Gardens in early June

Gardening is one of those activities which doesn't yield immediate results. I'll admit that I find that fact simultaneously interesting and frustrating. I would really like to see the results of my hard work right away, but it's also fun to see it come to fruition the following season. Of course by that time, I've forgotten half of what I did the previous summer, so there's always an element of surprise! 

Actually, that's the main reason I take so many pictures of my flowers...so I'll remember what I've got in the works. This post provides an update of how a few of my flower beds look right now -- because of the work I did last summer!

 Last year, I decided I would no longer put up with awkward gaps in this first garden pictured below. So I stuffed it full! Probably too full, in fact, but I figured that by doing so, I'd allow for any perennials that didn't thrive over the winter. Turns out most everything I put in lived...so now I have a bit of a crowding issue in a few places, but overall I'm happy with how this bed is looking right now.

When you have perennials, it's easy to fill in the gaps by dividing mature plants. I've divided my original sedum plant (can you see it in 3 places below?) several times and each new plant grows to full size very quickly. I'm definitely getting my money's worth out of that one!

 One of the most interesting perennials I added last year was a leadplant, a native prairie plant. Most prairie plants are easy to grow in these parts (Iowa used to be covered in prairie, you know), but when I read that the leadplant thrives in full sun and dry soil, I knew it was the plant for me. Its main root can extend 15 feet into the ground! The leaves remind me of "sensitive plants" which Bailey and I grew when she was little.

The garden pictured below is on the other side of our patio and extends around the back of our house. Last year, I added several plants to this area, then this summer I filled in some gaps with hostas. Now I'm really pleased with how this large area is shaping up. The iris in the foreground came from our other house (making them more than 20 years old!) and desperately need to be divided again. Unfortunately spring came so early this year that I didn't get that done.

We also have garden areas in front of the house. They are filled mainly with spirea bushes (not my favorite, but they are colorful) and some large hostas, also from our old house. We did have an awkward, weedy gap under a tree in front, so last year I planted three smaller variety hostas which the bunnies found particularly tasty. This year, they're off to a good start...and the garden fairy appears to be keeping the bunnies at bay!

In the photo below you can see the HUGE oak leaf hydrangea. It's a very slow-growing bush but once it got going, it REALLY grew. Some of the leaves are as big as dinner plates! This year, it's getting a nice crop of flowers, too. As you can see, we need to do some pruning in this area. The bushes are really out of control. And the tree in the foreground is 98% dead, so it will be removed soon.

Here's another garden area which I've worked really hard on over the past few seasons. This year, I'm happy with the colors and the varied textures. The Japanese maple is finally looking like it's going to live, so maybe one of these days we can remove the metal stake. Also on my to-do list: Remove and replace the unsightly black edging with some type of brick. 

 

I'm such a novice gardener that it's rare when I feel successful, but I have to say that right now I'm pretty happy with how last year's work is paying off. Now mark my words: All of this could change when July rolls around and we're in the midst of a miserably hot Iowa summer. But for now, I'm enjoying making my corner of the world just a little more beautiful!

Janet

Spray Paint Project: Wooden Trays

 If you've been reading my blog posts, you may remember that I'm in the midst of a craft room overhaul. As such, I've been keeping my eyes open for containers and storage pieces that I could use in my "new" space. When I spotted these bright green wooden trays a few months ago in the Target Dollar Spot, I couldn't resist. I knew the green color wasn't right for my room -- but that problem would be easily fixed with spray paint!

 

 Now that Bailey is home from college, I thought I'd enlist her assistance. She has spray painted a number of household objects in the past (lamps, frames, pots, etc.) so it didn't take too much coercing to get her outside on a recent nice day.

I found spray paint in almost the exact color of the room's newly painted walls. Sure, I could have just painted the trays with the wall paint, but I didn't want to see brush marks! This particular type of Rustoleum covered the trays extremely well -- and with no sanding!

  After one coat, we put the trays in the sun to dry on waxed paper. We didn't want them to stick to the newspaper! (Been there, done that!)

After an hour or so, the trays were ready for a second coat.

The finished trays looked fabulous! But I wasn't quite done...

To make the trays more decorative, I found some awesome green paper in my stash and some cool kraft paper at Memory Bound. MB also carries thin acrylic sheets which are perfect for this type of project. I measured the inside of the tray and cut the pieces to fit. (I cut the acrylic sheets with my Fiskars sliding blade trimmer -- it worked fine, but I did need to use a bit of extra pressure.) There's no need to glue down the paper, as the acrylic sheet holds it in place. That will make it easy to change paper, too.

You can't believe how excited I am about the finished trays!

Here are the trays, with the fabric I'm using somewhere in the room (probably for pillows). Everything I'm putting in the room needs to match the colors on the fabric! :) I like to use trays to corral small items when I'm working on a project. Otherwise, I think the trays will look great anchoring small containers, such as my covered ribbon jars!

 Happy, happy, happy!

Feline Friday: More Nature Shows

Lily has developed quite an interest in nature programs. Last month, she watched the movie African Cats. This week, she watched the bunny on the Craig Ferguson show. She is learning a lot about wildlife. :)
 
 

Recipe: Frozen Lemonade Squares

 I remember an observation my daughter made many years ago, after having dinner at a friend's house: "Mom! They had dessert!" she exclaimed. Throughout her school years, she was invited to the homes of various friends and came to discover that most families do apparently have dessert after meals, something we almost never do around here. Although I grew up having dessert after meals, my thought is that many traditional desserts just provide calories we don't need -- so I almost never make them.

