fun with family in Florida, day two

Breakfast at Yalaha Bakery






and a *bonus* self portrait of me  driving my parents' golf cart (ahem, you might want to stay off the road :D )
 
and finally, please meet my parents' wonderful neighbors: Frazer and Niles

Little Angel and her new bike, from Grandma and Grandpa!

fun in Florida with family day 1

Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park  and Crab Shack/Monkey Island Bar

  

weed-free gardening idea :)

(sorry, I'm not sure who the original source is to reference)
"This worked well for me for many years - it's a simple, weed-free way to grow lettuce, spinach and even radishes. Take a 2 cubic feet bag of potting soil (I used Miracle Grow), rumple it around quite a bit to loose the soil, poke quite a few holes in the back side for drainage, then lay the bag on a smooth surface that will allow drainage and not get too hot, and cut out the top, leaving about a 4 or 5 inch border all around. Lightly rake through the soil to even it out and loosen it even more, then carefully, and evenly sprinkle the seeds around. I put my salad green seeds in an old spice bottle with large shaker holes, added some cornmeal, shook it all up to mix well and sprinkled them out of it. I put the cornmeal in there to allow me to see that I had covered the soil evenly. If doing radish seeds or spinach, just make lines the depth mentioned on the seed pack, plant the seeds and cover appropriately. For salad greens I sprinkled a lite covering of soil over the cornmeal and seeds and then spray-misted to water them in. I put my bags on metal sawhorses and grates to make them waist level. This kept the bags off the hot concrete and I didn't have to bend over when cutting my salad. When harvesting, just use a pair of scissors and cut what you need - don't pull the plants out. Same goes for spinach - they will grow back almost magically overnight, and you can't tell where you cut. Spray mist the seeds and plantlings at first when watering, until they are established, then you can water more vigorously as the plants mature. You will probably need to water more often, since the depth of the bags are not as deep as a regular in-ground garden. I just kept mine moist, but not sopping wet." 

 

Piper had a little spa day

my problem is......

I work REALLY hard ( and as of late, I do mean REALLY hard:) to make very healthy, low fat, vegan/vegetarian meals.  I've been making small changes that will have BIG impacts, health and weight wise.......but then I sabotage/slow my own progress....not because there's any harm in moderation, but when it comes to this, I KNOW NO moderation :D

Curse you Walgreens for having a sale on these delectable Devil balls....curse you 

yet, I'm drooling :D 

funny girl

we're doing a study on Ancient Egyptian Civilization.....there are some questions about comparing natural resources for some of the basic needs back then, vs. today....for food, Little Angel wrote that the natural resources for food today are: Burger King and Taco Bell (She's a funny girl )

two signs that spring is in the SC air....

my bushes are flowering

and J's working on his favorite toy:)

Sunday Night Sunset on the May

my girls have taken over the....

bling studio, the guest room, the foyer, the hallway leading to their bedroom

 



....and I wouldn't trade it for the world

girls' day out

 

throwback thursday

first promotion at Snapon...flowers from my parents:)

new adventures

I've mostly been a vegetarian for the last 23 years, and have not had a bite of meat for the last 15 years. Feeling the call to take it a step further and start cutting way back on dairy (I already drink almond milk, so for me it's cheese....and remember, I'm a native cheese head, so this is a leap;)

For me it's about reducing the fat intake because that's always what has worked best for me (recognizing it's not the right approach for everybody).

I'm very excited about my new cookbooks! One more from Happy Herbivore will arrive tomorrow....we've pretty much very greatly reduced our wheat intake (switching out to almond flour and very low, natural sugar intake at home)....this is my next exciting and natural healthy step.

Any changes I make for myself have to work for the whole clan:) 

happy spring!

for my sweet girls

cool map of our little island that is shaped like a shoe:)

park day with friends

and South Carolina is starting to bloom (evidenced by the flowering pink bushes:).....spring is absolutely BEAUTIFUL in the Carolinas!  My first visit here before moving happened to be in April, when everything was just brilliant with flowers and colorful bushes...SC KNEW I was craving color after such a long winter, and South CArolina knew just how to lure me in:)  And I will NEVER take the gorgeous colors for granted...they are amazing!   I think I'm most definitely due for a trip back to Magnolia Plantation and Gardens next month.....South Carolina in all its spring glory!  Here are some px from  our park day today, plus  bonus pictures from one of my spring trips to Magnolia Plantation and Gardens from another year:



 
 
bonus memories from Charleston's Magnolia Plantation and Gardens: