Garden week 2

So the seedlings are coming along really nice and we finally cleared an area in the yard for the raised bed. I had to do quite a bit of research about where the best place to put the garden and I read that it is where the sun hits it for about 8 hrs. So we found a nice rectangle on the side of the house and that is where we are going to put it. Now I just have to go buy the materials for the bed and start building. I did put some of the herbs in pots yesterday and a few of the tomato plants too because I didn't want them to feel cramped. When we transplanted them they still had the egg shell so we broke the shell into pieces and placed it in the soil. I figured it would give them some good vitamins in the soil. Then we carefully placed the small plants in pot. The roots looked so good and strong so hopefully this Florida sun won't be too much for them. I have to water them all the time and the sunflowers are really getting big and their soil drys up quickly. I think they are almost ready for the big garden. But for now they are stuck on the porch.

Garden

This year I really want to plant and grow my own vegetables. In our new house our backyard isn't huge but it is big enough to have a garden that will be a pretty good size. So I have been doing lots of research about what to plant and what season to plant them in because in Florida the heat can be so intense for small plants that some will not survive like they would in a northern area. I am also going to build a 16ft. X 8ft. garden box so I can make sure it gets the right amount of water and the proper soil for our veggies. I just can't wait for the kids to be able to pick the veggies for dinner right here in our backyard. I am so excited just thinking about this. My mom used to do that for me. When I was little I lived in PA and my mom had this huge garden on the hill on the side yard and let me tell you we were outside everyday weeding, watering, picking and planting and I remember those days so fondly. Some of the things she grew I loved and some I didn't but that's okay because you know it came from our own yard. It is so funny how trends come back in full circle because I remember in my early 20's telling my mom- why do you have a garden just go to the store and it is so cheap, but now I understand so much more and I don't want all those unknown chemicals going on my food for my family. I figured if I have my own garden I have so much more control over what we are putting into our body.

Here is how I am getting started on planting our garden. First,  I saved some eggshells and washed them out and that is what we are going to grow our seedlings in. 

Here are some pictures of the plants right after I planted the seeds. I also saved the popsicle sticks and broke them in half and wrote down what was planted in each container. Now I used 2 different containers to put them in. I used one that is biodegradable and the other one is plastic so I will have to pull the shell out and just plant it right in the ground when the big garden is ready. My plan is to grow the seedlings and then by the time they are ready to go in the garden the garden box will be ready. (I hope my plan works). 

I will keep you posted on the garden update as soon as more happens. Right now it's like watching an egg hatch- not much happens! 

HAPPY GARDENING!

Bird Feeders

I don't know about you but I just love Spring time. I love the colors, the flowers in bloom, the weather is refreshing, the clothes are cooler..... I could go on and on about this wonderful time of year. Well one of our spring crafts that I did with my daughter's Girl Scout troop was to make bird feeders. They were learning about how to make the world a better place and I thought helping the animals was such a great idea and we used toilet paper rolls so we recycled too.

So here it is. It is so simple to make just get a toilet paper roll and spread peanut butter all over it and then roll it with bird seed just put a pretty ribbon through the tube and hang on a tree. We hung them up in the front and back yard and the girls have just loved to see if the birds are coming. I think we might get a few squirrels too, but that's ok. 

I have so many spring projects going on in my house right now I think my head is going to explode with excitement. I just can't wait to get them all done and up in the house! 

HAPPY CRAFTING AND HAPPY SPRING!

Easter cookie baskets

I know this is a late post but I tell ya the days just keep flying by, but anyways here is a treat that we made this Easter weekend. It can be either a birds nest or an Easter basket. We went with the birds nest because it needed less candy to assemble. Also, in the basket you need grass and it needed coconut that is dyed but my children do not like coconut flakes so that was a no brainer in our house. Then you just add a string of candy like Twizzlers for the handle and you have a basket. But don't forget to add holes where you want to add the handle as soon as you take it out of the oven because it will too hard to put in later. But they were super cute and easy to make. The kids loved decorating their own nests and then we shared them with family at Easter brunch.

Aren't they darling!

 All you do is get the cookie dough that is precut in squares

and place them in a mini muffin tin. Then put your thumb in the middle of the dough and spread gently a little of the dough up the sides. Bake at the temperature on the package. Mine was 350 for 13-15 min. I kept checking on mine because I didn't want them to burn. They raise up really nice in the oven too but when you take them out just let them cool for about 20 min and you will see the middle will settle back down and make a really nice whole for the nest or basket.

                          Here are some of the treats we used- bunny marshmallows and jelly beans.

The kids had such a fun time decorating the nests. I put the icing in the middle only because I didn't want them to fight over it or have any more messes to clean up. 

Here is the icing I used. I picked this up at the store for another occasion and didn't need it so I was excited to try it for this one. I mixed it with cotton candy and was it YUMMY!!!!! I looked like a little kid because when they were decorating I was licking the spoon. I just couldn't help myself. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend!

Cupcakes

When we were in Utah I read about this cupcake shop that was delicious and it looked so cute, so after the 5.5 hr plane ride (we had a layover) I drove everyone over to this shop. It is called Sweet Tooth Fairy and I read about it on KevinandAmanda.com and since she talks about sweets all the time it was a must try in my book. The cupcake I tried was called the Samoa, just like the Girl Scout cookie and it was yummy! We even met the owner and she was busy taking pics of some of her own cupcakes for her blog. She was really nice and even patiently answered all of Gabbie's questions. Come on questions from a 7 year old can be quite lengthy.
Here are some of the pics from the shop and the inside of the cupcake! YUMMY!

Ski lessons

My kids just love ski school. I know to some people that sounds very foreign but they do love to go. Well maybe not at first the thought of "school" probably does not sound very fun but here are some tips that we use with our kids to get them to love it. We always tell them that we have all been to ski school. This is true that we have all been there. We also make ski school sound like the best and coolest thing ever. We hype it up and tell them that only big kids get to go to ski school so this builds their confidence and they really feel like a big kid when they are going. Another favorite to use is to sing them a song about going to ski school. It can be silly and fun and it will work. It helps distract them on the walk to ski school and when they walk up to the door they are happy and excited. Also, don't forget to tell them you will look for them on the mountain and you as a parent are so excited to see them ski. This helps entice them to show off their skills for you. This is a picture of my little girls after ski school. See they are both happy and excited and can't wait to go back tomorrow.

Slow Cooker Meal- Spicy Pork

I am always trying to be a better planner with kids activities, homework, housework, and most importantly meal time. We try and sit down as a family most nights and enjoy this time together so I want everyone to enjoy it. The kids love to help in the kitchen and I try to get them involved as I can and as time will allow. So I made this Spicy pork and we had a Chiptole like dinner. My oldest, the teenager, is in love with this place! Almost every day she asks to go to Chiptole and of course I tell her no. But on this night I thought it would be fun to make our burrito bowls at home. We served the spicy pork, white rice, lettuce, corn and shredded cheese. I really wish I had sour cream on hand because that would have taken the bite out of the spicy. But for the most part this was so much fun and the kids love to assemble their own meal too.

Here is the recipe:
1- 2-3 lb pork shoulder or butt
1- 15 oz can of Chiptole peppers
2- large onions cut in large slices
2- Tb of brown sugar
2- Cans of dark soda on hand (I've used Dr. Pepper or Coke)

Put it all in the slow cooker for about 6 hours and turn the pork about every 2 hrs to make sure all the meat is covered. That is it and enjoy!