frog!

my boy found this tree frog peeking out of our bluebird house yesterday! i brought it in the house, thinking we could play around with him, examine him and just have him visit us for a few hours before we set him free! honestly, i turned my head just slightly and he hopped away! panic set in... that adrenaline rush that makes you scurry about... looking every which way? i happened to glance sideways and found him stuck to the leg of one of my small tables! glad was i! i didn't exactly want to explain this to brad... he is much more uptight-out-of-sight then i am.

so, how about a bag of free potatoes? click here: potatoes!

we started back-to-homeschool lessons today. sure felt good! if you're interested in our day, click here: twisted education!

caught red handed!

do you ever wonder... what really happens to the other sock?

sorry for the blurred picture. i had to be quick! i don't usually hang clothes out to dry.. but on nice sunny, hot days, i do flip brad and tommie's jeans out on the patio... over the railing. i also was drying a pair of socks. this little rascal snuck up and grabbed one of brad's socks... and took off with it! sneaky! we were entertained with the thought of brad's sock being tucked up in our maple tree... in a squirrels nest...keeping the critter warm this winter! the sock however, didn't make it to the nest...tommie found it out in the driveway! we were all glad it was just a sock and not someone's underpants! smile, wink, nod!

organized workspace!

i've been meaning to share my little work space in the corner of my living room.... our house is very tiny.. which i just love! but, i do need to make good use of my space, purge the clutter and keep on top of things, on a daily basis. otherwise... it gets really, really "tight-feeling!"

i picked up this really, banged up dish-rack-dryer (above) at a garage sale for $4. originally, i thought i'd like to use it in my kitchen...but's it's too big for my tiny sink. so, i thought... why don't i use it for a file, book and magazine holder!? makes me feel really organized and quirky.

this is where i type, cut coupons, print off coupons and write my novel. if you're familiar with old paintings... these are just of few paintings by Fox. my favorite roseville vases are above on a shelf. safe and out of the way.

if i turn around... this is what i see over my left shoulder. my mother-in-law brought me two huge garden-cut bouquets from her garden today! the color definitely gives the room a little pop!

how about a nice freebie? click on: country bob's all purpose sauce! i've sent for this in the past... and the coupon really does come!! it's easy to sign up for and no surveys! smile, wink, nod.

happy saturday night.

sweet find.

just found the sweetest cotton skirt at our local goodwill store. just $3. had homemade chicken tortellini soup and homemade beer bread with mixed herbs. excellent! it rained and rained all day. burnt a new cranberry spice candle-found it new at a garage sale. played a family card game with the boys: 7's. wrestled hard on the floor with tommie for about 10 minutes: it's good exercise and he loves it. canned 8 jars of homemade applesauce. pint-sized. picked up an industrial size dehydrator from rhonda... will make more zucchini chips tomorrow. hope i don't burn her motor up. meandered through wally world in my wellingtons and camo pants. i made a real fashion statement. bought lime juice and cherries. tell me about your day... did you do anything creative? smile, wink, nod.

shabby chic refrigerator magnets!

i had a blast all by myself today... making homemade shabby chic refrigerator magnets. recycled at that!

find a piece of newspaper. i chose a page from brad's farm journal newspaper, all because i didn't want to use anything depressing from the regular everyday newspaper. nor did i want edward kennedy or michael jackson, or hurricane danny on my fridge....


next... saturate the newspaper with your favorite acrylic paints (i watered mine down a bit)... and then sprinkled gold glitter all over the paint... then waited for the paint to dry.

i cut out randomly shaped flowers of different sizes, then wadded them up and unfolded them... next i took needle and embroidery floss (hot pink) and sewed a vintage button to the center of each! i attached a magnet (from the craft store) to the back of each flower.....

then the best part... hanging them on the refrigerator! i loved doing this little project. i think the flowers would be an adorable "bow" on a plain brown paper gift bag! smile, wink, nod!

p.s. this morning i was dehydrating more zucchini chips... i plugged in the dehydrator... left it on the back porch, so i didn't have to deal with the fan running on it all day. i went back and the motor was burning up.... leaving the entire back porch filled with smoke and a dreadful toxic smell. i quickly unplugged it and threw it out the back door! i'm thankful i listened to my inner voice last night... i almost plugged it in while we were sleeping and my gut instinct said..."nah, you better not." thank's be to God.

blueberry banana bread!

doesn't this blueberry banana bread sound luscious? it's from my dear blog friend teresa in texas! i'll be making this tomorrow...after a trip out for bananas! the picture above was taken at my mom's house a couple of weeks ago! note: blueberry print tablecloth that matches the blueberry dessert! she is just too perfect. smile, wink, nod!

