tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14173652916706537262024-02-19T23:22:43.341-08:00Bees and ApplesAbout canning, hunting, and other aspects of life on a small-scale farm in North Carolina. Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06519586222546188281noreply@blogger.comBlogger159125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417365291670653726.post-16001397929448368962017-03-24T18:58:00.001-07:002017-03-24T18:58:47.508-07:00No-Dig Planting Technique <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5shpY-tqUu2O99oo6x7O1Heyza5aTEjsSgBdas9LvsFYfFItCm5gK8vo1Z6bCrNCmoP0fAfFwhmVRy5RdwNh8qKDd4GYhFlBCddOkcY1OnIS2Kiw7q1KaSz789PhUnLNQBfA3Ze6ZxKnl/s1600/IMG_0485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5shpY-tqUu2O99oo6x7O1Heyza5aTEjsSgBdas9LvsFYfFItCm5gK8vo1Z6bCrNCmoP0fAfFwhmVRy5RdwNh8qKDd4GYhFlBCddOkcY1OnIS2Kiw7q1KaSz789PhUnLNQBfA3Ze6ZxKnl/s320/IMG_0485.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I ordered 2 honeyberry bushes and 2 raspberries, and they arrived recently.<br />
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I wanted to plant them in the middle of our circular drive which gets full sun, but has really crappy dirt.<br />
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My options were either to dig REALLY BIG holes and amend the snot out of the bad dirt, or skip the bad dirt problem altogether.<br />
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I first put down a layer of cardboard to block weeds, then put down a good 10" - 12" of good dirt and compost, and topped it with bark mulch.<br />
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I've used this basic method several times before with good results. Where I live there tends to be lots of clay, which is TERRIBLE to try and dig a sizable hole in for planting. It doesn't do whatever you just planted much good either. This method is much easier on me, and gives a better start to the plant.<br />
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Hope you also find it useful!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2G5197woDNPRRSLF2iKJMktdSbbtJH2RMkugT_OrY4zeJlLITKAcVt5YkcNX7cezoWDgZY0JotYhi6l0_o-9yoK9bNqwg-A4uWe6NKItMXzzvHkyuazynZutZvAlDUTHH4MfFj6ss1VLn/s1600/No+Dig+Planting.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2G5197woDNPRRSLF2iKJMktdSbbtJH2RMkugT_OrY4zeJlLITKAcVt5YkcNX7cezoWDgZY0JotYhi6l0_o-9yoK9bNqwg-A4uWe6NKItMXzzvHkyuazynZutZvAlDUTHH4MfFj6ss1VLn/s640/No+Dig+Planting.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06519586222546188281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417365291670653726.post-48591986802313661912017-01-15T11:30:00.001-08:002017-01-15T11:30:01.559-08:00Training Mulberry To Weeping Form<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik517KSArmcGnreojrBv0PN7DlMymh6lHCrV3d5j44YGDgX9MIalqCwluuzOZoBtVf13qrDz-6g7lPqZHPNUW2JAiQvkb7T7Qx1Mr7bEpi7XxzqOoYknAt3VCQcJr97VGC8RC3EvW6b9Ve/s1600/IMG_0112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik517KSArmcGnreojrBv0PN7DlMymh6lHCrV3d5j44YGDgX9MIalqCwluuzOZoBtVf13qrDz-6g7lPqZHPNUW2JAiQvkb7T7Qx1Mr7bEpi7XxzqOoYknAt3VCQcJr97VGC8RC3EvW6b9Ve/s400/IMG_0112.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
I have never seen a mulberry tree before, and so I was not prepared for how vigorously it started to grow this past summer. I could see it was going to pretty much instantly out-grow the space I allotted for it. Uh oh!<br />
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I double-checked the plant info and sure enough <a href="http://www.raintreenursery.com/Illinois_Everbearing_mulberry.html">Illinois Everbearing mulberries</a> can grow to over 35 feet tall! Fruit is produced on new growth, so I didn't want to just lop off overly long new branches to keep its height in check.<br />
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The strategy I decided to try was training it to a 'weeping' form. I took plastic bags and added a handful of gravel to each bag, and then attached the bag to the end of a branch with plant clips. <br />
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A newly sprouted branch is still green and flexible, and as it ages over a season firms up to a more woody state.<br />
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Here you can see the form after the first year of weighting down the branches - it definitely has a weeping instead of vertical form! <br />
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Hopefully this will make the fruit much easier to harvest. <br />
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I plan to thin out older branches to encourage new fruit-bearing shoots each year. The idea is to start a cycle of fruit harvest from last year's growth, training the current year's growth to a weeping form, and then in the winter pruning out the previous season's branches. This should ensure a heavy crop each year.<br />
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Before seeing how fast a mulberry grows this would probably strike me as unrealistically ambitious. Now I think this will just keep up with it's amazing growth rate!<br />
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I can't wait to see what the crop will be like this coming year. We got 2 berries last year.Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06519586222546188281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417365291670653726.post-72781114454873092102017-01-08T16:05:00.000-08:002017-01-08T16:05:14.463-08:00Variations on No-Knead Bread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUnqyQ6OHfhyphenhyphenVSPjIe6tMU1-PFWGwoLuqMa-3y7eh8LlbXo-9MoXeG5uee7IJRrDER-Y6Sx5xA3L6zNIJLN1F18iMwk9GkVrhnTQ61egWTJ2_KfYXyRqOT24kO-SD9TJPEUQDw3CWjM-N/s1600/IMG_0240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUnqyQ6OHfhyphenhyphenVSPjIe6tMU1-PFWGwoLuqMa-3y7eh8LlbXo-9MoXeG5uee7IJRrDER-Y6Sx5xA3L6zNIJLN1F18iMwk9GkVrhnTQ61egWTJ2_KfYXyRqOT24kO-SD9TJPEUQDw3CWjM-N/s320/IMG_0240.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I love bread, and with the <a href="http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11376-no-knead-bread">popular no-knead bread recipe</a> it's easy and cheap to have good quality bread without weird ingredients.<br />
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Over time I've added several flavor variations to my no-knead bread rotation.<br />
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Hopefully you'll enjoy these as much as my family does! <br />
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<b><a href="http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11376-no-knead-bread">Classic No-Knead Bread</a>, Baked In Loaf Pa</b>n<br />
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3 cups all-purpose flour<br />
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast<br />
1 1/4 teaspoons salt<br />
1 2/3 cups water<br />
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In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 2/3 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. The dough needs to rest at least 12 hours at warm room temperature, so I mix up the dough after dinner and it's ready in the morning.<br />
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The original recipe calls for baking the dough into a free-form loaf in a covered pot. We prefer having more regular slices of bread for sandwiches, so now I bake mine in a loaf pan. The process is slightly easier, too!<br />
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In the morning (or after the bread has rested 12-ish hours) scrape it into a well oiled loaf pan. Let it rise in the loaf pan another 2 hours.<br />
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At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Bake 30 minutes. Remove bread from loaf pan as soon as it comes out of the oven to keep the crust crisp, and let it cool on a rack.<br />
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<b><u>Oatmeal No-Knead Bread</u></b><br />
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The oatmeal gives this bread a delicious toasty, nutty flavor! This bread makes the best toast! The oats also give this bread a boost in the fiber and nutrition department, too.<br />
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1 cup rolled oats<br />
2 cups all-purpose flour<br />
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast<br />
1 1/4 teaspoons salt<br />
1 2/3 cups water<br />
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<b><u>Pumpernickel No-Knead Bread</u></b><br />
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My family often had hearty pumpernickel bread when I was growing up and I just love it. It's kind of like really rich, dark rye bread. It pairs perfectly with hearty smoked meats and cheese. When I make German meals like goulash stew or sauerkraut and bratwurst, I'll often serve a loaf of pumpernickel bread on the side.<br />
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2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour<br />
3/4 cups rye flour<br />
1 tablespoon caraway seeds, ground<br />
2 tablespoons cocoa powder<br />
1 tablespoon molasses<br />
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast<br />
1 1/4 teaspoons salt<br />
1 2/3 cups coffee OR 1 2/3 cups water and 1 packet of instant coffee<br />
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<b><u>Whole Wheat No-Knead Bread</u></b><br />
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I've found this ratio works well for my family without it changing the texture of the bread too far. You get that nutty complex flavor of the whole wheat but you still get the lovely light and chewy texture of the original recipe.<br />
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2 cups all-purpose flour<br />
1 cup whole wheat flour<br />
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast<br />
1 1/4 teaspoons salt<br />
1 2/3 cups water<br />
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Do you have any variations on the no-knead bread to share?Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06519586222546188281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417365291670653726.post-64286088216160035622017-01-05T17:18:00.003-08:002017-01-05T17:18:56.857-08:00Mulching Fig To Prevent Winter Kill<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMO-0Z8dELsV2A4Bg6SNtqHeUTD0BA2WuQXW4ICOovuBP8NVruKC_o-Jm4mSHrfbcxajaLjcqyM1NKWj9l2dzICQJfrWfNqgtkePaGnn4Tz2dBhdiJ738oY6oKOmNt0Lom0dQAWi9401wF/s1600/IMG_0109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMO-0Z8dELsV2A4Bg6SNtqHeUTD0BA2WuQXW4ICOovuBP8NVruKC_o-Jm4mSHrfbcxajaLjcqyM1NKWj9l2dzICQJfrWfNqgtkePaGnn4Tz2dBhdiJ738oY6oKOmNt0Lom0dQAWi9401wF/s400/IMG_0109.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
I planted an <a href="http://www.raintreenursery.com/Figs.html">Italian Honey Fig</a> a few years ago, and it's about 3 feet tall at this point. I've heard that green figs can take longer to start producing fruit than other fig varieties, and it might be 4 to 5 years after planting before we eat our first fig.<br />
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During really cold winters figs can get winter killed down to the ground, but in the spring new growth will come back from the roots. The thing is, if that happens the clock on getting fruit starts ALL OVER AGAIN.<br />
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Obviously I don't want to loose the progress we've made, so I looked into ways people protect figs in the winter to try and prevent them from a hard freeze. <br />
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Weirdly, considering how popular figs are, I couldn't find much information on this. Growing information usually just recommends planting figs near on the south side of a wall for some cold protection, and leaves it at that.<br />
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So this winter I'm experimenting, and went the straightforward and simple route.<br />
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I just bought a bale of straw and piled up a mound about 2 feet deep around the fig branches once it lost it's leaves in late fall. I made sure to shake straw down around the branches. In spring I'll remove the straw pile.<br />
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I'll let you know how the fig fares over winter!Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06519586222546188281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417365291670653726.post-39492837473159960642017-01-01T19:05:00.000-08:002017-01-01T19:05:28.013-08:00Winter Seed Order<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The year the house was built, in 2015, I put together 4 raised beds and purchased dirt to fill them. I was pregnant and had a 1 year old to take care of, so I just bought a few tomato plants from the hardware store and figured to let them tough it out.<br />
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Instead, the poor seedlings just sat there without changing or growing at all for the entire summer. Not even weeds sprouted. It turns out the dirt I bought was <i>terrible</i>.<br />
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So last year I planted cover crops and forgot about the raised beds. Late summer a neighbor dumped a load of good compost on top of each raised bed.<br />
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I'm hoping that between the cover crops, last year's load of compost, and adding a new layer of compost this spring, the raised beds will be able to grow something in 2017. <br />
