Square Foot Gardening

Well, I finally got my garden planted. This square foot gardening is the slickest thing. I can't imagine gardening any other way. Maleah is having a lot of fun helping with it too. My husband is even helping. Hallelujah! We planted tomatoes, peppers, marigolds, carrots, beans, basil, onions and cucumbers. I ran out of room in the square foot box, so I started some container planting of lettuce and spinach. I need to get more soil and containers to plant even more spinach and lettuce since I am using those two things almost daily for my green smoothies. I can save a ton of money by growing them myself.

Green Smoothies

I wanted to share with you a perfect and easy way for you to get your fruits and veggies in on a daily basis. Green Smoothies. I started making these a couple of days ago and I'm hooked. I am already feeling the difference physically. More energy and less hunger. All you need is a good blender. Add 1-2 cups of water, depending on how thick you want it, and then add your greens. The darker in color the better. I like using kale and spinach. Romain lettuce is good too. Use a couple of good handfuls of the greens. Blend this up into liquid. Then add your fruit. I like any combination of cut up apples, kiwi, frozen blueberries, fresh bananas, and pineapple. If you really want to make it healthy add flax oil. It is one of those must haves foods/supplements. Flax oil (which I get at my local health food store) promotes cardiovascular health, colon health and healthy skin. It contains high quality protein, lots of fiber, and lots of vitamins and minerals. I highly recommend it.

If you want to see smoothies being made or just want to get inspired, go to youtube.com and type in green smoothies in the search engine. There are lots of good videos on there. I challenge you to drink just one smoothie a day (preferably in the morning) and see if you don't feel different! Here's to your health!

A wonderful Mother's Day!

I had such a wonderful Mother's Day. My husband got up with our 4 year old daughter and let me sleep in until 7:30. Woo hoo! My daughter came in to wake me up because she was so excited. She said I had a surprise in the kitchen. Jarod (my 16 year old son), who is so sweet and so generous, had put this "display" together on the kitchen table. He went all out. I could hardly believe it. He got me (on his own with his own money) a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble, a real white gold and diamond necklace, a huge bouquet of flowers and a bunch of my favorite organic skincare, which I know was not inexpensive. He got 7 bars of soap, lotion, room spray and a jar of salve. He even went that morning and got me a cup of coffee from one of my favorite coffee shops. I almost cried I was so overwhelmed. Oh, and my daughter (and daddy) made me a card, which is the one in the picture that is standing up.

After church we went and ate at Cheesecake Factory on the Plaza (an upscale shopping area in Kansas City) and then walked around. Oh, I also got to get a new pair of shoes the day before, so I told my husband that was my Mother's Day present from him. It's the practical things that count, you know. I had such a lovely day. My hubby and kids made me feel very special. It's days like this when you truly feel appreciated.

Another bulletin board...

I got this picture about 4 years ago from an antique store in Texas and it has been sitting in my basement collecting dust ever since. I got it because I liked the frame. I finally figured out what to do with it.

I painted it an antique white color and distressed it (sanded it). I then glued a cork board over the picture and then screwed in four hooks at the bottom. I'm going to hang it on the wall right above my computer desk and put some of the papers on there that are taking over my desk.

Bulletin Board

Here is my first bulletin board that I made. I think this will be one of many. It was fun to do. I took an old picture frame and painted it. I then wrapped batting and fabric around a cork board and stapled it with a staple gun. I used tacks to hold the ribbon in place and then used a glue gun to put a button on the top of the tacks. It was a lot of fun and I'm very happy with the results.

Zucchini-Avocado Salsa

I just had the most amazing salsa ever! A couple of years ago I started making my own pico de gallo (chunky salsa) with homegrown tomatoes. We lived off of that stuff because it was so good. Well, I just tried this new salsa recipe that is just as good, if not better, and I had to share it. This tastes best when made with fresh, organic ingredients.

2 small zucchini, diced (about 2 cups)
1 cup of fresh or frozen corn
2 green onions, sliced
2 medium avocados, diced
2 Tbs. of fresh lime juice
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 Tbs. chopped up fresh cilantro
dash of hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste


Steam zucchini and corn together for just 2 or 3 minutes until colors are bright. Place in a bowl with remaining ingredients and stir together and chill for at least one hour. And that's it! You can also add 1-2 tomatoes chopped up, which I did. I think that gives it more flavor.

I had some left over grilled chicken breast that I chopped up and put on the side to make it a complete meal. I also ate the salsa with those Tostitos that have a hint of lime. YUM!!!

It's been way too long...

I can't believe how long it's been since I last blogged. I have been soooo busy. Lots of changes. Let's see, there was Christmas, in which my parents came and stayed with us for a week; and then there was the big move. Yes, we finally moved to a bigger house that accommodates our family better. I have been busy trying to get everything put away and making the house look nice. There are so many things I would like to do and buy for the house, but financially, we just can't do it all right now. Little by little it will get there. I have included pictures. Everything is in it's place, but I haven't hung very many pictures. I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do in each room; although, Maleah's room is done, except she is still sleeping in her toddler bed because we need to get mattresses for the bunkbeds. If you have any suggestions let me know. I always welcome new ideas! I will add more pics later.