November Grey: Peanut butter {energy} balls

November Grey: Peanut butter {energy} balls: I remember when I was a kid, my mom made a similar version of these no bake "cookies" and I loved them. We called them "chew...

I'll be back in the spring

I found another internet project keeping me busy!!!!

the monarchs are coming!! the monarchs are coming!!

bye-bye beetles

Beetles driving you bonkers? You can get rid of them with a bowl of soapy water.

Place the bowl of soapy water under the leaves that the beetles are hangin' out on and just tap them in. I catch a hundred or so at a time. Unfortunately, it seems by the time I remember to, they have the leaves on my wisteria bush looking like swiss cheese.

I wouldn't recommend the beetle traps as they seem to attract more beetles than they remove.

stimulating your summer squash

With all the rain lately, I'm sure the beginner gardeners are scratching their heads when it comes to summer squash. For the most part, it is probably forming, growing a little, and then dying off. Does that sound right? If not this year, maybe in years past? Well one reason could be is that they aren't pollinating. You know, male - female - that whole thing. We all learned about it in fifth grade or maybe it was sixth? Regardless, the answer, most likely is the rain is washing it all away.

Ok, let me explain - I'll start by telling you the difference between the male and female blossoms. The female blossom has a little squash forming directly behind the blossom (That is the ovary) The male blossom just has a stalk behind the blossom. If the ovary isn't pollinated by the male, it will fall off. (It's always seems to be the male's fault, doesn't it???)

So how do you play cupid? Take a small paintbrush to the garden in the morning, preferably before 10am. Locate the male flower and and gather some pollen by brushing the stamen, which is in the center of the flower (You should see the yellow pollen on the brush.) Then make your way over to the female and brush the pollen on the pistil in the center of the flower. There you go. You have just done your job in the love garden.

Some other factors to mention while growing summer squash. They love the sunlight. If they are not getting enough, they will protest by not producing fruit. Also, they are also fair weathered friends. Extreme temperatures (below 55 or above 85 while the plant is flowering) can also affect the plant's ability to produce fruit.

Good luck.

Organic 101

Ever wonder what Organic really means? Sure, it means that it's healthier, but why? When I was grocery shopping the other day, I had a chance to really hang out in the "Organic Section" of the grocery store and compare some things. Here is what I found out.

First, for a company to use the CERTIFIED USDA ORGANIC symbol their products have to contain 95% or more of organic ingredients. What does "Certified Organic" mean? It means that the item has been grown and processed according to strict uniform standard that are verified by USDA-accredited state or private certification organizations.

Organic seem a little overwhelming? Well here are 10 easy ways to start:

• Organic Milk
• Organic Potatoes
• Organic Peanut Butter
• Organic Baby Foods
• Organic Catsup
• Organic Cotton
• Organic Apples
• Organic Beef
• Organic Soy
• Organic Corn

Now that wasn't so bad, was it?

I just picked up this book to look into organic gardening a little more. I mean how hard can it be? Perhaps, I am doing it already. For one, I am not adding any pesticides to my vegetables and second, and I use my compost bin to replenish and maintain soil fertility. I would imagine most small (or even big) organic farms started the same way.

For more information on organic companies (and their farms) visit their websites: http://www.stonyfield.com/; http://www.organicvalley.coop/; http://www.vansintl.com/, http://www.horizonorganic.com/; http://www.clifbar.com/; http://www.ebfarm.com/; www. anniesnaturals.com; http://www.organicvalley.coop/; http://www.naturespath.com/

me and my mom

It all started yesterday. My kids called me at work to say they wanted to spend another night at their cousins so I instantly thought "well what am I going to do tonight?" With my husband working a 24 hour shift and knowing I had to eventually grab the dog at home, it left me a little limited, but not completely out of luck.
So I called my dad's cell looking for my mom and he said she was just getting out of the shower. That was good sign. It meant she was done in the garden and most likely didn't have anything else on her agenda for the night. While I waited for her to come to the phone, my mind started racing. Should I ask her to the thrift stores? No, we can do that any day. English Gardens? Maybe. Then it hit me. Partridge Creek. We could take the dogs to Partridge Creek and do some shopping. ... But I think that is where I went wrong ... trying the whole clever thinking thing. (It's kinda like forward thinking, only not)

