I now know the meaning to "Slaving over a hot stove"

Today was a fun day...Kevin and I went to Best Buy (I finally joined everyone else on the planet and got an iPhone...my mom even has an iPhone, apparently I am behind the curve). We also went to Home Depot (Noticing a pattern? I seem to go every Saturday) to get more soil for my garden beds and mulch for our front flower beds. I can now get over my "poop envy"...I got some Moo-Nure (notice, they are "Number 1 in the Number 2 Business" haha! I love it!).



Kevin was a great hubby and put all the mulch, soil, and poop in the appropriate places. I am getting so antsy, waiting for planting time. I truly can't wait! Tonight I cooked a labor intensive dinner...wilted spinach salad, pork tenderloin with boursin polenta and a blackberry reduction sauce. For dessert we had amaretto apple crisp. Very tasty...not sure if Kevin agreed. I'm thinking polenta may not be for him (too much like grits, maybe?)...I love it thought and it was a nice change. Plus, in my opinion boursin could make anything taste great. Polenta requires constant attention for 30 minutes. Add that, and all of the other stuff I had going on in the kitchen and I am pooped. Another note, even with my best attempts to clean as I go, I think every pan and gadget I own is piled in the sink. Nice.

This is the life...

Such a pretty day!  Of course, I spent all of it at work, but thanks to Daylight Savings Time I still have some sunshine/sunset to enjoy.  I am enjoying a glass of wine on my deck (see new goal in previous blog post...shout-out to my co-worker Brock for the recommend on the shiraz) and life is good.  I've got my main squeeze home with me tonight  (which is rare since he always works on Friday) so I am enjoying myself.  I am excited about this weekend...lots on the agenda.  First, Kevin just got his truck back from the mechanic so I will be putting him to work...time to put fresh mulch in the flower beds and top off my garden beds with more soil.  To compensate him for his hard labor, I will be making him a (hopefully) super-tasty dinner.  Grilled pork tenderloin with blackberry sauce, boursin polenta, wilted spinach salad, and amaretto apple crisp.  He is a lucky man, but I am a lucky girl.  Oh, and I still have to play major catch-up with my stats class and crank out a paper on RFID tags for my information systems class.  BORING.  I see the light at the end of the tunnel so I just have to suck it up and do it.  Happy Friday!!  I need a refill....  

Girls Gone Wild

Kevin had to work this weekend, so I had plenty of time to do my own thing. Melina may be sick of me now, but we hung out all weekend. This weekend I was glad to be busy (even though I should have been working on stuff for my classes), because today was the due date of my first pregnancy. This day is always tough for me...it's sad to think that my baby would be 3 years old now. So, to keep myself from getting in an emotional rut I am thankful for fun friends to keep my mind on happy thoughts.

Saturday morning, we were up and at 'em! Off to Fayetteville, TN to go to Sir's Fabrics! I got a couple of fabrics to make more skirts and I got a lovely fabric that is very "Pottery Barn"esque that I will probably use to make some drapery panels. This was my first Sir's experience...it is definitely one of those places where you have to dig around, but the prices are unbelievably cheap! On the way back from Sir's, we stopped and got lottery tickets and saw a yard sale on the side of the road (I nearly caused a wreck trying to get to it). At the yard sale I purchased a chair for $18! They were asking $20, but Melina made me haggle. ha! After I graduate, I plan to make this my new project...I want to reupholster the chair. Here is my find...



After the yard sale, we headed to Bennett Nursery. Oh my goodness, how I love that place! Melina and I had a field day in the herb greenhouse (we kept biting leaves and taste testing...are we wierd?). I got so many herbs and I am so excited!



I got Lemon Thyme (YUM!!!), Sweet Basil, Lemon Basil, Dill, Marjoram, Rosemary, Stevia (the natural sweetener), and Julep Mint. I am so so excited about this! I potted these tonight (thanks to Melina for sending me home with some potting soil so I could save a trip to the store...I am pooped!). Isn't my herb stand just adorable? This will go outside in mid to late April.



