Sunday In Santa Fe

Santa Fe is so nice this time of year. In Texas we are already hitting 100 degree temps. Frankly, I am not cut out for that.  Santa Fe on the other hand is about 80 degrees for the high and 50 for the low. However, the locals think that is hot! To me, it is perfect!  Today I got up and went for a hike around the land where we are staying. I forgot a bit about the altitude. I was huffing and puffing afterwards but it made for a great workout! When I got back I had a "great start breakfast" waiting for me. One of my favorite things to eat for breakfast is granola, yogurt, and berries.

However, I think I may have a new favorite thing to eat for breakfast...a bird in a nest! My sister started making this for me during her visits and as a matter of fact she will be making it for me tomorrow morning and I will be sure to share it with you. 

After breakfast we all got ready to go to mass with my dad at Cathedral Basilica. This is pretty much a tradition for us every Sunday we are in Santa Fe. My dad really loves it.

After Mass we headed over to the La Fonda for lunch. Much to my surprise, my favorite jewelry designer, Rocki Gorman, moved her shop to the La Fonda so after lunch we headed over there. Might I say I want one of every frigging thing in the place. I have my eyes on a pair of dragonfly earrings and may just hop back over there at the end of the week to purchase them. My favorite sales lady was not there which was a bit disappointing but, it was all good because I am in Santa Fe!

Well, anyhoo, back to lunch. I had tortilla soup and shared crab cakes with my mom.

I can't resist either one typically and had to have the the tortilla soup so I was happy when my mom wanted to share the crab cakes.  The Pink Adobe also has some awesome crab cakes. I hope to swing in there too before the end of this little vacation.

My sister had a yummy little goat cheese, veggie, and fingerling potato tart. I love goat cheese. :-)

For dessert, Flan!

My niece Violet loved it!

After lunch we shopped a bit and I picked up a huge can of Chile powder and blue corn meal from the Santa Fe School of Cooking. I love this place. You just can't visit Santa Fe and not go in here. Also, they have the best cooking classes and demos. A must do!

Then we headed back to the casita to relax. I read my Spin Off magazine, wrote in my Happy Book and started up a bit of knitting. I crawled up in my little corner and it was the best. I have a perfect view from here and love to leave the door open that leads to the deck to get a nice breeze. I would be happy if I sat here forever.

After everyone was rested my dad grilled while my sister and I took pictures of the scenery with our new cameras.



Tomorrow my sister and I are hitting up the town for shopping, food, and a bit of mischief. :-)

Cheers!

Santa Fe Here I Come!

It is the wee hours of the morn' and I am about to turn in. I will be getting up at about 4:30am to get ready to head to Santa Fe with my family. I can't wait! We have all had a very rough few months with the loss of 2 family members. I don't think any family should have to loose 1 much less 2 family members in a 2 month time period. So, I hope this trip will provide some comfort.

My garden has been growing quite well! I will be taking this lovely cucumber that I grew all by myself to Santa Fe. I think I may make a tossed salad with it! 

Yippee for gardens!

Cheers! 

How to Make a Garden Trellis

I planted cucumbers about 4-6 weeks ago and they are taking off! I am so proud. They are taking off so much that they have no place to go. So, I decided to make a trellis. 

All you need are a few wooden dowels (I used 6), some gardening twine, a rubber mallet (or something to help hammer the dowel in the ground) and scissors. 

Place the dowels where you want them and hammer them in the ground. I did 2 rows of 3 dowels.

Then, take the gardening twine and start from the bottom up and wrap the twine around the dowels

Take the vines and wrap them up through the twine. Now, you probably already know this but, I should have started sooner that way the vines could have wrapped themselves up the trellis! 

I already have little cucumbers growing. 

So, there you have it. Easy as can be! 

I am also growing cantaloupe...

...and pumpkins...for the first time this year. So, we will see how that goes!  

Now, let me introduce you to the Troops!

My troops are a must have and are my little warriors against any garden sneak attack! I have a huge aunt problem and this is where Captain Diatomaceous Earth comes in. Kills them every time!  My tomato plants became a bit diseased and so Disease B Gon came into action. I don't think this stuff is entirely organic which is a bummer and I am still on the lookout for an organic disease killer. I love insect killing soap. When the bad guys (spider mites and aphids) attack as they do every year, the insect killing soap wipes them out! Fish fertilizer helps give my soil and plants the nutrients it needs. It has a horrible stank to it and I am certain that has some kind of special bug fighting power! 

