a typical sunday in spring

one of my garden plots filled with:

blue curled scotch kale, red russian kale, malaysian dark red eggplant, japanese pickling eggplant, zucchini black beauty, albino bullnose peppers, corno di toro giallo peppers, thai yellow chilli peppers, melrose peppers, atomic red carrots, baby bok choy, calima bush green beans, garlic, potatoes, & clover as a cover crop *all from baker creek heirloom seeds 

potatoes

purple wildflower 

pepper

cilantro 

arugula 

cherry blossom, so beautiful!

can't get enough of this tree...hence all the pictures :) 

yellow daisy 

dogwood tree in the foreground

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I spent the majority of sunday gardening & spending time outside. I got a lot done & finally feel caught up :) This season I decided to purchase all my seeds from baker creek heirloom seed company, as I mentioned in an earlier post, but I wanted to go into a little more detail. Below are all the seeds I ordered. This year for my garden I decided to have two beds because last year the one plot really became a jungle (see here) & I wanted more room to expand as well as have more things. What I will have in bed 1 is listed under the first picture of this post & as for bed 2 I am using the existing swing set on my property. I have removed all the swinging items prepped the area below & will plant tomatoes (san marzano, ananas noire, white tomesol, principe borghese, & delicious) there which I will tie up to the monkey bars once they get big for support. below the tomatoes will be european mesclun salad mix, red romaine, & clover. By the ladder to get up the monkey bars there is Thai white seeded long beans. Below the fort area are telegraph cucumbers & boston pickling cucumbers. Finally, by the rope lattice there are sugar snap peas. I will document this more as things begin to grow so you can get more a visual.
I also planted nasturtium & wild flowers in another flower bed in the yard.
On the deck in pots there is: arugula, basil, cilantro, & parsley.
I'd love to hear about other peoples gardens as well, so feel free to share!

new york city - the high line

This was my first visit to the high line & it was so beautiful! A slice of nature right in the heart of the city. They really did a beautiful job with this, it went above & beyond my expectations & I highly recommend visiting the high line whether you live in the city & haven't gone yet or are visiting. It was a lovely day when we went & as we walked the high line we saw so many beautiful flowers, plants, trees, live music, artists, & yummy food. I love seeing nature being incorporated in the city, especially through re-purposing old elements. I hope they keep adding to the high line & look forward to seeing what comes in the future.

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Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

<3

Seasoned: A Whole Food & Whole Living Quarterly by Cinnamon Girl of Maine

love this artwork!

you can see more about the artists here

I just recently started following Julie's Blog - Cinnamon Girl of Maine & I love it!

In addition, to her blog Julie is also editor-in-chief of Seasoned - A Whole Food & Whole Living Quarterly that supports connections between people, food, and the natural world that surrounds them both. She is believer in food as medicine- especially when it's local, seasonal, and whole & I love what she writes about as well as the life she is leading. The Spring Issue of Seasoned just came out & I can't wait to get mine! Check out her blog & you can order Seasoned here. 

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have a wonderful weekend everyone

<3



a beautiful sunday soaking in the sun

drinking up delicious strawberry milkshakes we made with organic aldens strawberry ice cream, organic frozen strawberries, & grass fed organic heavy cream...he likes to go all out :) 

*p.s. if you had not had aldens organic ice cream before you are missing out, it's our favorite & a must try

<3

from above 

from below

bubbles! 

lone bubble in the grass 

this is Bri my boyfriend Jon's youngest sister 

how adorable :) 

so cute

i'm not going to lie seeing him with her makes me think of him with our own kids one day :) 

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hope everyone had a wonderful sunday!

<3

new york city - the green festival '13

The Green Festival prides it self on being the nations premier sustainability event, and takes place across the country between April & November. The exhibitors are companies that have have passed the Green America screening process for leadership in social and environmental responsibility and have earned the Green America Seal of Approval for their commitment. Focused on business as a tool for positive change, these values-driven, green business leaders are committed to sustainable practices. The event makes for a fun day filled with learning about green businesses, discovering awesome companies & lot's of freebies :) I definitely recommend attending, check the link above to find a show near you. 

Here are some pictures of the NYC Green Festival '13 at the Javits Center... 

This company, nhocchi is adorable! If I had a child money definitely would have been spent here. Adorable animal backpacks, puppets, & other fund toys in beautiful colors. The company strives to create toys made of handwoven fabrics & natural materials instead of plastics. 

Peak Organic Brewing Company 

Poo Poo Paper makes recycled & odorless paper products. Their purpose is to successfully sell  products in order to complete a truly creative and sustainable cycle by using end-cycle raw materials to make a useful and functional product & selling their goods at a profit from which a portion is directed to worthwhile causes that we believe in related to elephant welfare and conservation and the natural environment. Their designs are lovely & elephants are a common theme.

love this vase 

Green Bee 100% electric bikes... i'd love one of these :)

ReFleece is a new kind of felt that is made into ipad, kindle, and phone cases.  The outer charcoal grey layer comes from post-industrial recycled fleece scrap.  The inner colored layer comes directly from a recovered fleece jacket, collected through Patagonia's Common Threads Initiative.   We wash the jackets, then cut them up into squares roughly the size of a case.  The two layers are then put on top of each other and pressed together.  This low energy manufacturing process gives the fleece a new form and a new life. 

Strawsome  is a family-owned and operated Michigan-based green company with a commitment to health and the environment that offers fun, safe, and reusable glass drinking straws to people of all ages - making it easy to go green!  Their straws are all hand-made in our workshop in Michigan and we take pride and care to offer the best products and service possible. So much better & prettier than plastic straws :) 

Flourish Natural Body Care Products are,  "Made in small batches by hand in Vermont.  We pair wholesome raw ingredients and our intoxicating essential oil blends to create our entire line of hair and bodycare products." & I love them! I have been using their lavender mint shampoo & conditioner since I discovered the company in VT last summer. The products smell incredible & I feel good about using them. *There is a link on their homepage for $10 off your next online purchase if you just join their mailing list...definitely worth it. 

These children's clothes were adorable. Knit & hand embroidered with such cute designs.

Theo Chocolate I love you. 

DF Mavens delicious dairy free ice cream. The two samples I tried: Mango & Key Lime Pie were out of this world :) 

Susty Party is awesome they create responsibly made, eco-friendly party supplies and compostable tableware. Parties and events generate the second largest amount of waste in the USA, just behind the construction industry! Susty Party products make parties more sustainable, and sustainability a little more fun plus they're made in the US.

Turmeric - The Elixir of Life combines the age-old turmeric remedy with vibrant herbal formulations that offer an extraordinary healing journey. This innovative sports recovery beverage supports anti-oxidant function and longevity. The transformative power inside our elixirs is for anyone looking to rejuvenate, restore, and reenergize. Plus they support family owned & operated organic farms, source locally, have a LEED certified facility, and power production with sustainable energy.

Maine Blanket beautiful wool blankets that are sustainable & biodegradable. I want one, the colors are incredible plus they are soft & warm...would love to cozy up with one of them. 

SeaSnax their slogan is "strangely addictive" & it couldn't be more accurate because I am addicted! Their nutrient-packed roasted seaweed snacks are delicious plus vegan, gluten free and Non-GMO Project verified. Plus sea vegetables are virtually fat-free, low in calories and one of the richest sources of minerals in the vegetable kingdom as they have ready access to the abundant minerals found in the ocean. The sprinkle ones are sweet, but they are also available in wasabi, chipotle, onion, and plain. I bought a variety pack :) 

Thank you Green Festival it was a wonderful day, see you next year!