Master Muffin Mix

Before this post starts, I must give 100% full credit to Gina over at HomeJoys. She is a wonderful homemaker, gardener, and mother and I thoroughly enjoy her blog. One of my most favorite posts was her Master Muffin mix. Recently, I brought a batch of pumpkin chocolate chip muffins to my church's moms' group and so  many women loved them. This post is my promise to them to extend the recipe.

Having three growing boys who need a good hearty breakfast was always a worry for me. I would like a good warm option for them and, of course, EASY. So this muffin mix is such a great discovery for me. I personally make the master muffin mix about once every two weeks. And we probably have homemade, healthy, and fresh muffins 1-2 times a week. It takes 5 minutes to make and 20 minutes to bake. I love it (have I mentioned I love this mix?) Anyway, I compiled all the information from Gina's 3 separate posts into one big word document. Here it is.

Master muffin mix.

6 cup whole wheat flour
6 cup white flour
2 cup sugar
4 T baking powder
3 tsp salt

Store your master mix in an air tight container.

When you want to make muffins, choose one of the liquid ingredient options.

Option #1
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup applesauce
2 eggs
1 cup milk

Option #2
1/3 cup melted butter
1 egg
1 cup milk or buttermilk

Option #3
1/4 cup melted butter
2 eggs
1 cup yogurt

Option #4
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
1 1/4 cup milk or buttermilk


Next choose the additional ingredients you desire. The sky's the limit but here is a few variations to get you started.


Almond Poppy Seed
2 tsp almond flavoring
2 T poppy seed
1/3 cup chopped or sliced almonds (optional)
Cheese Onion
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup chopped chives
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Berry
1 cup blueberry or strawberry, fresh or frozen
2 tsp grated lemon rind, optional

Cinnamon Apple
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup chopped apple

Breakfast
3 slices chopped bacon
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Banana Nut
1 large banana, mashed
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Chocolate
3 T cocoa
1/3 cup additional sugar
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips


Combine: First mix the liquid ingredients. Then stir in 2 3/4 cup of the dry master mix and the additional ingredients. Combine until just barely moistened.


Bake: Spoon batter into muffin pan. Makes 12 large muffins or 18 smaller muffins. Baking time will vary depending on variation chosen. Bake at 350 or 375 for 15 minutes. Check to see if additional baking time is needed. Muffins are done when a toothpick comes out clean. Allow muffins to sit for a few minutes before removing from muffin pan.


Peanut Butter and Jelly

Choose one of the liquid options

2 3/4 cup of the master mix
3 T peanut butter
3 T grape or strawberry jelly

Stir liquid ingredients, dry mix and peanut butter together gently. Fill batter in muffin pan 1/3 full. Place a tsp of jelly on batter. Use the remaining batter to fill muffin pan. Bake.


Pumpkin Chocolate Chip
2 3/4 cup master mix
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup oil
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Stir together egg, milk, oil and pumpkin. Mix in remaining ingredients. Bake.



Gingerbread
2 3/4 cup master mix
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup yogurt or milk
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup oil

Mix together molasses, eggs, yogurt, milk and oil. Stir in dry ingredients. Bake


Ham and Broccoli
1 1/2 cup master mix
3 T melted butter
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chopped cooked ham or bacon
10 oz frozen chopped broccoli
2 cup shredded cheese

Mix together butter, egg, and milk. Stir in remaining ingredients but save out 1/4 cup cheese to garnish top. Pour in muffin pan. Sprinkle on cheese. Bake.

For the record, I like liquid option #3 (I've been known to use duck eggs - great for baking!) and pumpkin choc chip muffin and breakfast muffins.

This is the Original Muffin Mix post. Say hi to Gina for me!

Date 1-24-11


Week 25 Check-In

Weight: ( I don’t know if I will ever take it again – it is too loaded for me personally)

Measurements:
Waist – START: 37”; TODAY: 31” LAST TIME: 32” Goal: 27” -1”Hips – START: 39”; TODAY: 37” LAST TIME: 37 ½ ” Goal: 36” – ½”
Thighs- START: 22 ½”; TODAY: 21” LAST TIME: 21 ½” Goal: 20” – ½ “
Chest – START: 39”; TODAY: 37” LAST TIME: 37” Goal: 36”



Specific Weekly Goals
o NO Caloritic drinks (sweet tea, coffee, alcohol)

o Eat a good solid healthy lunch every day (this is sometimes a cheat for me). What I need to eat is: 300 calorie meal, 2 servings of veggies, protein

o Exercise 4 hours a week.

o Drink 60 oz water day. 4-16oz. glasses.



