Sunflowers 101

I absolutely love sunflowers! They are so pretty and happy! I'm attempting to grow some and I am super pumped. These ones are the super gigantic sunflower. If they were in the perfect environment, they would grow up to 16 ft tall with a 10 in diameter for the bloom. That's huge! When I'm at work I sometimes think, "my sunflowers could be taller than the ceiling!" And if all goes well, I will have blooms by the end of April.

I have 12 seeds that I'm trying to sprout right now. I began my little project on February 12th and I already have 3 pretty little sprouts! (Keep scrolling for the progression!) And more are growing. They probably won't reach their full potential because I'm only going to be keeping them in a smaller pot. One day, I would like to have a field of sunflowers and daisies, and of course strawberries everywhere!



I am really enjoying this whole gardening thing. (One of my new found hobbies) It's so fun! And so far my thumb is green. :)

So sunflowers, like its name, need sun. They follow the sun and thrive in full sunlight. They take about 2-3 weeks to germinate and they take 65-75 days to bloom. Another great thing about sunflowers is their seeds! You can harvest them to roast and eat, or use them to plant some more. I'd prefer to just use the seeds to plant some more! In the Phoenix Valley, the best time to plant sunflowers are in-between the months of February-July. The approximate harvest time is 90-100 days, but that also really depends on when the back of the sunflower starts yellowing. (A good sign its about time to cut the flower for harvest) Also, if you are planting them in a garden, some good companies to the wonderful sunflowers are cucumbers, corn, peppers, tomatoes, and soybeans.

This is the little greenhouse I got for my flowers. Just add water! 

See? Ta da! Ready to plant!

2/20/15 Already have some seed activity and only after one week!

2/22/15 The first sunflower is about to fully pop out! 

2/23/15 And one day later, we have a seedling! See the disruption in soil in the second one from the top left?

2/24/15 This is right before I replanted it because the big one was toughing the top of the greenhouse.

2/26/15 Ta da! Look at that?! Four more!

2/27/15 This is the three that are newly planted. Nine more to go! (they are happily under my new grow light!)

I can't wait to see what they look like in a couple weeks! And then in another month! Especially now that I bought a grow light for them, they should have great progress. :) Can't wait for pretty flowers. I also can't wait for the progress on all my other plants! Hooray for springtime!!

Stay tuned for more updates! And check out my instagram for more current updates!

Orchid 101

I love orchids. They are so pretty! One catch... they can be pretty difficult to keep alive. I would know, because I pretty much killed mine and have since been bringing it back to life

Somewhere around March or April of 2014, Scott bought me an orchid! I wish I had a picture, but I guess I forgot to take one... I think I had it at my parents house while we went to New York for the summer, and it pretty much died. At one point it had WAY too much sunlight. (I used to think sun was good, but its bad. However, sunlight is good.) After coming back, I have been determined to nurse it back to life! And reviving it has been quite a process. Orchids are such picky plants. Direct sunlight and the leaves will burn. Too much water and they will rot. Dry air is bad. Not enough airflow is bad. Normal soil is bad... I have my orchid on my windowsill in the kitchen right now and it seems to be doing quite well. You can see in the pictures below!

My first task with this plant was repotting. There were these teeny tiny little bugs in the bark and bugs are never good... So repotting was a must! I used this website for some assistance. The first step is to determine if it needs to be repotted. Bugs should also be on the list because bugs eat roots, which is bad! I also didn't soak my orchid potting mix overnight...just for a couple hours maybe...and I did strain it because you just want mainly the bigger pieces of park and straining/rinsing will help with getting rid of any possible bugs hanging out in the potting mixture!

I think I did fairly okay with my repotting since the orchid is growing a new root!! (New roots come from between the leaves and will grow down. Flower spikes come from the leave and grow up. Also, flower spikes are usually green, not purple like my new root. More about that here or here) My orchid had some pretty nice leaves, and one stunted leaf. Maybe I'll get lucky and there will be a new flower spike in the near future!

Anywho, check out my orchid progression photos. I included the dates of the pictures as well. :) 

Orchid as of 10/09/2014

Orchid as of 10/22/2014

Orchid as of 2/03/2015

Orchid as of 2/11/2015
Repotting

Those roots look so sad! 

Pretty new pot! 

Orchid as of 2/12/2015
New growth! 

Orchid as of 2/21/2015
Do you see that beautiful new root growth?!

