Stop the Ride!

Lunchables Field Trip Giveaway

2010-05-14T15:28:00.000-04:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Lunchables. All opinions are 100% mine.

Think back to when you were a student? What were some of the most memorable days of school? For me it was the field trips. Getting out of the four walls of the classroom to experience hands on activities at a museum, camp, in the woods, or at the zoo, made a lasting impression on me.

Now, that I am teaching my own children, field trips are still some of my favorite days of school. Some weeks field trips in the backyard or off our property are the main component of the kids' education. Field trips let students see the real life of the information they read about in books. It lets them experience things they would not be able to from home or in a classroom while expanding their knowledge and comprehension of classroom subjects.

In an effort to be sure that more students get to experience field trips Lunchables has begun a contest: Field Trips For All. Anyone, over the age of six,can nominate a classroom (grades 1-8) for this contest. Pick a class you feel could benefit from a field trip. Then tell Lunchables where they want to go and why. Pretty simple. Do you have any classes in mind?

Happy Birthday Ebates!

2010-05-14T14:57:00.000-04:00

Ebates is eleven years old. To celebrate they are offering us 11% back on lots of our favorite stores. 11% rebates are offered for Old Navy, Macy's, Barnes and Noble, Leap Frog, and Snapfish just to name a few. Happy Birthday Ebates, and thanks for the savings!

“Not in My Yard” Blog: The Gloves Come Off as Havahart® Launches New Nuisance Animal Control Blog

2010-05-11T22:21:00.002-04:00

This is a sponsored guest post written by Theresa Flavin on behalf of Havahart. Post powered by Sponzai.

Ahh, spring: The season of new life, new beginnings and, for many, utter frustration as a host of furry critters help themselves to our tender springtime blooms. It’s a near-universal problem for home gardeners, so Havahart® (http://www.havahart.com) has launched the new Not in My Yard blog (http://www.notinmyyard.com), where you can contribute posts, interact with other gardeners and get expert advice on taking your yard back from hungry wildlife.

Not in My Yard blog focuses on total yard protection through trapping and repelling animals humanely but effectively with Havahart products. Do you have a helpful or interesting experience protecting your yard and garden from the onslaught of hungry raiders? Submit it to Not in My Yard blog and let others know what worked. Top contributors are listed on the blog, so the more guest posts you submit, the better chance you have of seeing your name in lights. Chances are, there will be other Not in My Yard blog regulars with pest control problems similar to yours -- and even other gardeners from your region. You can choose to show only their posts so you don’t miss the tips most relevant to your situation.

If posting on blogs isn’t your thing, Not in My Yard blog is the perfect place to learn about total yard protection. Expert and guest bloggers discuss controlling wild (and not-so-wild) animals of all types, including chipmunks, deer, dogs, feral cats, groundhogs, rabbits, raccoons, rodents, skunks and squirrels. You’ll learn about live trapping and using non-toxic, organic repellents to keep wildlife from viewing your yard as a trendy neighborhood eatery. You’ll enjoy interesting -- and frequently humorous -- stories about wildlife in other gardeners’ yards. And perhaps most importantly, you’ll see you’re not alone in your fight to protect your landscaping or garden.

Not in My Yard blog also features the live Havahart Twitter feed with helpful tips and promotional discounts on total yard protection products. You can subscribe to the RSS feed or submit your e-mail address for live updates whenever a new post is added to the blog.

“We’re excited to launch Not in My Yard blog,” said Havahart marketing associate Theresa Flavin. “This is the blog for everyone who has ever watched their tulips become rabbit food, lost their hostas to deer or wished the neighborhood skunks would find a different path to walk every night. We enjoy hearing the lively, fun and informative stories submitted by home gardeners just as much as the Not in My Yard blog readers do!”

Want to become an active part of Not in My Yard blog? Visit http://www.notinmyyard.com and join the conversation. Learn more about Havahart’s humane traps and repellents at http://www.havahart.com. And this spring, watch what Havahart total yard protection products can do to keep your home and garden beautiful.

If you've got to shop.....

2010-05-07T16:04:00.000-04:00

I don't particularly enjoy shopping, but I do enjoy getting great deals and today there were plenty to be found in Huntington WV today!

