garden bit

No pictures, but I put in seven short rows of corn in the garden, and nine of our tomato seedlings, and a banana pepper.  We ran a new hose to the garden and cut and resealed a pipe that had a water hammer in it - putting in a hose bibb valve that will allow us to bleed off trapped air in the future.  The chickens happily ate a grasshopper and two cutworms I threw to them while digging rows. 

Till 2014

 We each took a turn tilling over the garden - it still needs a bit more today, but we have begun to plant at the outer edges.  The lemon balm, oregano and mints came back from last year, as did some Icelandic poppies that never bloomed last year.  The two areas that are not tilled have those plants and gladiolus bulbs in them, and will be planted with more herbs and annual flowers for the year.

I got my usual sunburn from the first pass - and these are pictures of Mark going over it the second time.

We might have the corn and tomatoes in by the weekend - the fish fry fair starts tonight, and it sounds like we'll try to see what is at the flea market this morning.  I work the rest of the week after today but have the weekend off.

Planted yesterday:
English daisy perennial plant (Esme's Earth day plant)
calendula
marigold (large and small)
lettuce
two cocozelle zucchini seeds, as they were left in the package...
sweet basil
lemon basil
cosmos (two colors)
watermelon california poppies
zinnias (several)
morning glories (several)
moonflower

ordered some more evening primrose in pink and some tall blue delphinium for the 'try mes' this year... but other than that and the yellow tomato (of which I have one seedling so far) the 'try mes' are not a large part of the garden this year.. yet... yet...

Easter basket

Esme's basket from the Easter Bunny

and a little chick/duckling made by Mom :)

crochet headband

just little bits of things as I go by... have two days off starting tomorrow and hope some 'real' news then.  I was working on this little headband over the past few days in crochet thread - as something small to bring along with me.  It was a ball of crochet thread I had and a size E crochet needle.

Of course, Esme liked it, and now this one is hers - although I may have to downsize them just a little for her to keep the tension in them.  It looks pretty good on her.

I'll have to make some more for me - I have a shirt yoke I've done as well as 'small take with' that is ready to try sewing it to some fabric and see how that looks and how it drapes.

bits in productive mode

Mark made Esme an egg calendar so she can count up all the eggs over the next few weeks.  We are thinking of basing her allowance on this.. we'll see.  They've averaged four eggs a day the past few.  I've been trying to make a few productive steps each day, even with work.  It always makes me feel better to say 'I got that done.'... some days it is hard, like when it is raining, and there can be no progress made outside.  I have a black stitching (not quite blackwork) embroidery towel I am bringing to work with me today.

I refashioned the dragon bolster pillow this morning.  I had taken it off the bed because it was now too wide (We downsized to a full from a queen) and was worming its way out and onto the floor.  But, I have noticeably not slept as well without it filling in the 'dip' in between the headboard and mattress.  Finally I cut up an old pair of corduroy jeans (bought at the flea market years ago, and never the right size) and sewed the legs together to make a long bolster.  I slit the dragon pillow leaving most of the stuffing inside and stuffed him inside the new lining, sewing up the ends with circular patches.  It worked out quite well, and I no longer feel like the regular pillows are falling away from me in between the headboard when I lay down.

Then I cleaned some items out of the fridge.  And now my time is gone - and I have to get ready for work.  I am investigating making a cross stitch sampler for our hallway... silly feeling, old craft but I like the fact that they are a moment in time that we can still look back and say 'this was done X years ago'... and maybe one day Esme will make one.  I'm a bit nostalgic on those things.  Mark says soon I'll be making her a hope chest and filling it up with things.  We were, I guess, some of the few girls that were still meant to fill up our own hope chests back in the 80s... I have some nostalgia about that, too.  I learned to make things, and I still like to do it.

embroidery and eating eggs

soulful faces on Daphne (white) and Nova as they beg for egg sandwich.

 Esme is getting a bit of a cold, so we had some (canned) chicken noodle soup and she ate quite a bit of an egg sandwich, which is a feat for her.  She really wants to go check for more eggs - posted pictures late yesterday onto the earlier post of her checking for eggs after school (same dress, but she has had a hot bath this morning and wanted to put it on again - it is a 'farm girl dress'. hehe)

I took a hand at some embroidering on an old indigo towel last night.  We were watching Fantasia, the old one - and I didn't use a pattern, just went with it.  I need a lot of practice.  Printed out a pattern for another flower and am taking it to work today to bide the time at lunch.