Garden Journal

 Hello Friends,

Seed starting will start here at, The Little Garden That Could. 

This year I wanted to discipline myself more with how I am going about planting my garden. 

I have saved seeds.  I have left over seeds.  I have seeds from friends.

This year I drew a map of my garden. 

I took inventory of my seed, before I placed a seed order.

I feel more prepared for the seed starting season. I hope that my planning will help me with the problem I usually end up with, too many seedlings, not enough room.

 

My current garden journal.

I have always had a garden journal. In 2018 I started to save seed packs, articles and more in my journal. I have enjoyed looking back at the notes, seed packs and articles.

 

My Garden Motto

Plant..

Something Fun

Something New

Something Tried and True

 

My something fun this season will be African Marigold.. this marigold will be 2 1/2 feet tall!

My something new this season will be Turnip.. I ate turnip last autumn and enjoyed every bite. I decided to try growing my own turnip.

My something Tried and True are Zinnia.

Do you have plans for a garden this season?

What will be your something fun, something new and something tried and true?

 

Thawing Out

 

Hello Friends,

We are officially thawing out. Our cold weather started the week of February 8th and continued until February 20th.  Our lowest temperature was NEGATIVE 30 and that was the temperature, not adding the wind. My big worry was that our chickens would struggle during this cold spell. 

They were brave Wisconsin Hens!! They took the challenge of the cold weather and blessed us with eggs each and every day.

 We have five hens, Lolly, Polly, Molly, Dolly and Holly.

If you guessed that big egg was a double yoke, you guessed right.

Quiche has been a favorite meal for my husband and I, we have been on a quiche kick around here.

Bacon and Onion Quiche

1/2 pound of bacon

5 large eggs

1 cup heavy cream

1 medium onion

1/2 teaspoon of ground white pepper

8 ounces of Gruyere Cheese shredded (about 2 cups)  

* NOTE* we will substitute 1/2 cup of Swiss and 1/2 cup of Munster if we do not have Gruyere available

1 unbaked pie crust ~ 9 inch

*NOTE* when making pie, I will make extra crusts to freeze. When we get a taste for quiche, we  can take a pie crust right out of the freezer, let it sit for an hour or two and it is ready.

 

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Arrange the bacon on a sheet pan, bake, drain, roughly chop and set aside.

Chop your onion.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and cream until combined and smooth. Stir in the bacon, onion, white pepper and cheese. Pour the mixture into the pie shell.

Transfer to the oven, bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.

Remove from the oven, let cool for 15 minutes to allow the eggs to set.

Slice and serve warm.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. We enjoy left over quiche just as much, it is easy to reheat and the flavors have blended more. Yum! Yum!

 My friend Kathy shared this poem with me.

I officially have spring fever! How about you?

Have a Happy Weekend!

  ♥

Carla

Joy List Monday

 

 

 Joy List Monday

 ♥  A weekly ritual  ♥

a reminder to stop and pay attention to the little beauties and graces

 that make life magical and to set aside time for gratitude each day

  ♥ the days are getting longer

 ♥ pink sunsets

  ♥ icicles catching the winter sunlight

 ♥ hot chocolate with peppermint

 

Happy Valentine's Day

 Happy Valentine's Day

 Happy Valentine's Day my friends.

My grandma shared with me her Autograph book many years ago.

I enjoyed reading the messages. The messages are from 1945.

My grandma had a green hardcover, My Autograph Book.  

The inside cover has the following message..

As the years roll on in the march of time,

 Each little thought and each little line 

That is written now, in these years the best,

Shall be a part of my treasure chest.

So before you write, I think you ought

To give your prose or poem a thought.

Make it happy - make it gay!

In later years of you I'll say,

"Here are my friends-I know them well, 

Who have written here-in my memory dwell."

I am going to share a few of the messages. Some are the perfect messages to share with your Valentine this weekend.

 ♥

♥ Yours Till Table Legs Wear Socks ♥ 

They already were text messaging in 1945.. 

U.R.

2 sweet

2 be

4 gotten

 ♥

 ♥ Girls like tulips in the park    But boys like two lips in the dark ♥

 

Yours till the sink sinks.

♥ 

The higher the mountain the cooler the breeze. The younger the couple the tighter they squeeze. 

