Tuesday, September 4, 2012

A DAY of FIRSTS

The Little Red School House
 Are your kids back to school or not back to school?  After homeschooling our two children for eleven years our youngest stepped onto a school bus for the first time as a freshmen in high school this year!  We had to sleep on it for nearly a year before making the final decision but as I sit here with my coffee in hand I can tell you with a happy heart that WE ( she and I ) were ready for the change. Today will be a day of many firsts for her and for me... While she's learning the combination to her locker, making new friends and meeting her teachers, I'll be learning new things too! I've got a college bound student still at home finishing out his home/high school education  and a bushel of tomatoes from the garden I need to do something with!

 Today I'm making my FIRST BATCH of homemade marinara sauce and our FIRST college visit is already on the calender! 
I'll squeeze in a few pages on my FIRST book titled " Yard Flowers "  and before I know it she'll be home.
 I can't wait to hear all about her FIRST day! Everything... good, bad or otherwise.
I'd better get the maters on to boil! 
Have a wonderful day friends!
Here's to FIRSTS!  

Tell me,  do you home school YOUR YOUNG'UNS or have you BEEN home-schooled? I'd love to hear how your FIRST days back are going too!

Love to all! 



Friday, August 31, 2012

Farmgirl Friday blog hop # 72


Happy Farmgirl Friday # 72 friends! It's good to have you here ( as always ) and your just in time for some fabulous farmgirl news. First of all, I'm excited to tell you that Mary Jane's new book Glamping with MaryJane is available for purchase as I type! I received my copy last week and I've hardly put it down. Need a winter project? Glamping with MaryJane covers everything from how to find and purchase your new/old glamper, clean her up, doll her up and have her road- ready by the time next years International Glamping Weekend arrives. Mark your Calenders for June 1-3 2013!
 MaryJane leaves nothing untold about glamping! You'll even learn how to hitch her up so you can head out with your glamping buddies without a care in the world other than which table cloth you'll use when you set up " glamp "!


If that isn't enough to get your farmgirl heart all a flutter...Dandelion House friend and sponsor FarmMade will be a guest at Luscher Farm's Open House 2012 sharing their mission of supporting farmers of all kinds! City, Suburban, Rural and more!  If you are going to be in or near the Portland, Oregon area please stop in and say hello and tell em I sent you!
 Our FarmMade friends would LOVE to meet you!


About Luscher Farm...
Luscher Farm is park and working urban farm located only 13 miles from downtown Portland, Oregon.  Open to the public from dawn until dusk, visitors from other cities, states and countries travel to visit this unique farm year round.  FarmMade is thrilled to have a booth at Luscher Farm's 2012 Open House.  Read more about Luscher Farm here.


Whew! Alright!  Now it's time to link up for your weekly dose of farmgirl soul-food! 
You know what to do! Give us the goods! The FARM goods!

Here are the rules for the Farmgirl/guy Blog Hop!

1.) Write a post about your farmgirl lifestyle and brag a little about your farmgirl talents while your at it! Share what being a farmgirl means to you. Include lots of photos of your farm, crafts, animals, quilts, home decor projects and thrifty make overs, your backyard garden, chicken coop, recipes, studio or workshop. You get the idea!


2). Leave your entry in the Mr. Linky space to your Farmgirl Friday post.


3). Please include the Farmgirl Friday button ( or link back here ) in your post and remember to share this hop with all of your blogging friends!

Be sure to leave a note if you're new to the hop or my blog! We want to get to know you! 

Thanks to all who enter each week and everyone who visits these pages. 
Have a wonderful holiday weekend and best to all my mommies with getting your youngster's back to school!

PS. If you find a quiet moment over the holiday weekend, come on by the MJFbeachfarmgirlblog for this weeks entry RISING TIDE! I'm sharing some special " creative " homeschooling memories!




Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Backyard Bouquets~ what to do with a Bucket of Blooms~


Dear Friends, old and NEW! WELCOME!
I hope this note finds you all well and enjoying the slow turn of summer into fall. And, for those of you who have been dried out and puckered up by the drought I wish you RAIN!  I know it's been tough on you and your gardens. We are only days away from a new school year and autumn is right around the corner, but summer is NOT over yet..It doesn't officially end until September 22nd the Autumn equinox. I don't need the calender to tell me that. My backyard blossoms are going strong and are sure to  keep us in ' house flowers' for weeks to come! That means you'll be enjoying them too no matter what your weather is!


 Each day I grab my bucket an go out to cut bunches of fresh flowers. To say the cut flower garden has provided an abundance of beautiful blooms is an understatement. In just one season I've gone from a Gardner who hardly cut anything for fear of leaving too large a gap in my flower beds to a free spirited farmgirl who cuts flowers with wild abandon! I'm having fun ' playing' with different floral arranging ideas...

Today I'll show you what to do with a bucket of blooms!

