garden
Showing posts with label garden. Show all posts

An Easy Spring Weekend

April 16, 2024

 I love an easy weekend at home. I know I'm dipping deep into introvert while I'm married to an extrovert who wants to go places and see people. I don't, I want to stay home and be quiet. 


Blame it on this time of the school year, as things rev up I slow way down. 


Friday night we finally got to have dinner at The Flats in downtown Lafayette. The food was great and the atmosphere was amazing. The restaurant opened up to their courtyard that had additional outdoor dining. We stayed inside and watched the Master's. 




Saturday I got back at it on fixing my backing for the quilt. This has definitely been a lesson in fabric sizing as well as understanding why quilters have fabric stashes. My attempt to be conservative left me making another trip to the fabric store and fixing errors. 


On the upside I finally basted it and will start the actual quilting this weekend. 




After yardwork we shoved the kids outside to play in the water in this gorgeous weather. The boys jumped on the trampoline until everyone needed snacks. 




In gardening news that no one cares about, I have my first pepper on the plant.  I seem to remember the Marconi producing early last year and then continuing to produce until Fall. Also, if you want leaf lettuce let me know. We HAVE leaf lettuce galore. 




It's high time to pressure wash this old house. There are even a few boards we need to change out. I really think the board issue will resolve itself when we install gutters one day. 


I'm really wanting to paint our bedroom while Jeremy is in Brazil this summer, but I'm afraid these boards might jump paint in the project line. 



As far as house projects currently go the want/need list is as follows: 
***Find 3 distyliums for the front flower beds (everyone is out of stock)
1. Paint the bedroom
2. Finish bedroom decor
2. Paint the back room (all wood paneling)
3. Pressure Wash/spot paint outside


Surely I'm forgetting something. But on the "when the fence is done" list is putting in two long raised beds, and then eventually a chicken coop. 


Granted, none of this "has" to be done. It's all a want list. Minus that wood that needs replacing outside. I'll be forever grateful that a good, much wiser, friend told me when I bought my first home to not just buy thing to fill it up. It's best to wait and buy what you really love. 


That waiting until you really love something idea has been helpful in not feeling the rush to do a project, waiting and really saving up for items, and even just taking the time to make a decision. 


The downside of an 80 year old home is definitely the projects, but at the same time a benefit is the projects. This is the first house we've had that I've been able to really make decisions on exterior and interior paint colors and decor. But we've also lived here longer which has also allowed for more time to think and save, and then spend those project savings. 


The other benefit to taking my time with these projects is that I have all the time to change my mind. Y'all I think I looked at couches and living room furniture for 5 years before we finally bought a new couch to replace our Facebook Marketplace find. 

This has somehow turned into an "Emily talks about saving money for projects" instead of a "weekend review" blog post. 

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Mother's Day 2022

May 12, 2022

As someone who rarely loves a surprise, I don't know why up until this year I have left this holiday to be determined by my house full of boys. 

I don't generally want a lot, just a relaxed day at the house, an easy lunch, and to check something off my to-do list. (yes I generally save wish list items for holidays) 


I did quite a few things that made this day last, essentially, a weekend. 

Friday we headed to Home Depot to gather 12 terra cotta pots, while Jeremy was off at an event. Saturday, again Jeremy was at an event, I planted my cut flower seeds in their cute little pots while the boys played. That evening we went to dinner and essentially did as little as possible during the day. Sunday we went to church, ate at Raising Cane's, hunted down a kiddie pool, ran by Lowe's, picked up snowballs and then little else the rest of the afternoon. 

The boys played in the pool and on the trampoline, and sprayed everyone with water guns. 


Here's my pot setup. I bought 10 9 inch pots and the two larger ones at the top are 12 inch. I also grabbed two smaller pots to throw herbs in (sweet mint and lavender). 

Below are the flower varieties I am attempting to grow. I'll say attempting until they actually grow and bloom. 

Top left to right: Stock Katz Fragrant, Queen Anne's Lace

Bottom left to right: Zinnia State Fair Mix, Gomphrena, Craspedia 

From top to bottom, the sides mirror each other I have: (top step) Stock & Craspedia, (next down) Zinnia, Gomphrena, (bottom) Queen Anne's Lace (outside) and Zinnia. 

Next year I might try tulips. 


 

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Planning a Vegetable and Cut Flower Garden in Zone 8

June 17, 2020

It's finally close enough to time again to start planning a garden. 

Have I got a realtor? Not quite yet. 

But as soon as I land a teaching position for next year I will be working towards the house hunt. 

Let me tell y'all this though, the number 1 things I've missed the last two years has been gardening. 

Winter gardening in Zone 9 with my easy to assemble landscape timber raised bed.


In the past I planted a kitchen garden that was a long rectangle, to one end was a variety of herbs, then lettuce or cabbage, root veggies during the winter or squash in summer, whatever suited my fancy, and then my perennial strawberries. 

I loved how these strawberries just took over the far side of my garden over the years! 

One of the big items I'm looking for in a house is space to have a kitchen garden yet again, raised bed of course (again). As well as adding a cut flower space. I honestly love flowers but am not the type to splurge on buying them. What honestly seems more appealing to me is being able to water and cut them myself. 

As far as going the (and excuse the fact that I'm not well versed in lingo -  I have other gifts) landscape timber route again or more towards that 5x7 look, or whatever that cut of wood is. I do not know. It'll depend on ease of assembly, if my Dad is helping, and cost. 

The first tiny strawberry! Not long after that we started trying to keep the birds out.

What I'm most happy about is to be in Zone 8, or 7 depending on which site you ask. Either way it allows me to plant more of what I like to plant without the pain of the heat in Zone 9. Summer gardening in 9 was a beast due to the sun just burning everything, it's had to keep a garden going when the grass is scorched. Plus I will admit I'm awful at watering and that is why I tend towards a winter garden. 

Carrots just make me happy. And lemon thyme. Oh I can't wait to plant lemon thyme again! 

So, cut flower! In the past I've had your typical landscape flower beds, but I want to take it up a notch and grow a few bushes that are simply meant to be cut and brought inside. I've got some ideas, but luckily I've got time to further research 1) what I want to plant in Zone 8 and 2) what will grow best in Zone 8. 

No sense in planting anther bush just because I love it only to watch it never grow due to the zone. 


Click the photos below for a link to their websites! 


Low maintenance being the keep word here, this seems like a great list of shrubs to use and be able to cut for indoor use! 


If you like more of a wild flower look, which I do appreciate, this has some good options. I really like the style of many English gardens and how some of the flower placement feels more natural. I'm not one for a sculpted garden. This site also give a nice list of perennials and shrubs, because easy to tend is always my kind of garden! 


Here's a zone's list in case you need it. Most of the South is in Zone 8 with much of Florida and the lower areas of Louisiana being a touch more tropical. It definitely made it harder to grow coming from 8 down to 9/10 and initially thinking about gardening like my Dad does. What finally thrived was planting what I purchased at the local nursery and not a big box store. 

There are even more complicated hardiness zones if you want to get super specific. 


I love these infographics from Family, Food, & Garden about spacing and how to plant. I'll admit in the past I just planted, but there are plant species that bode well next to others. Some thought does need to go into it. 

Either way they had two great graphics on spacing and ideas for what to plant! Both images link back to their post. 


So, that's an idea of where I am mentally going with a new garden. I might even throw in a 3rd and have just herbs! It all depends on yard space. I want a garden to serve a few purposes 1) pretty 2) provide some veg and flowers, but not the sole source and 3) be a relaxing way to piddle outside after work. Watering and messing around in a garden is such a great way to not think and unwind at the end of the day. 

