More garden gatherings

Mescalin Lettuce
Tabasco Chili Peppers
Green beans
Bell peppers
Hungarian peppers


When I was out picking beans, I noticed some of the other vegetables that were maturing and will be soon ready to pick. It is amazing to me that nature can produce some of the most beautiful "still life's" that can be found.

I always have thought that the produce departments in grocery stores are beautiful. Every imaginable color. Although everything I photographed was green, they are still beautiful and just wait til the tomatoes ripen (they are almost there).

Mother Nature is still the best artist!!

Vegetables are grown and nurtured by master gardener, Leon

Easy Sunday

Well, it is Monday and I have a couple of days off. No particular plans, which is the beauty of it, because I can just do as I want when I want. Having worked for many years, it is nice to just enjoy a day without the pressures or stress. Sometimes even then, I struggle to slow down and ignore the clock. But more on that later.

I wanted to share a couple of dishes that I made yesterday. I had a spinach salad in a restaurant recently, that was absolutely wonderful, so I decided to attempt to replicate it yesterday for a light meal and I paired it with homemade 'naan', the traditional indian bread. UMMM Ummm Good!!!!

It turned out so well that I thought I would share the recipe (made up by me, after having had one). So I don't have measurements, but just made it to our taste.

Combine in salad bowl and then toss.
Fresh Spinach
Feta Cheese, crumbled
Fresh Mushrooms, sliced
Bacon, crumbled
Balsamic Vinegrette, drizzled over the top




Could it be much easier than that? (and healthy, too)!!

Then I made Naan, which I absolutely love. Recipe can be found here.



After we ate, I went out to the garden to pick green beans. Leon's garden is beginning to bear "fruit" due to his hard work! He really does enjoy his garden and I am sure that when we retire, gardening will keep him busy all summer. So the vines were bursting with green beans and the harvest was very satisfying. I snapped them all before I went to bed, but won't be be cooking them until tonight.

Dancing girls - four years old

When Katie and I went to the quilt show a couple of weeks ago, one of the fun things that we do is to shop at the vendors booths. We always seem to come away with something really cool to do or really cool fabric. Last year we got tools to attach "bling" to fabric. Katie has gotten into needlepunch from the kit that she got at the quilt show. Of course, we are women and love to shop, so there have been many temptations at the quilt show, some of which we give into and some not.

Well, this year, I was walking down one of the aisles and spied a fabric panel with a row of little ballerinas on a stage in the five ballet positions. Having just been to Abby's dance recital, I knew I had to get it. It was so cute and all I needed to do was simply quilt it. It was two weekends before we were going to Indianapolis for Abby's birthday, so I decided I would give it to her for her birthday.

I purchased it, took it home, picked out a backing fabric, got out mh batting and started in. Now I don't have the patience to hand quilt and I am not very good at it anyhow, so I machine quilted it. Having taken a class in machine quilting, I was hopeful that I could do it, without much practice. Machine quilting is not difficult, but requires a lot of practice and I hadn't been practicing. The end of the story is that I did quilt it on the machine and there are a lot of little errors, but I was still pleased as punch. So I picked out some border fabric and finished it up.

When you're four, toys are the most important thing at your birthday, but she sat right on that quilt to play with her toys. As Martha would say "It was a good thing".





Her bicycle basket, streamers and bell

And something for Lily, too!

A gummy situation

The privileges of turning four are not without responsibility. The precedent is clearly set. When we turn 16 and are able to drive, it is a privilege that we wait for expectantly, but with it comes responsibility. Responsibility for the safety of self, others and the care of an automobile. Keeping gas in the tank and our drivers license valid, among other things become very important responsibilities. When we wait for college at age 18ish, the privilege of living on our own is not without responsibility. Responsibility for getting up and getting to class without parental guidelines. Making decisions on our own and getting projects done becomes our own responsibility, along with eating right and doing our own laundry.

This privilege/responsibility relationship was brought to mind, by a very important milestone in my granddaughters life. But to be sure, there was responsibility attached.

Abby turned four this week, and one of the things promised to her was that she could chew gum when she turned four. She was so excited, that it was one of the first things that she wanted to do. Her mother has told her over the past couple of years, that she couldn’t chew gum until she was four. It was a hard rule, especially when I asked her if she wanted a piece of gum, with me not knowing the rule.

With the ceremony of going to the store and picking out which gum she would try first, Abby embarked upon her gum chewing adventure. Turns out that she chose strawberry, a personal favorite of my own. The actual experience was as good as she thought as she took the gum out of the package and removed the paper and then into her mouth it went. Mmmmm Good!! Horns sounded, drums were beating – She liked it!!!!!