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I'm keeping my fingers crossed!<br />
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For this year I'm easing back into the garden since I'm not totally sure how much time I'll have for it with a 2 and 1 year old. Next year I think I'll be able to do a major garden again, but I couldn't stand to not try this year.<br />
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So I just sent in my seed order for this year, and I managed to keep the selection down to a reasonable level, and I tried to stick with crops that don't depend on rich soil to give me better odds of something growing.<br />
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Here's what I'm going to try this year:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieA5KJGlHbU0WR8HMJl5lhhkg2_fBpvMaAfeXZTzIA-2F2DjkbTeYai7aLG2QDuYxEFaijnAGAMthB2Wf4tsxHngqRTsXqUo9h-_Y8hOdH0BW5RChtSrk5JBplwUZWuehmY5zRSq5P3jRg/s1600/Purple+Teepee+Bean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieA5KJGlHbU0WR8HMJl5lhhkg2_fBpvMaAfeXZTzIA-2F2DjkbTeYai7aLG2QDuYxEFaijnAGAMthB2Wf4tsxHngqRTsXqUo9h-_Y8hOdH0BW5RChtSrk5JBplwUZWuehmY5zRSq5P3jRg/s200/Purple+Teepee+Bean.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/purple-teepee-bean/">Purple Teepee Bean</a>,<br />
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These are supposed to be super productive, and the purple beans are held above the leaves which makes them a lot easier to see and pick that regular green beans. Cooking them should turn them green which is a plus in my book. Easier to pick, but regular green beans when served!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuzV7nPfugrxa5Dxm3l5tErmuW2-Qu7nsYPT2P8VIN3Px23T1e2QPNtJNZtBQltjBYfEQ_XPy1BRCIiDY_aziC5uTiuntq6g2n4ZtFan1K3s0iw-VaKR2ztm96bVnOO39ZZ0lY-HkBy6HR/s1600/Formanova+Beet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuzV7nPfugrxa5Dxm3l5tErmuW2-Qu7nsYPT2P8VIN3Px23T1e2QPNtJNZtBQltjBYfEQ_XPy1BRCIiDY_aziC5uTiuntq6g2n4ZtFan1K3s0iw-VaKR2ztm96bVnOO39ZZ0lY-HkBy6HR/s200/Formanova+Beet.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/cylindra-or-formanova-beet/">Formanova Beet</a>,<br />
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I love ordering seeds from <a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/">Baker Creek</a>, and just can't resist the tidbits of history they include in their seed descriptions. For this beet they say "... a wonderful heirloom from Denmark, this one is famous for slicing with its long, cylindrical roots. This tender and sweet variety is also known as “Butter Slicer” because of its wonderful texture." They had me at 'butter'. Yum!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKctvikJXmbd3u2CGHDoEky8iAiwGmGzBgnbKV8aJb20vu3OtO1cGpp9o5ED6mIuARb81bXE46E8OX1Gnc7W9sDxwKPQ-Sgbc-tE_Spc7j810CbmymkvOoH3JCFda8bY8KMTH2ALzZNArV/s1600/Arugula.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKctvikJXmbd3u2CGHDoEky8iAiwGmGzBgnbKV8aJb20vu3OtO1cGpp9o5ED6mIuARb81bXE46E8OX1Gnc7W9sDxwKPQ-Sgbc-tE_Spc7j810CbmymkvOoH3JCFda8bY8KMTH2ALzZNArV/s200/Arugula.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/arugula/?F_Keyword=arugula">Arugula</a>,<br />
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Need I say more? A classic. I hope it grows!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1PSTeDYHrY88ACwYxFqA7AW0R0Eh1owqUacBilIU1CsQJO8xuHDBtID_hyphenhyphenYybApUoYn1cRVlvtR-Ll4Qk2OBxpdBDoboJ8nPYa56gJ15lFS3EPCfGnpFuS5zbTavbsVfdeqkEJ7TfQSY/s1600/Oakleaf+Lettuce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1PSTeDYHrY88ACwYxFqA7AW0R0Eh1owqUacBilIU1CsQJO8xuHDBtID_hyphenhyphenYybApUoYn1cRVlvtR-Ll4Qk2OBxpdBDoboJ8nPYa56gJ15lFS3EPCfGnpFuS5zbTavbsVfdeqkEJ7TfQSY/s200/Oakleaf+Lettuce.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/baby-oakleaf-/">Baby Oakleaf Lettuce</a>,<br />
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This is supposed to be a more compact version of regular oakleaf lettuce with dense leaves that do well in warm weather, critical when you live in the South. They say it "performs brilliantly under cut-and-come-again management", so I'm giving it a try!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWk0d6yHiGg9UJKQIyiOeMH_BkCxhOC9FusG9IC0K6F6h49k0D7iNKgsfKrWRa7XQBDpyhb3HFatxp80FXRfKoqkbsY3m8MRWRArIqeyBSawunjiAT0lQBMYmnqPV4wlJNimeClagT5dyV/s1600/Little+Gem+Lettuce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWk0d6yHiGg9UJKQIyiOeMH_BkCxhOC9FusG9IC0K6F6h49k0D7iNKgsfKrWRa7XQBDpyhb3HFatxp80FXRfKoqkbsY3m8MRWRArIqeyBSawunjiAT0lQBMYmnqPV4wlJNimeClagT5dyV/s200/Little+Gem+Lettuce.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/little-gem-lettuce/">Little Gem Lettuce</a>,<br />
<br />
This is supposed to be a mini romaine lettuce that performs really well in hot weather. I mostly use romaine lettuce for my salads since it holds so well in the fridge. I love the idea of having a salad drawer full of crisp mini heads of lettuce, just right for a lunch salad!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBLAQOtzfsPLWmw3ZzX7BXMUuUMEfmJvZuOXxosamRYtlID9Y_lGhGlswsufhL3uUE6EWGvoyN-xBrTTSk78p9OiTvZi-uOFl-QconsgaTVoXDHtTcI3RTWMAADMcFHKHQGwtUQLm1TPV/s1600/Golden+Jenny+Melon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBLAQOtzfsPLWmw3ZzX7BXMUuUMEfmJvZuOXxosamRYtlID9Y_lGhGlswsufhL3uUE6EWGvoyN-xBrTTSk78p9OiTvZi-uOFl-QconsgaTVoXDHtTcI3RTWMAADMcFHKHQGwtUQLm1TPV/s200/Golden+Jenny+Melon.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/golden-jenny-melon/">Golden Jenny Melon</a>,<br />
<br />
I tried to stay away from crops that need rich soil, but I couldn't resist melons. I just had to try for some, and this one is supposed to have shorter vines that won't take over an entire bed and produce smaller 2 lb melons. The online reviewers also loved it's flavor, one person saying it was "amazingly sweet". Mmmm.... I drooled over the catalog just imagining it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpeLKSQpYLnTR_ZV1wyram2HGjaUSW1FjS8BU7FD_c2Dg-a767a9UH09vh7pne7X3DzTf7ZrvjgW4VKgR1XAUufFQPJVxIeAcbeJUHr_OwhI5eIx3Jz8RJhYHc2b3hwhJitBZ7dhDrvpPv/s1600/Straightneck+Squash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpeLKSQpYLnTR_ZV1wyram2HGjaUSW1FjS8BU7FD_c2Dg-a767a9UH09vh7pne7X3DzTf7ZrvjgW4VKgR1XAUufFQPJVxIeAcbeJUHr_OwhI5eIx3Jz8RJhYHc2b3hwhJitBZ7dhDrvpPv/s200/Straightneck+Squash.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/early-prolific-straightneck-squas/">Early Prolific Straightneck Squash</a>,<br />
<br />
Another classic. Since this is a new garden I hope I'll have a few years before the squash beetles find me!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItlvdj3kTj697Pb2hnzXBwSUjgAc_WCdtHCDG586X0E3B9mQPBc3nYxLN1wM7gO-7ynxQ63iK4mOhoLKAfwIxLcMoUhIA7jKFt-nb305m8J2ywtqcpRP0FnT2gqASygxaGEZRzmxSFqlf/s1600/Mexican+Sunflower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItlvdj3kTj697Pb2hnzXBwSUjgAc_WCdtHCDG586X0E3B9mQPBc3nYxLN1wM7gO-7ynxQ63iK4mOhoLKAfwIxLcMoUhIA7jKFt-nb305m8J2ywtqcpRP0FnT2gqASygxaGEZRzmxSFqlf/s200/Mexican+Sunflower.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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<br />
<a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/mexican-sunflower-goldfinger/">Mexican Sunflower - Goldfinger</a>,<br />
<br />
We saw this plant at a local museum and each time we were there it was always COVERED with butterflies! My kids loved it, and would stand there and watch for a long time. Through the power of Google I think this is the plant we were seeing, so I'm going to try planting some of my own this year.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihOWmBCrt_1pENXCwVoU0R8sHeq7ICLHmv0hST9m6f8E1lYE7DGPc7QZbcR5Fqlkt9JQq4zrdXkDCzL6S2hMgLsjPdXD0WFPhbclRKClXjlZlu3dX86Ootc3llPJgwOtpfQp9ld2eXxrZN/s1600/Illumination+Zinnia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihOWmBCrt_1pENXCwVoU0R8sHeq7ICLHmv0hST9m6f8E1lYE7DGPc7QZbcR5Fqlkt9JQq4zrdXkDCzL6S2hMgLsjPdXD0WFPhbclRKClXjlZlu3dX86Ootc3llPJgwOtpfQp9ld2eXxrZN/s200/Illumination+Zinnia.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/illumination-zinnia/">Illumination Zinnia</a>,<br />
<br />
One more flower to draw beneficial insects and also provide cut flowers for the house and/or the kids to play with. Beautiful!<br />
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<br />
<br />
Have you put in your seed order yet? What are you going to grow this year?<br />
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<br />Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06519586222546188281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417365291670653726.post-47743860391894329892016-08-31T12:08:00.000-07:002016-08-31T12:08:12.871-07:00Preparing for Winter: Firewood<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Jvj5UZF7yeY5GoWnNM9aaOzf3htj0CJvnR0eMWipEth5NWwFoFMFj_53cgXMLY2o3MYSNEqp3HK5QwsQRz1iQFE9s-J-SFiXM2H8nV6WNSLH1WmsYum-_YSoYGyXt8ZJND5lvgCbC9x8/s1600/DSCN1939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Jvj5UZF7yeY5GoWnNM9aaOzf3htj0CJvnR0eMWipEth5NWwFoFMFj_53cgXMLY2o3MYSNEqp3HK5QwsQRz1iQFE9s-J-SFiXM2H8nV6WNSLH1WmsYum-_YSoYGyXt8ZJND5lvgCbC9x8/s320/DSCN1939.JPG" width="240" /></a>Last winter I think we had maybe 1 or 2 fires in our wood stove. We were super excited about finally having our own wood stove when we built the house, but we were worried about babies and toddlers touching a hot stove and we were too busy to worry about stocking up on the supplies needed for a fire, like firewood, tinder, and kindling.<br />
<br />
This winter will be different! Yes, we still have a toddler (soon to be 2 toddlers) but they're old enough now that we aren't staying up late to bottle feed the baby anymore. Now they both go to bed at the same time, so we could simply use the wood stove once they're in bed without having to constantly police curious children.<br />
<br />
The idea of snuggling up on the couch with a mug of Irish coffee, a fluffy blanket, a good book, and a crackling fire still sounds like the perfect way to spend a winter evening and this year I'll be ready!<br />
<br />
We have some firewood from when we had some trees cleared - the company who did the clearing were willing to cut the trees into firewood and stacked the logs along both sides of our driveway out in the open.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqxkH8yXmbjled5VES0wgZQcgZ_mPBKqV2Z9SypnpLqoZe8qEuf_1V1Lu4p6n56viLdtNso-2Xalg0AQn9NMI34YGdMii0EKqN9_sv_0L192PqF80_eLFnARXYaMhlWe7_P_DXhy54V_Gv/s1600/DSCN1940.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqxkH8yXmbjled5VES0wgZQcgZ_mPBKqV2Z9SypnpLqoZe8qEuf_1V1Lu4p6n56viLdtNso-2Xalg0AQn9NMI34YGdMii0EKqN9_sv_0L192PqF80_eLFnARXYaMhlWe7_P_DXhy54V_Gv/s320/DSCN1940.JPG" width="320" /></a>I set up a shelving unit on our porch to give us a place to stack some firewood out of the elements so it'll be handy to grab a few, and also so the logs will be nice and dry (or 'seasoned') so they'll burn well. Green wood that hasn't dried will be hard to light on fire and if it does catch on fire will be very smoky - not fun!<br />
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In addition to firewood, you also need tinder and kindling.<br />
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Tinder is material that very easily catches on fire but also burns up very quickly. This will help start a fire going, but only for a little while. Tinder can be dried grass, dried leaves, pinecones, newspaper, dryer lint, etc.<br />
<br />
Kindling is basically anything bigger than tinder but smaller than firewood. It's a middle ground that will somewhat easily catch fire from the tinder, but burn longer so that it can catch the actual firewood on fire.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuv4ow0Li3jYiaIic8h9wfA_ShZ2YLH7ige3xIgiYUSmELnaHRE8phYswYMG1EX7bJL3Ye7lYIS8-izUQlwcWodUnCddMBjxpbL1TH386hJ2NmY-LbbW7-eQn4H5ecKKGj0t2d7mHvQ54S/s1600/DSCN1941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuv4ow0Li3jYiaIic8h9wfA_ShZ2YLH7ige3xIgiYUSmELnaHRE8phYswYMG1EX7bJL3Ye7lYIS8-izUQlwcWodUnCddMBjxpbL1TH386hJ2NmY-LbbW7-eQn4H5ecKKGj0t2d7mHvQ54S/s400/DSCN1941.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kindling on the left (sticks) and tinder on the right (weeds)</td></tr>
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I don't get a newspaper delivered at the moment, and I'd like to use free materials for the fire. So I chopped tall weeds with thick canes into small 8" to 10" lengths and left the leaves attached. Once these dry out, they should catch fire very easily.</div>
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I also cut down some small saplings with wood no bigger than about the thickness of my thumb and cut them into short lengths, too.</div>
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I want to give both the time to thoroughly dry out before winter gets here.</div>
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I have no idea how much firewood, tinder, and kindling I need to prepare since I've never had regular access to a wood stove before. I'm not going to worry about preparing too much this year since I know I'll probably make the occasional fire at this point.</div>
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Now I can relax and look forward to a cozy fire this winter!</div>
