I'm an addict!

I have become completely obsessed with making my own pizza dough!  I am a very impatient cook which is why I don't do much from scratch that can be found in a box or bag.  Of course we all know that that isn't the healthiest option around.  However, that all changed when I discovered how I didn't need to spend hours letting it rise, didn't need a kitchen-aid mixer and don't even need fresh yeast.  I like to add fresh herbs and a cup of whole wheat flour into the mix then place it in a an oven that has been set to 200 degrees and then turned off.  In 20 minutes your dough has doubled in size and away we go!  Here are the calzones that I made for dinner last night.

They were dreamy! Of course I forgot to put my freshly grown mushrooms in them so they could have been a little better.  Yup, that's right.  I said freshly grown!!  I decided a couple of months ago that I was going to go ahead and buy the mushroom growing kit that I have been eying for the last two years.  It looked something like this:

I was pretty skeptical at first since it was a box of rotting trees and mess with another bag of smaller also bad smelling dirt.  You take the smaller bag and add water then spread it over the box of rot and leave it in a corner in a cool room which was our basement.  Two weeks go by and I forgot to even make sure they were still moist and okay until last night.  I tipped the edge of the box down expecting to find nothing but dry wasted money when to my delight I found this instead:

Aren't they beautiful?  Finally, something that I can't mess up even if I forget they exist!!  I can't wait to taste them so we are making stroganoff for dinner tonight.  Yum!

Jogging and Stuff

I'd like to introduce everyone to someone very dear to me and my newly found jogging partner.  I have completely wasted time and money on gym memberships and workout videos when all I had to do was get the right partner!!  She's a little pushy and we argue quite a bit but she usually lets me win.  In return I dropped five pounds without noticing how hard I was working.  I'm developing arm muscles, my knee aches more but I can feel myself growing stronger with each jog we take.  It's only been a couple of weeks but I can tell that this is the beginning of a beautiful and mutually beneficial relationship.  She inspires me to want to get out there and run just to share some time with her.  No one else seems to pay her much mind but that half hour that we are together all is forgiven because she is the center of my world. 

Meet Daisy, my neighbor's golden retriever and all around sweet heart. She's getting a little love from me through the fences that connect our yards and rewarding me with one of her smiles.  Let's keep up the good work girl!  We both need the exercise!!

Happy First Day of Spring!!

Spring has officially sprung in Cincy and this is how I know:

 My end of the season purchase of a peony is starting to bud!!

My crocuses are in full bloom!!

And I've planted my container herb garden for the patio.  Starting at the top left and moving clockwise you are looking at cilantro, curry, chives, curled leaf parsley, basil and purple sage!  The chives and parsley were transplanted from last years bed where they successfully regrew.  So far the oregano is also making a strong comeback but the thyme may have gotten nipped by the snow this year.  Still waiting to see.


The season has begun and I can't wait to get into the full swing of gardening things.  More to come as we plan to fully document our activities this year.  Happy Gardening and Homesteading everyone!!!

Oops! I'm a terrible blogger...

Yup, I admit it.  I'm a terrible blogger.  I haven't written in almost 3 months...but things are about to pick up!  Fall is my favorite time of year and I find that there are just too many things competing for my attention.  The irony is that I've been writing blogs in my head and taking lots of pictures to share my journeys but haven't posted a single one. I've decided to remedy this with a bit of the end of summer and into fall rewind. 

What exactly has been keeping me so busy you might ask?  Well besides the pumpkin carving, seed roasting, candy handing out festivities...I've signed up to participate in a Craft Show this weekend.  If you are anywhere near Oak Hills United Methodist Church on Bridgetown Road in Cincy this weekend then stop by between 9am and 3pm to see my crocheted goodies!  There are simply too many to post all of them here but you can check out the mayhem virtually on Ravelry.  You can find me under Rubida55 and possibly here: http://www.ravelry.com/people/Rubida55 .

Consider yourselves officially warned...the next time that we meet we will go back in time!!!  MWHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And stuff.

Today's Harvest!

Ground has been broken for the patio!!

Time for a Garden Update!

April and May are such busy months for me! I thought you were due for a brief run down. The diet went straight out the window and now I'm just making good choices on what to eat. The gym is still a go and I'm working hard on making that a habit. The garden is almost all planted but with all the rain we've had it makes it hard on some of the seeds. The seedlings on the other hand are flourishing! Here is a quick run down of what we've got starting with potatoes in their bags:

Curled leaf, oak leaf, red sail and romaine lettuce with some spinach on the far right:

The peppers with kale on both ends and you can see a couple of our rain barrels in the back:

Yellow and white onions:

The berry plot!  Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries on the trellis:

Tomatoes in their colorful new cages:

From left to right we've got pole beans, peas, soy beans, carrots, cabbage and broccoli:

I know everything is small right now and kinda hard to see but I'll post some more pictures as the garden progresses.  There are 13 beds total in our backyard so you've only seen a fraction of the goodness to come.

Also, I've made a new button so that you can follow the blog by email!  Hope this helps give a few more options.  Enjoy!