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| Excellent for the large family :) |
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| I think this is my favorite necklace selection. |
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| Isn't this a fun bracelet? |
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Not your average birthstone jewelry!
From the top you should know that I'm NOT a jewelry kind of girl. I've tried, but I just don't remember to put it on....or I don't feel a loss without it... I'm not sure what it is. I just don't wear much jewelry. Most days I stick to my engagement, my wedding ring, and {if I can find it} my watch.
We are in the process of adoption from foster care. It's a long process that takes a lot of work, a lot of time, and a lot of prayer. As a dear friend says, you can't accidental adopt a child. To commemorate the completion of our family, I've always wanted a piece of birthstone jewelry. It seemed to make sense--my husband on one hand, my kiddos on the other! Today I happened upon this site and I think I'm on my way to ditching the birthstone jewelry! Here are my top favorites. You can also buy the pieces a la carte and design your own creation. How awesome is that? If I can't make up my mind, I just may have to have a bracelet and a necklace. Or maybe one piece of jewelry for every year we spend trying to bring home our kiddos! Just one more small reason why I can't wait for my little people to come home!!
Monday, July 18, 2011
The Wurtz Cabin
We spent three days and two nights traveling and playing with new-ish friends of ours from our church to the North Fork of the Flathead River just above Glacier National Park. Four adults, seven kiddos (ages 8 months to seven years!), and a sum total of 15 hours of driving. We had a fabulous, fabulous time! Making friends as an adult with children is HARD, mainly because building good friendships take time, and time is something that we don't have a lot of these days. But 15 hours in the van with another mama (with quiet, contented children) as well as a few days sharing a cabin and seven meals together can really help a person get to know somebody! It only took four hours of being in the cabin when both of our husbands declared that this vacation shall be an annual event. I like it when the men have so much fun that they start planning a repeat before we even leave :)
Looking for a great cabin that sleeps 12? Check out the Wurtz cabin here! And don't forget to stop at the Polebridge Mercantile on your way up there!!
Looking for a great cabin that sleeps 12? Check out the Wurtz cabin here! And don't forget to stop at the Polebridge Mercantile on your way up there!!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Slow. Down.
Slow down.
There is beauty to behold.
A Savior to worship.
A baby to hold.
A husband to kiss.
A world to explore.
Our time is more important than our money. Spend it wisely.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
When you are weary
Are you weary? No, I don't mean tired, I mean weary.
This afternoon I could feel the weariness in my bones. After six years of owning a house we never planned to keep, we went to the closing of the sale of the house only to find out that someone in the buyer's camp dropped the ball and the financing may be in jeopardy. We came home deflated. Completely. With yet another thing in our life that has no current resolution, it just seems much.
Mountain Man and I were talking about this over lunch today. When we were in college we both had this image of adult life that seemed rather, shall we say, monotonous. We get married, go to work, and do life. But that isn't how life has been for us, and I dare say it isn't how life has been for most people our age in America.
As the weariness and heaviness set in this afternoon, I started thinking about the almost 10 years (next month!) I've spent with my husband. Every single year together has included a "major life transition." Every year. We've moved across the country away from everyone, bought a house, gutted and remodeled the house, started professional careers, and then spent two months preparing for a deployment that never happened. All in our first 18 months. We've battled infertility, depression, oppression, and addiction. We bought a second house. We got pregnant, moved internationally, had a baby, moved again, had another baby, moved internationally again, and had another baby. I've stopped working, started working, stopped working to have babies, started working with babies, and stopped working again. We spent 18 months pursuing an adoption that never happened. We bought a puppy while having two in diapers. We started homeschooling. We are trying to bring home our children from foster care.
It feels much. And it brings to mind this verse (from my childhood, which was memorized in KJV!):
"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Galatians 6:9
We generally don't get weary when we do our own thing. We just get bored. We get weary in well doing. Paul could not speak these words of encouragement to the Galatians if he had never been there himself. Weary. Tired. Ready to give up. But isn't the desire to give up a good indication that we are accomplishing the things that are greater than ourselves?
I want to give up. I want to stop searching websites and making phone calls and submitting home studies and waiting for the phone call that never comes. I want to stop making lesson plans and searching for deals on curriculum and reading articles on how to educate my children. I want to stop living on a budget and paying down debt. I want to stop having the hard conversations with my husband that keep us up at night. I want to give up.
But when I look at the things that feel wearisome, I realize that these are the very things that God has asked me to do--rescue my children from foster care, school my kiddos, live debt-free, build intimacy with my husband. So I take a nap, have a glass of lemonade and breathe in the promise--I WILL reap a harvest. I just can't give up.
This afternoon I could feel the weariness in my bones. After six years of owning a house we never planned to keep, we went to the closing of the sale of the house only to find out that someone in the buyer's camp dropped the ball and the financing may be in jeopardy. We came home deflated. Completely. With yet another thing in our life that has no current resolution, it just seems much.
Mountain Man and I were talking about this over lunch today. When we were in college we both had this image of adult life that seemed rather, shall we say, monotonous. We get married, go to work, and do life. But that isn't how life has been for us, and I dare say it isn't how life has been for most people our age in America.
