Unpacking the bags and setting up and planting lilacs and buttercups

We finally have our first garden bed put in! We're not yet moved into the actual house, but we have a garden! Tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, Thai basil, sweet basil, cucumbers, and rosemary! These, mind you, are not from seed. I got fed up and bought a few plants. I do have my third batch of seeds and a couple of survivors from the second round that are well on there way to being transplanted into our second raised bed. My thumb is slowly turning green :-) OH! I almost forgot to mention my amazing watering can from the amazing Liberty of London line at Target. God bless Target for bringing affordable design to mommas on a budget.

Now, all we need are some yard gnomes.

Progress - Definitely Not Perfection

Tomatoes

Okra (Swiss Chard & Onion trying to get in the shot)

My first round of seedlings encountered some loss thanks to me being a newbie in seed starting. I over watered them and they weren't receiving enough light in the north facing window sill I had them in (you should put them in a south facing window) So, about half of them are goners. Most of them were lettuce varieties, beets, kale, swiss chard, and a few onions. So hopefully I wasn't too late for the remaining tomatoes, basil, parsley and peppers. I'll keep you updated.

I've since planted the second round which includes spinach and succession plants from the previous batch (more tomatoes, lettuce and onions) and I replanted what I lost. It probably seems like I'm overdoing it, but I'd like to try to enjoy garden fresh produce year round and I'd like to share with friends and family.  I spent hours planning and and researching, so hopefully it will pay off.

Here's a few great resources for gardening in NW Florida that have been very helpful to me:

• Florida Gardening Calendar Tips for what to plant and regular maintenance every month.
• Vegetable Guide (Table 3 was VERY helpful during my planning)
• You Grow Girl I have the book, but the website has even more great info and pretty pictures. The author, Gayla Trail, has a new book called "Grow Great Grub: Organic Food From Small Spaces."

Planting & Purpose

I planted seeds last week (January 21st). I planned out four 4X4 raised beds. So far I have planted Romaine, Tomatoes, Sweet & Hot Peppers, Leaf Lettuce, Beets, Onions, Basil, Parsley, Bok Choi and Cherry Tomatoes. Everything has germinated so far. I hope I can keep at least half of the seedlings alive. My compost is started and I'm hoping to make a couple of rain bins.

Cameron and I are very interested in what they're calling "Urban Homesteading." I just call it back to basics.

We're starting with the vegetable garden this year and in the next few will hopefully venture into raising poultry, planting fruit trees, home brewing, canning/preserving, needlework etc.

There are so many blogs and books with tutorials and great information. I'll have to pick through my faves and share them here. I'm sharing this information because I think that this blog is going in the direction of tracking our experience and growth as "Urban Homesteaders" I will probably change the name of my blog to correspond with it's purpose and hopefully will get a new look and some kind of logo. Maybe...if I'm successful enough I'll even do tutorials and giveaways!

Here's the family that gave me the final push of inspiration I needed to start really making efforts in transforming our lifestyle. Meet the Dervaes family.

Rainy Days and Two Stuffy Noses

Stella and I have had a cold for the last couple of days, so I am behind on many things. I haven't been alive for breakfast. Haven't had access to a camera. As soon as I have the energy I need to plant seeds for our vegetable garden. That's my "Do something...anything!" goal for the week.

Isn't it a little funny how I get sick after I worked out for 4 days in a row? Now I have to get re-motivated. Blah.

Kitchen Garden Planner

Spring is around the corner! Time to start planning my garden. I came across a really awesome tool from Gardner's Supply Company. It's a Kitchen Garden Planner. They have pre-planned gardens, or you can design your own. It's super easy to use. It tells you how many plants to plant per square foot and how to take care of each type. There is also have a Vegetable Encyclopedia and you can print and e-mail your plan. I love free online resources!

Baby, It's cold outside!

We're still here it's just too darn cold to do anything! I won't bore you with the daily ins and outs.

My friend Sara made Stella's adorable Berry Hat with a matching blanket. She found the pattern here but there is a similar one Ravelry (and it's free!) Ravelry is such a great resource for knitting/crocheting There are many free patterns and others are for sale. If only I could knit or crochet. There are so many things I would like to make Maybe I'll learn this year...

Breakfast on a Whim

January 4th begins our family's "New Year". We decided it was kind of hard to start resolutions on a Saturday morning.
Stella fell asleep at 11:30 last night! I was so excited I could be asleep before midnight, but of course I lay awake thinking about all the activities and projects and saving goals and mini vacations and gardening plans and lunch dates I'd like to accomplish. So, this morning I finally rolled out of bed 20 minutes before Cameron had to leave for work. I managed to whip together fresh coffee, breakfast and lunch! We had leftover turkey breast, a sunny-side up egg, and half a banana with peanut butter. Did I mention the coffee?

Now Stella and I are enjoying listening to Jack Johnson and pretending the sunlight pouring in the house is the source of our warmth. (Thanks heater!)

Oh and since breakfast wasn't picture worthy, here's an inspiring one!

Whole Living Community

I joined the Whole Living Community from Martha Stewart today. They have put together a 4-week Whole Body Action Plan that starts on January 4th (you can start whenever you'd like). It's very flexible with plenty of 'approved' recipes you can make or use as inspiration as well as a list of foods to include and avoid. There are all kinds of calculators: BMI, Ideal Weight, etc. There's even a printable food journal and a daily newsletter - all FREE! If you join add me as a friend :-)

New Year's Resolution

I have an endless list of to-do's and plenty of weight to lose, but the resolution I'm going to give the most attention is to eat breakfast at the table with my husband and daughter every morning. I tested a recipe this morning I came across on my favorite food blog, A Veggie Venture. I made the Stove Top Oatmeal with Whipped Banana. I've never been a big oatmeal fan unless it was the packaged fruity kind, so if you're not fond of or used to plain oatmeal - be warned. Next time I will add a little honey or agave nectar.

Pumpkin Galore!

One morning at a La Leche League meeting, a woman brought cookies in that looked  delicious. My friend's daughter was eating one and once I smelled hers I knew I had to taste one. It was the best cookie I had ever eaten! I asked her what she put in them and she said, "Pumpkin, cranberries and oatmeal." So I came home, googled it and came across these Pumpkin-Cranberry Oatmeal cookies on an amazing food blog called Sugarcrafter that featured these cookies and has step by step pictures for every recipe! It worked out perfect because I had a bag of Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats sitting around I needed to use up. I have made the cookies three  times already! I will probably never get back to my pre-pregnancy weight thanks to these guys.

Two notes about her recipe:
I added an additional 1/4 cup of pumpkin
They come out best if you chill the dough overnight

To use the remaining pumpkin from the can I bought, I made the Pumpkin Blondies from her blog which have been a huge hit with everyone. I left out the coconut and cut the cloves and nutmeg in half to suit my preferences.