Ah, the sun finally came out for a bit to say hello! It's amazing how that changes my attitude.
After a nice banana whole wheat pancake breakfast Thing 1 and I snuck off to the farmer's market.
Smiling faces, large green seedlings, knowledgeable farmers, lots of questions!!!
Fresh goat cheese, samples... lots of samples!!!
Boxes and bags filled with seedlings, feta cheese, and goat cheese fudge (YUM!), hearts and minds filled with a glorious moment in time.
A few garage sales later, we head home to plant our garden. Hubby and the other girls were busy weeding and putting down weed barriers. The garden looks so full and beautiful!! I was so engrossed in the moment I failed to take pictures, but the memories are precious.
A great lunch made with fresh herb cuttings and feta cheese, a little rest while watching the Red Sox, then off to the drive-in for the first time this year.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Garden weekly
The Planting has begun!!!
I spent yesterday in the garden.
So far I have planted the back row full of corn (only transplanted 2 plants, I directly sowed the rest of the row), 1/2 a row of Sugar snap peas, I lost count of the tomato seedlings I started inside... 30, 40??? The early girls look the best, the grape tomatoes are on the small side... they took up 1 1/2 rows. I transplanted 6 honeydew melons and 6 cantaloupes. I also transplanted 6 bunches of scallions.
The lettuce and strawberries I planted in April look great. The spinach is iffy, not many plants took off. The experimental potatoes actually look 1/2 way decent... go figure??? All of that needs to be weeded badly already!!
Speaking of weeds.... does anyone know how to use the black plastic mulch? I bought some and tried to use it with my corn and it just blew off. Maybe I need to read the directions, eh???
As you can see from the picture I am not a perfectionist. There are no beautiful edges or perfectly measured rows complete with string. I do enjoy looking at these types of gardens but, this one suits me just fine. The picture may not show it but, I do have a plan for my garden. The large things are to the left and the smaller and spreading things are to the right. The middle is yet to be determined. Right now it is a great spot for weeds... some of them bigger than my seedlings!! Another big part of the garden plan is to build a fence ASAP... hopefully before the neighborhood dogs and the large raccoon we saw last week come through!!
Above: Behold my tomato plants!!! I'm also buying seedlings, I just don't trust myself!!! You will notice they are close together. I've done a lot of reading about spacing. I am trying 6 to 8 inches between plants rather than the 18 to 24 inches recommended. I hope it works to discourage weeds to give me more room to plant!
Above: Won't I just freak out if I actually grow cantaloupe and honeydew melons??? I gave these sprawlers 12 inches between plants. They can intermingle, I'm OK with that.
I spent yesterday in the garden.
So far I have planted the back row full of corn (only transplanted 2 plants, I directly sowed the rest of the row), 1/2 a row of Sugar snap peas, I lost count of the tomato seedlings I started inside... 30, 40??? The early girls look the best, the grape tomatoes are on the small side... they took up 1 1/2 rows. I transplanted 6 honeydew melons and 6 cantaloupes. I also transplanted 6 bunches of scallions.
The lettuce and strawberries I planted in April look great. The spinach is iffy, not many plants took off. The experimental potatoes actually look 1/2 way decent... go figure??? All of that needs to be weeded badly already!!
Speaking of weeds.... does anyone know how to use the black plastic mulch? I bought some and tried to use it with my corn and it just blew off. Maybe I need to read the directions, eh???
As you can see from the picture I am not a perfectionist. There are no beautiful edges or perfectly measured rows complete with string. I do enjoy looking at these types of gardens but, this one suits me just fine. The picture may not show it but, I do have a plan for my garden. The large things are to the left and the smaller and spreading things are to the right. The middle is yet to be determined. Right now it is a great spot for weeds... some of them bigger than my seedlings!! Another big part of the garden plan is to build a fence ASAP... hopefully before the neighborhood dogs and the large raccoon we saw last week come through!!
Above: Behold my tomato plants!!! I'm also buying seedlings, I just don't trust myself!!! You will notice they are close together. I've done a lot of reading about spacing. I am trying 6 to 8 inches between plants rather than the 18 to 24 inches recommended. I hope it works to discourage weeds to give me more room to plant!
