Awwwe! Thanks guys! Its nice to be back. Jenny, Nice to see you are still here! So there is ANOTHER "vine guy" here now huh? LOL! You see, im not the only nutcase thats obsessed with vines, lol! Im not exactly sure what im going to be doing this summer, or where im going to be doing it, but you can rest assured that there will be vines involved. I already have 6 MF seeds that are now just sprouting, and 14 MG seeds that are all sprouted too, and ready to go in thier starter pots. =o) Girlsaylor, thank you for the kind words. I really appreciate that. I just try and pass along what ive learned myself here or just from my experiences. Im not sure yet if there is anything I want or need that I dont already have, but rest assured that if I do come across something I want and cant easily find, ill definately be asking YOU! =o) Greenfrank, Yep. That would be me. The MF vine was growing into my bedroom window. LOL! And yes those were my storm photos. We had WAY more than out fair share of sever thunderstorms here last summer, and most of those photos were takin one night when we got hit by 5 severe thunderstorms in a ROW, one right after the other. I still dont know yet exactly what my living situation is going to be, but you can rest assured, as I said earlier, that I WILL be gardening, and it WILL include vines! =o) I will definately keep you all posted on what im growin and how its doing. I can tell you my Clematis has already come back, as well as my Catmint, and some of my hosta's too. Theres other things just randomly coming up on my balcony now, but im not exactly sure what they are. I belive that some of them are Catnip seeds, and some are the lambs quarters. Last year I allowed a couple of lambs quaters "weeds" to live on my balcony, but I dont think I will be do ing that ever again, as they are PROLIFIC seeders just like Catnip , and then some. I havent done anything to my balcony yet, its still in the same sad, sorry, and VERY MESSY state its been in all winter. I havent gotten started on it yet because I am unsure if I will be living there this summer or not, and I dont want to start my garden there only to have to take it all down when/ if I move. If a move is going to take place, it probably will happen before the end of may though, so Ill still have a whole summer to get stuff going. Right now, im just starting things for my S/O's balcony. He is also interested in gardening too, and wants to do a very nice garden on his balcony. So well both be d oing that together. =o) Thanks again for all the kind words!

Hi all! I haven't been over to this side in a while and didn't realize this post had become active again. YES, the project is underway. We are wrapping up the presowing activities and will get the seeds into the containers next week. Thanks so much for your encouragement and ideas for subject integration. So far we have taken all of the containers and measured cicumference of the 2-liters. One of my standards is for students to realize the relationship between circumference and diameter (pi). They figured it out for themselves by measuring a variety of containers and seeing how many times the diameter fit into the circumference. We compared class data and they all realized that no matter the size of the container, the relationship was the same. Now, don't you think the kids are going to remember this much better than pen and pencil? Hands-on and driven by natural student interest at the same time - take that NCLB! Although I only teach the math, the science teacher is teaching about endangered plants and animals and they are planting the endangered coneflower. The language teacher will also be integrating the unit. For math, the students will measure and record data on a line graph (another standard). The kids are very excited about it. We are going to plant some annuals for quicker bloom, too. I've already started taking pictures and will have some to share soon. Again, Thanks for the support! Nikki

I tried to post last night and the site wouldn't let me. As Jessica said, the rubber mold on the jar needs to get hot and soften so it creates a good seal. I just put the lids inside the rings and put everything into simmering water because then I can just take my tongs and pull out a lid/ring combo and put in on the jar. I also never heat the jars. If they are washed and you process them 10 minutes, they don't need to be sterilized. Of course, right after I told Jessica I almost never get a broken jar, I put some dilled green beans into the canner and got a broken jar, LOL, she's a jinx!! I've not had a broken jar since. I just wash the jars, put them on the counter on a towel and when the jelly is ready, ladle the hot jelly into the jars. It heats the jars enough to avoid thermal shock and the resulting breakage. And yes, Shaun, you can chop everything in the food processor, unless you want all the pieces to be alike. Just chop them coarsely if you want those bits floating in the amber jelly, or else your jelly will be more "muddy" and have little pieces. It won't hurt anything but it would look different. And I've always frozen the chopped habaneros and used them because I can't grow them year round so I get a bunch when they're in season and chop them up and freeze them. No reason why you couldn't freeze the rest of the stuff too, it cooks in the jelly anyway so it's already softened. Annie

I can't get any more of my granite. It was hard to find from the offset (Bros blue leathered), and there are no remnants left that will work. The white wall is just primed. I need something there, even if it's just paint. And in some I need something more than pain between my range and hood, even with the range's raised back. I was thinking it would be the same as behind the sink. So that would be two not three things. That said, I'm still working on something I don't hate. I mocked up a glass backslash for behind the sink. The photo shows cheap photo frame glass taped up. I can get an exactly measured piece online for $40-50. No seems. Not sure about local. Thoughts? I feel the need to reiterate, I don't know how to get a decent photo. The kitchen doesn't feel dark at all. I used fill flash, but I'm shooting into a brightly lit window.