black, white, red, giraffe

At the moment I have a lot of black, white, and red happening in my house. 

I think my favorite thing from the garden this year are those twin-cherry tomatoes, so perfectly colored and shaped. Little gifts from a poorly tended garden. 

I almost didn't eat them they were so cute... but I did eat them. 

They were tasty.

This is a commissioned tea cozy, meant to be finished late last week. I'm struggling with the flowers. Not with the making, but with the size, the placement, the kind... it'll all come and fit together like it wants to be, but in the meantime I'll fuss... and then set it aside. Rearrange... then put away.  I know the moment will come, when I'll put it together and it will all be right... perfectionist? Nah. I like to think of it as art.

Speaking of art...

As a family we are working on a project this year that will require each of us to keep a composition book.

I've never liked composition books because they are so drab looking... so I've decided a little decoupage is in order... but first I needed to get the cover looking like I wanted it to.

Have you ever used Graphite paper? Its one of my very favorite crafting supplies (you can find it in the drawing and painting sections of craft stores.)

I used scrapbook paper to make my numbers and background, then I found my favorite computer font for the written word 'thanks'.

Then I placed the 'thanks' where I wanted it on the cover with the graphite (black side down) in between. 

 I traced over the letters with a pencil, checking twice that I'd gone over all the lines, its impossible to place in the same spot once you remove the graphite.

The graphite leaves a faint line.  I traced over the line with my favorite permanent marker (the one I hide in my office where no one can find it... I'm not even kidding.)

Then I used a glue stick to place the cover over the composition book. After I've given it a little time to dry I will Mod-Podge the cover so it all stays in place.

As a non-black/white/red side note:

You can also use graphite paper to trace onto canvas.

I am not the only one in this house that L-O-V-E-S graphite paper. The Girl is a big fan too. 

She is painting in the kitchen as I type.
I offered to put the easel on the floor so she could sit in the chair.
She declined.
Artists.

Last year a friend recommended the Color-Me-Online website. They have all sorts of printable animal drawings and famous masterpieces geared toward teaching your kids about art (and its free!) It is really a great website, good for artists of every age.

The Girl's first project was to print out  this black and white giraffe. 

I helped her transfer the giraffe with graphite paper and she set to work painting.

Isn't that fun?

Happy Tuesday!

Baiting Spring

Several of you asked about what I am doing to prepare my garden for the spring.

It isn't much, but it makes me feel better...like I am doing my part to bring on the spring.

Basically, I stirred up the soil and gave it some fertilizer. Then I covered it with some plastic, and put the windows over it - its my attempt at a little green-house effect.

I'm doing this in part because I want the heat of the sun to bake the moist soil a bit. I also have some hay from last year's garden that I am hoping will break down a bit.

(Last year I did Hay-bale gardening...which I enjoyed but decided not to to this year (I'll post more about that next week.)

The Mister built me another raised-bed to place where last years hay-bales went.

I'll keep them all covered for at least 4 weeks, then I'll turn the soil and fertilize one more time and cover and let rest...that's always the hard part for me.

Hopefully in six weeks time, I'll be planting seedlings and watching my garden grow.

Until then, I followed the advice of my friend The Seasoned Sister, and bought an Amaryllis bulb and some other kind of flower whose package said, "grows quickly" and "suitable for containers". What I really wanted was a Narcissus called a Paper White (also on recommendation of the SS, because they grow fast!) but I went to three different places and was denied...so i just went with what I could find.

So far....this is what I got.

Its' been four days.

And I check on them several times a day like a newborn.

OCD much?

Nah. Not me.

A Walk in the Garden: Tomato Talk

When I started the garden in late February, I had high hopes for a fruitful harvest.

Of course I didn't really take into account what I would do with all those veggies.

I figured I would eat some and give-away more.

What I didn't count on was the fact that many, many people in my community also garden as a hobby. Some even garden for profit or to stock their own pantries for the coming year.

Tomatoes seem to love North Carolina so we all have them in abundance.

I realized this week that not only am I getting a tad tired of tomatoes (and cucumbers), those I was pushing veggies on were getting their fill too. People were starting to divert their eyes when I approached with my veggie box, I needed to figure out what to do with my tomatoes.

One of the gals at the pool, who also happens to be my local honey source (she's a beekeeper) suggested I could dry my tomatoes in the oven to use for snacks, sauces, and other recipes.

(Just had to throw in a pic of the the honey I bought.  It's as beautiful as it is delicious.)

She said she oven-dried her tomatoes overnight because it takes a good chunk of time, but that it was an easy process.

She was right.

