Adding Color to Any Area of Your Garden

We all have those problem areas in the garden where nothing will grow. Last year I shared how I added greenery and color to the side of my garage.

You can see that post here.

This year my challenge was a spot in my garden between trees that is impossible to grow anything in. Hard as a rock soil full of shallow roots. This year I decided it was going to be beautiful. My solution was lots of pots.

I gathered all sorts of unused pots and just filled the entire space. I included a very old beat up wagon.

I tucked some Swiss chard in there behind the flowers and have little pots of wheat grass planted for the chickens. That way when they visit this area they tend to leave my petunias alone.

I chose red petunias for all the pots so there would be a cohesive look to the eye.

It does require daily watering but I am out there every day filling the dogs water bowl and the hose is in this area so it gets a splash when I am doing the dog and chicken chores. The secret to pots that grow full and flower long is time release fertilizer mixed in with the soil when planting. I am an organic gardener for all my beds and veggies but for pots you cannot beat the time release granules.

Ready for Summer?

I know summer is just around the corner when I wake up to bright sunshine streaming in the windows. Days already warm when I head out to let the chickens out.

Are you ready for summer? You know what? I am more ready this year than in years prior. My 14 year old has her last day of school this week so I am looking forward to the break for the summer. I have my lists of to do things with the extra free time and may not get too many of them but good intentions are there.

I am ready for picnics even if just in the yard. We have already bought our first box of Popsicles and every day my little one asks if it is hot enough for a one.

Time for sweet corn on the cob. This kid can eat three ears at a time and then I will give them to the chickens.

And time for camping. I hope we can squeeze more than one trip in but our summer is so busy this year. I just love taking our little trailer out and enjoying time away from all electronics with the kids actually unplugging and sitting around chatting and playing frisbee.

Meals outdoors just taste so good.

Happy Mother's Day Wishes and Some New Finds

Went shopping yesterday with Shelly (who dearly needs a blog) and Patty of Lemon Lane Cottage. We went to a few antique shops and the Goodwill. Such fun with these gals. Shelly pointed out a thermos to add to my growing collection. It is the red one in the middle.

 Adding to my Pyrex collection. I have just started collecting to add to pieces I had from my mom.

These three are new. The top with yellow flowers is not Pyrex I don't think. No markings. The bottom one is and so is the cute blue fridgie with the rooster.

So cute and I love that these are practical items to collect. I use them all the time.

Here are two of my new juice glasses bought at the Goodwill. There is a third around here somewhere.

Oh, and the sweetest is this early Mother's day gift from my girls. I had been wanting this chalkboard from Country General Store in our downtown and they remembered. I was so thrilled when I opened it.

Happy Mother's day to all of you moms out there and those who are celebrating their mom. I never miss my own sweet wonderful mom more than on Mother's day. The day is so much easier to handle these days now that almost ten years have passed but boy the first few Mother's days were torture. I felt the reminder she was gone was everywhere you went. But thankfully time has healed that wound to where the day is enjoyable again and I look forward to not cooking dinner and being as lazy or spending as much time in the garden as I want. Of course spending it with my kids is the best part. They and their father are what shapes my world and the reason I wake up every day. So thankful to be in this little family of mine. Best wishes to you all. Enjoy!! And kiss your mom for me!!!

Evening Light

Timers are my best friend. All over our house I have lamps and little lights set on timers. Makes my life so much easier to have them click on in the evening and click themselves off at night. It also means our house looks lived in when we are not home and a light is on when we come home after dark.

Here are a few from around my house last night.

Pumpkin Seeds as a Dewormer for Chickens

Have you seen this lavender yet? It is called Baby Blue and it is so petite and sweet but the best part is that is has the best smell of any lavender I have ever owned. I usually plant it in the garden but this will go in a pot by the back door so we can smell it as we brush by it. It is so small in scale that it is perfect for a pot and lavender does not require as much water as other potted plants in our summer heat.

Transplanted some flowers from my pots last year in November. They were too woody for the pots so in fall I cut them way back and stuck in empty spots in the garden. The pink one below is taking off and blooming nicely. Don't throw all those plants away when you are done. Some may thrive in the garden with more space.

