The blackberry bush progress

What a difference a few months, a little water and a touch of sunshine makes!

Here is a picture from March when I first received the blackberry bushes in the mail.  They were so cute and I hoped that they would grow and not be fried in the sun. 

Now it is early May and they are showing signs of growth and promise.  I am guessing that they really like the soaker hose.  Plus...it did say that they loved full sun.  Such a good plant for my area.

This was memorial day weekend...so in just a few weeks they have shown great progress...they were laying all around so I tied them to this stake with a little yarn...loosely so that I wouldn't hurt the plant.

This is again only a few weeks later in mid-June.  I was so worried about them that I got a little lattice for them to grow up.  With the wind we later had to screw the lattice to a couple of boards, because I kept finding it laying on its side.  And after all of this work...and 3 months time we didn't want to lose the bushes.

Now...in my last post I talked about how I was worried that the blackberry bush wasn't going to grow very tall unless I got it something new.  That's how I ended up on Lowe's website to find the great deal on the pavers for the front yard.  Well...I never did find what I was looking for at Lowe's, but Amazon rather.  I purchased a beautiful arch lattice that it can grow on.  It came...unassembled of coarse, but it was easy to put together.  I actually did most of it on my lunch hour yesterday.  Then when I got home I finished putting the sides on and took it outside to put it into place.  Only to find out that it was easier to put the sides into place and then attach the top...probably not if there were two people.  Anyway, once I had it all set I started in with the hammer and trying to remove the old wooden lattice that it had been growing on for a few months.  Then again, I took my yarn and tied very loosely the branches of the bush so that they could find the new arch to grow on.  To my surprise when I was done the bushes are much larger than I thought.  The were growing up 4 feet and then turning around and growing back down since there wasn't anything to lean on.  Oh, what a beautiful bush it is going to be...I read the when it blooms it has wonderful pink flowers...and then the berries will come.  I am hoping for berries next year!

Weekend Project

Ideas can sometimes roam around in of our heads for a long time before they come to fruition. This one rolled around R's head for about 4 years. I heard about it at least 2 years ago and thought it was a good idea but that it needed something. So here's the front entry of our home.

You can't see it clearly from the picture but the sidewalk runs along the house and then there are plants all the way up until you get the step and the door area.  Anyway, this area seems to always be mossy and the rocks always sink in.  R mentioned to me that he wanted to use pavers and pave the whole area to create a porch.  That idea had to change some when last year I transplanted the rose bush and another plant from the side of the house opposite the sidewalk (the area that you can't see).  They bush was growing so big that one had to walk out and around it on the way to the front door.  Since that time we really haven't done anything except water the plants and hope that I didn't kill them when transplanting them.  The good news is that I didn't kill them and they are doing well.

Anyway, I was thinking that the front area needed something.  I just wasn't sure what, until about a month and a half ago when I went the the nursery for bug killer (those darn squash bugs ate my butternut squash and my pumpkins!!!).  While at the nursery I noticed that they were selling tulip bulbs.  I was surprised because I didn't think that it got cold enough here to plant bulbs.  The man there told me to just take them home and put them in a brown bag and keep them in the crisper for 4-6 weeks and then plant and they would bloom in the spring.  I am a tulip "junkie" and love to have them all the time when they are in season so I decided to try it.

Then I came up with the idea to have a planter box along with the pavers in the front yard.  I also have some Forget Me Not seeds that I have been looking for a place to plant for about 6 months.  So together the Forget Me Not's and the Tulips would be beautiful. 

Since R is so busy with school I thought I would tackle this all on my own...one day.  Then I was watering the blackberry bush this last week and thought that if I don't get something for it to grow up it is only ever going to be 4' tall.  So I jumped online to see what the local Lowe's had before driving over.  My whole object in getting on was thwarted when I saw that the pavers were on sale and it was the last day of the sale!  I called R and he borrowed his mom's truck and we ran to Lowe's and bought a "ton" of pavers...I am not exactly sure what they weighed...but I am guessing it was a lot.  Being the analytical person that I am I carefully designed the area so that I knew how many of each item we would need.

