Garden Pretties

What do you have going on today? It's hot and humid here in Georgia, but we have been getting some lovely evening cloud coverage with a bit of thunder and rain.  


This year my garden is definitely on the disappointing side. Have you had luck with your garden? One of my pots is looking nice, so that's something to be happy about!

I love this Caladium.  It would have more white instead of green if it got more sun, but I still like it. 

A little Creeping Jenny to drape over the side.  

For height I always use Purple Fountain Grass.  The last two years it has been very hard to find.  This one was located only a few weeks ago.  Normally by now it would be 3 feet tall with pink plumes shooting up.  It's one of my favorite plants to use in this urn, I sure hope it's going to continue to be produced  by the garden centers.  

I found a fun event that will be going on at Happier Than A Pig in Mud on July 15.  Hop over there and take a look.  It's a cook-a-long using Bobby Flay's recipes.  I think it sounds like great fun, but I'm having trouble picking a recipe.  I've really got to start cooking outside my comfort zone!

Hope you're having a Happy Tuesday!

On The Menu Monday

I'm am joining the On The Menu Monday group over at Stone Gable.  If you've never visited this blog, treat yourself today and jump right over there.  

I'm going to give this "menu planning" a try.  I used to be an avid menu planner when my children were young, but not so much now. Every week I would like to try a new recipe.  I've never experimented much in the kitchen but have been seeing some wonderful looking recipes around.  My first try will be Saturday with a salad from Stone Gable's site. 

Monday - TACOS    

I'm not much for cooking from scratch, so I use the El Paso taco boxed dinner.  I have found that adding an extra packet of seasoning when cooking 2 pounds of ground chuck makes the tacos much more delicious.

 Fresh Tomatoes, but unfortunately, no homegrown yet.

 I also like to use a really good, strong cheddar.  This is one of the best, and I use it in most of my recipes that call for cheese.

Please excuse the blurry picture, not much of a photographer either :) .  I like to eat my tacos on Tostado shells, they seem lighter and a lot crispier to me.  

TUESDAY:  Hot Dogs, Baked Beans, Chips

WEDNESDAY:  Limeade Chicken (from Southern Living many years ago) - A favorite around here, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans .

    LIMEADE CHICKEN:

6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

    half of a large can of limeade

    1/2 Cup of Worchestershire

     1/2Tsp. of Garlic Salt

Combine limeade concentrate, Worchestershire and garlic salt in a bowl  (reserve about 1/2 cup).

Marinade chicken for at least a couple of hours.  

Grill.  My DH is the griller so I'm not sure how long to grill. 

Use the reserved limeade liquid as a dipping sauce.

THURSDAY:  Dinner with Dad.  Sometimes I cook, sometimes we go out - his choice.  Not sure which we'll be doing this week. 

FRIDAY: Out to dinner

SATURDAY:Lemon Pepper Grilled Salmon, Stone Gable's Arugula Salad,  Pinto Beans

SUNDAY:  Hamburgers on the grill, baked beans, chips

                            

Flashback Friday

I love looking at old pictures and many years ago I had a blog that featured a Flashback Friday. It was such fun that I think I'll do it again on my new blog.

Here is one of my favorites for stirring memories:

Do you remember when grocery stores looked like this? I was always FASCINATED with the cash registers...all those buttons, be- still- my- heart! All I ever wanted as a child was to grow up to be a checkout girl. I had an early job in the 70's where I got to use one every now and then. It was heaven!! I just love everything about this picture; the check out girl wearing pearls, the pouffy hair, the newspaper sales page display, the cigarettes right there instead of being behind lock and key, and the weight scale, and who can forget BROWN BAGS!!. I'm not sure what the little brown thing is next to the scales. I think it might be the Green Stamps dispenser - what do you think?

Hope you've enjoyed this little trip down memory lane, have a great day!

So Glad You Stopped By!

Wow, almost two weeks gone in my summer vacation! My, how time flies!

I fixed a breakfast tray back a few months ago. I'm using it for my FIRST Tablescape Thursday. The daffodils were in bloom, along with the muscari. It just speaks "Spring".

This tray is lined with a beautiful white napkin with a crochet edge that was my grandmother's. When my dear Mother passed away, I found the adorable little chick and egg salt and pepper shakers in her china cabinet. They are very dear to me, I think of her with every little shake:).