Above: Won't I just freak out if I actually grow cantaloupe and honeydew melons??? I gave these sprawlers 12 inches between plants. They can intermingle, I'm OK with that. I still have to plant my cukes, zucchini, pumpkins and eggplant seeds. I'm waiting until I get my seedlings from the CSA so that I'll know where to put things. I need herbs and tomatoes seedlings. I'm not sure what else I'll get. If the seeds work well I won't have to get much more. I may hedge my bets with a pumpkin plant or two (since the seeds came from our Halloween pumpkins).
I am very excited about my little garden, however those that talked to me on the phone yesterday know, I was a tiny bit whiny about the whole thing!! Wow, what a lot of work! But it's going to be worth it come harvest time, I hope!!!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
I'm loving....
No craft projects today, no pictures... it's been a pukey mess around here since Sunday :}
Because of that I need a little reminder of all the things I'm loving right now!!!!
1. That I can still carry my 5 year old when she wants a little love... she's a little peanut ;)
2. Spring flowers!!! My Lilacs and lilly of the valley are just about blooming... along with a bunch of other flowers!
3. One of the lupine seeds I took from Eastport actually sprouted in my wildflower garden
4. Friendship bracelets!!! We are having so much fun making them! (They are really nice to make when you are snuggled up sick with the stomache bug.)
5. Biscut and Judy Moody books!!! My kids are eating up every copy in the library!!
6. Coffee outside on the back deck when the birds are chirping and the kids are still snoozing
7. That this weekend is Memorial Day Weekend... garden here I come!!!!!
8. The Reader's digest. Yes... I said it! I bought it because one of my girlscouts needed a subscription to win a special telephone thing (junk) and thought my hubby would enjoy it. He hasn't read a bit but I love it along with my coffee in the morning!!!
9. The things my kids say! I have a word document that I've kept since Sunshine was 2 filled with funny things. Today things 1 and 2 were discussing the blues. I tried to tell them it was a form of music and had a lot of sad blue feelings in it. Oh No it goes like this "I like blue, my mom likes blue, blue blue blue we love blues...." I couldn't make this stuff up!!!!
10. Fires in the fire pit!!! We take every advantage of the great outdoors! Sitting around at dusk, watching the kids run around with friends, roasting marshmellows... such a wonderful part of summer!!!!
Hoping you and yours are healthy and you can take the time to find the things you love right now :)
Because of that I need a little reminder of all the things I'm loving right now!!!!
1. That I can still carry my 5 year old when she wants a little love... she's a little peanut ;)
2. Spring flowers!!! My Lilacs and lilly of the valley are just about blooming... along with a bunch of other flowers!
3. One of the lupine seeds I took from Eastport actually sprouted in my wildflower garden
4. Friendship bracelets!!! We are having so much fun making them! (They are really nice to make when you are snuggled up sick with the stomache bug.)
5. Biscut and Judy Moody books!!! My kids are eating up every copy in the library!!
6. Coffee outside on the back deck when the birds are chirping and the kids are still snoozing
7. That this weekend is Memorial Day Weekend... garden here I come!!!!!
8. The Reader's digest. Yes... I said it! I bought it because one of my girlscouts needed a subscription to win a special telephone thing (junk) and thought my hubby would enjoy it. He hasn't read a bit but I love it along with my coffee in the morning!!!
9. The things my kids say! I have a word document that I've kept since Sunshine was 2 filled with funny things. Today things 1 and 2 were discussing the blues. I tried to tell them it was a form of music and had a lot of sad blue feelings in it. Oh No it goes like this "I like blue, my mom likes blue, blue blue blue we love blues...." I couldn't make this stuff up!!!!
10. Fires in the fire pit!!! We take every advantage of the great outdoors! Sitting around at dusk, watching the kids run around with friends, roasting marshmellows... such a wonderful part of summer!!!!
Hoping you and yours are healthy and you can take the time to find the things you love right now :)
Monday, May 18, 2009
Gardening weekly
A three part post:
Part 1: Child powered tilling:
How do you pre-till your garden??? A friend of mine had a great idea! She buried pretty stones and dinosaur fossil kits in her garden. Then she invited 20 kindergartners (or should I say Kindergardeners...LOL!!!) to join in an archaeological dig. Most of the kids (including my girls) took off their shoes and thoroughly enjoyed the experience!
You should have seen the reactions to this little party crasher!
How proud the kids were to find the kits! The kits kept the girls busy for two days trying to dig the bones out of the plaster. Oh, look closely, you can see the friendship bracelet that was finished the day before!
Part 2: What not to do
1. Don't plant your seeds just before a downpour. Of course it may not have been a problem if the soil was even. My seeds all floated to one side and settled in the little mud puddles... lucky me!!
2. Don't start corn in pots. It doesn't like it, and I've been told it doesn't transplant well. Luckily I have more seeds I'll start next week!!
Only two learning experiences. (OK... 4 if you count the potato and onion experiment... buy seed potatoes and onion sets... don't use your veggie bowl) but it is still early in the season!! Speaking of early in the season... I'm so thankful I waited to plant my seedlings. There are frost warnings up for Maine tonight!!! I'm going to get out the sheets (since I didn't buy row cover) for the stuff that's out there.
Part 3: My first harvest!
It grew in my yard, I picked it, therefore it's my first harvest!!!! It's an acquired taste but I just love early spring dandelion greens sauteed in butter and garlic. Sprinkle a little vinegar just after cooking....YUM!!!!!
Part 1: Child powered tilling:
How do you pre-till your garden??? A friend of mine had a great idea! She buried pretty stones and dinosaur fossil kits in her garden. Then she invited 20 kindergartners (or should I say Kindergardeners...LOL!!!) to join in an archaeological dig. Most of the kids (including my girls) took off their shoes and thoroughly enjoyed the experience!
You should have seen the reactions to this little party crasher!
How proud the kids were to find the kits! The kits kept the girls busy for two days trying to dig the bones out of the plaster. Oh, look closely, you can see the friendship bracelet that was finished the day before!
Part 2: What not to do
1. Don't plant your seeds just before a downpour. Of course it may not have been a problem if the soil was even. My seeds all floated to one side and settled in the little mud puddles... lucky me!!
2. Don't start corn in pots. It doesn't like it, and I've been told it doesn't transplant well. Luckily I have more seeds I'll start next week!!
Only two learning experiences. (OK... 4 if you count the potato and onion experiment... buy seed potatoes and onion sets... don't use your veggie bowl) but it is still early in the season!! Speaking of early in the season... I'm so thankful I waited to plant my seedlings. There are frost warnings up for Maine tonight!!! I'm going to get out the sheets (since I didn't buy row cover) for the stuff that's out there.Part 3: My first harvest!
It grew in my yard, I picked it, therefore it's my first harvest!!!! It's an acquired taste but I just love early spring dandelion greens sauteed in butter and garlic. Sprinkle a little vinegar just after cooking....YUM!!!!!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
crafty wednesdays
Update...again! Changed the name due to the fact weird people from different countries I've never heard of are finding me on google images... my friendship bracelet pic pulls right up when you enter girl scout crafts! OMG!!
Friendship bracelet UPDATE: The Easy bracelet came out great! I didn't get a picture of the two different bracelets together because... hey these are my kids... they've already lost the other ones!! Here is a friend sporting the bracelet "thing 2" just gave her.
Friendship Bracelets:
I give up calling this post "Crafty Wednesdays" Not only am I having a hard time posting on Wednesdays, lately we've been doing such great crafts at girl scouts that they carry on through the week with us!
This week my girls and I have been working on friendship bracelets.
I loved making friendship bracelets as a kid. I'd buy embroidery floss at the store. tie strings together then use a safety pin to attach it to my pant leg then go about tying knots onto each string... I'd be happy for hours! My bracelet was flat and either had a V shape or diagonal lines.
My Co-leader also made these bracelets. We both however envied the rounded bracelets but never knew how to make them. Until now!
My oh so talented co-leader found instructions and made a friendship bracelet making wheel for each of the girls. I'm not sure where she got the instructions but it's similar to this wheel by Alex Toys.
The wheel pictured above is our version. It is made of 1/2 inch thick craft foam. If you buy a wheel it comes with instructions on how to make the bracelets. There is even a you tube video. If you make one or lose your instructions here is what we did:
Basic Bracelet instructions:
Pick 4 of your favorite colors of embroidery floss.
