Winter Blues=Spring Garden Planning

With temps this cold for this long, my thoughts inevitably turn to warmer weather.  I'm aching and tired and sore from shoveling snow nearly daily.  Temperatures have dipped below zero more times than I care to think about.  I realized that in the summer, we had days where temperatures rose to over a hundred degrees and now we have had temperatures well below zero--that's a swing of at least 110 degrees' difference!  Crazy!

Around here, it's almost time to start seeds indoors here to prepare for the spring and summer gardens.  However, this year, I think I'll do something different with my garden beds.

I think I've been planting veggies out there for the past four summers now.  I want to give my garden a rest and plant two beds full of cutting flowers to have around the house this summer--I've never done this, so I think it would be a great change of pace.

I'm also planning to transplant some perennials that grow on the north side of our house.  The bed gets constantly overgrown with weeds every summer because it's a narrow space that is close to the house next door and never really gets sunlight, so it remains damp and shady all the time--perfect conditions for growing weeds, we've found!  I'd like to take the lilies and move them to the front yard, along with the large sedum.  A friend of ours gave us tiger lily transplants a few summers ago, which have done fairly well in the weed patch, but will probably be moved to the backyard.  Once that's clear, we'll just spray the bed with weed killer and not have to tend to it anymore.  Plus, we'll have some nice plants in our front yard, so win-win!

  

Gardening and Spring Fever

How is your garden doing so far?  I know it's early, but I've planted a few things, and they are coming up!  I planted nine potato plants (I think), and I'm seeing some sprouts, and my radishes are thriving.  I planted lettuce this past weekend, and transplanted the broccoli plants I purchased at the local greenhouse.  And the strangest thing has happened with my one lonely tomato plant: somehow, four more have sprouted in the same pot!  I have no idea how it happened, but maybe I'll have more than one tomato after all!  Time will tell.  I am calling it a tomato miracle.  I'll take whatever I can get!

Fresh garden beds.  I'm using stones to separate the spaces in the garden beds (just for my reference).  Top to bottom: four broccoli, three rows of radishes, and a freshly planted lettuce bed.  Potatoes on the right.

The miracle tomato pot.  Five plants.  How...??

Potato plants just beginning to poke through the dirt.

The lone asparagus!

I think we have a pair of nesting cardinals somewhere in our property.  I've seen this guy out and about a lot lately, and the female is usually somewhere nearby.  I have yet to locate the nest, although I'm really not looking for it.  I will leave it be.  But it's such a treat to see the bright red contrasted against the lush green grass when I catch him poking around the yard.  Check him out!

"Hmmm, which blade of grass will be tasty?"

"This one looks delicious!"

Well, as of right now, the doctor doesn't think that I am gluten intolerant.  Removing gluten from my diet didn't make much difference in the symptoms, and the celiac blood test came back normal.  They still have no idea what may be going on, though.  I'm slowly adding wheat-based products back to my diet.  I can't say that I've noticed any difference my overall health by avoiding gluten-based products, and I don't believe that it's a good idea for a body's health to cut out an entire food group from the diet, but I am going to try and cut back a bit.  Hopefully I'll find out some more answers when I go back to the doctor this week: they did an abdominal ultrasound on Friday, and I'll get the results.  I don't anticipate them finding any issues in the results, though.  Time will tell.

Spring Wreath, Inspired by Pinterest

"For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God." Hebrews 6:7, NASB

Today is a beautiful Sunday!  I have spring fever, for sure.  The temp is in the 60s, and I have some windows open for the first time in 2013.  I'm listening to a new CD by one of my favorite musicians, and felt like being a little crafty.  I saw a pin on Pinterest a while ago and have wanted to make it for spring decorating, and today seemed like the perfect lazy Sunday to do so.  It's really easy to do, and you can even make it while you are watching your favorite program on TV.  You can also customize it to fit the season, if you use a little imagination.  Let's get started!