Last week was a tough one as I had to potty train Chase. Didn’t plan on that being our potty training week, but he showed significant interest and we had to go for it. Which meant – not going anywhere for a whole entire week and dealing with the inevitable stress of potty training a strong willed 2 year old.

Meeting my Goals last week
I didn’t keep track of each daily entry, but I logged in 3 HOURS of exercise. (one hour short of my goal- still took 3 rest days instead of 2). I also drank a few glasses of wine which is not allowed in my mental program. Oh well.

How I feel about myself and my body this week
Better! I’m blasting fat by running 40-60 minutes several times a week. I am officially the same measurements as when I was first pregnant last year – IT TOOK 7.5 MONTHS TO LOSE THE BABY WEIGHT!
Now I want to tone up and slim up and lose one more size. I started watching a program on HULU.com called “How to Look Good Naked”. It is teaching me how to appreciate what I DO HAVE and not what I don’t have.
I also want to highlight this important idea but I'm burying it in the middle of this boring insignificant post. I get jealous of other women's bodies. I wish I didn't, but the fact is, I do. I feel like such an Amazon next to certain women and I wish I didn't. I really want to work on my mental toughness and become immune to comparison. When I show up to a mom's group or small group and one of my friends (who also had a baby) looks really thin and her jeans are falling off her - I dont' automatically think "Wow - good for her". I think, "Wow, my jeans aren't falling off my body." That is ridiculous thinking on my behalf. Why can't I be proud and happy for my friends? I don't want to be a petty woman who compares and contrasts. I want to be a positive force. If I could accomplish this,  I would consider it a huge victory!





Goals for Next Week
• Try to take only TWO rest days instead of THREE and I’m sure I will meet my four hours of exercise this week!

• Time to start Crossfit intensely again. Cardio is going great, but weight training has fallen by the wayside.





A reminder about my goals and the program I set for myself

MY PROGRAM

*Modified 1/16/2010*

• Exercise 5-6 days a week. Include cardio/weight and circuit training. Training must be at least 30 minutes. Running 45-60 minutes daily.

• Eat 1400-1500 calories a day. As a busy mom I don’t want to keep track of everything that goes in my mouth i.e. through a food journal, so I'm going to break it down like this. Shannan's patented 3-2-1 eating program

• 3-400 calorie meals

• 2-100 calorie snacks

• OR 1- 200 calorie snack

• Have rest days to recover physically - at least one a week, if not two try to have only one cheat meal. Until I see good results, I can only afford one cheat a week.

Allow one to two high calorie meals a week. Switch things up a bit.

• Get 7-8 hours of sleep at night - very crucial for weight loss. I wake up very early in the morning, so in order to get that sleep; I have to be in bed by 9pm every night (YIKES!)



MY GOAL

I’m 5’4” and I would like to be 125-130 lbs.

Lose 25-30 lbs

Lose 10 inches off waist - goal 27"

Lose 3 inches off hips - goal 35-36"

Lose 2 inches off thighs - goal 20"

Lose 3 inches off chest - goal 36"

All of these hopefully by my birthday - March 27, 2011 but for sure by Lane's first birthday



Why I went organic and why I am obnoxious about it in 6 parts

Part I: A few years back, well more like 6 or 7 years ago, we lived in a large sprawling suburban Seattle neighborhood in a small small house with a small small yard. All the surrounding yards were small too. It's one of those brand new built neighborhood where you get like ten square feet of space and the houses are pressed up right next to each other.

One day I was outside and I saw my neighbor who lived backyard to me (but at the top of a small slope) and he was spraying roundup on the few weeds scattered along the perimeter of the fence. I thought to myself (in a kind of judgemental tone, forgive me), "Why doesn't he just get on his hands and knees and pull those weeds up himself?" I'm talking about probably 20 minutes of work. But no, he had to poison his yard and frankly mine along with it since I lived downhill from him. That was a sort of start to my quest for organic gardening and farming.