But oh my, the responsibility and rules that went with it. She couldn’t stick it under her chair when she got tired of it. Of course, she was not allowed to swallow it. She could not stick it in her sister’s ear or leave it laying on the couch. She had to put it on her plate at dinner so that it did not get wasted while she ate (and it was very hard after that). Any gum found on the driveway, was immediately traced to her, whether she did it or not. And of course, there were places and times that she could not chew gum, like preschool or church.

Was it worth it? Worth all the rules and the responsibility for handling it like a big girl?

YOU BET IT WAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Quilt Shop Quilt at the Quilt show- Quite a Quilt!!

Well, I promised you a quilt and I must deliver. I think I was misleading yesterday, when I said I did not have pictures of any redwork. This quilt is redwork. I liked it because there was so much to look at. I got a shot of every room. I am not a Sunbonnet Sue fan, and these characters do resemble that style, but I was impressed with the work and the different rooms.
It reminded me of a doll house.









Hope you enjoyed!! It really is so much more vibrant and detailed in person. As you can see, it won a ribbon.

The quilt show

My friend Katie and I went to the quilt show again this year. It is an annual tradition that we have created and we had a great time once again. Unfortunately we missed our third wheel, Peggy; but I am sure she will be back with us next year. We usually go on Thursday of the quilt show, but I was unable to get the day off, so we ended up going on Saturday instead. We were afraid it would be really busy, but it wasn't too bad. We got a parking place right in front of the convention center. I did have to run out and feed the meter a couple of times, but the space was so awesome that it was well worth it and I certainly didn't have to go far.

I am always so blown away by the beauty of the quilts and the variety of styles, from traditional to picture quilts, to art quilts to mini quilts and on and on. The focus this year was quilts with red work on them. Basically it is just red embroidery on a red focused quilt. They are pretty awesome. Unfortunately I left my camera in the car and didn't get it until I went back to feed the meter, so my pictures are limited. I didn't get any of the redwork quilts, but do have a few others to share with you. Aren't they amazing!?!?

I must include a winter quilt every year. They are one of my favorites.

Another favorite quilt will be on my blog tomorrow. It is one that has lots of parts that I took separate pictures off. See you tomorrow!!!

The Secret Life of Bees

I was feeling a bit under the weather this afternoon, nothing serious, just a little headache. But my point is that even not feeling good can have its pleasures. I decided to go out and sit out on the steps for some fresh air. The front of the house is cooler in the evening, because the sun sets behind the house. I took a book with me, thinking that I might read a bit. Well, if you get headaches, you know that reading and headaches just don't go together, so I just sat on the step and enjoyed the peace. Right beside the steps and along the short little walk, we have lavendar growing and it really is quite beautiful. The fragrance is wonderful and when it gets stepped on or driven over, it really wafts into the air. Lavendar attracts bees and I noticed that there were probably around 15 bees buzzing around the lavendar. It occurred to me that, being so close, I may be able to get pictures of them. So into the house I went for my camera. I got some shots, but those little stinkers move fast and my camera takes forever to process a shot (3 seconds). They really are amazing little creatures and I wanted to share my shots with you.

An entrpreneur making flip flops

Who doesn't love flip flops!?!?!?!?!? Everyone must surely love flip flops (especially my Carrie). I was browsing my favorite blogs (one of my favorite things to do) and I happened across a blog that I regularly visit that was showcasing a lady who made a business out of the manufacture of flip flops. The secret of her success is that there are interchangeable straps. I went to her site to check them out and they are really pretty cool; and reasonably priced too (around $12).

Her name is Lindsay Phillips and her story is on the Felicia Sullivan blog. You can go to her site from that blog or from here straight to Switchflops. Her variety is extensive and there is bound to be at least one design that appeals to everyone. Be sure to drag the scroll bar to see them all.

I know the last two posts have been on footwear. It is totally coincidence. OR....... I'm totally into shoes lately. I can't decide!

Yee Haw - New Shoes

I haven't gotten a new pair of shoes in several years. I needed some work shoes/sandals that were comfortable, casual (as in business casual) and of course, cool looking. Now dress codes have loosened significantly in the last few years. We can wear capri's and sandals anytime and jeans on Friday. We can wear jeans every day if we pay for it (benefitting charity). I am all about charity, but I have other pants I can wear four days a week and enjoy jeans more on Friday.

I can remember (and this will certainly date me) when socks (preferably hose) were required, even if you were wearing long pants. Never any jeans, no cleavage, and a host of other rules. But honey, you should see these girls today. I love the casual atmosphere and would hate to go back to business attire, but these girls absolutely push it past all common sense. I swear you would not believe some of the girls walking around our building at work. I sound like an old lady don't I?