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<br />Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06519586222546188281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417365291670653726.post-28321161250218489442016-08-29T18:22:00.000-07:002016-08-29T18:22:05.257-07:00Easy & Cheap Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ6x-SXTUZjIkTSoFgcT2hHX0NhO5c2NheFSL_at3BwUyDpHX5cdPtmcAe-sZK55KMZFKtmbNtj2XMeOAxTs3i3uG-mCA3ZbupchywBhJGZRhKH5HlGv6zAAudqY9rD9jvOqe56h-0Vao7/s1600/DSCN1935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ6x-SXTUZjIkTSoFgcT2hHX0NhO5c2NheFSL_at3BwUyDpHX5cdPtmcAe-sZK55KMZFKtmbNtj2XMeOAxTs3i3uG-mCA3ZbupchywBhJGZRhKH5HlGv6zAAudqY9rD9jvOqe56h-0Vao7/s320/DSCN1935.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 jars of homemade sweetened condensed milk!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Whew! It's been a while since my last post - 2 kids until 2 years old keeps you busy, I guess!<br />
<br />
Lately I've been using a LOT more sweetened condensed milk than I used to. I've been using a can or two every week once I found the magical <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-no-churn-ice-cream-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-220413">2-ingredient no-churn ice cream</a> recipe where you whip cream and stir in a can of sweetened condensed milk to make the seriously best homemade ice cream I've ever had, AND fell down the homemade popsicle hole. <br />
<br />
Apparently a generous spoonful of sweetened condensed milk is the key to creamy-not-icy popsicles. Check out this super easy and addictive recipe for <a href="https://smittenkitchen.com/2013/08/key-lime-pie-popsicles/">Key Lime Pie popsicles</a> and you too will find yourself with a freezer full of delicious homemade popsicles before you know it.<br />
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I've been buying the rBST free (but not organic) sweetened condensed milk from Whole Foods which is $2.79 for a 14 oz can. If you buy a can once or twice a year, no problem. But I started to wonder, could I find a cheaper way to do this?<br />
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As it turns out sweetened condensed milk is STUPID EASY to make yourself. <br />
<br />
All you do is pour milk and sugar into your crock pot and cook it down until it's thick. That's all! <br />
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I found multiple milk-to-sugar ratios and went with the lower sugar range and it tastes the same sweetness as the store bought sample we compared it to. My homemade version had a more caramel taste, I think because I used natural sugar instead of white granulated sugar. Mine was a little darker in color for the same reason.<br />
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<b><u>COST</u></b><br />
<br />
Store bought rBST free can is $2.79 / 14 oz, or 0.19 per oz.<br />
<br />
Homemade $1.74 milk (7 cups of a $1.99 half gallon) and 0.44 sugar (2 cups from a $1.99 9-cup bag) = $2.18 for a yield of 3 cups (24 oz), or 0.09 per oz.<br />
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In short the <b><u>homemade version cost HALF the price of the store bought kind</u></b>, and I just have to grab a jar out of my freezer when I need it!<br />
<br />
<b><u>Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk</u></b><br />
<br />
7 cups whole milk<br />
2 cups sugar<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFCnc5AxSPgk5Hu4JIY4NpwYROJtBCeZ7YMsQIEqAmuT936pqSvwC8oLYK2s6Aw-wfGSFR3fvZVu7WNpskFdKLC3y4yGqCcK9-9nIblZfQIqnMXjuOokemjKiGVdC_vFEQsjidJLAgSVNd/s1600/DSCN1934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFCnc5AxSPgk5Hu4JIY4NpwYROJtBCeZ7YMsQIEqAmuT936pqSvwC8oLYK2s6Aw-wfGSFR3fvZVu7WNpskFdKLC3y4yGqCcK9-9nIblZfQIqnMXjuOokemjKiGVdC_vFEQsjidJLAgSVNd/s320/DSCN1934.JPG" width="320" /></a>Pour 3 cups of water in your crock pot and mark that depth using a straw or chop stick (I used a reusable straw that has one of those rubber rings that keeps it from falling out of your insulated cup). Combine milk and sugar in your crock pot and set on high. Whisk once the mixture warms up to make sure the sugar is dissolved. Crack the lid so that the mixture can evaporate down.<br />
<br />
Stir every once in a while, but don't scrap off the cooked milk from the sides since you want a smooth texture. Once it's evaporated enough so you have just 3 cups of liquid left you're done!<br />
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You can keep this in the fridge for 2 weeks or the freezer for 3 months.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFCnc5AxSPgk5Hu4JIY4NpwYROJtBCeZ7YMsQIEqAmuT936pqSvwC8oLYK2s6Aw-wfGSFR3fvZVu7WNpskFdKLC3y4yGqCcK9-9nIblZfQIqnMXjuOokemjKiGVdC_vFEQsjidJLAgSVNd/s1600/DSCN1934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06519586222546188281noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417365291670653726.post-31034922134720558732015-11-02T18:37:00.000-08:002015-11-02T18:37:13.926-08:00The Easiest (And Tastiest) Homemade Biscuits!Every once in a while what I really crave for breakfast is a fresh, hot-from-the-oven biscuit. I almost exclusively make biscuits on Sunday morning since they're a little bit of a pain to make. Pulsing the butter into pea-sized pieces, being careful to not over-mix, rolling and cutting the biscuit rounds... I mean, it's all worth it for a good biscuit, but still not something I feel up to doing on, say, a weekday morning just because.<br />
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THAT HAS ALL CHANGED.<br />
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This weekend I ran across a recipe from the <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/12/cream-biscuits/">Smitten Kitchen blog</a> for Cream Biscuits. Basically you whisk together your dry ingredients and instead of messing around with butter, you just use heavy cream instead. <br />
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The benefits of using what is basically cold liquid butter are awesome - you don't have to pull out your food processor or cut in the butter by hand, you can easily mix up the biscuit dough in one bowl, and you don't have to worry about your butter starting to melt in a warm kitchen.<br />
<br />
Next up I used a suggestion from a Cook's Illustrated biscuit recipe and instead of pulling out a juice glass ('cause I'm classy) and cutting the biscuits into rounds and then re-rolling the scraps and cutting a second set of biscuits that are always a little tougher than the first ones, I just patted the biscuit dough into a rough rectangle and cut the biscuits into squares.<br />
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No re-rolling the dough! No wasted dough!<br />
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Combining these 2 biscuit techniques meant I mixed up super tender and delicious homemade biscuits in one bowl and in just a few minutes.<br />
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In fact.... it was SO easy now I'm a little worried that I'll end up eating way more biscuits than can possibly be good for me. ;-)<br />
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<a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/12/cream-biscuits/"><b>Cream Biscuits</b></a><br />
From Smitten Kitchen<br />
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3 tablespoons (45 grams) melted butter<br />
2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the surface<br />
1 tablespoon (15 grams) baking powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
1 tablespoon (15 grams) sugar (optional)<br />
1 1/2 cups (355 ml) heavy cream<br />
<br />
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt butter in a small pot or microwave dish, and set aside. Whisk together two cups flour, the baking powder, salt and (if using) sugar into a large bowl. Fold in 1 1/4 cups cream. If the dough is not soft or easily handled, fold in the remaining 1/4 cup cream, little by little. (I ended up using all 1 1/2 cups.)<br />
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Turn dough onto a floured surface, and pat it into a rectangle that is roughly the thickness of about 1 inch. Cut into 8 - 10 squares. Dip the top of each biscuit in melted butter and arrange on the baking sheet. Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes.Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06519586222546188281noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417365291670653726.post-80769321367224447852015-09-15T16:50:00.000-07:002015-09-15T16:50:24.598-07:00Fall Harvest<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSjZcNwcd4xvrMUPw7J84dMwtbEcJtANd54JN6U2BduMnrYrGGljAE-QtO-IqEIeFbGm3fSfhredvz9u8VQMtl70mlDE2PSrRU4jXLeD_qo1JhGfSJYENQ35b8Qj0l5r9DTaAAxWM3kp1L/s1600/Deer+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSjZcNwcd4xvrMUPw7J84dMwtbEcJtANd54JN6U2BduMnrYrGGljAE-QtO-IqEIeFbGm3fSfhredvz9u8VQMtl70mlDE2PSrRU4jXLeD_qo1JhGfSJYENQ35b8Qj0l5r9DTaAAxWM3kp1L/s320/Deer+1.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hunting season from 2013</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Well it's mid-September now and the temperatures are cooling off some, the light is changing, the leaves are just starting to turn, and stores are coming out with pumpkin flavored options for just about everything from beer to oatmeal.<br />
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Yup, it's starting to feel like fall!<br />
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I'm used to this being the time of year you stock up for the coming winter. There's hunting season, and plenty of tempting produce to freeze and can.<br />
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But I'm due on Thanksgiving day, so that would mean either climbing a deer stand while 9 months pregnant or processing a deer while also trying to care for a newborn. Er, <i>neither </i>sound like good options so this will be the second year in a row I miss hunting season.<br />
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When I had a deer in our freezer I kind of took for granted how free I felt to throw a whole roast in the crockpot. I do have the chicken from this spring, so we'll mostly be eating that this winter.<br />
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I also keep catching myself filling up the freezer with things like homemade butternut squash and pumpkin puree when I REALLY need to be emptying the freezer in preparation for filling it with freezer meals for after the baby is born. Oops! <br />
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This year I'll have to partake in the season by drinking more than my fair share of pumpkin spice lattes instead of hunting and canning like I normally would ;-)<br />
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If you haven't made your own pumpin spice latte at home yet, give it a try! It tastes WAY better and is also MUCH cheaper!<br />
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<b><u>Pumpkin Spice Latte</u></b><br />
Based on the recipe from <a href="https://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/141685/libbys-pumpkin-spice-latte/">Libby's</a><br />
<br />
1 cup strong coffee<br />
1/4 cup half & half<br />
1 TBS pumpkin puree<br />
1 TBS brown sugar<br />
1/4 tsp pumpkin spice<br />
1 tsp vanilla<br />
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You can just stir this all together and top with whipped cream (a delicious option), but if you put it in the blender and run it for a minute then you get the foamy top like you would at a coffee shop. Both are delicious! I love the rich body that you get from putting actual pumpkin in this.<br />
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I took a can of pumpkin puree and froze it in an ice cube tray, so when I want to make one of these I just microwave the pumpkin ice cube in some hot coffee and mix in the sugar and spices. So easy, and so delicious! Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06519586222546188281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417365291670653726.post-34382353857332770962015-07-24T18:03:00.000-07:002015-07-24T18:03:04.682-07:00WE GOT A NEW CAR!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB8-80tkQR7hlFZEQi0F_UuMfU0HUjfDcb79VnpKZopu-F6KDqJ01cPBMfe9ZU_-2xt73rXuofymVe4llz2ZqEdVCwHSKslL_qvDIUFi7Gr6-HnxzrgaJ1tNU-gUwBU2azrHpd65pSe8im/s1600/DSCN1206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB8-80tkQR7hlFZEQi0F_UuMfU0HUjfDcb79VnpKZopu-F6KDqJ01cPBMfe9ZU_-2xt73rXuofymVe4llz2ZqEdVCwHSKslL_qvDIUFi7Gr6-HnxzrgaJ1tNU-gUwBU2azrHpd65pSe8im/s320/DSCN1206.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
For the last 3 or 4 years Jack and I have shared one car, a Corolla. <br />
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Jack drove it to work during the week, and took it to the game store on Saturdays. That meant I could do anything that required a car only on Sunday, otherwise I had to borrow a car from a neighbor or relative. <br />
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For the most part that wasn't a problem. But once I got pregnant they want you to come into the doctor's office ALL THE TIME. And then once Miles was born, he also had his own doctor's appointments I had to take him to. Suddenly, it felt like I was borrowing a car every time I turned around. (First world problems, I know.)<br />
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Well, with a second baby on the way we realized that 2 car seats just won't fit in the backseat of the Corolla (at least not with two adults who are both over 6 feet tall in the front). So it was time to add another car to the family!<br />
