Green thumb?

After a long back breaking weekend, we have a fully planted garden. It was good for me I am sure, since my muscles were so sore I could barely walk the following Monday... We put in all the absolute necessities; peas, carrots, beans, potatoes, onions, beats, lettuce, leeks, spinach, tomatoes, hot peppers, and strawberries. I started with a trip to Holes Greenhouse and Canadian Tire, and with seeds, potting soil, and tools in hand I was ready to start. Feeling like a rookie, I brought Lois' book outside with me to reference if necessary. I created stakes from the branches of the fallen fruit tree that lie in the back corner of the yard, and tied string between them to ensure I ended up with straight rows. Once everything was in the soil, I marked the rows with my new favorite rock markers. We have had two days of pouring rain, so with a little sun we should have sprouting veggie plants soon.

Love this!

Since I have garden on the brain... I found this cute idea for marking rows in the garden.

Garden Garden Garden

Ready for spring? Yes Maam! This year will be the first year that I attempt to grow my own vegetable garden, and I am exited! My Mom and Grandmother both have incredibly green thumbs, and I am hoping that I have inherited some of their skill. We have built a raised bed for our veggies and have filled it with garden soil rich with mushroom manure (whatever that is). Once the garden bed was ready to be planted, I took a trip to Holes Greenhouse for some inspiration and advice. I picked up seeds of the staples; carrots, potatoes, lettuce, spinach, peas, beans, and onions. And of course Lois Holes book on vegetables. She is the ultimate goddess of the garden. Her book is filled with tips and tricks of the trade that I hope will maximize my veggie yield. I will blog along my growing journey. Stay tuned...

G is for Gilding

Alright I know I skipped a few letters here, but I could not help but skip past Clay and Decoupage for this one. What girl doesn't like a little gold and silver. I first saw gilding done while watching Debbie Travis. She coated the underside of a gorgeous claw foot bathtub in silver, it was stunning, and I was an instant fan. Our bathroom renovation was lacking a little shine, and I thought the mirror frame was the perfect spot to try gilding.  I admit, I was a bit intimidated by the incredibly thin sheets of silver, but with Martha's instructions made it quite simple to work with. Thrilled with how it turned out, I am on the look out for other rooms that are in need of a little glamour.

Here comes Peter Cottontail

We wanted to give our two year old a great Easter basket without stuffing it full with candy and chocolate. A puzzle, bubbles, and paints fill the majority of his basket this year. We did tuck a few treats inside, and we made sure to finish up our morning with a Lindt bunny hunt.

I love, and I mean LOVE Jamie Oliver. He has a brilliant way of making complex and flavorful dishes so easy. I chose to prepare his 'Best Turkey' recipe this Easter. It definitely lived up to it's name. Ground pork, prosciutto, and apricot stuffing is tucked between the breasts and the skin. Delicious.

Baby's got blue... bathroom.

Easter weekend provided my husband and I the opportunity to get some much needed home reno time in. The first mess we decided to take on was our main bathroom. A very small space (about four feet by five feet), with a blue tub and toilet, terrible blue plastic tub surround, worn linoleum on the floor, and plastic 'base boards'.  It was begging to be updated. First I ripped down the old tub surround and patched the holes beneath. Then I picked up some glossy white ceramic 8 by 10 tiles and went to work. Take a look at the progress so far...

Beading down!

I conquered beading today. My day began with a trip to Michaels, one of my very favorite stores, unfortunately my two year old son does not share my love. As soon as the automatic doors opened he screamed, "I DON'T LIKE IT, LETS GET OUTTA HERE!" After a quick detour to the toy section I made a turn towards what I came for... beads. Martha's beading section of her Craft Encyclopedia is filled with little beaded blooms and bugs. I chose to take on a little bumble bee. So I picked out some black and gold glass beads. Martha's directions are really easy to follow and it only took a few moments, I think it would be really cute buzzing though a little girls braid.