Patio Perfection

I apologize for my absence but I have been traveling like a mad woman this past week and Tyler and I head out again this afternoon for the Hangout Music Festival in Gulf Shores. Whoo hoo!! From there I will fly straight to a business meeting in Chicago but things will hopefully slow down after Wednesday of next week!

The patio is finally finished and we think it looks pretty good! We still have to get some comfy furniture and a few more odds and ends to make it feel cozy but all in all we love it!

 
Jeremy Vinson graciously donated some sod that he had no use for so we filled in some of the areas around the patio and hope it will spread. We now officially have 200 sq ft less dirt and weeds in the back yard!

Get ready for a patio party at the Caldwell's!!

Patio Progress

I don't remember if I told you or not but Tyler and I decided that it was time to expand the patio. When we moved in we had grand plans of either ripping out the old patio and starting from scratch or building a wooden deck over the existing patio. We recently came to our senses and decided that just adding a brick patio next to the existing concrete patio was our most time and cost efficient option.

With that said, Tyler turned on the manual labor last weekend and started digging. Apparently you have to dig out about 8-10 inches before you begin and with 200 sq. feet looming over us him, it was a daunting task.

He managed to get everything dug up on in about 2 evenings and on Saturday he brought in the gravel. You see, I thought "yo, this will be easy, all you have to do is dig out a few inches then slap those puppies in place and there you have it, an exquisite new patio!" Yeah not so much.

Next came the gravel and it took two truck loads to fill up the darn hole. He has to tamp down all the gravel then he will be ready to add a few inches of sand.

Our bricks were delivered yesterday so this weekend Tyler will be a busy bee adding the sand then actually laying the bricks. I promise to show you the final product the second he finishes! Wish us luck, it's going to be an exhausting weekend!

My Puppy the Pirate

Strongbow got  a new outfit yesterday and he LOVES it! Check out the pirate collar that I ordered from Up Country last week.

Doesn't he look thrilled?

If You Build it They Won't Come...I Hope

You may not remember but I certainly do...last year whenever our pathetic excuse for a garden graced us with some sort of edible growth the stupid birds and squirrels stole them right from under my nose. I was NOT happy! Sooo we opted for the Topsy Turvy which I told you about last week. We are hoping that having it closer to the house will deter some of the nasty thieves! Remember how awesome it looked hanging from the big green ladder? Well Tyler got his Handy Manny self moving and made this goliath structure for me. I know it looks a bit overkill but these things will weigh up to 60 lbs when the plants are full grown so not just any ole thing will work!

 The tomato plants are looking good and growing pretty fast. I have already spotted a few flowers growing so I'm sure the baby tomatoes are right around the corner!

The rest of the garden is also looking great! Those Wright's plants from Green Thumb Nursery are AWESOME! In the picture above we have a cucumber plant in the front then the zucchini plant and squash plant behind that and then the peppers. I also put a few sunflower seeds in the north side of the bed but only 2 sprouts have come up.

This a shot facing east and in the closest bed we have from left to right, tomatoes, turnips, carrots and onions.  

We already have a few squash growing! This is a big deal considering we didn't get a single thing from our plants last year.

 And I spy with my little eye a few peppers!

And finally we have a few sunflowers popping up. Like I said, only 2 have come up so if I don't see a few more sprouts in the next few days I'll put more seeds in.

For my birthday not only did a get a rad purse from Tyler but I also came home from class to find a NEW 4ft x 8ft raised bed right next to the other two. Get ready for more squash and some okra once the weather heats up!

Last topic I swear: this weekend we are starting a new project. We are putting down a brick patio next to our existing concrete patio. Right now it's nothing but dirt (see first picture above) and we could really use a little more entertaining space so I'll keep you updated as we make progress.

More Clothes...

First things first, Lady Gaga rocked my face off! My sweet husband suprised me with tickets for Christmas and yesterday we made the short drive to Atlanta to see her in all her glittered glory! Great show!

Now on to more family friendly topics...check out my newest creation. I'm digging the whale.

I went with snap tape this time instead of sewing on the snaps one by one and it cut out some serious time.  I also got lazy and used the automatic button feature on my Mom's machine. I can sew on a button in about 10 seconds. No lie.

Best looking model on the runway, wouldn't you say?

Please Grow, Please Grow, Please Grow

Well the vegetable are finally in the ground and I am praying for better results than we had last year. I decided to go with Wright's plants instead of Bonnie Plants so we will see if that makes any difference. One other noticeable difference is the beautiful garden accessories that we have chosen for this spring. How about that nice looking Topsy Turvy!

 We decided to do 2 tomato plants in the Topsy Turvy and 2 plants in the ground just too see which ones do better. I have problems with birds and squirrels eating my tomatoes so I'm hoping that keeping the plants closer to the house will deter them a bit. Tyler is going to build me a better looking stand so we don't have to keep an ugly green ladder in the yard all spring and summer!

 I also planted banana peppers, jalapeno peppers, red bell peppers, yellow squash, zucchini squash and some cucumbers. We both hate cucumbers but we are going to try our hand at pickling this summer so we figured it wouldn't hurt to plant one cucumber plant. I also put a few sunflower seeds on the north side of the bed so we will see how those do. The carrots, turnips and onions are still growing along nicely as well.

 

Don't judge our yard of weeds and baby shrubs, we are currently working on that!

I Love Carbs

This week has been a marathon of studying with 2 tests last night which I am proud to say I NAILED! Accounting and Economics, you can kiss my feet!

Since most of you are probably thinking, "Sara you are obviously so smart, what can I learn from you?" I will impart some of my vast knowledge of bread making to you this morning. Ha right, I don't have vast knowledge, I have one recipe! I am not going to sit here and tell you that this bread is light and fluffy like grocery store sandwich bread but the flavor of this stuff CANNOT be beat and I will challenge you to a duel to prove it. It's great for toast, sandwiches or just sneaking as a snack but the best thing about it is that you don't need any fancy tools to make it , just your hands, some spoons, bowls and  loaf pans. It does use store bought yeast, therefore it is quick rising but I'm working on perfecting a natural yeast starter and will share it as soon as I figure out how not to kill it. On we go to the recipe...

Basic White Bread
(makes 2 loaves)
Ingredients


2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2/3 cup white sugar (if you don't like your bread a little sweet cut some but not all of the sugar)
1 1/2 tablespoons (one packet) active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 cups bread flour

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam, about 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
3. Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

Here is a quick tutorial on how to knead dough if you are new at it...


If anyone out there has a good recipe for soft and fluffy white bread please share!