I might have a green thumb.

This past weekend I spent more time outside than I did inside.

Didn't cook one time. (We ate pizza, leftovers, and hotdogs..ha!)

I made a trip to Lowe's...and they happened to have a whole bunch of flowers 50% off...and i couldn't resist!  I also finished planting my garden!  My sweet hubby and grandfather built the raised bed.  I am hoping and praying that we get some great veggies this summer! 

I planted:

1. Jalepeno peppers
2. Bell peppers
3. Potatoes
4.Carrots
5.Squash
6.Brocolli
7.Tomatoes

I still need to get some cucumbers and I will all fixed up! ( I wish I could have planted a bigger garden, but since this is my first one, I decided to start small)

 A friend told me if you plant marigolds in the garden, it will keep insects and other pests away because they don't like the smell!  Such a good tip for gardeners!

 And there's my herb garden!

 I also found this little fellow-he is so pretty!

So I had so many limbs, leaves, and foliage from the winter in my flowerbeds and front yard. It took me like 15 wheel barrel trips to the dump pile (a huge leave/limb pile in the woods of our backyard).  Finally I got it all cleared out and I was ready to work in the beds!  I bought a gorgeous hydrangea from Lowe's and planted it in between two shrubs in front of the porch.  I really hope it does okay there and the shrubs don't bully it.  We will see!

I found these concrete planters halfway buried in our backyard so I dug them up and gave those babies a nice coat of black spraypaint.  They look good as new now!

Before:

 After:

 Planted impatiens and marigolds in the tiered planter I made last Spring.

 The filthy shoe station:

 And the dog laying station:

There you have it! My porch/front yard ready for Spring! I love all the flowers-it makes me so happy!

I just have to stay away from Lowe's now because I can't resist half off flowers! ;)

And while I was slaving outside all weekend, Mr. Huey Cat was inside living the hard life:

That's one spoiled cat.


Happy Monday!

-Kait

Stuffed Shells

Well hello there!  I hope you are hungry because I have a DELICIOUS recipe for y'all!  I made these a couple times before and they have always been easy and yummy!  And you are eating spinach, so that makes it healthy, right?  I think so!

Spinach Stuffed Shells

Ingredients

• 32 jumbo pasta shells (I used one box)
• 2 cups ricotta cheese (15 oz)
• 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce
• Any other spices/herbs to taste (I added oregano and some italian seasoning) 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, gently place pasta shells in boiling water; bring water back to boil. Cook until noodles are just tender; drain well.
3. Squeeze spinach dry. Combine spinach, ricotta, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, basil and garlic in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper; mix well.
4. Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
5. Fill each pasta shell with the spinach cheese mixture. Arrange the shells, filling side up in the baking dish. Spoon remaining marinara sauce over the shells. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan cheese on top of the shells.
6. Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven until heated through; about 30 minutes. 

(recipe adapted from allrecipes.com)

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did! It also does really well as leftovers and I'm sure you could even freeze it if you wanted!

-Kait

Insta-Friday!

Happy Friday, everyone!!  I hope y'all have some big plans for the weekend!  I sure do! I am going to see the Hungar Games tonight, doing a little shopping with my lovely sis-in-law tomorrow, hopefully finishing up my garden, and spending quality time with friends and family.  

Here's a quick look at my week via Instagram!

1. I found these lovely wedges at the thrift store for $3.00.  The tags were still on them too!  

2. On the first day of Spring, God decided to put a gorgeous rainbow in the sky.  It was SO beautiful and a great reminder of His promises to us! 

 God is so creative and rainbows are one of my favorite things ever.

3. I had a good laugh when we went to Home Depot to get some lumbar for our raised garden...hubby didn't know the differece between treated and non treated wood and I had to explain it to him.  The woman who was helping us asked Seth "is this your first project?" hehe...

4. And look how handsome he is!  Sometimes a suit is mandatory in law school...and when it is, I love taking his photo because he is so cute! ;) 

5. Wow! That hair is out of control.

6. I made a cookie in a mug- has anyone else tried it?  It's surprisingly better than I thought!  Find the recipe here. 

7. And finally, I did a little Spring decorating.  

 

Hope you have a wonderful weekend full of blessings!  

Xoxo,

Kait