Warm, sunny weather, projects & flowers

Hi Folks ~ It is a very warm, balmy day, 80 and feels like it is 82, humidity is at 66%. I was outside sweating as I worked more in the gardens. I am trying to get things done or at least somewhat caught up before summer’s real heat and humidity get here. I got nabbed by a rose bush and decided to come in, clean up the scratch and take a break.

This time of year is when our gardens down here thrive. Lots of things are doing very well, new growth, flowers. Just wonderful.  It makes me feel so alive working out in God’s beautiful creation and so loved by Him, surrounded with beauty, scents, & textures, that draw in butterflies, birds, bees.

This week I did more tweaking in the kitchen. I got the small cabinet out of the caravan that I was thinking of mounting to the wall, but after a closer look I decided not to use it after all. It is old, old, formica so I set it out curbside, no one took it before the trash truck came around. I’m not sorry it is gone. So here was what I ended up doing.

The iron stand over the oven was outside as a plant stand. It has no top I was using a rack on top. I wire brushed it down and brushed off the debris, then put on two coats of a water base industrial strength enamel. That paint is great and I think DH found it curbside years ago. Still good and I’ve used it a couple of different times and love it. It is a very light sage/gray color. Industrial meets cottage. (On a limited budget, you go with the flow and take a look around to see what can be re-used that you already have.)

Next I had to find a shelf for it and found one in the workshop that will work for now. On top of that I put the maple piece that was originally with the chopping block counter that is under the marble top we put on it. I love the look, more open and lighter than it looked before. Still more tweaking to do in this area, but for now it works.

I did make my first baked item in the oven on the convection setting. It turned out good. So I am happy with my purchase of this oven. I do have to look for a pan with no handles on the sides to have a larger casserole pan. This was an 8x8, no problem. I’ll need a new pizza pan also.

The recipe is from ‘Southern Heritage Cakes Cookbook’ by Southern Living.

Here’s another little project. I had 8 of these tiles that DH bought somewhere for 79 cents each. I decided to use them here. Entry screened porch.  I love the new look.

Here’s a closer look. The tiles are glued to plywood into the 8 squares that you see.

Here is the ‘welcome’ mat that I got for $10 a week or so ago, so FlowerLady and Plum Cottage, plus it reminds me of Spain.

Now for some blooms from my gardens.

Azaleas, I can’t remember the name and can’t look it up as that info is in my desktop and I’m in my laptop.

The rose below is ‘Bermuda’s Kathleen’, a found rose.

‘Carnation rose’, when it opens up the edges become frilly looking like a carnation, hence the name. Smells wonderful.

Delicate little carpet rose, is actually a salmon/pink color not pink like shown here.

This is ‘Miss Atwood’.

‘Clock vine’. I just love these blooms.

‘Plumbago’

“Spicy Jatropha” with our state butterfly the Zebra Longwing.

‘Cemetery Rose’

‘Tibouchina’ ~ I got this on Wednesday as a Valentine’s Day present to myself, 2 pots of these actually. They are about 2 ft. tall and were $3 each.

I’ve started a granny square afghan for myself, to go with my spring/summer colors in the bedroom. The yarn is Lion Brand Scarfie, very nice yarn to work with. This is a birthday present to myself, an early one, birthday is the first day of spring. I might have it done by then.

I drove up to my sis-in-law, Sue’s, on Tuesday, to visit and make she & Todd a crockpot meal. I made white chili and also took them half of the apple cake. She’s doing pretty good, although PT is awfully painful, but it has to be done. She is using the cane with 4 little stabilizing legs on the bottom. We had a great visit and if all goes well I’ll go back up there this coming Tuesday. It takes me an hour up and back, so that’s 2 hours of driving when I’m used to and comfortable with driving for about 20 minutes. I’m a wuss I know. I left here around 7 and got home around 4.

That’s it for now. Have a great weekend, indoors or out. Count your blessings.

FlowerLady