Nice weather

This weekend was a really good one. The weather was nice and there was some yard work done.
My in-laws come for the day and helped us cut down a tree in our backyard.
I was able to talk to my mother in law about starting the organic garden. She was a big big help as she already has a really nice garden of her own. She gave me some tips as a new gardener and I just want to get started already. The garden is less of a mess since my father in law used his chain saw to cut down the big weeds, trees and other things that have taken over my garden area. Now all we need to do is get in there and clean it all out. The weather has been fairly nice for a few days in a row, so I hope we can get out before it goes from 50 degrees one day to 85 the next; it has happened before-trust me.
I also talked to my father in law about a compost pile. He is all for it and if I bring it up again, I might be able to get him to build me one! He's very handy and unfortunately my hubby did not inherit that gene!
So far I plan on planting tomatoes, broccoli, squash, pumpkin and peppers in the garden.
Amara is all ready too!

Recipe Review--

I have not done a recipe review in a while. It's from my old stand by of Deceptively Delicious.
I made the Marshmellow Crispy Treats.

I could not locate the "secret" ingredient of brown rice cereal though. I just used the regular Rice Krispie cereal.
The other odd ingredient was flax meal which I already had on hand. These treats tasted just as good as I remember. Matt and Amara agree.

Nonstick cooking spray
1 tbs trans-fat free soft margarine spread
1( 10 oz) package of mini marshmallows
6 cups crisp brown rice cereal
1/4 cup flaxseed meal

1- coat an 8 inch baking pan with cooking spray
2-Melt margarine in large pot over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until melted. Remove the pan from the heat.
3-Add cereal and flaxseed, and stir until rice is well coated with marshmallow. Press mixture into the baking dish and let cool before cutting into squares.

makes 8 large squares

Snow and rain..where's the sunshine?

I had hoped to work in the future garden this past weekend, but the snow and rain showers kept me inside all day. Kind of a bummer, but I cannot control the weather. I would actually like to get in there before it gets too hot, but who am I kidding? This is Michigan...it might be 75 degrees tomorrow!
I am feeling confident about getting this garden going! Matt asked about it and I am hoping he will be getting in there to clean it out so we can get started. I have enlisted help from some people too. The next step is to call my mother in law to get her help as well. She already has a nice organic garden at her home that I admire. If done correctly, this garden can save us a lot of money this spring and summer on vegetables! I am all about saving money.

The Garden

I am trying to figure out how to tackle the mess that will hopefully soon be my garden. There is so much junk in the fenced in area that I don't know where to begin!
I also want to get it cleaned out before it gets too warm ( it's only 50 degrees right now) and before the bees become to plentiful. I also need to find out how I can get a rototiller or if any of my friends have one I ( my husband) can borrow.
I have lots to put on my To Do List!
I might have to put the compost pile on the bottom of the list and try to do one thing at a time. I sometimes get overly ambitious and end up getting nothing accomplished. So one step at a time this year.
I think the garden will be a fun activity that Amara and I can do together and she might even be more willing to eat a more variety of veggies if she knows she had a part in growing them. That's my hope anyway!

The Garden