Squash Blooms in April!

Well I can't believe it but we already have at least TEN squash blooms in our vegetable garden! I mean actual squash! That is growing! And will be ready to eat in a matter of weeks! OR LESS!

I really didn't think we would be getting fruit this soon, but I am not complaining! I just need to watch them to be sure our soil is balanced so we don't get blossom end rot, the sworn enemy of squash and a variety of other garden veggies. I did however, stumble upon several little green mama bugs with babies. I am still trying to figure out who they are so I can get rid of them. NO VACANCY in this garden.

In the meantime, we'll continue to eat our lettuce and monitor the status of the other tenants. The front beds are doing great this year and we just added 4 hydrangea to the mix! I'll post pictures of that soon. The weather has been so perfect for working outside. It's hard to believe it will be hot and muggy soon. I'll just try and enjoy it while I can!

Read more...

Dig Dig Dig

I am super excited about Garden 3.0, let me tell you! We were gifted some lettuce by our neighbor and I planted it last week. I wasn't really sure what to do with it because it needs partial shade and for the most part, we just moved our boxes to full on sun. That is, we thought we had until last evening. I noticed that the back half of the far box was shaded in the late afternoon, so I moved the lettuce there.

Today I went to the Farmer's Market to pick up the transplants for this year. While I think it's awesome to start from seed and probably more fulfilling, I know my limits! So to market I went. It was such a beautiful day! I could really get lost at the farmer's market. Sigh. There were so many choices, but I kept to my decision of sticking with what I know and what we will eat. Here is the 2010 Garden:

• Better Boy Tomatoes
• Slicing Cucumbers
• Golden Sweet Peppers
• Yellow Squash
• Bib Lettuce
• Red Lettuce
• Basil
• Rosemary
• Cilantro

I also decided to pot the herbs instead of putting them in the box with the big kids. I've never had a problem with any plants getting choked out, but they are so pretty, I wanted them to stand out a bit. And having them on the back porch makes them even more accessible.

I am so ready to eat these veggies! Grow babies grow :-)

Read more...

Let the Gardening Begin!

Saturday marked the official first day of Spring, I know this because Rita's was giving away free Italian Ice, a provision that would have been awesome had my local store BEEN OPEN. I digress.

The weather was nice and I decided it was time to get our square-foot-gardening boxes prepped for planting. This year, we decided to move them closer to the house because a) The sun is better, and b)last year they turned into giant litter boxes. We are hoping that having them closer will also make it a wee bit easier for me to maintain them since Jerry has decided to be hands off (see giant litterbox).

old location

Although, I don't know if we can really consider prepping the lawn, digging trenches and shoveling dirt hands off. You decide. We moved the old dirt to the back of the yard and cut new weed cloth to lay down. Jerry dug a couple trenches to level the boxes and we were done!

 new location!

We moved the Jade plants to the former garden area because they seemed to get a little too scorched last year. I am really excited about the new setup! I plan to keep it simple with tomatoes, squash, cucumber, peppers, basil, cilantro, and lettuce. We just need to get our dirt mix (we'll use a combination of black kow, black hen, and vermiculite with some peat moss) and we'll be ready to plant!

new home for the jades!

Oh yeah, and don't even ask me about seeds. I have no idea. I deal only with transplants. If you really want to get dirty, check out Paige at Pocket Smiles for some great gardening tips! What are you planting this year? Will you start from seed? Or will you be harvesting the grocery garden?

Read more...

Becoming Mom: Having Hobbies

I have always been a project starter. Some projects I have even finished! However, since Oscar has entered our lives, my projects have taken a back seat. In fact, I am not even sure that they are still in the car! But now that Oscar is a year old, I think I am feeling pretty good about adding some of these things back into my life. For instance, we still don't have a kitchen back splash. Remember this post from 2008?

Well, it hasn't happened yet. In fact, despite my premature posting of my newly painted kitchen, the half that ISN'T in the picture remains unpainted. Maybe this week? I hope. And while I'm at it, I sure would love to finish that backspash, paint the cabinets and redo the floors. But lets not go crazy.

I can say with some certainty that the kitchen WILL be painted before I start any of these projects, but here are a few things that are on my plate for the spring.

For instance, this table. This is a table I got at a consignment sale in January for $5. I am not in love with the creepy mickey face peering on or the assortment of superhero sticker that are peeling off. So, it's getting painted. At least white if nothing else.

I am also taking over the vegetable gardens this year. After last years unfortunate "nature's catbox" incident, well, let's just say Jerry became disillusioned with the idea.

I'll still use the two garden boxes we already made, but they will have a new home closer to the house and in what we think will be better sun. I don't plan to have a lot of variety this year. Just the basics I know we will eat. Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Basil, Squash.

If I am still feeling ambitious after all that, I have a hallway to paint, shelves to install and closets to organize. In fact, my list is growing as I type. It feels good to get going again!