Supplies

• One 12" green foam wreath form
• One skein of Yarn Bee brand haute fur, cypress color, 76 yards (I found it at Hobby Lobby)
• One roll of 1 1/2" wide by 9' wired satin ribbon, your choice (you could go a little wider, too)
• One yard of 7/8" daisy ribbon trim (I couldn't find rolls of it, but I found it for sale by the yard at JoAnn crafts)
• One package of 1 1/2" long pearlized pins, your choice of color heads
• Fray check (not pictured)

Step One: Wrapping the yarn
Start wrapping the yard around the form by holding a short length of the yarn with your thumb, while bringing the yarn over the piece you are holding with your thumb.  Wrapping the yarn over the piece you hold with your thumb will hold the loose end in place as you continue around the wreath form.

Try to wrap this part tightly and keep the strings close together.  Once you have the beginning piece completely covered, you can start going faster, wrapping the strands more loosely and then pushing them together.

 

Continue in this fashion until you've covered the entire form.  It'll probably take about an hour.  I listened to/watched two episodes of Good Eats while I worked on this.

Step Two: Securing the end of the yarn
When you finally get to the end of the wreath, pat yourself on the back.  Then leave about 8"-10" of string attached after you cut the end.

Take out a pin, and tie the end of the yarn around your finger.  Not tightly, and not in a knot.

Take the loop off of your finger, but don't tighten it yet.  Take the pin and insert it through the loop you made on your finger.  Tighten it around the top of the pin, underneath the pin head.  Then wrap the remaining little end of string around the rest of the pin, wrap the length of string around the wreath form.  Insert the pin into the foam to hold the end in place permanently.

 

Now your wreath should look like this!




Step Three: The bow and hanging ribbon
Cut a piece of ribbon about 2 1/2' long for the bow.  Then cut another length of ribbon for hanging; this length depends on how long you want the wreath to hang down.  I cut my length at about 3', but then shortened it quite a bit later.  Wrap the 2 1/2' length of ribbon around the same spot that you pinned the end of the yarn, and tie it once loosely.  Now, take the hanging ribbon and thread it through the bow ribbon.

Now, tighten the bow ribbon, and tie a knot.  This will secure the ribbon.  Then tie the bow.  Remember when  you were first learning how to tie your shoes, with bunny ears?  I've found that to be an easy way to get a decent-looking bow that stays fairly straight and neat.  That's the method I used to make my bow.

We'll trim and treat the edges of the ribbons later.

Step Four: The flowers
Now we need to separate the flowers.  Cut each apart and set them in a cute little pile.

Arrange the flowers on the wreath before you pin them in place.  Once you have them where you want, pin away!  Put as many on as you like.

 

Step Five: Trim the ribbon ends and treat them
Cut the ends of the ribbon, either by angling them or cutting them in a wedge.  Spread a thin layer of Fray Check along the cut edges.  Tie the hanging ribbon to your desired length and cut an angle along the edges of those ribbons.  Treat these ends with Fray Check as well.

Step Six: Hang and enjoy!

All told, I used a bunch of coupons between Hobby Lobby and JoAnn Fabrics, and the total of all of the materials came to around $20.  Not bad, I thought!

A Summation of the Last Two Weeks

Proof that spring is trying to arrive

I know I've been quiet on here for a few weeks.  I've had so much to get caught up on since I got back from Michigan that I just haven't had the time to sit down and write anything out.  So, I thought I'd write up a brief synopsis on what I did in Michigan, things here at home and throw in a few pictures, just to keep those who care updated:

Update On My Dad

My dad is getting better, slowly.  He had help from a few of his family members during the week, but they have returned home.  He seems to be able to manage things on his own though, and I make sure to call him each day in case I might need to arrange for some help for him.  He has a long road to recovery, though.  To read about the week I spent with him at the hospital, see the last half of this entry.

Garden Is Finally Worked (squish, squish!)

I was able last Sunday, during a rare sunny and dry day, to get the garden beds worked and some things planted.  It was a great stress reliever to be outside in the sunshine, working the dirt and making a mess.  I got potatoes, onions and a row of lettuce planted.  I'm still working on the plants I started indoors, too.  If it would just warm up and quit raining every day, I just might get things growing.  My asparagus doesn't seem to be affected by the rain and cool temps, though--it's over a foot tall!  Check out a few pictures of our yard below: (I took these photos with my new camera!)

Same asparagus as in the last post

Yes, that shows 2" of water in the gauge

My new purchases--two mosquito plants (they smell like citronella)

Technically, it's a non-flowering scented geranium plant

Looks like some twitterpated tweets are trying to nest in our back porch light!

