WOYWW #419

This week went by pretty fast...WOW!  Seems like I just got done with posting last week and it is already time to post again.  I don't mind though cause WOYWW is so much fun!  What is WOYWW...check here.  Julia started it 8 years ago and has kept it going through thick and thin!  Thanks Julia!

My desk this week...don't know what happened to the desk picture but I have already deleted it from my phone!  Oh well...next week

Busy making cards this week trying to get caught up with card and ATC swaps.  I am not posting pictures of ATC's I made till I hear that the people I sent them to actually have received them.  I only shipped off 6 and for some reason thought that I needed 10 so I can still swap a few more.  I can show you pictures of the ATC's I have received this past week!  All are beautiful...thank you!

Twiglet, Wipso, Shazsilverwolf, Clair

UPDATE:  
Went to the mail box today and lo and behold another ATC has shown up!  WOW Andrea!  You are awesome!  I love the ATC pocket on the left, the tac, and the card  it all fits into!  Thank you for the awesome stamps and die cuts!  I will definitely use them!

Some cards I made this week!  I am all caught up I think!

a sketch challenge card!  

a graduation card

a double apron/curtain fold card

a sketch challenge and colors blue, brown, and green!

blue, masculine, circles Challenge card

Male Birthday

another green, brown, and blue challenge!

flowers, handmade embellies!

I have totally caught up on all my swap and challenge commitments now and it really feels good.  I have been spending time every day doing some kind of work in my craft room.  Makes me feel better knowing I have accomplished something!  I actually made two more but I evidently didn't take a picture so I hope someone does when they get them

The garden is growing well...we have harvested potatoes (20 lbs), onions (15 lbs), garlic (+/-3 lbs), and I am not sure weight wise how much in cabbages (6 green and 1 red), Kale, and Chard.  We have put many packages of both in the freezer and will put more in as it grows.  If you would like to see more pictures of the yard and garden check here...

Kale, Cabbage, and Chard

I canned 7 pint jars of green beans and potatoes.
Learned an interesting lesson yesterday...Chuck and I picked these green beans...he had planted two rows green and two rows black beans....the interesting thing I learned was black beans can't be picked and used for canning!

Black bean are tough and stringy and have to be left to ripen like peas...okay we will wait!

the garden and life...

Decided I would do a separate post about the garden this week instead of adding all these photos to my WOYWW offering this week.  I spend a lot of time outside in the summer and it is always nice to be able to share it with everyone!  Today I went out and took a bunch of picture of what is growing and blooming around here!
I have taken a whillion...yes whillion photos so I probably won't talk about each one...this first group is from the front wildflower garden Chuck has planted in front of the wall...the big bush behind the wall is my flowering and fruitless almond bush!

Looks like a jumble of stuff and it is at this stage.  He plants the perennials and they come up helter skelter in the spring.

Cosmos...love the purple and white ones.

Shasta Daisies

Yellow?

blue spider wort

purple spider wort

June 13, 2017
What the flower garden looks like today!  Just month later it is really in its glory!  There are so many flowers in here that I just didn't take enough photos...ahaha!

Galardia

A huge sunflower that came up on its own!  6-7ft

These Shasta daisies and cosmos have been blooming continuously since March...Beautiful and prolific.  The sunflower was almost pulled out but Chuck decided to leave it in to make me happy.  It tends to take over but it is so pretty and just one isn't a big hassle!

How about bee balm?  A really pretty purple!

Mexican hat!  I love it the way he has the rudbeckia, marigolds, and the Mexican hat all together here!








By the front door it is a little more restrained and contained.

A welcome pot of flowers!

A mixed flower pot. 

by the front door...I got these pots years ago.

The backyard is more prolific!  The vegetable garden is really going strong...

Chuck is the mastermind behind the garden this year!  In past years I did a lot more but being not to well at times has dumped it all on his lap.  Luckily he really enjoys doing it.  A few years ago we put in these raised beds and we found we could plant earlier and later in the year and alternate what was put where.  The corn as you can see is coming along nicely despite its strange growth rate this year!

A couple of different views of the garden...

We have a total of 6 raised beds that vary in size from 6'x6' to 8'x8'!  You would be surprised what all you can grow in a garden that size.  A lot of good stuff!

Artichoke

Two of our favorites we are watching right now is an artichoke that is beginning to produce and some tomatillo plants.  Tomatillos are a funny plant...we have 3 in garden and only one is starting to produce...Tiffany a friend of ours said that hers hadn't started production and she read that you had to have more then one plant to pollinate correctly...she only has one plant but will get another soon.