Orchid as of 2/21/15

It is just looking so beautiful! I'm excited to see how this thing looks in a few months from now. Stay tuned since I'll probably update again eventually.

Also, be sure to check out my instagram for current updates.

Cheers!

Gardening 101

If you follow my instagram, you may have seen my attempts at growing an avocado tree from a seed, reviving my orchid and trying to grow a baby pineapple into a plant to get another pineapple. It is now time to officially test out how green my thumb is! I went to Home Depot the other day. I was pretty stoked and bought some things to grow and plant, replant, etc.

Here are the things I got at Home Depot:

1. Kellogg Patio Plus (1.5 cubic FT): $5.97 
• There are a lot of different soils out there that will work fine. The gentleman in the gardening department suggested this particular one to me. You get a LOT for a little. He also said that this soil is good for both flowers and fruit/vegetable plants. Win - win
2. Vitamin B-1: $5.98 
• This helps stimulate root growth and helps prevent shock. It's a really great deal as well. For each use, you only use 2 Tbsp's that will be added to a gallon of water. It will basically last a long while. I got it mainly for my strawberry plant (I'll go into it a little more in that post)
3. Miracle Grow Orchid Potting Mix: $4.77 
4. Jiffy 12 Peat Pellet Greenhouse 
• This helps grow seedlings before planting to a larger pot
5. #3 Black Nursery Container (the bigger one): $3.57
6. 8" Newbury Plastic Planter: $2.67
7. 5.5" Glazed Clay Pedestal Bowl: $6.98
8. Strawberry plant (2 little bushes): $3.68
9. Sunflower Seeds (American Giant): $1.58

Here are my to do's for my mini gardening:

1. Replant orchid
2. Plant avocado seed (it has been growing roots from sitting in water)
3. Plant pineapple plant (it also has been growing roots from sitting in water)
4. Pot my strawberry plant
5. Plant my sunflower seeds in the little seedling starter
6. Grow an orange tree from a seed

Since I have so many different plants that I'm attempting or working with, I'll be updating them individually. (I don't really want the posts to be ridiculously long...and I'm sure you don't either.) For my gardening to do list, I will be linking the initial post for each one (once I have posted it) to each number on the list. So stay tuned!

Also, feel free to check out the Gardening tab at the top of the blog to keep updated with everything I've been doing in reference to gardening and planting.  

Come with me on my gardening journey and maybe you will decide to plant some things too!

Cheers!

Weekly Ranting

Recently, I read the most ridiculous thing ever, at least the most ridiculous in the last week... So on facebook, your friends occasionally—or a little more often that you'd like—share or "like" different little buzzfeed stories or something along this nature. I occasionally will read the ones with the lists, mainly out of curiosity. This particular one was 12 Things No Woman Should EVER Do in Front of Her Husband. Naturally this sparked my curiosity because I am married and I was interested to know what this lady thinks I shouldn't be doing in front of my hubby.

Oh my goodness, this was so silly! So after the first couple of them, I didn't even read her reasonings, I was just dying to know what else she didn't think was okay. And apparently after 10 years of marriage, she didn't do any of these twelve things, which I think is CRAZY honestly. Showering, urinating, have babies, laugh until soda came out of your nose, and sleeping are all okay to do in front of your spouse, but here is a list of things that a woman should never EVER do...

1. Be sick to your stomach (the number 2 kind of way)
Okay, what? It's not like anyone would have a choice on this matter, right? Besides, if I wasn't feeling well, I wouldn't hide this from my husband. I wouldn't appreciate him knowing so if I were to need anything, he would be able help. Obviously I wouldn't make him stay in the bathroom with me... unless he really wanted to. lol

2. Pick your nose
Stupid. Just stupid. I won't pick my nose in public with people watching, but I'll totally do it in front of my hubby. No shame.

3. Clip your toenails
This is also stupid. There is nothing wrong or gross about clipping your toe nails or any nails. I'm pretty sure I've clipped Scott's nails once or twice. But it's only gross if you leave your clippings everywhere.

4. Pick a wedgie 
Really??

5. Floss your teeth
Also stupid.

6. Shave your face (for exfoliating or for removing hair)
She thinks you should NEVER let your husband see you do this. Personally, I think shaving your face as an exfoliant is kind of weird. If you have hair on your face, so what? You shouldn't have to hide it from your spouse who is supposed to love you for everything that you are, flaws and all.

