garden Archives - Keeping With The Times

Pretty Easy DIY Herb Pot

May 14, 2017 by Barb 4 Comments

Hello … I’m just popping in with a little Happy Mother’s Day wish, and an easy DIY herb pot using Mod Podge and wrapping paper.

mothers are like buttons
they hold everything together (perhaps like Mod Podge too ;)

This little pot of Lemon Thyme smells divine … I wish you could smell how truly lemony it is …
And how cute is that terra cotta pot?

After I opened a gift from my oldest daughter, I couldn’t stop admiring the soft tissue-like paper that it had been wrapped in. Rather than sending the pretty paper to the recycle bin, I used Mod Podge to adhere it to the pot. As you can see, I didn’t worry about wrinkles (wish I could say that about myself ;)

Pretty Easy DIY Herb Pot

Tear a piece of pretty wrapping paper or tissue paper the size of your chosen pot
Using a brush or sponge, apply Mod Podge to the entire outside surface of the pot
Place paper over the pot, gently smoothing into place, folding the edges underneath about 1/4 inch
Let dry completely
Using sandpaper, sand the top edge of the pot for a rustic finish
Plant herbs in a plastic container that fits inside the pot and place inside

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Five Things Friday | May 12

May 12, 2017 by Barb Leave a Comment

Welcome to Five Things Friday where I share what I’m reading, watching, eating, making, or just plain loving at the moment.

Five Things Friday is kind of like gathering around the water cooler, as in … how about those Oilers eh? sigh … sad face, happy face … sad face … maybe next year face … .

But spring has definitely sprung here. The ice is off the lake, the trees are green, and my garden is pushing up at an alarming rate. Once it starts, it’s like a whirlwind. I’ll soon be seeing anemones in bloom … gah!

Every year it seems like a miracle and there’s no thyme to waste ;)So we may as well get to it, right?

Five Things Friday | May 12

What I’m Reading

The Handmaids Tale

Actually I’m re-reading The Handmaids Tale. I read it when it was first published (suffice it to say it was a long time ago) but I was more than a little startled, and disturbed, to see that it has been republished and made into a TV mini series.

I always avoid getting political, but this dystopian classic is a must read for every woman (and man) and is more relevant today than ever. Margaret Atwood is genius and her introduction in this release is provocative.

To quote the Phoenix Gazette “The most chilling cautionary novel of the century”. Enough said.

What I’m Working On

I may have mentioned his before, but I’m taking a blogging class with Emily Quinton at Makelight. It’s called “The Thread” and I’m finding it extremely inspiring. My head is exploding with ideas so now I have to make sure I do something with it all (see below :)

What I’ve Discovered

I’ve gone back to using iA Writer to draft blog posts and keep notes. It’s simply a distraction-free, plain text editor.

I was using it a long time ago … so long that in fact I had to purchase the new version and start over. But I think it will be worth it, as yesterday I had the biggest brain dump ever! and I know I won’t be misplacing my notes. Even if I lose my iPad, my work will be in the Cloud and synced to all my devices. I can see four or five blog posts coming from it. I simply need to buckle down and do the work.

What’s Up in the Garden

Anemones
Perennial Geraniums
Yarrow
Cornflower
Lily-of-the-Valley
Delphiniums
Peonies
Daisies
Daylilies
Rabbits ;)

My Gratitude Journal

I’m so grateful for:

Being able to go to greenhouses again! I love it!
Buying fresh pots of herbs and planting my herb garden.
So thankful for the warm weather turning our world green almost over night.
Clearing out trash. Getting rid of stuff.
A GREAT haircut. I always seem to need a haircut. But this time my stylist Angela did the best job ever (my hair is finally recovering after a year of bad cuts it seems.)
Being able to buy new spring clothes and shoes. I’ve been partaking in Kelly Rae Roberts Wear Your Joy series, and even though I could almost be her grandmother, it has really helped me define my style. It has also helped me to clean out my closet :)
My family.

So that’s it for me today. We are going to be setting up the rest of our dock, and putting the boat in the lake. Fun times.

Have a lovely weekend my dear readers!

Hope Springs Eternal

March 20, 2017 by Barb 2 Comments

Here’s a perfect example that hope springs eternal. These anemone bulbs look like dried prunes and are hard as rock, but in a few weeks I’ll be soaking them for 24 hours, then planting them indoors to be put out in the garden later (usually around the 24th of May) which btw seems like forever …

I’m not really sure it’s going to work, but I can hope. I’ll be posting my process and their progress in the coming weeks. Fingers crossed my friends (but it could take all year ;)

I already have Anemone sylvestris or snowdrop anemone which run rampant in my garden throughout May and June. They’re a hardier type native to meadows and dry deciduous woodlands of central and western Europe and they spread rapidly by root suckers.

Although they can be invasive, they’re one of my favourite flowers; delicate-looking and unassuming.

So what about you … are you dreaming of gardens and all things green?

August You Amaze Me

August 10, 2015 by Barb 5 Comments

August … you amaze me … I love all your beautiful imperfections, and your beautiful colours.

Weeds, bug-eaten leaves, seed pods.

Greens, yellows, oranges, reds.

Berries, lilies, dahlias.

… my perfectly imperfect (needs to be weeded) garden …

Our summer has been so hot and dry. Today the temperature reached 29C (and I begin to melt at 25C) but now, thankfully, the nights cool down to 12C or so … truly a blessing when one does not have air conditioning in their home.

The mornings are cool, and a thick layer of dew covers the lawn, and the garden, and the deck. It doesn’t dry up until after 10:00 am … and it’s bliss. That’s when you’ll find me out in the yard, pulling a few weeds, taking a few photos, and arranging berries and flowers on tabletops.

… just having an “unwinding” kinda day …