Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day – August 2009

Published on: by catballou24 Category:Friends, Garden Blogger's Bloom Day 4 Comments

Thanks to Carol over at May Dream Gardens for starting this tradition. You really should take a peek at her blog and check out everyone’s gardens while you are there!

I’m a day late I know, but I was just super busy yesterday and didn’t get out there to get pictures (the quality of today’s I must apologize for too, my camera was running low on batteries and I only had so much juice left so took them quickly). The day started at The Natural Gardener where I met up with Meredith of Great Stems and Caroline of The Shovel Ready Garden. First time meeting in person and I have to say it was so nice. These two gals really are as wonderful as they sound in their blogs and we had a great time hanging out amongst the plants! We were taking the organic vegetable gardening class that was being offered, so it was fun to meet up in person! Alot of what was discussed I was aware of, however I did learn a few things in regards to soil preparation, so it was worth it. For taking the class, we were all given a coupon good for that day – 10% off entire purchase! Plus there was a sale going on, all plants are 30% off right now and most everything else is on sale for 10 – 20% off as well! This sale is going on through the 20th, so if you are local head on down and pick up some things for your garden! I got a couple Rock Rose Plants, some Verbena (the girls picked these out), a Coral Salvia, and my new obsession – a purple Datura that is just about to bloom! Oh yes, very exciting indeed! The girls love hanging out there, so while I was in class they ran around with J checking everything out. We were there all morning then went to lunch and came home to get a few things done around here before going down to our neighbor’s whose house J designed. They were pouring the slab, so it was a big deal. The girls and I came up after awhile and crashed. We were tired! Today we all feel the need to be a bit more lazy, so after getting the new plants potted and in the ground the girls have opted for a movie, J is on the computer downstairs and here I am. I do have housework to do so I’ll be ready for the week, but not a ton and it can wait. Sometimes it is nice to just sit and breath…

On to the blooms. I am a day late but here we go!

Pride of Barbados:


Esperanza (my yellow flowering one isn’t blooming at all, the plant is growing super tall and strong though so not sure what the deal is right now):


Plumbago:


A single Turk’s Cap:


Milkweed:


Zinnias going strong:


Datura. These are double blooms too!:


More Zinnia:


Sunflower:


Petunias going strong:


One of the new Rock Roses. This one was tagged as a Mexican Rock Rose. Meredith at Great Stems wrote a good post on her Rock Roses, so when I saw these I had to get them:



My first Morning Glory! Yay!


The new Coral Nimph Salvia:


Peace!

My Sister

Published on: by catballou24 Category:Family 6 Comments

CONGRATULATIONS MAMA!!!!!!!!!!! (I just found out I’m going to be an aunty again..woohoo!)

She and her hubby have been trying for too many years to count. So this is just too exciting for everyone, but especially them of course!

Peace!

Quick Post

Published on: by catballou24 Category:Uncategorized 6 Comments

No pictures to share today, just wanted to post really quickly about our weekend so far. We got the raised beds half full with compost and dirt from the chicken run (we put all the leaves and kitchen scraps in the chicken run and they are nice enough to turn it all into really good dirt for us!). We picked up a couple bags of peat moss for another layer and I’ll also be putting a hay layer in there then the good topsoil from The Natural Gardener should round it out. We still have 2 more beds to build, but feel like we have a good start right now. I also planted Zinnia and Cosmos seeds in what is the current veggie bed. They are coming up nicely! The plan for that area is to turn it into a regular flowerbed. Things that re-seed and that we seed ourselves, but no real perennials, mainly annuals. At some point down the road we’d like to turn that whole area into a deck as it is just off the dining area. So we plan on opening that wall up with glass doors and a then do container gardening on the deck. So with those thoughts we don’t want to spend a tremendous amount of money on plants that we’ll have to move or rip out anyway. Flowers seem the best option and they’ll smell nice too! I’m planting some Datura in there today (seeds of course) and am hoping, with our extended seasons, that I get a bloom or two before the first frost. We’ll see!

The drip irrigation in the front is working like a charm. Just a couple things we’ve tweaked, but the plants look so much happier. I’m still turning it on 1/2 hour a night just so everything stays alive, but it’s so much better than the hand watering I was doing everyday and the run-off that was occurring with that. My chartreuse color Zinnias I planted from seed are getting ready to bloom too! Yay!

