making memories at the newly remodeled home depot genesee

this is a sponsored post by me on behalf of the home depot.

on saturday i had the pleasure of attending the grand re-opening of my local, san diego home depot store located on the corner of genesse and balboa.

the newly remodeled store features a 40,000 feet outdoor garden center, larger kitchen and appliance showrooms, a millwork showroom, an improved pro-desk and expanded tool rental. the store is beautiful, clean and open with large aisles and the associates were so kind and helpful.

the event was made extra special for me because it was a time for just me and my first born. as a single mama with two fun loving boys there isn't a ton for time for just one-on-one special moments----i seized this opportunity as one of those times and we had so much fun!

first up, we went straight to the kids diy workshop to learn how to make our own mini soccer game/foosball table. we worked together and ended up with an awesome new game to take home with us and enjoy. 

home depot kids workshop runs the first saturday of every month from 9am until noon. there is no signing up and it is *free*. if you are local, check out the home depot genesee on facebook for information on all of their frequent events. you can also find information on all of the home depot workshops for kids and adults on their website. i am really looking forward to attending more diy workshops in the future!

aside from the diy workshop, my little man's favorite things were spinning the prize wheel and the awesome balloon artist. he won a baseball on his spin and the balloon artist was even able to make the "buzz lightyear spaceship" that he requested. impressive!

we had a blast participating in the scavenger hunt around the store searching for clues and riddles hidden in homer buckets--what a fantastic way to explore the store and enjoy a little friendly competition with my little man. we downloaded the home depot app and it provided us with a helpful advantage to locate items and needed information.

mommy's favorite part of the newly remodeled store was the incredible 40,000 square foot garden center. it was filled with so many beautiful plants, flowers and veggies that it made this aspiring gardener truly inspired to try my hand at some new landscaping/gardening projects that have been on my pinterest "to-do" list.

a wonderful time was had by all and the only dilemma i am left with is what project i want to start first. once i decide, i will be headed back to the beautiful, home depot genesee store to stock up on supplies and get to work!

the newly reopened home depot genesee now features a 40,000 square foot outdoor garden center, larger kitchen and appliance showrooms, a millwork showroom, an improved pro-desk and expanded tool rental.
it also provides workshops and events year-round that the whole family can participate in. please visit https://www.facebook.com/Home.Depot.Genesee.Ca for more information.

this is a sponsored post by me on behalf of the home depot.

friday fun finds: creeping jenny

yesterday chach shared her new adventures in gardening. i started gardening a couple of years ago and am officially an addict. it is so therapeutic, so relaxing and it gives you a feeling of accomplishment almost instantly. i also love that in the world of motherhood, where most days are not full of huge successes, gardening gives you produce within weeks. it's miraculous and such a refreshingly gratifying hobby...and you get "free" food. it's a win.

still, with five kids, my time is limited in my garden. i pick hearty, easy to grow plants in my garden that will produce food my kids will eat. i don't have a ton of time to weed. i don't have a ton of time to re-mulch. i want to care for my plants and just enjoy the rest of the yard.

that's where my favorite little plant comes in. i absolutely love "creeping jenny". a creeping jenny is a ground covering plant. they are cheap. i can get them for just about two dollars. here's what makes them so wonderful. jennies spread rapidly. as they grow, they drop down new roots and just keep going. one little container will start as about 4 inches around when planted. after one season, it will be about two feet around. after that, watch out. these sweet little plants will completely cover a barren area. they do not need much sunlight. they can survive in a ton of sunlight. they do not need much water. they do great in a ton of water (even a water garden). they do not need much care. they are nearly indestructible. they are amazing!

our patio couldn't even stop the growth.

the best thing about jennies? what is absent from the pictures above? no guesses? that's right...no weeds! where jennies are, weeds don't seem to grow. i've had one or two try to fight their way through the jenny covered grown but they are pulled up in a snap. there won't be weeds all summer long and the area won't need any mulch to keep it maintained. right there the sweet little plant has eliminated two time consuming gardening tasks. i think jenny deserves a medal. 

what about you? do you have a favorite plant for your garden? for me it's jenny...the helper of mommy gardeners everywhere.

