Green thumb is the way, where's yours?

Amid all the stories out in the news world of food shortage worldwide, I just felt that it was folly to not start a garden for our family. It is right up our alley of eating healthier and eating local and I will know EXACTLY how it is grown. So after much research and book reading and blog pursuing I settled on the Square Foot Gardening technique. Casey gave me a super generous Home Depot gift card for my birthday, which I immediately started spending while drafting my plans.

The ready bed, complete with trellis and square grid.

Waiting for filler, trellis and grid.

So far I have two beds built, one ready for our many seedlings, the other needing some more compost and filler. I also have one extra tall bed ready to be assembled which will house and grow our potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots and pumpkins( which will grow vertical on a trellis).

Sugar snap peas, I am going to keep this batch in this pot because they are all ready trailing. That's okay cause I am planning on starting more in the beds. There are also come varieties of lettuce in the white pot.

Green to red bell peppers, yum.

Seriously, so happy with my beds, which I built on my own with the help of Lisa and Alex. Seriously so happy to be moving our various seedlings into their squares and sowing the seeds that I have been waiting on. Seriously so happy that we will have an abundance of food that we will have grown and know from seed. So happy.

Tons of tomatoes, more bells this time yellow, a bucket of carrots, strawberries, and more lettuce with some basil hidden around and a nosey Pen-Pen.

SofaKing Excited as Casey would say

Oh yeah we are excited, seven days here as a duo. SoFaKing Excited.

More excitement

I just can't hold it back any more because I am just bubbling over with excitement...

Casey and I are going on a trip in June/July that requires a passport and the destination has temples!!!!

SO FREAKING EXCITED!!!!!

7 days and counting

• We have seven days till we leave on our family vacation.
• Alex is missing out on 6 days of school, sorry school.
• I have much to do to get ready to leave, amazing how long my to-do list is.
• We are very excited to see family!
• We are also very excited to fly again!
• Alex and I talked tonight about how we will miss all our puppies and they will miss us.
• I will miss our garden too.
• I can't wait to see Napoleon-ville.
• I am excited!!!!

This sums it up

These pretty much sum up Lisa's visit.

King's Chair
Agave Wine, after Monster Nachos and double Margi's.
Carrot Cake with the best Cream Cheese Frosting ever!
Bear Moon pastries.
Chicken Cheesey Spaghetti, she DROOLED in her plate.
Mid Cavern Hike
Getting ready for the caves.

Alex and the Bat Guano Mountain. You have no idea how big this MOUNTAIN is.
Our Home Depot Adventure, an entirely different post.
Watch me Swing.
Bear Moon lunch, Eggplant sandwiches and ham and Swiss quiche.
The Frog Seizures.

Good Morning Coffee

Oh Happy Coffee day. This made a 6:30am grooming drop off time bearable, along with a Naked OJ and apple fritter for Alex. Oh happy day.

31 for 31

31 Facts about Nicole from the last year.

1. I haven't cut my hair in over a year.


2. I cannot turn away a dog in need.


3. Trashy Reality TV still rules IMHO.


4. I rode in a tiny tiny plane for the first time this year and LOVED it.


5. My Fiber stash has grown so much from so many gifts, mostly from my mom. Thanks Mom!


6. I finally tackled the horrid yellow bathroom and replaced it with lovely shades of gray.


7. I can bake an awesome loaf of bread.


8. I had 12 crazy days of panties.


9. I greeted the sun more mornings then not.


10. I learned how to needle felt, now wait till you see the Gnomes!


11. I cooked a thanksgiving dinner like no other.


12. I took a blog break to regroup and find my touchstones again.


13. I have been mothering a 2nd grader, God the time comes so fast.


14. I got to tell Casey all about Dirty Dancing and NOT change the channel.


15. We lost a sweet sweet super dog and my heart still clinches when I see a picture of him.


16. I drove home through the worse weather I have ever been in and was stranded from Alex for two days, two long stressful water filled days.


