instant table

I picked up this horse trough at a sale earlier this summer for $20.  I thought I'd turn it into a planter or water feature but never got around to it.  What I did need was a larger table for the patio. So I turned it upside down.  Always look at things from different directions.  Just because this was made to hold water doesn't mean it can't be used for something else.  It may become something else in the future but for now it is serving a different purpose.

Kathy and Terri's excellent, and very wet adventure

It's been raining buckets around here, on Friday almost 3"  fell.  Life still must go on especially for a long planned road trip to a day lily farm.  So off we went in the torrential rain in search of the perfect red day lily.  We drove on even when the rain was a downpour.  We drove on through flooded roads and finally found the farm, Five Acre Day lily Farm near Tolono.  The owner was shocked at such crazy plant seekers but was a good sport about trudging out into the rain and mud to dig the perfect  lily called Bright Velvet. We slogged around the display beds snapping pictures while we waited. We thanked him profusely and promised to come back soon.   The day continued with a trip to a green house for a load of mulch, they also thought we were crazy, and some retail therapy.  A visit to the Courier Cafe for an old fashioned sit down dinner and a stop at the  Sidney Dairy Barn for ice cream sundaes finished off the evening.  Kathy and I are old friends and have shared many strange and funny adventures so we had many laughs about being crazy old ladies who once they set their minds on an adventure will not be deterred by a little rain, sleet, snow or dark of night.

Hollyhocks hiding electric wires

My adventure partner Kathy

dirt bag

I saw this on Pinterest and thought I'd give it a try.  Just poke holes in the bottom of a large bag of potting soil, cut a large square out of the top.  Add seeds and water.  I did this three weeks ago and look at the difference.  I planted spinach, leaf lettuce, radishes and mixed lettuce.  Salad for supper tonight.  We should get several salads from the bags and when we'er done I will recycle the soil back into the garden.

signs of spring

Winter seems like it will never leave.  Last week we woke on Sunday morning to 9" of snow and it was bitter cold most of the week.  This week it is suppose to get close to 60, can't wait.  To make the wait a little more enjoyable I stated some bulbs I had stored in my frig since last fall.  They have started to grow and a few are already in  bloom.  They do give me hope that I can be out playing in the dirt soon.

This candy cane amaryllis has 8 huge blooms on it.

Pink hyacinth is just opening and smells wonderful.  i just pushed tooth picks into the bulb and put it in a narrow glass.

Plants

I have several plants that live on our patio under the shade cloth during the nice weather.  With a hard freeze coming it is time to bring them inside for the winter.  I water each plant and give them a good spray, top to bottom, to remove any bugs that may have set up home in them.  I let them dry for a couple of days, do any trimming or dead leaf removal that is necessary, then bring them into the sun room for a few days before moving them to their permanent winter home.  I bought several oil pans from the dollar store this year to put under the really big pot to catch any water overflow.  I put the plants where they can get as much light as possible and far away from heat vents.

instant center piece

I found this old chamber pot at a rummage sale for $2.  I needed a quick center piece for the table one evening when company was coming.  I grabbed some petunias I hadn't plated yet and popped them in the pot.  No it won't last long inside, but it's cute, simple and almost instant decorating.  Look around your house for quick decorating ideas using what you already have.

perfect marriage

Sometime I find a great piece when junking and know exactly what I'll do with it.  This marriage of a glass candle stick and a gazing ball were just meant to be together.  Keep your eyes open, you never know when you'll find the perfect marriage of pieces.

suprise

I had potted this amaryllis right before Christmas and kept it in our cool hallway until a couple of weeks ago. When we left to go visit my parents this weekend it was still in tight bud.  When we got home Sunday imagine my surprise to see this beautiful plant in full bloom.  There are four huge pink fading to white flowers on the stalk.  A little taste of spring right in my kitchen.

somethings are worth waiting for

I've been a gardener for over 40 years.  When we were first married it was to provide food.  Now it's more about the flowers and expressing creativity with a few food plants thrown in.  One thing I've always wanted is a greenhouse.  I just couldn't justify the expense for something used just a few months of the year.  Well the wait is over, I got a greenhouse.  Now it's small and not the $25,00 place in my dreams, but it will work for what I want and it was affordable.  AH has spent several hours putting the kit together, adding the stone floor and making shelves.  By the time you read this all my seedlings that were taking up space in my kitchen and hall will have their own place to grow.  Happy Planting!!

Hall to front door.  You can't see them but each flat is full of tiny seedlings.

6X8 small but perfect for my needs.

Such a sweetie to spend his weekends working on something for me.

spring moss balls

I have Spring Fever BAD!!.  I want green, I want flowers, dirt under my nails and muddy shoes.  It is way overdue.  I decided to make a trio of moss balls to brighten up the living room.  Easy as can be You need wet floral foam, sheet moss, a container and wire bent in a U shape or greening pins.  I cut the foam in half and shaped it into a sort of ball(you don't have to be too picky).  Attach the wet moss to the balls with wire or pins and put into your containers.  I got mine from Dollar Tree. Mist the moss every day to keep it green.  They look real cute but I think they look a little too plain to check back and see how I dressed them up.  Sorry the pic is so dark they really are bright green in regular light.