operation green thumb: gardening in raised planter beds

my thumb is not even close to green. they are in fact both a very deep, dark black. my sweet grandmommie had the greenest of green thumbs......i did not inherit that gardening gene. in all truth, i have trouble keeping alive the plants that people insist i will be unable to kill and are described as "low maintenance" or "hearty". so, when my amazing landlords built raided planter beds in our backyard i was excited.....but scared. mostly scared.  

i hate failing (and there has been a lot of failing in my life lately). it wasn't about me though.....my two sweet boys were *so* very excited about the idea of planting and growing their favorite fruits and veggies so i decided to get over my mental hurdle and go for it. i did a little research (and called a dear friend for a TON of advice) and headed off to the land of orange shopping carts. i loaded up the car with a bunch of goodies and headed home to plant. (notice i picked plants and not seeds. i think they already have a fighting chance, right? they have already started to grow! no seeds for me this time. i am not that stupid brave. here's to hoping and praying that my theory is correct). 

it actually was pretty easy. I added a ton of soil to the beds and went to work planting. the kids had so much fun and so did i! it was a beautiful day outside, the sun was shining and it felt good to dig my hands into the soil and dream about the bounty of fruits and veggies it will (hopefully) someday produce in abundance.

tomatoes, basil and blueberries, oh my!

if you look really close you will see a tiny green tomato growing!

strawberries!

the *best* part was buying a 10 lb bag of worms and letting them lose in the soil. i was told it is really good for the plants and soil but the most wonderful part was spending time with the boys and seeing the wonder and excitement on their faces as we watched the worms dig their way into the soil and disappear. it was awesome! (and i forgot to take pictures, of course! ugh.)

will the plants grow? will they bear fruit or veggies? the truth is......i am really not sure. one thing i have learned is that there are no guarantees in life. what i do know is this; i took a risk. i conquered my fears and i tried. i tried!!!  i may fail.....it's a very real possibility.....*but* i didn't let my fear of that failure get in the way of trying. and, for today.....well, that is a really, really big thing.

making pesto

basil is about the easiest thing to grow. i've done it the last two years with amazing results. i pretty much purchase the smallest basil plant i can find in the spring, plant it in some good soil, water and watch it grow. basil loves to procreate too...like little rabbits! i had basil babies all over my yard and ended up with way more basil than i could ever use in a tomato basil soup recipe (that will come later). so, this year i decided to make and freeze my own pesto. i've always been a little astounded at how expensive pesto is to buy in the store. you can make your own easily and it freezes beautifully. i now have tons of pesto in my freezer to thaw out and use for recipes all winter long. if you have extra basil, do this now. i'll post several fun pesto recipes after the holidays...

here's what you'll need to get started:

pick your basil: it's getting close to the first frost in some areas or it may have already frosted in your area. pick you basil plants. after washing them well, pull off all the leaves individually and wash thoroughly. i found little critters clinging to some of my leaves even after i'd washed the leaves a couple of times. i'm not one of those people who get excited about extra protein.

buy some products in bulk: i headed to costco and purchased big yet relatively inexpensive bags of grated parmesan, pine nuts, and extra virgin olive oil. you'll need all of those ingredients on hand.

get a food processor or borrow a friend's: this process is very easy with a food processor. if you don't have one, they are a great purchase and you can find a less expensive brand for under $50.00. you may want to add one to your Christmas list. if you don't have one and have no way to get one, check with your girlfriends. someone is bound to have one they don't use very often that you can borrow for a day.

homemade pesto recipe

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup pine nuts

3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced (i used the pre-minced garlic in a jar and used about 2 t.)

1-2 t. lemon juice (eyeball it)

salt and freshly ground pepper

place all of the ingredients in a food processor. turn the processor on high to get things mixed well. stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor and turn processor on again until a smooth paste forms.

you can use this pesto immediately for any dish or you can freeze it. the lemon juice in the pesto will help to keep the pesto its fresh green color during the freezing process.

to freeze: use a regular sized muffin tin. spray each space with a non-stick cooking spray. fill each space with fresh made pesto. cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer on a flat surface. once completely frozen, pop out the little pesto "muffins" and transfer them to a freezer ziplock bag. these will last up to six months.

to use: put one or two pesto cubes in a microwave safe bowl. microwave until thawed (about 30 seconds) and use in your favorite recipe.

if you are too late to try this next year...think about planting for spring. even if you don't have a green thumb, basil can make you feel tremendously successful..and who doesn't enjoy that?

enjoy!