Category Archives: yard

Apr24

Here comes Peter Cottontail

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I hope everyone had a lovely Easter today! We reached 81 outside and it was like a summer day and we put the a/c on. I raked the Lily and Iris garden a bit and then put a turkey breast in for dinner. Brian cut the entire yard and it looks better. The trees are another issue. I have never seen them looks so bad as they do this year in the over 24 years of living here. Brian’s going to have to cut down a few shrubs and dead fruit trees, but the ones on the hill that lead to the stream would cost a ton to get cut down. It’s very rustic looking!
Sean had to work and he said it was boring. He is itching to get in the garden center and asked again. He did come home for dinner and enjoyed the turkey, veggies and crumb apple pie.
Off to get my hair done in my hometown tomorrow. After dinner I put together the cutest owl gift box from http://www.myowlbarn.com. All you do is print it out on card stock, cut it out and glue it together. It comes with owl bookmarks too. I made one to keep and one to give to Tori. I will take a photo to share.
My collage was really easy as the bunny came in a package and I glued him on the background of my choice.

Easter roses from Brian
Easter roses from Brian (plus a few left he gave me before Easter)

Apr11

Sweet Dreams & real Happy Birthday Tori!

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Tori feeding a friend's 2 month old son



Sweet Dreams Collage Card, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

The next few collage cards were easy to assemble as I had the pretty cardstock from K&Company. This one I call ‘Sweet Dreams’ depicts the children ready for bed. I added them and the pink paper.
Perfect Memories Collage Card
Just a few adds there. The lady picking, let’s say ‘kumquats’ and found some kumquats in a book on fruit.
Sunday Brian and I cleaned out the little 50 gallon pond we’ve had now for it’s 14th season! It was nasty, but within an hour it was up and running! We put the pump in and let the waterfall hose out so it just ran out. Bri still have to use the bucket for the nasty leaves and gunk on the bottom. Before we started that, I had raked all around the area. It’s a start, still need to clean it up more. There is so much debris this year! We had some mighty wind many times.
As a reward, we went to out to dinner to Applebees. We got the 2 for $20 and each got the Cajun Chicken and Shrimp and roasted potatoes. The iron pan they use to make it sizzle was hot the entire time we were eating! The potatoes got very dry.
Afterwards, we went to TJ Maxx as I was looking for a new sauce pan. I ended up buying a mini stock pot, same purpose. It’s a aqua.
The temps are suppose to soar again in the high 70s today. I will probably rake some more for a bit, but I forgot to thaw the pot roast for Sunday, so I’ll get that in the oven too.

Apr3

Sunday, Sunday

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Lil’ Cowpoke Collage Card, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

Just deciding what to do today. I may take a walk around the yard and maybe tomorrow go to the park. I feel like I need to get my creaky bones on the move. Plus I think fresh air will do my sinuses some good.
We really enjoy the Sunday morning ‘fix-it’ shows on HGtv, especially ‘Yard Crashers’. I think most of theses shows are out of California and more seem to be out of Canada. I surely would love to be crashed! Speaking of yards, we so need an outdoor tent as we get so many mosquitoes around here now. At the end of our property is a water reserve that was made when they built new homes and changed the road a few years back. I think that’s where the skeeters are coming from. We see geese and ducks on the water now also.
My collage is similar to one I traded a year or so ago. I happen to get scrapbook paper with demin designs and thought about the card and how much I liked it. It would be fun to do a series of these with other cowpokes in a bigger collage.

Happy day to all.

Mar17

Happy St. Paddy’s Day

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Thanks to Ladybird Ln. for sharing the lovely traditional Irish blessing.
We are having some nice weather here in Pennsylvania. After I got the corned beef browned and settled in it’s beer braising bath, I took a walk around the yard. The daffodils and other spring flowers will be blooming soon. The croci are already! I came around front and Cosmo kitty was peeking out the front door and I decided he should get a chance to enjoy the nice outdoors. He’s really good on his harness and his sniffing was a bit out of control and he was stopping taking some long whiffs. I had to pull him along and then he hisses. I see that the deer made some meals on my hedges along the house. If they don’t grow back, I think we have to cut them down along with the nibbled on holly bushes. We have so much wilderness behind us, you’d think the deer would be happy, but no.
The corned beef was good. We had cabbage, potatoes, carrots and green beans also. I made a sauce but added a little honey mustard to it which was tasty.
Tomorrow it will be in the 70s! Wow!

