Late for the Garden Party.

I'm terribly tardy for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. 

Then again, it seems I'm always late to the party these days. 

Whew.


Instead of taking the time to write about our gardens, we spent the weekend:

~ Building raised beds for the large kitchen garden.

~ Creating a robot from recycled materials for Mikey's first grade class Earth Day project.

 

~ Helping Kiki design her Earth Day float for the school parade: "Just Say No to GMOs."

(I nixed her idea of putting her chickens on the float. I'm such a mean mom.)
 
~ Racing to Tyler's university for his last orchestra performance of the school year, conducted by John Nelson. Who is John Nelson, you might ask? Why, he's internationally renowned! (At least, his bio in the program is quite impressive, and the symphony was amazing.)
 
(Naturally, we were late and listened to the lovely "Les Preludes" by Franz Liszt while awaiting entrance in the lobby. I also managed a small nap during the Mendelssohn, but don't tell Tyler.)
 
~ Designing Mikey's birthday party invitation, which I found myself printing at 1 a.m. this morning.


~ Searching frantically for party ideas that incorporates Lego Ninjago. Don't know about Ninjago? Then, you obviously do not have a 7-year-old child in your home.

~ Reviewing orders to begin shipping. Shipping is the most harrowing, nightmare-inducing moment for me. I'm always extra nice to the UPS guy, hoping that he's in a good mood when he takes my packages and praying that he treats them with care and doesn't drop-kick them. 

I hold my breath until the plants are delivered safely to their new homes.



So, lately, my angst is in overdrive. I whine about work, I whine about kids' projects, and I whine about the beautiful blooms I miss while trying to do it all. 

I'm such a whiner.


But--soon, this will change. I will shift my priorities. I will live in the moment instead of worrying about the container gardening workshop I'm leading later this week. I will enjoy my son's birthday without drowning in the details. 

I will not Pinterest-obsess for creative Ninjago ideas. I won't, I won't. 

(You know I will.)

Maybe, I'll even learn to do yoga.

Some day.


Possibly, I'll decide what I want to be when I grow up.


But--those things won't happen today, I fear. I have 45 minutes until my baby boy arrives home, orders to fill, presents to hide. So, please forgive my pretend post for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, hosted by the lovely May Dreams Gardens. Today, I'm just sharing what's blooming--no Latin names, no species, just images of the beautiful spring in Upstate SC. 

(Like "Wordless Wednesday," I think I'll call this "Mayhem Monday"--appropriate, don't you think?)


Here we go...

 

Now, I have exactly five minutes to meet Mikey's bus. 

Hope you all are enjoying the lovely spring!


Belated Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!


XO ~ Julie

My Girl and Her Peeps.

My baby girl turned 11.

Eleven!

How is that possible? Honestly, a minute ago she looked like this:

And in a blink of an eye, she became this long-legged, chicken-and-horse-obsessed tweenish creature.

She slays me. One minute, she's still my little peanut, hiding snakes in her tree house and dressing up chickens. The next moment, she's sneaking lip gloss into her bag for school picture day.

(Just wait until Peter sees the bikini she picked out for vacation—I fear Kristen may be locked in her room until she's forty. And I nixed one that she really, really wanted!)

To celebrate the big 11, we kicked off the weekend (which is also the beginning of the kids' spring break) with a sleepover/birthday party.

The theme?

Why, chickens, of course!

I thought about whether there should be a theme. These are, after all, tricky years. One day, a themed birthday might be fine—or, if the hormones are running rampant, it might cause utter and complete humiliation.

Still, knowing our girlie and her ongoing chicken obsession, I decided to risk it. After all, I spent the week stalking our local feed and seed store, calling for hourly updates on the arrival of Kristen's new chick. It seemed appropriate to center the birthday celebration around the chicks.

First, we were told the chicks would arrive on Wednesday. Kristen was thrilled—she awaited the arrival of her new Barred Plymouth Rock pullet with as much anticipation as any expectant mother.

(I promised to pick her up from school so she could select her new baby, then return her to school afterwards. Her sweet teacher even allowed her to take a test a day early so that she could leave school to meet her new peep.)

And much like a mother-to-be who is sent home from the hospital with false labor, Kristen arrived home from school extremely frustrated and disappointed.

The chicks were a no-show.

Thursday, same plan...

Nothing. No chicks.

Finally, Friday...the chicks arrived! Of course, their arrival also coincided with Michael's class Easter party, and I had volunteered to help hide more than 350 eggs.

Daddy saved the day.

While I hid eggs and served high-fructose corn syrup-laden treats to 6-year-olds, Peter and Kristen raced to the store to meet her new baby:

Introducing Saltine!

(We plan to add two more chicks—Golden Campines—which will hopefully arrive this week.)

While Kristen settled Saltine into her new home, I finished preparations for the Peep Party.

Peep Cupcakes (How did we ever survive without Pinterest?)

Peep shirts for the girls to decorate.

Treat bags featuring candy eggs, chicken note cards, and other chicken-related silliness.

It was enough—but not too much. Being a mom, it's in my nature to micromanage parties. BUT—now that my girlie is older, the last thing 11-year-olds want is a mom lurking over their shoulders too much.

We're lucky, because Kristen's friends are really sweet, nice girls. And—I was amazed at their creativity. Their artwork on the shirts was adorable!

As much as the girls are growing up, they were excited to have a nature scavenger hunt the next morning. (Honestly, I had planned to blow it off, but they asked to do it.) One of the girls even asked if I'd print out a copy of the items so that she could take her sisters on a scavenger hunt when she went home.

I love when kids are excited about nature!

The friend party and the family party are done, we're midway through Spring Break week, and guess what I'm doing?

I'm once again, stalking the feed and seed store, waiting for word...

...that the peeps have landed.

Stay tuned...

XO ~

Julie

AND THE WINNER IS....

The winner of the "Spring into Spring" giveaway is....
 
Janet!


Janet, please e-mail your address to me: julie@gardendelights-sc.com, and I will send the tub, plants, books and seeds to you.

Thank you everyone who entered! Stay tuned...more giveaways will be coming up!

And...please remember: the 25% discount on Garden Delights plants ends TODAY, 4/2 at midnight! (Voucher code: GROWING2012)

Happy Growing!

XO ~

Julie

Chicken Wrangling

Oh, I had so many plans for this week. Posts to write, plants to tend, gardens to weed and plant, birthday parties to plan. 

Instead, I've spent the last three days at home with a sick boy.

Since Monday, we've watched 36 episodes of the old show "Tin Tin" on Netflix. I have no idea how this marathon began. I know you all want to award me "Mother of the Year" for my fine parenting skills.



And it looks like tomorrow we'll be doing more of the same.

I despise viruses.

To top it off, my girlie is sad. For months, she counted the days until March 28--the day our local feed and seed was scheduled to receive its shipment of chicks. There's a Barred Plymouth Rock she's coveting, and in another shipment next week--two Golden Campines. 


The brooder is up, the heat lamp is on. (You know, the lamp must be on for 24-hours prior to the peep's arrival to achieve the proper temperature, says Chicken Mama.) The feed is in the dish.


But no chick.


After three calls to the store, we found that the chicks will arrive tomorrow.


So, to celebrate the impending arrival of our new peeps, I thought I'd share some photos of Chicken Mama and two of her girls.

Oreo decided that Kristen is a good pillow.
 
Now, I must rejoin my sickie. I need to find out if Tin Tin and Snowy make it to the moon...


XO ~


Julie

Conquering Mulch Mountain...Who Really Won?

I love mulch.

I'm one of those odd people who gets ridiculously excited about the prospect of freshly spread mulch.

I love ordering it. “Double ground hardwood, please”--even though, after all of these years of using the same local company—I still can't understand the super nice owner's extreme southern drawl.

Sometimes, I wonder exactly what I've agreed to after talking with him.

The kids love mulch. As soon as the truck dumps the mulch, the kids fly outside to Mulch Mountain—where they climb, slide, dig, and generally wreck havoc on the mulch and each other.

Our oldest son is not quite as enthusiastic. He was summoned home from college this weekend to help spread mulch. Well, actually, he's the fill-the-wheelbarrow-and-dump guy.

Don't feel too sorry for him. He was well-fed. And he earned much praise, because he really makes the process so much easier.

I love the aesthetics of mulch. So clean, so fresh. I love the smell of mulch, although my 6-year-old said it smelled like something died outside. More importantly, I love the organic benefits of mulch. Water retention. Weed control. Increased soil health as the mulch decomposes.

The only glitch with mulching is...perennials. Everywhere. This is the problem if you wait too late to spread mulch. You can kiss the rake goodbye.

It's hand-mulching time.

Yes, for two straight days, I filled tubs with mulch and carefully, carefully, dressed the perennials by hand.

Two days. From early morning until last light—which is now about 8 p.m.—I knelt, squatted, pliéd, and bent in awkward positions to mulch my babies.

And I hurt.

A lot.

But it was worth it.

Look! Look! See what I did! (Please pretend you don't see the dandelion in the corner. Thank you.)

Even Sammy enjoys the new mulch.

Now, I know I'm not the only gardener in the throws of heavy lifting, bending, and stretching in the efforts to ready the garden for the season ahead. I just hope you are more fit and less achy than I am. Perhaps you even stretch and such before you begin gardening each day.

