Here I am still waiting for my bulbs and not patiently I might add. The weather has been nice for the last week and I was hoping to get them and do all the planting. My concern is of course that the weather will turn nasty just as I recieve them. We have had some frost and the yearly scraping of the car windows has begun. Some of my plants have started to die as well so I guess the fall clean-up must be started in ernest, ahh the fading buds of summer. I won't complain too much about this since it will soon be November and we have been blessed with an extended blooming season.

I took my dog to the groomers and as always I requested no bows on her ears. They seldom listen though, and when I went to get her sure enough bows on her ears. I didn't mind to much this time though, she is black and they put in orange bows decorated with witches, pumpkins and ghosts. Lucy is ready for halooween LOL. I am leaving them in until after the 31st. Too bad the camera is on the road in the truck.

I am sewing my fingers to the bone making PJ bottoms, Christmas decorations and quilts. It has been a long time since I have been on a big creative binge, I think it started with the bows I made for my sister's wedding. At any rate I am having fun even if my hands scream at me to stop. My grandaughters received the aprons I made for them and are quite happy with them. When the oldest one Ivy asked my daughter Rachel if they could make cookies, Rachel told her after play group, Ivy then had her apron put away in the same spot as moms, of course Chelsey not to be left out put hers there as well. And the joy of webcams, Rachel and I were chatting online when the parcel arrived so she got her webcam going so that I could watch the girls open their gifts. I will post a picture of them in the aprons as soon as I get one.

I guess now with the gardens going down for the winter we can all share our visions for next summer and maybe share some holiday tips, recipes etc.

"May All Your Weeds Be Wildflowers"

Planted by crazygramma at 9:00 PM 3 comments

 

That time of the year is here again with thought of ghoulish masks and trick or treating.

My daughter Rachel loves Halloween and has dedicated most of her recent blogs to theme. Check out her blog at Live Love Laugh to get a good sample of songs and what not. She is also having a costume party on Saturday night and made cookies called Witch Fingers. Here is a picture of the gruesome things.




Maybe she will share the recipe.

Also Perennial Passion has provided a link to a Martha Stewart site for little trick or treat bags. They are quick and easy as promised.


When I lived in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island it was a yearly event to pile the three kids into the car and drive down Jingle Pot Road at night close to Halloween. There the people living on the road would decorate the trees, fence posts and ditches with glowing pumpkins, ghosts etc. It was quite the spooky site enhanced by the fact there were very few street lights in the area. I wonder if they still do this?

Remember to keep your children safe and your brooms dry.

"May All Your Weeds Be Wildflowers"

Planted by crazygramma at 9:03 AM 6 comments

 

Wow I cannot believe it will be November soon and I was outside cutting my grass and looking at all the new buds on my plants. I had no plans on cutting grass my main goal was to clean up the front garden and move some of the day lilies. That chore was accomplished and I then moved some rocks to the area where I planted the Lilac bushes to protect them from cars. Due to the pot holes on the road in front house because of the water problem people have been driving up onto the grass to get around them. Now I have big rocks around the bushes to help keep those jerks off my lawn. A fence would be great but the propane people have to be able to get to the tank.

I transplanted some of the day lilies and made some space for the new bulbs that are on the way, cleaned up the yard at the side of the house that is slowly getting planted. While working in that area I had a brainstorm, since I have 60 bulbs coming that I am going to plant most of them in that area in a staggered fashion and then come spring I will plant all around them with other flowers. My thoughts on this is that the bulbs will or should give me a good basis to get me motivated in that area. My planting plans are to naturalize the crocus and daffodils in the front yard. That leaves me with 41 assorted bulbs from the package I am sharing with my girlfriend so I should be able to space them out nicely. I also ordered 10 Red Carpet Border Lilies that will bloom in late summer, those will be planted at the front of the arch area (5 to a side) I think. They are going to be used to create some kind of path way leading to the garden on the side. The other project for next season is to get a couple of wood benches hammered together and place them along that area for sitting on, they will just be plain benches that I am going to leave to the weather.

After doing all this clean up I noticed the grass, (with blooming dandelions,the little yellow devils), needed to be cut so I did that as well. It has been awhile since I spent the day outside doing yard work and I can feel every muscle I have screaming at me. It was such a nice day out there today and I worked with just a long sleeve shirt on, which was kind of dumb because when I finally called it quits I was totally chilled to the bone and had a wind burn on my face. A good hot shower and a bowl of leftover beef stew hit the spot though.

I then turned my attention to sewing.

"May All Your Weeds Be Wildflowers"

Planted by crazygramma at 8:05 PM 1 comments

 

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"May All Your Weeds Be Wildflowers"

Planted by crazygramma at 7:52 AM 1 comments

 

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"May All Your Weeds Be Wildflowers"

Planted by crazygramma at 7:33 AM 3 comments

 

Ah the joy of heat when it is raining and cool outside. Friday was the same type of weather wet and cool, however around 4:45pm I discovered that only cold air was coming through my vents, so donning boots and a jacket I braved the weather to go out and check the propane tank. Yup just as I thought no propane. Of course being that late on a Friday afternoon no one would deliver any fuel, thankfully I have a little space heater and the weather got mild over the weekend and there was no snow. I still had no heat until late yesterday afternoon and when the first blast of warm air hitting me was such a great feeling.

The real joy was that now I could take my grandson for the evening. Being 5 months old almost he has really discovered his feet and voice. Zayden is a happy little guy for the most part with lots of giggles and smiles, and sleeps most of the night. Not the same case two weeks ago when I had him for the night after a vaccination, it is funny how fast you forget the fussiness that can come along with those, I was up most of the night with him. My little dog gets mad at me if I do not answer his cries asap as well. I really believe that we were made to have babies early in life when our energy levels were higher.






Other happening in the garden area:

I called Breck's to see where my order is and they are to be shipped tomorrow and I should have them next week hopefully, so the fun will begin. I went out on Sunday to gather some seeds for friends and when I spotted all the roses and other flowers still in bloom I decided I would pick some to enjoy them in the house before they start to die off for the winter. And pick I did, I have four large vases filled in the living room. It sure makes the gloomy weather outside seem not so bad, and picking flowers this time of the year is great there were no bugs on them. I can't believe that the garden is still looking that good this time of the year. When the guy came to install the new propane tank he was thinking of placing it in the back yard so it would not be visible from the street, however he told me that it was going to stay at the side of the house because he didn't want to ruin my wonderful garden. Oh I could of kissed him, and it didn't hurt that he was also so damn cute.

"May All Your Weeds Be Wildflowers"

Planted by crazygramma at 6:57 AM 2 comments

 

I know the American Thanksgiving is later than ours so I thought I would share these two recipes or just in case anyone would like to try the Apple Betty or Corn Bread Recipes here they are.

Apple Betty

6 large apples, peeled, and sliced
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping

1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour


1) In large bowl, toss together apples, sugar and cinnamon. Place in slow cooker

2) In bowl combine butter and brown sugar. Add flour and mix together with a spoon until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over apples and pat firmly into a crust.

3) Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or until apples are tender and sauce is bubbly.



Corn Bread

1 cup corn meal
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-4 tablespoons of sugar (I use 4)
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Heat oven to 425. Grease 8 inch square baking pan. In medium bowl. Combine corn meal, flour,baking powder, salt and sugar. Add milk, egg and oil mixing just until smooth. Pour into prepared pan, bake for 20 - 25 minutes.

Variation
To make cheese cornbread use 2 eggs and add 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese.

"May All Your Weeds Be Wildflowers"

Planted by crazygramma at 7:28 AM 4 comments

 

I love turkey and after just having our Thanksgiving weekend there is certainly enough leftovers. Picture this after feeding eight people including myself there was enough turkey left over for sandwiches, and a big pot of turkey soup. However there sure seems like a lot of work doing a turkey dinner. It takes a full day to put it together no matter how organized you think you are or how much early preparation is done. But all was good and I believe everyone went away full, the first hint in that area is the fact that the two desserts were untouched. No problem I sent the kids home with the pumpkin pie divided between them and put the Apple Betty that I had made into the fridge. I have a great recipe for the Apple Betty that is done in a crockpot, this is very handy since the crockpot can be pushed into a corner on the counter, therefore it is not taking up valuable space which is needed for the potato mashing, turkey carving etc. or space in the oven, because if you have an oven the size of mine only the turkey is fitting in there.

After this wonderful feast comes the cleanup. Usually I have my soup pot out to start throwing the bones into as the turkey is being carved, but for some reason that did not happen this year. With the dishwasher filled to the max and help from my daughter and her soon to be sister-in-law the kitchen was cleaned up. You would think ah all is good, nope, the next day is turkey soup making day and it does not take long to have it look like a disaster area. Picture this a big pot on the stove with the bones boiling away, fridge open in order to locate the leftover vegetables, and anything else that might be good in the pot, dishes that were not put away from the night before as the girls were unsure where to put them, and I was too lazy to do, cupboard doors open where the great variety of mysterious spices are hidden, food processor going,dishwasher running etc. There is not a lot of counter space in my kitchen, in fact some people probably have more counter space in their bathrooms, so running out of space I have now placed a large cutting board across the sink in order to compensate. I know you think what a great idea!, not so, the problem with this is that now I have one sink overflowing with dirty dishes and the top of the other one covered with the cutting board and I have to try and get around all of this to make more space without sending the board off the sink, and trying not to get the clean dishes still on the counter from the night before dirty again, and I had to bring out another pot for soup since the first one is not big enough. Of course while I was trying to make space and chop veggies the first pot decided to boil over and then the phone rang. My phone is always on the other side of the house as well,so I had to run to get it on time, oh but life is good it was my daughter Rachel calling from Ontario for help with the recipe I sent her for Corn Bread. So juggling the phone I managed to get the over boiling pot slowed down and helped her with the recipe.

We did manage to have a big bowl of fresh turkey soup before my other half had to go back on the road as well as some of the Apple Betty.

So there it is one day to get the dinner ready and one day for clean up. I still have leftover turkey which did not make it into the pot so today I will keep out enough for my dinner tonight and the rest is going to be wrapped up and frozen. I hope it is gone before Christmas. (And I still need to put dishes away)

Reflecting on all this I want to express my thanks for being lucky enough to have this abundance of food and friends and family to share it with. I am truly blessed.

"May All Your Weeds Be Wildflowers"

Planted by crazygramma at 6:34 AM 3 comments