I made it home safely, (which is good because even that can be a challenge sometimes) But just then I realized:
I forgot my purse at work
Which had my debit card...
and my license...
and my gas card...
and the car was on E.
Ok, actually I realized it after I stopped to talk to my neighbor (even though I was in a hurry it was my only chance to ask him for some seeds from his beautiful flowers.)
Soon thereafter, I was on the road with Quincy in the passenger seat. I kept feeling the need to tell him to put his seat belt on, all the while saying a short prayer that I make it on the gas that I had.

Eventually, I picked up my mom and we made it to Partridge Creek to shop but not before:
Quincy fell in the pond (sorry, dad)
and got the car all wet on the way
and fought with Sophie in the backseat at the gas station
Annnnddd pooped in the middle of the walkway intersection at the mall (with a metrosexual guy yelling "don't you carry your little bags around with you?")

By the time my mom and I got back to her house (after a mere hour of window shopping at very fast pace, because the dogs needed to smell everything - AND FAST) we were completely exhausted that I didn't even come in for a glass of wine. (Now that's exhausted)

Our galavanting didn't end there, but the 3 ring circus did, thank God. We talked about an estate sale the next morning and what time we would meet. Now, with estate sales, most companies put pictures on a website, so you can see ahead of time whether or not it will be worthwhile and from the pictures, I could tell it it was worth getting out of bed to go stand in line for a number.

I ended up getting some vintage maps and postcards and my mom got some 1930's wrought iron patio chairs. I might go back tomorrow and see what is 1/2 price. I even thought of asking if I could dig up some of their flowers for my own. One thing I know what I won't do - bring Quincy.

deal + less waste in the world = i'm in heaven

I love a deal, but when I can combine a deal with being green, I'm in heaven. Recently, while visiting a deal site that my brother got me hooked on, I came across a site that gives free plants and trees. Yes, you read it right, free. The only thing you pay for is shipping. I bought some arborvite bushes and small trees. Now, depending upon the season, you may find that even though you order in the summer, you have to wait for the next spring, but if you can prevent some of these items from going to waste, I truly believe it is worth the wait. Oh, also, the business creates jobs for the disabled. http://www.freetreesandplants.com/index.html This is one of those businesses where you say...Dammit! Why didn't I think of that!

pool party in the garden

Yesterday, as I dumped my full compost bin out on new flower bed, this big guy (about the size of my fist) jumped out of no where and just sat there. I wasn't too suprised as we do have a lot of frogs and toads that call our yard home, but what did surprise me is how clean he was. ...Like he just got out of the toad pool and was on his way home. If I ever find out, I'll have to tell my husband as he would be pretty mad if there was a pool in our backyard that he didn't know about!!!

New favorite

I have a new favorite magazine.

It's not your typical magazine, it's more like fun, colorful newspaper. My old favorite is BHG and I still enjoy it, but that's when I have the time to sit and read for a while. This one is good for when I don't.

Last weekend we drove to the beach in Lexington and I decided to take it with me. It was perfect for the ride. Inside were short articles, events going on in the area, charming shops to visit, and features of local business women who have "made it". I like the articles most of all. The women who write them seem very similar to me. My age, my interests, my struggles, my hopes and even my dreams. I gave a copy to my sister-in-law because I picture the things that she write on her blog in there. (hint, hint) Anyways, if you get a chance, pick one up. I get them at Panera Bread but I've heard they're all over. You can also go to their website at http://www.strutmag.com/. If you happen to pick up the latest copy (Aug08) be sure to read "How old is the voice in your head?". For me, the "voices" were all relative.

Soaker hose

I've tried hard this year to only rely on the water in my rain barrels for my plants and vegetables, but we've had a little bit of a dry spell so I had to pull out the hose.

