easy recycled seed starting ideas

Spring is in the air…and with that comes the desire to want to watch things grow, as well as to perhaps try your hand at growing your own flowers or vegetables.
How can you do this and save money..and recycle all at the same time?

The answer is as close as your kitchen..for starters…
do your kids enjoy things like yogurt and apple sauce?
The plastic containers are terrific for using as seed starting equipment.
I have compiled a list of items that are easily found in your kitchen cupboards as well as other item you might already have on hand.

plastic yogurt containers

small apple sauce or fruit cup containers

baby food jars

egg cartons

egg shell halves

soup cans

jelly jars

butter containers

cottge cheese,ricotta or other plastic food tubs

old tea cups or bowls that can still hold soil even if they might have a chip on them

plastic sundae cups with lids from fast food places make cute self contained little growing containers..the lids help keep in humidity

plastic berry containers

cardboard boxes lined with plastic grocery bags

…….. this is just a start on the types of items that can be recycled and used to start your seed growing.Take a look around your kitchen and the rest of your house to see what types of things can be recycled and used to start your new garden.
Have fun and happy gardening!

i have returned...changed...and ready for new beginnings!

hello folks...it has been many moons since I have taken any time to write here or much anywhere else for that matter...we all know that life often gets in the way..and often times it can have very painful and heartbreaking moments along the journey...and so it goes...
 I took quite the leave of absence from writing and expressing myself and sharing for nearly three or more years now as I found my marriage of nearly 24 yrs crumble and fall apart and end in a divorce two years ago.
 I went through the full gamut of grief and the full gamut of the do's and don'ts of  reentering single life after twenty four yrs as being a wife and stay at home mom.. and rediscovering who I was...
Of course I tried the dating scene and found that to be rather difficult terrain to navigate after twenty four yrs...and then there has been the getting back into the work force after having been a stay at home mom and home educator for 24 yrs. Unfortunately..when looking for a job not everyone enjoys the fact that those skill setsof beibg a mom.and wife required some pretty serious dealings in the realms of multi tasking..organizational skills and so much more..no...there has to be something put on paper to show the massses apparently...and so the challenges have been there and they have been real...
 It has not been a cakewalk on this whole journey of rediscovery....finding out that I was and am more than just a mom...more than just a woman that was kicked aside for a different model...that I am capable of reinvention and self diascovery..of being alone and liking it..of being able to accomplish things I never thought I would...of getting back to self esteem...maybe a little slowly...but still getting there...and learning that Im still a a good mom...but now I'm free to be me...to be a strong capable independent woman...and that I am worthy of being loved...simply for who I am....and that is a wonderful feeling.
 And so I re greet you my blog...my friends both old and new...and I greet you..my new life...with open arms and a renewed heart. Life is good...it is always good..even when we have to go through things that cause us to grow in ways we never thought we would have to...I welcome these new changes..this new life..this new chapter....
The pages have been turned..it is a new chapter...let the writing of it begin with love...light..and with grace and the giving of thanks...!

Hi there,
 It has been ages upon ages since I have written anything here. Life has some pretty strange seasons that some of us have to travel through..and my life has been no exception. I found myself divorced  by December 2013 after a one month shy of 24 yrs of being married. To say that it has been a major adjustment over the last two years is definitely an understatement..but I'm still alive and kicking..and even though I've been through hell and back again..and some days I still struggle and try to adjust..I'm doing ok..and I'm learning to smile again. I have no idea how many of my former blogging pals  still do this blogging thing..or if most everyone has transferred their writings and musings to a facebook format or other avenues, as  truthfully in the last two years..so very much has changed  in how folks interact online. But here I am..and we shall see how this writing and sharing again goes. I'm here..and I'm alive, and life goes on..and it is a beautiful thing. Even through life's seasons. Blessings to you.

Oh my goodness...

Howdy..I am still alive and kicking.. bet you all wondered I am sure, and probably thought this blog was dead and buried..well, I actually thought so too..ha..but you know..writing is therapy sometimes..and here I am at this old blog of mine..looking around at it and thinking..I need to get back to it, and get back to brightening others days through the pages of this blog. So..here I am.., and I am going to try to keep posting here from time to time..sharing,caring,and little by little brightening up someone else's day along the way..I hope anyhow.:)

