Our Garden Currently: How to make simple raised beds

Jeff mowing the area for the beds.  Look at all those dandelions!

We've decided this year would be the year to transition from in-the-ground gardening to raised beds.  When we first moved into the "Spider Cottage" (as we like to refer to our humble abode because of all the spiders we tend to find lurking about inside) here in Oregon there was a burn pile that the previous tenant had used to apparently burn wire, cans and other various nonburnable items, so it took us a bit to clean up the debris so that we could have a garden.  We tilled the ground and then finally, last year, said forget it!  Every turn of the dirt revealed some new, ridiculous treasure.

Going with raised beds was quite fun though because we made them all by hand and that alone was extremely fun.  And once they were finished it was a sense of accomplishment and we stood and marveled over our creations.  :-)

We built our raised beds with the board deminsions of 8 feet by 4 feet.  These just worked best for what we were needing and also because of space. 

We bought 3-8 feet long boards of pine and cut one in half for the sides and then brought them all together with all-weather large nails.

It took all of 3 hours to pull them all together, from the sawing to the hammering.  We built 4 raised beds and plan on building 2 more possibly later on in a different area of the yard.

PITA looking on making sure we are noticing him.  

All done.  We feel 2 more beds would fit perfectly along the side of the others once we get everything situated.

Gardening is a great reward and money saving.  I hope these beds inspire you to take up this wonderful hobby.  

Growing Cat Grass for your Kitty

My kitty, Meia, loves cat grass (Avena sativa, or the common oat) and it's so simple to grow in just a small pot in your window or in a large planter on your deck.  There are no real answers, even by vets, as to why cats eat cat grass, but either way your kitty will go nuts over the lush grass that comes from it and it's also a great way to get them to add more fiber into their diets.

 This is one of my favorites to use.  It's from a company called, Botanical Interests and they have some of the best seed selections I've seen online.  You can purchase your seeds from BI, here.

Just add soil to a simple pot or planter, add the seeds and cover with soil.  Done!

In just a short time you will have cat grass growing for your kitty to munch on.  Be sure to mist once a day to help keep the soil moist.

Meia loves it!  I will sometimes catch her laying in the pot with the grass, she just loves it that much.  Ha!

15-Bean Soup revamped

15-bean soup as been around for quite sometime, but it always seemed so boring to me when I made it.  I decided it was time for a change.  With this new revamped method, I feel it brings a bit of life to the old favorite.

Here's what you'll need:

1.  15- Bean Soup (20oz. bag)

2.  Diced Whole Tomatoes (14.5 oz can) 

3.  Leftover Ham or Cooked Ham (I used a spiral ham we had a few nights before)

4.  Mexican Chili Powder (2 tbs.)

5.  Garlic Powder (2 tbs. or more to taste)

6.  Creole Seasoning (3 tbs. or less to taste)

7.  Seasoning Salt (5tbs.)

8.  Ground Black Pepper (3 tbs.) and the seasoning package that comes with the beans

Pour your beans into hot water and allow to boil according to the package directions.

 As the beans are cooking add your whole tomatoes and the spice package that came inside your bean bag.

Add your meats after the tomatoes have been added and allow to simmer on low for about 30 minutes.

  

 Add your spices and sprinkle in your salt and pepper.

When your spices have been added, allow to simmer for about 2 hours or until beans are tender.  Serve with   Parmesan Cheese, french bread or even just simple crackers.  

Enjoy!

How to make a Parasol Lantern

I came across this idea a few years ago, and loved it!  I purchased the parasols, but just never completed the project till recently.  I'm sort of a procrastinator really......which I am sure is quite normal in today's world.  Ha!

For this project you'll need:
1.  Parasol Umbrellas (I found mine at Walmart)
2.  Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
3.  Wire Cutter and/or Scissors
4.  Paper Lantern
5.  And, of course, your time and patience.

You'll need about 250 Parasol Umbrellas for this project.

You'll want to open all the umbrellas ahead of time for your project because stopping in the middle to open each one does get a bit annoying after awhile.

Once you are ready to start, position your paper lantern so that it won't roll around with the weight of the umbrellas and the hot glue once you start adding them.  I used an old paper lantern I had for my first one.  It had a few holes from the paper getting torn over the years so it worked out perfectly for this project. 

Place a small drop of hot glue right under the umbrellas where the wooden stick holds the umbrella open.  You can even use the "pink" roll tab that comes with each one as well to help hold them into place.  Poke the stick through the paper and hold into place till glue dries (about 10 seconds).  Position each umbrella slightly over-lapping the one before it.  Change up colors for this or use the same color all the way around.  

I like to get the top done all the way around and use that as a starting point for the middle of the lantern.

Once you get a good amount of umbrellas on the lantern then you can start really looking at the colors needed to make an eye appealing lamp.  Make sure if you are using multicolored umbrellas you don't over-lap the colors that are similar.  Such as, red on pink, etc.

Move around the lantern till you are satisfied with the color combinations.  You can even fill gaps with another umbrella while you move around the ball.

I've left the sticks on for some lanterns and clipped them off with the wire cutters for others; The sticks don't really pose an issue because of the colors of the umbrellas and if you use a low-watt bulb with your electrical hardware you won't see them at all.  It's really your call on your own lantern on whether you want to clip them or not.  

Once you have all your umbrellas in place you can Modge Podge the entire lantern to preserve the umbrellas or leave it as is.  I found the Modge Podge panting was a bit of a hassle, but it worked for the smaller lamps rather than the larger ones.

Once you are all glued, umbrella'ed and ready, insert your light bulb hardware and hang.  It's really that easy.











Enjoy!