Monday, October 15, 2012

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Aww, look who showed up on my balcony this morning! An enormous Morning Glory! So beautiful! So gorgeous! Yahoo!

Here we are, at the end of the summer, Early Fall (aww, darn it, I thought, for a minute there, until I glanced down at the date on my computer screen - lol - that is was still August - what me thinkin'? Haha!)

September 6th, and here we go, with the Morning Glories!!


Oh My Goodness - see how big the Morning Glory blossom is? It's huuuge! Yahoo! I'm so excited - and these Morning glories are from seed, too - yippee! I just jammed the seeds in the hanging baskets, thought, well, is worth a wee try - lol! 

I just planted my favorite Amaryllis for the Holidays - 

It's one of my favorite things to do for Christmas... : )

Scroll down and you'll come to the Amaryllis Bulb! 

It's so much fun to watch your #Amaryllis Grow! 

Hello, Beautiful! : )

Remember, after your Amaryllis blooms, you can either cut it back, put it in a cool, dry, place, and take it out, again, next year (Same Time, Same Bat Channel - lol!), or, I just pop them outside, let the leaves grow - so pretty! 


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Yahoo! It's Planting Season, outside - yippee! I put in a Tumbling Tom Tomato, because I loove when the tomatoes fall right over the edge of a hanging basket - so exciting! lol!
I'm not try'na make'a you jealous, or nuffin' (lol!), but check out mah' haul from my little Balcony Garden, today! Yippee!! My first Tomato of the season!! : ) 

And I had already started some Potato Vines - just cut the eyes off the potatoes, or cut the potatoes in half, plant them like that (you can plant your potatoes anywhere, your garden plot, potted on a balcony, anywhere at all - no worries : ) You'll love the Potato Vines!



Looks like a little Garden Pizza, right? haha! So cute! So here's the thing - you know when you forget you have tomatoes in the fridge, and before you get a chance to eat them, they've started to go bad (or, have already started packing, can walk out the fridge, all on their own? lol!) 

Anyway, you can just slice your tomatoes, put them on some soil -  have these ones in with my hanging basket of Parsley - the hanging baskets from last year, still have some growth in them, and I want to see what will reseed on it's own - all very exciting, for me - lol! 

But just go ahead and lay the tomato slices in the garden, then cover with some fresh soil - I keep a big bag of soil on the balcony, and just add some fresh soil to the old pots and hanging baskets, ad in new plants, as we go along - It's so Easy! : ) 


Week 7 - Wow, look at all these tomatoes-in-the-making! lol! Oooh, they're gonna be so delicious! So much fun to just pop out to the balcony, pick your own tomatoes, right? Yay! Fresh Veggies! And you grew them, yourself! You can easily start your Hanging Basket inside, too, at any time of year : ) #GetGrowing!

  Week 7 - that's not very long, for this amount of growth, right? so exciting!

My balcony - so pretty! 

  View from my desk - so of course, I gaze over at my fancy hanging basket, all the time - and the little birds are soo crazy for it - they've eaten a fair number of my seeds, no doubt - haha! Seed Dispersal, courtesy of little birds, everywhere - haha!


And I call this one Hanging Basket The Second - remember Thurston Howell, on Gilligan's Island? That's what I immediately think of, anytime anyone has a "The Second", or "The Third" after their name - makes me laugh a little! haha! Okay, maybe it makes me laugh a lot! hahahaha! And is a li'l Shakespearean, too! lol! ; )

So the new Cherry Tomato Seeds that I had also planted in the first hanging basket (Hanging Basket the First? haha!), they've gotten a fair size, now, so I got 3 more hanging baskets, need to get more soil, and I'm thinning out the flowers and tomatoes, give them a little more room to breathe, so-to-speak! Man, we are a'gonna have soo many Cherry Tomatoes! Yay!! Yum!

Week 6! I'm so excited about all these lovely little yellow flowers - Hello, soon-to-be Tomatoes! Yahoo!

Here she is! Now I've made my Hanging Basket a 'she' - a li'l funny! Wow, all that growth, and only Week 6! : )

Oh, and I don't know if you can see it in this pic, but I just jam the old onions into any space available (or, not really available, but if I have something  want to plant, I'll just make a space, jam it in - lol! Mah' fancy gardening techniques! haha! But the onions - just regular old onions - will grow into lovely long green stalks you can eat, or let them grow, and you'll have beautiful white or purple round flowers - so pretty!)


Week 5!! Wow, that's a lot o' fancy growth! : )

Well, somewhere in this hanging basket, I have more Cherry Tomato Seeds - hope the little birds didn't eat them all - lol! See all the stuff I had to add to my basket to keep the birds from eating everything? ha1 But the birds are soo cute, it's hard to keep them from landing on the hanging basket! lol! : )
Wow, Week 5, and this much new growth - that's why I want to encourage everyone to plant something, even the tiniest garden will bring hope and fun, and it's so great to pick the fruit or veggies that you've grown yourself - and kids looove it! Is a great lesson and experience for kids - of all ages - 102! : )


I'm skipping ahead to all these beautiful little Yellow Flowers, all destined to be a delicious Tomato! Yahoo! Only 4 1/2 weeks in - that's amazing!

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You don't need to make gardening tricky - it's pretty basic! lol! Basic and Fun! : ) 

Then I sprinkled in a packet of Perennial Seeds, from Butchart Gardens, so will be a Surprise Garden - yahoo! I love that! Then I'll just transfer any extra little plants over to another Hanging Basket, or give them to my lovely daughter!

When I see some Hanging Cherry Tomatoes, I'll add that in, too - yahoo! Is so much fun to pop out to the balcony, pick some nice fresh veggies off the vine! : )

WEEK 1
Yay! Look at all that growth, one week in! Yippee! It's so much fun, watching your plants grow, right? Can you see the teensy tiny New Growth?

See how little they are? But I'm thrilled to see some new growth, because I honestly thought the little birds who are always playing on my balcony, had had a lovely little schnack o' mah' brand new seeds - Thanks, Ma! We didn't even KNOW you wee serving dinner, tonight! lol! But, there you go, some new growth - yahoo! And I can see my new Hanging Basket from my desk, is really pretty! : )

Sometimes just the tiniest evidence of new growth is all it takes for you to hang on, keep moving forward, with whatever project you happen to be working on - is it yourself? Me, too! lol! (And mah' Blog! lol!)



Yay! Look at all this new growth!

WEEK 2
You gotta reeally look to see the New Growth! lol! So cute! Super exciting, and now I know the little birds haven't eaten all my seeds - lol!
 Nice, right? See the yellow flowers on the Tomato, already? And the Tumbling Tom Tomato (hilarious name! haha!), is lovely and stalky - I mean, stocky - no one wants a stalky kind'o guy, that's fo' sho'! - juuust what you want in a hardy plant - or a man? bah'hahahahaha!)


We're still in Week 2, but look who has arrived in my Hanging Basket?? I loove Seed Dispersal - How Amazing Cool Is THAT?? Wow, Thanks, Universe - yo' so smart! 
 Oh, these two - lol! Findin' a new home in my Hanging Basket! lol!

So, what my theory is, and this seeeems to be the case, although, I immediately Googled, Do Petals Turn into Seeds, or, Are Petals Seeds? Me need to know! 

So this is the tree view from my balcony - soo gorgeous, every April, but then the wind picks up, and blows off all the petals, right, and they flutter and play out in the wind, is sooo crazy-gorgeous, like it's raining pink petals - is beyond pretty - so lovely! And THEN, yesterday, I was hanging my head out the window, as I am wont to do, looking at my flowers on the balcony, the view, you know, the usual things you would hang your head out the window and look at - take some deep breaths until another smoker lights up, ruins my lovely fresh air - oh, please, tinks about switching to Vapor or the Nicotine Toothpicks, then no more smoke in the air, AND, will really cut down on Forest Fires... anyway, I digress (Whaat? When have I ever digressed?? haha!)

Anyway, I found one relatively good link - I loved the way the person wrote it - very charming, that person - lol! Plus, I was very struck by how we're all pretty much made up of all the same bits and pieces... again with the Ovaries?? That's amazing, Universe! Thank you!! We love you, too! Wow, the Miracle of Life, right? lol! I'll go get you that link...http://www.shmoop.com/plant-biology/plant-reproduction.html  Hello, Reproduction! lol! 

WEEK 3

Haha! Look what I had to run out and jam into the soil - those crazy little birds - they're super-cute, they were landing on my Hanging Basket, I really, really wanted to take a picture of them, then I saw them gleefully eating all my fancy seeds - haha! So funny! Li'l Crazies!

