Lazy Saturday

d that

So now that I bought 3 lbs of cherries I have no idea what to do with them.  Honestly I just couldn't pass up the $1.99 a lb price tag. I rinsed them and quickly realized one important factor.  Note to self: Buy a cherry pitter soon.  I found a small knife and went to work at cutting them and taking the seeds out. What a pain!

Look how beautiful they are!  Only took me 30 minutes which went pretty fast because I was sitting at the dining table watching the Timbers game. Which I must mention that the Timbers were not playing as good as they should of. It was a very good game but just a little too late. Oh well maybe next time. After I was done splitting all the cherries I put the cookie sheet in the freezer for about an hour.  I them took them out and put them into a freezer bag for later use.  I think I might try to make cherry pie sometime soon. I have yet to ever attempt to make cherry pie so it should be interesting.

Look at these pretty mushrooms I have been finding in my mulch all week.  I'm pretty sure they are not edible and am not going to attempt at whether they are edible. My girls keep imagining smurfs living in them and keep picking them to make pretend soup.  I freak out and make them go wash their hands while I throw them out.  Its a vicious cycle that's been going on all week. 

 I finally decided to transplant all the flowers I planted a couple of weeks ago.  Some pretty flowers around my potato cages should look nice in a few weeks.  I also cleaned out my fireplace and sprinkled ashes around all of my plants around the garden.  I watched a documentary a few weeks ago about the fires that hit Australia a couple of years ago.  It documented the affect it had on plants and animals over the course of a few years.  Long story short the plants ended up thriving because of all the ashes from the fire which acted like vitamins in a sort of weird way. Yes I know I'm horrible at explaining things but you get the idea. So in my head I was thinking ashes are sorta like vitamins. I'm sure someone out there knows the truth but for now its what I did.  We will see how it turns out in a week or so.

Just look how everything is filling in! We were able to eat some homegrown lettuce this week which tasted fantastic.  My runner beans are starting to get going and should be climbing very soon.  I can't wait till the Scarlett beans bloom so I can take pictures of the beautiful red flowers.  I transplanted some spinach into the right bed and some more chard in the left bed.  I have never been able to grow bell peppers for some reason but I think this is my year. The small plants look very healthy so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  Things are growing along nicely and I'm rotating plants when one is harvested so that the nutrients stay in the soil. 

I finally planted some Alyssum in the metal bird bath on the left.  I decided to put my blue metal table along the fence to add some color to the garden.  I put my rosemary and lavender with a small white decorative piece to add a nice color touch.  I also  transplanted some herbs into small pots along the green house.  If all goes well I should be able to pick and use sage, chamomile and spearmint.

I planted some pea's along the fence which should grow up the chicken wire nicely.  Then I planted Scarlett beans at the bottom of my arch which should grow and look amazing on the arch.  In the wooden flower pot I cut down my tulips and daffodil's because they were done for the season and looked ugly.  I hear your suppose to fold the over and secure with a rubber band so it helps them grow back each year. Honestly it's just too ugly for me and they come back just fine each year. I did plant a few flowers which should help the flower pot look pretty. I just hate leaving it empty all year and look ugly.

I am loving the colors in this picture.  I just love succulents and how simple they really are.  They remind me of my grandma. She had them all over her property.

I moved my large poppy plant about a month or so ago and really didn't think it would flower this year because of me moving it. Well look what I found today! Thank you poppy plant! I also transplanted some different poppy plants into a pot in the front yard.  I'm excited to get some more color in the front yard and these poppies should do the trick.

Can anyone tell me what this light green plant is? It's in my neighbors yard and she doesn't remember planting it at all.  Who knows, maybe its a weed. Well a pretty weed at that.

I'm so in love with the colors in the flower. I am not usually a purple/orange person but this flower makes me want to add those colors to my garden 

Look at the shape of this flower! It almost doesn't look real. My neighbor has some interesting plants for sure.