Cheers! 

Porch Perk Up

My front porch has been looking rather drab. So, I decided it was time to do something about it! I like sitting on the front porch and the back patio but it was missing a sparkle to make sitting out there a bit more fun.  

Here is my front door before. I love how red it is. The previous owner painted it that bright red color. 

The front porch before. 

That little bench was my mothers. I remember it being outside on the patio when I was growing up. I am a bit attached to it which is why I have had it on my porch all these years. But, it is time to let go and switch things up! :-)  

I added a cute new rug....

A decal for the door...

...and my yarn wreath from this tutorial over here.

I love succulents so I went to home depot to pick up a few to put in the planters I found for half price at Hobby Lobby!

I have the round table and chairs that go with the bench on the patio in the back yard. I took 2 of the chairs and a little stool that I had and moved them up front and this is what I ended up with.

When that still was not good enough...it was time for spray paint! 

Good-bye gold mailbox!

Hello orange mailbox! 

Good-bye black chairs and old green stool!

Hello lime green and orange! 

I used one of my vintage cloth napkins to make a little table cloth, added a citronella candle and some rosemary.

I have this little hanging plant hanging on the porch too.

 I am not quite finished but very close. There are a few small touches that I want to add and when I do I will let you know! 

Happy Mother's Day!

What a nice way to celebrate mothers, taking a day out of the year just for them! Really, mothers should get more than just a day for all they do.  My sister and I made grapefruit marmalade and granola for the mothers in our family. My sister is a creative lady and it was her idea so I just went along for the ride and everything turned out delicious! The granola is fantastic. It is so earthy and refreshing.  

We wanted to do a little something special for our mother so...

My sister found this little tray at a thrift store for my mom.

Then, we spray painted it...

...and Mod Podged on some fabric to jazz it up. Kind of like what I did here. 

In addition to the marmalade and granola we made we added some passion Tazo tea and a loaf of apple cinnamon Irish soda bread from Sprouts to the tray.

A breakfast fit for a Queen! 

Cheers! 

Dumpster Diving

One man's trash is another man's treasure, right? Well, in this case it sure is.  I did not go "dumpster diving" per se...however, I did happen on a nice little treasure yesterday afternoon while at work. I was walking down the hall and passed a trash can that someone set outside their door. I noticed a few little green things poking out the top but kept on walking. Then I backed up a bit and looked again. Someone had thrown away a perfectly good pot of assorted succulents! But, I did not want to be gross so I passed it up and walked back to my office. I stood in my office for a few seconds and then went back to the trash can. I looked at it, looked around to see if anyone was watching, peeped through the office door window to see if anyone was in there, and then walked down the hall a bit as to not seem too suspicious. I managed to muster up enough nerve, hurried up to the trash can, and snatched the plant out of the trash. I rushed back to my office so no one would see what I just did and then thoroughly examined the plant. It was still very much alive, had a few dried up bits and pieces and the soil was low. The little aloe in the middle was a bit sad looking and was drooping over to one side. It was obviously suffering the trauma of being tossed in a trash receptical! So, I pruned it a bit, meanwhile my office mate walked and and started laughing at me when she found out what I had done. When 1630 rolled around I took my plant and split. I added a bit of soil to it when I got home and placed it on my front porch.  It is so very happy now.

So, dumpster diving is not so bad after all!

Cheers!

In The Moment

Anthropologie. Need I say more? I love everything about this place and could spend hours there. I love how they "bundle" my clothes in tissue with the little Anthropologie sticker. So, since I love Anthropologie so, I figured this picture would serve as my "In The Moment" post, because when I am shopping in there, I am totally in the moment!

After work today I met up with my mom and sister at Blue Mesa. They have he best happy hour! You get free tacos and nachos when you purchase a drink! It was a long Friday so a few Mojitos were in order. After a few hours of chatting we went over to Anthropologie. It was so much fun. We were in there for a long time because we all just kept finding more and more treasures that we could not resist!  

After Anthropologie we went over to Williams-Sonoma. We each had a shot of espresso from the Pixie machine. I love this machine. It pours a perfect shot with a perfect amount of crema on top. This espresso machine is not messing around either. That was quite the jolt I needed to keep me away for several more hours! My sister also honed in on the Beekman Boys heirloom seeds package. This is quite a package too. I know she is going to grow some great heirloom plants. Go Beekman! 

It was a very nice Friday evening, a great way to start the weekend! Now, we must get working on Mother's Day gifts!