My pumpkins are not a happy story however. I am down to just a couple good vines after borers and chickens had their way with them (one of the chickens was being defiant and decided to take charge on the thinning detail…*sigh*). I am not hopeful for any pumpkins from them this year, but plan on planting in the spring regardless of what the books say…Hah! I did better with my Spring volunteers than the intentional ones. This year I’m also planting Tatume Squash rather than regular zukes or yellow squash. It is from Mexico and resists the borers. You can harvest it young and eat it like zucchini, or let it mature more for a Winter Squash. I’ve lost too many squash plants to the borers and am pretty much going to give up on them, except with pumpkins. I just don’t have the time to pick off hundreds of eggs a day unfortunately. So Tatume is in our future.

I was able to get skirts sewn up for the girls as well (I’ll post pictures later of those). Three apiece! I used the Lazy Day Skirt pattern from Oliver and S. I love their patterns and this one sews up quick and allows for most modifications. Super easy! So now the girls have new skirts and more to come with the amount of 1/2 yard fabric remnants I have! I set up my sewing machine on half the desk/table in the bedroom where J had computer stuff. Yes, I took over and claimed my spot! Finally! It’s not ideal, but seriously better than what I was doing, which was getting everything out, set up and then broken down and back into the closet. Didn’t make me want to sew much. J was actually happy when all was said and done, so it’s a win/win right now.

So that’s the news for now. I promise pictures of progress in the next day or so! I’m also sending lots and lots of love to my sister Carol.

Peace!!

Busy Times

Published on: by catballou24 Category:Family, Farm Life, Gardening, Life, Raised Beds 2 Comments

It’s been a whirlwind 2 weeks to say the least. With the party last week and then commitments this week, I don’t know if I’ve even had time to breath! Hah! The girls are doing great though and have been enjoying alot of fun with cousins (my sister was in town), friends and summertime fun. They got to go horseback riding on Weds. and I swear Xiola is obsessed now. She was such a natural on the horse too, no fear at all! My friend said she can come out anytime and ride. T will take care of her and teach her all the proper ways to do it. Lola really loved it too but was more interested in exploring the property with her friend..hah. Xi just didn’t want to leave the horse.

After the morning of riding, I took the girls and their other friend to the Hoppin’ House, which is an indoor jumpy house playground. They jumped for over 2 hours and were exhausted by the time it was all said and done. Both crashed right after dinner and didn’t move until the next morning. It was hard to capture pictures of them there as they were running all over. Lola immediately found friends of course and was buried so deep in the jumpy houses that all I got were a few of her back..haha!

My nephew has been hanging out with us this weekend. He’s 15 and so very sweet. He just moved here to live with my brother full time. His mom is in New Orleans. We are so excited to have him close again. He’s been helping J do maintenance on the skate ramp and will help him resurface it as well. He’s also great with the girls and helps me around here. I might just keep him..shhh! And J decided to cut his hair! It was past his shoulder blades when wet, now it’s up to his neck. He looks good!

The chickens decided it was time to thin the pumpkins…you can insert a growl from me here. I had to clean up the bed and then work on the stronger ones that are still hanging on. I am battling borers and am hoping they don’t win. I was able to get alot of the stems covered with good dirt and then fertilized with Rocket Fuel. The cantaloupe vine is doing well as are the pepper plants, nothing is setting though as the temps are just too high. I’m trying to keep everything alive until the Fall in hopes that they start pumping out fruit..so we’ll see. My tomatoes are doing just okay. The plants themselves are healthy and I’ve been pruning for Fall. My bush tomato is pumping out fruit but it’s so hot that it’s taking forever to ripen. We did manage to get 3 good size tomatoes that we just finished eating today however..yum! Jalapenos are growing beautifully, but no flowers. The plants are very pretty however.

I planted more Zinnia, Cosmos and Mexican Sunflowers from seed in the veggie bed yesterday. That bed will turn over into a new flower bed and then the veggies will be grown in the raised beds and the Back 40. I did manage to get the second raised bed built by myself. Let’s just say I’m not a carpenter and have never built anything from scratch alone, so it’s not the prettiest bed but will work just fine. I hesitate to put pictures up just yet though. Hah!

The front yard is looking great and so far the drip is working like a charm. We are going to tweak a couple things but nothing major. Everything is looking happy so far, better than when I was hand watering and I know we are using alot less water.

So that’s a bit of the news. This afternoon we are going to my brother’s and swimming with the kids. Making it an early night. I have one more week off from my child care work and so am going to find things for the kids to do this week. Then starting on the 10th it’s back with my extra kids and then the 24th its full time again. The summer is actually going by fast and I’m really looking forward to cooler Fall weather.

Hope you all are well! I want to send a huge hug to my sister Carol at Happy High Heels. Just letting her know I’m thinking of her today!

Peace!