Here is what I did: (ignore the chunks of this weeks watermelon...you know how i love h2o melon, but its probably not good dried)

I cut the Roma's in half and the Beefsteak in quarters.

I pushed the seeds out with my fingers, laid them skin side down on an ungreased cookie sheet, an sprinkled them with salt. Next time I am going to try to sprinkle basil on them too.

I turned the oven on to 170.

And went to bed.

This morning the smaller pieces were done,but the larger were still a bit moist and thick.

So I put flipped the undercooked ones over and put them back in the oven. I'll pull them out when they look right.

The others I have cooling and will store in a Ziploc bag.

Then I went out to the garden to water and weed....

...and found more tomatoes.

And more tomatoes....

And the beginnings of more tomatoes....

Any one got a good recipe?

Out of the Gutter

Success!

We have clean gutters.

Although I have to say, I thought this added a sweet and decorative element to our humble abode:

The Mister did a fine job. The hardest part was moving that crazy ladder. We almost broke two windows in the process, but all is well that ends well.

I survived standing in the bushes where wasps and snakes live.

At one point I said, "What am I supposed to do if this ladder starts to tip over?"

"Get out of the way and pray" was his answer.

I didn't just hold ladders this weekend, I also was able to pick veggies from my garden:

Jalepeños, cucumber, chive, sweet pea, basil and a tomato (that wasn't quite ripe but had been broken off by a careless farmer during the watering process.)

I also finished my first crocheted afghan:

(Truth be told I finished this the beginning of last week, but I wanted to give it to the baby-mama before posting.)

Mondays are always filled with weekend clean up so I am thinking about making my Monday posts short and ending  with "links".

Here are the links for this Monday....

You can get your mind out of the gutter with this post: Getting Wise and Empowered - Finding Balance


You can remember that we no longer have to live in the gutter with this post: Guilty - Lift My Noise

And in anticipation of Father's Day...this one has no bearing on the "Gutter" theme but it IS fun to do with the kids:

 Formal Greeting Card - Family Fun

Happy Monday!

Garden Tour for Garden Friends

By the end of this summer you are going to be so sick of hearing about this garden.

If you live close enough I would bribe console reward you with fresh veggies, but the rest of you just have to persevere, you just have to listen in the name of La Vida love, and know that you are a friend of the garden.

Before we walk in the garden I did want to update on yesterdays post .

First, I did not get an iPad. They are REALLY cool, and I would love one, but they are pricey.

Just like most of you, we are in the middle of paying for orthodontics, new curriculum for next year, summer camps, and swim team (I won't mention that I am a little bitter that I bought the "new design" team-suits last year, in a slightly larger size, so as to use them two years in a row--- and they changed them again this year.) so I'm not sure if I see an iPad in my future....someday.

Second, apparently Fuddruckers declared bankruptcy , and all the corporate-owned franchises were closed. Which means we may still stumble across an independant FR franchise here and there, but the picking may be slim.

Third, and please don't unsubscribe if this offends, but I've had the Five Guys Burger and Fries. I was unimpressed. I just thought that the hamburger wasn't any different than say a Wendy's. It was maybe a step up from Burger King (although, in the interest of full disclosure I haven't eaten at either of those establishments, or any other fast food burger, for a very long time. So what do I know?)

And can I just say, that if all establishments would serve french fries like the Chick-fil-A waffle fries, or the crinkle-cut they serve at eegee's in Tucson, then I would be content.

The truth of the matter is this: I am not a burger aficionado, but I haven't met a potato I didn't like.

Ok, how in the world did we get on this topic? Let's move on....

This is my garden this morning:

It's growing well. I lost a bell pepper plant yesterday but I have several others, so I think its OK.

Tomatoes and tomato seedlings (so I always have a rotation of growing toms to keep my salads happy.)

Beefsteak tomatoes in the back, cucumbers in the middle, bell peppers in the front, Marigold along the side to attract good bugs and repel the bad.

Speaking of bugs....last weekend I was feeding my plants when I was confronted by a big bug that looked like this:

Photo Credit 

I bravely screamed in horror, and made The Boy come collect it and take it elsewhere.

The next day, there was another one. I sprayed it with Cayenne spray and it went away.

Turns out my fear overzealousness should have been glee, because apparently this monster beetle eats the bugs that eat gardens.

Unfortunately, he took his peppery self and went and told all his little Black Caterpillar Hunter friends, and they've blacklisted my garden as a safe place to dine.

Bummer.

(I'm really resisting the urge to go into a diatribe on how the worst part of gardening are the critters and creatures that crawl, so let's look at another picture.)

Those big ol'e leaves are zucchini. Here is a look at the underside:

Never in my life did I think I would be writing about the underside of zucchini. 

Early this morning I finally got my watermelon and cantaloupe bed finished, filled, and planted. That white thing in the middle is my ant killer concoction: equal parts sugar and borax.

If you are a friend to the ants, I'm sorry. Ants are not friends of the garden.

There are other pictures of my herbs, sweet peas, broccoli, lettuce and jalepenos, but this post is beginning to feel a lot like a slide show shown by an old aunt that nobody really wants to see.

So my friends, I hope you enjoyed your tour today.

Winning the War

Y'all, this post is gonna be short, at least I think it is...

I had hoped to bring you up to date on all the books I am reading right now, and the good movies I've seen lately, but I'm in the middle of a war.

Yes. A war. Right in the middle of my backyard.

In my garden to be exact.

I've declared war on the microscopic bugs. Nematodes and a little miscreant called the white fly. They apparently have a taste for cucumber plants and bell pepper seedlings.

My desire is to have a garden that is organic in nature, but I'm about to open a big ol' can of Raid and call it a day.

I've tried a cayenne pepper spray. I've tried some diluted organic soap spray.

This afternoon I will make my way to the wholesale floral market to get marigold, nasturtium, cornflower, mint, and borage.

I have no idea what any of those things are, but apparently they bring in an army of "good" bugs to kill, destroy, and eat the "bad" bugs.

So I am gonna log off now to rally the troops and take back my garden.

Wish me luck~

A Walk in the Woods

Today is overcast and a bit on the cool side.

Its a perfect morning to put on a sweatshirt, grab a cup of coffee and go for a walk in the woods of our happy little acre.

Wanna come with me?

Right out the front door...

Azalea's galore...

There are some in the back too, in colors of light pink, lavender, and these...

You can't tell in this photo, but they are an amazing orangey pink (salmon color)....

Last weekend while The Mister was building the swing, The Girl and her friend built a "girls-only fort" in the yard, using some wood and some tree branches.

Please take note that their "vase" is a good glass from my kitchen. 

I had to bite my tongue from protesting...after all, it is beautiful on the mantle of their little house.

Let's move on...

Can I tell you what surprises me every year?

The irises: I did not plant them. I cannot make them grow . As a matter of fact, the bleakness of winter and the harsh reality of cold completely erases them from my memory.

At first that may sound sad, but its not.

Every year I give thanks, because it feels like a gift I forgot to ask for.

A beautifully wrapped...

...perfectly made gift.

I am amazed by it all.

Amazed....that in just the span of 20 days my yard can look like this:

...and turn into this:

Amazing.

What amazes you today?

The Garden Plan

Whew! Its chilly outside!

I've just come in from taking some pictures of our front and back yard. Spring is amazing here in NC.

Last spring as a school project the kids and I tended a small garden.

We didn't yield much fruit, we lost sweet peas to the snails and raccoons, and the deer ate 80% of our cucumber.

I had planted a little too early, and a very hard and cold rain came in and took my lettuce and bell pepper seedlings as a tornado takes a mobile home park.

We did get a half a dozen cucumbers (which were delicious) and about a dozen tomatoes (also amazing), but the bottom line is this: I learned a lot. Which has a flavor all its own.

This year we've expanded.

Well, I should say The Mister is using his mad wood-working skills and is in the process of building me a mack-daddy garden, complete with a gate. (not yet installed)

I think this garden is a personal battle against woodland creatures that I have named Man vs. Wildlife.

He says he just wants me to have a nice place to grow my vegetables.

I believe him. That man has a 17-year history of taking excellent care of me.

 I do believe this space is going to be my favorite place this summer.

This year I am trying my hand at straw-bale gardening. Right now I am in the middle of a 10-day preparation process, which includes A LOT of watering. But it will be worth it!

To the right of the hay bales are the planters from last year. The Mister will also build three more to the left.

Right now my seedlings are Roma and Beefsteak Toms, zuchini, cucumber, H2Omelon, sweet pea, broccoli, yellow onion, and several different lettuces.

We are also growing some "bunny food" and sunflowers.

(last year we tried to just put the sunflower seeds in the ground and a squirrel dug them up, ate the seeds, and left the shells all over the place)

This time of year, with Easter on the horizon and spring in the air, always makes me a bit contemplative.

 The wonder of time when all things that have been asleep suddenly come alive.

Every day there is a new reminder, within the reaches of my back door, that there is a good and gracious God who tends the garden of my heart...

Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you...

~Matthew 6:28-30

How about you? Planting anything this season?