Sweet Peas and Happy Things

A New Favorite Tea

2012-02-07T14:52:00.000-08:00

The clock says it is 2:40 p.m., but it might as well just read T-E-A for me. You see I have become quite accustomed to fixing myself a hot cup of tea around this time of day. I'm not certain if this is close to the official "tea time" (my friends from England can educate me on that), but it is certainly my tea time. Typically I just grab any tea that I might have; however, recently I have discovered a new tea that I only save for times when I know that I can sit down and drink every drop. It really is that good (well, at least in my opinion). I even go so far as to contemplate what just might happen in the minutes to come; because if there is any chance I might not be able to finish my cup, then I just prepare any of my regular teas. Pouring this tea down the drain after it gets cold just seems wrong somehow. As far as I know I can't even find it locally, but purchase it in a nearby city.

This is the only flavor I have tried so far, but it has won my heart. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to go finish my tea.

Saturday's Book Choice (on Sunday)

2012-02-05T11:14:00.000-08:00

I couldn't let this week go by without recommending the sequel to last week's book, The Fisherman's Lady. The sequel is entitled The Marquis' Secret (Macdonald / Phillips). And if you are going to read the first, you must read the second, because it is filled with unsuspecting plot twists and turns. Both books are about a simple Scottish fisherman named Malcolm and a young girl that he knows he can never love. But the way MacDonald develops the story is very clever, and not the type of book that once you read the first chapter, you can pretty much guess how it all comes out in the end. In fact all of MacDonald's books are written so well that the story line keeps your interest clear up until the end.

And now, I am back off to the kitchen to finish cooking food for the Super Bowl Game later this afternoon.

Making Hamburger Buns at Home

2012-02-03T11:21:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned numerous times how much of a fan I am of King Arthur Flour. I enjoy looking around their online store since they happen to be clear across the country from me, and I also frequent their blog. I believe it was last spring when they posted a recipe for hamburger buns that caught my eye. I tried them, and it was a big hit at our house. And now I can hardly bring myself to buy hamburger buns in the store any longer. If you have a bread machine, it makes these buns so simple to make. You just need to start them early enough in the day so that they will be ready for dinner. Here is the link to the recipe, and I promise you will love them.

Saturday's Book Choice

2012-01-28T20:20:00.000-08:00

I was introduced to George MacDonald by my sister-in-law, Nancy. One year for Christmas she gave me a copy of The Fisherman's Lady (Hampshire Books), and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Through the years I have read it several times, and as a matter of fact, after writing about it tonight, I think it is about time for another time through.

George MacDonald was an author in 19th century Scotland. He wrote a great variety of books including novels for adults, fairy tales, theological works, and poetry. C. S. Lewis was greatly influenced by MacDonald, and I have read that Lewis even even referred to him as "his master".

This is a good, hard-to-put-down type of story that is perfect for that cold stormy day outside when you have nothing better to do than spend the afternoon with a good book.

Peppermint Ice Cream

2012-01-27T16:23:00.000-08:00

You may be very organized and throw all of your leftover candy canes away when Christmas has come and gone. Or perhaps you are like me and think that there must be something that you can do with all of that delicious peppermint confection. Sometimes I just toss all of them into the food processor, chop them up very tiny, store it in a jar, and sprinkle it on vanilla ice cream. The only problem with that is it seems like I have the jar sitting on my pantry shelf forever, not using it up as I had originally intended. Well, this year my sister, Kass, gave me a recipe for Peppermint ice cream that is so good. According to the recipe you don't even need a little ice cream maker; however, I do happen to have one, so I cut the recipe in half, and just threw all of the ingredients into my ice cream maker, and it turned out delicious. It uses a lot of candy canes as well, so you can make short order of however many you may have sitting around after the holidays.

Peppermint Ice Cream

28 candy canes
2 cups half and half
4 cups heavy whipping cream

1. Unwrap candy canes and place in a freezer bag. Seal bag and use a rolling pin to beat candy canes into tiny pieces. (I actually just ground mine up in my food processor). Pour candy cane bits into the bottom of an eight-quart freezer-safe container.

2. Pour whipping cream and half and half on top of candy cane bits. Stir until well mixed. Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours, stirring occasionally.

3. Remove from fridge and stir until blended. Pour mixture into the bowl of an electric mixer. Whip until soft peaks begin to form.

4. Place cream back into a freezer-safe container and freeze until set up -- about 8-12 hours.

Walnettos Make Me Happy

2012-01-25T08:21:00.000-08:00

I can remember eating Walnettos when I was a young girl; but basically forgot all about them for years and years. Now I have found them in the bulk candy section of one of the grocery stores I frequent. In case you have never had a Walnetto, they are a walnut caramel, and quite tasty I might add. Apparently they disappeared off the market for a while, until someone decided to bring them back into production. I'm glad they did.

Saturday's Book Choice

2012-01-21T09:25:00.000-08:00

"One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp was given to me last year by a very good friend of mine, and I have continued to enjoy it ever since. It is the type of book that I can pick up and read over and over again. It is about focusing your attention on giving thanks to God for everything, large and small. God tells us that He wants us to give Him thanks, but I think we tend to set that aside while we are busy with our lives and worrying about this or that. Ann's way of conveying to us the need for obedience in this area is like reading poetry. She writes from her own experiences, and I think most anyone would be able to relate to her words. I know for me I need a reminder now and then to just sit down and be thankful for all of my many blessings.

Caramel Corn at Home

2012-01-19T18:18:00.000-08:00

It just seems to kind of make for a fun time to have a table set out with all kinds of finger foods and various munchies to partake of whenever the moment strikes you. This past Sunday, I decided that I should do just that while we watched the football games. I was able to come up with quite a few ideas even though I thought of it kind of last minute. One of the things I made was caramel corn. I haven't made this for years, and fortunately was able to place my hand on the recipe. The ingredients are basic, but the one odd thing you might not have on hand is a large paper grocery sack. When I get groceries, I just ask the clerk for a few extra. I figure that way the bag will be clean to cook the popcorn in. And the recipe calls for either peanuts or almonds; however, you can use whatever type of nut you like. This last time I made it, I just used some mixed nuts that I happened to have on hand. The only problem though is once you start eating it, it is seriously hard to stop.

Microwave Nutty-Caramel Corn

1 cup packed golden brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. baking soda
8 cups popped unflavored popcorn
2 cups roasted unsalted peanuts, or almonds

In a large glass measuring cup, combine the sugar, syrup, salt, butter, and vanilla. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add the baking soda and stir well (mixture will foam).

Combine the popcorn and peanuts in a large brown paper bag. Pour the syrup into the bag and stir to coat. Turn the bag under to close, and microwave on high for 1 minute.

Transfer the caramel corn mixture to a baking sheet lined with waxed paper to cool. (It gets crunchier the longer it cools). Keep in an airtight container until ready to serve.

Saturday's Book Choice

2012-01-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

This week's choice is another jewel that my daughter's found at the library. I was surprised when they brought it home as it is a rather new book. Somebody at the library is on top of things by keeping up with current popular reads.

I found "Where Women Cook: Celebrate!" a very refreshing twist on a typical cookbook. We are introduced to 28 creative women from many walks of life. From artists, blog writers, jewelry store owners, to my personal favorite, Serena Thompson, founder of The Farm Chicks. Each woman is introduced, and then proceeds to give details of a specific party that each of them has given, complete with decorations and recipes. The photography is exceptional, and their stories are very interesting. It's a great book, and I will be adding it to my Amazon wish list. In the meantime though I will enjoy paging through the library's copy.

Mini Mini Marshmallows

2012-01-12T08:41:00.000-08:00

Christmas stockings take an important place in our celebrating. We try and fill them with very fun and unique items. This year I think the most unique was these little marshmallows I found at our local Safeway:

I have never seen them in the store before, and have a feeling I will never see them again. They are just like the little tiny marshmallows you find in pre-packaged hot chocolate that claims to come with mini marshmallows already enclosed. I thought they were such a funny thing, I just had to get them for my kids' stockings. Here is a picture of one next to an actual mini marshmallow:

You can put them by the handful into your hot chocolate, or eat them plain, which tastes just like the little marshmallows in Lucky Charms cereal, except you don't have to sort through all of the cereal. I kind of like the last idea.

Saturday's Book Choice

2012-01-07T13:03:00.000-08:00

Today is the first Saturday of our new year; and for some unexplained reason, I have thought that on each Saturday, it would perhaps be fun to make a book recommendation right here on my little blog. There will be no particular method to my madness, just any book that seems to be calling out to me as the weeks go by. This week was an easy one. In fact my daughter passed it to me this very morning as we were eating breakfast together. She had checked it out at the library; but just as soon as I started thumbing through it, I knew that I need to get my own copy. You see I enjoy being on the lookout for better ways to keep a house by being organized and keeping it clean. And especially with the new year, and resolutions still in full force, I thought you might be interested in it as well. It is called "Express Housekeeping" by Anna Shepard. The layout of the book is very user friendly, dividing itself into chapters from speed cleaning to decluttering. The one thing I really liked about it is that you don't have to spend hours trying to organize your life just to fit in her particular cleaning schedule. All of the suggestions seem very practical. I also like her tips for using things around the house for certain types of cleaning, such as baking soda, vinegar, etc. My daughter also had a great suggestion that it would make a wonderful bridal shower gift. I agree wholeheartedly; and to include some microfiber dust cloths, or a special cleaner that you like with the book would certainly add that little extra to the gift to make it very useful.

Lunch for a New Year

2012-01-03T12:30:00.000-08:00

Growing up in a very traditional family, my mom would always prepare what she referred to as a "Dutch Lunch" on Christmas Eve. And being the very traditional person that I am, I began doing the same thing when I was first married. However, after a number of years, I realized that having this particular meal the day before another big meal, just meant too many leftovers to deal with. So many years ago, I switched our Dutch Lunch to New Year's Day. It suits this holiday so well. Especially when there is a lot of football watching going on, and really encourages a nice lazy day of munching here and there.