Part II: I could never afford organic produce. Around this time circa 2003-2004, CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) was gaining lots of popularity with suburban Seattle families who didn't live on a farm, but really wanted to have fresh organic produce. A year's membership to CSA was around $400 and due in one big payment - something we could never swing at that point in our lives. But it planted a seed in my brain - could I one day have my own sort of organic produce?

Part III: Three years ago we moved to Salem, OR. Suddenly, we had very close access to U-Pick farms, beautiful Farmer's Markets, and local Oregonian people who supported green living, sustainable gardening and farming. The people I have met here in Oregon are very different from the people I lived next to in Seattle. Here, not very many people bat an eye at tearing up your backyard to plant your own victory garden. In fact, if you have a neighborhood like mine, several people join you and tear up their own backyards and plant their own victory gardens to rival yours!

Part IV: Once I saw that I could actually do this - go as organic and local as possible - I enveloped myself in the concept. I read book after book. I spent one summer asking friends, family members, friends of family members, neighbors - pretty much anyone what they were doing in their gardens. I toured gardens. I asked lots of questions. I read blog after blog. My husband caught the fire of my passion. And we embarked on the journey together.

Part V: I read this book last year -Wisdom of the Last Farmer by David Mas Masumoto - about a Japanese man who raises organic peaches. The book was about his family's struggles to buy the farm, the ups and downs of farming, and several organic farming practices (like hand pulling weeds). Sometimes the weather is unpredictable (okay the weather is ALWAYS unpredictable). Sometimes you lose your crop. Sometimes you have bumper crops. For some reason, it gave me mounds of confidence that I could grow food for my family and it didn't have to be perfect. The fact that I was even trying was good enough. For a perfectionist like myself, it was nice to give myself permission to go with the flow of gardening despite the circumstances that happen to you (like an army of ants eating my broccoli last growing season!)

Part VI: After hours and hours of reading, researching, talking, and embracing the organic concept, I stopped seeing the high prices of organics. I guess, instead of saying, "oh we could never afford that," I would say, "Hmmmm...I wonder if I could do that myself." If it was something I couldn't produce, like organic stone ground wheat flour, I would save portions of my grocery allowance and buy it. One week it was organic apples. The next week it was flour. The next week it was fair trade sugar. The next it was grass fed longhorn beef.  We made it work.

Now let me say this - if you come to my house - you will not be met with an organic shrine. That is nearly impossible to do with my human skills alone. But I try to come as close as I am able to because it is something I really believe in.

She just makes me smile

7.5 months old and full of baby happiness, gooiness, chubby thigh/cheeksness, and slobbery kisses. I'm so glad she's mine!

Potty Training is not for Wimps

There are a few things that can bring a woman to her knees. Pottery training a headstrong child is one of them.
I'M ON DAY FOUR OF POTTY TRAINING H*E*Double Hockey Sticks.
I haven't taken a good shower in four days (2 seconds in, 2 seconds to dry off, 2 seconds to get ratty exercise clothes on after shower). I broke my "no alcohol" rule to myself and dived into a bottle of red wine last night. We're down to ONE accident a day (but today's accident was a huge log of poop on my wood floors). I feel kind of sorry for myself.

HOWEVER....as with most things associated with great rewards....once we get this thing down and I'm confident we will, it is going to be very nice to have only one child in diapers! An instant raise (to not spend $35 in diapers a month - I'm hiring a sitter with that money).

Operation Lose Baby Weight Week 24 (6 months!)

Operation Lose Baby Weight is BACK!! 

I started this blog feature six months ago when the baby was 2 months old. Here is the original post with my original goals HERE. I figured that with a weekly accountability of how I was losing the weight, it would help in the tough times. Slowly, slowly - the inches started to whittle away and the weight started to come off. But it was slow, slow, slow and I felt myself become more and more frustrated.

When I Stopped the Program (mid-November):
-Went from running 1 mile very painfully to running 3-4 miles with minimal calf/ankle pain
-Lost a total of 10" between waist, hip, thighs, chest
-Size 8 (my "fat" clothes - but at least I'm out of all maternity and size 10)
-Completely detoxed my eating - eliminated all artificial colors, sweeteners, and preservatives from anything I eat. This means making pretty much everything from scratch and if I do eat something from a box, I have to be able to pronounce all ingredients on the label.
-Doing Crossfit a few times a week - increasing my lifting to weight I didn't think I was able to do!

