Garden Fuss

It took an extra day to finish mirror two with the excess sticky stain involved. However, the results are what I wanted and more. The now shimmery copper stained set dramatically change the look of our home and I love it! Don't be scared to start your own DIY project. Just be realistic about your goals, finances, help, and personal energy level before and during such projects. Now that this job has been completed, and we are going straight into 70 degree weather from temps in the teens and twenties I can again focus on the sprouting spring and winter sown garden. Happy Planting!!!

I failed to mention before the benefits of checking out your local reuse stores. For instance Savers, Salvation Army, Goodwill, the Arc, and countless other locations offer previously unwanted or disused items to consumers that could have gone to a landfill adding to our pollution issues as a nation. These places are at the top of my list when I think about taking on a project, including but no limited to Halloween outfits and Christmas Parties. I feel good about repurposing andecstatic about jazzing up our space with such intricate pieces. I just have the twin mirror to finish and then their getting hung. This was the best $13.98 I've spent in a long time. The stain, sandpaper, and hanging kit were more than the heavy mirrors but essential to the restore. I'll have more pics posted soon. Make sure you come back to check those out and an update on our winter sown project.

While waiting for the snow to thaw I started getting the spring itch. On a quest to find some classy retro pots to plant in I stumbled across two beautiful antique mirrors. What happened next is pretty standard DIY design mayhem. I travelled to Ace hardware where my first order of business was to figure out what was needed to hang these behemoths. After that (actually it was a couple weeks later)my daughter and I were well into the sanding and realized we need power tools because our arms are shot from other daily chores and work. Therefore we hustled straight to my in-laws for all the other essential tools for restoration ie... a sander, and badda-bing badda-bang we have (not so)instant beauty. Please enjoy the pics. One mirror down one to go wish us luck.

Last year was such a success using the winter sowing method we are prepping for the upcoming season. Organization is everything, as is labeling! Gather your supplies which should include all or most of the following:  containers, tape, cutting tool [ie.. box cutter, scissors], permanent marker, wooden dowels or plastic cutlery (for labeling), seeds, potting mix, and water. For more information on this method please check out our previous posts . 

nom nom nom........

 I have been researching the construction of cold frames lately and I have to say it seems like a project I should take on this spring after the thaw. Has anyone else been successful at the building and maintainance of a cold frame? I would love to know what your results have been and be even more excited to see pictures of functional cold frames. The conundrum I am in right now is permanent or temporary frame? I would like to increase the height,depth, and width of my smaller border garden and think the addition of a cold frame would both allow me to extend the growing season later into the year, as well as give me a place to harden off and even start seeds earlier in the season. My current winter sowing method seems promising and I will have many pictures posted soon. (most likely today) Please send pics as soon as possible I am getting the gardening itch and it's never to soon to start  planning planting .

The March Birthdays are in full affect starting out with Tina's Croque Monsieur. This brunch was so easy to make and so yummy! I am still getting rave reviews about it. In a few minutes I will be getting the chocolate cake in the oven so pictures of that will be posted as well. I am going to try the Best-Ever Chocolate Cake recipe with my own twist of course. ;o)

What an awfully long winter we have been having. I have had a hard time staying on topic for this blog. Mainly sticking to the gardening aspect of it with so many months of down time now. Well today I have been moving ever closer to my winter sowing project . I will begin putting out the brassicas soon (i.e. cabbages, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli). To which I will also be adding leeks, and a few different types of winter squash. The squash did very well last year using this method. I decided to start a little earlier so I can get fruits faster. Since we are on the subject of winter sowing now, have any of you started planning for your spring planting? If so what method of seed starting has worked for you in the past? Any new methods you've considered? As the weeks progress I will be getting busier and busier preparing for the arrival of spring. I plan on building a cold frame and expanding on the hooped green house I built last year with the assistance of my lovely

This time of year can be so hard on everyone. Especially the little fluttery fellows who have to now rely on the kindness of others or scrape and peck away to find little scraps of something with all this cold and snow. With that in mind my son and I devised a plan to utilize some goodies left-over from our poor old hamster Moosie who passed away. To start out we took some toilet paper rolls and poked holes in the top and attached yarn to them so we could hang the finished product. We then smeared peanut butter over them and rolled, smashed, and squished as many seeds and nummy fruit bits to it as possible. They are now hanging from our trees and we've already seen a couple visitors. Mainly squirrels, but visitors all the same.  

This dish has been inspired by watching one of my favorite new shows on the Food Network called The Worst Cooks In America. The fam says it was a great hit and I look forward to making it for them again in the future.

This year I have resolved to do more in the arena of growth. Of course I will continue flower and vegetable gardening, but in addition to this pastime of mine I am working on personal growth as a student of life. For starters I have attended a local gardening club to meet like minded people, get me out of my own little garden haven, and also to aide in my yearly planning for the growing season. Most importantly though is the meeting like minded people. Gardeners are my kind of people. I learn so much from past and current gardeners that I think my brain is physically growing. Another way I intend on growing as a student of life is to open myself up to new experiences. There are so many options out there and I would love to expand on my culinary knowledge as well as get into pottery design and explore some home improvement courses and maybe even some woodshop. While I am wading into the waters of personal growth though I have to get some of the fussing actually documented here for you

Happy New Year everyone!!! Have you received any catalogs for the upcoming growing season? So far we have received approximately 5 catalogs: Territorial Seed Company, R.H. Shumway's, Veseys Seeds, Jung Seeds & Plants, and Miller Nurseries. I'm sure we are going to receive a few more which should include Park Seed, Gurneys, and Burpee. We've only ordered from two of these places in the past and have somehow ended up on a Uber large mailing list. That's ok with me because mom and I have plenty to thumb through at night before bed. Pretty soon we will have meeting of the minds and put together an official plan for the growing season. For sure on our list of returns will be the chocolate cherry tomato. It is such a great snacking and oven dried treat that takes little space and little maintenance to grow. If this beautiful sweet tomato makes a return as a volunteer again this year it will be just as treasured as it's been the last 3 years. As far as what is not mak