I don't have a green thumb...yet.

Ask any of my family and friends and they will tell you that I have struggled with having bad luck in the garden. I am not a fan of dirt. As a kid, I would make mud pies....but I do whatever I could to keep from actually touching the dirt! In the past, I have managed to kill plants that are the most hardy of plants. It seems to be the same story each year, I can easily grow weeds anywhere, grass grows great (where it is not supposed to), and vegetables and flowers are a hit and miss.  When my parents were visiting in December, they bought me a set of 3 succulents. I was thrilled because I finally had some plants that I wouldn't kill. Fast forward a few months and only 1 is still alive.

I want to have a healthy lawn, fresh vegetables, and fresh picked blooms from my yard. The reality is that life is incredibly busy here and I didn't get this spring off to a good start. Between work, school, and Allison's insane schedule (choir performances galore, AP classes, and oh yeah - she is a teenager), it didn't leave a lot of spare time to get the yard ready.  Every day, I would look out and groan seeing it get worse and worse, but couldn't do anything about it. I wasn't the only one. At the worst, the grass and weeds were actually taller than Minnie! Every morning she would give me a look that said, "Really, I have to go into that jungle?" There are more weeds than lawn, you could barely see one of the garden beads due to the grass and weeds covering it, and the flower beds aren't much better. I long for a yard where I can sit and sip a glass of strawberry lemon-aid and just enjoy the beauty that the PNW has to offer. Right now, that isn't the case, but I am determined that it will be in a few weeks.

I am digging in, with gloves on (not touching the dirt if I can help it), and getting to work. I am starting from scratch and changing the way I garden. I am planting my vegetable in containers, and flowers in the old vegetable gardens. I was going to pull up my existing garden beds, but a dear friend convinced me to leave them and plant flowers instead. You can see the start of my container garden in the picture below. I can't wait to see how it all turns out!

Friends, Flowers, and Frogs!

What a wonderful day today has been. I was able to attend a baby shower for a friend today from my old ward. It was great to see her and other friends that I don't get to see as often as I would like. She is having a little girl after 2 boys, so as you can imagine everything was pink and purple. This little girl is going to be a girly girl one way or the other!

On the way home from the baby shower, I stopped at a store and picked up a bunch of Fuchsia's to plant in my hanging baskets in the front yard. I stood in line for about 15 minutes in the cold waiting to get them "planted" for me in my pots before I realized that I was freezing standing there in short sleeves in the drizzling rain, and that I could just plant them later at home. I hope that I don't kill these flowers as I tend to have a black thumb.

When I got home, I was anxious to get my new beads out of the kiln. The other day I asked some friends on LampworkEtc. what I should make, and one of them told me to try frogs. Well, I never have tried them before, so after spending an hour or 2 searching for my Passing the Flame book that had a tutorial in it, I went out and made some. I made 11 frogs, 9 made it into the kiln, and 2 lost toes the next day! LOL! So, I had to make more yesterday, and practice is helping. This time the frogs bodies are larger than their feet, and all of their toes and fingers are still on! Here are yesterday's frogs, fresh from the kiln. These little guys are so much fun to make, so thank you Josie for giving me that push I needed to try them!

Hearts, flowers and more

I had so much fun at the torch yesterday! I made hearts with tiny rosebuds, raised florals, and even played with a little bit of Kronos (a super silver saturated glass color) from Double Helix Glass I love their glass! Today I will get all of these wrapped up into stitch markers for The Yarn Deli. They have such a great store. My Mom introduced them to me a few years ago. I don't knit, but love visiting their store.

 

Spring has arrived or has it?

I woke up this morning to snow falling. Yes, snow. It is suppossed to be spring, but alas no one seems to have told Mother Nature. The kids were thrilled of course, and I am just grateful it isn't sticking. It is going to be a cold day here for sure. Soon spring will actually arrive and bring with her color and warmth. Until then, we are going to continue to bundle up, drink hot chocolate and wish for spring to arrive. I am looking forward to those warmer days to arrive so I will no longer freeze in the studio. I just peeked out there and the kiln is at 46 degrees! I think I will go out and make make floral beads today so even though there are no flowers blooming yet in my garden, soon my kiln will be full of them!