I'm on Etsy now!

After much encouragement from family and friends, I finally got the courage to list some items on Etsy. I am hoping that this will turn into something positive. I love to sew and create new items and this seems like a way I could actually make some money from my love of fabric and sewing. We'll see. I put a link on my side bar, so go check out my shop.
These are a few of the market type bags I've been working on. They were so fun to make and I hope everyone will like them.

The sizes are great for a day at the beach or a trip to the market or mall.

I like using this canvas cotton. It is so easy to work with.

It is very durable too. Well, I hope you like my latest creations. I hope to add more in the coming days and weeks ahead. Wish me luck!!

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day! These are the views from my yard today. It has been raining on and off since yesterday. We are so grateful for all the rain, hopefully it will mean an end to this awful drought.

We even got some snow in the local foothills as you can see. It's pretty late in the year for that but it will be gone by this weekend I'm sure.


It has been too cold for me to be outside today. I took a short walk but this sky still looks like more rain is in store. Thank goodness I have lots of sewing to do!

Gardening

Yesterday was the start of earth week and to honor Earth I decided a while ago to try and improve on the footprint I leave here on earth. Gardening is a large part of that. Today is a beautiful day in my neck of the woods. It is cool and cloudy and more rain is expected. I look forward to rain as a gardener because nothing does a better job to water and wash down the trees and shrubs than a rain shower. Living in such a dry area, rain is always welcomed by me.

My previous posts were all about my love of flowers, but I get much joy watching the edibles in my yard grow, as well as eating them. I have been adding peas to every meal lately because I have so many this spring. Does anyone know if you can serve peas with tacos?

These cucmbers had a tough time at first. I rescued them from Lowes 50% off table because they were 1/2 dead. I think they like their new home and soon I will have some delicious Japanese cucumbers!

I can't believe I have tomatoes already! These are a Yellow Globe. They are supposed to be salad size and it is the first time I have tried growing them. I have a Big Beef and of course cherry tomatoes, but I always like a yellow one in the mix. Last year I grew the yellow pear shaped ones which were a little too mild for my tastes.

Lettuce...no garden would be complete without leaf lettuce. It is so easy to grow and lasts and lasts all Spring long. We have been enjoying this batch for a couple of months now due to a early start.

This is the second year for my artichokes. We have been eating them several times a week for the last couple of weeks. I think the plants are so pretty and towards the end of the season we will let a couple go to flower. The flowers are quite beautiful.

Yes, the apples are on their way! I have a most bountiful apple tree that gives us fruit all summer long. We planted this tree our first summer here...26 years ago! In about July, Don and I will freeze dozens of pies to get us through all the fall and winter pot lucks.

I cannot really end without a picture of a flower. This is one of many rose bushes sprinkled throughout my yard. These beauties are just starting to bloom.

Sunday Afternoon Hike

The thing about me is I love to be outdoors in Nature as much as I possibly can. Another thing you should know about me is that I have the best husband who will take me on great hikes whenever I get the notion.

This Sunday we decided to go up to the Etiwanda Preserve. It is so close to our house and with all the snow this winter we just knew it was going to be a great visit.

The California lilacs filled the air with sweet perfume!

We were not disappointed...the foliage was so thick and all sorts of plants were in bloom. The hike was 2 miles straight up the mountain but it was so worth every step!

This is just another reason to love living in California. Thanks, Don, for a great afternoon!!

Welcome Stella!!

At about 7 AM on April 15th, my siter called me to tell me that Chelsey was going into the hospital. The funny thing was, we had just had dinner with them the night before and she was so anxious for Stella to arrive. We kept telling her that she had to be patient.

But I guess Stella wanted to arrive just as much!

She arrived April 15, 2010 at 2:15PM, weighing in at 6lbs. 11oz. She was 19 3/4 inches long. She is a wee tiny little girl and pretty much perfect in my opinion!

My garden

I am very much a newbie at this so bear with me and I promise things will get better. I hope you enjoy my garden as much as I enjoy sharing it with you!

This is the first time I had time to plant so many bulbs and the colors are so vibrant!

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The Japanese Maple in the front seems to be filling in quite nicely. Another sign that Spring has arrived.

This morning was a good day for gardening, but I often find that most days around here are!
The flowers seem quite happy due to the cool temperatures and all the rain we've been getting.

Just beginning...

I've been told for some time that I should create a blog and put myself out there, so here I am . I am diving in , head first and going for this. I'm not really sure where to begin, or even quite what I'm doing, but I thought I'd start with a few pictures of my garden. The thing that you should know about me is that I love to garden. I am outside whenever the sun shines and the wind is calm, which is pretty much everyday around here. I like taking close ups of my flowers...I hope you enjoy them.

I had a little trouble loading these pictures. I realize that I have a lot to learn about this and hopefully this site will improve as I go along.