Remember the ONE coleus I bought last year? Well here it is. I took a cutting last fall and stuck in a pot and it is taking off now. I have already put cuttings in other pots. So these would be the children of the original right or the grandchildren. Talk about getting your money's worth.

Pumpkin seeds are a natural de-wormer for chickens and I had one small pumpkin still rolling around the yard from last fall. I cut it open and ground up the guts and seeds in the food processor and fed to the chickens.

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They loved it and ate every bit and lots of the pumpkin too. I want to have my eggs be as healthy as can be for us so I don't want to have to use commercial wormer which is harsh and you cannot eat the eggs for a while afterwards. Yuck! So I read to give them pumpkins a few times a year as a preventative. Can't hurt anyways.

To Be In the Garden

It feels as if summer is surely on its way here. I spend so much time outside because well, I just love it and I want to enjoy my flowers before the summer heat makes them sort of take a snooze around here.

The beds have all filled in and now it is enjoy time.

Q is snatching off all the day lilies as they bloom. This is hard for me but I let her take some. You know the battle between gardener and mom. Mom usually wins but not always.

Spoiled chickens though just walk through my pots.
But they do eat all the bugs around them know.

Now a favorite spot. Thankfully a grapefruit tree canopies over this so they cannot jump up on the wall.

I just sit and watch them. Very entertaining and calming. Something about their constant picking and bobbing just calms a person.

 They are like real life garden ornaments. My garden is just prettier with them roaming around.

And A Good Time Was Had by All

We had our daughter's party yesterday. It was a beautiful day and she, I think, had a wonderful time. We are so lucky to have so many nice friends and family members to come and celebrate with us. Because she was home schooled, we had our own little celebration. I am glad it is done and I can rest today. 

My chickens were a topic of conversation. They were so quiet no one even knew they were just behind the garage. One by one folks would hear that I had them and would take a peek.

We had Panda Express. Made it so easy for me. So many left overs we will be having Chinese for dinner tonight. YES!!

And because donuts are the new cupcake, we had tons of them. I just kept filling the plates. They were very popular.

And you have to have smores if you light the fire pit.
I made a basket ahead for all the kids.

Bella Luna!! Did anyone see the moon and how bright it was last night??

Cinco de Mayo Recipes

A few of my favorite Mexican flavored recipes for Cinco de Mayo:

First you could start off breakfast with some Chili Egg Casserole.

If you feel like soup there is always Mexican Meatball Soup.

Maybe throw in a salad with my Taco Salad.

If you want to have dinner simmering in the crock pot all day then try Crock Pot Chili Verde.

For a healthy, vegetarian dish try Nancy's Mexican Tortilla Pie.

And for dessert maybe bake up a batch of Cowboy Cookies.

Frugal Challenge - Our Super Frugal Chicken Coop - Taa Daa!

  Before you see the ugly chicken coop I thought I would share a pretty chicken picture. My daughter took this of flower muffin, Q's chick.

Got my self a new pair of muck shoes. Boots are too hot here in summer so these low ones will be great for coop trips.

Okay don't laugh but it's done and the only money spent was on the coop enclosure. The little hen house was completely done for zero dollars. I know it looks like it but I didn't want to spend hundred's of dollars on this venture to begin with. Maybe down the road we will upgrade or change things but this will do for now.
This is the old cabinet turned on it's side. Hubby made the ramp out of scrap and the side of the cupboard not needed.

I just have them roosting on some logs. Maybe a large coop with high roosting bars would be ideal but this has to do. We live in SoCal so these birds will be able to come outside 365 days a year. No snow here. The run will have a solid cover over most of it and they free range every day in the back yard when we are home which is most days.

Vent holes were covered with hardware cloth so they will be safe. There are five vent holes. The floor is lined with a scrap piece of vinyl flooring so I can slide it out for a good scrubbing.

Underneath in the quiet space below I will put a nesting box and one under the ramp. Both cozy and out of the way for the girls to lay.

There, not fancy, not cute but cheap. They seem to be happy in there so glad it is done for hubby's sake.

Update: We later moved our chickens to a small coop we ordered from Amazon. I still have this first coop and use it as a grow out coop and would work to isolate a sick chicken as well.