Raising Seedlings in the Cold

 amount  OK, time for an update.  To the left is a photo of the greenhouse currently.  Due to the warm early weather I did a lot of planting of summer crops early in March.  On account of this we are about 45 days into the growing season.  I have begun constructing raised beds according to the grand plan, and filling them with soil removed from an area of my basement.  Below is a string of close up photos of a few of the crop beds; they are looking pretty good considering without a hoophouse most of these crops would barely even be planted yet.  First Planting of sweet corn, green beans, and sweet potatoes.  The green beans are beginning to bloom, and the corn is about waist high. This bed contains the second planting of green beans, sweet corn, and sweet potatoes which have been planted as sister crops.  Visible in this photo are tomatos, and sweet bell peppers.  Note the heavy bloom set on the tomatos. Thi...

Orange Cranberry Oatmeal Muffins 1 2/3 quick cook oats 1 1/4 flour 3/4 cup brown sugar 2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp ginger 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda Put oats in blender and pulse until a coarse meal. Mix in the other ingredients listed. Make a well in the middle of ingredients In a separate bowl, mix 1 cup buttermilk 1/2 cup orange juice Zest of one orange 1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 eggs Whisk these ingredients together. Pour liquid into the well you created. Mix dry and wet ingredients just until combine. It will look a little thin and lumpy. Mix in dried cranberries. About a cup. Bake at 400 for 16-20 minutes.

“ In that world, you'll be able to rise in the morning with the spirit you had known in your childhood: that spirit of eagerness, adventure and certainty which comes from dealing with a rational universe ”- Ayn Rand This week I was fortunate to be dealing with a rational universe. Everything seemed to be going my way, and thus I believe this may explain my unusually adventurous spirit this week. We had many adventures this week as a family that we do not ordinarily experience. Monday- House Guest (Our good friend John, thus a new recipe I will post later:-)) Tuesday- (Big Day, waiting for weeks for this day) We bought a house at an auction for very little and we are planning on fixing it up and making some money. B & N LLC our first financial adventure as a couple.  Then there was TJ. TJ, our almost 2 year old, just has not been talking like he should for his age. Our pediatrician suggested we get his hearing evaluated due to TJ's many ear infections ov...

So this week I have tried the attack phase of the dukan diet. While effective, it really, really, really sucks. I may have lost weight (7lbs) but this is just as unhealthy as being fat. There is no balance in my diet and no motivation to begin healthier eating habits. So bad news? Dukan your dumped. Good news? Diet! Challenge accepted! Good clean healthy living is what I need to not only lose weight but be a better person. I have done it before. I WILL do it again. This week has shown me I do have the will power to change my life. Dukan was right about at least one thing, the attack phase is meant for more motivation than anything else, and it certainly did show me I can and will lose my spare tire. It just won't happen with a fad diet, but with hard work, like everything else I have that is worth anything to me. And I want to thank my adorable husband for encouraging me with the following and I quote," I kind of like the Kelly that gives a shit about her health, even ...

As I sit writing this post, I am inspired to change. Not only my activity habits, but also my eating habits.  I will be posting about my exercise and diet attempts over the next couple of weeks. I have signed up for Steve's Old Time Tap Fun Run on April 28th so the next couple of weeks will be spent working up toward my goal of finishing the 5k. Just finishing, and it will all start with a single step of getting off my ass and moving. The following is certainly helping my motivation. Via: Medical Billing And Coding