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Resolution Update: March 2017

March 3, 2017

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Resolution Progress

There’s nothing like sharing your goals with 1000 of your closest friends to keep you accountable.  Today I thought I’d let you know how my resolutions are panning out so far.

Increase the influence of Shifting Roots on social media and in the community

It’s slow going, but it’s happening!  I’ve joined some blogging Facebook groups and Tailwind tribes, started guest posting for Mommy Connections, and have a few more collaborations in the works.  P.S.-If you’re a Canadian blogger and want to join my Tailwind tribe, DM me and I’ll send you an invite!!

My Instagram following is still small, but it’s steadily growing.  I’ve participated in some hashtag competitions and won or received honourable mentions.

Pinterest has probably been the most exciting, as my reach has really grown and my pins are getting more consistently pinned and bringing new readers to my blog.  If you’re one of those, welcome, and thanks for joining us!

Thank you readers for all the likes, comments, and shares.  Every one of them helps bring me closer to my long term goals.

Is there something you’d like me to write about?  Let me know!

Practice self-care everyday

I’m not sure what other people’s self care looks like, but mine basically involves managing my time in a way that both gives me rest and keeps me productive.  I’m constantly looking for little routines that bring me more peace.  For the first time this week I prepared half of my food, and it was the most peaceful decision so far.  If you’re curious, I only prepared half because I still wanted some flexibility to eat something else or go out with a friend, and not waste a bunch of food.

I also have morning and evening routines that keep me happy.  Starting the routines has been challenging, but now that I have them I like them.

I still find myself tempted to cut into self-care time when I’ve got a bit too much on my plate.  Last week I had one really major slip-up (I’ll be writing about it hopefully within a month) but other than that have been pretty consistent.

Feel more comfortable in my own skin, exercising regularly for endorphins

This has been the biggest challenge.  I’ve been putting in the work, I feel the endorphins, I’m experiencing fitness gains, but I’m still disappointed that how I feel on the inside doesn’t match what people see on the outside.  It seems like my weight-loss rate in my 30’s is 1 measly pound per month.  Gah.  At this point I don’t even know if I can count it because anything within 3 pounds either way could be considered a normal fluctuation.  I digress.

I really enjoy my spin class at RydeYXE.  I love to cycle and quite frankly, I need to get out of the house sometimes.  The instructors are great, the music is loud, and nothing feels as good as a hot shower at the end of it all.  On the days when the weather is warmer I’m experimenting with getting back into running.  All the cycling and weightlifting over the winter has left me in decent enough shape that it’s actually fun.

It’s still hard to put my health first.  Some days I wonder, “What’s the point?”  I’m putting in the work and my body isn’t responding in all the ways I’d like it to.  But then I see the 80 year old at my spin class I know that I have to keep going.

So that’s where I’m at.  How are your goals going?  Even if you’ve forgotten about them since January, it’s never too late to start again.

Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

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Filed Under: Get Healthy, New Years, Uncategorised Tagged: blogging, exercising, goals, progress, resolutions, routines, Ryde YXE, self care, social media

About Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

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Welcome!

Hi, I'm Kristen and I help new gardeners learn to grow their own vegetables and beautify their yards. I also share recipes that use all that delicious garden produce. Grab a coffee (and your gardening gloves) and join me for gardening tips, simple recipes, and the occasional DIY, all from the lovely city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

P.S. First time gardener? You'll want to download the quick start gardening guide below!

Recent Posts

  • How to Grow Eucalyptus for Cut Flowers (Even in a Short Growing Season!)
  • 26 Best Flowers to Grow for Dried Flower Arrangements
  • 17 Perennial Flowers That Love Shade
  • How to Design a Cut Flower Garden in Raised Beds
  • How to Start a Cut Flower Garden

Welcome!

Hi, I’m Kristen and I help new gardeners learn to grow their own vegetables and beautify their yards. I also share recipes that use all that delicious garden produce. Grab a coffee (and your gardening gloves) and join me for gardening tips, simple recipes, and the occasional DIY, all from the lovely city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