These look like they came straight out of a fairy book or something. So thin and delicate.  LOVE IT!

How the heck do their lavender plants get so big? I LOVE lavender and all its many uses but for the life of me I have never been able to grow it.  I always kill them.....maybe I water too much. I have managed to keep one Spanish Lavender plant alive this year and don't touch it because I'm afraid I will kill it. Any tips on how to grow lavender? I need the help.

I know this is a horrible picture but I wanted to share with you what my twins do in the yard.  They decided that they didn't need to get dressed since no one could see them in the back yard.  Oh to be 6  again!  They turned our retaining wall into a highway.  I love how my kids can play outside all day and use their imagination.  They were outside all day except to go to the bathroom or eat.  Love that!

$50 a week

I took my oldest daughter on a grocery ride this time.  It was a overcast day here in Oregon but luckily for us it didn't rain one bit.  We both wore backpacks and headed out for our bike ride. First stop was Trader Joe's for a few things.

TRADER JOE'S

$2.99 Hormone free Vit D gallon of milk
$1.49 Sunshine Dairy half n half
$3.29 3lbs of jasmine rice (husband thinks there is nothing to eat if we don't have white rice)
TOTAL $7.77


Mark's NW Fresh Produce

$1.00 per lb Tomatoes
.99 cents per lb Fuji apples
.99 cents per lb navel oranges
.99 cents per lb pears
.50 cents per lb red onions
$1.99 per lb of cherries (what a steal!)
2/$1 green bell peppers
3/$1 kiwi
3/$1 avocado

Total for all produce was $21
Not pictured was produce I bought the other day from Mark's that came up to $10.

SO TOTAL FOR THE WEEK WAS $38.77
Plenty of money left over for anything we run out of.  I am working on another post right now with more pictures of the garden and its progress. Right now I have to be taxi mom and go fetch someone. But I promise I will get that up here soon.

Medley of this n that

MARK'S NW FRESH PRODUCE

I was able to snag all this lovely produce for only $22 which was a deal! Mark ended up giving me the corn because it had to be used within a day and also sold me those lovely huge mushrooms for really cheap.  Cherries are only $3.99 a pound which is the cheapest around! Cucumbers were only 2/$1 and apples/oranges are only 99 cents per pound.  Not sure if you can see that little brown square on the left but oh my gosh it was super yummy.  A local baker makes these pecan goodies and sells them at Mark's for only $1.50. Mmmmmmm!

Finally found a place for grandma's bird bath. She had hens n chicks in this bird bath for as long as I can remember so I decided to keep it that way.  Hopefully green moss will again grow up the side of it because I do miss the lovely green color.

I finally decided to use up the left over fir wood pieces and made these smaller garden beds.  Leveled them up, slathered them in linseed oil and filled them up with soil.  First bed has zucchini and crookneck squash.  Second bed has patti pan squash (yellow & white) with 2 varieties of tomatoes and the third bed has 2 varieties of cucumbers. These are located in my front yard along the fence because there is more sun and you cannot see them from the road which makes my husband happy. 

Chamomile, cilantro, sage and spearmint are much happier in their own pots now. Chamomile will be used for tea's this winter, cilantro and sage will be used for added flavors in our meals and spearmint will be used for tea as well.

 I finally have filled both garden beds! From carrots, chard, beans, broccoli, lettuce, cauliflower and many others that I'm forgetting at the moment.

Fresh organic dirt along the fence which I have lined with chicken wire.  Planted pea's (AGAIN!) which should grow well with the new soil.  Added dirt between my potatoes so I can plant flowers just as soon as they get a bit bigger.  Should look beautiful.

I decided to take out the mulch from the retaining wall and replaced it with dirt.  My quinoa wasn't getting any bigger and the new dirt should help it grow better.  First small plants you see on the left are quinoa, then raspberries and at the end I planted dill today.  Flowers will follow soon.

All I have to say about this picture is LOVE IT! Nuff said.

