April Showers

It was quite an uneventful day in the garden today. The April showers have started and it's going to be off and on all weekend - total bummer.

I did put on a coat and hat and made my way outside a few times today to check on my greenhouse full of peppers, tomatoes, marigolds, eggplants, herbs, and cucumbers. Amazing everything seems to do better when the weather is rainy and warm.

8 sunflowers have sprouted in the cucumber patch. I realized I need more if I plan to use them as a trellis for the cucumbers. I think this idea is going to look really pretty when everything is in full bloom and the bees will love the flowers.

The kids played a lot of play dough and crafts. This keeps them busy for hours. Give them a rolling pen, some cookie cutters and a clear working space and they are immersed in there work. While they played it gave me a few minutes to sketch out some more ideas for the greenhouse/office. If you follow me on Pinterest you are probably seeing a few ideas I have pinned. I am just combining all the elements I like and drawing up some plans.

I do have a quick tip to share today. I really don't know why this idea has never popped in my head before.

When prepping a jar of homemade chicken broth for the freezer I cut some notebook paper to fit under the ring of my mason jar then labeled with the contents and date.

Totally easy and I can see at a glance what I have and the date I threw it in the freezer. It also saves time when washing, no more scrubbing permanent marker off lids or jars.

How do you label jars? What kind of system do you have when organizing your freezer? Leave a comment, I love to hear from you!

Hope you all had a wonderful Spring day where you are!

Re Purposed Light Fixture into Birdbath

In an attempt to get more birds into my yard I decided to make a birdbath.

I first started with a light fixture cover from a light we took out of the kitchen last year. My husband caulked the hole. I had an existing plant stand and I grow spider plants outdoors all year round so I had plenty of baby plants to transplant into a pot under the birdbath.

 After I cleaned the fixture I added pennies dated before 1982 since the word on Pintrest is that it will prevent the water from getting icky. This was a fun project for the kids, I had them dig through all the loose change and find the pennies.

 After that was finished I added some rocks for height and so they have a perch to stand on when getting water. This really isn't something I created for them to really bathe in since we do have a pond that they enjoy splashing in year round.

The spider plant needs some trimming and the trumpet vine above, that brings the hummingbirds all summer, has yet to bloom it is kind of plain, but this is just the beginning of Spring so in a few months our yard will look beautiful and the birds and bugs will be here in full force.

Happy Spring to you all.

Spring Planting has Begun

Today is about 12 weeks before the last frost so I decided to sow some cabbage seeds. Not many, since last year, or maybe the year before that I had a horrible infestation of cabbage moth caterpillars.

I have a feeling there is a technical name for them but I call them cabbage moth caterpillars and encourage the kids to chase and catch as many cabbage moths as they can.
Year to date: Kids 0 - Cabbage Moths 100

We have also been busy emptying out the raised bed because some how a mole got through the mesh wire stuff at the bottom and ate all my Piment de Padron peppers and some jalapenos and I think it took out my lavender plant and a bell pepper. We will not have that problem again.

I plan on turning the raised bed into a permanent herb garden. Oregano has taken over an entire corner. That stuff is like a weed or peppermint. It roots itself overnight and the next morning it's everywhere!

Here is a picture of last years garden.

Which turned out OK considering I lost my entire collection of starts and nursery stock.
Because me and my vast knowledge of gardening decided to roll my green house out into the garden where it could warm up. Not bad right, until I heard a crash and discovered you shouldn't move the greenhouse let alone move it in the middle of the garden on a windy day. It blew over and everything was a pile of dirt and seedlings. I cried.

But my mistake will surely help someone else, at least I hope.

What are you planting this year? Have you started your seedlings?

Happy planting,
Heather

Making Cards and Other Stuff

I have found a new addiction Pinterest. Fun and awesome all at the same time. I would be on there all the time if I didn't have family or an artsy crafty hobby to tend to.

Anyway I have been busy in the garden since my green house blew over and I had to start my seedlings all over. It was worth the wait. I have so many chilies and tomatoes I will have to sell them so they don't get thrown into the compost.

Extra money never hurt a hobby!

I started dabbling in card making. I was inspired by Helen (Scott's aunt) who makes wedding invitations. They are so beautiful.
I am no way going to do wedding invites but basic card making I can do...I love glue and glitter and gluing little things together. And drawing. When I have more me time I might actually get back into drawing, I am pretty good.
I make basic blank cards for Thank You notes, love letters, break up threats...you can actually write whatever you desire because they are blank and well, I just decorate them for you. I sell them in sets of 7 cards with envelopes and each set has a theme. Allison (above) is photographing the theme pack "Thank God I'm a Country Girl.
You can get the cowgirl boot custom glittered in your favorite color!!!

Check out my Etsy shop to browse. I have many more things coming soon. Baby items, because I sew too. So maybe patch work baby quilts, pillowcase dresses...

My mind in over run with craft ideas (thank Microsoft for the post it notes on the desktop), just wish I had more time in the day, but then again, don't we all.

Making Extra Money While Staying at Home

Right now I am sitting in bed watching the sun come up through the window. These quiet moments are few and far between. Soon the kids will be awake and I will be throwing laundry in the machine, making breakfast, and getting ready to work in the garden. I am fortunate to be able to stay home and raise my kids and play around with some of my hobbies. I am hoping to make a bit of extra cash so Scott could take a day or two off without it hurting our budget. My favorite idea so far is the micro farm produce stand. I really enjoy getting my hands dirty and growing something from seed. I enjoy feeding people and talking about the food I grow. The kids love being outside playing in the dirt, helping plant the seeds, learning about bugs and how things grow.

If all goes well, this will be my favorite job, aside from being a mom, that I ever had.