Blueberry Banana Bread
3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 T baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
2/3 cup canola oil
4 eggs
2 cups mashed bananas
2 cups fresh blueberries

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in oats. Add wet ingredients and then fruit, stirring just until mixed. Pour batter into 2 greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove to wire rack to completely cool. When cool, wrap and refrigerate for several hours before slicing.

Teresa in Texas
August 25, 2009 3:47 PM

vintage serving pieces and a turkey egg!

during the summer, i've collected a variety of antique serving utensils, from estate sales and shabby chic sales. my out of pocket cost for these was $4.00. They needed a little cleaning up... so, i boiled them in a baking soda paste with water and steamed them! then, i sat tommie down to polish. except for a couple of the reallllllly old spoons, all came out shiny and a bit too nice looking! i loved not using harsh chemicals to bring back the beauty. i also wonder where they all came from and who owned them?

note: the turkey egg in the picture. i just put it in there for fun!

today look's like i'll:

-enjoy the rainy day

-burn a peach scented candle

-make more applesauce and can it

-can more pizza sauce

-work on homeschool lesson plans

-take tommie to the military shop... his $5. is burning a hole in his pocket!

-dehydrate and make zucchini chips sprinkled with chili powder

-work on my hand-hooked purse

-start a new novel... which one? i'm just not sure.

-by the way... i'm really trying respond to your comments... so if you've left any... click on my comment button and read the follow-up's.

-will post jamie's blueberry bread recipe soon!

i'd love to here something creative and fun that you have planned for today! comments welcome. smile, wink, nod!

i'm on etsy!

what's new today?
i listed bunches on ebay. watched shakespere in love video from goodwill. oh my! excellent! started a new rug hooking project: a shabby chic fall, floral purse. oh, and opened a store on etsy.com. if you scroll down to the bottom of this blog... you can sneak a peek at what i have for sale. of course, feel free to purchase, something too!

here's the direct link to my etsy store: hyper jane's on etsy! my store name is from a boutique i owned (1994-1998) before tommie was born. i'll be adding more to it on and off...so be sure to check back or add it to your favorites!

smile, wink, nod!

okay, i'm going to brag a little. meet my first and only girl cousin... dr. c., m.d. she's an ob/gyn doctor. voted one of the top 10 best in detroit. she's also a saint. a breast cancer survivor, and has a sense of humor that would make you fall to your knees...trust me! did i mention how creative her mind is? and how wild she can dance at family weddings? all true.

we recently connected to go blueberry picking, talking, catching up on who saw what bird and where, gardening and flowers, books, tasha tudor, a farmhouse in new hampshire, knitting, obama, make-up, our childhood and other odd details of life.

she made a mouth-watering basil bread. and, always one to be generous with everything she has... she gave me the recipe!

since i'm nice like her... i'll share it with you, too:


3 cups self rising flour
3 tablespoon sugar
12 oz. bottle of beer warmed up in the microwave about 2 min.

mix well. add 1/2 c. basil. mix. put it in a cold oven. turn the oven on to 350*. bake for 40-45 min.

we both agreed you could use any kind of herbs. i sprinkled Parmesan cheese on ours. my boys flipped over this. yours will, too. and so will you. smile, wink, nod.

where have you been all my life????

my oh my! why haven't i heard about this money-saving site before? it's called money saving mommy! okay, so the mommy part makes me cringe and roll my eyes... but the site made me do backflips! this is a free site that tells you whats on sale at local brick and mortar stores, discounters and grocery stores AND gives you tons of links for printable coupons! i haven't been posting my deals... but you can bet your sweet bippy i've been hauling them in!

yesterday, i canned 9 quarts of vegetable soup... using the veg's in the snap above. i also canned rhubarb-orange marmalade and today raspberry-blackberry-mulberry jam...

now, i'm off to money saving mommy to see what other deals i can take advantage of! you can too.... click here:

money saving mommy!

friday fill-in!

is it friday already?
must be time to play... friday fill-in!
(my answers are in blue)

i remember spending every sunday at my grandparents farm when i was growing up... playing with my cousins: in the corn cribs, chicken coops, hay lofts and cow stalls, hide and seek, and making mud pies. laughing until our stomach's hurt and never wanting the fun to stop. to this day... my three cousins and i are tight. really tight.

dear dad, i want you to know we all miss you, your humor and laughter and your contagious, excellent attitude. you're thought of each and everyday and we all wish we could have your opinion on this wicked recession.