Xi going down a HUGE slide at the Hoppin’ House. This one was her favorite. Notice her scared face, she loves to be scared. Hah!:


After Xi’s ride was over she didn’t want to get off the horse, so she stayed on her while the horse refreshed himself with food and water:


Xi and her new-found love. She eventually wanted the reins and actually rode with T just walking alongside and Xi controlling the horse:




Climbing up for the big ride alone:


At first she wanted T riding with her:


Lola and T’s daughter, R riding together:


Xi up on the horse for the first time:


Lola having fun:



Waiting her turn:



What do you do with all the leftover cups from a party? Make a tower of course! The girls spent one afternoon for hours just playing with these cups…makes you think about all the money that can be saved from buying toys..hah!:


My girls being happy:


And finally, J with his new shorter hair…he isn’t one for pictures so I don’t have any good ones of his face and him smiling..gotta love the man though!:

Sunday Fun

Published on: by catballou24 Category:Family 5 Comments

We had such a busy, but wonderful weekend. My son and his fiance’ came up for a visit with our most adorable little grandson and we had a party for them. My sister is visiting from Sacramento with her son so it was so great they got to meet little William. We had all my family from Texas, minus one sister who had to work..boo. Kim’s folks were here too and it was so good to spend time with them. We also had several friends in attendance. Lots of good food – Java Dive did their amazing gluten free bite size cupcakes as well as hummus and pita bread, J bbq’d a brisket all night (oh my goodness was that so delicious!), my mom made the best chicken salad bite size sandwiches and potato salad, and we had several appetizers and bite size goodies like fresh strawberries and blueberries. J finished putting together the skate ramp too and broke it in in it’s new place with all the cousins wanting a turn. My nephew is here permanently after having decided to live with his dad (my brother) and it’s so great to have him. He’s 15 and really excited about the ramp. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing alot of him..hah!

William is just amazing. I can’t get over the feelings I have for this little guy. He’s so sweet and adorable right now – 4 months old today! I couldn’t get enough of him…neither could anyone else. He was having so much fun hanging out with everyone. It is always great to see my son. He lives in Huntsville and for us it’s a bit of a trek with the girls and our schedules…so we just don’t get to see him as much as we’d like. We are really hoping they will decide to move closer in the next year, but we’ll see. Crossing my fingers and toes!

Lola is very excited about being a “kid auntie” as she calls herself, and just adores William. Xi loves him to death as well but insists she’s too little to be an auntie so will be his friend until she’s older..hah!

We did manage to get some gardening in before all the festivities and J got the studio cleaned out. We really want to finish that out and make it a guest space/office/crafting area. It’s getting closer to that goal. I think the landscaping and beer garden will go in first however. We also spent Saturday afternoon at the Bee Cave Library where the girls got their prizes for reading in the summer reading program – Lola did 1130 minutes and Xi did 980 (she got to be read to rather than read herself as she’s so young). They had a really fun entertainer there, Joe McDermott, who we all enjoyed alot. Lola couldn’t stop dancing and even bought a cd afterwards. Xi wasn’t feeling 100% however so sat quietly in J’s lap and watched. She’s better today and back to her old self.

I also received such a wonderful surprise in the mail from my darling friend Marina over at A Small Tribe. She wrote me the most beautiful handwritten letter (which yes, brought tears to my eyes) and sent loose tea and 2 packs of organic tomato seeds, which I will definitely be planting some for the Fall and seeing how they do. Thank you my dear…love you tons!

And, on Friday at the pizza place with our friends, Lola lost her other top tooth! So now she’s missing her two front teeth and looks as cute as can be. We got lucky when we found the tooth on the floor of the restaraunt. She didn’t even know it had fallen out!

So that is a quick synopsis of the weekend…how was your’s? Peace!

(There are pictures of me holding William floating around, but not from my camera which I was snapping away with…hence why I am not featured in this photo journal..hah!)

The toothless wonder!

Lola and William…she couldn’t get enough of him:


Lola in the kiddie pool:


Xi in the kiddie pool:



William in the kiddie pool:


Aunties and nephew all in the kiddie pool:


Grandpa and William:



Lola at the library celebration:


My gift pack from Marina:


J putting the skate ramp to use:

The Skate Ramp, or Back 40 Part II

Published on: by catballou24 Category:Uncategorized 3 Comments

Well, it’s in place. Now all we have to do is screw in the middle section and it’s ready to ride. J wants to put another layer of wood on the top and then we’ll seal it all again for weather (kind of a joke at this point considering we have no rain). The girls are super excited, as is J of course!