While this one is not a "money maker" unless you have time to market and advertise, I find making soap to be just as fun as gardening. I do have a few customers that come back time after time, which is nice. I like to know that I am providing all natural, good for your skin soap. And it also makes wonderful gifts, I call this one more of a hobby than a true money maker.

Lastly, I love sewing. I make a lot of the home decor things like throw pillows, pillow cases, seat covers and the likes. I have just started making pillowcase dresses. I know everyone and there mother makes them too, but if I find a few of the non sewers that are not Etsy customers then I will have some customers. Now if I make a few different sizes and sell them at the roadside market then I will probably make a bit more cash.

Turning a hobby into a money maker is not as easy as everyone makes it out to be. If you get a few loyal customers and make great products, eventually you be known by word of mouth and break even on your endeavors. If you have the time and money to market you could probably start making money, but in the mean time I am still considering them my hobbies and enjoying what I do.

An Experiment

Scott bought me a very small, but invaluable asset to my obsession with starting all my plants from seed.

As you can see it was a rainy day. None better than to take pictures of my germinating seeds. All the seeds were planted on Monday. Before the storm.

In every pot there are 2 seeds, except the basil. They are such tiny seeds that I just added a pinch. When it comes to thinning I will have to figure something out.

I chose a lot of heirloom varieties like this Sebastopol Tomato. The story goes that the seeds were held onto by a lady for 70 years. Just had to try. I wish I had planted  a few more San Marzano Tomatoes though. I like can sauce and salsa for winter and it would be nice to do some plain tomatoes of this tasty kind.

I also did a few standard veggies, California Wonder Bell Peppers, Straight Eight Cucumber and Black Beauty Eggplant, all of which I plan to sell at my roadside market this summer.

Has anyone tasted a Cherokee Purple tomato? What is the flavor and the best use for it? Sandwiches? Salads? or Just off the vine warmed by the sun?

Another Beautiful Day

It poured rain last night, but this is how the afternoon turned out. Beautiful!

I decided to wash and hang some of the quilts I have. Getting them ready for our Easter Picnic. This one is my favorite. My Mother sewed it and it has patches of fabric from clothes me and my sister wore, along with a few of my parents clothes. Such a fun and snugly blanket with lots of meaning and memories.

One of my helpers hard at work...fixing the wheel barrow tire.

My other one being a goof. She was moving my sign around to find the perfect spot.

Here is 3 varieties of thyme I grow in an old rim of my husbands 1963 Nova. They look a bit scraggly now but come summer I will have thyme growing out of my ears.

And here is my garden. I still have a TON of work to do, but I finally removed the straw and started a new compost pile. We still have to add our last years compost and till it all together then I will be ready to sketch the plant placement. My seeds shipped today so I will get them potted and in about 6 weeks I will have plants ready for the ground. Once the last frost has passed I can get the zucchini and yellow squash seeds in the ground.

If I get at least 2 more beds started then I will almost double my tomato plants to about 18 - 20. I can't wait to put all those tomatoes up for the winter.

A Little Break in the Weather

Finally a day of sunshine. Cold, but sunny and after all that rain it just puts a smile on your face when you see the sun and feel the warmth of its rays.
And with the sunshine came the gardening itch. I ordered around $25 in seeds from Sustainable Seed Company (not endorsed by them, just like them). They carry a great collection of heirloom seeds. I picked out some great tomatoes, probably 6 different types: Red Calabash, San Marzano, Petrillo, Sebastopol Cherry, Big Rainbow and Yellow Pear, some peppers (3 types including Cubanelle which I have searched to no end and finally found) and 2 varieties of squash both zucchini, one yellow, one green stripes.
I hope to get them soon since I need to pot the tomatoes and peppers so they will be ready to plant when the weather warms up.

I also bought some flower seeds and priced redwood for a few new beds I want to add to expand our current garden. I am also looking at greenhouses. I would LOVE a 12x8 greenhouse with all the bells and whistles, but for right now I will settle for a cheap plastic zip up style.

All of these are from last years garden. I hope to have just as much luck if not more this year. I hope this gives all of you the itch to get out there and garden.

Pooped Out

Well today I am just pooped. Allison & I worked out in the garden most of the day and I did all my regularly scheduled housework and laundry. When Scott got home I made him trim some trees in the back to make room for more sunlight. I haven't worked out there since last year when I was pregnant. It was nice, I got inspired and planned what we are planting. So far I am planting:
tomatoes beefsteak, cherry, roma (of course, can't wait to make fresh salsa and tomato sandwiches)
tomatillos (never planted before but thought they would go with the tomatoes)
jalapenos (for the salsa)
green beans (love them roasted with olive oil & sea salt)
beets (never planted these either but they sounded good)
kale (never planted or eaten this but wanted to try it)
sugar snap peas (love in stir fry)
cantaloupe (love it for breakfast and I want Allison to try it)
zucchini & summer squash (a must have for any garden, saute with garlic & olive oil and you have a great side dish)
We are going to plant some fruits too. I chose strawberries and a dwarf lemon tree. I want to do raspberries but haven't figured out where to put it, maybe next year.
And flowers are going in there too some where. Marigolds, zinnias & azaleas, some sunflowers and I want jasmine or honey suckle too.
I love California weather, you can grow practically anything !!

In other news, I actually slept all night last night, well almost, I did get up once to check on Allison, but I must have been really tired cause the alarm woke me at 5:30. I freaked a little, thinking she rolled over and wasn't breathing, she was fine, but she can lift her head now so I try to relax a bit after all she is a big girl now. But mommy can worry, he he.

I am off to make some tea and relax now I hope all of you had a great day.
One last thing, my store is almost complete, I will let you all know when it's done. You might actually find something you want and I might have free shipping for said item if you mention you heard about the store on my blog...I will post more on that later.
Here is a couple of baby pics to make you smile & brighten your evening.