However, in case you, too, are feeling less than spry after your gardening work, I have a treat for you.

It will make you happy.

It's a bath.

I rarely take a bath. The idea of a bath is delicious. Soaking, peacefully, in a steamy tub sounds like bliss.

However, I'm a mom.

The minute I contemplate a bath, everyone needs something.

Right. Now.

“MOOOOM!”

You probably are too familiar with this scenario. It just isn't worth it.

Most of the time.

As sore as I am, though, a bath is a medical necessity.

So, my friends, I'm sharing with you a lovely recipe for a bath, borrowed from Amy Stewart's charming book, From the Ground Up: The Story of a First Garden. Have you read her memoir? If not, I highly recommend you take it with you to the tub, read about her adventures as a first-time gardener, and just soak. Both your body and your spirit will be nicely rejuvenated after your bath, and you'll be ready for another day in the garden.

Gardener's Bath

1 cup oatmeal

¼ cup baking soda

¼ cup powdered whole-milk

Herbs (the recipe calls for dried herbs, but I've cut fresh lavender, rosemary, and lemon balm to add to the bath. Mint, comfrey, rose petals, and chamomile are also options.)

Blend ingredients together in a food processor or blender until you have a fine powder. The oats ease itchy skin, and the fat in whole-milk powder moisturizes, while the lactic acid gently exfoliates. Baking soda helps soften the skin and also relieves itch.

In her book, Amy sprinkles the blend directly in the bath. Instead, you could also minimize the post-bath clean-up by putting the blend in a fine mesh bag, such as a lingerie laundry bag, and letting it soak in the tub under the faucet to release the aroma.

Relax and enjoy!

XO ~

Julie

A Spring Gift for You!

Finally, my friends—it's here.

The day we've all been awaiting.

The day that kept us going through those dreary, chilly winter days...

SPRING! Tra la!

To celebrate the happiest of days...

 I'm giving away a “Spring into Spring” gift to one lucky, randomly selected reader!

Look! Books! Plants! Seeds! And a tub!

The lucky winner will receive:

The Heirloom Tomato: From Garden to Table by Amy Goldman. This is a seriously gorgeous book, filled with stunning photography, amazing history, and recipes, too! It was the first book I bought when I began my heirloom adventure. (You'll get a new copy—not mine!)

Grow Great Grub: Organic Food from Small Spaces by Gayla Trail. This is a great how-to book. It's the perfect book for those who are land-challenged. Don't have a big backyard? No worries, you can grow a great harvest in containers! I like it, because even though we do have a yard, I still enjoy growing in containers on the balcony. 

OK, maybe I'm lazy, but it's so nice to open a door, pick some herbs, and keep cooking dinner.

Plus—you get recipes! And instructions to preserve your harvest! You'll really like this book.

I'm also sending the winner some seeds from my favorite sources: Baker's Creek Heirloom Seeds and Seed Savers Exchange. Honestly, if you haven't visited these sites yet—please do. You will be amazed at the wonderful selections you'll find. (Plus, they're just really good people.)

Plus—who doesn't need a garden tub? I love these little tubs—they're great for collecting weeds, mixing soil with amendments, and carrying compostables to the bin.

And finally—the winner will receive six, organic heirloom tomatoes from Garden Delights! (Yes, that's me!) The plants still need some more greenhouse time, but look at these roots, my friends! This is why I use organic, OMRI certified Dot Pots. When you plant these babies, you plant the entire pot—and the roots aren't disturbed. The winner can select six plants from the Garden Delights site, and I'll send you the secret code so that they will be FREE.

BUT—that's not all!

Everyone is a winner on the first day of spring! 

Today through April 1, my friends...you ALL get 25% off any Garden Delights order! Just enter the code GROWING2012 at checkout, and you'll receive your discount. (If you're in Upstate SC, please remember you can pick up your plants at The Urban Planter. No shipping charges for you!!! And, you can find some gorgeous containers and garden décor while you're there!)

For your chance to win the “Spring into Spring” gift, please leave a comment below or on the Garden Delights Facebook page, answering this very important question:

What is your favorite garden treat?

Are you a tomato girl? Love flowers? Can't wait for the first spring peas?

The giveaway begins NOW and will continue until April 1 at midnight EST. (And if you'd like to follow this blog or “Like” Garden Delights on Facebook, I'd be most grateful—but it won't affect your chance to win!)

UPDATE: Because I'm new to this giveaway thing, I completely forgot an important note: the winner must reside in the contiguous United States. I can't ship plants to Alaska, Hawaii, or abroad (and honestly, you wouldn't want me to...those would be some very sad plants by the time they arrived! Sorry for any inconvenience...)

Happy spring to you!!!

XO ~

Julie