Backyard orchard: take 2

It has been crazy around here lately, folks! Do I start every post with that statement?

The past two weeks have been especially busy, but I think things are settling down a bit so hopefully more frequent posts are headed your way! I have some projects that I’m dying to share and even more that I can’t wait to pick back up.

For now, how’s about a mash-up of what we’ve been up to lately?

First things first—remember the little backyard orchard we planted in the spring? At the end of that post, I made a comment along the lines of I hope they don’t die immediately. Well, I come bearing good news! They are not only living but thriving—they all have tons of new growth, especially the avocado. I got a bit more proactive in taking care of my little orchard and, in my research, found this amazing citrus forum (and tons of other garden/home/nature related forums from this site for all your plant & yard needs!). You can search by your particular plant and save threads that you like for later reference. In fact, I felt so empowered by the knowledge gained from this database that I expanded my orchard from three (blood orange, page mandarin, lula avocado) to six (+rio red grapefruit, meyer lemon, & mexican lime)! As the end of summer neared, all citrus went on major sale, but since it’s still relatively hot here and we don’t expect cold temperatures for quite a while, it’s fairly safe to plant this late in the game (I searched the forum first just to make sure-ha!).
This is my Rio Red Grapefruit--It may look sad to you, but that's only because you didn't see it when I first bought it. This little guy is on the up-swing!

My meyer lemon and Mexican lime are in pots on our patio for now—planted in a homemade gritty mix. They may end up in the ground eventually once we decide on a master plan and start a major backyard overhaul. For now they are both happy in containers, and if we have a freeze this winter, I can easily bring them in the house or garage for safe keeping.
Left:Meyer Lemon, Right: Mexican Lime

My lime tree is very happy. It bloomed and has fruit of varying sizes all over!

I have been hit pretty hard with Citrus Leaf Miners this year. Nearly every one of my new baby leaves has some damage. From what I’ve read, the damage is mostly cosmetic, but I’d like to get a better handle on it next year. I bought a spray, but it didn’t work at all. I need to go talk to my friends at Wabash Feed Store for their recommendations. Anyone have a fool-proof cure for CLM? I’d love to know your tips & tricks!

Moving along… We went night fishing in Kemah with some friends a few weeks ago and it was a total blast! I’ve never considered myself a fisherwoman, but it was a lot of fun AND, as an added bonus, we caught a ton of fish! We fished into the wee hours of the morning (we got home at 5am) and spent the rest of the day lounging around and taking naps. I think I enjoyed the lazy day with my man just as much as our night fishing excursion! Those are the best sometimes, amiright?

I said we caught a ton of fish...I didn't say they were huge :) Sushi for one?

My little brother and my cousin got their Aggie rings last Friday! This is a HUGE day at A&M—I think I looked forward to my ring day more than my graduation day! We went up to celebrate with everyone on Friday and went back for the game on Saturday. It’s so nice to be on campus and NOT have to go to class! I don’t miss college at all (if you couldn’t tell from this post). I’m very happy with my big girl life :)

One last thing: Our 1 year anniversary is in October!! I can’t believe how quickly it's flown by, but at the same time, I can’t believe all we've done in one year’s time. Since our wedding photos came in during my blogging hiatus, I’m going to be sharing them (and other wedding/1^st year related bits) throughout the month of October to celebrate!

Happy fall, y’all! 

summer sweets

Can you believe it's late August??? We've been soaking up the last bits of "summer" summer and gearing up for "fall" summer here in Houston, Texas (it will be warm until approximately December 20th, so we aren't packing up our shorts or anything).

Two summer musts around here are fresh fruit and ice cream, both of which I've used recently used to make fabulously easy and delicious desserts.

The first is Smitten Kitchen's hot fudge sundae cake.

Oh. My. Gosh.

This is a crowd stopper, yall. I made it for a family get-together/birthday party for my MIL. We had about 20 people, so I decided to make this cake and supplement with fancy cupcakes from a cute shop nearby. Guess what? No one ate the cupcakes. Because summer is about ice cream. And it's pretty rich so it fed more than expected.

I apologize for the lack of cute pictures--working with ice cream subjects you to certain time constraints.

