Valerie's Workshop

Having four people living in one house we seem to have a constant stack of mail on the kitchen table that needs sorting. Well, we used to have a stack ...   ... now we have this! Last week was pretty laid back at our house, with few responsibilities taking me away from home, so I decided to build a mail sorting station. After a half hour of sketching and determining cut sizes I was ready for a trip to the hardware store to pick up a few pieces of hardware and some plywood. I got home from the store at noon; by 3pm the unit was assembled. Once assembled the entire surface was coated with stain (stain color name: driftwood) and two hooks were attached after the stain dried.  The next morning I brought it inside, hung it and was able to clear the table instantly. Everyone gets their own cubbie, a spot to hang their keys, and theirs even a little shelf to display some of my favorite bud vases. It's so nice to be able to grab the mail, walk in the door, toss it in a basket, and hav

Well, I am proud to announce it's officially in the works! After months of reading, planning and reading some more our vegetable garden has been started. The garden plot was sectioned out in the back yard, seeds were purchased from Johannsen's Greenhouse and a few lucky seeds made their way into the soil of a starter tray. I have to admit, throughout the years I've become a bit of a produce snob. No, better yet, I've begun to realize and appreciate the advantages of locally grown, organic produce. There is something so special about biting into a sun-warmed tomato plucked from the vine in your garden or mincing a clove of garlic you harvested at the CSA farm. In the past few years, tomatoes are just about the only vegetable I've been able to grow for myself in my yard-less city apartments. Well, as it turns out, my housing has changed to my advantage and I now have a rather nice sized back yard in which to start a garden. (At this point I would be remiss if I di