Garden Picture of the Week

Nothing better than a dirty Tarheel hard at work tearing down daddy's brick border!

Planting Strawberries

Last year we bought 8 strawberry plants and placed them in the back yard around a dogwood.  Nothing happened!  So, this year I decided to move them to an area that gets full sun.  Strawberries are a perennial (they come back every year) and they spread (they multiply).  So, with the new beds I built in the backyard, I wanted to make sure the berries received a spot that would be undisturbed each year.  I also wanted to make sure that I gave them enough room to spread.

I build a raised bed out of found cinder blocks that were "free" on Craigslist.

 

I relocated my berries....we shall see how they grow!

Strawberries require no maintance (other than keeping the birds away). If you are relocateding them, as I was, move in the early Spring or mid Fall.

 They are in and ready to grow.  I have metal pie plates hanging to try and keep the birds away.  My Pawpaw Rex use to do this.  We'll see if I can have his same luck.

Strawberries can really grown in about any container.  Here are some more ideas:

http://ucanr.org/sites/MGsSMSF/Tips/How_to_build_a_strawberry_tower/

http://www.rodale.com/growing-strawberries?cm_mmc=TheDailyFixNL-_-910396-_-05112012-_-the_nickel_pincher_grow_strawberries_the_easy_way

http://www.seedparade.co.uk/news/sowing/strawberries/

 

Want some recipe ideas?  Check out this blog post on canning strawberry preserves and freezing strawberry pie filling:

http://thesuburbanchallenge.blogspot.com/2014/05/preserving-strawberries.html

 

Our Little Cookie Monster Turned ONE!

Rex turned a year-old March 30th.  To celebrate we had a "Cookies and Milk Party." Sounds cute, right?  Well, to be honest, the second child always gets a little less 'frill' than the first.  I am so busy with work, and juggling two kids, that when I saw this idea for cookies and milk....THAT WAS IT.  Anyone can handle planning and organizing cookies and milk.  It actually turned out to be wonderful.  There was no stress because of an elaborate menu. We had some close friends and family members over, the kids played in the backyard for about 30 minutes, we let Rex open his gifts, we gave him his cupcake, and then we all just sat around the backyard and played for another thirty minutes and ACTUALLY enjoyed each other's company.  Imagine that! A party where you actually get to enjoy your guest.  Highly recommended.

Sugar Cookies: These sandwich cookies are actually part of a box set sold at Williams Sonoma.  The top cookie has the mouth cut out.  I layered white icing in the middle, did the eyes, and then colored the rest of the icing for the face and for the cupcakes.  I used chocolate chips for the eyes rather than piping more icing.

Blue plates from the dollar store that I glued two white circles to the top.  Then took a sharpie to them.  The cute spatulas were also a find at Williams Sonoma.  I am aware that you don't need a spatula to pick-up an Oreo, but it was an easy extra decoration since I already purchased them. The fancy cookies were used as favors, and all I served at the party was Oreos and cupcakes.

12 cupcakes.  I made 6 plain with a Cookie Monster topper (also a Williams Sonoma find) and then I decorated 6 with 1/2 an Oreo for the mouth and a marshmellow cut in two.  I placed baby pictures of Rex on the table for guest to look at.  Another easy decoration.  Rex got a Cookie Monster for his birthday...it made a perfect topper for the cupcake tower.

And of course.....matching t-shirts for the guest of honor and his big sister.  I bought two t-shirts from Walmart and made the appliques for them.  To make the applique, I actually traced the large Cookie Monster spatula in the second picture, ironed them on, trimmed them, and then hot glued funny eyes.  They will be able to wear these all summer!