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?

Memory Tray

I have a tray in the Master bedroom. It holds trinkets I hold dear to my heart. They are memories of people I want to think about everyday.

They came from my great grandmother & grandma  my sister, my husbands grandma, his father, and great aunt.

They are precious and priceless.

Please excuse the dust. They are my clutter and collection. They are pieces that mean the most to me.

They are good times I had with loved ones. Reminders...Memories.

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.

Re-purposing Receiving Blankets

I have saved all those receiving blankets for three years now. It was time to put them to good use. I was thinking of making a quilt for Allison as a keepsake of her baby years then I realized she probably wouldn't want that kind of thing. No one I know wants any of their old baby things, school stuff or really anything that reminds them of those dreaded years of awkwardly becoming the person they are today.
Anyway, I don't have any extra cash and I am redecorating the master room so I decided to sew pillow cases!! I had three pink gingham blankets, two matching flowery ones and a solid pink one. I mixed and matched making 2 with gingham on one side and flowery print on the other and another that is pink gingham and solid pink. I can never really decided how I want the bedding to look so it is nice to have a few different options. Just flip the pillow over for a new look...love it!
Here is a picture I just took with the soft light of the antique desk lamp on. The picture is crap but like I said I'm broke so no new camera for me, yet. At least you get the idea.

Oh, and the pillow in the center of is cased in a crib sheet that I have yet to sew but that will be my next project. In the meantime I will just wrap it in the cut up fabric since it is just for decoration.

I will post a better picture in the daylight and better detailing tomorrow.

Great Finds Saturday

Scott & I went yard sale shopping today. I love, love, love it. Since we rearranged our room, I decided that I am taking on a new decorating approach that never occurred to me. Prairie Chic/ Farmhouse Chic.
I always thought that I was going to decorate for the era our house was built - mid century modern - and I like that style but, it just didn't really have that homey feel. It probably would have been more appropriate in our 20's. but we are a family now and cocktail parties and clean furniture and a spot free home are not in the near future.

Anyway, I have been loving on the idea of the farmhouse style. We love nature, being outside, gardening, being self sufficient, the idea of owning chickens...so why not create a home that reflects the things we love.

I had really great luck at finding a few treasures to help with the decor.


Handmade quilts and afghans that someone took the time to craft are a passion of mine. They don't even have to be vintage, just crafted by someone so it has a story behind it. These quilted pillows were purchased at an antique shop in Paradise and were handcrafted by an old women who lived in that town (at least that is what the seller told me so it's gotta be true...right?).I only paid $1.00 each so I win win for me
I also found these bottles which are going to sit on a shelf I am making from this...a 100 year old window pulled from an historic home downtown (my husband is a glazier, that's how I get all my old windows and doors). The bottles will hold wild flowers.

I also found some crocheted heart pillows that I am going to tea stain to give them an aged look and some really wonderful yellow paint from the Restore (Habitat for Humanity)to paint an armoire I found on craigslist. I am on my way to having a farmhouse chic bedroom...once we paint over those damned Deep Aubergine walls... for around $100. Not too bad.

Those Goofy Kids - Photo Friday