i have to say...

garden progress

This year my garden is growing oh-so nicely!

The focus is on three things only: corn, tomatoes and onions.  I should have known that whittling things down to the basics would be successful!  In the past I have always taken a "let's do it all" approach and it's been frustrating, to say the least.  

Especially since I really don't know how to garden.

I had planned on the ripe corn being spaced out over a few weeks (that's how it was planted) but I think the weird, cool weather at the beginning of the season has made it so that I am going to have a whole bunch of ripe corn, all at one time. Apparently, learning how to freeze corn is in my future!

The tomatoes are doing fine too. They like the heat and humidity we are having these days.  A couple of days to wait until I pick my first one.  

And I can't wait for that!

A vine-ripened tomato with salt and pepper is perfection!

And sunflowers.  Aren't they just the happiest flower ever?

Have a great Monday, friends!

summer pretty

Ah, Summer, I love you.

I love the heat, I love the green, I love the playful feeling you bring.

This year our weather has been a bit odd because of all the rain we have been having.  It's a bit more humid than usual, but it's so much more green around here than I am used to.  

And I LOVE that!

Earlier in the season I planted these Black-Eyed Susans in front of my kitchen window.  They took the place of my roses, which were killed by deer than roam around our house.

Really, I just got tired of trying to fight for territory in my own yard.

Pick your battles, right?

So, the guy at the nursery assured me that deer do not like these particular flowers, and I am happy to say that he was correct!  They are growing very nicely, with tons of blooms that don't fade.  They just stay bloomed.

Loving it!

Have a great day, friends!

green

The best color ever is green!

So fresh and brimming with new life.

And there is so much of it everywhere these days.

Spring is the best.

Have a great weekend, friends!

my favorite weekend!

Well, at least one of them!

I have a lot of favorite weekends when the weather warms up.  This one is fun because our small town hosts a festival, complete with a 5K and a carnival and a parade.  It's one of the few weekends each year that I think it's OK to complain about the traffic.  But being a So Cal native, it's really nothing.  Maybe 12-15 cars waiting at the light.  Pretty easy in comparison.

The best of all? It's planting weekend.  I always plant a little earlier than a lot of people around here because our first year here, a long-time resident told me she planted on Blossom Festival Weekend for her whole life, and now I do it.  The weather forecast looks just fine, so it's a go!

How nice to think of getting out in the sun, watering plants and weeding.  Well, the weeding doesn't sound so great, but it's the price we pay, right?

The sun is shining and life feels happy.  The garden is calling my name!

 

a little spring tour

Everyday I take a little tour around my house to see what's popping up!  And each day I find something new.

Each spring I swear that spring is my favorite season, but then summer comes with it's sunshine-y days and fall comes with perfect weather and beautiful leaves, and I know I love each one the same...but in it's own way.

Spring is great because it's all about newness.

It's a great reminder that a little bit of winter coming into your life only means that good things are ahead.  I know that to be true in my yard, as well as in my heart.  Hard times bring beauty...even if it is a new kind of beauty that you never expected.

One of the best things lately is just being able to get outside.  In shorts and a t-shirt.  Is anyone besides me ready to burn of their sweatshirts?  I am seriously disappointed when I have to wear one these days.  My arms are enjoying being out of hiding!

Of course, I can't forget my cat.  She is a full-on housecat, but for about 3 minutes each day she ventures 10 feet from the front door and pretends to be wild.  And then she comes right back in to sleep the day away.

Ah, the life of a cat.

I hope sign of spring are popping up where you are!

Have a great Monday, friends!

coming soon...

...a garden!

I am so excited!  This weekend was "gettin' the garden ready" time!

Since it has been quite a while since I have gone all out and planted an actual garden in my garden space, it was a complete mess.  I don't even know how many wheelbarrow loads of junk I carried out!  And the weeds...

WEEDS!

If the weeds from the last few years that accumulated there are any indication of the plants that will grow there, I am going to have quite the crop!

That said, I need to do some work on preventing weeds and I would love any advice you have to give!

Now that it is all cleaned out, I am surprised at how much space I have to work with.  And the dirt is so soft and fluffy.  Do I need to say that I am quite happy with that?

What about you?  Did you do anything excited this weekend?  Please share!

Have a great Monday, Friends!

ten things i like about winter

OK, I have to admit that this one is a challenge for me.  I am not a winter-lover.  Being from Southern California, I am very content with temps around 85 to 90 degrees---as it should be, if you ask me. But since I now live in Colorado, it gets a lot colder and I complain a lot.  

This is my effort to be thankful.

Here goes.  Ten things I like about winter:

1. The frost.  I love when it covers trees and makes them look like giant snowflakes.

2. Coffee.  Lots and lots of coffee. It keeps me warm.

3. Fires in the woodstove.

4. Sweaters and scarves and gloves and boots.

5. More time inside to sew. It's warm in here, so why leave?

6. Bubble baths.  Another effort to be warm.

7. No bugs.

8. No sweating.

9. No lawn care needed.

10. Counting down to spring.

I love spring. And summer. And fall.

And I am pretty sure they are just around the corner.

What about you?  What do you love about winter?

what i have been up to...

...baking bread.  it's been a while and my kids are happy about it!

...organizing. is anyone else in the mood to get rid of stuff and get things in order?

...planning my sewing classes.  my first one is on monday.  

...working towards my black belt in karate.  exercise and eating right are on the agenda again!

...sewing with friends.  i have lucked out lately and have had lots time to sew and solve the world's problems together.  that's how it works, you know!

...thinking about whether or not i want to plant a garden this year. is it really time to think about this?  seed catalogs are coming soon!

what about you?  what have you been up to?

47 quarts of pickles

Yes, my friends and I made 47 quarts of pickles yesterday!  

Crazy, I know!

We split the the jars between us so I came home with 20.  It's the perfect number to get our family through the whole year.  I don't actually water-bath mine since we like them crisp (like Claussen), so we have a refrigerator in the garage pretty much devoted to pickles.

The pickle-fridge is now stocked!

This is the first of this year's canning adventures.  Next up is tomato soup, veggie soup and salsa. The soups are especially nice to eat in the middle of winter when fresh produce is in short supply.

I love that fall is coming, but it's sad to say goodbye to summer.  It's been a fun one, but I sure look forward to leaves changing colors and cooler days.  Fresh-picked apples are something to look forward to also!

I wish you the loveliest of days!

 

it's snowing outside...

...but I am dreaming of flowers.  :)