Garden Pictures

I took some pictures of my gardens and since I'm very proud of them this year I thought I would share them with you. I do not like to garden, but I love flowers since I grew up with a Mom who always has a beautiful garden. These gardens have taken me 4-5 years to get to looking this good, and there is still so more to do. By the end of the spring, you will probably be tired of seeing my garden pictures, but here goes.
One of my favorites is the dutch iris. These weren't in full bloom when I took the picture, but they are gorgeous now.

Don't remember the name of this one, it's new from last year. Mom and I bought identical plants and mine came back and looks like this while hers died. :-(

This plant is called "Amethyst in Snow". Isn't it beautiful! I don't remember where I got it although my Mother asks me every year since she wants one for her garden.

This is the front flower bed, situated where the driveway meets the road. It's actually my newest garden and has only been in about 2 1/2 years, while the big one has been in for 5.

My first rose, getting ready to bloom. (I'm playing with the new camera some...trying to become a better photographer.)

The big bed, taken from the drive-way. This bed doesn't take a lot of work, all I had to do was add another layer of mulch on for color and pick a few weeds. I've been working on this bed for 5 yrs.

We were doing some yard work this weekend and the boys' job was to haul the branches from the trees their father was cutting down to the compost pile. They made themselves a nest!

Half of the veggie garden. Each square is 3.5 ft. by 3.5 ft. This one has 2 heirloom tomatoes, a watermelon plant, 3 broccoli and although you can't see them a couple of tiny cauliflower in the front. The onion seeds have not come up...the seeds might have been too old.

The other half of the garden with our zucchini, beets and carrots. Mom requested the beets so she can make pickled beets (a staple on our tables at holiday time...it doesn't feel like Thanksgiving without the pickled beets...this is also one of the few items my husband will not eat!)

I planted this clematis 4 or 5 yrs ago and have putzed with it every year. Look what it did for me this year!

My chives and thyme came back from last year. They're both planted in hanging baskets. I think I'm going to plant all of my herbs in hanging baskets this year.

Side of the house. My goal is to make this area a true cottage style garden. I want to take out the grass, put in a winding stone pathway (area is only about 10 ft. wide) and plant a bunch of iris, dianthus (already there), roses (I already have several planted to the left in the picture), and daylillies (already planted), mums and another clematis, and put a white fence around the air-conditioning unit.

Can You "Not do Much of Anything" if You're Always Running?

I am not one of those people that can talk about nothing...not in real life and not on my blog, so posting has been quiet slow since we haven't been doing much of anything. Now, when I say "we aren't doing much of anything", that does not mean we are at home, sitting on our rumps, watching TV all day and night...NOPE, we are actually very busy, but not doing much while being busy.

Our days consist of school/work/putzing around the house during the day (I tend to be lazy in the mornings and early afternoons, knowing my work will pick up dramatically once the kiddos and the hubby show up from the respective schools and work). My Youngest attends school until 10:30 every morning, then he comes home and eats. One Tuesday a month I have a MOMS Club meeting, Wednesday mornings consist of coffee and a trip to the farmer's market with my Mom and Wednesday afternoons has my Youngest at Gymnastics. My Oldest gets out of school at the same time as my Husband and that is when my job begins.

The last couple of weeks we've been extremely busy with Baseball/T-ball practice (both boys are playing ball this year!). My Oldest has practice on Tuesday & Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings, and my Youngest has practice on Wednesday & Friday evenings...and Monday has my Oldest at Scouts. Of course these are all events that take alot of juggling of schedules and meals, but once the practice or scouts starts, I end up just sitting around waiting for the kids to finish so I can get them home and either eating a late meal or baths or ready for bed.

Needless to say, none of this is all that exciting, and I'm not really going to take many pictures during these events. Luckily for you the baseball games begin next week and you will be inundated with baseball pictures. Go FIREBALLS! Go CARDINALS!

Farmer's Market

The Farmer's Market in my town opened up about 2 weeks ago and before this morning I hadn't made it there yet. They are open on Wednesday and Saturday mornings so my Mom and I decided to take our weekly Wednesday coffee morning to the farmer's market. We wandered about looking at the spring veggies and the flowers for sale. This time of year you find more flowers than veggies! I keep my eyes open every year for new perennials that I can plant in my garden and this morning I found 2: a yellow and orange Guillarda plant and a drought resistant vining plant with orange flowers. Planted them this morning and hopefully it will rain soon to get them started on the right track.

For a veggie garden this year we decided to buy a raised garden kit from Sam's Club that's 3.5 ft. by 7 ft. We planted tomato, watermelon, broccoli, onion, carrots, beets, zucchini, and cauliflower. Everything except the tomato and broccoli were seed and this morning I went out to check on it. The beets, zucchini and cauliflower are all up, now just waiting on the onion, carrots and watermelon. We chose veggies that we knew everyone would eat so I'm really hoping to get some good production out of the garden. (I guess I need to go out and take some more pictures!)

