There's a Sucker...I Mean, Customer, Born Every Minute

"There's a sucker born every minute." attributed to P.T. Barnum (by one of his competitors in the circus business). He stated his actual quote was "There's a customer born every minute." Well, the situation that went down today fits better into the first scenario. And guess who the sucker was ladies and gents. That's right, yours truly. 

It all started with a simple trip to the flea market. One of mine and hubby's favorite activities when we are childless for a few hours on the weekend. Started off normal, found some really cool stuff that hubby wouldn't look at, so I didn't buy. Really kicking myself for it now...but that's getting ahead. Let me continue...

So, we continue on our stroll, not seeing anything really out of the ordinary. Then someone (a lady, with long blonde hair and sunglasses) walks up and hands me and hubby each a ticket for our "free" chance to win cash and prizes. (Hint #1 that this was a scam....The first one's always free!) So, we go over, take our rolls, and low and behold, we're pretty darn close to winning (Hint #2 that it's a scam, the guy will add up your numbers really fast and all of sudden, you're soooo close to winning...all you need is *x* number of points)

. So, I pay a couple bucks to get another roll and see what luck will bring me...today must have been her day off. A couple bucks and 1 roll (toss actually, some sort of balls in the hole, add up the numbers, get to 100, win a prize type deal. in plain english - The Odds Are On the House!)...anyway, 1 roll turned into more and yada yada yada, I now own a very expensive stuffed bunny rabbit. Now, being that this not an 'anonymous' blog, as in, my family reads this, I will not disclose how much I got taken for. Let's just say I should have known better. 

And what was hubby doing during all of this, you ask? Standing back and watching. You see, he knows, the odds are always on the house. He let me learn the hard way, like normal. If he had been paying a little more attention, I think he would have stopped me sooner, but that's how it goes. Guess we both learned a lesson today. 

So, remember kiddies, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The odds are always on the house. The first one's always free. And the most important rule of all, because it's printed somewhere, just so tiny you can't see it...NO REFUNDS. 

Well, I hope some of you learned something from my experience today. I know I did. A lesson I will never forget. And I have a large gray stuffed rabbit next to my computer to remind me, just in case. 

I added a couple links through amazon, some good financial sense books (just from what I've heard. I have not read these books, but I've seen the author speak and trust her to give sound advice).

Enjoy your week, and don't let Monday get you down. 

love from the swamps

Getting to Know YOU

 

I am joining up with Mann Land 5 today in her blog carnival. Get to know me, get to know others, and let others get to know you. 

Check her site for the link up list. It's super easy to link up. And you never know, you might make some new friends along the way. :)

The questions..

1. The most expensive thing hanging in my closet is.....?
One of 2 things, depending on how you look at it. The thing I paid the most for is a Bob Marley Hoodie from Soul-Flower which was on clearance (FINALLY) for $38, so $45 with shipping. The other one that might qualify is a designer black wool dress that I bought at Rugged Wearhouse for $2. The original price tag was still on it...for $198! Gotta love a bargain. So, take your pick. :)

2. Have you ever played a team sport?
1 year of softball, 1 year of basketball, 1 year track&field, 1 year soccer (wasn't really a sportsy kid)

3. If you were a bug, what kind would you be?
A gigantic spider. The ultimate predator of insects (and yes, I know, they aren't actually insects...)

4. Where on your body is the worst place to get sunburned? (thanks Ian)
either on the back or bottoms of feet

5. Are you happy?
I'm not sad. :)

6. People are always abbreviating..are there any abbreviations that make your skin crawl when people use them?
FTW, unless they are using the newer connotation "For the Win"

7. Do you love where you live..or could you live anywhere?
I love the area, because it's my home. But do I love our neighborhood...not so much. I want to be a little further out in the country. Gotta have some breathing room.

8. What, if any, extreme measures do you go to to keep yourself from overeating when you're full?
 I don't. When I get full, I stop eating. Unless it's molten chocolate cake, then I just overeat and pay the price later. Because it's so worth it. :)


Well, that's it. Random information about the productive nonconformist. Hope you at least found it amusing. Don't forget to check out MannLand5 to see other answers and add your own. 
 

(Almost) Wordless Thursday

Lunch today, as requested by my 2 little girls.

Sausage patties from last night, half a pear each, and 1 cherry. Milk to drink. 

My kids make me so proud.

