Monday, May 8, 2017

Herb Garden Tricks

The last few years Mike and I have felt like our once green thumbs turned black and we’ve had to educate ourselves on gardening and the type of soil we have here in coastal Carolina. This year will be our third year using our raised garden beds. We are die hard tomato lovers and the last two years all of our tomato plants died due to a horrible storm one year and those large green worms the second year. We just purchased all our garden plants a few weeks ago and I’ve been studying new ways to keep our garden healthy and protected from all those crazy elements including planting sacrificial dill.

I’m also super excited we found a couple citrus trees this spring. I’ve always wanted a few and we planted one lemon and one lime in simple terra-cotta pots for our back patio. They’ve been blooming the last few weeks and just this morning I spotted several teeny tiny little fruits growing! Ah, I can’t wait!

We may struggle with our large garden, but we always seem to do well with our herb garden. Last year Mike used some leftover scrap wood and created a wall garden on the fence. We’re planning to rebuild it when we finalize our patio plans so we can incorporate it into our dining space. We want something a little more modern and a little less shabby. We also use herbs a lot so building a larger garden will allow more space for the plants to grow. For now I’m planting all our herbs in pots to make an easier transition when we transplant them. After learning a few nifty tricks our herbs grow very well and here’s our Dos and Don’ts as to why it seems to flourish the way it does.

1. Do spread them out. Herbs need plenty of space to grow. Keep it simple and leave three inches or so between each plant in a container. This will allow enough room for the plant to spread and grow as needed and it gives them room to breathe.

2. Don’t mix mint. Certain herbs should not be together. Mint should never be planted with other herbs and it HAS to be contained because it LOVES to spread. Planting mint in a box or pot alone is best.

3. Do plant what you use. Herbs are great to plant, but if you’re not going to use them they can quickly go to seed and be done. Basil is one to flower and turn woody which shortens the life of the plant.

4. Don’t trim too much. The rule of thumb is to only trim no more than 1/3 of your plant every time you go to use it. Trimming too much will shorten the life of the herb. If you love to use one herb more than others, plant it in its own large pot so you have an abundance all summer long.

5. Do plant flowers. Bugs and insects like bees love and need to pollinate the herbs, especially lavender. Planting flowers near your herb garden will attract everything you need for good pollination.

As for planters and pots, I love mixing different sizes and shapes, but keeping it simple in color. I love white because it really makes the greenery pop. My favorite pots are still the few we picked up from IKEA eight years ago (similar here). They’re simple and modern with texture. I can pair them with about anything and they always look beautiful. I also love the simplicity of the concrete planters from Target this year.

Bedding Design Balance

In the last month Mike and I have begun focusing on the design of the kids’ room. The girls (will soon) share a room and Finn has his own. When it comes to designing a space I’m terrible about making decisions because I’m constantly changing my mind. I know it drives Mike crazy, but he has so much patience and he’s so good to my indecisive mind. I’ve shared design idea boards in the past for the girls’ shared room and even the playroom, but I have yet to have a solid design in any specific room mostly due to budget. In recent months Kensi has been asking us to redo her room and we really couldn’t argue because there wasn’t much going on in there since we’ve moved the kids from bedroom to bedroom trying to figure out the best function for our family. Once that was settled we could start brainstorming the design of each room.

Mike and I don’t like characters splashed on furniture, clothes or bedding. I know some may think we’re depriving our kids, but when they own their own space they can do with it what they want. We allow our kids to fill their character needs with pajamas, coloring books, stickers, figurines and plush toys. This is a good balance for us because the kids can love and play with their toys and Mike and I can put them all away in their designated home. When it comes to bedding, we choose simple, neutral pieces that can be paired with fun colors and patterns but still keep everything clean and simple. Kids change their minds all the time and too quickly for us to drop money on character bedding, but there are several stores and companies that are constantly stepping up the bedding game and making the perfect sets for this type of balance.

If we gave Kensi the reigns to completely design her space it would look like the Disney channel threw up everywhere. There would be stacks of Highlights and American Girl Doll catalogs, paper and sticker sheets hiding under every possible surface along with piles of who knows what that piece or toy came from as she’s kind of our little hoarder. Much like me when I was little. Fortunately, I’ve become quite the purger and we’re slowly teaching Kensi the same habits. As for her room, she would have it filled with all the bright colors of the rainbow and every princess character her little heart desires. I like things to be very clean and simple which can be a struggle when trying to make her own space. But where there is a will, there is a way.