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For the most part it wasn't a big deal to not have regular access to a car, it just took some careful planning. But to suddenly be able to hop in the car whenever I need to feels so LUXURIOUS! <br />
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We went car shopping with just 2 criteria: it had to be in our price range (cheap), and it had to have enough room in the backseat for 2 car seats. That's it. If we had found something that fit those 2 criteria but was neon pink we still would have bought it.<br />
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Saying that I'm pretty relieved and excited that the car we did find that fit our budget and car seats is such a cute hatchback! A hatchback will come in so handy on the farm and was #1 on my wish list for a car, but they seem hard to find on the used car market so I tried not to get my hopes up. BUT HERE IT IS! <br />
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And it's all mine. MY PRECIOUS.<br />
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Seriously, I have to fight the impulse to go out to the driveway to give the new car a kiss goodnight. I really do love this car. Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06519586222546188281noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417365291670653726.post-47723315430074960202015-07-24T17:35:00.001-07:002015-07-24T17:35:11.729-07:00Freezer Full of Chicken!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwk95atH8__HxObdFtTzLkFtFcXbRr2Nyvn_fsvvpy_I0BxcrIq971IhfJLrlQ0oL4fifvNEOaqqgS56NCPtu5Bfy2eymaBDnlJEOE6xqvS48y8imkehnvA9QpWNM0G6SwVrZbFqYGrPtv/s1600/DSCN1208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwk95atH8__HxObdFtTzLkFtFcXbRr2Nyvn_fsvvpy_I0BxcrIq971IhfJLrlQ0oL4fifvNEOaqqgS56NCPtu5Bfy2eymaBDnlJEOE6xqvS48y8imkehnvA9QpWNM0G6SwVrZbFqYGrPtv/s320/DSCN1208.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
This winter I got the <a href="https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/index.html">McMurray </a>catalog in the mail and was drooling over the available poultry, but knew that with a new baby and a new house I wouldn't have the time to take care of chickens every day.<br />
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My mother-in-law also got the catalog, and suggested we get some chickens and split the work. At the time it seemed like the perfect solution! We'd get a good supply of organic chicken at a MUCH better price then we ever could buying it from the grocery store.<br />
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Well, the chickens ended up being more work than either of us anticipated. To make it worth it we got around 75 chickens. Once they weren't chicks anymore we started buying 4 bags of 50 lb chicken feed at a time, and just lugging the feed around every few weeks was a hassle. <br />
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Part of it was that we ordered half <a href="https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/red_ranger_broiler.html">Red Rangers</a> and half '<a href="https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/turkens_naked_necks.html">Turkens</a>' (or naked neck chickens), which we felt would be much easier to humanly kill. Well, the Red Rangers were ready to process at 12 weeks and were nice big birds. The Turkens weren't ready until 20 weeks and were still scrawny little birds at that point. Looking back if we had just ordered the Red Rangers we would have saved ourselves a bunch of extra work AND gotten a lot more chicken. Oopsie! <br />
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Well, lesson learned! <br />
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We processed the last of the chickens this past Monday and boy, was that a happy day! We were all relieved to be done caring for the chickens and ready to start EATING chicken! :-)<br />
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After everything was said and done I ended up with 22 chickens which I broke down to wings, breasts, tenders, thighs and drumsticks for most of them. I froze 3 whole as roasting chickens, but you can't get all the air out of the inside cavity so you have to use them faster than the vacuum-sealed parts. I also did a few whole bone-in breasts with the skins still on - they vacuum-sealed better than a whole bird and I want to try brining and roasting them. <br />
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So after caring for chickens for 4 and a half months we have a freezer FULL of chicken and a pantry full of chicken stock, and both will probably last us over a year. <br />
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Totally, absolutely worth it! :-DMeredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06519586222546188281noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417365291670653726.post-25700899350383380272015-06-14T11:24:00.002-07:002015-06-14T11:24:22.865-07:00Sign Your Child Up For FREE Books! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfyZGn7QndzVJS8PgD2PL_mrnwhIumVb7YnxwJDX-yjoVezQ3iI-MWacSvQCzOGQHAX76XpJcoxEYj_aP7s9kRFecXmWnqogLbDifwekq3oWqoKPa2ipLFrl7yNPzAmXLz5YE6rKbSg7Bu/s1600/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfyZGn7QndzVJS8PgD2PL_mrnwhIumVb7YnxwJDX-yjoVezQ3iI-MWacSvQCzOGQHAX76XpJcoxEYj_aP7s9kRFecXmWnqogLbDifwekq3oWqoKPa2ipLFrl7yNPzAmXLz5YE6rKbSg7Bu/s1600/logo.png" /></a></div>
When we were expecting our first baby, a friend of the family told us about a program where <b>you can sign your child up to get a FREE BOOK mailed to them every month</b>. That's all I had to hear! I had the form filled out and taped by our front door, just waiting until the baby was actually born to pop the letter into the mailbox.<br />
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So Miles has been enrolled in <a href="http://www.imaginationlibrary.com/">Dolly’s Imagination Library</a> since he was born, and he's been getting a free book in the mail at the beginning of every month like clockwork!<br />
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As far as I'm concerned, this is magical. <br />
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Every month when the new book shows up it's like a mini holiday, and we always read the new book the day it came in the mail. Children are eligible from when they're born until they're 5 years old, so that means Miles will received a whopping SIXTY books while he's enrolled in the program!!<br />
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Not only that, but they're age appropriate books. When he was a newborn the books had regular paper pages, but lately they've been cardboard books that can withstand him grabbing them and putting them in his mouth. <br />
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Your county has to support the program, so go online to check your availability at https://usa.imaginationlibrary.com/register_my_child.php. <br />
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If you know of ANYBODY with children under 5 years old, spread the word! Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06519586222546188281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417365291670653726.post-54806761480795306432015-05-15T07:24:00.000-07:002015-05-15T07:24:10.199-07:00Two Steps Forward, One Step BackI got the lumber for 4 raised beds around February with grand plans to plant early spring crops like peas and lettuce. YAY!<br />
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Unfortunately it took me months to finish putting them together. Awww...<br />
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Finally I managed to free enough time one weekend to get them all assembled and ready to go! YAY!<br />
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However, once I DID get them put together, I discovered that it was immensely harder to fill them with dirt than I thought it would be since the ground was left super rough after the trailer was removed. All that rough ground made getting a wheelbarrow filled with heavy dirt ANYWHERE beyond my abilities. Awww...<br />
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One of my neighbors said they would use the local tractor to move the dirt for me - YAY!<br />
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Sadly the tractor broke down before this could happen. Awww...<br />
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I had always planted my seeds right around the frost-free date of April 15th and by now it was a month past that. I was starting to worry that maybe it was too late in the season to plant ANY of my veggies. When I looked it up, while it was too late for things like peas and lettuce most other things could still be planted with no problem, and a lot of the early spring things could be planted in the fall once things cooled down. It wasn't too late to have a garden this year after all! YAY!<br />
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Thus inspired, I tried filling the raised beds with dirt by hand in the time I had while the baby was napping, but it was a pretty limited amount of time and tossing 1 shovel-full of dirt at a time wasn't very efficient. I managed to fill 1 bed about 1/5 full for each back-breaking session. I calculated that it would take me about 3 weeks to fill the beds at this rate. Awww...<br />
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Around the time I was seriously despairing the tractor was fixed! YAY!<br />
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A neighbor came over that same day (perhaps picking up on my growing desperation) and filled my beds with dirt. That same night after I put the baby to bed I raced outside and planted the seeds for 1 of the beds. WHEW!<br />
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Sadly the other 2 beds require trellising materials, which I don't have yet. I don't want to plant the seeds without knowing exactly where the trellis will go, so I'll have to wait on that. I tried to make a homemade trellis with saplings and zip-ties, but the zip-ties couldn't keep things tight enough for it to stay upright. Awww....<br />
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So I'm slowly making progress. I'm a very goal-oriented person and it's hard to adjust to a more laid-back, it'll-happen-eventually viewpoint. It's hard not to be frustrated that things I would have been able to accomplish in a weekend pre-baby are now taking months, but I could probably use the practice in being patient. <br />
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In the meantime I'm just trying to focus on all the wonderful progress that HAS been made :-)Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06519586222546188281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417365291670653726.post-58296188538203382232015-04-02T07:58:00.000-07:002015-04-02T07:58:06.766-07:00Finally ClearedToday the tree service came out and cleared the middle of my circular drive. FINALLY this is getting done! The tree service was so sweet and actually was able to come out sooner than anticipated.<br />
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As soon as the driveway was cleared I ran inside and called a soil delivery company, and they can't deliver until the middle of next week. So, yet ANOTHER delay. But now at least we're tangibly closer! <br />
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The middle of my circular drive, full of trees I don't want.</div>
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TIMBER! </div>
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Ah - a lovely blank slate ready for a delivery of top soil and new plants!</div>
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They mulched the branches and anything else that couldn't be turned into firewood for me. Yippee!</div>
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My stack of new firewood, ready for this coming winter!</div>
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<br />Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06519586222546188281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417365291670653726.post-41469099617984938462015-03-31T14:38:00.003-07:002015-03-31T14:38:40.352-07:00Oh No... SO MUCH Delay!As I've mentioned in previous posts, once our house was built I kinda went a little crazy and ordered a million plants.<br />
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I ordered plants to make a shade flower garden, I ordered vegetable seeds, I ordered fruit and nut trees, I ordered asparagus crowns.... I ordered IT ALL.<br />
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At the time, I assumed that there was plenty of space for everything and I'd just stick it where I could. Once the orders were placed and I started to look around, I quickly realized that a lot of space that would otherwise work well for planting was in partial shade (not good for fruit plants). Other space wouldn't work because we plan on building something there in the future.<br />
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I'll be honest, I started to panic a tiny bit. Where was I going to put all this and not have it be a giant eyesore?<br />
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Well, when they finished our house they joined up our old driveway with the construction driveway which turned into a circular driveway. In the middle of the new circular driveway was a few scrubby pines and a bunch of sweet gum trees. In other words, nothing I particularly wanted to keep.<br />