Faithful Provisions Personalized Notecard Giveaway

Faithful Provisions is giving away a set of 24 personalized note cards from On Your Time on Etsy.
A set of these cards normally runs about $25, so this is a wonderful chance to win some super cute cards to send those thank you notes for the wonderful gifts you get for Mother's Day (or for sending a gentle reminder that Mother's Day has passed and you haven't heard from whoever...) :)
Check them out by clicking the title of this blog. It will redirect you to their post on the giveaway and ways to enter.
Good Luck!

Are You Sure Your Floor's Are Clean?

How do you clean your kitchen floor? Do you use a sponge mop, an old fashion cotton mop, or maybe you have one of those new-fangled electronic do-hickies that you have to keep buying those expensive cleaning pads for. If you are using any of the above methods, your floors are not as clean as you think they are.

When you mop with either version of the standard mom, not long after starting, you will be "cleaning" with dirty water. When you use those gadgets, you might get a little better job done, but they are expensive, and you still aren't going to get up the tough stuff, unless you are using a super harsh cleaner.

What cleaning agent you chose is up to you. I prefer non-toxic, preferably plant based, cleaners because I have 3 young children running around, and I am sensitive to many chemicals. But that isn't what this is about. This is about the "how" of cleaning laminate floors.

Let me start by saying, I didn't come up with this. I was taught this by someone I know, we shall call her *E*. She use to clean houses with one of her friends. This is how they always cleaned the floors, how *E* cleaned her floor, and now, how I clean mine. ~~The instructions I provide are simply that, mine. This is how I clean my kitchen floor. Probably not exactly like *E* taught me, but it works.~~

You will need:
broom/dust pan
cleaner
hot water
rag(s)
old clothes
shoes

Instructions for a sparkling truly clean floor:
1. sweep really well.
2. spray cleaner onto the really dirty spots on the floor
3. put hot hot water on the rag, get on your hands and knees, and attack the dirty spots. rinse rag as soon as it gets dirty (you can use a bucket, but this goes back to cleaning with dirty water...)
4. once you have all the tough spots done, lightly spray the rest of the floor. you don't need to over spray, or your floor will end up slippery
5. more hot water, back on your knees, and scrub the rest of the floor. rinse rag as necessary.
6. (optional) you can either let your floor air dry, or for an even better clean, you can take a dry rag and dry it as you go.

End result: floors you could eat off of (not that you would, but you could...)

Again, this is how I do it. I just wanted to pass this tip along. And it really doesn't take any longer than regular mopping, if you are mopping to get your floor absolutely clean. Give it a try and see what you think. And, thanks *E* for teaching me this method.

Learning Can Be Fun....And Tastey!

My girls love fruit, so we go through a lot of it. But for some reason, the bag of oranges I bought just sat in a bowl on the counter getting bad.

So, this morning, when my youngest came to me and said she wanted to make juice with her (toy) juicer, I decided, why not?

our oldest, C-belle, taking her turn with the juicer.


our middle one, water baby, taking her turn (notice the Sharpie red 'nail polish')

Finished product (approx 2 cups, from 5 oranges and 1 lemon) and supplies. I wasn't kidding when I said a toy juicer.

The girls had a blast helping, and especially drinking, our homemade creation (it was really good). As I can't stand peeling oranges, I think this might be the next big thing at our house. Guess that means I should spring for a real juicer.

Do something fun, and educational, with your kids TODAY! They will remember it for a long long time.

(one)Love,
from the swamplands

Why Holiday's Make Me Cranky (and a Mother's Day wish for YOU!)