So, years ago, you used to just get an empty CD, right, or an old one, doctor it up so you could either hang it, or add a CD to a post of some sort, hang the CD in the garden, that really helps to keep the birds out - and probably other animals who might like to come and eat all your lovely plants... 

Anyway, have NO idea where I might have some old CDs - lol! But I DID happen to have a round and shiny Christmas Ornament, ironically enough, and of course I have a lot of fancy gems and whatnot, around the house, so I added some wires, jammed a couple o' Butterflies and Gems in my tiny garden ... so, we'll see if it works - those little birds, they make me laugh! : )

Isn't this amazing - that's a lot of plant growth in Three Weeks!

Wow, so many pretty little yellow flowers - that's gonna be soo many delicious Tomatoes! : )

See, this is the side, where I have lots of little random Flower Seeds, and then my favorite Cherry Tomato Seeds - and the Tumbling Tom Tomatoes I picked up at the Fairway - so nice! : )

WEEK 4 - wow, look at all that growth! : )


See where the birds have been sitting around, tryin' to figure out how to get back into mah' Hanging Basket? Those crazy little birds - so funny! 

This tomato is soo strong! The Cherry Tomatoes are on the other side of the Hanging Basket - I jammmed that li'l basket full o' seeds! lol! : )

View from my balcony - so pretty!






Week 14 - WOW!! Omg, this Amaryllis is all grown up, and sooo gorgeous!  It's like having a whole bouquet of lovely red flowers! I'm so glad I put her on the fireplace mantel, in front of the big mirror - gives me double the amount of color and blossoms!! lol! 




Amaryllis - Day 1
 Yippee, it's that time of year, again, when we start seeing Amaryllis Bulbs in the stores!  Yahoo!  I loove growing an Amaryllis bulb - they're soo much fun, and one of the fastest growing flowers out there, so if you have kids, or you're a teacher, and you want to bring this into the classroom for the kids to measure the craaazy fast growth rate, then enjoy these gorgeous Amaryllis blossoms in a couple of months, that's really fun, too!  The kids'll get a real kick out of how a peat pellet works, too, since it doesn't look

  The kids'll get a real kick out of how a peat pellet works, too, since it doesn't look like a whole lot of soil in the pellet form, but they'll have fun pouring the water on the peat pellet, and watching it grow into 'real soil'!  Is fun! 
The little Peat Pellet at the bottom of the pot : )


Add a capful of Hydrogen Peroxide to a Gallon of Water, make your plants stronger - really does make a difference! I just wash out the Milk Jug, is super easy... use tepid water, not hot, not cold, just add the little cap of Hydrogen Peroxide from the bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide, pour that half way through filling your gallon jug. I just leave it on the Balcony, for the next time I'm watering my plants out on the Balcony : )  

And you can use the Hydrogen Peroxide for lots of things - great for your skin, great for removing make-up (not around your eyes - use Coconut Oil for that - lol!), will heal almost anything, you can mix it with a little baking soda, whiten your teeth... clean teeth, great skin, AND healthier plants! For Under $2 bucks??  Yes, please! haha! Clearly, me yuvs da Hydrogen Peroxide! lol! 
10% OFF ENTIRE GROWERSHOUSE SITE! Wouldn't it be soo great to have Fresh Tomatoes, Fresh Cherry Tomatoes (my personal favourite! Yum!), Fresh Strawberries... Really, all your favourite Fruits and Veggies that grown on vines or in pots... 


I first found out about Hydroponics in University (nooo, it's not what you might be thinking - hahahaha!  It really WAS for the Tomatoes - hahaha!).

Anyway, if you're interested in Hydroponics, want to save money on your fresh fruits and veggies (they're a craazy price in Canada), and you want to Grow Your Own, Hydroponics might be something to look into...really extend your Growing season : ) 
2 cups of warm water on top of the peat pellet
 I'll keep updates to show you how quickly the Amaryllis plant grows... it takes a minute for it to get started, since the bulb has been 'sleeping' for a while, but once it gets started, it's so much fun to watch it grow, and, frankly, it helps the time go quickly between now and Christmas! lol!
The peat pellet, all grown up! lol!




A close-up view of the peat pellet : )
Well, I don't know how this picture ended up at the very bottom of the page, and now I can't get it to go back up where I want it, but that's just another view of the peat pellet! lol!