We went to Kirkland's, Steinmart, Home Depot, and even had lunch at Connor's...to say we had a fun-filled day is an understatement. Girl time is the best...so much laughter that it makes my stomach sore. I got a super cute framed print at Kirkland's and was able to finish up my bedroom (I got a new comforter set last weekend). I've been a major sale rack shopper lately...it definitely pays to look for a good deal, I've been all about "the find"! I love paisley prints so much, I could eat it!



Today, Melina had to take her in-laws dog back (she's been dogsitting) and she agreed to meet them half-way in Birmingham. Her hubby had to work so I went along and we made a fun day of it (Baby Andrew was with us too, and I just love him to pieces...he loves me too, I can tell!). We had an awesome lunch at The Cheesecake Factory and walked around The Summit. We went to Charming Charlie (very cute/trendy/affordable/color-coded accessory store that my friend Pilar has been peer pressuring me about), Sephora, etc. So much fun! Then, before we headed back we stopped by Whole Foods. I sure wish Whole Foods would come to Huntsville, it is wonderful. Funny though, out of all of the healthy options, all I got were 3 bottles of wine. I NEVER drink...really, I never do! I've decided that I should start enjoying a glass of wine in the evenings. I thought, the weather is warming up and I should be sitting on my deck drinking a glass of wine and looking at my soon to be garden. How relaxing is that? So, I've set a drinking goal. Good for me!



I'm a fan of light white wines...probably because I am a wuss. Baby steps...

Tomorrow is Monday...work and school on the menu. At least I have a relaxation plan ready!

Peace-Out!

It's Sew Fun!

Tonight I made a skirt! I must admit, I am very proud of myself. I think this may be another new hobby for me (don't worry, my garden comes first!). After a hectic week, I think I feel a little more relaxed after spending Friday night with my sewing machine.

This is the pattern I used...the "one hour" note on the cover is a mean lie. It took me 4.5 hours from start to finish. I think I could get it down to 2.5 hours with no breaks and more experience...we'll see, I plan to do this again.



This is the finished skirt...the colors are brown, greens, blues, and white. Plus, I love paisley prints.



On the gardening front, my seedlings are coming along. Check out my tomato seedlings...



I spent some time with all the seedlings last night, thinning them out and making sure they had enough water. My strawberries are doing good too...much better than the bizarre way they started out. I can't wait to put these in the Topsy Turvy!



It is 1:15am here and Melina is meeting me at 8:30am. Eek! I better get to bed! We are going to go to Sir's Fabric in Fayetteville and also swinging by Bennett's Nursery (of course to check out their plants). It should be a fun-filled day!

Nighty-Night!

Only babies and puppies are cuter...

Tonight after class, I went and treated myself to a (in my opinion, much deserved) manicure and pedicure. It was nice to relax a bit and unwind. After us girls get our nails done, we try so hard to keep from messing them up...we strive to preserve what we just paid for. Tonight my excitement overwhelmed me, the thought of dirt under my nails couldn't stop me...I had some potting to do.

My prized shipment has finally arrived! I am now the proud mama of 3 new dwarf citrus trees! Hallelujah, Hallelujah!!!


Dwarf Meyer Lemon, Dwarf Lime, and Dwarf Orange

These babies will live indoors while there is any danger of frost, but they will enjoy the summer on our deck. I realize I called these "trees"...they are actually twigs and may likely never bear fruit in my lifetime, but I have become quite the patient girl and these will be worth the wait. I just think they are precious!

Garden Plans

Hopefully these garden plans are readable (if you click on each garden plan, it should open a bigger version). I was looking at a gardening website and discovered that Native Americans grew their corn, beans, and squash together. So, it's good that I planned it that way...maybe it is a sign that I will have a natural green thumb. Let's hope!

A purse for every occasion!

Today was a pretty productive day for the garden. I went to Home Depot (I love that place, but it will eventually send me to the poor house) and got some of the items I've been needing. I purchased the materials for my bean trellis, shepherd's hooks for my Topsy-Turvys, and a cute little garden tote to hold all of my new gadgets. I wish I could have found a more girly looking bag, but this one will do...plus, I love love love the color green so it just fits.



I got a few strawberry plants/bulbs/whatever the heck they are??? I had no idea that strawberries grew out of something so weird looking, but I guess we learn something different everyday. See...



