Look what I'm growing!

I'm so excited! I have pumpkins on the vine. Today while weeding the garden I took some pictures of what I found. This pumpkin pictured above is an Heirloom variety called "Cinderella". I have about 4 right now and also have a couple regular Jack O'Lanterns too.

This one is a mini pumpkin...

I decided to finally use the old metal headboard as a trellis for the pumpkins this year.

What do you think? Excellent repurposing, if I may say so myself!

I've been harvesting many cucumbers and squash, beans and eggplant too. I have lots of tomatoes on the vine and am waiting to try a new homemade ketchup recipe I found in an Herbal Magazine. Recipe to follow...

~thyme2sow

Waterfalls!

What a nice weekend we had upstate with family! After a hard rain on Friday night we had such a great rush of water coming down the mountain.

We also went to the Greene County Youth Fair which Autumn really enjoyed. We saw the young children get judged on their sheep and goat raising ability, played 'Cow plopping Bingo'...

don't ask...

and went to an outdoor flea market where I found this for $9.

I'm glad to be home but I am still looking forward to going back real soon...
~thyme2sow

Horticulture at University of Farmingdale

It's a beautiful thing! I just had to go back and check out the gardens at SUNY Farmingdale. Prof. Iverson really has his students working up a sweat in the gardens there, they always look beautiful. Here are some pictures I took while walking around the gardens that I had been instrumental in creating while I was a student there. Enjoy!

Here is the Entrance from the North parking lot.

Just as you step inside the garden gate you are in the formal gardens where you will see 2 beds that are mimicked on each side.

Brugmansia...dorms in the background

Walking into the Tropical Gardens...

Lots of HOT colors...I love it!

Lovely reflective pool strategically placed

in the center of this lush tropical oasis...

Meandering through this cool sunken garden..

Looking over my shoulder for a moment...look ...

there's another small hidden path over there...follow the stones

I found myself on a large rock

in the middle of this shaded pond area...very peaceful and secluded

Through the trees into a clearing where this open terrarium

sits next to the Dutch Venlo style greenhouses...

I loved working in these greenhouses.

Then over to the herbed knot garden...

AAAHHH! Can you smell the herbs?

This garden can really be appreciated more from an uppermost vantage point.

Or from right where I was standing...

And speaking of herbs...did you see the lavender in the silver garden?

Don't miss it!

Hey look there's Prof Iversen.

Make a right through the Privet hedge into the Rose garden...

Tis a Rose..

As I was leaving the parking lot a huge black cloud came overhead

and opened up into a severe thunderstorm with lightning strikes and hail!

The roads immediately flash flooded and my 30 minute ride turned into 1.5 hours.

~Thank you God for letting me have that time in your Garden of Eden.~

~thyme2sow

Grandma's Quilts

My grandmother is a great quilter. She first showed me how to sew and how to use a machine. I learned how to sew at the age of 8 but never really used the skill until I was older. I always admired her skills, she's great with colors and has always done all of her own quilting by hand. She formed her own quilt club with some friends 25 years ago called Patches and Pieces.
While visiting with her the other day I decided to take a few pictures of the quilts that she has made over the years. She has them all over the house and I love to touch them and wrap up in them too. She uses all of them, she loves to be able to toss one over your shoulders during the cooler months. She told me that she never really takes pictures of her quilts, so I made sure that I did it for her.

Here are the quilts that she has displayed around her house these days...but it is no where near as many as she has made over the years. Enjoy!

This quilt is a wall hanging and is called 'stack and whack'. I hope I spelled whack correctly!

Here are some more that I absolutley love.

She is really good with embroidery and cross stitch too!

This one was reproduced from an antique sampler.

This is her Colorwash.

Beautiful!!

~thyme2sow

American Museum of Natural History, NYC

Have you ever gone to the Museum of Natural History? If you haven't gone...you must.






My husband and I took Autumn to the museum just outside of Central Park last week and had a great time. The museum has a lot to do and we didn't waste any time exploring. Here are some pictures of exhibits we had to see...





The exhibits are always changing. Extreme mammals was the latest exhibit and very interesting. I loved the primates and of course the dinosaurs. I have always loved the ocean life exhibit. They have a huge whale hung from the ceiling. It really is impressive and when you enter the room you can hear the song of the whale throughout the entire area.






For all of you dinosaur lovers out there this is the place to be. It is always such an impressive site to see the bones displayed throughout the museum. I think I read that their collection included over 1 million dinosaur bones! Pretty cool I thought. Standing near these dinosaurs gives you such a chill as they tower over you.



You bring Gum Gum, Dum Dum?




And of course some beautiful Indian textiles...





And of course a dozen or so elevator rides..



Go and see the museum if you have the chance. It's just a suggested donation at the door and you won't ever regret the trip!

~thyme2sow

Birthday goodies in the mail!

Why is it that whenever it gets hot outside I start to think about the Fall? I think it is just because I have such a fondness for that time of year that as soon as Spring has passed I yearn for those cool days and nights all over again. Don't get me wrong, I love the summer. I am a summer child, born on a hot June day. I do enjoy the greens of the landscape, but LOVE the copper and the golds and the reds of Autumn. I even named my daughter Autumn, because it is so colorful and bright.

With that in mind, I recently purchased some new charts from 1-2-3 stitch with some birthday money. Pictured above are a couple of my new lovelies. I look forward to stitching on the 35ct. Havana linen, a first for me. Can't wait to stitch with the Weeks Dye Works hand dyed floss. Also a first for me.
~thyme2sow

Independence Day fun

I hope everyone had a wonderful and festive day yesterday. It was a lot of fun here on Long Island. The day started with a quick breakfast then a bundt cake in the oven and some really creative and fun decorating of it...didn't take a picture because I forgot:( Then off to our friends party for lots of fun in their beautiful pool and a load of great food and drinks. After the party we went to the Fireman's fair and more fun on the rides and an awesome Grucci fireworks display afterwards. All in all it was a great day and the weather decided to stay beautiful for all of the days activities. Couldn't ask for more! God Bless America.
~thyme2sow