Disney Doll and Dress-Up Doozey!

Last night Doozey just wanted to dress up and look pretty! Ha! She was so funny...when we put on this pretty dress, she stood like a statue and wouldn't move! She is such a chicken! I had further traumatized her by taking pictures...poor Dooze!!! (But you did look so pretty)!!!


And speaking of dress up, how do you like this picture of Emily at Disney World a few weeks ago??? So adorable!!! My little princess granddaughter. (I'm not a proud grandma.....hahahaha...)

A little bit of fun...

OMG! Look at what came in the mail today! I had asked my blogger pal, Mary, to make me a custom little wooden Baa Baa Black sheep for my granddaughter, Emily.

She did and I tell you, Emily was thrilled! She has carried it everywhere...even had to take it to the ice cream shop with her Mom this evening...She was pretending her big fluffy sheep was it's Momma. So sweet.

Mary` even woodburned her name into the back!!! Both she, I, and her Mom were thrilled with that.
Look at the cross she made me! I love her design that she woodburned on, and then colored with non-toxic dye. Isn't it the best? I adore the asymmetry of it.

Thanks Mary for poking a hole in the top and adding twine for hanging!!! I am so happy to have it for my car, while travelling all over Palm Beach County in my work. I just love it!






Hey, if you like the looks of her gorgeous work, check out her Etsy shop, HERE. I just love everything she makes, and it is so hard to choose. So far I have 6 of her peices, and the way she is going...always coming up with new things...I really see so many more in our future! I think a few chicks for Easter baskets may have to be next...

Sparaxis bulbs!

Hi everyone! Long time, no post, for me! I've been reading everyones blog, but not much time lately for posting on my own, sadly.

Today I was at Family Dollar, and found some really cool looking bulbs! I found these Sparaxis bulbs, and I had never seen them before, so you know, I HAD TO GET them!!! They have really pretty flowers. I found a pic online to show you one color flower and it's unusual center.

Has anyone ever grown them? They are hardy in zones 3-10. An annual in the colder climates, and a perennial in zones 8-10. I am psyched over this because there are so few bulbs that are doable in the subtropical and tropical zones. I sure hope they will perform for me! I promise to give them loving care!



They will go in one open tire (I just had a purple salvia die, sadly). They are summer flowers, so I have no idea when I would start to see action...but I will count the days, for sure!!!

Here is some info I found at PLANT BIOLOGY.COM:








Common Names: Harlequin Flower, Wandflower, Sparaxis.
Life Cycle: Half hardy bulb commonly grown as a half hardy annual by gardeners.
Height: 10 to 24 inches (25 to 60 cm).
Native: Southern Africa.
Growing Region: Zones 3 to 10. As a perennial in zones 8 to 10.
Flowers: Spring or summer.
Flower Details: Red, yellow, cream, purple, pink; often multicoloured. Bell-shaped. Sometimes fragrant.
Foliage: Upright-blade. Narrow. Linear-lanceolate.
Sow Outside: Spacing 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm).
Seed: Cover seed. Start of spring or autumn.
Bulb: 3 inches (75 mm). Bottom layer of sand. As an annual: plant in spring, will flower in summer. As a perennial in warm areas: plant in autumn, will flower in spring.

Wish me luck!!!
xoxo- Julie

This morning (3-20-11) garden shots!

Good morning!!!

I bought a few new plants yesterday (only 2 pots actually, but each one held three plants)! One was sunflowers, and the other... apricot colored zinnias! Each pot was 3dollars, so I paid 1 dollar for each plant...a lot of joy for only 6 bucks! Yeah!

I went out to take pics, but got carried away and had to show my tomatoes, and other things too! They are so beautiful to my eye, and palate....

MR STRIPEY TOMATO...he is about 5 ft. tall and has 24 tomatoes all over him!


I have three plants of this BEEFSTEAK tomato, and I have 18 so far on all three (they are younger than Mr. Stripey!