Date 1-16-11

Week 24 Check-In
Weight: didn’t take

Measurements:
Waist – START: 37”; TODAY: 31” LAST TIME: 32” Goal: 27” -1”
Hips – START: 39”; TODAY: 37 ½” LAST TIME: 38” Goal: 36” – ½”
Thighs- START: 22 ½”; TODAY: 21 ½” LAST TIME: 21 ½” Goal: 20”
Chest – START: 39”; TODAY: 37” LAST TIME: 37” Goal: 36”



Key Highlights since taking a two month break from journaling

• I took six weeks off my eating program. While I didn't completely abandon eating well, I was definitely drinking alcohol a few days week, eating holiday treats occasionally, and enjoying yummy holiday dinners. I was probably consuming 2000 calories a day. I continued to run a few days a week and do Crossfit, but basically I was not strict about anything and coped with the stress of the holiday season by eating and relaxing.

• I’m now the size I was when I was first pregnant (size 6-8). I’m looking forward to getting down to a nicer size (4-6).

• I run 4-5 times a week and each time I run 5-7 miles (Yeah!) Pain is minimal and I am energized.



The Last Fifteen POUNDS weight loss begins (AGAIN)

• I’m losing my vanity weight. My body would be healthy at this weight and size and that is okay. But I want to be a smaller size. I know I’ve hit a healthy weight because my waist measurement is less than 34” and I can run 5-7 miles without any injury or strain.

• Specific Weekly Goals

o NO Caloritic drinks (sweet tea, coffee, alcohol)

o Eat a good solid healthy lunch every day (this is sometimes a cheat for me). What I need to eat is: 300 calorie meal, 2 servings of veggies, protein

o Exercise 4 hours a week.

o Drink 60 oz water day. 4-16oz. glasses.



Meeting my Goals last week
Last week (Jan.9-15) I met most of my goals.

SUN: 30 min intense w/o (workout); good lunch, good water
MON no w/0; good lunch, good water
TUE 30 min w/o, good lunch, ½ amt of water
WED 1 hour w/o (run 7 miles plus Xfit), good lunch, good water
THU no w/o, good lunch, ½ amt of water
FRI no w/o, good lunch, ½ amt of water
SAT1 hr w/o (run 7 miles plus dance central game),

3 Hours of total exercise last week – missed my goal by one hour
Not quite to level of water drinking that I want to be
I’m doing a great job at eating a solid healthy low cal lunch (a problem area for me in the past)

How I feel about myself and my body this week

As a woman with body issues, I’m working hard to erase old negative thought patterns. Yes, I’m not as thin as I was when I got married. Yes, my stomach is a little flabbier after having five children. Yes, my body hurts more when during and post exercise. But I’m proud that I am getting so strong. I’m proud I can run very far. I’m proud that I can do ALL OF THIS while staying home with 4 children! I find I feel a lot better about my body when I look better (do my makeup, hair, and wear cute clothes). If I look good, I feel good. I may not be the SIZE I want to be, but that doesn’t mean I can’t look really cute at the stage I’m at. Does that make sense? (Repeat this mantra to self several times a day)

Goals for Next Week

• Continue my Weekly goals from last week. Try to take only TWO rest days instead of THREE and I’m sure I will meet my four hours of exercise this week!
• Now that I'm well on my way to eat good lunches - it's time to tackle HEALTHY LOW-CAL SNACKS

A reminder about my goals and the program I set for myself

MY PROGRAM

*Modified 1-16-2011*
• Exercise 5-6 days a week. Include cardio/weight and circuit training. Training must be at least 30 minutes. Running 30-60 minutes daily. 4 Hours of Exercise a Week.

• Eat 1400-1500 calories a day. This is what I'm shooting for:
• 3-400 calorie meals

• 2-100 calorie snacks

• OR 1- 200 calorie snack

• Have rest days to recover physically - at least one a week, if not two.
• Try to have only one high calorie meal. Until I see good results, I can only afford one cheat a week.


• Get 7-8 hours of sleep at night - very crucial for weight loss. I wake up very early in the morning, so in order to get that sleep; I have to be in bed by 9pm every night (YIKES!)



