Spring is Budding Around Here!

Spring is around the corner and I have taken on a new adventure, backyard gardening!
Today, I want to talk to you about the easiest way to enjoy your own salad greens. 

Soil Bag Growing! 

With recalls in the past few months on bagged salad mix and heads of lettuce, I felt urged to grow my own salad. However, since the cubs and I live with my parents currently, I needed something that I could control on a small scale. 

A quick internet search landed me on a vlog channel by Roots & Refuge Farm  where Jess, (the "Gardening goddess" as I like to call her) lovingly helps her viewers navigate through the throws of gardening, projects, ideas, parenting, and small livestock. To say I'm hooked to her content is an understatement. 

She posted a video a while back about this simple, inexpensive idea that I had to try. 

Start with a potting soil bag and a clear storage container. I chose one that has a lid. 

 Poke holes all over one side of the bag for drainage and place that side of the bag down on the container's lid. Then, cut a rectangle out of the other side of the bag. Make sure to leave enough of the sides of the bag to keep the soil in. 

Break up the compacted soil and remove enough so that the soil is loose, flat, and not overflowing from the bag. I simply transferred that extra soil into another bucket for later use. 

For this project, I wanted "cut and come again" salad greens. I chose a variety of greens and blended them together in a cup. I chose plants that were frost hardy because Virginia weather changes constantly in January. Low and behold, we had snow in February and they survived under the container cover.

I chose my seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. I like seeing the wide range of colors and leaf designs. 

Then, I Surface Sowed the seeds as evenly as I could all over the bag. By surface sowing, you sprinkle the seeds over the soil, then run your hand over the whole bag to gently cover the seeds. As you can see, mine sprouted just fine right on the surface. 

Since my soil was a little dry, I took a spray bottle of tap water and misted the top of the bag. I would not recommend using a hose or watering can because it will wash your seeds away or create deep cracks in the soil that the seeds could be washed into. This would cause them not to have the right environment to grow.

Once the soil is damp enough, I placed the storage container upside down to act as a mini greenhouse. Allowing for humidity to build and sunlight to warm the space on our mild winter days.

If a bad storm was coming, I would lock down the container to the lid and it was perfectly fine.

Then I let it sit for about 3 days when I started to see sprouts!! Honestly, I was so shocked they sprouted that fast as we had Mid 30- 40 degree nights.  

When the weather was warmer or I felt that there was too much moisture inside the container, I simply propped it up with an old gardening tool to create ventilation

. 

After about 21 days, I had a surface full of seedlings sprouting! A total win for me!

Now it has been over two months since I started this journey and I am now harvesting small, one person, side salads every other day. They taste heavenly! I pick and choose my leaves and simply pinch the off so that the plant will continue to produce. 

This set-up helps with watering as well. When it rains, water collects on the container lid and soaks through the holes in the bottom of the bag. I have only watered this two or three times since I planted.

I hope you will try your hand at growing something this year! Also, I'd like to thank Baker Creek and Roots & Refuge for all their inspiration. While this is not a sponsored article, I highly recommend you check them out. As Jess would say, "Until next time, I bless you."

Hello Summer!

It's here!! SUMMER!!! School for the cubs ended last week and they are beyond thrilled that it has. Sister Bear was honored for several awards and Brother Bear had an amazing time at his field day. Both enjoyed the excitement of "End of the Year" parties.

We have such a busy summer ahead that I already feel like we have almost no time to relax. I feel like we will blink and it'll be September again. I know that won't be the case, it's just my anxiety talking.

Here's what we have planned this summer:

First up is a trip to Vermont to visit Handsome Bear at his family's lake house. It is a serene place of tech-free relaxation. Cool mountain mornings and sunny adventurous afternoons. Ah! I can feel the stress of the busy work world leaving already. While we are there, we try our hardest to leave the tablets, phones, and TV behind us. There isn't even WIFI connection up there. There is a landline for emergencies and we have cell reception when we are outside the house when its not raining. Handsome Bear opens the lake house for parents and siblings every year, so we have some work to do to get it ready for a season of fun adventures.  We clean out all the evidence of those fury guests who found a way in over winter. Handsome Bear will use brute strength to put out the dock. (It really is scary and amazing that he is capable of doing this.) We make repairs from when the house sits silent for the previous three seasons. Then, we have fun. We go hiking, kayaking, fishing, shopping, play games, grill out, and have a fire at least a few times to enjoy the stunning sunsets I have ever seen.

