Projects, Projects Everywhere!

Hubby got an emergency call from work last week that took him halfway across the state for three days last week.  I'm not sure why, but it really threw my mood out of joint.  No, I wasn't angry or anything - just out of sorts.  I didn't get much done (except for once-a-month crafting day with friends, but that'll be another post.)

This past Sunday, I got the whole family involved in helping the lasagna garden take shape.  Three kids with rakes, mutilated cultivators and pitch forks in hand along with Scoot behind the wheel of Grandpa's tractor . . . it made for a great morning.  Why is it that it's fun to work in the garden with my chosen partner in life, but work if I have to do it alone or with the kids sans Scoot?

By the time we had to pack up and move out for baseball practice, we got ALL of our old, rotting round bales spread out as far as we could.  It wasn't enough to cover the whole garden, but we did get most of it 3/4 of it done.  Here are a couple of pics:

Lasagna layers done - looking west

Lasagna layers done - looking east 

Most of the garden is covered with black plastic now to help it "cook" down for the next few weeks.  Sure it's May, but we've still got some time to wait before we're safe from frosts.

The weather has been stormy, so I pulled the plastic back to let the rain soak in.  It takes a lot of water to make bales and bales of hay turn into a magnificent planting medium.

Those storms have given me the chance to sit back and get ready for Star Wars Day tomorrow.  Sure, I could be finishing laundry, cleaning the kitchen or the kids' rooms, or countless other things, but what fun would that be?

For the first time in a long time, I've taken a project idea all the way to complete in just a matter of days, in spite of the hurdles.  I work very well under deadlines.  You do know that tomorrow is Star Wars Day, right?  You know. . . May the 4th?

All three kids are crazy about Star Wars.  I made these t-shirts for the boys.  I didn't find a good stencil for Gator, so she'll have to wait until next year.

Here's a great site for Star Wars stencils, should the need arise:  http://starwarsblog.starwars.com

I guess the project isn't 100% complete until the paint is dry and the stencils are removed, but you KNOW that'll happen!  I think we've just got to wait for a couple of hours and then they are DONE!  I'll be tacking them up on my "brag board" of completed projects.

Here are a few pics from the process.  These stencils didn't actually make the final product.  They're made from 40+ year old freezer paper, which wouldn't adhere to the t-shirts.  "Practice makes perfect"

First storm trooper stencil

First Darth stencil - almost done

T-shirts are painted, now we must wait with crossed fingers!

Scoot asked last night how the blog was coming along.  I told him I haven't written in a while.  Seems like I made up for it this week.  The blog goes on and on and on . . .

'Til next time!

Let the Layering Begin!

Is there any better way to spend a bright spring day than working in a garden?  After first stopping at a garage sale and visiting with a friend, I thought some gardening was a perfect way to round out the day.

My lasagna garden is going to take a couple of weeks to "cook" after it's all put together, so that's where efforts need to be focused right now.

Have you heard of lasagna gardens?  From the first time I heard of the idea on WI Public Radio's Garden Talk, I was intrigued and knew I needed to try it . . . that was 2 years ago!  (Note the birth of a new idea.) To learn more, I bought the book (used, of course) http://www.amazon.com/Lasagna-Gardening-Layering-Bountiful-Gardens/dp/0875969623/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335058636&sr=8-1

Reading was inspirational and intimidating.  Thank goodness that Roger Reynolds paid another visit to Larry Meiller on WPR - a quick conversation with him convinced me that I CAN do this, in spite of having a ginormous garden!  Here's Roger's blog - you should check out some of the photos from his projects.  http://infiltratinglandscapes.blogspot.com/ 

To make a long story short, one of the biggest benefits of creating a lasagna garden is that it cuts down on this:

So, back to today . . .

I started by gathering my materials which now includes the camera since no blog is complete without those  jaw-droppingly beautiful photos.  Are you ready to be wowed?  (just play along)

My garden is going to take a LOT of cardboard.  You know, all I wanted for my birthday last fall was cardboard.  No such luck.  Hubby swept me off to Maine for a 2nd honeymoon, so I won't complain.  He gave me cardboard for Easter instead.  We've got oodles of cardboard now thanks to him and to friends who stockpiled some for me . . . and to Target.  Take note:  a really good way to embarras your kids is to tell the Target employees that you're really excited to catch them stocking shelves and beg them for the cartful of empty cardboard boxes.  

Here's the garden before:

First step, add a layer of cardboard, overlapping the edges by 3 inches or so.  This smothers the weeds below.  My helper is hosing them down to keep them in place.

Then, it's time to start adding more layers.  We've started adding some old rotting hay that we got for free - it'd been sitting on a roadside for years.  We also added some of last summer's grass clippings.

And again, more water.  I need to get dry hay to add more height.  I think we're at about 6 inches now, but we've got to get to 18 - 24 inches.

We've covered what we've done so far with black plastic.  We'll keep watering it and "cooking" it under black plastic until it's ready to plant into.

One strip down the garden is all we could finish today, and I think we've got about 4 more strips (each 8-feet wide) to do before this garden is finished.  I wonder if we'll be able to completely "lasagnify" this garden this summer.    Stay tuned!

Thanks for holding me accountable!

This idea will become a reality!

Here we go!

This morning I wandered, yet again, into the Pinterest depths, futilely trying to focus on something or other.  What was it I was looking for?  I don't recall after taking one dizzying and intoxicating detour after another.  I  delved deeply into the photographs and still deeper into their gorgeous source blogs.

Oh!  The photos!  Those blogs are filled with transformative photographs.  How do they transform mundane objects into Beauty's Ideal?  It's simply incredible.  If only the camera could make me look as beautiful as that stand mixer's beaters!       http://julieskarwecki.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/dsc_0213.jpg

So why, I ask, am I inspired to blog when I should be feeling intimidated?  The standard set by bloggers stories above my own ability (seriously - have you seen my photos???  Exactly!)

Here's why:  I've got a long list of goals for spring & summer 2012.  It's so long, it's scary!  I need you to hold me accountable.

Project 1:  Transform the mound system into a beautiful midwestern prairie.  Here's the stage 2 "before" pic.  I've already  spent the last year and a half trying to kill all the vegetation.

I guess it's time to sign off.  I've got to go out and mow off those little flower heads before the weeds drop more seed onto the soil!

Thanks for stopping by!

From Ideas to Reality