MY GOAL
I’m 5’4” and I would like to be 125-130 lbs.

Lose 25-30 lbs

Lose 10 inches off waist - goal 27"

Lose 3 inches off hips - goal 35-36"

Lose 2 inches off thighs - goal 20"

Lose 3 inches off chest - goal 36"

All of these hopefully by my birthday - March 27, 2011 but for sure by Lane's first birthday



2010 Garden Roundup - Lessons Learned and Looking Ahead - *VERY LONG POST*

I meant to write this post for quite some time. However, the demands of four children including a young infant delayed me significantly. Gardening is so important to me and I wanted to do this right. Finally I have energy to document my 2010 gardening season - all the things I did and planted - lists of plant names - successes and failures - and looking ahead to this year's gardening season.

Won't you join me in this virtual journey of my 2010 garden? And then afterwards, see the extensive list of what I grow, how I grow it, and what I've learned from experience.

And finally, I list what I plan on doing differently next season. This is a huge post. It will take you a few days to digest. Please bookmark and enjoy! My experience is for all to pass along to others!


The Beginning of 2010 Gardening Season

• It all began in late February - we decided to dig up most of the turf grass in our small suburban backyard (which happens to be shaped like a bowling alley). Dogs poop all over it and it get gross and messy and with young children - it was annoying. See POST HERE. We (meaning Jeremy) built 5 new raised planter beds.
• We covered the grass with landscape fabric, trucked in gravel and compost and put together a new backyard. See HERE. It still makes me giddy to see how we transformed 1000 sq. feet of yard.
• I fell in love with this local Portland artist's interpretation of propaganda. I can't wait to line my office with his work! See HERE

The First Seeds are Planted and the Season Begins

• The first seeds are planted in our new planter boxes in late March: salad mesclun mix, broccoli, and sugar snap peas. See HERE
• Early May, we started to see the beginning of the fruits of our labor. Baby salad greens and little pea shoots are up. Strawberry patch is perking up and lots of flowers. Looking at my beautiful sunny garden in these pictures from last May as I sit in cold, rainy, gray, and dark January - Man, I tell you, I can't wait for the new season. See post HERE.
• Discovered Tuesday Garden Party at An Oregon Cottage. Jami hosts a weekly linkup of gardeners and their gardens. I learned more than I ever did in any book and met more gardeners than I have in my lifetime. A Gift! See An Oregon Cottage for yourself HERE.Tuesday garden party is still going strong!
• Black Ants eat my Broccoli roots. You all say it doesn't happen and it is impossible, but it happened and I lost my entire crop! See HERE
• I officially joined Tuesday Garden party and I shared my favorite gardening books: all are from Sunset Magazine. See THIS POST for those titles.

Beginning of Summer Growing Season

• The true growing season began with the birth of our beautiful daughter - our most precious thing we've ever grown! See HERE
• A cold snap hits the PacNW. Gardeners all over the region lament over the cold rainy May and June. Several of us lost our warm season seedlings and starts. I lost all of our cucumber starts, but the zucchini and tomatoes survived. I threw seeds in the ground the week before I had my baby and they all came up. I asked for advice on thinning and got good response from TGP. See HERE
• Despite the coldest June in the history of Oregon, our strawberry patch started producing wondering huge strawberries. And I made pie and jam with all those berries. See HERE. (When our strawberries hit this year, I'll share my famous strawberry pie recipe, so be on the lookout in mid-June!)

Mid-Summer Garden in Full Swing

• The heat finally hits the PacNW and all of my cold season veggies (salad and peas) started bolting (flowering) and petering out. I replaced them with Eggplants and tomatillos plants. Zucchini began flowering and producing. Peppers were pruned and began growing. The bush beans plants. Tomatoes began flowering and growing tall! The garden looks neat and tidy - perfect for a picture! See HERE
• I shared some small tips (like keeping a small pair of child's scissors next to your herb bed) and I also shared how I keep my garden abundant with POPS of bright color using annual flowers. See HERE
• As August began, the effects of a cold early summer became quite evident as we had not harvested anything, but the garden was abundant with GREEN unripe fruit. Waiting, waiting, waiting. See HERE
• In Mid-August, as the beans and zucchini began to get to harvest stage, I shared several ways that I cooked, baked, and preserved our backyard harvest. I also learned how to CAN and preserved my first batch of pickles ever! See HERE
• By the end of August, the garden was in full fledged production mode. We began harvesting cucumbers, eggplants, herbs, and some tomatoes. All the plants began to grow quite large and even though all of the them were contained in raised planter beds, they began to look quite out of control. See HERE.

