Happy Friday

Hi everyone, hope you're all having a great start to your weekend! Friday seemed to come fast this week, which is fine by me. I can't believe we only have two more weeks left at school.... but yay, roll on last day of school - I can't wait!

I want to thank you all for your sweet comments in my last post. I was nervous about listing my knitted goods but I shouldn't have been, they are already selling. My thanks to sweet Judy, my first customer and to Richella and Melissa too - you girls are the best :-) So I have to get busy and start knitting more. I will keep you posted when I add to my little shop.

Look what we've been eating this week - green beans are ready :-) This is our second batch from the garden this week. I pick just enough each time for me and Jason. You can't get any fresher than this! I simply boil the green beans and spray a little butter spray on them before I serve them, they are so fresh and tasty. The cucumber beetles are all over the beans now but miraculously they are still producing the beans.

I posted an update to my garden blog earlier this week so HOP ON OVER HERE if you'd like to see what else is going on.

Have a great weekend. I'll be back Sunday with my musings (or that might actually be Monday)!

It's Friday!

There's still time to enter the Yoplait Spa Pack Giveaway. CLICK HERE to go to the post and leave a comment for a chance to win. I'll be picking a winner later night.

I know I've just shown a lot of pictures that included the flowers on the front porch, but it's Fertilizer Friday, a day to really flaunt our flowers, so I'm joining in again and will show you a few 'up close and personal' shots of what's flowering right now.

My dianthus is looking lovely and really spreading, it seems to get a little bigger each year.

The petunias in the basket have grown and are looking beautiful.

A close up of the pots on the front porch with those pretty new tulip votive holders.

These roses are in my next door neighbors front window. . . lucky me gets to enjoy their beauty too :-)

Trying to add a splash of color out on the back porch I planted some flowers in the pots this week.

Notice the basil in the pot above. I have some in my herb garden but it's not looking too good yet. I couldn't resist this lovely thing, I just love the smell of basil and herbs go great in flower pots for that added scent.

I added a little pot of petunias to the column.

Our blackberry bush is flowering!

The flowers are so pretty and delicate.

And this is our blueberry bush!

Head over to Tootsie Time to visit some other wonderful participants.

I'll quickly flaunt my flowers....

It's Fertilizer Friday over at Tootsie Time so I thought I'd share some pictures from out front this week. I've been buying some annuals for my pots and adding some fresh new mulch to the flower beds....

In this picture below you can see how the rug is all 'buckled' from the wind whipping up under it! I wish I knew how to stop it from doing that, but I'm sure there isn't a way. Even when I put one of the heavy planters on one corner of the rug it still happens.

My hawthorn bushes under the front window are starting to bloom. It may be a little late because it only gets the morning sun. By lunchtime the front window is in shade.

You can see this one below doesn't have as many flowers on it. It gets the shade even earlier than the other one!


My pretty dianthus that's spreading more every year. The weather is so nice here right now, beautiful sunny days and warm temps of about 70 degrees, sometimes even warmer. I want to try and get outdoors more and clean up and keep it pretty so when we want to we can just sit out there and watch the kids play. It's nice relaxing on the front porch with a glass of wine....

but as you can see, it still needs a little cleaning up. This picture was taken before I'd put flowers in the pots, and that is one of the chairs from the back patio that needs to go back.

Today I have to clean up and prepare for a little 'birthday celebration' we're having for Grandma on Sunday :-) I have a lovely menu I'm planning but I can't say what yet as it's a surprise ;-) I'll share with you all next week. Have a wonderful Friday, and be sure to visit the other participants who are 'flaunting their flowers' today.

Furry Friends and Fertilizer

It's fun to join in with 'blogland parties'. For one it helps me decide what to post about on certain days, but I also love to visit other blogs and see what others have posted. It's great meeting new bloggers that way. So, this Friday I'm joining Necel again for 'Furry Friends Friday' and Tootsie for Fertilizer Friday. Now that things are growing in the garden I'd like to join in with Fertilizer Friday each week so I can give updates of our veggies and visit other gardening enthusiasts :-) Be sure to visit both blogs to see some other fun participants.

Last week I told you I'd let you know how Boo got his name... Boo Hau (pr. How) being his full name. That's not his registered kennel name, we didn't register him at all. It's just the name Jason chose for him when we were all trying to think of what to call him. I can't really remember any suggestions Kristen and I made, but I do remember Jason suggested Wonton! Seriously? Wonton I asked. Errrr, that would be NO! Next thing he said was "OK, what about Boo How?" Hmmm, I liked Boo, very cute, but what on earth is Boo Hau. Turns out 'Boo Hau means 'not good' in Chinese! For some reason Jason and his pals at work were going through a phase using this saying to each other throughout the day as in "oh man, that's boo hau". The fact that the breeder had told us Boo was the little 'rooter tooter' of the litter seemed to enforce this name. So Boo Hau it was, but we often just call him Boo, unless he's really naughty and Jason will actually shout Boo Hau in a stern voice! Here's a picture of Boo on his first birthday :-)

Kristen insisted we have a party for him, and yes that's Little Cesar dog food with a candle in it. It was Boo's first try of it, filet mignon flavor. He's such a fussy pup, to this day he will still turn his nose up at it (he does this to all of his food) but eventually eats it.

Jason and I want to get in to the habit of fertilizing the veggies and trees each week but we'll probably do it on a Sunday when we both have a free day. I'd still like to take part in Tootsie's FF so I will just give garden updates and show you what's been growing with flowers and veg on Fridays.

The weather was terrible last weekend and I'm sad to say the tomato and pepper plants we planted out didn't make it :-( It was so windy - SO windy that this happened . . .

This, being the green house that was previously standing like this (below - actually tied to the wall I might add) . . .

The good news is none of those plants were in it just a few pots of seeds I'd planted a couple of days before, which hadn't even sprouted, so I don't feel like I lost much. The bad news being those plants were the ones I planted in the garden so the wind got them anyway.

On a brighter note, the Bradford Pear in the front yard is looking pretty this week. . .

and the sun will be shining all weekend so we should be able to get out and 'play' in the yard :-)