Perennials are a Girl's Best Friend

For those of you who don't know, we moved into the house of an avid gardener of about 50 years. The same owners have lived in the house since it was built in the 1950's. Mrs. Miller improved and perfected her gardens throughout the duration of her living in our lovely home. Unfortunately, the last 4 years or so of her living here she was ill and couldn't tend to any of it. Enter the novice gardener into a jungle of LARGE weeds and overgrown everything. Last year my excuses were that I had a new baby, I hate hot weather, and I didn't even know what was weeds and what was the good stuff. I no longer have a new baby, the weather has been mild and now I can identify those nasty weeds in my sleep. Excuses gone, I've been enjoying cultivating, weeding, learning, and transplanting. A major perk of all of Mrs. Miller's years of garden love is that she planted all different perennials that bloom at different points throughout the summer. There's always something beautiful in bloom. The peonies are on their way out and I have a beautiful yellow lily that's just coming out now.

Perks of Being a Camp Wife (and Mom)

Here's a shot from the first father/son camp out of the summer. Daddy learned what he now needs to do to make things go a little smoother, so the stage is set for a summer of mommy time, I mean father/son bonding. Really, it's both. I'm enjoying an evening of wi-fi at the local Arby's for the price of a jamocha as Father and Son are on their second camp out of the season. I wonder if Zane will gather a pile of leaves in the tent this time.

A Brave Feller

When I was a little girl, my dreams of prince charming and my frugality in the making sometimes crossed paths. For instance, I had thoughts like, "If I marry a dentist my family will get their teeth cleaned for free!" or, "If I marry a carpenter, we'll save money on furniture, kitchen cabinets, etc!"

Well, let me share the economic value my rock climbing, repelling, hard core camp husband has brought to our family. He saved us a lot of $$$ by felling 2 big pine trees in our yard all by himself. I was a little nervous, yes, but I knew he knew what he was doing and Zane and I had full confidence in him as we watched from afar.

Easiest Lasagna Ever

There's something that seems daunting to me about making lasagna. I know, it's not really that hard, but the cooking of the noodles, browning the meat, the assembly... Like I said I don't know why, it just seems daunting. But, alas, I have found the Easiest Lasagna Ever. Actually, the name of the recipe officially is Violette's Lasagna and it comes from here.

8 lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
28 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
1/3 cup water
4 oz. can sliced mushrooms
15 oz. ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Break noodles. Place half in bottom of greased slow cooker.
2. Brown ground beef in saucepan. Drain. Stir in Italian seasoning. Spread half over noodles in slow cooker.
3. Layer half of sauce and water, half of mushrooms, half of ricotta cheese, and half of mozzarella cheese over beef. Repeat layers.
4. Cover. Cook in slow cooker on Low 5 hours.
   

Books to Check Out

Well, things are looking up in the book department. I've come across some great reads as of late and would like to pass them on.

Recycling

It's time to put away those wool sweaters, or in my case make one into a pillow because I shrank it. Some simple hand sewing was all it took to turn this thrift store cardigan into a comfy addition to our living room! Oh, and an old pillow that had stains on it.

Z-A-N-E

I was feeling crafty one night and decided to try out my new found hobby of em-
broidery. Found some scrap fabric, got out
my hoop and thread, and framed the results. Zane loves it and is learning to spell his name!