End of summer Garden

• Late harvest season. By early September, I began to see daily huge returns on my garden. Every day or almost every day, my patio table would be overflowing with summer vegetables and fruit. See HERE.
• I perfected pickling cucumbers using not only the boiling canner, but also Jami's refrigerator pickles using pre-dilled vinegar. My family loves them! See HERE
• I visited an U-Pick peach farm and picked 50 lbs of white peaches. Delicious. This is how I preserved them. See HERE
• I shared some tricks I learned this year to make preserving your garden produce easier. See HERE
• My mid-September, the NINE tomato plants began to produce like gangbusters. Including heart-shaped Cherokee Purple tomatoes. Serious tomato love-awwwwhhhh. See HERE
• And then - all of our efforts of shaping our small suburban backyard paid off as we were featured in our local newspaper! See HERE
• The tomatillo plants that our neighbor gave us began to produce large large harvests. I made large batches of salsa verde as well as one of our family's favorite dinners: Tequila Pork Chile Verde. I shared these recipes in this post HERE

End of Garden Tour

About early October, I was able to harvest three large pumpkins from our pumpkin patch. I wrapped up the garden and the stress of four young children began to get to me. I had done a pretty good job of keeping up on all of it, but by this time, I had run out of steam and it shows. The garden posts pretty much stopped. We visited lots of local U-Pick farms at this time, including apples and grapes.


What We Grew This Year - 2010
*Broccoli (planted from nursery starts)
*Strawberries - patch in front yard
*Mesclun Salad Mix (seed)
*Spinach (seed)
*Sugar Snap Peas (seed)
*Basil (our starts died, so we planted nursery starts later)
*Thyme (nursery starts)
*Cilantro (our 1st seeds died, planted another round of seeds later)
*Italian Parsley
*Peppers: Red, Green, Yellow, and Jalapeno (nursery starts)
*Tomatoes: Sweet 100, Cherokee Purple, Chocolate Cherry, Early Girl, Yellow Pear, Big Boy, Sweet Million (nursery starts)
*Cucumbers: slicing, lemon, and pickling (our starts died, planted seeds later)
*Beans: purple and green bush beans (seeds, planted successively throughout summer)
*Zucchini (seeds)
*Eggplant: Millionaire and Dusky (nursery starts)
*Tomatillo (neighbor's volunteer plants)
*Pumpkin (volunteer from last year)


What Worked/What Didn't

• Broccoli was eaten by ants - not my fault - but after reading several TGP blogs, I think I may need to explore row covers because I love love fresh broccoli from the garden
• These plants work from seed: salad, peas, cucumbers, zucchini, beans, pumpkins, spinach, and sunflowers
• What I have planted from seed in the past indoors and didn't do quite so well transplanted: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and eggplant - go ahead and buy starts from nursery
• If you can get your hands on good seed, start tomatoes indoors 6-8 weeks before you plant out in yard. Otherwise visit a local nursery (NOT HOME DEPOT,LOWE'S OR WALMART!!! Those are crappy crappy plants!!!!) and get starts. We did starts this year because I was 8-9 months pregnant at planting time and I didn't want to babysit starts in my house.
• Planting my salad mix very very close together is great for baby greens, but not good for mature plants. If you want large leaves, thin out as needed.
• If you buy peppers or eggplant from nursery, go ahead and get the smallest starts for $1.00. We bought the small dollar starts and the big $4.00 starts, they both grew the same once in the ground and looked the same full grown.
• Tomatoes, no matter how small they look at the beginning, grow to be monsters. Properly space, properly space, properly space. And stop being cheap and buy the good solid supports. Stake the supports.
• Stake Peppers.
• Prune suckers from tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant early in the game, and you will get large, healthy, full plants with large, full healthy fruit!
• Basil, Cilantro, and Parsley can all be grown from seed easily - just plant double what you want because not every seed will sprout. Thin as needed.
• It's okay to plant as many pickling cucumber as you want because you pickle them!
• Tomatillo grow large, big, and sprawl - give adequate space.
• Tomatoes did great next to white house in hottest part of yard - hot hot hot is important for tomatoes.
• My spinach failed. I tried several varieties and all of them produced pretty wilted, stunted spinach. I don't know why?
• Sweet 100 tomatoes split and produce too much - we never even begin to eat them and i don't like the waste.
• Yellow Pear tomatoes taste mealy - won't plant again.
• Loved Big Boy!! I want to do more large fruit tomatoes next year.
• Chocolate Cherry and Cherokee Purple are my favorite - they look cool and taste great!

