Mr. Potato Head

For a week now he has been showing up with silly putty mustaches. He announces he is Mr. Potato Head while sporting them. Today he showed up with it on his nose.

We're the Outdoor Photo of the week!

Barb over at Handbook of Nature Study has picked Matthew and his snow to be the photo of the week! Head on over and see us! Matthew will be on the right hand side a little way down. We are so honored to be picked! While you are there take some time to look at all the great lessons Barb has to offer. It really is a treasure!

Superheros

Gearing up for growing season

Erin at Garden Now-Think Later and Judy at My Freezer is Full have been posting their 2011 planting lists. I have decided to join in the fun because if it's posted on here, I have it for life, I hope. Phil keeps telling me to put everything in the computer, but I like to make my gardening lists by hand. Call me weird. Yesterday I made a list of all the seeds I have in my hoard (over 90 varieties). Matthew saw me handling the seeds and got so excited. I had to promise that when he got up from his nap that we would plant more trial seeds, because he wouldn't leave me alone! The boy loves to plant seeds! Yes! I've done something right. The photo above is all the seeds we've planted in their temporary pots.

Here is my 2011 list. P for planting and M for maybe planting. Some of it hinges on whether the seeds will still sprout from my hoard, whether Phil will be around or not, and how much room I have for pots.

Beans

Butterbean~ edamame~ hoard~ M
Empress~ green bean~ hoard~ P
Royalty Purple Pod~ green bean~ hoard~ P

Carrot

Tonda di Parigi~ Baker Creek~ P

Eggplant

Rosa Bianca~ hoard~ M
Ping Tung (of the semi famous eggplant cake recipe)~ Baker Creek~ P

Fruit

Red Wonder Wild~ strawberry~ Baker Creek~ P
Yellow Wonder Wild~ strawberry~ Baker Creek~ P
Mignonette Alpine~ strawberry~ Renee's Seeds~ P
Alexandria Alpine~ strawberry~ hoard~ P
Pink Banana~ banana~ Baker Creek~ P

Greens

Collards~ Baker Creek~ P
PanPacific Greens Stirfry Mix~ Asian greens~ Renee's Seeds~ P

Herbs

Broad Leaf Sage~ hoard~ P
Genovese Basil~ hoard~ P
Sweet Basil~ saved/hoard~ P
Cinnamon Basil~ Baker Creek~ P
Garlic Chives~ hoard~ P
Chives~ already planted/growing

Lettuce

Amish Red Deer Togue~ hoard~ P
Forellenschluss~ hoard~ P
Farmer's Market Blend~ Renee's Seeds~ P

Onions

Texas Early Grano 502~ hoard~ M
Bianca di Maggio~ hoard~ M
Tokyo Long White-Bunching~ hoard~ M
Yellow Borettana~ hoard~ M

Peppers

Purple Jalapeno~ hoard~ M
Fish~ hoard~ M

Radish

Misato Rose hybrid~ hoard~ P
Rat Tail~ Baker Creek~ P

Squash

Baby Boo~ pumpkin~ hoard~ P
Jack Be Little~ pumpkin~ hoard~ P
Patissons Panache Blanc Et. Vert~ pattypan~ hoard~ P

Tomatoes

Silvery Fir Tree~ hoard~ M
Tonadose de Conones~ Baker Creek~ P

Flowers

Globe Amaranth~ saved/hoard~ M
Marigolds~ saved/hoard~ P

What are you doing in the garden this year?

And because Erin asked how we store our seeds, here are mine, in their normal disorderly mess in the worst possible conditions for improved germination.

Winter Wednesday #2 Snow

By 2 pm the ground was pretty much free of all snow, but Matthew made the most of the snow in the morning. (And it was the first time since Monday I was able to break into our mailbox.)

I still can't believe we had enough to play in.


Since we did get snow, we collected a cup full for the Winter Wednesday Snow challenge and some more to melt and pour through a coffee filter.


While we waited, Matthew warmed up with hot cocoa.


Once melted down, we discovered that our cup of snow was actually 1/4 c. of liquid! (And very dirty, I'm going to say it may have been the operator...) What a difference! When we poured our melted snow into a coffee filter, we discovered that there was dirt in our snow. Not alot, but there was definitely reddish dirt particles. It didn't photo well so you'll just have to trust us.

And that's the end of our 1/2 a day of snow!

Because we got this...

...measly dusting, maybe an inch of snow...

...Phil has a snow day...

Really?

Zone 8

Got Sleet?

Check.

I didn't win

But that's ok, because I got something much cooler. You see, if I'd checked my email sooner, I would have discovered that Jessica had already sent me a free asymmetrical hipster hoodie pattern for commenting on the original post! And if I wasn't so suspicious of good fortune, I wouldn't have thought it a prank and an attachment that was a virus. I wouldn't have had to email her to ask if she'd really emailed me a pattern, because I didn't believe it. Luckily, she was very gracious and told me that it would indeed be ok to open the attachment because it really had come from her! I am so LUCKY!!! Yea! So go check out her blog if you haven't already and if you already did last night and are ready to buy that pattern, go here.

It's just another cold day here. Matthew and I are enjoying spending time with Phil. Matthew was having a ball grossing his Dad out by licking him.

And little animals are just trying to stay warm.

Ohhh, that reminds me, if you'd emailed us and never heard back, it's probably because I thought it was spam (which I've gotten alot of, like Princess Mary would email me). So make it clear in the title you aren't spam and I'll respond. :)

Crossing fingers

I've entered a contest to win a hoodie pattern that I think rocks! Cross fingers for me and in the mean time, if you are interested in sewing go take a look at the talented Jessica's site Running With Scissors. She makes me want to be the fabulous sewer that my mom is.

Us? We are just trying to stay home. It's very cold here. Normally the very lowest low is in the teen's and it's our highs. EEEKKK! Our house has single pane windows so the glass ices over on the inside. Our water heater and washing machine is in the drafty garage, so I worry about frozen/broken pipes. This morning the power companies couldn't keep up with the demand for power due to increased heat usage, so they made rolling blackouts several times. It is interesting in Texas!

Flakes

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have tiny snowflakes in the air!

We have frozen rain on outside objects.

We will be in the low teens tonight.

When did I move to the arctic?