Rustic and Austere

Gardening on a dime?   
Want to give your garden some flare?
I DO!

    I wanted to save money and make my garden my own, which is what lead me to this project. My husband and I bought these long garden planters for our previous apartment garden. This year, we are on a different budget which has made us more resourceful and creative. After some discussion and shopping around we almost decided to skip on the expense of using our planters. Replacing the coconut liners would have cost just over $30 and we were definitely not up for spending that much. Then it hit me! What is listed on Craigslist frequently and cheap?! Used coffee bags of course!

    Yes! Now our garden was given a second chance. For $10 we bought 15 coffee bags which are now lining our planters (the extra bags might be turned into cushions for our Adirondack chairs! ). These burlap bags are made out of a jute, which is a very strong plant fiber used around the world second only to cotton. I love how affordable they are and often found decorated with colorful designs and text, adding even more flare to your yard! To top it off....they are compostable! I hope you find this project easy and fun! Let me know what you think and if it's something you could do with your family! Happy Gardening!

  Step 1: Lay bag flat on ground, fold in half and cut down middle of folded edge. 

Step 2: Line planters with bag, use both halves in each planter, making sure to have the open ends of the bag at opposite ends of the planter. This will ensure that the soil will not leak out of the ends of the planters. In this image I am am placing the second half of the bag in the planter and folding and rolling the edges of the bag over the edges of the planter.

Step 3: Add soil to lined planters. I purposely exposed the green threading and purple text because I like the color and print. When adding the soil, make sure you press the soil down so that is lightly compacted and only fill the basket about 2 inches from the top of the planters to leave room for watering. If you fill it too full, the water will spill over the edges and your plants will miss out on sustenance, not mention some soil is bound to spill over with the water!

Step 4: Plant and Enjoy! This is my favorite part of the whole experience! Many of these plants we found in packages of 6 for only 88 cents! Seriously! The catch is they are starts (very young plants), but I think it will only add to my enjoyment because I will get to watch them grow. I also chose species that would fill in large areas, so that I would get more bang for my buck. I made each planter different to add variety and texture to my garden. In this image center stage are Pink Mums, which mean a lot to my husband because they are his Mom's favorite flower.

Portland Japanese Garden

Billie took me on date yesterday! First I commissioned a doggy sitter, then I took the Max into downtown Portland for my date adventure. We met up at the Goose Hollow stop and began our date. We decided to take the scenic route and walked through a beautiful neighbor hood with million dollar homes, then through the International Rose Test Garden and  reached the Portland Japanese Garden. In memory of those affected by the earthquakes and tsunami, a memorial was erected at the entrance of the garden. It was a sobering reminder of so many who are in pain and discomfort in Japan. My prayers and heart is with them all.

We entered the garden and found ourselves taking in a beautiful view of Downtown Portland. It was a typical overcast day, but we still had good visibility. I appreciated how well the view was framed by the trees on either side of this outlook.

Each of the paths in the garden have something unique about them. This path was lined with strips of bamboo punched into the ground in half-circle shapes. I thought this was a clever and inexpensive way to define a path.

This is a beautiful tree that Billie was looking at in the background of the image above. These trees are common in Portland. It is not traditional to label the types of plants in a Japanese garden, so Portland Japanese Garden has opted out as well but they do offer a plant guide that you can buy in the gift store. We chose to not buy a plant guide, so instead I tried to research the name of this type of tree. The best guess I have for the moment is a Japanese Maple.

I thought this was interesting...these trees in the garden were surrounded by this darker green ground cover. It was the only place I've ever seen this. It was striking to see the stark contrast of the light green moss and this dark green growth.

Here is another example of how distinctive the pathways are in the garden. It takes great skill to create something that is asymmetrical yet balanced at the same time. Isn't it beautiful how they contrast the different textures as well? I hope to re-create this in my garden someday!

During our walk we entered a Zen Garden. This style of garden is inspired by Zen Buddhism and originally found in Zen temples of meditation in Japan. These gardens are meant to change with the seasons and constantly sculpted throughout the year.

Exiting the garden we spent some time admiring this large pond full of Japanese influences, a bridge and the music of frogs croaking away.This was a great way to spend the early evening! Billie is so thoughtful about how he plans our date nights. We plan on coming back time and time again to see the garden throughout the changing seasons.

After we left the garden we had dinner at Deschutes Brewery. We tried their orange cream ale and the Black Butte Porter. They have very tasty happy hour specials too. We don't recommend their rock fish entree. They also offer a gluten free menu which is ever more popular in the Portland area. From here, we went to the largest privately owned book store in the world called, Powell's City Books. This store holds more than a million new and used books, the store takes up an entire block and their shelves almost reach the ceiling! They have employees all around the store who are always pleased to help you find just what you are looking for. During our visit I was introduced to and fell in love with several cookbooks. Cookbooks are becoming an addiction for me! Now I know the perfect place to indulge in my new obsession.

Overall, we had a wonderful evening spending time together and discovering new places. Portland is packed with parks and exciting places to discover. I don't think we will ever run out of things to do in our new home!

Zuppa Di Cippola

This is the dish that started it all for me, Lidia's Italian Onion Soup. My husband did not like it as much as I did, but it was the first dinner I made in Oregon from scratch. I watched Lidia make this on her cooking show, Lidia's Italy. I am in love with how simple her recipes are and how good they taste. The other part of this dish I liked was that it was a tomato based onion soup, instead of a beef broth base onion soup. I don't eat red meat and I also avoid beef broth, so this was the perfect alternative! If you decide to make it, let me know if you enjoyed it as much as I did!

Here is a link to the recipe: http://www.lidiasitaly.com/recipes/detail/635

Hello

So I got inspired to start a blog. Yes! A blog! I never thought I would be interested in doing such a thing but things changed. Since my move to Oregon my life has made a 180 degree turn. In the past I have always worked full-time and/or gone to school full-time. For the first time since I was a teenager I am unemployed, able to focus on one thing at a time and beginning to feel truly centered. Now, my life consists of school and being a housewife. Something I never imagined. A housewife...me?! This is due to the Grace of God and the blessing of my husband, who has been encouraging this! I've never been happier.

My husband and I moved to Oregon from the Sonoran Desert to pursue our educational goals and for a better quality of life. In the desert we were making what we thought was a good living, paying off debt (school loans,credit cards, cars), going out to eat, always behind on sleep, a bit heavier and always had more laundry than we could keep up with. Now our income has been cut in half, yes HALF, we eat home cooked meals (hitting up the occasional Happy Hour at our new watering hole), do some gardening (ok that is an understatement), walk our dog almost everyday, dropped a few pounds, sleep better, talk more, flirt more and generally laugh more. The only thing that hasn't changed as much...we still have the perpetual laundry pile. BUT! It doesn't bother us like it used to.

All of this has lead to me discovering more about myself and the world I live in. I've realized how much I love sharing my life with others and how much others inspire me and give back without even knowing it. No one knows how much time God is going to give us. More and more recently I have become aware of how quickly life can change and how much of a difference one person can make. I have decided that by being more open, by sharing more, I can become evermore interconnected with my friends, family and our earth. So! Let's see where it takes us!