Smoothie Land

Happy Holidays

ctackett77 — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 23:36:37 +0000

Hi Ya’ll! Sorry it has been a while since I posted, and a very long while since I have posted regular. Crazy days of the holidays. I have been busy working, trying make extra money to buy the hubby something really nice for Christmas. I also have been busy decorating the house for the Holidays. Everything is looking wonderful! The one thing I do not like about the winter time is that I am unable to work in the yard with my tools. I have been trying to keep all of the plants I have in the house perky and alive, lol. Sometimes not an easy job when you have gas heat. I find that a humidifier helps out a great deal in conjunction with a mister (or you can stick your plants in the shower and turn it on). I did, however, bought a Norfolk Pine to have in the house until I got the tree up. I plan on planting that sucker in my front yard by where I buried my beautiful Siamese cat Ruby. She died Thanksgiving Day. I am going to post a picture of her on one of my other blogs (links located on the sidebar). Anyway, I am going to plant it there where it is closer to the house. Gotta love greenery year round. I will post tomorrow on the care for it. I did take a picture and am adding it below. Happy Holidays to all ya’ll out there in the blogoshpere!

Happy Gardening!

Miss Crystal

More Pictures From Earlier In The Year

ctackett77 — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 03:46:49 +0000

Hi ya’ll! I just wanted to show you guys some pics of my plants, including the newest ones I added this year. It has been so cold and rainy and all I can seem to think about is how my yard will look come spring time. I am a nut! By the time spring does get here, I will be chomping at the but to do some yard work and mess with my plants and bushes. This next year we are going to be tackling our fruit trees, trying to nurse them back to they way they should be. After years of neglect, they just do not produce like they ought to. Anyway, here are the photos!

The last two pictures are of my newest flowerbed. Believe it or not, it is made of posts leftover from an electric pet fence, green weedeater line, and lined with some kind of ore, lol. I got it started and culd not get my materials to cooperate, the hubby took over and TADAAA! He is awesome!

Happy Gardening!

Miss Crystal

More Zoo Photos

ctackett77 — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 20:41:25 +0000

Hi ya’ll! I wanted to add some more of the scenery photos from our zoo trip to share with you guys. I have more than just scenery photos posted on my other blogs, links can be found to the right side of the page. I have been taking a bit of a break for the last couple of days to get the grocery shopping done and start preparing for winter and the holidays. (and those are coming way too fast) Anyway, back to the photos, I got some really nice ones for you guys this go round. I am also adding two photos of the fall colors that I see from my front porch. I hope you enjoy them!

Happy Gardening!

Miss Crystal

Looky Looky

ctackett77 — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:06:21 +0000

I wanted to post some more scenery photos today from the zoo, but I forgot that when I was sick, I had a very beautiful bud that came out on the rose bush. Now mind you, lol, I have to get in some odd positions to get photos of my flowers. I took 10 pictures before I could get one where me and the dang bush were both still at the same time. I didn’t care though, it is fun to take photos, especially when you actually get a few that turn out perfect. I promise I will post more of the scenery photos, I will also have some of the fall leaves at my house. The dogwoods are turning red right now, and the sugar maple is orange. They are beautiful!

Happy Gardening!

Miss Crystal

Hi There!

ctackett77 — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:12:27 +0000

Sorry I have not posted in awhile, I was sick to begin with, and then when I got over it, everyone else in the family got i. So I have been nursing my kids and my husband back to health. Anyway, we went to the zoo Saturday and I took some awesome pictures of the trees and stuff they have planted. I took more pictures of that than I did animals because we have been so many times, and I have a newfound appreciation of scenery pictures, lol. The feedback I have received from my readers has also helped me gain confidence in my photos. Thank you all for commenting and telling me how much you enjoy them. It really makes my day! So, here are some photos for now, will be posting more in the days to come!

Happy Gardening!

