Wishing, Dry Mix, Fall Mantle, Table runner & Boxes

I am wishing I would have planned better for more of a fall harvest!  I am still picking my bowls of lettuce which I am enjoying.  Next year I hope to do better growing more things for this time of year.

I pulled the last of the carrots from the box on the deck.  Still have a few more growing that I planted later in the cold frame.

No more raspberries!  We will look forward to next year!

I cut some more parsley to dry.  Hoping it turns out as well as the previous cuttings that I dried.

I made up a dry Ranch Dressing mix.  I found it on another blog but don't remember which one.  I guess I should keep better records, do ya think!  I really like it.

Decorating does not seem to be my talent!  This is basically my fall mantle decorations every year!  Happy Halloween!

I made up another fall 10 minute table runner and used black with it this time instead of the green.  It didn't take me quite as long as the other day to do it!!!!

The lettuce is up that I planted in the cold frame.  That is spinach on the right side that I planted earlier.

I came up with this make-shift cold frame over some more lettuce and spinach.  Hoping to keep it going for awhile yet.

I am so excited!!  My wonderful gardener is making me three more square foot gardening boxes for next year so that I will have more room to grow things.  We plan to do the lasagna gardening type thing so they will be ready to plant in the spring.  He is going to come up with some fine wire tops for them so that I can take the tops off and on to keep the bugs and COCO from eating my produce!  These boxes will be placed outside of our little gardening fence.  If anyone has any suggestions or ideas for that please let us know.  I love my gardener! Shhhhhh.  hehehehe



This is my constant under my feet companion that eats all my vegetables!  She doesn't look like she would be quilty of doing that, do you think!















Sewing with Friends!

A couple of my friends came over to sew!  We had a wonderful time visiting and working on projects.  My one friend, Ann, brought a few things to show to encourage me.  She is such a wonderful quilter I am not sure I was encouraged! lol  She made this lovely Christmas tree skirt!  It is just beautiful!  I am as green as the green in the Christmas tree quilt! lol

She also made this Christmas table runner to match!  Are you drooling too!!

And this patriotic table runner........

AND she embroidered this wrap that goes on a change of seasons pillow.......

AND this beautiful boy baby quilt...........

AND the lucky Mom who receives this darling pink one for a little girl.........

AND another baby boy quilt...............

My other friend, Cheryl, brought homade cookies, chips and pumpkin bread.  Ann also brought Italian beef and buns.  Am I the luckiest person or not to have such great friends!  Cheryl also makes the prettiest pillow cases and she worked on cutting another one of those out!

AND this is what I accomplished except for sewing the buttons on! (With some guidance!) lol  A couple of fall table runners.  They are called ten minute table runners but it took me a big share of the day to get them done!  They are fun to do and I want to make more now!  We all had a wonderful day together and I consider myself very blessed!









Lettuce, Apples, Carrots, Chives & Birthday

I am still picking greens and hope to pick them for quite awhile yet.  This was picked last Monday.  I picked other days also but didn't think you would want to see picture after picture of lettuce!  Love my salads tho!

My two little blueberry bushes have never done well so we moved them to a new spot for next year.  We added Dr. Earth Organic Acid Lovers Premium Soil and I am putting Root Stimulation on them.  Hoping for a better crop next year.

I am still dehydrating apples and will be for quite awhile yet!  I know I will be glad to have them this winter so keep trying to remember that as I keep peeling apples.

My new experiment this year was canning three pints of dilly carrots to see if I would like them.  Have not opened a jar yet.  Do any of you bloggers can dilly carrots and do you like them?

I thought the sun shining on one of my asparagus plants was so pretty!  Had to have a picture of it!

I am drying more chives.  Since I potted up some to bring in for the winter I don't have that many left out there.  Thinking I will need to expand another patch next year since I am now drying them and I want to make chive vinegar again.

Today is our youngest granddaugher, Cali's third birthday and also our son Scott's birthday!  Happy birthday to them both!  We celebrated Cali's last night.  This is Gracie and Cali sharing the wonder of the candles lit!  Oh, to have that excitement again for my next birthday which will have more candles on the cake!

Cali's expression must be one of "I did it! I blew the candles out!"  Gracie is clapping for her.  The cake was yellow with chocolate frosting.  Yummy.  I wonder if I will be able to blow all of my candles out!



Happenings in Garden and Home this Week!

Monday this was picked!  If I can keep my lettuces going for salads for awhile yet I will be one happy girl!  My radishes are puny but they still count as radishes, don't they! lol

Found this large thing in the yard!!  Must have been two or three inches long.  I thought it looked to big for a grasshopper.  What is it???????  Yikes!

When the frost was predicted my "wonderful gardener" brought my pot of cherry tomatoes up by the pergola and sat it on the potting bench.  We covered it with a sheet but the frost got it anway! Boo hoo!  The little tomatoes were all falling off so I brought some into the house.  They were sticky and most of them were no good anyway. Double Boo Hoo!!!

Wednesday some greens were harvested, a couple sugar peas and just a few raspberries.  We welcome even a little of them!

The Clematis survived the freeze!

The grape vines did not survive!  Mike did not get very many grapes from his vine this year.  For some reason he got just a few ripe ones and there were more completly green ones on the vine.  Never had that happen before!  No canned grape juice this year!

Friday I harvested two nice carrots, four sugar peas , one pak choi leaf and some greens for my salad.  Is it too late for me to plant more spinach and lettuces in my little cold frame???

A bowl of greens was picked on Saturday with a few sugar peas.  That was it for last week's harvest!  A little is better than nothing!  Right?











Before the Frost and Grandkids!

Still getting some veggies on Tuesday! Greens, Chives,  Sugar Peas, Dill, Yellow beans, a few Raspberries, and a little red leaf found in our yard.  God's fall decoration for me!!!!

Kind of skimpy on Wed.!  Bowl greens, one pak choi and three sugar peas.  Enjoyed anyway!

Thursday harvest was somewhat better.  Nearing the end!

We picked quite a few things on Saturday.  Even slightly red tomatoes because cold weather was coming!

We finished canning our thick lumpy applesauce.  24 pints canned and two in the freezer and about 10 pints left from last year.  Should do us for a bit!

We knew cold weather was coming so my "Wonderful Gardener" picked the last of the yellow beans and pulled them out.  Coco is hoping he will throw her one and share!

We went and had lunch with Gracie at her school on Friday!

Do you remember those wonderful days of swinging like this!

Our three VA grandkids had the wonderful experience of touring the Smithsonian and spending a fun night in a motel this past week-end!

This cherry tomato plant is still loaded with green tomatoes so moved it up close to the house.  We had our first frost last night and covered it and a few other things!  Prolonging the season!

The sugar peas grew taller than the lattice.  We covered them last night too!  Hoping for the best!

Can she bake a cherry pie, Billy Boy, Billy Boy...................















Slim Harvest this Week!

This was picked on Tuesday.  One of the tomatoes was not so good.  I am not caring for the volunteer Italian flat beans.

Skipped picking on Wednesday and still got some things on Thursday.  I am surprised that I am getting the amount of little radishes so far from the fall planting.  Best fall planting yet!  Have never done well with planting them in the fall.

Saturday was a pretty good harvest!  My "wonderful gardener" arranged these and took the picture!  Good job, huh!  The apples we put in the garage were starting to spoil so my "wonderful gardener" is helping me try to get a little applesauce canned today.  Bless his heart!!!!!