Everythings going to come up-at least I hope so

I wanted to share what I finally got around to planting from my recent QVC purchases. The pictures aren't cooperating today, so some wouldn't load and some are a bit off. Anyway, first up are the peonies I got and I so hope they manage to survive. They rank right up there with my very favorite flowers. Too bad they only bloom such a short time, I could really have them around me every day.

Next is an indoor plant called a Totem Pole. Weirdest plant I have ever seen. They send you the bare trunk which has had the ends dipped in wax. You scrape off one end and soak for several weeks, and theory is you get a plant like this. Only time will tell if I can master this one!

Now comes one of 4 subzero roses I got. This is out of order, but oh well. The fourth one wouldn't upload and is a beautiful pink!

These are gloriosa lilies that climb. I had them a couple years ago and they didn't really do well, but we had crazy weather so wanted to try again. Can't wait to see what happens, although a couple of them arrived with mold and one was kind of mushy. Send an email to see if I can get a replacement for that one.

Here are 2 more of the rose collection. I had to put them all in pots as still have to haul more fill dirt to complete the front yard and couldn't wait any longer to get these babies planted. I will transplant them eventually as the yard gets done.

So, now all I need is some nice weather to get these babies growing! Our area has been hit with over 100 earthquakes in less than 24 hours! Lucky for me I only felt 5 and no damage although I thought a lot of stuff was coming off shelves with the first couple. How anyone can live where there are big ones is beyond me! Weird stuff.

Prince Charming is still with his mom, and the whole family has been hit with the serious flu bug. He is now too sick to drive home so staying a couple more days. Poor baby! I'll never finish my "honey-do" projects at this rate.

I have TONS of work to finish this weekend, so no fun for me. Hope everyone has a great weekend with nice weather.

TGIF

Oh my, what a exhausting week! My business trip yesterday was rather non-productive and totally wore me out. Guess I'm getting too old for these 20 hour days. To top it all off, the crazy man on the plane next to me dropped his rolling suitcase on my toe. Didn't hurt too bad at the time (by then my feet were so sore from walking and standing all day they just hurt all over), but this morning I woke up to find my little toe is huge and turning rather unattractive shades of purple and black. I don't believe my luck most of the time.

The Princess did very well in the competition considering the chaos. She came in 6th place from about 40 people in her division. Not too shabby considering it wasn't even the skills she practiced or knew anything about for that matter. None of the students who were chosen for the cooking and baking competitions even came close to the top ten finishers. Her teacher is now groveling what a huge mistake she made by not putting Princess in the cooking portion like they had discussed. Especially when they were allowed to taste all of the students dishes from her school and Princess was able to tell them all what they had done wrong and right with the recipes before the teacher even had a chance to do it. Makes me so proud! She is even now considering a college degree for culinary from this experience. Pretty funny from the girl who turned up her nose at me last week for serving my best friends birthday dinner of hot dogs (hey, that's what the gal wanted-go figure) on my fine china with candles and the whole nine yards!

I also arrived home late to find two smashed boxes that said, "Live perishable plants enclosed" on my step. I had ordered peonies and roses (among other things) from QVC, and they were sitting on the porch. Now, they need to be planted and of course the weather this weekend is doomed to wind and cold. I seriously need spring here now!

Competition continues

Well, the Princess is off to the official day of skills competition. Instead of competing for all the things we actually practiced, they have now placed her in the food and beverage service contest. All our slicing, dicing, recipe creating, blood, sweat, and tears was for nothing!!! Now she has to be judged on serving a formal dinner to a group including table set up, proper utensils, serving, plate clearing, order taking, proper wine glass selections, and menu memorization. This should be interesting to say the least. This kid counts Dixie cups and paper plates as her friends as they don't require her to wash them! Oh, and did I mention fancy napkin folding too?
Yesterday she was "forced" (meaning the teacher was counting on her and she didn't WANT to do it) participate in the Quiz Bowl competition. Basically glorified "Who wants to be a millionaire" deal with a group of students competing against another group. Whoever buzzed in with the right answer first won the point. Well, apparently her team was winning until two kids on her team buzzed in with wrong answers to two questions so they came in last. Ironically the two questions were concerning geometry and spelling which are not even close to the top of her mastery of subjects. Anyone know what a direct line through the center of a circle is? The other was spell "chronological". One she got that not a single other person even attempted was What is the top selling cosmetic product purchased by teenage girls?
So, should be another interesting story to hear about the day today. Tomorrow is the award ceremony, but unfortunately I have to fly out of town on business so I won't be able to attend. Sometimes being the adult here really sucks!