In the girls’ rooms we went with the famous simple Jenny Lind style bed. We originally bought our crib for Kensi in this style, later found a spindle styled bed from an antique store. White may seem boring and plain, but it’s neutral and will go with anything we pair with it. As for the bedding Kensi asked for pink and there are so many beautiful pink comforters and duvets on the market today. A solid comforter is perfect for pairing with multiple different sheet sets whether it be black and white or a fun pattern full of color. I especially love The Land of Nod, Pottery Barn Kids and Teen for our bedding basics because pieces can be purchased individually like the rainbow pillowcase. There’s no need to purchase an entire sheet set and it’s perfect for mixing and matching. They also have the best accent pillows that can be changed out with each season!

In Finn’s room we went a little more modern with his convertible toddler bed. I love the two tone design. His bedding is very simple with bold black and white patterns a few pops of color. I found this geo accent pillow at Target last year on sale. He loves having his own space with his things all together, but he needs a little more color. We think he’s going to be our little traditionalist because he loves a routine and always does the same thing each night. He always keeps his books close and when he goes to bed we can hear him dropping the books one by one when he’s done down to the floor. Finnley is tall and he’s nearly at the point where his toes can touch the end of his bed when he’s laying on his pillow. We’re getting ready to switch him over to a big boy bed and I’m so excited to style it!

We still have a ways to go with pulling the rest of the rooms together, but I can’t wait to share more as we get a little further in the process!

\\ Sources \\

Bed | Antique, but similar here.
Duvet Cover | Land of Nod
Star Sheets | Pottery Barn Teen (Discontinued)
Rainbow Pillowcase | Land of Nod
Star Pillow | Land of Nod
Plush Unicorn Doll | Pillowfort at Target

Convertible Toddler Bed | The Honest Company
Fitted Cloud Sheet | The Land of Nod
Coolest Kid Pillowcase | Pillowfort at Target
Geo Pillow | Target (Discontinued)

Date Night : Popcorn Frenzy

Our weekend was jam packed full of fun with our friends and kiddos and it left us exhausted. We called our Friday night out with friends out date night for the week even though we had Olivia. We went out to celebrate a birthday at one of our favorite restaurants, known mostly for it’s incredible views of the ocean. We love having our own dates, but it’s also very healthy to be able to go out with friends and interact with others which is also something we don’t make enough time for.

During the outage, Mike and I weren’t able to have a date every week because there was no time and even if there was we were wiped out! To make up for it we plan to squeeze in a few during the week after the kiddos go to bed. We did just that on Tuesday and settled in on the couch to catch up on our favorite shows and decided to have fun making some creative mixes for our popcorn.

I am a popcorn addict. I love snacking on it all the time and I can crave it in the middle of the night. Thankfully I have a husband who is happy to make it for us every time we settle in on the couch for a good movie. We always pop our own in order to dress it however we wish, but it’s almost always simple and very basic. Mike loves his popcorn drizzled with olive oil and lightly salted and I’m a traditional butter lover.

We tried a few flavor combinations just to mix it up this time. Not only was it fun and creative, but we also discovered a few new versions we love. Popcorn flavor combinations are completely endless and it’s so much fun mixing and matching traditional and nontraditional flavors for something completely different! I hope you try one or more of these and enjoy them as much as we did. Our favorite was the buffalo style!

Buffalo Style

6 cups popped popcorn

2 teaspoons hot wing sauce

2 teaspoons melted butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

Cilantro Lime

6 cups popped popcorn

1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

4 teaspoons grapeseed oil

2 drops lime essential oil

zest of 1 lime

1/4 teaspoon salt

Italian Parmesan

6 cups popped popcorn

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

3 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon italian seasoning

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Our Weekend in Photos

This weekend was top-notch and summer like. Our weather was incredible and our days were spent outside soaking up the sunshine, hitting the beach and keeping cool in the sprinklers. The babes all woke up bright and early Saturday morning pushing us to start our day around 6am. They’ve been early risers this past week and we took advantage getting out of the house before eight by heading to our favorite donut shop. Kensi and Finn always get sprinkles on their donuts and mix it up by adding either strawberry, blueberry or chocolate icing.

Afterwards Kensi requested to find some seashells and so we headed to the beach. It was low tide and the sand was covered in shells which of thrilled Kensi. Finnley found two broken clam shells and quickly turned them into cars, pushing them through his sand race track. The water was still pretty cold, but it didn’t keep any of us from not dipping our toes in.

We spent the rest of our afternoon in the backyard working on the landscaping and having too much fun playing on the slip n slide. The kids have been loving all the backyard water play lately and I know they’re going to be disappointment this coming weekend since it’s suppose to be cooler and all the water will be off limits. However, I think it’s safe to say we’re ready for summer!