As the weariness and heaviness set in this afternoon, I started thinking about the almost 10 years (next month!) I've spent with my husband. Every single year together has included a "major life transition." Every year. We've moved across the country away from everyone, bought a house, gutted and remodeled the house, started professional careers, and then spent two months preparing for a deployment that never happened. All in our first 18 months. We've battled infertility, depression, oppression, and addiction. We bought a second house. We got pregnant, moved internationally, had a baby, moved again, had another baby, moved internationally again, and had another baby. I've stopped working, started working, stopped working to have babies, started working with babies, and stopped working again. We spent 18 months pursuing an adoption that never happened. We bought a puppy while having two in diapers. We started homeschooling. We are trying to bring home our children from foster care.
It feels much. And it brings to mind this verse (from my childhood, which was memorized in KJV!):
"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Galatians 6:9
We generally don't get weary when we do our own thing. We just get bored. We get weary in well doing. Paul could not speak these words of encouragement to the Galatians if he had never been there himself. Weary. Tired. Ready to give up. But isn't the desire to give up a good indication that we are accomplishing the things that are greater than ourselves?
I want to give up. I want to stop searching websites and making phone calls and submitting home studies and waiting for the phone call that never comes. I want to stop making lesson plans and searching for deals on curriculum and reading articles on how to educate my children. I want to stop living on a budget and paying down debt. I want to stop having the hard conversations with my husband that keep us up at night. I want to give up.
But when I look at the things that feel wearisome, I realize that these are the very things that God has asked me to do--rescue my children from foster care, school my kiddos, live debt-free, build intimacy with my husband. So I take a nap, have a glass of lemonade and breathe in the promise--I WILL reap a harvest. I just can't give up.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
If your baby pool gets stolen
I'm sure it's a common thing to have your baby pool stolen out of your driveway, right? Well, maybe if you live in downtown Richmond or LA or somewhere like that, but in Montana?! It was shocking to me, too. I want to believe that a desperate mother or father with zero dollars to spend at a yard sale took both pools (yes, they stole TWO baby pools). Probably not. . .
The theft was a catastrophic loss for the kids. I had to put on my mommy thinking cap last week to combat the 90 degree corn-growing-weather. Sometimes mothers in our country forget that as long as it is fun, it doesn't need to be perfect--like playing in plastic storage tubs!
With only two plastic storage tubs and three children, I needed to get VERY creative with Sweet Girl. Her baby doll clothes were looking pretty dirty, so I got out my washboard, a dry rack, a small tub for soapy water and a small tub of rinse water. (As a side question--does anyone ever think to wash baby doll clothes? It took me three years to notice that they were dirty and another two years to do something about it! HA!) She thought it was fantastic! And, amazingly, the boys didn't spray her with the water hose. There was peace for almost an entire hour!
The theft was a catastrophic loss for the kids. I had to put on my mommy thinking cap last week to combat the 90 degree corn-growing-weather. Sometimes mothers in our country forget that as long as it is fun, it doesn't need to be perfect--like playing in plastic storage tubs!
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| Can you hear him say "No thank you! This is my tub! Move to yours!" |
With only two plastic storage tubs and three children, I needed to get VERY creative with Sweet Girl. Her baby doll clothes were looking pretty dirty, so I got out my washboard, a dry rack, a small tub for soapy water and a small tub of rinse water. (As a side question--does anyone ever think to wash baby doll clothes? It took me three years to notice that they were dirty and another two years to do something about it! HA!) She thought it was fantastic! And, amazingly, the boys didn't spray her with the water hose. There was peace for almost an entire hour!
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| Sweet girl had such a fun time that we played this again two days later! |
Boredom Busters
My kiddos are close in age--almost six yo, four and a half, and almost three. They don't yet know the word "bored" (don't ask me how I pulled that one off!) but they sure know how to act that way! When the Boredom Monster comes to stay for a while, I see a definite increase in yelling, fighting over toys, and whining. I don't like any of those things (does anyone?!?) and I have found that if I give them some structured activity, they tend to play better by themselves after the activity is over. So, here are some things we are doing in our house this summer. . .
1) Chores. I know, they are young, but they can still help do something. I recently invested in small watering cans, a new and easy-to-use broom and dust pan set, and a swiffer mop. Although I'm not thrilled with the results of the swiffer, it is easy for them to use, they feel very responsible, and the floor is cleaner than doing nothing (which is what happens to my floor most of the time!). They also help clean the bathroom, and they do a pretty decent job when they do it with me. After spending an hour doing chores with mama, they are usually very excited to be left alone in their toy room!
2) Stations that they pick. Because of the work of having many small children, we don't have a lot of playtime one-on-one. We recently played a little game together that went something like this: For 15 minutes we did what Silly Boy wanted to do. For the next 15 minutes we did what Crazy Man wanted to do. For the next 15 minutes we did what Sweet Girl wanted to do. No one could complain about the activity their sibling chose or they would lose their time to choose the activity. Everyone had to participate with each activity. I couldn't answer the phone during our 45 minutes of playing. Because I was so focused on them and they each had a time to control the activity for their siblings, everyone left the time very happy!
3) Stations that I pick. There are a lot of toys in our house that our kids just don't touch unless I bring it to their attention. Since we home school, I have a small collection of "educational" toys. I make stations that could include a book station (with a theme like all Dora books or all Thomas books), puzzles, lacing activities, stamps and paper (or stickers and paper), and play dough. Every 10 minutes they have to change activities. They have to do all of the activities and they can't switch activities until the timer goes off. The lack of control over what they play, when they play it, and how long they can play it can certainly cause some tension (such a good teachable moment or three!), but the decrease in control over their play also makes them so thankful for "free" playtime that they handle the free time much better after we do our station time.
