Brown Thumb Mama

Good golly, that's a lot of artichokes

2012-05-22T21:41:00.000-07:00

Yes, it most certainly is! There are 25 fine looking 'chokes in that pile just waiting to be cleaned and munched. I had no idea how well they would do when I planted them in the front yard garden. My reasoning was something like, "That's one of the few veggies BrownThumbPapa will eat. Let's plant some and see what they do." He would prefer if I grew him a bacon tree, but that's beyond my

Neighbor Kitty is back!

2012-05-13T22:48:00.002-07:00

About a month ago, we had given up on Neighbor Kitty. He had been missing for weeks, and his parents and I were sure he was dead. Yesterday, I saw the World's Best Facebook post, from Virgil's mama: Over the course of six weeks, he had wandered more than 10 miles from home. A very nice lady spotted him (he still had his collar on--what are the chances?) and called his parents. Little Peanut

Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

2012-05-01T22:46:00.000-07:00

I’ve been told I'm a bit of a rebel. (I can't be the ONLY ONE who dyed their hair purple on maternity leave, can I?) So when I invented Why Didn’t I Think of That? Wednesday, it never occurred to me to check and see what the rest of the world was doing. Yep, while I was blissfully bopping along, all by my lonesome, about 16 kajillion other bloggers were participating in Works For Me Wednesday,

What's Wrong With My Vegetable Garden?

2012-04-28T16:02:00.000-07:00

A true story with a handy solution. Once upon a time, a few years ago, there was a green bean farmer. She grew Emerite pole beans from Renee's Garden and they did extremely well. She harvested green beans by the bowl every couple of days, and everyone was happy. Then suddenly, something went wrong. This made the bean farmer very sad. "What could it be?" she wailed. "What is eating my beans?"

How to Divide Artichokes

2012-04-16T21:26:00.000-07:00

The itty-bitty artichoke plants from February 2011 have gone crazy in the front yard garden. They produced lots of 'chokes in their first year, and made it through the winter unscathed. Not bad for a $5 six-pack of plants! February 2011 March 2012 While adding mulch, I saw that some of the plants had started to multiply and were crowding themselves. See how this single plant looks like a

Five Minutes with Siri

2012-04-13T21:21:00.000-07:00

After saving up for a while, I went all-out and got a new iPhone 4S. It comes with a voice-activated personal assistant called Siri, and word on the street is she's darn funny. Since she quotes Hitchhiker's Guide and Monty Python, she clearly has a geeky side. I figured I'd quiz her and see what she had to say. Here's how the conversation went: Me: "Siri!" Siri: [inquisitive bleep] "Siri,

RIP Neighbor Kitty

2012-04-12T11:08:00.000-07:00

Ever since my cat went to Heaven, Neighbor Kitty has been a part of our family. He taught Jackjack how to be gentle with animals. He supervised on many garden projects. He’s one of the reasons I don’t use fertilizer. My backyard straw bales were his throne. He’s been MIA for about two weeks now. His parents have checked the shelters and the neighborhood. I keep waiting for him to show

Five things you should be making (and not buying)

2012-03-27T19:51:00.000-07:00

“Why?” Everyone my husband asks for the eight zillionth time. “They sell _________ (insert item here) at the store. WHY are you making it yourself?” I give him a cheezy grin and say, “Because I can.” Why would you make something that you could just run out and buy? Lots of reasons. Homemade food tastes better. Natural cleaners are safer and cheaper. And making stuff with your kids is just

Reason #548,693 Why I Love the Library

2012-03-23T08:49:00.000-07:00

If you've been here a while, you've seen me pay homage to the Sacramento Public Library system again and again. I can reserve books and movies from other libraries and have them delivered to "my" library, see live music and participate in family activities, and now... Drum roll please... You can check out a Kill-A-Watt meter from the library! What's so cool about the Kill-A-Watt? It tracks

Vote for Mama!

2012-03-20T13:15:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm thrilled to be in the running for "Best Local Blogger" on the KCRA A-List. There are some big names in the running and I'd love to have your vote!  Find us on the A-List BrownThumbMama.com Vote for us (function() { window.___cityvoter = { basePath:'//

Make your own natural, healthy baby food

2012-03-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

Little Peanut is seven months old and she’s ready to start eating baby food. How do I know? Because she eyes every single bite that goes into our mouths with a combination of intense curiosity and drooly longing. Jackjack can hypnotize her with a peanut butter sandwich…and he does. Her eyes follow it like a kitty watching a laser pointer. Thank goodness she’s not mobile yet or he would have her

Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

2012-03-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!" For many people, the next step after Spring Cleaning is Spring Redecorating. Sounds like you? I know people who can't go more than two years without re-painting a room or three. Instead of storing a large and nearly-empty paint can, put the extra paint into a recycled glass jar. It takes up less space

What a Waste

2012-02-26T20:52:00.000-08:00

Here in Sacramento, tens of thousands of pounds of fruit falls from trees and rots on the ground--backyard apples, oranges, grapefruit, lemons, and more. Maybe the owners have more than they can eat; maybe they are elderly and can't harvest their trees. Maybe they just moved in and don't like the fruit that's there. In 2009, Mary McGrath and Robin Aurelius (who coincidentally was my high school

Got Birds?