Two more posts I didn't link but are useful:


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Winter Gardening in the Deep South

February 1, 2019

Y’all, Zone 9 might be my least favorite zone of all. 
When I think of gardening, my absolute dream is something around Tennessee or slightly farther north. I just imagine all the goodies Amish women plant throughout the year. I also tend to fantasize about winter gardens simply because the upkeep is much lower than your summer garden. 
Summer gardens tend to equal pest control, bugs galore, constantly weeding, and never enough water in Zone 9. 
Hence my love for winter gardening in our planting zone. 



I recently shared my favorite things about winter gardening in South Louisiana, over on the Lafayette Mom’s Blog. I’d so love for you to head over there and read all about what veggies I plant this time of year and why winter is the best in Zone 9 (and I'd love it if you left a comment) .
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Things that Make Me Say Yay!

May 11, 2018


Y'all.

It's been a week of a thousand Wednesdays. How it is actually Friday is beyond me.

So here are a few things that have made me uber happy lately.

>> Harrison has discovered his love of bubbles and now want to float in the tub. Last night I was asked to give him a bath about 30 minutes early. All because that baby needed to relax.

He seriously just lays there and floats now.

>> At first I wasn't sure about this kombucha brand, but I actually like it better than Dr. Pepper. It doesn't have the kombucha kick you think of and tastes like a Dr. Pepper but less sugary. 


>> Guess who finally halfway pulled up their winter garden... this girl. Except I haven't found it in me to start pulling carrots. That a lot of work. But I did discover the brussel sprout I planted two years ago finally decided to do something. Baby sprouts for one. 


>> I don't know how this happened, and yet it feels like it's been 400 weeks already at the very same time. My biggest question though is who on earth is this person, what personality will this child have?


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2017 In Review

January 5, 2018

As per every single year, here's a recap of what we were up to in 2017. 

January


We had a massive (South Louisiana scale) freeze, everything in the garden died except the carrots. Turns out Christmas lights will not save you from freezing temps mixed with rain. 

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Saturday Five?

November 11, 2017


[ONE]

Jeremy was awarded Louisiana School Psychologist of the year this week. Super excited is clearly an understatement of my feelings on the subject. Love that hard working guy. 


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Mid Week Rambling

September 6, 2017

It's only Wednesday, mind you, and it feel likes I've lived roughly 4 Mondays... except this week's Monday was a Saturday.

In other news, I have a 11 year old dog that refuses to go outside and a 2 year old that refuses to come inside. He had an epic sad attack after being forced indoors and covered in water and soap in an attempt to change his skin color back to it's original shade.


This is mainly caused by the fact that I'm digging up the garden the rest of the way in preparation to plant my winter garden.

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Golf, Plants, & Books

April 13, 2017

Or maybe that should read in reverse order. 

I started reading Wired to Eat by Robb Wolf during our extra bumpy field trip last week and I'm really loving it. Wolf has been a Paleo-er I've loved simply because he isn't so hard nosed about everything. Listening to his podcasts to promote the book he's really taken on Personal Nutrition. 

For someone that likes a dang piece of cake on occasion, that's extra lovely. 

Rice isn't killing anyone. Unless you're insulin resistant, but that's another story. 

Point being, this book has been super eye opening at how our standard diet effects hunger. See also, this is who has be trying out the Keto approach to get rid of these last 10 baby pounds. With food by the way, no supplements. Protein powder and collagen peptides are about as far as I go down the powdered supplement rabbit hole. 

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What's Up Wednesday

March 29, 2017

This week I'm participating in What's Up Wednesday and linking up with Mix & Match Mama. Go check it out. 


1. What we're eating this week...


2. What I', reminiscing about... Timehop does a terrible thing to you, like this week when it popped up my child's first time at Chick-fil-a and also reminded me that he use to eat cauliflower rice. dang toddler picky spells. 