There you have it--three strategies this mama uses to keep peace in the home and hair on my head (you pull yours out, too, from time to time, right??)
1) Chores. I know, they are young, but they can still help do something. I recently invested in small watering cans, a new and easy-to-use broom and dust pan set, and a swiffer mop. Although I'm not thrilled with the results of the swiffer, it is easy for them to use, they feel very responsible, and the floor is cleaner than doing nothing (which is what happens to my floor most of the time!). They also help clean the bathroom, and they do a pretty decent job when they do it with me. After spending an hour doing chores with mama, they are usually very excited to be left alone in their toy room!
2) Stations that they pick. Because of the work of having many small children, we don't have a lot of playtime one-on-one. We recently played a little game together that went something like this: For 15 minutes we did what Silly Boy wanted to do. For the next 15 minutes we did what Crazy Man wanted to do. For the next 15 minutes we did what Sweet Girl wanted to do. No one could complain about the activity their sibling chose or they would lose their time to choose the activity. Everyone had to participate with each activity. I couldn't answer the phone during our 45 minutes of playing. Because I was so focused on them and they each had a time to control the activity for their siblings, everyone left the time very happy!
3) Stations that I pick. There are a lot of toys in our house that our kids just don't touch unless I bring it to their attention. Since we home school, I have a small collection of "educational" toys. I make stations that could include a book station (with a theme like all Dora books or all Thomas books), puzzles, lacing activities, stamps and paper (or stickers and paper), and play dough. Every 10 minutes they have to change activities. They have to do all of the activities and they can't switch activities until the timer goes off. The lack of control over what they play, when they play it, and how long they can play it can certainly cause some tension (such a good teachable moment or three!), but the decrease in control over their play also makes them so thankful for "free" playtime that they handle the free time much better after we do our station time.
There you have it--three strategies this mama uses to keep peace in the home and hair on my head (you pull yours out, too, from time to time, right??)
Sunday, July 10, 2011
First TV, then the newspaper
I know it sounds crazy, but I managed to be on the news on Wednesday and in the newspaper on Saturday! Completely unplanned, but very fun :) All of my "fame" is here and gone all at the same time! If you want to read about handling pests in your garden, take a look here. My new gardening friend Amy Grisak is a well-published free-lance writer of gardening articles for various magazines like Mother Earth News and Hobby Farms as well as our local newspaper. Pretty easy way to get into the paper, huh? She helped me identify the issues with my swiss chard, and then helped again with my beets. When she heard that I also had potato bugs, she said I inspired her to write an article on pest control in the newspaper. I should have bought a paper on Saturday. . .
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Spray painting furniture. . .
Last weekend my dear husband took the kids away camping for three days. That's right--three days of no kids, no cleaning, and no cooking. I can get a lot done with those things out of my schedule! In addition to reupholstering the the glider, I painted this desk and chair. (The fun part is that I got both the desk and chair for free from friends!!) I was able to cover the cushion of the chair with the same fabric I used to cover the glider. A friend had recommended spray painting the furniture as a faster way of getting the job done. I am all about doing things quickly! Spray painting IS faster, but I wouldn't use spray paint for something larger than this little desk. However, I am pleased with this little project of mine--what do you think?
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| Before shot of the little desk and chair. |
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| Different shot of the chair. |
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| Black! I love black! |
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| I'm so very pleased!! |
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
I'm famous!
You never know when an ordinary trip to the library will lead to a spot on the evening news. Moral of the story? Always fix your hair before going to storytime! (Don't you just love Benjamin's blue superman cape?)
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
The Garden Journal
The best gardening advice I've ever received (and haven't fully implemented!) is to make a gardening journal. Even though we are half way done with the growing season, it isn't too late to start recording what is going on in your back yard. If your memory is like mine--nonexistent since the introduction of children--then it is helpful to be able to compare one year to the next. Here is how mine is set up:
1) A small three-ring binder or three prong folder. It doesn't have to be fancy unless you have a fancy daughter like my Sweet Girl who likes to decorate everything. In that case, you've also come up with an afternoon craft for her without even trying!2) Notebook paper and graph paper. I know--the notebook paper makes sense. You gotta have something to write on! But, if you are married to an engineer (or you are one!) I'm sure you have graph paper left over from college that he (or you!) just can't bare to get rid of. It is excellent for drawing diagrams of your garden and raised beds!
3) Calendar. Check out the free downloadable calendars here.
4) Historical weather info. Did you know that you can go to Weather.Com and print off a calendar of the highs and lows for the previous month? From the home page type your ZIP code in the search box. On the next screen click on "Monthly." It will show the high and low temperature as well as the total rainfall each day of the month thus far. It will also give the average temps/rain for the remainder of the month. From this screen you can click "previous" to find the actual data for the previous month. I've found this very helpful to have in my binder as I'm trying to plan the seed starting dates and plant dates the next year. My optimism gets the best of me and I really don't believe that it is as cold as it is in April and May until I look at the calendar from the previous year!
5) Seed packets. When I have used all of the seeds from a packet, I like to tape the packet to one of the notebook pages. If I have questions as to what the company name was or what the day to maturity was SUPPOSE to be, I can look at the packet very quickly. If you are planting a smaller garden, you can just record this information on a sheet of paper for quick reference (since you'll use the seeds for multiple seasons). If you purchased transplants, include the little info tab from the transplant so that you can remember the type of tomatoes (peppers, squash, etc) you planted each year and record how well they grew.
