Four weeks ago I had a total knee replacement.  I feel like life is just starting to get back to normal.  Today I went back to work...though I am only working 1/2 days for a couple of weeks.  I am also chomping at the bit to get some gardening done.  Unfortunately, I will be limited in my gardening activities for a couple of months...no getting on my hands and knees and digging in the dirt.  Fortunately, I have a son-in-law and a couple of daughters that will be helping me out in the garden...though I don't sense a whole lot of excitment on their end! 

Oh well!

Today I moved most of my starts into the greenhouse...I am so hoping that they don't die!  It has warmed up here so I think they will be safe.  Here is what is out in the greenhouse now:

Impatiens...if you look closely you can see small flower buds!

These are my miniature red pepper plants.  I will soon be repotting
these in some big plastic pails.  I am going to keep these in the greenhouse
and hope that it works.  With our climate in Everett, WA...it normally does
not get hot enough for long enough to produce good peppers.  Maybe growing
them in the greenhouse will do the trick.

My tomato plants are now in the greenhouse and getting "hardened" off. 
Most of these plants will be going into the garden in a few weeks but I am also
going to grow a few in the greenhouse...to see what happens. 
I love experimenting.

My cucumbers...these are designed to grow specifically in a
greenhouse.  I will be planting another container of these tomorrow.

Here's how the greenhouse looked tonight.  By the end of the week
there will be more plants added and changes made...stay tuned.

A Wonderful Dinner

Tonight was a great night...my hubby and I working together in the kitchen to create an amazing dinner.  Tonight we whipped up some fish tacos ~ A MAZ ING!  Mike started off making the white sauce:


White Sauce for Fish Tacos


1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 lime, juiced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 tsp capers, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped


Mix all together and let it sit for awhile to allow the flavors to meld.


While he was whipping the white sauce up...I was chopping up green cabbage and making up a wicked mango/papaya salsa.


Mango/Papaya Salsa

1 cup mango and/or papaya, chunked up
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

While I was chopping and mixing...my hubby got to cooking up the cod.  Safeway has delicious cod on sale for $3.99 a pound.  I bought a couple of pounds but after tasting it...I should have bought a freezer full!  He seasoned it with some Cajun spice mixture that my brother-in-law was nice enough to leave at our house when he brought it for a dinner party.  Hubby then cooked up the fish in a pan with a bit of olive oil in it...perfection.




So here is how it worked:

Take a flour tortilla and put it on a plate, slather on some white sauce (be generous!), top with some crunchy cabbage, add the perfectly cooked fish, add some of the sweet delicious mango/papaya salsa and top with a bit more of the white sauce. 
ABSOLUTE PERFECTION! 

This was the perfect dinner ~ my favorite guy and I working together to make a meal that was incredible!

A Few More Seeds in the Ground

The good news...I planted some more seeds.  I got some onion bulbs (40+), spinach, lettuce, radishes and peas into the ground tonight ~ just one 3' row of each (more space for the onion bulbs).  I will be putting more rows in every few weeks.

What I planted:

Spinach ~ Bloomsdale, Long Standing (Ferry~Morse)
Lettuce ~ Pot & Patio Lettuce Blend (Territorial Seed Company)
Radishes ~ Cherry Belle (Ferry~Morse)
Peas ~ Organic Cascadia Bush Snap Pea (Seeds of Change)
Yellow Onion Bulbs (Lowes)

The bad news...the cauliflower, broccoli and kale starts I planted yesterday look very, very bad.  In fact, they look dead.  That scares me.  Is the compost too fresh?  It is not supposed to be.  Was it too soon to plant them?  It wasn't supposed to be.  I don't know...it makes me a little bit ill.  I will be keeping my eye on them.  Worse thing would be that I would need to buy some starts...but I really wanted to try to plant most things by seed.  But I have found through the years that gardening is not a perfect scenario...at least for me.

Here are some pics:

My work space...

My dying starts????

40+ (I lost count) yellow onion bulbs in the ground.  I still have my walla walla and red onion starts that I been trying to baby...but boy I will do things differently next year in regards to those, they are not looking so hot.

Peas, Radishes, Lettuce and Spinach in the ground...so cannot wait for those!

My hydrangea's are looking really good this year.  A couple of years ago I cut them back hard, not knowing any better and they looked pretty bad last year.  It looks like they have recovered.

My peonies are coming up.  I LOVE peonies.  I have tried over the years to grow these but they never thrived.  Now I have three that like where I put them and keep getting bigger and better each year.

UPDATE: Very, Very Sore!

Every single muscle in my body hurts...it even hurts to type this up!  No rain in the forecast this weekend in the Pacific Northwest, so it was time to get some yard work done.  Friday night found hubby and I buying two yards of compost from Bailey Compost.  This local farm began making compost from their very own dairy cows ~ love the locality of it all.  It took about an hour for us both to spread that two yards of yummy smelling compost between the four vegetable beds.  It is still really wet compost but it should be drying out now in the next few weeks (crossing my finger as I type that).

