Mama Called The Doctor...

and the doctor said "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

Actually, no one called the doctor. Though I might have to if I don't soon get better. This stomach bug has been testing my last nerve for days now. I had to cancel a weekend adventure, I can't remember the last time I ate something besides Popsicles and never got sick. The worst part though is feeling like I'm going to get sick when I move even a little bit, and not having the energy to go play with Owen who had a sleepover last night. I can hear him laughing and singing and being awesome downstairs and I'm still bundled up in bed trying to tell my belly it's at peace and is calm so I won't get sick again.

With all this time I've been spending in bed I had the option to either catch a bad case of cabin fever or try to be semi productive to save my sanity. I am so thankful for the internet! I decided to start working on one of my goals for 2012. I researched how to make a raised garden bed, I even found a few tutorial videos that helped clarify some of the directions. I'm really keen on this one particular style of bed, though I'm sure it will cost me a bit more than your basic 4 pieces of wood, but it is only the middle of January yet. I can start saving and splurge a little...right? The picture below is my new inspiration. It actually is a kit that you can order (for a ridiculous amount of money), however I think with some recycled materials, a splash of paint and some ingenuity I could make this bed fit my budget and my style. What do you think of it? It reminds me of The Secret Garden. It's also great for keeping out hungry and curious animals too.

Ok, so I found a raised bed style that I like. I know what kinds of vegetables, fruits and herbs I would like to see growing in my little garden, so the next step is to explore companion planting. I learned this term when my darling friend Cole had a garden plot with Memorial University's community garden last year. I found a neat website that offers charts for companion planting not only for what I intend on planting but for flowers as well. My thumb isn't that green yet though so I'll be focusing on the veggies, fruits and herbs and hope for the best! 

I remember in 2004, a lady I had met gave me some seeds to plant Stargazer Lilies. I love those flowers. At the time I was not a fan of dirt and all the creepy crawlers that played in it (I'm still not, but if I want to grow organically and consume my own produce, then I must learn to be brave!). So I went out one afternoon, designed my flower bed shape, spent hours finding the perfect rocks to frame by bed, dug out the soil, planted the seeds, watered them and waited. I sang to those seeds, I gave them the best TLC I could offer and do you know what happened? The only thing that grew was a TURNIP!! Where did that come from? To this day it remains a mystery. I hope this year I will have better success.

I was going to sign off here and make myself a sandwich and hope for the best, and then my tummy started doing an angry dance. I should go try to settle it down a bit. 

Hope you created yourself a great weekend, and enjoy what's left of it!