Showing posts with label garden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label garden. Show all posts

Sunday, July 26, 2015

In My Garden

This years garden went in a little late for my taste considering we were moving and all. We got a great variety from Luke's Aunt Kerry. The tomatoes we already have are a result of her handiwork! They are tasty, I can attest!

I also celebrated my first Zinnia bloom! Yay! I've got one on each of the other zinnia plants just itching to burst forth! 

I think we have a cucumber and I know we have a zucchini plant. Those two are going to burst forth over providing us with goodness soon! I was a bit worried for the zucchini as something nibbled off all the first round blossoms! We have new survivors and I cant wait! 
That's the really great thing about taking trips (and having automatic sprinklers.)
When you come back, all kinds of exciting things are happening in the yard! 
Luke got to mow. That's his turf now. (Pun intended.)

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Really Random Thursday!-Lots of Visiting!

We've had lots of visits in Garden City and now I'm visiting in Grand Junction, Colorado! Its been TONS of fun getting to see so many people I don't normally get to see! I've been really bad at remembering to take pictures but here are some I DID take and some I snagged from other people! Enjoy the randomness!
 The garden has been a recurring theme in my year. I decided to try using shredded paper to mulch some of my plants to keep out the weeds and keep moisture in! Right after I did it, I felt really goofy. Like, "what have I done?!" Now, I'm actually pretty pleased with it. It's more or less staying put and doing its' job! I think in the future I'd prefer to use shredded paper that hasn't been bleached white but what's done is done this season!
 Matt and Val came to visit us. I had to take the typical guy shot of the two of them watching a game. I think this one was a basketball game that Luke had recorded and saved so they could both see it sfter the long drive for Matt and Val and long day of work for Luke.
 Valerie brought her wedding quilt, which deserves a big long post that I want to give lots of attention to, BUT she wanted to practice binding so she worked on this smaller quilt...
 and I started working on the binding for her big ol' wedding quilt!
 It was a three day weekend and Luke had events at the course, so we joined him there! Val practiced driving the cart in the parking lot!
 Val, Matt and I got some practice in at the driving range. We may make a golf foursome yet! Just pleaaase please please please let it be a best ball tournament.
 Look! Val puts the ball on the tee like me!

We had all been wearing sandals for the pool side BBQ so we opted to golf barefoot. Val called it hillbilly golf. I called it normal.
 We also went and explored the Garden City Zoo! Everyone had told me how nice it was, but I was still very pleasantly surprised!

The next weekend, Dad, Cheri, and Cindy were in the area visiting!
The following 6 photos are courtesy of Cindy over at Live a Colorful Life.
We had dinner at Trudy's beautiful house with some of her fabulous family!
 Here I am with Mindi and Kaitley! Mindi's kids are a hoot and I can't wait to hang out with them again!
 The next day, Sunday, we hung out in Garden City! I got to introduce my dad to his "Grandchildren" at the Community Garden and he and Cheri gave them lots of water, TLC and even some "tough love as we staked them up. I'm trying out the Florida Weave method for staking up the tomatoes. Then we went over to Luke's work and had a great lunch on the patio! The weather couldn't have been more perfect!

 It was so fun to have them there! I felt like quite the diva showing everyone around! Trudy was taking the picture!
 That night we taught Cheri how to play Pinochle! It's a pretty important game for the Harper AND Nickodemus clans.
 When Dad and Cheri were headed back to the Denver Airport, I caravaned with them. Dad drove my car and Cheri drove their rental. It was super nice because I was continuing on four and a half more hours to Grand Junction to help my In-Laws pack for their big move! It would seem the Kansas weather followed me to Colorado because we had a major windy day that left a trampoline hanging from this tree...



Here's a close up the next day.
 I'm not sure when I'll be in Grand Junction again so we're hitting up important places like Enstrom's for yummy chocolate...
and Tangle's yarn shop which is one of my favorites!!
Neola and I each wore one of our skirts that I had made (we each have a blue and green one) and as we were lusting after yarn we realized that we had switched color palates for the day! She was wearing my normal blues and greens (see my purse) and I was wearing her reds and oranges (see her purse!)

Another afternoon two fun friends of Neola's from bible study brought over a great picnic lunch and we had a delicious salad, bread, cookies and lemonade! 