I am going to finish the second raised bed on Friday and then we’ll start the retaining walls for the new beds in the Back 40 sometime next week. Once those are in place we can start amending and landscaping in earnest back there…oh what fun I’m going to have! We’ll get a drip system in place as well and probably extend the tall back fence all the way up to the studio. With our vision of things back there, we are hoping to make it more of an oasis with hidden gardens and hanging plants off that tall fence. B said he can make hanging hooks that come off the top for me, which will be great because then I can hang those really large baskets up there. I am still amazed that it is all starting back there finally, after all our talking about it and wondering just how we were going to afford to get it all done. Bartering is awesome and community is even better.

I also ripped out all the cucumbers yesterday. It has just been too hot for them to pollinate well and even taste good. The few we were getting were so bitter that they made better goat food than people food. So in their place I put in some more Habaneros that were starts from seed. I’m hoping the pumpkins will do well now that they have so much more room too. We’ll plant fall cucumbers in the new raised beds with a trellis. I did manage to get 3 tomatoes finally though, and the two really good plants seem to be setting more fruit! My cherry upside/down plant in the front is getting loaded as well. It was a volunteer that I decided to keep. Glad I did! The rest are growing slowly and not doing much in the way of production but are healthy. So I may cut back the bigger ones and baby them until Fall. Once the pumpkins and peppers are done in the bed I’ve used for vegetables up to now, I will plant flower seeds and annuals in their place and use the raised beds and my new gardening area for vegetables and perennials. Lots to do back there, but feels so good to get started finally.

Peace!!

Skate ramp’s old home up at B’s place, which is now a construction zone as he’s broken ground on his house:




Arriving in front of our place (B lives directly behind us, so it didn’t have too long of a journey):


And just about settled into it’s new home. We need to screw in the middle piece still:


No more cukes:


The Beginning of the New Back 40

Published on: by catballou24 Category:Back 40, Gardening 10 Comments

Last month I mentioned how we want to landscape the back of our property and some of the ideas we have for it. We have tried to do things with it in the past and nothing really did well down there. We amended the soil, but not enough and have a caliche rock shelf that runs along there so the only thing to do was to really dig it out. The big hold-up of course, money to get it graded and bulldozed properly. Either that or doing it ourselves, by hand, over a good year or more as there are amazing amounts of rocks and boulders buried back there. Well, fate has smiled down on us. J is designing our neighbor’s house for him and in exchange B has agreed to do alot of the work we need done around here. So today was the first day of the transformation of the back 40. Yay!

B showed up with a Bobcat and proceeded to grade, dig, move rock and build up tiers for my garden areas. We discovered that there was a lot of great soil underneath alot of the larger rocks too, so it won’t be too much to amend and add a layer of good topsoil for us to be in business with planting. We are using the rock we dug out to build dry stack retaining walls, which I will plant all types of sedum in. We will use these new garden spaces for both vegetables as well as ornamentals. The flat, graded area at the very bottom of the property will eventually house a lap pool, but for now a skate ramp is going in. Yes, my girls and their daddy are all skateboarders and a half pipe in the backyard is just the coolest thing for them. Hah!

The sides will be planted and up on the very top will be the beer garden where we will have counters, bar stools, cob oven, and seating all covered with a patio cover which will someday be covered in some kind of vine. We are thinking grapes but haven’t fully decided yet. That will be a huge project regardless and will take us the better part of next year to complete. I’m just so excited we are finally starting to use the land we have back there. And I love the idea of community and bartering, it’s so wonderful to see it working!

Hope you all are having a productive and happy weekend! Peace!

Before:

And the bulldozing goes forward:


Working on the tiers:


It looks so different:


B had a little trouble getting back up the hill, but he made it eventually:


Look at that dark, rich looking soil…makes me so happy:


These are some of the rocks that will make up the wall:


The tiers are taking shape:


Long, dusty, dirty day, but oh so much fun too:


Thank you B!!!!

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – July 2009

Published on: by catballou24 Category:Garden Blogger's Bloom Day 5 Comments

Once again, it’s that time of month for our blooms to be seen. Thank you Carol at May Dream Gardens for starting this! Enjoy…Peace!

Velvet Leaf Honeysuckle:


Ruella and Turk’s Cap:


Pentas:


Plumbago:


Lupine:


Pride of Barbados:


Milkweed:


Crape Myrtle:


Zinnia:


More Pride of Barbados:


Spearmint:


Wild Sunflowers:


Cherry Tomato (upside down tomato pot):


Purple Coneflowers:


Salvia:


Gregg’s Mist:


Cinnamon Basil:


Esperanza:

Can You Identify This?

Published on: by catballou24 Category:Uncategorized 2 Comments



If anyone can tell me what kind of caterpillar this is, and if it’s worth the damage being done to the sunflower leaves at my mother in law’s house, I’ll be eternally grateful. So far they haven’t touched the blossoms, but the leaves are in sad shape and apparently there are many of them.

Thank you in advance! Peace!