Crock-pots and Restaurants

This last week I have begun my exploration of crock-pot cooking. We have scouts on Mondays, my Oldest has baseball practice on Tues & Thurs, and my Youngest has baseball practice on Wed & Fri, so I thought I would try some crock-pot recipes. I received my crock-pot as a wedding gift almost 14 yrs ago and I could probably count on my hands and feet the number of time's I've used it, but I'm going to need it's help this spring.

So far this week I've tried brats in the crock-pot. My last blog was about how this turned out...not bad. On Sunday, I turned to a recipe I have made in the crock-pot before and that was Taco Meat in the crock-pot. You take a beef roast and add a packet of taco seasoning for every pound of roast. Cook it for 5-8 hrs and you have perfect taco meat. My husband and I took half a 3 1/2 lb. roast, added quesadilla cheese (something I found at Walmart last week) and we made quesadilla's with salad on the side. Very yummy and I still have half a roast for taco salad later in the week. I haven't actually looked at Sandra Lee's Slow Cooker Recipes yet, but I love her recipes and the way she uses store bought ingredients to make her meals easy and fast.

This week I plan on putting pork ribs in the crock-pot tomorrow and teriyaki chicken later in the week or early next week. I hope they turn out okay. Crock-pot cooking is not the only change I made this week. We invited friends out for supper at a local restaurant on Saturday evening and we had a wonderful time. Our family almost never eats out because, 1) I like cooking and 2) it's expensive. I had planned back at the end of January on going out for my birthday, but those plans were nixed due to snow and the fact that one boy was just getting over something and the other was just starting to not feel good, so we postponed my birthday dinner...to APRIL! It was good though, the adult conversation and joking around was fun and my 2 boys and our friend's son behaved really well and everyone had a few hours out of our busy lives to relax and enjoy. Yeah us!!!

Baseball Practice has Started!

Baseball Practice has started and it's already making an impact on my menu plans. I had bratwurst scheduled for yesterday and we would be unable to eat it until after practice at 8 PM yesterday evening so I had to find a crock-pot bratwurst recipe! It was so strange putting my brats in the crock-pot but they turned out okay. My husband prefers a pop to his brats when he bites into them, whereas these were very soft...very easy to eat and juicy.

Need to figure out a menu for Thursday now...Ball practice for both boys from 5:30-8 PM on Tues and Thursdays. My Oldest son's team chose the name "Cardinals" and my Youngest who just started t-ball, his team will be the "Fireballs". Both in red uniforms although my Youngest gets to wear shorts. I was the team Mom for the Cardinals (since my Husband is coach) and I placed the order for uniforms this morning. Whew! Hard work...details, details, details! The artwork is cool though.

Mile High Peanut Butter Brownie Pie

Found this recipe in a Pillsbury Bake-off cookbook I bought the other day at Walmart. Thought I would give it a try. Very good, but VERY rich so cut yourself a tiny piece when you serve it!

Mile High Peanut Butter Brownie Pie
courtesy of Pillsbury Bake-off

Ingredients:
1 Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crust, softened as directed on box
1 box (15.5 oz) Pillsbury® Chocolate Chunk Brownie Mix
1/4 cup Reese's® peanut butter chips
1/3 cup Crisco® Pure Vegetable Oil
3 tablespoons water
1 EGGLAND'S BEST egg
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup Jif® Creamy Peanut Butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 tablespoons Fisher® Party Peanuts, chopped
2 tablespoons Hershey's® mini chips semi-sweet chocolate

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Unroll pie crust; place in ungreased 9-inch glass pie plate as directed on box for One-Crust Filled Pie; flute edge.

In medium bowl, stir brownie mix, peanut butter chips, oil, water and egg 50 strokes with spoon. Pour batter into crust-lined pie plate.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes, covering edge of crust with strips of foil after 15 to 20 minutes, until crust is golden brown and center of brownie is set. Cool slightly, about 20 minutes. Refrigerate 1 hour or until completely cooled.

In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter and powdered sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread mixture over brownie. Sprinkle with peanuts and chocolate chips. Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving. Store covered in refrigerator.

City Art Show

The town we live in is very supportive of the arts in our school. If you've read my earlier posts I went into some detail about all the different ways the arts are supported. The next 2 weeks is the City Art Show, set up to showcase artwork and sculpture. They go into all the schools, all the grades and take some of the work to showcase. My Youngest's artwork was chosen for his Pre-K class.
This is my Youngest and his artwork. It's a fingerpainted red-bud tree.

This is some of the other art from his school. The city has a lot of talented children. The artwork was spectacular and the teachers who work with these kids are awesome. I love our school district!

Beefy Mushroom & Zucchini Couscous

I have to tell you about dinner last night! I experimented a little and I ended up with a great dish! On last night's menu, we were scheduled to have Steak w/Balsamic Mushrooms, Butter-Fried Zucchini & Couscous...that isn't exactly what we ended up having though. I made the steaks, broiled them seasoned with salt and pepper...easy. Then after watching an episode of Barefoot Contessa, I decided to add all of the veggies to the couscous. This is the recipe I made:

Beefy Mushroom & Zucchini Couscous

1 box couscous (I used Garlic & Olive Oil flavored)
1 1/4 c. beef broth
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 small zucchini, chopped into 1" squares
2 cloves garlic
1 c. chopped mushrooms

Make couscous according to directions, substituting beef broth for water. Put aside.

