Fear Factor--Garden Edition

I'll admit it. I'm afraid of our pressure canner.
It may have something to do with a story my grandmother used to tell about her pressure cooker exploding so she had to clean potatoes off of her ceiling for a week.

Or maybe it's the fear of the unknown.

All I know is that so far I've managed to preserve all kinds of food by freezing. That may come to an end very quickly.

The pressure canner we have used to be Rick's grandma's. It's probably over 50 years old. Last year Rick ordered new gaskets and such to make sure it's all in working order.

But I still haven't tried it.

I blanched and froze green beans this afternoon. I kept saying that I didn't want to heat up the house in this 100+ degree weather. I think I just didn't want green beans all over my ceiling.

A Rose by Any Other Name...

When we bought this house about eight years ago, this wasn't a rose bush, it was a rose TWIG! We had to put small little pieces of brick around it just so Rick could see it and not run it down when he was mowing the grass.

Look at it now....isn't it gorgeous!

Rick has really babied it. He uses all of the "old time" tricks for roses that he learned from his grandma. They've really worked! The only one I remember has to do with coffee grounds. Rick doesn't drink coffee, so I had to make the sacrifice and drink it so he could have the grounds to put around "his" rose. :-)

They're really beautiful.

BLT Anyone?!?

We're still having water issues in the garden. More rain has turned it to mud again. Here are a few photos to show you how it's progressing!

Here are the green beans and Uncle Gene beans.

They seem to be doing ok in spite of all the water.

Yeah, those tomatoes probably aren't going to make it. We have a few to try and replant, but it's just too muddy to get in there right now.

The lettuce and radishes are doing really well!

Rick thinned the radishes and we harvested our first crop of lettuce this week.

After a little bit of instruction, Brandie did a great job with the lettuce!

(I think she has a green thumb!)

She did 95% of this harvest on her own!

Way to go, Brand!

Pay no attention to her mis-matched ensemble. She picked out her own wardrobe today. :-)

Haleigh wanted to give it a try. She did a great job, too!

Haleigh's favorite part? EATING IT!!!

All it needed was some bacon, tomato, and toast. lol

We shared our lettuce with a my mom and dad, my sister's family, and a family from church. We'll probably be cutting more in a few days. You just can't beat something you've grown yourself!

I'll be linking this post to She Considers. Be sure to stop by Olivia's blog to see how everyone else's garden is coming along!

Garden--Version 2011

We've had a shaky start to our garden this year. We had the ground plowed up (doubling our growing space), then it started to rain. And rain. And rain some more.

The lettuce and radishes are in a semi-raised bed. The rain moved the seeds around and we lost quite a bit, but we'll replant lettuce when it cools off this fall.

Rick, Betty (his mom), and the girls have been helping to get the starts into the ground today. They're working on "Uncle Gene beans" here. Uncle Gene beans are like a black and white striped lima bean. I'm sure they have an official name, but that's what we call them because the seeds came from Rick's Uncle Gene! Makes sense, eh?

Brandie was getting really good at getting the bean starts planted.

Haleigh learns the fine art of making the hole.

We, well, Rick and the girls started seeds about six weeks ago in little cups and in some of those starter thingies you find this time of year. (I got them at a garage sale last year for $.25! Score!) They did really well.....until we couldn't get them into the ground because of the rain. Everything started looking a little leggy, but we think they'll all make it!

I'm linking to She Considers. Olivia is hosting "From 2011 Seeds to Harvest Garden Challenge". Go check out how everyone else is doing!

Dollar Store Birdbath

Spring is in the air....finally!
How do I know? Rick's already had to mow the lawn!

In honor of Spring, I made a cute little birdbath out of picnic-y items from Dollar General. The whole thing cost less than $7.00.

Here's how to make one of your very own!

What You'll Need
10" Large Bowl
8" Plate
10" Plate
Ceramic Vase
Another 10" Plate (not pictured)
Small Brick (not pictured)
E-6000 Glue or other industrial-strength adhesive

Start by placing your large bowl upside-down on a flat surface. Pick a place that's well-ventilated where you'll be able to leave it overnight without it being disturbed. I'm working in our garage. Run a line of glue along the bottom rim of the bowl.

Place your smaller plate (right side up!) on top of the bowl. Get it as centered as you can.

Put your larger plate right side DOWN on your flat surface. Along the top of the ceramic vase you'll run some glue. Carefully center your vase on the bottom of the plate.