You've probably heard of people making soaker hoses out of their old ones but here is a better idea - use your kids old Slip and Slide. Just cut the "slide" part off and attach the tube portion to your hose. It already has the holes in and they are spaced perfectly apart. You can even use the stakes to secure it in the ground. I have a few of these that I just leave hidden in between flower beds and when the dry spell comes I just bring the regular hose out and attach it and I'm good to go.

Easy does it with spiked grapes and Roobios tea

I am always looking for great summer recipes for small parties or entertaining. Here is one that is a little different from the norm. It's easy too. (It is from Better Homes and Gardens Aug, 05)

Rum Runners - These are good to put out on the table for adults to nibble on post-dessert. Soak small bunches of red grapes in dark rum for 1 hour. Remove them with a slotted spoon (reserve the rum), place on a tray, and freeze them overnight. Remove the tray about a half an hour before serving. When the grapes have thawed a bit, place them in a bowl of reserved rum along side some flavored (margarita) rimming sugar for dipping (You can always find these at TJ Maxx)

For those of you that like Roobios tea but don't like to drink it hot in the summer, here are a few good recipes. I tried the Roobios Chai Float, it was very good!
http://www.yogitea.com/Pages/Lifestyle/Recipes/LS-SummerRecipes.html

I know this isn't the best before and after picture, but at least you get the idea. Maybe the story behind it wil help you appreciate the project a little more. The brick that you see has been set 3 times, yes 3! First I did it, then I pulled it up because I didn't like the way that it looked so I ask my husband to help me redo it. THEN... we found that our sewer sytem was shot ( a story for another day) and the patio was sitting on the old septic tank that needed to be emptied, (i'll pause so you can read that again), crushed, and then topped off with sand. We always wondered why the grass grew so well in this area.

I plan to enter this project into the BHGs makeover contest this year. I think I have a pretty good chance.

Martha Blogging?

I just found out tonight that Martha Stewart has a blog. Imagine that, Mathta Blogging! I am actually impressed. I didn't think that Martha did anything on her own- I was wrong!

http://blogs1.marthastewart.com/

Lamb's ears and bad composting?

I gave lamb's ears to my mom last year who in turn dug some up to take to my sister who lives in Atlanta but went to Cincinnati for my brother's, daughter's baptism. Whew! I hope she has as much luck with them as my mom and I do.
They do spread alot and are pretty drought intolerant so well see. She lives in very pretty neighborhood but most houses do not have grass, just ground cover so adding a little texture and color should look nice.

Okay, so either I am really good or really bad at composting. My first batch of the season I used it in every container that I potted plants in. Obviously, the tomato seeds loved it because they started growing in almost every pot!!!

When I smile

A few Sundays ago we were sitting in mass. It was just the girls and I as Rob was working and it was one of those days where it was hard to get out the door. I know, I know, we only live down the street from church, but you know how it goes when you live so close to something; you are either early or late. Anyways, we had a visiting priest and the start of his sermon seemed pretty interesting so I decided to put all my (what seemed to) troubles for the day aside and pay attention. Well, what seemed to be the start of a sermon turned out to be a joke and I found myself laughing right along with everyone else. At that moment I realized that Amelia was looking up at me and smiling. I looked back and said "what?" and she said "I like when you smile, it makes me happy."

At that moment I realized that I don't smile enough in front of my girls OR my husband.

A short while ago I got my basement back in order to start my spring ritual of planting seeds. With a full set of cabinets installed from my father a few years back, I have to say, I have the nicest planting space around. Last year I added about 6 under the counter aqua lights so I can start the seeds in the mini-green houses and have them sprouting in less than a week. Most seeds that I gather from the fall before, the girls look forward to scattering them through the yard, especially the spider flowers. But those that I can manage to salvage, I save for the next spring.

Shady Disposition

It's kinda nice because I am at the point in my yard that I no longer have to buy plants, just move them. I love these ferns here, I believe they are the Ostrich Fern and they spread nicely through the years. Once they start to look a little thick, I just take out a few and either give them away or move them to another shady spot in the yard. There is also a bleeding heart in the midst of all of the ferns and hostas.

My Little Dandelions

That's what I'm talkin' about!!!