garden planning

January is the perfect time to plan your garden. Catalogs come by the "bushel". Once the fall holidays are over, and it's cold and dreary outside, I look forward to Spring. I spend months planning Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, so it makes perfect sense to spend months planning Spring!

My veggie garden always includes: tomatoes, peas, zucchini, cucumbers, raspberries{perennial bush}, yellow squash, pumpkins and carrots. I try a few different plantings each year. Some work, some don't. Last year I had trouble with corn and potatoes. Neither grew very big.

This year I plan to add: sweet banana peppers, broccoli and asparagus.

In my herb garden I grow: lavender, cilantro, peppermint, basil, chives, and lemon balm. This year I plan to add: spearmint, rosemary and dill.

I have a spiral notebook for gardening. Each Spring, I draw my garden plans. You have to rotate most plants. By keeping a garden journal, I can be sure that I have done the rotation. I can also keep track of what grows and what doesn't.

an inexpensive date night

Hubby and I went "out" last night. Not a fancy restaurant. Not a night club. No galleries.

We went to the bookstore. Yes, again.

I had a gift card for the coffee shop. So, we got our drinks, found some reading material and then settled in. We don't have the same taste in books, so we each find what we are looking for and then meet back up. We have been doing this for about 15 years. Still never gets old. Sometimes we find something to buy {usually gifts} and sometimes we just buy a drink.

I wasn't surprised to see the amount of people there doing the exact same thing. Guys on their laptops, a couple playing cards and many people in the over stuffed chairs reading. I love this bookstore for allowing this to happen. God bless the bookstore owners. They are awesome!

free photo greeting card

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to simplify the wardrobe....

As I was getting dressed recently, I discovered that I literally had nothing to wear. Well, nothing that would match, anyway. {laundry day} It occurred to me that I have too many tops that are multi colored. If I had more neutral, solid colored blouses, then I could easily mix and match.

My solution? Go through my closet and donate anything that can't easily be paired with at least 2 or more bottoms. {read: slacks, sweats, skirts, capris etc} I am left with solid colored blouses, solid colored pants and multi colored skirts.

I think the multi colored skirts will keep me from boredom. I also think it will be easier to get dressed if I have more matching items. I can get a coupon, for donating 2 bags of clothing, to the thrift store. If needed, I can go and get a couple more tops to balance this wardrobe out.

This change should also cut down on laundry, since I will have less articles of clothing.

My coupons and the show "Extreme Couponing"

I didn't have a lot to buy this week, but did get a few things not on the list. The reason? They would be free, or close to free.

At Walgreens:
1 Thermacare $2.50
minus $1 coupon
= $1.50
minus $2.50 Register Rewards
= $1 profit! =)

2 Nescafe 7 pack Taster's Choice coffee packets 2 for $2
minus 2 $1 off of 1 coupons
= 2 packs for free!

at Walmart:
2 Yakisoba noodle bowls $0.54 each
minus 2 $0.50 off coupons
= $0.08 for 2!

3 Green Giant boxed veggies $1 each
minus 3 $0.50 off of 1 coupons
=$1.50 for 3


Not an "Extreme Couponing" day as per TLC's program, but I think that I did okay, considering that I only need eggs, cottage cheese and fruit.

I didn't watch the entire show, but saw snippets of it on TLC"s website. I was pretty shocked at one particular guy. He had over $30,000 of a stockpile in his garage. {I think that was the amount} He had enough deodorant to last many men for many lifetimes! I think that is bordering on a hoarding disorder! Seriously! I once bought 5 sticks of deodorant, because they were free after coupons. I kept 2 and donated 3 to the food bank. {They need these kinds of things!}

There's just a limit to what I put in my pantry stockpile. It has to be something that we will need or use. If I can get it for free, but won't use it, it gets donated. I don't have a cat, but will get the free cans of cat food, just to donate.

There was another couple on the show that first went to the store, wrote down all of the sales, and then went back to shop. They had 9 carts in the end. What did I see in the carts? 100 candy bars and a cart full of Gatorade. I just don't want 100 candy bars in my house. Not even if they are free!

Another woman did a great job with her shopping, she had one cart and spent about $6.00. {$230.00 before coupons} That is the kind of shopping that I do. I do not want so much stuff that I need to put it in my garage. I want to put my car into my garage!

I really think that some of these people should next be on the show "Hoarders"!

why do I garden???

I was recently asked "why do you garden? Isn't it easier to just buy things from the store?"
Well I guess it would be easier. And cost more.

As I sit here on this fine Colorado January morning, I am looking through the garden catalogs that have been recently delivered. For breakfast, I will have yogurt with berries from my freezer. For lunch, I will have a salad that will include shredded beets and zucchini from the freezer. I will also have leftover soup made with veggies from the freezer. For a snack, I will have muffins made with fruit from the freezer. Dinner will include a spaghetti sauce made with veggies and herbs from the freezer.

Hmmmm...so I guess all of the "hard, back breaking work" that I did last summer isnt so bad. My freezer is full of fruit from my trees and herbs and veggies from the garden. Do I need to go buy them? No. So I guess right now, it's "easier" for me to get produce right from the freezer. {and cheaper}

Why do I garden? I just love to.

what to do with chicken...

I found chicken on sale for $0.99 per pound. I was pretty excited and bought a family size pack. After simmering on the stove all afternoon, I removed the bones and shredded the chicken. So far the cooked chicken has become Chicken Enchilada Casserole and Barbecue Chicken Burritos. Both recipes are so easy and yummy! The broth was saved to cook rice for my dogs' homemade food. They love the rice cooked in broth!

I forgot to take pictures of the dishes, so instead I give you this:



photo credit

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

2-3 pounds chicken, cooked and shredded

1 cup cream of mushroom soup per each pound of chicken

1/3 can water per can of soup

1- 4 ounce can diced green chilies

1 pound shredded cheese

6 inch corn tortillas

Mix soup, chicken, water and chilies in a bowl. Line bottom of casserole dish with tortillas. Layer half of chicken/soup mixture on top followed by half of cheese. Repeat layers starting with tortillas. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted. Serves 6-8.

This recipe can get pretty expensive if you aren't careful. I buy my tortillas at Sam's Club and divide them before freezing. I also buy the soup and chilies on sale.

Barbecue Chicken Burritos

1/2 pound cooked shredded chicken

1 1/2 cups julienned green peppers

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese

4- 10 inch flour tortillas

Mix all ingredients in bowl. Sprinkle cheese down the middle of each tortilla and top with chicken mixture. Fold up ends and roll up. In skillet, heat 4 tablespoons of oil. Fry on each side until browned. Yum!