                                                   Let the 2 parts sit overnight. 

The next day you can glue the bottom of the vase to the top of the smaller plate. Let that sit overnight, too.

This isn't pictured, but I thought the birdbath was too light when it was finished, and I was afraid the wind would keep blowing it over.

To make it heavier I turned the entire thing upside down, placed a piece of broken brick in the bowl, and E-6000ed the second 10" plate onto the rim of the bowl.

After it dried, the brick was secure in the bowl, and the entire birdbath has a good weight on the bottom.

I'm linking at....

Solar Luminaries: "Look, Ma! No Flames!"

I made this safer-than-a-candle-when-you-have-kids-and-cats SOLAR luminary in less than one hour! It's embarassingly easy, so let's get started!

I picked up this plain candy-type jar at one of those warehouse crafty stores. I think it was The Flower Factory in Greenwood, Indiana. You can find them in just about any craft store. If you can't locate one, any jar will work!

Can I just say again how much I love this glass-etching spray paint? (I also used in in this project.) Give it a good coat and let it dry for 15 minutes or so before you decide if it needs more.

By the way, the etching appears as the spray dries. I'd forgotten that bit of information and kept spraying and spraying, waiting for the frosting to appear. In the meantime, the paint was running and dripping on the inside. The great thing about this "paint" is that you can't see the runs and drips when it's dry! Love that!

Here's the jar after it has dried. The picture of the lid is right after I'd sprayed it. See the difference?

This is one of those solar light stakes that you can get from just about any lawn and garden department. This smallish one was just $3.

The bottom stake just twists off, leaving you with the light.

By the way, if you want to try this project out the day you make it, it's a good idea to put the light out in the sun that morning.

Ask me how I know.

Put a small amount of floral clay in the bottom of the jar to hold the light in place. Play-Doh might work if you have some of that. It would harden and make a sturdy base. Whatever you decide to use, make sure it's deep enough to keep the light upright.

Put your light in the jar and replace the lid. Wait for dark and think about how totally cool this little light is!

These would be great for a garden, on your porch, or as luminaries lining your sidewalk at Christmas!

I was thinking of putting one in the bathroom to use as a nightlight, but I'd have to take it outside every day for a sunlight recharge. That's way too much work for me. Just keepin' it real.

I think the next one I make is going to be with a half-gallon canning jar I've been saving for a project like this. Star stickers added prior to spraying the jar might make a nice effect! Or maybe I'll use the Silhouette and cut a monogram out of vinyl!

If you make one, be sure to leave the link in the comments. I'd love to see what you come up with!

I'm linking here:

Tipsy Pots: Leaning Towers of Flowers!

This is right after we planted the flowers. They've filled out now!

I saw a cute planter at a house in a nearby town and thought it was adorable--and about to fall over!

My sister-in-law, Lisa, said she knew the secret to the "tip" and would be happy to make me a set.

I don't have pictures of everything, but here's what you need:

--At least 3 clay pots in various sizes with a center drainhole in the bottom

--Metal rod that's at least six inches taller than your stacked pots

--Drainage material (I used packing peanuts.)

--Potting soil

--Flowers

Our pots were different shades of terra cotta, and I really like red, so we started by painting the pots red with three coats of spray paint.

Push the metal rod down into the soil where you want your tower to sit. This isn't a project you can move around after you finish it. You have to make it where it will live!

Slide the biggest pot down over the rod through the drainage hole. Add a layer of drainage material then fill it almost to the top with potting soil. Be sure to have your kids help you with this part. Mine love getting dirty!

Put the next largest pot over the rod through the drainage hole. (Now you're starting to see how this is going to work, right?) Tip it to one side so that the top edge of the pot is leaning on the rod. You may have to add more soil to the bottom pot to get your second pot to sit where you'd like it. Pack the soil down because when you water your flowers it will cause the soil to settle. Once you have your pots how you'd like them, add your drainage material and potting soil to the second pot.

Repeat this process until you get to your top pot. Plant the flowers and give them a good soaking of water.

Watering this tower can be a bit challenging in the beginning. The soil will settle and the water will run out of the pots, taking some dirt with it. As long as you filled the pots with soil to begin with, they'll be fine. The flowers will "spill" over the sides when they start to grow.

Next year I'm planning a larger tower using bigger pots and more of them! They're definitely unique. In fact, I've seen two cars stop and take a picture of them in our front yard!