2012-02-16T05:30:00.000-08:00

What gardener doesn’t? Around here, they’re either splashing in the birdbath or pigging out at the hummingbird feeder. And this weekend, you have permission to sit on your duff and do nothing but watch them. It’s time for the 15th annual Great Backyard Bird Count! This event engages bird watchers of all ages to create a real-time snapshot of where birds are across the U.S. and Canada. Anyone

Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

2012-02-15T05:30:00.000-08:00

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!" After painting a room, grab a big piece of cardboard and paint it the color of your new room. Then write the brand, paint number, and name on the back. When you go shopping for decor, you have a giant paint swatch to take with you!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T09:36:00.000-08:00

What's more lovey-dovey to a gardener than snuggly carrots? Happy Valentine's Day to all!

Someone is in grave danger...

2012-02-10T13:00:00.000-08:00

...of becoming Type A like Mama. Jackjack put his "to do" list on the fridge next to mine. It says, "Every Saterday (sic) wash lunch box". How come he's more dedicated to his lunchbox than he is to cleaning his room?

What Do You See?

2012-02-09T11:14:00.000-08:00

What do you see when you look at this picture? Yes, that's a screamin' deal on organic baby spinach (usually $3.99!) but there's more to it than that. The empty container is a perfect mini-greenhouse for starting seeds! Put a bit of moist seed starting mix in the bottom, sprinkle a few seeds on top, and replace the lid. Done and done. As you know, us gardeners think about seeds and planting

Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

2012-02-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!" Are you and the kids decorating cookies or treats for Valentine's Day? If you're a big cookie-decorating family, you probably have a ton of colored sugars, sprinkles, and so on. When it's time to decorate, put each variety into the cup of a muffin tin. It's easy for kids to pass around the table, and

Front Yard Garden Update: January

2012-01-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

The garden has survived the cold snap we had last month. I planned to cut the artichokes back and mulch them heavily, but the frost beat me to it. They're doing quite well surrounded by the leaves Uncle Mark gives me from his yard. Wouldn't these look great surrounded by poppies and chives? Garden fashionistas say that's "The Look" for Spring 2012. ;o) I'll order my poppy and chive seeds from

Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

2012-01-11T09:00:00.000-08:00

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!" According to the good folks at the Sacramento Rose Society, now is the time to prune your roses. If you've ever done this, you know it can be a thorny problem (wocka wocka wocka). This year, when you prune your roses or prickly berry bushes, bring a pair of BBQ tongs with you. Use the tongs to hold

Bargain Basement, Thy Name is Vitacost

2012-01-08T21:46:00.000-08:00

I'm not a "deals" blogger. I like to use coupons, but am no expert at the drugstore-bucks-plus-coupons, extreme purchasing lifestyle. We just use our soaps and lotions sparingly (kids aren't allowed multiple pumps of soap) and they last just fine. There is something that's better than stacking sales and coupons though, and that is getting something nearly free. Enter Vitacost--believe it or not

The Money Saving Mom's Budget: Review and Giveaway!

2012-01-06T10:28:00.000-08:00

This giveaway is closed. Congratulations to Shelby for winning! When BrownThumbPapa and I were newlyweds, we were thrifty out of necessity. We used to joke that the decorating scheme for our house was “Early American Attic.” Our dining room was furnished from Papa’s parents’ garage: The living room was nearly as bare as the dining room. We were given an old sofa and lamp so the living room

Why Didn't I Think of That? Wednesday

2012-01-04T12:29:00.000-08:00

Each Wednesday I'll share a tip to make your week go more smoothly or just make you say "aha!" Today's tip is brought to us by Baby Thumbelina. Most of us have spent the last month or two stressing about money, time, decorations, food, gifts...the list is endless. Let's take some time for ourselves this week. Even a 10-minute power nap will help! Shirt from the brilliant folks at Think Geek.

Directions for Your 2012 Garden

2011-12-31T15:35:00.000-08:00

First, plant five rows of peas: Preparedness, Promptness, Perseverance, Politeness, and Patience. Next to them plant three rows of squash: Squash gossip, Squash criticism, Squash indifference. Now, how about five rows of lettuce? Let us be faithful. Let us be unselfish. Let us be loyal. Let us be truthful. Let us love one another. And no garden is complete without turnips. Turn up your