DIY Giant Outdoor Building Blocks

Made these for the girls to play with outside! Cut the wood different sizes, painted and sealed them. They have had a blast with them!

Morning Glory's Tunnel and Sunflowers

 Top pic is the Morning Glory Tunnel it is about 3ft tall. It looks alot smaller in the pic but its a really good size!
The bottom pic is where my sunflowers are planted, I ran out of fences and used the girls outside chairs to cover over the sunflowers so they would not get run over by children and dogs. My first round of sunflowers I set out and came back out in the morning and the rabbits ate every.single.one. So I had to start over and re-grow them.
                             

Chalk Board Wall

We made a Chalk Board wall!! I bought a sheet of plywood. It was 4X8, then I used my circular saw and cut it to 3x7. Then I put two coats of "Bulls Eye 123 Primer" on front and back and the four sides. I was hoping it would help keep the water out. I Bought Martha Stewart Chalkboard paint in grey *It is not so "grey", but it matched the fence* I put two coats of the chalkboard paint on pretty thick, It used about a bottle in a half by the time I was done. My plan was to hang it over the two horizontal post across the back of the fence but when I got it up there it was so heavy I was worried about support so I sat it on the bottom horizontal bar to help hold it up. Then I drilled two holes on each side so they were above and below the horizontal bar on the backside and looped the rope threw two times and I was done! Lilly helped me with it all except the cutting with circular saw... For obvious reasons I hope... This board has been threw several big rain storms and held up great!! So I am pleased! We did this during our Garden unit week. It sits right behind the girls swing set and they have had the best time with all there friends playing school. Last week we were doing Fairy week and all the girls played "Fairy School" and made wands and got the fairy wings out, their was 8 or "Fairies" in my backyard! Cute!

For The Birds

We made this for the birds the other day. We have had so many birds in the backyard,  especially robins trying to make nest's. I had intended to make this for the first day of spring but my mom came down with a nasty virtago virus and we all focused on taking care of her. So last week we got around to getting it together. Lilly and Raley cut all the yarn and then we hung it next to their playhouse! We hope to see lots of colorful nest around! Next year and many more after we will do this on the first day of spring!

This is the original link:

http://www.fiberfarm.com/2011/03/the-first-day-of-spring?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+fiberfarm%2Ffeeds+%28Fiber+Farm%29

Garden Seeds!

I spent alot of time looking at seeds trying to find the best that would work for us and that would excite Lilly. I have always been into gardening but when my daughters and I moved back to my parents after my divorce I was able to get really into it. We have a huge back yard and was able to set up the beds. Before that I would Container garden. Which ehhhh, somewhat worked but I think I tried growing plants that were not container friendly and year after year I would fail. Big time. Until last year when I had the space to garden! Last year I chalked it up to a trial and error year and I figured it was going to be that going in to it. A learning year. I learned a lot, like to stick a dish of water out for the squirrels when its hot so they do not eat every single tomato I grew all summer.. I am telling you big things are going to happen this summer.Big.

What I am growing from Seed for my gardens:
Tomato-Costoluto Genovese-h
Tomato- Indigo Rose
Pumpkins-Rouge Vif D'Etampes-h
Gourd-Luffa-h
Squash- Zucchini
Squash- Table Queen Acorn-h
Melon- Banana American Melon-h
Watermelon- Jubilee-h
Soybeans- Butterbean
Peas- Sugar Ann Snap Pea-h
Carrots- Danvers Half Long-h
Carrots- Little Finger-h
EggPlant- Listada De Gandia-h
Swiss Chard Rainbow-h
Cauliflower- Purple of Sicily-h
Broccoli- Romanesco-h
Lettuce Black Seeded Simpson
Lettuce- Bibb, Buttercrunch
Lettuce-New Red Fire
Onion- Bunching Evergreen
Onion- Candy
Parsley
Chives
Basil- Lemon-h
Basil- Sweet
Dill
Garlic bulbs
Morning Glory-  Grandpa Ott's -h
Morning Glory- Crimson Ramblers-h
Morning Glory- Yohjiro Mix
Poppy- Oriental Scarlet -h
Poppy- Shirley Double Mix
Love-In-The-Mist-h
Sunflower- American Giant
Sunflower- Mammoth
Sunflower- Teddy Bear Draf
Sunflower- Summer Evening Mix
Larkspur-Kaleidoscope Mix
Zinnia- Purple and pink
Foxglove
Aster
Sweet Pea- Winter Navy Blue
Sweet Pea- Bijou Mix
Marigold- Snowdrift
Marigold - Pot, Pacific Beauty Blend
Bachelor Button
Nasturtium
Pansies
Hyssopus
Bee Balm
Anise Hyssop

The small "h" to the left means Heirloom.

All of the Veggies I am growing except maybe three are Heirloom!  I love the older hard to find varieties and the pureness of the seed. NO GMO. End. Of. Story. In another post I will go into this.
I am also going to grow Mushrooms, Sweet Potatoes. I need to go get my sweet potatoes and divide them and my mushroom kit is in the mail.

Also I am going to plant Blueberry and Raspberry bushes. Those do not come in the mail for a couple of weeks. Today I bought some Strawberry roots 10 "Allstar" a June bearing, and 10 "Quinault" a everbearing kind.

The Luffa will be killer if all goes as planed, and I will be able to give home grown luffa sponges away!

This is not even mentioning the stuff I am going to get Steal from her Greenhouse from my Sister and that I still am going to buy.

Plants that I will buy:
Green Peppers for my mom, I can eat any kind of pepper so I will only buy one or so not worth the effort to grow from seed.
Oregano
Thyme
Marjoram
Lavender-Buy seed, My plants from last year are still kicking also
Stevia
Chamomile
Rosemary
BBQ Rosemary
The sunflowers I am going to have a Sunflower fort so the girls and I can take a blanket in and sit in the sunflowers and read in the summer! All the Morning Glory's are for a Tunnel I am going to make with chicken wire and then grow Morning Glory's covering them. The snap peas I am going to make a tee-pee with... I think.. I was like, Whoa, that's a Rad idea but ehhh how many veggie/flower forts do I need in one backyard... until Lilly saw me looking at a picture of one and fist pumped and then asked if she could pick them off while in the tee-pee and eat them...crap... If my kid is excited about veggies then I will do anything..So I might be building a snap pea tee-pee.

*I want to have a "Berry Patch" with the berries.
*A edible flower garden for Lilly
*A Humming Bird Garden (maybe next to the Morning Glory tunnel so we can hide in it and watch them)
*A bee/Butterfly garden
*Of course next to the playhouse we will have a Fairy Garden and its coming back bigger and badder
*The Sunflower Fort
*The Morning Glory Tunnel
*Snap pea tee-pee

I am super pumped about starting my seeds and working in my gardens! But I am really mad about this winter!! I had HUGE plans, huge I tell you to Tap the maple tree in the backyard! But for the sap to flow right, the daytime temperatures has to rise above freezing 32 degrees and the nighttime temperatures have to fall below freezing. The increase in temperature makes pressure in the tree to generating the sap flow. The prim time to tap a tree is February and march and normally this would not be a problem but since it is supposed to be 80 tomorrow and has been off and on in the 60's Its not happening for me this year. *tear* I guess there is always next year..