We have scattered some veggies among the flower planters on the patio and deck...check this out...

the flower planter on the back patio...

a wooden deck that is falling apart but an integral part of our outdoor life...the big pot on the right end has two artichokes but they are alot smaller then the one in the raised bed and not sending up a flower!

This is a view walking from the overhang of the house past the gazebo.  We have tomatoes and peppers scattered all along the walk...

a sweet pepper plant

tomato

bell pepper

tomato

               

The tree in the corner is a Bradford pear...We are now being told not to plant them cause they are a soft wood trash tree that takes over if left to grow.  When I bought it I was told the things didn't fruit but guess what...They do...just fruit we can't eat but the birds do.   I guess the best I can compare it to is Kudsu in the southern states.  Their fruit looks like this...

The birds really seem to love these things...the flower is a beautiful white flower that comes before the plant leaves out!

Okay the last pictures are of the swimming pool...I love my pool and spend a lot of time out here in the summer evenings...  The swimming pool was put in 30 years ago and has always been a place the family and friends hang out!

My deck chair...so relaxing with a margarita and a beautiful sunset...

This is Homer JR...he is the second pool sweep we have had since the pool was put in.  His only job is to whip around the pool and keep everything in suspension so the pool pump can filter it out.  He has a little bag that picks up leaves.

 My daughter Heather surprised me with a couple gifts this week...she knows how tender hearted...and grossed out I am by finding dead critters in my pool so she sent me a couple gizmos that help them out...
This little gizmo has a ramp that the smaller critters can crawl up and out of the skimmer to safety...hopefully I will see less spiders and bugs...

This is a frog pad where the frogs jump up on the floating pad and can climb to safety on the mesh ladder!

 Okay enough of this...will bring updates as things evolve!

WOYWW #418

Welcome to Wednesday and WOYWW!  What is WOYWW?  Go check out Julia's blog for the deeds and come play with us!

My desk this week...not much different then last weeks view but I have been busy doing a few cards and other stuff!  I spent a couple hours Skyping and talking with my daughter in California while I made a couple cards last night!  I really miss her but she is having a wonderful time living out there.  So much to see and do in the San Francisco Bay area!

The desk is still cluttered with all the papers, glitter, and glues I used to make the cards.  I went to Michaels a couple days ago and walked out without buying anything so nothing new to show you today!  I know I must be sick for sure!

The Cards that I have been making!  the cupcake card...I decided that the white needed to be colored so made it up with green sparkly frosting top...definitely changes the look!

A double pocket card I made for a swap!  It was fun but I don't think I will be making many more.  

 I have been trotting out dies and different embellishments I have been saving to make cards...It doesn't make sense to buy more cause I probably have more then I will ever use in this lifetime...thought if I need something specific I will buy it but I have decided to really curtail craft shopping just to shop!

don't you love the bunting on this card!  The paper is from  Stamps of Life as is the Congratulations die...

Another card with SOL paper and dies...I found the resin flowers in a drawer and thought it would work perfect for the  color combo swap card of maroon, tan, and blue!

Okay that is it for WOYWW posting today...but there is more.  Hope all you deskers have a great week and I promise to get around this week.  I didn't do so well last week but plan on making up for that this week! 

This week has just flown past.  I went to the Dr. last Tuesday and was told I would definitely have to have surgery and based on the CT and MRI I had done on Friday he will tell me when and if I need to get it done sooner or later!  OMG!  I hate surgery but I am really hating this pain more!  It is difficult to get up and down out of chair, forget walking up and down stairs, and the numbness and tingling is pitiful!  My back evidently is out of skew....  Isn't it fun they give you pictures when they explain stuff.  I will go back to the doctors and let you know what is up.

My garden is really growing and doing awesome things...Chuck has harvested all the potatoes, onions and cabbages now....We are filling the empty spots with more potatoes and squashes.  

This is one of the hibiscus I wintered over in the kitchen window...It has started blooming and looks like it has more healthy grown in the making!  I love these flowers! So cheerful!  Makes me think of tropical islands!

A view of the sunset by the pool...this is such a calming place to sit and reflect!  

The onion harvest...the picture doesn't do them justice!!  Some of these onions are softball size...The picnic table is 70" round so you see they are good sized!







Also picked some of the first of the blueberries a couple days ago!  It isn't much but is a start.  The plant has been planted 3 years so I am glad to see it producing!

A couple pics of the flower planter...

 It is nice sitting out here and enjoying the weather!

  Okay!  Done deal!  I am going to go get dressed and go the the therapists office now!   Hope everyone has a great week and I will be around shortly...