So I think I'm gonna start a little garden this year.

I've been reading and hounding my gardener friends for details lately, and I think I'm going to start a few little gardens this spring, hopefully turn out some herbs, peppers, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, melons and pumpkins this year.  I've generally had a pretty green thumb, but haven't really ever successfully tried food plants.

So far, I've started some seeds in a little flat (indoors, because for some reason it's decided to be snowy in Houston this year).  We've bought some seeds and are planning to start some pumpkin seeds in time to harvest for jack-o-lanterns, too.

Since we're having wacky snow possibilities and hard freezing right now, the seeds are indoors on their starter flat, with a heating pad below the water reservoir.  Because I'm a goofball.

Surprisingly enough, the cats have completely not even bothered to check it out, other than snuggling next to the heating pad now and again.  It's in their favorite warm window spot... and unbeknownst to them, there are catnip seeds in there!!!

I'm also encouraging the family to help save stuff that we can repurpose for gardening use.  Tonight we had little ice creams (the single-serving containers-- not the pint ones), and I rinsed them and set them aside for seed starting.  The little tiny containers are a good way for me to handle portion control when it comes to eating ice cream!

Over the winter holidays I built a worktable and hutch for use outside, because in the past I think it's annoyed my lovely husband when I bring the good old potting soil into the kitchen and go to work with my flowers.  He's a little cleaner than I am, but I'm no complainer.  It's kind of fantastic to have a guy around who really cleans up!  Now I can be as messy and dirty as I like in my very own little backyard : )  Please note the fancy worklight I installed for after the sun goes down.

There's a shelf along the bottom to add stability and store stuff.

I've even started collecting organic trashy stuff for composting!  We'll see how all this goes.  I figure if the composting fails miserably, hey, I'll just throw it away in the actual trash.  If it works, then WHEE!  Fantastic free fertilizer for my little planties.

If you'd like to research some easy gardening, please check into Square Foot Gardening.  It can be done in a backyard or on an apartment balcony, you just need containers, sunlight, and water.

There are a zillion websites that will help you decide what and when to plant, but the cutest by far is Sprout Robot.  It'll even e-mail you when it's time to start planting new stuff!

Here are some books I bought/inherited that I've found helpful.  You can also find them at the library-- ours has a whole section on local gardening.  The Square Foot Gardening book is grrrrreat!

Here goes nothin'.  I'm looking forward to trying all of this out!  While I'm not sure it'll actually "save" money as opposed to buying veggies at the grocery store, I do think it'll be pretty satisfying, and give me some reason to spend more time outdoors kind of communing with nature... plus I'm one of those nurturers, and we definitely don't need anymore animals.  We'll see how good of a seed mommy I can be...lol.

The Holidays: Tough to stay focused!

So, once the holiday season (and coincidentally my insanely busy season at work) hit, I didn't run nearly as much and probably fell back into some less-than-desirable habits.  This happens to a lot of people, and I really try not to let "food choices" determine whether I've had a great day or not.  Moving toward a healthier lifestyle is about a lifetime of making better choices.  I try to keep the attitude that every day is new, and even when I slack on the super-healthy choices... I've still come a long way from where I started, when I weighed about 260 pounds and was feeding my family lots of bad-fatty/sugary foods on a regular basis.

Even though I feel that I've "slacked" over the past few months, I can look at the way our lifestyle has changed and say that we're still moving forward.  The way we cook is different, the things in our pantry and fridge are still, for the most part, the things that should be there.

We went out of town for the week of Thanksgiving, and I ran while we were in Missouri.  I ran a little bit once we got back, but then the cold weather arrived and it was just... brrrr.  I allowed myself a little break, thinking I'd hit the gym more regularly.  That didn't happen.  My daughter no longer had crack-o-dawn volleyball practice, so I did a lot more sleeping in!

The good news is, my clothes all still fit : )

I headed back to the gym today, walked as fast as I could on the treadmill for 3 miles with a little incline (about 40 minutes), then did a weight circuit.  It felt reallllly great to get my body moving again!!!  It was also great to exercise and watch some mindless tv ("Fashion Police", which my husband hates).  It had been so long since I'd been to the gym (although I had been running) that the trainer had to re-activate my FitLinxx account!  God bless the YMCA.  I love those people.  No questions asked, no making me feel guilty.  Just a welcome back and a smile!

If you've lapsed in your workout routines, or indulged a little more than you feel you should have over the holiday season... Please keep a positive attitude!  Remember that every day is new.  Every single day is a day that you can begin making better choices.  Improvement doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing, it simply needs to be BETTER.  If small steps are what you need, then take small steps.


Sometimes when we decide we're going to overhaul our lives, it's a huge step and it's really difficult... which leads to feeling badly about yourself when you don't "make it".  Revise your plan, and change one small thing each day.  Be in this for life, not just until you hit a goal : )