Exciting week

Wow, what a jam packed week our house is going to have. Princess is entered in a state wide cooking competition that begins tomorrow and goes thru Thursday. We have been slicing, dicing, tourning, sauting, braising, deboning, baking, saucing, and otherwise wrecking my tiny kitchen for the last week in preparation. Unfortunately, this competition is geared toward students with several years experience in high school cooking classes. Princess is only half way thru her second semester and is going to go against kids ready to head to Chef school! Some days I would give anything to turn public education in America on its damn head. Her food class hasn't even cooked a complete meal, and here she goes to not only demonstrate skill, but be required to tweak a recipe to make "comfort food" ready for a table at a fine dining establishment. Good grief!
Lucky for her I raised her with a no fear attitude to go out and try anything. Let's just hope she comes home with her dignity and 10 fingers still intact. The girl can cook, but when it comes to gourmet meals, deboning a chicken, or fancy shaped veggies, look out.
We ain't in Kansas anymore Toto, we have done arrived in the Land of Oz! If that isn't bad enough, the damn teacher made her an alternate for the food service comp and the baking one too! How much more pressure can a girl take I ask you!? She has only baked one cake in her life, and has great difficulty frosting a Christmas cookie let alone a cake. Her brother and I took a cake decorating class many years ago, but she was too young and never did care to learn. They ask her to create a butter cream rose she may just have a royal fit!
Now, to make matters even worse, I won't be there to offer moral support in the audience. For the first time in her 18 years, she is going to have to go it alone. Gotta work and support this whole mess and can't take 3 days off to sit and hold my breath for this deal. So, what does the Princess do? Plays the guilt card, the big guilt card. So, I officially suck this week. Not only did I not teach her from birth how to create gourmet cuisine, I won't even go to watch the biggest competition of her life. That's right. I suck. Just go for the jugular with the damn Chef knife already and get it over with will ya?
Off to eat the second pan of apple bread pudding with cream anglaise..............good eats!

Creative graduation ideas please

OK, so my darling Princess received her large order of graduation announcements this week. The grand event is set for June 7, 2008 this year. Kind of cool, 06-07-08, get it? Anyway, it also happens to be the exact same day as my wedding anniversary with Prince Charming (my God, 12 years). Bad news is that means a million people decending on our humble abode on a day I normally get treated to a night out. More bad news means the dreaded "EX" will be here which does not tickle me in any way, but life goes on.

So, blogger friends, I need ideas. I need some great party food/decoration ideas that won't cost me an arm and a leg to feed the large gathering, yet make it special for the last chick to get her diploma. Anyone got some brilliant ideas you care to share?

I am also completely stumped on a memorable gift for her. Typical 18 year old wants the moon, but dear old mom is fresh out of rockets and sure can't afford the fuel for it either! I was leaning toward a lap top, but then my practical head gets going and sways toward a desk top to allow for printers etc in case she really does go to college or at least get the heck out of this house and get her own place. I love her dearly, but lately she's testing my ability to even tolerate her antics for sure.... I remember getting the usual crap, luggage, pens, goofy stuff we all get. She really worked hard this last year to pull herself up and get through this mess, so I really want to get her something nice. She's pretty much a spoiled brat and has the usual teen stuff. Gave her my old car (she isn't impressed but too bad baby, the motor runs and the tires go round-all she gets), has the car stereo, EX gave her an Ipod Nano for bday, more clothes than she can wear, has the birthstone ring, has the pearls that belonged to my Mom..............spoiled I tell you.
So, what do mom's out there buy their only daughter for graduation from high school?

I can sure use some ideas here folks.

April Snow showers and Garden Fashion advice needed

OK, this is really starting to irritate me now. This photo is what my yard looked like same time last year, flowers blooming folks! (not to mention rhubarb coming on fast just the way I like it)Now, fast forward to April 2008 and I am officially discouraged. I have picked 3, count them 1-2-3 blasted daffodils, and a pathetic bunch of grape hyacinth, period, that's all folks. Why you ask?