Because life is so busy during the week the stack just sat there.  Then on Friday after work I started on the project (that is when I took the above pictures).  Our neighbor saw me and came over and asked what I was doing.  I told him I was building a planter box and was going to pave the front area.  He went home and came back with his gloves and his son to help.  We leveled the area and got all of the blocks for the planter box set.  I was so happy with it.  By the way it gets dark so fast, that most of the time we were working with a flashlight.  As our neighbor was leaving he asked me what time I was going to start working on Saturday and offered his help again.  He had me promise that I wouldn't start on it until 4 pm when he got home from work so that he could help.

At 3 I started racking the rocks out of the way and I trimmed the tree so the branches weren't in the way.  And by 7 pm we were done.  However, Lowe's was still open...so I went and bought a little planting soil and some petunia's that were on sale.  It was dark again, but I planted by flashlight the petunia's and the tulips.  Now I just need to plant the Forget Me Not's in and around.  I finished planting and cleanup by 9.

This morning I went out to take some completed photo's and this is what we have now...

I just need to get a hose reel so that it isn't strewn all over the place and a nice bench.  Perhaps for Halloween we'll sit on our bench and hand out candy...if its too cold we'll bring our patio fire pit from the back yard and have a fire.  Can't wait!

The headboard

Yes...I am still working on this project. Here is a picture of the headboard and one of the reasons that I wanted to redo the finish to black. The brown just doesn't really blend in.

This is right before I started painting it...I had it all sanded down and ready for the first coat of paint.

And finally...after a few days drying in the garage and then putting it all back together here is what we have now. This is perfect...exactly what I had envisioned and blends so much better with the bedspread coloring.

Our Garden...

So I am amazed every time I go outside to check on the garden, it is growing like crazy, which is a good thing.



On the right in the above photo the box in the front is the cucumbers, watermelon and cantaloupe. This box is growing and blooming more each day, here are some close up shots of future treats off this box.







The blueberry plant is still green, but I am guessing it isn't a fan of the heat as it is still roughly the same size...it is still green though so I am counting that a success. Perhaps it will flourish in the winter months.



This is the box that contains the green beans and the yellow squash, the peas didn't fair as well, R and I both ate one pea pod each before they were fried in the heat. Better luck in the fall with those. There is a photo of yellow squash...keep on scrolling :-) As for the green beans, we had some last night for dinner, they were delicious.



This is the zucchini and cabbage and broccoli box. The picture is pretty accurate, as you can see the zucchini has taken over pretty much completely. The cabbage hang on for a while, the with the lack of sun from the zucchini leaves it didn't really have much of a chance.



Some of the veggies from this and other boxes...



Awe, the flowers, I didn't really like the zinnias, and R had to convince me to buy them. Now that they have bloomed, I think they are so pretty. Some days when I come home for lunch I find myself out in the yard staring at them. (I tried in the morning once...but they do a fantastic job at bringing in the bees for pollination, and with a looming allergy I now look at lunch when they bees are no longer hanging around)



The below picture of the blackberry bush was taken the same day as the rest of the above pictures...then before I finally got around to posting the pictures I took another one...



This is only 4 days later. We had to buy something for it to climb because it was very quickly outgrowing the stake that I had attached it to. Perhaps that means that we will get some berries this year. If not, I am looking forward to some next year.

Rhubarb Blueberry Crisp

A little over a year ago I was googling rhubarb and the health benefits of it. I remember seeing something about a rhubarb blueberry cobbler...so this year I was busy in the kitchen one day and asked R if he would find a nice recipe online for us to try out.

I am not sure how to post a link and will figure that out, but in the meantime, this recipe is from Tasteofhome.com

Rhubarb Blueberry Crisp

4-6 servings
Prep time: 15 min
Bake time: 1hour

Ingredients
3 cups chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

Topping:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cold butter
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Directions:
1) In large bowl toss rhubarb and blueberries with sugar and flour, transfer for a greased 2 quart baking dish.