 

 Start with sharp cutting tools. I use Fiskars pruners. I have two sizes. One for cutting larger stemmed flowers and shrubs and a smaller one for removing leaves and cutting the bottoms of stems before they go in a jar or vase.


 You'd be amazed at how many flowers you can fit into a full sized Ball Mason Jar. 



This bouquet is made up of a mix of dahlia,s zinnias, snapdragons and parsley for an added green filler. I love a bold color pallet and this deep red dahlia makes the mid toned orange dahlias go POP POP POP!


Here I've added some pinks, and red oranges with one lovely white dahlia to set  the whole thing off...Then came the remaining zinnias and snapdragons with a snip of parsley just for a touch of added greenery.


Arranging flowers is a little like decorating.. I chose blooms that play well together then added a touch of whimsy just for fun.  Notice how the deep red in the petals of the bottom left dahlia speak to the same red in the zinnia behind the maroon dahlia in the above photo? I repeated that same orange zinnia throughout and added the hot pink for a wow factor!

Side view
The idea is not to be too serious ( get your play on ) and use what you have available in the garden! This is the beauty of growing sustainable cut flowers in your own backyard ( or front yard ). You'll get a less contrived look this way and feel good about creating something original with each bouquet you make! In the end, if it makes you smile you done good!!!

Side and Back  


 With only a sprig or two of parsley as filler that leaves plenty of room for FLOWERS!


Here it is finished and ready for any occasion inside or out!  This beauty was destined for the counter by my kitchen sink where I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time!
 Might as well enjoy it...

Stay tuned for more flower arranging with late summer and early fall cuttings from my 
Backyard Flower Farm ! 
 Love to all ! 
Deb

 How do you like to arrange your " YARD FLOWERS" ?

I'm sharing this post on Tootsiess Flaunt your Flowers Fertilizer Friday this week and Tilly's Nest
Down Home Blog Hop # 1 !





Sunday, August 26, 2012

Simple Sunday Bouquet


 Sometimes simple is best. For this Simple Sunday centerpiece I gathered 5 dahlias, two large, one medium and two smaller sizes for a balanced arrangement. No fancy vase needed... I used a small mason jar. This is the perfect height for a dining table or kitchen island. Instead of peering through a taller arrangement while you converse this simple Sunday bouquet energizes the atmosphere but doesn't steal the show!

SIMPLE, BEAUTIFUL and PRACTICAL! 

 

 This is the same arrangement from a different view point. 
  Cut Flower Tips : 
* When arranging flowers for a centerpiece, all sides must be equally beautiful! 
* When cutting flowers be sure to remove any foliage that will be below the water line to prevent bacteria growth. This will increase the vase life of your flowers.
* Cut flowers in the early morning when possible. Cut stems at an angle and place them in cool water in a bucket or vase. 
  

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Farmgirl Friday blog hop # 71


Welcome back one and all to the Farmgirl Friday blog hop # 71! Your place to show and tell all about your farmgirl/boy talents and not feel the list bit like your braggin' at all! You are with friends who come here every week to learn and share the ups and downs of farming. It's not the size of your plot that counts, rather the creativity and farmgirl genius that matters most!
I can feel the change in the air which tells me September is right around the corner. I'm ready, are you? Already I'm thinking of small changes I would like to make inside and projects that got left in the dust when spring arrived and planting started. But I'm keeping those a secret for now!
Let's tale a peek in the garden shall we?  The Pumpkin on a Stick I planted in the greenhouse ( and later transplanted ) has done wonderful. Just look at those tiny miniature pumpkins! They are already starting to turn the tiniest bit of orange. They'll add a great splash of color to fall flower arrangements!

Ornamental Eggplant Pumpkin on a Stick
 The tomatoes are beginning to ripen on the vine too. Cherry tomatoes for salads and a sweet  pop em in your mouth snack, and brandy wine tomatoes just for slicing. YUM!
  It's like fourth of July in the Dahlia beds this week!


 The Dahlias continue to put on a an amazing show. Each week a new variety opens up...The colors just knock me out!





I've been playing around with different bouquet arrangements which I'll share in a future post! For now, it's time to link up to your favorite Friday Blog hop for your weekly dose of farmgirl soul-food!
Each week is such a treat!
Here are the rules for the Farmgirl/guy Blog Hop!

1.) Write a post about your farmgirl lifestyle and brag a little about your farmgirl talents while your at it! Share what being a farmgirl means to you. Include lots of photos of your farm, crafts, animals, quilts, home decor projects and thrifty make overs, your backyard garden, chicken coop, recipes, studio or workshop. You get the idea!


2). Leave your entry in the Mr. Linky space to your Farmgirl Friday post.


3). Please include the Farmgirl Friday button ( or link back here ) in your post and remember to share this hop with all of your blogging friends!

Be sure to leave a note if you're new to the hop or my blog! We want to get to know you! 

Thanks to all who enter each week and everyone who visits these pages.