Salad in the Ground

Normally, I would have had my herbs and vegetables planted for 3 weeks by now. It seems May has been extra busy this year. We were gone for 2 weekends and all of a sudden it's nearly June! There was no oregano to be found at Lowe's or Home Depot but we did okay with what was left. See for yourself......

I had great success with the Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes last year and yielded a crop of 150! I knew I had to plant those again. I also did a hybrid tomato of Early Girls which should come to fruit sooner than other tomato plants which is good because I'm becoming very impatient in my old age. My herbs are all old standbys. I skipped the parsley because I thought last year's crop tasted like soap.

New to the garden this year are the peppers. I chose red and green bell peppers and I'm really hoping they grow up big and strong. I never used to like peppers but now I put them in everything. It's amazing how your tastes can change. I really wanted to grow zucchini but John said the vines would take over the yard. Spoil sport.

And in the potted garden...........

Can we talk about how that mint was solely planted for mojitos? I mean, why else would you ever plant mint? I'm going to be a mint muddling fool. Well, John will be a muddling fool. He's the barkeep around here in addition to his sous chef duties. Last year I forgot to plant sage and that was a sad mistake. This year, it has been rectified. Sage for everyone!

These calla lilies were planted by the previous owners and I think they're a delight! So pretty. I'm still amazed that they keep coming back.

Hope my thumbs are verdant green this summer!

Weekend Re-Cap

What an awesome holiday weekend!

The B&B was booked with visitors from North Carolina. My sister, brother-in-law and nephew drove up from Raleigh just to hang out with us. Wasn't that nice? My nephew, Ben, is just a couple months shy of his 2nd birthday. He was loads of fun! Spending more time with him this weekend was much different than our visit to Austin last Thanksgiving when he was only 4 months old. Duh, right? He has endless amounts of energy and then crashes hard, sometimes in the middle of the floor. My sister didn't make me change any diapers but I was forced to witness her changing a full #2. That was the low point of the weekend.

Because we were playing Ohio tourists, we took them to the Cincinnati Zoo. This is a great zoo but their prices are getting a tad high. Buy your tickets at Kroger to save a couple bucks. I skipped the reptile house but reports from John and my sister told that Ben was brave enough to touch a lizard in there. Pass. My favorite are the zoo babies. Mini Juliana pigs!

Source

I love a good zoo trip but we didn't last very long. Record high temps this weekend meant that 93 degrees was our limit. We tapped out before lunchtime because we were all sweaty messes.

The fun didn't stop there! On our way home, we stopped at IKEA by request of our guests. I bought a potted succulent for my office that I am super excited about. We grilled at night at got ice cream at our favorite local soft-serve stand.

On Sunday, we took the guests into Dayton to the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery. This is a strange conglomeration of a museum. Part zoo, part science center, part play place, part planterium......something for everyone! A lot of the exhibits went over Ben's head but it was inside (air conditioning!) and he really did enjoy it for the most part. The animals that live there are a lot more accessible than at the zoo and you can see them right up close. I'd like to go back to the planetarium portion which we skipped because Ben would have been wiggly.



Meerkats!



We headed home for naps and a little sewing. A quick pair of pajama pants for my sister, more eating, and of course, more ice cream! On Memorial Day, they hit the road around 9:00 AM and John and I got down to the business of yard work. More on that another day though...... What a great family weekend!

Make It: Kindle Slip Cover

For Mother's Day, I stitched up this Kindle slip cover for my mother-in-law.

Why is this pic collage fuzzy? :(

I followed this tutorial from Charm Stitch and with a handful of simple steps, I had this cute case. It's corduroy on the outside and quilting flannel on the inside. The closure is an elastic hairband. And how cute is that mini leather button? Dying. So cute. I think she liked it. The Kindle slipped right in, waiting for its next read.

Recipe Reblog #17

A cookie for you this holiday weekend!

Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies: I don't bake very often. This is mostly due to a lack of self control. If there's a pan of brownies in the kitchen, it won't last long. So, when I have guests staying over, I take advantage of the extra eaters and carefully select the baked good recipe I've most been pining after. Enter, the Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies. Oh my! These were delicious! The pudding part comes in by adding dried instant pudding mix. I'm not sure what that did for them but I was pleased with the result, as were my guests. I halved the recipe but it still made 2 dozen. If you like Reese's Pieces, you'll love these cookies!

Tropical Beer

Since I was on vacation last week, I took the opportunity to imbibe some local brews. Well, one local, one not so local but I haven't seen either in Ohio.

Key West Sunset Ale

Summer beers are supa refresh, y'all and this one did not disappoint. It's an offering from the Florida Beer Co. When in FLA, drink FLA beer, right? From the brewers: "Sunset Ale is an American medium-bodied amber ale with a tropical twist. It is brewed with pale and caramel malts, blended with hops, to create a crisp, satisfying taste." This was the perfect beer to enjoy in a tropical climate. Hope I run into it somewhere in here! It was only $7.99 for a 6 pack.

 Koko Brown Ale

Koko Brown Ale is from the Aloha series brewed in Maui by the Kona Brewing Co. We were immediately drawn to it because it's brewed with toasted coconut. I will eat or drink anything that has coconut involved. An-y-thing. From the brewers: "The delicious heart of this island treasure has a nutty, toffee flavor and aroma that sends you straight to the beaches of Paradise. Kick back with a Koko Brown, brewed with real toasted coconut, and savor the mahogany color and smooth, roasty malt taste."

I was so hoping this beer would change my life. Unfortunately, I couldn't taste even a hint of coconut. So disappointing. However, it was still a delicious brown ale. I always forget about brown ales. Smooth and nutty drinkable goodness. Just don't expect coconut or you will be sad. At $8.99 for 6, even all the way from Hawaii, I would try it again if I could find it. Maybe we had an un-coconutty batch.

Orangina

No, not the delicious beverage. Orange nails! I bought this Wet N Wild Wet Shine polish for a buck in Florida.

In fact, I used change to purchase it so to me, it felt like it was free! Yes, I realize coinage is valid currency but I never have any on me so I felt like a big winner when I paid in all coins. This color doesn't have a name, just a number. 405. My mom and I thought it looked cantaloupe-y. And then when I was eating an actual piece of cantaloupe and saw my nails right next to it, I was sold. On the name anyway.

Orange nails are bold. They are very summery. I just don't know if they're me. Maybe they'd be better on toes. Perhaps I could wear them to support an orange colored sports team and I wouldn't feel as weird about it. You know, like a super fan.If you know I am not sporty, you are laughing at my self-imposed super fan status. For a dollar, this color is just a'ight.

Make It: 20 Minute Knit Dress

I pinned this tutorial from Faith at Design Fixation on Pinterest and made it the next day. Luckily, I had the fabric in my stash already. Truth be told, I almost always have the right fabric in my stash but I just like punishing my bank account and buying more unnecessarily.

With one yard of this April Johnston for Project Runway fabric, I took to my machine. It's a stretch jersey with a cream background and this cute bow print. I altered the cutting measurements slightly. Instead of 9 inches wide on the front panels, I think I did 11". The back panel is 26" wide but I did 29". I wanted to make sure it wasn't too small and also that the sleeves came down my arms a bit.

I stitched it up quickly, maybe not quite 20 minutes but it was fast. I didn't bother with a bottom hem because jersey knit doesn't unravel. And since it's a casual dress, I wasn't too concerned about not having it hemmed. I've worn it over black leggings but I think the length is okay sans leggings as well.

Cute?



Tired, rode in the car for 3 1/2 hours eyes



I think so. A tad hard to tell from the pics but it cinches with elastic at the waist. P.S. These pics also aren't very flattering. It looks fine in person. Promise.

New Polaroid feature in Picasa!

 

From da back

But, here's my question. Would I get more use out of this if it were just a top? I'm considering lopping off the skirt and just pairing it with jeans or capris. Maybe I'll wear it a few more times as a dress and then mix it up. Either way, sew this one up! Super simple and really pleasing results.