Cabinet Nightmares - Do You Have One.....

Cabinet doors are a wonderful invention.  One would never know what lies behind them if they could remain closed.  I finally decided it was time to tackle my nightmares that lay hidden behind my clean white doors.  LOL.  Yes...a nightmare is what I will call it.  I actually found a lizard in the pot cabinet and the scary part was - he was still alive.  As I was pulling the pots and pans out he arrived inside my slow cooker. Needless to say, every single pot, pan and lid was scrubbed in hot water, dried and put back.  I finally decided that I didn't need so many skillets and other items that never get used so those will now become bottoms for pots that I grow plants in outside.  The before and after of the pot nightmare I faced every time I cooked and put them away.

I purchased this cleaner at the Dollar Store.  It's Awesome!! If you've never tried it, do.  It cuts grease faster then anything I have found to date.  The name of it....I all ready said... Awesome!! So appropriately named as well. Word of caution. Do  NOT use this on rubber - it will eat it away. Perfect cleaner for everywhere you need to quick clean grease, dirt, soap scum or whatever else you would normally have to clean with some muscle. It only cost $1.00 per bottle. It's Awesome!

The next is the dreaded plastics cabinet.  If we weren't such fans of left overs, I would not have a single plastic container in my world.  How does one get so many lids with no containers to match.  Every time I clean this cabinet, I always have more lids then containers. Once again, it's cleaned and organized and there are still some that I have in the dishwasher for a good hot clean.

I think I've solved the problem of where to put the lids.  I went to the Dollar Store (yes, I love shopping there for household things) and purchased this basket.  It's perfect to keep them contained......at least for this moment.

That's my dirt for today.  I found magic at the Dollar Store to solve this problem.  Magic is everywhere, if you look for it!!

A Quick Makeover - Rock Lake Garden

With the arrival of spring comes spring cleanup in the yard so I painted the river deck and noticed that the area along the outside of the river was woefully bare.  The fig tree was nice and coming into season with small figs everywhere.  I had planted some Zinnias in a little patch in front of the rock and knew it needed more.

So I grabbed my hoe and hard rake and shovel and promptly prepared the area for a little fantasy garden.  I purchased some log style landscape bricks at the local hardware store and "fenced" the area in. 

 I planted several kinds of flower seeds that will bring much magic later but it needed some pop while waiting for them to grow so I placed a few Phlox to hold it until that time arrives.  I put some weed barrier on the ground, mulched it all and gathered my Christmas houses from the shed. Then decided it needed a lake.  Thus the name Rock Lake.  Of course every lake needs a bridge so...I turned to Larry and asked - "won't you build me a bridge" and he did.

I find I'm out of fairies so in the interim using my little village people and a few turtles makes the village a nice spot to look upon and smile.

The pot with the tree is my Shaving Brush.  I have decided that it will need to be moved but it is just getting it's blooms and has shot a tap root into the ground. For now, until it blooms, it will stay. Once that is finished I'll carefully dig it up and move it to a new permanent home.  I had a visitor while I was working.  I believe he likes the new area....grin.

The entire project took 2 hours and I feel it was time well spent.  And, on to the next project.

I use Weed and Feed in and around my gardens.  It's the perfect "tool" to help prevent weeds from growing while letting flowers and bushes share their beauty.  

Always feel the magic.  It's everywhere, if you look!!

The Birth of The Starburst Flower Cluster

Awhile back I posted a blog on the stunning showstopper, The Winter Starburst.  The pictures I posted were of trees I had found in my rides in the country.  For the better part of the past 2 months, I have taken pictures each day of a bloom that had begun on mine.  This beautiful plant, with it's purple and green leaves keeps me amazed with it's magic.  Below is the bloom of a cluster from almost the beginning to the end. This blog is basically the pictures.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did taking the pictures and anticipating what was to come.

The blooms just starting to form and after a couple of days it started to grow.

Don't forget to look for the magic!!! It's everywhere :-)