Some of you may not know that my husband works at a wholesale florist. It was started in 1955 by my granddaddy. I am very proud of him and all the work he did so that the business could still be around today. However, that does not mean I am without complaint, or at least, without comment, because there's no point in complaining about something you can't change, but it helps to get it off your chest.
So here's my gripe. For every holiday when it is "an accepted social convention" to give flowers, the preceding weeks are a living hell for me (and others in this industry). Valentine's Day, my husband was at work. Easter Sunday, my husband was at work. Mother's Day (and our anniversary) are a week away, and where's my hubby gonna be? Probably at work. (I left out my birthday, since it's not a flower giving holiday that screws it, it's the company's open house that they have that weekend every year. BAH!)
Now, you say, who am I to be complaining. After all, the job market sucks, I don't have to get up and leave the house everyday, all I have to do is take care of the kids and keep the house clean. Well really? Is that all I do? Is that all any stay at home mom does? "Take care of the kids and keep the house clean." Sounds simple enough, right? (for those of you who are not SAHM's, the rest of us are rolling on the floor laughing our a$$'s off at this. Mainly because it's damn near impossible to do both by yourself.)
These holiday's force me to attempt to do it all myself (or just let it pile up, like it has lately) because when my husband gets home, he goes to sleep. Many times, right in the middle of the living room floor. So, not only am I taking care of the kids and "keeping the house clean" I am stepping over someone every time I want to go into our bedroom (until I piss him off by waking him up enough times and telling him to move), I am taking care of our animals, keeping track of birthdays, appointments (okay, so I'm not so great at those two either), outside time every day (insisted upon by the Mr. in the house) shopping, inventory, meals, bottles, diapers, baths, etc. I am washing clothes and cooking food for someone who doesn't even notice. A zombie. For two weeks (up to 3), every damned flower giving holiday, I live with a grumpy, underfed (not my fault), ill-rested, foul-mouthed (he's a truck driver) slob. I love him, I just sometimes wish they had cots where he worked....
But, by all means, buy some flowers this Mother's Day. I'm sure they will be well received (just don't bring me any, unless I can plant them or eat them). And make sure to be nice to your florist, because if you piss them off, they will ruin everyone else's day that they come in contact with, and if you're in my area, then that probably means my hubby.
Hope everyone has a Happy Mother's Day. And if you get flowers, enjoy them. (said with the most sincerity I can muster right now.) Wishing all moms, mommies, mama's, grandma's, maggies, meema's, grawmy's, granny's, abuela's, and anyone I forgot, a wonderful Mother's day. May you get shown all the love you deserve. Without mothers, we would have no future, for our children are our future.

with (one)Love,
from the swamplands

Packrats Unite. Keep Your Stuff and Make It Useful.

Okay, let me start by saying that you will not find me riffling through your garbage at 3 o'clock in the morning. I'm not looking for some random piece of mail or credit card app. The trash that I like is simpler stuff. And most of it is my own (or at least, from someone in my family).
Jars, old ratty shirts, fabric scraps, old furniture, old buckets or bowls. There are so many uses for these things...there just aren't enough hours in the day to do them all (unless, of course, you forgo all meals and household duties on a 4 day craft binge, but hey, that's your problem).
If you are planning on a craft binge, you will have to get the rest of your ideas elsewhere. Today, I am only offering one, and you may have seen it before. Here it is: Using your old t-shirts to make re-usable grocery/market/shopping bags.
There are many sites with many good step by step instructions on how to do this. Here are the bare bones basics.
Pick the shirt you want to make into a bag. Wash and iron it per tag instructions (or however works for you, it's not my business how you iron your shorts).
Figure how tall you want you bag, and mark a line across the bottom of the shirt (a straight line, please). This is your cut line. Cut this line, and cut the sleeves off. You may also want to cut the neck down the front and back in a semi-circular way, so the opening for your bag is bigger.
Turn the shirt inside out. If you have pins, pin the bottom of the shirt, so it doesn't shift when you are sewing. If you are sewing the seems around the opening and arms, fold them over and pin them too (you may also want to bring the iron out again to help get a good crease, but again, to each his own).
While the shirt is inside out, sew your seams. Back stitch at the beginning and end of each stitch for extra strength. You can also you back across for extra strength. (TIP: remove the pins as you are sewing, right before they are to go under the needle. If you leave them in, you risk damaging your needle. You can do this without stopping the machine, just sew slowly. This will also help prevent crooked seams and tangled threads.)
Turn the shirt-now-bag right side out and enjoy your new creation, knowing you got to hold onto something you loved, and you kept something out of the dump.
Hope you like this idea. If you have any up-cyclying ideas of your own, please feel free to leave them in the comments or on my facebook page.

Duplicate Followings

This is my fault. Apparently I created 2 Google accounts with the same email address (not sure how that got through the cracks, but that's not my problem). My point is, if you have me twice on your followers list, I apologize. I am trying hard to get it worked out. I thought I had deleted the old account, but apparently I didn't.
I will get this worked out as soon as possible. Sorry for any confusion or inconvenience.

Welcome to Motherhood!

A friend said this to me earlier today. It struck me as odd. After all, I've been a mom for 4+ years now. But then I thought about it. What it boiled down to was something out of the ordinary came up and I didn't get the response I was looking for.
This must be a situation stay at home mothers ( and working moms too), go through alot. I haven't had to. Like I said, this was out of the ordinary. It hurt my feelings and pissed me off all at the same time (the situation). But when she said that, and I got over the shock, I realized, she was completely right.
That is a fact of being a mother. You have to put aside your own discomforts, wants, and sometimes needs, whatever they may be, and do what needs to be done. Don't rely on, but be thankful for, help. And most of all, give your children the best you can with what you have.
Thanks for the good advice friend. :)

Updates - Plants, Books, Writing, Sickness, and Goodbyes

First, I apologize to those who are (im)patiently waiting for the plant blogs to start. Between sickness and getting the garden going, I just have not felt like writing.

