What's blooming May 2012

The garden is doing wonderfully this year.  Thank goodness for the rain we've got and pretty pleasant spring weather.  It is starting to get hot now in late May; which is to be expected here in Houston.  Almost every specie of flower in the garden are blooming or are getting ready to.  So here is what is blooming:

Columbine - Aquilegia canadensis, Im retrying this species and so far they are doing really well.  I've grown them before from seeds I brought from my garden in Virginia but they kept rotting perhaps because of the heat.  Im guessing these new plants originated in Texas (maybe the Hill Country population) and are adapted to the climate better.  Im so thankful because I've missed having these in my garden so much.

Tropical Sage - Salvia coccinea, continues to go very well.

Turk's Cap - Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii 

Southern Blueflag - Iris virginica var. schrevei, growing in a large undrained glazed ceramic planter.

Gulf Coast Penstemon - Penstemon tenuis

Foxglove Penstemon - Penstemon cobaea

Blue Mistflower - Conoclinium coelestinum 

Spiderwort - Tradescantia ohiensis 

Mealy-cup Sage - Salvia farinacea 

Blue Sage - Salvia azurea 

Gaura - Gaura lindheimeri

Indian Blanket - Gaillardia pulchella 

Sundrops - Calylophus berlandieri

Bitterweed - Helenium amarum 

Lanceleaf Coreopsis - Coreopsis lanceolata 

Mexican Hat - Ratibida columnifera 

Giant Coneflower - Rudbeckia maxima 

Common Sunflower - Helianthus annuus, these and the giant coneflower really grew tall this year because of all the rain!

Martha Stewart Home Office

At the end of last year Martha Stewart and Avery announced they would be working together to produce a line of office and home organization products. The line would include over 300 items such as: binders, labels, storage containers, pocket folders, and desk accessories to name a few.

Today I finally got a chance to visit Staples and see the Martha Stewart Home Office with Avery line. I was really impressed and found a lot of things that will definitely help organize some areas of my life more efficiently and beautifully.

Martha Stewart Home Office with Avery line.  

I love how Martha Stewart products are displayed (here at Staples and at Macys, Petsmart, etc. ) all together with attractive signage, colors, and in an organized manner.  Its like a beacon of light in a stormy sea. 

Sticky notes and journals of various sizes, colors, and textures.

More journals and some to-do/good thing note pads. 

Binders and many useful inserts so that you can customize it to fit your specific needs. 

More binder inserts:  dividers, sheet protectors, papers, pouches, and calendars. 

Dry Erase Boards that fit many purposes.  

Wall Pockets

Stack + Fit Desk Accessories 

These stackable storage boxes are my favorite!

Accordion Folders 

Labels galore... Every kind of label you could ever need for all over the home and office. 

...and more labels for more specific needs. 

Also an office desk, file cabinet, and chair.  

I bought a few bags of good things for myself:

This accordion file has already been put to use holding some of my craft gemstone stickers.  

So as you can see there is a bounty of good things from the Martha Stewart Home Office line.  I am sure you can find many things that will help get parts of your home and office organized and make you more efficient.  These types of supplies not only help you get organized (which helps save you time and money) but also are attractive and can be fun as well!  

For more information about purchasing visit the Staples website:  Martha Stewart Home Office
Right now there is a printable coupon on the website as well as all the products and informative videos from Martha.

Vegan Fried Oysters

I recently went to Quan Yin restuarant and had their Vegan Fried Oyster dish.  The look and breading of the "oysters" was just like a real fried oyster but instead of oyster it is eggplant and a faux meat.  It was really good and the portion is huge!  If you are vegan/vegetarian in Houston you must try this restaurant.  There is a lot of really interesting and delicious choices on the menu.   

Vegan Fried Oysters