Read more...

Veggie Garden Update

Our garden is coming right along! We got a late start but I think we will still see plenty of veggies. So far our tomatoes, cucumbers and squash are flowering. And we already have peas! We've also been munching on the fresh basil and cilantro as often as we can! Here's an idea for mini pizzas you can make in the toaster oven:

English muffin/sliced
spoon on marinara sauce
layer sliced mozzarella, tomato and basil leaf
sprinkle with garlic salt
toast!

Read more...

Garden Update!

This weekend was all things front yard. We spent most of our time outside and it was just so much fun! We got the garden all planted and we just need to add the mulch. We decided to do it in phases. We are almost there! It was a family effort and hopefully the first of many. I look forward to watching our garden grow, just like we watch Oscar. Maybe I'll call it Oscar's garden :-) Now, the pictures!

Digging holes

Oscar is Supervising - a born Leader!

Krust is testing out the new grass

Jerry watering the new plants

Just need some mulch!

Read more...

Working on the Yard

It's been a while since I did a house update so I thought I would fill you in. Jerry has been working hard and blogging profusely about the status of our new front lawn! I'll leave that to him for now. But I wanted to share our latest project with you. Our planter! Since it's a smaller area, we decided to make a shade garden. I have been so excited about it, but really overwhelmed because I don't know much about gardening, and even less about shade gardening. Jerry and I both wanted to be involved in this project, unlike the yard which I can take zero credit for (unless I get points for moral support!)

So yesterday we finally bit the bullet and spent the day at Logan's talking with people and picking out our plants. It was such a beautiful day! Oscar just chilled in the stroller most of the time sleeping, playing or just looking around. He got fussy at one point so I took advantage of the shaded patio furniture display and fed him. It was so breezy! Just lovely to be outside. I can't say enough how much I enjoyed just being there. AND we got plants! The area is roughly 240 square feet so we knew we had our work cut out for us. We decided on some small shrubs for the back row, a mix of Cast Irons and Hostas for the middle, and an array of colorful plants for the front including Dolces, Coleus Chocolate mint and Impatiens. We weren't sure how much to get but I think this will be a really good start! They should all work in the shade and we do get a bit of morning sun to balance it out.

Today we are going to mix up the soil, plant and mulch. I'll post the finished product soon! For now, here is the layout we decided on. I am really looking forward to spending time in the front yard! We have already felt more of a connection with our neighbors just working out there. Once it's done, it will be nice to just enjoy it!

Read more...

My First Mother's Day -- Weekend!

I feel like a 1st grader with a title like that, but what can you do? Originality has gone the way of the sleep. Yesterday was a lovely day! Actually, the whole weekend pretty much rocked. Jerry took Friday off to work on the front yard and as a result, we had a lot more time as a family than we normally get. It was so nice!

See Jerry's post for more about Friday's activities. I will say that he and Bob really killed it. Our yard is going to be great when it is all done and I can't wait! Also, Jerry's mom sent me a BEAUTIFUL bouquet of tulips to celebrate my very first Mother's Day. She may or may not know that tulips are my favorite, but they are! And these are some of the prettiest I have seen.

On Saturday we decided to go to the Farmer's Market. It was hot and packed full of people. MMM nothing like a bunch of sweaty humans wandering around a market to make you hungry? I'll admit, the Farmer's Market on a Saturday at noon in 90 degree weather is exactly what it sounds like. Hot, busy and smelly. BUT we rallied and got some great fresh veggies, free-range beef and cage-free eggs! We also scored the rest of the seedlings we needed to finish this year's garden. Oscar did great in the stroller until we were surrounded by the masses. At that point, he and I escaped the confines of the building in favor of a good cry in the parking lot. He then fell asleep for the remainder of our trip. We blew through our alotted budget with $4 to spare. Not ones to leave with cash left in our pockets, Jerry decided to get me some fresh cut Peonies as an early Mother's Day present! I wish I could relay how amazing these smell. They definitely rival tulips for 1st place ranking. If only for their smell! I also love that you can fill a vase with just 3 stems.

We came home and got right to working on the garden. We planted everything and started working on the stakes that will soon hold the climbing plants. I am super excited about our crops this year. Paige got us started with some seeds and the rest we supplemented from the market. If all goes well, we will be munching on tomatoes, yellow squash, cucumbers, garlic, onions, beans, snap peas, basil, oregano, cilantro, and watermelon this summer! I can't wait.

On Sunday, Jerry had planned to get up and make me an omelet. However, with all of our activity outdoors, the kitchen was sadly neglected on Saturday. So, instead he did the dishes and made us some bagels before church. Score! Vintage has switched to their summer schedule so Oscar was off again at the service. This meant that I spent most of it in the back trying to calm/nurse/sing to him in the hopes of getting him to sleep. I did get in on the second half and it was great! They also did mother-child portraits afterward so we had our picture taken together. I can't wait to see it! The backdrop was super cute so I hope they turn out well. We had burgers at the Village Deli for lunch and came home to do more work on the yard and house. Jerry cut the grass and we picked up sticks and swept the sidewalks. I feel like our yard is finally open for business! Good thing because I am ready for cookout season!

