Happy Fourth!

This photo immediately caught my eye when the July issue of Martha Stewart Living showed up in my mail box. YUM! I can almost taste the raspberry sorbet and blueberries.



What are you doing this weekend? Anything patriotic? I can't wait to be outside in the sunshine, see a bunch of friends on Saturday that I have been out of touch with lately, and hopefully recreate this dessert (complete with edible cookie-spoons!). If you care to join me, the recipe can be found here. Happy Independence Day!

Birthday Party

My sister in law and her husband hosted a birthday party for me! Isn't their condo the cutest thing you've ever seen? I love spending time there. Mom made her famous home made macaroni and cheese and we all ate like kings. Between friends and family and treats and kitties, it was a wonderful day.

It's hard to tell who lost interest in posing the quickest, husband or puppy:

Portraits on the porch:

Patent pending

This is what happened on Sunday when Rajah was following me all over the apartment, meowing incessantly, while I was trying to do some cleaning. Kitty food wouldn't distract him, he wanted LOVE. Surprisingly, he purred the whole time he was in my makeshift cat snuggly, which was a fitted sheet I was trying to fold with the rest of our weeks' laundry.

6.13.09 Gardening

On Saturday, Dad and my youngest brother re-sided that ugly tool shed and painted it. What a difference. We spread beauty bark on the gardens on that same side of the house (20 cubic feet). I also found rockery to put around Magnolia Hill and put an additional 4 cubic feet of bark on the hill, too. It's looking like a yard again!

AFTER:

6.7.09 Gardening

The gardens are looking so much better. Here's some progress from last weekend:

BEFORE:

Please notice the tool shed wall, covered in ivy:

DURING:

Many, many hours later: no more ivy, just rotting wood.

Mom and Dad, enjoying the weed-less landscape

5.31.09 Gardening

More progress on the gardens:

BEFORE

AFTER

Anybody know what this plant is? It was growing in the existing garden, but I don't know where it came from. Looks like a succulent, but I don't recognize the foliage.

Note to self

Planted last weekend to replace the Unruly Hedge:

Planted on Magnolia Hill: