I Have A Garden Itch

I know, every year, just about this time, I get an itch to start growing things. I think it's because of a few things; I have yet to try my hand at fall and winter gardening so I feel a ache to get my hands back into the dirt and get something from it. The other problem is that darn it, its cold and grey and looking at seed catalogs reminds me of Spring and 78 degree days.

This an orange geranium seedling

This year we are doing it on our small, Midtown Nashville balcony. My fingers and toes are crossed for luck. I think to help me feel a sustained sense of satisfaction I am going to keep up with the numbers from this years spring harvest and see what I accomplish. maybe I will even spur myself into a fall garden.

This is an orange geranium seedling all grown up

To get started lets look at what I have spent and what I received for that amount.

$23.73 for seeds (I highly recommend generic seeds, so far great germination rates)
$8.00 for seed starting flat and box of extra pellets
$31.73 total expenses

I have:
Veggies:
Cucumber seeds
Tomato seeds
Peppers seeds (4) varieties

Herbs:
Thyme seeds
Rosemary seeds
Cilantro seeds
Basil seeds

Flowers
Geranium seeds
Coleus seeds
Bells of Ireland seeds
Impatiens seeds

Downton Abbey, Bless it!

On Tuesday nights you will find me at Corner Pub with some of our very good friends playing pub trivia. The Fella and I have been doing this ever since we moved to Nashville, though at a few different locations until we found our home at Corner Pub.

Last night we were on the last question of the game. We were feeling pretty good about our performance and were hoping for 1st place. The category was TV. The question was, "What Masterpiece TV show showcases the Crawley family and their servents?" Nobody moved or said anything. I knew it, Downton Abbey! I felt like screaming the answer across the table, but alas, that would have shared the answer with all the teams. I must try to be more lady like on Tuesday nights.

I scribbled it down on piece of paper and rushed to turn it in. I was beaming with pride that my Sunday night Masterpiece habit was paying off!

I am a woman of frivolity

So, some of you may know that last Sunday was a very important date in my and The Fella's world. For him it was Superbowl Sunday. For me, it was be THE hostess with the most-ess, THE superbowl destination- bar none, the one that everyone wants to be at...if they are so lucky as to be invited. That was a mouthful!

The Fella was out of town all weekend only arriving an hour before the start of the game. Naturally I enlisted the help of my best friend and currently holding the title Maid of Honor for some foodie focused time. We went grocery shopping shopping and cooked all weekend to make this thing happen. And for the next week we will be eating left overs, maybe longer.

Menu:
French Dip Sandwhiches with Au Jus
Wings, with three different sauces
Build your own potato skins bar
Sausage balls
Beer cheese Dip and
Homemade soft pretzels
stuffed mushrooms
and a cheese plate with marcona almonds and kalamata olives

BUT.... the best thing of all, Jenny (M.O.H.) made Young's double chocolate brownies with Framboise butter cream icing. I am eating one right now. See, there is icing on my keyboard.

Money, it doesn't grow on tree's, it grows on paper

I am still in that whole "January is new year, a new me" mind set. Of course I have fallen off the diet plan, and the blog twice a week plan. The wagon I haven't fallen off of it "Be Smarter With Your Money". This year The Fella and I are slowly merging His and Her's finances. We are just feeling it out as we go. So far we have a joint savings and as of this morning a joint investment account. That joint investment account it my little baby. I love reading financial articles and my podcast list would make Ben Bernanke roll his eyes. But I find it all so... worth my while.

It's snowing in Nashville

Today was my first day of classes for the Spring semester. Before I even got in my car to drive there the snow was falling. I made it to class without any traffic problems, a rare case indeed in Nashville when it snows. My wonderful professor whom I would also consider a friend let us go early since she too didn't want to drive home in slush.
So now I am home and all bundled up. I have candles lit, the curtains drawn back and cocoa in my mug. I am having a great first day back by simply watching it snow. Damn, it is the little things in life.

Thinking of warm days

I get an itch to be back in the garden right around this time of year. So I start flipping through seed catalogs and browsing garden sites while I start compiling a mental shopping list. The Fella really got into helping me in the garden last year because he was able to plant about 10 different varieties of hot peppers. He was a happy man, a very happy man. In fact, he got a dehydrator for Christmas to preserve peppers from this years harvest.

There is a hitch in the plan. We usually go back to the large house in Chattanooga during the summer so that we have lots of land to work on. This summer though, the Fella is teaching at Vanderbilt and I will be in my last semester of college. So we are going to try our hand at container gardening on our small but sunny balcony.

My list:

jalapenos

small hot peppers

lettuce

tomatoes

cilantro

basil

rosemarry

thyme

cucumbers?

It is probably a little to ambitious since we don't have a huge amount of room, but I am so used to a large garden. At least its something to think about on cold days.

anyone have any thoughts on container gardening?

A New Year, A New List of Goals

I love this time of year, no really I do. I feel like I am passed all the crazy stress of the holidays and for me, and The Fella, it is back to school. I enjoy having a routine and a plan for the day, week, month, etc. My favorite part of the new year is going to the store to pick a new calendar. I can easily spend an hour opening each agenda and looking over, assessing what works for me and what doesn't and then finally, achingly making my decision.

I mentioned this aspect of the new year to a friend of mine over lunch the other day and she shared with me that she feels the same way. She then told me that she puts a stick note on the front page of the calendar with a list of her goals for the year. She says this way she is reminded every day of the things she wants to accomplish. I am excited to adopt her stratagey.

My list for the year:

• Transition to a cash system for groceries.
• Exercise 5 days a week
• Must be better about calling the Grandmother
• wash all dishes before going to bed
• I swear I'm gonna do my Christmas shopping earlier this year ;)
• try to be a better blogger

What are your goals for the year?