How to Build Raised Planter Beds

Objective: build 2 eight foot by three foot raised planter beds 

Materials:

3 8′ redwood 4×4s

4 12′ redwood 2×6s 

24 3″ lag screws and washers

2 12′x26″ sheets of galvanized corrugated metal and a box of  metal to wood screws with sealing washers

Tools: drill, bits (including socket bits), shovel, angle grinder with metal cutting wheel, saw (we used a miter saw), pencil, tape measure

    

 

 

 

 

 Here is a location for one of the beds. 

 

 

 

Cut list: 

12 2′ 4×4 redwood              4 8′ 2×6 redwood              4 3′ 2×6 rewood         4   7′8″ x 13″ galvanized        

4 32″x13″ galvanized

Use the saw to cut the wood and the grinder to cut the metal. 

Steps: 

1. More to come soon! 

 

 

 

 

            

Soupper Supper

      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This past weekend, we had the honor of having 23 people over for dinner! It was a soup potluck and friends brought delicious thai chicken soup, lentil soup, chicken tortilla soup, and minestrone. It was such a beautiful evening of fellowship, prayer and worship. Plus, I have been sick for more than a week so I am so thankful to the Laurie and Phil for helping out so much! Dono lead a great worship and guided everybody to focus on praise and thanks, especially that the truest way to respond to to God in praise is by serving His people.

Thanks everybody for coming! It was just great.

Pho-tastic!

 

  Yesterday my wonderful husband made us pho for lunch. For those of you who are not familiar with pho, it is a vietnamese noodle soup, typically served with beef, though we had it with chicken Phil has been researching some pho recipes and came across this one. 

The best thing about this soup is it completely satisfies the craving for chicken noodle soup with a lot more flavor. The stock is simmered with ginger, star of anise (haha, anise) and cinnamon. But then the condiments are where it is really at: lime wedges, cilantro, basil, hoisin sauce, sriracha (thai red chili paste), and bean sprouts. Each person can add in various measures of each and every condiment and then proceeds to slurp down the piping hot soup. 

One of the most pho-n things about sitting down to a lovely meal of pho is thinking up a pho-ew pho-tastic puns. Pho-nomenal!

Tiny, but mighty.

Some hotels are cool.

Phil and I have found that with a little planning when traveling, it is possible to find some great deals that will completely beat the normal big chain hotel experience. The first time we ever did this was in Austin, TX. We had read about a place called the Hotel San Jose and so after a very unsatisfying stay at the Red Roof Inn, we headed across town to the Hotel San Jose. It was awesome! Plus we had a great time with our friends the Griffins. This time we stayed for a night at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs. It was great! We eve got an idea for putting up a seasonal screen door over our french door to our back yard. Plus we got to have a great dinner with Joyce, Phil’s mom and then lounge around in front of the outdoor fireplaces and jump in the hot tub. Despite the cool look and and beautiful surroundings, this was a very reasonably priced adventure. If Phil and I do it, you know it can’t be too pricey. So for any of your SoCal folks who need a night or two away from home and work, I highly recommend Ace Hotel, Palm Springs.  

                

Multiplying like…

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

On Saturday I got together with a few friends at our church and did some sewing. We made bunnies from a free pattern. My friend Katie found it at a really cool website about sewing and hand-making things. We cranked out moren than 10 bunnies in one morning. What a good day! I can’t wait to make this pattern again one day soon.

We grow our own food?

I started the veggie garden today. Above are all my seeds planted in little cups in order to allow them to  sprout. This took way less time than I thought it would to plant all these. I did it in my kitchen this afternoon. I put them in the little nook off our kitchen because it get a lot of sun and it is pretty warm. The crazy thing is that there was a ton of snow on the ground all day! 

   Here are the seeds that I planted today: tomatoes, peppers, lavender, marigolds. Hopefully the marigolds will help keep the bugs away from my tomatoes. Next weekend I will plant some more seeds and I will show you what I am up to and in a few weeks, I will finally get to start planting outside. Phil and I are currently working on plans for a raised planter bed for the back. More on that soon!

Spring is here!

    

So I guess I developed a brief allergy to blogging. It was not personal. I swear. We even did some fun things – like go to California for Thanksgiving and Christmas. 2009 started after a great shindig with the Williamsons and the Griffins. I had a student teacher for the first time. That was pretty great because he was super helpful and really nice. Meanwhile, Phil was working way too hard volunteering to get the sets done for his school’s play. Too much work = grumpy Rowlands. Not nearly as much fun as Dirty Rowlands. 

March rolled around and I started the final term of the year at work. The play at Phil’s work ended. And we got some time back. Yay! We got back from California last Friday. We got to hang out with the Koehlers for four nights! It was so great to see them and relax and crack jokes. They have been really busy lately too, but they seem to be turning a new corner, sort of entering a new season of life. 

In a sense, that is kind of how Phil and I feel considering, despite the blizzard today (photos above), spring really is here. In fact, last weekend, I spent a ton of time outside in the garden, pruning, raking and tidying things up for the bloom of spring. You can tell I was really productive because: 

  I got to work in the dirt and start to build up my sandal tan again. 

So underneath all that snow, my tulips are getting watered and hopefully I will be able to post some photos of them in just a few weeks.

Growing veggies anyone?

Hi there everyone! 

I am going to try to grow a veggie garden this year. What do you all think? Any advice? 

Thanks! 

Sarah

Merry Christmas!

I know, I know. I am late. That holiday was almost two weeks ago! The good news is that my Christmas cards were not late. By the way, if you think you should have gotten one from us and you didn’t, then you should call me or at least leave a comment on this post. Unless I really don’t know you, don’t leave a comment, that is just creepy. Here are some photos from the Rowland Christmas in Colorado. 

            

Above we have the Rowland tree and gifts. Being the magnanimous wife that I am, I got Phil a thickness planer. Note to anyone purchasing a thickness planer – get someone to help you, those things are hea–vy!  Meatball was guarding the tree from Smudge – who is that blurry bottom right corner of the photo. We definitely have had some cold, frosty mornings here – that was my windshield , from the inside. And last but not least: baby Jesus, who was mysteriously relocated while we were in California…

     Also, during an unusually blustery night, a stuffed Santa Bear blew into our yard while we were gone. That is right folks. While we were gone, Santa came to stay.