The bottom plate is just my everyday white dinnerware, the pretty little yellow plate was bought while antiquing many years ago. I only have the one, so a little breakfast tray is the perfect time to use it!

For breakfast: Yummy fried potatoes, boiled egg, orange juice. A great way to start the day!

I am participating in Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch. Be sure to stop by to view the wonderful tablescapes!

School's out, which called for a celebration - along with Memorial Day. We grilled Ribs and had boiled corn and holiday-ish cupcakes with starry picks. Fun and special because we were all there!

Husband's surgery went well, but recovery is slow and painful. He's come a long way, but has quite a ways to go. 2 months more off from work.

Hopefully I'll have some garden pictures to put up soon. Hope you're having a great week.

It's the end...the end of a fabulous Spring Break. I continued my "This Year" list and wonderfully accomplished more.

Sally and I had a great time together, doing so many of the things we have talked about doing. We are quite proud of ourselves! We made these adorable little pies in jars. I think they turned out terriffic!

We also got to finally set the table using the pretty new blue dishes. We had been waiting patiently for the Virburnum to bloom - how nice that it waited until I was off work for a week! To go along with our pretty table we had an equally pretty dinner of....pizza. Not just any pizza, but special, homemade pizza cooked on the grill. It was pretty good, but I kept thinking it was missing something. After all was done and I was cleaning up I saw the pack of cheese and it read "Colby and Monteray Jack" instead of mozzarella. Believe me, it made a difference. I will always be sure to double check next time I go to buy the cheese!

I spent a little time in the garden, not near as much as I should have, but I got a few things planted and have some good plans in my mind.

Daughter and I decided to join a community garden at our church where the produce will be going to a women's shelter in the county. We have had one good day of hard work (I'm older than I realize!) and more to come.

Not much else going on. DH is going to be having knee replacement surgery in two weeks, not looking forward to that!

Trying to keep all the fun stuff recorded in my journal was usually how I spent my evenings. All-in-all it was a lovely week spent at home with my children, spending time doing the stuff that matters - family stuff. Good times.

SNOW JAM 2010

Seriously!

We're all reeling from the Winter Weather we received last night. Schools are shut down, it's eerily quiet outside because no one is out. I think you would classify this amount of snow as "a dusting". Isn't that funny? One of my co-workers is from Buffalo, NY, and she thinks we're all crazy.

Seriously though, the side streets are treacherous. They are a solid sheet of ice. But doesn't the garden look pretty? It looks like fairies sprinkled it with sugar.

I have nothing to do today. I wish I had some fabric so I could sew something. I've been visiting the blogs and have seen some wonderful sewn gifts. Like this and this. The top would be great for my daughter (she received a sewing machine for Christmas). I showed her the top and she liked the pattern but thought she would go for a different print.

I wish I liked to cook. I think about the blog and how fun it would be to take pictures of me making some wonderful something. And then I think the reason I don't do it is because I don't have anything gorgeous to mix and bake in - like this. I think that is the prettiest mixing bowl I've ever seen. Alicia has many beautiful cooking pots - maybe it's the reason she enjoys cooking so much. I've even noticed she has disasters, but it doesn't curb her enthusiasm for baking. Hmmm, I'll have to give this some thought.

I bet the fabulous Mr. Don would be all for me getting pretty pots if it meant I would cook. I really am a good cook, when I keep my mind on what I'm doing and don't get sidetracked. But boy, have I had some disasters (there was a certain birthday cake I made for a certain BFF that had to be eaten with a spoon).

Okay, this post is getting too long. I wonder if anyone is still with me. Have a happy snow day.

It's Time To...

1. Take Christmas tree down. CHECK!
2. Watch Atlanta Falcons last game of the season. CHECK! Hurray for the win!
3. Go to grocery store to get lunch stuff for upcoming week. CHECK! See picture below.
4. Put bird seed out (now that window is cleared from the tree blocking view).CHECK
5. Clean window (so I can see birds enjoying the feast - seriously dirty). Umm, hmm...soon.
6. Remove shelves from my room and put in daughter's apartment. CHECK
7. Quit crying over having to return to work tomorrow. No-can-do.



My lunch for tomorrow in my adorable Bento Box:

Top Tier: Baked Chicken, cucumbers, tossed salad, no fat dressing.

Second Tier: Strawberries, grapes, kiwi flowers, yogurt covered raisins, Cherry tomato with bits of string cheese inside, carrots, cucumber.

