http://www.etsy.com/listing/113755337/sea-foam-beaded-teardrop-earrings

My daughters and I spent yesterday afternoon getting our etsy shop, Beyond Words Boutique, ready to open. Haylee has been working on earrings and we got those photographed and listed. You can see them here <http://www.etsy.com/shop/BeyondWordsBoutique?ref=ss_profile&gt;. Check it out when you have time! 

Burlap stocking with cuff

Burlap stocking with ruffle

So my fabulous daughter, Alyssa, works for The Tomkat Studio which you can see here <http://www.thetomkatstudio.com/blog/&gt;. The owner wanted some burlap stockings to put in her shop, so that’s what I’ve been working on for the past week or so. These babies are padded and lined so the burlap will not shed as it is prone to do. They should be up for sale in her shop soon!

On a side note, the garden is just starting to look good. The broccoli is growing and I noticed this am that there are a few little tomatoes growing. Yay!! I do have some lettuce almost ready to harvest and tomorrow I will post a pic of the addition on the chicken coop. I have yet to get new chickens but hopefully soon!

Happy Gardening & Crafting!!

The sage is blooming…so beautiful! The butterflies love it! I have seen a really beautiful yellow butterfly that did look somewhat like a monarch. Not sure it was though. I love this time of year. October in Arizona is my favorite month. Well, my youngest is dressed like a zombie and ready to trick or treat tonite. He is looking pretty bloody, and makes all the right sounds. Ha ha!! Happy Halloween to you! and Happy Birthday to my wonderful dad, whose birthday is always celebrated with the ghouls every year! Love you, Dad!

My sister-in-law & I decided to grow some wheat grass in some tea cups for the easter centerpiece this year. Super simple. Just fill your desired container with some potting soil. If you have 2 weeks or more, you may simply plant some spring or soft white wheat into the solid and keep moist until sprouted. It is also beneficial to keep covered with plastic wrap so the moisture will stay in the soil, thereby allowing the wheat to sprout faster. If you don’t have 2 weeks, but only a week, you can soak the wheat over night in some water. The next morning, plant as previously described. These grasses grew like this in about 5 to 6 days. I was actually out of town and came back to them all grown. Lovely!! Can’t wait to put some little eggs in them!

Our first Pinterest Club was last nite!! My lovely sister-in-law & I are co-chairing a new club that meets on the 3rd Tues. of every month at 7p. We have a Facebook page and post the pics and supplies needed for each project. Last night we did these super simple spring wreaths, as well as the cute little spring chicks! The necklaces were a hit. Alyssa made one, and my super crafty friend, Elizabeth made like 3 or 4!! She tutored Britt on how to make them. She really can do just about anything!! Love that girl! We had about 10 ladies and had a great time. We had 2 ladies bring treats off of Pinterest. Salsa & some Sopapilla Cheesecake bars. Both were delicious! Such a fun nite!! Love it!

Yesterday, I got home and found this note. It just kind of melted my heart, to see my 11 year old be responsible…every mom’s dream.

This little guy melts my heart, too. My little 1 year old nephew. So CUTE!!

At the gun show last month, that my husband dragged me to, this shirt was for sale. I thought it was pretty cute, & thought you might like a smile for the day!

So. The chickens now have a little yard. I bought this fencing at our local Home Depot. I am not sure I like it. It doesn’t close easily. It is difficult to align with the connectors on each side. Also, Rylan cannot get it closed and so I can’t really send him out there to feed the chickens. That’s not going to work, for sure. Quite obviously, I am going to have to do something different. Bummer. On the bright side, the chickens love it! They love it so much, that they have started flying over it to get out. So, I did go purchase some netting to put over it, not realizing that doves are flying down to get the bird seed that isn’t eaten. The birds are now getting caught in the netting several times a day, which is then driving the dogs insane. All of them. Which is driving me insane!!! And having to go out and get the birds out of the netting all day, is completely too much. So, something will have to be done! (I have an idea of what, but I don’t want to have to do it.)

