What's Up Next

Back with a few updates.

The house is looking wonderful. We have managed to get some of the bead board and base board up so we are certainly getting more of that finished look. I still have a considerable amount of painting to do and I have got to get the bathroom sanded. note: If you are remodeling or just slapping on a fresh coat of paint and you think, "Hey, we should try the textured look on the walls." STOP IT. Just stop it. The previous owner of the house used that paint with the sand in it and my daughter is going to get friction burn on her body just trying to get out of the shower. It feels icky and sharp and it looks dumb. No, it doesn't look like your at the beach. Everyone knows they are in a bathroom so just don't. So I have the lovely task of scraping it all off with my Dremmel Tool then washing the residue crap left behind then I can finally paint it. Now that I got that off my chest I can move on.

I have discovered that I am not as handy as I thought I was and after many broken screen were violently hurled down the stairs with threats of fire and a mallet I decided that I will keep the harder stuff for my husband to do. I can paint and I can do the landscaping and gardening. That said if anyone knows a smart way to rinse and bleach old edging gravel we have not figured an easy way to do it but I refuse to spend that much money on.... rocks. I did build a decent Trellis for the garden that came out nice and I intend to build a raised bed in front of the porch with relative ease.

All in all it is starting to feel like a home that we built and that feels good. I highly recommend hitting up Pintrest and checking out some DIYs to spruce up that yard or home. Now is the time.

Good luck and happy gardening and if you ever want to know how I did something or have a question feel free to comment below and I will be happy to answer.

7 Sanity Saving Things To Do With A Toddler

My skin is warmed and muscles a little sore. With the end of April approaching I felt I couldn't wait any longer and finally got my trowel back in the ground. With out any knowledge of the previous owners landscaping I have no idea what grows where so I'm just digging it up and starting over. I dug out the edging around the house and decided to separate the rocks and wash them and return them where they belong. I have not had the chance for that today I'm excited to see the edging clean and even. The more I plan and I can envision the happier I am with our home purchase.

The lawn has been cleaned off, thatched and mowed and we are told (by a neighbor/ our landscaper) that our lawn is healthy and we will be pleased when it grows in. Not only does the personal attention improve the value of your home but I believe the hard work makes you love your home even more because you now have your little stamp on it.

That all said and done, it is spring so rain it must. Today I have the children inside all day, (at least until after nap time because I am not hosing down two cranky toddlers.) so I have to find something for these kids to do. I know this is difficult sometimes so I thought I would share some ideas I have used to entertain toddlers.

1. I encourage independence as much as possible such as helping clean up, clearing her plate when she is done and playing on her own. For the most part I am lucky and she entertains herself when alone and when I have the lil guy they are more than happy playing on their own. However, that doesn't last all day and sometimes you have to structure what these crazy, screaming, running offspring are doing. So when I want to make sure skills are being built and don't want to build again I hand them the Mega Blocks. These are a life saver and you don't have to worry so much about the dreaded lego minefield. 

2. I also recommend, if you have the space, get a tunnel. When the babies seem bored or they start getting into everything, like they do, I pop that thing open and they start clapping. They are adjustable so they can be made different shapes. They love them.

3. I also, on occasion, let them have crayons... I know. And, they aren't really unsupervised since they are in the room with me but here is the trick... I save shipping boxes and drop the kids in the boxes and let em color away. They get to play with color a little and the boxes keep them relatively contained.

4. I have one of those exercise balls that the kids are just fascinated with just make sure you don't have breakables lying around. Although, I guess if you have toddlers to entertain you likely don't have your fine china out on display.

5. After their nap I plan to take them out in the rain for a little. Honestly, what is a childhood without a little rain. Some of my favorite memories are of playing in the rain and splashing in my boots. Getting dirty and muddy. Who am I to deny these kids that joy.. (also, I kind of want to play in the rain now...)