Mar5

Just me and my Mariner

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Thought you’d like to see the vehicle I got 6 weeks ago today. We picked him up from the dealership and they repaired it for free (I bet we saved $300!) Actually had to pay the local station $60 for the diagnostic test. I’m standing on the running board and that’s the moon roof there.

I’ve been disappointed as the tickle in my throat I had a few weeks ago came back-it just strikes at odd times-almost in church tonight. A lady walking in with us gave me a Ricola which made it tickle. I’m be sure to tell the doc to look in that one area on the right back of my throat when I have the test done on the 16th.

We started a wee bit of raking out front before we went to church. I asked Bri to do the stone walk way, but he only did the deer poo at the end of it. I did the walk myself, though I am happy to get rid of deer poo anytime!

Dec19

A peek of Christmas

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Brian did some outdoor shots last night-some with a tripod, some not. I like this one of the front bay window and the tree showing.
Star lights line the walkway
These are the new ‘moving’ (inside) stars along the sidewalk.
Wreath sparkles in the spotlight
This is a wreath I got at Big*Lots that was about $7, but originally close to $30 if I remember. The gold bow was added on. I never pay full retail if I can help it. : )
Snowflakes
These snowflakes are pretty!
White, blue and aqua lights grace the hedges
Extreme long shot of the house.
Fallen tree covered with snow
Brian thought this was interesting as the snow is mainly on this dead tree out back.
And last but not least-chocolate chip cookies!
First batch of cookies-chocolate chips
These were the last batch, so not as many chocolate chips.
Crinkle Sugar Cookies were made tonight and Sour Cream Drops with the burnt butter icing tomorrow!

Oct20

Fall clean-up

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Milkweed seeds, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

Today I decided to dig up the Ornamental grass that had taken over my Lily garden. I ‘dislike’ forgetting to do things. I don’t know what happened last fall, but the one plant I had kept didn’t get it’s seed heads snipped and there were at least a dozen or more grasses everywhere in this bed. I still did keep one plant, but off came the seed heads!
Dug up Ornamental grass
Since I was all ‘worked up’, I went around back and tackled the Butterfly bush. Another shrub which was either not cut back enough or ignored. This was a job and a half! It took me a good 45 minutes to trim. I left an almost full garden cart for Brian who needs to empty it as I can’t lift it (with the grasses). I just left the big pile of branches from the Butterfly bush.
Pile from Butterfly Bush trim back
I also planted two pinkish-purple mums and 6 yellow pansies and dug up a Flowering maple plant. I am still packing up stuff to store-now I know why it takes me weeks to get it right as I have so much put out. I am sore, but glad I got done more in the yard.
Isn’t that a neat photo of the Milkweed above? I should cut most of those seed heads off too. Nature sure knows how to regenerate well!
Red leaves and berries of the Burning Bush
Burning bush
Mums blooms galore
Down the front path
Behind the house
Behind the house
Witchy pal
Witchy pal from the Christmas Tree Shops.

Oct6

No place like home in the fall

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After much clothes sorting (and not done, just took a few things out of the closet), I decided to walk for fresh air around the yard. I don’t know why I don’t do this often. I’m sure I racked up at least 1/4 mile (maybe) from 3 laps. It was a bit cool, so I put on a polar fleece jacket I found in the armoire, but the faux Crocs weren’t great for walking over cut up burrs, etc.
So for this collage I found the sweet girl looking out the window in an old kids’ book from about 1951. I did color her in a bit. I wanted it to look like she is checking out the leaves and that cute feathered pal there in her own wonderland. : )
I got called to go to the dentist tomorrow, so that frees me up for going to Longwood Gardens with my mom and her pal next week. Mom is getting her hearing aides adjusted over in the next town as she is too use to the setting it’s on now. My brother has been nice to her during her nasty head cold this week bringing her soup, etc. I wish his good side would shine through all the time.