enJOY it

an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.

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Heref Tomato Lemons

Good week, busy week.

Busy like a bee, you could say. And guess what : we have bees! Well, our wall has bees. Tough to tell if it's an actual new hive or if it's just scout bees (I am learning more and more about bees by the day). I woke up yesterday to a strange buzzing, but couldn't find the source. Came home from a few errands and there were seven bees inside the house, flying around the window. "Odd." I thought. I called a bee remover guy and he said they might be coming in through the fireplace. Went outside and checked the chimney (because apparently there should be an old bee flying around the entry source) and didn't see much. "No big deal, the ones inside will die" said the bee guy.

Awesome. I decided to wait them out. Paul came home for lunch, I showed him the seven bees at the window (which were now closer to twelve) and we went outside to look again at the chimney. Still nothing. And then Paul spotted a vent on the outside of the house that was swarming with bees. Ugh. My bee bravery, "wait them out mentality" went out the window. I called the bee guy back and we shut the door to the bathroom (that connects to the vent). Bee guy still thinks they are scouter bees, but he's coming out this morning to take a look and remove them (humanely! California needs honey bees!).

Thankfully, I am not scared of bees and these seem to be docile enough, but a swarm in the walls of my house?! Totally creepy. Also, dead bees all over your floor? Totally creepy.

But in happy news … I finished up the minibook I put together as a guest designer in Maggie Holmes Pieces of Me class. It was such a fun challenge to try on a different style and make it mine. My mini cards from moo.com came and I love them! The garden is doing so well! We should have lemons soon! And I saw our first tomatoes!

Life is good and soon to be bee-free. Happy weekend.

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30 responses to “around here.”

  1. susan Avatar

    but bees are so good for our world & your garden ! Hope they can relocate themselves without to much angst (or creepyness). I use the clear drinking glass & postcard method to capture & release all bees, bugs & spiders. Happy weekend !

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  2. Pink Ronnie Avatar

    I would be rather freaked out by that too.
    Love your ‘around here’ posts. They always cheer me up, and brighten up my day a bit. Hope you guys have the best time at Palm Springs.
    Ronnie xo

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  3. Itsjustluc Avatar

    If you’re still looking for fiction reading suggestions, I’d recommend The Secret Life of Bees. It’s wonderful and perfectly suited to your current bee situation 🙂

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  4. Ashley Marie Avatar

    Clearly, your patio garden is awesome and the bees liked it so much they are moving in!
    You’re the first person I have seen that uses that Fiskars corner rounder. I have had mine awhile, but even when I first purchased it, the punch is quite finicky, especially on the smaller size. Do ever have problems with yours not punching evenly?

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  5. Skye Avatar

    Yikes, I would be terrified by that many bees in my house. Your “Pieces of Me” mini looks awesome!

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  6. elise blaha Avatar

    Oh I hear ya! We need them!! But these ones in my house we up high on the window and I couldnt reach with a ladder to save them with a glass. Bummer that they died inside.

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  7. Nicol Avatar
    Nicol

    Can’t wait to see your mini album. Excited for that class too start. BTW, you inspired me to have a garden again. Thanks for that!

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  8. kristen Avatar

    Oh. my. god. The bee thing is creepy beyond words. I would have freaked the hell out! (but you know how nuts I am about bees… and sharks) 😉 Anyway, I seriously applaud you for being able to stay in your house. You are far braver than I!
    On the bright side though, at least you know you have lots of bees in the area to pollinate your garden, which is looking great, btw! Yay for baby tomatoes, and your lemons are getting big!

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  9. royela Avatar

    so deathly allergic to bees… eek

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  10. Kim Avatar

    Hi Elise-
    Can you recommend a brand of stamp ink pad that you like? I bought an ink pad the other day but the pad was just too squishy and didn’t work out well. I think the pad needs to be firmer to work with the stamps that I have.
    Also- I remember you explaining your coffee before in a post but now I can’t find it. I spend so much money on morning coffee I think I just need to start making it at home!

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  11. elise blaha Avatar

    I use staz-on ink only because it is super quick drying – it does stain your stamps though and you need a special stazon cleaner to get it off. Every ink pad, when you first get it is going to be super juicy… you will want to be careful in the beginning that the rubber does not pick up to much ink. We recently switched to a chemex coffee maker and love it. I am hoping to get a post together about it. the biggest difference though will come from your beans. buy whole beans and grind them at home. 🙂

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  12. Lindsay Avatar

    Gorgeous snapshots of your week! I’m hoping to channel some of that beautiful photography this week~ we’re off to Cambodia;) I can’t wait to catch back up on your blog soon! It is so fun!…and I hope those bees make some delicious honey for you instead of being pesky

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  13. Love, Carrie Avatar

    Green is my favorite color! Love the new blog design!!!

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  14. heather o. Avatar
    heather o.

    Adore the updated blog design!

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  15. Jennifer Kang Avatar

    new blog design 🙂

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  16. Shannon Avatar

    ❤ the new blog design!

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  17. Kelsey Avatar

    Love the new design!

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  18. San Avatar

    I am ok with most insects – as long as they stay outside of my house. A bee nest in one of your walls is definitely not desirable.
    I am so excited to see that your veggies are growing… the tomato buds made my day. Say, how much do you water them? I seem to either over- or underwater my tomato plant.

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  19. Jessi Avatar

    Love the new color scheme!! And man, those strawberries look SO delicious. I just love berry season. Oh and I found a little tomato bud on one of our plants this afternoon. Cannot wait for fresh “maters” as we used to call them 🙂

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  20. elise blaha Avatar

    I water almost every day … depends on how much sun they got and how the dry the soil feels. They are decent sized containers (with good drainage) so I do not have to worry too much. 🙂

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  21. Kelly Cree Avatar
    Kelly Cree

    Love, love, love the new look! Super cute!

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  22. krugthethinker Avatar

    Happy weekend to you too! I am in love with the new design! Gorgeous colors!

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  23. San Avatar

    Thanks for your response! 🙂

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  24. chel Avatar

    I just wanted to thank you for getting someone to “rescue” those bees (and you, too!) I know it’s much easier to get a few cans of Raid and go for it, or get a regular exterminator to blast them all away, but it’s always nice when I read about someone who takes the time to find a bee removal service that will just relocate them instead of killing them. We had a HUGE hive on our cable post and we found a guy who kept hives so he was thrilled to come out and take ours.

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  25. patience Avatar

    i wish i had taken the staz on ink remover more seriously when i bought the ink. i’m sad that my stamps for that project are now stained. they still work fine but 1> it’s hard to tell when they are clean and 2> there is a bit of a build up on them. so i’m convinced that if i were to put more staz on ink on them that they would build higher and higher and no longer be perfectly level 😦

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  26. Amanda Avatar

    I’m a new follower and love your blog! Would love the follow back! Enter my giveaway for a Nordstrom and Starbucks gift card! Enjoy your weekend!
    The Pretty Pinhead

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  27. Kim Avatar

    Thank you!!

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  28. Chrystina Avatar

    Oh goodness. Hope that’s all cleared up by now. Also – I find myself wondering how you humanely remove bees, sounds fascinating.

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  29. elise blaha Avatar

    We ended up not needing the guy to come. Turns out they were scouter bees and they left on their own. (Phew!!) But I am pretty sure the guy was going to use a vaccum (that does not kill them) and then transport them somewhere. 🙂

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