pussy willows

Even though it is the middle of February it is starting to feel a lot like spring around here.  Boy am I ready!  The older I get the better the idea of becoming a snowbird heading south sounds.  This time of year you can cut branches of pussy willow, forsythia, spirea and quince, bring them inside, put them in water in a warm room and wait for the branches to bloom.  Just look at the branches to see if the buds have started swelling.  I took this picture three days after I had brought the branches in and you can already see the white catkins begining to show.  Instant Spring.

fall decorating ideas

While I was taking a forced break to recuperate I spent some time getting the house ready for fall.  Now to me that is not have the furnace checked and add insulation, it's getting out all the decoartions that say fall is here.  It's still in the 90's but when school starts my brain says Autumn.
The first project I started was painting gourds.  Last year we grew these beauties at a friends house.  We had them outside until the weather started to get cold.  We brought them in and stored them in the attic on news paper and left them alone until last week.  They are really gross at this point covered with mold, peeling skin and yuck.  That's OK they are suppose to be this way.  Soak them in a sink or bucket for about an hour, then go over them with a scrubby pad which will get off the gunk.  After that scrub comes the hard part, go over every square inch with a paring knife scraping off the remaining skin.  This takes a while but if you skip it your paint will peel right off.  They will still look pretty funky.  I them painted mine with acrylic metallic paints in antique gold, silver and copper.  You could spray paint them or paint them the way they look in nature. Finish with clear spray.  I think they make a great centerpiece marching down my table on a deep purple runner but burlap would look good too.

simple arrangements

Flower arranging does not have to be stuffy or complicated.  A plain bottle and a few stems are all you need when the flowers are as beautiful as these hydrangeas.  The kitchen arrangement is just an old bottle.  The living room coffee table arrangement is a tall thin bottle on a silver tray, paired with a faux mercury glass candle stick and candle.  You can't get easier than that.

Weird flowers

I think my hydrangea is bipolar.  It has always bloomed in white all these years.  Not this year, it is pink, blue, white, green and lavender.  It's only one plant.  You can pick the color you want in some hydrangeas by manipulating the acid or alkalinity of the soil.  I haven't done anything different this year.  I'll just enjoy the show, it's stunning, fat and full of blooms.

More uses for tin cans

When the cafeteria director gave me these cans I wasn't really sure what I would do with all of them, so I've been giving my imagination a work out.  I hate to waste anything.

I painted 3 cans with some of the aqua paint I've been covering everything with.  I then cut our house numbers out of vinyl on the Cricut and  sealed them with clear spray sealer.  I poked holes in the bottom, planted them with inpatients and set them out on the short brick wall along side our drive way. I forgot to take a picture after they were in place.  I'll try to remember to do that when I'm outside next.

even more garden projects

Now that Mothers day has past I feel better about putting out more plants.  Illinois springs are notoriously unpredictable and I usually don't put things except cool crops before Mom day.
This was a project iIthought would be a fun way to use up more of the large cans our school lunch lady gave me.



mesh trash can from the $store




weed barrier also from $store




Plant herbs in the tin can, be sure to add drainage holes.  Line the trash can with the weed barrier, tuck moss down between the asdes of the barrier and the trash can.  Put in a half a brick to lift the cans up to the top.  Add planted can and tuck in more moss for a finished look.  Not counting the plants this is a cute container for less than $1.50




The herbs will fill out very soon and the container will be full.



Valentines day

Happy valentines day.  Even if you believe the day is just a way to sell flowers, cards and candy, enjoy.  It never hurts to have a little reminder to tell those you love that you're thinking of them.  Everyone needs to know they are loved.  It only takes seconds to say I Love You so go do it, over and over again.
AH and I won't be doing anything fancy.  The night shift puts a halt on doing anything during the week.  A simple supper, rib eye steaks, tossed salad and garlic bread.  Something chocolate for desert.
The pic is an amaryllis that I forced, the perfect color and just in time for Valentines day.  Use stick from your yard to keep it propped up or it will fall over.

sinple hopes for spring

I am over winter.  It can't go away soon enough, but until it does I try to keep a little peek of spring in my house to give me hope.  These are just paper whites I've forced about 3 weeks ago and they are already blooming.  The sticks are from my winter snowflake centerpiece from a few weeks ago.  The sticks will keep the flowers from flopping over.  I did the same thing with an amaryllis.  I also have a few more pots started so I'll have blooms for weeks.  Maybe until the forsythia blooms and the crocus peep their heads out.

wine time part 2



We started our wine process a couple of weeks ago.  Go to the archives to see that part of the process.

That bag of gunk is called the must.  It  sat in the bag for 7-10 days with the yeast and sugar.  It takes some serious squeezing to get all the juice out.  At this point AH and I are both a sticky mess from top to bottom.  The bees were loving us.  At least we took the mess outside for this process.




this is what's left of 5 gallons of peaches we started with



Sorry for the awful picture.  The thingie on the top is an air lock.  The wine  will bubble in this 5 gal bottle (really a plastic water bottle) which is called a carboy for 6-8 weeks.  After that time the solids that are left should be on the bottom and the wine will be decanted into bottles.  The wine tastes raw and strong right now.  It definitely can't be served for dinner.  If fermentation isn't done we will decant into another carboy for a few more weeks before bottling.  We also did 5 gallons of grapes at the same time.  Doing pears and apples next.  Should have bought stock in sugar  companies.
There are some great websites out there that will show you how to make wine.  Give it  a try if you have extra fruit.