My husband asked me just what exactly "Dutch Lunch" meant. I had to ponder for a moment because I really didn't know where the term came from, except that my parents always referred to it as such. So after looking it up, he enlightened me that a Dutch Lunch is "an individual portion or serving of cold cuts." So now I know, and I think ours met the definition pretty well:

Happy New Year everyone!

Happy Christmas Eve Eve

2011-12-23T08:41:00.000-08:00

Somewhere in time when my kids were younger, a Christmas greeting just seemed necesssary on the 23rd of December. I think it just added to all of the excitement building for Christmas Day. So around our house on this day, everyone was greeted with "Happy Christmas Eve Eve". It made us smile and giggle to say that. We still say it; and because I think everyone needs to take some time to smile and giggle today, I will wish each and every one of you a very "Happy Christmas Eve Eve" as well.

Christmas Chickens

2011-12-05T12:54:00.001-08:00

I must admit that my little etsy shop has been a bit neglected over the past months. But in trying to restock, and bring a little bit of life back into it, I have created a little Christmas family of chickens to give it a bit of a spark. I have so many ideas of things I would like to make and sell; however, they usually just sit quietly in the design stage of my mind. Recently though my workshop has been waking up from its dry spell, and so I would like to introduce you to Jolly, Joy, and little Jingle.

They promise to add a bit of fun to any corner of your current Christmas decor, as well as make a delightful gift.

Christmas Music

2011-11-28T07:57:00.001-08:00

Each year on the day after Thanksgiving I start playing my Christmas music. I like nothing better than spending the entire Christmas season listening to it. Over the years my collection has grown quite large, as I never think one can have too much Christmas music. My children are quite familiar with my liking, and this year two of my daughters presented me with a start of the Christmas season gift -- yes, a new Christmas CD:

I have seen this particular CD for the past couple of years, and as I would have expected from Celtic Woman, it is very nice. And what is even nicer, everytime I hear it I think of my thoughtful daughters.

Over the River and Through the Woods

2011-11-23T19:39:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving Day brings a wealth of memories to my mind. Some of the earliest are actually hearing my sweet dad sing "Over the River and Through the Woods" to all of us in the car as we crossed the prairie on our way to a nearby town to spend the day with my grandparents. I can remember the wonderful aroma as we walked into their house, and the table, with all of its leaves in place, set beautifully with grama's pretty crystal glasses. While waiting for dinner, some of my siblings and I would take turns spinning in my grandparents' chairs that actually were just meant to swivle; however, one could get them spinning around at a pretty fast clip. And I might add, we were never once told not to do it. It was just part of the fun of being at Gramp and Grama's house. My grandfather would have a roaring fire in his fireplace that, compared to my small size at the time, seemed like it must have encompassed an entire wall. After we had enjoyed an amazing feast, it was time to make my grama's glasses "sing". The memory is still so vivid in my mind of us sitting around the table talking, when someone would dip their finger in their water goblet and begin to rub it around the edge of the glass until a tone began to play. We would all then join in the fun of making Grama's glasses "sing".

It is kind of funny what kinds of things stick in a kid's mind, and even carry on into our grown up years. When my kids were younger, and we would travel to my parents' house for Thanksgiving, I would sing "Over the River and Through the Woods" to them. It just seemed like the right thing to do while traveling to their grama's house. Nowadays we have Thanksgiving at home, my kids are older, and I just sing the song in my own mind; however, at the end of dinner when we are all sitting around talking, someone, usually my son, will dip his finger into his water goblet, and begin to make my glasses sing. I still always join in because it just seems like the proper way to end a Thanksgiving dinner.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

A Vanilla Experiment

2011-11-20T09:13:00.001-08:00

Real vanilla is a must in my kitchen. I haven't bothered with the imitation variety for years, and some of the best vanilla I have used has been gifts from Mexico. Their vanilla seems so much purer than the types found locally. I typically purchase mine at Costco since their price just can't be beat. But recently, I have been reading articles on making your own vanilla. I'm always up for a fun experiment so when I saw Costco recently selling vanilla beans, I decided to give it a go. After reading many, many articles on this particular topic, I finally settled on this basic method.

Of course first, you need vanilla beans. As mentioned above, I purchased mine at Costco:

With the Costco package you get two vials with 5 vanilla beans in each. And just as a totally unrelated side note, the vials are really cool, and I'm determined to find a useful purpose for them.

I just used pint canning jars for my concoction of vanilla. My choice was pint jars simply because I have a lot of them on hand. In each of the three jars I poured one cup of vodka. And then I placed three vanilla beans in each jar making sure that the beans were pushed down below the top level of the vodka.

The jars then found a home on one of my pantry shelves that remains in the dark, unless of course I need something off of that particular shelf.

To help the process along, the jars need to be shaken a couple of times a week. And look here, after just one week, it is starting to look like vanilla:

I read varying reports about how long this whole process takes. The times varied from 2 to 6 months. I will probably lean more toward the 6 months, as it only makes sense that the longer it sits, the better flavor it will have.

The only regret I have is that I didn't start this 6 months ago. Wouldn't it be fun to give homemade vanilla in cute little bottles as gifts for Christmas? Maybe next year if this works out.

I have one lonesome vanilla bean left over from my original package so I have great plans to make vanilla sugar with that. I will have to let you know how that works out.

Shoebox Time

2011-11-02T14:24:00.000-07:00

When my children were very small, their grandfather would give each of them money to go buy little gifts to fill a shoebox for the Samaritan's Purse shoebox ministry. It seemed like it would take a couple of hours for me to take all four of them through Target with their little lists in hand of the things they wanted to put in their boxes. They loved doing it, and the time spent in the store, adding, re-adding, and adding yet once again all of the items in the cart to make sure they had stayed within their budget, was truly a blessing to me. Seeing their little giving spirits wanting to buy gifts for children they didn't even know was a very sweet sight to see. My kids aren't small anymore, but we still enjoy taking part in this ministry. In the beginning we would use actual shoe boxes; however, now we use the small plastic boxes because it just seemed like it would be fun for the recipient of the box to actually have a nice container to keep all of his/her goodies in.

Some of the favorite things we like to put in ours are: a small baby doll for a little girl, small trucks for boys, plastic farm animals, play-dough, stickers, art supplies, bracelets, hair barettes, socks, candy, toothpaste, toothbrushes, school supplies such as pens, pencils, notebooks, and erasers, hair brushes, combs, cute bandaids, lots of candy, a small stuffed animal, hats, gloves, and little rubber duckies. When we are all finished packing the box -- which really takes a great deal of skill to make everything fit -- we then sprinkle little hard candies all around in any open spaces.

One year my youngest daughter thought it looked like such a fun gift that she said she would like one. So that year for Christmas I put together a box just for her, and she was thrilled.

The collection week this year is November 14-21st. If you aren't sure where to drop off your shoebox, you can look at their website to find a location near you. And now the shipping boxes are scanned so once they have been delivered, if you would like, they can e-mail you to let you know which country your box went to.

An Apple Harvest

2011-10-18T08:51:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago, I posted about our apple tree which my son grew from the seeds of an apple that he had eaten. Each fall I keep an eye on the tree hoping for a good harvest. To my delight, this year I have had just that. The other afternoon I went out to the tree and started picking, and filled up an entire large basket, as well as part of a plastic bag. Now to many of you apple harvesters out there, this might not seem like many, but to me it was a lot. To actually be able to go out to my own tree, pull up a ladder, and pick more than a dozen or so apples was such a treat.

After picking the apples, I immediately went inside and started making a pie with them. And of course the pie was to be for my son, now grown up, that planted those little seeds so many years ago. He came over for dinner and I was so happy to be able to serve him a pie out of his very own apples. We all took a bite, and to my disappointment the pie really wasn't very good. The apples were still quite firm, and there just wasn't much of the good juiciness that usually comes along with an apple pie. The problem was that I have no idea what kind of apples they are; because really, who would keep track of the type of apple when your 7 year old son wants to eat an apple and plant the seeds to grow his very own tree. And who really expects that the tree will someday actually grow and bear fruit. But I'm not giving up, I have enough apples to experiment with them, and plan on trying another pie by cooking the apples first (which I have a recipe that calls for just that), and there is always applesauce.

A New Friend

2011-10-02T19:37:00.000-07:00

I have a new little friend. He is a squirrel that sometimes makes his little presence known around our front yard. I don't see him very often; but occasionally when I go outside to sit in the sunshine, I will hear him scampering through the tree above me. One afternoon after hearing him scurry around the branches, I decided I should befriend him by leaving him little treats. So each morning (well I really try to remember each morning, but some days I do forget) I place 6 unsalted peanuts in various spots amongst the branches of his tree. He found them in short order, and they were all gone without even one little shell left behind. I think at first he must have thought it very unusual to find peanuts growing from a maple tree, and so he took them all home to add to his winter stash. But now, he sees that those peanuts just keep appearing, and sometimes I see a couple of empty peanut shells on the grass where he has decided it will be okay just to taste one before he takes the rest home. He will not allow me to take a photo of him just yet, but maybe some day. I need to give him a name, any suggestions?

Random Gifts of Cookies

2011-09-26T08:05:00.000-07:00

One of my daughters recently had a birthday that fell on the same day as one of her volleyball games. I made cookies for her so that she could hand them out to her friends after the game; however, in the rush of everyone wanting to leave after the game (it was an "away" game, and the hour had gotten late), the passing out of the cookies never happened. So we brought home the cute little packages of cookies:

Another daughter placed them all in one of my red mixing bowls so that we would have a place to keep them until they were eaten.