is that my joe cocker cd in my cd player? why yes, yes it is.... you can leave your hat on!

i'm trying to resist the temptation of devouring a freshly baked batch of lemon poppy seed cookies and strong cup of coffee.

i'm saving a comment in my comments link, just for you!

if i made a birthday list a crab leg dinner at red lobster, would definitely be on it!

and as for the weekend... tonight i'm looking forward to: a hot shower followed up by linen cotton body lotion, sneaking a lemon poppy seed cookie, finishing the book in my sidebar and sleeping deeply. tomorrow i'm planning on dropping tommie off at a boy scout community service project (last week he enjoyed working at the local farm fest with a few boy scouts), canning pizza sauce and homeschool planning and sunday my plans include no church... church is being held at a campground...which we're not attending-but will miss, and not too sure what else?

farm and farm food!

the thing i love about this time of year... is the harvest and preserving of homegrown vegetables. my grandpa loved it, too! above is his picture! he was a farmer... grain and beef. i once heard on national public radio, that... farmers, good farmers are the most intelligent people on earth. i'm not sure those were the exact words.... but, you get the jist.. the program went on to say how farmers need to be: veterinarians, builders/handi-men, weathermen, mechanics, financial investors, agricultural scientists, electricains and have patience, and the list goes on. more often then not, farming isn't a career that is much revered. well, not to me... i just love farmers! such a hard... yet rewarding life. and, most all of the farmers i know... know God.

last night we had a delish dinner of stuffed zucchini boats.

i also had enough stuffing to stuff these peppers from our garden... i used taco rice, laura's lean beef, swiss chard, celery and onions all the veg's were plentiful in my backyard. i topped it with parmesan cheese and homemade bread crumbs. excellent... what especially made it was....the crunchy homegrown celery! the peppers are stuffed and in the freezer waiting for a cold fall night!

we have a super lot... lot, lot, lot of zucchini... i canned 4 jars of zucchini relish. i'm thinking this would be excellent on pita bread or a good cracker! and of course turkey hotdogs over an open fire!

smile, wink, nod.

rags!

just finished the last touches on my rag hooked rug, tonight! i've been working on it since my adventure in northern michigan...at boy scout camp! it's true... i spent many hours around the adult campfire hooking this and even propped my flashlight up in my tent to hook. addicted, yes. i used bits and pieces of wool strips, old dresses and tee-shirts and a tablecloth. in real life, the colors are a little perkier! smile, wink, nod!

the great trade!

the great trade. it happened in my kitchen today. and it was good for everyone involved!

i made 8 containers of homemade vegetable broth for my mom, a freshly canned pint jar of sweet pickles, and gave her a few cheap things i picked up with coupons and a couple of tomato's!

she gave me 8 new, beautiful bath towels from kohls!

during that time..........

my brother-in-law stopped over to give us a gallon of honey and honeycomb- which is extracting in our kitchen. and he gave my mom a little jar of honey.

i gave him 6 bags of free dog food i had picked up at pet supply plus...plus a handful of quizno's sandwich coupons.

my friend rhonda and i made a little deal to swap pizza sauce for spaghetti sauce. both homemade. and swap vegetables, if we have an abundance.

so ugh... maybe there is something to be gained from this wild recession? getting back to basics and giving. extending a hand to each other.... with no greenbacks attached. the way it used to be... and everyone feeling happy and fulfilled. and treasuring their freebies. now, that's for sure!

not spaghetti.... not even close!

no.... this isn't a pot of skanky looking spaghetti.

it's actually 100% wool yarn, that i found a goodwill. .35 cents a skein... i bought several (plus) skein's with this idea in mind:

one of my goals this summer, was to self-teach myself how to dye with kool-aid. i have an opportunity to learn how to crochet at our homeschool co-op... although i haven't asked the instructor... i'm sure there's always room for one more student, right? and, i've also had an invitation extended to me from brad's uncle, to learn how to knit-a-winter-reversible-winter-hat-on-a-loom. which, i look forward to.

for now, i will use this yarn to bind a rug that i've been hand-hooking. i'll post snaps of it when i'm done!

you have no idea how beautiful this yarn was... hanging in my apple tree to dry! just beautiful.... at least to my blue eyes.

so.... if you're interested in learning how to do this (so darn easy and fun!) here is the site i used: how to dye with kool-aid!

sand candles and one good friend...

first things first! thanks LISA! for fixing my blog comments. once again, i can now receive and read and try to respond to what your write. thank-you, thank-you lisa... i owe you big time!

