Garden progress - getting close

Lots of things are blossoming and blooming. I'm feeling like my garden is behind compared to others - a coworker and neighbor already have fully-grown cucumbers, but I'm holding out hope.

Everything looks healthy and seems to be growing like crazy.

(Note the right side with the HUGE leaves. Those are pumpkins. My husband told me that they get big but I didn't believe him. They are the small little decorative pumpkins, and I've counted about 15-20 blossoms, so far. Eek! Anyone need pumpkins? I really shouldn't have put them there, but I wanted them so bad. Everything else around it seems to be holding its own, although I'm sure the pumpkins are blocking at least some of their sunlight. Luckily, I grew them up a tomato cage so they aren't taking over the entire area.)

The orange blossoms are a few of the pumpkin blossoms. The yellow are cucumbers. I didn't actually plant a cucumber plant there (I don't think). So, I'm not sure where it came from. But, it seems to be co-existing with the pumpkin somehow.

The tomatoes are also going wild. It's hard to get in to them to trim them. But, I've counted about 30 tomatoes coming in already, not including the blossoms. (4 plants)

Here's one turning red already. Yay!

And, cherry tomatoes, too.

Here's where I cut the big head of broccoli out already. I almost cut down the plant, but decided to google it instead. University of Illinois extension has a very helpful site with lots of tips for individual plants. Here's broccoli. 

It said: "Removing the central head stimulates the side shoots to develop for later pickings... You can continue to harvest broccoli for several weeks." So, don't cut down the plant after the first picking, you'll get more.

Here are the pretty purple eggplant blossoms.

And my favorite plant of all - CUCUMBER. Don't you just love these little baby cucumbers? They are adorable. I cannot get over them.

Isn't it so fun to watch it grow? Amazing, really.

Store it, store it good

We love our little, circa-1920 bungalow (or is it a cottage?). 

But, folks back in 1920 didn't understand how much stuff two twenty-something newlyweds can accumulate - even when they strive to simplify. And while we should take a cue from our simple-loving past homeowners, we've had to work out storage issues in the meantime. Here's some details on how we make it happen. (And, in case you are wondering - I didn't pick up or stage anything before taking photos, so I'm sorry if it's not as picture perfect as you see other places. I guess I'm just being lazy real. I don't worry about being a little messy behind closet doors.)

Closets:

are small. Like, all my skirts wouldn't even fit in our "master bedroom" closet. (And, don't tell me it's because I have too many skirts. Ryan tried that.) So, my husband came to the rescue and built another few closets upstairs in unused eaves.  Now, there's plenty of room for clothes - and no arguments about sharing a closet. (It totally eliminates the need to figure out whether each of you get 50% of the closet or space is based on number of clothes.)

Ryan also used a wasted eave to make me a laundry area on the upper level - which is perfect since 99.9 percent of our laundry is on the upper level (from our bedroom and bathroom).

(This is actually an older photo. We swapped out the meager rod for one that would hold the curtain better. But, you get the gist.)

Our one and only "coat closet" also leaves a lot to be desired (as in, it only holds a few coats). 

So, I tried to make the most of the space by including a shoe holder on the door. That puppy holds all my shoes and makes them easy to find in a pinch. (PS - I'm really not a shoe person, so I don't have many to begin with.) Inside the closet, Ryan built some shelves to hold scarves and outdoorswear, along with spare lightbulbs, batteries and more miscellaneous items with no place to live. This closet also houses our vacuum cleaner and most of our coats.

A pantry:

seemed like a pie-in-the-sky dream. Until my husband made it happen. (Isn't he dreamy?) With a 8x13 kitchen, space is at a premium. This pantry really helps. He used a narrow space going to the basement to build shelves for pantry items.

Craft storage:

is a necessity in this house, where craft paints and scrapbooking supplies need to be available, but organized and out-of-site. Shelves in an awkward closet fit this need (plus, there are double hanging rods behind them for extra storage... for the aforementioned skirts).

A place for everything:

and everything in it's place - a great concept. We try. We don't always succeed. 

But, a television unit in the Living Room stores blankets, DVDs and board games. 

A Dining Room hutch stores vases, extra platters and servers, table linens and napkin rings. 

A nifty little "Ryan original" bench stores shoes, lunchboxes and outerwear.

Baskets in the bathroom make use of unused space and hold hair dryers, makeup, towels and more. 

A shelf with handy little mug hooks that my dad affixed holds my necklaces nicely. And, a fresh coat of red paint made it fit into the guest bedroom (a'la my closet room) perfectly.

The nightstand below houses the jewelry station. I keep all my earrings on the boards they come on, so then I can easily find what I need in the morning.

None of these ideas are rocket science, but they work for us.

What do you do in your house to make the most of your space?

Family tree artwork

Several months ago, I decided I needed a Red Envelope family tree kit. They are adorable, right?

But, I just couldn't justify $99.99 for it, regardless of how adorable it is.

So, in March - I decided to make one of my own. It seemed simple enough... but for some reason, it took a total of four months to complete it. (Mostly laziness, I guess.)

I purchased the shadowboxes at Michaels with a coupon (both for $15). One has since broken (bottom left corner). However, I think that had something to do with me dropping it about 5 feet while struggling to hang it.