What I Will Change about my Gardening in 2011

• Only plant 1 and I mean ONE lemon cucumber plant. We planted 3-4 plants and it was too many.
• Plant Romaine lettuce
• Grow Onions (never have done this and want to supply our family with this common staple. Do I successively plant these?)
• Plant Dill in a pot - I had to buy this weekly at the Farmer's Market because I was pickling cucumbers like crazy and it bugged me I had to pay lots of $$ for organic dill when I knew I could have grow this inexpensive weed in my own yard.
• Add yellow wax beans to my bean patch so I'll have purple, yellow, and green. FUN!@
• Cucumbers grow the best from seed planted in ground no matter what my husband says about starts!
• More plants in pots.
• Plant shelling peas
• Hopefully I can have the energy for a fall garden (plant salad, peas, and brassicas in late summer)
• I love arugula and forgot to plant it this year - doh! (I like to plant separately in a pot)
• Heirloom tomatoes will dominate my tomato crop this year.
• Eliminate Sweet 100 as my cherry tomato. Chocolate Cherry is much much better tasting and doesn't split!
• More Roma tomato plants - I had very limited tomatoes to can because my one Roma plant got blight later in the season.

Best Tips I can Offer Based on my Experience

• Pepper your yard with flowers - lots of flowers. I plant dozens of sunflower plants, zinnias, marigold, cornflower, impatiens, and hanging baskets full of annuals. Not only do they bring bright pops of color to your garden, but they also attract BEES which is instrumental to vegetable gardening success. Lavender is another GREAT way to attract BEES - I need to plant more in backyard this coming year!
• Zucchini only need 1-2 seeds per hill. Trust me on this one. Need sunny hot hot spot.
• HEAT is the key to successful gardens. We didn't intentionally mean to do this, but we used gravel for our walkways instead of bark and the stone in the gravel heated up and radiated lots and lots of heat. Our garden produced far more than any of our neighbors despite similar growing conditions.  The only variable? The heat retained gravel!
• SOIL IS THE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL GARDENING! I just said heat is the key, but really, it is soil. I firmly believe that organic compost is the the absolute best thing you could ever do for your garden. I amend my soil twice a year with compost. We spend big bucks to truck in composted dairy manure. But I don't have to spend a dime in fertilizer. We put compost on our strawberry patch and it produces like crazy!! It may take a year or two to get your soil right, but start now on amending it with rich black soil and it will payoff in the end!
• Successive planting is great for salad, beans, peas. Missing anything?

Are you still here with me?  Please feel free to offer anything back. I thrive on interaction between gardeners and friends.

A Big HUGE SHOUTOUT to my friend Di over at Voice in the Garden who so generously mailed me a large package full of several different varieties of heirloom tomatoes including these amazing tomatoes. I hope to can grow them successfully!

Here's to a really exciting 2011!

My version of New Year's Resolutions

I won't lie - I like resolutions. First-born, Type-A personalities everywhere unite: we like a list, we like a challenge, we like to push ourselves to be better, faster, stronger! My version of the new year's resolution is the 12 Things Challenge. In it, you challenge yourself to learn or do 12 NEW things that you don't already know or do.

New and Revised 12 Things Challenge

AUGUST - learn how to can --completed See This POST -- (next up, pressure canning)

SEPTEMBER - make my own non-toxic cleaning kits for each living area (bathrooms, kitchen, bedrooms) Completed See This POST

OCTOBER- Relaxation/De Stress Habits. 1)Make a habit of having a day of rest (make the Sabbath holy) God rested on the 7th day, I need to as well! 2)I am also going to add one more thing to thing to this month's challenge. I'm going to create a 2-3 MINUTE yoga stretch/meditation routine and do it daily!! Especially when I am really really stressed at moments during the day. FAIL- not completed~

NOVEMBER - Create the ART DOCENT program for our school and have one session completed before winter break. FAIL - didn't even begin to do this one!

