jennifer, Author at Hopeful Homemaker

Old Ladder

June 24, 2011 jennifer Decorating

When we bought our lot there was an awesome old ladder leaning against the cherry tree. I’ll admit it was my favorite thing about the land at the time, that and the size of the lot in general. After the construction and some landscaping was done the ladder was somehow moved and broken into two pieces, then broken some more. I rescued it from the trash pile but haven’t done anything with it until now.

I wanted to hang things on it, but the wood was so splintered and brittle I feared things might be damaged if I did. I decided to paint it, but chose a flat gray that preserved the old wood feeling.

On one piece I added “s” hooks and hung my watering cans. This (hopefully) will prevent my kids from kicking them around the yard. I leaned it against the exterior of the house behind my serving/potting table.

When I’m serving food I can move the watering cans and hang a dishtowel, serving tongs, etc. in their place.

I’m pleased with how it looks and thrilled that I’m finally using my old ladders. Watch next week for what I did with the other half. It’s crazy cute!

Have a great day, Jennifer

Sleepy baby

June 23, 2011 jennifer Musings on Life and Beauty

Our little one is the most determined child I’ve had regarding sleep. She hates to rest. She climbs out of her bed faster than we can turn around to walk away, doing it noiselessly and with skill. We packed up her bed and put a crib mattress on the floor. Still, she refuses to nap and it takes an hour or two to get her to sleep at night. Two days ago my husband woke up at 4 am to find her asleep on the floor next to our bed. She rarely makes it through the entire night since her first impulse is to jump up and see what she’s missing.

Occasionally it catches up with her, as it did during lunch yesterday. I just stayed in the room and let her sleep right there since moving her always wakes her up. She lasted for a good 45 minutes before stirring.

And then last night around 11 pm this is where she finally ran out of energy:

On my bathroom floor with my husband’s sock on one leg. What a nut! It’s funny that she’s our 8th, and yet so different. They really do come as individuals. It’s amazing.

More Lavender

June 22, 2011 jennifer Gardening

Imagine my delight to happen upon Lavandula angustifolia ‘Munstead’ in a local nursery this week. Immediately I was sorry my lavender garden isn’t ready for planting, for if it was I would have happily scooped up two dozen Munstead lavender plants and taken them home. This, I am certain, is what I grew at my old house with such success. My heart skipped a beat when I spotted it, but I limited myself to only three.

The lavender garden will have to wait for now. I’ve decided on the plot of ground, but first I must clear it of weeds, rid it of ants and prepare the soil for lavender.

Early in June a friend stopped by unexpectedly and I offered her my most recent lavender recipe experiment for sampling. She told me she had some lavender plants she was going to pull out of her yard. I told her I’d take one if she had nothing to do with it. Later that week she called me, saying it was out and ready to be picked up. I was surprised when I got there; it was huge! It took both of us to carry it and get it in my car.

It’s approximately 3 feet in diameter and very woody; not what you want lavender to look like. This is what becomes of lavender when it isn’t pruned. The transplant made it uglier than it was before she took it out. Some of the branches fell off or started to sag. It’s got to be at least 5 years old, which means it only has a few years left so I figure I can at least harvest it until then.

I worried that it might not do well. I was moving it from a part-sun location to full sun, and also to a spot that is much windier than where it came from. Happily it appears to be thriving (even after a couple of bad wind storms), and is now beginning to bloom.

I’ve now planted all around it as well, so the general appearance of the bush isn’t such an eyesore.

Finally, I found a French lavender that is just gorgeous, although it’s not good for harvesting. It’s called Lavandula dentata ‘Goodwin Creek’ . The dentata is a giveaway – it refers to the shape of the leaves, which is what I love about it.

Sometimes called “toothed lavender”, the dentata name refers to the toothed leaf shape. The flowers themselves remind me more of wildflowers than lavender but I thought it was so beautiful that I added it to the yard. I hope it thrives.

What do you think?