6. Photos. Although I haven't printed photos to tape inside the binder (although I really want to!) I think it is helpful to take pictures of your plants at least once a month. It is much easier to monitor growth and compare from year to year with pictures. I am also hoping to use pictures from this year to help me better plan and utilize my space for next year. For example, while I know that my buttercup squash vine will run all over my garden by September, right now there is a lot of bare space. With the pictures, I'll be able to determine which crops will mature quickly enough to plant in that bare space and will be ready to harvest before the squash takes over.
7. Gardening Articles. Have you found something good online or from Mother Earth News? Print it, clip it, and put it in the journal. No need to look for it again!
I hope this gets your wheels turning with ideas on how to gather and record information about your garden. The more we know, the more we grow!
While the cat's away
While the cat is away, this mouse will reupholster furniture! Jeremy took the kiddos camping for three days last week and I got to stay home by myself (luxury, luxury, luxury!!). Beyond spending hours upon hours getting ready for the upcoming school year (and ignoring the garden!), I finally got to do some of those really LONG projects that I never have the time or energy for. I got this glider rocker three years ago at a yard sale, and over the past three years it has gotten a little, um, sad. It was so sad that I couldn't even cover the cushions--I had to make new ones! With the help of my friend Summer, we got this little project done (plus dinner, plus a lot of talking) in 5 1/2 hours.
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| Sad, sad, sad. The back cushion can't even stand on its own! |
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| Three inch foam is NOT easy to cut! Especially in a semi-circle! |
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| When friends help with projects, I actually gt into a picture! Do you like the pattern I made? |
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| Almost like new again! |
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Grilled Mediterranean Vegetables
I'm not so much a meat-eater. I love my fruits and veggies. My Friend is also a veggie kind of girl, so when I found this recipe, I knew she would enjoy it as much as I would. And I was right! It was fabulous! So here is your Saturday recipe, complements of June/July "Taste of Home" magazine.
Marvelous Mediterranean Vegetables (p. 68)
3 large portabella mushrooms
1 each sweet red, orange, yellow peppers
1 medium zucchini
10 fresh asparagus spears, cut into thirds
1 small onion, cut into rings
3/4 cup grape tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh sugar snap peas
1/2 cup fresh broccoli florets
1/2 cup pitted Greek olives
1 bottle (14 oz) Greek vinaigrette
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Directions:
1) Slice veggies and place in large resealable plastic bag. Add vinaigrette into bag, seal, and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2) Drain veggies and transfer to a grill wok or grill basket. Grill, uncovered, over medium heat for 8-12 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. If you don't have a grill basket, use a disposable foil pan. Poke holes into the bottom of pan with a meat fork to allow liquid to drain.
3) Place on serving plate and sprinkle with feta cheese.
YUMMY!!! Make sure to enjoy this dish with a veggie lover. It makes nine servings, so if you are like your veggies but you are married to a meat kind of guy (like I am!), you need to make this and invite someone over to enjoy it with you. It rains on my food party when I have to share something this delicious with someone who doesn't appreciate it as much as I do!
Marvelous Mediterranean Vegetables (p. 68)
3 large portabella mushrooms
1 each sweet red, orange, yellow peppers
1 medium zucchini
10 fresh asparagus spears, cut into thirds
1 small onion, cut into rings
3/4 cup grape tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh sugar snap peas
1/2 cup fresh broccoli florets
1/2 cup pitted Greek olives
1 bottle (14 oz) Greek vinaigrette
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Directions:
1) Slice veggies and place in large resealable plastic bag. Add vinaigrette into bag, seal, and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2) Drain veggies and transfer to a grill wok or grill basket. Grill, uncovered, over medium heat for 8-12 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. If you don't have a grill basket, use a disposable foil pan. Poke holes into the bottom of pan with a meat fork to allow liquid to drain.
3) Place on serving plate and sprinkle with feta cheese.
YUMMY!!! Make sure to enjoy this dish with a veggie lover. It makes nine servings, so if you are like your veggies but you are married to a meat kind of guy (like I am!), you need to make this and invite someone over to enjoy it with you. It rains on my food party when I have to share something this delicious with someone who doesn't appreciate it as much as I do!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Choosing to Die
In any garden there has to be death before there can be life. A seed, in itself, is not a living thing. From its state of death it wakes up and grows into something beyond itself. Old tomatoes, banana peels, caps from strawberries, and the lettuce gone brown decompose to become the nutrients to help a new plant flourish. Without death there isn't life.
The same is true for my kiddos. I have recently realized that the more I "die," the richer I make the soil in which they grow. It is H-A-R-D for me. Children, playing with toys, relationships and conversations all day long--all of these things are so very beyond any comfort zone I've ever had. Give me a computer, a stack of papers, and a calculator. That is where I feel normal, feel competent, feel rejuvenated. Alone in a house with three small children? H-A-R-D. It is so much easier for me to retreat into a set of tasks than to respond to the calls from the toy room to play. But, where there is death, the soil is fertile. When I do the hard thing and put aside my desire for what is best for my kiddos, that is where they thrive.
Isn't that what I want? Kids that are healthy and happy and a blessing to those around them? When I stop to think about it, the answer is yes! Of course I do! That's my job as a mother! But during the day, I don't stop to think about it. (Some days I don't really have time to stop to use the bathroom!) During most days I think about how I need to get the dishes into the dishwasher so that we will have clean forks for dinner. I know that if I don't do it right now, I will get interrupted 15 times before I get back to the dishwasher, which will be 5 minutes before we have to eat dinner. I'm sure I'm the only one, right?!
