Today's finds and an inspired recipe....

     Today after my workout I took my time getting ready. I made sure my makeup was done, my hair was curled and I put on a new dress, even though my husband would be working late. I find that if I'm dressed to take on the world my days seem brighter. Today turned out to be rather fun.

     I visited my good friend and fellow DIY enthusiast, Cindy, and we went on a bit of a thrifting/antiquing jaunt. I seemed to be in the mood for glass. I found a recycled glass toothbrush holder and matching soap dish ($5) for my son's bathroom makeover (more to come), a little scotty dog ($2) great for storing sugar packets, a pair of candlesticks ($4) that will be a future DIY project and this beautiful amber colored glass decanter ($4).

     The amber glass decanter is perfect for serving wine but it inspired me to concoct this recipe just to put it to use......

  1. Fill our desired container with water
  2. Add thinly sliced cucumber (I use a whole cucumber)
  3. 1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice
  4. 6-8 fresh basil leaves
  5. Chill for a few hours and then enjoy... ahhhh

Make your own silverware garden markers.....

     When I figure out a project I usually like to share how it was done. After purchasing a few spoon garden markers I realized I wanted to make some for family and friends and also use them in my own garden. I'm constantly running into beautiful silverware at thrift stores and flea markets so what better way to use these little gems!

     First, gather your materials. You'll want:

A fine tip sharpie marker
Some vintage spoons with some silver in them (not stainless)
A polishing cloth
Fine grit sand paper (just a small piece)
A mallet
A set of metal stamps. I purchased mine here.

     Start by using your mallet to pound the spoon flat. I found that working on the ground was better than the table. Pound out the spoon from the back and then tap the neck down from the front so the spoon is as flat as you can make it.



     Next, choose the word you want to write and start stamping using a few good taps to get a nice indentation on the letter. You may want to make your spoon for letter placement first using a pen, but I find it isn't really necessary.

     Last, fill in the letters with your fine tip Sharpie. This will give the letters a nice black infill which will contrast nicely. Use your sand paper to gently sand any pen that goes outside the lines and use the polishing cloth to finish it all off. Voila, garden markers. You can also make cake server gifts, cheese spreaders with cheese names on them and so many other fun things!

Weekend Finds......

     This weekend proved a good time for some finds! Saturday we headed out to one of my favorite antique hidey holes and found a pile of old spoons ($1 each) which I'm using to make garden markers for friends and family. Check back next week for an easy tutorial to make your own!

     I also picked up this amazing antique alabaster bird lamp ($35) that works! It's a great find and will look nice on my husband's nightstand. The last find was a sweet little jar ($3) which has limitless potential. I like to pick up theses jars from time to time for anything from gifts to terrariums. This jar will hold some hard candies on our counter. Yum!

Puppy sponsorship gift basket....

     This weekend I was very excited to put together a gardening gift basket for Laura over at  Dog's Eye View. Laura is working hard raising money to sponsor a guide dog puppy, which is no small fundraising goal. The current cost to sponsor a guide dog puppy is $5000. Soon there will be a second online auction which I'll be sure to tell you guys all about. For now our family has submitted our gift basket to accompany the other lovely donations.

     It was only fitting that I create a gardening gift basket with all this talk of spring and preparation. Here is a preview of the basket and a listing of what's inside. Check back here soon and you'll have a chance to bid on this basket and so many other wonderful items to support a guide dog puppy sponsorship for Guide Dogs of America!

1. One pair of ladies gardening gloves in green polka dot

2. One Better Homes and Gardens cedar bird feeder

3. Three Burpee Heirloom seed packs (sweet pepper, lettuce and Dragon Tongue beans)

4. Two Windmill Farms Select packs of onion bulbs (Red Baron and Stuttgarter)

5. Four Bamboo 3.3" flower pots 

6. One wooden handle small garden shovel 

7. One wood handle large garden shovel 

8. One cork surface protector for house plants or garden starts

9. 3 Pack of peat moss starter trays (12 cells)

10. One package of garden tie tape

11. One pack of Jobe's Organics fertilizer spikes for vegetables

12. One pack of Jobe's fertilizer spikes for tomatoes

13. One pack of Jobe's fertilizer spikes for roses

14. A large basket for collecting all of your fresh garden veggies

15. A set of three antique silverplate garden marker spoons (example shown). At the end of the auction you may select three plant or herb names and I will custom metal stamp a set of three different and unique spoons with your chosen words. Or, if no specific names are chosen I will send you Basil, Thyme and Cilantro. 

