In Our Backyard

The Fall Gardener

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:32:00 +0000

Just because it's fall, the leaves are turning colors and the garden is turning brown, does not mean that your garden duties are done with. There are a great many things that you needs to be done when the growing season is over.

For one thing, it is always a good idea to go ahead and clean your beds of dead plants and debris before the winter sets in. It will save you a lot of grief in the spring if you go on ahead and pull up all the dead plants rather than letting them sit in the beds all winter.

One thing we do is to take advantage of all the fallen leaves and use them to mulch the vegetable beds. Another fall garden chore is to clean our gardening tools, repair broken ones and order new ones if needed.

GreenGardenTools.com is a great destination when you're shopping for garden tools. You can find great Green Garden Tools discounts and also useful tips and articles on how to do things around the yard. For instance, right now there is a great article on alternative methods of gathering up fall leaves other than raking them up.

By the way, another reason that fall is a great time to replenish your gardening tools and supplies is because a lot of the stores have great home and garden promos and sales this time of year as they make room for the holiday inventory that's coming. So don't go into hibernation mode quite yet, there's still things to do in the garden!

Fall is Here!

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:27:00 +0000

Yes, it's cooler and the leaves are changing colors. Fall is definitely here.

Pink Rose

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:51:00 +0000

Flower Fireworks

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 01:18:00 +0000

Leeks flowers. These large flower balls remind me of fireworks. Click on the photo for a closer view.

Bathroom Woes Anyone?

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:40:00 +0000

We have been having one sort of plumbing problem or other for the past year. I guess that's the price you pay for living in an old house. Our house was built in the 40's and hadn't really gone through any major renovations since it was built. Now that it's approaching its half century mark, it's finally showing its age. Things are starting to go one at a time.

Last year, it was the laundry room. Now, we're in the midst of tackling the bathrooms which have slowly developed faucet leaks, peeling paints and inefficient design for today's lifestyle. Believe it or not, one of the bathrooms still has only a claw foot tub to wash in. No shower. Now we're not getting rid of the tub, mind you. I love that cast iron monstrosity! I just want to add a shower. My girls are teenagers and have gotten past the tub baths stage. They just want to take their showers and go.

So. For the last few months we have been canvassing for bathroom accessories. They are high! Who would have thought a faucet or shower head would cost over $100! Well I guess they have always been that way, I just never had much of an opportunity to shop for them before.

Anyway, we've been finding some cool places for bathroom paraphernalia. I think we've finally decided on a look we want to go for. Since our house is old, I think we're sticking to more traditional designs although some of the new, sleek designs are really pretty.

Now the next step is finding the right contractor to do the job. Someone who will do a good job but not be too expensive. I have a feeling this will be another woe to worry about :)

Ivarest Gave Away Summer Survival Kits

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:34:00 +0000

Ivarest gave us three Summer Survival Kits comprised of full sized Ivarest Cleansing Foam and Ivarest Poison Ivy Itch Relief to give away to three lucky winners. We posted the IVAREST SUMMER SURVIVAL KIT GIVEAWAY in our new backyard and here are the three lucky winners:
Nikki of Nik Snacks
Jo of Jo’s Blog Spot
Janet of Grammy Janet’s Place

I'm just starting to get into this giveaway game and I'm having a blast giving stuff away! Stay tuned for more fun giveaways. Also, don't forget to check the new backyard for photosg on how our garden is doing.

Fight Poison Ivy with Ivarest

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 13:31:00 +0000

Early this spring I received samples of a new product called Ivarest. I received both the Ivarest Poison Ivy Cleansing Foam and the Ivarest Cream Poison Ivy Itch Relief. When I first received the samples, I knew this was a set of products that I will definitely be using soon.

Later that month, the girls and I went fishing so I packed up this duo in our first aid bag for just in case. Luckily, we didn't come into contact with anything that would have needed these products.

