our...

 

 

i HOPE something grows :)

wordless wednesday

from seeds to jars

wordless wednesday

operation cucumber

because i knew..

you'd be jealous

zucchini disasters 101

zucchini watermelon splash....need i say more???

when i was a kid my mom would "hide" zucchini in things like potato pancakes, soups and spaghetti...

she was awesome like that...even though i didn't really think so at the time.

im not so awesome, 

i  blatantly blend up horrible concoctions for my kids to try...

i know they are going to be traumatized for life.

this looks innocent enough, right?

what kid doesn't love a healthy snack?

lets just call these zucchini "chips"

(which no amount of photo shopping can even make look pretty)

the epic zucchini fail of all time.

if there was an award for that, they'd win.

hands down.

i wonder if the chickens will even eat them?

anyway, i've got a few more disastrous ideas up my sleeve...

what do you think?

• zucchini candy
• zucchini pizza
• zucchini ice cream
• zucchini marshmallows

ok, ok..i jest. promise.

 



decreasing the surplus...

one zucchini at a time.

this particular mission....operation dehydration

wordless wednesday

wordless thursday?

sure, why not?

sprouty goodness

thanks to Brittany

 from

4 Little Men and Girly Twins

i got brave enough to try sprouting!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
yes, the kids had thier doubts.....

but now they can't wait to taste the sprouty goodness!

find out more about sprouting on Brittany's blog!

so fun, and simple...oh, and super tasty!

planting day

now,

take a second look....

not quite a Wordless Wednesday

our seeds from Cubits on Etsy

a little bit of chicken farming in progress

and...

a lot of mud.

lovin this sunshine!

pretty in pictures

...but WOW!

 this has some serious potential for disaster!

bearing this in mind, i bit the bullet (with my mom's help) and ventured out into a new world....

the world of a pioneer woman. HA!

yeah, i pictured my self in a soddy, with only a pot and my few treasured cucumbers and zucchini...(which i lovingly cared for from the day the were carefully planted in the warm earth)...preserving them for a long cold winter.

reality check.

i crossed my fingers and closed my eyes when i haphazardly spread seeds into my garden.

these veggies miraculously pushed their way through my over fertilized soil....survived a jungle of weeds, an over abundance of summer rain, too  little sunshine, 12 tiny feet, the blight, and even the deer!

yes,in spite of me, my veggies survived.

God is good.

so now, with my packet of pickle seasoning from wally's world and my measly 12 jars i proudly present my first canning event.

 pathetic, yes.

oh, i'd be sooo lost if it wasn't for modern conveniences.

but, i get so excited every time i glance behind me and see those jars sitting so neatly on my counter.

 i'm so proud of myself...

oh, and my mom too, cause if she wasn't there, i surely would have lost all courage, and canned the whole idea!

i've got

...sprouts! little green sprouts!


i finally worked up the courage to finish planting last week, and amazingly enough....little green sprouts are poking their heads out today! YaY!

against all odds

...i finally planted my tomato plants in my plot of dirt this weekend. i've yet to plant my peas and beans and squash...but i've got a ton of great excuses why they are still in the seed packets...believe me...they're legit, i'm sure of it.

maybe i'm an optimist, or maybe i'm just stubborn...yeah, yeah, maybe i'm both...but hey, what have i got to loose, right?

okay, here is what i'm up against...

• my plants are minuscule...dixi cups were NOT a great idea, i do think i'll be growing dwarfed plants...i wonder how small dwarfed cherry tomatoes will be.
• i'm late, VERY late...but that's nothing new, and really the weather hasn't been all that great anyway...hey, the poor things probably would have floated away in the rain we've been having, right?
• then there is the manure...you know, all that poo i shoveled out of the back of my truck, well...there was ALOT of it, and it was FRESH, apparently TOO FRESH....rumor has it nothing should grow because of it's potency....go figure.
• i still have to get my rear out there in the humidity to plant the second half of my garden...this will include using a spade to make rows and mounds...hey, that's physical labor!

...so what do you think....

a) should i swallow my pride, and just give up?

b) just take care of my dwarfed plants and forget about peas and beans?

c) get my rear out there and start making rows? this is going to be the best garden i've grown yet!

i know, why don't we put it to a vote? be sure to hit the polls on my side bar and let me know what YOU think i should do. this ought to be interesting!

so

...i've decided that i won't be going into the dairy business anytime soon...

now,don't get me wrong, i have nothing against cows, or milk, or hay, or stinky barns, or anything like that....but yesterday my boys and i shoveled enough pooo to last a life time into my garden...ewww!

let me just give you a small picture what its like to shovel out a pick up truck load of FRESH fertilizer...with two boys ages 7 & 8. it was far from glamorous, i assure you.

i packed my oldest and youngest into dh's truck...given the instructions not to exceed 55mph on highway...we then proceeded to a local dairy... the farmer kindly took the time out of his busy day to dump two HUGE tractor scoop fulls of YOU KNOW WHAT (i was informed that they make this stuff every day..by the old gentleman who bought the farm back in 1933) into the back of the truck....

well, it settled nicely as i drove back home....right to the top of the wheel-wells...

after lunch my crew and i headed outside to "spread the wealth"....and boy did we spread it... like always we can't do things the easy way....the tailgate doesn't open unless you have the magic touch...i don't...so we hefted each sticky shovelful over the the tailgate....boy#2 tends to DIVE right into things...by the time we were done he was up to his rear in poo and i somehow managed to get a nice chunk right in the middle of my forehead, why am i not surprised by this??

oh, and we did manage to find his boot before it completely disappeared....

it took me an half an hr to wash out the truck and hose down the kids, afterwards, but the garden should be pretty doggone fertile now.

now, if i could only get those tiny, wilted looking tomato plants to revive themselves and actually produce ONE tomato...i'd be happy....( or may just have to sneek off to the nearest nursery and swap them...shhh don't tell ;0)

3 sprouts

the kids have been diligently watering our dixie cups...which i did eventually get seeds into last weekend...and this morning they were overly excited to discover THREE SPROUTS!!!

...all the more reason for me to be obsessed with green...lime green to be exact!

i don't know, i just like it, i really,really like it. maybe its because i've come across some seriously cool things lately in a few of my favorite etsy shops...check them out...and get yourself outside!

it's spring garden time!!!!

These marvelous green tea cups bring back very vivid memories of my grandmother...who shared her love of gardening with me. She had a violet set that was very similar....every single one of us grandchildren loved them and, the cool drinks that came with them, after a warm afternoon in grandma's garden....you can find them at...

Junquete's 5 & 10 Variety Store ~Purse N Boots, vintage, fabrics, jewellery and more!

stop by and visit their unique little shop and find yourself a treasure!!

who doesn't need an extra pocket when you're in the garden sampling fresh peas?

this apron is the perfect solution!

sewluvlie features a beautiful line of handsewn aprons...

i really can't decide which one i like best! can you?

get your little sprout in on the action too!

carry your baby with ease in one of loveyduds gorgeous moby wraps!

this green paisly wrap even includes a dvd on how to wear your baby.

and just for kicks...

let your little princess run barefoot in this sweet babydoll dress! doesn't it remind you of the feeling of cool grass between your toes?

check out sohokids and find the perfect summer frock for you little garden helper!

let me know what you think of these sweet shops after you get lost in them...i'm off to count my sprouts...maybe there is a new one ;0)