All over now, and it will be back to work tomorrow. It should be an easy day, no children or teachers or administrators. It's fun to be in the school with no one there.

A lovely two weeks off for Christmas and New Year's. I had my usual LOSER New Year's - in bed way before the stroke of 12:00. But it's good for me, I've never been a late-nighter.

It is ccccold. I keep telling myself how good it is for the garden. It makes the plants grow so much better when there has been long spells of cold. Plus I think it kills lots of the bugs that can winter-over in mild winters. I'll just keep reminding myself of that as I cozy up here in front of theTV for tonights offerings.

It's Time to try again

I'm ending the year with a post, in hopes it will help me to post in the New Year. The New Year is like every Monday...the beginning of all good things. Things are always possible on Monday's. Atleast that's the way it seems on Monday Eve.

Creative Time

Daughter and I spent some time making aprons. This is hers and I think it's adorable!

I became obsessed with Bento boxes and bought myself one. Here is one of my lunches:

Top tier - Lemon pepper chicken and salad

Bottom tier - Sliced strawberries, yogurt covered raisins, carrots, cheese cubes, olives, grapes.
I love the Bentos because it is good for portion control. Also, you add tiny bits of different things so you don't get burned out on any one item.

Garden Time

The garden wasn't much to my liking this year, but there is always the hope of next spring. It had moments of great delight though, so I tried to keep memories of those.

Crazy Time
We turned the garage into a little apartment.
It seemed to take for...ev...er.

Tomorrow I'll bring some Christmas memories to share with you.

SUMMER IS UPON US

And there is still much to do in the garden. However, the hot temps keep planning down to thoughts and diagrams. I've got some big plans for this fall though.


I am so happy with the big urn I planted this spring. It has just filled out so nicely. I love, love, love the Euphorbia, Diamond Frost. It's just wonderful, and I love it with the Asparagus Fern and the white impatience. I've decided to make this whole little shade garden green and white. It's been fun thinking about what to plant. I've got to get rid of the awful pink azalea. I may replace it with a nice white one, but I'm thinking of something that blooms later because the azaleas bloom before the hostas get any good growth on them.

I loved this astilbe. I thought I was getting a late blooming one when I purchased it late last year. It had a bloom on it, so I just figured it would be blooming with the black eyed susans. Oh well, a nice surprise. Maybe it will bloom twice!

I think it really makes a nice spot in the May garden.

I have mixed feelings about the lily in this photo below. I've just never been very happy with it and I hope to find something to replace it with. In the mean time, it does an adequate job.

Now, the lily below I LOVE. It is just the cutest thing and the blooms lasted a nice long time. I'm not good with keeping up with the names of things. I can't remember if it was Lollipop, or something like that. Anyway, I hope it multiplies rapidly.



This garden is in the works. It still needs a lot of work.




That's all for now, I'll have some June pictures next.

Warm Spring Days...

Have brought much change to the gardens. First the tulips brightened the day, and they were very beautiful this year. The temps were a little cooler than usual, which kept the flowers fresh for such a long time. The tulips lasted at least 3 weeks. Here is a picture of the garden in its tulip finery:














The lavender haze in the back is Money Penny. It's a great plant that grows easily from seed . I sprinkle it around every year. It's a biennial, but once you get it started you'll always have some. The large shrub with the big white blooms is a Viburnum. I love it, love it, love it! Now a bit later in April:

I love the look of this little path, but I really need to do some serious planning ehre. The little garden on the right is being reworked this year, and the little water feature on the left also needs to be reworked. As you can see, much to do!!


Iris are in bloom the later part of April. This pink one has been gorgeous. It is Beverly Sills and this is the first year it has bloomed like this. Usually it has just had one or two blooms.

Below is the new pot I bought with my DS Christmas gift certificate to Home Depot. I have it planted with Asparagus Fern; Euphorbia, Diamond Frost; white impatience and a tall fern from my little shade garden, but I don't know the name. This is the garden I am currently working on. I need to get some height added, or maybe some wall decoration. I'm thinking of a mirror. I have an old mirror that I could paint white and crackle it - try to age it some.

I have three weeks left of school, and then I can get some serious work done! So much to do, but I've recruited some of my kids friends, who have all said they would help. How lucky am I?! Next post will be for May. I'm waiting on the astilbe to bloom. Hopefully it will be very pretty. Until then, happy gardening!