The Garden of 2012!

We have finally planted our garden and it has started to grow!!

About 3 weeks ago we finally put the seeds/plants in the ground. We changed some things around from last year.

We will have plenty to eat and share!

We began with 2 half rows of corn, 1 full row and 2 half rows of green beans, 3 summer squash, 3 zucchini, 3 cabbage, 6 cucumbers, 3 cauliflower, 7 broccoli, 4 banana peppers, 4 jalapeno peppers, 3 red peppers, 4 green peppers, 16 tomatoes (8 different kinds), and 8 romaine lettuce...

I wasn't lying when I said we would have enough to share!

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As of this past weekend our 3 zucchini plants bit the dust! So we went ahead and replaced 2 zucchini plants and decided to get daring...  We now have watermelon, canteloupe, spaghetti squash, and butternut squash!! There are also approximately 30 random tomato plants growing in our garden all around!! We began pulling some but I think we may leave a few that appeared in some pretty good spots!

More pictures to come! Things have grown quite a bit, especially with all the rain we have had!

A little paint can do the trick!

So during Spring Break I spent time in MD with family and here in NC at my house. I was not quite as productive as I had hoped to be but I did get the other wall of our kitchen painted! Now it finally matches the rest of it!
Here is the before:

  Here it is after primer:

Here is the after:
 It actually makes the kitchen look bigger and brighter!

 
Now all we have to do is paint the ceiling, paint the cabinets, and get new flooring!

Spring Break?!?

So spring break began yesterday at approximately 3pm. Since 3 yesterday, I worked at school until about 5pm, when I left and headed "home" to MD. I arrived at Debbie's house at about 11pm which marked bedtime! This morning I went to work at CRG with her to help screen phone calls. It is never a dull moment in that office. There are some great people there, especially the bosses! I will go back and work more with her on Monday before returning to NC.
The reason I came "home" was for the Easter holiday. I have not made it home since Christmas. It should be interesting to see how my parents have changed the house I grew up in. They finally decided (I believe) to move to NC and have been busy painting and cleaning up the old house. Chris was unable to come with me. (Boy do I dislike the scheduling where he works) Don't get me wrong, I am extremely grateful that he has a job I just think his work schedule could be better. He had off today for Good Friday, but he has to work tomorrow. Yup, it stinks!
As much as I want to relax over Spring Break, I just don't see that happening. My "to do" list continues to get bigger! I wonder what would happen if I decided to just go back to NC and do nothing but cook and scrapbook?! Too bad I did bring some school work home that I have to get done. Oh well! Maybe next year I can do that. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are all workdays though, so technically I should be working, however our principal is wonderful and understanding that we have other lives and need a break. She is allowing us to take time off or make up the time! I think I may still go in for a few hours Wednesday to clean.
When I do get back home (NC) we are going to finally plant our garden! We bought pepper plants, tomato plants, cucumber, broccoli, cabbage, and squash plants from the farmers market. I have a few more tomato plants to buy as well as green beans and corn seeds. It should be fun this year to see how we amend our garden and learn from last year. I will definitely post more consistently (I hope) this summer. (Only 38 more school days until summer!!!!)
Well it is 11:30 at night on a Friday and I am beat. It is time to go to bed so I don't spend the whole day tomorrow in bed! Hopefully I will write more while we have the week off!

Time Lapse...

Even though I had such great intentions of blogging every other week or at least monthly, I am failing. It is one of those things where you want to give enough time and attention to it that a random 5 minutes won't do, so it never happens. Maybe, just maybe I will eventually get it going more routinely.
SO a quick update...
Chris is doing well. Working like a dog as usual and enjoying the warmer weather as he begins riding his bike more.
I am making it. There are about 10 more weeks of school until summer!! I am not sure how I have made it this far. As for next year, there is no telling. Nothing is quite clear, except that it is "almost" summer!
We are beginning to plan our garden and what/how we will grow vegetables this year! That probably has me the most excited! That and we are going to a bed and breakfast the last weekend this month where I will have a cooking class with retired-presidential chefs!
It also seems as though my parents have decided to move to NC. Now to decide where and find them a house.
WIth all this in mind, I am off to bed. Time to get in it early as I am exhausted!!!

Too Busy to be the "Housewife"

So I had planned to blog about my life and adventures cooking and being a housewife. That has not worked very well since school began. Work has been kicking my butt and I have had very little time to blog let alone spend time cooking or even spend time with my husband. Anyway, enough of that before I start ranting and raving about how teaching sucks right now...

After a few light frosts and a heavy one our garden took a dump... It was great while it lasted!!

Well I have been doing some cooking and baking here and there. As far as baking goes I have made Pumpkin Bread, Banana Bread, Pumpkin Spice Cake, and Pumpkin Cookies (not at the same time - over the past few months). I have also made some different jams as well; Strawberry-Cranberry, Cranberry-Banana, Blackberry-Apple, and Mixed Fruit (Strawberry, Banana, Mango, Pineapple, Blueberry). Beth and Debbie also came to NC for Thanksgiving so we had a feast to eat!

Chris has bought 2 go-karts and sold them after playing for a little!

Chris has found a tricycle under his great uncle's house... you should really check the video out on my Facebook page! It is pretty hysterical!

Following Beth and Debbie's departure Chris and I got our very first Christmas tree! This will be the first time we will spend at home in NC. It has been nice having our own tree and lighting it up every night while we eat dinner and watch TV. One of these night we will pull out a mattress and sleep in front of it!

In the past few months I have also become quite the coupon addict. These are some of my bargains from today:

Rite Aid - Amount paid = $1.92 + $3.00 off next purchase.

Walgreens - Amount Paid = $10.76 + $3.00 Register Rewards.

 Harris Teeter - Amount Paid = $22.36 - It includes the bag too!

You could probably say I am obsessed with couponing. But hey, it works! If you have the time and need to save money it is definitely worth it!

Austin Texas Here I come!!

When I leave in the morning for school I will not return until Sunday evening.
At about 2pm I am heading to the airport in Charlotte so I can catch a flight to Austin through Detroit. In Austin I will be attending the wedding of a friend I grew up with. It will be an awesome weekend! I will also see the Danley family whom I have not seen in forever and some old college buddies! Have I said it will be a great weekend? It WILL!!
I am excited to see all these people! On top of that I get out of town!! YAY!!
So, Austin, Texas here I come!!

Apple Picking 2011!!

I am about to head out to Morganton for my annual apple picking! This year a new friend, Christy Ann, is going with me. The weather looks perfect and I am uber excited!! I will post more pictures when we get back!!
Then tonight is a Halloween party at our small group leader's house!
Sounds like a fun weekend!!