Miss Crystal

My Babies

ctackett77 — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 01:45:49 +0000

I bought a Spider plant, or Airplane Plant, at the beginning of the spring. This is one of my favorites. As some of you know, this plant puts off babies on the end of what I would call runners. You can clip these little babies off and plant them in dirt, keep it watered well with bright indirect sun, and they will grow like crazy. Earlier this summer, I did just that. Now mind you, these start of as very small little plants. I brought them in for a few nights to protect them from the frost, and decided to take a picture of them tonight to show all of you. I am so proud of how they are doing. These are variegated, now I would like to get a solid green one.

Happy Gardening!

Miss Crystal

Smoothie Land’s First Award

ctackett77 — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 04:50:14 +0000

Hi there everyone! I got my first award for Smoothie Land today! Laura from The Work From Home Mother was nice enough to bestow this upon my little garden blog. She has a wonderful blog and shares all the tips and leads she finds for us work-at-home moms. I have become a daily visitor because I can’t wait to see what she finds next.

Ok, now on to the specifics. If your name appears in my list, you may put the logo on your blog, link back to the person that gave it to you, and then pass it on to up to 7 blogs that you are a regular reader or visitor to. After you post the list, go to their blog and give them a holler, let ‘em know you are giving them this award by posting a comment. Here is my list of new favorite blogs:

1. Ms Frugal McDougal

2. Beetle’s Memories ‘n’ Ramblings

3. Pregnant with Cancer

4. The Daily Dish

5. Everything PLUS the Kitchen Sink

6. Random Thoughts

7. Steam Powered Rings

Thank you again to Laura, keep on blogging!

Happy Gardening!

Miss Crystal

African Violets

ctackett77 — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 22:01:12 +0000

This is a beautiful plant and one I would like to get and grow myself. I can now that we moved to a bigger place and I actually have room to sit it somewhere where it can get enough indirect light. They need to have at least 10 hours of indirect bright light a day. Do not give it more than 16 hours if you use artificial lighting, it has to have 8 hours of dark. I always thought it was an old wives tale that they will not grow well if they are grown in terracotta pots, but I have done enough research on the internet on them to agree with the theory. Every site I have read says not to use them because they are porous and hold stuff in them that can harm the plant. Before you water the plant, let the water sit out overnight and let the chlorine evaporate out or use room temperature bottled water. You need to bottom water the plant. Do this by adding water to the saucer it sits in and let it soak up the water from the bottom. Then pour the water out of the saucer. Do not let it stay moist or get completely dry either. I will let you guys know when I get mine and how it goes, lol.

Happy Gardening!

Miss Crystal

Garden Visitor

ctackett77 — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 22:37:17 +0000

We had a little garden visitor today, Mr. Inch Worm. He was mighty tiny and mighty cute. I don’t think they do damage to your plants, at least I have not heard of it. But if anyone knows if they do, please let me know. I am desperately trying to keep the insects and critters from taking over my yard. I already had one pesky little disappearing hibiscus leaf eater this year that stripped the hibiscus my mama rooted up for me. AAARRRGGG! Me and Mr. Sevendust are going to have a hayday this next year. I live in the city, and lived in a trailer park (yes, Gail, I said trailer park, it’s not a mobile home community when you have freaks living there) for 8 years, so moving to our house (which is still in the city) surrounded completely by woods has been way different. But, as usual I will rise to the occasion and defeat the critter army, lol.

Happy Gardening!

Miss Crystal

Caring for Bloodleaf (Iresine herbstii)

ctackett77 — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 21:57:54 +0000

This has been an easy plant to care for. One of the best things about it is this is a perennial. They like partial shady areas, the more shady the spot the darker purple their leaves are. When it gets more sun, the leaves will kind of bronze some and the veins stay pink. The bloodleaf will bush well if you keep it pruned. Most folks plant this for its beautiful foliage, although it does bloom little white spear like flowers at the end of the branch. I usually keep the flowers pinched off so it will put more juice to the plants and bush more. It also takes a little less water than some of my other plants.