Best Gardening Book EVER

The title might exaggerate a little - but this is the best gardening book I've ever read.

I never had an interest in gardening outdoors, but this year I am determined to have a flower garden so I can cut flowers and bring them in to enjoy as bouquets.

But, as a total novice, I haven't been sure where to start or what to do. That's why the below book has been so revolutionary for me!


Month by Month Gardening in Tennessee and Kentucky has everything you need to know if you live and garden in one of these wonderful states. The book is divided ingeniously by types of plants - houseplants, veggies, shrubs, roses, etc and then further divided by each month. The chapters detail what you should be doing each month for your plants - from fertilizing to dividing to mulching, etc. It's super easy to understand - there's even a glossary in the back. (The first time I read a gardening book and it talked about "deadheading" but didn't explain what it was...I was so confused!)

The author is super relatable and very down-to-earth. I have a love/hate relationship with Martha because she is the queen of everything, but her gardening books go way over my head. Not so with this book - everything is explained so well.

If you don't live in KY or TN, I would recommend googling to see if a similar book exists for your area. It's so helpful to get specific advice for your zone - especially when it so clearly tells you what you should be doing based on the month!

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Songs of Heartbreak and Redemption: Jason Isbell on PBS Live at Lincoln Center Tonight

Do you all love Jason Isbell? If you don't...you should! I mean, he's really really good and tonight PBS is showing his Live at Lincoln Center concert at 9 eastern. 

Get a taste of his music below with a 15 min concert at Garden & Gun. (Speaking of G&G - this magazine keeps showing up everywhere - I feel like I need to read it but the name turns me off - but it's just so SOUTHERN and classy, I feel like I need it.)


Enjoy!

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Need to get film developed? (Plus - happy surprise!)

We found 20+ rolls of undeveloped film at Andy's dad's house. We had NO idea what was on them, but I knew I had to find out.

I started googling where to get film developed since you can no longer just walk into any store and get it done. (Side note: have you ever been to the Honey I Shrunk The Kids playground at Disneyworld? There's a giant roll of 35mm film and a few years ago I overheard a mom trying to explain what it was to her 4 year old. Kids are going to be increasingly confused by all our old technology!)

Anyhoo, I found a ton of places that will develop for $10 a roll - pretty steep when you have SO many to work through.

Then I found mpix.com - they offer lots of photo services but the one I'm most interested in, of course, is film development. Here's how it works:

You request mailers from them and an envelope of 3 mail-able bags show up at your house. You put one roll of film (or even a disposable camera) in each mailer and mail it back - postage is free both ways! Within 24 hours of receiving your film, they email you and let you know your photos have been scanned. You then pay 19 cents per photo to "unlock" your photos and see them.

At that point, you can browse through the gallery and order prints or you can do what we're going to do - wait til they're all scanned and order a DVD of photos.

So, I mailed my film on Friday and got an email Monday night that said my photos were ready. There were only 23 and I was disappointed that out of 3 rolls, only that many photos turned out. They were from the 90s when Andy's brother was a college cheerleader. Lots of photos of him being a boss and holding girls up!

I had been hoping for childhood photos, though, so I was a little disappointed. (No offense to Michael, I was impressed by his cheerleading photos! I just really wanted to see baby Michael and baby Andy!)

Then yesterday, I received another email- more photos were ready! WOO! I was so pleasantly surprised that more had turned out.

I was even MORE pleasantly surprised when I saw the photos were from a 1980s childhood trip to Disneyworld. This is like GOLD.

 Andy holds on tight to Michael!

Andy meets Winnie the Pooh!

I was giddy all day. Vintage Disney is the best - and people you LOVE at Disney in the 80s? The absolute best.

I'm super pleased and ordered many more mailers so I can get these rolls of film developed even faster. I also was able to bring home his old Minolta SLR camera - I haven't shot on film in forever but I'd love to play around again - I took a few photography classes in high school and college and loved it. 

So, one note - since the film is majorly expired - the development is off and the photos were tinted purple. My incredible friend Emily helped us out and restored these photos for us in Photoshop. She's the best and they make me super happy!

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Well..

I've been quiet.

There's no easy way to say it. Two months ago, we lost Andy's dad. It's still incredibly hard to believe and painful and it doesn't feel real.

I've been cocooning. I've been a hermit and I've been throwing myself into trying to create beauty around us. When things feel so hard and sad, I like the reminders that life can be beautiful.

I'm no uber-Pollyanna, but I do try to find the positives in most situations. Even in such a hard time, I try to focus on the good. We've been able to spend so much time with Andy's family and hear so many stories and go through so many old photos. I've found some favorite family photos that have really made me smile. My absolute favorite is one of Andy's dad when he was about 3 years old.

It's so joyful. I made a copy and had it printed and it's in our living room now. It makes me smile.

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Movie Recommendation: Austenland

We've had a really hard month, so I've been on the lookout for things to make me smile - open windows, new plants, cute movies, and new books. I probably shouldn't be trying to fill the hole in my heart with these things, but it really does make me feel better to focus on beautiful things.

I recently rented Austenland from Redbox and watched it...then watched it again... and maybe again! I loved it. I'm a sucker for cheesy Jane Austen-y movies.

Watch the trailer:


It was adorable. Surprisingly funny and romantic. If you love Jane Austen things and cheesiness, you'll love it!

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Recipe Recommendation: Cake Mix Cookies

I wanted to bake something delicious to take to the Super Bowl party we went to, but I didn't feel like making something completely from scratch. In our cupboard, I had yellow cake mix but didn't think a cake or cupcakes would go over well - they're not easy finger food - cupcakes are too messy!

So, I googled "things to do with cake mix" and came across all kinds of cookie ideas. One in particular stood out to me - Betty Crocker's chocolate chip cookies made from a cake mix.

A box of yellow cake mix, some milk, butter, vanilla, eggs, chocolate chips, and voila - you have chocolate chip cookies. Oh - and salt. I always salt my chocolate chip cookies when they're fresh from the oven. It gives them a little something extra!

When we tasted these cookies straight out of the oven, we were both unimpressed. BUT, when I took them to the party hours later, they were delicious. I guess they needed to settle down some! Everyone raved over them and when they were gone, there were lots of sad faces.

I found that the recipe made about 4 dozen cookies.

Enjoy!!

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Online Book Shopping: Better World Books

I honestly feel completely unmotivated to take and edit photos for blogs, so I'm just going to keep sharing favorite websites with you, is that cool? I hope so!


Better World Books is THE best place to buy books online. I placed my first order with them in 2008 and I consistently turn to BWB any time I buy a book online. They sell both used and new books and the used books are sold at insanely great prices. You can often find books in the $3-$4 range and shipping is free. FREE shipping!

The only catch is that shipping does take QUITE a while, so if you're on a deadline, it's not the best option. However, if you're looking for books to leisurely arrive on your doorstep, it is the best option for online book shopping.

The coolest part? The money you pay for books goes to literacy programs around the world. They've raised over 15 million dollars for literacy programs and libraries around the world.

Love them and highly recommend them! This post is all on my own - no compensation whatsoever from BWB!

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