My Christmas Book's Website

Oh happy happy, joy joy.
Please bear with me folks, since this is my first book I am celebrating this journey to publication.
I wrote the book "Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts: Stories To Warm Your Heart and Tips To Simplify Your Holiday" with 5 writer friends, and it will be published in September 2008 by Leafwood Publishers.
Today the publishers have created our book's website, and it is full of fun and useful things, including free recipes from us, right there.
My Spanish steak recipe, Leslie's Taco soup, Brenda's Scalloped corn and scads more.
Check it out please.
Suggestions for the website are appreciated it, as we will add more to it, even Christmas music.

www.Christmas-scrapbook.info

Pizza Garden

Pizza Garden July 2007
Originally uploaded by Sally J.

A fun project with children is creating a PIZZA GARDEN.
This involves finding a spot in your yard that ideally gets 8 hours of sun a day, or six hours minimum, and laying out a garden in the shape of a round pizza pie.


Using string to guide you, mark out pie shaped slices, dividing your pizza into 6 or eight slices.
Fill each slice with pizza ingredient plants: cherry tomatoes, Early Girl tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil and oregano, and anything else your family loves on their pizzas.
You can edge the pie with white stones, to look like crust, and add yellow flowers like marigolds to stand in for cheese.


When the tomatoes and other veggies are ready, cookup a tomato sauce on the stovetop, and create a pizza.
I often use Boboli crusts available in a lot of grocery stores, or you can use a frozen crust or make your own if you are talented in that arena.
I found this photo on Flickr.

Cantua, brilliant red flowers

Cantua buxifolia
Originally uploaded by philipbouchard

Cantua buxifolia is in full flower in my yard right now, with glowing bursts of red fire from its 3 inch long trumpet shaped flowers, at the ends of gracefully arching branches.

My two plants are each 6 feet tall, and I learned about the Cantua from my Chilean gardening friend. We went to a plant nursery and had the manager order five plants for us.

This plant is beloved in Chile, and for good reason. These long lived shrubs develop thicker trunks and branches, and even reach second story windows in Chile, she told me. Here in California they top out at 5 to 10 feet tall. Hummingbirds are attracted to them.

Each year prune back branches since the flowers appear at the end of branches with new growth. Since they can be a bit bedraggled in the cold months, and lose some leaves, I have other plants growing on and through them, including a flowering sage.

Some Cantuas have flowers of varied hues; I am so happy that my two shrubs are loaded with the brilliant red flowers I wanted.
Ideal for zones 9b to 11, or overwinter them in a greenhouse.

Traditional Bouquet

Traditional Bouquet, St. Michael's Hotel
Originally uploaded by cobalt123

I found this quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson to share with you.
"For flowers that bloom about our feet,
Father we thank Thee:
For tender grass so fresh and sweet,
Father we thank Thee.
For the song of bird and hum of bee,
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee."
This is from the final page of a book I bought yesterday "Time Began In a Garden", by Emilie Barnes, with lush watercolor illustrations by Glynda Turley.
Some books are just made to start readers garden dreaming.

free copy of Healing Promises by Amy Wallace

I am happy to announce that author, Amy Wallace and her publisher, Multnomah Books, have given me a copy of her newest suspense/thriller, “Healing Promises”, to give away to one of the folks who leave a comment on this blog between May 16-18.
Like me, while reading, do you enjoy being scared while also meeting characters you care about?
This book is a thriller with some love and friendship stories among the serial kidnappings and shootings. The main character, Sara is an oncology doctor, and her husband, Clint, is an FBI agent so the scene is set for some intense and emotional events.
When Cliff’s life is hanging by a thread, after he is shot and faces an even more serious threat, a patient of Sara’s who is a wise man gives Sara profound advice: “God is still on His throne. And He is good. Always.”
The main characters are good people with foibles and flaws, which make them likeable. For me, all of the best characters in novels have flaws.
The author shares her insights into the creepy thoughts of a serial killer, as he carries out nasty plans, and hides and plots revenge. “Healing Promises” also gives readers an array of characters, each one with hopes and dreams of finding someone to love.
The book includes Sara’s medical practice which gave me a glimpse into the world of patients and doctors as they fight to heal and be cancer free.
I am a new enthusiastic reader of Amy Wallace and this is the first book I have read by her, in this Defenders of Hope series. The first book is “Ransomed Dreams”, a tale of Stephen Kessler, FBI agent, and Gracie Lang, a young woman seeking justice and healing, so if you are intrigued you can decide whether to start with “Healing Promises” or the earlier title. The author has a delicious chocolate colored website titled Heart Chocolate (she admits to being a chocoholic) at www.amywallace.com
Leave a comment on this post and be eligible to win the free copy of "Healing Promises". You will love reading it.

Free copy of Healing Promises offered

Hi All,
A heads up that the author, Amy Wallace, and her publisher have given me a copy of her new book "Healing Promises" to give away to a lucky commenter on this blog.
The book is a Christian thriller/suspense novel, and WAIT until May 16-18 to post a comment here.
I plan to post a review written by me here May 16, and a photo of the cover.
Until then, happy gardening.
Hey, any garden authors out there that have a gardening book to give to Terra Garden readers?

English tea pot and Lemon verbena

My English tea pot
Originally uploaded by scottfeldstein

Do you grow herbs for tea? Lemon verbena is a favorite of mine. Here is a bit about it, from my article "Herbal Teas" in the June/July 2008 issue of Country Woman.
Lemon verbena (Aloysia triphylla) has a clean, fresh scent that was said to have been Laura Ingalls Wilder's favorite fragrance.


This herb thrives in containers, where it reaches 2 to 3 feet high, or in the ground, reaching heights of 5 to 10 feet where winters are mild.
It grows best in zones 5-9. Pinch it to keep it thick and bushy, or train it as a standard, where it can reach small tree heights. The leaves brew into an excellent hot or iced tea, and also add appealing accents in black tea or mint tea.