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Got the seed starting itch? There's some things y Got the seed starting itch?  There's some things you can actually seed start now and you won't end up with crazy leggy seedlings and endless problems.  In fact, these plants require that you start now, and need to be started in zone 3 by the end of February at the absolute latest.⁠
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I've already started some lisianthus and eucalyptus, and am waiting on my seed orders to start some more.⁠
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If you're starting a luffa sponge, make sure you have some sort of eventual plan for the vine.  last year mine went over my fall windows before I was able to take them outdoors.⁠
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P.S. I've actually never started onions from seed, so if anyone wants to chin in about their experience, feel free!
Growing eucalyptus for the first time this year? Growing eucalyptus for the first time this year?  A new post is on the blog to walk you through it.  While in theory eucalyptus is easy to grow, it's challenging in my zone 3 garden for three reasons: ⁠
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➡️It needs a long time to mature⁠
➡️I have a short growing season⁠
➡️I live in a cool climate, and eucalyptus grows better when its warm.⁠
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That said, you can see by this picture that it can be done!!⁠
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Are you growing eucalyptus this year?
Oh friends, if any of my nice, curated photos sums Oh friends, if any of my nice, curated photos sums up how this last week went, I think it's this one.  Babies crying, trying to stay calm, outwardly looking like it's all under control, but feeling very overwhelmed.⁠
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This post isn't gardening related, so feel free to scroll by if you're here only for the gardening content.⁠
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Thankfully it's January, and I keep reminding myself that the Internet will not break if I don't keep to my self-imposed posting schedule.  But it doesn't make a week full of teething-and-not-sleeping baby any easier. ⁠
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Felicity slept through the night for the first time ever last Monday, then proceeded to punish us with frequent wakings and terrible sleep until Saturday.  And as tough as this is in regular times, in Covid times its extra frustrating because I don't have my village.⁠
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I can't just call up another Mama friend and go for coffee at her house.  I can't take my son out for a Mommy-and-Dominic date because everything he'd want to do isn't really much of an option.  There's no playgroup or play place to just drop in on.  And forget just taking everybody out to get groceries just for a change of scenery.⁠
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I know people have way more serious problems than this, and I hope I don't sound whiny and entitled, it's not my intention.  Please know that I'm very grateful for my family and job and that so far we've been healthy. ⁠
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A lot of you who follow me do so in part because you are also juggling life with very little people through this strange time.  I hope that in occasionally sharing my struggles, it makes you feel better about your struggles. (You're struggling too sometimes. . . right?)
Do you tend to plan out your garden to the nth deg Do you tend to plan out your garden to the nth degree, do you just wing it, or are you somewhere in-between?⁠
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I tend to plan it all out, and then when I actually get out in the field, so to speak, the plan changes a little bit. ⁠
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If you need a garden planner that's both pretty & practical, my garden planner is available in the ebooks section.  It's only $9 and has lots of upgrades from the previous planner.  Use code CANADA if you're Canadian to account for the exchange.⁠
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P.S. You can see exactly what you're getting in the video--no surprises. ⁠
P.P.S  I get my planner bound and printed at a printing place.  Lots of people just print their own and put the sheets in a binder.
Are you gardening in containers this year? When y Are you gardening in containers this year?  When you're shopping for vegetable seeds, look for varieties that have names with words like patio, tiny, small, etc.  While lots of vegetable varieties will do fine in a container, you'll have an easier time with ones that are specifically bred for that situation.⁠
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📸 by @blushbrandphotography
I'm living the pepper dream in this photo. While I'm living the pepper dream in this photo.  While these ones are a bit on the small side, who doesn't want ripe peppers in July in zone 3?!?! ⁠
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Over the years I've gotten better at growing peppers, and I promise I'll spill my secrets in February when it's actually time to start them.  Until then, get yourself all or one of my four favourite varieties: ⁠
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🌶️Carmen⁠
🌶️Escamillo⁠
🌶️Candy Stripe⁠
🌶️Hungarian Hot Wax⁠
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Do you have a favourite pepper variety?⁠
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Have you flipped open a seed catalogue lately? It Have you flipped open a seed catalogue lately?  It's so easy to get completely overwhelmed, especially if you're new to gardening.  Why are there so many varieties of everything and which ones do I choose?⁠
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Here's how I try to narrow it down.⁠
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🌤️ Short growing season like me?  Try and prioritize varieties that have short dates to maturity.⁠
🥗 What do you or your family actually eat?  While I think you should always try a couple of new things, there's no sense in planting a giant garden filled with vegetables that you're not going to cook with. ⁠
🥒 Do you care whether your vegetables are heirlooms or hybrids?  Heirlooms are the kind that have been around for 50+ years and you can save seeds from.  Believe it or not, this year we're prioritizing hybrids for some of our garden.  The Hermit @mgsraney is obsessed with production this year, so anything that's going in "his" greenhouse better be able to produce a lot.  I'm using more heirlooms in my "glamour garden" as we call it, because I want things that are pretty and I can save seeds from.⁠
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What do you prioritize when you're picking out seeds?⁠
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