I also added some rich dirt to the pea teepee.  I planted some more pea's because the slugs (DIE SUCKERS!!!) ate them again for the second time. Ugg! Last year I grew pumpkins in this spot so I decided to add a pile of soil on either side of the teepee. 

Then I decided that pumpkins would grow lovely under my new pear tree's. See that rose bush? Well you won't see it next time. I already tried to kill it once with vinegar last year so this time i'm digging it up. You hear that rose bush? Your dead!

Since I was on a roll I decided to make more dirt mounds here. I planted sugar pumpkins, blue pumpkins, jack o lantern's and cinderella pumpkins.  My girls love watching the pumpkins grow and the day we pick them to carve them is the most exciting day ever for them. My favorite part is cooking all the other pumpkins and turning them into puree to freeze. Pumpkin muffins are year for us! Mmmmmm

I love when my chives just open up their flowers. They are beautiful! I mean serious!

I love them so much that I planted them by my bench so I can stare at them.  When I call the twins inside for the night I always know what they were doing because they pick my chives and eat them the whole time.  Lovely onion breath! I just love the fact that they like onion. Now if I can get my 13 year old to eat them it would be perfect.

While I played with dirt my husband push mowed our grass and edged the path on the side of the house which I don't think has ever been edged.  My lemon balm and mint are coming along nicely and I should be able to get another harvest very soon.  I read that you can get 2 harvest but I think I might be able to get 3.  I can see lots of hot mint or lemon balm tea in my winter future.  It's super easy to make too. Just pick the newer tender leaves and put them in a dehydrator for a few hours until completely dried. Store them in a large mason jar and use a metal mesh ball with hot water. Add a teaspoon of honey and you have one lovely cup of tea.

So this bird bath was on the property when we bought our house. I always loved it but didn't know what to do with it because it was way past the point of just sealing it.  So it sat unused except for occasional bread crumbs for the birds.  Then today I thought of putting some dirt in it and maybe get some more hens n chicks for it. Water can drain out and the plants won't get water logged.  SWEET! Note to self.....get some hens n chicks. 

My poor green house needs to be cleaned.  Seeds galore, tools galore and mess galore! So many seeds so little time. Am I right everyone?

Now last but not least I have had many people asking for pictures of all my pottery finds.  This is not all of them because my dishes were still in the dishwasher.  But as you can see I have a lot of them.  The top  row is for the twins because they are smaller.

Didn't take me very much time at all to find all the mugs and bowls.  Dale? Who ever you are, thank you for making all those beautiful bowls and donating them to Goodwill.  We use them every single day. The plates were the hardest ones to find. Usually they were found one at a time with exception for the tan colored ones that I found in one day.  They were made in Italy and are simple and beautifully made.

Last but not least here are some beautiful handmade containers I found for only $7.99 at Goodwill.  I almost squeeled when I found them.  My mother asked if I needed them because I was kinda short on money. My reply was "I NEED THEM". Nuff said.

Okay so there you go. As you can see I have been super busy in the garden and hopefully it all pays off this season. 

$50 a week

Welcome all!
Since my bike is up and running it's been my mission to bike as much as possible.  I live pretty close to my favorite produce stand here so there is just no excuse for not riding up there.  The twins are now at the age where they ride pretty good and take directions well so they usually tag along with me.  Plus the weather has been so beautiful making our bike trips something to look forward to.  This week I used no gas what so ever to get any of our food. Sweet! I didn't keep track of my budget very well this week and you will see why.

MARKS NW PRODUCE

.50 Celery bunch-leaves were wilted so he was selling cheap to get rid. I simply cut off the leaves.
.50 Cilantro bunch-Never liked cilantro till recently. Loving it now!
.99 Green Onions bunch-Been a while since I have used these. LOVE THEM.
.99 cents per lb-2 medium peppers-love these and they add a nice kick to all dishes.
2//$1 Cucumbers-great snacks for the kids
.99 Green Bell Pepper
.75 Red Bell Pepper -both bell peppers were chopped up with onion and put in the freezer. Add a tiny bit of these to any meal to add a fresh flavor. Yummy!
.99 per lb Navel Oranges-still have some from last week so only bought a few. These are for school lunches.
.99 per lb Fuji Apples-Used in school lunches
.50 Lemon-Don't normally buy these. Will use in anything possible.

