Planting Party!

I look forward to spring for many reasons, but the best reason is all of the beautiful blooming Mother Nature displays.   I always enjoy the initial planting and grooming of my yard, however I have a hard time keeping everything alive.  I think I water and feed my plants properly but I must be doing something wrong.  I do not have the greenest thumb.

To help me avoid any early departures of my planting efforts this year, I'm getting some professional help! The first month of my freshly planted pots will be getting all of the love and proper water amounts by a professional gardener! This past weekend my mom and I went to a "Planting Party: A Girls Night Out" at Zywviec's Landscaping and Garden Center.  To attend it's a $10 admission that covers appetizers, refreshments, door prizes, and caring for the plants you pot until late May.  

At the party, you check in with your pots (you can bring your own or you can purchase a pot there).  They measure your pot and note it on the form they give you to keep track of your plants.  The cost of the pot is determined by its size and you pay a flat fee.  Each pot has a range of plants that can be planted in it.  Once check-in is done, you get your pot filled with potting soil and then set up at working station.  Once your pots are set down you can go around the green house and pick the plants you want to plant!  The helpful staff can assist you in finding the plants you want and can help give you creative tips about arranging your pot(s).  Once you have your plants selected, you are able to plant them while sipping on wine or a beer and carrying on great conversation!  After you are finished planting, you visit the shop to pay for your pot(s).  At check out they will give you a stake with your name on it for each of your pots; this stake tags your container.  The pots will stay at the garden center until late May, which should have a healthy start and a strong bloom at pickup!

This social event is perfect for a new way to get a group of girlfriends or family together!  I went two nights - the first night was with my mom and aunts, and the second night was just with my mom.  Between the two nights I got my personal pots done, and then some!  One helpful hint is to bring gardening gloves!  They make a world of a difference!

Information about the Planting Party: http://www.zgardencenter.com/events.php

My mom and I

My aunts, mom and I

My pots!

Homemade Soup Noodles

Today I spent a lot of time in the kitchen cooking and baking.  It was fantastic!  I made homemade chicken soup with homemade noodles and spelt oat bread.  Mmm!

I've made homemade chicken soup before but this is the first time I've made homemade noodles.  A recipe that my nana shared with me is super easy.


[RECIPE: HOMEMADE SOUP NOODLES]

2 Eggs
Splash of milk
Flour

Mix eggs and milk before adding flour. Add flour until you get a good consistency to roll it.  Roll out the dough and cut into tiny rectangles.  Add noodles to the rest of the soup and cook for 20 minutes.

Appliance Service Plan? Yes Please!

After discovering last Thursday morning that our water heater had shut down in the middle of the night, I have learned a lot about appliance care and taking the proper steps to cover myself from another similar situation.  As a new homeowner, I'm still learning a lot about taking care of the house and everything in it!  I'm coming to learn that most of the care and maintenance that come with owning a house is hands on and learn as you go.
I had made the mistake of assuming that since my husband and I purchased a brand new house in 2009 and all of the appliances in the house were brand new, I wouldn't be seeing any issues with our house for a few years.  Wrong!  As most people know, we are living in a world where things are made NOT to last, so why would I think any differently about appliances?!

Where we live, the water is very hard!  We didn't get a water softener for the first year because we thought we didn't need it, but after feeling the water and seeing its effect on our other appliances in the house, we opted to get one.  But because our water is so hard, all of the calcium and mineral buildup had affected our house greatly, so it took a few months to see the progress of our softener taking effect.

However I couldn't see the damage the hard water had done to the water heater.  Apparently water heaters must work harder with hard water because there is more sediment buildup inside the water heater, which increases the amount of time it takes to heat the water inside the tank.  This makes the water heater less efficient and can cause it to malfunction, which is what happened to us.  The relief valve went off and leaked hot water around our water heater and the control panel was non responsive.  Luckily a water heater technician came out the same day to fix the issue, but that came at a hefty price of $260.00.  So after talking to our families and friends, we decided the smart route would be to invest in some appliance insurance.  We compared Homesmart from Xcel Energy and Home Care Plus from Centerpoint Energy.  Both are good programs but we chose Home Care Plus because it seemed to cover more.  We got the Total Repair Plan for $39.95 because that covers EVERY appliance we have - we don't want to take chances.   For 12 months that would total $479.40, which is not bad considering we just spent $260.00 to get our water heater fixed.  So if we run into another situation or two, our minds will be more at ease because we won't have to pay for labor, parts and service call - it's all included in the monthly plan!


If you are considering purchasing a house soon or you have a house but do not have appliance service plans, I would highly recommend getting one!  There are different plans and are very affordable. It would save you a lot in the long run if something ever did happen.

 Home Care Plus Service Plan Information

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

This is the first year I get to hand out candy to all the princesses and goblins lurking in my neighborhood!  Growing up in the country, I never had the opportunity to hand out candy because we didn't have a lot of neighbors.  We also were never home to hand out candy because my mom would drive us around to different parts of my hometown and county to trick or trick.  Now that I live in a suburb community I have many neighbors with a lot of young kids, so I'm sure we'll get a few!

Hope your holiday is spooktacular!

Blog Debut

Hi!  My name is Megan!  Thanks for visiting my blog!  I've been bouncing the idea around to start a blog for quite some time, so here I am!  Writing has always been an interest of mine, so it's no surprise I have finally made my blogging debut!  The purpose of this blog is not only to help me fulfill my enjoyment of writing, but also to give me a different platform to share my discoveries with others.  I want this blog to be useful and easy to navigate.  I encourage feedback and recommendations for topics and tips!

So you might be curious behind the name of my blog... Well I have an explanation!  I've always had a fascination with chickadees.  They are the cutest birds to watch at a bird feeder, their shape is petite and bubbly, their coloring is soft, their demeanor is gentle and trusting, and they have a simple and easy-to-listen whistle.  They are just a happy bird.  If I was a bird I would be a chickadee -  I associate happiness with these birds, and you as my reader, I want you to go to a happy place to revel in something other than your busy day - therefore, Chickadee's Corner is born!

In this blog I will write about my new discoveries and inspirations and incorporate them into something beneficial for you.  Please let me know if you have any requests!

More content will come soon!

Thanks for reading and I hope to see you back soon!