Friday, March 19, 2010

~* Garden Gumption *~ Post #1

~*Friday's "Garden Gumption" Post!!*~

 Post #1: Let the Gardening Begin!!

Well, Everyone...Here it is! The first of several "Garden Gumption" posts!! Every Friday, I plan on blogging about gardening -- whether it be about gardening tips and tricks, or about how my own indoor/outdoor gardens are progressing.  If you're following these posts, I encourage you to comment and share your own thoughts, tips, or how you're own garden is doing! We can learn from each other and have fun doing it!

Last year I decided to finally create my own gardening area in our backyard. My husband and I dug out/ carved out a small section of our little yard -- a space that would not have been used for anything otherwise due to its location.  We were actually excited and impressed on how well it turned out!

While the garden area was being created outside, I started planting a select bunch of seeds inside. After the seedlings grew, I planted them in square foot sections in my outdoor garden space. After some work and care over the course of last spring and summer, I was able to come out with a small harvest at the end of the season --- small, but pretty impressive for a 1st year, inexperienced gardener like myself.

This year, I'm starting my garden in much the same way, with a few more additions to my variety of vegetables!  My 2-year-old son and I have already planted our selection of seeds. This year I purchased 4 Burpee "green houses" (2 green houses came in each set, along with peat pellets, seed markers, and a sheet for keeping track of you seeds -- found them at the Home Depot).  My son enjoyed helping me set everything up and plant the little seeds in their individual spots.  Here is a list of what we will be growing this year: sweet corn, cucumbers (for slicing and pickling), zucchinni, long red & green peppers, a mix of bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, beef steak tomatoes, garlic, white onions, scallions, yellow onions, red onions, potatoes, short carrots, cabbage, a salad mix, lettuce, peas, and green beans. We'll be planting the onions, garlic, and potatoes in the ground outside as soon as we're done prepping our garden areas (my husband was so impressed by how well we grew things last year, he's decided to add another small garden area to our yard!) We're also attempting to grow strawberries in a pot this year.

Within the first week of planting the seeds, we already had some cabbage and salad mix sprouts coming up out of their little patches of dirt. We're now in our second week, most of the cabbage, lettuce, and salad mix plants have their sprouts growing very well. I can't wait to see how many more sprouts we have by this time next week!

If you are looking for a book about gardening, or are interested in finding creative ways to start your own garden no matter how little or large your gardening area might be, I recommend reading All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space! by: Mel Bartholomew.  I found his book at my local library and rented it from their last year. I believe this year I will be purchasing it!

Well, I believe that is all I will be posting today. Enjoy your Friday, and don't forget to leave a comment below about any gardening tips, tricks or stories to share! Happy Gardening!!

Monday, March 15, 2010

Blogging Schedule!

~* New Blog Post Schedule *~


I've been a little sporadic in my blog posts lately. I guess that comes with the territory of being a new blogger! Haha!
To make my blog postings a bit more organized and easier for my readers to follow, I've decided to make a blog post schedule. In other words, I'm going to write posts about certain topics on specific days of the week. Here is what I came up with:


~ Sunday: "Scripture Spark" -- I'll post an inspirational scripture passage from the Bible. It just might be that extra "spark" you need to get your day/week going!

~ Monday: "Recipe of the Week" -- A new recipe that you can make "from scratch" that you can cook or bake for you and your family to enjoy. Many of these recipes have been passed down through my family over the years.

~Tuesday: FREE DAY -- No posts on Tuesdays unless a special topic or event inspires me to write! (You don't want me to get Blogger Burnout do you? Haha!) Alternative posts include Giveaways on the Fan Page or my Blog, Interviews with Marvelous Mommy Minute, and other tidbits that might come along.

~ Wednesday: "The Book Nook" -- Check out a new book I've added to my "to read" list or one that I am currently reading. Also, find out "J's Pick of the Week" to see what the little guy's new favorite book is.
**This information will also be posted/updated on my blog's "Book Nook" page (see link at top of blog page) that way you can have easy access to the current week's listings without having to search through my blog posts.

~Thursday: "Theta Mom Thursday Post" -- I am a part of the Theta Mom Community (check out the Theta Mom blog buttons located on the right side bar of my blog page), and on the last Thursday of every month, we like to share with each other how us Moms spent a bit of time on ourselves for one hour, one day out of the month. Feel free to join us!

~ Friday: "Garden Gumption" -- Includes gardening tips and tricks, along with updates on how I'm tackling my own cultivating corner in my backyard. Let's see how this year's vegetable and flower gardens compare to my last year's endeavor!
**Also, if you're on Twitter, check out my "Follow Friday" lists so you can connect with some other great moms, "Momprenuers", and lovely ladies.

~Saturday: FREE DAY!! Enjoy the weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I hope this blogging schedule helps you keep track of my posts about your favorite topics or things that interest you!! Thanks for following my fan page and my blog!!!!

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~* Recipe of the Week *~

~* Pancakes from Scratch! *~

Our son helped my husband make pancakes for breakfast yesterday. My husband doesn't share in the household cooking tasks very often, but when he has a day off and is in the mood to make breakfast, I gladly hand over the kitchen!  Besides, it was great to see some father-son bonding time!!

Here's how my husband makes his yummy pancakes:

Preparation and Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:
~ 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
~ 3 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
~ 1 tsp salt
~ 1 tbsp white sugar
~ 1 and 1/4 cups milk
~ 1 egg
~ 3 tbsp butter (melted)
** Special ingredient my husband likes to add: ~1 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation:
1.) In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
2.) Make a "well" in the center of dry ingredients and pour in the milk, egg, melted butter and vanilla.
3.) Mix until a smooth batter is created.

Cooking:
1.) Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium to high heat.
2.) Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake.
3.) Brown pancake on both sides.

Serve with some yummy warmed syrup, jam, or butter and ENJOY!!  I know our son does!!

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~*It's the Simple Things...*~

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