I found that having the cookies pre-wrapped as little gifts was actually a wonderful thing to have around the house. So many instances came up where a random gift of a little cute bag of cookies was the perfect thing to give someone to brighten their day.

I had found these little plastic food container bags in the Wilton baking section of I think WalMart. I don't know exactly how many came in the package, but there was a very generous supply. Combined with two cookies to a bag (I used the Originial Tollhouse Chocolate Chip cookie recipe), and some cute ribbon that we just happened to have, they were so easy to put together.

I think I will be laying in a supply of these little cookie bags, and make it a now and then habit of making cookies for the sole purpose of passing them out to others just to see them smile.

Dishcloths

2011-09-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

This time of year I find myself with bits and pieces of down time while watching volleyball games, sitting at the orthodontist's office, or even waiting for my daughter to finish one school subject so we can begin another. During those moments, I enjoy working on a quick and easy knitting or crochet project. It is sometimes amazing at how much can be accomplished when you only work on it 2 minutes here, or 4 minutes there. Dishcloths are one of my favorite little projects to work on because they don't take much time, and before you know it, you have a cute little pile of functional items either to give as gifts or to replenish your own supply. There are a wide variety of free patterns all over the internet. I'm not sure exactly where I found this pattern, but it is one of my favorites.

Volleyball and Apples

2011-09-08T07:29:00.000-07:00

Volleyball season has begun at our house. This will be the second year that my youngest daughter has played, and she really loves the game. She works hard at her practices; and in her down time at home, she loves to work on her serves out in the back yard. And it just so happens that I have a small apple tree in this very same back yard. My neighbors gave it to me several years ago, and it has never produced any apples. However, this past spring I counted 25 blossoms on it which gave me great hope that it might bear fruit this year. When the blossoms withered away, we counted three apples on it. But one day during serving practice, the volleyball headed directly toward my apple tree, and promptly knocked off two little apples. I think this was such a fluke that even if I had told my daughter to aim for those little tiny apples, she never would have hit them. But in the big scope of things, I would never have traded seeing my daughter out working hard at improving a skill and enjoying herself for those apples. Besides, I still have one left on the tree, and now I know that it actually can bring forth apples ----- maybe next year.

Seeing the Unexpected

2011-08-30T07:18:00.000-07:00

A couple of evenings ago, I was heading outside to turn on my sprinkler. It was getting dark, and as I came out my front door, I noticed what I assumed to be a medium sized black dog in our driveway. You see, it was just dark enough where you can see close up, but some things just appear as shadows. I told the supposed dog to go home, but as the shadow came closer and more into view, I couldn't believe what I was looking at running loose in our neighborhood, and actually in my driveway. It was a pig! A small black pig! At first I was quite speechless, and when it spotted me, it quickly ran on through my driveway, and out into the road. I had to follow it because I was still a bit dumbfounded. As it ran next door into my neighbors' yard, I heard someone calling, "pig, pig". I realized that obviously this was a pet, and not a wild pig of some sort. I whistled towards the calling, and told him his pig was over my direction. He soon was at my house, and explained that somehow the pig had escaped from its pen. He then called the pig once again, and it was so funny to see the pig running very fast towards its owner. Apparently they have two little pot bellied pigs as pets. I didn't have my camera with me, but this is what it looked like:

The Annual Chocolate Contest

2011-08-27T08:20:00.000-07:00

If you read my previous post, then you know that the beginning of our local fair started at somewhat of a downturn for me. However, I know that along with lessons needing to be learned in painful ways, God also blesses us with victories. So this week when I entered my annual entry into the Mayor's Chocolate Extravaganza Contest, I was happily surprised with a first place ribbon. Apparently they liked my mini chocolate spice cakes.

Lessons Learned

2011-08-22T08:12:00.000-07:00

Today starts the beginning of what we call "fair week". Technically our local fair doesn't begin until Wednesday; however, for kids in 4H it has already begun. The fair to the 4H kids is like the culmination of all of their hard work they have put into their projects over the past year. They get a chance to enter exhibits of the different things they have learned, and receive ribbons recognizing their hard work.

This past year I decided I would help out in my daughter's 4H club, and offered to lead a gardening project. Besides my daughter, there was only one other girl in my class, which actually made it easier for me as a first time leader. It gave me the opportunity to get my feet wet with two familiar faces. But as it turns out I not only got my feet wet, but basically sunk to the bottom of the lake as a leader this year. I had read the requirements for a different gardening project than the one I taught the girls. So yesterday when exhibits were to be entered into the fair, they had the wrong exhibits for the project they were entering. You can imagine how terrible I feel. They were still able to enter the exhibits, but will only receive a white ribbon as they obviously won't get all of the points since they entered the wrong project. Fortunately my daughter laughed and thought it was funny. So I think perhaps I am the most disappointed since I was the one that technically "led them astray". But fortunately, I have a very dear friend, who just happens to be the mother of the other girl in my class, that was extremely forgiving and understanding. She reminded me that this will just give us something to laugh about in the years to come. At least this wasn't the only project that the girls entered, so they have other chances to enjoy their successes.

I also realize that I'm not the only one in the world still learning lessons. So I thank my God for all of the lessons He teaches me, even the ones that have to involve other people. And while I am learning my lessons, the world keeps on turning, and the sun still continues to shine.

Glory in the Morning

2011-08-18T08:45:00.000-07:00

Outside my front door, I have two built-in planters that I like to fill with zinnias. And tucked in with the zinnias, I really like to have some morning glories growing. They are usually volunteers, but over the years, I encourage them to "volunteer". They just seem to fill in any blank spots, and besides that, I am simply fascinated by morning glories. A delicate flower, blooming profusely in the morning, yet when the sun gets a little hot for them, they close up tight until the next morning.

This morning I thought they were so lovely that I had to take a few pictures. I love the way it appears that a bright light is shining right through the center of the flower, even though the picture was taken in the shade. God's glory can certainly be found anywhere we look.

Trailer Cuteness

2011-08-11T07:31:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, the Funky Junk Sisters held one of their famous Junk Salvation shows right here in my hometown. It was a very fun show, and I ended up coming home with a couple of vintage dress patterns and a set of vintage dominoes -- they are a necessity don't you think?

As this was my first Junk Salvation show I was surprised by what greeted us outside the building. Three very tiny vintage trailers all decorated up very cute. This one was my favorite:

Of course I had to step inside, and this is what I found:

I thought this was so cute, and immediately thought how I might do something like this in my vintage Airstream; however, I just don't think the boys in my family would quite appreciate all of the frill. So for now, I will just enjoy looking at these pictures.

Enjoying the View

2011-08-05T18:45:00.000-07:00

It is hard to imagine that August 5th is already upon us! My oh my what has happened to the summer? In light of this realization, I have decided that for the remainder of this month, I need to make a few "lazy days (i.e. moments) of summer" happen since they obviously don't just happen by themselves. So recently I took some time in the afternoon, and stretched out on my outdoor swing for a bit. Here is the view I had, and I think it is a most excellent view to say the least.

Farmers' Market

2011-08-02T14:01:00.000-07:00

Due to circumstances beyond my control (a very long, wet spring), I do not have a garden planted this year. Instead I decided I would just frequent our local farmers' market from time to time. Besides being a fun thing to do on a Saturday morning, it is really enjoyable to wander past all of the stalls seeing all of the vegetables, flowers, and crafts that everyone has been very busy with. This past Saturday I brought home carrots, onions, and tomatoes. Still a little early for cucumbers, but I'm hoping they will be arriving on the scene soon.

My Red Tulip

2011-07-28T19:50:00.000-07:00

I like tulips, especially red ones. Red ones remind me of my dad because those were his favorite. But tulips seem to come and go so quickly each year. Depending on the weather, some years they last longer because of a cooler spring, or if hot weather arrives too soon, the tulips just don't seem to be able to take the heat, and disappear for another year. I now have a red tulip that will last all year long thanks to my son. He is very talented when it comes to working with metal, and he made this flower for me. I just love it :)

Being Thankful

2011-07-25T20:22:00.000-07:00

If ever you are feeling like you have been short changed in the blessing department, I recommend taking a moment, looking around you, and truly being thankful to God for the little things. You will be surprised at how quickly you will realize that you are really blessed. A few things I have been thankful for in particular today are having fresh cherries to make into a pie, spending time with my daughters, and picking raspberries at 6:30 in the morning during a light summer rain.

Cherry Season

2011-07-22T08:04:00.000-07:00

I have been away for a bit -- away to spend a few days with my mom while my youngest daughter attended volleyball camp in the same city where my mom lives. My daughter had fun at her camp, and I had fun with my mom. We went out to lunch, shopped at antique stores, and stopped by my brother's house with an agenda in mind -- that agenda being to pick cherries. He has a number of cherry trees, all of which are absolutely loaded with cherries this year. While my mom supervised from a nice shady seat on their outdoor swing, my brother, sister-in-law, daughter, and myself all grabbed a bucket and headed over to his orchard. Within probably an hour's time, we had picked a plastic tote box filled with bing cherries. My brother estimated that we had picked between 50-60 pounds of cherries! So needless to say, I have been spending my morning going through my big canning book choosing a variety of recipes to give a try today, tomorrow, and most likely the next. Besides the bounty of bing cherries, we also picked a bucket full of Rainier cherries. What are your favorite ways to fix fresh cherries?

New Bags

2011-07-10T08:04:00.000-07:00

Do you think a girl can really ever have enough bags? One might think so, but then when you least expect it, new inspiration comes along, and of course you can dream up all kinds of ways to put a new bag to use. This has been the case at our house after my daughter received a copy of one of Amy Butler's newest books, Amy Butler's Style Stitches: 12 Easy Ways to 26 Wonderful Bags. It is the type of book that I not only like to look through over and over, but I would also just like to sit down and make one of each bag. Here is a picture of the cover:

After enjoying each and every page of the book, decisions were made, and fabric purchased.

One bag is now completed with two more on the burner. My daughter made this one, and I think it turned out really cute:

I Love Seattle -- Part 3 of 3

2011-07-06T07:13:00.000-07:00

One morning we got up early and caught the ferry to Bainbridge Island. My parents called this island home when my father was stationed there in the Navy after World War II. It is such a quaint little island. I would really like to go back, rent some bicycles, and spend some time exploring. We walked for as long as we had time for before heading to the ferry to take us back to the city. Before leaving though we bought some sandwiches and drinks at a bakery so that we could have a picnic lunch on the return ferry ride.

And of course a trip to Seattle just wouldn't be complete without a stop at the original Starbucks where the coffee craze all began:

Finally, we made one last swing through the market before heading to the airport. I'm so glad we did because all of a sudden we noticed one of the floral stalls selling sweet peas!!! They were gorgeous, and I would have been content to take a picture and bring that home; however, my daughters decided they were each going to buy a bouquet and take a chance on the airport allowing us to carry them on the plane. Being the prepared girls that they are, they just happened to have small baggies and rubber bands in their luggage. We filled the baggies with water and rubber banded them to the flowers. Right before we were to go through the airport security, they emptied the water out of the baggies, sent them through the security check, and immediately upon the other side, they refilled the baggies. No one seemed to even balk that they wanted to hold them throughout our flight. And once home, we put them in a vase, and enjoyed their beauty for several days. It really was a perfect end to a perfect trip.

I Love Seattle -- Part 2 of 3

2011-06-29T15:15:00.000-07:00

Additional highlights of my Seattle trip were of course a visit to the Space Needle:

The weather was quite pleasant when we were at the top and we were afforded a nice view of the city:

We made time for tea and crumpets one afternoon .... very delicious! I now need to find a good recipe for crumpets:

I have some very kind cousins living in Seattle that gave up an entire afternoon/evening to show us the sights that we wouldn't have otherwise been able to see on foot. They took us to the Ballard Locks where we were able to watch some kayakers making their way through the locks:

Besides taking us to a wonderful little quilt shop and treating us to a delicious dinner, they also took us to a park where we had a different view of the Space Needle, as well as a nice sight of watching the ferries returning from one of many trips across the sound:

My Lupine

2011-06-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

In my previous post, I mentioned how beautiful my lupine have been this year. They are just now beginning to show signs that they will be finishing up their show in the coming weeks. I have enjoyed them so much; and I have so many this year, that even as you walk by the house on the street, their peppery scent fills the air. Lupine are truly one of my very favorite flowers of all time, and what a bright spot they have been during this very wet and cool spring.

Happy First Day of Summer

2011-06-21T15:49:00.000-07:00

Wow, the first day of summer has finally arrived! And believe me, around here it is a most welcome sight. I just found out this morning that our local spring weather was our wettest in history; and believe me, I don't remember ever seeing so many wet, gray days all lined up one after the other. Today however, it is a different story, and we have been blessed with sunshine and warm weather to boot. On the upside though of having a wet spring, my lupines have been blooming non-stop for quite some time, and putting on quite a grand show at that. Typically by now, they are just finishing up. And my clematis, even though they are behind schedule, have just begun to show their pretty little faces. Happy 1st day of summer everyone!!

I Love Seattle -- Part 1

2011-06-19T12:32:00.000-07:00

For Mother's Day this year, my two oldest daughters gave me a vacation. I think that is possibly one of the nicest gifts I have ever received. The vacation took place a couple of weeks ago when I flew to Seattle, Washington, to meet them for three days of fun. We stayed right downtown where we would be within walking distance of many venues. After we ate lunch at Ivar's (a very famous fish and chips spot) on the water, we of course hiked over to Pike's Place Market. A trip to Seattle just isn't complete without a stop here.

There are so many vendors, but what really caught my eye, were all of the flower stalls. Pretty much as far as you could see there were fresh flowers for sale. They were being sold in bulk or in pre-made bouquets at amazingly reasonable prices:

Nearly every direction that you looked ladies were carrying around bouquets that they had purchased.

Many more vendors fill the market such as the famous fish mongers, lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh meat, jewelery, t-shirts, etc; but in my mind, the flowers stole the show.

It's the Little Things that Count

2011-06-10T10:06:00.000-07:00

I have been traveling a bit over the past week. In fact when I climbed on the airplane on Wednesday morning I counted that it was the sixth plane for me to step on in a week. But the traveling has all been very fun. My first spur-of-the-moment trip was to Colorado Springs, Colorado. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law invited me to come spend a couple of days. Between good conversation, fun shopping, good food, and great walks, it was a wonderful visit. They have the gift of hospitality down perfectly, even down to leaving me cute chocolates and pretty flowers by my bed.

England Swings by Rebekah Merkle

2011-05-31T21:16:00.000-07:00

My niece, Rebekah Merkle, has come out with a new fabric line for Timeless Treasures. She was recently interviewed over at "The Jolly Jabber" blog sponsored by The Fat Quarter Shop. Her fabric is beautiful, the interview is wonderful, and don't forget to watch the video -- it is very cool!! Congratulations, Bekah.

England Swings from Dane Wilson on Vimeo.

Forget-Me-Not

2011-05-30T08:14:00.000-07:00

A number of years ago we met a little elderly lady who was basically alone in the world. She was the sweetest little lady and we quickly formed a close friendship. She loved flowers, but in her elderly state she was unable to get outside and take care of them. Her gardens were overrun with weeds, but you could see that at one point in time they had been beautiful. Over the couple of years that we knew her, she had given me a number of seeds and starts from her flowers; and these weren't just random gifts, it was important to her because near the end of her life she thanked me for perpetuating her flowers. One of the flower starts she gave me was a forget-me-not. This spring the forget-me-nots have been beautiful, and I honestly can never see them without thinking of my dear friend, Olga.

A Special Breakfast

2011-05-24T06:58:00.000-07:00

Back in the years between the1940's and 1960's, I think every housewife must have had her own set of special glass luncheon plates. They are little rectangular glass plates with a little designated circle on them to hold a matching glass cup. Nowadays you see them practically lining the shelves in every thrift shop across the country. I have always been fascinated with them because my mom had a set, and they were only pulled out for special occasions, or when her ladies' card club took a turn meeting at our house. I can remember watching her unpack them and thinking they were about the prettiest thing around. So one time I found a small set, including most of the cups, for next to nothing. I brought them home, washed them up, and it truly made my heart happy to have my very own set. I pulled them out to use for a special breakfast recently. The breakfast was special just because I was with my daughters and it was Sunday. One of my daughters put together a lovely combination of fruit, and I made the Food Network's Maple Pecan Scones. The fruit was so sweet and delightful, and the scones are simply wonderful.

A Fortnightly Purse Giveaway

2011-05-19T07:28:00.000-07:00

My niece, Rebekah Merkle, over at Fortnightly Purse and Amoretti is having a giveaway to introduce her new fabric line and patterns. She is an amazingly creative person, and has come up with a line of beautiful fabric and unique patterns. Her giveaway is for her new lantern pattern as well as the fabric needed to make it. This is a giveaway you won't want to miss entering.

The Little Box

2011-05-15T15:25:00.000-07:00

My youngest daughter is currently on a vacation without me. She is having a marvelous time, but we have never been apart for more than a couple of days. So I thought that perhaps a way to keep her from getting too homesick, I would put together a little box for her containing a note from me to open each morning when she wakes up. A pretty ribbon was tied around the envelopes, and little gifts were also included for her to open on various days. For the box I just used a colored video box that Michaels sells, and tied a brightly colored ribbon around it. Before she left, I secretly set the box on her bed in the travel trailer that she would be sleeping in. When she arrived at her first destination, she was very pleased when she found the box. Now I can feel like I am greeting her each morning with a cheerful word, and she can know that I am thinking of her. It kind of makes it seem like we aren't quite so far apart.

A New Chapter

2011-05-11T08:15:00.000-07:00

Today one of my daughters will be graduating from Nursing School, and will be a full fledged RN. Wanting to be a nurse is something she has thought of ever since she was a little girl. Those days don't seem that long ago; but now instead of taking care of baby dolls, she will be taking care of real people. She is very kind hearted, loving, and considerate of others. It is a blessing to me to know that now God will be using her to bless so many people's lives. Congratulations to my sweet baby!!

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-07T11:36:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Mother's Day. A special day set aside for honoring our Mothers by possibly giving them flowers and cards, making them a nice dinner, and expressing our love in some such fashion. For all of you moms out there, I wish you a very happy day as you receive the blessings that your children bestow upon you.

Leftover Yarn and Baby Hats

2011-04-28T13:39:00.000-07:00

Whenever I finish up a knitting or crochet project, and I have that little ball of yarn leftover, I don't ever seem to be able to just throw it away. Instead, I save it knowing that some day I will make something out of it. It seems like such a waste of a potential project. Recently, in the midst of a big craft room reconstruction, I gathered together a number of lonely, little balls of yarn, and decided I needed to actually do something with them.

Baby hats came to my mind first, so I chose a nice soft yarn, and began knitting away. To make it easier to keep the little yarn ball under control, I used a cute little bucket to keep it contained so that I wouldn't be constantly chasing it as it fell off of the table.

I was making great progress .....

when several stitches fell off of one of the double pointed needles. I tried briefly to get them back on before they began unraveling as quick as they possibly could. When this happened, I decided I would much rather just pull everything off of the needles and begin once again. I think the time I spend trying to pick up those little stitches is too stressful, and especially on this small of a project, the stress just isn't worth it to me. So soon after I took the above picture, my sweet little hat looked like this:

Not to worry though. I just began once again, and was extra careful when I got close to the end, holding my breath through every decrease round. This time around success was there waiting for me.

So, one half of a ball down (the hats really don't use up very much yarn), and many, many more to go. But with the variety of yarns I have to work with, I certainly won't be getting bored.