 Now that's she has ventured out in the world, it seems that my daughter doesn't does agree with me on the issue of dessert. And since she's been home from college this summer, she seems determined to set things right. Last week's recipe (from the back of a box of Kraft graham crackers) is worth sharing...and definitely worth making again. Even I will admit that it's a perfect dessert for summertime.

    Frozen Lemonade Squares

Ingredients:

9  HONEY MAID Low Fat Honey Grahams, finely crushed (about 1-1/4 cups)

1/3 cup margarine or butter, melted

4 cups frozen vanilla yogurt, softened

6 oz. (1/2 of 12-oz. can) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

½ cup thawed COOL WHIP LITE Whipped Topping

MIX graham crumbs and margarine; press onto bottom of 9-inch square pan. 

BEAT yogurt and concentrate with mixer until blended; spread over crust. 

FREEZE 4 hours or until firm. Serve topped with COOL WHIP. 

 

 The good thing is that this dessert will keep in the freezer for a very long time, so I don't have to feel guilty about having a piece now and then. Will it change my mind about having dessert regularly? Probably not, but I'll certainly enjoy this one while it lasts!

Janet

Prairie in late May

 

One of the absolute treats of living in our development is being able to enjoy the prairie which runs through it. 

This promises to be an especially beautiful summer on the prairie, as the entire prairie was burned back in late March. The controlled burning process kills off the weeds and allows the native plants to thrive. Within just a couple of days of the burn, new growth was starting to emerge. Now, just a few weeks later, the prairie is ready to burst into color!

  

Craft Room Progress

 I'm happy to report that there has been some noticeable progress in the craft room! The walls are completely painted and the switch plates are back on the walls. (That's a little thing, but it does make the room look more finished!)

I LOVE the color!

 Makes me think of caramel lattes. :)

 Lily also approves.

Now I'm in the process of picking flooring. 

 It looks like Lily picks THIS one. I'm not quite sure yet. It will be one of the three at the top of the photo. Once I make a decision (which will be in a couple of days), the flooring could be installed within two weeks!

Meanwhile, I've been sorting through the contents of the room, preparing for a garage sale at the store where I teach. When organizing a crafting space (or any space for that matter), you should only organize the stuff you use or want to keep -- NOT all the other stuff that somehow finds its way into a space. Where does all this stuff come from?

Once the flooring is in, several tasks remain:

* Paint the desk legs to match the room

* Spray paint a few small storage pieces

* Finalize plans for a tall work table -- this may entail building one. Stay tuned!

* Finish sorting through stuff

* Organize the closet

* Possibly remove the closet door and hang a "hippie curtain", as my daughter calls it :)

* Hang artwork -- including two awesome owl canvases she found at Target
* Coerce the daughter into sewing pillows for my loungy chair

* Determine floor plan and move back in!

Can't wait!

Janet

Feline Friday

 

June, 2006



June, 2012

 My, how you've grown, Lily! 

Tabby Tuesday

Over the weekend, we watched African Cats, a beautifully photographed Disney documentary about lions and cheetahs. It was fun to observe how Tinsel and Lily reacted to seeing their cousins from Africa. Lily was particularly captivated by the playful lion cubs. At one point, Tinsel arched her back as if she needed to defend herself from an approaching lion!

 While there are many similarities in behavior between domestic kitties and their wild cousins, we concluded that Tinsel and Lily live a much, much easier life -- especially when it comes to mealtime! These two pampered girls wouldn't fare so well in the wild! :)

Feline Friday: Cheap Cat Tree :)

 As I've been thinking about my "new" revamped crafting space, the thought occurred to me to get a nice cat tree for the corner near the window. Then I realized that I already have one! :)

 

Craft Room Update

I am pleased to report that my craft room/home office is completely painted! I still need to do quite a few touch-ups, considering that I got way too much caramel paint on the white ceiling. I am the surely the world's slowest and worst painter. But as long as you don't look too closely, I think it will be okay! I do love the color!

 

 Of course, things are in COMPLETE disarray around here, as I've moved most of the contents of the room into our guest room and also into our bedroom. Meanwhile, I've had to take over the kitchen and dining room in order to work on class projects and store samples.

 The flooring guy stopped by earlier this week to measure the room and the walk-in closet. I haven't picked out flooring yet but I'm planning to get some type of wood-look floor that will be durable and easy to clean, since I tend to make messes in this room.

 

Depending on the type of flooring I choose, it could be ready to install within the next two weeks. YAY! I can't wait to start putting this room together into a more functional and inspirational work space!

Janet

Planter Progress!

Slowly but surely I am getting on top of my gardening projects. My immediate goal last week was to finish planting my patio pots, a task I wasn't able to get to earlier in the month. 

Last summer, I planted more patio pots than I had in the past and really enjoyed the extra color, so I decided to do that again. I bought plants for nine pots and herbs for three. Although the nurseries were a bit picked over, I did manage to find some really nice plants. They seem to be off to a good start.

I also happened upon a perennial plant sale at someone's home, so I picked up a few hostas to plug holes in my garden areas. I still have some problems to fix in my flower beds, but at least the hostas helped fill in some of the gaps. A gardener's work is never done!

Feline Friday: Turkies!

 Both Lily and Tinsel LOVE deli turkey, but only Lily expresses her love like this...

Just like a dog, she doesn't miss a thing!

Her begging probably constitutes bad behavior, but it is really, really cute (in spite of the blurry photos).

She reaches up with her paw to touch it.

She'll even dance to get a nibble!

Please, more turkey! I'm begging you! Alright, Lily...just one more bite! Who could resist those little white paws?