Here is a recent note from my Grandma about memory she has about her mom recently. That's her mom, my Great Grandma in the picture.

Grandma writes....When I was about 4 or 5 yrs old I ran into the house one day and found my mother sitting at the dining room table...just sitting. I asked what she was doing and she said, "I am watching the tulips open". It was rare she ever sat doing nothing. Every time I see tulips I remember that. She wasn't doing nothing --- she was enjoying herself! Thanks for the memory!
Love, Grandma

New Project! We found this neat vintage oak dresser SUPER CHEAP! Our goal is to refinish it for Eva's room. Our first baby room project! We will be sanding it down to remove the existing white finish and check out the condition of the wood. After that we'll decide on whether or not to paint it again or stain it. I am thinking I like the antique ivory look enough to try it on this...the hardware is brass and in great condition. Will soften the oak floor and sage green walls.

A table refinishing project that's been a long time coming...perfect project for a snow day...This is the first coat...

It's 30 degrees and there has been a light snow overnight continuing on through the day...not too much though but just enough to keep me indoors on my day off. I was hoping to get out and start turning compost into the beds this weekend but it has been a damp cold so...it's been postponed.
- February 1, 2009 seedlings: Cherry, pear, paste and slicing tomatoes, eggplant, bell peppers and rosemary - these are still on heat pads. Also startedlavender, Shasta daisies, globe flower and rudbeckia are all going strong.
- February 15, 2009 seedlings: Aster, zinnia, petunias and pansies.
- March 9, 2009 seedlings: Coreopsis, cone flower, more petunia,more pansies, yarrow, English daisy,painted daisy, rosemary and thyme.
Since last year was a bad year for corn because of the late spring, I am going to experiment with 'starts' this year to see if we can get a crop. I am just not sure exactly when to do this since sowing indoors and transplanting corn is not recommended so seed packets don't have any instructions...Hmmm.

We are starting this blog as a photo album and journal of projects as well as our gardening trials and errors. David and I spend the majority of the short Northwest growing season outside in our yard and garden. We also enjoy frequenting second hand stores and salvage yards looking for materials for new projects. In early March of2008, we began construction on our raised bed garden area and were able to have a successful garden on a very tight budget using recycled materials. In our slide show you will see every project we did in 2008 from breaking ground for raised beds, building a cold frame from our old windows, wine barrel planters, building our chicken coop and run, putting up composting bins and the picket fencing surrounding the garden.

I also start all our vegetables, herbs, annuals and perennials from direct sowing or from seedlings started in our basement grow room. All of the grow room materials were also salvage with the exception of the lighting fixtures...for obvious reasons.

I just had an interesting thought...Thanks to the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, we are also living salvaged lives...Praise the Lord! "Therefore if anyone be in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone and the new has come!" 2 Cor 5:17

We will no doubt be adding to our project blog and photo's this year as the 2009 growing season gets underway! We hope you enjoy what you see here!

God bless!