oh gosh..I have not been on here in a long time friends. I think it is mostly because I, like many others got sucked into the facebook vortex,but here I am. I wanted to say for the record..it is not I that has diabetes..it is my son that was diagnosed with it in January. (I had a comment where someone mistakenly thought that it was I that had it) my son was diagnosed with type 1. ok...well I / we have been doing well. Adjusting to our new home. I/ we have been planting blueberries,some of the plants from lowes and home depot and the master gardeners show here in marion county last spring on the blueberry bushes for those who may have wondered where we got them from. Also put in 6 raised beds 5 of them 8 feet by 4 feet beds and 1 recently built about 8 fort by 8 foot that will soon hold about 100 iris bulbs.busy putting in a rose garden and  other plants around the new homestead and adjusting to the type 1 diabetes journey. I am glad that school is out for a little while...we home school,but still a break is good from that also. I just wanted to stop by and check in with everyone and say "hey there..I'm still around" :)  if any of you here would like to add me on your facebook friends list please feel free to. (http://www.facebook.com/tina.wilson.1257)I post a lot of my photo work over there. (the photo below is not mine,but I thought it was beautiful.)

 I'll try to remember to stop in here from time to time too.

Reopened my vintage finds shop...

I have decided to reopen my vintage finds site on etsy. You may find it here:
 www.gardengoosegifts.etsy.com

copyright T.Wilson 2012/Small Town Living

 Currently I have some really cute Vintage Valentines available as well as vintage photos, a vintage purse and more. I'll be posting some vintage gloves,more vintage beaded purses and vintage hankies soon, along with even more fun finds. You never know what you will find. I very much enjoy being on the look out for items that are really fun to decorate with and that add a special touch to your decor.
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I saw my first robin the other day! Which means Spring is definitely right around the corner..can't wait to get started on our Spring garden.
 nothing like fresh from the garden lettuces and green beans.:)
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Wishing you all a lovely day!
 ~The Garden Goose!~

Oh my..here she is...

Wow! time flies when life gets busy doesn't it? I did not realize until today that this poor blog had been neglected so. Almost a year since I have visited its pages and written something about my day, my gardening dreams,my family's plans,and hopes,etc. Wow!

 Well, the last year has been an adventure..some good things, some not so good things. The not so good things are in the past and I leave most of them there where they belong. 

  As many of you have seen we purchased a new to us home in Central Florida in December 2010. We love it! It is much larger than the home we had in North Florida and we have an acre and 1/2 to have fun on. A virtual blank slate the yard is...as the former owners really did not do a thing here for about 3 yrs the house sat empty..so the yard needed much in the way of clean up and tree and debris removal. We accomplished that this past year with several trees out and underbrush removed and hauled out. 

  I've managed to plant about 6-7 blueberry bushes,8 grape vines,and 3 blackberry vines, 2 figs in the back yard. We also have planted some ferns and jasmine, and a few other things. 5  eight foot by 4 foot raised beds were built right outside the back patio/porch area and I have grown bush beans,carrots,lettuces, and more. One raised bed is full of strawberry plants.

  I have so many plans yet for the backyard..garden beds that I will create and things that I intend to plant here.

 Yesterday I sowed seeds for about 16 different wildflower varieties in our front yard where we had a new drain field put in..when the drain field was put in we also had some top soil brought in and spread over the area, so I had a pretty big area of bare ground waiting for something to be done with it..now I merely add the sprinkler to the area from time to time after I raked it smooth and scattered thousands of seeds...and I cross my fingers..and maybe even my toes too..and wait. I really really hope that the seeds that were sown will grow.

  Since being in this house we have also: had the master bedroom floors redone with wood flooring. Had the master bathroom redone with tile flooring. Painted master bedroom. Painted one of the bedrooms and added a wood laminate flooring. Added a succulent,cactus areas to the back patio by removing bricks on patio area and utilizing the removed bricks to create a garden walkway in backyard. Created a large garden bed in back yard with some ferns and a large urn planter. Created mulched pathways between all of the raised beds near patio and have nearly completed a brick pathway alongside the raised beds near the back porch area.

 As you can read...many projects have been done along the way.

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I have also managed to get some photography projects going along the way too! I approached a couple of lifestyle magazines in our area and they have been working with me on a few freelance projects from time to time. A great way to get out there and learn about my new town and to meet some nice folks along the way, and to build up my portfolio.  Fun! Fun!