Choices. We all know that life is the sum total of all the choices that we make. And I'm choosing to die--to let projects go unfinished, to find the pause button for life dreams, to play Thomas instead of checking email, to do craft time instead of making phone calls. Wow. This is hard stuff. But they are worth it!
What do you do to get balance in your week? What safeguards do you have in your day in order to focus on relationships while also making sure there is food to eat and clean clothes to wear?
The same is true for my kiddos. I have recently realized that the more I "die," the richer I make the soil in which they grow. It is H-A-R-D for me. Children, playing with toys, relationships and conversations all day long--all of these things are so very beyond any comfort zone I've ever had. Give me a computer, a stack of papers, and a calculator. That is where I feel normal, feel competent, feel rejuvenated. Alone in a house with three small children? H-A-R-D. It is so much easier for me to retreat into a set of tasks than to respond to the calls from the toy room to play. But, where there is death, the soil is fertile. When I do the hard thing and put aside my desire for what is best for my kiddos, that is where they thrive.
Isn't that what I want? Kids that are healthy and happy and a blessing to those around them? When I stop to think about it, the answer is yes! Of course I do! That's my job as a mother! But during the day, I don't stop to think about it. (Some days I don't really have time to stop to use the bathroom!) During most days I think about how I need to get the dishes into the dishwasher so that we will have clean forks for dinner. I know that if I don't do it right now, I will get interrupted 15 times before I get back to the dishwasher, which will be 5 minutes before we have to eat dinner. I'm sure I'm the only one, right?!
Choices. We all know that life is the sum total of all the choices that we make. And I'm choosing to die--to let projects go unfinished, to find the pause button for life dreams, to play Thomas instead of checking email, to do craft time instead of making phone calls. Wow. This is hard stuff. But they are worth it!
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| Our resident artist. |
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| Is there a better place than a playground for a four year old boy? |
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| Thomas. Enough said. |
Walls 'o Water
Since I'm still in the age group of ladies who are birthing babies, I must say that the first time that I heard "Walls o' Water" I thought of pregnancy and bag of waters. Now, on to the real posting.
I live in Zone 4 which has a very long winter (and when I say long winter, I mean six months of snow and eighth months of bare, leaf-less trees). It isn't technically "safe" to plant warm weather crops until Memorial Day. Any planting of corn, tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, and zucchini before Memorial Day is like playing Russian roulette with your plants. In addition to a very short growing season, we also have a dry climate, a lot of wind, mild summer temperatures, and nightly temperatures in the low 50s. Seems like an impossible climate to grow tomatoes and peppers in, doesn't it?
I found out about "Walls o' Water" in May of this year. The gardening guru who introduced me to them said that I could plant tomatoes as early as APRIL 1st with them. (Just to give you a little perspective on how ridiculous this seemed to me--there was snow three times a week, on average, this April. Who plants tomato plants in the SNOW?!) If I didn't know this lady personally and if I didn't know she had tried them with success in Montana, I would not have believed her. (Mountain man was skeptical anyway!)
At $10 for a three pack, I bought two packages that afternoon and started using them on my tomatoes. We had daily highs in the upper 50s for most of May, so it was still a good opportunity to try them out. The tomato plants that started in the Walls 'o Water are almost twice as big as the plants that I set out without the Walls o' Waters. In fact, I harvested two little roma-size tomatoes yesterday. In June. (Again, I wish my warm-weather friends knew how ridiculous this is!) In addition to keeping the tomatoes warm, it also protects the plants from the crazy wind we have here!
I was told that you can use the Walls o' Water for peppers as well but I haven't tried it yet. I have 18 tomato plants and 16 pepper plants, so I saved the usage for my tomatoes. I've also heard that you can use them to protect baby squash and cucumbers. I tried doing that with a hill of cucumbers will little success. It may have worked better had I just had one plant in each Wall o' Water.
Another added benefit of the Wall o' Waters is for catching flying bugs. When I was having a fly problem with my leafy-greens, I found quite a few of the little guys floating around in the Wall 'o Waters. It was much easier to show the bugs to my bug expert for identification that way rather than trying to catch the little garden-killers without squashing them.
So, there you have it. My whole-hearted endorsement of Walls o' Waters! Let me know if you decide to use them next year!!
I live in Zone 4 which has a very long winter (and when I say long winter, I mean six months of snow and eighth months of bare, leaf-less trees). It isn't technically "safe" to plant warm weather crops until Memorial Day. Any planting of corn, tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, and zucchini before Memorial Day is like playing Russian roulette with your plants. In addition to a very short growing season, we also have a dry climate, a lot of wind, mild summer temperatures, and nightly temperatures in the low 50s. Seems like an impossible climate to grow tomatoes and peppers in, doesn't it?
I found out about "Walls o' Water" in May of this year. The gardening guru who introduced me to them said that I could plant tomatoes as early as APRIL 1st with them. (Just to give you a little perspective on how ridiculous this seemed to me--there was snow three times a week, on average, this April. Who plants tomato plants in the SNOW?!) If I didn't know this lady personally and if I didn't know she had tried them with success in Montana, I would not have believed her. (Mountain man was skeptical anyway!)
At $10 for a three pack, I bought two packages that afternoon and started using them on my tomatoes. We had daily highs in the upper 50s for most of May, so it was still a good opportunity to try them out. The tomato plants that started in the Walls 'o Water are almost twice as big as the plants that I set out without the Walls o' Waters. In fact, I harvested two little roma-size tomatoes yesterday. In June. (Again, I wish my warm-weather friends knew how ridiculous this is!) In addition to keeping the tomatoes warm, it also protects the plants from the crazy wind we have here!