TOTAL=$10.50 WHAHOO!

TRADER JOE'S

$1.49 Sunshine Dairy Half n Half -Hormone free and a local company to me
$5.75 Organic Trader Joe gallon of milk-wouldn't normally pay that price but since I biked I saved money.
$3.99 Double Roll Toilet Paper-usually buy the 12 ct pack but couldn't fit it into my bike basket or backpack.
$1.39 each Organic Pasta-Picked up 2 packs.

TOTAL=$14.01

GRAND TOTAL=$24.51

I took another trip up to Marks NW Fresh Produce when they first opened up just to say hi to Mark and see what he had in season. I took only a $5 bill just in case even though I already bought my produce for the week. Mark knows that I like to get whats in season and on sale so he will usually tell me what needs used up first and sell it really cheap. Love him for that! I didn't plan on finding anything since he was only open for a few days and I thought everything would be too fresh to get any deals. I was wrong.

$1 per lb for strawberries that needed used that day. I bought 4 packs.
.25 cents per lb for fresh green beans that needed used .  I bought 4 lbs.

GRAND TOTAL=$5.00 Whahooo!
If you add this to my total for the week it makes it $29.51 and still under budget!!! I simply took them home, cleaned them, chopped them up and put them in the freezer. Strawberries are great for smoothies or just for snacks.  Green beans can easily be thrown in any meal and since I cut them up it saves me time as well.

So as you can see shopping at a local produce stand can really save you money.  Just make it known that you will buy things that need used quickly and after a while they will know you and just give you the deals.  Support your local produce stand because you are also supporting local farmers.  Don't forget to bike as much as possible!

Where do you shop for produce?

How do you save money while buying fresh produce?

Any tips on how to preserve your deals?

Share any good deals and how you used them!!!!

Riding away with $13 to spare! $50 a week

Wow is this embarrassing. I went to find my receipts so I can give you exact amounts but looks as if they are long gone. Yesterday my husband cleaned the kitchen for me and I think he threw them away. Oh well I sorta remember how much I paid for them so here we go.

Mark's NW Fresh Produce

Fuji Apples
Navel Oranges
Cilantro
Mushrooms
Cucumbers
Onion
Kiwi
Grapes
Artichoke

GRAND TOTAL $12.00 WHAHOO!!

WHOLE FOODS

$1.49 Hormone free Sunshine half n half
$3.49 18 count free range veg fed eggs
Banana's
Hormone free beef on sale for $2.49 per pound.  Picked up 2lbs.

TRADER JOE'S

$1.69 Salsa
bag of almonds not friend/no salt
bag of peanuts low sodium
2 bags of organic pasta
Lavender oil spray I paid for out of my monthly allowance and not the food budget.

GRAND TOTAL=$37.00

I still have $13 left for this week. Not pictured was milk because I forgot to buy it and my husband ended up picking up a gallon of it later that day.  But I still would been under budget by $8 if I had remembered.  My wonderful husband finished my bike this past weekend so I can always ride up and get more fruit if I need it. I have a basket on the front and soon will have one on the back too.  Just thinking of all the gas I won't have to buy each week gets me excited. lol

Mother's day was the best I have had to date.  My husband is not a "holiday" type of person and will get the  to make me a card but that's about it.  This year he went all out! Well the frugal way lol. Here is what they did for me.

1.  He travels a lot for work and has to have a credit card in his name to put the cost on his card. When he was looking for a card he made sure he found one with traveling points so we can cash them in to get things.  Last year he bought himself a really nice North Face jacket that was over $100 if bought retail.  This year he allowed me to pick what I wanted and I decided to get this.

This should help me make my own peanut butter and much more. Excited!

2.  I picked up some small unpainted bird houses and 3 bottles of paint so the girls could paint them for me.  Red, blue and yellow paint so the girls could customize and mix paints. They had so much fun and the bird houses turned out so unique.  They now are happy out in the garden.

3.  Girls made me cards with beautiful pictures.  The twins now know how to write so this year my cards were so cute.  Even my husband made me a handmade card.

4.  No chores, no dishes, no laundry.  No nothing!  They did all the work for me.  Usually the just leave them and don't allow me to do anything yet they are there for me the next day. Not this year. I was a very happy camper.

5.  I picked up a old bike with a beautiful shape from a friend of mine (thanks Sean!) for $65 that looks like this.

All it took was love and $55 more to bring it to its full glory.  We used paint we already had (free!) and introduced a new basket to the front. Soon it will also have two side packs so I can pack more groceries.  It now looks like this!

Isn't is beautiful? We kept it as original as possible.  I can feel the wind in my hair already.

Last but not least I have one more thing to say. I am a very very lucky lady to have such a wonderful family.  My family rocked this Mothers Day!!!

Can budget and organic be in the same sentence?

You bet it can! There are a few ways you can stay on budget and eat organically. Here is a simple step by step list for you. 

BRING YOUR OWN BAG-Most stores offer a bag credit when you bring your own bag.   Some places offer 5 cents per bag and some offer 10 cents per bag.  Either way your getting a few cents off your bill and saving plastic from the environment.  I keep my bags in my vehicle and in my home.  You just never know when your going to need one. If I don't have one (which rarely happens) I simply only buy what I can carry. This way I learn my lesson and remember to bring my own next time.

NEVER REFUSE FOOD-Friends or family want you over for dinner? Be there!  Lucky enough to have a friend who gives you some produce they cannot use up? Take it!  Maybe a friend/family member who tried something but didn't like it and has more? Take it! Over the years my friends know I will take pretty much anything from them if I need it. You just never know what people are passing along to you so just make it known you will take anything.  From food, to clothes, and even garden supplies. The most important rule of this is to return the favor.  Anytime I need to get rid of anything I spread the word.  Someone will need what I don't want.

LOCAL -Anytime you see a farmers market or produce stand pull on over and check them out.  Your saving yourself money because these places mean less traveled food which in return means you save money.  Your also supporting local farmers! My personal favorite produce stand is Mark's NW Fresh Produce. I buy so much from Mark that we have a great friendship now.  In fact when I come by he usually will tell me what's on sale or what needs to be used and let me buy it for cheap so he can get rid of it. Last year I bought 6 lbs of jalapeno peppers for only 99 cents per pound and oyster mushrooms for $1 per pound. Of course I bought them all! Jalapenos I chopped and froze and mushrooms I dehydrated. Both of which I still use now. Remember to buy whats in season because its usually much cheaper. 

STOCK UP-This is a great tip! If you find a great deal on something get it. There is always a way to store food whether it be dehydrating, freezing, canning or storing it in a cold dark place.  For example:I find organic banana's on sale for 38 cents a pound at my local Albertsons sometimes. These are just spotted and need to be used or eaten up.  My kids will only eat banana's when they are spotted because they are much sweeter.  I simply buy everything they have and head home.  My kids will usually eat many of them and the rest I unpeeled and split each banana into 3 pieces.  I put them on a cookie sheet and into the freezer until frozen. Then I put into freezer safe containers.  Now I can have banana's on hand to make banana muffins or my kids can simply go grab a banana and eat it frozen. My girls love them frozen! So stock up and make the item work for you.