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 and for the not so fun... our New Year was ushered in with some really not fun adventure..we had to make an unexpected trip to the ER with our son on New Year's day..we thought he had a bad stomach bug, but bad went to worse and it wasn't a stomach bug after all..it was diabetic ketoacidosis! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetic_ketoacidosis) So there we were blaring down the highway at 85 miles an hour in the back of an ambulance to get to Shand's Children's Hospital. We spent 2 full days in the PICU to get things stabilized..and our new "normal" now involves 2 insulin shots 2 times a day and blood sugar checks 4 times a day at a minimum..and a very regimented meal time and snack time schedule. We now know what living with type 1 diabetes looks like. Our journey on this road has officially begun. Our son is now doing very well, he managed to gain back all of the weight that he had lost due to dehydration that occurs within about 24 hours with this..and wound up gaining the weight lost and then some. He looks like a healthy little boy again! Thank goodness! The thing the dr's told us is most parents find out that their children have type 1 this way..it mimics the symptoms of a stomach bug..vomiting and tiredness, but then drops into a state of being very thirsty and having to urinate a lot, and then into weakness, then lethargic, then become unaware of surroundings..it happens very quickly and is very scary.We had no idea that he was diabetic as thus far no one in  either of our families has this. We have agreed to have the remaining family members tested for research purposes at Shand's and to make sure no one else in the family has it. Typically children have a 1/300 chance of getting Type 1 diabetes, but if a child has a sibling with type 1 diabetes their risk rises to a 1/20 chance.  So..this is now our new "normal". We have gotten used to testing blood daily. I've become a pro in the last 3 weeks at giving shots. I report almost daily to the dr's with blood sugar levels..this daily reporting will ease once things have stabilized and we get more learning under our belts. My days rotate around things like meal times,blood sugar numbers, and carbohydrate counts now and making healthy meals and snacks.And we make frequent trips over to Shand's for diabetes clinic education. Still so very much to learn along the way.

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So..I am also working on de cluttering..when son and I were at the hospital ...my husband bless his heart..and my oldest dd redid my son's bedroom completely.. ripped out carpet and installed a laminate wood look flooring, removed all of the clutter in his room,replaced bedding with new and painted the walls and trim work, and decorated the room like a professional interior decorator would have and based the decor on one of my son's favorite video games. it looks awesome and I told my husband that with our bedroom looking brand new and clutter free now and my son's bedroom looking brand new and clutter free that I am going to just let him come in and decorate the house for me..remove all of the clutter and stuff that we truly do not need and create peaceful and serene rooms. My/our life needs that now.

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 I have started listing  vintage things from my collections and finds in my Garden Goose Gifts shop again. If any of you are interested you can see them at www.gardengoosegifts.etsy.com There will be lots of fun things listed in the days to come.

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 I also am planning our spring garden. I'll be planting my garden on February 14th with lots of the seeds that I have available in my garden shop online. If you are in need of terrific heirloom garden seeds I have them available at www.myvictorygarden.etsy.com

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Well..that's the latest at the moment. I will strive to write here a bit more often now. Thanks for stopping by! Always so nice to have you visit.

 ~The Garden Goose!~

For a long time... we've "been there and done that"

Before I had ever heard the Dervaes name ( in fact I had only heard about them about a year ago) urban homesteading(o.k. I guess I better put a big TM here) has been in my family's blood for quite a very long time.
My grandfather and grandmother were farmers in Idaho and in fact my grandfather was quite the envy of folks as they'd come to see his garden from miles around. He used to garden by the moon signs I was told. And my grandmother..I get my love of simpler living from her...she used to can loads of vegetables and had lots and lots of shelves full of canned items that they had grown stored in their basement. In fact my grandparents later moved to Washington and had a restaurant where they would serve such things as cantaloupe and watermelons to their customers(with a scoop of ice cream included)
  Then when my grandfather passed away my grandmother came to live with us, and the farming tradition didn't stop just because we lived in various towns/city limits.
  Nope..in fact they kept on pretty steady all through my growing up years. We'd have things like home made bread and noodles. We even collectively planted gardens in our backyards. Granny would can vegetables and I'd sneak into the jars of home made butter pickles.
 One year my dad and I rescued 200 baby chickens from a alligator farm and  raised the chickens in our backyard. Giving some away for free to the local community and maintaining a flock for ourselves to gather eggs from, and for my granny to prepare chicken dinners with.

