Who would you have for coffee? Part 1

Part 1:
I just had a super sweet friend over for coffee this morning. It was so nice to catch up with her over a fantastic cup of jo! Such fun!

Then I began to think. Wow, I have a lot of neat new friends in the blogging world. Who would I want to have coffee with from the blogging/internet world!

So here is the question: Which three people you would like to have over for a morning coffee in your garden?

Photo via Country Living

Wouldn't it be neat - you could sit in your garden and have a wonderful brunch and get some fresh ideas, tips, and input! I bet there would be lots of smiles and laughing too!



Photo via Country Living

 I know most of us like to do our own "designing" and digging but I welcome fresh new ideas especially from super duper talented folks!



Photo via Country Living


Oh, and I know we would all pick our family first and fore most but for the sake of fun let's keep our pretend guests someone new and we have never met before!

I know that there are so many wonderful people that you would like to invite! But the question was to limit it to three! It can be a blogger, interior designer, landscape architect or anyone! Please leave your answer in the comments! I love reading comments! More addictive than candy!

In case you are wondering on my choices here goes. I am working on my baby garden and I would want to have some garden design input. Here is the first invitee -  I think I would like to have Margie Grace from Margie Grace Design over for a little cup of coffee!

I am mesmerized at the wonderful landscapes she has created. Are you ready for some serious eye candy? (All photos are from her website http://www.gracedesignassociates.com/ and you MUST go there and see even more awesome ideas and photos!)

I love the Mexican Bush Sage (purple on the right) with the turquoise accents!

I am a huge fan of aqua glazed pots!

The above vintage vignette is beyond cool!  Yes, please!

But then she can do formal.

The above is a fun herbal garden with a fun sprinkler. My three year old would love the sprinkler and I would love the garden!

Then for another look (that I love) is roses. Isn't this a morning coffee spot waiting for you!

More agave and roses!

Then formal roses again!

What a fun time I could have visiting with her and getting ideas for my little ol' garden. I want it to have all these elements (vintage, roses, formal, cottage, agave, etc.). You know I am a girl who likes cake and wants to eat it too!

I know you are thinking well there are lots of talented designers out there why her! Well, you are right I think there are many talented designers out there but on her website there is one garden that is full of fun vegetables and kiddos picking veggies. It's hers!

It looks like a very happy place.

 Evidently this is her garden that she did on a next to nothing budget as a single mom! Wow! She is talented and down to earth.

Here is a quote from her website, "Today, Margie's little house and yard on a street called Paseo Tranquillo truly is a tranquil sanctuary. She learned beyond a shadow of a doubt that great spaces can be created in any small corner, and on any size budget. She learned that anything is possible with vision, commitment and resourcefulness. And she learned that, as Walt Disney once said, "It's kind of fun to do the impossible!"



Garden belonging to Margie Grace.


I like that. I think I will think of that quote the next time I am working on a tough part of the garden! "It's kind of fun to do the impossible!" -Margie Grace and Walt Disney

Stay tuned for the other two pretend invitees next post!

This Week In My Garden

I hope everyone is having a wonderful time in their garden. So I took a few photos this morning. Have a great weekend!

This agave just bloomed and it is right outside my kitchen window.

A fun yellow sphere next to an iris.

Electric Blue Sage

One of the front door pots. Petunias, zinnias, red sage and variegated box leaf euronymous.

Squash bloom from the kitchen garden.

Plums ripening in morning sun.

Murphy helping me in the garden.

More plums.

Love the patina.

Thanks for visiting!

I am joining The Little Round Table for this week in my garden here. Go take a look at all the wonderful gardens plus the tablescapes are spectacular!

Bathroom Remodel at the Ranch

Oh, I love change for the better! I thought I would give you a little update on the Ozona ranch house remodel! The guest bath needed some updating! The house was built in the 1930's by my great-grand parents. It is a cute stucco with screened in porches!

The house had some updates in the 1950's. So it was a cute cheerful yellow bathroom but it needed a little work to freshen things up!

Here is the before photos:

Formica countertops.

There was old propane gas heaters that needed to be removed for safety reasons.

Soooo.... Dad added oak counter tops that he put together using oak flooring pieces.

Here is a closer view of the oak flooring countertops. The tile is from Home Depot and is very economical.

He added in oak floors, retiled and repainted!

Here is the new bathroom!

I thought that the tile looked great with the old Mexico pottery from the 1930's. My great grandmother collected them.

There is a little blue in these tiles and it looks great. We really like how simple and clean the new bath is. Hope y'all have a great day!

I am joining Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Go fly a kite or kiss my ... What?!!!!!

Well, I bet that got your attention! Get your mind out of the gutter! Shame on you for thinking this isn't a PG rated gardening blog! This is just a post on what we do for fun out here in West Texas while we are waiting on rain and the plants to start greening up.

We fly kites in 30 mph winds.

We hope the kids don't fly too far. However, if a big gust should take them away we know our neighbors so they would return the kids pronto. Ha Ha

Also, we feed the pet donkey bread and give him some kisses. Jack is his name by the way.

Yeah, he knows he is cute.
But seriously can you see how dry it is out here? You may have heard about all the terrible wildfires out here recently too! So we are doing two things:

First, as Kiley says we are praying for Jesus to send a rainbow and rain to make all the black green. That is what she told me when she saw all of the black burned land.

Billy Marginot ASSOCIATED PRESS via Austin Statesman Website

Second, we are taking a trip to see water! Hey, if the mountain won't come to you, you go to it (so to speak)! So off we go down south!

photo via jackmaryetc.com

Everyone have a fantastic weekend! Enjoy your gardens!

What's in your potting bench?

So, here is a personal question for all you gardeners out there - "What's in your potting bench?"

Actually, I have never used a potting bench. Tisk, tisk, yes it was not very sophisticated of me but I would just plant or pot wherever I was working at the time. Therefore, it seemed like I was always going to the shed for soil, the garage for scissors, and so on. Soooo.....I vowed to become civilized and use a potting bench!

Oh, what lovely potting benches there are out there too!

Ugh...yes please!

Here is one from Brooke at Velvet and Linen's trip to Chicago.

Next, we have some inspiration from the movie, "It's Complicated":

and some more eye candy from It's Complicated.

But, honestly this one doesn't make me happy. It makes me think - hmmm.. oh how do I put this - messy! Okay, so I could go for a neat and tidy look like this one below from World Market:

Yeah, it doesn't look like a "real" gardener lives there does it? Not enough room to do much there. So, maybe I could go for something with more character?

I loved this one:

But it is a little too ornate for my garden "look". However, the member of gardenweb, kirkus, did do an excellent job because this potting bench started from this:

So that has me thinking maybe something on the home made side with character!
So then I thought about making this one that is on Sunset's website. They give you nice instructions too!

But then reality set it and I realized that I have WAY too long of a honey do list already!

So, then I thought about being "green" and using what I already have. Hmmm..... what do I have in the shed already? I do have a little piece that I redid back in college from a junk shop... hmmm... where is that?

While I am looking for a potting bench I have a couple of questions for you! My questions out there to all of you master gardeners is do you have a potting bench? What kind? What do you store there?

Thanks for sharing! Gardening is such a fun learning process! I love to read comments from new friends too!