Garden giddiness

 

 

 

 

 

Ohhhhhh how I love to grow my garden!
Whether it be flowers or food
it's all such a feast for the senses.

Our garden is growing gangbusters right now
with strawberries, lots of herbs,
tomatoes, chard, kale, zucchini and lettuce.
I gave baby J a leaf of chard to play with
and she had a ball, whipping it
back and forth until it was shredded.
She is also obsessed with the strawberry patch.
I can't keep her out of them, nor do I want to.

In the flower garden we've got gladiolas,
sunflowers, foxgloves, and dahlia's
that are just starting to poke
there sleepy little stalks and leaves
out of the earth (hope they bloom before we leave).

Maya has created her own little garden
which is dedicated to a friend
that passed away earlier this year
and fittingly named it "Jolea's Heven".
The loss has been tremendous to her
tender little heart and difficult to
explain or understand,
but each time we acknowledge
and pay tribute to her memory
and to the little miss's feelings
we are taking steps toward healing.

The photo at the top is, of course, baby J
with her goofy self...
running all over the house
with a nesting box on her head
in her usual Josie style.
She is such a nut ~
a girl after my own heart.

Hope you are enjoying all of
the blessings that June brings.

xoxo

summer bounty

mr. man and our little miss planted

only one tomato plant this summer.  i don't

even think they got it into the ground until

july but boy did it multiply! 

we've harvested at least 24 tomatoes

from this baby and  most of them are bigger

than my fist with still more to come.

they are so beautiful and tasty to boot.

i love watching my husband and girls

taking joy in the harvest of our little garden

of zucchini, cucumbers, mint, basil,

sage, parsley, oregano & strawberries.

we are getting excited to pick the rest

of them so that we can start our fall garden.

not only did the mr. plow the earth this summer,
i was also able to get dirt under my nails
planting some of my favorite flowers.
little m got her annual butterfly garden going
and i started a new flower patch to enjoy
dahlias, gladiolas, foxgloves, delphinium and more.
it did better than i even expected and makes
me smile every time i go out the front door.

feeling blessed to have a yard and a garden
that provide many moments of beauty.

hope you're enjoying the beauty of summer's end.

xoxo

Ahhh, spring

  

 

I'm loving the spring flowers in our garden.

Some of my favorite hours are spent watering, trimming and breathing in the fragrance.

Now if I could only get my vegetables planted....sigh.

Hope your enjoying all the beauty of spring.

xoxo

Relaxed in Red

Our family took a little mini vacation this weekend out to the country. It was the perfect place to unwind, harvest veggies, overdose on mulberries, swim, play, sleep in and absorb the amazing views. The little miss and her big sister had a blast driving the electric car round and round the property, swinging through the air and connecting in a way that only sisters can do.

We were surrounded by shades of crimson, brick and barn red giving this ranch paradise so much warmth and life. Everywhere I looked the place was dappled in red, delicious beauty. From the bushels full of tomatoes and peppers to the giant mulberry tree we filled our hands, buckets and tummys with goodness. Let me add that if you've never tasted a mulberry...it is absolutely something you don't want to miss. They are incredible!

The day and a half away was such a peaceful break from the usual routine that rejuvenated my soul for the coming week.

May you find peace and happiness in the colors that surround you this week.

The staycation

The plan:

Camping in Sequoia National Park Monday-Thursday

The preparation:

None. Zero. Zip. Nilch.

The Decision:

Spend four days at home working on house projects, enjoying beautiful weather, beach days, exercise and one another.

The proof:

Beach day with picnic of:

ham & brie sandwiches on rosemary rolls

TJs barbeque chips (yummmmy)

fresh peaches, strawberries, blueberries with mint salad

(Sadly the window did not find it's way home with us)

Out on the town with my mr.

My little pruner helping me in the garden

Wilderness we missed out on. Lovely days we did not.

Hope you're enjoying each day.

Then and Now

Today's version

Last November (scary)

the day we bought it

My Matt has been reminding me of the last house post when I was wanking about the condition of our house with the hopes that I would someday reveal that there has been progress. We have been working on house projects for many moons now and are really happy with the results. It wasn't bad when we bought it...it just wasn't us. So now that we've put some sweat and love into it, we are feeling more and more comfortable in our little love shack.

Since November we have painted the outside, put a fence/sprinklers/plants/veggie garden in the front yard, ripped open the garage (for more space) plus a new garage door and remodeled a bathroom (more photos to come). Whew....time for a project break (if that's possible) in exchange for some beach time. Have you had any projects in the works? I'd love to hear about them.

xoxo

How does your garden grow?

We have gotten so much enjoyment out of watching our garden grow this spring. We have already harvested lots of lettuce, beans, zucchini, brocolli, beets, a few strawberries and some parsley and have loved nurturing the growth of life and sharing the results with our neighbors and friends. My "gard"en dog stands at her post as I shuffle through the greens.

As big as our plants have gotten, some of the tomatoes are not looking so hot (I think because of the foggy weather). Their tips are brown and curling and some leaves are yellowing with brown spots. I cut back on the water to see if that would help and I think it has a little. I'm hoping once the weather gets sunnier, the girls will look happier. Still, I'm loving the food we're producing and looking forward to watching our "butterfly garden" flourish with flowers. The girls and I planted the seeds a few weeks ago and are watching all the seedlings pop up here and there.

Last week as we were out picking produce, our neighbor stopped by and we gave her some zucchini and parsley. Within an hour, she came knocking at our door with this tank of dinner...

complete with crockpot and all.

What a great neighborhood we live in!

Grow your own

Just as I was about to stop my Sunset subscription they decided to tempt me with the best issue yet. This month's mag is full of inspiring gardening stories and ideas on making the most of the space you have for planting edibles.

Just looking at these tomatoes (compliments of sunset) makes my mouth water for the tasties I am nurturing in my own front yard. Can't wait for harvest time!!!

Here is the garden box my incredibly talented husband made for our compact veggie garden out of recycled split rail fencing from my cousins old fence. It looks awesome and being in the front yard it gets the neighbors out and visiting with us more than ever.

These are what I dream of having in my own backyard one day. Not sure how the neighbors would like it, but maybe if I offer them some fresh eggs they'll cut us some slack. I guess if they put up too much of a stink I can always use them as ammunition in the driveway. For now, I am blessed by the generosity of my thoughtful friend Julia who delivered these beauties from her own backyard.

One of my favorite plants that came with the house....a meyer lemon tree. We love all the juicy jewels on this tree and enjoy sharing them with friends and neighbors.

Growing our own food is such a fun journey for the whole family to share. As much as we love growing food for ourselves it excites me even more to have the opportunity to share our crop with others. I've got a plan in my head to start a neighborhood food co-op so that the whole street can benefit from all of the food that is grown and often wasted in our area and hoping to get people on the band wagon this summer.

Wish me luck.

Escargot...come and get it

Out in the backyard yesterday I noticed that once again my poor bougainvillea is being shredded. With more careful observation I found not one or two snails feasting on my beautiful bush, but dozens of the little buggers had hatched and they were everywhere. Since I prefer not to spray whenever possible, I stood out there hand picking while Maya pleaded and begged to hold them. Not sure if I even made a dent in their population so I'm assuming this will be a daily routine for a while. Oh well, Maya will enjoy the snail round-up while it lasts and I'll have mini hours devours for anyone willing. I hear the young ones are quite tender:)

xoxo