     As many of my readers know it's almost our guide dog puppy's turn in day. In fact, one week from today we'll be saying a fond farewell to our Moxie. We will continue to be involved with Guide Dogs of America and hope to raise a third puppy soon.

Gathering the goods......

Old gate- salvaged

     I'm a bit of a forager when it comes to things for my garden. Many of my best plants stands are vintage and were found in our travels. Salvage yards, garage sales, thrift stores and the like can be great resources when you are trying to construct a useable garden on a budget. I have to say though that lately Craigslist and my local freecycle have been a great place for helping grow my garden.

Salvaged wash tub

     Recently I put up a post on my community forum section of freecycle. I offered to purchase unwanted gardening equipment if the prices were fair. What I discovered was that people are a lot more motivated to set up a meeting and let you go through their stuff if there is a little cash added. This week I was able to purchase a nice three story Worm Factory bin for $40 (to add to my previous free worm bin), a huge pile of rebar, bird netting, shade cloth, frost covers and mini hoop row covers for $20 and a much needed Rubbermaid outdoor storage cabinet for $20. Just because I asked.

     It's a good idea to set a budget before heading out to find things for your garden. Prepare a list of items you'd like to have but be prepared to think of uses for items you may come across. For instance, I never really knew about mini hoop row covers, but these may be my favorite find. Community forums, craigslist, freecycle and the wanted section of your local newspaper are all good resources. Be specific in your request but leave room for people to offer up what they have. Gardening doesn't have to be expensive!

Sometimes my husband just give me the look.....

     So, tonight, I decided to pose a rather good question. I turned to my husband while reading a book and asked, "how do you think we could pick up a load of horse manure in our car?" Now, my husband has heard a lot of things and dealt with a lot of questions since we started our backyard gardening, but this clearly was not one he was prepared to answer. "Um, excuse me," he asked, "I thought you said horse manure."

     I tried to explain the rich gardening benefits from using horse manure, how our garden would benefit and how someone down near the city was giving the stuff away for free. He just stared at me. "Well," I countered, "it can't be more difficult than bringing home a hive of bees in the car." He continued to stare before answering, "but we haven't brought home bees either. You bring home bees in the car?" I'm thinking this gardening, urban farming, backyard experiment may be frightening my husband a wee bit.

     So far we have chickens, lots of raised garden beds and potted plants and a new expansion area for a really large raised bed. I'm getting started on worm composting and expanding my compost pile. I've added a rabbit for her fertilizer (my son calls her a pet) and I'm seriously considering adding a hive. As for my husband, I think he's dreaming of Hawaii.....without me!

It's too quiet....

I've been a little quiet on my blog as of late. It isn't that I don't think about blogging often, or that we aren't busy doing projects to prepare our garden for spring. I think sometimes it's nice to step away from my own blog and do a lot of reading, researching and searching for inspiration on my fellow bloggers sites.

This weekend we started some serious tree removal both in the chicken yard and in what I call the back forty....feet. We are pulling up a dead lilac bush with close to 50 stalks and a 4' diameter of roots where our new garden area will be expanding. We also took out a portion of one of four dying trees that were encroaching on our neighbors property. It's been labor intensive and fun. I honestly enjoy digging in and getting dirty, seeing progress and watching our yard, which we once considered too odd of a shape to do much with, transform into our own Eden.

So, though I might be quite I am taking photos and I'll have so much to share with you. Like today when we picked up a load of unwanted rebar and gardening supplies from a family clearing out their backyard, or the start of our worm composting, or our new ideas for raised planters. I have so much to share and I look forward to a prosperous spring with my fellow gardeners and bloggers!

Three more weeks to guide dog turn in.....

     Yesterday I received the paperwork for our turn in day at Guide Dogs of America. Moxie came to our home in October of 2010, a cute eight week old fluff ball. He will be leaving us on February 4th, a mature and exuberant, happy, silly dog. We are very happy for him and hopeful that he has what it takes to be a working guide dog.

     Moxie, like our previous guide dog puppy in training, has taught us a lot about patience and persistence and given us many opportunities for a good laugh. Labs don't take life too seriously and his easy going nature made him a pleasure to work with. I won't lie and say that raising a guide dog puppy isn't challenging. Boy is it a challenge! However, it's also rewarding to reach the finish line of turn in day. Now it's up to Moxie if he wants to work and has that drive to live as a companion and service animal.