second things second! my niece, nephews and sister-in-law were in for a couple of days this week... they live in chicago. we always try to do something funky and memorable. you know... the type of stuff they'll remember when they're all 79 years old, sitting around, talking about the good old days, while eating a jello fruit salad at a family reunion. can't you just picture what i mean?

so with this visit, the kids (and me, too!) made candles. i've had this on my to-do list forever. today it came into fruition. this is a really cheap craft. all the kids 11-21 had a blast! i chose to make the bright colored candles above!

thanks to this blogger: that artist woman for her easy directions/instructions and her fab how-to pictures.

potatoes, homeschooling, and free bags of dog food...

standing in front of redbox today, i pushed the button for this dvd... "faith like potatoes." we're watching it as i type! if you're interested in what it's about... click here: i'm interested in what it's about! so far, it looks to be a wonderful christian-family movie!

i also picked up two free bags of dog food at pet supply plus. here's a coupon for a free 4.4 lb bag. i only had to pay tax. one bag alone sells for $14.! phenomenal deal! you're welcome to print as many coupons out as you need. you might even pick a bag or two up for a friend!

last night, i went to a homeschooling through high school mini seminar. it was different. it validated many of my opinions on technology training at a young age and socialization.

today, i signed up for our homeschool co-op classes... if you're interested to see what we're doing click here: i'm interested in what they're doing!

dinner tonight? italian chicken, corn on the cob, long grain rice and fresh salads.

i miss reading your comments... smile, wink, nod.

just peachy!

today was just peachy. the weather was wickedly humid (i truly love the humidity!)... making my hair spiral out of control. i spent all morning cleaning and pushing myself on the treadmill. i spent time with a good friend... ice cream (vanilla) and a walk through goodwill. a leftover spaghetti dinner and tonight i went to a mini seminar on homeschooling your high-schooler.

there's a reason for the peachy picture. recently, i had about a dozen peaches... very ripe. on-line, i found how you can freeze peach pie filling. so, i did. it's very easy....

combine gently:

sliced peaches (about a dozen)

1 cup of sugar

3 tbsp. flour

nutmeg and cinnamon to taste

line a pie plate with foil, pour the mixture into a pie plate (i made three pie fillings), stick the pie plates into the freezer, when froze, take out and pop out the pie filling and place into a freezer bag. discard foil. label and freeze. you can use this in peach pie or in a cobbler this winter!

yummmmmmmmmmm! smile, wink, nod.

seven things.

seven things i did this weekend:

1. watched the dvd, "mama mia!" i loved abba when i was young and goofy. still do... only now i'm old and goofy! and how much fun did the entire cast seem to be having when they danced and whirled through the greek island singing "dancing queen." one song i forgot about and love is... "the winner takes it all." although i'm not sure that's the real title... the song empowers me. and, i've done my fair share of dancing to this song!

2. ironed a huge basket of clothes during a saturday afternoon rainstorm. tried to watch, "tea with mussolini." couldn't get into it.

3. ordered a few new homeschool books. story starters by karen andreola and horizons math grade six.

4. bought these awesome shoes in the picture... don't ask me why the photo shows them discolored... in real life, they're not. found them at goodwill for $2.99. i think they'll look awesome with a pair of boot-legged cut jeans this fall!

5. finished anita shreve's book, "the last time they met." it was absolutely excellent.

6. started another new book, "animal,vegetable, miracle."

7. went for a boat ride at my mom's. enjoyed a big spaghetti dinner tonight with her and her husband.

how was your weekend? i wish you could answer... but my comment tab is missing in action. lisa... help!

i found a super cute craft while i was at the 4H barn this week... took a snap of it... and thought it would be fun to make! wanna see what i'm talking about? click on my twisted education blog or click here!

keep hanging around....

i've seemed to have lost my comments tab. i have no idea where it went. where to find it or how to fix it. i even went to the help button and couldn't figure it out. i hope you keep hanging around and reading... because, i'm not gonna stop blogging.

smile, wink, nod.

just click!

i love reading your comments. it's nice to know i have readers all over the world who check in! i too, don't always leave a comment when i visit blogs. not that i don't want to, it's just that.... for whatever reason i read, smile, think and move on. that said... i am grateful you take the time to comment... but if for some reason you can't.... i've just added a comment check-box thing at the bottom of each post. only takes a second to click on a box or two or three.

this snap was taken last week in my backyard. the rocking chair, i found a yard sale for $5. I love it!

i love this chick's hat!

i thought maybe i should share a favorite summertime...okay, anytime-you-grill-outside marinade for chicken shish kabobs... a recipe, my little family loves! it's easy, too!

chicken breasts cut up into shish kabob sized pieces

1/4 cup of lemon juice

1/4 cup of lime juice

1/2 cup of honey

1/2 cup of orange juice

salt to taste

marinade in the fridge for 1/2 an hour (or longer) before grilling. discard marinade.

thread onto skewers alternating what i have on hand: zucchini, onions and peppers.

grill until done.

with this meal, i also grilled ears of corn on the cob. i've never in my life, ever grilled corn on the grill. have you? it is so easy... i look forward to doing it always!

