Building Garden Boxes and Weekend Update

We had some amazing, beautiful weather this weekend in Colorado.  It almost seems like we skipped spring altogether and jumped right into summer.  The thermometer on our back porch registered 88° at one point; amazing considering snow was still melting in some parts of town.

We spent a good part of our weekend outside and finally got to build the garden boxes I keep talking about.  I obtained the plans for these boxes through a friend from school who found them on “Sunset” magazine’s website.  They were really thorough but we changed a few things.  Here is what we did…

We got a really good deal at a local lumber yard on the wood!  

Supplies for one 4’ x 8’ box:

(12) 2’ x 4’ x 8’ untreated cedar planks

(1) 4’ x 4’ x 8’ cedar post

(64) 3 ½ inch outdoor screws

Circular saw - recommended

A very powerful drill – recommended

Cut four (4) 2’ x 4’ x 8’ in half to obtain the 4 foot sides (this should leave you with (8) 4’ planks).  The other 8 planks should not have to be cut unless there is a big discrepancy in the length of the plank.  Cut the 4 x 4 x 8 post into 2’ sections.

Build bed upside down. Set a 2 x 4 x 8 on its thin edge on pavement, and place a 2-foot post at one end. Secure post with two 3½-inch screws. Repeat at other end of board. Repeat with other short board. Join short sides with an 8-foot board; and secure with two screws. Add other long side. Add additional layers of planks to each side.

These boxes are pretty easy to build as long as you have the right tools.  Mike learned from the first one to first drill a hole where the screw was going, just to make the screw go in a lot easier.  That was the biggest dilemma with the first box, we ruined a few screws and bits.  But the second box went a lot faster and easier.  Plus, we only had to make a trip to the hardware store once that day!

Mike did the majority of the work but I helped drill a few screws and measured all of the boards. And I ended up weeding yet again... they just will not go away!  

The end product looks great and I can’t wait to grow our veggies in them.  Almost all of the seeds have sprouted!  Just waiting on some Anaheim peppers.  

We both forgot to put sunscreen on so we both got burnt that day.  I hardly ever get burnt but with pregnancy I guess my skin is a little more sensitive to the sun… I thought I might have skipped that symptom… shucks!  I joked that we didn't get burnt while on a tropical island for 8 days but a few hours on a SPRING day in Colorado did us in.

I was pretty out of it after all that building, sun, and heat, so we stayed in the rest of the day and made a BBQ for dinner!  Teriyaki chicken (mine with cheese!), baked potato, and zucchini! 

Yummy, gooey cheese!

Sunday was a pretty relaxing day.  We ended up doing a few chores around the house in the morning.  Then we tried to find a few garage sales in the afternoon…which didn’t go so well.  Then we went downtown to see if H&M had any good maternity wear (which they didn’t) and walked around for awhile.  It was another hot day so we went  home and I took a short nap.  It was another BBQ for dinner.  Lemon pepper tilapia, grilled potatoes, and green beans!  Mike was also really excited to have me watch Star Trek (the new one).  I’ve been hesitant to watch it but it wasn’t too bad.  

That is about it for our weekend update.  We are expecting another freeze and possible snowstorm on Wednesday so I'm hoping that the peach blossoms that just got discovered will be okay through it.  I'm really, really wanting some delicious homegrown peaches this year!

Week 18 of Pregnancy

Baby (I really have to come up with a nickname soon) is the size of a…. Bell Pepper! It weighs around 5-5.5 ounces and is about 5.5-6 inches in length!  Grow, baby grow!

I think I legitimately felt the baby kick early this morning.  Little thumps here and there.  Such an amazing feeling! 

I thought I'd try a new layout to these weekly updates.  They feel a little more organized!

How I’m feeling:
Nausea has revisited me, and it isn’t a very welcomed guest.  I get nauseous around 4pm and it doesn’t go away until around 7pm.  It’s not from not eating, because I am eating a bunch.  However, food just doesn’t sound good to me this week.  I have to force myself to think of something that sounds appetizing… not fun especially with nausea.  

My back is still hurting whenever I do too much moving around, so today is a rest day from doing anything around the house.  Just walking the doggie kids around the neighborhood.  The weather has finally begun to warm up so that makes me very happy.

My energy level is good and I get spurts of energy in the mornings.  Sleeping, however, has been hard lately.  I fall asleep great but wake up around 3am and can’t get back to bed until 6:30 and that’s with forcing myself to stay in bed.  Today, I actually got two extra hours of sleep so that helped a bunch.

Physical changes:

I think my belly grew a little bit this week.  I’ve wanted to get a tape measure to measure it every week but I keep forgetting!

I think I saw a really faint Linea Nigra (black line) on my belly this morning!  Kind of like that first pregnancy test with the really faint second pink line.

I have had no new weight gain this week.  I’m still up 5 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. 

What I’ve been craving:

I’m still on an avocado kick and eat at least half of one everyday.  Almost-burnt cheese is something I can’t get enough of and I find myself making quesadillas and pushing the cheese out of them while they are cooking so that it burns a little.  Lemonade is also a big one.  I have to have at least a glass a day!  Again, with the nausea, not much food sounds good this week.

Something fun: 

Since we aren’t finding out the sex of the baby, I thought it would be fun to look up some Old Wives’ Tales about gender.  They range from Chinese numerology to putting your wedding ring over your belly.  So here is a breakdown of what we have done so far.

Old Wives’ Tale	How to tell	Our baby’s gender
Ring over belly	Ring spins in circles=Boy Ring goes swings side-to side=Girl	GIRL
Linea Nigra	Line stops at belly button=Girl Line stops at rib cage=Boy	BOY
Carrying	High=Girl Low=Boy	BOY
Heart rate	150 and above=Girl Below 150=Boy (143bpm)	BOY
Hair Growth	Little or no change to growth=Girl Fast hair growth=Boy	BOY
Chinese Numerology	Not sure how this works but I put in my birth date and baby’s EDD	BOY
Skin	More pimples than usual=Girl No change to skin=Boy	GIRL
How I look	More Beauty=Boy Less Beauty=Girl (she steals your beauty!)  I think I look a little more dull and tired	GIRL

GIRL: 3 BOY: 5

Of course there are many more tales out there but we will stick to these 8 for now. 

22 more weeks and Mike and I will become parents.  P.S. I think it just finally hit me that I am going to be a mother shortly!