COMPARE SHOP- I don't just stick to one place when I shop so I can keep on top of whats on sale at each place and compare prices.  I know I can get produce cheaper at my local New Season's but I also know that I can get my half n half and cheese cheaper at Whole Foods.  I don't buy much canned or bagged food (which saves a ton!) but if I do I always compare name brand to store brands.  For example Whole Foods store brand canned crushed tomato's with basil is only $1.79 which beats New Seasons which has no store brand and the name brand ones are all over $2.99 per can.  Make sure to always check if they are USDA Certified Organic because natural doesn't mean natural and not everything is 100% organic. Luckily two of my favorite stores are within 1 mile of each other so I'm not wasting gas driving all around. Is it worth the gas money to drive 5 miles to another store just to save 10 cents on some pasta?

SUCK IT UP AND COOK-A huge money saver is to cook everything yourself.  I rarely ever buy any boxed, prepared, or canned food.  Why spend $1.99 on a box of mac n cheese that feeds 4 when I can buy bulk whole wheat noodle pasta for 91 cents per lb (need only 1 lb) and make my own cheese sauce for about 50 cents.  I saved myself over 50 cents by making it myself. Don't forget when you make it yourself your not consuming preservatives, fillers, all that extra sodium and who knows what else that companies put in their products to make them last forever on a shelf. Your also cutting down on your garbage by skipping packaging. Frozen lemonade is $1.50 but if you mix 1 cup of lemon juice, 1 cup of organic sugar and fill the pitcher with water you have the best tasting lemonade ever! Plus it will cost you around 75 cents saving you 50%.  See what I mean?  So suck it up and learn how to cook things! Internet is a great place to find out how to cook anything.

COUPONS-I once was a coupon freak. Wow can't believe I said that. Before my green ways I was a frugal mama just trying to stretch her dollar. Then when I decided to buy organic only I was shocked.  There was rarely ever a coupon for any organic product.  Luckily I decided to avoid all products and make everything myself which in return saved me more money.  Now days you can find many organic coupons in flyer's and the stores like Whole Foods even carry their own coupons in the store.  I almost never use any coupons now which actually keeps me stress free.  I remember the looks I would get from people, the "omg" I would hear from people standing in line behind me when I pull out my load of coupons, and no more hassles from workers about the number of coupons I was using.  Don't get me wrong. You can play the coupon game if you follow the rules, combine with sales and know how to make it all work for you. I just choose not to because we don't eat much prepackaged food.

BULK BABY!!-Don't forget to compare prices of products to the bulk section.  You can find just about anything in the bulk isle now so always check.  I love the bulk section! From laundry soap, honey, tea, noodles, and beans galore.  Its there! But always double check to make sure your saving money.  For example I buy Bragg liquid amini's every few weeks.  They sell it at Whole Foods packaged and in the bulk section.  Last time I went to buy some it was cheaper to buy the packaged than it would have been in the bulk section.  You just never know so always double check. 

CHANGE IS GOOD-I never ever plan my meals or buy the same things on a regular basis.  Some find it easier because they don't have as much time but I find its easier to wing it.  My produce is forever changing because I buy only what's in season.  Last week it was organic apples because they were 89 cents per pound.  This week it's organic cantelope because they were 2/$5 and weighed about 5 lbs each.  That made the cantelope 50 cents per pound.  Next week it might be just banana's for 89 cents per pound.  Being open to change is always going to save you money. I personally can say its more fun as well.  My kids are always excited to try new things and always give me feedback on if it was good or not.  Don't be afraid to try new things. 

USE WHAT YOU HAVE-This week my kids blew through their snacks within the first few days of me buying food.  Since I only go grocery shopping on Fridays (works for us) I wasn't about to go pick up more food and bust my budget.  Instead I went through my pantry, kitchen and garage freezer looking into what I had and used what I could to make snacks.  I found a few containers of pumpkin puree and made pumpkin muffins for snacks.  I need to use up what we have in the freezer so I can free up space for future food that's in my garden right now.  Which leads to another topic....