 Yes, even one time we lived on the main street of Arcadia, FL and had a flock of chickens free ranging  in our yard. And my granny and dad decided to cull a few of the chickens. Yep, they did so right in the heart of the city..set up their chicken butchering station on the side of the yard and we enjoyed chicken dinner later.
 I honestly can say..nope the Dervaes have nothing on us and our lifestyle. We had already "been there and done that" for quite some time.
 I am a 3rd generation urban farmer if you will.
I've had chickens and ducks in the heart of the city, and ever since I've been a wee girl I have had a heart for the land and for growing things.
In fact my home now qualifies for homestead exemption. If the government deems my property as a homestead then surely when I farm in the city limits that makes me an urban homesteader/farmer.(insert big TM mark here too...gosh that looks silly but I guess "they" say we have to do it, but TM is my initials anyhow so maybe I should trademark the TM..huh? yah I like the sounds of that..ha)

My grandmother and I 

 Well, yep..I've been there and done that for a long time now. And in fact  I'm still doing it. I have been proud of the sore muscles I have garnered just this week alone as I plant blueberry trees, planted radishes and lettuces, started seeds on my kitchen counter, sowed pea and bean seeds and more.
 Yes, its in my blood and has been for a very long time.
  ~The Garden Goose!~

Southeastern Youth Fair/High School Rodeo

Before the action began.

Overseeing the cows

The Anthem and a word of prayer start the events

This was the goat tying event. The competitors in this event were all girls. One girl managed to tie the goat in 11 seconds flat. This is done by running full speed on a horse, then jumping off the running horse, running full speed on foot to where the goat is staked in the middle of the arena, then proceeding to get the goat down on its back so that both the front legs and back legs can be tethered all together. No animals are hurt during this although it may look like it. They get up and run away just fine afterwards. 

Goat tying event

Calf tying event. Riders have to lasso the calf then jump down and proceed to do the same thing that is done in the goat event. Calf must be laying down and all legs tethered.

Tossing the hands out to the side like this signifies that your task is complete.

The calf that refused to be caught. It circled the arena several times before they managed to shoo this one into the proper area. It was a beautiful calf too. In fact the prettiest one of the evening. A beautiful white color. Folks behind me were saying.".that calf looks like a ghost nearly."

Hope you enjoyed the photos!

Inviting you...

To follow my new blog that features my children's photography at:

http://gigglesandgaloshes.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much!
 I hope to feature not only my latest photo sessions, but also to highlight etsy artisans that create children's photo props. (hats, headbands, bloomers, dresses, scarves, etc.) And to also feature the occasional photography book review.

If you create things such as crocheted or knitted hats, or other lovely items that could serve as photo props for children's photography, do get in touch with me. I'd love to help promote your business, and to help each other via networking across blogland.

( p.s. If you've stopped by for the OWOH feature post/you'll find that just below, scroll down a wee bit ..thanks.)

a bit of rural love/in my area of Florida

Took a drive around close to my house with my hubby and my camera a few days ago. This is a little of what I saw. Enjoy.

a little bit of randomness... just because

The Year Round Tree

So, since we found one of those tall, slender trees at Lowe's this year for Christmas, we really liked the look of the tree and decided that we'd keep it out year round and decorate it for each season.

 Here it is decorated with paper hearts of all kinds, a heart garland, and a paper chain. Using things like paint color cards available from the hardware store..I simply picked out a hand full of bright pink and red colored paint sample cards and brought them home and cut heart shapes and used a hole punch in the top and a little bit of white crochet thread..wallah..easy- peasy Valentine tree decor... and free. The heart garland and other paper hearts were created by my  oldest daughter using a variety of left over scrap booking papers and glitter. Again easy-peasy and nearly free. There are a few bright red heart shaped glass Christmas ornaments  that we left on the tree also.

 Please don't look too closely at my messy book shelf..right now its holding a mish mash of knick knacks from our collections..Quarry Critters, a Spanish Flamenco dancer, and a bit of this and that. Some of which will be displayed up high along the ledge that surrounds the room..I just have to figure out yet which pieces will star in the "up high" place..smiles.
 Making a house a home takes time that's for sure, and a bit more time when the entire family wound up getting sick right at Christmas time a week after our moving in. Not fun, and a huge nuisance and set back on being able to get around to everything as quickly as I had wanted to.

This past week we worked on having a tree service and debris removal crew come in and help to clear our back yard of a huge rotten oak, and about 4 other oaks that were leaning, plus 3 palm trees from the front yard, and 2 great big debris piles that had been left in the  backyard by the previous owner(when I say huge..trust me..these piles of debris required a backhoe and a huge dump truck type trailer to remove the debris). The yard looks so much better now having those areas cleared out. And with the huge rotten oak removed from next to our back patio we now have an area that we plan to use to put in several raised beds for gardening. We will test the soil throughout the yard this coming week and see what we need to do to make areas prosperous for growing edibles.

Thanks so much for stopping by. and yes, I'm a bit slow on getting photos posted here on what I've been doing throughout the house, but I hope that when I do share that it will be worth the wait. :0)
  Have a great evening!
  ~The Garden Goose!~

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all a lovely Christmas and a Happy New Year!

oh it's the dust..the du---uh--ust...bun-neee blues...

