happy!

I have very happy news to share... Ben proposed yesterday and we're engaged!

We were supposed to go sailing at Hoover yesterday, but the weather was just too cold and wet, so we opted to pack up the boat and be all ready to head up to Mansfield for the regatta Friday night instead. I had just finished sponging all the water out of the boat when Ben started to take the spreaders off of the mast and "dropped a piece" in the gravel. Knowing that I'm usually the one that finds stuff in the gravel, I got an "Amanda... come help me find this thingy..." When I walked around to the other side of the boat I found him on one knee with a ring and he did it... "Will you marry me?" I didn't even say anything, I just kissed him - then I said yes. I was completely surprised and it was totally unexpected. I am *very* happy -- It was perfect! (I had a hunch he'd do it in/near/around the boat...)

Here's a picture of the ring:

It's my mom's original engagement ring. She upgraded at some point when I was really little and (except for in their wedding photos) I don't think I have ever actually seen this ring. I'm really happy that Ben decided to go this route rather than buying a new ring. I like the sentiment with this one... plus it's been living in a safe for 20 years, so why not? It's very different and unique which is right up my alley. I love having things that I know no one else will ever have.

Yesterday was a great day and I am one happy girl! I love Ben so much, I would shout it from the rooftops... I can't wait to be his wife. :)

Happy EVERYTHING!
Amanda

Gardening Progress

So... there's really not that much to write about right now, but I have lots of pictures. Here's the latest shot of the garden:

The gigantic stakes look really ridiculous right now, but I figured it'd be easiest to put them in now instead of later when the plants are bigger.


Unfortunately my pumpkin seedlings that were growing so strong, didn't make it through the transplant. I opted to sow some seeds directly into the bed rather than start them in pots. I had just enough bike wheel rims to edge the bed and put the ones with spokes in the middle - Hopefully they'll act as supports for the future pumpkins.


A few of the Brussels Sprouts didn't fare so well, but the ones that did are going strong! It's too bad it takes so long for the sprouts to really get going... we want to eat them now.



There have been a few changes to the potted plants... There were too many basil plants in the big red pot, so I split it up and put a few in the big blue pot. The basil, cilantro, and thyme (all on the orange chair) were started from seed and are going strong. The sage (below the orange chair) is also from seed and doing well. I decided I wanted more cilantro so I plopped a few seeds in the mosaic pot. I figured if I want to make salsa this summer, it can't hurt to have more cilantro. The oregano in the little green pot is a little slow, but it's going, and I decided to plant two hot pepper seeds in each of the other two pots. We'll just wait and see what happens there.




(That's a tomatillo... I realize the stick is a little faded already.)




The radishes are growing like crazy - both plots!


Look how big the beans are!


The peas are going nuts too!


We've been eating fresh lettuce in salads almost every night. That's a spring/summer treat you really can't beat!


This little cuke is loving life... so much so, he's already got a little baby growing!

All-in-all, things are growing pretty well. I've been feeding everything a good dose of root-building food once a week, so hopefully they're bouncing back ok.

Until next time, Happy Gardening!
Amanda

Pretty Little Things

I thought I'd detour from the veggies and share a few photos of some of the flowers in the garden... They're pretty and make me smile, hopefully they'll make you smile too!

My newest favorite: The Icelandic Poppy

(It's really cool... the plant produces different colored flowers in the same plant so you really don't know what you're going to get.)

Longtime favorite: The Bleeding Heart

This climbing rose was a pleasant surprise, and they smell wonderful!

Why do you build me up...

Buttercup, baby, just to let me down...


Thanks for the impatients Mom, they're doing nicely!


I have to thank our neighbor, Nora for having such pretty peonies on the fence that we share.

This spring, stop and smell the flowers. You might like what you find!

Happy Gardening!
Amanda

[title unknown]

A big welcome and hello to spring from The Gnomes!
Sunshine, we've missed you!

More Gardening!

I've been taking advantage of the nice weather and have been spending as much time as I can with my hands in the dirt. (I read that dirt-to-hand contact makes people happy... I totally believe that!)

I got all my seedlings planted on May 15th. Some of them aren't handling the transplant so great, so hopefully they bounce back.

I also dug two more beds: one in the corner of the yard and another against the west side of the garage. The corner fence bed will be home to the pumpkins, a left-over Italian Ice tomato, and some green onions.

The west garage bed will be devoted to Brussels Sprouts.

All the gnomes have been brought out of hibernation and I am loving it. They bring so much more to the garden... I've missed them.

Here's Heinrich guarding one of the Italian Ice tomato plants.

















I realize it's not a gnome, but I wanted to share my toadstool. Ben and I stopped to visit his grandma and uncle on the way back home from Philly at Christmas and we took a little detour with his Uncle Greg to this garden store in PA with the hopes of finding a gnome. I picked up this shroom along with Alfred. I found the little snail at the candle outlet at the Indiana/Ohio border on our way back home from visiting family in Missouri a few months ago.














There's more coming...

Happy Gardening!
Amanda

wow.

No really, I swear... No Photoshop here. I was watering the garden just now and noticed the sky getting darker (rain is on it way for sure.) I looked up and saw this... Reminds you that sometimes Nature just has a way of really showing off.

Ugh, always behind...

Things have been a little busy around here lately, and unfortunately that means I'm a little behind in blogging. You'll have to forgive me for posting so much all at once. The weather has been pretty nice lately, so Ben and I have been sailing when we can and I've been keeping busy with getting the garden going (and sewing a lot too.)

I guess I'll start with some exciting news... I GOT A JOB! WA-HOO! I'll be starting at the end July as a customer service rep in a call center. It may not be my dream job, but I am very excited to start with such a great company. I mean, I love helping others and I'm a great talker, so who knows, maybe it'll end up being my dream job. In the meantime, I'll be spending the next two months squeezing in everything I can - unfinished sewing projects, gardening, sailing, traveling - before I start.

Anywho, onto the garden... Here's the finalized garden plot pre-planting:

I planted sugarsnap peas, Kentucky Wonder pole beans, and tendergreen bush beans on April 29th (I know, I know... I'm way overdue.) I used a garden fence as a trellis, it looked to be the best option for the best price.

I noticed the first serious sprouts on May 7th.

Here they are on May 10th. It's amazing how fast they grow!

[peas] [beans]

I brought up all the potted plants from the basement around the time I planted the peas and beans too. I needed some sort of stand to hold a few of the pots, so I painted this old chair:

It has lived in the garage for who knows how many years, so I thought I'd give it a face lift. Apparently a giant mushroom grew out of the knot in the chair back and made it into the local paper... I just couldn't throw that kind of story away! Here's a close up of my painting, I'm really pleased with how it turned out:

I also got a new gnome - and a great one at that! He was $0.99 at the Goodwill, my first real gnome find (you know, not from a garden store or JoAnn.) I named him Herbert. He is clearly the long-lost brother to Pan, our drunk gnome... Love it!

Ok, that's all for now... more soon, promise!

Happy Gardening!
Amanda