Jenna Lou Loves You

Veggie Garden

Quite possibly the very best thing about owning a house vs. renting is the yard. We were very lucky to buy a house from an avid gardener so much of the hard labor of creating beds and working the soil was already done for us. When we moved in last fall most everything was already spent so I didn't really get a chance to see what was all planted. So this spring has been like magic to me. Almost every day I wonder out to the beds to see what is a buzz. There is always something new for me to discover and it is ever changing. Most of the plants have yet to flower so I am still anxiously awaiting to see what colors things are. We have an abundance of lilies that are just driving me crazy. The other day I noticed that little buds are forming in them and I just can hardly bare to wait to see their color.

The veggie garden is another joy. We were started off by the previous owners with a rhubarb patch and good dark soil. Everything else was planted by me. From seeds to plates... I'm really enjoying the process. It will be a while before I can harvest most of what you see, but I just love to watching it grow. More pictures here.

Here is what I all planted (mostly for my own record):
Yellow squash
strawberries
3 types of lettuce
broccoli
onions
okra (I've never tasted this before, but John says it's great!)
peppers
2 types of peas
green beans
tomatoes (of course!)
asparagus
raspberries

OH MY! and I haven't even taken photos of the front gardens yet!

Jennalou

First Harvest

Today was a beautiful spring day. I stayed inside for the most part like a good girl to finish up some work, but I did venture outside for just long enough to see that the rhubarb was big enough to pick. We have a HUGE patch of it (probably could use a good splitting) and several of the stocks finally reached 12- 14" so I picked away.

I took just enough to make this dessert that I spotted in the May 2008 issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. We already had everything on hand so it was a really quick mix up. And let me tell you... YUM. They are super sweet and sugary, so small pieces is a must... but they are soooo good. I love things with oats in them and the rhubarb is perfect. Tart!

Taking the first  harvest from our garden was really fun. It has me dreaming of all the other fresh goodness that is just around the corner.

xo,
Jennalou

May!!

I can hardly believe it is May already!! The past 2-3 weeks have just flown by unaccounted for. At least spring has finally made a real appearance. We have some serious blooming going on in the trees just outside my windows and the army of tulips have shown their faces. It's really a beautiful time of year.... I've been trying to enjoy each and everyday, to take it in slowly.

Work has been a different story. I've been having a really hard time keeping myself indoors so I have to apologize to those of you waiting for a shipment... I promise I will be caught up by the end of the week. I've notices a downwards slope in my work and I think it's because it's become so demanding and repetitive. I've been trying to look into the future... to plan for it and I can see already that there are going to be some very big changes in the way I have been doing things and hopefully it will be good for all of us. I'm not really sure of the exact changes that will be made, but I do know that custom and wholesale work is going to be on the back burner for a while.

I want to take a new approach as to what I offer in the shop... but I'm going to keep my lips sealed for a bit on that until I work all the kinks out and feel really good and confident that it is the right choice.

Anyways... enough about that. I hope you all are taking the time to enjoy spring and all the renewed energies that it brings!

xo,
Jennalou

First Colors

The first colors of spring in my yard. It is a beautiful sight to see.

Isn't April lovely?

Black Gold

Ever since early spring hit all I can think about is being outside in the garden. There isn't much there right now, but that doesn't stop it from taking over my every thought. On Saturday night I literally woke up several times with images of planting seeds and pulling weeds in my head.

Our frost free date isn't until early May, so I still have some time before I can really get my hands dirty, but we already started a few projects. One of the things I have been wanting to do for a while now was starting a compost pile. Every gardener knows that compost is the indispensable black gold of the garden.

So after spending some time searching on the web I decided to go with a diy bin made from pallets. I got my pallets for free (thanks mom and 3m) so this was really cost effective for me. We just screwed them together to make two bins and lined them with chicken wire (again free) to keep small things in and small things out (rodents). I originally wanted to have a swinging front door, but the pallets where a bit cumbersome for the task so we are going to figure out a different way in the future. For now it works great.  For the cost of some screws and my time I can now make my very own black gold. 

Jennalou

April Fools Day

Nature played a crew joke on us. 6" of fresh heavy snow to cover those little green arms that were trying so hard to reach up for the sun. The good news is that I think they will be fine and once this snow melts I have a feeling that everything will finally spring into action!!

Happy April Everyone!!

Winter Blooms

My winter bulbs have sprung into full bloom this week. As I left on Friday for the No-Coast show my Amaryllis was only beginning to open up, and when I returned it had really evolved. This is my very first year planting winter bulbs for indoor enjoyment and I've become a real addict. You see... I don't have the best track record with house plants. They usually do well for a while, but within 6 months they are in really sad condition which usually is very uninspiring and I end up killing it. But with these bulbs I feel like there is nothing I could do to stop it. They are so willing to just live on and will do everything in their power to shoot out those BIG beautiful blooms.

I got some paper whites too and am thoroughly enjoying the scent they give off. ** pst... do you see my little helper in the background? She had to sneak in for the photo op. **

I wonder... does anyone know if it's too late to start more of these?? I'd love to get a whole group of them going so I can enjoy them all over my house.

As a quick note I thought I'd mention that I'm FINALLY adding the postcard packs that I've had ready to go for months now to the shop. Don't know how I kept forgetting to photograph them, but it seemed that every time I had a chance

 

to do so it was cloudy out. Anyways they are available in "Sew Savvy" and "Sweet Tooth".

xoxo,
Jennalou

Weekend Warrior

What a great weekend. So much was accomplished around here including lot's of cooking, gardening, reading and knitting.

I spent my Saturday in a luxury of laziness. I joined a new friend for coffee and sewing talk, then came home to knit and read. The scarf took me no time at all and was finished by bedtime. This was the first time I've used yarn with that thick and thin handspun texture and I couldn't be more pleased with how it came together. If you've never tried it before I'd say just do it... You'll love it!

I've been reading lots of gardening books, particularly ones which talk about perennials. They are so beautiful and the thought of only planting once and then enjoying blooms year after year is so charming. As I was removing all the dead veggies from the garden, where next year I plan a patio, I couldn't help but wish (as I have done many times before) that I was on HGTV. They make all the madness and work look so easy peasy. A complete garden reconstruction in just a weekend? Impossible. And although I know they have crews of many people doing many things all at once I can't help but wish that real life were like that. If it were I would have a newly decorated house/garden/garage in just a few short weeks where along the way the HTGV crew asks us to leave for the day and come home to a place we didn't even know was possible and lots of expensive surprises. If only.

I kid though... I really do enjoy doing the work for myself. There is a lot of satisfaction in putting in a long day of hard work when you know it's all yours to enjoy.

Now I better be back to my sewing... I'm sorry if you're waiting for your custom work... I promise I'll be done with all the orders by Wednesday!

** Scarf was knitted on 10.5 needles with Sensations Licorice #2347(2 skeins) which I picked up at my local JoAnn's craft store.

xoxo,
Jennalou