Trudging Along

Did you miss me?! I have been so busy the last few days. I'm going to need a serious vacation by mid-March.

I've been babysitting for my cousin off and on for the last couple of weeks and probably more next week. My aunt usually does it for him, but she had surgery and can't pick the baby up. He is the sweetest thing and sooo cute. One of these times I'll remember to bring my camera. I know. I'm such a bad blogger at times.

Then, since I cannot wait until warm weather, I've been doing some inside gardening. Here is my sort of succelent garden. The plants aren't all succelents (not much selection in my area) and kind of mish mashy, but I like it. It's in a vintage porcelain basin that lost it's pitcher at some point. My dad gave it to me, and I couldn't part with it so I had to find a use for it. Plus, it makes a perfect home for my sparkly black skull.



And, there is the cleaning. My dad, again, talked me into buying this amazing vintage drafting table. Solid wood and gorgeous. It's my new worktable. I've been wanting one of these drafting tables for years. I just love the look, and it's so perfect for my needs. But, I had to seriously clean my makeshift workroom to get it in there past my current horrendous and huge table. Isn't it fantastic?! Ignore the mess. Remodeling. That's all I'm going to say. ;)



The Mad Hatter ring orders are almost all caught up after their press. Wish me luck as I'm making things for gift bags for the USC Fashion Show. I've got to have them in the mail by next week. Let's hope everyone likes them!

So, what have you been up to?

What a Morning!

Well, this morning is starting out just peachy. I slept late. Luckily, not late enough to make us miss the bus. Then I made K a sandwich two times. Apparently, the first one decided to jump right out of my hands. I hope this is not a mark of how the weekend is going to go.

I'm a little nervous this morning as well. K gets her report card today. Usually, this would not worry me, but she has not been doing well in school this year. She's completely bored and doesn't like her teacher. Can't say as I blame her. It's the same one we had last year, and she has a tendency to talk down to everyone from the students to the parents. My daughter is talked to like an adult in our house and thrives better in an enviroment that treats her on a more grown up level. Back to the report card. Her mid term was not that great, and there are some doubts as to whether she will be in the 4th grade next year. Wish us luck.

Here's my latest piece for JSD. I created for the creative challenge in the forums of Etsy. This week's challenge was to create something inspired by veggies. I created this ring based on my bean sprouts. It's called emergence. It has a sterling silver band with sterling silver discs accented with copper leaves. In the center of the centerpiece, there are little sterling silver spheres. It's the plant emerging from the seed. I'm really not sure how I feel about it. I like it, but it's not one of those times where you have a "OMG! How cool and sensational is that?!". You know what I'm talking about. It's in my shop if anyone wants to take a closer look or maybe purchase it.

Have a great weekend, my duckies!

I'm Free At Last!

I'm Free!! I'm finally free of my mob style county government. It was a bit hairy towards the end, but we passed. Although, her supervisor made sure she stressed that we need to be in contact with the permits department. Well, like I didn't know that. At least, I'm free. Until another of my neighbor's gets a bee in their bonnet.

I am now so ready to get started in my garden in between working on the house and JSD stuff. I decided to grow cantalopes, butternut squash, peas, carrot, corn, spinach, potatoes, bush beans, watermelons, luffas, blackberries, and grapes. I also planted lemon balm, anise hyssop, lavender, chamomile, bee balm, garlic chives, lemon basil, and echinacia(or however it's spelled.). I have a couple more on my want list that I'm hoping to order by next week. Crossing my fingers. Then that would give me some pole beans, popcorn corn, bunching onions, sage, and broom corn. The best part is most of my seeds have come from organic or biodynamic seedsavers. I'm hoping to save my own seeds this year then be able to add to my plant list next year.

The whole southern side of my house is going to be my vegetable garden. I'm so excited. I just hope that Tilla the Killa, my cultivator/tiller, is up to the challenge. I have it all planned out which means it will look nothing like the plan, but I have a plan.

Oh, I promised pics. Well, here's one of a few of my darling seedlings. Mostly the veggies, but there are a few flower seedlings in there. My poor house looks like a greenhouse. Perhaps I'll get a greenhouse next year so I have a place to put all my seedlings. I have so many flats and trays with plants in them that need to go in the ground. I think it's about 100 or more plants though I haven't actually counted. Now if it would just stop frosting so I can get them in the ground.

I should be back to blog again tomorrow with new stuff from the shops. I've got my fingers crossed again.

Home Improvement Roundup- Garden Style

Time for another installment of Home Improvement Roundup. This one will be a quicky. Just a little peek into one of the things that I have been doing on my so-called summer vacation.

I have gotten a pedestal sink for my bathroom remodel so that will be coming sometime in the near future, and I stress sometime. Tiling and siding will also be future installments.

The pics are of my new and improved garden. One is a sort of before pic. It is actually the other side, but that is pretty much what it all originally looked like. One pic is what it looks like now, and the other is my new walkway that I am currently adding. Check out the awesome leaf stepping stones I got. The rocks are a great addition to any garden. I like them because they just have a really clean look about them, and they help hold the moisture close to the plants. I have some beautiful pepper plants, lilies, double impatients, a gardenia with the same name as me, musk melons, and some beautiful ornamental sweet potato vines. I'm really quite proud of myself because I have not lost a single plant. Most of the plants are annuals, but it helped to plan out where I wanted plant placement so I can add more perennials next year. I will definitely be adding more vegetables and herbs. Tip on the vegetables and herbs. Just add a few right in with your common flower beds. They really don't take much more care than your regular plants.