Pumpkins and a Vintage Tonka Truck

This past weekend, my husband and I visited some antique stores in a small, nearby town.   I picked up a few things including this vintage Tonka truck.  My hubby had one like it when he was little.  I would love to have one that was all metal but those are out of my price range.

I thought the yellow would look cute with the pumpkins out front.  So I loaded up the back with a pile of pumpkins.

This sits on the front sidewalk near my old bushel basket of geraniums. 

The temperatures dropped this weekend and there was a threat of frost...whaaaat?  I'm not ready for that.  I'm hoping my geraniums have a little bit longer to bloom.  They're one of my favorites.

My figs aren't ripe yet either, so please let there be a few more weeks of warm temperatures.  Blue skies and 70s...yep, that'd be perfect :)

After decorating a little more out front, I got in the mood to tweak the living room as well.

Aren't those the best fake leaves?  I wish I could remember where I got them.  It was probably the thrift store, which means I can't go back and get more :(  Oh well, at least these were a bargain.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless!!

Angie

I'm linking here:
THE STYLE SISTERS
JENNIFER RIZZO
HOME STORIES A TO Z
FROM MY FRONT PORCH TO YOURS

COMMON GROUND

HAVE A DAILY CUP OF MRS. OLSON
COASTAL CHARM'S NIFTY THRIFTY TUESDAY

FRIDAYS UNFOLDED

FEATHERED NEST FRIDAY

ONE MORE TIME EVENTS

TWIRL AND TAKE A BOW 
SAVVY SOUTHERN STYLE

STONEGABLE
UNDER THE TABLE AND DREAMING

A DELIGHTSOME LIFE
ART IS BEAUTY

CLEVER CHICKS BLOG HOP DIY SHOWOFF IT'S OVERFLOWING

THREE MANGO SEEDS

ELIZABETH JOAN DESIGNS

WEEKEND CRAFTS

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HYMNS AND VERSES
MISS MUSTARD SEED
CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT

Time for Another Reality Check

Who came up with this "Reality Check" thing any way?  Oh yeah...me.



Oh goodness.  This one is gonna hurt.




Ok.  I'll do it quick...like pulling off a bandaid.



Ready?  Set?

Wait!!   Really, these are bad!  I'm not sure I wanna...


Oh, good grief!  Here goes:

I've been really busy blogging and making so many other things pretty that I haven't given any attention to my front flower beds!  Look!!  See??!

What?  You don't think they're that bad?  

Ok, I was going easy on you.  Here.

Nutsedge!  Grrr!  It looks like a lawn in my flower bed.

And these vines and huge pokeweed and whatever that other stuff is.

And THESE are the holly bushes that ate the front of my house!

I used the telephoto lens for these pics.  It makes me feel better...like I'm looking at this jungle in the far, far distance.  Not outside my front door.

I should have kept up with the weeding but I've been busy and we've had a pretty wet summer here and these things grew like....um, weeds.  And, we have snakes!

No, I'm not making up excuses.  Why do you ask?

Ok, maybe those are excuses but there's NO excuse for this!

(Cue the dramatic horror movie music)

I know!  It's bad!  Bad bad!  I'm glad fall is just around the corner.  You know, the time of year when everything is supposed to die...anyway.  And the worst part, (sobbing) I went through the Master Gardener program!  

They will probably be knocking on my door any minute demanding that I hand over my certificate!

However, all is not lost.  Sweet hubby hit some of these areas with weed control this past week.  Out here where we live, in the boonies, it isn't just typical yard weeds.  It's field weeds like wild blackberries (which I'm thankful for), poison ivy (which I'm not thankful for), nutsedge (again, not thankful), and other very hardy nuisances.  And, did I mention we have snakes!  For real!  And, not just the good kind either we've had several rattlesnakes.  (Again, not thankful.)

I'm sorry poor Mr. Hanging Basket That Contained Some Flower I Can't Even Identify Now!  