2) In small bowl combine brown sugar and flour; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in almonds and sprinkle over fruit.

3) Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until bubbly. Serve warm

Editors note: if using frozen rhubarb, measure rhubarb while still frozen, then thaw completely. Drain in a colander, but do not press liquid out. If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw.

My note: The first time I made this I doubled it and it turned out perfectly. Just now when I was typing it was the first time I realized that the almonds were supposed to be toasted. If you don't toast them it still tastes delicious :-)

New Bathroom...

I really enjoy taking before and after pictures so that I can look back and remember why the updates are so great. However, the bathroom was too much for a picture. Instead I will describe it as best as I can.

The walls are the same color that they were previously, the over the toilet storage, the shower curtain and towels haven't changed either.

But...before the tile in the shower was white. The thin sort of plasticy type 4x4 inch tiles that come in many planned communities. The problem with the bathroom is that they didn't set the tub correctly when it was originally installed. So when you stepped in to the tub you could feel it move from the added weight. Overtime the result of this was that the tiles that were installed after the tub were getting looser and looser each time that the tub was used. The house is 10+ years old at this point and one day when I was scrubbing the shower I noticed that the tiles moved a little. The next time I was cleaning I noticed that after I washed the walls down that this brownish black "stuff" (for lack of a better word) would run out of the tiles and I could rinse and rinse and rinse and it wasn't going away. Simultaneously as it wasn't going away the tiles were getting looser and looser. To the point that you no longer had to watch closely to see the tiles moving. At the time we didn't have the time to correct this and didn't really know the best way to correct it either. So...wanting to ensure that when I had finished cleaning the shower to know that it was clean, I went and bought white duck tape and began working the shower over. Anywhere that there was a moving tile, I covered it with the tape so that I could feel like we were showering in a clean place and we could figure out what we needed to do to correct the problem.

(At this point hopefully you aren't thinking totally ill of me :-) It wasn't that bad, but the brownish black stuff was more than I could take.)

So...we found a friend who is talented in the area of construction and he agreed to come and correct the problem. Below are a few of the pictures of what the bathroom now looks like. We are so pleased with it, it is such an improvement to the house and I could soak in this tub (without it moving) for many years. I especially really enjoy the built in shelves for the shampoo bottles, and the corner shelves for the soap. We also enjoy the shower head being tall enough for tall people. Awe...I just love it.

Garden update

We planted our garden on St. Patricks day and have been watering it and taking care of it. I am amazed that we are growing so well since we planted everything from seed except for the blueberries and the blackberries, but they are showing great progress as well.

Here's a picture of the whole garden...



This box has zucchini in the middle, cabbage on the left and broccoli on the right. I didn't know that the zucchini was going to overtake the whole box. I will have to remember that for next time



On the right we have peas, in the middle yellow squash (again overtaking the entire box) and then string beans. The beans are also a large plant. Oh the things I am learning



These are flowers, I am hoping to actually have blossoms in the next week.



The blackberries...they are doing wonderfully. I doubt that we will have very many berries this year, but the plants should flourish



The blueberries, I thought that the one stem was dead and almost cut it off...lucky me that I was too busy because it is now covered in leaves.



On the right in this one is cucumbers, in the middle is watermelon and on the left the cantaloupe is already showing blossoms.



Those are my gardening updates so far. I am hoping that next time I will have more to share...the peas do have pods on them that could be picked and eaten, but I am hoping that they get a little bigger first.

An amazing Grandpa

Meet one of my amazing Grandpa's.



This post is for my Grandpa. I have been meaning to get a letter off to him, I haven't yet...so I am posting it here for him to read first.

Dear Grandpa,

Thank you for being so good with remembering my birthday. Every year I know that there will be a card in the mail from you. I look forward to it each and every year. Especially when I was told that you hand pick the cards for each grandchild personally. I love to read the cards that I get and feel the great love that you have for me.