For dinner, I made roast chicken breasts with fresh veggies and olive oil. My mom came over and was able to stay and eat with us! It was such a nice and unexpected treat to have dinner with my mom and wish her a Happy Mother's Day as well! She had to work so I didn't expect to see her. Thankfully she was able to stop by on her way home. Oscar just woke up from his nap so he was all smiles for Grammy. Yay!

And now it's Monday. As I was nursing Oscar this morning, Jerry got up and said, how about that Mother's Day Omelet? It was delicious!! I am just filled with love and thanks for my family today. Any frustrations that I had this weekend *which i conveniently glossed over* just don't matter anymore. I am so blessed and I can't think of a better First Mother's Day!

Read more...

It starts...

They say fatigue is one of the top 5 symptoms of being pregnant in the 1st trimester and holy cow is that true. All I can say is I am glad you get a little break in the 2nd trimester before you ramp up for birth because my gosh I am exhausted! I sleep A LOT right now. Jerry has been so good about it and is taking great care of me so I really have it good. But at the same time, I will be glad to get some energy back. Case in point, last night I was supposed to go bowling with his family and after dinner I could barely hold my head up. He went without me and I went to bed at 9pm only to sleep for 10 hours, get up and eat breakfast and then go back to bed for over 2 more hours! I have just finished 2nd breakfast (hehe - this part is a perk) and now I want ANOTHER nap! It's insanity.

If 'they' are right, I should only have a few more weeks of this. I will say that I haven't been sick at all and for that I am incredibly thankful! You have to take the good with the bad. Overall, so far I am really loving being pregnant!

In other news, we picked 3 cucumbers today! Our garden is really thriving with the exception of some worm-eaten brussels sprout leaves...baby steps...Here are a few pics of the garden and it's splendor !

Read more...

Wow, It's been a while!

So I don't know where I have been for the past week or so, but it has been busy! Jerry's folks weren't able to make it into town after all, which was a real bummer! They are hoping to make it in a couple months, so we will look forward to that. In the meantime, my sister and brother-in-law came through town on their way to Boston. Dean finally realized his dream of running the Boston Marathon yesterday - AND blogged live during the whole race! Check it out here.

The spare room is almost done! We got the bed put together and the walls are almost done. We just need to do a bit more painting and touch ups. I have the art planned for the walls and some other little ideas. I also got a super cute rug from Pier one for the foot of the bed that works really well with the room. I can't wait to finish it!

This weekend we finally got our vegetable garden started! This is possibly the most exciting news for me because I have always wanted a garden and have never been able to make it happen until now. And I have Jerry to thank! He is so great at doing all the logistical stuff. I am SO prone to cutting corners, and he really sticks to his guns. And honestly, it is almost always better his way! SO we built a square foot garden! It's 4'x4' with a grid and we have a LOT of stuff in there! Here is what we have planted so far and some pics!

Tomatoes, Zucchini, Squash, Brussels Sprouts, Cucumbers, Sweet Peas, Bell Peppers, Hot Peppers, Sweet Peppers, Basil, Rosemary, Oregano, Cilantro, Lavender, Stevia, and Marigolds!

Making the frame

Mixing the dirt

Jerry Building the Grid

We did it!

Looks Delicious :-)

Read more...

Busy Week!

It's been action packed over here, between various bands, work, and getting ready for family to come in town, Jerry and I have been going strong. Today I am painting the guest room (finally!) and Jerry is recording a few songs for the Whale Watchers CD. Tomorrow we are both in the Vintage band so that means all day doing several services.

Last night I made pizza from scratch. And when I say scratch I mean dough AND sauce! It was sooo yummy! I also made bruschetta which was delightful :-) Cooking is fun!

We finally went to the farmer's market today! We got some herbs and veggies for our garden (one day soon) and some fresh veggies. We also got some free range chicken, beef and eggs! Yum! We brought Krusty but it turns out that he couldn't walk around with us - even in the outdoor area - so we took turns hangin with him!


I also found out that North Hills will be starting a Farmer's Market next week and each Saturday until September from 8am-12. I am really excited about this because it is a lot closer! I hope you are having a great weekend!

Read more...

We have worms!

We started a compost pile soon after we got married and you'll be glad to know that it is thriving! With worms! It's so great that we don't want to use the dirt! But we will...If and when we can plant a vegetable garden.

Another plus side to having a compost bin is not having stinky trash! Our indoor pail has a filter so you never smell it. And I think the outdoor bin is being put to better use now that Jerry stopped pretending he is Darth Vader.

Read more...