Adventures in Gardening

Earlier in the spring, I decided to plant a garden. I didn't do much research, and this is the first time I've ever planted things, so this has been a learning experience. I've already learned so much like

a) not to trust the back of the seed packets about when to plant them

b) that zucchinis are supposed to be planted in a mound, not in rows

c) that watermelons and zucchinis need A LOT more space than I gave them

d) that maybe letting my kids help put the seeds in isn't such a great idea because they end up putting 5 seeds in one spot, which leads to the problem stated in c) above.

and

e) that I should never bend over as much as I did when I was tilling the garden, which was the last straw for my sciatica and the reason for which I now have to go to the chiropractor 3 times a week. But all that is another story.

Here we are getting the garden ready. The kids LOVED the mud.

 Fiona really loved it: 

Ethan loved the pick axe: 

And I just couldn't resist doing a picture like this: 

mmmm, yummy.

Here's Ethan with the pick axe again: 

And Fiona still lovin' the mud:

And one last one of Ethan weilding his weapon:

Okay, now time for the actual garden.

I planted basil in the first two pots there, and tomatoes in the one on the right: 

And here's the garden. Have you ever seen a more lovely looking garden? No, wait, don't answer that. I know, I know, it's over-crowded. Like I said, I've already learned a lot. Anyway, I have cucumbers, zucchini, watermelon, broccoli, and dying onions. I don't know what I did wrong with the onions. 

I even have this lovely hibiscus plant that I haven't killed yet. It flowers most days: 

I tried to transplant a few of the watermelon plants so they'd have more space. Here they are. I don't know if they're going to make it or not: 

And here are zinnias that I planted at the front of the house. They're actually flowering! So exciting. I also planted marigolds, but none of them sprouted. I don't know what I did wrong there either. 

So, there you go. Gardening has been fun so far, and the kids have enjoyed watching things grow. I will, of course, check in later about whether or not we actually get any vegetables out of our garden. Here's hopin' we do...

To do this week

TO DO THIS WEEK:

Work out 12 minutes surge training + 30 mins zumba + 5 mins abs

Work out 12 minutes surge training + 30 mins air climber + 5 mins abs

Work out 12 minutes surge training + 20 minutes circuit training + 5 mins abs

Work out 12 minutes surge training + 30 mins zumba (or similar) + 5 mins abs

Work out 12 minutes surge training + 20-30 mins walking+ 5 mins abs

Record last video of home videos

Unpack car

Clean out car

Upload pictures to Snapfish, label, share

Read 3 World Magazines to catch up

Read 6 chapters of Acts

Catch up on reading friends’ blogs

Read pages 63-113 of In Defense of Food

Check freebieshark.com, southernsavers.com, and moneysavingmom.com a few times

Earn 250 swag bucks (started at 1503)

Do some “homework” with Ethan

Weed garden

Write a blog post: Adventures in gardening

Email those two ladies about Paparazzi and see if they’re still interested

Jewelry to Lynette, Julie, and Perry

Trip to Texas

We tried driving through the night on the way there, and it worked WONDERFULLY! I drove only about 2 1/2 hours, then went to sleep, and Chad drove another 7 hours while I fitfully slept. The boys slept till 6 am, and Fiona woke up only a couple of times and fussed minimally. It was GREAT. Now, it did take Chad the whole next to day to recover, but that's okay.

First stop: Friendswood, TX to see Granmama and Grandaddy. We went blueberry picking:

  

and Grandaddy took the boys fishing with a homemade fishing pole:  

  

Ethan caught his first fish!!! And then caught another 4 by himself and 6 more with help.

I was there for awhile, but I wasn't quite so sure about the heat and humidity. I'll take some air conditioning, please: 

Benji had some koolaid and some cheetos. Here's the incriminating evidence: 

                                               We went to the beach in Galveston:

  

                                            and built sandcastles:

Next stop: North Richland Hills to see Grammy and Gramps.

Fiona had her first ice cream cone: 

                            uh ... this is Uncle Bryan licking his imaginary ice cream cone:

Benji was given a birthday party: 

 And we tried out darndest to get a good picture of all the kids smiling with the grandparents. Fiona didn't make it easy on us.

                                                    This is the best we could do:

                                                       and one with Great Grandma:

It took me several days to unpack and get everything put away. Here's Fiona trying on sunglasses to look like a cool chick while I'm trying to unpack.

                                                Is her belly not the cutest little thing?