My new favorite store is Global Liquidators. Here are some of the fantastic deals I found there today:
Kraft Mild Cheddar Cheese 7ounce packages - 4/$1
Arizona Teas =- $0.25
Case of Fruitables juice boxes - $3

Aldi in Huntington also had some great marked down items today.
Whole Milk Gallons - $1.29
2 Pound Carrots - $0.49

I got a couple of decent deals at CVS, but was most thankful that they took my ECB's that expired two days ago. (This is what happens when I am too busy and not on my normal grocery schedule!) And to top it all off I had to make a quick stop at Wal-mart (29th street for you locals,) and happened upon $7 Levis in my husband's and son's size. I can almost never find my husband's size on clearance, so this was a very pleasant surprise!

No, shopping is not my favorite activity, but it needs to be done. Shopping and finding great deals like these makes me happy!

My Approach to Busyness

2010-05-06T18:10:00.001-04:00

This week has flown by. There has been somewhere to go almost everyday, and the household, garden, and animal chores list is piling up. It has been busy. Today, I glimpsed at the calendar for next week, and then I had a mini panic attack.

It isn't that there is anything surprising on the calendar. I knew all these things were coming, but somehow seeing them on paper, all in a short block, of time induced panic. Starting tomorrow we have to go somewhere or someone is coming here everyday until Wednesday the 19th!

There is a lot that I need to get ready for these events, and a pressing list of chores here that need done. Oh and I am working 25 hours too, and there is that little issue of finishing up homeschool for the year. Quite honestly, it is a little overwhelming.

I like to be busy. I used to say I'd rather be busy than be bored, but really I'm not sure the last time I was bored. So, can I honestly say that anymore? But busy is good, and there are ways I can cope with it without getting overwhelmed.

First, I have to stop. Yes, perhaps that is counter intuitive, but the best way for me to deal with feeling overwhelmed is to halt activity, even if it is only for a couple minutes. I need to stop doing long enough that I can start thinking. Actually, that is exactly why I am writing this post.

For the moment, I am ignoring the fact that dinner is not started, the clothes line is completely full of dry clothes, and that I really need to go get groceries. Although, it may be true that all those things need done, what I need the most right now is a little quiet and a plan.

Now, that I've said a quick prayer, taken a few deep breaths, and used writing as a tool to keep my focus, it is time to make a plan. Yes, there is a lot to do, but it is not more than I can get done. I just need a good plan of attack.

Even though all the events are on the calendar, I start with a fresh piece of notebook paper. It gives me more room to write and brainstorm than the calendar I use. On one side I list the days with the events for the week. On the other side I make a brainstorming list of the things that come to mind as I write the events. For example Tuesday we have a group picnic to go to. I am helping to organize it. On my brainstorming list I wrote that I need to order the chicken, check the paper supplies, and bring the bike that a friend left here and I keep forgetting to bring to her.

The brainstorm list keeps growing as I write and think. Then when it is all on paper I try to plug the "to dos" into the days to make sure everything gets done in a timely manner. The final step is to hang the piece of paper on the refrigerator. It is a needed visual reminder to myself to stay on task. It also is a reminder to the family that this week is busy, here is the plan.

Aaaahh I feel better all ready. The next few weeks are looking a little full, but it is ok. I will stop. I will make a plan. It will get done, and we will enjoy the blessings of family, friends, and farm in these next few busy weeks. Now, I better go cook dinner.

Fazoli's Coupons

2010-04-30T07:31:00.000-04:00

Print these coupons and save some dough at Fazolis.

Free Kindle Apps

2010-04-23T08:53:00.000-04:00

Ever since Amazon came out with the Kindle, I've been looking at it with a touch of envy in my eye. Reading is something the whole family enjoys, and we can hardly keep the eleven year old in books. He reads them as fast as he gets them.

We are frequent patrons of our library. We check out bags of books including books for school, reference books, and pleasure reading. Since the Kindle came out, I've dreamed of how easy it would be to just download a bunch of books to the Kindle to meet our reading needs. But alas, the library is free, and though there are many free books available for the Kindle, the Kindle itself is not free. While on this quest to pay off our debt, I could not justify the Kindle cost.

So, I am so thrilled that Amazon is now offering Free Kindle Reading Apps. There are free Kindle Apps for your Blackberry, PC, Mac, iPhone and iPad. I installed the PC app this AM. In a matter of minutes six free books were downloaded to our home computer. We now have Alice in Wonderland, Edison, His Life and Adventures, and four other classics.