(You'll notice I didn't watermark these photos.  Yep, shame not to put my name on these beauties.  I know I'll be missing all sorts of fame when they go viral on Pinterest...hahaha...not)

Ok, so reality check...I've got some weeding and planting and pruning to do!  Thankfully our house sits about 400 feet from the road so passersby can't really see how bad it is.  And, thankfully, the whole yard isn't that bad.  

Here's what I see most of the time from my house...the backyard and pond.
(That's the field where I did this tablescape post.)

And, the fig tree in the backyard is doing nicely.

The Rose of Sharon that I transplanted is also blooming beautifully, too.

Sadly, the front yard is kind of "out of sight, out of mind" because I rarely go out front.  We spend most of our outdoor time in the backyard.  I guess now, it'll be spent weeding the flowerbeds with my mud boots and extra long gardening gloves on because...did I mention we have snakes?!

I'll be out front if you need me.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless!

Angie

Ok, so here's one kinda, sorta pinnable photo for ya, if you feel you want to do the Pinterest thing :)

The farm pond near sunset

Growing Figs in Your Home Garden

If you looked at my yard and garden, I would probably deny that years ago I completed the Master Gardener program.  It's more to save face for the MG program than myself, lol.    However, I still love getting my hands in the dirt and watching things grow.  One plant that I found that's super easy to grow and gives a great reward is the Brown Turkey Fig tree.

  

I purchased this fig tree at Lowe's about 5 years ago.  It started as a small plant about a foot tall and has grown quickly to a huge fig producing monster.  We are in Zone 7 here in Tennessee and the fig tree has done very well here.  Just make sure you plant it in a spot with future growth in mind.  I planted a Rose of Sharon on each side of mine and will now have to relocate them.  

The tree has a very pleasant smell all summer long.  It actually smells even more fragrant right after the first frost that kills the foliage.  All that's left after the frost are tall bare branches.  I cut these back to the ground each winter.  New shoots will grow every spring, producing more and more figs.

While this season's figs are still green, the picture above is from last fall.  

Fresh figs are great but I prefer to dehydrate them.  They taste just like a Fig Newton cookie!  I also made fig preserves last fall for gift giving.  I'll be sharing that recipe later this fall when the figs ripen.

I hope you give figs a try.  They are super easy and yield a lot of fruit. 

In the meantime, here's a fresh fig recipe to whet your appetite!

Southern Living Recipe

Ingredients

• 
  

• 4 ounces chopped cooked bacon or country ham 
• 4 ounces crumbled goat cheese, softened 
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped toasted pecans
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 12 fresh figs
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Toasted baguette slices 

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Stir together bacon or country ham, softened goat cheese, finely chopped toasted pecans, and chopped fresh thyme. Cut figs in half. Press back of a small spoon into centers of fig halves, making a small indentation in each. Spoon bacon mixture into indentations. Bake on a baking sheet 7 minutes. Drizzle with honey. Serve immediately with toasted baguette slices.  Southern Living AUGUST 2010

I hope you feel inspired to give growing figs a try.  Thanks for stopping by and God bless!
Angie

I'm linking here:
THE STYLE SISTERS
JENNIFER RIZZO
HOME STORIES A TO Z
FROM MY FRONT PORCH TO YOURS

COMMON GROUND

HAVE A DAILY CUP OF MRS. OLSON
COASTAL CHARM'S NIFTY THRIFTY TUESDAY

FRIDAYS UNFOLDED

FEATHERED NEST FRIDAY

ONE MORE TIME EVENTS

TWIRL AND TAKE A BOW 
SAVVY SOUTHERN STYLE

STONEGABLE
UNDER THE TABLE AND DREAMING

A DELIGHTSOME LIFE
ART IS BEAUTY

CLEVER CHICKS BLOG HOP DIY SHOWOFF IT'S OVERFLOWING

THREE MANGO SEEDS

ELIZABETH JOAN DESIGNS

WEEKEND CRAFTS

PRETTY PINTASTIC PARTY
THOUGHTS FROM ALICE