April Showers

2011-04-20T08:11:00.000-07:00

Enjoying a morning cup of tea while sitting in the sunshine coming through my kitchen window is one of my favorite things. Throughout the winter we don't get much morning sunshine; however, with the arrival of spring the sun decides to start gracing us with its appearance now and then. On Sunday morning, I was able to enjoy it while also enjoying my new cute flower pot:

Oh Monday, there was no sun to be had. We woke up to heavy snowfall and it was actually sticking to the ground. This picture was taken after the first bout of snow had melted, the sun shone for a while, then the rain came which changed to hail, followed by thunder, and then more snow. April weather at its finest.

Brownie Cups

2011-04-11T12:18:00.000-07:00

It is so nice to have daughters that just taken it upon themselves to bake at a moment's notice. Yesterday my youngest did just that. She wandered out into the kitchen with a cookbook in hand. A short while later, this is what was cooling on my kitchen table:

Ahhhh, what a treat they have been. The recipe actually calls for peanut butter chips; however, not only did we not have any on hand, but peanut butter things really aren't my husband's favorite so we substituted chocolate chips.

Brownie Cups
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 eggs
3/4 cup Hershey's cocoa
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg) peanut butter chips (or any chips of your choice), divided

Heat oven to 350 deg. F. Line 18 standard size muffin cups with paper or foil bake cups.

Place butter in large microwave-safe bowl and microwave at high 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until melted. Stir in sugar and vanilla. Add eggs; beat well. Add cocoa and beat until well blended. Add flour, baking powder and salt and beat well. Stir in 1 1/3 cups flavored chips. Divide batter evenly into muffin cups and sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup of chips.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until surface is firm. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

~Enjoy~

The Beginning of Garage Sale Season

2011-04-04T09:24:00.000-07:00

On Saturday morning, two of my daughters and I attended our first garage sale of the season. Fortunately it was an indoor sale since our weather certainly was misbehaving that day. There were many vendors and all kinds of junk to look at. And yes, most of it was junk. But it certainly can make you laugh to see some of the items that people expect others to buy. A good case in point ..... a watering can purse. Now, this just made me laugh, and I had to take a picture.

A Jello Stash

2011-03-30T09:44:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I read a new recipe, I will jot down all of the ingredients and proceed to pick them up the next time I am at the grocery store. And I must admit that sometimes I don't ever get around to making the recipe; in fact I will forget all about the recipe, and wonder just exactly what did I have in mind when I purchased certain items. A good case in point is when I have bought various flavors of Jello, and the boxes end up more as a decoration on my pantry shelf. A couple of months ago, I gathered up all of the stray boxes of Jello, and found a nice little home for them in a little square plastic box. At that time, I told myself that I really needed to make it a priority to use them up, instead of letting them just go to waste. So in recent weeks I have been very diligent to keep a fairly steady supply of little 1/2 cup containers filled with this colorful sweetness. My girls and I have all enjoyed just grabbing a little container to toss in a lunch bag, or better yet, enjoy a serving for dessert after dinner. They are such a nice guilt-free dessert, and for me, satisfy my sweet tooth just fine. But now that the little storage box is beginning to look a bit empty, I think it is time to restock.

New Inspiration

2011-03-23T19:51:00.000-07:00

As I write this, I am sitting in the lobby of our local community center waiting for my daughter to finish up with one of her many activities. Keeping me company today is the current issue of "Where Women Cook". I am currently on page 118, not having skipped a page, and taking special notice of each beautifully created photograph. There aren't many pages remaining, and I then plan on starting over once again to make certain I haven't missed one single thing.

I first heard about the magazine from my blog friend, Koralee, from Bluebird Notes. She is actually featured in the magazine on pages 86-91. When she blogged about the magazine a couple of weeks ago, she was offering a copy in a giveaway. Of course I left a comment to be entered in the giveaway; but knowing that the odds were against me actually winning, I began to look for the magazine locally. I first caught a glimpse of it in a Michael's store, and immediately reached for a copy; however, as soon as I saw the price, I retracted my hand in disappointment. It is a bit expensive, and my mind wandered back to the giveaway wondering just what exactly my chances might be of winning a copy. Thinking about it realistically for a moment, I wondered if I might be able to find a copy at Costco, which was to be my next stop. After arriving at Costco, I half heartedly looked not expecting to see it; but lo and behold, there it was at a discounted price. I immediately placed it in my cart, and decided that would be a treat to myself for the day. And what a treat it has been. The articles and photography are delightful. Unlike some magazines that after perusing, I set down never to return to, I have even already attempted making my friend, Koralee's, cupcake liner flowers that she gives instructions for on page 90. Mine still need a bit of tweaking to be as cute as hers; but I thought they looked just fine on a couple of very special birthday presents I recently wrapped.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

Today is the day that I celebrate my Irish heritage. My father, bless his Irish soul, always made sure that we celebrated St. Patrick's Day. As I have posted in the past, his father was 100% Irish, and we grew up never missing out on celebrating this day.

There has been some debate in the family about where our ancestors came from in Ireland. My dad was very adamant about saying that we came from County Cork. I know that I have relatives that have actually traveled to Ireland to locate some family history, and have reason to believe that we are from County Clare. But to my knowledge, so far nothing has turned up. Regardless of the specific Irish location that my family heralds from, today we are Irish and very proud of it.

"I met a little leprechaun down where the shamrocks grow.

I asked him why he stayed so small, and why he didn't grow.

He frowned his brow, and with his eye, he looked me through and through.

"Well, I'm as big to me he said as you are big to you."

(Author Unknown)

Sweet Signs of Spring

2011-03-14T11:22:00.000-07:00

The official day of spring is just around the corner; however, I've been noticing several signs of the upcoming and long anticipated for new season. The birds are singing so cheerfully, patches of snow are getting smaller and smaller, the neighborhood sledding hill is now bare, I actually spotted my first fat robin, and the crocus have begun to bloom.

Amazing Cupcakes

2011-03-09T13:26:00.000-08:00

This morning I have been busy making two different batches of breakfast cookies. I have been trying to perfect the recipe by trying many different variations in order to find that perfect combination for us. So far our favorite fruit to add has been a combination of dried apricots, dried blueberry infused craisins, and craisins. I have kept track of everything I have tried on the paper that I printed the recipe on. It is getting quite marked up. But I think it is about time to copy the recipe onto a more permanent recipe card before I lose it.

Next up, I think I will perhaps try the dark chocolate cupcakes with salted vanilla caramel icing from the King Arthur Baking Banter blog. When I saw the recipe I immediately printed it out and have moved it to the front of many other recipes to try that I have printed out from this particular blog. In fact I have now added their blog over on my sidebar so that you can also easily access and enjoy all of the amazing things that they bake up every day.

Here is their picture of the cupcakes that they made. Now you just have to admit that they look amazing.

Sunshine and Singing Birds

2011-03-06T10:57:00.000-08:00

This morning big snowflakes were falling for a while. Following that little bit of inclement weather, the sun came out and has been shining ever since. I poked my head outside in order to shake my red kitchen rugs; and although the temperature is a bit chilly, the birds were singing so joyfully. It did my heart good to hear them and to just stand in the sunshine for a moment. God is very good. I am quite certain a long walk in the sunshine is in store for me today.

In Like a Lion

2011-03-01T11:18:00.000-08:00

As the saying goes, "March comes in like a lion"....., and it certainly has done just that. I kind of don't mind though because it is "March", and a wonderful month it is. Besides being a month which holds a number of birthdays of people near and dear to my heart, it is also known to "go out like a lamb". That means in just a few short weeks, the sun will perhaps grace its warm presence upon us. And what will I be doing once the warm sun hits? I will be setting up my new greenhouse! My neighbor built this for me .... just because. It was so kind of him to do this, and I was extremely surprised when it was given to me. I still can't believe that my tomatoes and peppers will actually have a warm spot to grow this summer. I can just taste the fresh salsa now .....

More Snow

2011-02-24T13:39:00.000-08:00

Last week I made note that I was ready to move on into spring. I thought that the picture of my snow shovels sitting on bare bricks made it more than evident that winter surely must be over, and that it was time to start thinking of springlike things. Well as is typical of North Idaho weather, winter decided to make another grand appearance. Yesterday afternoon a storm hit, and my daughter and I were out driving right in the middle of all of the chaos. There were numerous accidents, cars sliding off of the road, cars and trucks stuck in the snow and ice, and the snow just kept coming down. I was so thankful to finally get home where it was nice and warm.

Here is a picture of what it looked like while I was driving home:

And here is an updated shot of the shovels this morning after they put in several hours of service:

And as a side note, we did have an official home school "snow day" today (clearly one of the advantages of snowy weather).

February Finds

2011-02-21T10:19:00.000-08:00

When my kids were younger, every February I would evaluate if they would be needing a new winter coat for the next year. February was my official buy new coats month. The reason being is because I could always get them new coats at ridiculously low prices. With stores clearing out all of their winter clearance and getting ready for spring, they price their leftover stock at such low prices so they can clear it all out rather quickly. Not only are coats at great prices, but any winter clothing as well as flannel sheets. This year my great buy was on two sets of flannel sheets. Originally priced at $60 a set, I bought one set for an amazing $9.00. The other set for one of my daughters cost me only $7.00. And her set is so colorful and cute, just like she is.

Ready to Move On

2011-02-19T09:20:00.000-08:00

Today is February 19th. That means we basically only have one more week of February; and as much as I love winter, I am beginning to feel like I would really like to have sunny days and warmer weather. This month we haven't had a lot of snow, but lots of gray days, rain, snow flurries, and cold temperatures. I'm really ready to move on to glorious spring. Isn't it nice to know that even though winter remains, and we start to grow weary of all of the weather that comes along with it, deep down we know that spring will indeed show up. We have our hope, and we know it won't be disappointed. So while I am hoping for spring, knowing it will be here soon, our snow shovels stand at the ready just in case they need to be put into service once more before all is said and done. Perhaps they are just waiting to be put away because their services will no longer be needed this season. I hope so.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T10:18:00.000-08:00

Here's wishing all of you a very Happy Valentine's Day, complete with pink heart marshmallows and red roses!