Well, brilliant blonde idiot I am went into the yard this past weekend to do some "spring cleaning" and raked away the dead plant matter from the winter as there are actual signs that life may just evolve from those brown clumps. ( yes garden snobs I know this should be done in fall but I have learned the hard way to leave it the heck alone or the darn things die with the freeze, thaw, drying winds etc, so there, it works for me) So, my good friend Murphy shows up today, with his best friend Mr. Winter and proceeds to SNOW. Wait, did you hear me, I said it is snowing!!
Now, a glass-half-full kind of gal would say, at least it isn't piling up, covering everything, etc.
Well, my glass-half-empty heart says who gives a crap, it is cold, blowing white nasty stuff and I am sick of it!!!!!!!!!!!! Now, can't wait for morning as the lovely weatherman is muttering low of 24 degrees tonight. 24 Degrees-PLEASE someone stop this madness my poor old winter logged brain can't take any more of this!!! My skinny bones need heat, sunshine, Vitamin D, NOW.
Irony of the whole deal is this folks, I live in the high desert. We had "massive" amounts of snow in my neighborhood, not to mention rain and any other form of "precipitation" you can imagine this winter. During my snow inducing escapade in the yard, what do I see but dry dirt. I mean serious dry dirt people, inches down it is bone dry.
Welcome to my gardening dilemma, hard pan, clay, freezing winters, scorching summers, generally not garden prone area. In spite of it all I have managed every year to overcome the odds and produce a darn nice crop of veggies, fruit trees, roses everywhere (stickery damn things but I love them), and a variety of others that "oh, that won't grow here" variety of plants. Never tell me I can't for I will just to prove you wrong or make an ass of myself, never sure til I try, but try I might. I have serious plants slated to ship this week from QVC (I think I may need an intervention, but another story) that will need to be planted. I have seed packets littering every corner stash I can find. I have a BRAND NEW BARE BED in the front lawn waiting transplants from the back yard. (Read- I was sick of dead grass that only I water and we have a shortage here, green grass is impossible with water restrictions of twice per week ONLY) I have to dig major holes for my new plants (anyone have a jack hammer they want to lend for a weekend?). I have fertilizer to nourish my new plants. I have garden shops to explore. Prince Charming has a damn horse shoe arch to build (promised to me for 4 years now but who's counting) and he can't weld in the snow! I have needs people. Big needs.

Speaking of needs, I need some input from any gardening weirdos or other fashion critics who like plastic out there. I have ruined more shoes than I can count when I actually bother to wear them in the garden. I have been toying with buying some of those hideous plastic clog deals to wear for the job, think hey plastic can stand the mud and hose blasts required right? Anyone tried them? Favorite brand? Kind of keen on the idea of a bright pink or purple pair although Prince Charming swears he won't talk to me if I wear any such thing. Come on, the man owns nothing but cowboy boots and slippers, what does he know? He screams at me for walking around barefoot (LOVE IT), so logical choice here is plastic shoes. Tried the cheapo plastic flip flops, but the darn things always pop out where it attachs at the toe part as I'm not exactly a ballerina here folks. So, any ideas for ones that won't just add to my pile of "tried it-hate it" garden junk. Also looking for some longer garden gloves that are tough enough to deal with the rose thorns, but want some that go up at least half way to the elbow. Am I making any sense to anyone? If so, let me know if you have a favorite or have stumbled across a place I could look for some. Normally wear hubbies worn out (not really, I steal them and hide in my stash) leather gloves but his hands are so much bigger they tend to fall off if they get snagged on a plant.
Ok, enough midnight ramblings. Sorry for the language too, just really needing a vent outlet this week so you get the brunt of it folks. Hope I don't scare you all (ha, ok the poor two or three of you that actually read this crap once in awhile but I love you so don't stop!)! I HAVE SPRING FEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for listening. Night!

Cloud filled day

Another cloud filled day here, grey sky, cooler temperatures, windy. Not exactly a day to inspire good thoughts or blog posts. The week started on rocky ground and appears to be making a steady downhill spiral at best. Hard to believe it is only Tuesday without much end in sight.

Just trying to plug away at work, deal with drama at home, same stuff different week. Hope others are having a more cheerful, inspiring time than me. I am so ready for warm weather and sunshine I can barely stand it. If the weatherman tells one more "chance of snow" story I'm going to hibernate forever!