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Ok! So maybe I could get the existing trees cleared from the middle of the circular driveway and plant a good part of my mini-orchard in there! It would look cute, there would be good harvesting access, and there wasn't anything else planned for that space. <br />
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About 3 weeks ago I started what I innocently assumed would be a simple process to getting the middle of the circular driveway cleared.<br />
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Try #1 - I asked a few chainsaw-owning family members over to just cut down the trees and we'd haul them into the woods. Cheap, fast, and simple. Well, it turns out that one of the pines might come down on the house if it wasn't taken down just right, so we nervously decided to bring in an expert.<br />
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Try #2 - I contacted a company that clears land, figuring they could just bring some big equipment out and push the trees over. This company scheduled time to come out and take a look and give me a quote on this project 4 separate times, and never once actually made it out here. After the 4th time I gave up. Time was getting away from me. <br />
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Try #3 - I called all of the tree service companies I could find that would operate in my area (around 5) and got a hold of several of them. Only ONE company actually followed through and came out to provide a quote. WTF?! The one company who did come out were extremely nice and professional, but the quote they gave me was WAY higher than I had budgeted for this.<br />
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Around this time my plants - all of them from an array of different companies - arrived. The panic hit big time. I didn't want my investment on all of these plants to go to waste!<br />
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Try #4 - Jack called a landscaping company who came out that same day to give us a quote. The quote was for doing quite a bit less than the previous company and was $50 more expensive. I guess having trees removed is just way more expensive than I thought it would be. DANG.<br />
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So at this point I just call the first company back and schedule them to come out ASAP. They initially tell me that can make it out by the end of this week or the first of next week, but I explain my time crunch (and I think they can hear the panic in my voice over the phone) and very sweetly move me up to this Thursday.<br />
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So all this means that I'll FINALLY be able to plant everything about 2 weeks after it arrived. Hopefully that will be soon enough and it will all make it. <br />
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It also means I've been trying to get the middle of the driveway cleared for about 6 weeks. <br />
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Who knew it would be such a crazy process? Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06519586222546188281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417365291670653726.post-46223832268446912082015-02-02T17:55:00.000-08:002015-02-02T17:55:23.525-08:00First Shade Perennial Flower Garden!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpwXR-WeJZ9jhy98tvrlwBWPUITafA28HJb9WRlY52OCdu7NU35x30f-JhEiBCFgbyghUWfFEtjL_czEfwpMANBU4oqAWV4NNUycYMLWtOwQNJB7wq4vDCBQDXddGPzd5cV7oHl48pv59/s1600/35+-+11.9.2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpwXR-WeJZ9jhy98tvrlwBWPUITafA28HJb9WRlY52OCdu7NU35x30f-JhEiBCFgbyghUWfFEtjL_czEfwpMANBU4oqAWV4NNUycYMLWtOwQNJB7wq4vDCBQDXddGPzd5cV7oHl48pv59/s1600/35+-+11.9.2014.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I just placed my order for all the shade perennial plants I'll use to create the flower bed people will see as they drive up to the house! I'm SUPER excited!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I originally had visions of a traditional cottage garden surrounding the house with classics like roses, iris, and lilacs. When I figured out that the side of the house that we'll drive up to is in partial shade I was a little crushed, but there are so many great shade plants out there and I'm THRILLED with what I picked out! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Actually I'm pretty excited to have been able to afford the plants for a whole flower bed - I definitely put getting the fruit, nut, and vegetables before flowers. I was shopping around online and <a href="http://www.michiganbulb.com/">Michigan Bulb</a> had some AMAZING prices, and I was able to go ahead and order everything I wanted! Hopefully the quality is good. I'll report back once the plants arrive around March.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the pictures below, you may notice a color theme. Yes, there are a lot of blue flowers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm not sure how well that will look with a blue house, but these were the flowers I really liked! I just couldn't help myself. I also got plenty of foliage plants (hostas and ferns) and white and pink flowers to break up the wall o' blue. Different things will be flowering at different times, and hopefully that will also help things to look more balanced. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Smaller plants for the front of the flower bed: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.michiganbulb.com/product/white-delight-carpet-phlox">White Delight Carpet Phlox</a> - "<span style="background-color: white;">This carefree wonder quickly blankets even tough problem areas with dense evergreen foliage and thousands of colorful blooms."</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQoX1YySiIH8tsLqsPz4EBhKfWdK36ETl0vF9WGpMjW5fWBF2gOfFgPq5KfhE6HbeD6J30UV_1_OO1iBzhCbkIe7sSPz15HATt0EnNzwtIYJGotpGZumvyPVEvClCe3n1gwDfP3j9vQtd/s1600/White+Delight+Carpet+Phlox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQoX1YySiIH8tsLqsPz4EBhKfWdK36ETl0vF9WGpMjW5fWBF2gOfFgPq5KfhE6HbeD6J30UV_1_OO1iBzhCbkIe7sSPz15HATt0EnNzwtIYJGotpGZumvyPVEvClCe3n1gwDfP3j9vQtd/s1600/White+Delight+Carpet+Phlox.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.michiganbulb.com/product/Blue_Zebra-_Primrose">Blue Zebra® Primrose</a> - "<span style="background-color: white;">Very striking eye-catcher in a unique blue tint! Striped light blue and white flowers with a contrasting bright yellow heart are extraordinarily long flowering! Upright habit that is perfect for small mixed or stand alone containers."</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbF5P-ItJRi1A95oLxe6fBg4DugfBRMkXw9bmD5RxZ1kvUR5M9w6wQDgqMnj6aerTpvVsyDeEysaPMjN7dY29WtnpJGzBXFfzQCw90rghdDWJrpRsqosJx2_JwyZj0FY3tA_OGNAhHI3sI/s1600/Blue+Zebra+Primrose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbF5P-ItJRi1A95oLxe6fBg4DugfBRMkXw9bmD5RxZ1kvUR5M9w6wQDgqMnj6aerTpvVsyDeEysaPMjN7dY29WtnpJGzBXFfzQCw90rghdDWJrpRsqosJx2_JwyZj0FY3tA_OGNAhHI3sI/s1600/Blue+Zebra+Primrose.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.michiganbulb.com/product/lily-of-the-valley">Lily-of-the-Valley</a> - "<span style="background-color: white;">Tiny, sweet-smelling, bell-shaped flowers cover this old-fashioned favorite every spring."</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikl8hCZ0AWgdQdLqoVsYprM2_ZS-doDvq5YZoE4NxvWxXlxLFeXBagb28Q9V-JKdvILGv0sAY40tkG-lZM7kGSfyaXbui4LuwpPF1VjG_r246Zqs00lykDXNgQDg4aMzNu89zBZM2nnaTs/s1600/Lily-of-the-Valley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikl8hCZ0AWgdQdLqoVsYprM2_ZS-doDvq5YZoE4NxvWxXlxLFeXBagb28Q9V-JKdvILGv0sAY40tkG-lZM7kGSfyaXbui4LuwpPF1VjG_r246Zqs00lykDXNgQDg4aMzNu89zBZM2nnaTs/s1600/Lily-of-the-Valley.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.michiganbulb.com/product/Butterfly_Blue_Scabiosa_Plants">Butterfly Blue Scabiosa</a> - "<span style="background-color: white;">This compact perennial blooms from spring through fall, producing blue double-flowering pompons of color. Perfect for the front of the border, rock gardens and patio containers."</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIylr7DqSxh2hDsodxUKl3_5NHff_huIMkwvC9nVxOpXBufJhNGspNSgN1-vcB5VL3FOYgsRrLJuYDEeUanp0WmcZMac0mjbJ3VErHexMwLp7nPa0Yj4sMuTNCTJXnlz_07y6sFqQXgmm/s1600/Butterfly+Blue+Scabiosa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIylr7DqSxh2hDsodxUKl3_5NHff_huIMkwvC9nVxOpXBufJhNGspNSgN1-vcB5VL3FOYgsRrLJuYDEeUanp0WmcZMac0mjbJ3VErHexMwLp7nPa0Yj4sMuTNCTJXnlz_07y6sFqQXgmm/s1600/Butterfly+Blue+Scabiosa.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Medium-height plants for the middle of the flower bed: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.michiganbulb.com/product/Blue_Fusion_Everblooming_Hardy_Geranium">Blue Fusion Hardy Geranium</a> - "<span style="background-color: white;">Hardy geraniums are low-maintenance perennials ideal for borders, rock gardens or as a colorful ground cover."</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPsxVnPkFXdTpY2AHGH_WOfBSMa3Ko8QANMAloPno_Qd45H1uxhm1dvr1MWATrbgl_OURuR7KhlB_9qhES3WyYz6E_ugGlhce6hEALSav1wzBStGHnHhvuLpggpMkjXoTSD6gWTypv-C52/s1600/Blue+Fusion+Everblooming+Hardy+Geranium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPsxVnPkFXdTpY2AHGH_WOfBSMa3Ko8QANMAloPno_Qd45H1uxhm1dvr1MWATrbgl_OURuR7KhlB_9qhES3WyYz6E_ugGlhce6hEALSav1wzBStGHnHhvuLpggpMkjXoTSD6gWTypv-C52/s1600/Blue+Fusion+Everblooming+Hardy+Geranium.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.michiganbulb.com/product/Virginia_Bluebells">Virginia Bluebells</a> - "<span style="background-color: white;">Native to North America, this perennial plant is one of the prettiest wildflowers. Clusters of small, trumpet-shaped flowers nodding from a single sturdy stem look stunning in any garden location."</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhASZjACs_83q9QlbKQx0uNGHAZ8A84gDVyUizf-3IHwYIPVwMQ_g2-_k_MSPhhoTo0t-3R5BiJAPuiqngynqDlwYmA90J3u5rIDna4QDVCORnXuIH9zz8uh3UeSOjoCX5PjhUEb7AlQNHa/s1600/Virginia+Bluebells.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhASZjACs_83q9QlbKQx0uNGHAZ8A84gDVyUizf-3IHwYIPVwMQ_g2-_k_MSPhhoTo0t-3R5BiJAPuiqngynqDlwYmA90J3u5rIDna4QDVCORnXuIH9zz8uh3UeSOjoCX5PjhUEb7AlQNHa/s1600/Virginia+Bluebells.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.michiganbulb.com/product/hosta-mix-super-bag">Hosta Mix Super Bag</a> - "<span style="background-color: white;">An assortment of popular varieties, our low-cost mix provides plenty of texture and color, yet needs little care. Mildly fragrant purple or white trumpet-shaped flowers are carried on graceful panicles that rise above the attractive foliage."</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Twv26fMvoS3ff08KN4K3ym_bs1h_yYSzhKA3fFvsSZAweBG87vgJAH2D4jUww3DiwZ1L-i6Nn_yKliW6j7dyu9tpnBVlTcoetBr6jyilc2n46n7gNDB_CF9HZgP4I8JG21SdqCze356A/s1600/Hosta+Mix+Super+Bag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Twv26fMvoS3ff08KN4K3ym_bs1h_yYSzhKA3fFvsSZAweBG87vgJAH2D4jUww3DiwZ1L-i6Nn_yKliW6j7dyu9tpnBVlTcoetBr6jyilc2n46n7gNDB_CF9HZgP4I8JG21SdqCze356A/s1600/Hosta+Mix+Super+Bag.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.michiganbulb.com/product/Blue_Columbine">Blue Columbine</a> - "<span style="background-color: white;">Use as a border, in a rock garden, as a cut flower or anywhere you need a splash of color. Blue Columbine is hardy, versatile and lovely."</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVaWWin-di9ZSf2bKHvsGZuxOfrdojJl0C31oY8BFHq9rR1Ow2jPyKQw0zLYCKmHaf0-orySv0klTJ4oZlgF7VRHAMpMNgvlUIALyp_Iv9jhFFFzYuKv7xx3sovfaOvjn7ri86NB8ehS76/s1600/Blue+Columbine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVaWWin-di9ZSf2bKHvsGZuxOfrdojJl0C31oY8BFHq9rR1Ow2jPyKQw0zLYCKmHaf0-orySv0klTJ4oZlgF7VRHAMpMNgvlUIALyp_Iv9jhFFFzYuKv7xx3sovfaOvjn7ri86NB8ehS76/s1600/Blue+Columbine.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.michiganbulb.com/product/Super_Aster">Super Aster</a> - "<span style="background-color: white;">The electric blue petals and bright yellow eyes of Super Aster spring into bloom just when all the other flowers in your garden start to fade. The striking color combination is sure to add sparkle to any border."</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKrDDQe4K-CbGTzCsTO-WEkO80nI4_Js5rYl_lHarOeNg3FyCSvDH18HGT1j4Pj0dDFEaPgy0VZUbjBihUo8cay1FdEmyc-ZGceCqgRP56hEZRVNW8nF2iCaqMdvzPlyA4kWPQMufYd6IB/s1600/Super+Aster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKrDDQe4K-CbGTzCsTO-WEkO80nI4_Js5rYl_lHarOeNg3FyCSvDH18HGT1j4Pj0dDFEaPgy0VZUbjBihUo8cay1FdEmyc-ZGceCqgRP56hEZRVNW8nF2iCaqMdvzPlyA4kWPQMufYd6IB/s1600/Super+Aster.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<h1 style="background-color: white; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.michiganbulb.com/product/Blue-Orchid-Toad-Lily/Toad_Lilies">Blue Orchid Toad Lily</a> - "Gorgeous lavender-blue blooms with light blue and reddish spots stand out in borders."</span></h1>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRd_zdhLPtwCQw5SSc1dGfc_ogLFFBZ8b5D7h9m5agmA9_6H5g1RUJJaJzD5yOqmadsmUE4VI9wlK0BvcUijl0oNMGG_jQpJ61fB3MiA9ICO5oKaeDbUk4PAIIDyFQd7g8MqCFNx_xSXL7/s1600/Blue+Orchid+Toad+Lily.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRd_zdhLPtwCQw5SSc1dGfc_ogLFFBZ8b5D7h9m5agmA9_6H5g1RUJJaJzD5yOqmadsmUE4VI9wlK0BvcUijl0oNMGG_jQpJ61fB3MiA9ICO5oKaeDbUk4PAIIDyFQd7g8MqCFNx_xSXL7/s1600/Blue+Orchid+Toad+Lily.