Another garden post.

We finally went to the nursery earlier and got some plants to spruce up our front. The previous owners of our house have a lot of nice non flowering perennials around the yard so we were waiting to see what else would pop up. There is not a lot of color so we went to the nursery to grab a few to make our house more inviting. I love salvia and Dave loves columbine so those were definitely on the list. I also grabbed some colorful annuals for our pots and then another ornamental grass to fill in a gap near our driveway. Next yer we will probably build a stone planter in front of the porch and fill it with colorful perennials. Until then, this is our little front yard oasis.

Walking up to our house

The greenery bordering our driveway.

Flowering vines and rosebush planted by the previous owners.

Our potted plants. Waiting for many to grow bigger. 

The large pot was left by the previous owners. We planted columbine around it. 

Close up of the columbine with a leftover dusty miller. 

1 white and 2 purple salvia.

Today we planted mimulus, zinnia, coleus, geranium, dusty miller, ribbon grass, and I think marigold. Archie picked up some yellow flowers that weren't labeled so I am guessing. I do not have the green thumb that my parents possess, but I do like having my own yard to try and make pretty. I also have Dave who gets excited about the garden every year. I cannot wait to see what it looks like in a few years!

Produce, gardens, and outdoor play.

This has been a rather uneventful week around these parts. We were pretty much homebodies only leaving to take a daily walk. In fact, I didn't go anywhere in a vehicle from Friday to Wednesday. We did get to have dinner with my friend and old roomie Heather though. She was in town on business for the week and it was really nice to see her. Archie especially enjoyed showing off for his new friend. Luckily the restaurant wasn't very busy as the boys were not cooperating and staying in their seats go figure.

We have successfully completed our first month of menu planning and bi-monthly food shopping. I had to modify a few of the last weeks recipes to accommodate for my new diet, but we actually had most things on hand. Turns out my new shopping habits are conducive to a diabetic diet! I am learning which fruits and veggies will last the full 2 weeks and what I need to use in the first week. These are just what I am experiencing in my refrigerator and climate.

Use within week:

• bananas
• strawberries
• blueberries
• avocado
• leaf lettuce
• mushrooms
• asparagus
• stone fruit (if you buy it ripe)
• fresh, cut herbs (freeze if you aren't using within a few days)
• green onions

Lasts longer than 1 week, but not quite 2:

• broccoli
• cauliflower
• cucumbers
• stone fruit (if you buy it slightly under ripe)
• tomatoes
• brussel sprouts
• melons (if you don't cut them right away. Once cut they last less than 1 week)
• bell peppers

Lasts the full 2 weeks:

• celery
• carrots
• spinach
• apples
• zucchini
• romaine lettuce
• lemons
• onions
• sweet potato
• garlic
• living basil plant (we keep it a cup on our counter and fill with water. Still going strong after 2 weeks.)

I have been chopping and freezing celery, carrots, bell peppers, green onions, bananas, strawberries, and spinach with great success. Frozen spinach is great in smoothies, soups, and casseroles. I just bought cilantro that I plan on washing and freezing later today. Our garden is starting to produce some vegetables as well. We have got spinach and mustard greens so far and the tomatoes and strawberries are looking good too. Dave planted around 10-15 different fruits and veggies so we will see what works well. 

 Dave and his garden!

 Spinach

Strawberries

On Friday we went to the toy store because Archie has been asking for a doll for weeks. After looking at about 5 aisles of dolls, however, he decided that he wanted cars instead. We did end up getting a sandbox for the boys though. They have a sand and water table, but the two always got mixed together so that is now just a water table and sand stays in the sand box - in theory. Our backyard is slowly being taken over by kid toys, but it keeps us outside a lot so I don't mind. 

Today Dave planted the peach tree that he bought last weekend and we are going to get some flowers planted in the front yard. I want to put salvia and columbine in the ground and then get some annuals in our pots for the front porch. There are some great non-flowering plants in our front yard from the previous owners, but I want more color. Spring is so beautiful in Colorado!

Watering our new peach tree.