I was told that you can use the Walls o' Water for peppers as well but I haven't tried it yet. I have 18 tomato plants and 16 pepper plants, so I saved the usage for my tomatoes. I've also heard that you can use them to protect baby squash and cucumbers. I tried doing that with a hill of cucumbers will little success. It may have worked better had I just had one plant in each Wall o' Water.
Another added benefit of the Wall o' Waters is for catching flying bugs. When I was having a fly problem with my leafy-greens, I found quite a few of the little guys floating around in the Wall 'o Waters. It was much easier to show the bugs to my bug expert for identification that way rather than trying to catch the little garden-killers without squashing them.
So, there you have it. My whole-hearted endorsement of Walls o' Waters! Let me know if you decide to use them next year!!
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| The tomatoes in the front are the first tomatoes that I set out with the Walls 'o Water. They grew larger than the top of the WoW, so I caged them and moved the WoW to the next row of plants to jumpstart their growth. |
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
My backyard
In efforts to expand our food production, we did major renovations to the backyard this spring. I couldn't find a picture of the backyard with the huge lilacs along the back fence. You'll have to use your imaginations! The entire back third of our yard was covered by the shade of the massive bush-tres. Here is a picture just after the lilacs were cut and before the garden plots were created:
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Sometimes a lady will do some crazy things to grow green things! My dear sweet mountain man cut down three 14' lilacs, moved a 8' x 10' sandbox, moved five existing raised beds, and cross fenced the yard. He loves me. A lot. Here is what the garden looked like last week:
Sometimes a lady will do some crazy things to grow green things! My dear sweet mountain man cut down three 14' lilacs, moved a 8' x 10' sandbox, moved five existing raised beds, and cross fenced the yard. He loves me. A lot. Here is what the garden looked like last week:
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| This is the left side of garden. We have raised beds along the outside edges of the garden with open planting space in the middle of the garden. |
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| This is the right side of the garden with raised beds on the outside edges. The green tubes are Walls 'o Water for my tomatoes. I will have a post about these soon! |
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| This is an up-close picture of the left side of the garden planted in the Square Foot method. Pictures of raised beds to follow soon! |
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Ma Ingalls
I've been doing a lot of crafting with my Friend. I made a hat for my husband (well, I crocheted until I ran out of yarn!). We made a trip to Jo Ann's. I learned to crochet flowers for little girl hair bows (Picture to follow! So very cute!). Last night I was teaching Friend how to cut out a pattern and make a shirt. In the midst of said project she was texting a mutual friend of ours who affectionately said that I was turning into Ma Ingalls. Really? Ma Ingalls? Makes me feel like I should grow my hair out and put it up into a bun.
In reality, there ARE a lot of changes going on in our house. Most of them started last year. I've never lived through "hard economic times." If this was (is?) the "Great Recession" what was the Great Depression like? Curious, my mountain man and I started reading about the Great Depression. (Yes, we are nerdy that way.) At the height of the Depression, unemployment was 25%. (Currently, true unemployment is about 16% in the US.) People survived mostly because they owned their house, grew their own food, and knew basic "life skills."
What we learned about the Depression stirred up our thoughts. We are making payments, but we don't own our own home. We grew enough food last year to feed ourselves for about one month. We didn't know how to grow very many vegetables, to preserve food, or to make clothes. We had no way to heat our home if something happened to supply lines to Montana. All of a sudden, this very independent-minded lady (as well as her very responsible mountain man) felt lacking in our abilities to take care of our family.
We decided to make some life changes. We expanded our gardening efforts. We bought a woodstove. We learned how to can salsa, applesauce, and pickles. I started learning how to sew. I started learning how to crochet. By no means do I consider myself proficient at any of these things, but I know more now than I did last year! Even if our economy somehow rebounds and life returns to "normal" in this country, I now know how to do things that most of the world for all of history knows how to do. Things can be taken away but knowledge cannot.
Part of this blog is to share how I am growing in these skills. Maybe you'll want to learn along with me?
In reality, there ARE a lot of changes going on in our house. Most of them started last year. I've never lived through "hard economic times." If this was (is?) the "Great Recession" what was the Great Depression like? Curious, my mountain man and I started reading about the Great Depression. (Yes, we are nerdy that way.) At the height of the Depression, unemployment was 25%. (Currently, true unemployment is about 16% in the US.) People survived mostly because they owned their house, grew their own food, and knew basic "life skills."
What we learned about the Depression stirred up our thoughts. We are making payments, but we don't own our own home. We grew enough food last year to feed ourselves for about one month. We didn't know how to grow very many vegetables, to preserve food, or to make clothes. We had no way to heat our home if something happened to supply lines to Montana. All of a sudden, this very independent-minded lady (as well as her very responsible mountain man) felt lacking in our abilities to take care of our family.
We decided to make some life changes. We expanded our gardening efforts. We bought a woodstove. We learned how to can salsa, applesauce, and pickles. I started learning how to sew. I started learning how to crochet. By no means do I consider myself proficient at any of these things, but I know more now than I did last year! Even if our economy somehow rebounds and life returns to "normal" in this country, I now know how to do things that most of the world for all of history knows how to do. Things can be taken away but knowledge cannot.
Part of this blog is to share how I am growing in these skills. Maybe you'll want to learn along with me?
