emerald lane

S I X

henryjn — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:32:17 +0000

Happy Birthday to our wild and crazy, wiggly-toothed Seanie!!!! We love you!!!!

Happy 4th

henryjn — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 19:11:32 +0000

Hoping you all have a safe and fun-filled holiday weekend!

Summer Fresh

henryjn — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 01:49:56 +0000

:: Homegrown tomatoes now waiting to ripen on the sill- to be eaten with some fresh basil and mozzarella. YUM!

NEW Shop, garden food and creatures

henryjn — Thu, 13 May 2010 18:56:58 +0000

I’ve added a badge on the left for The Shop. Yes, I’m opening up shop again. Selling bags, aprons and small accessories. I’ve gotten started sewing and am going to work steadily for the next few weeks to get things all set up. Stay tuned for the grand opening date!!

This year’s garden is coming along nicely and I think it’s the best yet because we were really selective with the type of plants. Planting ones that we will actually eat. We planted all four garden boxes back in April with the following:

Box 1:: 6 tomato plants and 3 each of yellow squash and zucchini

Box 2:: 3 Basil, 2 Thyme, 1 Orange Mint, 1 Parsley transplant, 1 Cilantro, 2 Tomato, 4 Bell Pepper, 1 Jalepeno, 1Datil Pepper and a couple dozen Red Onions

Box 3:: 1 Thorn-less Blackberry bush and 5 strawberry plants

Box 4:: 4 Blueberry bushes and a few watermelons

Since we were planting late and had not started any seedlings, we started with plants for everything. So far, we’ve gotten a few strawberries and two yellow squash. We had two actual blueberries and were patiently waiting for them to ripen, but just discovered that they were eaten by the birds. I’m planning on making lots of Pioneer Woman’s Pico de gallo, hence the tomatoes, cilantro, red onions and jalepenos. My mouth is watering as I write. The kids all love fruit, way more than the veggies, well 100% more than the veggies. So we planted strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. If I can just keep the birds and the kids from eating them as they grow, I might just be able to make a pie someday.

Up-close Look at the Garden:

This morning we were checking out the garden, when we discovered that one of the bell pepper plants had almost been totally eaten. We were looking around it when Jay noticed a bright green caterpillar that was looking very plump, thanks to that lovely bell pepper plant that we had so generously put there for him to munch. We pinched off the branch it was holding on to and placed him in one of our many caterpillar jars. After his photo shoot, I decided to go through the other plants to see what else was hanging around. I found 6 more of his Tomato Horn-worm buddies. I think it’s time to take some action, serious action of the pesticide variety.

Overall View of the Garden:

Here is what the garden is looking like now, a month after planting. We are learning as we go for sure and are far from knowing what we are doing. I have learned that it is fun to plant fruits and veggies because they are bringing wildlife literally to our back door. It gives us things to look up and learn about in a very practical and hands-on way. The little bit of food we yield is a bonus.

One more thing, do you see that big thing behind the garden? Well, that is a new to us playground that our very generous neighbors across the street gave us. The kids are out there everyday swinging away- Hooray for neighbors!!

Spring Goodness

henryjn — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 19:26:23 +0000

1. sewing

:: crafted for a sweet niece that always has a smile and a hug waiting.

:: made from a vintage sheet she didn’t even know her mom gave to me.

:: so I had to return her treasured sheet in a new form.

:: Pattern: Simplicity 0578, D

2. new growth

3. warm enough to swing outside

4. the county fair

5. easter photos

birding

henryjn — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:49:50 +0000

:: bluebird couple

:: hoping the bluebirds will take up this nice little home for the spring

:: american robin

:: red-bellied woodpecker (what’s up with that name? aren’t their heads red?)

:: a very popular tree for the woodpeckers in our area

:: any guesses on this bird? maybe a western meadowlark??

all about the actions

henryjn — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:50:46 +0000

I had the opportunity to go on location to a, just for fun and to improve my photography skills, photo-shoot with the Canvas photography group. The location was on my sister’s property out in Bostwick- with deer, peacocks, baby calves, a horse, some dogs, and a pond with geese, ducks and a beautiful swan. The day was perfect for shooting, it was cool, yet the sun warmed everything up and provided the perfect lighting.

I’ve been teaching myself Photoshop for about a year now. It’s been a slow process. Working through online tutorials and using actions from here and here to give my photos that little extra interest.

I created before and afters for a few of the photos from my Kellerosa Photo-shoot. For these photos, I used Photoshop CS3, deleted any extra light or distracting elements and gave the eyes some attention. Then, I ran Pioneer Woman’s “Lovely and Ethereal” action from the updated set. Finally, I added PW’s Quick Edge Burn action and adjusted the opacity to suit each photo.

PS is totally addicting and takes up way too much time, but after an hour or two of working with my photos in PS, I have a permanent smile on my face for at least 30 minutes and that my friends makes it worth while. To see more photos from the shoot, go to my set on Flickr.

Living History

henryjn — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:39:23 +0000

During a recent trip to Hoggetowne, we stepped back in time to the middle ages. There was jousting, falconry, archery, tools and weapons, horses and entertainment. At first, the boys were not sure about the folks dressed up in period clothing and the very tall man on stilts. By the end of our visit, they we cheering right along with everyone else during the dual between Robin Hood’s Merry Men and the forces of evil.

:: preparing for Hoggetowne

miss fix-it

henryjn — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:44:27 +0000

In her Dora pj’s and tattered tutu, this little one rushed back inside after noticing a peg in the landscape edging that needed some attention. She located her toolbox and selected the proper tool for the job- a red, plastic hammer. Then, it was back outside to fix that unsightly blemish.

What would we do without her around here?

more carrot adventures

henryjn — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:32:19 +0000

We pulled the last of the winter carrots and had a little fun with the photo shoot afterwards. That Seanie is a ham for sure.

:: taking a bite

:: attacked by the carrot sword