Abby's Table

Last night I went to Abby's Table with my friend Christina. We had the most amazing dinner there and now plan to get punch cards to start doing it as a regular me and her thing. Abby does family style four course dining Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays - $24 per person weekdays and you bring your own bottle of wine and then on Saturdays $50 per person which also includes a cooking lesson! How fun is that!!?? We were so amazed with our meal and Christina ate fish, carrots and nuts and loved them when normally they are not something she enjoys!

The menu...of YUM!


Here is the Cucumber, Pea and Lemon Balm Chilled Soup with Chive and Corn Mini Muffins....YUM!


Second course which was Grilled Romaine and Garlic Scape Salad with Coleslaw Style Dressing. It had this amazing grilled flavor that was just heaven!


Here is the main course which was Crispy Fried Cod with Pluot-BBQ Mustard, Lavender Honeyed Carrots and Creamed Collards with Nude Ranch. Everything was even tastier than it looked which is saying something.


Here is desert which was Crustless Pecan Pie with Bing Cherries and Whip Cream - it was amazing!


Here we are having desert. This sweetheart across from us with a bee tattoed on her knee took the picture.

DIY Gardening Project - Creating Hose Guards and Protect Your Plants

I hate to throw things away and try to reuse and recycle whatever I can to save myself money and also contribute less to the nation's ever growing landfill problems.
I had a copper and slate fountain for five years in my living room but when it died and I tried to replace several parts and redo the fountain itself I gave up. The slate tiles are now part of my shade garden as stepping stones and the river rock was tossed into my other partial shade garden. To cut up the copper pipes we bought a $10 metal pipe cutter which I imagine will come in handy for future projects as well.


I found these finials designed for the ends of curtain rods at Home Depot on clearance. They were regularly $14.97 for the package of two but on clearance there was a stack of them for $1.50 for a package of two. So, total purchase for 7 packages to create 14 hose guards = $10.50 when hose guards sell in the store


Each of the finials has a little screw at the bottom of them so to set them up for spray paint we used our iron table and slipped the screws through the mesh and newpaper to hold them still for the spray paint.


We used "battered metal" Kylon spraypaint to give the finials a neutral color so they would stand out in the garden but now look like an eyesore either. We then attached them to the copper pipes with wet dry epoxy designed for ponds and such so that they will hold up in the rain and wetness that is Oregon.


Tools of the trade...


I decided to use my small bulber to get into the ground easier.


Putting the guards into the ground.


Closeup of a newly planted hose guard.


And here is one planted rigt by the pond area.

Project 365: April 18th through April 24th

April 18th: Yuki thinks she is a naked mole rat and likes to burrow into blankets, clothing...whatever really...


April 19th: Finials with battered metal spray paint. Patrick and I making hose guides for our garden to use as examples for one of my booths for the Eco Fair. These finials were purchased for $1.10 on clearance at Home Depot which Patrick mounted to copper pipes.


April 20th: I stayed up all night finishing my posters for the Eco Fair. I used poster boards and colored construction paper for them watching movies and cutting out the letters. I made the letters from a Broadway Font printout at work.


April 21st: The Eco Fair itself. This is a photo at one of my personal booth creations. I did a booth about seedlings and reusing materials in your garden. So, half the booth had planted seedlings I created - like a dozen seedlings planted in egg shells from my chickens and some other alternatives to peat moss like fiber pots made of 100% recycled paper, and bamboo pots. The other piece of the booth was some DIY project instructions which were very popular on how to make your own hose guides (with mine as an example), how to make bird nesting kits and also how to make herb gifts out of things like ice cream containers etc


April 22nd: The state of things in my yard...this cherub my mother gave me many years ago for Christmas saying someday I would get to put it in my garden. I wish she could see how beautiful my garden is now...but at least a part of her will always be there.


