I was so honored when Sole Society asked me to be a part of their celebration for National Women’s Month.  I am going to share how gardening has been a thread that has connected four generations of women in our family.  I hope this can give some other mama’s of girls out there some ideas for activities that allow you to spend time with your daughters and teach them lessons that are really important to you.  I have been so blessed with strong relationships with the women in my life and they have played such a HUGE role in shaping every aspect of the woman I am today.  I am so lucky that I have such a great relationship with my own daughter and that I get to play a role in shaping the woman that she will grow to be. I was so excited that this gave us an excuse to have a fun little mother-daughter photoshoot doing something we love to do together.  I absolutely love Sole Society, it is one of my favorite places to pick out shoes and accessories…I mean can we talk about these shoes and that kimono wrap?!? They always have the best selection and price point and their stuff holds up so well. Okay, so who is ready to go gardening with Lily and I?

For as long as I can remember, being outdoors and being in the garden has been something that has been a huge part of my life.  It actually started when I was really young and would visit my Meemaw.  I have such vivid memories of her in the yard doing something.  It was a guarantee that whenever we pulled into her driveway she would be out there, whether that be weeding, pruning or cutting flowers for arranging.  It is funny how certain memories from your childhood are just so clear and at the time don’t feel like such a big deal, but really shape who you become as a woman and a mother.  I would always jump out of the car and run into the yard with her and start getting dirty and helping her with whatever she was doing.  Meemaw handed down her love of being in the garden down to my mom and they both passed it down to me.  We always joke that my mom loves a garden hose.  Just like how I remember my grandmother always being in the yard, my kids always know they will find my mom out in the yard with the hose, either watering her plants or washing down her patio.  Both my mom and grandmother have been such huge influences in my life and their love of being outdoors and working in the garden is something that has become a huge part of my life.

Sandals | Kimono Wrap | Bag

I just LOVE being outside. There is just something so satisfying about working the land, getting your hands dirty and then being able to see the results of your hard work.  I love this time of year in the South.  After so many years spent in Minnesota where your time outside is really limited due to the weather, it is awesome to be back in the South.  I enjoy being able to experience all four seasons here and spend so much time outside.  I really love being able to entertain outside and I think of all of my plants and potted arrangement as outdoor decor.  I have so much fun thinking about what colors, flowers and plants will look good together and then switching out all of my pots.

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I am so blessed because my sweet Lily has inherited our love of all things gardening.  She has been gardening with me since she was a little thing. We are so much alike in so many ways and I am so lucky that she likes so many of the things that I do.  She loves putting colors together and loves to go to the nursery with me and look at all the beautiful flowers and think about what looks good together.

As she has grown, I have come to cherish our time in the yard so much.  I know this comes as no surprise, but raising a tween girl can sometimes be hard.  Lily is so sweet and I am lucky that she loves to spend time with me still, but as she grows I know the pull of friends, school, and activities will only get stronger.  Having the garden as something to do together will only get more important.

I love that she will talk to me as we are working and tell me about her life, her friends, what is going on in school and what she is thinking and feeling.  I love being able to listen, give advice and teach her things that are important to me.  It truly is such a special time for me and something I cherish.  I hope that I have instilled my love of gardening in her just like my mom and Meemaw did for me and it is my dream to one day work in the yard beside her and my grandchildren and create another generation of memories.

This past weekend the weather in Nashville was absolutely perfect, so we took the opportunity to head to Creekside Garden Center and start planning what we want to put in our yard this spring and summer. We absolutely LOVE Creekside.  It is one of our favorite garden center’s in town.  They are always so helpful and knowledgeable and have the best selection.  We totally lucked out because they had just received a huge shipment the day before so there was so much to choose from.

Lily and I love treating our garden planning days as a girls day.  We typically go out to lunch, hit the garden center, and then go back home change clothes and get to work.  You guys know that I am totally a 50’s housewife at heart, so I love instilling in Lily some of these skills that I feel like are a lost art. I feel like some of these things really are a dying skill- sewing, cooking, gardening- as people become busier and more and more things are hired out.

You know I love to simplify and find shortcuts to make my life easier, but I still think there is so much value in these skills.  I love that gardening gives Lily a tangible representation of her hard work, and is such a great way to impart important life lessons in a really natural (no pun intended) and unforced way.

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A special thank you to Sole Society for sponsoring this post.  As always, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.  Thank you for supporting the brands that help make Living with Landyn possible.