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.michiganbulb.com/product/cappuccin-astilbe">Cappuccino Astilbe</a> - "<span style="background-color: white;">A stunning contrast in color, Cappuccino features large feathery plumes of snowy white atop deep, rich bronze-green foliage that is very attractive with a lacy look that intensifies when paired with the blooms. Light and airy, the flowers are tall with an attention-grabbing form – perfect for adding interest to shady areas of the garden. Blooms appear in midseason and last for weeks."</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhxG-rWIZSQrnWeNtmvO5G-rXxiYW26u_yFuJZGtVpKqUa7hzV2gu8YpU4Bq93am3w0mhtauyrrlpm9PZxf_3TlEbSCIHls7y-i8D_rVs-OKk8zGdHUjX4ieV0ywETKDKeSzFvihj6jRH_/s1600/Cappuccino+Astilbe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhxG-rWIZSQrnWeNtmvO5G-rXxiYW26u_yFuJZGtVpKqUa7hzV2gu8YpU4Bq93am3w0mhtauyrrlpm9PZxf_3TlEbSCIHls7y-i8D_rVs-OKk8zGdHUjX4ieV0ywETKDKeSzFvihj6jRH_/s1600/Cappuccino+Astilbe.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.michiganbulb.com/product/lady-fern"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Lady Fern</span></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnGI3OW4H4ID-_dBkibtHbt_QxBsyNE4V8bi0A-WALVTOenc92ciJNM4OU0ryDbnoohZuSfceBCpcaAgQv-l5ZcwNyvHwmlxja4R-C2_3rmJcyj_fjZ3ExGsG2dMiH_cdQ8J6ArCTvE9g/s1600/Lady+Fern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhnGI3OW4H4ID-_dBkibtHbt_QxBsyNE4V8bi0A-WALVTOenc92ciJNM4OU0ryDbnoohZuSfceBCpcaAgQv-l5ZcwNyvHwmlxja4R-C2_3rmJcyj_fjZ3ExGsG2dMiH_cdQ8J6ArCTvE9g/s1600/Lady+Fern.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.michiganbulb.com/product/Shasta_Daisy_Plants">Shasta Daisy</a> - "<span style="background-color: white;">No garden should be without this classic flower! This long-lived perennial requires little care and delivers masses of frilly, double blooms with yellow centers. Butterflies love them!"</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-elM7FQLihtjqxUWAU8yThD7vIexCzIHMnzTwQ30v30TJ0ubpBW9pWPIre12GgeFW9SZNSJig623U_VXlNZskvrANI4nNmf-5zm4V6jykeVV4dd1OJoBXD9L6DadVccOe1glPG8E83t6m/s1600/Shasta+Daisy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-elM7FQLihtjqxUWAU8yThD7vIexCzIHMnzTwQ30v30TJ0ubpBW9pWPIre12GgeFW9SZNSJig623U_VXlNZskvrANI4nNmf-5zm4V6jykeVV4dd1OJoBXD9L6DadVccOe1glPG8E83t6m/s1600/Shasta+Daisy.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.michiganbulb.com/product/Sweet_Vanilla_Butterfly_Flower">Sweet Vanilla Butterfly Flower</a> - "<span style="background-color: white;">Its sweet vanilla smell draws butterflies and hummingbirds, but this is one tough, versatile plant. Suitable for moist soil, such as next to a lake, but also tolerant of dry conditions. Excellent for everything from large landscape projects to naturalizing to cut-flower arrangements."</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFLPIwuRDZIoNbbM8ADNb1kUjKm6tES9-a7zGqb6y1yYKqtVST7p6nuhfCt5OQJq3HZtLfoUIsmjwoIS04jvGsRQ2nOHI7gFhvkS6Z9qvT_gaxi7GWvKGxmF13DT4rzXLILSZDJOiTHVl/s1600/Sweet+Vanilla+Butterfly+Flower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFLPIwuRDZIoNbbM8ADNb1kUjKm6tES9-a7zGqb6y1yYKqtVST7p6nuhfCt5OQJq3HZtLfoUIsmjwoIS04jvGsRQ2nOHI7gFhvkS6Z9qvT_gaxi7GWvKGxmF13DT4rzXLILSZDJOiTHVl/s1600/Sweet+Vanilla+Butterfly+Flower.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Taller hedges for the back of the flower bed: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.michiganbulb.com/product/Hills_of_Snow_Hydrangea/Web_Exclusives">Hills of Snow Hydrangea</a> - "<span style="background-color: white;">Large clusters of small white blooms appear in midsummer and gently fade to a wonderful shade of green. Hills of Snow blooms without fail each season to create a bold statement for the landscape."</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1upplE27Vi1TvenWCNPnaxzK3KH_PURv0xaetgaN6Ca7c0IeuKXZpvZjK_yOcXP1hrTd4WVsQR8yaTaRsVBZ_BkucKjt1gHeHodn7EGEOTqrWsAi2WBKXUdMQGgeSfqPlRixhh4LRlIJs/s1600/Hills+of+Snow+Hydrangea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1upplE27Vi1TvenWCNPnaxzK3KH_PURv0xaetgaN6Ca7c0IeuKXZpvZjK_yOcXP1hrTd4WVsQR8yaTaRsVBZ_BkucKjt1gHeHodn7EGEOTqrWsAi2WBKXUdMQGgeSfqPlRixhh4LRlIJs/s1600/Hills+of+Snow+Hydrangea.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.michiganbulb.com/product/Josee_Reblooming_Lilac_Hedge">Josee Reblooming Lilac Hedge</a> - "<span style="background-color: white;">Enjoy the spring fragrance of lilacs all summer long with this dwarf reblooming lilac. Lavender-pink blooms stand out against the petite, green, heart-shaped leaves. This low-maintenance, super-hardy variety is perfect for creating a privacy fence or hedge."</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHWM28i-6ynFzPOf69hzcP1_X-AOZPAA9jKnQVvvNmthMsEPxgTvY2CMLIPUi4IjWz0AWwtqfL_-tdz1nH50m3xEuldmGZUQILpx-S630mKw9oxpFaoI9l5cHBpxqczfYJFLQIMLoXeCPe/s1600/Josee+Reblooming+Lilac+Hedge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHWM28i-6ynFzPOf69hzcP1_X-AOZPAA9jKnQVvvNmthMsEPxgTvY2CMLIPUi4IjWz0AWwtqfL_-tdz1nH50m3xEuldmGZUQILpx-S630mKw9oxpFaoI9l5cHBpxqczfYJFLQIMLoXeCPe/s1600/Josee+Reblooming+Lilac+Hedge.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.michiganbulb.com/product/Double_Mock_Orange">Double Mock Orange</a> - "<span style="background-color: white;">A wonderful, orange-blossom-like fragrance makes this showy white-flowered shrub very popular. Vigorous and easy to grow, it's great for foundation plantings or shrub borders."</span></span><br />
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Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06519586222546188281noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417365291670653726.post-28741625439731839192015-01-11T07:34:00.002-08:002015-01-11T07:34:26.660-08:00Ordered Vegetable Seeds For The NEW GARDEN <span style="font-family: inherit;">Our trailer has been hauled away and we're only weeks away from moving into the new house. Yippee! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The red clay expanse that used to be the site of the trailer will become the site of our new mini-orchard. Somewhere I'm also going to squeeze in a vegetable garden with raised beds. Jack wants there to be a yard somewhere, otherwise I wouldn't hesitate to just fill the entire space with a huge, rambling vegetable garden.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Since I'm not sure just how much garden space I'll end up with I tried to be realistic-but-optimistic when I decided which vegetable seeds to order. I got a few things I normally wouldn't have space for in a small pocket garden, but also didn't get every single thing that caught my eye, either.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hopefully I'll be able to maximize my yields from the space I do end up with by using square foot gardening techniques and trellising.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here's what I got from <a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/">Baker Creek Heirloom Seed</a>!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/cantare-bean/">Cantare Bean</a> - "<span style="line-height: 19.6000003814697px;">Superior producer of nice straight dark green pods for snaps. The slim 4-5-inch pods are stringless and the flavor is every bit as outstanding as the yield!"</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/cherokee-trail-of-tears-pole-bean/">Cherokee Trail of Tears Pole Bean</a> - "<span style="line-height: 19.6000003814697px;">This heirloom was brought from Tennessee by the Cherokee people as they were marched to Oklahoma by the Federal Government in 1839 over the infamous "Trail of Tears" that left so many dead and suffering. This prolific variety is good as a snap or dry bean and has shiny, black beans. Hardy, vining plants."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/old-timer-or-purple-hull-speckled-cowpea/">Purple Hull Speckled Cowpea</a> - "<span style="line-height: 19.6000003814697px;">Short, bush plants produce colorful, purple, 7-inch pods that are filled with medium-sized, tan peas that have dark speckles. A fine variety that is good for small gardens."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/woodle-orange-/">Woodle Orange Tomato</a> - "<span style="line-height: 19.6000003814697px;">Large, round, smooth fruit are nearly perfect in shape, being a brilliant tangerine color. A super fancy-looking variety that makes a good market tomato; it has an incredible rich and sweet complex flavor that is among the best."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/arkansas-traveler-tomato/">Arkansas Traveler Tomato</a> - "<span style="line-height: 19.6000003814697px;">A medium-sized pink tomato that is smooth and a beautiful rose color. An excellent variety from Arkansas, tolerant to heat and humidity; crack and disease resistant. Good flavor, an excellent hillbilly favorite."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/ring-of-fire-pepper/">Ring of Fire Pepper</a> - "<span style="line-height: 19.6000003814697px;">Newer variety that’s an improvement over Cayenne. Similar type and similar heat (around 50,000 scovilles) but earlier and more productive. Very smooth, bright red 4-inch pods are excellent for drying."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/wild-rocket-arugula/">Wild Rocket Arugula</a> - "<span style="line-height: 19.6000003814697px;">Has a more pungent taste than regular arugula, leaves are deeply lobed. An Italian favorite."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/butter-/">Butter King Lettuce</a> - "<span style="line-height: 19.6000003814697px;">The pale green leaves are soft and, yes, buttery; the heads are heavy and relatively compact, filled with tender inner leaves that are mellow, sweet and succulent. Slower to bolt and tolerates heat better than most butterhead (Bibb) types, making it especially valuable in the South, or wherever summer heat comes early or unpredictably."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/crisp-mint-lettuc/">Crisp Mint Lettuce</a> - "<span style="line-height: 19.6000003814697px;">Romaine type. Large, succulent, mint-green outer leaves surround crystal-white hearts: mild, sweet and crunchy in flavor. Succulent heads to 10 inches in height are a standout in the salad garden."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/early-prolific-straightneck-squas/">Early Prolific Straightneck Squash</a> - "<span style="line-height: 19.6000003814697px;">AAS Winner from 1938; uniform lemon-yellow, club-shaped fruit; firm flesh is of excellent quality, tasty."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/lincoln-garden-pea/">Lincoln Garden Pea</a> - "<span style="line-height: 19.6000003814697px;">An old-time pea introduced in 1908. High-yielding and tasty, this pea does better than many in warmer weather. The tightly-filled pods ae easy to shell, and compact vines are a good choice for small gardens."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/martina-onion/">Martina Onion</a> - "<span style="line-height: 19.6000003814697px;">Early “yellow” type having ivory flesh and brown skin. Roots are round to slightly flattened. Recommended for spring planting in the south; worth a try for a late summer-fall crop at northern latitudes. A popular European variety."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/nantes-scarlet/">Nantes Scarlet Carrot</a> - "<span style="line-height: 19.6000003814697px;">Half-long type reaching 6-7 inches in length, about 1 ½ inches in diameter. Sweet, brilliant orange, blunt, cylindrical roots are very delicate and fine-grained, containing almost no core. High moisture content make this a natural for juicing; fine for bunching or storage. Originally from France but grown in this country for many decades. A good sort to try on heavier soils."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/cylindra-or-formanova-beet/">Cylindra or Formanova Beet</a> - "<span style="line-height: 19.6000003814697px;">A wonderful heirloom from Denmark, this one is famous for slicing with its long, cylindrical roots. Produces much more uniform slices than round beets. This tender and sweet variety is also known as “Butter Slicer” because of its wonderful texture."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/boston-pickling-cucumber/">Boston Pickling Cucumber</a> - "<span style="line-height: 19.6000003814697px;">An old heirloom dating back to 1880. Vigorous vines give large yields of smooth green fruit. It is excellent for pickles; very crisp and good quality. A very popular variety at the turn of the 20th century."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/minnesota-midget-melon/">Minnesota Midget Melon</a> - "<span style="line-height: 19.6000003814697px;">This very small, very early heirloom was introduced in Minnesota in 1948. Measuring just 4inches across, they have sweet, orange flesh and are perfect miniature versions of the "Classic Muskmelon". Compact, 3-4-foot vines produce good yields."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/new-england-sugar-pie-pumpkin/">New England Sugar Pie Pumpkin</a> - "<span style="line-height: 19.6000003814697px;">The noted small sugar pumpkin of New England. The orange fruit weigh 4-5 lbs. and have fine, sweet flesh that is superb for pies. Described by Fearing Burr in 1863."</span></span><br />