Can you see the little Flowering Bud in the back, behind the new leaves? Is tricky to see ! lol! 
Week 2 - Here she comes!! It might take a minute to get your Amaryllis bulb to get started, but no worries, it'll take off before you know it, and one day you'll walk into the room, and it'll make you laugh, it's grown so much! lol! 

Week 3 - almost forgot to post the picture! lol! Here come the leaves!  And the little Flowering Bud is coming up behind the leaves... one thing you have to watch out for with an Amaryllis Bulb, is sometimes I've gotten a 'dud', in that only leaves grow, no flowers, which is soo upsetting, at first, then you just accept it, enjoy the leaves, but if you find that you've got a 'dud' Amaryllis Bulb, just take it back to the store where you bought it and ask if you can exchange it for a good one, but give your Amaryllis Bulb a good 4 weeks to produce the 'flowering bulb', just in case it's a 'late bloomer'! hahaha!  Sounds like me, a late bloomer! lol! 


Whaat??  Week 3 for my little Amaryllis??  Man, it's been too long since I've been on here! lol! Finally, my little Amaryllis is growing - was at a bit of a stand-still, there, for a minute! So here she is, now... and I think we're finally at the fast-growing stage... in my mind, apparently this is the only stage I remember - that and the gorgeous blossoms!  It's not too late to get your Amaryllis and get it to bloom for Christmas... maybe New Years!! haha! 




 Week 5 - You can see both flower buds are coming through - like baby teeth! 

Week 7 or maybe Week 8... I've lost count, now, waiting and waiting and waiting!! But here she comes, my little Amaryllis! This girl likes to take her time, but she'll be gorgeous when she finally blossoms - can't wait!  



Ooh, you can see 'someone' is leanin' to the left, so I had to move my Amaryllis (still a 'she'?? lol!) over beside the Christmas Tree, my theory being that there's a constant source of lots of light from all my fairy lights on the Tree! lol!

You can really see the lean, right? Or left! hahaha!




Week 9 : A new home for my Amaryllis, who is maybe a Mr. Amaryllis, at this point... hahaha! Two giant stalks with huge buds, and all those lovely leaves in the middle - I'm sure my beautiful Amaryllis will be in bloom for Christmas! Yahoo!  This is the stage where your Amaryllis will be growing like mad, sometimes a few inches a day! How exciting is that?? : )


Week 10!! Wow, look how tall my Amaryllis is, this week!  She is a'growin'!! The big stalk is 17", and the wee sister is 15"! lol! But both the blossoms will be stunningly gorgeous! Canny wait!! : )


Week 11 - See how my pretty Amaryllis is just starting to open?  Sooo lovely!! 






Week 12 - Wow, she's sooo beautiful!!  And these are just the first two big blossoms! How gorgeous is this lovely Amaryllis??  And I have her (now I have decided that, fer sures, my Amaryllis is a 'she'! hahaha!) a spot right in the middle of the mantelplace, right in front of the mirror, so it looks like even more blossoms!  Here's a funny thing, though - usually I've had 4 or 5 blossoms per bud, but on this Amaryllis, the first bud has two gigantic, gorgeous red blossoms, and the second bud is just starting to open... it's a surprise every time! lol!



Week 12 - Oh, wow, I just can't get enough of these lovely Amaryllis blossoms.  they are soo gorgeous, and they last for ages, too!  And then just let the leaves grow up, then later, maybe around February or March (or never, if you get really fond of the leaves! lol!  ), you can cut the leaves right back (you'll have cut the stalks off when the blossoms are done), put your bulb in a cool place, and save it 'til next September/October.  See, a recyclable plant! lol! 


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There, do you like the mirrored look?? lol!  And you know what??  I got that mantelplace for $20!!  No kidding!  I brought it home, cleaned it up, put the mirror over it, and a mirror in it, and Voila, it looks like we have a fancy fireplace!! Yippee!! And I love the Amaryllis right in the middle, as a lovely center piece : )

Week 14 - Sooo gorgeous, in full bloom! 





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Week 14 - Wow, this Amaryllis is just soo beautiful!  There are 7 full blossoms, fully opened, now!  Amazing! 


