What is Growing in my Garden?

My veggie garden..

Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, Onions, Green Beans, Blueberry Bushes and a row of flowers to cut!

Jasmine

Tons of Gardenia Bushes!

A Shrimp Plant

Mandavilla

Miniature Rose

Kalanchoe

Fox Tail Fern

Chrysanthemum

Hybrid Lily

Mexican Petunia

Marigold

Antique Rose

Blue Bonnet...only dressed in Red!

Spider Lily

Iris

Butterfly Iris

Something Pretty!

Do you remember this great bed tray that I found at a garage sale?

Well, I love to take a tray of food into the bedroom either in the morning or at night and was looking for a small pitcher to use...so I went to Marshall's.

I not only found a stunning pitcher, but also a small cream and sugar set!When I saw it, I knew it was exactly the right size.

How NOT to Sheer Sheep!

We have never done this before. We had to not only sheer the sheep, but also give them worming medication and trim their feet. I LITERLY found a how to guide for trimming sheep hooves on the internet! Our good friends & neighbors, Debbie and Harry came to help. Don is not in any of the pictures because he was the photographer of the day!

Long story short ~ I got a pair of loaner sheep clippers - new they would cost $300.00 or more! I was told to buy new blades for them, which I was unable to locate..at ANY store in 2 county's!

The blades on the loaners were so dull, they were USELESS and we resorted to using some small horse clippers and scissors!



DONE! This is Ramses. He is our toy Cheviot Ram. He was such a good boy for his hair cut!

We have 2 miniature Cheviot and 2 toy Cheviot lambs. The toys are smaller. This is Edwina, a miniature ewe.

This is the pile of wool from ONE miniature lamb!BTW - we only got 2 of the 4 sheered.

Logo Contest!

Wow! Every single day Logo Contest entries are either coming in or I am getting inquiries about it. I wish I could share them - but have decided to wait until the contest deadline at which time I will share them all! Lots of talented folks out there!!!

Fruit Orchard

Almost every year we have lived on our farm, I have tried to plant at least 2 fruit trees or bushes. We have 4 peach trees, 4 plum trees, 1 lemon tree, 2 blueberry bushes and 2 orange trees, which are by far my favorite.

This post is about the Satsuma Orange Tree. Satsuma orange is also the name of a horticultural class of mandarin oranges that are the most cold hardy of commercial citrus. The horticultural class, Satsuma orange, includes several cultivars of Citrus reticulata. Wyman (1986) notes that tangerines tend to be smaller than Satsumas with orange skin and flesh. Satsumas tend to be larger than tangerines with a more yellow skin and flesh.

The easy to peel fruit is not beautiful to the eye, but my taste buds tell me it is the most beautiful fruit in the world!

Soo - what is next? I think we need a Pakistan Mulberry tree that produces fruit up to 4 1/2 inches long!

Bellville, TX.

Don and I go Motorcycling almost every Sunday.

Our favorite places to go are historic towns and this Sunday we went to Bellville, TX. This is the original Austin County Court House.

This is called the Finn Building - another beautiful building in town.

This is the county jail...and believe it or not, they have hung convicts here!

There is a road that encircles the Court House and many small quaint shops are within walking distance.What an adorable little town!

Logo Contest Help...

For contest information and rules - scroll down a few entries!

I found this web page and was amazed with all of the graphic designs - just thought I would pass it along..

http://www.istockphoto.com/file_search.php?action=file&filetypeID=0&s1=0&text=&userID=734120

Artistic Horse Photography..

As you know, I have been working with my new camera and just tried something new. Actually this idea came about because of a lighting problem. A "bad" photo from a previous show gave me the idea to use a longer shutter speed to get these shots ...and I am thrilled...

CONTEST - CONTEST - CONTEST

You see - I am looking for a unique logo that I can stencil onto our new horse trailer...and later have it sewn onto stall curtains that are used at horse shows ...and then maybe even on shirts and caps and such. But - I am looking for some fresh ideas....not a copy of someone else's logo with my name on it!

Here are a few Saddlebred logos already in use - so that you get the idea of what the horse must look like!

Must have a high head.

..a high set tail..

..and exhibit great leg action..

..in both front and back.

***HINTS***

I am looking for a logo that displays our farm name and all or part of a Saddlebred horse.

The Farm name is Equus Villa. (FYI - It is Latin for horse farm)
I love the Old English font...but am open to others.
If a horse is used in the logo - it MUST represent a Saddlebred.
Our Farm colors are Black and White with silver as an accent color.

This contest is open to ANYONE who is interested - you do not need to have a blog and there is no age limit.

What is the prize you ask??? Well - just to cover all the bases of what EVERYONE would or might want... It will be a crisp $100.00 bill!

Contest deadline is midnight June 01, 2008. Please tell all of your creative friends, relatives, children...etc. etc. etc. I REALLY REALLY need a logo and have turned to the most creative group of people I know to find one!

I must have at least 20 entries from no less than 15 people...and even if I do not use one - I will just pick my favorite and award that person the money. If there are less than 20 entries from 15 people but one logo is perfect - I will award that designer the money as well! There is no limit on how many logos you can submit. Please e-mail them to me at juliesize@yahoo.com

New Horse Trailer!

This is what it looks like on the outside.

This is a saddle & bridle compartment in the back.

I don't get to pick it up for 3 weeks though. They are installing the AC and an outlet in the tack room. ...and YES - I will be making my own modifications in the tack room and will take you along as it progresses!

On to Another Horse Show...

...in Oklahoma City. I will be away through the weekend...so I will likely not be blogging for a few days. Hope you all have a wonderful week and beautiful weekend. Now - go and plant something beautiful!
(((((hugs)))))

Here is a picture from the Pin Oak Charity Horse show in Katy Texas. You just never know who you are going to get mixed up with at a horse show! Yes - this is a real monkey who had a death grip on my hair!

Ahhh Bluebonnets...

For those of you who have never been to Texas in the Spring....we have the most amazing State flower called the Bluebonnet.

I am not sure if I love it more because of it's Texas heritage..

..or because of it's extraordinary color..

..but it is the true sign for us that Spring is here and Winter is gone!

I took the family out for some fun pictures before they had to leave..

..and we got so many great pictures...

...it was hard to pick only a few to post!

There are literally fields of these flowers growing naturally..

..and families flock to them for portraits...

...like this amazing portrait of Emily, Daren and Madison!

..and last but not least - here is a Father ~ Daughter shot I thought was adorable!