While not quite as convenient as the Kindle itself, I think the PC app is going to be a wonderful thing for us. Reference books can be purchased and stored digitally, instead of on my overstuffed bookshelf. Books needed for school can be had with a couple of clicks, and when the eleven year old is whining that he has read all his books, I will be sending him to search through the free Kindle book collections.

Yes, this is going to be good!

Cheap Groceries in Huntington, WV

2010-04-20T07:28:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure if it is the increased activity because of the nice weather, or maybe the kids are going through growth spurts, simultaneously, but they are going through a ton of food lately. Keeping the cupboards stocked and sticking to the grocery budget has been challenging.

I am all about cheap groceries. I shop at Aldi and use coupons to keep our grocery budget under control. Recently a new store opened up near me, Global Liquidators. It is located at Big Seven Mile and Route 2 in the old IGA store building. The store reminds me of Big Lots only it isn't quite as big, and the prices are even cheaper. Here are some of my favorite finds there:

Starbucks Whole Bean Coffee - 12 oz. $2
Cereal - $1.50 per box
Cereal - just out of date $0.75 per box
Trader Joes Whole Wheat Flour - 5 lbs. $1.50
Frozen Vegetables - 16 oz. 8 for $1

All the food, except the aisle designated "just out of date," is in date. Some of the boxes are damaged though. They have more than food too. There are health and beauty items, and other household goods. Currently they also have a selection of landscaping items, including fruit trees. As with any other discount store or sale, you need to know your prices. There are some outstanding prices at the store, but some prices are not much different than what I would pay at Aldi.

The store opened a few weeks ago, and in that time my husband and I have become frequent shoppers. I love finding a store (especially one close to me) with cheap cheap prices.

On a side topic:
In searching for a web page for this store, I found that they have a clothing outlet on 4th Ave. To all my local readers, Has anyone stopped there? How is it?

8MM to Digital

2010-04-16T09:00:00.000-04:00

My parents have several 8mm movies made when I and my oldest brother were very young. (As in a long time ago.) For years we've all said, "We really need to do something with those old movies to save them," and talking about it is about as far as it got.

Last fall Tim saw a tutorial on converting your 8mm movies to digital. Unfortunately, I do not have the link to the tutorial, but the concept is very simple. Find a quiet room with a white wall. Set up a digital video camera on a tripod. Project the 8mm on the wall and record it with the digital. Here is how one of the movies turned out.

Obviously the quality of digital is dependent on the 8mm quality, but this is a quick and easy way to preserve an 8 mm movie digitally. Edits could be made and music could be added to enhance the movie.

This was our Christmas present to my parents. It required little money, and actually would have been free if we hadn't needed a new bulb for the 8mm projector. It only required a little time, and was a much appreciated gift.

Children's Place Swimsuit Under $10

2010-04-13T17:39:00.000-04:00

I just ordered this cute swimsuit for my four year old for $8.50! This swimsuit, three pairs of flip flops, and two pairs of sandals are all shipping to my door for less than $45. The Children's Place currently has swimsuits on sale for $10, and are offering 40% off select spring styles. Use code C4A4A for an additional 15% off, and shop through Ebates for a 3% rebate!

Free Starbucks

2010-04-13T06:49:00.000-04:00

From the Starbucks Facebook page, "This Thursday - bring in a reusable tumbler and we'll fill it with brewed coffee for free." I like it. I like it alot.

The Squeakquel

2010-04-08T07:05:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Alvin and the Chipmunks. All opinions are 100% mine.

Did you watch Alvin and the Chipmunks when you were a kid? I mostly remember hearing their music on the radio, and of course Dave screaming the always famous, "ALVIN!"

My kids love the Chipmunk movies. We recently had a free Redbox code to use, and I bet you can guess what they wanted. That is right "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel." The movie was fun and entertaining as always. I love that this is a movie that all my kids enjoy. My children are aged 11 to 4, and often it can be a challenge to find something that they all like. Movies that they all enjoy are worth purchasing in my opinion.

The movie is now available in a double disk bonus pack. The bonus disk includes more music and sing a longs. I know my girls especially would love that! You can buy it now by clicking the link.

Visit Munk yourself to create your own personalized chipmunk. I'll admit to playing with it for awhile. You can dress it and then create an audio clip to listen to. For More Munk Mayhem check check out the website. There are Chipmunk games and activities for the family.