We got through the compost so fast that we decided to go get a yard of mulch from Topsoils NW ~ they have a beautiful dark black mulch that I love putting in my flower beds.  For the first time in the almost 24 years I have been married to my hubby...he even WEEDED one of the flower beds.  He was awarded by getting stuck in the face by a branch and now has a lovely cut on his face.  I have little hope of him ever weeding again...but I sure appreciated his help on this day. 

Here are some pictures of our weekend of work:

Our truck loaded with two yards of compost!

4 vegetable beds full of dark black compost.  In a few months, I hope they are filled with tons of thriving vegetables!

.
It was then on to planting my broccoli, kale and cauliflower starts.  I put 11 each starts of broccoli and cauliflower.  I only planted 2 kale starts.  I will grow more kale from seed beginning in a few weeks.

UPDATE:  My broccoli, kale and cauliflower starts all died.  I am not sure what I was thinking by taking them directly from a warm cozy home with a nice bright grow light and throwing them directly into the cold, wet dirt.  OF COURSE I should have hardened them off first...complete brain freeze.  Thankfully kale will grow from seed so I will replant that outside this weekend.  I may or may not buy some broccoli or cauliflower starts...I'll think some more about it.

Next up...herbs.  I planted LOT's of basil (Genovese & Sweet...both are Ferry~Morse), Oregano (also Ferry~Morse), Rosemary (also Ferry~Morse) and Cilantro (Sabor...Botanical Interests).  I will see how the Cilantro works out...it says on the package that they do not recommend starting inside.  In a few weeks I will direct sow. 

Here is my greenhouse all set up for this year.  I have my onion starts in there.  They seem to be doing fine.  It is pretty amazing how much warmer it stays in that little space.  I hope to grow radishes and lettuces all througout the winter next year.

I started one planter of cucumbers that are meant to be grown in the greenhouse.  I will plant a second container in a week or two.  The cucumber seeds came from Territorial Seed Company and are called Organic Manny Hybrid.  Cukes have not done a thing for me in the past so I am really anxious to see how these work. (That's our yorkie, Beau, checking things out.)

Next up:  in the next week I will be direct sowing lettuce, kale, spinach, carrot, peas and radishes.  Just a week ago (last Sunday) it snowed a couple of inches ~ now it feels like spring.  I hope spring keeps winning out. 

Still under my grow light ~ 4 different tomatoes...which are growing like weeds!, a variety of herbs, a flat of miniature red peppers and my impatiens. 

Easter decorations are up and gardening has begun...yahoo!

It's a Garden Blog but I am not Blogging Much...

Jeez ~ where has March gone?  I have been busy...and apparently too busy to blog. 


I spent the past weekend doing my Spring Cleaning...with the help of my favorite youngest daughter.  I must be clear that she only helped in an effort to re-earn her allowance that she had lost earlier due to a lack of participation in her monthly chores.  She did earn it back...she worked her butt off.

This week is all about gardening.  I cleaned 3 out of my 4 veggie patches today and will hopefully get the other one cleaned out on Thursday.

My hubby and I are planning to go to a local farm in Snohomish to pickup a couple of yards of compost to smother our garden beds in...which means Saturday will find me busy with a wheelbarrow and shovel. 

Here is where my garden stands as of today:

Here is my grow operation:  I have (1) 4' grow light that my wonderful hubby built for me and 2 heat mats that are currently under my red pepper starts and tomato starts.

Here are my onions that I planted on February 11th.  I have some Walla Walla's (Territorial Seed) and a Red Bull (Territorial Seed) onion which are supposed to have a longer shelf life.  These are a month old and still looking a bit wimpy.  I am crossing my fingers that I can transplant them in a month. 

This tray has a combination of some Snow Crown Cauliflower, Belstar Hybrid Broccoli and Nero Di Toscana Kale (all are Territorial Seed).  I hope to get these in to the greenhouse to start hardening them up a bit and then get them in the ground in very soon.  (YES!  I have a green house that my hubby bought me for Christmas.  It is 6x8 and I am excited to start utilizing it).  These seeds were planted February 26th.

These are impatiens...my VERY favorite flower.  I always have these growing all summer long in a 3-tier basket next to my front door.  I just love how delicate they look but how tough they really are.  These were planted March 5th.

The front tray are my Miniature Red Bell Peppers (Territorial Seed).  I am hoping that I can actually grow some of these.  We normally don't have a long enough or hot enough summer to satisfy bell peppers.  But these are miniatures and seem to mature faster than the normal sized ones.  These were planted March 5th. 

Next...26 tomatoes!  Types planted:  Abe Lincoln, Big Red, Beefsteak and Roma.  All these seeds are Ferry-Morse except for the Beefsteak which were a freebie from the Northwest Flower & Garden Show...and doesn't say what brand.  These seeds were planted march 19th.

By the way...happy Spring!  I am hearing that Friday and Saturday have sun in the forecast ~ yahoo!

Grocery Budget ~ February Wrap Up

I went over budget in February...but not too bad.

If I had paid full retail...I would have paid $856.30 for my groceries in February.

What did I pay?  $296.59 ~ $46.59 over budget

Savings?  $556.14!

Not to bad.  I love knowing that I saved $556.14 in groceries...in ONE month.

