Monday Morning AND Big News

 

 

This Monday morning has been a lovely one! Yes, I could complain about at least a dozen things that haven't gone "right" already, but I'm not going to. I'm just going to say another little prayer for today's worries and move on. There' s plenty to get done around here and nobody has time to waste thinking about things that can't be changed!

 

My lone tomato plant is really flourishing!

 

 

The weather was amazing in Tennessee this morning. But when I went outside I noticed how bad my favorite place has been neglected (the front porch). But there is hope. I saw some tiny seedlings sprouting in one of my pots, and hopefully the window boxes will have sprouting activity soon. I've been using the porch for sanding and painting cabinets for weeks. I'll have to add "make porch beautiful" to my list.

 

 

 

 

 

This week's "to-do" list is already a mile long. The kitchen is close. Really, really close. Some more cabinet doors are going up tonight and I hope to have all cabinets totally finished by the end of the week.

 

Note to self: Never ever under any circumstances paint the kitchen again!

 

In other news....

 

I am SO excited to announce that I am hosting a fall craft party!! eeeeek!!

 

 

I love making things and I love opening my home up to my people. So why not put them together for some serious fun?! Come join me for a night of food, fellowship, and cute crafts!

 

 

Here's the details:

 

+ Fall craft party with Journey's Creations at my home in White House TN.

+ On Friday  September 25th at 6:00 pm.

+ Cost is $25 per person.

+ Materials, dinner, and dessert included in registration fee.

+ We will make three adorable crafts that will not disappoint!

 

 

 

Registration is OPEN NOW! Space is limited and some supplies need time for shipping, so please be sure to reserve your spot early.

Sunday Harvest and August in the Garden (Don't get excited)

 

 

 

This is the gorgeous Sunday morning harvest from our garden. And technically, aside from the strawberries, this is the only harvest from our garden ALL year.

 

I really hope you enjoyed that pretty picture. Now get ready for some not-so-pretty pictures from our August garden.

 

Yes, that's Buster's tail bouncing around in there. He was looking for something edible. He didn't find anything, except maybe a rabbit :(

 



The fence is basically covered in vines.

 

Now check out some of last year's garden activity. It was the opposite of this year. It was awesome!

 

 

 



 

Fermented salsa! I would slap someone for some of this right now.

 

This is what our cucumber harvest looked like every other morning!



The pickling was endless.

 

The tomatoes were gorgeous!

 

Below is our only living and happily thriving tomato plant of 2015. Notice that it's not even in the garden. I should probably mention that we didn't even plant it!! It just sprouted up in the front flowerbed all by itself :)

 

So we tied it to a pole and it's totally content.

 



Garden Story: The Fence

 This spring we decided that it was finally time to build a permanent fence around the garden. We've spent too many years watching the deer, rabbits, and who knows what else fatten up their families on our veggies. Our fence budget was $500.

 

Mary loves to help Daddy outside. They are two peas in a pod! She could stay outside all day and well into the night if Daddy is with her. She is Daddy's girl for sure. So, he dug the holes with a rented auger from a friend and then set the posts.

 

The fence took a little longer than expected. Mostly the weather and the kitchen floor were to blame. It would figure that this is the year we get more snow than usual.

 

 

But it sure was beautiful!

 

 

After the snow melted he was back to work. He wrapped the fencing around the posts and secured them. I was really surprised how sturdy it is. Nothing is getting under this baby unless it can dig!

   

 

And at last the tilling began. Well until the tires needed to be replaced on the tiller. Of course they were special order so we're still waiting for them.

 

 

Lastly he built this amazing gate! I am so proud :) Now lets see what we can grow!

 

 

 

Garden Story: Seeds

 

We're slowly but surely making progress on the garden. The girls and I have seeds started and most of them are looking pretty good. But this is really a learning experience for all of us. We've started tomato plants from seeds for a few years, and we've sowed seeds directly into the garden before but this year we're starting more in the house while the garden is being prepared.

 

For the first time, we're starting some of our seeds in eggshells. The shells are biodegradable and super cute. I like cute. Cute makes everything more enjoyable and I think the girls had more fun doing it this way. Plus they'll give the seeds added nutrients as they decompose in the ground.

 

 

 

Victoria (2) got bored pretty quick so Taylor (13) whipped up this amazing tent fort in the living room to keep her busy while we worked.

 

 

 

I made a tiny greenhouse to make watering and moving the seeds around easier. Some seeds are in the kitchen window and little shelves on the sides of the window and the rest are in the clear bin. I alternate the seeds between the two spots every two days or so. To be sure they stay warm and that they get enough light, I put the bin behind the curtains in front of a sunny window in the den. You could easily cover the bin with Saran Wrap for added warmth.

 

Another bonus of this is that the seeds are not in constant sight of the little ones. Out of sight, out of mind. They almost never mess with them.

 

 We'll be starting another round of seeds in a few weeks in an attempt to stretch out the growing season as long as possible.

Please note that this is totally a learning experience for us and we only have a small idea as to what we're doing here :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Garden Story: The Planning

OK so, I know I've said it over and over again how excited we are about our garden this year but let me say it one more time. We are so excited! I'm not pregnant, I do not have a newborn, and I am extremely ready to get out of this house. I'm ready for a harvest of veggie goodness! Although there is a lot of work involved, I firmly believe that it will be totally worth it. 

 

The Garden

 

We started with a small plot on the side of our house and have used the same space for years. We've had success with tomatoes, squash, corn, and a few other things but  we've mostly focused on the tomatoes. We all love them. I've froze tomatoes and corn but never anything else from our own garden.

 

 

One year, I tried to section out a corner for small crops and make a little path of pea gravel. It worked ok. It would have worked better if I actually went outside and cared for it.

 

 

Oh well, we tilled it up and started over (Yes we had rocky soil that next year). And still have rocky soil to tell you the truth!

 

 

The Plan

 I guess when you start planning, it helps to know exactly what you want your end result to be. We know that we want to become more self reliant. We have a blurry vision of the future for our property but I wanted to really sit down and plan a clear picture. I whipped out the old Backyard Homestead and got to work.

 

 

I love this book. We've borrowed it from the library at least five times. So this year I bought it and I'm super glad I did. I love it. It's a very helpful reference to have on hand.

 

After a few days of dreaming and trying to envision our property, I decided that I needed a good visual of our land. I used Google Earth and printed out a satellite picture of our house and land. This was the best idea ever! I was able to see where everything currently is and imagine where it should be and what should be in its place. In the picture below, you can clearly see our property line, trees, garden plot, barn, and even the fire pit and horse shoe pits! (I blacked out the address, we don't really have a big black line in the yard :)

 

 

 

 

Next, I drew all over my printed out picture. It was so easy to see what would fit where and how everything would work. I strongly recommend you do the same if you're planning a change on your property.

 

I made several drafts and worked out every idea on graph paper. The greatest help may have been finding out that some of my ideas wouldn't work. We ended up moving the garden all the way to the edge of our property but still in the same corner.

 

 

 

 Once I had a pretty good idea what would be possible in the future with our one acre (fruit and nut trees, pigs, veggies, fruits, herbs, chickens), we were able to design the fence and purchase the supplies.

 

We also ordered the first round of seeds. I ordered from a new company this year, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.

 

 

Next step: The hard part :)