To do list

Uh ... a little late on this, seeing as how the week is almost over, but better late than never.
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Goals for last week:

do blog post Confused by Food, part II

put an advert on WAHM.com

work out 4 hours this week (30 mins zumba, 30 mins pilates)

Record last video of home videos

Read chapters 6, 7, and 8 of Dawn Treader with Ethan (This is not working. Neither of us are feelin’ it. I think we’re going to try some “Magic Treehouse” books instead)

Do one craft with the boys (use googly eyes and pompoms that I have?)

Call Schools First FCU about putting off loan for the summer

Read 364-464 in Omnivore’s Dilemma (got to page 426)

Deposit checks at the bank

Call Jule Collins about Saturday art clubs.  334-844-3486

Call the Meat lab on AU campus 334-844-1566

Call preschools (Sonshine, Sonshine II, Holy Trinity, Bright Beginnings, Auburn First Bap, Lakeview, Hardy’s)

Call about advertising in Parents mag: 334-209-0552

Call Paparazzi about 2 necklaces 1-855-697-2727

Call Emma again to babysit

Make a 4-year appt for Benji

Do thank you notes for Benji’s birthday presents

Make flier and mail / email to people for jewelry party!!!

TO DO THIS WEEK:

do blog post Confused by Food, part II

work out 4 hours this week

Record last video of home videos

Get a Magic Treehouse (or similar) book to read with Ethan

Read 427-527 in Omnivore’s Dilemma

Read half of the book of Acts

Call about advertising in Parents mag: 334-209-0552

Catch up on reading friends’ blogs

Check freebieshark.com, southernsavers.com, and moneysavingmom.com daily

Earn 150 swag bucks (started at 1050)

Go through stack of papers with Ethan

Confused by Food, Part II

     I know you've all been sitting on pins and needles till I wrote Part II of this.
     After stressing the entire day after I wrote Part I, I came to the conclusion that stressing about it ridiculous.  Stressing about food is probably just as bad as eating bad food. So, NO MORE STRESSING about it.
     One way I will be taking it easier is to just realize that it's going to take me a long time to do all the research I'd like to about food. It's going to be a long process. Since I should never make learning about food a priority over my children, I'll just have to do bits of research here and there when I have a little time. I'm thinking this could be a year-long process of research and phasing.
     Another way I'll be taking it easier is to phase some things out and ease other things in. For example, we have one 12 pack of diet Cokes left in the cabinet. When those are gone, I plan not to buy sodas anymore. (But lest you think I'm an extremist, I will still have diet Cokes, maybe once a week ... that's a good goal). And we are moving towards only buying meat that we know has been ethically raised, not fed animal byproducts and other things unnatural to its intended menu, and humanely killed. I've found a farmer's market that starts this week, and if Randle Farms will ever call me back (Sheesh, they have the worst customer service!), I can start buying meat from them.
     Except for fish, still not sure what I think about farm-raised fish. Probably okay...
     In the meantime, it's been fun and challenging to make vegetarian meals. I've made a yummy frittata, a mushroom crepe cake (10 stars!!!, you gotta try it), portobello mushroom burgers, and green smoothies.
     In some ways, I have become one of those "willfully ignorant" people. I just can't think about certain things, and I pretend not to know what I know; otherwise I'd just have to retreat into a cave for the rest of my life. For example, at a cookout recently, I ate sausage and hotdogs. And chili. And it was all very yummy. But I didn't, and don't, want to think about what was in that sausage and hotdog. Nope, not thinkin' about it.
     So ... sometime in the future, perhaps a year from now, I will have all this sorted out. I will be knowledgeable and will have an action plan.

And here are some pictures of my adorable children to cheer you up and make this post a little more interesting:

   

Goals

I tried SO HARD this week to do everything on my list.  But I didn't.  *sigh* Actually, I didn't try that hard with exercising this week. I just can't get motivated lately to work out.  Blah.  Blah humbug.  It's way easier to just sit and think about working out.  I wish that counted.  Hey, does it??