Girl Time

2011-02-12T09:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday afternoon was spent in one of the most delightful fashions ever -- as girl time. It began with a stop at Starbucks where we sat and chatted over tea and scones. And then out of necessity was grocery shopping; however, it involved my daughters buying me a beautiful miniature red rose plant. That makes grocery shopping a cheerful adventure any time. Next stop, dinner at Red Robin (yum). And then it was back home where we settled in and watched the movie, "Letters to Juliet", while eating generous portions of cinnamon butter pound coffee cake from Costco. I love spending time with my girls :D

A Vintage Tea Set

2011-02-07T08:02:00.000-08:00

When I was first married I didn't own a teapot ... a thought I can hardly even contemplate now. After receiving my first teapot, I decided it would be kind of fun to have a variety to choose from. I must have mentioned it around my grandmother, because the next time she came for a visit, she brought me this most delightful tea set. She didn't use it any longer, and thought I might like it. Obviously, it is not a typical pattern for a tea set, and I'm thinking it must be a product of the 1960's. But don't you agree that it is just plain fun.

Looking Forward to Spring

2011-02-01T13:19:00.000-08:00

Today is the first day of February. In my mind that means that spring really isn't that far off. Even though part of our country is currently in the midst of frigid temperatures and terrible snowstorms, it is February nonetheless. Yes, I realize that we very well may still have a month ahead of us of snow and cold, but it is only one month. And based on how quickly January zipped by, I am assuming that February will zip by just as fast. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy winter; however, at this time of year, I start to envision just what it feels like to sit out in the warm sunshine, and start looking forward to our wonderful spring season. So here is a picture of colorful fabric from Marie Madeline Studio that really says spring to me, and helps me to realize that before I know it, we will be enjoying sunshine, wearing sandals, and maybe even skirts made out of cute fabric. I have only recently discovered this little website, as well as their blog, and find it all very cheerful while waiting for my days to warm up.

Organizing and Knitting

2011-01-27T07:51:00.000-08:00

The other day I was going through some papers when I came across a pattern for a circle cloth dishcloth. So I set it to the side knowing I wanted to give it a try. As a matter of fact, I then proceeded to put away the basket of items I was going through, made a visit to my yarn stash, located the proper size needles, and began knitting right then and there. Don't you think that is a fun thing to do while organizing papers? In fact, I haven't revisited that particular basket since because I am still knitting away. I figure it is all part of the organizing process. Why find a pattern just to neatly put it in its proper place. Why not begin working on the pattern immediately.

Breakfast Cookies

2011-01-22T07:51:00.000-08:00

My daughters used to buy breakfast cookies at the grocery store, and then they seemed to disappear from the shelves. They liked having them on the mornings they needed to grab a quick breakfast before school, or now and then when they needed a filling snack. I had forgotten about them until last week when King Arthur Flour posted a recipe for them on their website. I gave them a try, and they are very good. It was a great opportunity to use up all of the leftover bits of dried fruit and nuts that we had used in our Christmas baking. And they are definitely filling. I also think they would make a great snack for active kids that need something healthy and filling in the afternoon. They also keep well just in case you don't manage to get through them all in a day or two.

(Note ... my picture didn't come out very well, so I am hereby giving full credit of this picture to King Arthur Flour).

Staying Warm

2011-01-20T10:21:00.000-08:00

I love the fact that I can buy hand and toe warmers in bulk at Costco. This winter I have taken advantage of them while shopping in the cold before Christmas, shoveling snow, and walking out in the snow. It makes spending time outside in the cold much more enjoyable; and from looking outside at this moment, it looks like I will be making use of them today as well.

Left Behind

2011-01-18T11:18:00.000-08:00

When Christmas is over, it always seems to take a little longer to get all of the Christmas decorations down and put away. It just isn't as fun to take them down as to put them up ... nothing cheery about that at all, just a feeling of wanting to get things cleaned up and put back in order. So in contrast to decorating for Christmas, I just begin to gather things from here and there and start putting them away in their boxes. After I thought I had all of my decorations put away this year, one of my daughter's brought to my attention my large crock that sits under my desk. It seems that there was still a bit of celebrating going on that I had forgotten about.

Colorful Cooking

2011-01-12T10:42:00.000-08:00

I think that adding cute and colorful utensils to your kitchen repertoire just makes the whole cooking experience that much more enjoyable. A good example is my little whisk that was a gift from one of my daughters. Who wouldn't want to do some baking just as an excuse to pull this little jewel out of the drawer.

A Teeny Tiny Scarf

2011-01-04T12:31:00.000-08:00

Before Christmas gets too far behind us, I just wanted to share one little gift that I received. It was from my youngest daughter, and was given to me as an advent gift. You see each day leading up to Christmas I leave her a little gift and note on her doorknob before she wakes up; and then she leaves little gifts and notes for me on the stairs leading up to my bedroom. One day I received the cutest scarf that she had knit. In fact it is a very teeny tiny scarf knit on toothpicks. I just love it! And even though it won't be keeping me warm during this winter, it definitely warms my heart.

A Labor of Love

2010-12-28T13:33:00.000-08:00

My mom is amazingly talented with a crochet hook. She can whip things up like they were nothing. All of my life she has had a project of one sort or another nearby; and she never ceases to amaze me with what she can make, and in how short of a time that she can make it. Last year she decided that she wanted to make all of her daughters crocheted tablecloths. So last year my sister, Molly, was the lucky recipient. My mom told me that I would be the next one in line. She asked me which pattern I liked, and what measurements my table were. But this last summer she told me she didn't think she would be able to finish it by Christmas, as she suffers terribly from arthritis and rheumatism, and it just really hurt her hands to do much crocheting. I told her that was fine, as obviously I didn't want her to be in pain while making me a gift. Just the thought that she wanted to make something for me counted the most. But on Christmas Eve, I opened a gift from my mom. And yes, it was the tablecloth. It is absolutely beautiful, and what makes it so special is that she obviously forged on ahead with the work even though it caused her pain. A good example of a labor of love, and what a mother will endure for a child. Thanks mom -- it will always be very special to me. I love you.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T09:53:00.000-08:00

Christmas breakfast at our house ..... homemade orange rolls, ham, eggs, orange juice and egg nog.

I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas!!

Little Shoppers

2010-12-22T16:28:00.000-08:00

Some people manage to get all of their Christmas decorations up a few days after Thanksgiving. Typically I get mine up as soon as I can; however, the village generally is the last item to get set up, and the past few years, it has been very close to Christmas Eve when the lights of my tiny little community light up to celebrate this joyful time of year. Two residents of this community though are really more from the future than my Victorian era village, and usually feel very out of place amongst their Victorian dressed friends. So this year I set them up in their own little place next to vintage looking bottle brush trees. I think they feel much more at home now :-)

Don't Forget the Candy Canes

2010-12-13T20:42:00.000-08:00

I'm sure most of you are very busy right now finishing up your shopping, decorating, baking, etc. Some of you may not have even begun your holiday preparations; but whatever stage you are in, be sure you don't forget the candy canes. I think they are such a cheerful little Christmas treat. They can be hung on a tree, tied onto packages, tucked into stockings, glued together to form a little heart decoration, even tucked into a table centerpiece. Oh yes, and just eaten straight out of their little hard to open cellophane package. And once the holidays are over, you can throw any leftovers into your food processor, and you have a delicious peppermint topping for ice cream, cakes, or any dessert really.

Milly

2010-12-06T07:56:00.000-08:00

We have jumped into winter this year with both feet. November went on record as being the snowiest November we have ever had. Around Thanksgiving we managed to have a blizzard, sub-zero temperatures, and two snowstorms. In spite of all of this we have managed to stay cozy warm in our house. Our dog, Milly, however had alternate plans. She has a very warm shop that she can go in and out of at will. It is equipped with all of the food and water she could ever want, as well as a very big cozy, soft bed. So during our inclement weather, what did she decide would be best? To leave her warm shop, escape from her enclosed area, and sleep under our deck! I guess she just thought we really needed some extra protection during the storms.

Little Turkeys

2010-12-01T12:09:00.000-08:00

Before Thanksgiving gets too far behind us, I wanted to share a picture of my little turkey place cards that my daughters made for our table. I thought they were so cute, and really added a nice touch to our holiday dinner. They got the basic pattern off of the Martha Stewart craft site, and then changed them up a bit to just make them even cuter.

The Day After

2010-11-26T15:39:00.000-08:00

The china and the crystal have been washed and put away. Cloth napkins are washed and drying. The extra leaf has been taken out of the table. Another Thanksgiving has come and gone. But the warm, festive feeling still remains in the air. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I spend several days prior to the holiday cooking for our feast; and even though the day always slips by much too quickly, I enjoy it immensely. My sister, Molly, expressed it perfectly to me last night. She said, "I love Thanksgiving - always feels just right." I agree with her. It does always feel just right. I have so many memories of happy Thanksgivings, that each year just adds another one to he mix.

With Thanksgiving also comes the beginning of the Christmas season -- my favorite season of the year. And what a way to herald it in than by having a day for giving thanks. Because of all things that we can be thankful for, the birth of our Savior is the greatest of all.

The Arrival of Winter

2010-11-22T13:10:00.000-08:00

Even though the official start of winter is still a month away, it has definitely arrived in north Idaho. It began snowing yesterday morning; but didn't begin accumulating too much until last night. This morning we woke up to six inches of fresh powder :-)

I know everyone doesn't necessarily share my love for the white stuff, but I love winter. And to have it begin before Thanksgiving makes it even better.