Unfortunately, a couple of weeks later while my husband was clearing the back of the garden under the trees, he came into contact with poison oak and poison ivy. Of course, typical of him, he doesn't come in right away but rather finished the job first before coming in to complain about his arms. By the time he came in, he was sweaty, dirty and miserable. His arms had started to itch and a rash was already in full bloom. We immediately went into the bathroom where he rinsed his arms and we put the Ivarest foam all over both arms. He then rinsed them off again and immediately got in the shower. When he came out, we applied some of the Ivarest cream all over his arms.

I'd love to say the itch and rash went away, but no. His arms stayed itchy and even started developing welts. It stayed this way for almost a week! The good thing is, that he did get some relief from the itching every time we applied more Ivarest cream. He was grateful for that on nights when he wasn't awakened by the itching on his arms. He said that was the worst time was at night when he didn't have anything else to distract him from the itch.

If you're likely to run into poison ivy, poison sumac, poison oak and the likes, make sure you keep some Ivarest on hand. I have a feeling that the itch would not have lasted as long if my husband had just come in immediately to wash off allergens and toxins before they had a chance to get under his skin.

Ivarest Poison Ivy Cleansing Foam, offers 50 percent more product than leading cleansers and retails for $5.97-$8.99. Ivarest Double Relief Formula retails for $4.37 - $6.99. Both products are available at select drug stores, supermarkets and mass retailers nationwide.

Garden, 2009

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 13:14:00 +0000

Warm weather finally came and our garden is back to its verdant condition that I had missed. I got so excited when plants started popping up that I hadn't had much time to update the blogs! There's just not enough time in the day to enjoy everything we want to do.

So here's a quick update of the garden:

This was taken in the early spring, around February. What was growing were plants that came back from the previous season. We hadn't planted anything yet.

This is how the garden looks now. The scuppernong grape vine has completely covered the frame we put up. The oregano had already started to flower, the cilantro had bolted and all other herbs have take hold. We've even already harvested some gree beans!

Come take a peek...

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:03:00 +0000

Come and take a peek at my backyard. I can't wait for it to start looking green again :)

The Spa in Your Own Home

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:36:00 +0000

Even during these hard economic times, or rather because of it, there is nothing better to improve our disposition than having a nice, comfortable living space. So people, even though they may not be able to afford to step up to a bigger house right now, are opting on doing improvements and renovations of the homes that they are in now.

We all have our ideal standard bathrooms in mind or rather in our fantasies, but if you can't afford that, simply adding or changing bathroom accessories can do wonders to an old and outdated room. For instance, kudos showers are quite stylish and functional at the same time and would make a marked improvement in any bathroom. If you're in the UK, check out Fairfield Bathroom Direct for your redecorating and improvement needs.

Make Your Own Seedling Pots

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 19:25:00 +0000

It's still frosty in the mornings, I know, but it will be spring in a few weeks and it's that time again to get the garden going. We've already started planning ours and have some of our seeds purchased and ready to be germinated.

As much as possible, we like to re-use what we already have rather than purchasing new supplies every year. So when we start our seedlings, we'll be using the trays we already have on hand. However, if you don't happen to have any, don't go out and buy containers that you'll just discard or use for a short time anyway.

I found this very helpful tutorial online on how to make your own seedling pots from newspapers. And it totally makes sense! You can plant your seedlings, pots and all, in the ground since the newspaper will deteriorate anyway.

I'm going to show it to the girls. I'm sure they'll love making the little cups and it sure would save me from having to spend any money on seedling pots.

Professional Landscaping

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 20:15:00 +0000

We have a freeform style to our backyard gardening, but some people, and I wish I was one of them sometimes, like a more sculpted and manicured garden.

Allstates Landscaping is a Utah Landscaping company that has been in business since 1985. They are committed to making landscape dreams possible and they have done that for a great many communities in Utah. They will not only create your landscaping dream, they will also maintain it for you if you wish.

