Getting Ready to Garden and Date Night

Hubby and I spent an enjoyable day working outside yesterday.  We accomplished quite a bit!  We started out in the morning to buy some manure to spread over the garden beds, along with a vegetable fertilizer for the beds, then we came back, picked up sticks in the yard, cut down some overhanging tree limbs above the garden beds, and split up to tackle our own projects: hubby with weed trimming and mowing, and me working the garden beds and erecting a trellis for my cucumbers to grow upon.  I was also able to harvest our first asparagus for the season! (I later heard from a neighbor that sprinkling water softener salt around the asparagus makes it grow like crazy, while eliminating any other growth around it.  I'll have to try this next year and let you know.)

Asparagus before I weeded

My first bunch of asparagus for the year

The beds after weeding and working--what plant wouldn't want to live here??

My cucumber trellis, made from the tree limbs we cut down

This early spring has been great so far.  I picked up four Romaine lettuce plants at Lowe's, but don't plan to plant it outside until after the possibility of frost has passed.  I need some new row covers but the stores don't carry them yet, since it's early for planting in this area (in general).  So, for the time being, the lettuce will live in my kitchen and grow.  I've read that you can grow lettuce indoors all year long if you want, but haven't tried it yet.  I suppose this is kind of a test. 

Lilacs in March??

After spending hours outside, working hard, I promised hubby that I would go with him to see a movie.  We went to see "John Carter" before dinner, and it was okay.  A little hard to understand if you are not a sci-fi person (which I am not), but a decent story line and great special effects.  Hubby is a big Edgar Rice Burroughs fan, so he desperately wanted to see the movie, and I finally agreed to go.  After dinner, we rewarded ourselves with dinner out at a Chinese restaurant here in town, and we had a good time.  It tasted good to treat ourselves after a week of trying new recipes, not all of which were that great.  All in all, a good day spent with my best friend!

I never doubt my husband's love for me.  It's one of the great things about him--having the courage to be a man who's not ashamed to love his wife.  Ephesians 5:28-33 talks about the type of relationship marriage should really be: "In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—for we are members of His body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."  I'm glad I have a husband who honors God in his love for me!

Asparagus, Peppers, and Cookies, Oh My!

Asparagus

I was able, in the day or two last week without rain, to get the leaves off of the garden beds.  To my surprise, I found my first two asparagus spears peeking out of the dirt!  This picture is from a week ago, and since then, I have several spears popping up, and the spear in the picture is a good 6" tall or more.  I think they were so happy to be uncovered that they couldn't help themselves but reach for the sky.  I guess that if nothing else gets planted this year, I will still have some asparagus to munch on!

  

Peppers

I took advantage of a sale on sweet bell peppers at Meijer to stock up for our fajita nights (for my simple fajita recipe, click here).  I found the book in the background on clearance at Lowe's, and I used it to learn how to properly freeze fresh peppers.  I know that you can just throw chopped onions in the freezer and they will keep well, but I didn't know you could do basically the same thing with peppers.  I am finding the book quite helpful, and hope to learn all about preserving so that I will have fresh veggies and fruits all year long!

Cookies

I like to bake on rainy days.  There's something about the smell of freshly baked goods that just makes the house feel so warm and inviting on a gloomy day!  I really wanted some cookies, so I decided to try a recipe that I found on a friend's blog, Cake Mix Cookies.  It's a super-easy recipe, and boy were they good!  I've added the recipe to The Recipe Swap, feel free to check it out.  I promise, you won't be disappointed!