Beating the August Heat: Prepping the Fall & Winter Greenhouse

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August in Alabama is notoriously hot, but if you want a thriving fall and winter harvest, right now is exactly when you need to start getting your hands dirty. Having a greenhouse is a huge advantage for extending the growing season, so I am rolling up my sleeves this weekend to get the fall crop preparation underway. Here is a look at what is going into the dirt this weekend, what is on the schedule for later this fall, and the long game for spring. 🌱 What I’m Planting This Weekend The planting window is perfectly timed right now, so these are the priority seeds going into the setup: Baby Broccoli: I just picked up these seeds, and they are going straight into the dirt! The window for broccoli closes by mid-August, and it is well-suited for direct seeding into the soil rather than using transplants. Spinach: The window also closes by mid-August. Because spinach has shallow roots, these seeds are going straight into the vertical stackable planters. Leaf Lettuce: Perfect for plantin...
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Why I Call Myself “Consistent CPA Jo”

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Why I Call Myself “Consistent CPA Jo”

How I Passed the CPA Exam While Working Full-Time and Raising a Child

There were no all-nighters, no 10-hour study marathons. Just mornings that started earlier than I wanted, and a quiet promise to myself: “Show up every day.”

Each weekday, I woke up before the world around me—before work emails, breakfast dishes, or school drop-offs. In that small pocket of silence, I studied. Sometimes I only managed 30 minutes, but I never skipped. That was my rule.

Weekends? If a miracle of time appeared—maybe my child was napping, maybe chores finished early—I’d dive in for an hour or two. Not because I had to. But because I could—and that made me feel strong.

I wasn’t chasing perfection. I was choosing consistency. Slowly, section by section, I moved through the CPA exam. One took me six months. The next, six more. Two years later, I was done.

Not because I was brilliant. But because I kept going.

That’s what Consistent CPA Jo means. A name I gave myself as a reminder—and maybe one day, an encouragement to someone else who’s trying to do something hard in the middle of a busy life.

You don’t need all the time. You just need a little time, every day, and the belief that it’s enough.

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