I'm a long time fan of the AeroGarden.  I have two right now and have had great success with all of the different AeroGarden seed kits I have tried.  But, as I've expanded my gardening skills I decided it was time to branch out from the standard methods and grow my own seeds.  There is already one way to do this, purchase the AeroGarden Master Gardener Kit.  But I'm young and foolhardy so I decided to come up with my own method that doesn't require buying much of anything!

I'm currently experimenting with two methods.  One is stuffing grow medium (in this case cotton) in an old grow pod, placing seeds on top and then putting it one of the holes as usual.

The second method I'm experimenting with is supporting the grow medium with seeds on top with two twist ties.  It is important to ensure that the supports allow the grow medium to reach the water yet won't collapse when the medium become waterlogged.  Now just add hydroponic nutrient according to the package directions and water amount. 


I planted spinach in the three front holes and a bush variety of snap beans in the back four. 

Now we play the waiting game.

So I've known for a while that silicone baking tools are all the rage.  However it took me until today...when blindsided by them in the dollar section of Target to actually break down and buy some.  So I got two sets, one in flowers and one in butterflies so help me ring in spring!  I decided to try something safe for their test run so I made blueberry muffins.

I put the cups on a baking sheet to make it easier to take them in and out of the over.

I decided to try a new recipe for dinner tonight. It was just some random chicken with white wine that I found on All Recipes.

This seemed like the perfect opportunity to try out my new salts.


I used the black one which is an alder wood smoked salt. It added this amazing fire roasted taste which worked surprisingly well with the white wine.

For sides I just threw together some garlic mashed potatoes and steamed green beans. If I ever make this again when I'm feeling less lazy I think some rice pilaf would be just the thin to serve the chicken over.

The Boy and I both liked the recipe well enough to make again. Our only complaint was that it was a tad on the dry side. If I were to make it again I'd opt for a shorter cooking time.

Check it out I actually ate this meal in front of a person instead of the TV. ^_^

I've officially started my garden! I went out and purchased all my seeds and a Jiffy peat pellet mini greenhouse kit to start the seeds in.

I've used Jiffy brand a few times before and have had great luck with them. They're easy, organic, and cheap. What more could a girl ask for?

Here's a list of what I've planted in this first round:

Lavender
Cynoglossum
Foxglove
Spinach
Lettuce (several varieties)
Jalapeno
Tomato (several varieties including some heirloom)
Various hot peppers

And here they are a week after being planted:

I've been gardening as much as my budget and growing space allowed for a few years now. For the most part this has meant buying tomato and pepper plants at the garden center every summer and growing them in plastic tubs outside my apartment. Last year I graduated to a few purchased plants in the actual ground. This year...I intend to grow 90% of my garden in the ground from seed.

So....I'm taking One Green Generation's Seed to Seed Growing Challenge! You can check it out here

So here's the rules:

1. Pick a crop you've never grown before and plant the seeds

2. Grow it organically

3. Save the seeds to plant next year

4. Write about it once a week

This is going to be a great season! If anyone else decides to take part in the challenge lemme know so I can link to your updates as well!

I was called in to interview for the position at Japango a second time and yet again did not get the job. I had no idea a resturant would be so picky about their staff! Guess it just goes to show how tough the job market is these days. I'm lucky enough to have a little of my finacial aid from school to live off so I have time to keep looking. Let you know when I get another interview somewhere.

Yesterday Brendan and I went into Denver to watch the Parade of Lights. It was a really fun night time parade with Christmas lights on all the floats. It was freezing but a great time. We've really been in the Christmas spirit this year and have putting Christmas lights up outside and as you can see from the photo dressing the dog up a little.

I don't have a ton of money for presents this year so I've been trying to make some of them. Brendan and I are attempting to make a nativity set for his parents this year. It's pretty fun to have a craft project to do together.

But mostly tonight and all of next week are going to be dedicated to school work. All of my exams and final papers are due next week which is a little intense but nothing I can't manage with a little lost sleep. Now I'm off to write my final paper for my history class on the pre-Christian roots of Christianity and the life of Jesus. Pretty interesting stuff so far...just wish it wasn't due Monday so I'd have time to really read all about it!

That's a picture of the centerpiece I made for the table at Thanksgiving (see that floral design training is finally good for something!) and the second is of Emily and me at Thanksgiving. It's a terrible photo but sadly the only one we took so it's all I have to share. Thanksgiving went really well this year. Emily did an amazing job on all the food and the house looked great too. Ivory however had a nasty stomach bug and spent most of the day napping so we didn't get to see her much.

I got a call this weekend from a local sushi restaurant where I had applied for a hostess position several weeks ago. They had already hired someone else but apparently she didn't work out and now I'm the new perspective employee! I'm going in for a second interview this afternoon! I'll let you all know how it goes and if I officially have the job as soon as I know. Here's a link to the restaurant's website if you want to get a better idea what kind of place it is: http://www.boulderjapango.com/