A great many Utah Retaining Walls have been created by Allstates but that is just one service they provide. They can custom design waterfalls and water features, create a paved patio and meandering paths through your gardens or even make you your own putting green in your own backyard! Wouldn't that be a luxury. If you've ever dreamed of making your backyard an extension of your living space, Allstate is the landscaping company to call in Utah.

Utah Snow Plowing service would definitely be needed in the winter time but Allstates' maintenance service can also include property clean up such as removing weeds and leaves to trimming and pruning trees and shrubs. They offer scheduled mowing and yard maintenance services on a regular schedule or you can contract them for specific jobs such as mulching and sprinkler repair.

Spring will be here before you know it. This is the time to get estimates and planning your garden. When the weather gets nice, you don't want to miss one minute outdoors!

Winter Finally Came and I Missed It

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 19:49:00 +0000

Yep, we finally got snow after a fairly mind November and December and wouldn't you know it, it was the day I was out of town! My daughter Jade was nice enough to take some photos for me though.

The Backyard, Autumn

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 20:08:00 +0000

This is how our backyard was looking at the end of the summer. I think this photo was taken in October and not quite everything had turned brown yet. We actually still had plenty of greens and herbs hanging around. Now, it is pretty much just brown and barren in the backyard. We can't wait until spring and get started planting again.

Stylish Clean Living

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 04:52:00 +0000

I hate cleaning but love having a clean house. I guess that's why I tend to lean towards contemporary designs that are almost spartan but still beautiful, comfortable and best of all uncluttered. Spacify.com is a website that specializes in modern, contemporary furniture. Whether you're looking for home furniture or for your office, Spacify is a great place to start looking for modern designs with clean, simple lines that encourage minimalism. They don't look cluttered so you won't be tempted to clutter them up.

They have designs and accessories for every room in the house. They have a great selection of Leather Sofas, for instance; including an array of modern office furniture like this Corner Computer Desk. I just noticed that they also have great pieces of lighting fixtures. If you're in the middle of designing your home or office, Visit Spacify now and stop wasting time. They've got everything!

Opo Flower

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 04:41:00 +0000

This beautiful flowering plant has taken over our garden. This virginal bloom is from the opo, a member of the squash family. As you can see, if you've been around squash long enough, that this is a female flower. How can you tell? You can tell this is female because of the fruit already starting to form at the bottom. Look again... see it now?

This fruit can grow to over 3 feet, depending on the variety and can weigh anywhere from 3-5 pounds. It doesn't really have a whole lot of flavor, it's quite mild; it holds an enormous amount of water so any dish you put this into can get pretty soupy. The texture, when cooked is very similar to zucchini.

Normally, I buy one of these squashes a couple of times a year when I see them fresh at the Asian market and I have a craving for them. This time around though, from just 1 plant we've gotten three huge ones and there are four more plants coming up and getting ready to fruit! I've given away all I can, but now I've got to start cooking them.

Stop, LOOK, Listen

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:25:00 +0000

I canceled my vision plan because of Zenni Optical $ 8 Rx Eyeglasses. Seriously. I'm not just saying that to advertise for Zenni. I have turned to a believer especially after I computed the $30 a month I was paying on a vision plan that I may or may not use within the year.

Incredible Stylish New Frames From Zenni are just as good as the ones you pay for from on optical store for hundreds of dollars. If you are not convinced whether they are a legitimate operation or not maybe you'll be a believer if you see that Zenni Optical was on FOX news! Yep, even their investigative team had to admit, Zenni Optical is a great deal for prescription glasses users.

Herbs Galore

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:11:00 +0000

It's been raining every evening for the last five days and the plants in the garden are just loving it. We are too, because we can finally start enjoying some of the garden's bounty. These herbs, for instance came from our backyard. We made a delicious ratatouille with these herbs and some zucchini, tomatoes and eggplants, all from our garden. Nothing could have tasted better! I'll post the recipe in our kitchen soon. It should have been up already, but you know how it goes with blogging, it keeps getting interrupted by real life!