17. I got crafty with fabric and my vanity chair.


18. I helped birth a friends baby, who is now not so small and who smiles so wide when he sees me.


19. I captured Alex's Old Soul Eyes.


20. I gave proof that my craft hording is genetic.


21. I touched based with a friend from WAY back int he day, first time in 17 years.


22. I fell in love with new music.


23. I fell in love with our new bed and flannel sheets of course.


24. I started a garden!


25. I went a bit more hippie.


26. I finally made our kitchen our kitchen not just a place. And now everyone loves it even more.


27. I baked some damn good Apple Pies.


28. I had In-n-Out for the first time in four years. With Juno and Mister Man Love time. Perfect night.


29. I loved ALOT.


30. I was a good shot.


31. I turned 31!

Hockey for the pre-birthday bash!

This evening we went to a Rampage game with a bunch of friends and our kids. There was crazy amounts of chips and hot dogs and soda. There is jumbo tron time for everyone including all of us moms doing the Animal House dance, you know the one with a Little bit softer Now, a Little Bit Louder now.

Shout Animal House

I swear all that was involved to get us to do that dance was nachos with super jalapenos and diet Coke.

It was a fun time had by all, and the boys were crazy hockey monkeys.

Good times.

Life is still good.

Birthday dinner thank you

Oh my tummy is saying a big thank you to Casey.

Oh my mouth is thanking him too for the fabulous fare he gave us.

Oh my heart is happy and full and loved.

Thank you Mister Man for a fabulous birthday dinner, it was perfect, the feel was so very me, and the vegetarian platter was worth it.

*********

Casey took us and my parents to a Very Nicole restaurant for dinner today. In fact it is being featured on the food networks Diners, Drive-thrus and Dives this month and it was perfectly hippie, organic, tasty, and spicy. Lovely food was had all around from the Melt Down sandwich to the grass fed beef burger to the spring mix grilled apple salad. So yummy. Such happy food. Especially with a pear cider and a restaurant dog to pick up some tasty scraps.

Oh happy times.

Life is Good.

The Klutz Curse, I was hexed!

I am broken. And it is all a bricks fault! I broke my pinky toe tonight, stubbed it on a brick and now I have it all taped up to my second toe. Damn it hurts.

Casey hexed me...

BETTY NEWS***

She is much better today, and is actually walking around and going up the stairs slowly. Every once and a while she cries out, so we are keeping her on her pain meds till that goes away. Poor thing is a trooper! Hopefully she will be completely mended soon.

We have a doped dog folks!

I spent the early part of the evening at the Emergency Vet with Betty. Sweet Betty was not her usual self. She wouldn't eat, she wouldn't come downstairs, she wouldn't put weight on her back leg, and she yelped when touched. Our warning flags went up as soon as we cataloged all these issues because she had her vaccine boosters yesterday, and alot of those signs are signs of an allergic reaction to the shots.

So off Betty and I went to the emergency vet, while my mom stayed at home with Alex. Turns out we were the first patients of the night and our vet was super nice and very gentle with our old girl. Some how Betty dislocated her right back leg and then popped it back in, but with some muscle or tissue pinched between the socket and joint. Her groin muscle was as big as my fist and so tight.

An hour later she is doped up and probably seeing purple Elephants float past her bed, she is drooling like it is in Style, and Alex was incredibly happy to see our Betty again. I think he thought she wouldn't be coming back through the door tonight. But she did and now has a week's worth of meds to get through. Here's hoping that the chicken bits I am going to hide her meds in stay down tomorrow!

PS: I am really really glad that she is okay and came home tonight. The emergency vet was the same one Casey took Twain too, and they remembered them.

PPS: One great thing about my mom being at the house tonight was she CLEANED! I think she even tackled our microwave. Yippy!

PPPS: She also brought these, but you only get to see a teaser until I can get a good shot.

