Found this in my lettuce patch. Still trying to figure out if it's just another 'green' or a beet or something.

Wow has it been an AMAZINGLY active year!!  I got married at the end of last May and I did manage to stumble through a small veggie garden last summer however I ended up with medical issues that just got me down in the dumps and my over an hour commute to my new job was really making things difficult for me so it was a challenge just to get up in the morning.  I did grow lettuce and carrots over the winter which is the first time I've done that. I created a hoop house using the hoop maker that I bought at Johnny's Selected Seeds (love that site!).  I did learn a few things that I will definitely change for next time.

Now that my surgery is over and I'm better then I have been in years, spring has me itching to plant again!  We'll be moving at the end of June so I won't be able to plant anything permanent (except continuing to cut my lettuce and pull carrots that are still stored in the ground).  While I was walking around Lowes this weekend I decided that if I can't plant a permanent garden that I'll try my hand at a portable one.  Sooo, I purchased a 5 pot tiered set up for my herbs - chives, basil, oregano, dill, and parsley.  I also bought a small  strawberry pot so I can start my strawberry patch I've been dying to do. I use to have a really nice one but a certain ex husband weed wacked it years ago and I just never got to starting another one.

In the meantime, some of my lettuce plants survived a couple of nights we had frost when I forgot to put the plastic back on.  The weather has been really warm and we didn't get any snow at all this past winter.

I still don't know where I'll be doing my planting at our new house.  The sad thing is instead of a bigger plot of land to grow on, the yard is MUCH smaller... We're moving more towards New York City and the closer to the city you get, the smaller and more expensive land and houses get.  So, for this summer, I'll be learning about container gardening and looking at areas around the perimeter where I can grow my beans and peas for the fall in a vertical space.

Blessings,
Kim

Note to self...

If I ever hear someone is getting married and starting a new job all at the same time, tell them NOT to grew plants by seed and definitely NOT to get any bright ideas about doubling gardening space.  Needless to say this season so far is a total bust.  I'm getting married in 2 weeks, been at my new job for 5 weeks and not much has survived that I started :(  I made the HUGE mistake of starting a lot of my seedlings in those peat pots and WHAT A MISTAKE!!!  I just couldn't keep up with the watering. It was like they needed to be watered every day.  Also, I think my lights may have been too close to the plants as some of them almost seemed to have possibly singed a bit.  The other thing is, forget about doubling the gardening space because as it turns out, we're moving in a year so I'm not wasting the money to build new raised beds and put beautifully expensive compost in them just to have to leave and spend all that money again next year.

After the honeymoon I plan on going to my local nursery, buy a few veggie plants so I can at least have some veggies, but I will be sowing some seeds so I have something for a fall planting.  Back to wedding stuff...

I'm back!

Whew! Things have been crazy here. I should have listened to my fiance and eloped lol  Our wedding is less than 2 months away, and I have found a job!  hopefully I start monday but I'm still waiting for the medical clearance.  I have had some problems with some of my seedlings. The biggest problem is a big fast black cat... He doesn't eat table food, weighs 17 pounds and hasn't list any weight even though he's been on a diet for years.  Turns out he likes broccoli seedling leaves... I put 3 trays of seedlings on the dining room table when I brought them in from outside (was working on gardening them off). I woke up the next day to 3 trays of sticks in dirt... I saw RED!  So I planted a bunch more and this time when bringing them in I put them on the kitchen counter... Sticks AGAIN!!!!Anyone want a cute fat cat??  So I've started more broccoli...AGAIN.  I wonder how cat sure tastes hehe
This weekend we are finally getting the wood for my flower beds. I'm kind of deciding whether to reduce my original layout since it looks like we'll be moving next year to be closer to my new job & my fiance's job.  I have peas and lettuce praise under a frost blanket and they are doing wonderful. I'm also going rip pick up some pvc pipes to build a hoop house.
I still have pictures to put up but it will have to wait until I get a few minutes to breathe.
God bless you all!

Update:  I got the call from HR and I start work on Monday!!! =)

PANIC!!!

Ok so I'm freaking out just a little bit (ok a LOT on the inside) because I just realized it's March already and I have so much to do!!

-I'm suppose to be planting lettuce and broccoli outside!  But then I look at the weather and it says it's going to be 25* tomorrow. ugh this weather is driving me crazy.  How can I harden plants off when it's still freezing outside (sure wish I had those mini hoop houses set up already!) I'll have pictures of how everything is doing tomorrow or Friday.

-The wedding invitations have to go out in 2 weeks YIKES!  The place I'm using told me I'm good with the timing since I sent out Save-A-Dates but I am still flipping out because I realized today that the girls and I need shoes, I need a headpiece/veil, the girls and I need our dresses altered, I have NO idea what to get the the girls for a gift for being my matron of honor and brides maids and then my sister asks me: what room do you want pictures taken on the morning of the wedding. AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! Who cares!

*DEEP BREATH*

Then to top this all off, I received an email from the place I went to for the 2nd interview yesterday. They want my references.  My friend who was recently hired by them as an RN said that if they are requesting my references that means I'm IN!! I just might have a job!  And not just any ol' job. It's a job that is actually what I do: administrative assistant (experience in the financial industry).  Woohoo!!!  But I'm trying not to get excited yet because I haven't been made an offer yet.  The downside of this job is the commute will be about an hour each way but at least I don't have to take the train into the city (NYC).  My dog will have to go into daycare because I'll be leaving so early I won't have time to walk her before leaving. The hours are 8-4 so I'll be out early enough for us to still go to the dog park in the summer :)  Life will be great!

It was beautiful outside today so I was laying cardboard on the areas where I want to add new raised beds.  I guess it was an odd choice, but when my sweetie asked me what I wanted as a birthday gift I said "CEDAR!!"  hahaha  So, we're going shopping this weekend to buy cedar wood for my beds.  After being outside and locating the sprinkler heads, I have laid out where I want my new beds.  The sprinkler heads really are in the worst place for having these beds but I'm trying to keep my gardening contained to one side of the yard (at least for now!).  I will be more then doubling my space so hopefully I'll have lots of veggies to freeze and can.  I want beans and tomatoes for over the winter.

Happy Gardening Everyone!!!

Blogger Awards!!

I want to thank Lynda from Cortina Creek Farms for giving me this award. My first award! Lynda has a great blog and she's a really nice person too :)

Now I have to divulge 7 things about myself and pass this award on to 15 other bloggers.

Lets see...

1 - Today is my birthday :) I'm 46 and am busy planning the 'big' New York wedding I never had the first time around.  I have had a very busy day but very enjoyable.  I had a 2nd interview this morning with a big hospital service here that went very well.  Hopefully God has this job in his plans for me!  And the wedding invitation planning is officially underway.

2 - I am a Tea Party nutcase :)  I attended my first meetings in the beginning of 2009 and went to my first rally on Tax Day 2009 (April 15th for our international bloggers) and brought my mom with me.  It was a great experience to be around other people who were fed up with the spending of our new president, Obama, the dems and the establishment republicans aka career politicians who don't have a clue what 'We The People' want.  I loved how so much emphasis is put on our Veterans that have served for our country to give us the freedom we enjoy and the camaraderie with others who love this country and are willing to stand up to get things back the way the Founders meant for it to be.

3 - I come from a Chinese heritage.  My grandfather was born and raised in China.  When he was 9 he had to quit school to go to work because his family was very poor.  He often times went hungry.  When he was 16 he was a merchant sailor and when the ship came to the United States, he jumped over board and swam to shore.  He had a cousin who lived here who helped him get food and shelter.  He learned to speak Engrish :)  and I loved it when he got mad and swore because it was very funny "Sum Ditch!"  :)  All of a sudden us kids figured a way to swear without getting in trouble lol  My grandfather was an entrepreneur.  He owned a lot of chinese restaurants all over New York City, Long Island and Connecticut.  He met my grandmother in one of his restaurants. She was Italian raising her brother and money was tough.  They were often hungry but when my grandfather fell in love with my grandmother, he told her that she would never be hungry again.  And he made sure that everyone in his family was well fed.  He brought his brother and his brothers wife and 4 children over to America.  I remember all the summer BBQ's we had over his house and our big family seemed quite normal to me.  It wasn't until I was older that I realized how very blessed I was to have such a big close family.  We still celebrate Chinese New Year every year with the whole family in Chinatown in NYC.  It's a LOT of eating authentic Chinese food (not this americanized stuff in the local chinese restaurants).  I have wonderful memories of my grandfather and I miss him very much.

4 - I went to college for Nursing for a year when I was 20 but when I became pregnant with my oldest son the choice was either I attend college or my then husband because we just didn't have enough money for both.  I figured I was going to follow in my mothers footsteps anyway and be a stay at home mom  so I dropped out of school.  As it turned out I still had to work but just not during the day when there was no one to watch the babies.  So I would take care of the kids all day, and was a home healthcare aide at night and during the day on weekends.  In the evenings of the weekend, I worked nights as a cashier at a local supermarket.  I think back to how much I worked and I have no idea how I wasn't a walking zombie. Ahhh to be young again lol

5 - I volunteer at my churches food pantry and the nursery.  The nursery has about 7 kids under the age of 3 and I do that Wed. mornings (until I get a job).  They are adorable and I sleep well at night after spending a morning with them.  I love helping and giving to others.  I think I was a born caregiver.  :)  I've also volunteered to help with the garden beds outside around the church this year.  This will be the first time doing that.

