Bookmarks

I had so many beads from earring making, and was a little bored of making earrings, that I ordered some bookmark bones.

These were fun to make! Oh, how I love things that dangle. Most my earrings are dangle earrings for that reason. 

I have been gearing up for the annual Sandia Band Craft Fair and made a bunch of these to display. I am also participatin in the Dia De Los Muertos Marigold Parade this year. I am excited for that. 

The mustaches have been popular this year. ;)

They have proven to be popular! 

Most can be found on the Etsy site. :)

https://www.etsy.com/listing/178137470/red-beaded-sugar-skullshepherds-hook

https://www.etsy.com/listing/178150145/dragonfly-and-glass-beadsshepherds-hook

https://www.etsy.com/listing/178138754/winter-snowflakeshepherds-hook-bookmark

Carlsbad Caverns

I can't say much about the caverns. I'm not great at beautiful, lengthy descriptions. It is most definitely a beauty to behold. Breathtaking to decend into.

It's amazing to think, and this is always how I like to imagine it, someone long ago walking in the middle of no where and happening upon this massive cave. Having no idea their discovery is so large,  they try to enter it. 

This was my second trip to the Caverns. I took my son and went with my father and his family. It is a looong walk down. 

I can't imagine walking back up. I'm not that brave. Especially lugging a three year old on my back in the ergo. 😓

No, no. We took the easy way out. The elevator back up. I think the elevator down would be cheating yourself out of more than half the beauty though. 

The decent is a steep 1.25 nils long. The temperature remains a constant 56F. 

These Caverns form one of the world's oldest cave systems, and according to National Park Service statistics, receive around 300,000 visitors per year. They are about 27 miles from Carlsbad NM and conceal 117 known caves, including massive underground chambers. 

From USA today:

Creation of Carlsbad Caverns

The Guadalupe Mountains were formed around 20 million years ago when tectonic activity forced a gigantic limestone reef to rise from an inland sea. Over time, sulfuric acid ate away at the rocks, creating caves and underground passageways. Later, rainwater trickled into the caverns, leaving mineral deposits on the walls, floors and ceilings. These deposits eventually built up into rock formations such as stalactites and stalagmites.

History

Although Indian settlers almost certainly discovered the caverns, local cowboy Jim White is credited with exploring them. He first descended underground as a teenager in 1898, using a home-made wire ladder, but it was over 10 years before he could interest anyone else in his discovery. Early visitors descended to the caves via an old mining bucket. In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed Carlsbad Caverns a National Monument and, in 1930, the Carlsbad Caverns National Park was established.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Carlsbad Caverns National Park contains a section of an ancient fossil reef from the Permian age, and also includes one of the only protected areas of the Chihuahuan Desert eco-system. Although the park has no official campground, backcountry camping is allowed with a permit from the Visitor Center. Other activities in the park include hiking, wildlife-watching and stargazing.....|

We had a lot of fun going through the caves. My son of course got very sleepy and tired less than half way doe, so we carried him most of the way. Exhausting, but fun. I can't wait to take him again when he is older and finds it 'so cool!'. Lol

Afterword we took him to go see Despicable Me 2 at the last remaining drive-in in NM. THAT was fun. :)

The view leaving the park. Magnificent! 

Garden Update and squash bug fury

Just a quick shot of my beautiful garden beds with plants abounding!

We've had some trouble with learning process' and soil, this summer, but I'll get into those later.

I grew my first squash this year. I love summer squash boiled and smashed with cream cheese.

LOVE IT.

I was able to harvest 5 beautiful large squash from two of my plants before the one on the west side of the bed just.... Died. Out of the blue with a half squash grown, it was shriveled and wilted overnight. OVERNIGHT! I kid you not. I have no idea what happened.

The second, east side squash plant was eventually overrun with squash bugs. Little pesky bitches. I fought the good fight, dutifully going out every evening and hunting those little fuckers down and squashing them and their eggs. Every. Day. So, needless to say when I found a cluster of squash bug eggs that I had missed, I threw a hissy fit/personal tantrum. Ugh they are the Bain of my existence.  

I really did my research this summer too. I asked every gardener I knew, what is the solution? I tried many things this summer, every suggestion I've heard. 

Including:

Cayenne pepper

Red chile powder

Diotomatious earth

Organic spray

Blending up and smearing their carcasses on the plant

Planting hot peppers around

Daily hunting

Nothing worked. 

At least once a week I found new babies. At least twice a month I found hatched eggs. Daily, I found adults and multiple egg clusters. The damn bugs were laying eggs on my green chile plants! Under the leaves and on the actual peppers! 

What. The. Fuck.

I hate these bugs. 

Any suggestions? 

Yikes!!

My son bit his tongue. Hard!!!

Uggghhhh the pictures just don't even do it justice. It's gruesome! The poor boy! 

He fell off the pla climber outside. 

There is flappy chunk of skin hanging off. Eeeweww. I could never have been a nurse. Lol

Back yard makeover

This weekend we tackled our backyard. It was never great looking, but after we brought the rabbits home and let them have free roam, it went from ok, to a disaster. They dug gigantic holes everywhere! (I'll admit, I'm not sure what I was expecting :p ) we were not too fond of the existing shrubbery there either, and a kind lady whom we had bought a couch from had also gifted us a great big 12' trampoline! So we needed to make a safe space for that. 

I didn't take great before pictures, I guess I forgot till we were half through tearing stuff out. Here are some side by side, (kinda) before and after photos. 

Here you can see a little rabbit in the back. We ripped out the bush and took a massive tiller to the entire yard to level it. That thing was awesome. 

The wood on top of the wall was a project that had been abandoned by the guy working for my MIL. It was supposed to be a vinyl privacy topper, but dude did a crappy job and it would not be able to hold something as heavy as vinyl. Instead of tearing it down we ended up using willow branches we had cut and brought home from the lavender farm. We cut them about the same length and nailed them to the wood. Turned out pretty nice for being a last minute, rigged and cheep project. Also, it's a great place for the wisteria we planted to grow.

The hole in the back is for a future pond. :)

We sectioned off half the yard for the rabbits and laid gravel on top to try and minimize the poop abundance. So far it's worked pretty well. And the rabbits have yet to escape. 

Edit: still true two years later! 

Here are my loves laying sod. We got a great deal on it, if you go to the field at a certain time (early in the morning!) you get a pallet of the outer edges of the field for like, $200. Our truck and trailer were so weighed down! Id never have thought it was so heavy! And so worth it!

Instant lawn!! 

Well, we are super happy with it. A little mini oasis is what it will be when the pond is done. Hopefully soon.....

Monster Bank

We have a great little place in town called Art Attack! Where you can paint ceramic pieces and they will for it for you. They also do a ladies night once a month when you can bring your own alcohol and snacks and paint with your friends. I like to go every so often, it's a fun little evening to be creative.

Last week I made a monster piggy bank.

Before being fired. 

 I made it for my son, but he showed little interest in it. It's also his like, 5th piggy bank. So I've adopted it as my own. You can never have too many piggy banks, in my opinion. 

I also had a little extra time and made the little rabbit and frog for the fairy garden. ;) 

Garden beds 2013 FINISHED!

Oh my wonderful garden beds are DONE! Woooooo! Now the fun begins! (I thought building them was fun too, but you only build them once) my husband did an amazing job, of building and improvising. (So far in writing this two sentence blog, I've been asked to get up 5 times by my son, can I get any peace?!? No. )

We put the fence up this past weekend which means I can finally start planting! I have to have a fence around all growing vegetation or my golden retriever will eat it. Bitch.

Woo hoo! Time to start planting!

Happy gardening!