7. Pop your pimples
Stupid. I bet there are a lot of couple that assist each other on this one. Sometimes there are hard to reach ones and what's better than to ask your trusty sidekick to help?

8. Belch
I'm sure this would be annoying for anyone if it someone did it ALL the time. But still, I think it's stupid.

9. Remove any kind of hair
Stupid.

10. Poop
Stupid. What, are you ashamed? It's your spouse. No big deal.

11. Drive badly
Also stupid. It's not like people drive badly on purpose. (unless you are naturally a really bad driver) Besides, I don't see how this is really that big of a deal.

12. Criticize his "manhood"
This really is just stupid because why would anyone do this anyway? This is a no brainer.

SERIOUSLY? Stupid. I was under the impression that when you get married to your eternal companion, you can be 100% yourself and 100% comfortable with them. I don't think there should ever be anything you can't do with your spouse. I mean, I must be a terrible wife if we've only been married for a year and we have both probably done these things multiple times (not including number 12). You shouldn't feel the need to be ashamed or embarrassed to do anything in front of your spouse.

I love my hubby for all that he is and I'm sure he loves me for all that I am. What would life be if we couldn't have someone to be silly, gross, comfortable, goofy, and everything else with, right? That's one great thing about marriage! Total comfortability. No shame.

Anyway, don't listen to this silly list of nonsense. You definitely may need to hold off on most all of these things, and then some, when you are dating, but once married, who cares! :) Your hubby should love you no matter what! Flaws and all. <3

Anyway, that's my rant for the week.

Cheers!

Easy Garlic Chicken

Hello! It's time to share one of my favorite chicken recipes! Garlic Chicken! I found it awhile ago over on food.com. (We also had it for dinner over the weekend.) It's really easy (I promise) and there are only four ingredients! Prep time is about 10 minutes and cook time is about 20-30 minutes, depending on how thick the chicken is. I would suggest pairing it with some butter noodles or something similar. Yum!

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 garlic cloves, minced (I have a jar of pre minced garlic. It's super convenient)
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• additional herbs and spices, as desired. 

Directions!

1. Preheat oven to 450°F, line a baking dish or cookie sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat with cooking spray or lightly brush with oil. (I wouldn't suggest a cookie sheet. Mine always comes out fairly juicy!)
2. In a small sauté pan, sauté garlic with the oil until tender. 
3. Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar. Add additional herbs and spices as desired. 
4. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place breasts in prepared baking dish and cover with the garlic and brown sugar mixture. (It may be helpful to prepare the chicken in the dish first, and then sauté the garlic)
5. Bake uncovered for 15-30 minutes, or until juices run clear. (I honestly don't know what this means... But I normally take it out at the earliest end time, cut the thickest part of chicken to see if it's done or not and either take it out, or put it back in the oven for a little longer.) Of course, cooking times depend on the thickness of your chicken. I personally don't like my chicken super thick, so I always cut it in half.

Voila! That's it. Fairly simple and painless. This time when I made it, I cut up some onion that I was going to place on the bottom of the chicken (so it could absorb the juices) but I forgot. So I placed them onto instead. Also, the next time I do this recipe, I'm going to see how it goes in a crockpot! 

This was just before I put it in the oven

That's actually 4 chicken breasts that I cut in half :)

If you can't tell.. I used a LOT of garlic. Yum!

Love At First Stitch

Okay okay okay... as much as I love knit fabrics, I think I'm going to take a break from them for a little while. (My hubby would love a complete break for bit.. but i doubt that's going to happen..sorry!) I've been really itching to get out my book from Tilly and The Buttons again. (photo left)

She has such cute vintage looking skirts, dresses, tops, etc. I love it!! I've only tackled her Clémence skirt (see below!) and her super cute bow belt! But I really want to whip out some of her dresses. They are so cute. I was almost going to start making one...but then I didn't. (Probably got distracted with another project or something.) I still have the fabric for it. Maybe this means it's time to start it! The fabric is this super cute, super light blue with white designs. Also, the Mimi Blouse is adorable! That is definitely on my to-do in the very near future. (I just need some fabric for that..wink!..) If you are a beginning sewer, Tilly's book is a must have! It has great explanations on how to do the basics and has very useful techniques in sewing and construction. It's called Love at First Stitch. (I seriously had a love at my first stitch <3) Tilly is super adorable! I would totally go to one of her workshops if I lived in the UK.