6 - I met my fiancé online.  We live 40 minutes away in neighboring counties and I always tease him that MY county  is better then HIS county  hehe  When I first met him, he called me 'electronic brat' because he found out just how much I love electronic gadgets.  I love technology!  I have a laptop, a mini laptop, a smart phone (android) and am looking at a tablet.  I have always been able to have the latest technology and hopefully I always will. Everything is getting smaller and faster! :)

7 - I like to crochet mostly blankets and scarves.  I have been doodling with crocheting since I was 12. I remember my grandmother and great aunt teaching me the techniques that they used.  Before that I never even knew my grandmother knew how to crochet.  Very nice memory :)  I have yet to attempt anything more difficult but I recently bought a pattern book so who knows, I just might challenge myself as soon as things slow down a little.

Here are the blogs that I read and find excellent sources of information, amusement and just pure entertainment and would like to give this award to:

Hazel-dene
.09 Acres
Compost in my shoe
Tim's Square Foot Garden
Sinfonian's Garden Adventure
Our Engineered Garden
Backyard Farming
A Gardener In Progress
Full Freezer
Backyard Organic Vegetables
A Country Farmhouse
Obsessive Neurotic Gardener
From Seed To Table
My Garden, My Hobbies
Uncle Dutch Farms
Urban Veggie Garden Blog

There were definitely others that I would add to the list but I can only put 15.

Happy Gardening!!!

Ski trip took a rough turn...

We have an annual family ski trip every year with my siblings and their families and my parents and some close friends with their families. It's a great time for all, with plenty of company for all ages.

I guess I should have known something wasn't right when we arrived at the hotel first on Friday.  (Confession: being on time is a challenge for me.).
My oldest son, 23, came with us which he hasn't done in the last few years so that was really very nice.
My middle son, 18,  wasn't able to be with us (very weird not having him with us) because he had a school charity function that whole weekend at his college.  *It's worth mentioning that Penn State Univ. raised a record $9.56 million for childhood cancer.  The kids worked really hard. The motto: FTK! (For The Kids!)

Then, Sunday morning we were the first ones down for breakfast...  My fiancé said: Something is not right here when we are early.  :)
That morning my youngest son, 16, started not feeling good and didn't ski.  By the afternoon he had a fever.

Best Part:


Sunday night my 18 yo surprised me by coming to the hotel from his college to see us for a couple of hours. It was so wonderful to have all 3 of my boys with me - sort of with me.  The 16yo was up in our hotel room sleeping with a fever, but at least I had them all in the same building!  I really miss my 18 yo.  He's the only one that watches NCIS, CSI and American Idol with me.  I kept hugging him and he was really good about it even with having a couple of his frat buddies with him.  We have so much fun watching 'our shows' together.  We've had some of our best talks during the commercials.  For now, I have to be happy with text messages :)

Rough Turn:


Sunday night I had my 16 yo stay in my room so I could watch him overnight instead of the room we had for the teenage boys (I have to say - I don't know what it is about teenage boys but they were in that room for 2 days and it had the gross teenage boy odor.  ick!).
Monday morning we woke up to 4 inches and still snowing.  Luckily by the time we left at 10am to go back home the snow had stopped.
We arrived home to 3 inches of snow... the guys shoveled our driveway while I lugged all the suitcases and stuff into the house.  By the evening, I had a fever and sore throat.
By Tues morning my fiancé called me - he had a fever.
This morning my sister called me and her 2 yo just got a fever.  What the heck is going on?!

I had enough and went to the doctor to find my white blood cell count high and was given antibiotics for the throat infection it seems I had - I get these often.  I think it's related to the removal of my tonsils and adenoids when I was 3 yrs old but I can't get any doctor to actually say that has made me more susceptible to infections.  What I do like is at my doctors office they take a bit of your blood from your finger and test it to see what your white blood cells are up to.  I am totally against giving antibiotics 'just in case'.  That's part of why we have so many antibiotic resistant strains out there (that and not finishing your medication).   If there isn't a bacterial infection, let my body's immune system do the miracle it was made to do - fight infection.

Back to Gardening! :)

I hope I'm feeling better in a day or so because I've changed my garden plans yet again and I have to plant another 5 tomato plants.  My birthday is coming up in a week and my fiance said he'd get me whatever I wanted.  I want the cedar raised beds for my new beds so hopefully I'll get at least one of them :) I also had to actually 'think' about the fact that growing potatoes means I need a deeper bed then what I use for my other veggies.  As it so happens, the one bed I have decided to make raised would be perfect.  I won't add compost soil to the raised bed at first.  I'll add it as I need to build up the soil around them as they grow.  I'm really looking forward to this growing season!