Zone 4a and this will be my fifth year doing this. I start around new years, typically with hardy perennials in my zone, shurbs/trees and seeds that i don't really care about (e.g. old seeds). I typically wait until late February to start putting out a lot of my annuals, and I leave the following til the end of march or early april: zinnias sunflowers ornamental millet abutilon dolichos lablab morning glories 4 o'clocks cosmos and pretty much anyhting tropical in origin Most of these will sprout if sown earlier, but their foliage is sufficiently tender that I lose them in the cold nights we have earlier in the winter/spring. If I wait til then, they typically don't pop til mid april or later and i typically don't have to worry about the seedlings freezing then.

Another great idea for kids!! Thanks! My grandkids are too old. Oh well!GF has 2 young ones so will love it!! Jan

I make about 75 Amish Dinner Rolls every year to take to a huge Thanksgiving dinner. Photos can been seen and a repeat of this recipe here: http://community.livejournal.com/bakebakebake/1573919.html I use 2tsps. of regular table salt in this recipe instead of the 1-1/2 tsp. that recipe calls for. I'm thinking this recipe uses salted butter, and if that's the case don't add more. I use unsalted. I've tried it both ways and 1/2 more salt is better. (rule of thumb is 1/2 tsp. per cup of flour for bread) I start out in the Kitchenaid and finish on counter...it get's too sticky in Kitchenaid and easier to finish by hand adding more flour It will still be sticky dough though. I make double batches. I weigh the dough and divide by 15 then weigh each roll. (They touch and pull apart when done) I let the dough rise for about an hour, covered with buttered or Pam sprayed Saran wrap and refrigerate overnight to rise the rest of the way. (butter the bowl first, flip the dough butter side up, etc. to keep from drying) After about 4 hours in fridge or when the dough has finished doubling, I gently secure the wrap to sit on the dough to prevent drying out. Note: If I were using a bread machine I would remove the dough as soon as it's done kneading and place in buttered bowl to rise ( for an hour if going into fridge to rise the rest of the way) Refrigerating the dough adds flavor and also makes them easier to shape because they are sticky. Next day I shape them. Dip your hand in flour and shake off excess to form rolls. Place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment, and let them freeze solid, (covered with sprayed Saran Wrap), then put them in a gallon freezer bag. Thanksgiving day I take them out of the freezer about 5 or 6 hours before dinner. Depending on room temp, they will take 4 to 5 hours to thaw and do a second rise. Place frozen rolls in appropriate pan, brush with melted butter, cover with Saran wrap to rise. (No need to spray the wrap with buttered rolls) Make sure and remove them from pan after baking or they will get soggy on bottom. I try to take the whole connected batch out and let them cool whole on a rack. They won't dry out that way.... I'm always stuck bringing the rolls now. They inhale them! Oh, I cook the potatoes in the microwave covered with a cup of water, then I use the potato water for the recipe. I run them through a ricer. I just use Idaho. I use a 9 by 13 inch baking pan (buttered) because I like the sides to stick together and not form a crust. They are like Grandma used to make looking just like the photo on the link above. I hope someone enjoys! :) Here's the recipe: Theme Post: Amish Dinner Rolls These dinner rolls literally melt in your mouth. The secret is the mashed potatoes, which add starch, but don't make them the least bit dry. 2 eggs 1/3 cup (2 1/2 ounces) sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) butter 1 cup (7 1/4 ounces) unseasoned mashed potatoes, lightly packed* 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast 3/4 cup water (potato water, if possible) 4 1/4 cups (18 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour *1 medium-to-large baking potato will yield 8 ounces of mashed potato. Manual/Mixer Method: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients, and mix until the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased or floured surface, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it's smooth and shiny. Or knead it in a mixer, using the dough hook. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or rising bucket, turn to coat, cover the container with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise till it's doubled in bulk, about 90 minutes. Bread Machine Method: Place all the ingredients into the pan of your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer (usually, liquids first, yeast last). Program the machine for dough or manual, and press Start. Check the dough about 10 minutes before the end of the final kneading cycle and adjust its consistency as necessary by adding additional water or flour to form a soft, smooth ball. Allow the machine to complete its cycle, then allow the dough to remain in the machine till it's doubled in bulk, perhaps an additional 30 minutes or so. Shaping: To make stand-alone rolls, divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. If you want to make soft-sided, pull-apart rolls, divide the dough into 15 pieces. This isn't as challenging as it sounds: first, divide the dough into three equal pieces (about 375g, 14 ounces, each). Pinch off one piece, about the size of a racquetball or handball (75g, 2 3/4 ounces), off each of the three pieces, setting the pinched-off pieces aside; then simply divide what's left of the three pieces into four pieces each. Presto! Fifteen balls of dough. Gently roll the dough balls under your cupped fingers till they're nice and round. Place the 16 dough balls onto a parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheet or sheets, leaving about 2 inches between them. Or place the 15 dough balls into a lightly greased 9 x 13-inch pan, spacing them evenly in five rolls of three balls each. Cover the pan(s) with a proof cover or lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the rolls to rise for about 2 hours, till they're quite puffy; the rolls in the 9 x 13-inch pan should be touching (or almost touching) one another. Baking: Bake the rolls in a preheated 350 deg F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, till they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven, carefully turn them out of the pan -- the pull-apart rolls will come out all in one piece -- and brush them with melted butter, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Thanks, Linda C ! Smiles, Sooz