Category : Around home

219 posts

T Tuesday: seed starting edition

Good Morning! Welcome to another edition of T stands for Tuesday.  T stands for Tuesday_200

Lets keep our fingers crossed that my back stays in good shape now! Geesh that was a long haul. I apologize for not stopping by many, if any, blogs for the past week.

Every year I start my seeds the week of St. Patrick’s Day.seed starting By the time we can safely plant outdoors, I’ll have nice size plants to set into the garden…or gardens as the case may be. My in-laws are graciously letting me plant in their garden again this year in addition to my two small garden plots.

So what’s in those cups?

  • 3 variety of tomatoes
  • 2 variety of peppers
  • cucumbers
  • spaghetti squash

I will also be starting some herbs in pots and sowing seeds directly into the gardens when the time comes. We love having fresh herbs and veggies with our meals…especially when they are straight from the garden!plant vigil

Miss Gracie is keeping vigil over the seeds while watching the critters romp.

gracie sittin n lookin

I’m off to run a few errands, stop to see my knitting group then make a ton of phone calls to get our ducks in a row for Little J’s upcoming knee surgery. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

What are you doing today?

 

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A year in review

Another year behind us…

It’s been a busy one.  So many projects using a wide variety of media.  These are a few of my favorites.

year in review

Have a happy and safe New Year! Best to you in 2015.

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Recycled Christmas card ornament

This is definitely not a new craft…but it was a new one for me. I hang on to all our old cards. They are so pretty I can’t bear throwing them in the recycle bin.

Of course, Pinterest played a big part in me actually creating one of these. Ah, Pinterest… How much time I spend with you… The thousands of pins we share… Time organizing and reorganizing when I should be organizing the real things in my life.

IMG_0052

Maybe this is a better clue to the size. IMG_0051

It was created with a 1.25″ punch. IMG_0054

The green one on the left. My neighbor borrowed the blue 2″ punch. I’m curious how much exponentially bigger another one will be with that punch. Yes I’m aware I could do the math…but I’ll just give it a whirl in the physical dimension and compare. Results to follow…soon.

Unless I’m crushed under all the Christmas goodies I’ve been making…treats2

These are just from this morning. I’m getting a sugar rush just smelling them.

I’m getting to the point that just thinking about eating any of it just doesn’t sounds appealing. Just like when I worked at Baker’s Square when I was a teen…when you are around pies, cookies and muffins all day long…you have desire to eat any.

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T Tuesday: jam edition

T stands for Tuesday_200
Hey it’s Tuesday already….seems all I’m doing with my blog is T stands for Tuesday.  I’ve got to do something about that! Although I did finally finish and post my 2014 Summer Scavenger Hunt wrap-up…so I haven’t been completely lackadaisical with my blog.

tea and aloe

By the way, did anyone notice I changed the background of my blog? I’m thinking that a little more change is due but haven’t given it any brain cells yet.

See now I’m trying to justify things for you and me…silly girl. Anyway…on to the jam!

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A while back I mentioned that I’d be making some Yellow Pear Tomato Jam with these babies… I’ve only made jam once before.

cooking jam

I was skeptical at this stage as to whether the jam would ever turn out. It seemed so juicy and not thick. It definitely cooked down though.

jam

Ta-da…the finished product.  It’s a cross between a jam and a sauce in my opinion but that works just fine for pouring over Brie for a yummy appetizer.

This is the recipe I used: spicy yellow tomato jam.  I think I’d back off on the sugar a bit or add more jalapenos and maybe add pectin to thicken it a bit.

Just got back from a 3.5 mile walk with my friend….lost my favorite stocking hat with tassels. I’m going to have to retrace my steps.

What are you doing today?

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T Tuesday: catching up edition

Welcome to T stands for Tuesday.T stands for Tuesday_200

Do I dare say that I think our internet troubles are finally over?  We haven’t had a reboot in almost 3 days now.  Of course, we’ve hardly used the computer either since we’ve been so busy.  Where shall I start?

Apples….Phil and friends

We helped with the annual harvest at our neighbors house on Saturday. We brought home 6 grocery bags of apples to be processed…a fraction of the total haul from their 7 trees.

Later that evening I went to a new neighborhood edition of craft club, where I made these 4 cards as well as got my stamp on the backs of a huge stack of previously made cards. I was pretty tired from the day and didn’t really have my craft mojo going.

craft club cards

Sunday was spent with Little J in the garage processing through the apples.  They are organic so they have spots and holes so most need some trimming after being run through the peeler/corer/slicer. BIG JOB! So glad I had help this year. We ended up with about 15 gallons of apples ready for the next step.

applesauce

So far I’ve made 7 quarts of sauce…

apple pie

One pie…dehyrator

An overstuffed quart bag of dried apple slices and three 8×8 apple crisps are in the freezer at the ready for future desserts. That was only about 1/2 the apples. More apple-ing today…

Last night I had a well deserved glass of wine.relaxing

Last week I finally got around to doing some creating…here’s a work-in-progress shot of a painting.

WIP

I’m a little late with my post today as I went for a walk with a friend around a local lake this morning. 4.25miles.  It was a little brisk at times but as long as you keep moving it helps keep you warm.

What are you doing today?

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T Tuesday: harvest edition

Hello, hello!  I finally made it for T stands for Tuesday! I’ve been MIA here in blogland lately but hopefully things are settling down and I can get back into my routine.        Create–>photo—>blog. 20140909_6923

I found this mug at a garage sale last week. There were actually two but I only took the one. Why the significance? We got married in the Canterbury Wedding Chapel inside the Excalibur Hotel a little over 20 yrs ago. We also attended the Fantasy Faire show while there. I just couldn’t pass up the mug.

On to the harvest….20140909_6921

Most of the tomatoes came from the plants I have in the ground at my in-laws house. My garden is really poor this year. Between the deer eating the tops off my beans and the squirrels snacking on the tomatoes…it’s been a little disheartening.20140909_6922I’m planning to make a spicy jam with these little babies.  We’ll see how that turns out.

Otherwise…I have been crafting some. Listing cards in my etsy store, getting an inventory built for the craft season and finding more ways to upcycle.  I’ve found that my back bothers me when I sit at my computer so I’ve been trying to stay away from it…besides I get more accomplished when not lost in cyberspace. :)

I’ve got some shopping and outside chores on my list today. The weather is supposed to turn colder tomorrow so I better get it it!!

What are you doing today?

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Home canned spicy beans

Between our CSA and our garden, we’ve had a plethora of beans. I was afraid we might not be able to eat them all before they were past their prime. My neighbor had made some spicy beans last year and raved about them. I borrowed her Blue Ball recipe book and got to work.spicy beans

They look pretty…I guess time will tell how they taste. I modified a recipe from the book as far as the spices and such.  I used cayenne, garlic cloves and red pepper flakes to season the green and wax beans. Makes me want a beverage just thinking about it.

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