Happy Valentine's Day

 ♥

Carla 

 

 

 

Joy List Monday

 Joy List Monday

♥ a weekly ritual  ♥

a reminder to stop and pay attention to the little beauties 

and graces that make life magical and to

set aside time for gratitude each day

 ♥ Cross country ski time with my sweetheart.

A fun little story to share.. two orange kitties have been meeting up with skiers at the trailhead of our local ski trails, Rockman's Woods. Last Tuesday, I got to see one of the kitties. They live at one of the homes along the trail. They enjoy getting social with the skiers, hikers and snowshoe peoples.

Click here to see more of our local ski trail 

 ♥ Hershey's Kitchen Sea Salt Caramel Chips.. these are so good. I made the recipe on the back of the package. I ate three of these cookies just as they were cooling. I lost my self discipline. Ha! Let me know if you try them and how you use them.

  

♥Our son Atticus wanted to feed the birds at his apartment. My husband created the hanger the feeder is hanging. The feeder is hanging from the above apartment deck. Our boys have the first level apartment. Atticus was so excited to share with us that chickadee are visiting the feeder.

♥ Help from my cousin Kris.. she sent me the following article 

Keeping Chickens Warm During Winter

We have enjoyed a mild winter so far, but as Kris from Junk Chic Cottage, shared, "Winter is in full bloom now!" We will be getting some very cold temperatures this week. The article was just what I needed to read, to get our hens ready.

 ♥ A text message from our oldest son Sam.. out of the blue.. I LOVE YOU, MOM! 

It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

February 2021 Hodgepodge

 

Hello Friends, it is Wednesday and that means it is time for the Hodgepodge.

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun! 

 1. Feb 2nd is Groundhog Day in the US of A. Tell us about one day you wouldn't mind living over again, and why you chose that day. 

Oh, I have so many. I will decide on a recent day, 2020 Christmas with our family. My parents hosted Christmas at the farm. My mom, dad, sister, her husband and our family of four gathered. It was a fun filled time, with belly laughs, good food and more belly laughs. We laughed so hard we had tears running down our cheeks. It was a very special Christmas.

2. Something you know beyond a 'shadow of a doubt'? 

It is Well with My Soul

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain
It is well, (it is well),
With my soul, (with my soul)
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life,
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
A song in the night, oh my soul!

3. Give us an example of history repeating itself in some way, in your own life or the lives of your children. 

 Our son Sam is balancing work, college, time for family, friends and his girlfriend.

4. Snowed under, snow job, not a snowball's chance, snowbird, on thin ice, snug as a bug in a rug, tip of the iceberg, snowball effect, run hot and cold....choose a wintry idiom and tell us how it best applies to your life right now. 

Snug as a Bug in a Rug

that is what we will want to be as a cold forecast is on the way

NEGATIVE TEMPERATURES as our high temperatures.. 

oh goodness, this is when I do not enjoy winter.

 5. Your favorite sign of spring? 

 Seedlings!

6. Insert your own random thought here.

"Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There is no courage unless you're scared."

Eddie Rickenbacker 

A White Tip on a Tail.

 Hello Friends,

The other day I peeked out at the bird-feeder, what did I see?

 

A rascal of a squirrel at my feeder.

Looking closer I see that this squirrel is sporting a white tip on that tail.

 

The acrobat that this squirrel is to get to a favorite treat.

 

Do you spy the white tip on the tail? 

"Today I embrace what makes me beautifully unique and beautifully me."

Have a great weekend my friends!

♥

Carla

Hey Mate! It is the Hodgepodge!

 

 

Hello Friends, it is Wednesday and that means it is time for the Hodgepodge.

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

 Click here to join the fun!

 

1. Have you done more binge watching this past year than in 'normal' years? Any plans to break that habit in 2021? Tell us one or two shows you binged last year that you really liked. 

 No change in our normal watching of T.V.

We recently watched the following movie. I give it a thumbs up.

2. January 26th is Australia Day. Have you ever visited or lived in Australia? Have you ever tasted Vegemite, and if so what did you think?  Is a trip down under on your bucket list? We answered a question about travel three months ago (the October 21st Hodgepodge), but let's revisit now...where are you when it comes to planning or even imagining travel this year? 

