Very Cool Giveaway

I just discovered a new blog thanks to another blog I was reading, and liked this site so much that I decided to join and post a link back.

She has a beautiful site, and neat idea's. Go check out her blog and become a fan! The link back is on the right hand side of this site, and is called Miss Mustard Seed's Creative Blog.
The give away is huge! I have never seen a giveaway this big, and the stuff is nice too!

Garnet Montana Photo's

Here are some of the pictures I took of the scenery. I was thinking they would look good black and white with matted frames on my gallery wall I am working on at home. I really like the one of the windy road and the mist on the tops of the mountains.

Ghost Town Garnet Montana

I just thought I would share a few photo's of our recent family outing to Garnet Montana. I wanted to add more pictures but could not fit any more in this post. :( I really enjoyed this trip, it is a self guided tour and they actually let you go in these cabins, general store, hotel, saloon etc. I was in heaven with looking at all the antiques, too bad you can not purchase. To make it even more cool the trip is ll miles up a steep hill and on this particular day the mountains were misty topped with clouds from a light rain.
Me and the kids sang "Lions, and tigers and bears....oh my!" on the way up! It was way too much fun and the air smelled so good there. There were a lot of wild flowers and things and the smell of cedar was very lovely.

I'm going to add another post to this one to share some more photo's. I took a few of scenery around and I really liked the way they turned out. I am currently working on a gallery wall at home, and printing photo's in black and white format and I think these would look good in the mix.

Unfinished Heirloom

I started this circular shawl a few months ago and have yet to finish. I must profess that even though I really do enjoy crocheting, I have such a short summer season were I live that I can not see spending much time crocheting.... I love playing in the garden or playing a game outside with my kids.

This is a shawl I am making for my Aunt Deborah. Her favorite color is purple so when I bought the yarn I had her in mind. I know the fibers are called Kidlin, a combination of kid mohair and linen but I can not remember the brand right now.

What I love most about this shawl so far is the spiral pattern in the middle. Also what I love about it is that I was inspired by two designer's (my favorite of course) Doris Chan and Kristen Omdahl.

I had recently just finished the circular floral lace shawl and I understood what Kristin was trying to teach about exploding a motif.

I can not wait to finish this pattern when I have some more selfish time to spend watching a chick flick and crocheting, what do you think?

This is my design my pattern. There is alway's a time for a first!

All artist's have some form of inspiration, this is what I'm told.

MORE Sweet Pea's!

I had to take some more pictures of my sweet pea's today for memory. I know I already posted pictures of them a while back. The truth is I am completely taken by these flowers. When the wind blows they smell so perfumed it is almost intoxicating. The more I have cut the more flowers I seem to get. I have probably got around 12 or more bouquet's of 70 or more stems in the last month. I know they will sadly die soon as the temperature gets really hot. Fortunately for this flower it has been mostly a cool summer so far.
I love photography, and I have a fairly decent camera. I know it is not a professional grade camera but I wanted to capture the beauty of all the colors. After I picked them and put them in a vase I also took a picture from the top view. It is interesting how it seems there is some yellow in there. The salmon pinks, lavender and the green itself are all a beautiful mix of color.

So here is the last of my Sweet Pea rah rah for this season! I hope some one else might enjoy looking at these photo's too, and maybe they will plant their own sweet pea's next year! :)

Fennel

Anyone who really knows me knows I go gaga over Fennel. The first time I tried this herb/root vegetable was the day I decided to make a home made Cioppino. I noticed the wow that the fennel gave the dish and have been in love with it ever sense.

Fennel is great in salad. My favorite is a mixture of thinly sliced fennel, mandarin oranges and fresh oranges, thinly sliced red onion, the green parts of the fennel bulb, and a fresh balsamic vinaigrette.

All I can say is D-Lish!

So this early spring, I would say March I started seedling's under my grow lights. I have harvested about 6 bulbs of fennel so far and I have these left in my last bed. I can not wait to try them.

Fennel is also good in a Ratatouille dish, or grilled with olive oil salt and pepper.

Love-Lies-Bleeding

This plant is an Heirloom with a very tiny seed. I started it indoor 8 weeks before the last spring frost and then transplanted it twice before it's final destination.

I am proud of this plant not only because it is really unusual and pretty but because it is so satisfying that I did not have to purchase it from the nursery. I actually saw these plant's last week at the local nursery for around $9.00 dollars a plant!

The tassels are beautiful and fun. I also read that they attract song birds, and really I have noticed some distinct songs. I wish I had my camera earlier as I had a Red Robbin perched right near this beautiful plant.

Borage

Borage is an heirloom herb with pretty blue flowers. I have heard that you can candy the flowers and that they have been used in cake decor, but I have never really been that ambitious about using them.