Anyhow, I found the greatest shoes. They are made by Skecher and they have tennis shoe bottoms. They have been around for several years and I am sure you have seen similar ones, but I just loved these. I had to buy them because I had a really crummy day at work, so my therapy was going shopping. Leon is playing golf, so I came home, fed the cats, emptied the dishwasher and took off again. It was great. I just strolled around and finally found these shoes. I love them and they really feel pretty much like tennis shoes.

Now we'll see if they can last all day tomorrow (you know how the first day with new shoes is!).

Fresh Raspberries - Before and After

***BEFORE


Leon got such a deal at the grocery store the other day. Raspberries for $1 a pint. What a deal!! They are usually $3-$4 a pint. So of course he grabbed 4 pints. Now the responsibility falls to me. What to do with them? We could eat them plain and raw - that would certainly be the healthiest; but what fun is that? So I googled raspberry recipes and came up with a crumble that had apples in it. Now Leon loves apples and loves raspberries, so I knew this was the one. Here is the recipe in case you find a deal on raspberries too. By the way, the raspberries we got were from Kroger. I don't know if all of their specials are the same everywhere, but you never know.

Apple Raspberry Crumble
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
Juice of 1 lemon
1 10 oz. package frozen raspberries (obviously I used fresh and it turned out fine)
1 C all purpose flour
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C unsalted butter (ouch!)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Arrange apples in buttered 8x8 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Sprinkle raspberries over apples. Mix flour and sugar in bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Add nutmeg. Sprinkle this mixture over the fruit. Bake at 375 degreens for 25 minutes. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream (we just ate ours plain)

***AFTER

Another interesting blog

Every so often I like to share a new blog that I discovered. The one that I am going to share with you was suggested by a colleague at work. It is the blog of a woman with a family, a woman of faith. The amazing thing about this blog is that she shares her and her husband's recovery after surviving an airplane crash. She started her blog before the crash, a chronicle of her family life. After the plane crash, she continues to blog about her struggles, physically and emotionally. It is an amazing blog. While she was in the hospital, a relative posted reports of how she was doing.

If you have a few minutes, it is inspiring and heart rending all at the same time. Take a look!!

Guess what's on the needles!?!?

I have started a new knitting project. That in itself, is not a new revelation. But now, I am starting on a project that I have been wanting to try for some time. I needed to get better at knitting overall, before I started this one. I needed to know how to knit in the round and knit on a smaller scale. Here are some pictures of the start of my project. Aren't the colors yummy? Any guesses?

A good book

I have had the opportunity for the first time in a while to finish a book by my favorite author. It was one of those times when I just was absorbed by the book. The book was very good, but it also may have been that I was just in the mood to get lost in a book. Nothing is more pleasant! I have not had time to read for personal pleasure lately, with work and reading for my book club, and all the other things that keep me busy. However, I have been sick lately and used the opportunity to get into a new book that has been laying around for some time.

I have read almost all of Anne Rivers Siddons books, but was delighted to find one that I had not yet read. Off Season was delightful and happy and sad all at once. It was a love story, not only between two individuals, but a love story between the main character and her childhood home, a community, memories and lessons learned in those times. This was a book roughly equivalent to my age and growing up period, so I could really relate in so many ways.

I won't bore you, or spoil the book for you by giving away the conclusion of the story, but it is about a girl who spent her summers at the family lake home and how they shaped her life.

I was particularly moved by the impact of that home and 'lake life'. It was possible for me to read the book and absolutely put the story and atmosphere into my own context. Although my childhood was different in many ways, I think most people reading the book could relate to their childhood memories and how we all wish to grab back some of those moments in our adulthood.
Also how they often sustain us through our adulthood and even old age, just as they did Lilley, in the book.

27 years or 324 months or 9,828 days

Well, I haven't blogged for a while, so I was thinking about what has happened in my life lately that would merit a blog entry. Well, actually, we have had our anniversary 2 days ago. I think we would agree that marriage has been a joy and a challenge. It was definitely touch and go from time to time, but I think that the hard times have made us stronger.

Anyhow we are now headed on to 28, and have much to look forward to. We are blessed!!!!

Bike riding

Leon and I went on a bike ride tonight. It has easily been a year since I have been on my bike, so I was a bit wobbly out of the gate. But what is the old saying "it's like riding a bike, you never forget". So we rode around the subdivision next to ours and had a great time. It was my favorite time of the evening, the temperature was cool and it really was pretty neat. My favorite part of bike riding is the air on my face. Now I have to get out more often. Luckily, it is early in the year and once I get out in the spring and summer once, I tend to get out more often. So I challenge you all to get out there and ride!!!