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| My mountain man making applesauce to can in January. |
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| My and my sweet girl making hats and sewing. |
Monday, June 27, 2011
Growing Old Friends
My mom has a garden flag that says "It Takes a Long Time to Grow Old Friends." It's the truth, isn't it? In our world of instant everything, wouldn't it be great to have instant friends? On a rare occasion we may find a kindred spirit, one of those people who thinks like you, parents like you, loves their husband, loves their home. Even when we find such a soul, the friendship with that person still must be built as joys and sorrows are shared. It may take years. The absence of these types of friends can seem almost overwhelming at times.
Right now I have the joy and privilege of sharing a week of my life with one of my dearest friends. She and her five kiddos are making their way around the country visiting friends as their husband/papa is serving a 13 month tour in Afghanistan. Their visit is like water to a thirsty woman. In the midst of conversations that last for hours on end (after children and interruptions are down for the night!), I can't help but question how to build this type of friendship with the women who share a ZIP code with me.
Just as plants need nutrients, sun, water, and the right temperature to grow, our relationships need love, attention, compassion, forgiveness, and most of all, time to grow. Sometimes the wait can seem more than we can bear when we desire companions to walk along side us and live life with us. But we have to commit ourselves to investing in the lives of those around us. We never know when that relationship will bloom into something absolutely beautiful.
Right now I have the joy and privilege of sharing a week of my life with one of my dearest friends. She and her five kiddos are making their way around the country visiting friends as their husband/papa is serving a 13 month tour in Afghanistan. Their visit is like water to a thirsty woman. In the midst of conversations that last for hours on end (after children and interruptions are down for the night!), I can't help but question how to build this type of friendship with the women who share a ZIP code with me.
Just as plants need nutrients, sun, water, and the right temperature to grow, our relationships need love, attention, compassion, forgiveness, and most of all, time to grow. Sometimes the wait can seem more than we can bear when we desire companions to walk along side us and live life with us. But we have to commit ourselves to investing in the lives of those around us. We never know when that relationship will bloom into something absolutely beautiful.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Rhubarb Pie!
We don't yet have a rhubarb plant (although we are going to procure one this fall!), but I do have a fabulous rhubarb pie recipe (from AllRecipes.com) that I am happy to pass along. Enjoy!!
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Directions: -Preheart oven to 450 degrees F. -Combine sugar and flour. Sprinkle 1/4 of it over pastry in pie plate. Heap rhubarb over this mixture. Sprinkle with remaining sugar and flour. Dot with small pieces of butter. Cover with top crust.
-Place pie on lowest rack in oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking for 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm or cold. (If you eat it warm, make sure to have some vanilla ice cream in the house!!)
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Fresh Rhubarb Pie
Ingredients:
6 cups chopped rhubarb
1 cups white sugar
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
Friday, June 24, 2011
Shoes!
Here are my FAVORITE shoes for the garden--the Alice Work Croc! Super comfortable, super easy to clean (just take a water hose to the dirt and mud!), and when purchased in pink, they are super cute, too. When investing in gardening gear, this is a must have!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Pictures from my community garden
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| A close-up of our potatoes in the community garden |
We have the same community garden plot this year, and last night we went there to hill up our potatoes (a "potato primer" post for my friends who have never grown potatoes will come in a few days!). Here are a few pictures from last night's family work party. Because of the expanded garden we have in our backyard, we gave 1/4 of the plot to a friend of ours so that they could get their feet wet in gardening as well.
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| You can almost see that I divided the garden into four sections. In the upper right are potatoes, in the lower right is corn, the lower left is our friend's section, and the upper left is filed with squashes, cucumbers, and melons. |
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| It's never too late to learn how to water! Here is my 4 yo crazy man manning the hose. |
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| My dear, sweet mountain man going for yet another wheelbarrow full of grass clippings for the potatoes. |
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
I shot the messenger
Well, I didn't exactly SHOOT the messenger. (Jeremy would like to take a pellet gun to the birds in the mornings, but there is a $5,000 fine for shooting birds in town.) I did, however, target the wrong culprit. Have you ever done that before? After further inspection of the garden yesterday, I found similar bite marks my cabbage and my beets that I had found on the chard and the spinach. Hmmmm....those plants are not close to the raised bed that was getting chomped on. Hmmmm.....
I did what any sane newbie-farm-girl would do and call my new friend Amy, pest expert extraordinaire! Seems she had the same problem with her swiss chard last year and had to use diatomaeous earth on the pill bugs that were eating everything in her garden and her greenhouse. After the kids went to bed I water the garden well (rain and dew just do not provide enough water for plants in the typical Montana garden) and then my dear husband donned on face mask and gloves and spread the DE around the plants. (The link above gives a fabulous explanation of what DE is, how it works, and how to use it. For those unfamiliar, it is an organic pest control measure that is non-toxic to humans if ingested, but harmful to lungs if inhaled.) It should take a day or two to see results and the DE makes the bugs explode from the inside out. Is it evil to think the buggers deserve it for chompin' on my chard?