     As February 4th approaches we'll be taking our last photos, visiting some of our favorite places for the last time and making sure Moxie is ready to go into the kennels. 25 days from now our family will shrink, but Moxie will always be remembered and thought of and we'll always be appreciative of the time we spent together and the time we dedicated to this great organization. Now to consider raising dog number three. Hmmm.

Chickens- less eggs in winter

Harriet- RIR

     If you are a newer chicken owner, like me, you might be experiencing a serious decline in the amount of eggs you get daily with a bit of concern. Don't worry, I completely understand your pain. You finally get the girls laying, celebrate your first egg like an engagement ring, and then blammo no more eggs. I'm here to tell you that this is pretty normal when it comes to chickens and winter, even chickens in California winter.

Dorothy- BO

     There are many reasons for chickens to stop laying from poor flock health to a diet that is lacking. However, in winter the most likely reason for a slow down in overall egg production are less hours of sunlight and molting. This is a natural part of a chicken's life and not something to become overly concerned about. You can add light to your coop and runs to keep your chickens laying, but remember that chickens have a finite number of eggs they are going to lay in a lifetime and if these are your pets (i.e. backyard chicken raising) you may just let them sit this season out.

Gertrude- Australorp

     My six girls are all into laying age. However, we are currently getting only 1-3 eggs a day. Some days perhaps none. I'm not too concerned as we still have enough eggs for our family of three. One thing to keep in mind is that protein is essential all year, but even more in winter. Offer your girls some extra meal worms or red wigglers, a can of tuna here or there, spinach and other leafy greens that they can't find during this time of year and a high quality feed with a good protein content of 15-20%. Scraps of meat from the kitchen, leftover beans and sunflower seeds are also great.

Springtime weather....

     With this odd weather we've been having and days in the high 70's it's hard not to spend time outdoors soaking up the sun. I'm drawn to the outdoors and have been so tempted to garden. Though I know the weather will turn at some point and we'll be back to wearing sweaters and snow jackets for the moment I'm blissfully enjoying this spring like weather.

     I notice that my purchasing trends and google searches are also geared towards nature, the outdoors and spring. Here are a few of my favorite finds this week....

Tree bark ring from Marcus Berkner Jewerly

Amazing dress by Amanda Archer

Unique terrariums by Doodle Birdie

Have you ordered seeds?

     Spring, probably not what's on your mind in Januray, but it should be. Before you know it the time will be here to start planting seeds and even some plants. In fact, we start here in February with our seed starts. Here are a few things you might be thinking about this month....

1. Ordering seeds from your favorite catalog
2. Spreading your finished compost over future garden beds
3. Oiling and sharpening existing tools
4. Attending classes in beekeeping, worm composting or other new areas of interest
5. Hardscape projects, dead tree removal

     This weekend we'll be taking down a couple of dead trees before they do further damage. Since the weather has been holding at mild it's a great extended time to finish up projects before we get snow. Plus, removing a couple of trees means new places to plant more veggies. We are also beginning to plan our front yard landscaping project. Our front yard is currently rather dull and we're ready to tackle something big.

     Since organization remains a top priority for me in 2012 I'm happily going through my seed box and making notes for things we'd like to reorder. How do you organize your seeds? We use a simple metal filing box I found in a thrift shop for $1. It's large and has plenty of room for hundreds of varieties of seeds. Seeds from last year were kept cool and dry and will be put into use this year. We received our Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog along with our Burbee catalog which I'm pouring over this week. You can order a free catalog as well by visiting either company's link. Happy gardening!

Celebrating 31 years of life...

     Today I celebrated my 31st birthday a few days early. Since my son goes back to school on my real birthday (January 3rd) my family made this my special day and boy was it great! First the group of us, seven in all, went to Olive Garden for soup, salad and breadsticks. Yum! Then we were off to walk around the promenade; an outdoor mall type space.

     You can't really argue with 75 degrees in California. The day was beautiful, there was coffee and there was shopping. Need I say more? Turning 31 feels SO much easier than turning 30. I can honestly say that I'm very happy with where I am in life, where I'm gong and where I've been. I feel at peace with myself. I have great goals set for this year, wonderful people to support them and the confidence that comes in your thirties.

     If you'd asked me at 22 if I'd enjoy being in my thirties I would have said a definitive "no." However, I've come to realize that the thirties are the best years of my life and I'm just getting started. It's liberating to feel at peace with oneself and to have the courage to go for what I want. I'm excited to see what this year brings! Happy Birthday to me!