I admire their beauty especially towards the evening when their fuzziness seems to make them glow.

An old wives tale is that they help whatever plant they are next to. I think they may also have some beauty benefits, but will have to go read up more about.

Lambs Ears

I noticed this perrenial plant last year at the nursery and decided to grow it from seed. So this year is the first year I am finally getting to enjoy it's unusual beauty.

I was attracted to it's silvery blue foilage, and velvety smooth leaves. I noticed today that it seems to be budding some cute little pink flowers to boot!

Red Cabbage

When I initially purchased these "red express" cabbage plants early spring, it said it took 45 day's to mature. Well here it is mid-July and still no cabbage.

It does appear to be forming a head however and I was told by a knowledgeable gal at the local nursery that it is a fall crop and to leave it be.

I am not sure If I will grow this again as it is huge already, and I really have a small garden plot. Hopefully I will be rewarded by the taste once it is fully mature and harvested this fall.
I will most likely make a kraut with it, as my sweetheart is German and I was given a recipe for red kraut by his lovely sister Delores.

Bell Peppers

I am not sure If I am lucky in regards to growing peppers. This is the second year I have attempted to grow them. I think I had a very small harvest last year.

These plants look pretty small to me, and I do gather that they are heavy feeders. I have tried to feed them, and still they look pretty pathetic to me.

I took a picture of a miniature pepper I found on the ground after a nasty storm we had, the wind must have blown it off the plant. Cute maybe but edible not sure. If any one has any suggestions or idea's about growing bell peppers I would love the feedback!

Nicotinia

I grew Nicotinia last year and decided I would try it again this year. Not only is Nicotinia a sweet smelling flower but I also find the star shaped flowers fun to look at. They come in many different colors and look pretty in arrangements.

Nasturtium Jewels

Another lovely plant that crept it's way into my garden. I planted these last year and again these annuals re-seeded. I didn't have the heart to take them out even though they really clash with my color scheme this year. Nasturtiums are edible and look really pretty as a garnish with a salad.

Snap Dragon's

I planted one Snapdragon plant last summer and low and behold I now have ten or more seedling's and about three that have bloomed. I thought it was an annual when I planted and I still believe it is, the cool thing about some annuals is that they re-seed themselves.

I did not know these seedling's were snap dragon's when I noticed them first this spring but I am glad that I waited, surprises are fun.

Italian Purple Pole Beans

These seedling's are very prolific! I waited until the weather warmed up and planted about a week or so ago. They are said to have beautiful purple flowers, and the plant's themselves are said to grow to about eight feet tall. I hope to show more pictures later as they mature. And I am anxious to find some new recipe's for pole beans, especially purple ones!

Happy Birthday Josie!

My July girl just turned Eight!

I did not have a lot of funds for this birthday to tell you the truth. First you have the fourth of July and all it's expense, and next thing you know it's a birthday.
Yes It is true that I am a bit insane, but what is a birthday without going a little crazy?
So I say forget about all that tackey confetti, that is nothing but a pain to clean up and you seem to be vacuming up for the next 3 months...... wich lead me outside to my garden to pick just about almost every flower or flowering herb I could get my hands on to make Josie's party a Garden Party. I think next year I might take it up a notch with a tea party, wouldn't that be super special for a birthday girl?

Nostalgic Floral Arranging

I'm definately no Martha Stewart, but I do try. I am excited to finally try one of my vintage blue Ball mason jars that I found a while back at a local thrift store. I also never have claimed to be an expert in floral arranging, however I have seen Martha do this stuff on t.v. and have paid enough attention to get some of the basics.
After cutting all of my Sweet Pea's from the garden this afternoon I imediatly made a cool water bath with just a few drops of my multi purpose soap. I would probly have used ivory soap but sense I did not have any on hand I used my Mrs. Meyer's soap.
Mrs. Meyer's soap is a natural plant based cleaning product line. The reason for giving my flowers a bath with a few drops of mild soap is to get all the bugs off. Even if you can not really see any you would be surprised at how they come out or start wiggling around once they touch the soapy water.

Next I get a clean vessell to put my flowers in and add cold water, (Tip: For fresh un bloomed flowers if you want them to bloom faster you use warm water) I chose cold water to keep them from dying too quickly. Then I added my plant food. I always save my flower food packs that you get when you buy fresh flowers from the grocery store.

Lastly I cut them again to measure were they can stand with out falling in the center of the vessell. Try to work from the center being the tallest and working shorter stems to the outer sides of the vase. This part can be difficult because you might have to do some re-arranging.

If any one is interested in the seeds I used for planting these sweet pea's I have posted a picture of the seed pack... I really love Botanical Interests because they do have some unusual varieties of things and I never have had any problems with the seed germinating properly. Here is the link www.botanicalinterests.com.