That's the birthday girl in the middle :) with my SIL, Brennan, and my grandma, Nan. I love that we live close to both of our families and I LOVE our mixed get togethers. 

Quick note: The recipe calls for a quart each of chocolate and vanilla ice cream. Enter The Great Divide. 

Bingo.

Okay, this next one is still in my fridge and I may or may not have already had a big bowl already tonight.

Skillet Peach Cobbler.

Wow. I mean, I bought a skillet just to make this. 

What kind of southern girl doesn't have a cast iron skillet? I don't know. Let's move past it.

If you don't have a skillet, get one. And get some peaches while they're fresh and delicious!

I didn't peel mine. Mostly because I was already hungry and didn't want to spend X amount of time peeling peaches (aka lazy). We couldn't tell a difference.

This cobbler is soooo good. Crunchy on top and gooey inside--with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, it's summer dessert perfection!

kittens

How are kittens adjusting to life as Alexanders, you ask? Just fine.

Kittens and I lived with my parents for a few months during the gap between finishing school and married bliss. I loved it, but kittens (specifically Benson) didn't coexist well with my parents small *but loud* dogs.

Needless to say they are loving apartment life. I think they actually like how small our place is--they can see and hear everything at all times.

We've been waiting and waiting for some colder weather here in Texas and we finally got some this week. I love the cozy weather, and so does my Benson :) This morning he wanted to snuggle with Banks--I'll let you see how it turned out.

We also got an iPad app for cats this week. Banks is such a smarty pants. 

Benson? He's more concerned with looking cute for the camera :)

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! We loved ours. Pics to come soon :)

wedding: photo booth fun!

Do photo booths take you back to trolling the mall as an awkward jr. high kid?? 

Do you love it?!?

This was one of the most fun parts of our wedding! JPL Entertainment did an excellent job. The props were hilarious. The booth was open and huge, so big groups got pics together. They created a personalized photo strip for us, AND I got digital copies along with hard copies of each strip!

Needless to say, the photo booth was poppin' the whole night, but I'll let you judge for yourself :)

If you're considering doing a photo booth at your wedding/event, DO IT! Ours was packed the entire night and the pictures are priceless :)

Honeymoon in St. Lucia

Hellooo!! We are back and semi-settled in, so it's time for an update!

The hubs is working nights (aka sleeping days) so kittens and I are trying our best to be very quiet so he can get some quality shut-eye (not super easy in our tiny apartment). Ben helped me bake muffins this morning.

Banks was more concerned about when they'd actually be ready to eat :)

Anyway, before we talk honeymoon, I have to say that the wedding was perfect. Thanks to many family members and friends that helped set up the reception area and the chapel in our time crunch! It looked gorgeous--but I'll share more about that later when I have pictures to prove it! :)

Okay, honeymoon. St. Lucia. Wow.

I mean, this place is straight out of a magazine.

Seriously?? Yep. Picture via the new iPhone panoramic feature! We spent many hours of each day soaking up the sun and this gorgeous view.

I could  talk forever, but how about a picture dump and a few comments along the way?

Our resort, Jalousie Plantation, was over-the-top amazing!!

Hanging on our private patio :)

We loved our villa!

The food was delish!

Sugar beach was amazing!! That's Rhett in the ocean--we snorkeled every day right off our beach!

They had a movie night on the beach one night :) We sat in bean bag chairs and watched Pirates of the Caribbean. It was a little drizzly, hence the umbrella.

We visited the active volcano.

And did the sulfur mud bath. The volcano creates natural hot springs!

Leisurely kayak trip in our bay :)

We hiked the Gros Piton--that would be this guy:

It kicked our butts, but we made it to the top (with a few bumps along the way..)

Half way up--we're hurting!

At the top :) Not ready for the long trip down...

Elias, our guide, hiked it barefoot!

If you're going to St. Lucia, this hike is really cool, but not for the faint of heart! Do it at your own risk ;)

My coconut lady with my rings :) I love her!

Waterfall at the botanical gardens.

The local church :)

Dinner on our last night. We were so sad to leave!

We loved our time on St. Lucia and can't wait to go back!

Wedding updates to come!