feb?

it's hard for me to believe that february is already here. the months just seem to speed by... but i am reminded by all the overwhelming red, pink and white posts that valentine's day will soon be upon us. d and i usually try to do something special. last year we ate out the night before (which, apparently, everyone else did as well) and exchanged sweet notes to each other. this year, i was given explicit instructions to find some jewelry that i adored. well, i did.

these rings by lilypottery have always caught my eye. now, what color?

i have seen several fingerprint necklaces show up lately, but this little one is so cute.

by janeswearjewelry

this little acorn necklace is really sweet. by tigerlillyshop

i really love this necklace too. i'm not normally a gold fan, but this is just beautiful.

by huismus

now that i look back on these, most of them have already been purchased (shucks!) but, after thinking about some of the resolutions i'd made, i decided to ask for something a little more practical. so, i asked for park seed's biodome seed starter.

now, i've already received it, along with an extra bag of their bio sponges and a variety of seeds. i can't wait to try it out, but of course, i'll have to wait a few more weeks so the plants won't be ready too early. i know this sounds like a strange v-day present, but let's be practical... do i really need another piece of jewelry? i think this will come in very useful in my efforts to grow our own veggies.

i'll try to keep the blog updated on when i sow the seeds and transplant them outside. i'm also keeping an excel spreadsheet of everything i'm going to grow. i know, i'm such a nerd. i'm planning on growing tomatoes (2 varieties), green beans, cucumbers, cantaloupe, basil and squash. i am also thinking about lettuce, radishes, and a few other herbs... i'll just need to see how much space we've got to do this. the beans are a bush variety, so that will help. we are also planning on growing the cucumbers up a trellis to save space and keep them away from bugs.

anyone have any tips on growing any of these? i didn't do so well last year, but i'm taking a different approach this time around...