DECEMBER- buy a new sewing machine, take a sewing class, and learn how to correctly hem and alter clothing. Completed - see THIS POST

New And REVISED 2011 Goals

 (and I reserve the right to change my goals)

New Jan. Goal: go to bed early and get 7-8 hours sleep
JANUARY - learn how to use/cook quinoa



FEBRUARY - learn how to change a tire
Additional Feb. Goal –  Finally attempt to Pressure Can - Broth and Beans

MARCH - Make a real food Grocery Challenge post and find one new way to make the grocery dollar extend further and buying whole foods in the winter.
Additional March Goal - Develop a gardening series where I teach and demonstrate easy beginning organic gardening classes in MY OWN BACKYARD! (I'm really excited about this)

APRIL - Buy a Greenhouse and learn how to use it to begin/extend my growing season.
Additional April Goal - Teach Classes and Begin Organic/Victory garden consultation services
MAY - run a 1/2 marathon (hopefully my two neighbors will join me)

JUNE - Participate in one local cultural event - like Salem 1st Wednesday Art Night or an exhibit opening or cultural festival.

JULY - have a party in my garden (I don't like throwing parties at all!! so this will be a big challenge)

Here's to a very exciting 2011!

(I know I have more resolutions in me, but I can't think of any more)



Adventures in Hair

It's been fun having a little girl for many many reasons. One of those reasons I've been excited for a little girl is the chance to do hair! Lucky for me, Lane's hair is pretty thick and curly for a 7 month old. I was finally able to wrangle enough strands of hair for pig tails!

Chase is sometimes a little too eager to help me out when it comes to little sister. One day I went to the bathroom, came back, and he had "done" his sister's hair.

Caption: "help!"

December's Challenge: completed!

This is quite fitting for today since it is a day of new year, new goals!

My original 12 thing challenge was featured on THIS post, however, if you don't want to click back, my DECEMBER goal was to:  "buy a new sewing machine, take a sewing class, and learn how to correctly hem and alter clothing."
I am happy to report that I did complete this goal for December although not quite in the fashion I originally intended.

About a month ago, my mom purchased a new Singer Brilliance (thanks Costco coupon) for me as an early B-day present. I had been sewing on my mother in law's *ahem* VINTAGE Singer sewing machine, circa 1970-something? Anyway, right before I got my new computerized Singer, I taught myself how to do the magic hem on my jeans. I'm a shorty short girl (5'4") and therefore ALL my pants need to be hemmed. I hate shelling out $12-20 for a simple hem job. Pictures of this attempt of hemming follow.

I regarded this post on how to hem your jeans and I tested the theory out. It works!!

Blake - my older middle son, age 7, wanted to sew something as well. no time like the present. We set out to work and he and I sewed a simple fleece University of Washington pillowcase. He did 70% of the work!



I didn't find a sewing class that was suitable to my needs, but I am on the continued lookout. I find that I really really enjoy sewing, but holy moly, do I really really get frustrated!! machines jam easily and sewing DOES take patience and time - something that can be a challenge for a mom of two very young children and two older high-needs kiddos.

The sewing goal also asked me to learn how to alter my clothing. Every fashionista knows this: altering is your friend to making clothes look and feel better on you. I have a larger chest and stomach, but smaller arms and butt, hips, thighs. So I often buy my clothing larger and take it in on the sides. By using a very simple straight stitch, I am able to bring in clothes on the arms making my arms look thinner and longer. I am tuck in the sides while leaving room in the chest and tummy area (note to self: need to learn princess seams). Also, I purchase my pants with a larger waist and tuck in the thighs and hips area while leaving the waist larger. All tricks of the trade and easily accomplished with a sewing machine and high density needle! Money saved and clothes look better!

I am enjoying making custom everything for my daughter - bedding, bibs, burp cloths, drapes, etc. I also find it quite simple to sew any easy home decor project. I want to learn simple dresses (like pillowcase dresses) and frilly skirts.

What I am needing to learn next is more elaborate sewing techniques like different types of stitching (blind hem stitch and satin stitching) as well as try my hand at simple quilting.