Wednesday, July 25, 2012

The Backyard View

One of the best things about the blog is being able to go back through and see how the house has changed. The fence in the back yard bothered me when we moved in because of how flimsy it was, though changing it was nowhere on the list. Fast forward two years and the fence is completely covered in passion vine, actually giving us a bit of privacy. And seasonally we're graced by caterpillars and butterflies because of it. Turns out putting it at the bottom of the list got us the easiest and prettiest solution we could have wished for.
Even more, as the neighbors continue their renovation our view over the fence gets better. We can actually boast 'lake view property' now, and mean it!



Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Market Hunting

One of the perks of my job is that while I'm off hunting for treasures for our store I'm also eyeing all of the perfect things for 765. Last round I scored two stools for the kitchen bar. This time I was on the search for pendant lights to hang over our dining table. (Because that brass lamp is still around) After days of sending photographs back to Travis I finally pulled the trigger and bought two of the globe pendant lights. But what that really means is a new project: electrical. 

And maybe next time around the other bottom light will be purchased for the shed!

Monday, July 16, 2012

Walkway Update, Again

It has been embarrassingly long since we had time to work on our walkway. Neither of us can seem to stick around long enough to even get our laundry done, and when we're both here the rain has been keeping any productive yard work at bay.  Our neighbors started brick work on their renovation so Travis went over to see if they might have some spare time. He told them exactly how he wanted the bricks laid out - with our more special found bricks front and center. The guys did a wonderful job putting it together with their expert hands, in a fraction of the time we could have. Certainly money well spent.



Monday, July 9, 2012

Fig Preserves

To say we have an overabundance of figs at work is an understatement.  It's a battle with the birds of who will get to them first, and we know I don't like to lose. A grocery bag full couldn't be consumed just by eating them with a little goat cheese - I had to find a new recipe. Fig preserves was the answer and I found a super easy recipe from D.I.Y. Delicious for Fig-Rosemary Jam. An evening over the stove stirring and three jars of jam later, I made my first efforts at preserving. It's delicious spread over a hot biscuit, but I'm really looking forward to trying it with a bit of pulled pork.


Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th! Hope everyone is off enjoying the beach and bbq - We're celebrating with buttons and sales at GB!


Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Avocado

While some of our veggies haven't fared well with the heat, we do have one that just keeps on growing: our avocado tree. A neighbor passed this challenge on to us when it was only a foot tall. We accepted, though unsure being that Louisiana is not prime avocado climate and the only one we knew of died two winters ago from frost. Travis has transferred it from pot to pot as it outgrows each, and it is safely tucked away in the shed whenever frost might be eminent. (Though it has almost outgrown that option!) Our hopes for homegrown avocados get a little closer everyday.