AeroGarden Week Four - My first video captured...and blogged.

We are into our fourth week with the AeroGarden. As I mentioned before, every two weeks you need to add nutrients and top up the water.

Again, have the 3-pod garden so I only needed to add 1 nutrient rather than the standard 2.

We are very excited while we await the final outcome.

We've heard good things about the cherry tomato seed pods and are considering those next!

Garlic, So Good for You...

I very much enjoy cooking with garlic. I used to buy pre-minced garlic in a jar for convenience. I started selling cooking tools for the Pampered Chef (love everything) and received a garlic press in my starter kit. I'd had garlic presses before, but they just made a big mess. This one actually pushed the garlic, juices and oils through while leaving the skin behind. Oh, didn't I mention you actually put the garlic in with the skin on. Keeps your fingers from smelling!

Anyway, I loved using fresh garlic so much, I would buy the mesh bags that had about a dozen or so heads of garlic. I got lazy, yes even with the best garlic press ever (it's made from gun metal!!). Although less enthusiastic about cooking, I still bought the same bags of garlic. Only now, they sat in the fringe until they shrivelled up and sprouted.

So here it is, I'm the proud owner of the Magic Bullet (purchased at Canadian Tire)and a silicone garlic peeler (available at dollar stores). I bought the big bag of garlic again and peeled the cloves and pulsed them in the Magic Bullet. Be careful to pulse and not puree. You'll end up with garlic paste.

Once your garlic is minced, put it in a freezer safe bag or use a Foodsaver if you have one (yes, I one one of these too!). Seal the garlic as flat as you can and then freeze.

Whenever you need garlic for a recipe, just break off a piece and you're cooking! Just remember to label and date your frozen parcels.

**You can do the same thing with ginger, but pulse and freeze with the skin on.

Brrr, I'm so over winter...

That's it. I've had it. Cold, cold, go away, and never come back!

It seems there's just no way of escaping. Well unless you have some of that disposable income I've heard of. Or maybe if you win the lottery. If I had 1 or the other, I'd be writing my blog from the white sandy beaches of Barbados. No I wouldn't be tanning, my tan lasts all year round!

I would be sipping cocktails while planning my next trip to Bridgetown to buy souvenirs for all relatives at home freezing. I would stuff my face with mango and flying fish, well not together yuk...or maybe...

Hello. Snap out of it. The closest thing to the sea I'm getting to today is a hot shower if I'm lucky. Jay has started having showers, How much hot water does an 8 year old need anyway?

Nope, I have resorted to hibernation. Not even shopping is incentive enough to get me out of my jammies. Dream on, for I am a brave soldier. Also known as a mother. Although I work fro home, I still brave the cold Monday to Friday to pick up Tre from kindergarten. I suppose I could wear my pj's to school, but I kind of sort of decided to dress less homely and more feminine as a New Year's resolution.

Well instead of sitting on the beach, I'm on the couch. Instead of sipping cocktails under the Caribbean sun, I'm sipping a cocktail in front of the pellet stove. And instead feeling warm sand through my toes, I'm knitting slippers to keep my feet warm.

AeroGarden Week Two

So it's been 2 weeks since I planted my very first 3-pod AeroGarden with the Gourmet Herb seed kit and the domes have come off. I know it's been 2 weeks because the 'Add Nutrient' indicator light came on. Somehow this brilliant machine knows to turn on the 'Add Nutrient' light every two weeks.

Now because we have the 3-pod garden and we're using a regular (good for 3-pod & 6-pod gardens) seed kit, there are a couple of little things to remember.

When you first plant the desired 3 seed pods, instead of adding the 2 provided starter nutrient tabs, just add 1. And each time you are prompted to add more nutrients, you only require a half dosage which 1 tablet. You'll find that the tablet are portioned 2 per baggie. I just took out 1 tablet and put the other tablet, still in it's non-resealable baggie, into a Ziploc bag.

Each time you add nutrients, you must also refill the water to the 'Fill to Here' tab located inside the garden bowl. To reset (turn off) the 'Add Nutrient' light, press and hold the 'Reset' button (located in the middle of the control panel) until the 'Add Nutrient' blinks, for about 3 seconds then release. Press and release the 'Reset' button again, the 'Add Nutrient' light will blink quickly a few times and then turn off. Now it has been reset for another 2 weeks.

**Be sure to read the baggies are they are labelled, starter nutrient and nutrient!

So I'm not yet reaping what I've sowed, but my indoor herb garden isn't dead. So far...

You know, if you really look at the 3-pod AeroGarden we have, I mean reeeaaallly look at it. With its shape and it being white, it really looks a lot like Eve, from the Wall E movie (cute movie by the way!).

Ebbonnie-Dawn

What a Knifty little Knitter thing

About 5 or 6 years ago I saw a neat little knitting gadget and thought that I simply had to have it. I bought it from Michael's and it's called a Knifty Knitter. Another brilliant money-maker, I mean time-saving implement from Provo Craft. There has got to be quite a few smart brods working there. I totally could have gotten a job there as I meet the smart brod requirement. I just never saw the 'help wanted' ad!

Anyway, when I first bought the Knifty Knitter, I made a cute little baby tuque for my son Tre(who just turned 6 yesterday), but his head is so full of mom's smarts it didn't fit.

I then made a baby washcloth with a multi-colored cotton yarn. Before I could finish, my wanted to borrow the jumbo ball of yarn for a knitting (with real knitting needles) project so I let her take the ball, loom and unfinished washcloth.

I am proud to say that I finished that baby washcloth yesterday. Yay for me! So now I've started a head scarf from a pattern I found free on the Provo Craft website. There's a link in our family links list.

More on this knifty gadget...It's called the Knifty Knitter (KK) and it is a knitting loom. I paid $19.99 for mine at Michael's and it was a set of 4 round knitting looms, a pick and yarn needle. Each loom is a different size and a different color which eliminates a lot confusion when reading loom patterns. Mind you, there are brands of round knitting looms, but if you do a google search for KK patterns you'll find enough. You can also purchase 'slim jim' pattern books/pamphlets specific to the KK. Patterns may range from scarfs, slippers, washcloths, diaper covers to afghans and ponchos.

Aside from the round looms I own, Provo Craft has also come out with rectangular/oblong looms. They are on my wish list.

Be sure to check out the Michael's and Provo Craft websites. Lots of great products and project ideas!

**Please note the wee little loom in the picture is not made by Provo Craft.**

Ebbonnie-Dawn

Project: AeroGarden

I love to plant seeds and see what happens. Don't care too much for the weeding thing so last summer I bought a mini tiller from Husquavarna. Apparently aside from planting seeds, pulling or tilling weeds and ample sunshine, you still need to water the garden if you don't get enough rain.

My flower bed was beautiful. There were a few gaps in between my perennials since this was a brand new garden and my understanding is that each year my flowers will grow bigger and fuller.

My veggie garden was purely experimental. We decided to plant a wide variety veggies to see what would grow in our clay-based soil. The green and purple beans did well as did the tomatoes, lettuce, onions and snap peas. My husband's dog, Will, ate all of my mini watermelons. The bugs ate the spinach. And the corn grew tall without maturing, I think due to insufficient rain. Or could it be that Will chewed up both of my garden hoses so I could not provide water and the local stores were all sold out of hoses?

I did plant a raised herb garden outside my kitchen door. Chives, lots of basil (I love pesto), thyme, purple sage, cat mint and lemon balm (my favorite). That garden thrived and watering with my super-sized watering can was easy. I suppose the herbs tasted great although I wouldn't know. Will got to those too.

I've tried growing herbs indoors before. Spring, summer, fall or winter. Really didn't matter, they always died! This year I got smart. Well I hope I got smart! This year I bought a 3-pod AeroGarden. It was a special purchase for $79 at Canadian Tire.

This garden came with the English Cottage seed kit. I didn't want to do flowers, so I purchased the Gourmet Herb seed kit for $19.99. This kit comes with 6 seed pods (sweet basil, chives, dill, mint, oregano and common thyme). I planted the basil, chives and thyme on Sunday, December 28, approximately 1 week ago. Set up was easy and quick and somewhat exciting. All my seeds have sprouted. The basil and thyme are about a half inch high and the chives are about an inch high.

Do you know what this means? This means I may finally have a successful indoor herb garden!

I'll keep you posted with the success or failure of my AeroGarden. In the meantime if you have any questions about my garden, just ask.

Blog 1, Post1 and many more...I hope!

This blog is dedicated to my loving family who make up our 'Home of Loving Chaos'.

We are a family of five human members and lots of furry and feathered members. We live on a small hobby farm in rural Manitoba.

I am a 30 year old working stay at home mom. I've been married for almost 10 years and we have 3 wonderful children. Two boys, 8 & 5, and a 2 year old daughter.

My family and I have a lot of interests and various hobbies. I've decided to start this blog to share our experiences, interests and hobbies with others who might be able to relate so they can see just how normal their family really is!

I work from home and as I said, I have 3 children. In my spare time (usually around 12am-2am), I enjoy sewing, knitting, beading, gardening, card-making, geocaching and shopping online. I have recently added scrapbooking to my list of interests. Now I haven't actually scrapbooked anything, but I really am interested!

This fall we installed a pellet stove in our home. So far we've only burned pellets, but we might start experimenting with corn. I'll let you know how that goes...

Just before Christmas, we bought a 3-pod AeroGarden. We are really excited to see what we grow. Again, I'll keep you posted.

My husband Tim studied to be a Health Care Aide and made a living at it for a while. Now he works for Ford. He is a loyal fan of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and enjoys playing baseball and hockey.

Our first son Jay is 8 years and currently in grade 3. He loves Star Wars, Pokemon, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and dinosaurs. He's got a great sense of humour and a real sense of adventure.

Our second son Tre will be 6 this Thursday and he is in kindergarten. He loves everything his older brother loves and Power Rangers. He's always blowing my mind with his ever growing vocabulary.

Then there's the baby, Ally. She is 2 years and just a little woman in training. She's the performer. Loves singing & karaoke, dancing and role playing. Our daughter is also a big fan of the Doodlebops. We'll be taking in their "Together Forever" concert in Winnipeg this March. Did I mention her least favorite word is 'No', yet she loves saying it to us?

As I said, I am a working stay at home mom. There is no way I could manage 7 plus blogs without severe sleep deprivation. One will do. Now I'm a working stay at home mom with a blog!

Ebbonnie-Dawn
Mother of three and still lovin' it!