GROW YOUR OWN-a HUGE money saver is to grow your own food.  If you have an apartment or rent you can easily grow your own food in containers on a porch.  If your lucky to have some property then till up your soil and plant some seeds.  To really save money spread the word that your looking for soil, seeds and containers that anyone doesnt need.  Just tell them you will take anything! You can also hit up the Craigslist and find what people are giving away for free.  Start looking in thrift stores and make sure to check yard sales and their free boxes.  Get creative and make things.  You will save yourself a ton of money and you know exactly what has been done to your produce.  So sprays! No chemicals!

So what are you waiting for?  Start that garden and go start saving money!

Progress.....

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to get 4 fruit tree's from my best friends dad. Two pear, one fig and one almond tree.  It was pouring out and the ground was super muddy so it was a perfect time to move them.  And you know I don't think the tree's even noticed that we moved them. Look what I found on them today. Woot woot!!!

My potato cage idea is turning out to be a winner. These beautiful little green's popped out over the weekend.  Can't wait till this summer when I get to pull the cages off and hopefully the potatoes just tumble out.

I finally finished putting the copper around the second garden bed.  Partly because I wanted to wait for my back to feel better. Plus I was just lazy to be honest.  But I did finally finish it and boy does it make the garden so much prettier. Love it!

I might add another coat of linseed oil one of these days. I think it will make the wood much prettier.

I decided to lay the copper on the top edge instead of just adding it to the side.  My husband came up with this idea and I have to admit it looks way better.  Plus no sharp edges for my kids to hurt themselves on. This stuff is pretty sharp and had I put the gloves on when I installed it I probably would of saved my hands from cuts. Oops.

Look at this cuties I snagged at Goodwill for $5.00. I'm pretty sure its a tea light holder but I will be using it for a bird feeder instead.  Someone made this from clay so its pretty heavy and should last a long long time outside.  I am a lover of mushrooms and you will find them sprinkled through out my garden.  This reminds me of something right out of Alice In Wonderland. Love!

  I planted about 3 dozen quinoa along my garden wall by the fence.  I was going to add them to my garden bed but read that they get from 4-6 ft tall.  I will also have some sunflowers planted along with them as soon as they get bigger.  My garden fence should look amazing this year. Excited!!

I am doing an experiment this year with my squash, cucumbers and pumpkins.  Instead of planting them directly in the ground I will put them into pots and lay them where I want them to grow.  I will be planting them in our retaining wall that my hubby built last year and honestly the soil is pretty crappy.  The front 4 smaller pots have 2 plants in each one which should be enough room for the roots.  The back pots are very large pots with a few varieties of tomatoes and will be kept in my greenhouse all growing season. The heat in there should give me lots of yummy plump tomatoes.  I have many more plants and will grow them in other places outside. Just wanna test out which one will grow better.  Last year sucked and I didn't get any tomatoes at all due to all the rain and cold weather. uurr!!

I planted over 3 dozen different flowers this week. This is a first for me.  I have a hard time  planting things that don't give me anything in return.  I know its stupid but that's what I do. Last year my neighbor sprinkled flowers all over her garden and it was so beautiful.  I started many varieties of zinnia, marigolds, snapdragons, and many more that I cannot remember the names.  Some are perennial but most are annuals.  Perennials will be planted in my front yard and backyard wall . The annuals will be sprinkled in my garden along with all my veggies. 

When I did my shopping on Friday I saw these funny little things on the baseboard at Whole Foods. I asked my friend Beth (who works there) if I could have them and she said yep. These come in Tom shoe's and help keep the shoe toe form from caving in.  They are biodegradable paper and I thought of using them as little pots to start some plants. As you can see my girls had other plans for them.   They are now pretty owls and one has turned into a mask for Emma's stuffed animal. Too cute. Best part was they were FREE!

I have a very important question for you all.  Have any of you planted and grown quinoa?? I'm trying to figure out how to harvest them later on.  Quinoa is about $3.99 per pound when you buy it and this year I decided to try to grow my own and see if its cheaper than just buying it.  Any tips would be helpful!! Have a great day!!!