After your beautiful Amaryllis Blossoms peg out, and you've cut back each of the main stems, the leaves will come right up, and they'll last for ages.  Mine are just starting to fall, they've gotten so high, so I just lean them against the big mirror over the fireplace, and put a wee tie at the bottom of the leaves... I used a light wire with some beads on it, but a nice ribbon, wee sting, or floral tape will work well to hold the leaves together, so they won't flop over from their weight. 


When the leaves have had it, too, just trim them right down at the bottom of the bulb, and put the bulb somewhere cool and dry until next September/October, then you can take it out and start all over again! See how easy?? : )



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Grocery Delivery - and they have Amaryllis Bulbs, too! : )

This is so cool - let's say you've now been binge watching your fave shows, and you STILL have 4 more seasons left of your brand new-to-you show, soo you don't want to get up off the couch, but, also, you know you should probably get you' some groceries?

Problem - Solution! lol! 

Check and see if your area is covered by either VONS or Safeway... they cover some of the same areas, and some different areas - does that make sense? lol!

I loove this Delivery Service for Groceries and whatever you might need, right to your door, just in general, but what a great idea in bad weather, no more stooopid traffic, or if you're not feeling up to going out to the store, or you just don't feeeel like going out to the store...or if you're like me, and get so caught up in whatever you're working on, and don't want to stop just 'for food' - haha! And no need for Taxis, if you need to take a cab to the grocery store...that's a huge savings, right there, right?

Wow, Grocery Delivery Service - that's fantastico!! Yippee!!  Hello, Future - you look great! : )




I think this is such an amazing new service for your groceries - and anything you ever need from the grocery store - if you've ever had a time when you had a tiny baby, or you're super-busy (same thing - hahaha! All the New Moms will be laughing, now - lol!)..but if you're busy at work, or busy at home, or traffic, or you're busy binge-watching your favorite shows - hahahahaha! This might be the new wave of the future, right? Ordering your groceries online?

And I would imagine you would save a lot of money, since you would just buy what you actually need... might really work for dieting, too, since, well, if we're in the store, and be 'we', I mean 'me'...anyway, let's say I've got my grocery list, then I'm at the store, and I think, you know what, I'll just nick down the Candy Aisle, see if Chocolate is on sale (see how much I like Sale Chocolate - hahaha! Is it tastier, or just less expensive?? We'll never know! It's all gone, now - hahaha!)

Not that you couldn't just 'browse' for that, anyway... right? Me thinkin', now, o' course, where is the Sale Chocolate, online?? hahaha! But let's say you're you, and not me, and you have a LOT more self control than maybe ME do... so you order all the things you really wanted, and not just a whole cart full o' Wunderbars, on sale... hahahaha! Wouldn't THAT be fun - just a cartful of Sale Chocolate?? haha! Okay, clearly, me needs a treat! lol! : ) #SaleChocolate! Ha!

Shop Gifts Under $10 from See's Candies!Create your own Custom Chocolate Mix at See's Candies!  Okay, this is MY kind o' Luxury Reward - me always 'reward' mah'self wit' da delicious chocolates! hahaha!  I loove Sees Candies - soo deeelish! The Walnut Squares (#43 - is it bad for me to know the number?? hahahahaha!) (I've got your number..oooh, is it #43??  I hope so! lol!) Ooh, and I see that Sees has a sale, right now, Take $4 off of $20? Yahoo! Sale Chocolate - yes, please! haha! Yum! Don't mind if ah' do...lol! : )

 I just popped out to the balcony to take a picture of the Amaryllis from LAST Christmas...and to gaze at yet another gorgeous Rainbow! 

I didn't have the heart to cut the leaves down after Christmas, and pop it back in the Amaryllis Box, like you would do in a colder climate, because now we're in Victoria, BC, Canada, and is very mild, here, soo, I thought, well, I'll just pop it out to the balcony, if it wilts away, then I'll cut it back, put in in the closet for next year (or any dark, cool, and dry place)...but here's the thing - look how healthy the Amaryllis Leaves are! lol! Who knew? 

It's November 1st, today, sooo ... I'll have to buy some more Amaryllis Bulbs - is one of my favorite parts of the Christmas Season... so gorgeous! And you can see I jammed in the Kale/Cabbage Plants from our Thanksgiving Table into the planters on the balcony - I literally, just take them out the containers and jam them into the pots - haha! Works for me! lol! Hope you're having the loveliest day!! Or night - oooh... hopefuly, both! Ailsa : ) 

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