April 23rd: Hanging with the girls and husband. Good Mel in town for the weekend so me, her, Jen and Patrick had a lovely evening with games and yummy stuff like chocolate fondue made from the leftover chocolate from the Eco Fair.


April 24th: Patrick made me and Mel an amazing breakfast with bacon, toast and this yummy bake that has cheese, bacon, eggs, hash browns, broccoli, onion, and red bell pepper.

Project 365: April 11th through April 17th

April 11th: It is always exciting watching a Bird of Paradise open.


April 12th: Template for the parking lot cleanup day signs.


April 13th: Macha the Viking Squirrel shows off her fuzziness.


April 14th: There be fairies here!


April 15th: Shopping! Though I have to wonder who drop kicked my grocery cart.


April 16th: My cousin sent me a pile of photos and letters that my mom had sent to her mom throughout the years. I have not read the letters yet but I now possess photos of my brother Rick. When my father had his brain tumor he threw out all my family photo albums. I have pictures of my brother Bobby but all photos of Rick were thrown out. My brother Bob died when I was 9 and my brother Rick died when I was 19


April 17th: Plants! Finally we got a nice day and I was able to plant the piles I have been picking up from nurseries.

Project 365: April 4th through April 10th

April 4th: Macha gets determined to navigate the new dining room chairs to enhance her exterior view.


April 5th: Snip, snip... Cutting out the International passports for the Eco Fair I am putting on at work at the end of the month.


April 6th: Patrick's Irish Stout brewing up a storm in our shower.


April 7th: My co-workers rule...


April 8th: Nightly ritual...loves me some salad with lots of stuff in it properly cut up with my Mike Meyers knife...


April 9th: A trip to Farmington Gardens when I, amazingly enough, did not overspend...for once...


April 10th: My new daffodils finally came up this year which I adore...love the peach...viva la Spring

Project 365: March 28th through April 3rd

March 28th: "Bones"...seriously, what does it mean? Found pylon on the walk to my bus through my work parking lot.


March 29th: Home project complete - building an interior herb garden my my sink.


March 30th: After dropping 3 sizes I am wearing jeans which I have not worn in years. To top it off...they are baggy on me.


March 31: Fred Meyers has Black Velvet Petunias which I so rarely see anywhere...


April 1st: Here is the stack...ugh... To the left we have the insanely large amount of brochures etc from Metro and to the right we have piles of gift basket stuff for the prize drawings at work. In theory I need to start bringing all of this into work but I have not a clue as to where I would put it all so I might just drive it in the day of the Eco Fair.


April 2nd: Mio Sushi with Jen - their salads are seriously amazing...I tried their poke which was just phenomenal!


April 3rd: Tea and croquet at my house to welcome Spring. The lower left corner features my home made rose petal jelly ( I also put out the lemon balm jelly I made as well from my garden). This tea service was my mother's Polish china which I love any excuse to use and I know my mother would approve. See in the back are vanilla meringues. We also had lemon bars, carrot/zucchini bread, pumpkin bread, almond lace cookies, raspberry lemon cake, chocolate macaroon cake, apples and pears, goat cheese, crackers, scones, hummus, four grain baguettes, Gouda, English cheddar with caramelized onions and even more...everyone happily sipped and munched the day away with croquet for good measure.

Project 365: March 21st through March 27th

March 21st: Dropping by Willamette Valley Vineyards on our way back from Central Oregon to pick up my Port wine shipment.


March 22nd: Dinner and Scrabble at Brandy and Scott's.


March 23rd: Good reminders while I am out shopping during my lunch break.


March 24th: Working on the Activity packets I made for my building's Earth Month.


March 25th: Clearance sales kinda blow now...


March 26th: "Let Them Eat Cake" - This cake was amazing - I even tasted a bite of the moist coconut deliciousness covered in French Macaroons. Melissa and Mathias' wedding was just amazing though and so very them.


March 27th: Yuki in her cone of shame still likes to climb her Patrick...and decided to just lay down on him.