Tea

My Sweet Husband bought me a collection of loose leaf teas for Christmas and we are both enjoying them immensely. I make a pot of tea nearly everyday sometimes two pots. My favorites so far is the Orange Dulce and I am hoping we will be able to find it in a cannister of it's own to have on hand all the time; I like it THAT much.



It's a clear breezy day today with it getting down to the 20's tonight. Oh I am SO ready for Spring and days in the 60's and 70's. Not too much longer until Spring is actually here so I will wait and find creative things to do indoors.

Wonderfully Rainy Morning

We were awoke by the sounds of a tremendous down pour. The garden and all the yard will thoroughly enjoy this rain and it won't be long until we are seeing Spring all around us. Perhaps today I will bring that shelf in from the shed and plant the peppers and tomatoes that I was going to start last week but put it off because of the snow that we got. We are really enjoying planning this years garden. Right now we have Lettuce, mustard greens, onions and collards growing well out there.


I'm going to harvest some of the outer leaves from the collards when there is a break in this rain so we can have some for dinner tonight. I filled one of our new beds with compost from our compost bins. It will be ready for some plants or seeds next month.



In this picture you can see the section where we will be adding one more long raised bad; it's where the Rosemary is growing right now. I've got to decided where I want to put a perennial edible garden to move the Rosemary and have ready for the horseradish, rhubarb and asparagus that will be arriving at the beginning of next month. I should make a list and make up a schedule of tasks to get done around here. There are a lot of plants that I would like to get cuttings started from as well. Always so much to get done.

Scott painted on the legs for his saw this weekend and got to use a new paint gun. Once he figured it all out it worked great.





Doesn't he look happy - he has ALWAYS loved paint.

Sneaking a peek at Greg's pictures

He took some great pictures in Gulfport as well as some I WILL NOT be sharing.

Previous Post should have said....

Greg is in South Carolina because he definitely has NOT been "home" much. LOL! He is catching up with his friends here; Didn't get home until about 4 AM this morning. Oh well - he is 23 searching for purpose and a partner as everyone does at that age.

Greg is HOME!

Greg and shipmate, Dunbar rolled in about 3:45 this morning and now Greg is crashing. He said he wants to sleep and sleep and sleep!Now I can really rest myself.

Ugly Fabric gifts

I posted about what I created from some "ugly" fabric earlier and am just now posting what was made for me by my partner Irene. The ugly fabric was the floral and I believe that she made it look quite pretty and "useful". She also made me a corresponding cell tote that will come in handy on walks with the husband and dog.

Cats do not rule alone...

This is a post to prove that we are also owned by a very spoiled canine and that the cats may rule indoors but Amelia watches over the backyard and directs rides and walks whenever possible.... AND if you say "Cookies" she will look at you when you want a good picture.






Of course there will be some cutting up between shots. You can see that she feels Spring is just around the corner as the batting is finding it's way "outside" the comforter we gave her to sleep on.

Gown to Baroness

I completed this gown today.






The final trim work really gave my hands and eyes a workout... I had to take a nap this afternoon in my recliner.

I had a bit of "help" yesterday and Scott caught them on camera.

A little update

I've been sewing this week so I've been away from my blog but I figured I better post a bit this morning. The outer gown still needs the hem and the gimp trim added down the front but then this Bloody Mary gown will be complete.


Day before yesterday we drove up to our 10 acres to see if there was any damage from the snow. We found several large pine limbs down that we will need to saw into small pieces so that we can move them to the wooded area. We saw where the deer are using our newly cut drive to the back field as their very own roadway. I wish we had a cabin up there so that we could sit and watch them some. I will need quite a fence to keep them out of any garden(s) that I have up there that is for sure. All in good time.

The squirrels and birds are quite active in the yard so perhaps Spring is just around the corner. Once I get this gown complete I will be starting tomato, pepper and squash seeds to get a jump start on our garden. I will have to clean off the shelving unit that I use for this and bring it indoors and get the lights attached to it some how - perhaps Scott will give me a hand with that.I just love Spring with all the "newness" and "hope" it brings to the heart and soul.