4. What I'm loving... reading again. Over Mardi Gras break we were somewhere that I couldn't just watch Netflix before bed so I downloaded a few audio books. Now I'm addicted and I've probably read 10 books this month. Funny how these things ebb and flow. I was reading a lot when I was pumping last year. 

5. What I've been up to... gardening. My carrot patch was stellar and I've been obsessing over roasted carrots for weeks now. 




6. What I'm dreading... the next week of work before Spring Break. I might actually go insane before the next break. Kids and spring fever is no joke people. 

7. What I'm working on... yoga. I'm trying to slim up before we try for another child (hello 10lbs that won't leave from Harrison) and attempt to get there by counting macros and getting back into yoga. The Country Heat workouts were great to get back to working out, but at a certain point I needed to work on strength. If I can't be in an actual gym I very much prefer yoga as my strength training. 

8. What I'm excited about... the two year old phases, this toddler is starting to talk more and it is a lot of fun. Granted he wants to live outside naked and that's what he's talking about. 

9. What I'm watching/reading... I've been on a People V. OJ kick that I finished at 5am today because I was so enthralled with it. I was super sad that I missed it on TV and when I realized Netflix picked it up I was in hog heaven. If you like that sort of thing, it's awesome. Also the American Horror Story people are making the American Crime Series so it's really well done. 

10. What I'm listening to... podcasts like a mad woman & audio books. 

>Favorite podcasts at the moment --- The Podcast Project, The Big Boo Cast, Risen Motherhood, & Robb Wolf The Paleo Solution. 
>Favorite audio books --- anything by M.C. Beaton, I really like her Poor Relation Regency series. 


11. What I'm wearing... a lot of yoga clothing. Bringing yoga back as my every day thing. It's funny how pregnancy makes you forget what you did before after just 10ish months of not doing it. 


12. What I'm doing this weekend... I need to make a Carter's return, they sent the wrong size shoe & we've got a new prospective worship pastor. And yoga, I'll be doing my own attempt at YOD Saturday morning since my teacher is out. 

13. What I'm looking forward to next month... my YOD power yoga class starting back up. The instructor took a week off this week for an event and I seriously look forward to it every Saturday. 

14. What else is new... I got this little gem in the mail and I can't wait to dig into it. I'm holding off until our field trip next week to start reading. Might as well with an hour and a half minimum on a bus both ways. 






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Summer Favorites

September 3, 2016

Today's post topic is to list your favorites from the summer, so in no particular order here goes our list of what we did this summer. 


I (with lots of help from Dad & Jeremy) started a garden. We maybe got 5 tomatoes and 3 zucchini out of it... but my shallot, green onion, and basil growing skills were good. 


I wish I could have found the pic of Harrison eating figs at the orchard, but we went fruit picking in July and managed to get a nice amount of strawberry fig preserves out of it.


This happened during the summer, but it isn't really a summer activity. My neighbor cleaned out a lot of her books and gave me several she bought on trips in England. I was the most excited about that David Starkey book Monarchy. He is by far a favorite BBC presenter of mine.


We also played outside, a lot. 


And went swimming a time or two.

In the photo above Harrison had actually fallen asleep in the lazy river. 



In playing outside, we might have used a kiddie pool as a sort of rinse off system after dinner.


There was a small getaway to New Orleans for us as well, we took Harrison to the aquarium for the first time and he was in love.


I'm pretty sure the other guests at the bed & breakfast hated us. Between Harrison insisting he climb the stairs and not being happy about his sleeping arrangements we weren't exactly the best of guests. 


And to top off exciting things of the summer, Jeremy had his first surgery to rebuild his ear drums. He started on his left ear and so far it has gone perfect, he has his last post-opt appointment this month and then we get to start discussing operating on his right ear. 

Selfishly enough, I can't wait to have fans on at our house all the time. 
Maybe I should do a post about what all is involved in his ear situation. 

Until next time, which will be tomorrow... and the topic is what I'm currently up  to.
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