I THINK I WANT A GNOME

There are a lot of gnomes out there. But I happen to like him best. He would be perfect wandering around our yard, patrolling the garden and keeping our tomatoes safe from thieves. He's on my must-have list for spring.

I'M DREAMING OF A PAPERWHITE CHRISTMAS

Senior Cottage Living Gardening Editor, Kate Karam, did a great story on forcing paperwhite bulbs and giving them as gifts for the holidays. I fell in love with this idea. Yesterday I stocked up on bulbs and I bought lots of plain white pots from Ikea. Tomorrow I'll plant them and keep them inside in a darker corner of my home. I'm trying to stunt their growth a bit so they don't get too impossibly tall. If I plant them now they'll have about 2 weeks growth {up to about 6-8 inches} before I give them away. I'll post photos when I get things going tomorrow.

FULL DAY

Today I woke up tired. But I knew it was the one day I had this week to get stuff done. Stuff like pack away my summer clothes, finally get around to making that salsa before the peppers go bad, and cleaning the house. Oh, did I mention laundry? I'm exhausted.
Nate picked this flower from our back yard today; sometimes all it takes is a little flower to remind me that life is happening all around me.

ESCAPE FROM LIFE IN THE GARDEN

Tonight I'm particularly stressed about everything at work. A lot to do; some a little out of my comfort zone. When I got home I decided to relax by nurturing my newly planted tomatoes, peppers, squash and herbs with a healthy dose of Miracle-Gro. While I was out enjoying the evening winding down, I took a few photos of how everything is blooming.

1. I'm jealous of how long and lean my shadow is
2. Herbs
3. Peppers in a row
4. Hallowed jalepeno
5. Me in the backyard with our garden and the hella big air conditioner
6. Geraniums and my feet

SUNBURN + BLISTERS + SORE BACK = PLANTER BOXES

Nate and I got up on Saturday reluctant to begin the day. The neighborhood had a bigger-than-life yard sale and we felt obligated to wander aimlessly through our basement and find things to sell at a bargain. After a few hours in the sun we made $15 and decided to start in on the yard work. Cut the grass, water and nourish flowers, weed. Then the real fun began.
We stopped at Lowes {fare better than Home Depot} and picked up some 8'x11" redwood planks to build two planter boxes for the North side yard. We hammered and shoveled but ended up with these beautiful planting boxes, getting sunburns and blisters in this process. With no time to whimper we quickly cleaned up and headed to our friends wedding. Sitting in the sun in our wedding-best, with our cool Maui Jim sunglasses; we looked pretty freakin' cool.

MIRACLE-GRO IS LIKE THERAPY

I planted a lot of flowers in my flowerbeds last year. I picked things that were natural to our Utah environment; nothing that required a lot of water or sun protection. This spring I added more and things are looking robust, colorful and natural.
But there is something in me that feels personally responsible for the plants I buy and sink into the soil and call "mine". Like they are dependent children and have feelings and rights. Because of this responsibility, I make sure to nurture them; I give all my flowers and bushes a nice blend of fresh water and Miracle-Gro three times a week. I'm so aware of them now I can actually tell which ones have grown and which ones have had a bad few days.
After fighting through two traffic accidents on the freeway and spending way too much time idling in the fast lane, I grabbed my watering can and my super size all-purpose Miracle-Gro and headed out for some flora therapy. All it took was a few seconds of watering the lilac trees, smelling the fragrance of those pretty purple flowers, and I was completely relaxed. All better.

PRETTY FLOWERS

We celebrated Ruth and Ryan's forthcoming baby boy last weekend. Look at the pretty flowers that decorated the table {thanks Costco}.

ROOM WITH A VIEW

A view from the faux leather chair in my cubicle.

QUEEN ANNE'S LACE

I'd love to grow Queen Anne's Lace in my backyard. If I did, I'd water it with this watering can and wear a cute sun dress and some green wellies. Then, I'd cut some and make a cute bouquet with my lavendar, yellow yarrow and pink heather and put it all in a vase in my living room. When you came for a visit you'd be impressed with my domesticity. This flower is so pretty and delicate. I love it.

HEATHER

This national flower of Scotland is less likely to grow happily in Utah as it prefers the cool temperatures and wetter atmospheres of a moorland or heathland. That being said, heather is pretty and I'd love to grow some in my backyard.

I'll probably give it a try because it might be very prosperous in Utah fall weather. The last few weeks have been very chilly (50-60 degrees) with lots of rain. The heather could just be blooming when my yarrow is drying out. Something to think about.

LAVENDER

I'm beginning to think my bridal bouquet could easily be reproduced in my new backyard. Along with Yarrow, Lavender survives with very little water which is good for the arid atmosphere in Utah.

I've been using lavender in the form of essential oil for years. Because it's supposed to encourage sleep I've diffused it into the air as well as dropped it in the bath and on my linens — particularly if I'm going through my annual tango with insomnia.

Lavender is said to ward of insects as well as soothe and heal those nasty bites! Some say if you dab lavender essential oil onto your temples it will help with a headache. I've personally used a drop or two of oil with my moisturizer on occasion if my skin is feeling irritated or if it has a rash. Anywhere you choose to put the scent of lavender is an improvement, I say. Plus, it's pretty.

YARROW

Nate and I get the marvelous responsibility of landscaping this spring. Our front yard will be landscaped for us but we will be in charge of the back. Daybreak still has pretty strict policies and ordinances that we will need to abide by, but here is a flower I'm hoping to incorporate into the mix. I used yellow yarrow in my bridal bouquet along with lavender and heather.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium): comes in many colors and does very well in a drought. Several species actually change colors as they age so your garden is transformed throughout the summertime. I love that yarrow is used in butterfly gardens, but in a more practical vein, yarrow is used medicinally to speed healing. In fact, it gets the "Achillea" part of its name because Achillies (the Greek character) reportedly carried it with his army to treat battle wounds.

MIGHTY LEAF TEA

It's true. I'm at work...sort of. I have a press check today so I've been at the printer since 8:30 this morning. Printing Resource is one of the BEST printers I've worked with in my 15 year career in marketing. They printed my wedding invitations just to prove the kind of artisians they are. My invitations were PERFECT.

Anyway, I'm sitting in this freezing cold office working on my laptop when I realized I have some tea in my bag. The best tea ever. Mighty Leaf Tea. I highly recommend you get some. If for no other reason then to smell the glorious aromas and see the beautiful packaging. These tea bags are beautiful! My favorite flavors include Chamomile Citrus, Ginger Twist, African Nectar, Orange Jasmine...well, basically they are all really really good. My Chamomile tea is warming me up just perfectly today!