Here is one of my Ichiban eggplants. Those are watermarks...believe me, my vegetables are 100% organically grown!!! I should have polished this guy before taking the pic!!! :)

Kale in front, eggplants behind.

New zinnias!

Kale and zinnia:


Aren't these huge Dusty Millers just so pretty, tucked in with the tomatoes????

I love this tire...so full of color! I have a new appreciation for begonias!!! (Front left)

RED SALVIA:

The blue salvia are gorgeous! My Mom bought one of these yesterday, because she admired mine so much! I keep them going year round, even though they are considered annuals!

HERE ARE TWO OF THE NEW SUNFLOWERS, and bunny likes to lay in them! So does Baby cat!

I have discovered a new love! Have you ever tasted Kohlrabi? Well, I am just tasting them for the first time. I planted 8 in my Moms garden, and she brought 4 to me, when she harvested the other day. I am not overly fond of the round Kohlrabi inself...BUT, on top of the thing, grow stems and leaves (dark green leaves, which are edible). They have the MOST exquisite taste! I like them better than ANY OTHER green! You guys really have to give them a try, if you haven't already! I steam them in a skillet with a little water and some olive oil, and once the water is gone, sizzle them in the oil with seasoning, and you will not be disappointed! I lay the whole leaf and stem in there. I made some scrambled egg with kohlrabi leaves and cheese on toast for breakfast this morning! It was delicious!!! Here is a pic.

Hope you all have a wonderful upcoming week!
xoxo- Julie

Big metallic toothpaste paper bauble...

I am quite sure that when you view the photos below, you will agree that I must be in the wrong business...I should be a metallic bathroom toiletries box bead maker!
ONE SIDE...

AND THE OTHER...

When I woke up this morning at 5:30am, and needed a new tube of toothpaste, I was immediately struck by the shining beauty of the box it came in! When I opened the flaps of the box, they, too, were shiny metallic...so I cut a long triangle, and came out in the dark, flipped on the light, grabbed a pencil and some Elmer's glue...and got to rollin! Here is the giant bauble I ended up with...and I am in love!

You can wrap around a skewer, a toothpick, or a pencil...but this thickness of paper worked very well on a pencil. I happen to love the colors, and it fits in with the colors of beads already on the strand. I am seeing a trend here lately...I don't choose things, as much as they seem to choose me! It's odd.

Yes, this should be just the job for me! :)
What toiletries box might be next, you ask??? Only time will tell. To be continued (one day)!!!
xoxo- Julie

Cactus Monday Giveaway!

Sorry I am getting here just in time this evening (9:30pm, my time), on Cactus Monday to do a little giveaway! Open to anyone, wherever you live. If you can name what succulent leaf is in the picture below (this contest is open to the one that gave it to me as well, because, well...what the heck)....you will have your name entered in a chance to win a copy of The Prickly Pear Cookbook, by Carolyn Niethammer.


It contains 60 recipes from accomplished professional chefs from New York, California, Texas, Arizona, and even a few recipes from Israel. With full-color photos of each dish, this volume shows with mouth-watering detail how each dish is presented by it's creator.


I will leave this open until March 30., and then the names will be put in a bowl, hat, or other useful shape, and one winner will be drawn by the little kid of my choice. (One who lives in my house). It will be supervised by the JUDGE in my house...my very own daughter...to be sure of NO CHEATING!

If you are wondering why I am SOOOO late in posting this, I was at work all day today, and when I had meant to post was last night (Sunday evening), but I was too worn out after a day at a Ft Lauderdale beach park (actually Hollywood Beach, I believe), and taking my daughter and DIL to ride a wooden rollercoaster in Dania Beach (all in close proximity) on Sunday. It was so much fun...the kids LOVED the beach...it was mid 70's sunny, clear and perfect! We were very lucky to have all gotten to go at the last minute we were all available! Below are a few pics!





We were right next to the port, and at a certain hour, about 8 of these large cruise boats left for sea! I like this pic because it shows the size in relation to the huge buildings there!!!

For more Cactus Monday posts, visit Teri's Painted Daisies!!!

The leprechauns are playing at my house!