Second, I will no longer be doing book reviews. I have only done one and it sucked. (the review, not the book). I haven't done a review/report since high school and even then I wasn't very good at it. So, my apologies go out this time specifically to Robert Frasier. My review did not do his book justice. Sorry Rob! If you get a chance, check out his works. He's an excellent writer....me, not so much.

Third, I feel crappy. When I feel crappy I do not write as much.

Fourth, I am very scatterbrained, I have OCD, and I have a very short attention span. The first plant blog is already written, minus the pictures and the medical information. All that needs to be done is to add those and the 1st plant blog will be up. I will not give a time frame, because I do not know when I will feel like finishing it.

Well, that's about all the updates for now. Saying a late "see you later" to a friend who has currently gone off grid and has not given specifics as to when he will be back. We miss you on the boards, and I will miss your comments and insights on my posts.

I will get some new posts up soon. Got the pics taken, just need to get them sorted and get in the mood (for writing!....geez, get your minds out of the gutter!)

That's all for now. And remember, I'm pulling for ya. We're all in this together.

Stockpiling Mom's 2000 Fan Giveaway Celebration #2

Stockpiling Mom's has reached 2000 fans on Facebook! Know what that means? Free stuff!! They are doing 7 days of give-aways. Today is the second day, and the give-away for today is.....2000 COUPONS!!!

Seriously, 2000 coupons? Yep!

Just starting out? This is your chance to catch up to everyone else. Already a coupon-clipping diva? Trump your friends with your awesome coupon collection (if you win)!

Visit Stockpiling Mom's to find out more about the give-aways. Also check them out on Facebook.

One Experience With Coupons

This list is just a fraction of one trip to my local Harris Teeter. I am posting this to show that coupon-clipping (a.k.a. couponing) is NOT a waste of time. I am also going to clue you in on some new rules for couponing at Harris Teeter that I found out from my cashier and another coupon buddy at the register.

This is only a partial list because I picked up some other things too, so my savings kind of disappeared with the purchase of those extra items. These are the best deals from my trip to Harris Teeter that I just got back from not an hour ago (the groceries are still sitting on my kitchen counter).

Harris Teeter is running a Triple Coupon Special this week only!*
*according to their add
They will double all coupons up to .99 cents. (In other words, if you have a coupon for .99 cents off, you end up getting 2.97 off)
You are limited to 20 Tripled coupons per day. You can use other coupons too (like ones over .99 cents, and they don't count towards your 20) You can stack a store coupon with a manufacture's or printed coupon.

Okay, now on to the Best Deals of the Day. I got these items using the list at Southern Savers. I will be making another trip either Friday Night or Saturday using my list from The Grocery Game. I will post the results from that trip as well. (posted on the Facebook page)

On to the Deals

1) 1 small bottle Franks RedHot Sauce regular price - $1.25 Final Price - FREE with 25 cents overage*
*this was the only bottle left on the shelf in this size. I am definitely NOT the only coupon clipper in my town!

2) 2 large bottles Franks RedHot& Sweet Sauce reg. price for 2 $5.78 Final Price $1.39 each ($2.78/2)

3) 1 small container McCormick Whole Cloves reg. price 6.19 sale price $2.99 Final Price .74 cents

4) 1 small container McCormick Ground Mustard reg. price $2.95 Final Price .7o cents

5) 1 small container McCormick Paprika reg. price $2.19 Final Price FREE with .06 cents overage

6) 1 regular size container McCormick Ground Cinnamon reg. price $2.95 sale price $1.47 Final Price FREE with .78 cents overage

7) McCormick Garlic Powder reg price $2.99 Final Price .74 cents

8) 4 Crest 6.4 oz Toothpaste reg. price $2.99 Final Price .74 cents each ($2.96 for 4)

9) 3 Oral-B Advantage Plus Adult Toothbrushes reg. price for 3 $9.57 sale price for 3 $8.07 Final Price for 3 $1.32 (.44 cents each)

10) Zantac 75, 10 Tablet package. reg price $5.49 clearance markdown price - $1.87 Final Price .37 cents!!**
** I did not have a coupon for this on me, but there was a $1.50 off coupon stuck to the front of the package! Talk about luck! (the really funny part...I NEVER use to get heartburn, until my DH got me hooked on Monster Energy Drinks. I love the original ones, but they double me over with heart-burn. Not anymore!)