A Week At The Hospital
As many people know, I spent last week in the hospital with my dad, keeping him company after having surprise bypass surgery.  It was a long, stressful, emotional week, but he's finally starting to feel a bit better and is not in nearly as much pain as he was right after the surgery.  Most all of the tubes and wires are out now, and there are a few more issues that will be addressed before he will be discharged, but it should be sometime this week.  Thanks to everyone who prayed for him and/or me during this past week.  It was much needed and appreciated.  While this experience didn't yield the spiritual awakening that I'd hoped for in my dad, I think it did scare him quite a bit.  Time will tell whether or not this experience results in lifestyle changes that need to be made.  Below is an overview of each day's activities. 

Monday:

The heart catheter procedure was done.  My sister and I were surprised at how quickly he was in and out.  We found out that stints were not going to help, and that our dad's arteries were 100% blocked in three of the four that go to the heart.  The fourth had 80-90% blockage.  A bypass surgery was scheduled, and he was admitted into the hospital.  My dad developed a temporary form of Turret's syndrome and would randomly say bad words while the news sunk in.

Tuesday:

Bypass surgery was scheduled for 3 pm.  My sister went into work for a few hours and I stayed with my dad.  He found out that they would only be doing one bypass on the artery that pumps 60% of the heart's blood supply, because the other arteries were too damaged to be able to operate on.  We also found out that his heart was extremely weak, barely pumping enough blood through the body.  I was there alone for a while while surgery prep was done, so I made several phone calls.  Eventually, my sister and brother-in-law arrived, and we all passed the time together.  I've never seen my dad as worried and scared as he was right before they anesthetized him.  We spent about four hours playing cards and hangman, reading, and conversing while the operation took place somewhere in the hospital, and our dad came out of the surgery doing very well.  We left around 9 that night.

Wednesday:

My sister had to go into work again today, so I went to the ICU to see how things were going.  No one kicked me out, so I stayed until my dad dozed off.  He was in a lot of discomfort (and that's an understatement), so he asked for a lot of pain meds, which made him pretty tired.  I left, met my sister and mom for lunch, and returned to the ICU later in the afternoon. After finishing work, my sister and her husband joined me and we stayed until visiting hours ended.  We went to get some dinner together.

Thursday:

Dad was still in the ICU.  They were trying to move him to a regular room, but they didn't have one yet.  He had improved quite a bit, but was still in a lot of pain and discomfort.  I lost a few brain cells thanks to the Jerry Springer Show, and then we watched The Price is Right.  I think we watched that every morning while I was there.  I left to get lunch and visit my mom at the K of C hall where she volunteered with helping to put together a fish fry that they do every Friday for Lent, then went to get lunch.  When I returned to the hospital, my dad's ICU bed was empty, so I went up to the cardiac floor and found him in his own room, finally.  Several tubes and wires had been removed, and he was a bit more comfortable.  I stayed in the room with him until my sister and brother-in-law stopped in, and we went for dinner.  It was my last night in town, so we met my mom and stepdad for dinner.  I, my sister, and my brother-in-law stopped back at the hospital until visiting hours ended once again, and we all went to our homes.  It was the earliest night I had while I was there.

Friday:

It was time to go home.  I'd been up there since Sunday evening, and this had turned into a very long week.  I packed my car, said goodbye to my mom, who had been boarding me through the week, filled up the gas tank and headed to the hospital one last time.  I was hoping that my dad would be discharged that day or over the weekend, but I found out while there that he wouldn't be discharged until Monday or Tuesday.  They detected an irregular rhythm in his heartbeat and wanted to schedule another heart cath for Monday to see if a pacemaker/defibrillator would be needed.  That upset my dad.  I stayed there until around 11:30 am, when my dad said that I should go to beat running into some weather that was coming.  I obliged.  It was a long, lonely drive home, with my thoughts constantly turning back to the hospital and my dad.  I was emotionally and physically exhausted, and ready to be home with the one person on whom I depended most for support and comfort, while at the same time feeling guilty for leaving my sister and father.  There was nothing more I could do though, and I knew that my dad would have visitors over the weekend, and would have the help he needed from his sisters and mother when he was discharged.  I had served my purpose.