Spring (and the goslings) has sprung

I always know it is really spring when I first see baby goslings and I saw my first ones today. I was out running errands and driving down the road when I spotted two parent geese and their babies; and then just down the road a little further, another family of geese and goslings. It seems that we have an overabundance of geese around our neighborhood and sometimes they get a bad rap. People get tired of their droppings and they can be aggressive if it is nesting season, or if they're just in a bad mood and you get too close. I have seen a woman attacked by a goose and it was pretty scary. But, it was minor and she managed to wave it away pretty quickly, but you get the idea!?!.

We were at the zoo a couple of weeks ago and there were geese all over the place and people were feeding them, as they always do. Leon, Abby, Lissy and I were walking along and two geese started running toward Lissy and I and lifted into the air just above our heads. It was a very scary moment, but the mother in me took over and I threw myself in front of Lissy to protect her. Thank God she is okay!!! Another take on that story is that Lissy threw me in front of her, but I won't go there!!

Anyhow, I really do love the geese and though some people say that they are filthy because of their droppings, I do believe that we would be pretty filthy too, if we didn't have bathrooms. And their babies are absolutely enchanting. I watch for them every spring and I am always happy when I see them.

Another thing that I find really cool about geese is that they mate for life. I don't think there are too many species that do that, but nothing is more heart wrenching than seeing a goose hit and killed by a car and their mate on the side of the road, not knowing what to do. It is almost as thought they are waiting for their mate to get up. This mating for life ritual makes me wonder how they choose each other. Is it totally random? Is it just the first one they run into after hitting "puberty"? I can't imagine they are smart enough to be "attracted" to a particular other goose. And then, how do they tell each other apart from other geese. They all seem to look the same to me. So when the goose husband leaves for some errand and comes back to a group of goose wives, how does he know which one is his. Interesting!!!! Okay, I really must stop this now.

Take notice of the geese and goslings in your neighborhood and ask yourself these questions.

By the way, I did not have my camera with me, so these pictures are from Flickr, but I really want to get a picture of my own. Maybe next time!!

Tag - You're It, Lily

I want to back up (go back in time, as it were) to a project that I did over the past month. I didn't get a chance to share it at the time, but it turned out so cute that I wanted to share it now that I am back.

A little background information is not really necessary, but helpful. Babies begin to grasp things at about 4 months and of course everything goes into their month. For some really really weird reason, it seems that babies are attracted to the tags on their toys and blankets. I remember when Abby was little, you could buy her the cutest toy, and without a doubt, she would find that tag and then she loved the toy (tag). So I decided to make a tag blanket for Lily. She has not quite started the grasping yet, but is really close. So I made this tag blanket with the most beautiful and colorful tags that I could find. I am anxious for her to play with it. Here is a picture of it.


Also, speaking of going back in time; if you have not read The Time Travelers Wife, you really should put it on your reading list.

Painting for pineapples

We have begun a repaint of many of the rooms in our house. We have had white walls for years and Leon has asked that we get some color on them. I am in agreement finally. I have always liked white walls - they look clean, they match anything, they are bright - but they are also boring.
So I am on board to splash some color throughout our home.

This past weekend, we painted our kitchen. I got to pick the color and decided that I wanted to do the kitchen in pineapples. It is the "mostly" international symbol of hospitality; and there are some great decorating ideas and products out there just waiting for me to happen upon them. The color that we painted is sortof a goldish-yellow and is very pretty. I really like it a lot!! I am also making curtains, but am still deciding to what extent. So here is where you come in - here is my dilemma. The window over our sink has always just had a valance. I have made a new one to match my color scheme. What I am wondering is whether to do a 'bottom' curtain. My instinct is no for two reasons - the window is pretty small and pretty far up off the ground outside, so the 'naked' window opens up the outdoors more and we still have some privacy. Also the sink may prove to be a problem in keeping the curtain clean - there is a lot of splash over on the window, that needs to be cleaned regularly.

On the other hand, a 'bottom' curtain would add more color and interest to the sink area. Also, it might be possible to tie back the curtains with some cute little pineapple tie back thing. The bottom curtain would be out of the green/yellow print. In case it is not clear, there is a fair amount of the gold color in the printed fabric.

I'm back.

Exactly one month ago today, I suspended my blog for a personal enrichment activity. I have completed that activity. I am, however, having a bit of 'lethargy' in getting back to blogging. I realize now, however, what this blog does for me. It actually helps to keep me active and interested in things. It keeps me looking for things to blog about and things to do. It is really very good for me.

In addition, I really do love the writing part of it. I will certainly never be a good writer, but at least I have been able to put some of my thoughts down on, ummm, the screen!?!? It may be a slow start getting back at it, but stay tuned (or not), I have more to say.

Today is earth day, so take a walk, hug a tree, recycle something, don't waste anything and take a minute to just admire the beauty of our earth. It is at risk and we are the only ones who can save it.