Hill Country Holiday

Just a quick glimpse into the slower paced life of the Hill Country that I enjoyed over Easter weekend.

Yes, I actually line dried some laundry. I was actually concerned that the clips would fail and my freshly whitened shirt would blow away into the dirt... Disconcerting, but ultimately a needless worry lol. Whew!

 

Some wildflowers poliferating throughout the acres. These are the pails used to feed and water the local deer each day! There is no drought right now though, so they don't have to rely on the local community for sustenance.

We grilled steak and bell peppers for dinner! Ok, there isn't really a "we" in this, as I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been allowed to touch anything involving the grill.

I have my own grill though, so I am looking forward to having a bit of fun myself.

Kebabs, grilled salmon, barbecued chicken, ect. Oh yea.

Calloway's Nursery

Um. Ok, I admit I'm a bit into the whole Spring Thing right now. 

CALLOWAY'S NURSERY

There is a nursery right next to our clinic in the hospital wing, and I have been wandering over there a few times during lunch these past few weeks. While some of their plants can be more expensive than Lowes or Home Depot, they are usually cared for much better and if you catch the sales you can make out like a bandit!

{Campanula Get Mee}

These are great for the amount of shade I get in my patio, and a perfect complementary size for a larger flowering plant in a container. They only bloom for about 3-4 weeks though, so I ended up passing on them. Sort of reminds me of Hyacinths! Oh I love those flowers too.... If only they actually lasted.

{Campanula Champion or Bell Flowers}

{Cineraria}

 Um. These are awesome. I had a $5 coupon yesterday, and came and grabbed a pot! They are a bit more of a purple. I am hoping they flower for at least a month though! We'll see!

I LOVE Boxwoods!!! The perfect green plant to an english/cottage garden.

*le sigh*

I was contemplating buying a small one and planting it in a large pot for some added greenery in the shade... but I suspect it might grow too large too quickly for a little patio. I wonder if I could just keep pruning it to a small size though? Hmmmm.

Thyme and Dough: Cafe and Nursery

I have been driving by this little Belgian cafe off of 290 every time I drive in to Dripping Springs, and it never fails to be closed the days I am there.

Its actually a partnership between the chef who is from Belgium, and a gardener who supplies the herbs, vegetables, and flowers for purchase.

You go in the little house to order, and you can either eat inside if the weather is a bit grey, sit out on the patio, or eat among the flowers! The wait for your meal is a bit lengthy as everything is made fresh, but you can puruse the gardens outside in the meantime.

And, the coffee is PERFECT. Mmmm. 

I found some Creeping Jenny while wandering! This is so one of my favorite ground covers, and is great in containers as well!



Isn't the light green bright and happy?

My mom, brother, and I spend about an hour out here and it was so peaceful and enjoyable. I love just being outside, breathing in the fresh air....



Enchanted Rock

So after many many weekend trips to Austin, I finally made it out to Enchanted Rock!

Its about 15-20 minutes north of Fredericksberg, one of my favorite towns in Texas. A great weekend vacation would be spending a Saturday shopping in Fredericksberg and doing some wine tasting and dining in the evening. There are some great antique malls with really great deals, as well as some nicer stores. Then follow that day up with an early morning trip to Enchanted Rock, hiking to the top, and then exploring some of the other trails throughout the day. There is a Moss Lake nearby as well as a cave on the north side of the rock. I didn't get to spend the whole day out there as it was pretty hot for my cold weather bones, but definitely planning on spending a whole day out there in the future!

There are some really nice picnic areas and camp sites as well... Maybe this upcoming fall?

I think the summer has officially breathed its first breath this year. I got sunburned up on that rock lol!

I blame Dad. "Rest in the shade? Psssh."

*shakes fist wrathfully to the sky*

This was at the base of the rock, near the telescopes. The hill country is pretty dry, but there were little pockets of bright greenery and wild flowers randomly throughout.

 

This was like, the last vestige of shade provided, which I took full advantage of lol.

We made it to the top! See, its like a rock desert, with random clumps of green lol.  

This was on the way down looking back toward the telescopes and civilization lol.

I can imagine the view at sunset would be so gorgeous... Def would have to camp out there though. Never climb in the dark lol.

 

I want to go camping now lol!

Mac n Cheese

mmmmmmm.

That will forever be my response to mac n cheese hehe. Sometimes you just want some good old comfort food, carbs and all.

One of my favorite rainy day foods.

Ingredients:

2 cups shell pasta
3 cups water
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 oz cream cheese
1 cup loosely packed shredded cheddar cheese
1-2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp dijon mustard (or to taste)
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions:

In a medium saucepan, bring water to boil. Add pasta, and reduce to simmer. Cook for 10 minutes or until pasta shells are softened. Drain pasta.

Turn heat off, add remaining ingrediants and stir to combine.  Cover and let stand for about 5 minutes, then stir again and serve.

If you would like to bake it at this point, place in a baking dish and top with a generous sprinkling of cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 10 minutes until cheese has melted.

Servings: 2

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Week #2 of Herb Garden.

The seeds sprouted so quickly!!! I was expecting to have to wait like 4 weeks! Whew!

{Oregano}

 

{Basil}

Week #3 of Herb Garden:



Look how much they grew! Its like an ant jungle! That basil is going to be craaaazy... I need a food processor so I can make pesto lol.

I trimmed out some of the plants to give the others more of a fighting change. In a few more weeks I will have to replant them in larger pots and see what happens. I was worried because I really only get about 2 hours of direct sunlight, but they are all doing so well!

 

Even the chives popped up!

So Aldi had Hydrangea bushes for sale a few weeks ago, and I could't resist! Even if it fails, it will still be worth the attempt! I just love them....

{Chives + Hydrangeas}

I replanted the bush from its smaller foil container. I also have a bit of Acid mixture which I will be feeding the plant every 3-4 weeks with water until the soil pH balance is just acidic enough for the petals to remain this purplish blue hue.

Acid for Blue - Base for Pink.

The Easter Bunny Visited Our Clinic!

I had stumbled upon a wonderful idea for "egging" a neighbor to hype up the holiday and spread some cheer. Unfortunately, I live in an apartment complex which rather limits the amount of hiding places lol. So I decided to modify the idea a bit to have a little fun at the clinic before easter weekend!

 The concept originated from "booing" neighbors for Halloween, and someone morphed it for Easter!

Look at that, you've just been Egged!

But do not be alarmed.

We came, we dropped, we ran away...

Your house, it was not harmed.

So what is this before you now?

Just an early spring surprise.

Be quick and look around your yard

Twelve eggs hide in disguise.

A secret friend has just dropped by

To share some spring time cheer.

So now your it! Its now your turn

To Egg a house thats near.

Select a friend, or two, or three

Gather a dozen eggs for each.

Be sly and hide them, knock and flee!

Leave this message at arm's reach

Hang a poster at your door

And now your task's complete.

Days till Easter's aren't much more...

Ain't surprises sweet!

I created little cards real quickly, and stamped each persons letter on the back, and then in the morning hopped around and hid each persons egg in their area.

Everyone loved it!!! It was so much fun watching everyone hunt around their desks, and help eachother out. It really helped bring out the inner child in all of us! A couple peeps couldnt find their eggs on their own, and our office manager had to throw in the towel and admit defeat after two full days of searching! I think that qualifies as a win for me hehe.

Everyone has smiles on their faces now!

If I had had much more time, I would have done them in cardstock using stamps and my ink... but alas. I work full time. This was my alternative lol.

I do love these letter stamps though! I keep trying to find uses for them.

Yay Easter!