Saturday, August 16, 2014

A Grand Summer Day

Ladders lined in rows stand in an orchard filled with beautiful peaches.. People come from far and wide to pick peaches for jams and pies and to make precious memories of country days..

Wagons filled with color show the way to farmstands loaded to the brim with cherries, and fresh summer produce... and fruits.. Ahh summer days


Feathered friends and people are welcome..

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, The other is wings.."    J. Wolfgang von Goethe

May your weekend be filled with sun and happiness and many hours spent making joyful memories..

My Best ,

B



Friday, August 8, 2014

WORDS TO LIVE BY~~




Work, work, be not afraid;

Look labor boldly in the face;

Take up the hammer or the spade;

And blush not for your humble place.

There's glory in the shuttles song,

There's  triumph in the anvils stroke,

There's merit in the brave and strong

Who did the mine or fell the oak.

"Eliza Cook" ~ 1850

 Whistle while you work and laugh with glee while you play...

Our weekend is here... enjoy, make memories,,  as we begin our journey into summers end..

With kindness to all,,

In Friendship,

B

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Spicy cinnamon clove pumpkins...

Some have ask and here are the simple, and I do mean simple, instructions for making these spicy gems... They are quick to make and smell of old fashion spices.. I added the ground cloves on my own simply because I love the way cloves smell.. Also these little pumpkins last forever when stored in an air tight container.. I have some that are  5 years old and they look just like the day I made them.. I will say these pumpkins do shrink a good bit and you might keep that in mind when you form your pumpkins..

Here is all you need:

I usually double the amounts and I will give you the amounts needed ..

1 1/2 cups ground cinnamon

1 cup applesauce

1/4 cup white glue

Put applesauce & glue into a bowl... mix this around to blend it up... Begin adding the spices and mix as you go.. if the dough seems to runny add a little more spices if dough seems to dry add a bit of applesauce .. Knead the dough and I let mine sit a while at this point  to sort of set up before forming the pumpkins..

After I get the pumpkins shaped I roll them in ground cloves or cinnamon to finish them off.

I make a hole in the top of pumpkins for a stem that will be added later.. I use a wood skewer to make the "stem hole" and wiggle it around a little to make it a nice size.




It takes quite a while for the pumpkins to dry. I turn mine from time to time as they are drying..

When your pumpkins are good and dry use a bit of twig for a stem  and add a dab of glue to keep the stem  in place..

That's that and I think you will love having these for your autumn decoration.. I hope you will give these a try..


Here is the end result.. Every time I make them I get a different color and I like that..

Thanks for having a look.  Please let me know how your pumpkins come out..

Remember the Shaker saying as it is ever so true..

"TIS A GIFT TO BE SIMPLE"....  Don't you love it..

Until next time~~~

Saturday, August 2, 2014



One tomato.. two tomato.. three tomato... MORE!!

My simple attempt of tomato gardening.. Each plant is set in an old tub and are growing like crazy.. I have more tomatoes than I ever imagined possible...

My tomatoes are beautiful , if I must say so myself (~: and the flavor is yummy.
I am trying to come up with lots of ways to serve tomatoes and hopefully we wont grow tired of having tomatoes before the growing season is past..

&

I have peppers, lots and lots of peppers growing in buckets.. and yep you guessed it, we are eating lots of peppers  too... I am thinking that just maybe.. next year one tomato and one pepper may be exactly the number I need to plant..

Here is a little verse I found in the most fabulous journal given to me by a friend.

The book is called ~ A Simple Garden Journal...by James Cramer & A Simple Life Magazine

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant"  ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

Until next time.... Seek Joy

XX