Wordless Wednesday

Hooked on the Nook

One of the greatest gifts I have ever received would have to be the Nook! Every year before the start of the holiday season, my mom and dad would ask my sister and I for a few gift ideas --- growing up my sister and I never asked for much but we truly never wanted. Growing up in middle working class, my parents did their very best to provide for my sister and I. We may not have had the name brand clothes or the #1 selling gift of the season, but what we did get, we appreciated. While we have grown and now live on our own, the gifts from mom and dad still come...and every year before the start of the holiday season both mom and dad ask "if there is one thing you would want, what would you like?". Last year, my response was something like this "Nook, please?". I had visited my family in early September and my sister had recently purchased the e-reader. She let me read a few pages and I instantly fell in love. Thoughts rolled through my head... "This would be awesome to take on vacation, NICE and SLIM...no more clunky books taking up space in my suitcase ---> I can purchase new books INSTANTLY ---> and no GLARE in the sun..." I was determined to save a few dollars to make the purchase on my own but as the holidays rolled in and we started exchanging gifts and opening presents, to my surprise under the Christmas tree, there it was... a Nook, with a green case and a reading light... I was HOOKed on my NOOK! I downloaded books instantly and also borrowed books from my sister...how neat --- we can share libraries and be 2 hours apart --- no more waiting until the next visit to share the latest great read! Now that summer is here, I have ample time to sit in the shade with a glass of iced tea engrossed in a great book. Today, I uploaded some great summer reading...books that are now part of my Nook library include:

and today's Barnes and Noble Friday Freebie...

In a matter of minutes and for under $10, five fantastic summer reads were downloaded and ready for the pages to be turned! I can not wait to dive into these books and escape for a few hours.... Happy Reading! 

Fill in the Blank Friday

I am so excited today is Friday ---- it is the last day of Vacation Bible School, the first day of the weekend, and it also means I am going home to NEPA to visit family and friends!!! To kick start this awesome weekend, why don't you click on over to The Little Things We Do and link up on today's Fill in the Blank Friday --- just like me!

1.   The last thing I ate was Special K Chocolate Delight...

2.  The next thing I'd like to eat is Steak kebabs on the grill...

3.  The best things in life come to those who wait patiently...

4.  Something that makes me supremely and utterly happy is spending time with family and friends around a camp fire..

5.  Sports are fun to watch especially sitting and taking in the excitement of an actual event.

6.  I miss my sister and family --- although I love where I live, being two hours away is difficult to spend as much time as I would like with all of them...

7.  Right now I am motivating myself to do the dishes... 

Wee Bit of Me Wednesday

I stole this idea from fellow blogger and IUP friend, Breanna Rush... Head on over to Leigh Ashley's and link up for some great weekly "get to know you" questions!

{one} what color best describes you + why?I would have to say the color green since my birthstone is emerald... The color green encompasses the beauty of nature and symbolizes growth --- the ability to change and transform is necessary for growth and the ability to accept change I feel also encompasses the color green. 
{two} how have you changed in the past year?I wouldn't say that I changed too much over the past year --- I am still the same in the aspect that my schedule is always hectic and busy between teaching, FCCLA, and grad school ---- however I have learned through my relationship with Dan that I must make more time for my personal relationships even if it is only a 5 minute phone conversation.
{three} have you ever had any surgeries?Four --- all when I was in elementary school...
{four} why did you start your blog?I needed to do something for "me"... I give much of my time and energy to my job and to the important people in my life. I wanted to set aside some time for me to be creative and to relax. 
{five} what are you looking forward to this summer?This summer was suppose to be a time for relaxing since I graduated in May with my Masters in Education and it would be the first time in forever that I would not have to take summer classes ---however, my schedule is  jam-packed... I am most excited for the FCCLA National Leadership Conference in Anaheim, California, spending 4th of July with Dan's family, Mandy's wedding, and vacationing with my family in Virginia Beach! 
{six} do you have any family traditions for the 4th of July?When I was growing up we always had a family picnic and fireworks at my Aunt Judy and Uncle Kenny's. Now that everyone is older and many of have moved away, that tradition has dwindled --- but 4th of July fireworks are always a must!

Home Farming: Plant a Seed ---Grow a Movement

Growing up in rural Northeastern Pennsylvania, I had the opportunity to reap the fruits (and vegetables) of hard labor --- planting a summer garden with my Poppy Gregory. Just the other day I was reminiscing with my mom, how much I loved picking rocks (sense the sarcasm) at the beginning of the planting season. Actually, this was the only part of the gardening process that I dreaded --- an acre of rocks...they just kept "growing" as I used to say...my poppy would laugh and tell my sister and I to "keep picking"! Once we were done picking rocks, it was time to plant seeds. After some weeks of patiently waiting, my sister and I along with my poppy would pick our fruits and veggies.

One wax bean would go in the bushel bucket and two would get eaten. We would only ever get scolded if we were caught.There were so many fond memories made on that acre of land. Oh, how I miss those days. Now that I am out on my own, and am finally not living in a complex, I started dabbling in gardening --- not fruits and vegetables, but flowers. They have grown beautifully, thanks to the green thumb and wisdom of flower gardening that I learned from my other grandfather, Pappy Faux.

Since my window boxes have been planted, they continue to grow and are vibrantly colored. I hope that one day when I have a vegetable garden of my own, my green thumb for flowers will transfer over to my vegetable and herb plants. Which brings me to the whole purpose of this blog. While grocery shopping today, I picked up a box of Triscuits and the box was not the typical yellow box with blue writing and a picture of the weaved wheat snack --- the box looked like this...

I was very intrigued with the saying on the front "PLANT a SEED GROW a MOVEMENT" and this logo...






I flipped the box over to the back and there was this seed card. You can only see part of it, as the whole card is glued inside the box. In my box of Triscuits is a Dill seed card. The box briefly explains the Home Farming Movement and mentions Urban Farming, a non-profit organization, but I needed to know more information. As soon as I got home from the grocery store, I logged on to the world wide web and googled "Triscuit - plant a seed" and found this website: http://www.homefarming.com/. It is full of information. This site provides users with a variety of tools, resources, recipes, and networking. The Home Farming Movement encourages individuals whether they live in an apartment with a balcony or have a back yard with raised beds to grow their own vegetables and herbs.

The start your own farm feature on this website is incredible --- it takes you step by step: 1) your location 2)the size of your garden and whether it will be inside or out  and 3) a home farm recommendation which includes plants that would work best in the areas you've selected. The website is easily manipulated and a great tool for all those wanting to plant a garden no matter the space you have!

To get consumers involved in the movement, Triscuit has included cards in over eight million packages and of course has created the home farming resources that can be found online. I can not wait to plant the dill seed card. Hopefully, as the Triscuit box says, "in no time, [I] will discover the joy of planting, growing, harvesting, and sharing fresh food from [my] very own home farm".