-- just peel back a bit of the husk, wash and get the silky strands off, whisk with butter and herbs, fold the husks back up and soak the entire ear in water for 1/2 and hour. toss on the grill... i used the top shelf of our grill... and let steam for 1/2 hour. (although i let ours steam for 20 min. and it was fine.)

smile, wink, nod.

*picture above was taken at our local 4H poultry barn. i love this chick's hat!

on a whim....

on a whim yesterday, tommie and i pulled into a local carrot factory and packaging plant. we watched the workers pull in with dump boxes loaded with freshly picked carrots. the doors of the plant were wide open... so we took that to be an invitation to watch! the employees, were beyond welcoming. and went to get the owner and his wife for us! i don't recall EVER meeting two individuals who were so kind to us. they took us behind the scenes of the packing plant. explained everything imaginable to tommie (not me...because i was wandering around in awe! like bambi in headlights) wouldn't you know, my camera battery died at the start of this tour?? we watched them wash, sort, trim, weigh and pack. then the carrots were packaged into bags and put on pallets, moved to a cooling freezer and then another cooler room...ready to be shipped nationwide and to resturants... and to krogers! the tour ended with the owners ever-so-kind wife letting tommie package his own bag of carrots, seal them and giving him his very own bag! we ended with a peek at the carrot combine/harvester. i'm not sure what i am more impressed with... the kindness of this couple and their very nice employees or the packaging process?

we moved on to a huge onion farm and lettuce farm. but, the workers were all out in the fields... the factory wasn't running--due to picking. it was still exciting to see so many acres of onions and lettuce.

i just love free entertainment! next goal? the pickle factory tour.

trying to read while cow's are giving birth!

i finally wrapped up, "the other bolyen girl," while i was at the fair yesterday. read it in between waiting for tommie's rabbit showmanship and breed classes and barn duty. we were there from 8 am until 8 at night. it's not as easy as one might think, that is... to read historical fiction from the 1500's, while lambs were baaaaaing, turkey's gobbling and roosters bellowing, cow's mooing and oh yeah, cows giving birth... click here to see cow-birthing pics, that i took. warning: we were up close and personal... pictures might be upsetting to weak tummies. now, back to books.... there was nothing i didn't like about this 630 page book. plain and simple... i love historical fiction. after finishing boleyn and the author's notes, i pulled from my backpack, an anita shreve novel, "the last time they met." although, not a historical fiction in anyway, i look forward to learning details about kenya and new vocab. i am knee-deep in novels... many i've picked up brand new from salvation army for just .25 ... like the ones pictured above. so..... you know the question's coming..... tell me, what is your nose buried in? leave a comment for all of us!

smile, wink, nod.

rocks and popcorn!

yesterday found the boys and i winding and weaving through the backroads of very fertile farm country... respectfully, the land that was once engulfed in a couple of wicked wildfires from years ago. the land today, although not pictured, is extremely beautiful and fertile. wheat harvesting and hay baling were in full swing, sugar beets were blanketing green acres, the amish were out and about and my boys were thrilled to pull over and watch the john deere combines and grain trucks!

our turn-around point is lake huron. we have a special spot where we hunt for sea glass and fossils. yesterday, i hit the jackpot... i found BLUE sea glass... which is pretty rare. and quite a bit of green! we also found tons of fossils... but the stones were only the size of nickles.

this fossil was not found in lake huron... but it was found last friday on our trip to lake michigan. my guess is, it's a fern or plant....what's your guess? leave a comment.

tommie and i could spend all day sifting through these beautiful gems... brad, not so much... but he still tried to have fun finding me sea glass.

we came home and watched the very stupid movie, "roxanne," with steve martin... whom i adore and laugh non-stop over. but this movie had to much sexual reference and swearing for us to enjoy with an 11 year old boy. we ejected the movie and will donate to goodwill or our garage sale.

our big bowl of popcorn, however... was delish!

smile, wink, nod.