Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Halloween
I know it's a bit early but when I was looking though patterns at JoAnn's I found these. I decided they would be perfect for Silia Laine, Nolan and Barret for next year. I haven't consulted with Meredith, but come on, how could you not what your kids to be gnomes?
Oh Allergies.
My allergies kicked it into full gear yesterday. Itchy, water eyes, runny, stuffy nose, itchy throat, lots of sneezing and major sinus pressure resulting in a headache. So what did I do? I came home and cut the grass, brilliant I know. I figured my allergies couldn't get any worse so why not? After that I took multiple benedryl and passed out early. Slept great and woke up feeling much better but made sure to take my Zyrtec today as I should everyday. Today I had a few sneezes but nothing like yesterday! Part of the problem is we haven't had any rain in quite awhile so the pollen is flying around like crazy. Everything has that nice yellow tint to it. I'm praying for lots of rain, not only to knock down the pollen but also for my garden.
March 22nd, 2011
Allergen | Per cubic meter | Values |
Fungus | 1988 | Low |
Maple | 631 | High |
Mulberry | 1253 | High |
Pine | 62 | Moderate |
Elm | 187 | High |
Oak | 46 | Moderate |
TOTAL | 4167 |
Bloom where your planted.
Before I left for spring break the daffodils had started to bloom. When my parents were here in the fall my dad helped me plant some bulbs in hopes of adding some color in the spring. Everything has come up except for the renoncules. Hopefully they will come up soon. I wish the blooms would stay for longer but I loved the bright colors while they lasted!
Inch X Inch
Inch by inch, row by row
Gonna make this garden grow
All it takes is a rake and a hoe
And a piece of fertile ground
Inch by inch, row by row,
Lord bless these seeds I sow
Lord warm them from below
'Til the rain comes tumbling down...
All it takes is a rake and a hoe
And a piece of fertile ground
Inch by inch, row by row,
Lord bless these seeds I sow
Lord warm them from below
'Til the rain comes tumbling down...
After being at the farm all week and helping my parents get ready to plan their garden, I could not wait to get home and plant my own. Luckily Adam was on board (I don't think I could have done it without him) and first thing Sunday morning we headed to Home Depot. I wanted to do raised bed square foot gardening and had attempted to last year. I worked so hard at growing my little seed and then planted the small plants outside and within a week they were all eaten by rabbits. It was a very sad sad day for me. But I was very motivated this year and knew that Adam could help me rig something up to keep the critters out.
At Home Depot we went plant crazy. We bought grape tomatoes, early girl tomatoes, yellow pear tomatoes, allstar strawberries, yellow bell peppers, orange bell peppers, jalepeno peppers, salsa peppers, watermelon, yellow squash, texas onions and another type of strawberry I can't remember now. We also bought some seeds: corn, sunflowers, pumpkin, yellow squash and catnip. I planted those in small pea pots and we will see how they work out.
And I had to get some herbs. I ended up choosing basil, cilantro, flat leaf parsley, rosemary and Adam wanted some mint for mojitos. The final things we needed were some chicken wire (to keep out the critters), vegetable plant food and Adam bought some chemicals to attempt to treat the yard that is overrun with weeds.
Thankfully Adam had enough wood leftover from the bed to build the raised bed for the garden. He made an 8' X 3' bed out of cedar. While he was working on that I planted the herbs where the people who owned the house before use had planted theirs. They left us a stand that holds multiple pots and it turned out nicely.
Before we could set up the garden we had to rip up the grass and loosen the dirt about 6'' deep. That was not easy but we did it. We then placed the bed and filled it will the vegetable garden dirt we bought. I mixed in some vegetable plant feed and we were ready to go. I had seen on other square foot gardens where people use twine to make a grid in the planter, thought it was a good idea and so we did the same. Most of the plants we bought needed 12''-18'' so I ended up putting a plant in each square foot and had 3 empty squares after everything was planted. I left the empty squares next to the watermelons and squash since hopefully the vines will run. After the planting was complete Adam stapled the chicken wire around the bed, I watered everything and 8 hours later, we have a vegetable garden!
I have watered it everyday since in hopes to keep the dirt in the box (it has been super windy) and get the roots to settle in. Here are a few pictures of my current pride and joy.
The whole time I was working outside I had the song I copied at the top of this post in my head. At Trinity, our sweet 3 and 4 year olds would sing this song in music class and it ended up being heard around school frequently. I love it and really loved hearing their sweet voices sing it. Hopefully the plants heard it and will obey! ha! Adam and I also ended up with some legit farmers' burns after the hours we spent out in the hot sun, the first burn of many to come in 2011.
At Home Depot we went plant crazy. We bought grape tomatoes, early girl tomatoes, yellow pear tomatoes, allstar strawberries, yellow bell peppers, orange bell peppers, jalepeno peppers, salsa peppers, watermelon, yellow squash, texas onions and another type of strawberry I can't remember now. We also bought some seeds: corn, sunflowers, pumpkin, yellow squash and catnip. I planted those in small pea pots and we will see how they work out.
And I had to get some herbs. I ended up choosing basil, cilantro, flat leaf parsley, rosemary and Adam wanted some mint for mojitos. The final things we needed were some chicken wire (to keep out the critters), vegetable plant food and Adam bought some chemicals to attempt to treat the yard that is overrun with weeds.
