my patio!

we've sure been blessed these first couple of weeks in michigan... we've had just beautiful indian summer days!

i've been submerged in homeschool lessons and activities, i went to a phenomenal homeschool writing workshop on monday night, a scout meeting on tuesday night and this afternoon found me decorating our patio for fall!

tommie and i collected old dead branches and wired them vertically to our deck beams. next, i strung a green heavy cord from branch to branch.... the east and north side are decorated!

i sent tommie out to the field to cut sunflower heads, gourds and sweet annie. the mini pumpkins above are a surprise from my friend rhonda (thank-you!)



the pictures sure don't do this earthly extravaganza justice! i used clothes pins to hang: basil, dill, peppers and sweet annie from the green cord! the very first picture shows a tea cup and old spoon i tied up to the mix!

i found a place for my hanging candle holder, too! i thought this mini-pumpkin would like resting here!

i marine glued a cake plate to a candlestick and made a sunflower birdfeeder out of it. i guess you'd call it a cake-plate-sunflower-feeder, ugh?

if this tin bucket wasn't so old... i'd love to paint a face on the front of it... couldn't you see some quirky looking picasso knock-off on the front and a sunflower head for hair?

smile, wink, nod!

p.s. click on over to my homeschool blog to see what we've been up to! click here

dill!

"drying herbs"

my row of dill is fading fast! the rest of my herbs are following close behind. i froze what i could... but still have enough to dry, too.

so.... late today, i pulled on my wellingtons, grabbed a few paperbags, a good knife and starting cutting.... i just love the smell of fresh dill!

i took the flower part of the dill, stuffed it into a bag, leaving the stems out and rubber banded the bag. the seeds will continue to dry and fall off inside the bag... you just need to give a good shake now and then. i'll put them in a pretty jar and sprinkle them on salads, bread and in soups this winter. (i'd like to do this with a mixed bunch too!)

daily blessing ...day 3

"DAILY BLESSING...DAY 3"

(sharing the blessings i've received from friends and family last week!)

my doorbell rang unexpectedly last week... i opened it to find my friend robyn, standing there holding a huge bouquet of lavender! in the past, we've talked about different lavender crafts... i am so very happy she remembered and blessed me with this gift! i decided to make lavender soap balls... (the recipe is at the bottom of this post!)

i put a few springs in empty glass juice jars and put them up on our backporch window sills! it's very simple ... and very sweet. thanks robyn...for making my family and i smile!

Lavender Soap Ball Recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

2 bars mild, unscented castile or vegetable-based soap (or the equivalent in odds-and-ends)

1/2 cup dried lavender blossoms (available online from many herb companies)

5 drops essential oil of lavender

1/4 cup warm water

1. Using a cheese grater, grate the soap into a large bowl.
2. Add the lavender blossoms to the grated soap.
3. Add the essential oil to the soap mixture, combining thoroughly.
4. Add the warm water and stir.
5. Roll heaping tablespoons of the mix into balls.
6. Place on a cookie sheet and allow to air-dry completely, which will take approximately 2 days.

Holly Hocks, Holly Rocks and herbs!

BLESSINGS!

DAY 2

(things i was blessed with recently, from friends and family!)

i'm loving my hollyhocks.. this is the first time ever, that i've been able to grow them. i could have a field full and never grow tired of looking at them!

i'm finding it hard to believe. i'm not sure why blessings have poured in for me this past week... but each and every day (up until yesterday), i've received very surprising, wonderful, useful and extremely thoughtful gifts...from family and friends! even my friend lisa, who i seldom see, has a prize waiting for me. a big fat thank-you, to ALL of you! you know, i love you all!

my friend holly took a chance and stopped by one evening last week, with this 2 cup pyrex measuring cup in hand. i know, i know... blogging about a simple, basic measuring cup...is sort of dull.. but ummm, if you only knew how much i needed one for soooo long...you'd understand. i put out the word last spring that i was in dire need for one.... i've been using an old tin measuring cup. she actually pulled it off her kitchen shelf and gave me hers! how nice is that? thanks, holl!

after an amazing church service, which is doing a series on dissecting the Lord's Prayer and what each line means... you know...instead of just saying the prayer as fast as you can, i came home and picked a couple fist fulls of mixed herbs. i washed them, patted them dry and stuffed 4 bags full for the freezer. they'll be so welcome in the late fall and winter... i'll use them for seasoning croutons, breads, soups or casseroles.

i was thinking... if you don't have a big variety of herbs yourself...maybe you could have a herb swap. call up a friend or two, have them clip a couple ziplock bag fulls of their herbs... swap and mix them together and freeze! long about january in michigan, fresh herbs are a luxury and very pricey!

M is for making the best of a rainy day!

making the best of a rainy day! pulled on the wellington's, my yellow, oversized raincoat, and wiggled my colander out of the cupboard then stepped outside to cut herbs for homemade peasant bread. today was the perfect day to have yeast bread rising and baking...with fresh herbs chopped, mixed with butter, and sprinkled on top! i took cuttings of them all.. parsley, dill, basil, sage, sweet marjoram, cilantro, garlic chives, rosemary, and oregano!

sure wish you could smell through the internet...because the house was heavenly! i made a total of six loaves and froze them all.

tonight, a pot sits on top of my stove with comfrey and mint steeping in 17 ounces of olive oil. it takes 5 hours to steep, then i'll drain the herbs off, melt beeswax in it and should have comfrey face and body cream!

in between the bread rising...i zipped up to redbox at our krogers and picked up a few movies! benjamin button, valkyrie and twilight. my intent was to cuddle down and sew while i watched twilight. the sewing never happened...didn't even get the needle threaded...have you seen twilight? then you'll understand why i couldn't take my eyes of the screen. i'm having a tough time describing my thoughts about the movie. i can only think of adjectives: twisted. wild. hot. weird. creative. serious. deep.

just one of those movies that leave you wondering. 2 thumbs up. smile, wink, nod.

K is for.................

knick knacks i found at a junky yard sale...sunday after church:

an old, shabby chic door knob. i have absolutely no use for this. but it was on the .10 cent table. what would you do with it?

i also picked up this old tin pail for a dollar. i flipped it upside down in my shade garden, placed a robin's nest on top (my 2nd dad Tom, gave me the nest! thanks a bunch! love it!) and placed some old chicken eggs inside the nest!

just couldn't resist snatching up this pinky sized vase..which is holding a spring of oregano. and the clear fist sized picture, which is holding a bouquet of chocolate mint! you know something? chocolate mint is a great investment herb. it spreads like wildfire, freezes well and is so fresh and tasty in a cold glass of ice water or tea! Both little knick-knacks came from the .10 cent table, too!

other stuff? lasagna for dinner, worked on homeschool co-op lesson plans, sat in the garden and read my current read: whirlwind...i'm half way through the book and it's just now getting interesting, everything so far has been so predictable-which doesn't challenge me, listening to allison kraus blue grass music (love it. just love it!), finally rubbed on self-tanner, and i'm thirsting to get another sewing project started...but feeling clueless as to what i want to do. walmart free sample came in the mail: face moisturizer.