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Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06519586222546188281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417365291670653726.post-68390367804363411112014-12-28T11:51:00.003-08:002014-12-28T11:51:43.139-08:00ORDERED OUR FRUIT AND NUT PLANTS!<span style="font-family: inherit;">OMG OMG OMG OMG!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I JUST ORDERED ALL THE FRUIT AND NUT PLANTS FOR THE FARM!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is something I've seriously been waiting YEARS to do. The house will be finished around the end of January, and the trailer will be hauled away January 5th. I'll use the land made available by the removal of the trailer to plant a lot of the stuff I just ordered.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here's what I got: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">'<a href="http://www.raintreenursery.com/Sunshine_Blueberry_Gal_Pot.html">Sunshine</a>' Blueberry - "The bush grows 3-4 feet tall and wide, and produces up to ten pounds of delicious, light blue, medium sized berries. They ripen over a very long season, from early August through early September."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">'<a href="http://www.raintreenursery.com/Misty_Blueberry_Gal_Pot_E250.html">Misty</a>' Blueberry - "A perfect compliment to 'Sunshine Blue', this southern Highbush variety thrives as a beautiful evergreen bush, about 5' tall, not only in the South but along the west coast to the Canadian border. The bright blue green foliage provides a perfect contrast to the hot pink spring flowers and the sky blue, very flavorful fruit."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">'<a href="http://www.raintreenursery.com/Mignonette_strawberry_4_Inch_Pot.html">Mignonette</a>' Alpine Strawberries - "Exceptionally winter hardy plants bear heavily from June through October. In addition to making a beautiful groundcover in sun or partial shade, these exceptionally productive plants bear intensely sweet fruit that is renowned in France for making delicious pastries or for dropping into a glass of champagne.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">'<a href="http://www.raintreenursery.com/Shuksan_strawberry_Bundle_of_25.html">Shuksan</a>' Strawberry - "Tops for both freezing and fresh eating. Plants bear large crops of medium to large, firm, dark red berries in late June every year."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">'<a href="http://www.raintreenursery.com/Tri_Star_Strawberry_Bundle_of_25.html">Tri Star</a>' Strawberry - "This large, delicious, heavily productive berry is favored as the top variety through much of the nation both for fresh eating and for freezing. A day neutral variety, it bears fruit the first season and produces excellent crops from June until frost."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">'<a href="http://www.raintreenursery.com/caroline_raspberry.html">Caroline</a>' Raspberry - "This heavy yielding, red raspberry produces loads of delicious fruit on primocanes from late August until fall. Proven successful from coast to coast, Caroline responds well to warmer summer temperatures by ripening earlier. The wonderfully tasty fruit is large, red and firm."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">'<a href="http://www.raintreenursery.com/Tulameen_Raspberry.html">Tulameen</a>' Raspberry - "This extraordinary introduction from British Columbia produces enormous, light red, aromatic fruit with a wonderful flavor. Besides berries that are 25% bigger than Meeker, Tulameen uniquely extends the summer raspberry season through July and August, producing for up to 50 days."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">'<a href="http://www.raintreenursery.com/Blue_Moon_Honeysuckle.html">Blue Moon</a>' Honeyberry - "A very attractive spreading shrub, Blue Moon has soft, velvety, bright-green foliage and bears abundant crop of large, light-blue, tasty fruit."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">'<a href="http://www.raintreenursery.com/Blue_Pacific_Honeysuckle.html">Blue Pacific</a>' Honeyberry - "From the East Coast of Russia, this attractive variety features a compact spreading form, light green foliage, and large, light blue berries."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">'<a href="http://www.raintreenursery.com/Blue_Velvet_Honeysuckle.html">Blue Velvet</a>' Honeyberry - "A late blooming cultivar that grows to 4' tall and 6' wide. It has unusual greyish green, velvety leaves. The fruit is large and flavorful. "</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">'<a href="http://www.raintreenursery.com/Illinois_Everbearing_mulberry.html">Illinois Everbearing</a>' Mulberry - "It sometimes starts producing the first year after planting and bears an abundance of sweet, highly flavored fruit, that look like elongated blackberries. The berries ripen continuously throughout July, August, and September, hence its name."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">'<a href="http://www.raintreenursery.com/Ashmeads_Kernel_Apple_M27.html">Ashmead's Kernel</a>' Apple - "The incredible sweet-tart flavor of this superb heirloom apple has made it a connoisseur's favorite. Discovered in Gloucester about 1750, scab resistant trees are easy to grow and are grown commercially in England today. The medium size fruit with brown russetting keeps extremely well."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">'<a href="http://www.raintreenursery.com/Honeycrisp_apple_M27.html">Honeycrisp</a>' Apple - "A superior quality red apple with an outstanding crisp texture and a juicy combination of sweet and tart flavors."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">'<a href="http://www.raintreenursery.com/Pink_Lady_Apple_M27.html">Pink Lady</a>' Apple - "This beautiful new apple from Western Australia has a pink blush on its yellow skin. The medium-size, conical fruit has fine-grained flesh that is at once tangy and sweet, crisp and crunchy."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">'<a href="http://www.raintreenursery.com/Melrose_apple_M27.html">Melrose</a>' Apple - "This flavorful red apple is top rated for reliability and keeping. Properly stored in the garage, it can keep until May. A heavy crop of tart apples, great for cooking or eating fresh, ripens in late October. Melrose is the official Ohio state apple."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">'<a href="http://www.raintreenursery.com/Mount_Royal_E_Plum_Lovell.html">Mount Royal</a>' Plum - "In August, Mt. Royal sets abundant clusters of medium size round blue plums with yellow flesh. The fruit tree is self fertile and produces huge crops excellent for fresh eating, canning or freezing."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">'<a href="http://www.raintreenursery.com/Lattarula_Fig_Gal_Pot.html">Lattarula</a>' Fig - "Among the most popular and widely adapted varieties. It has amber colored flesh and a yellow-green skin. Its fine quality for canning, drying and fresh eating, has earned it the name Italian Honey Fig."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.raintreenursery.com/Chilean_guava_Gal_Pot.html">Chilean guava</a> - "The attractive Chilean Guava bears red, one inch oval fruit with a tart flavor and aroma reminiscent of strawberries."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">'<a href="http://www.raintreenursery.com/Dorris-Filbert.html">Dorris</a>' Hazelnut - "This new highly blight resistant cultivar from OSU is perfect for the home gardener. It produces heavy crops of delicious filberts on a dwarf tree that is only half the size of other filbert varieties."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">'<a href="http://www.raintreenursery.com/Yamhill_Filbert.html">Yamhill</a>' Hazelnut - "This latest OSU release is very productive. It is Eastern Filbert Blight immune and also produces early ripening, very tasty nuts. It is a small tree."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">'<a href="http://www.raintreenursery.com/All_in_One_almond_Marianna_2624.html">All in One</a>' Almond - "<span style="line-height: 16px;">A self-fertile, soft shelled, sweet almond that produces nuts and ripens them in the Pacific Northwest and in warmer climates. It is a generic semidwarf and will only grow 12 to 15 feet tall."</span></span><br />
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<br />Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06519586222546188281noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417365291670653726.post-59643724635489034462014-11-09T10:07:00.001-08:002014-11-09T10:07:09.941-08:00House Progress Update III <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: start;">It's been a busy couple of months! Our son was born, and progress continues to march along with the house. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">They just painted the house yesterday, and I LOVE the color! We went with SW 6804 Dignity Blue with white trim, and I think it looks <i>adorable</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">I can't wait to see what it looks like once everything is done and the flower beds go in. I'm planning a perennial cottage garden with plants like lilac, peonies, and iris. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBODnctJyl4-c1pneFtQ8FsY0S8D-y6h4vTtfKfoXRygnlQ4EY8nAatsTtY8OzLqJ_t3JdiEdqFAWihDpaRCUoAIuUx9FaTe3CGEVJky2zpO5aMO2Onw6LQTKSvkG0yUcJi6ZFnoBapBdG/s1600/34+-+11.9.2014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBODnctJyl4-c1pneFtQ8FsY0S8D-y6h4vTtfKfoXRygnlQ4EY8nAatsTtY8OzLqJ_t3JdiEdqFAWihDpaRCUoAIuUx9FaTe3CGEVJky2zpO5aMO2Onw6LQTKSvkG0yUcJi6ZFnoBapBdG/s1600/34+-+11.9.2014.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06519586222546188281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417365291670653726.post-25077934845552788292014-11-04T15:28:00.001-08:002014-11-04T15:28:05.979-08:00All That Potential In That Tiny Package<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLclkBnjXDtA-2QTQjVAv004kOPnBzlZvAH0Q6Ki6wUE5hT63Lfp0Uye_ysGetYp1XCz-CHWbU-UAwq7p_TNIHgZH9xqKk6ODraMacS9gCDSvEMpUOzhyphenhypheny7khQvsHfQxU-8k-QfaaLbD3u/s1600/DSCN0792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLclkBnjXDtA-2QTQjVAv004kOPnBzlZvAH0Q6Ki6wUE5hT63Lfp0Uye_ysGetYp1XCz-CHWbU-UAwq7p_TNIHgZH9xqKk6ODraMacS9gCDSvEMpUOzhyphenhypheny7khQvsHfQxU-8k-QfaaLbD3u/s1600/DSCN0792.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PLAY?!</td></tr>
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<a href="http://beesandapples.blogspot.com/2014/10/miles-is-here.html">As I mentioned previously</a>, our first child was born about a week and a half ago.<div>
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Maya doesn't seem to know what to make of him. She seems pretty indifferent at this stage, but he's not doing much yet.</div>
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Bella is another story - she's completely fascinated with him! </div>
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The day we brought him home, she ran up, checked him out, and immediately started to whine at me to put him down so she could play with him. Poor Bella - she'll have to wait at least a few more months before Miles can play with her!</div>
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She has to know where he is in the house at any given moment, and when she sometimes looses track of him it's hilarious to watch her dash around looking for him, checking all his last known locations.<br /><div>
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So far all he does is sleep, cry, and use the bathroom (and is also ridiculously adorable, at least to us). But it just <i>amazes </i>me that in his tiny body is a full personality that will be revealed in time.</div>
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Will he be an introvert or extrovert?</div>
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What will he request for his birthday dinner?</div>
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What will his favorite color be?</div>
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What kind of birthday cake will he want?</div>
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What will he want to be when he grows up?</div>
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Will he be a night owl or a morning person?</div>
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It's like he's a little human seed, just waiting to grow and bloom.</div>
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I can't wait to watch it all happen! </div>
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Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06519586222546188281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417365291670653726.post-84841535312531060322014-10-31T09:53:00.000-07:002014-10-31T09:53:08.493-07:00Miles Is Here!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkR753xQ5qgabllkJslM6XQxpjpYK5z_OVjTy9Ssy44MsAWOIf6ukt8XN0ThWt4DEULuCvajz0kBJlhcFx9LpF0l4AZeqim8C1zy4f7qXC1pExNFdrwN2CrKwcPAaAoEhpKLwPHrdflTI/s1600/DSCN0794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCkR753xQ5qgabllkJslM6XQxpjpYK5z_OVjTy9Ssy44MsAWOIf6ukt8XN0ThWt4DEULuCvajz0kBJlhcFx9LpF0l4AZeqim8C1zy4f7qXC1pExNFdrwN2CrKwcPAaAoEhpKLwPHrdflTI/s1600/DSCN0794.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Miles Francis Bennett has arrived! He was born on Sunday, October 26th at 2:38am, and was 8 pounds, 3 ounces and over 21 inches long.</div>
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<br />Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06519586222546188281noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417365291670653726.post-23805546111289062442014-10-04T09:06:00.000-07:002014-10-04T09:06:44.813-07:00I MET MY GOAL!Over a year ago <a href="http://beesandapples.blogspot.com/2013/08/gardening-does-it-save-money.html">I wrote a post</a> that added up the cost of all the permanent plantings I want to create the INSTANT we have enough free space to do so. A lot of these are fruit and nut plants that will take <i>years </i>to begin bearing fruit, which is one of the big reasons for my impatience to get this stuff started.<br />