The Garden's Alive!

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 15:08:00 +0000

Things are coming alive!

Beauty for Life

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Thu, 29 May 2008 21:41:00 +0000

"Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder" has become quite cliche' but it still rings true, depending on how you look at it. Some people are quite happy with what they see in the mirror, others are not. If you've even wondered whether plastic surgery is for you, there is a Beauty For Life Quiz that you can take, either for fun or with a tinge of seriousness, it's up to you, that provides you with a personalized beauty plan as to the best cosmetic surgery best fits you. It is developed by professionals in the industry and if you are considering any of the recommendations from the quiz, please schedule a personal consultation and most importantly, get a second opinion. Just my two cents :)

Birthday Greetings on the Fence

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Thu, 29 May 2008 21:35:00 +0000

I think it is so sweet how the kids at my girls' high school are allowed to hang birthday banners for their friends on the school fence. This section of the fence is right where you drive up to the school so the celebrant can immediately see the greetings when they arrive.

This is a banner for my oldest daughter when she turned 16 last month. Her birthday was on a Saturday but they had the banner up by Wednesday and it stayed up for a couple of days. We went on Saturday afternoon to get it off the fence so she can keep it as a souvenir. We were there just in time as, you can see from the dark skies, it soon started pouring rain!

Summer Wear

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Tue, 27 May 2008 13:46:00 +0000

My sister-in-law is a CSI and thus has to wear a uniform for her job. She was just saying how she has to update her uniform for the warmer weather. Our summers here in N.C. can be very hot and humid.

One place that she and other law enforcement officers like her can find comfortable, practical and well-made uniforms is online. She's never ordered anything online before, and I told her she needs to check it out. For instance, a site called LAPoliceGear.com has 511 Tactical Shorts that would be just perfect for her, with all its reinforced stitching and plenty of pockets for carrying gear.

If you're in a career where you need to wear utilitarian and practical clothing that are also sturdy, check out the online stores.

A Rainy Day Shopping

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Tue, 27 May 2008 13:36:00 +0000

We've been in a drought status here in Durham since last summer. We've had one of the, if not the, driest winters since I've moved here, so it was a welcome sight to see rains finally pouring on us this spring.

A little inconvenience like being trapped in your car because you forgot to bring an umbrella, at times like this, is a welcome occurrence. This is us, waiting out a spring downpour before we can go shopping.

Our garden, thanks to these spring showers, is finally taking hold. We've already enjoyed an early harvest of greens and they were yummy! I can't wait for some fresh tomatoes :)

Who Was Star Kidding Anyway?

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Thu, 15 May 2008 21:37:00 +0000

I've been watching the Barbara Walters interviews in the past week as she promotes her book or memoir. Of particular interest to me is the Star Jones incident on The View. While Star was on the view and it became apparent that she was losing weight drastically, she apparently asked her co-hosts to back up her claim that the weight loss was due to portion control and exercise. Now did she really think people were going to buy that? I think that from the beginning, people already suspected that she had gastric bypass surgery.

It seems that a lot of people, even young ones, have been opting for the surgery lately. We have a friend who just recently had the operation herself. I think that the less drastic lap band surgery may have been a better step for her, but hey, I'm not a doctor.

There is a website, Journeylite, that will help you decide whether lap band is a better option for you or not. They have a lap band physician on hand to provide counseling and help you decide whether this procedure is the right step for you. The website is also a valuable resource to start from if you're interested.

The Duck Family

JMomBlogs@gmail.com (JMom) — Thu, 15 May 2008 21:30:00 +0000

We were driving down one of the many country roads here in Durham one day and just happened to pass by this family of ducks. They kind of reminded me of us (my family) when we're all out together, walking behind the other, all in a row :)

So we pulled over the side of the road and took this photo. The Clone wanted to go out and join the parade but her sisters stopped her. hehe!