I bought more items than this, but these were the best deals. The true idea behind stockpiling is to only buy what's on sale for rock-bottom prices and wait for the other stuff, but when you need something, you need something.
If you are new to couponing and/or stockpiling , I urge you to check out the following websites:
www.southernsavers.com
www.stockpilingmoms.com
www.thegrocerygame.com

These are just a few. There are many many good ones out there. There are a few listed in my favorites on the Facebook page. For those of you who think coupons is a waste of time here's the breakdown on the purchases listed above.
Total Price - $51.32 (without tax)
Final Price - $ 8.52 (without tax)

Total Savings is $42.80, which translates to 83%. I will get better at this. You will too if you are just getting started. Once you have a stockpile built up, you won't have to buy those extra items because you will have gotten them in large amounts when they were at their cheapest (or pretty darn close).


*New rules at Harris Teeter - per my cashier and a highlighted note taped to the checkout counter
The coupon must match the item EXACTLY!
Example: I was buying Crest Toothpaste. I had 5 of them, but only 4 of 1 kind of coupon, and 1 of another. The 1 that was different had a picture on it of Crest Pro-Health. The coupon specifically said "Good for 75 cents off ANY ONE Crest Toothpaste 4.0 oz or larger. But because it had the picture on their of Crest Pro-Health, and I was buying Crest Tarter Control/Whitening, they would not let me use it. I told her just to take it off. Keep this in mind when shopping here.

*Another new rule - Maybe. I was told that Harris Teeter is now only allowing 3 coupons for a like product. That being said, I bought 4 of the same kind of toothpaste today, and was able to use all 4 coupons to go with them. (I was going to buy 5, but, well, see above.) **This is, in fact, a new rule. Limit to 3 like items with coupons, and 2 for internet coupons**

Do You Suffer from SFMS?

SFMS is hard to deal with it, for everyone involved. It is irritating and heartbreaking all at the same time. It can ruin a trip, disrupt a dinner, kill a romantic evening like the smallest tiniest bug. So what is SFMS?

Screaming For Mommy Syndrome.

There, I've got it out. Acceptance is the first step. We are suffering, in our house, from a bad case of Screaming For Mommy Syndrome. I can't go to the grocery store, the mailbox, even the kitchen for coffee without my son throwing a fit. Sometimes to the point of turning blue**. I feel bad leaving him (even to get coffee, which is only 10 ft away). The look on his cute little face says "why are your leaving me?" and I just melt.

But I have to get stuff done (and I have to have my coffee in the morning, or I am not able to muster up my usual cheerful disposition). So what's a mom to do? Sometime I break down and just pick him up. I carry him while making coffee (YES, I am careful). I have taken him shopping with me and left the girls to take care of Ryan, I mean, left the girls with Ryan...

All of my kids have gone through this stage, and the length of it has always been different. I don't really remember our oldest having a hard time with this. Maybe for a month or two. Our middle child was like this from the time she was born almost until she turned 2. She's still very much a Mommy and Daddy's Girl (they both are, actually).

I should have expected this. I know that. This is my third round in this rodeo, after all. But it doesn't matter how many times you've done it. It's still a new experience because every child is different.

If you are going through this same thing, know that you are not alone. There are many mothers (and fathers, grandparents, etc) around the world who themselves are also trying to cook dinner, find crayons, drink coffee, feed the dogs, check the laundry, and soothe a baby all at the same time. That is the only consolation I can offer.


**a child screaming until they turn funny shades of pink, purple, and yes sometimes a tinge of blue, is perfectly normally. the worst thing that can happen is they pass out and then wake back up. this is a quote from my children's doctor.

Overcoming the Black Thumb

That time of year has rolled around again. Time to dust off the shovels, sharpen the spades, dig the gloves out from the bottom of whatever drawer they got tossed into. Spring is finally here and I am ready. I know what some of you are thinking. Spring?!? It's still snowing! Well, not where I live. It was in the 70's today, but for the last few nights, we've had frost on the ground. Go figure. That's SC weather for you.
This will be our third summer in this house. We have done a garden every year since we moved in. Not very successfully, but we have tried.