Another plus with cotton fabric and other types of non knit fabric, they usually sell them for good prices at the fabric stores. (The down fall is some of the fabric types fray!) Knits are always way over priced and there really aren't that many cute, stylish options; which is why I usually always buy my super adorable knits from Girl Charlee. I've seen some other online sites with cute fabric options, but honestly, the prices doesn't beat Girl Charlee. I haven't found anything thing that comes close in comparison yet. (My apologies for those of you not in the US! The cost for shipping probably wouldn't make it worth it...sad day...) Oh my lanta...the fabrics here at Ray Stitch are super cute too! But they are from the uk...I'm going to see if I can maybe get a few eventually... so cute I almost can't handle it. :)

Anyway, please, please, please share with me where you get your patterns and fabric! I would love to grow my collection and discover new patterns that work really well! (I have a few patterns that I just use and abuse and alter and whatnot.) And I'll share what I find too!

Anyway, stay tuned for some super cute and new creations! I'll be more than happy to share. :)

(Photo props to Photography Hill!)

To Sweat With Love

So right now I'm in the second trimester of this one year program called the Pathway program. (I'm going back to school to finish my bachelors degree and this program allows me to go to the best online school ever! BYU-I Online!) And it's cheaper than anything. It's basically low cost educational opportunity that focuses on online classes and local gatherings, helping those who haven't been to school in awhile get reacquainted before starting full-time. Only two classes each term. (Not too shabby.)


Anyway, this trimester is Writing. We had this silly assignment to write a love letter to one of our favorite things using descriptions and use of the senses and whatnot. It also has to be an actual object or thing, not a person. (I guess it's made to be more on the silly side.) I chose Bikram Yoga, naturally... and I decided to share it with you! It's kind of lame, but I don't care. Enjoy!  :)

Dear Bikram Yoga,

   Words cannot express the way that I feel about you. It pains me to imagine life without you. You have become a part of my everyday life and I cannot let you go. You’ve changed me. You’ve made me into a better person. I cannot and will not go back to how my life was before you.

   When I first met you, sweating was almost the only thing I could do. The enveloping heat made it hard to breathe, and the humid air caused moisture to tickle the inside of my nose. Beads of perspiration multiplied exponentially as I strained to go deeper into each posture. The unfamiliarity of each pose caused my heart to race and made my head feel almost light enough to join the clouds. You worked me into the ground. But after that one class, that first encounter with you, I was hooked.

   I just love stretching out of my spine, reaching back as far as I can go, and straining to look for the floor behind me. I will continue to bend over backwards for you. It doesn’t matter how deep into each posture I am able to go or how far I am able to reach, I will always put in my best efforts—despite the pain you may cause me. I can’t complain, for you have brought my flexibility to a whole new level. You keep me on my toes and coming back for more, giving me the energy and stamina to move mountains. You electrify me. You make me sweat. You make me thirst. You make me feel things I haven’t felt before.

   Every day I hope to see you, feel you, and embrace your presence; that humid heat bearing presence that gives me great comfort. Even the scent of the room brings me to a special, peaceful place. With every deep inhale, every breath, I can feel you clearing my mind, my lungs and my soul. When I’m with you, the only thing I can focus on is my breath and that one spot in the mirror.

   There are times when I truly hate you, yet I will always love and yearn for you. But please forgive me, for sleep often gets the best of me and I can’t see you as regularly as I would like.

   I love you more than is fathomable. I will always remember you and the way you make me feel. Our relationship is one that is eternal. Our next encounter will always be just around the corner.

With love,

Refuse 'Demo'

Hello ladies and gents!

I am just so exciting right now! So a few years ago, I used to write music with my friend Mark. It was super fun. He's basically a musical genius. I only wish I was a musical genius... I only know like seven chords on a guitar...and I could maybe get better than barely decent on the piano...if I happened to have one in my disposal... Any who, I haven't really written anything in..uh...years. It's hard to write music when your happy and content. Sad songs are so much easier! And I love minor chords!

So with that, I whipped up something on garageband! It was kind of my little practice run. I wrote the song a few years ago. I spliced it up a bit though and I think it sounds pretty decent. Not as awesome as if I were able to have Mark assist me...but that's besides the point.



Go take a gander if you wish! Here! (Or click the picture..) I hope you like it. (At least just a little bit.) Hopefully we can look forward to some more music in the future. In the mean time, check out my other sounds. Fading Spaces


Thanks! :)

Raspberry Oatmeal Bars

I must say, Raspberry Oatmeal Bars are some of the most delicious dessert bar things ever!! And it always saddens me because when I make them and take them to an activity or something, they get eaten quickly...and I hardly ever get to save any for later...