Have fun with the websites, and enjoy a family movie night with Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Winter Survivors

2010-04-01T20:31:00.000-04:00

The idea of over wintering gardening has always been appealing to me. Fresh vegetables from the garden, year round, sounds wonderful. I've read about gardeners in my zone (6) and colder having success with growing root vegetables and cabbage over the winter. Trying it is on my someday list. I expected it to take a bit of planning and effort on my part. I didn't know how easy it could be; as in I did nothing.

In the fall I planted several fall crops. The broccoli was fabulous. The cabbage was good. The spinach didn't do much, but I haven't had much luck with it in any season. The radishes and turnips were prolific. So prolific that I didn't get them all harvested before winter hit.

Root vegetables like turnips are tolerant of the cold. Our winters are typically a little cold and snow followed by above freezing temperatures. So, after the first winter blast came I figured I would harvest the turnips when we got some nice days. The nice days were few and far between this winter. This was our the coldest winter, with the most snow, in a long time. The weather combined with the fact that the turnips were planted in our out of the way garden meant the turnips were never harvested.

Imagine my surprise, when on a trip to that garden a week ago to check the soil, I saw rows of greens growing. The turnips survived the winter and are now putting out new greens. The turnips themselves are delicious. I was afraid that they might be rotten or woody. The greens are mild, and we are enjoying fresh veggies from the garden tonight; turnip greens served with Pioneer Woman's Turnip Gratin. (Adjusted for the ingredients I have on hand.) And had I known (or checked) we could have been enjoying turnips all winter long. Who knew they were such winter survivors?

- Oh and I forgot to mention the spinach survived the winter too. It had the tiniest bit of new growth on it. We'll see if it actually produces anything.

32% Rebate at 123Inkjets

2010-03-23T12:27:00.000-04:00

Ebates Daily Double is 123Inkjets today. A 32% rebate is offered when you shop 123Inkjets via Ebates. Could be a good day to stock up on ink!

Make it from Scratch #160

2010-03-23T10:18:00.000-04:00

The Make it from Scratch Carnival is up today at Simply Beck's Bounty.

20% off Crocs Outlet

2010-03-21T09:31:00.000-04:00

For all you Crocs lovers out there, here is a deal for you. The deal of the week is 20% off all shoes in the outlet. This makes girls' Mary Jane's $7.99! There are a lot of styles for adults and children to choose from. Shipping is free, and earn 8% cash back from Ebates.

And the winners are.....

2010-03-18T14:20:00.000-04:00

Thanks to those who entered the Tyson Grilled Chicken Giveaway. The winners, picked at random, are

Joanna
Sheila
legendswife
SB
~Lori~
Sarah
Renee G
Mary mdhils(at)gmail(dot)com
Amy amadajo30 at yahoo.com
Carrie

I will be contacting you soon, or you can simply email me your address at stkappleto at hotmail.com

Make it from Scratch #159

2010-03-16T00:19:00.023-04:00

Welcome to this week's edition of the Make it from Scratch carnival. Beginning in April the carnival will be changing from the rotating format to a permanent location at Make it from Scratch. It will also transition to using the McLinky link up. I hope you join us there in April.

For now, though, enjoy this week's fabulous submissions!

Food

There are always so many wonderful food ideas in this carnival. This week the food category is bursting at the seams. My pants might be too if I try all the recipes here I'd like to.

Kristia presents Chicken Parmesan with Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce posted at Family Balance Sheet.

Kristia presents Ham and Asparagus Frittata posted at Family Balance Sheet.

Laura presents Gluten Free Quick Pizza posted at Living Our Way.

Cori presents Starting the farm - sourdough recipe posted at Starting the Farm.

SimplyForties presents Braised Pork with Orange Sauce posted at SimplyForties.

Kris presents Salsa Couscous Chicken OR Moroccan Chicken: One Award Winning Recipe, Many Names posted at Cheap Healthy Good.

David Cox presents DIY Ingredients: Homemade Butter (And Buttermilk) posted at Cook on a Shoestring.

Lindsey presents Apple Berry Crisp. posted at Hot Polka Dot.

kristan roland presents German Chocolate Cupcakes posted at Confessions of a Cookbook Queen.

Lori Vaughn presents Apple Cobbler Cake posted at Two Southern Girls.

Erin aka Conscius Shopper presents Great Snack Experiment: Non-Animal Crackers and Granola Bars posted at The Conscious Shopper.

So Crafty!
I always enjoy the sewing, crocheting and art and craft submissions. I think I may just be a wee bit jealous of the talent shown here.

Lori Vaughn presents Chocolate Easter Egg Basket posted at Two Southern Girls.

RecycleCindy presents Plastic Plarn Scrubbie Dots posted at My Recycled Bags.com.

Jessica presents Handmade Tulle Tutu Tutorial posted at Factory Direct Craft Blog.

Heather @ Marine Corps Nomads presents Awana: 50s Night & Poodle Skirt posted at Marine Corps Nomads.

Cyndi L presents Lampwork basics posted at Beading Arts.

Karen Bastille presents Celebrate March! Tuesday is Barbie?s Birthday! posted at Grandmother Wren.

Darcy presents Family Memory Game posted at Smart-Bottom Enterprises.

Health and Beauty
Summer is just around the corner. Why does that always make us think a little more about health and beauty?

Digerati Life presents How To Look Good On A Budget: The Business of Beauty posted at The Digerati Life.

NHE presents 4 Steps on How to Detox Your Body Naturally posted at Natural Health Ezine.

abi presents Homemade skin cream posted at lighter side -.

Other D-I-Y
How to posts and links to helpful sites for the do it yourself person.

Heather Mann presents Make a Scarf Organizer posted at Dollar Store Crafts.

Isabella Smith presents Top 100 Online Tools for the DIY Homeowner posted at Construction Management Degrees.

Wallet Blogger presents 5 Free Online Calendars and Personal Planners To Organize Your Life posted at The Smarter Wallet.

Wise_Bread presents Precision Plastic Reduction Part 3 posted at Wisebread.

nissim ziv presents How to Change Your Career Goals posted at Job Interview & Career Guide.

Thank you for joining us this week. Next week the carnival will be found at Simply Beck's Bounty.

Sweet and Spicy Jerky

2010-03-15T20:15:00.000-04:00

Jerky is a favorite snack around this house. It is perfect for hikes and outings, and the whole family loves it.

Jerky.com is a source for a huge variety of jerky including Beef Jerky and Turkey Jerky. Tomorrow they will officially be launching a new product, Spencer's Jerky. They sent me complimentary packages of the new Orange Jerky and Mango Jerky to review for you.

The jerky are advertised as "sweet and spicy" with a "wow" factor. They deliver on their promise. Both of these varieties have a lot of flavor. The flavor is a little bit sweet, but with a good kick of spice. The spice isn't too hot though, as evidenced by the fact that the children and adults in this family found the jerky quite delicious. We enjoyed both of these flavors, but the Mango is especially outstanding!

For all you jerky lovers out there, I highly recommend this jerky. You'll find it an unique and delicious snacking experience.

MIFS Call for Submissions

2010-03-14T08:29:00.000-04:00

The Make it from Scratch carnival will be hosted right here on Tuesday! Share your cooking, crafting, gardening, and other made from scratch posts by using the form here. Entries need to be in today!

Don't forget to enter to win a free bag of Tyson Ready Grilled Chicken!

Tyson Grilled Chicken Strips Review and Giveaway

2010-03-10T11:48:00.001-05:00

Recently Collective Bias and Tyson provided me with a $50 gift card to try Tyson's Grilled Chicken Breast Strips and to tell you about them. They also provided 10 free product coupons for me to give to you. Look for those details at the bottom of this post. All opinions are mine.

I found this product in the frozen foods section of my local Kroger. The 1.37 pound bag cost $8.49. The chicken strips are fully cooked and 100% breast fillet with no preservatives.

I had many ideas of how to use these strips. They only need to be heated up for a few minutes in the microwave or on the stove, and they are ready to serve. They could be served alone as the main dish. I thought about using them to make a grilled chicken salad, chicken BLT sandwiches, or chicken wraps. But I decided that fajitas sounded really good. Below is the recipe.

Tyson Grilled Chicken Fajitas

A quick and easy dinner using Tyson Grilled and Ready ...

See Tyson Grilled Chicken Fajitas on Key Ingredient.

These fajitas were quite delicious, and extremely quick and easy to make. The chicken had a good flavor and was very tender.

The trade off for the wonderful convenience of this product is the cost. Time versus money is the perpetual choice that we face when trying to make frugal decisions. Although I enjoyed this product, I have to say that this would not be something I would buy for myself. We very rarely buy convenience foods such as this because of their cost.