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During the intervening year I've done odd jobs here and there and stashed away the resulting cash in a jar on top of my dresser. Other than when I was actually adding cash to the jar I never thought about it - we use debit cards for all our normal expenses. <br />
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Well, we recently had a meeting with our builder, and were told that the house SHOULD (keep your fingers crossed!) be done sometime around January or March! <br />
<br />
THAT means this coming spring the trailer will be GONE, and I'll be able to go ahead and plant our little mini-orchard!!!!!!!!! <br />
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Once I realized that, I ran to count up how much cash I'd managed to save in the jar on top of my dresser and it adds up to a little more than $600. WHOO HOO! By my original calculations, the plants themselves (not counting shipping costs or fill dirt or anything else) will cost around $400, so I've officially met my goal!Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06519586222546188281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417365291670653726.post-36141351609082836562014-09-17T13:33:00.000-07:002014-09-17T13:37:48.284-07:00The Universe Is Mocking Me Via Dirty Carpeting<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfhxSgPzv3llvp9ZO660-KArd0EI_tSguye5ykwolZbMlinbqeyfouBGsfYHCet9D9E5rGy0JS055KeYnLMSHtWV11JWxY-r2vW2ep-RvWs48GjD54wmV9zMY7YiyLBOSl9JmXfmvsaQpU/s1600/DSCN0613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfhxSgPzv3llvp9ZO660-KArd0EI_tSguye5ykwolZbMlinbqeyfouBGsfYHCet9D9E5rGy0JS055KeYnLMSHtWV11JWxY-r2vW2ep-RvWs48GjD54wmV9zMY7YiyLBOSl9JmXfmvsaQpU/s1600/DSCN0613.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For evidence I submit this photo of a freshly vacuumed carpet<br />
(you can see the vacuum in the lower left-hand corner of the photo)<br />
and you can clearly see carpet looks pretty icky.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Jack and I live in a trailer. Apparently trailers, or at least the one <i>we </i>live in, are not built to last through the ages (to put it mildly).<br />
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The counter-tops are a thin laminate glued over pressed particle board stuff, and the laminate layer is slowly peeling off in spots.<br />
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Nothing is made out of REAL wood - all the cabinets and fixtures are made from more cheap pressed particle board stuff but this time with a fake wood finish, so anywhere there is often steam (like, I dunno, in a BATHROOM or a KITCHEN) they puff up and warp.<br />
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And we also have gnarly trailer carpeting - even in both bathrooms because carpeting in a bathroom where it will inevitably get wet is such a GREAT idea.<br />
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Even though I regularly vacuum, it's impossible to really keep the gnarly trailer carpet clean. First of all, Jack got this trailer secondhand so who <i>knows </i>what the carpeting went through before we ever lived here (I prefer to not think about it). Second of all, we have two dogs who shed all over the place and track mud and clay inside, etc. Vacuuming gets the surface crud up, but doesn't touch all the other ground-in mess.<br />
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This has really been on our minds as we prepare to bring a baby home.<br />
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Now, in the NEW house we will have NO CARPET ANYWHERE EVER and it's going to be AMAZING. But until that happy day we have to live with our gnarly trailer carpet.<br />
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So that's why we rented a carpet cleaner right before we leave for our last pre-baby trip to the beach. I figured this would give me a whole day to really clean all the carpets and they could thoroughly dry over a few days while we're gone. <br />
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The plan seemed perfect!<br />
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So this morning I jump out of bed, ready to start pushing furniture around and really cleaning the <i>bejeezus </i>out of the carpet... when the power goes out.<br />
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Huh.<br />
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I wait a few minutes, expecting the power to pop back on any moment.<br />
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After a little bit I notice that the crew of guys working on the house have broken out a generator to continue their work. Hmm...<br />
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After some investigation it turns out that a construction project further down the street has shut down the power to the WHOLE STREET. My neighbors were told that only a few houses were going to be affected, and were just as surprised as the rest of us when the power went down for everybody. Oops! Construction does seem to love to spring these little surprises on us.<br />
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Further, this construction project was going to have the power down for the WHOLE DAY.<br />
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So no carpet cleaning for me.<br />
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Ok, I know this could have been worse. Not being able to clean my carpet after having paid the deposit to rent the cleaning machine is definitely a First World Problem. <br />
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It's still pretty irritating. And now every time I look at our gnarly trailer carpet all I can see is how dirty it is. It's like Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell Tale Heart" except instead of the heart getting loader and louder my carpets seem to look dirtier and dirtier with every glance. <br />
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THE AGONY! <br />
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Oh well. This will just make it that much sweeter when we can finally move into the new house.<br />
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<br />Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06519586222546188281noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417365291670653726.post-48297692546732927452014-09-16T18:18:00.001-07:002014-09-16T18:18:29.681-07:00Freezer Meals So I just hit week 36, which means that I only have 4 more weeks to go (assuming I give birth right on my due date, of course).<br />
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I'm down to the last few to-do items, like getting the car seat installed and (ahem) picking out a middle name. I've also been preparing for those first few weeks as a new mom by stocking up the freezer with some homemade meals that just have to be tossed in the oven so I don't have to worry about cooking.<br />
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This is such a great strategy for ANY time - we all have those days when you drag yourself in through the front door and have absolutely no energy for cooking dinner that night. And these times can crop up at any moment, so it's never a bad idea to keep a few meals in the freezer.<br />
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Homemade meals are MUCH cheaper than ordering take-out, and they're also going to be much healthier than typical convenience food.<br />
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What I've started doing is cooking a large batch of something that freezes well, and having part of it for dinner that night and sticking the rest in the freezer. For example, tonight I made spinach lasagna and split it up between four 8x8 pans. We had one of those for dinner tonight, and the other 3 went into the freezer. <br />
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Doing it this way means it's not much harder than making a standard dinner - I just make a larger batch and package it up. It also breaks up the cooking so I never have to devote a whole weekend to a crazy marathon cooking spree that leaves the kitchen a mess and me feeling exhausted. <br />
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Not everything freezes well, though. Also, some recipes benefit from a few tweaks to preform their best if they're going to be frozen. That's why I checked out "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Make-Ahead-Recipe-Cooks-Illustrated-Magazine/dp/1933615141/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1410915886&sr=8-2&keywords=america%27s+test+kitchen+make+ahead+recipes">The Best Make-Ahead Recipe</a>" by Cook's Illustrated from our local library to get some good ideas for what would freeze well. <br />
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Here are some of the things I'm going to use to stock my freezer:<br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/The-Ultimate-Chicken-Pot-Pie-51133410">Chicken Pot Pie</a></li>
<li>Chicken, Corn, Bean Casserole</li>
<li>Spinach Lasagna</li>
<li>Carrot Curry Soup</li>
<li>Homemade Mashed Potatoes</li>
</ul>
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If I'm feeling ambitious, I might also end up freezing a few pies or other dessert items. But I figure I'll leave those last.,.. We can always just have ice cream for dessert, right? :-)</div>
Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06519586222546188281noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1417365291670653726.post-31353596644343614842014-09-16T17:36:00.001-07:002014-09-16T17:36:15.889-07:00House Progress Update II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Even MORE progress has been made on the house, and I know that's kinda the whole idea behind BUILDING A HOUSE but I still find it amazing and miraculous! </div>
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It probably doesn't hurt that this particular progress has quickly made it actually look like a REAL HOUSE, and to a visual person (like myself) this has quite an impact.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg76b0iKFuicGjrVxs9AGGldLV46Bz-VwZbC_oYam68an2tNyOWp_drbacIVApzAqFZB3LD1SSw3xg9eNLstqkus7UtfhiW9ut5Uq6blWXpF2XETp72HOJtSac4OQFN5oEDa8H7s6bhyQmk/s1600/21+-+9.4.2014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg76b0iKFuicGjrVxs9AGGldLV46Bz-VwZbC_oYam68an2tNyOWp_drbacIVApzAqFZB3LD1SSw3xg9eNLstqkus7UtfhiW9ut5Uq6blWXpF2XETp72HOJtSac4OQFN5oEDa8H7s6bhyQmk/s1600/21+-+9.4.2014.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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September 4th: The framing starts to go up!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUY4tOaF1IPfCqVE-qccKRrABNBv0yX73OXMX6F7b8w-wfEyLrcq_3oSEhvPQAtyhiCGkX3Wd0FKCULx_IEENZp25lNkDI4cFN8JoGOd7XMh7VQbSoM4iiTSVYoF7I1H476PacEmVjuaB/s1600/24+-+9.5.2014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUY4tOaF1IPfCqVE-qccKRrABNBv0yX73OXMX6F7b8w-wfEyLrcq_3oSEhvPQAtyhiCGkX3Wd0FKCULx_IEENZp25lNkDI4cFN8JoGOd7XMh7VQbSoM4iiTSVYoF7I1H476PacEmVjuaB/s1600/24+-+9.5.2014.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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September 5th: They bring out a HUGE CRANE to put up the roof trusses. The drama! The excitement!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcx5asT92r6sY9_oVWOOTF4OL6muCYZAU_jpdBRX3SQya_G56zc6Of1bhiQ_vNGdSYI-5iIPzuYbfQC-OGxpPrLYat9UaPUT4whf8tXw1ZtGNAAluB0YT7LJv7QPtgYNoATXU4gUqNEBCS/s1600/30+-+9.13.2014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcx5asT92r6sY9_oVWOOTF4OL6muCYZAU_jpdBRX3SQya_G56zc6Of1bhiQ_vNGdSYI-5iIPzuYbfQC-OGxpPrLYat9UaPUT4whf8tXw1ZtGNAAluB0YT7LJv7QPtgYNoATXU4gUqNEBCS/s1600/30+-+9.13.2014.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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September 13th: The ROOF goes up, and suddenly - MAGICALLY - it looks like a real house to me.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2wHGVPErnanyEpL02GOBR-gcU24mdl-iK-ZkQ2sySXj68SSwloO27fzUtmeRlR2WQmRrmOcbld2tGdUY3XCjraaUf-5a8mijbB6aID4MmL4Zz404LhFbCmzwQMfh5EZJtpO39cQyAIDuw/s1600/31+-+9.15.2014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2wHGVPErnanyEpL02GOBR-gcU24mdl-iK-ZkQ2sySXj68SSwloO27fzUtmeRlR2WQmRrmOcbld2tGdUY3XCjraaUf-5a8mijbB6aID4MmL4Zz404LhFbCmzwQMfh5EZJtpO39cQyAIDuw/s1600/31+-+9.15.2014.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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September 15th: Now there are even WINDOWS! GASP!<br />
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Ok, look, I apologize for the crazy excitement and all the exclamation points, but seriously this is how this whole building process feels to me. If it wouldn't be super-duper creepy, I'd just stand in my backyard the whole time with my mouth open, staring at whatever the construction crew is doing that day in wide-eyed wonder. <br />
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As it is, I've so far managed to rein it in to just staring out of my window every once in a while and taking a few pictures when I let the dogs out.Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06519586222546188281noreply@blogger.com1