3 down 2 Wild ones to go!

I have to get all the dogs updated on their vaccines this month, which, due to a time crunch, means taking multiple dogs into the vet at once. Today I piled Betty, Archie, and Penny in the car and we went early to the vet to be the first group in line for their shot clinic.

Everyone stayed true to their personalities. Archie was out going and happy with EVERYONE. Betty was oblivious you were there until she saw your hands and then she was determined to get you to pet her. Penny was suspicious and grumpy. Penny, sweet Penny, hates the vets, and pretty much hates leaving the yard and her routine. Poor thing was worried about the shopping carts and stockers at PetSmart. She was anxious about the cat in the crate next to us. She was irritated with Archie's leash that kept getting tangled in her legs. And then she had to make nice with a lady who wanted to see her teeth, ears, eyes, and take her temperature in a very uncomfortable place.

So I muzzled her, and felt so bad when I saw her HUGE eyes and worried face. But she did stop her nervous growling and eventually ate the offered treats. Poor thing will not want to get in the car ever again. Now all three pups are passed out due to the excitement and booster vaccines they got. Which leaves Bella and Jenna to be two crazy wild dogs left to their own devices. Which means trouble, unless I fill up the puppy pool.

Next week, Bella and Jenna get to visit the vet, which should be interesting!

Walking with the Goldie Fishes

AAAAhhhhh, nothing beats falling in love with a new pair of shoes. Well, actually, there are plenty of things better, but today, this one earns the cherry. My mom gave me an early birthday gift, of these fun goldfish sequined shoes. And my heart is happy and cheerful and grinning. No really, there is a big old grin plastered on my heart all because of these shoes. I am a simple girlie to please.

Our "Waiting" Room

Waiting for an opening in the rotation.
Waiting to be hung.
Waiting for tonight.Waiting for Muffins.
Waiting for Us.
Waiting to be read.Waiting for Curtains.

24 hours to go...

By this time tomorrow night, I will be done with a big stress in my life, our cub scout banquet. I just finished up the centerpiece that I had to make, and if I say so myself, it turned out pretty good. Our banquet theme is Magic, so I went with wands shooting flowers, magic doves, and floating magician hands all set in a black top hat. With some blue and gold tossed in for the cub scout theme.

This banquet has brought out the worse in two prima donna mothers, who both want everything in this banquet to be perfect for only their sons. *sigh* A handful of us other mothers are totally going to hit up the margaritas once this night is done, and we are done with those mothers for good. Thank god for a light at the end of the tunnel.

Watch this.

Take the twenty minutes it will take you to watch this and REALLY listen. A fabulous explaination of Stuff, what the price of all this stuff is, and what you can do to help.

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

A perfect example of the Brainless Month I had

March, oh how I hated this March. I will be the first to admit that I am a scatterbrain, a total scatterbrain. But I honestly don't mean to be one, I do have the best intentions, I just get distracted very easily. But in March, I was horrible. I could literally forget something 5 minutes after saying/doing/committing to it. I was bad and then I discovered that I wasn't the only one who was march ScatterBrained, and that did make me feel a little better. Unless they were humoring me, which is a possibility. Anyways... Here is a perfect example of my scattterbrainedness. (Oh a new word!)

I gave the Muffins a bath, oh how I love to give them baths so they are clean and sweet smelling and not nappy. And then I promptly let them go outside while they were still wet. Casey called me back downstairs about 15 minutes after I let them out and Archie was COVERED in dirt. He must have spent all 15 minutes rolling in the one patch of dirt we have in the yard. It was everywhere and he needed a new bath and some time with the blow dryer. I had to rinse him in the second bath for 5 minutes before the water ran clear from his coat. And I have to admit that I didn't give Betty another bath because she didn't leave the deck and plus she is black so you can't see the dirt. LOL!

Damn I am such a scatterbrain. And I blame March, which is one of the reasons why I am glad that it is April!