I have been saving this topiary form in the garden shed for almost 9 years. I had 2 of them in our previous home, covered in creeping fig in our front yard by the front door. One day, after we had moved, the new owner, who were friends of ours, had them pulled out and was throwing them away. These things are hard to find, and since she is not a gardener of any sort, she just plain didn’t want them. So, I snagged them from her. YAY for me. I really don’t know where the other one went… This one looks nice right her in front of the little chicken coop. Love it! Can’t wait for the creeping fig to grow in.

My great grandma lived in a little trailer near my grandma’s house. Along the side of her trailer she had a lot of mint planted, and every time we would go and visit her, I would pick some and chew on it. Funny the things you remember. So, this spot is perfect for some mint filling in the space. If I can keep the dogs off of it. Hence, the little fence.

2 New Plum Trees, Santa Rosa & Satsuma Varieties

We also planted in a couple of new plum trees, into the same hole. Everything I have read about plum trees says that the Santa Rosa Plum is self fruiting, but that it bears more fruit if there is another variety nearby. So, since I have seen this to be the case with the previous plum tree & I had until LAST summer… We now have 2 new little trees, emphasis on the little.

Cat's Claw Vine

Trumpet Creeper Vine, Madam Galen Variety

Saturday was a full day. My son and I planted 6 new vines in the garden to cut on the reflective heat that the block fencing adds to the already stifling temperatures in the summer. We put in 4 cat’s claw vines to cover the back wall and 2 trumpet creeper vines, the Madam Galen variety, which is supposed to have beautiful flowers all summer, and is quite a vigorous vine. I was discussing this with the gardener up at Harper’s Nursery. All of the online information I have read about this vine indicates that it’s roots are a giant nuisance, sending out shoots everywhere and that it’s almost impossible to remove. The gardener at the nursery was saying that that may be true in moist climates, but here in Arizona, with our very dry conditions, and clay soil, the root systems just do not act in that way. They then showed me a mature plant of it that they have at the back of their nursery, which climbs up a telephone pole every year. He told me that every other year or so, the city comes out and has them cut the vine down to the ground, and it climbs back up with no problem whatsoever. This is the kind of vine I need on the fence surrounding the garden. I had cat’s claw until last summer, when the watering system broke and I lost everything. Even the cat’s claw died, which is rumored to never die, no matter what. I know it doesn’t look like much here in the picture, but it is dormant in the winter, meaning it loses all it’s leaves, and looks dead, even though it’s not.

Asparagus

The asparagus are a little behind this year. This picture is a little blurry, but this is the first little shoot. YAY! It looks like I need to add some soil to cover the crowns a little better.

Lettuce, Spinach, Broccoli, Cabbage

The lettuces are doing ok. Hopefully it won’t get too warm. I may need to move these over by the fountain area, where is a little cooler. We shall see.

Garden Gnome

My daughter begged for this little garden gnome a couple of years ago. At the time, I thought he was kind of ugly, but as his paint has faded, his attraction for me has grown! I do think he is quite cute here, don’t you?

Peach Tree in bloom

The peach and apple trees are blooming. I just love the deep pink on this peach tree. It really is beautiful.

Well, that’s it from my little organic Arizona garden!! Happy planting!

When I got to their house, this is what I found. Hideous. He had tried to refinish their little backyard table in this nasty orange color. My SIL and I sanded and sanded on that table. Finally, on Friday, last week, we progressed to using paint stripper. What a mess!

However, this is what it looks like now, freshly stained in my favorite Minwax stain, Provincial. I love that color and use it for everything. I can’t think of an occasion that it doesn’t look good. And after 6 long hours on Friday, it is finished!! YAY! It looks lovely. Great job, Bekah! And to my brother, I don’t think you should do any more projects like that any time soon. Because if you do, you are on your own!!