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!

some blog entries just don't need any words.  except........ooooh-la-la! 

so... i sewed!

i think i can do that, said i... as i read the instructions on how to sew a 10-minute apron, using a pillow case.  

sew, or rather so.... i've been keeping my eyes peeled for cheap, pretty, funky pillowcases.  and ribbon, to be used as the tie-backs!

my aprons are not sewn well.  i'm a super-novice... but determined and i enjoy trying.  i couldn't sell them.  i couldn't even give them as gifts... unless you count my mom, because a mom loves anything you make!  sew, i just decided to keep them all.  all five for myself, to wear at markets, where i work.  of course, wearing one in the garden might be convenient, too?

this one is my favorite!  of course, because it's green striped and faux pink fur.  it's made from a flannel pillowcase.  and i added an extra pocket.  see how good i'm getting??? i'm brave enough to sew an extra pocket!  wink.

so my girlfriends... here is the divine blog site, in which i got the instructions from:

10-minute pillow case apron!

siLLy SUndaY...

not my idea... played copycat off of someone on flea market gardening (facebook).  i loved how this someone displayed black-eyed susan's in a blue vase.  truth is, i own nothing blue, except this old crock.  so, i said.... what the heck?  and used it.  i think it looks just peachy, don't you? 

a good neighbor friend of mine (also homeschool mom-friend) is in russia this week.  she asked me if i'd like to collect her chicken eggs, while she's away.  you don't have to ask me twice!  big nod.  one chicken got loose.  chased that darn chick 'round and 'round her yard... like my pants were on fire!  grabbed the poker and thought i killed the thing.   didn't... but, was wondering.......... what's your favorite bbq sauce?!

took a bike ride tonight.  my oh my... my legs are looking milky.  try not and notice, but my outfit, totally does not match.  it was just one of those, "hey-mom, let's-go-for-a-bike-ride-right-now!" moments. 

a snip there and a snip here and eventually, i gathered a bundle of oregano to dry.  actually, it's close to already being dried.  we've had no rain in what seems like forever... hence, the oregano was screaming to be used, before it's premature death.

i hope you had a silly sunday, too.

smile, wink, nod.

just like a little squirrel, stocking up for winter....

i threw together a dozen or so freezer-stir fry lunches.  hot lettuce salads, to be exact. 

here's what i tossed in the bags:

-yellow summer squash

-zucchini

-garlic cloves

-onion and scallions

-a handful of green beans

-one beautiful edible day lilly

-basil and dill

-beet leaves and carrot tops

-lettuce

this winter, i'll thaw and toss my little veggie pack into a frying pan with olive oil, rice and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. 

hot lettuce salad... it's a good thing.

smile, wink, nod!

i have a new respect for vanilla beans.

i never thought about it... so i never knew.... vanilla beans come from a wide variety of areas:  tonga, madagascar, mexico, tahiti.  each vanilla bean comes from an orchid and is pollinated by hand.  when the vanilla pod develops, it must be picked by hand and cured for several months.  hence, the reason for vanilla beans being so pricey.

when i walked into our local party store, and asked for a bottle of vodka... i was quick to point out to the store clerk... that it was for a recipe.  she gave me that, "yeah, sure-it-is, sort of smile."  i'm sure she thought i was nuts, when i asked her to compare prices for me.  alcohol in this store is behind the counter.  i settled on an $8. bottle... and continued to tell her, i was making homemade vanilla. she gave me her best, i-heard-it-all-look.  but, i really felt inclined to tell her...  i guess i didn't want her to think i was planning to down it.  

making vanilla is ridiculously easy. 

-slice open a couple of vanilla bean's

-add 1 cup vodka

-store in an airtight container

-store in a dark place

-give it a little shake now and then!

vodka and vanilla beans.... it's a good thing. 

wink!

unintentional clear glass jar obsession!

this summer... i've been picking up clear bottles and jars at yard sales and thrift shops.  i haven't done it on purpose.  normally, my eyes only see pink and green and the occasional pale yellow.  but, hot-diggity dog, there's some cute clear jars to be rescued, reclaimed and most importantly, recycled.

 what's inside them?  from left to right:

-simple wild carrot, plucked from the field in a hot chocolate bottle.

-a mixture of homey spices:  cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and all spice.  i picked up a dozen or so cans of used spices at a yard sale... then, came home and mixed them all together... capped them in the jar and will use for a cozy kitchen smell, this fall and winter.  (i'll just boil a tablespoon or so, w/ a little water on top of our stove and let the aroma linger.) 

- just a big, old jar with plastic wrap and holes poked in it.  it's home to a monarch chrysalis... who is just days away from busting out of his cocoon.

- two bottles of homemade oregano vinegar and one bottle of basil vinegar.

-a glass teddy bear jar with another field-plucked wild carrot.

have you been thrifting, lately?  what treasures have you found?

a friend of mine.. suddenly took on a new garden art hobby.... using bowling balls!  i put my request in for pink.  my favorite color.  thanks g.w.... the artwork resides under a bed of day lillies and weathered iris'.

since, i was snapping pics outside... i thought i'd share some of our gardens....  note:  we didn't plant ANYTHING in our gardens until the first week in june.  we are thrilled, at the progress the gardens made.

glory to God.

above... a couple of our raspberry patches.

check out the right side of this picture... about half way down... do you see the butterfly posing mid-air?  it's a monarch.  he is so photogenic, don't you think?

smile, wink, nod.

since, working at street markets this summer, i've noticed a movement in trendy bikes.

i love this.

many bikes i see, are being repurposed.  i humbly admit... i tried to repurpose mine, by decoupaging it.  that was a nightmare.  it was so awful... that i quickly pulled the paper off and scrubbed the bike clean.  not to mention... it took forever to cover.  okay, where am i going with this?  back to my post....

i love the homemade color... vintage pink of the bike above.  do you?

and this one, is seriously brilliant!  i had to ask... it is from Thailand or was it Taiwan?  anyway... how perfect.  holds everything... even a spot for a baby car seat... that you can actually look down and see your sweetie-pie, facing you!  i would of loved this!  so much storage space, too! 

check out my sidebar... i've added some new and grooviliscious blogs to my sidebar! i think you'll like them!

wink.