I also have this recipe completely memorized since I made them almost 4 different times within a two week span. (They are seriously that good...and addicting!) And they are just way too easy to make! 

I seriously want to make more and eat them all just by looking at this picture... But that there is the finished product

Prep time : approx 15 min.
Cook time : 35 min
Yield: 9-12 bars (depending on how you cut them)

BTW, I tend to make a double batch of this stuff because really, one is just not enough. But here is the recipe for a normal batch.

Ingredients: 

1 cup all- purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda,
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup rolled oats: old fashioned (I honestly don't know if it matters what kind of oats you use. I always use quick oats because it's what I already have on hand almost all the time...)
1/2 packed light-brown sugar (I usually just use golden brown sugar. Not sure what the difference is)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (Room temp works a little nicer!)
3/4 cup raspberry jam, seedless if preferred (You really can use any flavored jam that you'd like. I don't really measure this out either. I just put in what looks like enough. And I use homemade raspberry jam. So good!)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8in baking dish (I only use glass baking dishes for this) with aluminum foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang of foil on two sides. Grease foil.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in oats and brown sugar, and use clean fingertips (as needed) to break up brown sugar clumps. Add butter, and using fingertips, work butter into mixture until evenly moistened.

Add 2 cups of the oat mixture to the prepared baking dish and press into an even layer. Spread raspberry jam (or any other flavored jam) into an even layer over oat later, coming within 1/4-inch of all edges. Sprinkle top evenly with remaining oat mixture, then slightly press into jam layer.

Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 34-38 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before cutting into squares. Store in an airtight container. (Though you may not need a container if you eat them all!)

My crumble mixture! 

And after I pressed it into the pan..

And the jam! Don't forget to leave a 1/4 in gap from the foil.

Sprinkle the remaining over the top and slightly press. Ready to bake! 

All done! Let it cool for at least 30-45 min before cutting so it won't collapse in.

Enjoy! :)

And there you have it! The best raspberry oatmeal bars ever! <3 I hope you make them, love them, and share with your friends!

One Year Down - and Some Family Photos

So Scott and I have been married for just over a year now (yay!). This also means family photos! (more yay!) With that, every year (preferably in December because that is our anniversary month..) I want to take family pictures. I think its a great habit to get into, so cheers to that! And then when we have a house, I'll have a really nice collection of photos from every year since we've been married! So far we have one...when we got married...I need to get one of these new ones printed so I can put it up on the wall.

This last year has been great! Bumpy here and there, of course, but that's life. Scott and I have had many adventures this last year and I guarantee we will have plenty more this year!

One of the best things about getting married at the end of the year is it allows us to reflect on the previous year and look forward to the next! I am also so grateful that Scott and I were sealed together and married in the House of the Lord (In other words, an LDS Temple). This allows Scott and myself to be together forever! Time and all of eternity. How great is that?! I think it's pretty awesome. And we are a team so we are able to grow and learn together...forever!

Anyway, here are my favorite pictures from our little family photo shoot! Thank you to the wonderful  Annie for taking the photos! <3 (And if you couldn't tell, I am loving purple lately!)

I hope you all have a happy new year in 2015! Here is to becoming better versions of ourselves. (Since there is no reason to become a whole new you. You are already great!) And like my yogis say, this is a time for New Years good intentions, not necessarily resolutions. Sometimes the intent is all that matters.

Cheers!

The Start of 2015 Giveaway

I cannot believe that 2015 is here! I feel as if the past year just flew by! Some big things that happened in my past year was hit the one year milestone with my hubby, enjoyed two baby announcements in my family, trip with Scotts family in Moab, spent the summer in New York City, started sewing, and so much more! It was filled with good things, things that taught me life lessons, times for growth, and lots of reasons to smile. God is so good to bring us through another year.

Today I want to bring you a giveaway with a few of my blogging friends! It's perfect to start off the new year. Here are some things you will be winning!

• A blog planner
• Some fun little accessories from Modcloth
• And a "Cheers" banner from Ash's Party Accents! 

These items are perfect to bring your office space some organization and sparkle. See below for entry details!

"Cheers" garland

Blogging Planner

Here are a few of your sponsors! Be sure to check out their blogs!

Trissa // Kayty // Aleshea Ashley // Leah // Sarah

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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