Goals for last week:

discuss summer plans with Chad and put things on calendar (trip to Bullios It can maybe happen in August???, trip with Davises, weekend with Boones in Atlanta)

record last video of home videos

finish Forks Over Knives (documentary on Netflix)

prepare and mount new pictures on the wall

read 2 World magazines (read one)

read 3 chapters of Dawn Treader with Ethan

read pages 100-200 of Omnivore’s Dilemma

eat lunch at school with Ethan one day

make piñata for Benji’s birthday (well, I didn’t end up making one, I bought one!)

paint birdhouses with the boys and hang them up

make a sticker chart or smiley face chart for each boy to work on 1 behavior

work out 4 ½ hours this week (uh … only 2 hours: 1 hour salsa, 10 mins hula hoop, 30 mins zumba, 30 mins power yoga)

get two jewelry parties on the planner (nope. ARGH)

get one “distant hostess” on the planner (nope. ARGH again)

do days 2-6 of “31 days to a more organized home” (http://moneysavingmom.com/4-weeks-to-a-more-organized-home-series)

make a budget for May, go to bank and withdraw cash

Goals for this week:

Do one craft with the boys (use googly eyes and pompoms that I have?)

Make a budget for the summer!!!!!

Get trip with Davises and trip with Boones on the planner

Record last video of home videos

read 2 World magazines

read chapters 4, 5, and 6 of Dawn Treader with Ethan

read pages 207-307 of Omnivore’s Dilemma

work out 4 hours this week

get two jewelry parties on the planner

get one “distant hostess” on the planner

spend 20 minutes on Panda trying to reach the cash-out minimum

contact the AU campus preschool to get pricing and other info

find and contact 2 other preschools

make a trip to the library to get new books for kids

go through all my coupons and get rid of expired ones

update Benji’s baby book with his 4^th birthday party information

blog post: Confused by food, part II

do 5 more days of “31 days to a more organized home” (http://moneysavingmom.com/4-weeks-to-a-more-organized-home-series)

Goals for this week:

discuss summer plans with Chad and put things on calendar (trip to Bullios, trip with Davises, weekend with Boones in Atlanta)

record last video of home videos

finish Forks Over Knives (documentary on Netflix)

prepare and mount new pictures on the wall

read 2 World magazines

read 3 chapters of Dawn Treader with Ethan

read pages 100-200 of Omnivore’s Dilemma

eat lunch at school with Ethan one day

make piñata for Benji’s birthday

paint birdhouses with the boys and hang them up

make a sticker chart or smiley face chart for each boy to work on 1 behavior

work out 4 ½ hours this week

get two jewelry parties on the planner

get one “distant hostess” on the planner

do days 2-6 of “31 days to a more organized home” (http://moneysavingmom.com/4-weeks-to-a-more-organized-home-series)

make a budget for May, go to bank and withdraw cash

Goals for last week:

discuss summer plans with Chad and put things on calendar (trip to Bullios, trip with Davises, weekend with Boones in Atlanta)

record last video of home videos

watch Forks Over Knives (documentary on Netflix)

spend 20 minutes on Vindale to see if it’s worth it to continue on with them

find a new survey site to start earning ? (dependent on above item)

prepare and mount new pictures on the wall

read 2 World magazines

choose a new chapter book to read with Ethan

start making piñata for Benji’s party

finish making gum paste figures for Benji’s cake

work out 4 hours this week (close enough: 1 hour of zumba, 1 hour of pump & sculpt, 30 minutes walking, 30 minutes jogging in place, 30 minutes zumba, 10 minutes yoga)

get two jewelry parties on the planner

get one “distant hostess” on the planner

do 5 days of “31 days to a more organized home” (http://moneysavingmom.com/4-weeks-to-a-more-organized-home-series) (did day 1!)

blog post on goals and an update on my unprocessed adventure

Goals for week before last:

Earn 200 swag bucks (started at 356)

discuss summer plans with Chad and put things on calendar (trip to Bullios, trip with Davises, trip to DC, trip by ourselves?, trip to TX, weekend with Boones in Atlanta?)

record last video of home videos

Chad fix chairs

watch Raw for 30 Days

pay off credit card!!!

read and do workbook pages for last session’s Bible study

finish reading Jungle Doctor to Ethan

do 1 short Vindale survey

do 5 Panda surveys (I completed 2 and got credit. I tried to do 4 others, signing up for stuff and getting calls from lots of people trying to sell me insurance, but didn’t get credit for them! ARGH. I really hate Panda, and want to reach my minimum so I can cash out and be done with them forever!!!!)

make business announcement

prepare and mount new pictures on the wall

walk or jog 4 miles, 10 mins abs

1 hour airclimber, 10 mins abs

1 hour pump and sculpt

1 hour zumba, 10 mins hula hoop

read through page ?? of Creative Correction (finished it)

finish reading last issue of World

skype date with Faith

Make 2 gum paste figures

Set a date for Benji’s birthday party, make invitation list, and select location