A more frugal alternative would be to buy chicken breast to grill and freeze the strips for later use. Making your own convenience food would obviously involve more of your time, but it would be significantly less expensive.

I was very pleased with the taste and convenience of this product. There is only one thing that stops me from giving it a whole-hearted positive endorsement. That one thing is the price.

Would you like to try this product yourself for free? I'll be picking at random 10 people to send a free product coupon for Tyson Grilled Chicken. Entering is easy.

1) Leave a comment here with an idea of how you would use your ready grilled chicken.

and/or

2) Tweet, link here on Facebook or from your blog for an additional entry in the drawing. Leave a comment here saying where you've linked. Leave a separate comment for each link to get multiple entries.

You can get a maximum of four entries into the drawing. One for your initial comment, one for tweeting, one for linking on Facebook, and one for linking from your blog. Ten winners will be drawn randomly next Wednesday, March 17th. Good luck!

Weather for Every Season

2010-03-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of AccuWeather. All opinions are 100% mine.

How about this weather? It is a classic conversation starter, isn't it? But the weather is really far more important than a small talk topic. The weather affects so much we do here. I find myself checking the weather daily, and often several times during the day, no matter the season.

In the winter we are checking for snow and freezing temperatures. Are our plans going to get snowed out? Do we have to keep water thawed for the animals? Do we need some heat in the animal sheds to keep the pipes from freezing?

In the spring, my weather watch revolves around the garden. When will it be dry enough to till the garden? Is going to warm up enough to plant? And of course we are still watching for freezing temperatures.

In the summer I'm looking for rain. Can I dry clothes on the line? Will the garden need watering? Can we take the kids swimming?

Then fall comes, and we complete the cycle. I'm still checking for rain for the garden, and starting to once again look for freezing temperatures.

Sometimes I feel like an old man checking the weather all the time, but the weather really has a huge impact on the things we do, regardless of the season. I love that I can just click on a site like AccuWeather and in a matter of seconds get an update forecast for the day or more. Today's forecast for sun with temps in the low forties means I am hanging clothes on the line, and our afternoon play date is a go. Yeah!

What are you watching the weather for?

Deal Alert - Huntington Aldi

2010-03-04T17:11:00.001-05:00

I went grocery shopping today. One of our stops was to Aldi, and we found a deal there that my kids were thrilled with. Chocolate milk 1/2 gallons were market down to $0.75! This price was good on all 1/2 gallons with March 8 dates. Get them while they last! Chocolate milk is a treat here. At that price, it is a treat I am happy to provide!

Photo credit: anthimeria

Around the Garden

2010-02-26T16:55:00.000-05:00

More snow and more cold temperatures here. *sigh* But that doesn't mean there is no gardening going on.

We salvaged some old windows from the neighbors barn (with permission of course.) We will be turning these into cold frames. We are not exactly sure what will be done, but the tentative plan is to raise them up with cinder blocks, fill with dirt and attach the glass panes with a removable hinge. Any suggestions?

I am trying a little sheet composting to create some more growing space around our newest building. If this works, it will be the easiest garden beds I've ever made. I'm not exactly sure what will be planted here. The area will only get partial shade. I'd love to plant something edible and climbing on the fence for the chickens.

The growing fertilizer pile, and the potato tires. We are hoping that the third time is a charm for our potatoes after finally figuring out what the problems was the first two years.

Tomatoes are once again growing in my tub. There are peppers too. Last year I used a lot of toilet paper roll seed starters. I liked these when I first started the seeds, but as the plants grew I wasn't as happy with these containers. They seemed to wick the water away, and I had a hard time keeping the plants moist enough. Also I had to be careful that the tubes weren't touching or mold growth was a problem. This year I am starting my seeds in the containers from plants we purchased last year, and from recycled yogurt containers. I just poked a few holes in the bottom of the yogurt tubs for drainage.

So bring on the snow! (Did I just say that?) Actually, I'd prefer that snow and the cold stay a way for about eleven months, but even if it is cold and there is snow, the gardening work continues.

Spring Can't Be Far

2010-02-22T14:15:00.000-05:00

The snow is mostly melted. I am ignoring the weather forecast that says more snow is coming. But even if there may be more snow, spring can't be far away. This morning the birds were singing and it felt like spring. Look what else I found.

Daffodils starting to poke through.

Band new baby chicks!