In Our Backyard

Nostalgic Water Pump

noreply@blogger.com (JMom) — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 20:32:00 +0000

Something old and interesting can serve as a centerpiece even when the plants have started to die off. This old well pump was a great find and we hope to create a water feature with it one of these days. In the meantime, it's an eye catching memorabilia all its own.

Returnees in the Garden

noreply@blogger.com (JMom) — Wed, 29 May 2013 15:31:00 +0000

It has been a really strange spring this year. Too wet, too cold and generally just not conducive to getting out in the garden. So far, the only things growing in our backyard are plants that come back year after year without much coaxing. Them and the weeds.

White Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (JMom) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 13:47:00 +0000

It's almost time for the gardent to wake up again. Soon, it will bloom again. Welcome Spring!

Our Perch

noreply@blogger.com (JMom) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 21:17:00 +0000

Time to dust off the chairs and dig up the yard! We have been busy planting the garden early this spring and now it's time to sit and enjoy the warm weather and watch things grow... from our perch.

Weeds and Dandelions

noreply@blogger.com (JMom) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 15:31:00 +0000

Since my husband is building new storage sheds our backyard has been looking more like a junk yard for the last few months. Needless to say we hadn't planted anything in our garden this year. We're hoping than when he finishes with the construction and finally has our backyard in order again, that we will still have enough growing time to at least plant a few things.

"I find a person whose life is full of genuine dandelions and ditch weeds to be far more compelling than the person whose life is full of plastic roses, and I’m far from alone in that conclusion.

In other words, you’re better off being proud of being a ditchweed than trying to be a rose and merely being a plastic imitation of one. Stop caring what other people think. Be passionate and proud of who you are and what you enjoy and stop spending a dime of your money or an ounce of your energy trying to be something you’re not." ~ Plastic Flowers from The Simple Dollar

Seeing Brighter Days

noreply@blogger.com (JMom) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 14:00:00 +0000

The seasons are just flying by! It will be spring again before you know it. At our house, spring is not just the time to spruce up the garden, it's also time to spruce ourselves up. Wake us up from the slow slumber of winter and get revved up for the brighter and warmer days ahead. So it's time for our annual physicals, check ups, and what have you.

Two of my three girls wear glasses and so does my husband. This year, it seems I will be joining them. My husband had to have his prescription refilled so I decided to go with him and have my eyes examined also. Well guess what? I need glasses now too!

So armed with our prescriptions, I decided to go to Zenni Optical again to have them filled. Yes, we've used them before for the girls' eyeglasses and saved a ton! The great thing about it is, our new optometrist does not mind including the pupil distance in the script. It used to be that the optometrist would not include that measurement in there, and only the techs who make your glasses could do it and this also forced you to use their services rather than just ordering stuff online. Well I guess enough of their customers asked for the pupil distance measurement that they just started doing it. I sure do appreciate it.

Zenni has great customer service and they really don't mind walking you through the steps of interpreting the numbers on your script and they used to coach you on how to take the pupillary distance measurement. Thank goodness I don't need to do that anymore! But it was a great service when our old opthalmologist wasn't so cooperative.

If you've ever had to pay for prescription glasses you know how expensive they can get. But try out Zenni Optical next time you need a prescription. They can accomodate pretty much all your needs from bifocals to progressives. The great thing is, their prices are discounted as such that you may only need to pay as little as $6.95 eyeglasses prescription eyeglasses!

Winter Casualties

noreply@blogger.com (JMom) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 16:42:00 +0000

We had papayas in our garden last summer that even bore fruit this time. Of course, the fruit didn't have time to mature or ripen and when the first snow of the season came, they immediately succumbed.

The Butterfly Effect

noreply@blogger.com (JMom) — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 20:29:00 +0000

Everything in life is supposed to be inter-connected. Intertwined in a way that one small change in one can ultimately affect the bigger entity.

I suppose that is what we were kind of hoping for when talks about reforming health care was first bandied about. Here it is a couple of years later and it's time for me to renew our health insurance again and I have yet to feel a change. Nothing has changed with regards to our health insurance.

Now, it is time again to renew our health insurance at work that is never seems to be sufficient. We will be reviewing affordable health insurance quotes, hoping to get ample coverage for what we are able to pay for.

But, as most working people know, cheap health insurance that will cover all your needs is hard to come by. Those who can afford it supplement with additional private health insurance just to be sure not to end up owing doctors and hospitals in the end.

There are a couple ways to ensure this. One, as I mentioned is to buy private insurance. Another is to set up a health saving plan that you can pay for before taxes. That is what I'm doing. I have an account set aside that I pay on every month and every time my family and I go to the doctor or the hospital, I use a debit card from this account to pay for co-pays and other fees. And believe be, if you don't plan ahead those fees start adding up.

If you would like to learn more about your health insurance and what is offered and how you can supplement them, check out http://medicalhealthinsurancetoday.com/. They have several articles that may be helpful to you. I sure learned a thing or two just browsing through their website.

A sure sign of Fall

noreply@blogger.com (JMom) — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 17:12:00 +0000

When the spider lillies pop up, you know fall is coming.

Do you know what this beauty is called?

noreply@blogger.com (JMom) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 15:08:00 +0000

I suck at naming flowers. Do you know what this beauty is called?

Roses

noreply@blogger.com (JMom) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 17:39:00 +0000

Just some pretty pictures of roses....

Spring Cleaning

noreply@blogger.com (JMom) — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 16:56:00 +0000

I should have followed my own advise and cleaned up the garden in the fall. Instead, we got lazy and now this is what we have to clean up before we can start planting again.

The Fall Gardener

noreply@blogger.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 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!

noreply@blogger.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

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

Flower Fireworks

noreply@blogger.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?

noreply@blogger.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

noreply@blogger.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

noreply@blogger.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

noreply@blogger.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...

noreply@blogger.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

noreply@blogger.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

noreply@blogger.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

noreply@blogger.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

noreply@blogger.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.