Secondly, we will swing back by home for a few days of work and luggage shift to then head down to the Outer Banks. That's where my father's family gathers to two cottages that neighbor each other for a week of splashing "Sound Side", relaxation, catching up, occasionally arguing (as all families do), and Sunshine! Our group is roughly 28 strong each year and 90% of the time it is all smiles and laughs. We always eat out as a group one night during the trip and take turns cooking dinners for our massive brood. Since the split, the cubs haven't been able to attend due to scheduling conflicts, but I am elated to say THEY ARE GOING this year! As you can tell, we have a BIG family and that means LOTS of cousins. Thankfully, the cubs are blessed with a lot of cousins like I was as a kid. They are all about the same age and get along great! Sadly, Handsome Bear won't be joining us, but fingers crossed we will be there next year.


Then, right after we get back from OBX, the cubs fly to KS to spend a month at their father's parents' house. There they will do whatever they
do there. I only get bits and pieces of information on my weekly phone calls, but from what I gather, they have a good time. While there, they do have a one week trip to CO to go "glamping" in the mountains. The location is a family tradition that dates back to when their grandfather was a boy. It's very near and dear to that family's heart and I had the privilege to go on the trip once when Sister Bear was a toddler. It was BEAUTIFUL and I understand why it is such a desired location for them.

While the cubs are away, I will be back to my usual busy of work, school, self-improvement, and preparing for the up-coming school year. The cubs will return about two weeks before school starts and then, we will celebrate both birthdays will small friend gatherings.

PHEW! See what I mean about busy!?  It's going to be a time of memories, laughter, love, and adventure! I am pumped and prepared for the weeks to come. What are your summer plans?

Bring on Spring!

Good-bye Winter and HELLO SPRING! I know, I know. I didn't post during winter. In all honesty, the blog didn't make the cut on the priority list. AND THAT'S OK. It's OK to be honest and say that other items on the list have higher priority. However, now that Winter has passed and so have all my busy activities, I am back and ready for flowers, warmer weather, and longer days!

This spring, as I wrap up a class in college and plan for the next class, I am relaxing during this two week break. By break, I mean, catching up on my shows, chores, and motherhood. My children were starting to feel neglected whilst my studies took a front burner place holder in my evening routine. While I learned about grant proposals and how cities maintain sustainability through social, economical, and environmental pathways, my children where learning how to use online math programs, and the development of Colonial Williamsburg.

The sports saga continues as Sister Bear began Ballet and Brother Bear began Gymnastics. Here's where a mom would feel like she failed, but I call it expanding knowledge. Sister Bear wanted to try out gymnastics. While searching the classes, I didn't see an opening.  So I signed her up for Ballet. THEN, there was an opening a few days after I registered her for Ballet.... *sigh* so I signed Brother Bear up for it. (insert sad sister bear) Surprisingly, Sister Bear took to Ballet and Tap Dance like a duck to water. She even decided to continue to Advanced Ballet and has a solo in the upcoming performance next month! So what she felt was a negative start, has turned into something she really enjoys and is proud of. I'll take my mom-win now.

I have shifted my life a little into the housing market. It is about time to take the plunge into purchasing my first home. I have toured a few and had several discussions with the right people. So many decisions....who said house buying was fun....they are wrong. It's stressful. I am always fearful that the decision I make will be the wrong one and I don't like making a mistake on something that is over $100,000.

My green thumb is trying to show this spring. I have planted several types of seeds and crossed my fingers as I placed the covered flat in the window sill. My green thumb hasn't proven fruitful in the past, but I haven't killed the pineapple plant I started from scraps last year! So there is hope.

Travel is in the future this spring. I get to visit with Handsome Bear for a long (much needed) weekend away while the cubs are with their dad. No certain plans just yet, but simply being in the same room will certainly help my heart.

What is your best gardening tip? What travel item do you feel is a must-have? Comment below! Thanks for stopping by.

See Ya Later 2018! Hello 2019!

As we begin to reflect on what happened in 2018, the memories may have been great, sad, or everything in between. For our family, I'd say it was a pretty good year.

