A Flowerbed, Finished Bench, and a Pet Portrait

We spent Memorial Day weekend at the farm...it's always nice to have a long weekend. Again we had near perfect weather and we got to enjoy it in our peaceful and beautiful surroundings.

Before I go on, I'd like to take a moment to remember all who have served or are serving our nation to ensure our freedom. We are grateful for your service and sacrifice. So a huge "Thank you"!

I brought a few plants up to put in the flowerbeds. I cleaned out an area by the front door (the liriope/ monkey grass had completely taken over) and planted my oak leaf hydrangea my MIL gave me, plus some Salvia too.

 These concrete edger pieces have been sitting by the front door since we bought the place. I finally found the perfect use for them!

So much better!

And some of the plants I planted last time are actually starting to bloom!
The Black and Blue Sage:

The Little Buckaroo rosebush:

Everything is doing really well. I'm so excited to have lots of places to garden in.

I also finished my bench! Here's what it looked liked before I started work on it:

I shared last time how we took it apart started work on it. It was ready this weekend to paint! I put two coats of paint on the slats, let them dry, and then Bruce helped me put it back together. It's the perfect accent for the front porch and it's a great spot to relax with a glass of iced tea and favorite magazine or book. Won't you join me?

I love the turquoise color!

 We went over to our neighbor's vineyard Saturday night as he was hosting a Humane Society fund raiser. They had "Wall Work by Judy" there doing a "Paint Your Pet" party. We brought a photo of a pet in and she showed us how to paint a colorful pet portrait. I had a good headshot of Buddy so I painted him. It's different from the way I normally paint but quite fun to do. I have to admit, I'm very happy with my painting!

It looks really good on the mantel. I need to do one of Herbie too so I have a painting of both of them.

I also refreshed my chalkboard art:

My long chalkboard canvas is perfect for hiding the fireplace surround where the paint has worn off and looks yucky. :o)

The dewberries are still plentiful...I picked enough for two more pies. The vines behind the barn are full but not yet ripe - it's a good crop this year! And the blueberries are doing great too, I'm happy to report. We should be picking those in a few weeks.

It was so wonderful to have an extra day there. We had such a good time with friends and working/relaxing on the farm. It was a great kickoff for Summer.

Until the next time,

Cecilia

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Friday This and That

It's Friday!! It's been a busy week but a good one. We got rain and with it very cool temperatures that have us all in Texas singing because, well, Summer is coming and with it very hot temperatures. We are ecstatic for any break from hot weather, trust me. Keeping our Spring long and drawn out is a good thing. The plants love it too as they are all in full and happy bloom mode.

Lantana starting to bloom. The butterflies love this!

Anyway, I just want to share a few things from around the farm. First off, I found a great treat jar and on sale too! for the dogs' treats. Love the chalkboard label and red lid. I placed it on the top shelf of my etagere:

Then I redid the mantel. I found this terrific horse head in Canton. It had $20 on it but when I asked the man how much he'd take for it, he said $5. Sold! You should of seen me carrying it around with the plants we bought too....dumb me, I didn't bring a wagon.

Of course, I had to place all my vintage horse books next to him:

I also put my wreath holder with my Spring wreath on the mantel in the center and added some things on the other side...hm, now that I'm looking at the picture, I'm not sure I like it. I'll have to fix that next time. It'll do for now though:

Bruce will take the dogs out one at a time and work on their listening skills. He took Buddy out first and didn't have the camera so before he took Herbie out, he came in and grabbed it and took some shots of Herbie in the field and pond. Buddy did great...listened and did what he was told. Herbie did fine until he spotted the cattle next door and he had to give chase. Fortunately, he came back when Bruce called him. I love this picture of him (he had spotted the cattle at this time):

Love all the seed heads around him. It's such a great picture. I'm only sorry we didn't get one of Buddy as well. Oh well, next time!

Have a great weekend!
Cecilia

Crawfish, Berries, and a Couple of Painting Projects

We went to the farm this past weekend; our son got to come with us.  Friday night when we got to town, we stopped at a roadside trailer and got crawfish and shrimp for supper. Yum! Good and spicy. I love a good crawfish/shrimp boil!

crawfish

Saturday, Jay cooked for my Mother's Day  while I painted on a couple of projects.

He made shrimp/crawfish Alfredo for lunch ( from supper's leftovers) and then a Caramel Coconut Pie for after supper. (oh, heaven! My two favorite things - coconut and caramel!) He made beef fajitas, guacamole, pico de gallo, Spanish rice, and beans for supper. ( I should of taken a picture!) Yummy! He's a great cook. Bruce did the cleaning up so I was perfectly spoiled. Our daughter, unfortunately, couldn't join us as she was working but she did call and talk to me. So my weekend was complete and I definitely feel loved and cherished.

One of my projects was painting the garage side of the kitchen door - it's been needing it. I think I was just overwhelmed by the inside painting so just let the other side go until now. It looks so much better! To the right of the door, you can see a slight bit of my headboard bench. Bruce made this for me long before they were made popular on Pinterest. It sat outside on the deck for many years but now, I have it by the kitchen door so we have a place to sit and put on our shoes. Originally we left it natural, but now I'm thinking of painting it.  I hope I can get it to it soon.

kitchen door freshly painted

I also worked on the park bench I got from a friend.

The slats were showing lots of wear and the metal legs had slight rust on them. Bruce helped me take it apart, then he spray-painted the iron legs and straps for me, while I scraped and sanded the slats. I then primed them with my favorite primer: Zinsser. I ran out of time however, and didn't get around to painting it. Oh well, the next visit. I have the most beautiful color picked out - can't wait to show you! It's going to look great sitting on the front porch.

bench legs spray painted with a fresh coat of black

bench slats primed and ready to paint

We also picked the first blackberries of the season. I'm so excited! We have enough for a pie or two. Oh boy! Love me some blackberry pie! It's great to have berries. :) There are still a lot of pink and green ones so hopefully we'll beat the birds and be able to pick more on the next visit.

unripe blackberries 

Speaking of berries, the blueberries are doing great! We actually have small blueberries on each bush.  How exciting!

blueberry bush

blueberries

It was a fantastic weekend with perfect weather and great food and company. I love our farm and having others there to enjoy it with us!

Have a blessed week!

Cecilia

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Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. I had a fantastic weekend throughly spoiled by my son (more on that tomorrow). The only thing that would have made it better was if my daughter could have been with us too but she had to work.

And a hug sent to heaven for my mom. She's been gone for 12 years now and I still miss her. So many things I'd like to ask her. I guess we never get over our need for our moms.

My mom

I'm very grateful for my wonderful mother-in-law. She's a jewel. I love you, Bonnie! Thank you for all you do for us.

Christmas Family picture at Bonnie's

Hugs,
Cecilia