Two pins, one stone and good news.

There are two pinterest projects I've had on my mind and I combined them into one today. I've wanted to make this pallet art for some time but let's be real, it's not gonna happen soon. I also wanted to do this project. So I put the quote from the pallet project onto the canvas one. Voila!

Bought the art at a thrift store for $2 and the vinyl letters at Target for $2.99. The paint I used was a left over sample size I had in my stash.

After putting the stickers where I wanted them I added some water to the paint to have a washed effect so I could still see some of the painting through.

I peeled the stickers after a few minutes (it dried quick out in the sun and probably quicker than straight paint because it had water in it). There was some mess to clean up so I grab some Q-tips then decided to use a wet washcloth.

Used the wet washcloth to rub away some of the paint and add texture to the edges of the painting.

This fine piece of art is going with all the others in the family room. It's a work in progress....Maybe I'll post a picture one day when I feel the time is right? whatever that means.

Also: my plants have started to bud this week(week2); peas, brussel sprouts and carrots. #Griffinthedog has been getting into the buckets a little here and a little there (DANG PUPPY!) but I think he's learning that's a big no-no. Time for more buckets and some new seeds in the next couple of weeks!

***Good news today, Jake's hard work pays off again; he just aced his mid-term for criminal law. When the professor started to talk about scores he said that this was the worst any of his classes had EVER done.

Over half failed, Jake got an A. WHAT A STUD!****

Something happy & Something embarrassing.

Last night after we put the kids to bed I made a trip to the store. We needed a couple of things (Jake asked me to buy him some pudding) including more children's fever reducer. We're on round three for the year so far. My poor Adele slept for all but maybe three or four hours combined yesterday. As I was shopping I took my time, walked slowly and actually compared labels. Things you can never do when shopping with children. Then I heard the announcement. The one I swear plays exactly two minutes after I enter ANY store.

"Thank you for shopping at.....Please remember to keep your children....." yadda yadda.

It played while I had NO children with me! I've been convinced for the last few years that an employee sees us walk in and that's the que for them to push the "special reminder announcement button." Not last night folks!!! It was someone else this time.

Now you know how it is at night at the store right? There is only one, maybe two cashiers. It's a long line of people buying a few items each. That guy buying his late night dinner after work. That other young-ish guy buying energy drinks and chips. That old lady buying cat food. Then there's me with half a cart full of random stuff. All those people are behind me and as the cashier is swiping some of the last of my items I open up my wallet and BOOM. No card.

So I'm that person. I write a check. Then she asks for my ID. BOOM. No ID, it's with my card in my pants from yesterday. They hold the items while I run home and come back and do it all again. And you'll never guess what one of my items was that I was buying. It was embarrassing to have to buy it once, but yesterday because I was a dum dum I got to go through the embarrassment twice. Should I tell you? No, it'll be TMI. Let's just say it was worse than tampons or anti-diarrhea medicine, not quite as bad as condoms and KY.

But hey, no special announcements directed at me and my kids last night. No one begging to go home or accidentally tipping carts over (yep, three times so far).  Just three sleeping kids at home, a studious husband, hulu and my friends Ben & Jerry.

Step one

One day, my dream is to own a nice chunk of property somewhere out there. Far enough to feel a little seclusion, close enough to go to the grocery store without a cooler. I want some animals; a cow, a pig, some goats, sheep,  and chickens. Maybe a few others. I want to have nice big old trees lining my drive with a swing, a roomy porch with some rocking chairs and a stream going through the backyard. I also want a hefty garden that we rotate crops year-round. Pretty nice dream eh? Do you feel like you're in a therapy session imagining a peaceful setting? That's what it makes me feel like and I want it in real life some day.

Welp, the only animal I've ever owned is a puppy that drives me nuts on a daily basis. My gardening experience is less than minimal and I have an internet/phone addiction. (First step is admitting it right?) Needless to say I've got a lot of learning to do. We're starting with learning to compost and growing a garden of vegetables this year. As I started researching what the crap you even start with I made the decision to use buckets. For starters, I don't have a lot of yard tools to cut/dig out garden beds. We're renters and I don't know how the owners would feel about that anyways. They made the yard real nice before we moved in. I could do raised beds but that's an investment we just don't have the money to make. Jake made me a raised bed a couple of years ago for my birthday (garden fail that summer, don't ask) and it cost around $100 to build it. Plus, he just doesn't have the time right now.

I started looking for 5-gal buckets on craigslist from restaurants and other such places. Then I saw online that you can go to the grocery store and ask the bakery and they'll usually give them to you for FREE! That's my kinda price. I called them two different times in a week and came home with a total of 17 buckets from the two visits. PLUS they were already cleaned out! I watched some videos and read some posts from this blog and got myself started.
   

   

17 free buckets from the bakery at the grocery store.

Drill a hole toward the bottom for drainage. I only did the one because we live in a hot and sunny area. I also read that you can drill holes in the bottom and include gravel at the bottom of the bucket before you put your soil in. I would have gone with that method in WA.

Used a drill for this but could probably be done just as easily with a hammer and a screw driver.

I've heard that chicken manure is good for gardens so I picked this soil. The bag also says it is ideal for vegetable gardens. There were so many to choose from! I'm glad they label them with extras for dummies like me.

Filled the bucket most of the way, broke up the clumps, tapped the bucket on the ground to help the dirt settle. Planted seeds as directed and put a handful or two of dirt over the holes. Took popsicle sticks and labeled each bucket. Hopefully no little hands will move them around!

This spot in our yard gets sun most of the day and it's hidden on the side of the house. We'll start here and see how it goes. To start we've got following buckets filled with a number of each plant: 3 buckets of Peas, 3 Carrots, 3 Beans, 3 Brussel sprouts, 1 Green pepper, 2 Cherokee tomatoes and 2 Cherry tomatoes.

The break down on cost:
buckets- free
seeds- $15
4 bags of dirt with about a half left over- $40
popsicle sticks-had them laying around, bought a bag at St. Vinny's thrift for $.25

Total is $55.25. If I can get half that out of produce this summer then it's worth it to me. I'm learning a skill and can have some salads and other foods made with pride this coming year.

I'd still like to grow herbs, various greens like spinach and lettuce, strawberries, pumpkins, corn, zucchini, squash, some other peppers, raspberries, potatoes and onions.