Our year in review:

We rang in the new year with my parents watching the ball drop on TV! I was able to catch a pretty memorable video of the last few seconds of 2017.

Then as we got back to our lives together after the holidays with school and work, we decided to spend spring break in Ohio with Handsome Bear and his family. The kids got to meet his parents, siblings, nieces and nephews. Plus, we got to adventure to the Cincinnati Zoo.

As school came to a close, the kids flew off to Kansas for some time with their father's parents. My heart always hurts while they are gone for the six weeks, but it's the agreement that we've come to.  So I try to make the best of it while they are gone. What did I do? I took two classes and went on vacation with my extended family to the Outer Banks, NC.

While the kids were away, they both aged another year. So when they returned, I surprised them with room make-overs and presents!

The next free day we had, I acclimated them back to the East Coast with a trip to our favorite beach to get their sea legs back. A day of sand and surf just felt like second nature and I couldn't be more happier that day. I certainly plan to have more beach trips in 2019.

As summer began to wind down, my parents and I thought that one last weekend adventure was in need before school started back up. So off to the Blue Ridge Mountains we drove! We settled in a cute Air BnB, off the beaten path (really...it was dirt/gravel/slightly washed out roads) and back in the woods. We met with a co-worker and her family to explore the Luray Caverns for the first time and it was awe-inspiring.

Finished Fall off with a trip with Handsome Bear, back to the blue ridge mountains to see my cousin get married. It was an adventure for sure and an instance where Air BnB wasn't as impressive as we had experienced in the past.

Hello Fall! Outdoor decorations

The weather is finally changing here. Thank goodness because Halloween is just 11 days away and who wants to wear a costume in the heat! Summer is certainly holding on as long as possible. However, I was pleased to wake up to 58* this morning!

Even though October started out with temps higher than I had hoped, I still had the Fall-time itch to decorate the outside of my house for my favorite season! When decorating outside remember to chose items that will withstand the elements. I have made the mistake before of putting battery operated wax candles outside in lanterns just to find that they were reduced to a puddle within a week from the heat.

Here's what Nana Bear and I whipped up from the AtHome store a few weeks ago.

For the front porch, we scored this gorgeous wire tiered pumpkin cage on discount and created a Pumpkin Man with two arms made out of plastic flowers. I intentionally left space for real pumpkins that I knew the kids would bring home from their trips to our local farms.

Then, I placed a battery operated candle in the center to light it up. **Remember to use candles specifically labeled for OUTDOOR USE**  The cool thing about the pack of outdoor candles I bought is that it came with a remote! That way we can just walk around and effortlessly turn them all one as the sun goes down. They also have a timer but we don't use that since we don't want them on all night.

The large plastic pumpkins were reused from last year and were spruced up with some pre-cut vinyl lettering from the dollar store. They are cut and hollow on the backside so they cozy up the hay perfectly. If you choose to go this route too; I recommend to put a weight of some kind inside the back to hold it down. I learned my lesson the hard way when storm came through and they were tossed about. A sandwich back of dirt or gravel will do the trick. No need to get fancy on behind the scenes stuff, right!?

For the flower bed, we used a bare spot to build up a few hay bales with the idea of taking photos of the kids when the weather was just right. I am in love with the metal truck and pumpkin signs that we picked up the same day as the wire cage. They have legs that sink into the hay effortlessly and are great additions to the scene. We also picked up a few, cheap, solar lights to stake in front of the display to light it up at night. Finally, to get into the Halloween spirit early on, we let the kids add a pair of zombie hands where they wanted. Sister Bear chose to put her's right in the middle. Ha!

We also added a few metal corn stalks near the garage but I plan to pick up a couple more so it's not pictured here.

Do you have a favorite decoration to use in your fall scenes? Comment below and share photos if you want!!

What A Wild Summer

WOW! I can't believe that schools are starting back up and the cooler temps are creeping upon us. I, for one, am excited to see the soon arrival of FALL! As I reflect on this past summer, I am amazed that so much has been packed into this season of life.

Brother Bear & Sister Bear spent six weeks in the Land of OZ with their dad's family. Although this is a DIFFICULT time for me, I know they had fun. That's a discussion for another time, but we will just leave it at that.

