Camille's room transforms into Carrie Bradshaw's NY apartment

I do happen to do other things besides cook and I wanted to showcase some of those things here as well. Camille is quickly, too quickly, turning into a teenager and decided that she wanted to update her bedroom's "little girl" decor. So, what teenage theme did she decide upon? Of course, the same thing any 12 year old girl would choose. . . Carrie's Sex in the City apartment. Well, after a little bit of research on-line, it was surprisingly easy to duplicate The look and feel of Carrie's single pad. a little paint and proper accessories and color scheme we rose to the challenge.
Here are the before and after pics along with my painting skills!

My FIRST Watermelon

WOW! I was so surprised when taking the dogs out Saturday morning. I thought it might be a good idea to check the garden. There had not been a lot of veggies produced in the last few weeks, but we had a good amount of rain in Dallas the last few days, so I thought maybe, finally, I would find something. Boy, did I hit the jackpot! There was a suspicious looking group of leaves in the planter by the pool, I decided to target this spot. I carefully stepped in between the vines, taking care not to crush any of the delicate plants. I swept back the grouping of large leaves to find the watermelon resting on the ground. Like a proud parent I cradled it to the patio to rest in the morning sun and ripen to a lovelier shade of green.
I haven't cut it yet, but will post a recipe and picture when I do, maybe a minted vodka infused fruit would be fun. I suppose I could be a good mom and slice some for the kids too.

My Summer Garden

I do actually do things other than cooking, I thought I might blog a little about them as well. My husband loves to say that, "For an Indiana farm girl, you have such a brown thumb." I think that I may have finally proven him wrong. Over the last two years I have taken to planting more than just my standard herbs and I think it has gotten slightly out of hand. This year Bo chopped away at an out of control Wisteria, clearing a small patch perfect for a little more than basil (See Basil Pesto and Tomato & Mozzarella Tart) and thyme. I was determined to raise the bar this year, so I planted all the regulars plus, watermelon, strawberries, cucumbers, tomatoes and onions. Great tip, by the way, the guys at the nursery know their stuff, they sold Beep hot peppers to plant along side the herbs and veggies to keep the pests away without using any chemicals!
So proud, I picked my first cucumber last week, thinking that all I was growing was vines and leaves I was astounded to find this 14 inch vegetable hiding under the large ground cover! I have included the spoon for scale at Beep's request. I also picked my first tomato and jalapenos this week. Related recipes to follow. Mom-mom made the best cucumber salad that is one of Beep's favorites, so it would be fitting to mix up a batch. Cucumber water is also a refreshing summer treat, or just a bowl of iced water, sliced cucumber and wash cloths by the pool may be the answer. (See Mom-mom's cucumber sandwiches and Howard Ahren's Pickles).
My blackberries were exceptionally good this year, very sweet, some Texans have told me that it was due to all the spring rain. (See blackberry buckle and blackberry lemonade).
So, get out there, get your hands dirty, make the kids dig along side you and reap the rewards of a bountiful garden full of memories and fantastic flavors to share with your family!