Measure from your chest to your fingers. Cut 4 strings of each color to this size.
Tie the bunch into a knot.
Insert knot into the hole in the wheel.
Start with your first color. Using the wheel as a guide (the colors do not have to be the same as on the wheel) put two strings opposite of each other (see picture above). Go around the wheel filling in each colored area.
Easy bracelet:
Pick a color to start with.
Take the top left strand and put it next to the bottom left strand.
Take the bottom right strand and put it next to the top right strand.
Turn wheel in a counter clockwise position so that you are working the strings in a clockwise pattern. (yes, seriously... that's it!)
~~
I don't believe I was listening the first day we did these. (Shhh... fine, I know I wasn't listening! I was helping the girls cut ponchos) I spent 2 weeks helping Sunshine work a much more complicated pattern!!! I obviously made it up so I won't even tell you so you won't get confused! Here's what Sunshine's looks like almost completed:
Friendship bracelet UPDATE: The Easy bracelet came out great! I didn't get a picture of the two different bracelets together because... hey these are my kids... they've already lost the other ones!! Here is a friend sporting the bracelet "thing 2" just gave her.
Friendship Bracelets:
I give up calling this post "Crafty Wednesdays" Not only am I having a hard time posting on Wednesdays, lately we've been doing such great crafts at girl scouts that they carry on through the week with us!
This week my girls and I have been working on friendship bracelets.
I loved making friendship bracelets as a kid. I'd buy embroidery floss at the store. tie strings together then use a safety pin to attach it to my pant leg then go about tying knots onto each string... I'd be happy for hours! My bracelet was flat and either had a V shape or diagonal lines.
My Co-leader also made these bracelets. We both however envied the rounded bracelets but never knew how to make them. Until now!
My oh so talented co-leader found instructions and made a friendship bracelet making wheel for each of the girls. I'm not sure where she got the instructions but it's similar to this wheel by Alex Toys.
The wheel pictured above is our version. It is made of 1/2 inch thick craft foam. If you buy a wheel it comes with instructions on how to make the bracelets. There is even a you tube video. If you make one or lose your instructions here is what we did:
Basic Bracelet instructions:
Pick 4 of your favorite colors of embroidery floss.
Measure from your chest to your fingers. Cut 4 strings of each color to this size.
Tie the bunch into a knot.
Insert knot into the hole in the wheel.
Start with your first color. Using the wheel as a guide (the colors do not have to be the same as on the wheel) put two strings opposite of each other (see picture above). Go around the wheel filling in each colored area.
Easy bracelet:
Pick a color to start with.
Take the top left strand and put it next to the bottom left strand.
Take the bottom right strand and put it next to the top right strand.
Turn wheel in a counter clockwise position so that you are working the strings in a clockwise pattern. (yes, seriously... that's it!)
~~
I don't believe I was listening the first day we did these. (Shhh... fine, I know I wasn't listening! I was helping the girls cut ponchos) I spent 2 weeks helping Sunshine work a much more complicated pattern!!! I obviously made it up so I won't even tell you so you won't get confused! Here's what Sunshine's looks like almost completed:
It's much thicker and scrunched up than the one my co-leader taught. She still likes it though.
We are very excited about the easy bracelet. I have no pictures as of yet but it's turning out really cute and going fast... even for the twins!! I bet all their friends will be wearing one really soon!!!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Gardening Weekly
Mother's day Gifts:
Lots of lovely flowering plants to decorate my garden and a great poem:
I also recieved 3 unidentified plants from girl scouts, beautiful hand made cards, and a nice dinner. We spent Saturday with my mom taking family pictures. All in All It was a very Happy Mother's Day!!!
Lots of lovely flowering plants to decorate my garden and a great poem:
I also recieved 3 unidentified plants from girl scouts, beautiful hand made cards, and a nice dinner. We spent Saturday with my mom taking family pictures. All in All It was a very Happy Mother's Day!!!Friday, May 8, 2009
monster pesticide...
Exterminators do not have to spell correctly, they just need to get rid of the pests.5 year olds can't spell either. guarantee... Martians... so very close Ms. Exterminator ;)
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