I knew my husband as a Friend and I now know him as a Man who astonishes me time and time again. I’ve watched him turn himself into the kind of man he wanted to be solely by his own strong will. He is generous to a fault, dependable, loyal. He makes me laugh harder than anybody I’ve ever known and he takes care of me and our Children. After fourteen years together, he still thinks he got lucky with me.
Going through my treasure box last night, I stumbled upon a little hand made gift my husband made for me thirteen years ago on our first Wedding Anniversary. It’s a Little Wire Chair he made using a Champagne Cork Holder, after which he placed a note in between the hearts.
Little Wire Chair Made With Champagne Cork Holder (My Love’s handmade gift for me on our 1st Year Anniversary, in 2001). Click here for the instructables.
These are the beautiful Bouquet of Flowers and card I woke up to this morning.
Wedding Anniversary Flowers and Card.
13 years ago, I decided that if I had to pick a husband, I’d pick him.
While my kids were running around this morning in the backyard, I decided to check on my Rose trees. The first one I checked is Rosa ‘Circus’ which I bought two months ago from Lowe’s and it looked healthy. My Hannah Gordon, which I moved from the front yard and transplanted in the backyard a few months ago looked odd and came right off when I lifted it. How could this have happened since the base/roots of the plants was protected by chicken wire? Did the Pocket Gopher chew through the chicken wire? I wondered. Rather than try to figure it out, my husband decided to set a Macabee Gopher Trap in the hole, which appeared to be fresh, quite large and unplugged. Saddened, I proceeded to check the next Rose tree, Iceberg Floribunda.
The next Rose tree is a bare-root I bought at Lowe’s almost three years ago and which thrived until a couple of months ago when it suddenly dried-out and died (or I though so). I dug out the plant and relocated it in hopes of a miracle. After pulling the plant out of the soil and inspecting it closely, I noticed tiny growth at the base of the plant as well as a few healthy white roots next to some thick black dead roots.
Bare-Root Rose New Growth.
I started out by cutting off the dry stalk, then I dug the original hole twice the size of the base of the plant. I placed a wire basket (made out of chicken wire) to protect the roots from rodents. I added some potting soil and some wood chips which acts as insulation for the plant (keeping the warmth and preventing the plant from freezing). Finally I made a chicken wire fence around the plant to protect the new growth from being eaten by Squirrels.
Rose Tree Iceberg Floribunda (Rosa ‘Korbin’), Spring 2011.
The picture above is what the Bare-Root Rose looked like the first year after planting. Rosa ‘Korbin’ is a repeat bloomer from Spring through Fall with a light flush of pink to the blooms and glossy green foliage.
I am confident that the plant will grow and thrive, as I know I have given it a good start.
I recently found an Antique Cast Iron Chair and a matching Vintage Cast Aluminum Side Table with adjustable legs. What I love about this tiny set is the fact that it has a Grapevine pattern similar to an Antique Victorian Cast Iron set I own (read about it here). The set was weathered, the paint was flaking and chipping. As expected, there was some mild surface rust and wear especially on the chair.
Vintage Cast Aluminum Side Table.Vintage Cast Aluminum Side Table.
The side table has three legs with the pattern of a Phoenix head at the top and claw foot at the base.
Vintage Cast Aluminum Side Table.
Though time consuming, the restoring process is simple.
We started by removing the rusted and flaking areas with a wire brush. Once that was done, we washed the set with soap and water to rid it of any debris and to ensure that the paint sticks to it. We let it dry and applied spray primer to seal the metal surface and prevent future rusting and finally, we spray painted it.
Antique Cast Iron Chair.Antique Cast Iron Chair.
Now restored, the set will make a great addition to the rest of the collection. It was an exciting finishing project we all were eager to get our hands on.
Antique Cast Iron Chair and Vintage Cast Aluminum Side Table.
This was a fun project and we are looking forward to the next one.
It’s the day after Christmas and the Sun is shining bright. It feels good to step outside, take a moment to breathe in and count my blessings. There’s no place like Home and as I sit here surrounded by so many lovelies; I realize that I have, not just a fondness for Victorian Cast Iron garden furniture, but a weakness as well.
The Patio Set below is an old Singer Sewing Machine Base with a half an inch Polypropylene tabletop (a Craigslist purchase). The chairs are Shabby Chic and the Table is Antique. The cross-piece on the Sewing Machine base has a patent date which reads Patented Jan. 4, 1887. All the wheels on the base still function as they should. I had the option to use it either as a Console Table or as a Desk, but I decided to use it as an outdoor table.
Shabby Chic Patio Chairs with Antique Singer Sewing Machine Base.
I have bought gorgeous Garden Sets over the years and the ones I cherish the most is this set of Antique Victorian Cast Iron Grapevine pattern matching Bench and Arm Chair.
Antique Cast Iron Bench and Arm Chair.
I also have a lovely American Harvest Cast Aluminum Bistro Set which I have owned for a couple of years now and which I absolutely adore. This set sits pretty in my front yard, next to my Raywood Ash tree.
American Harvest Cast Aluminum Bistro Set
As I sit here, enjoying the moment in my garden, I wish you all a wonderful day.
“The way you spend Christmas is far more important than how much.” – Henry David Thoreau
Together with the kids, we’ve decided to do something fun while waiting for midnight and the opening of the gifts. We decorated the Gingerbread House (Pepparkaka Hus) we bought at Ikea a couple of weeks ago. I am sure it would have been so much fun making one from scratch.
Plain Gingerbread House.
We used caramel syrup to glue the pieces together and everyone pitched in with the decorations.
Gingerbread House Decorated.Gingerbread House Decorated.
Merry Christmas!
“He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.” – Roy L. Smith
By JM Perez