Amelia decides... SNOW IS FUN!

I guess I won't be resting on the bench today.

This morning - things are melting fast...

Still pretty; but starting to melt.

OH .. what a few more hours will make...

These are the photos that I took after dark last night as the snow continued to fall.





The tomato cages in the garden looked like layer cakes.






Amelia wasn't sure what she was supposed to do about all the snow.

SNOW!!! IN SOUTH CAROLINA!!!

We can hardly believe our eyes!







We took Amelia for a walk - you can see her little Halloween flasher in the picture of her and I. I bought a couple specifically so we could walk at night and people could see her more easily.

Don't waste food....

As many of us are struggling on how to stay above water these days through job and insurance loss the last thing we should be doing is wasting food. Think about food preparation time too as a waste if you don't utilize leftovers. When I prepare a meal I think about how many servings it makes as then I can count on the leftovers being the following days lunches.... two meals in one. Actually saving time the following day as all we will have to do is reheat the food. One day a week I do a "MUST GO" night where everything in the fridge has to be utilized or sent to the compost pile (very little should make it to the compost). The leftovers could be used to make soup or a casserole dish or simply warmed up and eaten. On "must go" night it doesn't matter if the meal "matches" just that we are eating the food and not wasting it.



My Grandmother had this book in her collection and as a young wife I found a copy of my own in a thrift shop. It has some delicious recipes in it and I am going to try more of it's recipes now that we are stretching funds to the limit. This cookbook is all about using leftovers and what you have on hand in your kitchens. Here are the particulars - Put out by Doubleday, Copyright 1955 by Beverly Pepper.

Just found out from my Sister-in-law, Nichole that this book is available at Amazon.com for as little as 50 cents.



We need to step back and get back to cooking from scratch - starting with basic ingredients and away from the use of pre-packaged overly processed, chemical laden foods that in my mind are killing us off younger and younger. Go to Antique Malls or Thrift stores and look for GOOD OLD cookbooks that call for basic ingredients... learn to cook; find someone in your family thats a good "old time" cook and ask for lessons. Or an older neighbor - it's time to get back to learning from our Elders. They have so much to offer us - learn from them. They want to be heard.

Good Tuesday Morning - let's start with Friendship!

Good Morning World! I've been up for about an hour and have 2 loaves of this delicious Friendship Bread in my oven. I don't live close to most of my readers so I can't share a loaf with you as the recipe says but I can share the recipe and then you can share it with a friend where ever you live. I made mine up with 1/2 cup nuts and 1 banana.



I'm going to make a second batch of bread when this is finished baking as I have 2 cups of starter and don't really know of anyone that would want to make this right now. That will leave me 1 cup to start a fresh batch to fermenting. ENJOY!

Fun Whimsical Quilt

This is a FREE block of the month for 2010; each month features a new "Under the Sea" block to stitch up to make a quilt at the end. The first two months are up at:

http://willowberrydesigns.typepad.com/willowberry_designs/under-the-sea-10-month-design-of-the-month-free-in-2010.html

I'm going to work on it as it is so adorable and the block size is perfect for toting along away from home to keep my mind and hands busy as I wait - as no matter where we go these days there is a wait.

Traveling Sailors

Greg and a shipmate - Dunbar hit the road yesterday for Gulfport, Mississippi for additional training. Don't they look happy....



They arrived safe and sound at about 10:30 last night. They'll be there for several weeks learning new skills. We'll miss him but we are also very proud of him and are excited about a new adventure for him. Life should be all about daily adventures....

Me through my sons eyes....

I thought that I would post a couple pictures of myself that my son took of me shortly before the New Year.




Greg says that I always look so stern when knitting but I'm just trying to avoid dropping any stitches. I am a self-taught knitter and am enjoying it immensely. More than I ever thought that I would.