I planted a couple of different types. Once they sprout, I'll transfer to the Topsy-Turvy. My kitchen table is quickly becoming a greenhouse/potting bench.



Dinner tonight was good and the artichokes were yummy. Of course, garlic butter can make anything taste good, right?



I also started making a grid in my raised beds because space planning is going to be really important if I am going to accomplish everything I want to this summer. Oh, even though I already planted onion seeds inside, I went ahead and got a few onion sets today...this will probably be a little easier (yellow, red, and shallot).

I have my garden plans done and I need to share those, but I am trying to figure out a way to post with font big enough to see.

Adventures in Cooking...

Maybe it's knowing that spring is around the corner, maybe it's out of boredom, or maybe I am just looking for something interesting to post on my blog, but lately I've been wanting to try new things in the kitchen.

Today for lunch, I finally made the spaghetti squash. All I did was split the squash lengthwise, take out the seeds, rub a little olive oil on the inside (with a sprinkle of salt and pepper), and cooked cut-side down on a lined cookie sheet at 350 for about 40 minutes. It was fun to see how it really does look like spaghetti and it was surprisingly tasty! Kevin gave it a try and he liked it a little, but I think we'll be sticking to regular spaghetti noodles more than the spaghetti squash. Either way though, we can cross this off of our culinary bucket-lists.



Tonight for dinner I made Chicken Souvlaki Gyros with homemade pita bread, Greek Salad, and Tzatziki sauce. It was delicious! I've never really made any type of homemade bread (other than a few breakfast/dessert breads) so this was fun to try. It was pretty easy and really nice to know I made our whole dinner myself.

Here are my pitas



Check out the finished product, it was so tasty and really hit the spot!



Tomorrow I have another tasty meal planned. I am going to make grilled beef filet with a Gorgonzola cream sauce and garlic mushrooms, baked potatoes, and grilled artichokes with garlic butter. I think it will be a hit with Kevin. I have eaten artichokes from the jar/can in dips and salads, but never in the true form. We'll have another "first" tomorrow! It is fun being adventurous! I'll be sure to post pics of our dinner.

I'm still a little under the weather, so I am off to an early night's sleep. I can't wait to start feeling like myself again.

Despite what you may have heard, vegetable consumption does not guarantee good health

I've been eating tons of veggies and fruits (gotta build up my compost). You'd think I would be the picture of perfect health...WRONG. I am sick! So, I finally broke down and went to the doctor today and got a shot and some nice cough syrup. I hope this helps. We are supposed to have really nice spring weather this weekend and I have a lot to take care of. Because I have been under the weather, I've completely let go of my household duties. Anyone that knows me well, knows I am a clean freak. So, I've got to get that under control and work on some stuff for school. Just a little over a month left and my Master's will be complete. Yippy!

I almost started having a panic attack when thinking about my garden. I have so many plans, I truly know NOTHING about gardening, timing is everything, etc. I kept playing all of these "what-ifs?" in my mind and I started to wonder if I had bitten off more than I can chew. Being the annoying list-making planner that I am, I decided to make a garden notebook to organize and catalog all of my seeds, schedules, garden layout, etc. Oh, I am back in control now! What did we do before the 3-ring binder, really?



On to my seeds... I had to plant a few of my seeds because some vegetables need to be started inside weeks before planting season. I started my bell peppers (regular and carnival), banana peppers, red onion, yellow onion, roma tomatoes, and beefmaster tomatoes. I also planted some rosemary, dill, and basil. Because I love flowers (what girl doesn't?), I planted some impatiens. Kevin will set some iris bulbs for me this weekend too (he doesn't know yet). ha! On a funny note, my husband loves cactus plants. Who knows why? In my opinion, cacti are LAME-O! But, because I am a super-thoughtful wife, I decided to get Kev a cactus growing kit. It will be funny to see how those turn out.

This is a picture of the self-watering indoor seed starting kit I got...pretty nifty!



Here are all my planted seeds! Everything is labeled and I can't wait for germination! I am going to have to get used to having all of this kitchen clutter...



Happy Weekend to everyone!