta.

Nothing is better than fall in Arizona! The weather has been absolutely beautiful here and we’re ready to start spending time outdoors! With the unique weather of the Southwest, we’re able to start a garden in October – in fact it is the perfect time to get started for many fall crops, here!

Our garden beds were sadly ignored all through the summer months and we finally got them weeded and ready to go last week! Finally, we could start planting! My boys really love getting involved and helping us plant and tend to our plants. So when I asked if they’d like to help me plant some seeds, they were jumping up and down excited! So we made a plan, gathered the seeds we would plant, and headed outdoors.

My boys got to help make the holes, plant a few seeds in each hole, and then recover up the seeds with the soil.

This year, we planted:

• Onions
• Green Onions
• Lettuce
• Spinach
• Carrots
• Peas
• Broccoli
• and two flower varieties

Knowing what to plant and when it’s can be tricky, especially because Arizona doesn’t follow traditional planting rules with our warm season lasting all year long. I found this great Vegetable planting guide that helped me know what crops are appropriate to plant in the fall here in Arizona.

I let the kids do all the dirty work, they couldn’t wait to dig their hands into the soil. They loved to see all the different varieties of seeds from teeny little seeds that made it hard to imagine broccoli to pea pod seeds that look just like a dried pea! They couldn’t wait to see each of the seeds as they were revealed. My favorite part is when they help in the garden and see the crops grow, they have in the past been more willing to try the produce, a great bonus!

We planted a couple of flower seeds this year, too. This is the first time I’ve tried flower seeds, and we were all surprised to see the seeds that looked like dried petals. It will be fun to see the flowers sprout from seeds, as I’ve only ever bought flowers as starts.

When we were done planting and watering our garden beds, it was time for clean-up! While planting with my boys is fun, they definitely get all in the dirt and garden beds! I love being able to send my boys in for a shower being able to easily tell if the water is the right temperature for their little bodies without getting soaked myself.

The Temp2O™ technology lights up a display gradually changing between three colors to help you quickly and easily identify a comfortable shower temperature. The display shows blue when the water is cold, magenta when it’s in the comfortable range, and progressively turns to red as the water gets hotter and reaches up to 113* F.

My husband has always complained that I like my showers too cold. Ever since the day we got married. The first day he tried out the Temp2O shower head, he came out declaring his number – 112° F! My preference is 106-107° F. It’s pretty amazing what a difference 5-6 degrees can make for a happy shower. Now, I just turn up the temperature when I’m hoping out and he happily gets in to a shower perfectly set for him and we’re both really happy!

It’s really nice to have a variety of spray settings, too. There are 6 different spray patterns and I tend to stick to a few of the different patterns. One is great for a tense neck or sore muscle, another is great for rinsing out shampoo, and another is just relaxing. I really love our new shower head, it’s got a really wide water path – probably double the spray path of our previous shower head, so I feel so warm and relaxed in the shower.

Why do people treat mess like it’s a bad thing? It’s actually the evidence of a life well lived. When you’re out there making, creating, doing and playing, embrace your #HappiMess and let Delta kitchen and bath innovations help clean up so you can do it all again tomorrow.