My dear friend Judy has a daughter who lives in Australia. And my dear friend Lori, who is Judy's daughter has a sister who lives in Australia. Judy has visited and she took her grandboys on a trip to Australia. We were blessed with gifts from the trip, stories and seeing photos.

I have not tasted Vegemite.

I don't think I will be visiting Australia anytime soon.

As far as travels for 2021, no travel plans out of the state of Wisconsin are planned.

 3. Something that zaps your energy? Something that energizes you? 

Something that zaps my energy would be cold, cold weather. We have been fortunate this winter here in Wisconsin with a mild winter. Last week I was reminded how cold, cold weather feels as we had temperatures in the negatives. I delivered Meals on Wheels last week on a very cold, windy day, I was zapped of energy at the end of the day.

Something that energizes me. Coffee, chocolate and walks in the woods.

4. On a scale of 1-10 what are your eating habits like these days? (1=all junk food all the time and 10= juicing every green thing in the frig) Healthiest meal you've eaten in the last week or so? 

No change in our eating habits. We are on a quiche kick. I have been trying a few new quiche recipes. I will be sharing on the blog soon.

And a meatloaf recipe, using bourbon. I have to tweak this one a bit more before I share.

 5. What's your most often 'Back in my day....' thing to say? 

My husband and I were just saying "Back in my day..." to our son on Sunday during the football games. Back in our day, football was different. The rules have changed, players have changed, the NFL has changed.

My husbands favorite was QB Joe Montana. I enjoyed watching football with my dad. My dad and I both loved loooong passes and Joe Montana was a QB that could do that.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Another "Back in my day..."

Everybody likes to find a letter in the mail, but it doesn't happen as often as it used to. Remember a phone call is nice but a letter is forever. Makes someone's day.

During the lockdown my sister sent me Pandemic Postcards. I just received another in the mail from her the other day.

 

 

  

My mom's handiwork.. is Penelope approved.

 

 

The new rug for the guest room, looks to be Penelope approved.

I asked my mom if she could design and create a fun rug for our new guest room using the color grey. She did a fantastic job matching the colors. I like the design.

 

My mom is a seamstress and master at crocheting. The rug is crochet.

 

Penelope's colors match as well. 

 ♥

Hanging in There!

Hello Friends,

Are you hanging in there? 

It is not easy to stay positive during these times, that is the honest truth.

My friend Anne of  My Giant Strawberry

recently shared a few ideas to help one stay focused. We can get sucked into the watching and reading of the news.. having it suck our positive feelings right out of us. Using Anne's questions, I am sharing some of my ways that help me stay positive.

1. How do you want to feel?

Work on ways that help you get to that feeling. Avoid the negative or at least try to expose yourself to less of the negative. 

Remember the little things that make us smile in a day. 

This afternoon we went for a walk along the Red Cedar river, we have not seen the sun in weeks. What joy to have the sun dancing on the river this afternoon.

A ray of sunshine on the floor. A kitty curled up on your lap, purring. A phone call or text message.

2. How do I want to make others feel?

This week I am delivering Meals on Wheels. I do not want to add worry.. so I never talk about negative current events with our participants. I will share what I saw on my drive, a deer, or squirrel or if people are ice fishing on the lake. If they have a pet I will ask about the pet. One of our participants has a huge Amaryllis blooming, we talk about the size of the flowers.

3. Can we make the world a better place? Little old me?

I think I can do my part to spread JOY where I can. That is why I love having my Flower Shack  full of flowers during the garden season. If you are new to The River, I sell fresh cut flowers. It brings me great joy to grow the flowers and share them. What I love most is when I receive feedback from my customers. During 2020 I had so many people share "I am so happy you are open, it is something normal." 

4. What are you struggling with and can you let go of what is making you struggle?

I struggle with fear. 

I have to let it go.. or it will control me.

Afraid for our National Guard son and his teammates as they continue to do all they can to protect during this time of terrible unrest. 

Afraid of what is happening to our country and what my young men's future will look like.

These are just a few of the fears that have taken hold of me these early weeks of January. I have to chase those fears away. I have to concentrate on, how do I want to feel? I want to feel happy. I want to do my best to spread JOY. I want my boys to see a brave mom who keeps doing what she can to make the world a better place.

♥

 Carla

There are two ways of spreading light ~ to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.

Edith Whartom