God was there, with me, the whole week I was up there.  I know that, and I depended on my faith in Christ to get me through.  It was not easy, though, and I felt very isolated the during my stay, as no one else in my family shares my faith.  Twice I tried to approach the subject with my father, and twice I was shot down.  I was also denied by my sister when I asked if she would pray with me.  Easy to feel isolated!  But I know that God was there with me, and He gave me strength to make it through the week. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 is a reminder that weakness when calling upon the Lord is not a bad thing: "But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 


Update:  My father was discharged this past Tuesday.  The second heart cath was done the day before discharge and showed no irregular rhythm in the heart beat, and therefore no internal device was placed.  He is slowly improving a little each day.

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

Come Again Another Day!

Mr. Bunny from last summer

Well, I still haven't been able to get my garden soil worked.  The ground is so saturated right now that there's nothing but mud around the garden beds.  It seems like we always get an abundance of rain in the early spring...then everything gradually dries out until the middle and end of the summer season is a drought.  It would be great if I could save up all of this rain and use it when the weather goes into the dry pattern!  Then I would be set, and wouldn't have to haul out the hose at all in the summer.  The rain has certainly greened things up, though.  It's nice to see green grass, hear all of the different varieties of birds singing, and see the buds on the tree branches just waiting to open up.  Spring is a great time of year!  And it leads to summer, another great time of the year!

My New Toy

Stock photo

I finally decided on a camera.  I went with the Nikon Coolpix S8100 (to see specs, click on the link), and I got it for a fair price through the  Best Buy website.  I'm still trying to figure out all of the different features and settings, which is a little tricky because the user's manual is all on CD and not in print form.  So far, the photos I've taken look clear and crisp, but that's just viewing them using the display screen on the back.  I will charge it and take photos with both my old HP digital camera and my new Nikon camera and compare.  Thus far I'm impressed, but I can't really give an opinion yet, since I haven't really used it.

Surgery Rescheduled

Well, my dad's heart cath was moved to this Monday, so I will be heading up to keep my sister company in the hospital waiting room.  Please pray that God would give him a wake-up call and present an opportunity to talk to him about having a relationship with the Lord, because unless my father brings a topic up, it's basically like talking to a very ornery brick wall.  Thanks!

Regardless of what we experience in life--sadness, disappointment, struggles, loss--it's so important to remember that God is in control.  Even the bad situations that we are presented with are used by God to shape us into the people that He wants us to become, in order to do His will.  When things don't go "our way", God is usually trying to get our attention and shape us into something He can use.  When we do things our way, that is usually the time that our situations will get way out of hand.  "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." -Colossians 2:6-7.  Give thanks to God for the life that He has blessed you with!

Happy Spring!

Sweatin' to the Wii!

Stock photo

With the warmer weather that has set in (for now), I'm enjoying the benefits of being outdoors for a change.  I have been trying to make it a point to do the exercise DVDs that I bought to use with the Wii fitness board before work each morning, but one day last week when the temps outside climbed to almost 70, my husband invited me to join him for a walk around our neighborhood.  I really enjoy walking outside (and just being outside) when it is nice out, so of course I accepted!  It feels good to make it a point to get some exercise in each day.  I don't know if I've lost any weight (the scale scares me!), but I'm glad that I've found some motivation to try and take care of myself more.  We did a one and a half mile route through the neighborhood, with some inclines.  All in all, a nice workout on a beautiful day!  It makes me realize just how ready for spring I am.  It seems like it's been a loooooong winter!

Veggie Time!

My sprouts!

I need to get out and try to work the garden beds some.  It's been very wet these past weeks, so I haven't ventured out to see what it's like.  Usually, when we get heavy rains, the area around the beds becomes very saturated and muddy, and it takes a long time to dry out thanks to the clay soil that we have here.  We built raised beds to help with the drainage around the plants, but it still makes working out there pretty messy at times.  I want to get things going, though!  I have started my indoor plants, which are sprouting already.  It's such a great feeling to plant something and watch it grow...you feel like you've really accomplished something special.  For as long as I keep a garden, I hope I never lose the enjoyment of watching things grow!  Right now, I have tomatoes, celery, and pansies that have started to grow.  My peppers have not popped up yet, but they are supposed to take a bit longer to start.  I have a good feeling, though!