Thankfully Adam had enough wood leftover from the bed to build the raised bed for the garden. He made an 8' X 3' bed out of cedar. While he was working on that I planted the herbs where the people who owned the house before use had planted theirs. They left us a stand that holds multiple pots and it turned out nicely.
Before we could set up the garden we had to rip up the grass and loosen the dirt about 6'' deep. That was not easy but we did it. We then placed the bed and filled it will the vegetable garden dirt we bought. I mixed in some vegetable plant feed and we were ready to go. I had seen on other square foot gardens where people use twine to make a grid in the planter, thought it was a good idea and so we did the same. Most of the plants we bought needed 12''-18'' so I ended up putting a plant in each square foot and had 3 empty squares after everything was planted. I left the empty squares next to the watermelons and squash since hopefully the vines will run. After the planting was complete Adam stapled the chicken wire around the bed, I watered everything and 8 hours later, we have a vegetable garden!
I have watered it everyday since in hopes to keep the dirt in the box (it has been super windy) and get the roots to settle in. Here are a few pictures of my current pride and joy.
The whole time I was working outside I had the song I copied at the top of this post in my head. At Trinity, our sweet 3 and 4 year olds would sing this song in music class and it ended up being heard around school frequently. I love it and really loved hearing their sweet voices sing it. Hopefully the plants heard it and will obey! ha! Adam and I also ended up with some legit farmers' burns after the hours we spent out in the hot sun, the first burn of many to come in 2011.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
SB2K11
Tonight I am savoring my last few moments of Spring Break 2011. This has been the first year in awhile I have not had a big trip planned. SB2K10 I was in Seattle with Adam, SB2K9 was spent in Kuwait and Cairo with the Pa'u family and my Mom, and many spring breaks before were spent on the beach. This year I packed up my car and drove to Atlanta to see my parents and lots of friends. It was a fabulous week!
The drive was not as bad as I expected, I had a few books on CD from our library which helped pass the time. I got into the farm around 9:30 and headed to bed. Sunday I went to Peachtree Pres, my old church that I have missed so much. The sermon was great, the music was rejuvenating and the sight of old friends brought tears to my eyes. PPC was one of the toughest things to leave in Atlanta and has proven to be very hard to replace, but I will continue searching! After church I met my parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents in Dallas, GA at my Aunt Claudia's house to celebrate Bentley's (my cousins son) 1st birthday. I was glad I was there and it was convenient to have all the family I wanted to visit in one place, saved me some driving!
Monday my Dad and I spent working on my car. We washed and waxed it, filled in some scratches, used touch up paint on the doors, revived the oxidized plastic on my bumpers, changed the oil, airfilter and wiper blades, worked on my washer fluid pump that wasn't working (after replacing it we discovered it wasn't getting any power), got the stains out of my seats and floor mats, and put some rainex on the windows. I could not have done any of that with out my dad's help and experience. My car looks brand new and felt great to drive. I was so proud I had to take some pictures.
Tuesday I went to have lunch with my Trinity friends and ended up staying until the end of the day. Trinity is such a special place and the people are what make it that! I miss those ladies so much and loved get updates on everyone's lives. It was also neat to see some of the students I had last year, they have all grown so much. At the end of the school day I took Anna, the girl I babysat weekly for the last two years, to get some yogurt. It was nice to catch up, she is a special girl! From there I walked around Lenox and found a dress at Anthropolgie that I am in love with! I have been holding on to a gift card I got for Christmas to use it on a dress for my friend Michelle's wedding this summer, and I found the dress I want! Too bad it is $298 and I won't be buying it ha! But it is beautiful. From there I went to meet Telleen, Molly, and Jenna at Taquiera del Sol. One of our favorite places to eat in Atlanta. They have the best guac and margaritas ever.
We sat and talked for hours. It was so nice to catch up and be around people I have know for 8 years. They just get me and you don't need to explain things to friends you have known that long. I loved it. Avid had class so I went over to see her new apartment after we closed down TDS. She is leaving for Brazil this week for her MBA program, so exciting. It was great sitting and talking to her and Steph. My desire to be a labor and delivery nurse has been creeping up again lately so I picked Steph's brain about that. Who knows.... I was exhausted after all the fun I had but made it home and crashed.The rest of the week was filled with quality time with my parents. We got everything ready to plant the garden, went on a hike around the farm, saw a snake, got a pedicure, went shopping, ate some amazing food, visited Grandpa, took a few naps, sewed some bags, sewed through my finger, sat on the porch, went on a long Harley ride and enjoyed every minute of the beautiful weather. It was wonderful.
Seeing Grandpa was hard though. He has changed quite a bit since the last time I saw him and has been moved to a memory care unit. It was the first time he didn't recognize me right away and the whole time we where there he was packing up and thought he was going home. His room is bigger than at the other place and I like the staff better but it's still hard to see him there. I want to remember him as the man that knew everything about farming, who rode me around on the tractor, who took such great care of my grandmother and who told everyone I was "grandpa's girl". That is exactly how I will always remember him but seeing him as he is now makes it hard and just makes me so sad for him. I want him to be happy and know he is loved but it's hard to know if he does.
Anyways, it was an awesome week that filled my Atlanta fix. Atlanta is home to me and I miss it still. Trips like this remind me though that it isn't going anywhere. Atlanta will always be there for me to go back to as will the great friends I have there.
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