My garden bed is ready to go!

Yay! My husband slaved all Sunday afternoon and made me a garden bed! I'm so excited to start growing some fruits & veggies this summer!

Here are some plants I definitely want to try growing this year:

peas
green peppers - maybe red and yellow too
strawberries
radish
cucumber
egg plant
tomatoes
raspberries - these will have to grown outside the garden bed...and won't be "ready" for a few years

Let me know if you have any suggestions for me. I'm new to this...in fact....Jeremy picked up some reading material today on starting a garden, and I also reference the Iowa State horticulture extension website A LOT.

I guess Sunday was a BIG STEP closer to my dream of living off the land...here we go!

Summertime Family Table

Another great Craig's List find. Earlier this week we found this amazing table listed, and today, my husband and his dad picked it up and brought it home. We live on top of a hill and surrounded by open countryside....so it is very windy. We knew we needed furniture on our deck that would withstand the winds out here and this table is PERFECT - and really heavy! It was custom made in Australia and is made from iron wood (really dense wood). The guy we bought it from works for Rockwell and was stationed in Australia for awhile - the army moved him and this ridiculously heavy table and benches home to Iowa.

I'm visualizing many, many years of summertime family meals gathered around this table.

And check out the branding on the top of the table:

How perfect is that?!

Turning Boring & Old to Cute and New

With Lily being sick the past few days, I had a bit more time on my hands than normal. This usually translates to more sewing time. Yay! My latest project was taking this:

Into this:

I found the idea here (includes brief tutorial). It took me only one "Lily nap" (that is usually my standard measurement technique for sewing projects).

Join the Food Revolution!

Click on the icon below to join Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. Jamie's concept:

I believe that every child in America has the right to fresh, nutritious school meals, and that every family deserves real, honest, wholesome food. Too many people are being affected by what they eat. It's time for a national revolution. America needs to stand up for better food!
You live in an amazing country full of inspirational people and you have the power to change things. With your help, we can get better food into homes, schools and communities all over America and give your kids a better future.

Sign the petition and be a part of the Food Revolution. It could be the most important thing you ever do for your family. America's health needs you now!

Why Rural Love?

My first post. Hmmm. I guess I should start by answering the question: Why "rural love"? I decided to start a blog about my adventures in rural Iowa. Boring? Heck no! I grew up in a small town, but definitely a "city girl". My husband grew up on a farm, and when we got married we decided to stay on his farm and raise our family in the country. I fell in love with the country lifestyle instantly...and it hasn't faded. Surely my children will have a completely different experience growing up than I did, and I'm excited to learn and experience the lifestyle right along with them.

I love homemade. Everything from making a meal from sctratch, to sewing a new toy for my daughter. I decided to blog about my adventures of our rural lifestyle and my pursuit of wholesome living. We have no crops on our farm, just cows. My dream is to expand into chickens as well as having my own garden. Living off the land is an ultimate goal of mine.

So, I'm planning to share my ideas, projects and love of the farm with anyone who is interested. If you love to craft, stay tuned. I LOVE sewing and crafts. I plan to share my projects as I go along...and a few recipes along the way.

Take care and God Bless! HAPPY EASTER!