Gardening and stuff

Okay so I just posted on my facebook page that I don't know much about gardening, but I know this leaf is HUGE.  This came from one of my squash plants, and to say I am amazed is putting it mildly.

The squash are starting to come in and I find myself wondering if they are going to be huge as well.  I also have tons of flowers on my cucumbers, and was told that it was going to produce that many cucumbers...I better get busy learning how to can and pickle stuff!

Flowers on the cucumber plants.  Awesomeness!

So until next time....I better be reading the directions from pressure canner Santa gave me at Christmas!

Loving my new girls

I am in love.  That's right, my heart has been captured by my girls.  I got them on Saturday and they are already getting adjusted and being spoiled.  Only 4 of them are mine.  So far we have named 2 of them, Rosie and Petunia.  The other 2 will get their names when I see more of their personalities.  I am glad that we got them at a young age.  It helps falling in love with them a little easier when they are little.  I didn't want to start with a whole bunch of chickens.  I need to learn how to care for them properly, and I hope it will be easier with only 4.  I am open to any and all suggestions for the caring for, and well being of my little girls.  Until next time.....

Rosie is at the top of the picture.  She's white with a few black feathers on her back, and Petunia is the solid black one at the bottom of the picture.  Loving them already.

 



The Sunshine State

This is just one of the many reasons I live on the Gulf Coast. 

Also in the last few days we have had some awesome weather.  Low humidity, mild temperatures, breezes blowing......I have had my windows open at home and have a fabulous cross breeze coming through. I like to call it free air conditioning.....

The Unstoppable Rose Bush

I have a rose bush in my yard that I cannot seem to kill.  I have tried on many occasions, much to the dismay of family and friends.  Why am I trying to kill it you ask?  Well it only blooms once a year, and then after that it just wants to take off and spread everywhere.  The stalks are as big as my thumb, and you can imagine how big the thorns are.  It is beautiful when it blooms, but.....

I have a beautiful iris that gets lost in the midst of all that overgrown rose bush.  Heavy sigh, guess I will keep trying to keep it under control and not kill it?  Until next time.....

My garden

Oh my little garden is doing so well.  I have never had a garden grow so awesome.  Not sure if I should be doing anything in it other than keeping the weeds out and trellising it as it gets bigger.  In case you are wondering, the cans and bottles on the stakes are to help discourage the birds from eating my produce.  So far it seems to be keeping them out, but then, none of the veggies have ripened yet.

This is the section I planted at a later date.  I hope to be able to rotate the crops so that we have fresh produce all summer long and maybe some for canning?

Oh, and look what else is going up now that the rain has let up.  Finally getting my chicken coop.  So many new possibilities and opportunities are opening up and I am so excited.  I don't mean to sound as if I am complaining about the rain cause it has been so beneficial to my garden.

Also, all the rain has made the blueberry patch blossom like crazy.  Looks to be a good crop this year.  Now to get the moth balls out for protection from the varmints.  My cats like to go with me to the blueberry patch, and I like having them. They will help fend off any unwanted varmints too.

 

Gardening

I got my little garden in and it is doing great so far.  I covered it with a tarp because we are getting so much rain, with more on the way, and I didn't want it to drown.  I planted three types of onion, green beans, corn, squash cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, jalapeno peppers and a couple of strawberries in pots.  It was so exciting to see the seeds start growing, and it is exciting to see the changes in it everyday.  Got to get a rack for my new canner, so when the time comes.  Wish me luck.

All of the blueberries had lots of blossoms on them this year so hopefully that will be a good crop as well.  Now to scatter the moth balls to help control snakes and rats.  My cats love to go to the blueberry patch with me, and I love to have them.  They are added protection from the varmints.

Wish the rain would stop (we've had rain the last 5 days) so I can go out side and work. Rain has also put a hold on the chicken coop building as well.  Maybe I'll try my hand at some more sewing since I can't be in the garden.

Until next time.....

Happy Birthday to me!

I got this last month on my birthday.  A lot of people won't understand how exciting this was, or how beautiful I thought it was.

It was cottonseed mulch and sifted black dirt.  This is my second raised garden and I am hoping to have a lot more luck this year growing my vegetables.  I also got a pressure canner from Santa that I am excited to use.  Hopefully, these two items will work hand in hand with me to supply fresh food to the table.  Wish me luck! Until next time....

Making a Tutu

Well I did it!  I made some tutus for my smallest grand-daughters for Christmas. 
One likes to pretend she is a ballerina, while the other likes to be a princess.  Probably wouldn't find a need to ever make them again, but it was a cool experience,

The girls absolutely loved them.  Maybe I'll make a valance out of some material one day using this method.  Until next time......

Bread

It has been an exciting week for me.  I made my first ever home made bread last weekend.  It was a basic recipe and seemed a little dense to me, but everyone loved it and it only lasted about 2 days. I will try again soon, but maybe find a way for it to be a little more airy and light.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I got the recipe from allrecipes.com.  It was really quite simple.  This past weekend I got another recipe for some Italian Herb Bread, which I made on Sunday, and today (Monday) I only have half a loaf left.  It was really good and was less dense than the basic home made bread.  I cannot believe how easy it is or why I waited so long to try my hand at it.  It just goes to show that fear of failure is a poor excuse for not trying to do something.

My next attempt is going to be honey wheat bread, which I am getting ready to make now.  I'll let you know how it turns out.  Until next time....

Sunny Florida

Hello from the sunshine state again. We are apparently being warned of a hard freeze for the next couple of nights, so it makes one wonder where the Sunshine State gets it's name. We were cloudy and dreary all through the holiday season, and my holiday vacation to boot! Alas, now that I am back to work the sun has decided to grace us with his presence, albeit with below freezing temperatures. I actually don't mind the cold, in fact, I prefer cold weather to hot weather. I can always put on more clothes, hats, jackets, gloves etc. to get warm. At least we aren't expected to have an ice storm like we did last Jan. Thank goodness! Did you check out my Create page for some awesome Christmas gifts I made? My recipe page has a new dessert also. Until next time....keep warm and take care.