Apple Butter

2010-11-11T07:30:00.000-08:00

Apple season has been going on for a while around here; however, I seem to be running a bit late with making all of my apple goodies. Nonetheless, the time has begun, and I have started this year with apple butter. I particularly like this recipe because it is all done in the crockpot. The recipe calls for not peeling the apples first, which I have read gives you a much better flavor in your final product. All of the ingredients make for a perfect blend. And the aroma in your kitchen while it is cooking is delightful. In fact when my kids were younger, they would tell me that "it smelled like Christmas".

Cider Apple Butter

5 lbs. cooking apples
1 1/2 cups apple cider
about 3 cups of brown sugar
juice and grated peel of 1 each lemon and orange
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. each cloves and nutmeg

Core and quarter apples, but do not peel. Place in crockpot with apple cider. Cook on high until very soft, about 1-1/2 hours. (Note: It takes about 2-1/2 hrs. in my crockpot). Press cooked apples through a food mill or sieve. (I don't have a food mill, so I just very patiently remove all of the apple peel). Measure. There should be about 6 cups. For every 1 cup fruit pulp, allow 1/2 cup brown sugar. Return to crockpot. Stir in lemon and orange peel and juice, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg. Cover and cook on high until thick and dark, about 4 hours. Immediately pour into hot, sterilized glass jars and seal according to proper boiling/water bath canning requirements. Makes about 8 cups.

Playing with Dishes

2010-11-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

As a little girl, I always loved playing with dishes. I think most little girls do. However, I don't think I have ever outgrown that particular pastime. I really like dishes still to this day. One of my sets that I particuarly enjoy are my "pink" dishes. They were a gift from my mother-in-law a number of years ago. She had received them from her mom who had obtained them as part of the furnishings in a house that they had purchased. My mom has helped a great deal in adding to my set by keeping an eye out for them at antique stores. They are hard to come by at a reasonable price, but we keep looking for them.

Recently I pulled them all out of the cupboard where they have been stored, washed them, and found a new spot for them where I can see them on a daily basis, and appreciate them more. I just couldn't resist taking a picture of them on my table before they found their new home.

Trying to Hold On

2010-11-07T10:41:00.000-08:00

We have been blessed with a very nice fall here in northern Idaho. The leaves have been beautiful, unlike last year when we had a very sudden hard freeze that actually just killed all of the leaves without letting them ever turn into their beautiful autumn shades. In the past couple of days most of the leaves have now fallen to the ground; but I noticed on one of my maple trees, a couple of remaining green leaves refusing to accept the idea that fall is indeed here, and winter just around the corner. I've never noticed such a rebellious trend in this maple tree before. But it kind of parallels people in that sometimes they think they know better than God, and can control an outcome outside of Him. God has His own plan though, and try as they might, these leaves aren't going to stay green. They will eventually turn, and fall off of the tree. But that is all the better for the tree in the long run. Next year it will be even stronger and taller than it was this year.

Waiting Contentedly

2010-11-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

Today is a very rainy, dark day. One of those days that you really would like to just stay at home, eat warm soup, and maybe watch an old movie. Instead, I have been running errands, and am now waiting to pick my daughter up from her volleyball practice. But I really don't mind waiting. The reason is a cup of hot tea, and pumpkin bread. Yum!! I wish you could come and join me :)

To Facebook or not to Facebook

2010-10-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

I started using Facebook about a year ago. My sisters and my son convinced me that I should hop on the bandwagon. After spending a year partaking in all of the fun, I have pondered whether or not it is worth it. The down side is that you see a side of people that you never knew existed, and quite frankly, that you really wished you wouldn't have seen. I guess the mere fact that people can sit in front of their computer, instead of facing an actual person, gives them the boldness to use language that they would never have used if they were speaking directly to you. I've found that at times I am "out of the loop" and discover shocking things about people, or stumble across startling photographs. But on the flip side, I have seen many positive aspects of the whole Facebook experience. I "talk" to one of my sisters on almost a daily basis. She lives a long way from me, and so it is a great way to stay in touch. Cousins that I used to rarely see now pop up on my screen almost daily. I can hop on over to their pages, and see at a glance what they are up to, hear about their kids, and every now and then get a good chuckle about some of their antics. Keeping in touch with old high school friends has also been very enjoyable. Being able to see pictures of a brand new niece within hours after she was born, and hear that everyone is doing well, is a blessing. So you see I have many more "plus" items than "negative" items. But one item to add to the "plus" side is that I was recently connected to a childhood friend that I would never have guessed I would ever have seen again. She was the perfect friend -- a next door neighbor friend. Someone who was always there; and there was never a question of whether or not we would spend a day together. We spent summers riding her horse, wandering the countryside, eating rhubarb and strawberries out of her mother's immense garden, and just being friends. Here is a picture of us. Aren't we a rough and tumble looking group. From left to right is my friend, Pam, me, and my sisters Megan, and Peggy. We are holding some of our new puppies.

So to answer my own question, I think I will continue on Facebook. The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.

Antique Tidbits

2010-10-27T08:54:00.000-07:00

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending an antique show with my mom. Simply attending an antique show is fun in itself; but when I can go with my mom, it is a real treat. She knows so much about so many things. I enjoy listening to her stories about how her grandmother used some of the things that we saw, and explaining to me the history about different dishes (her specialty). We had a delightful day, and I managed to take a few pictures of some of the highlights. However, when we walked in the door, and I looked at the first cute thing, I was taken back by the prices. And then I remembered .... I wasn't at a thrift store, or at a Farm Chicks sale, I was at an antique show. Therefore, I prepared myself for antique show prices.

These cute salt and pepper shakers I would have loved to have purchased. But because of the high price (yikes!) I brought home a picture instead:

This picture isn't very clear, but this is the biggest batter bowl that I have ever seen. It measured 16" from handle to spout. I think that would be a wonderful size, but I also wondered if I would even be able to lift it when full:

Here is a beautiful comb that someone bold enough could wear in their hair at just the right event:

And to wrap things up, I couldn't help but take a picture of this, even though I think it is just plain creepy. An alligator purse that has the alligator's head incorporated into it. I'll pass on carrying this around:

Zucchini Bread

2010-10-20T19:08:00.000-07:00

Zucchini season is coming to a close. I still have a few left to work with; but for the most part, the zucchini days of 2010 are over. Throughout the summer I typically make a zucchini stir fry with most of the reasonably sized ones. I save the big ones however for zucchini bread. My mother-in-law gave me this unique recipe years ago. The unique features are that it is made with wheat germ, maple flavoring instead of the typical vanilla, and sesame seeds sprinkled across the top.

Recently I spent the better part of a Saturday making zucchini bread. Here are the loaves waiting very patiently to cool before I popped most of them into the freezer to pull out some cold, winter day to have with a cup of hot tea:

If you look closely, in the bottom right hand corner, you will see one particular loaf in a very cute loaf pan. Here is a closer view:

Isn't that cute! My sister, Miki, and her daughter (my niece), Annie, gave it me this summer for my birthday. It is my favorite loaf pan of all of my loaf pans. Just looking at it makes me want to go bake something.

Well, now I have gotten side tracked by the cute pan, I guess I should move on to the recipe:

Wheat Germ Zucchini Bread

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup finally chopped walnuts
3 large eggs
1 cup canola oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon maple flavoring
2 cups coarsely shredded zucchini
1/3 cup sesame seeds

Combine flour, wheat germ, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and walnuts. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer until blended. Add oil, sugars, and maple flavoring. Continue to beat until mixture is thick and foamy. Add flour mixture and stir just until blended. Stir in zucchini. Divide batter equally between 2 greased and flour dusted 5 x 9 loaf pans. (Actually I've used all sizes, just be sure to adjust the baking time). Sprinkle sesame seeds evenly over batter. Bake in 350 deg. oven until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (about 45 min). Let cool 10 minutes in pans.

Enjoy :-)

A Nice Surprise

2010-10-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

This morning while in the midst of my usual teaching school, clean the kitchen, do laundry, etc., a woman came to our front door carrying a box. Look what was printed on top of the box :) Of course every task I was involved in came to a screaching halt.

I knew this had to be something good! Inside were 2 dozen beautiful roses .... a mixture of colors!!

They are so pretty, and I was totally taken by surprise. It isn't my birthday, Mother's Day, etc.; but they were from my son, just because he loves me .... thanks, Luke -- you made my day :-)

Peach Crisp

2010-10-05T09:50:00.000-07:00

I have enjoyed our "peach season" this year. There is just something about having fresh peaches on hand that just seems so summery. One way I put them to use is by making a peach crisp. My go-to recipe is actually a combination of a couple of different recipes. And of course when eating it still warm from the oven, a scoop of ice cream is a must.

Peach Crisp
4 cups sliced fresh (or frozen) peaches
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1-1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons butter or margarine
Toss peaches with 1/3 cup sugar and cinnamon. Spoon into a lightly greased 8 inch square baking dish, or a 9 inch deep dish pie plate, and set aside. Combine oats, brown sugar and flour. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle on top of peaches. Bake at 350 deg. for 25-30 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

What a Little Bluebird is Giving Away

2010-10-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

I was just visiting my friend, Koralee's, blog, Bluebird Notes, and saw that she is in the midst of a week long giveaway. It's not too late to enter. She has collected items from several lovely ladies that she met at The Creative Connection Event in Minnesota. all of the little items are so charming. If you get a chance, pop on over and visit her for a chance to enter.

Determination

2010-09-25T09:13:00.000-07:00

Right outside our front door, there are brick steps that lead up to it. I walk up and down those steps so many times in a day; and of course all of those daily steps add up to many, many more steps when you take an entire summer into account. This summer, each time I walked up the steps, I kept my eye on a little cosmos that decided to plant itself right in the middle of them. Early in the summer I heard someone mention pulling it up ... but no one ever did. I haven't watered it, or fertilized it, just watched it. And that little flower has been determined to grow without any humanly help. Finally, it reached its goal .... and it is only about three inches high. This tiny flower is so sweet, blooming ever so brightly. And it just makes me smile, knowing that it is only there because of God's hand.