The first summer we went all out. Spending hour upon hour out in the back yard digging beds and planting seeds. Spreading compost, kelp, bone meal, blood meal, just about anything we could get our hands on that we knew would help the plants. Even with all that work, we still didn't get a lot of return. We have had a few crops that do well here (or that we do well with, I guess I should say). Garlic, rosemary, mint, and chives. Not saying we didn't harvest anything from our previous ventures, but it wasn't near enough to compensate for all the money we spent and time we put in.

This year we are doing things a little differently. First of all, I am in charge of the garden this year. In the past, it has been a joint effort, but this year it is up to me. I do the seed ordering, read the books, work the beds; hubby and the kids help out (sometimes it more like hubby is helping out with the kids while I work on the garden).

We finally got the first seeds in the ground today. I have been wanting to do this for a while. I got the itch the day I opened the mailbox to find my yearly catalog from Baker Creek Seed Co. I absolutely love their catalogs, and their seeds are excellent quality (plus they always throw in at least 1 free pack). If you are looking for rare and/or heirloom seeds, they are the people to go to. There are other companies you could order from, some are good, some are not. For reviews of garden suppliers, check out Dave's Garden.

As I was saying, we got some seeds in the ground today. But I am getting ahead of myself. I started thinking about the garden when I was ordering my seeds. The first thing I did was go through and see what seeds I had left from previous years. Boy that was a surprise. I could not believe how many packets of seeds we had left. I felt good and guilty at the same time. Good because I knew we hadn't wasted all the money from previous years because we had seed left over, and guilty because we had spent all that money on seeds/supplies and not used them. So I thinned out my order from Baker Creek (actually managed to cut it in half, just by deleting duplicates of stuff I already had), and I waited. Then the seeds arrived...followed by what seemed like an eternity of rain. Our front yard was one giant mud hole for weeks. But, like the movie said, it can't rain all the time.

It finally started to dry out this weekend, so outside we went. The previous years garden spot is so overgrown there are plants taller than me, the blueberries are being choked out by grass, and the old bed by the fence was nothing but bare spots and some random weeds. The latter is where I decided to start. It would be easy (I thought) to just turn over that bed, turn in some compost, and get things a'growin'. Well, it wasn't as easy as I remembered.

I haven't picked up a shovel since last summer, and the ground was still technically too wet to be worked. But, that's not going to stop me. I have so much stubborn in my blood I could win an argument with a hurricane. So I spent WAY more time that would have been necessary prepping that bed. Had I waited a couple more days, I probably could have gotten it done in half the time, but who wants to wait (and besides, I could use the exercise). First things first. Turn over the bed. I started with removing the big pieces of sod and patches of weeds. That stuff got tossed into the "in use" compost bin. Next, turning the bed. This is the part that would have been much easier had I waited a few days. Wet dirt is heavy dirt, hence it requires more energy to move it (or flip it over). I spent about an hour working the bed. It was low 60's outside, and by the time I was done I was sweating.

Day 2, go back out. The ground is a little dryer than before, so another round of turning is in order. Also, it's time to add the amendments. We live in swamp land, so the soil here is a (bad) combination of sand, heavy clay, and gumbo. My choice this year, since this bed has been used in the past and has had multiple applications of natural amendments already added to it, was to do something simple. The only 2 things I added were bio-char and compost. Bio-char is partially burned organic matter. This adds carbon to the soil, helping to keep things in balance. We made this by partially burning some small pieces of seasoned wood and a huge wheel-barrow load of brush from the old garden. The compost came from the "finished" bin. (we have 2 compost bins, 1 "in use' bin and 1 "cooking/finished" bin). I added about a wheel-barrow full of that as well. These were turned into the bed and left to sit (and dry) for another night.

Day 3, finally time to plant! I get so excited when it's time to plant. So much work goes into prepping the beds, this is one of my favorite steps (my most favorite is the harvesting part). I decided to try peas, which we have never grown before. Those went along the fence all the way down. I think I counted 35 plants. In front of the peas, in perpendicular rows went lettuce, radishes, carrots, and beets. I will sow successive plantings of the peas, lettuce, radishes, and carrots. Not sure on the beets, because I have never grown them before and I have no idea how long they take to mature or really what kind of weather they need. This is a beginner's mistake, but you can't always get everything right. :)

That's about it for now. I will keep everyone posted on this little project. Hopefully the third time will be the charm. Also to come, some posts on gardening with children. The girls and I are going to start our (my) medicinal herb garden in pots on the porch, so I will definitely make note of how that turns out.
Happy gardening everyone.