I noticed shamrocks growing in my yard, so thought I would share a few pics! I like the ones growing right next to the tire...the green against the black is beautiful!!!



This inspired Donovan (age 6), and I, to do some chalk paintings. You might think that long thing there might look like a crack, but no...that is some serious lightening that has helped to form our rainbow! Hehehe.





Here are a couple of close up's of our St. Patty's Day tree...the paper flower I made from a white coffee filter and green watercolor brushed on outer edges of the flower. We added birds (from the dollar store), a shamrock necklace Donovan brought home from school, a shamrock made of green yarn and gold glitter, a few love notes from Donovan, and some shamrock package wire wrap, some sprays of shamrock flowers (dollar store), plus the paper shamrock we made from a toilet paper roll. As time has gotten closer, we have added more and more (a lot of which has been sent home from school with the boy)! It has been fun to watch it all come together for him. Of course, our cute woven paper basket with rainbows, and filled with gold is sitting under the tree, too.


Here is the pic I printed out to use as our guide to draw our chalk Leprechaun!

Image from: Crafts.Kaboose.com

A Mexican Sunflower day!

I took these pics of some of the sunflower blooms on one of the Tithonia fruticosa overhanging from my neighbors yard the other day. When these things get into a full bloom, they are sooo pretty! In between they are pretty trashy looking. They get very leggy and are covered with scraggly seed pods...but the blooms...just have to love them!!!

They bloom year-round here, and to encourage a full bush, you must cut them back to around 6 ft. several times a year (quarterly). They like to propogate themselves freely, so I am currently starting a Mexican Sunflower forest in my sideyard!!! They work exceedingly well as a screen to hide anything you do not want to see on the other side!!! Hooray!

Happy mid-week everyone! I will leave you with this quote I just read over at Bobbie Lynn's blog, WHY I LOVE TO GARDEN where she has the most beautiful handmade cards, gardens and cutest Corgi puppy ever!!! It goes like this: "The task ahead of us is never as great as the power behind us", by Ralph Emerson!
xoxo- Julie

Worlds' most adventurous kitty caught in action!

I was at my Mom's house the other evening, just around twilight, and who jumps up in the tree right next to us? Taco Cat...my cousin's kitty, who lives right next door! He looked kinda spooky up there at that hour, and I snapped this pic with my cell phone camera from my car! I added the "vignette" effect, and a frame, and doesn't he look like a sweet, spooky kitty?
Taco is a very adventurous cat. You can watch him go into the middle of the road and lay down to take a nap! He is the epitome of "hakuna matata"! My Mom was out cutting her hedges (5 ft tall podocarpus), with gas powered hedge cutters, making grand sweeping motions, and all of a sudden Taco popped up out of the top of the hedges to about neck level, and the cutters were sweeping right toward him. Since then, he has done it many times more. He is a friend to any dog, regardless of size, proceeding through life, in a risky fashion, but being, himself, quite unaware! What a cat!
So, here is a framed photo of the worlds most adventurous cat! Yup, it's true.

A few good things!

Good Saturday to everyone!
Out in the tires this spray of succulents was just begging me to take a picture!

While waiting for my daughter the other day, Emily and I were playing in a well manacured landscape...and she found this really neat fern frond to use as a magic wand!

This is blurry, but check out the monster spores on the back!!! Something I may not have ever divulged about myself...when I was in college, I was a fern and spore fanatic! It was a love affair, as I took plant biology, zoology and micro...I was being prepped up for the sciences! How I wish now that I would have continued my degree in biology :( Only one problem...I hated chemistry and still would and do! I wonder sometimes if I should just go take that one college class and see if I could pass it...just bust my ass till I did. It might change my life... :)

Lastly, I was over at Lowes and found this simple, sweet, red geranium...so you know it had to "pop" right into one of my tires! I just love it.

Have a wonderful rest of the weekend everyone!!! Oh...P.S. these 4 pics just uploaded to Blogger almost instantly...I was so shocked I nearly fell off my seat!!!
xoxo- Julie