My lovely and talented friend, Laura, offered to help me by letting me use her awesome equipment from her business. It cuts paper (and vinyl, and other things) easily. So, we made these trees and leaves and letters with her fancy equipment. It took no time at all. However, for those of you without a little Laura in your life, you could definitely spend a little more time to cut out a simpler tree and leaves. There are also leaves for sale that are already cut out to buy at Michaels. So, don't let this stop you.

I wrote the names of our parents, grandparents and great grandparents and connected the leaves with a small brad for some texture. 

While it's not perfect, I like it a lot and it brings a little personality to our hallway. And, for about $20 for the frames, brads and a pack of paper - it's a steal.

Now, do you think I can make this new object of my affection from Red Envelope? I'm thinking a rod, frames and hooks?

Perfect for the upstairs hallway.

What do you think? 

2009 Goals Revisited

At the beginning of the year, I published my focus for the year. I hoped that giving some direction would help me focus throughout the months. So, now that we are more than half-way through 2009 (Yikes!), I thought it was time to reflect on how it's going.

Red are things that have not been addressed.
Green are items that have been completed or on-track for completion.
Blue are works-in-progress.

I want to learn:
- to crochet (not yet, but I'm hoping to do this in the fall)
- to grow my own food and herbs (check and check)
- to "not sweat the small stuff" (kinda difficult for me, but I'm working on it - kinda)
- about ways to be better to the environment (working on this as well - through composting, avoiding plastic bags, recycling, organic gardening and eliminating chemicals)

I want to read:
- two enjoyable books each month instead of zoning in front of the tv in the evenings (I've hardly watched television this year, and I'm well beyond 20 books read in 2009)

I want to make:
- a crocheted blanket (see above)
- homemade gifts for family and friends next Christmas (I'm still hopeful for this)
- a new recipe every month (so far, so good - I feel really good about some of the new recipes we have tried. )

I want to visit:
- the local farmer's market regularly (I haven't been good about this)
- primarily locally-owned restaurants (We often hit up local establishments, but we could be more purposeful.)
- a vacation destination with hubs (Hot-lanta)

I want to change:
- my workout routine (Eek!)
- my carbon footprint (I'd like to believe I've worked on this.)

I want to be better at:
- picking up and cleaning throughout the week, so I have weekends for relaxing and activities (this depends on the week, but the house has been staying clean and I haven't been spending full days cleaning like I did in the past.)
- sticking to our budget and writing down all purchases (The budget is coming along just fine, writing down didn't seem to work well - so I switched to carrying cash for purchases, which works better for me.)

I want to do:
- an organizing overhaul in closets, drawers and cabinets to eliminate clutter (Kitchen, closets and basement have been purged and a garage sale was held. It feels good to have less stuff, but there is probably still more purging to do.)

Most of all, I want:
- to love and be loved
- to achieve balance in life, school and work (I think much of this is just perspective - I'm getting there)

How are your 2009 resolutions and goals going? Do share!

Mexican Lasagna

Okay, so this is veggie dinner post #2 (and somewhat similar to the first), but it's quite yummy.

This recipe had zucchini in it. And now, I'm totally kicking myself in the rear for not planting zucchini in the garden. Can you believe I've never had a zucchini? It took all that was in me not to eat it all fresh and take it out of the recipe? But, I didn't. And, I'm glad I didn't.

This is not a difficult recipe, but it took a little time to prep. Overall, it was worth the time and it paired well with some homemade salsa and chips. It was also quite filling. I'm anxious to see if it reheats well, because there is plenty left for 2 or 3 lunches.

Mexican Lasagna (from Woman's Day magazine, April 2009)

2 tsp olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1 lb zucchini, diced (about 3 cups)

2 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with chilies

1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed

1 can (11 oz) corn niblets, drained

1 can (10 oz) mild enchilada sauce

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

5 (8-inch) whole-wheat 

flour tortillas

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 3-qt round baking dish with nonstick spray. (I didn't have a 3-qt, so I just used a square dish.

2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute 5 minutes. Add zucchini and cumin, and saute 5 minutes or until zucchini is crisp-tender. Stir in tomatoes, beans, corn and enchilada sa

uce, bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

3. Put 1 tortilla in baking dish. Top with 1 2/ cups zucchini mixture, sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat layers 4 times.

4. Cover with foil and bake 20 to 25 minutes until bubbly around edges and cheese is melted. Cool 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve with sour cream, if desired.

The Smile File

It's been awhile since the last Smile File (I know, you have had many sleepless nights).

Here we go - 

• Cooler weather - I'm tired of the heat. Don't flame me, but today's temps in the 60s made me long for fall.

• S'mores and friends.

• These little houses from tinyhouseblog.com - it actually makes Ryan's crazy obsession with little houses seem doable. I can actually kinda imagine living in the country. (kinda)
  

• Our new under-cabinet radio in the kitchen. You should see me dancing around and singing when I'm cooking (or perhaps you shouldn't).

• Spending a day with the husband while listening to excellent blues.

• This song. The beat, the harmonies, I could listen over and over... and I may do that.

What makes you smile today?