Sunday Bits #72 (Easter Sunday!)

Happy Easter Sunday! Such a lovely day we are having. The dogs are lounging outside on the deck, soaking up the sunshine while hubs is cooking up a storm.

We are having the family over tonight for a combined Easter dinner and (my nephew's 20th) birthday celebration. Dinner will be traditional spring and Easter fare, but dessert is a Red Velvet Cake, his favourite thing : )

Gardening Bits

We finally had a warm enough day to get out there to prune our apple tree. We just have the one in need of a pruning. We then went over to help my brother prune all his apple trees lining the driveway. Save all your trimmings for chipping into a green mulch this summer. I will be blogging more about it very soon but a good thick layer of green mulch is the best thing you can do for your gardens this summer with the expected drought conditions!

If your tree is not yet leafed out, using the dormant oil spray kit on it now will help prevent many issues this summer. It kills off over wintering pests and diseases on your tree. Do your roses at the same time to cut back on black spot and other fungal diseases.

Here are some great reads and links I found this week...

I am a huge fan of raised beds rather than a garden plot, but at the local community garden, the plots are the most desired, they sell out immediately. I find raised beds are far less weedy and much easier to maintain. Here are some thoughts about Raised Beds versus In Ground...

All about plant spacing and how to plant intensively in a raised bed.

These 17 flowers that hummingbirds love! Plant lots in your garden and then you won't have to keep filling that sugar feeder ; )

How to plant and grow beets!

How Sunflower Steve became a seed breeder. This was a really enjoyable read/podcast.

These tasks do in the early spring garden.

Homey Bits

I love this laundry room! Not the stackable machines as I am under 5 feet tall, but all the rest of it is fantastic. Have pinned that cute drying rack for hubby to make in our teeny tiny, boring looking laundry room!

Ps, if you are going to use the glaze, put it on while the cake is still warm so that it soaks in rather than running off and pooling at the bottom like mine ; )

I made this yummy looking strawberry pound cake for tonight, as well, for those of us who like a bit of chocolate cake but would rather eat something lemony ; )

It was super fast and easy to make (put the glaze on right away!) and is easy to put out for guests, to have with your afternoon cuppa, and even the little grandies will love it. I made mine in a small bundt pan rather than a loaf pan, to make it look a bit more festive.

Renee's Garden Seeds is selling these awesome silicone pots. Thought you might want to know about them : )

And... Well.ca is having a sale on all sorts of organic cleaning supplies, including the Mint Cleaners! Order $35 or more to get free shipping. Or go straight to Mint and support the gals that way. You will be washing your hands all the time just to smell the handsoap, hahaha. If you have not tried it yet, you really need to. It is by far the best smelling product I have ever used, plus good with my allergies : )

Don't forget to enter the giveaway. Contest closes at midnight on Tuesday. Good Luck to all!

Okay, I gotta go! Am off to vacuum the house before the guests arrive.

Have a wonderful day, eh?

Happy Easter ~ Tanja