I have to admit that I am taking a bit of a hiatus from couponing ~ I am burned out a bit.  In the meantime, I will still stay within my $250.00 budget for March and just coupon when I feel more like it. 

Holy Crap!

I have been floundering a bit with my Weight Watchers program. Last week I gained .6 pounds...and I deserved it. My new goal is to journal every bite I put in my mouth and to up my exercise to an hour a day for 6 days this week.

That being said...I took my favorite youngest daughter and her friend to Baskin and Robbins last night. I self-talked myself into a scoop of ice cream...that would fit in with my remaining daily points. However, I somehow heard myself ordering a Reeces Peanut Butter Cup Sundae. I then found myself licking the container after I finished eating every single bite. All the while thinking...okay, this is about 15 points...I can make it work.

Fast forward to this morning...I made myself log onto the Baskin and Robbins website to determine just how many points I ate.

I was shocked...

                                         I was digusted...

80 grams of fat...
109 grams of carbs...
1220 calories!!!

HOLY CRAP!

Points? 34 point plus.

What does that mean?  It will take me 4.25 hours of exercise to wear these points off! 

HOLY CRAP!

Homemade Syrup, Homemade Ranch and a Flour Tortilla Update

I am going to live!  This afternoon, after being sick for 5 days, home from work for two days...I am going to survive my very nasty cold.  My gosh...this was one of the worst colds I have had in a loooonnngggg time...it kicked my butt!

However, today I ONLY took two small naps, took a stroll to soak in some unexpected sunshine and made some homemade tortillas.  I am ready to head back to work tomorrow.

Here are a couple of recipes I made before I hit the couch for an extended stay:

Homemade Maple Syrup

1 cup water

1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp. maple flavored extract

Bring the water and both sugars to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in the maple extract.  Simmer three minutes longer; can be stored in the refrigerator. 

Next up ~ our favorite ranch dressing.  This recipe was created by the Everett Public Schools Food & Nutrition department.  We needed to find a good dressing, that kids would like, but had less sodium.  This recipe is a winner.  My hubby LOVE's this dressing.  Feel free to tweak the onion and garlic powder if you like a little less bite or a bit more.

Ranch Dressing

2 cups buttermilk, low fat
3/4 cup mayonnaise, light
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. parsley, dried
2 tsp. granulated sugar

Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Dressing will thicken as it sits.   Keep refrigerated.

and a Flour Tortilla Update...

I made homemade flour tortillas tonight for our steak fajitas...they were wonderful.  I used barely any flour when I kneaded and rolled them out and I cooked them at a lower temp for less time; these changes created a really good tortilla.  Next time I will cut the salt in half.  I could taste the salt and I don't think it is necessary to have it be such a bold flavor.

Last but not least...rumor is that Albertson's will be having double coupons in this upcoming Sunday paper...woo hoo!

Really Sick but Still Had to Coupon!

Ugh ~ my last three day weekend until the end of May and I am sick.  I had planned on heading over to Whidbey Island for a couple of days but...I am home sick with a pretty good cold.  I did send my favorite youngest daughter over there so she could get some relief from a whining mom.  I am a BIG baby when I am sick and do my best to make everyone around me miserable.  Fortunately for them...they left me to fend for myself. 

In the midst of my severe sinus congestion and ringing, itchy ears...I remembered I had two coupons set to expire.  Yikes...I am NOT going to waste $5.00 worth coupons, God forbid!

First up ~ Fred Meyers.  I had a $3.00 coupon to use along with a couple of $2.00 off coupons AND my Rewards Card rebate of $5.49 PLUS a coupon for a free Totino's Party Pizza.  So I had a total of $12.49 of free money plus a free pizza coupon...and here is what I got:

6 pack of hoagy rolls, 6 banana's, 2# of cheese, package of turkey pepperoni and a lime

Retail:  $12.58,   Total Paid: 9 cents! ~ just about a 100% savings!

Next up...Walgreens.  I had a $2.00 Register Reward that I needed to spend or it would expire as well.  I needed Tums.  I had a $1.00 coupon so I used it along with $2.00 Register Reward to get a good price.  Unfortunately, my favorite youngest daughter was with me and just LOVED this kind of juice...and since I was in a cold medicine fog ~ I gave in and bought it for her. 



Retail:  $6.51  Paid: $3.51  ~  47% Savings

I would really love to have a good stock up deal on Tums!

That is all the shopping I could muster...it is time for another nap.

A GREAT Deal and NO Coupon Needed

Here's your chance to get a great deal at Safeway and no coupons are needed:

These Icee's are on sale at Safeway for $1.49 per 4-pack.  However, if you buy 3 packages...you save $3.00 instantly!  So each package would only cost 49 cents.  That means that each individual Icee cost 12 cents. 

I have 6 packages in my freezer and plan to get more. 

Is this another sign that summer is coming?

Thanks CouponConnections for sharing this on your website.

CouponConnections.com is a GREAT website that is local and she features the deals that are going on locally. She was also featured on Extreme Couponing ~ so she knows her stuff.  Go to her site and subscribe to her daily email...she shows you how to make couponing easy!