Saute onion and zucchini in olive oil on medium heat for about 5 min. (more for softer veggies, less for crunchier veggies), add garlic and mushrooms and continue cooking for another 3-5 min. (Stir in fresh parsley at the end if desired).

Fluff couscous with a fork and add in veggie mixture. Stir. Serve on plate and place sliced steak on top.

Mmmmm....Mmmmm...Good!

A Formal Introduction to the Lawnmower

Well, after an extremely wet winter and then temperatures in the 70's and 80's the last couple of weeks the grass has sprung up to our ankles. You know what that means? Lawn mowing time!!!! (Boo...Hiss!) My Husband and I decided our Oldest is old enough to learn how to mow (he's 12). He was not so hot on the idea, but he didn't complain too much either. He doesn't realize that this is a skill that will come in handy in his life for the next 90 yrs!

At least it's a new mower and self-propelled to boot! If I can mow (and I usually do) he can do it! Maybe I will have to start paying him an allowance now....Bummer!

Menu Plan Monday

Menu Plan Monday!!!

Sunday: Ham, Scalloped Potato, Roasted Broccoli, Yeast Rolls & Deviled Eggs

Monday: Frito Chili Pie w/Salad

Tuesday: Caesar Chicken Sandwiches w/Caesar Salad & Fried Potato

Wednesday: Grilled Steak w/Balsamic Mushrooms, Butter-fried Zucchini & Couscous

Thursday: Salsbury Hamburger w/Mashed Potato & Butter Corn

Friday: Scallops in Wine Sauce, Herbed Rice & Veggie Medley

Saturday: Pizza & Salad Night

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter Everyone! He is Risen! Give Joy and Give Thanks!

Easter is here already! So unbeleivable that we are into April already. I hope everyone enjoys their Easter Holiday. We are going to spend time at home as a family, enjoying each other's company.

Yesterday we went to an easter egg hunt held at a friend's church. They laid out 1000+ eggs and had about 25 kids...we came home with alot of candy!

My Oldest

My Youngest

The church hid 2 special eggs. Whoever found those eggs won a bike. Both eggs were found by cute little girls at church. After the end of the hunt, this little girl offered up her special egg to a boy who did not have a bike. My Oldest pushed my Youngest forward and had him go speak to the girl. She gave him her egg (she was so sweet and when I asked her if she was sure she said she had 3 bikes at home!), so my Youngest came home from the hunt with a bike!

Easter Morning at our house:

Their Easter baskets with outdoor toys!

My Youngest had a 15 second head start on finding the hidden candy. My Oldest used his basket as a hat while he waited.

The candy the Easter Bunny hid around the living room.

HAPPY EASTER!

We're going to have ham, scalloped potatoes, glazed carrots, roasted broccoli, yeast rolls, and deviled eggs for dinner today.

Early Spring Flowers

The early spring flowers are out and blooming. You cannot turn a corner without seeing some color so I decided to take my camera out to my front yard and this is some of the color I caught in my flowerbeds and in the neighborhood.
Bradford Pear tree across the street...I caught it too late, it's already turning green. When they're all white it's beautiful.

My creeping phlox is starting.

This is a new one from late last year and I don't remember the name. It's going to be covered in purple flowers soon.

Dianthus...bunch 1 of about 100 found around my yard.

The pansies!

My daffodils are usually the last in the neighborhood to bloom. These are mine.

My poor Weigela bush...this bush is usually the 1st to bloom, throw in a couple of days of 60+ weather and it throws up it's orange flowers...it did this all winter because we would have a couple days of gorgeous weather followed by a snow storm...it's turning green now.

My neighbor's tulips...the tulips are just starting to bloom. She has some pretty ones in her yard.

Missing is the Rosebud trees that are in bloom and the forsythia with their yellow flowers.

Up next are the lilies, the iris' and clematis that are already full of blossoms.

Monday Night's Concert

Our town is a huge supporter of the arts in our schools...band, choir, orchestra, writing and visual arts are all sponsored at the schools and at one time or another throughout the year a concert or workshop or show will be held and the people of town and the proud parents can see their children's accomplishments.

On Monday our town had their annual ALL CITY BAND CONCERT for all the student's who play a band instrument in 6-12th grades, which meant about 800 kids! We have 4 middle schools and 2 high schools in town and the concert is divided up by grade (not school), so all the 6th graders play together, all the 7th graders, 8th graders, 9-10th graders and 11-12th graders and then a jazz band is formed from the 9-12th graders. Each group played a song and then the whole group of 8oo played the final song together...They were GREAT!!!
Before the concert began...my son plays the clarinet, which he loves and is actually pretty good at...just think how good he would be if he practiced!

About a 1/4 of the stadium they were in...

Playing their 1st song..."Castles in Spain" by Frank Ericson

The second song, "American Testament" arranged by Jerry Neil Smith

His music teacher is letting him try the bassoon now that All City is over and he is excited. He will have to learn the music for both since he still has one more concert for his school in May.

Our next show is the City Art Show, where my Youngest will have one of his pictures showing! My kids are so talented!!!