it's rednesday!

so, i've been wanting to play along on:  it's a very cherry world... and today i am!

what's new in my world: red?!

a new-to-me pair of red leather mary jane's!  found at the thrift shop.  $6.  did i ever tell you how much i love mary janes?  well, i'm telling you now sisters...

i adore them!

yesterday, i canned strawberry-honey syrup. 

the recipe called for sugar.  i played detective, and figured out how to replace sugar with honey.

hence, the name:  strawberry-honey syrup.

my kitchen smelled heavenly.

with brad being celiac... we eat a lot of pancakes, won't this topping add a smile, when the snow flies?

cutest blog i've seen in a real long time?

it's a very cherry world. 

click on the name and enjoy!

smile, wink, nod!

"i'll just sew a little hippy-pillow." said i, to my kale, chard, cabbage: both green and purple, and my garlic that needs plucked and processed. they nodded and agreed to stay grounded.  with orange handled scissors in hand, i gingerly started chopping up fabrics... sewing recycled cloth into  personality.  i even hummed  sang grateful dead's, touch of grey... real low, under my breath! 
smile, wink, nod!

got it!  one of them anyway.

a pesky star-nosed mole.

they really love trudging under our lawn.

every year.

all summer.

as ugly as they are... their fur looks kind of soft, don't you think?

also caught on sunday morning via a trap in our sweet corn?  a mama possum who gave birth... while in the live trap.  tommie saw that something was in the trap...  noticed it was a possum, grabbed his gun and came back in the house...."awe, you guys, i can't shoot a mama and her babies."  he and brad released the critters in the woods, on a desolate road.

so much for sunday dinner!

wink.

Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long.

We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious.....And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths!

-Walt Disney

have i ever shared this with you?

it's one of my very favorite quotes!



bright and early this morning, i gathered the ingredients for canning herb jelly.  i decided on basil-dill.  i used the recipe from the can-can canning book, my mom gave me.  hence, no link for the recipe.  i did a quick google for you, and there are a million different links.  while searching, i did find this site, which looked fun and friendly:  prairieland herbs .

i'm in the middle of canning green beans... two jars blew up (cracked!).  it happens, right? 

tonight, we'll be dining on homegrown sweet corn!  bring on the butter!

wink.

since i've been spending so much time in the car, traveling to different street markets... i decided to climb our library steps, saunter down the audio book aisle and scan the shelves. i checked out four titles.   the first audio i listened to is this one, "the handmaid and the carpenter."  the story is fabulous! very, very sweet. when disc one ended, i excitedly popped the second disc into the player, chomping at the bit... i could hardly wait to continue.  and then it happened.  skip, skip, SKIP, skip, skip, skip, skip, skip!  what's a girl to do? well, i popped the third disc in, and enjoyed that one, just as much!  if you get a chance... borrow this from the library!  hopefully you'll have better luck with disc two, then i did.  wink. 

this morning, i quickly (and i mean quickly), canned honey mustard.  i've never canned it before... but it sounded easy enough.  i doubled the recipe.  my kitchen smelled like a mustard factory.  meanwhile, my mind was drifting into the thought of dipping a hot pretzel into the mustard.  that said, i'll not only use this as chicken or ham marinade, but i'll probably have to invest in a box of frozen pretzel's to fill my salty-sour craving!  here's the recipe: 

 honey mustard

looking back over my week:

canned beets

processed dill pesto

bought organic lavender and parsley

received 2 dozen free ears of home-grown corn

received a free jumbo cantaloupe and yellow plums

watched, girl with the pearl earring (dark!)

meeting with homeschool moms

3 farmer's market's

bump and run at the fair with the boys

homeschool curriculum came in the mail

had a rhinestone feather installed in my hair

a trip to the mall and to the hollister store

thunderstorms as we speak

froze cabbage and onions

waiting to hear about the birth of our new puppy

hope you have a happy weekend!

suddenly, my 13 year old son has taken an interest in his appearance.  the clothes now, are important.  smothering his face with clearasol and sea breeze and checking every half hour to see if he has whiskers.  he's also into bench pressing and bmx biking and then there's this punching bag, he whacks around on the deck... (best $8. i ever spent on him! salvation army treasure.)

 oh, and, he found the youtube video for "our" abs, (see first pic)... he asked me to do this with him...  why? i'm clearly confused.  but, i happily accepted his invitation.  i hate exercising.  mostly, because there are a bazillion other things i could be doing!  but c'mon... it's six minutes well spent on my mid-life tummy and six minutes of quality time with my boy.  a 2 for 1, right?

smile, wink, nod. 

this little piggy (me) has been making hay while the sun shines!  working street markets and canning!  for the first time ever, i canned dill relish!  i also pressure canned green beans... more canning those, tomorrow.  my beets are ready, too.  this winter, they'll be like sparkling rubies, on my salad.  a gem!

i treated myself with the "three little piggy" flower vase... in the first picture.  it was $5. at a local vintage shop.  i love the three little pigs and the moral of the story! 

i also have this little squirrel flower vase (above), which my mom gave me. 

both vases reside on my kitchen windowsill and make me smile, when i'm putting up the harvest... i feel

just like the pig who built his home on a strong foundation and my squirrel inspires me to stash food away for the long winter.

wink.

and wink.

daybook:

current mood:  sleepy and unsettled.

outside:  rainy, warm and nice.

wearing:  grey peace sign tank top and mint green skirt with matching toiling.  two toe rings.  two ankle braclets.  cat-eye reading glasses.

in the kitchen:  sweet pickles canned and popping.  fresh strawberries and cherries.  the cherries aren't too terrific, but the strawberries are scrumptious.

in the garden:  black-eyed susan's, queen anne's lace, green beans and kale, waiting to be processed.

tunes:  southern gospel

something new:  a punching bag for tommie, who is pretending he's joe louis. 

something yummy:  frozen twix candy bars.

greatful for:  my free gas card that came in the mail, and, laura's lean hamburger on sale $2. off.

pet peeve:  when i'm pumping gas and the handle-squeeze-lever keeps going:  click, click, click and won't stay put.  ugh! 

looking ahead for the week:  markets, canning, markets, canning.

dream:  to own this pink retro trailer house and have my studio there.  what a dream.

smile, wink, nod.

overwelmed!

that's what's new with me..

i'll be back in a snap, with more updates!

see you then!