One of the things that I have done for all of these years is save the two dollar bills that you mail me. I know before I ever open the card that it will have a one dollar bill and a two dollar bill inside. I have been saving my money, because I wanted to make sure that I bought something that would always remind me of how much you have loved me. This year I gathered up my money to see what I had and start thinking of something special that I could get.



I counted and I have been saving my money for 19 years! I must say I have been hiding it from myself well. I looked around to see what I needed/wanted as a birthday gift from Grandpa. I found a beautiful jewelry box.



I was so excited the night that I bought this to run home and fill it. I stayed up late putting everything in where I thought it looked best. I was thrilled when all but the necklaces fit inside.



I looked further to find a necklace tree that would hold multiple necklaces and fit with my decor. I found this beautiful black iron necklace tree.



Now when I see my dresser with both of these items on it, I think of you and how you have remembered me on my birthday for all of these years. One of my favorite parts of my birthday cards all of these years is the signature inside...it usually says "Love you, Grandpa". But I will always recall the special cards that I received that had a different note. I have several that said "Love you LOTS, Grandpa".

Grandpa, I love you LOTS too!

Love ME

Garden time...

I haven't planted or tended a garden since moving out of my parents home. This year we are jumping in with both feet.

First thing was to plant the seeds inside. I was very successful with the peas, watermelon, cucumber, spinach, yellow squash and the bell peppers inside, everything else I am hoping will sprout soon...

While they were growing inside I had to get the outside ready for them. I had heard about square foot gardening and what we did is mostly like that...without the exact square foot boxes. I found the boxes online that were made Amish style but figured we could make them cheaper (which we did). They are 4 feet by 4 feet and I mapped out the side yard so that they are all evenly spaced. I had a friend offer her husbands wood working skills whenever I needed, and he did an amazing job on the garden boxes. So lucky to know such a talented individual.

I didn't take a picture of the corner of the yard before hand, but I will say that I pulled weeds for 3 days. Before putting the boxes into place we put down weed protector so that the weeds wont' be able to grow into the garden, and eventually the rock path that will be going in. I stayed home from work one day in order to get everything ready for planting...otherwise I think that the peas would have latched onto one of the kitchen chairs. I have a wonderful sister-in-law who offered her (and her kids) services while they were on spring break. Without their help I don't know that I would have finished in one day. Mainly because the night before I was to finish the garden we decided that we needed to put in an underground watering system so that we weren't constantly dragging a hose around. Now that it is all out together I am so pleased.

Here is a picture of the side yard and how the boxes are all organized.


See the peas on the left...they were getting really long while on the table...hopefully they will latch onto the lattice and grow up (crossing my fingers). Also on the top right of the box (in the picture) you can see the water spout that is for this box. Then the soaker hose can be moved around inside the box to water where ever it is needed the most.


Several years ago a friend said I could pick blackberries from her yard. I had no idea that they grew here. I had also never before picked blackberries, I will never forget those thorns. Here are the thornless blackberry plants that we planted. They should grow to be 4x4x6, perfect size for the box.


I was given this blueberry plant...again I had no idea that you could grow them here...so far it is going fantastic, it is the best plant in the garden by far. And it should also grow to be the same height as the blackberry bush. I am not yet sure if this bush has thorns or not. Only time will tell.


Here is one of the new tomato plants, the last ones didn't survive the freeze. But we did have some delicious tomatoes off of them. This time I bought plants that already had flowers and now we get to watch them turn into beautiful red tomatoes.


Flowers that I planted last October, I planted some just like this at my last house, but they didn't last. The purple ones I really like are African daisies. Now right now when I looked outside all I can see when I look at this pot is purple blossoms...I think they are so pretty.


The orange tree blossoms, if only I could bottle the smell of these and somehow have everyone get to experience it. I love this time of year.


Lemon tree blossoms