A Morning On The "Farm"

Our Little Coop Household Binder Free Printables {Monthly Bills}

For those of you creating a Household Binder for your family, here are your free printables of the week!  

This weeks printables include: 

• Monthly Bills  

All printables this week belong under the Budget & Financial Divider. 

Monthly Bill Pay - January-june Copy by Emily Maneck McGrath

Our Little Coop Monthly Bill Pay - July-Dec Copy by Emily Maneck McGrath

More Helpful Links & Free Printables:
Creating a Household Binder 
Cover Sheet and Divider Sheets 
Weekly Schedule
Monthly Calendars 

Get 'em while the gettin' is good! Free seed flats and pots at a store near you!

Alright as the saying goes, it isn't stealing if they are throwing it away and you ask permission to take.  As so many people rush to their local garden centers and buy up all kinds of vegetables and flowers, they are leaving behind a very valuable resource.  And your closest friends and family?!? They are even more guilty.  But you need to take action. Now while you can! haha

  Dear friends and family, 
 YOU ARE NOW PUT ON NOTICE! When you are finished planting all of your veggies and annuals, save me the trays and 4" pots. Please......  

Grab what you can and keep for next year.  If you can, save some for your fellow gardeners.  Do not let these babies end up in some landfill. ugh...

Cucumber seedlings in some freebie 4" pots

Just this year, I nabbed some 4" inch pots from my brother before he threw them out and used them to start some cucumbers.  After they are planted out in the garden, I'll use them probably 5 more times.  Re-use, Reduce, Recycle.

Cheers ~ Kevin

Now is the Time to plant Thyme.

Thyme seeds courtesy of Mike The Gardener

Over the years we have always had some type of thyme growing around our home. And for good reason! We use a lot of thyme for cooking.  Im not sure it is true, but I consider thyme somewhat of an "evergreen" type plant.  Well, at least for the most part.  I can remember in years past, brushing snow from the area where our thyme plants were growing, to reveal its emerald beauty, and to snip some off for for something cooking on the stove.

Ancient Egyptians used thyme for embalming.  The ancient Greeks used it in their baths and burnt it as incense in temples believing it was a source of courage.  Romans used thyme to purify their rooms and to flavor cheese and liqueurs.  At various point throughout time, thyme was used as an incense and placed on coffins during funeral, as it was supposed to insure passage into the next life. Source:Wikipedia

How one "should" plant thyme.

Back in February, I had received a packet of non GMO thyme seeds as a part of Seeds of the Month Club.  Today Im finally planting them.  

Thyme seeds are quite small and require a little concentration when handling.

Thyme seeds are pretty small.  A little attention to detail is needed when sowing.  As a side note, I have had much success starting thyme in seed flats or sprinkling the tiny seeds on top of potting soil in an old flower pot.  Think "edible accent".  

But as usual, I dare to be different...  Since thyme seeds do not require much when sowing, sprinkling over an area you wish for it to grow can also be a lot of fun! Just remember to lightly tap or step them into the soil to prevent them either washing or blowing away.  

I would love to hear how you have either used or grown thyme.  Please leave a comment below! :)

Cheers! ~ Kevin

The Seeds of the Month club by Mike the Gardener is a fun and inexpensive way to to receive various seeds of your own in the mail.  For more information, please check out my other article:

Seeds of The Month Club

Mexican Seitan Pizza

Tonight was one of those "What do you want for dinner?" "I don't care" "We have nothing to eat" kind of nights.  So I looked to see what we had and found a pizza crust, an almost empty jar of salsa, and some seitan that I keep forgetting to cook.  So I threw this little number together.  It was delicious.  

Ingredients:

• 1 store bought pizza crust
• 1/4 cup of salsa
• 1/4 cup of ranch dressing 
• 1/2 onion chopped 
• 1 small tomato chopped 
• 1/2 can of black beans 
• 6 oz ground seitan 
• 1/2 can of corn kernels 
• 8oz shredded mexican cheese 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 
2. Pour salsa and ranch dressing onto your pizza crust and smooth/mix with the back of a spoon.
3. Sprinkle onions, tomatoes, black beans, seitan and corn over the top of your sauce. 
4. Top with shredded cheese. 
5. Bake at 450 degrees for 25 minutes.
6. Enjoy!