Progression of an Apple

Saturday Photo: Anna Apple Tree Blossoms

Beautiful flowers and wonderful fruit.

Anna Apple trees are the perfect apple tree for Southern California

The Bud

The Flower

The Fruit

Floating Glass Hearts

 Floating Glass Hearts in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Esparanza Hotel, Cabo San Lucas

Salmon Cakes the Easy Way!

Take your favorite salmon or crab cake recipe and bake them in muffin tins instead! Sprinkle a little bread crumbs or panko crumbs on top. This is a really nice way to serve a lot of crab/salmon cakes at once without any excess grease or hassle. Spray the muffin tins prior to adding wet mix. 

Sunday Bliss

Pinterest Photos

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.
-Dalai Lama

Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep
-Romans 12:15

The more we know, the better we forgive. those who feel deeply feel for all living beings.
-Madame de Stael

Lucky in the Garden

CREATE LUCK IN YOUR GARDEN....

ENJOY YOUR GARDEN!

Summer flowers: Sunflower, Dahlia, Plumeria

Summer time is the perfect time to ENJOY your garden. 

smiling zucchini

smiling cactus

sugar baby watermelon

Sunflower with natural looking heart center

Photo today: Sunflower in my garden with a natural heart center. 

What are the chances of that? I did a double take then ran for my camera!

Circle of Life Gratitude Rocks

My son and I have been collecting "rocks with lines" that we have found on the beach for years. It has been a fun and slow hobby with a lot of fond memories of days at the beach.

Photo for the day- Circle of Life- Gratitude Rocks

June Garden Planting Guide

GARDEN PLANTING GUIDE FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE *SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA*

SUGAR BABY WATERMELON

BEANS- Bush and Pole Types, 

BEETS

CANTALOUPE

CORN

CUCUMBER

LIMA BEANS

OKRA

PEPPERS

PUMPKIN

RADISH

SUMMER SQUASH

SUNFLOWER

SWISS CHARD

TOMATOES

WATERMELON

MY FIRST CUCUMBER THIS SEASON WITH MANY MORE ON THE WAY

thought for the day...

Garden Fun with Etsy

What is Etsy? It is an online marketplace that has from A-Z home made items, crafts, DIY items for sale and vendors who sell there wares online. I personally do not have an Etsy shop, but finding unique and personally crafted items is fun. There are also many antique items available.
The Etsy Mission is to "re-imagine commerce in ways that build a more fulfilling and lasting world. Etsy is a mindful, transparent and humane business. They plan and build for the long term and value craftsmanship in all they make. Etsy believes fun should be a part in everything they do. Etsy keeps it real, always."

Clever, creative, and RePurposing Vintage Silverware on Etsy

ETSY SHOP LINK: MONKEYSALWAYSLOOK 




VINTAGE SILVERWARE GARDEN TAGS: Link
Check out this vendor for jewelry and other amazing items...

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HONEY BEES SIGN: BAINBRIDGEFARMGOODS
Garden signs are what this Etsy vendor is all about!
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ETSY SHOP: NORTHWINDMETALART
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Sunflower Heirloom Seeds

This is a great time to start planting Sunflowers for summer blooms. Choosing to plant sunflowers of any height and variety gives the garden a beautiful summer ambiance.  Sunflowers have long been used as a food and oil supply for cooking, but their beauty makes their value that much more special. The Sunflower symbolizes happiness, longevity, warmth and beauty. A great garden flower!

6-8 foot sunflowers peek over the fence line

small size sunflower for floral display

late summer sunflowers used in a fall display last year

One of my favorite sunflowers- from Renee's Seeds

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY 

May today be a day of thanksgiving for our relationship with our mother's. For those who have passed away and for the memories that will always be with us... blessings.

Purple Contessa Flower

Monday Inspiration

PHOTO CREDIT: glassfloatjunkie.etsy.com

I purchased a glass fishing float from a vendor on Etsy to add to my "under the sea" succulent garden. The photo and caption above is from her Facebook page and I thought it was a beautiful insight to start the week. Happy Monday!

GLASS FISHING FLOATS IN THE SUCCULENT GARDEN

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10 BEST HERBS FOR THE GARDEN

My favorite TOP 10 HERBS for the Garden. I grow these every year and continue to find more and more uses for each one of them. Fresh, dried, baked or blended, herbs create the perfect addition to the backyard garden. Herbs are also great companion plants.

BASIL - CHIVES - CILANTRO - DILL - MINT 
OREGANO - PARSELY - ROSEMARY - SAGE - THYME  

Making Mint Syrup: Also known as Simple Syrup.

2 Cups Granulated Sugar - 2 Tblsp Corn Syrup -

 1 Cup Water - 1 Cup Packed Fresh Mint Leaves

DIRECTIONS: In a small saucepan heat sugar, corn syrup and water to a slow boil until Sugar is dissolved. Add Mint and remove from heat. Stir for 1 minute. Allow syrup to cool back down to room temperature. Pour Mint Syrup into a bowl through a strainer. Store the syrup in an airtight container and place in the refrigerator until ready to use. Syrup will keep for several months.  (makes 2 Cups)

ONE OF THE MOST USEFUL HERBS

BASIL IS A SUMMER STAPLE!

CHIVES AND ONIONS

Rosemary, Mint, Chives, Basil in one evening harvest

BE KIND

The best part of life is not just surviving, but thriving with passion and compassion and humor and style and generosity and kindness.

- Author Maya Angelou 

so many ways to be kind...

 A little inspiration today as we mourn the sad events of the Boston Marathon and the Texas Fertilizer Plant Explosion.

After a week of trauma in the news I was uplifted to find so many resources for kindness, especially the quote by Mr. Rogers that I heard for the first time:

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me,

 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." 

1) The Be Kind People Project
2) Random Acts of Kindness Foundation
3) Wiki How: How to be Kind
4) To Be Kind Facebook Page
5) Quotes about Kindness

* Thank you Chula and Bella *

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BLoSsOm bLiSs

"What a strange thing! to be alive beneath cherry blossoms."

- Kobayashi Issa, Poems

I pulled my car over on the side of the road to catch this beauty last week on the windy roads in Rancho Santa Fe, CA. An ornamental Cherry 'Sakura' Tree in full bloom.
Link to the National Cherry Blossom Festival ongoing this month in Washington D.C.

'Sakura' Ornamental Cherry Tree
Pinterest Bliss Photos

DIY PLANT TAGS

For small and large plant tags use a variety of tile sizes with either a flat or glossy finish. Below photos are small travertine tiles. This is a great idea for labeling plants, re-purposing tiles and a great gift idea for your gardening friends. 
Materials:  Small Tiles, Flat Floral Marble, Wire, Hard as Nails Glue, Sharpee Pen, Acrylic Paint. Use a backing wire that is heavy enough for selected tile size. For larger tiles use a wooden dowel.

Thank you to Roberta for a great gift!
PINTEREST DIY 

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