canned chicken soup.

sandhill cranes are back.

three of them.

with red sunglasses.

will take snaps soon.

pressure-canned chili.

three didn't seal.

had a birthday.

my 47th.

i feel better now

then when i was 40.

i'm looking forward to buying a new pair of

black fashion boots... knee high and flat.

can't do heels anymore.

i look like a sandhill crane.

gluten-free pizza, tonight.

it was a hit.

will be spending a few afternoons

at markets this week.

homeschooling in the morning.

frost expected this weekend.

must cut the basil, pick tomatoes,

eggplant, spinach and celery.

let's face it... jennifer grey is

going to win dancing with the stars.

how can she not?

need to google her cancer.

growing a parsnip.

see snap below.

my nose is cold.

it's rainy and damp.

and i am enjoying a heavenly body lotion

i received for my 47th...

bath and body works

"dark kiss."

sort of smells like bonnie bell's

grape lip gloss i wore in 7th grade.

smile, wink, nod.

pass the bean dip!

over the weekend, i made freezer bean dip.

it was ridiculously easy to whip up.

pun intended.

and it tastes just excellent!

i used two cans of northern beans.

drain-save liquid.

rinse beans.

put in a blender or food processor.

add favorite herbs.

i used a big handful of basil.

add a palm-size amount of spinach.

press the button... whip it up!

you may need to add the leftover liquid from the beans.

my blender was being stubborn... so i added a little bit of water

to help the blade spin around.

label and freeze.

serve on pita bread or pita-type crackers.

animal potato and ketchup!

u oh... okay.

i just couldn't resist.

brad dug up this abnormally shaped potato.

i saw the beauty in it!

i added spinach hair.

carrot eyes.

and

a raspberry nose.

it makes for a fun centerpiece!

my internet blogging friend... jamie, told

me how easy-peasy it is to make mrs. wages ketchup.

so, i took her advice.. and made some.

sure was easy and a great way to use up all the beautiful tomatoes in our garden.

thanks for the tip jamie!

now... time to shut the lid on this laptop and watch the duggars.

my favorite show.

incase you've been wondering....

why do men's clothes have buttons on the right,

while women's clothes have buttons on the left?

answer:

when buttons were invented, they were very expensive and worn primarily by the rich. because wealthy women were dressed by maids, dressmakers put the buttons on the maid's right! since most people are right-handed, it is easier to push buttons on the right through holes on the left and that's where women's buttons have remained since.

today, i found this lonely bird at a local thrift shop.

it's actually a salt shaker.

just .99 cents!

made in japan.

brand name: commodore.

it has the look and feel of roseville.

and, appears to be as old as roseville.

i wonder if mr. pepper shaker is out there somewhere?

leave a comment and tell me about your friday finds!

smile, wink, nod.

OUCH!

just because you need to know...

on this day in history, in 1991....

one of the great masterpieces of all time...

michelangelo's,

"david,"

was attacked

with a hammer. his second toe was broken off.

it took place in florence, italy.

the museum director said, that the pieces

were saved and repaired.

exhale.

now, continue on...

marveling at this masterpiece

made from marble...

nice abs.

don't you think?

smile, wink, nod.

well now.

so much for a full-blown, computer-based homeschool curriculum.

(read previous post).

i thought it would be just the ticket, for this season of our busy little lives.

i'd be free from lesson plans... SOS had them already organized for us!

insert sarcastic voice, now:

my son, would happily and eagerly...pop in the cd and really, really enjoy learning!

while, i gingerly worked around the kitchen... canning potatoes, dabbling in gluten-free bread baking and farmer's market work. occasionally... i thought, i would look over at my dear, always obedient son and see him smiling at nodding at his laptop. oh, the thrill of it!!! i of course, would give him my best, sincere "ATTA' boy!"

well.... that's not exactly how it went yesterday.

an hour into our perfect world,

tommy, folded his arms, assumed the voice of an adult, stood up and point-blank said to me...

"if you think, i'm going to sit here everyday, all day long, staring at this computer screen, doing lessons on this laptop, you've got another thought coming!"

"i will not sit here all day long!"

with that said, he asked to go back to our "old-way, fun, hand's-on learning." the give and take of conversations, self-directed, project based learning.

although, he does love teaching textbooks computer program and will keep moving forward with that.

for more about our day... click here!

this was a bit of a tongue-in-cheek moment for me...

this left me wondering...

is there something blocking my path, from self-improvement or self-education?

am i taking the easy way out?

do i have enough guts to stand up and say... no, this isn't working? or do i passively go-along to get along? because it's the norm and the right thing to do?

today's goal....

let's move that elephant out of the way... and get on with the business of growing and going where our heart tells us!

stand up for yourself! nicely, of course.

smile, wink, nod.

i said i never would.

ever.

but i am.

tomorrow, is the start of a full computer-based curriculum for homeschooling.

switched on schoolhouse and teaching textbooks.

while, we've both enjoyed the unschooling, project based and eclectic style of learning, tommie seems to need more... something meatier.

at this time, i can't give him that. (although, we'll continue with good literature, educational movies and real-life learning).

my little business is blossoming all around me... and the end of september and october, looks to be a whirlwind of markets. add to the fact that, i'm still trying to figure how to cook and bake, gluten free... and, can potatoes... and process eggplant soup and, and, and..... i'm hoping by using this program... it will free me up from lesson planning, grading and correcting papers. this could be a temporary thing or who knows... maybe a permanent.

moral of the story: never say never.

have you heard of this site?

you can listen to old time radio shows on-line.... for free!

i'll be downloading a few this weekend.... starting with,

breakfast in hollywood!

now, it's off to google the storyline and collect facts about when it was written.

i'm looking forward to making and freezing parsnip soup, this weekend.

labor day 2010

*******

64 degrees

rainy, dark, gloomy

damp

nose is cold

feet, too.

homemade soup for dinner

with cumin

grey polar fleece

sweat pants, grey and white striped

netflix movie through xbox

mr. smith goes to washington

1939

jimmy stewart

black and white

make popcorn to go-along

dryer humming

brad dozing

tommie chilling with friends

unfinished crafts

books wishing i'd read them

soft fluffy pillow looking at me

and me, thinking i'll flop down and relax.

hope you are, too!

smile, wink, nod.

my oh my!

last night, i made this recipe:

the best broccoli you'll ever eat!

i'm telling you... it was the best dish i've ever made.

i wept, when the last bit of my broccoli was munched up.

(okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration... but seriously, i was let down!)

bonus: my boys liked it, too!

if you don't try any other recipe this indian summer... you must try this!

here's a friday link for a : free sample of garnier rescue gel creme!

digging up potato's in my garden, is like digging for sweet buried treasures! this gem, weighed in at 3 lbs! and to think, my husband weighed 3 lbs at birth. yesterday, i had a booth at the farmer's market. my special aunt, came to visit and bring me cookies. we laughed. we shared kettle popcorn, chatted. and hugged good-bye. then the rain came. and the wind came. my tent ended up flipped over and blown into a tree. when storms like this occur, which they often do at outdoor markets, you really witness Christ-like behavior, first hand. all the vendors, help each other out. packing up trucks, dismantling tents, chasing signs, all while being drenched with warm rain. my most favorite, was watching one "bread" competitor helping his competition. such a beautiful sight. i guess there is a lesson in these storms. when storms come, which they always will... do you wallow around feeling sorry for yourself, playing victim? or do you see beyond the raindrops, through your wet mascara eyes, and see the good? not always easy to do... but, enlightening just the same.

smile, wink, nod.