While  they were away, I kept myself overly busy with two classes in college. One was a health & wellness class and the other was a field sampling fish & wildlife class. Talk about busy! I applaud any adult who works a full time job and takes more than one class a term... phew!

Also, while they were away, I took a trip to see Handsome Bear, and celebrate his parent's 50th wedding anniversary! WOW! 50 years! That gave me hope and inspiration. I am so happy for them. It was so nice to spend that time with him. Even though it was a short trip, being in the same city and even the same building makes the weeks of phone calls and video chats worth stepping off the plane to see him waiting for me.

Finally, I went on vacation to OBX for a week with my extended family and really enjoyed the time I had to catch up, relax, and unwind.

Since my cubs came home, we have ventured all over our area. We hit up the beach a couple of times, played with friends and family, went to a children's museum, and to the movies.

There have been some bumps along the road too. Due to heavy, consistent rains, a project I am working on took some major hits in my data collection attempts. Also, Sister Bear fell off a horse at her aunt's house for the first time and experienced her first need for stitches a few weeks later when she tripped while running down the street. (TALK ABOUT HEARTBREAKING)

As a mom, I am still recovering from the trauma I experienced having to hold her down, while she was hysterical, so the Dr. could stitch her up. 5 stitches and a million tears later, I got her home and asleep. I pray we never have to experience that again. Thankfully, Daddy Bear was there to comfort her as quickly as we called him to meet us. To be honest, this is what good co-parenting looks like. Being able to come together when it counts the most. I lost my strong, momma bear courage when he got her buckled. As I stood behind my vehicle sobbing uncontrollably, he came over, let me bury my face in his chest and cry...Then he told me he was proud of how I handled it in there (remembering full well that I LOATH needles and have a tender heart for my babies). Having him there to help carry the some of the load of this event really made all the difference.

To say that I am ready for this season to be over, is an understatement. I want things to slow down and I can't wait for Fall. Bring on the outdoor movie nights, bonfires, apple cider, and all things Fall!

Have an amazing weekend!

Happy New Year! Let's create momentum!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! January sure did fly by! Wow! I hope you had a great holiday season. This momma bear and her cubs surely did. Brother and Sister Bear traveled cross country to the land of Oz to visit their father's family for Christmas. As sad as I was to experience my first EVER Christmas without them, I was happy in the fact that we celebrated early and I just knew they would be spoiled while they were away.

I did some traveling of my own this past Christmas. I went to spend the holiday with Handsome Bear. He and I have been in each other's lives for a little over a year now. We had our first Christmas together while spending a wonderful time with his family. Being around them and focusing on getting to know them really helped keep my mind off the thoughts of missing out on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning traditions. Several days, lots of food, and lots of laughs later, I was home just in time to welcome Brother and Sister Bear home from their adventure.

Now that we are settled back into routines and the new year has started off with a sprint, I can't believe it's almost Valentine's Day!

I'm in the middle of my second class of the year and this work load is heavier than last semester. I will genuinely rejoice when it is over. Ha!

So now that we are all caught up, let's talk about building momentum. Have you felt as if you are trudging through mud in respect to progression of your goals? I certainly have. I have fallen off the wagon of my paths many times and the key is to just get back up and keep moving in that direction.

For me, this year, I have started to build momentum in my business by making small weekly efforts that will bear some fruit. While I'm super swamped with this class, I am still able to pull out 15-30 minutes a couple times a week to dedicate to some activity that will move me closer to the goal.

Also, I have some health and fitness goals I would like to achieve. I  have a deadline of the September 15, 2018. You see, a family member is getting married and I'd love to look my best. I feel I would look my best by letting go of a few jean sizes. Not only will I look better, I will FEEL better. My body type was not designed to carry over 200 lbs around EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.  I want to be able to sprint in the yard with my cubs and not get out of breath after the first round....(which happened just this week). So with the help of a small support group, we together are holding ourselves accountable to what we have placed before ourselves.

"We are in business for ourselves, but not by ourselves." How are you holding yourself accountable to the goals you placed on yourself for 2018? Have you already fallen off the wagon? Do you know it's alright to start over, or just pick up where you left off? It's totally ok!

If you want to create a support group here, comment below with your goals and we can support and uplift you! Until next time.