Fall is Underway

2010-09-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

September is moving by at a very fast clip -- too fast really. Fortunately (and I am extremely thankful) we haven't had a frost yet. That means we can still enjoy the flowers, of which I will be taking time each and every day to enjoy knowing that any morning now I will wake up, and they will be gone. I am still bringing in produce out of the garden as well; however, I know that I need to start bringing everything in before they get nipped. And by bringing everything in, that means I will be busy processing it all into some form or another just waiting to be enjoyed throughout the winter.

Farewell to Summer

2010-09-06T08:18:00.000-07:00

This morning as I enjoyed a cup of tea, I began pondering over the past season. I know that technically, summer still has a few weeks to go; however, with school beginning tomorrow, that kind of signals the end of the season.

When summer began I had all kinds of plans, hopes, and dreams for how it might possibly pan out. Of course, as is usually the case, it turned out somewhat differently -- not in a bad way -- just in a different way. I was able to plant my vegetable garden, and lots of flowers even though we had such a rainy May and June. Countless hours were spent at my daughter's tennis lessons; but that was nice because it gave me the opportunity to sit in the warm sunshine visiting with a friend and getting some crocheting accomplished. I was blessed to be able to teach two different friends how to crochet a granny square. I cheered my son through two triathlons. When my daughter made the transition from tennis to volleyball, that also afforded me time to spend with another friend. I did lots of walking, and have lost nearly 10 pounds. Another birthday came and went. Time was set aside for a five day camping trip with my family which included picking huckleberries. I created a chocolate cake for the annual chocolate contest at our local fair -- of which I did not place in the top three -- but I can imagine I finished in fourth place (lol). I've made jam and pickles, and I guess the list could really go on and on. The Bible talks about how God directs our steps. I may have had specific ideas at the beginning of summer what I might like to do; but His plan for me this summer was just perfect.

Contentment

2010-08-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

This past week has been very busy for my household. It is fair week, and with a daughter in 4H, that means that we are at the fair every day for some reason or another. But I do love going to the fair, so am happy for an excuse to visit so often.

Yesterday while wandering through the swine barn, I came across this contented pair. They obviously enjoy each other's company, and seem to have no concerns whatsoever about being on display while thousands of visitors wander by. They make me laugh.

A Huckleberry Adventure

2010-08-22T08:59:00.000-07:00

Out here in our "neck of the woods" we have huckleberries. And it is my understanding that they only grow in the northwest regions of the United States, as well as across the border in Canada. I have heard some people liken them to a blueberry .... well, they taste absolutely nothing like a blueberry. They have their very own distinct flavor that just can't be beat. Being small in size, it takes a lot more huckleberries to fill a gallon bag than it would if we were filling it with blueberries.

On a recent camping trip, the camp host of our campground, told us that she had heard there were huckleberries up a certain road. As soon as my husband heard that, he knew that I would want to be up on that mountain picking huckleberries. I have grown up with huckleberries being a part of my life, and whenever I have the opportunity to pick some, that is where I will be.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with huckleberries, here is what these little beauties look like on the bush:

They grow on bushes, and not tall bushes that you can easily stand in front of picking from. But the bushes are just the right height that you have to bend over to get the berries, causing your back to complain from time to time. But then there is also the option of getting them on the steep mountain side where one has to precariously balance with one foot on the uphill side, and the other on the downhill side being very careful not to tumble down the hill.

The other thing about huckleberries is that they aren't typically conveniently located on the main highway where you can just pull your car off to the side of the road, and leisurely go picking. You have to usually drive up a steep mountain one lane dirt road. And because you are climbing up the mountain, off to one side of the car will always be a steep drop off with no guard rail. At times like this, you always hope you don't meet anyone coming down the hill because turn-outs are few, and there is hardly enough room for one car, let alone two cars. You pretty much have to drive until you feel like you are on top of the world:

When you have reached this point, you know that there must be huckleberries nearby. Once a good patch is found, everyone bails out of the car, and the picking begins. In year's past I have passed out buckets to members of my family in hopes of coming home with gallons and gallons. This year I gave everyone a plastic cup. That helped them to pick at ease not thinking that I really expected them to each somehow fill a gallon bucket in one afternoon. Realistically, you just can't come home from one afternoon of picking with gallons and gallons. It is hard work, the berries are small, and then there is the eating factor. One can simply not keep themselves from picking a handful of berries, and just eating them on the spot.

The other thing about huckleberries to keep in mind while picking them is that where there are huckleberries there are bears. Huckleberries are a favorite snack for bears, and so we try to keep up the conversation and laughing to just politely let the bears know that we are in their neck of the woods. One of the patches we were picking from actually had a game trail right through the middle of it. So I knew it was a favorite spot for our furry friends. We saw traces of bears, and even saw bear fur stuck to some of the bushes.

All of the adventure was well worth it, as we came home with nearly one gallon of berries. I washed them, and popped them in the freezer, and we will now ration them throughout the upcoming year. And ration them I do as they sell for $50.00 a gallon for someone that wants to avoid all of the adventure and just buy them from someone locally.

At Long Last

2010-08-16T09:13:00.000-07:00

Last night when I was cooking dinner, I asked one of my daughters to run out to the garden to see if I had any yellow squash ready to be picked. I have been keeping my eye on a couple just waiting until they were big enough. She returned in a few minutes, with not only two beautiful yellow squash, but this little beauty -- my very first tomato of the season :-)

Because of our rainy spring this year, I had to plant my garden so late. I have been watching all of my green tomatoes wondering if there was any chance I would have much of a harvest this year. This little gem has apparently been hiding from me. You can imagine the rejoicing in our house over this one special treat.

A Sandwich Fit for a Picnic

2010-08-09T15:28:00.000-07:00

I make a sandwich that lends itself extremely well for an on-the-go activity. It can be made ahead of time and wrapped up tightly to prevent drying out; and since it can be put together very quickly, I took all of the ingredients with us on a recent camping trip. In no time at all, we were sitting around the picnic table feasting on this delicious sandwich.

Picnic Sandwich

1 loaf French bread
Mustard (or really anything that you prefer on a sandwich)
1/2 lb. hard salami, sliced
4 oz. sliced Swiss cheese
2 tomatoes, sliced
Salt and pepper
1/2 lb. thinly sliced ham
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
1 large onion, sliced
4 or 5 crisp lettuce leaves

Cut bread in half horizontally. Spread the bottom and top layer with mustard (or whatever you like the most). Layer the salami, cheese, and tomatoes on the bread, seasoning tomatoes with salt and pepper. Layer ham, cucumber, onion slices, and lettuce on top of the tomatoes. Place top on sandwich. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap for storage. When ready to eat, cut into 6 sections.

An Every Day Teapot

2010-08-03T09:19:00.000-07:00

When my grandmother was first married, the only teapot that she had was a beautiful china one with gold trim. My very practical great grandmother (her mother-in-law) did not think it was a good idea for her to use such a beautiful teapot every day. So she bought her a more practical one, and told her to put the other away for special occasions. My grandmother decided that she really didn't think anyone else should be able to tell her which teapot she could use on a daily basis (a bit of a stubborn streak I'm thinking), and put the new one away, and continued using her beautiful teapot. After my mom was married, my grandma gave her the unused, more practical teapot since she didn't have one. I grew up with that being my mom's only teapot, and she used it all of the time. My sister, Kass, is now in possession of it, and it is so nice to visit her, and be poured a cup of tea from such a beautiful (but practical) teapot.

Recently, I was attending a sale just kind of looking around at all of the fun items. My eyes were just wandering when all of a sudden they came to a complete stop. There was a teapot identical to my mom's teapot .... except without the lid. I just had to buy it, especially since the price was only $6.00. Now I have my very own "practical" teapot, except without the lid I have come up with another use for it:

And just in case you were wondering, my grandma's "fancy" teapot sits in a place of honor in my mom's china cabinet, and you never would have known it had been used on a daily basis for so many years.

That's My Boy!!

2010-07-29T07:35:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, my son competed in his first triathlon. He has been training for the event, but wasn't sure how he would fare. I couldn't have been more proud of him. He did amazing!! Here he is swimming in the river:

Next came the bike portion:

Followed up by the run. Here he is crossing the finish line:

He did awesome!! In his age bracket he finished in 6th place. Overall, he was in the top 25%. I was very pleased with how he did. Afterwards of course a celebration was in order ..... here is how he celebrated:

Triathlon number 2 will be coming this weekend. I think he is hooked.

Being Neighborly

2010-07-23T07:57:00.000-07:00

Having neighbors is a part of life for most of us. Some have bad neighbors, some have good. I have been blessed by having the best neighbors for so many years. They were recently gone for a few days, and upon their return brought us the most delightful treats:

A box full of very large apricots:

Another box with a lid on it (hmmmmm what could be in this one?) ....

Ahhhhh, fresh peaches (yum) :-)

And then to top it all off, after checking their garden, they met me at the fence with a bounty of fresh zucchini

I am so excited. This means I get to make peach pies, apricot jam, zucchini bread ....... not to mention the ability to grab a fresh apricot or peach any time of day for a delicious snack, and all because I have such nice neighbors ..... thank you Jerry and Addie!!

Busy with Berries

2010-07-19T14:34:00.000-07:00

This time of year is just perfect in every way. The garden is growing, the sun is shining, the days are long, and it's time to begin making jam. I find such a feeling of accomplishment each summer as I put away jam for the upcoming year. I always begin with strawberries. And don't these strawberries look like they will be the perfect candidates for my first batch?

They were perfect indeed!!