Julie and her handy basket! She even brought ice!
 Julie, Neola and Sarah

It's been so great to see so many people! I'm even looking forward to next weekend in Texas! The fun never stops!

I'm linking up with Cindy over at Live a Colorful Life for Really Random Thursday!

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

WiP Wednesday-In My Garden- Herbal


I wanted to have lots of fresh herbs around for cooking and smelling. With finicky weather, and some herbs tendency to spread spread spread, I decided a stacked container herb area would be just the ticket! Since I didn't quite know how it would work, I didn't want to have too substantial of an investment in this shin dig. I got some cheapo plastic pots. One jumbo, two medium, two small. 



Place one of the medium pots inside the jumbo pot upside down and surround with soil potting soil. Place the second medium pot on top of the first and off to the side. Put one small pot upside down in the bottom of this one and repeat the process with the last small pot.


Here's the project pre- mint. I was told I wanted it too early.
In the middle tier I have basil and lavender. In the bottom tear I have another basil, green onions I grew from left overs and Rosemary.



Here it is gain after I planted my delicious smelling mojito mint! 



Lastly, here it is after I stopped hauling it in to protect it from the elements, it got battered by a hail storm, and is slowly but steadily working on it's recovery. The green onions grow like crazy and I have to trim them back whether I intend to use them on food or not. Cindy over at Live a Colorful Life posted this picture of it on Instagram a couple days ago


and I realized I'd never posted a picture of it as a WiP so here they are and I'm linking up with WiP Wednesday with Lee at Fresh Lemon Quilts!

Friday, May 31, 2013

Finish it Up Friday

I finished a whole handful of skirts!
These two were made solely for the purpose of having a reason to wear these shoes.


On the left is Flora in the Alchemy line by Amy Butler. On the right is Stella 203 by Dear Stella.
The right skirt is inspired by this Pleated Chevron Skirt tutorial by Crafty Cupboard. I say inspired because I follow tutorials and patterns the way I cook from a recipe. Barely. By the time I'm done I've fudged so much it can hardly be from a pattern.  The left skirt is loosely based on a bunch of shirred skirt tutorials from Pinterest. Then I slid some elastic between the top two rows of shirring to make it sturdier. All have pockets inspired by the Chevron Skirt.

This next one is because I LOVE this fabric! Okay really I love all the fabric but these colors are me to the Nth degree.


I made the skirt and the bag which was supposed to be just a simple little project bag....that got a zipper, decorative stitching on the straps etc. Pat W's picture has better lighting.


I have a small square of this fabric left and I'm saving hoarding it for something special!
The binding on this crib size quilt is finally finished! Mary started it a while back, passed the blocks to me recently, I assembled and quilted this project and Val and I both worked on the binding this weekend so she could practice!


It's a group project! It will go to Kansas or Fresno MCC world relief auction.
Another WIP that has been going on for some time has been our lawn. It finally feels like a finished project as I picked up our cute lawn mower today! I kind of want to call her Poppie because of her bright orange coloring! She looks like a beetle all collapsed to go in my car.


Luke came home to change shoes just in time to help me unload her and got to take her for her first run around the lawn.


He did the edges and then I took care of the middle when he went back I work. She drives like a dream!


Maybe someday our lawn will be strong enough to apply weed killer! Yay Kansas weeds!
Dad, Cheri and Cindy are coming out this way so I picked up some grown up soda from the liquor store. (No you can't just buy it in the grocery store here.) I found these fabulous ideas. Has anyone had them before? Am I the las person on this planet to discover them?


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I'm linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish it Up Friday!

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

WiP Wednesday-Skirts Season

The weather is heating up which means its skirt season! Though with all this Kansas wind, I've discovered a need for less full skirts so that I don't "get lipstick on my hem!" as my friend Pat says.
Speaking of hems...


I got creative on my hems! I learned a new skill of shirring.


It wasn't as elastic as I had hoped it would be so I stuck a ribbon in for a casing for wider elastic.


Unfortunately that made it too tight. Off it came. I worked out another way to add some 1/4 inch elastic.


Here's the last skirt in progress!


Non material WiP's include recovering from this poor sunscreen application,


and project garden.


I'm linking up with Lee from Freshly Pieced for WiP Wednesday!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone