Enjoy the view

We've lived in our house now going on 7 years and it was a dead space when we moved in.  Sometimes I forget how truly pretty our yard is.  We are so used to it now that we overlook the beauty of what we have helped nurture along.  When we landscape, we always plant with purpose and choose what we know will come back yearly on it's own.  Work hard and reap the rewards.....

Each plant has a season and a beauty all it's own....

Sometimes people stop by to say how lovely our yard is and then ask how we "do it".  When we mention that we walk the yard, plan the shape, prep the soil and then "work" their eyes tend to glaze over!   But to us, it isn't a choice.  We are still young enough to work our own space and we really want to.  We enjoy doing the work and then are so satisfied when it all comes together....

Sometimes we move things 2 or 3 times to find the place it is happiest.  Live and learn, right?

Adding to the loveliness are all the little friends we have acquired over the years...

They are tucked, here and there....some in pots, some are pots.  Some are so degraded from age, they are part of the landscape, never to be removed. But all are special.  

Every now and then, you stumble across a surprise like Leo lounging with Bun-Bun.

I forget how he loves to hide here and accidentally interrupted his nap.  He lifted his head up for a moment, and then went back to dreamland.  I love how he prefers to stay in our yard instead of wandering.  He is a much happier cat now that he can go outside some.

At this point, our yard really is on auto pilot but most of the time, I still just see "what needs to be done" in the yard.  But some days, I just tell myself to shut up and enjoy the view!

stash bustin' bird wreath

I've had one skein of spring green chenille yarn sitting in my stash for years.  It was given to me in a swap but was too small to do anything with....until now.

It was the perfect backdrop for my little summer bird wreath.  

and the little bird seems right at home tucked in amongst the sunflowers.....

I felt it needed "more" and kept trying to add new elements.  But in the end, I decided to leave it alone because it looked sweet just the way it was.

Pixie slippers...

I decided I needed to get going on Christmas projects for some wee people I know.  There is one little girl that reminds me of a little pixie.

That being said, I made these squares 

into these slippers!

which I had to try on...just for fun....even though they didn't really fit me.....toooo small.

If you want to make your own, you can find the layout instructions here.  I did NOT make a regular granny square though....I made these slippers using the Solid Granny Square Motif pattern.  
I just made the pom-poms around my fingers and attached them to the front with a bow.  They are just for decoration.

I think these will be precious for a little someone I know come Christmas morning!

Chilly dog.....

Mojo is always miserable when it gets hot so we shave him a couple times each summer......

Doesn't he look cute!?



Of course, sometimes he gets chilly and has to snuggle down......

Next time we get a boy dog that needs to be shaved we'll name him Willy so when we shave him we can call him "Chilly Willy!"

crochet hangers......

Many, many years ago, someone gave me a set of 3 crocheted hangers.  I don't remember who gave them to me or why but they are the best hangers ever.  Nothing ever falls off of them.  I've always thought I'd make more but never did....(I'm slow like that.)  

Until now.
    
I decided it was nuts not to make more and started on this little summer project to pretty up my closet.

There are tons of "patterns" out there but they are all basically just crocheting around hangers so if you can crochet, you can do it.  

I wanted mine a bit sturdier so I held 2 together before crocheting around them.   If you do this, just make sure your hangers match up in size/shape.
Some people skip the hook end but the ones I were given went to the end and have lasted all these year so I decided to follow suit.  To secure the tip, I slid the last stitch up, applied a teeny bit of E6000 and then slid the stitch back down and tapped the yarn together.  

I added a little picot trim at the bottom and a flower at the neck. (I found the cute little flower pattern via creativejewishmom.com's blog here.)

By the end of the summer, I hope to have most of my mismatched hangers tossed and replaced with these pretty ones instead.

What a weekend!

This weekend went by in a flash.  I spent some time sewing new collars for the dogs and then I crocheted around wire hangers (more on that later...) and did mundane things like laundry.  But in between all that, I tried new recipes and had a surprise!

Saturday morning,  Dean and I were watching Pioneer Woman and decided to try her Olive Bread recipe.  
Oh. My. Goodness. it was good.  I love green olives but not black....but I am so glad I didn't change the recipe because it needed the blend.
Anyway, if you like olives and cheese you will love this bread so here is the link to the recipe.

Saturday night, Dean and the kids surprised me with dinner out at one of our favorite restaurants.  It is always good and we can laugh and visit without being afraid of being too loud.   As we were leaving to go, I let the dogs in and noticed THIS guy in the backyard and did a little jig!    

I named him Gimley the Giant Tortoise and promptly planted him with a pretty geranium.

Then late Saturday night we had company arrive,  so Sunday I made something I found on pinterest.  
Everyone at work was raving about it and since we had more to feed, I thought I'd try it.  Everyone liked it and voted it a "keeper"....here is the link.

I hope everyone had as wonderful a Mother's Day as I did!

little gardens....

It was no secret that I was not thrilled with our yard when we moved here.  Dean and I always had large yards with large veggie gardens and this yard just didn't give us the space we were used to. 

I fought against it at first,  but gradually I gave in and got creative and over the years, we've made it work.  
Now we only grow what we have room for and REALLY use all the time.  Fresh herbs, tomatoes, lettuces....things like that...although I would love to grow some onions and potatoes.......hmmmmmm.

For those who don't believe you can grow things successfully in containers.....my herb garden tub is exploding!  It is growing so fast that I can't harvest it quick enough.  

FYI: It is filled half way up with empty water bottles and I think that is why it does so well.  Nothing ever gets root bound.

The basil, which always does well...and I use it constantly!  I started with 6 plants the first year and went to 4 plants a couple years ago.  This year I only planted 2 and I still have too much to use without harvesting as I go along.   I'm not complaining though, my basil butter and cubes are always good to have in the freezer.  

I have the entire length of the small veggie garden planted with nasturtiums...in fact you can't see the lettuce or arugula behind it because they have grown so tall!  Our tomatoes are happy though, they are a natural deterrent. 

Nasturtiums are also edible and have a peppery flavor...and their blooms are gorgeous!

We've had several salads with the lettuce and arugula already....if you've not had arugula, you are missing out.  It is peppery and nutty at the same time.  Just delicious and super easy to grow.

The mint is spreading out.  This year, I need to make Dean some mint jelly.....I don't actually care for it in food (I know, weird...) but I do harvest it for the bath tub.    If you've never tried mint in the tub after a long day, you really should!  It smells heavenly.

This year's addition......blueberry bushes!  We love them and since it doesn't look like we'll be leaving anytime soon, we planted some along our fence line.  

So, how does your garden grow?