Coming soon to a blog near you....

I got a box. *grins*....what's in the box? Oh, I'm not telling. The only hints I will give you is that there will be a party, and I will be posting all about it! It also involves kids and water. 

We have lift-off!

Greetings everyone! The garden is now growing and producing in full force. Nothing harvested yet, aside from a few beans and strawberries...but it's all growing rather impressively. 

    

No real problems to report. I did have to apply some Sevin Dust to the entire garden, as we have random bugs invading from all sides!! But a sprinkling or two of "the dust" and they subside within a day or two. 

I have also found that washing the leaves and bits (top and bottom) on the tomato plants keep the lil buggers away between 'dustings'. 

Okies...that's it for now...later gators!

Garden Update

With the torrential downpours of May over, we have finalized our garden layout and have a current count of what made it. The majority survived, which I was very happy about. I also realize my pictures are not as good as they could be, but I have been taking them with my phone...as I can't find the batteries for my camera. Soon, though...soon. Heh.

So,  in the main garden we have:
15 green bean plants, 2 bell pepper plants, 4 habenero pepper plants (but I think 2 may not make it, it could go either way), 2 ghost pepper plants, 14 tomato plants (very healthy ones too), 8 jalapeno plants, 24 Brussels sprouts, 8 cabbage, 4 lettuce, 2 zucchini and 2 cucumber.

Randomly around the yard we have:
2 strawberry plants, and the sunflower plants (which seem to live through anything), Cilantro, Basil...and some other random things.

So here's some pictures to show off...

The tomato's...

Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cucumber and zucchini... 

The sunflowers...

Strawberries...

Cilantro and basil.

A McDonalds review....a good one, this time!

A McDonalds Review....that isn't bad. Wait...what?

Normally...I avoid McDonalds, especially the one nearest to where I live. I have been burned so many times by this place, I rarely expect anything more than microwaved food, incorrect orders and cold fries for increasingly high prices. 

Sooooo...one day...no food around and we decide to go to our local McD's and order something crappy for lunch, not expecting much more than the above. They have this new thing...."Signature Crafted Sandwiches". 

"Meh, ok" we say, and order two different kinds. He gets the Pico Guacamole Burger, on an artisan roll and I order the Maple bacon Dijon crispy chicken sandwich, also on an artisan roll. We get home...and he is first to try his burger, which he loved. But to be fair...he was hungry and would have been happy with most anything. 

My Maple Bacon crispy chicken sandwich ...shown below ...was amazing. Seriously. For a fast food place, the chicken was moist, yet cooked. The onions were grilled but not raw, the bacon actually had flavor and the Dijon added a nice little zip of flavor. 

This review has not been paid for... in fact, I paid full price for it. I am disappointed that McDonalds is raising prices on almost everything, but most fast food places are...meh. 

This, however....was yummmmmy. 

Garden Watch 2017....update.

Well...it took forever...but the garden is just about ready. We used mulch from a friend who simply shredded a tree for us.....and applied it lightly only around the plants themselves. 

Here is a head count as of now, after a bit of flooding did some damage. Some may or may not make it...we'll have to do another head count in a week or so to be sure. 

----

14 tomato plants (2 varieties)

2 ghost peppers

2 habenero 

2 more habenero that may not make it

2 green pepper

10 (or so) green bean plants

8 jalapeno ?

6 cabbage (I think)

4 lettuce

24 Brussels sprouts 

...and still to plant are the strawberries, zucchini and cucumbers.

What we lost for sure, the radishes. This was mostly my fault for not planting in time. :( 

The Garden...In the beginning....

*cue dramatic news-at-9 type music* ....Welcome to The SugarHigh Lounge's Garden Watch...2017....*bah bahhhhhh bammmm* ...

Heh. So...it began at the beginning of May. Today we finished putting up the fence to keep out any critters that think our veggies look tasty, and also our dog...and cat. So far we have planted green beans, jalapeno, tomatoes, green peppers and habenero peppers. 

Oh, there will be more. Hahaha. 

A short tutorial... Glitter Camo Frame

Once upon a time....my boss (true story, but she's my "assistant" boss, I suppose) asked me to "bling" her frame for a fancy certificate she had just received. She said I could do anything I want...

The before. 

The frame...a sad dark brown wood-like thing with a gold paint 'beads' around the inside. 

I used the following for this frame: 

- Acrylic paint

-Various colors of Martha Stewart Ultra Fine Glitter.

-Random nail polish colors to match the glitter colors, and a clear polish.

-"Paillette" nail decor (tiny plastic hearts and stars for fingernail decoration)

-Any clear enamel for topcoat (a sealer works best).

The directions are simple. 

Prep: You will need a flat surface, something to lay under the frame to catch the excess glitter (I used foam plates to 'catch' the glitter and return it to the tubes to use later). Remove the glass and the cardboard backing from the frame. 

1. Paint entire frame with a base coat of any color of Acrylic paint, (I used a light pink, color doesn't matter too much but a light color will let the glitter shine as a lighter color, and dark base coats will make the glitter seem darker in color). 

2. Apply another base coat and let this dry overnight (12 hours). 

3. Allow to dry overnight, or at least 12 hours. 

4. Paint nail polish in sections, one color at a time. Any design or just 'blobs' like I did. Immediately sprinkle heavily with glitter. Let sit for about a minute and shake off excess glitter. 

5. Repeat this process for every color you choose to use. 

6. Using a clear nail polish around the inner edges of the frame, add the paillettes in matching colors.

7. Do any touch ups that are needed. Adding more nail polish and glitter as needed. 

8. Nail polish dries in about 15 minutes, so allow it to dry completely. 

9. Spray entire frame with the clear enamel sealer (take it outside, of course), then allow this to cure for 24 hours. 

10. Replace glass, and cardboard backing....and you're done!