There's dust in my hair, and dust in my nose...even dust in my i-yi-eyes..
..and if I was a wearing them..probably even in my pant..eee hose..

...oh me oh my.. I think I'm a gonna cry...
I am a singing..the dust..
oh I'm a singin' the duh---ust..bun eee blues.
(no, I totally refuse to sing this one out loud for anyone near or far..I will more than likely never get rich from the words of this pitiful song I have just typed...ha, but just in case a record company comes a knockin'...its an original by yours truly...just so you know..ha)

this little gal is part of my new laundry room decor.

I'm singing the dust bunny blues here...Today sweet mom-in-law, dear daughter, and I all tackled the clean up of the rental. I used my trusty Dyson vacuum cleaner on all the tile floors and carpets, and then had to dust all the ceiling fans.Trust me a 2400 square foot home has a lot of ceiling fans and floor space once you start cleaning. This evening I am more than tired. I have itchy eyes from the dust, no doubt dust way up in my nostrils...and yep, even in my hair. But the job is now done and the house is clean awaiting the owners to either rent it out again, or sell it or whatever they'll do with it. And I dare say I am pretty darn sure its way cleaner than we found it when we first started renting it. I did find that I can't stand Tilex...no offense to the makers of that cleaning product..trust me it does the job well, but oh my word! you must definitely make sure the room you use it in is fully ventilated and fan is going. Can we say very strong bleach smell to it. But it worked magic on the shower tiles for sure. But I was quickly seeking out a source of bleach free air asap after using it, in fact even though I had the window open and the ventilator fan going I still found myself shouting in my head "MUST FIND FRESH AIR! MUST FIND FRESH AIR! ASAP!" but daggum it its a sparkling clean shower now...ha. Oh..and thank goodness for the makers of Claritin. I will be using their product this evening before going to bed. (end of all endorsements now folks...ha. Actually I didn't get paid a darn cent for mentioning any of the products here..I'm just a yakking my gums as my dad used to say) but yes..after today I need both a hot bath for my aching bod and an allergy med.
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 The new homestead is shaping up slowly but steadily. Probably a bit more on the slowly side than the steadily side...that's because moving is such draining work. Both physically and mentally. I have just been zapped. I know I don't want to do this again for a very, very long time.
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 The Christmas tree is up and hubby and I like the new artificial tree he bought so well that we will most likely keep it up year round as a seasonal tree. Meaning we will probably decorate it for every season of the year. (Valentine's, St. Paddy's, Easter/Spring, 4th of July/Summer, Fall/Thanksgiving/and Christmas..you get the idea) It is a tall narrow version that is about 7 ft. high but takes up very little space. We may move it around from room to room throughout the house depending upon our mood/decor.
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this gal now sits next to my kitchen sink

I've gotten my dining room decorated, but still have to finish the kitchen. My laundry room is pretty much done, I may add a few extra elements to it yet.
The living room still needs doing as does the master bedroom and kids rooms.
But we have only been in since Tuesday evening, so I think all told I/we have all made pretty good progress.
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And yes, I'll be sharing pictures soon. Right now I don't want to share pictures of boxes stacked in the midst of the floor, but I will share soon I promise.
I think you all will like that dear daughter and I hung a set of 3 antique Chinese paper lanterns in my living room, and the fact that I have a darling bright red ice cream bistro set with polka dot seats, and  a yellow tea cart in my living room bay window...sort of a "world market" very eccentric/eclectic feel to it,  I guess you could call it a sort of gypsy caravan style to the room. When I get it done I think it will look so cute.
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Of course once the house has been tackled..which does take time..there will be the yard and the planning of flower beds and garden areas.
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All in due time though.

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Thanks so much for stopping by.
 ~The Garden Goose!~

The new homestead!

 It is finally ours..yippee. Here are some pictures of our new homestead.

our beautiful new kitchen

looking from the dining area back towards the kitchen

Master bedroom. has a small french door, but on either side those windows have small plantation shutters on them..so cute. door leads out to huge screened in patio area.

this is actually a large dining area but we are going to convert it to a large craft/sewing room as there is plenty of room just off the kitchen to the right for our dining table and chairs and not to mention the big bar area as well. So this big room will be used as a family crafting station area with nice organized shelves and fun decor.

this is a formal dining room to the left of the kitchen separated by a pocket door. It is large enough to be used for my husband's studio area/business.

Last but not least...the big yard which is 1.29 of an acre.