6. Now that everyone is dry and in clean clothes it's time for a little relaxing so we do a little "baby yoga" This is really kind of move your toddler is willing to copy. We usually will start out hands up in the air high as you can. Then drop down into a forward fold and take a deep breath. Repeat those a few times then stand up. Next place your feet far apart and walk them back together. Repeat those a few times then sit on the floor and take a deep breath. Last we give hugs and maybe a tickle to add a laugh.

7. Once we are all calmed down I gotta usually have to get back to whatever chores I was in the middle of so on the floor goes the floor pillow. She loves this thing and we also used it to build neck and back muscles while doing tummy time when V was an infant. I got the plan and idea here: Giant Chevron Floor Pillows

Sorry about the picture quality but it's the best one of the pillow.

One and a half years old to two is a hard age. They are big enough to run around and understand basic instruction but they don't really talk and have very short attention spans. I spent a lot of time reading and planning and filling out a day planner trying to make sure I can pack as much learning as I can. You know, breed a genius. I am here to tell you... they are babies. They are going to learn and grow all on their own. I personally think its amazing how fast they learn things and don't get me wrong, I'm not saying don't teach your kids things, or help when they struggle. I am only saying.... they are babies, let's not forget to let them be babies.

Tips For The Anxious Gardener.

I have been on the edge of my seat waiting for all this GD snow to melt. We got 3-4 feet this year and of course my husband and I bought a house and started construction during the first of approximately 5 consecutive blizzards. Needless to say we have all been glued to the weather channel for some sign that the sun and heat would, eventually, return. Anyhow, I jumped the gun a little bit this year with my indoor green house and the seedlings so I thought I could spare others the frustration of dying seedlings.

Clearly not happy plants.

First I started my seeds about 2 weeks to early. That doesn't seem like much but in New England we only get 4 or 5 warm months a year to grow and the frost will get you every time. So I quickly realized that larger plants like squash and sunflowers grow really, really fast. I mean seriously, especially in a greenhouse. My advice is if the seed itself is on the larger side, plant those last. There are lots of websites to give you advice on when to plant in your region, I checked them out and filled a planner. Then I planted stuff early anyway, cause ya know, I'm smaht.

Even the toddler is confused about spring.

Second, I recommend being very organized with your labeling and time scales. Seriously, stuff gets jumbled very easily as seedlings sprout and need to be turned and moved toward the sun. At this point I'm going to have to plant the unrecognizables together and move them when I figure out what they are.

Third, Yes it is, in fact, warm out. However, it's still friggan cold at night. I have already killed several seedlings that were ready for planting and a grapevine that I was very excited about. (Don't worry I am totally getting another one.) So, seriously you have to be realistic about the time of year and that sometimes you are still trying to shed the freezer burn from winter and your baby plants are not equipped for that cold.

Finally, don't forget there are projects that can be done while you wait to be elbow deep in worm castings. Climbing vegetables are a great way to save garden space but you need trellises. I went the cheapo way and screwed together some 2x4's and stapled trellis netting to it. Took five minutes and it's pretty solid. However, since you have this time you could always paint it up make it look fancy or something. Get your potted plants settled in their homes in the house, watch the sun through the windows to pick the sunniest rooms. At this point you can also get those herbs growing, they do just fine indoors and are easily set into window boxes and the like. (PS. For the life of me I can not get my Rosemary to grow to I advise finding a nursery or garden center for clippings or the whole plant. Keep in mind that basil takes forever to sprout and parsley and cilantro grow tall and a little wild so you may need a cage to direct them up, eventually.)

Helping me do the yard work to prepare for garden season.

Be patient my loves it will be soon be warm enough to reap the rewards of your hard work and patience. Every year, I have found, you learn a little more and you get a little better so even if it doesn't work out as planned this time you have another whole year to try again and learn some more.

How have you guys been doing? Are you growing anything out of the ordinary? I am trying pumpkins and climbing strawberries.

Time For Plants and Gardens

I am back, my loves, after a little hiatus. Between construction on the house (almost there) and getting the greenhouse situated and anxiously awaiting the snow to finish melting I have had no ambition for any projects. That is until recently.
The greenhouse my best friend got me for Christmas is just wonderful. I have managed to grow almost everything I have attempted and all indoors. Even the potatoes are looking suspiciously happy.

 So I thought I would share with you the couple of different methods I used to get the greenery growing.

1.) For starters (and I found this on Pintrest) I took a couple pieces of paper towel and lined a 9x13 casserole pan with a lid. I used a Pyrex with a rubber lid and lined it and divided it into boxes with a pencil. Each one of these boxes will be used for each variety of seeds you are looking to grow. Plan out what you want to grow by companion planting, time of year and the region you live in. Again, Pintrest is a wonderful way to do this easily. Sort out your seeds and stick a sticky note on the top of the container. Before you put the lid on spray the seeds down so the paper towel is wet but not sitting in a puddle. I stuck my lil guys in the green house but a sunnyish window will accomplish the same thing. Check those bad boys everyday until they start to sprout. Plant them as soon as you see those little tails because they will naturally try to root in the paper towel and you will damage the sensitive roots trying to transplant them.
tip: When you see a white fuzz on any of the seeds then you probably have a little rot and you should clear those seeds out.

2.) Once your new friends are ready to strike out on their own and take root you can do one of two things. In my case I live in New England and spring doesn't always behave as we would like so sometimes we add extra steps. I took my sproutlets out and planted them in paper dixie cups. Yeah you heard me. Smaller things go in those little bathroom cups and since it is made of paper you can always rip the bottom off and plant the rest in the ground. I use this method in the little greenhouse until they are sizable seedlings. Spray them with a spray bottle to gently water them and keep up humidity.

tip: Follow the directions on your seeds for transplant times etc, if you live in the right zone you might be able to put the sprouts right in the ground assuming your have accounted for seed eating rodents and other pesky critters.

3: Now that I have cute little seedlings its time to harden them off. This is good in most regions to allows the little fellas so adjust to the changing weather, wind and natural occurrences they don't experience inside the stagnant environment of a greenhouse or a temperature controlled home. This part certainly wont send you running for the produce section just yet. I simply stuck the little cups on a cookie sheet or something and stick em outside. Yup, that's it. Granted, you will want to put them outside when it is warm enough not to freeze them and bring them in once the sun starts going down. You will want to do this for about a week or so.

4.) This is the part that requires a little more physical labor. You gotta dig out the bed you plan to plant in. (Doesn't apply to container gardening. Once your seed sprouts it can go right in the container. All done.) This year I have a raised bed attached to the new house we bought and while tilling it I discovered a decent amount of worms and the home has been untouched for three years. This leaves me with very, very fertile soil and I probably won't need much fertilizer. (Seriously, I got my hands in there and it's the most rich and wonderful soil and probably full of castings, I can't wait to plant it.) Without that discovery I would have needed a supplement like Miracle Grow makes. It's just called garden soil but you mix it in a couple of weeks before you plant and it replaces what your regular ground soil is missing. Once that has been mixed in and settled you can plant your tiny masterpieces. That part is simple... really just dig a hole and drop em in.

5.) Watch the weather, water them when they look dry but don't drown them, fence the plants that need fences and trellis the ones that need them. In a container you should try Miracle Grows moisture control potting soil, I have been using this and I am very happy with it. My routine changes all the time and this protects against under AND over watering. This is great for busy, active people. For containers you still want to get them outside as much as possible for best results but now you can grow year round.

There you are, from seed to garden, but I also tried one other thing that went well and that was using toilet paper rolls. I cut four even slits in one side and folded them to make a container and sealed with electrical tape. I also tried another method and it also worked well. I cut the top off of an egg carton and filled it with dirt and planting in each one of the egg cups. Once sprouted these also can go right in the ground since they are biodegradable.

Finally, there is seed tape. I have not tried this method myself but it sounds like it would work just fine. You roll out some toilet paper and fold a crease down the middle the long way. Space your seeds out according to directions fold the top over. Wet down with a spray bottle and stick in a container. Once they sprout you can just dig a trench and lay the 'seed tape' in. Your plants will be perfectly spaced for even beds.