The birds weren't the only messenger who got it yesterday. Although more self-controlled than usual, I also shot at the messenger that told me we need to pay almost $5,000 for a new boiler in the house we are trying to sell. It is amazing how emotions can overcome reason and how the messenger can get the force of the emotions when bad news is shared. Just like the birds were showing me that I had a bug problem (by visiting the pea patch and eating the buggers when they came out of their holes for their evening snack of pea leaves), my dear husband was just letting me know of the problem we were facing together. We have a choice in those moments, don't we? Fear or faith. Falling apart, or looking to our Source of strength and wisdom. I would like to think that in my almost 32 year I would be able to hear bad news and remain unshaken. I'm still working on it. The only way to get better in my responses is to keep having bad news come my way (not something I'm asking for!) But maybe when bad news DOES come, I'll think of the birds and try not to shoot the messenger :)
I did what any sane newbie-farm-girl would do and call my new friend Amy, pest expert extraordinaire! Seems she had the same problem with her swiss chard last year and had to use diatomaeous earth on the pill bugs that were eating everything in her garden and her greenhouse. After the kids went to bed I water the garden well (rain and dew just do not provide enough water for plants in the typical Montana garden) and then my dear husband donned on face mask and gloves and spread the DE around the plants. (The link above gives a fabulous explanation of what DE is, how it works, and how to use it. For those unfamiliar, it is an organic pest control measure that is non-toxic to humans if ingested, but harmful to lungs if inhaled.) It should take a day or two to see results and the DE makes the bugs explode from the inside out. Is it evil to think the buggers deserve it for chompin' on my chard?
The birds weren't the only messenger who got it yesterday. Although more self-controlled than usual, I also shot at the messenger that told me we need to pay almost $5,000 for a new boiler in the house we are trying to sell. It is amazing how emotions can overcome reason and how the messenger can get the force of the emotions when bad news is shared. Just like the birds were showing me that I had a bug problem (by visiting the pea patch and eating the buggers when they came out of their holes for their evening snack of pea leaves), my dear husband was just letting me know of the problem we were facing together. We have a choice in those moments, don't we? Fear or faith. Falling apart, or looking to our Source of strength and wisdom. I would like to think that in my almost 32 year I would be able to hear bad news and remain unshaken. I'm still working on it. The only way to get better in my responses is to keep having bad news come my way (not something I'm asking for!) But maybe when bad news DOES come, I'll think of the birds and try not to shoot the messenger :)
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
The carnage
I took some pictures last night of the damage by the birds. I read that birds are scared of shining metals and that aluminum foil can help to deter them. You'll see some pieces I've patched around the raised beds. There was no damage to the new lettuce heads that I transplanted yesterday, but I may put foil around those, too, just to keep them safe. There is so much damage, it is hard to tell if the birds had breakfast in my garden. I suppose if the swiss chard completely disappears that I'll have to try another remedy!
I've also read that moth balls keep birds and squirrels at bay, but they are toxic to kids and animals. Not something you want floating around in an almost organic garden! (Miracle Grow is my one non-organic addition!) I've thought of putting a pint canning jar halfway down into the soil and then putting the moth ball in the canning jar. It would keep the moth ball from melting into my soil and poisoning the food but the smell would keep the critters away. Anyone have thoughts? Do you have a proven method of keeping birds and squirrels out of your garden? It's the blessing of living in a concrete jungle that I don't have bunnies to deal with, too!!
I've also read that moth balls keep birds and squirrels at bay, but they are toxic to kids and animals. Not something you want floating around in an almost organic garden! (Miracle Grow is my one non-organic addition!) I've thought of putting a pint canning jar halfway down into the soil and then putting the moth ball in the canning jar. It would keep the moth ball from melting into my soil and poisoning the food but the smell would keep the critters away. Anyone have thoughts? Do you have a proven method of keeping birds and squirrels out of your garden? It's the blessing of living in a concrete jungle that I don't have bunnies to deal with, too!!
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| Poor little swiss chard. My sweet girl planted these and was NOT happy with the birds! |
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| See the chunks out of the upper leaf? |
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| My attempts to scare away the birds. Not exactly a Better Homes and Gardens shot! |
Monday, June 20, 2011
You have to start somewhere
We've all been there--at the very beginning. The beginning of a not-so-fun task. The beginning of a new adventure. The birth of a dream. The birth of a child. All of them can seem overwhelming. We usually don't feel as prepared as we would like. But you just have to start somewhere. My little gardening adventure was much like that--I just started. Four tomato plants in 5-gallon buckets. Four cucumber plants where the grass used to be. Some dill, some basil, and a few peppers. All of a sudden, I was a "gardener." I didn't feel like one. I had no idea what I was doing, but I was doing something! I looked like a gardener on the outside, especially to people who didn't know a cucumber from a cabbage. But I knew the truth--I had no idea what I was doing! Wasn't it the same when I started my first job? When I got married? When I had my first baby? I looked like an accountant, a wife, a mother, but I had no idea how to do any of it. (Except, of course, what I had read in books!!)
I was a CPA for 9 years. I've been married for ten. I now have three kids and have been doing the mommy-thing for almost six year. It all started with a first day. And four years later after that first tiny little garden (that became even smaller with a June snow two weeks after we planted!) I'm gardening almost 1200 sq feet of space. There is much I still don't know, but I'm still learning and still doing. We can't learn anything but just sitting around. We have to start somewhere!
I was a CPA for 9 years. I've been married for ten. I now have three kids and have been doing the mommy-thing for almost six year. It all started with a first day. And four years later after that first tiny little garden (that became even smaller with a June snow two weeks after we planted!) I'm gardening almost 1200 sq feet of space. There is much I still don't know, but I'm still learning and still doing. We can't learn anything but just sitting around. We have to start somewhere!
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| We started small....current pictures to follow soon! |
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| Sweet Girl eats candy while mama plants cucumbers 4 years ago. |
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