Summer Grilling

We were able to break out the grill for the first time this year.  Yum!  I don't think we ever got to use it last summer, due to the work schedule that my husband had then.  I had picked up some petite sirloins at the grocery store during my last trip, and with the weather as nice as it was last week, it sounded like a great idea to grill some steaks.  May I just say that my husband is the best griller I know?  It was like eating at Texas Roadhouse without the dancing and loud music.  And I'm not just being biased.  He's a good cook anyway, but he's really good with the grill.  I think that he should make up for last summer and grill all of the time this summer!

Technology....ptttthhhhhbbb.....

Well, it looks as though our desktop computer is out of commission for the time being.  The fan broke on the tower, and apparently it's not a good idea to run the computer without a fan (duh).  So we need to get it replaced, fixed, or my husband's personal preference, buy a new computer altogether.  He's been wanting a new one for a while anyway.  I don't know what we'll do, but I can't download photos from my digital camera onto the laptop I'm currently using (software compatability issues), so I won't be able to share any new pictures with you for a while, at least until something changes.  :(  Update: as of March 24, the computer seems to have mysteriously healed itself.  Weird...

Prayer Request

I found out last night that my father has to have a heart catheter done in a week and a half to explore possible blockages.  He is not saved, and does not really want to know anything about the Lord.  Please pray that the Lord might use this opportunity to open some doors for witnessing.  Thanks in advance!

^{Worry is normal for me.  I think that women tend to worry more than men, because we are more emotional than men (which is the way that God made us!).  It's normal to worry and wonder, especially when you don't know the outcome of something.  It's a human emotion.  If you find yourself an excessive worrier, like me, a good passage to remember is out of Matthew 6:
"}But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."  God has everything under control.  Even in the worst of circumstances, He has a reason and purpose for everything that happens.  We just rarely have the capacity to understand!

Cabin Fever

Top o'the mornin' to ya!

Aaah, do I have the spring fever.  I'm looking outside at the beautiful white landscape, ready for it to be gone and warmer weather to set it.  There is so much snow everywhere, but with temps forecasted to be around 50 by mid-week, that should take care of a lot of snow.  It seems like it's been an exceptionally hard winter this year, and I will be glad when the trees have leaves and I can once again go outside in sandals and a tee-shirt instead of heavy winter socks and a bulky winter coat.  Aahh, I can almost smell the spring air, and feel the warm breeze.  I enjoyed the weather briefly yesterday, when I made a trip to the store to get hubby some items to make him feel better--he seems to be having some sort of sinus problem and had a very sore throat for the past few days.  He seems to be doing much better today, though, which is a good thing!  It was very nice out, and I got away with just wearing a lightweight jacket.  I'm ready for that to be the norm!  Maybe I just need a warm-weather-destination trip. 

Valentine's Weekend

Well, today is Valentine's Day.  We celebrated the holiday on Friday though, which was good since my husband came down with the sickness Saturday.  We had a nice dinner out, exchanged gifts, and had an overall very relaxing weekend at home.  My hubby is sending me to a local day spa again this year as my gift.  I really like the spa, and it's such a nice experience.  He sent me there last year for the first time, which was a wonderful surprise and a great pampering experience.  If you've never had the opportunity to spend a few hours at a day spa, I would highly recommend it!  You won't be disappointed.  

Recipes

Yesterday, to end the weekend, I made a pot of beef stew.  Can I just say YUM?  I tweeked a recipe that I found online for beef stew (from Paula Deen's beef stew recipe) and have my version posted on the recipe blog.  I'm not bragging, but it was delicious and really hit the spot last night!  I also made a half-sized Hershey chocolate cake on Saturday, and that was a wonderful dessert.  If you want to see the recipes and haven't visited the site, click here.  Thanks to everyone who has checked it out.  I hope that you find recipes on there that you try and like, and I would love to post some of your recipes on there as well!

Today we celebrate love.  You don't have to be in a romantic relationship with someone to enjoy the Valentine's holiday, although that is generally the main target audience of this day.  Chances are, you have family and friends that love you just as you are!  God certainly does.  He created you, and you are His children.  He loves you no matter what.  Ephesians 5:1-2 reinstates how much He loves us: "1Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us...".  God loves us so much, and wants to be with us always, that He allowed His Son to die for our salvation!  Now that's love.