I am thankful for...

I am Thankful for Family...

 

 

 

 

We had a great time at with my sister and her little crew.  It was a wonderful week and a great Thanksgiving.

 

blogger blues...

 

No, I did not contract early onset Alzheimer's on my birthday and forget how to blog.  I just don't have anything to share.  I've started several projects, but haven't finished them.  I went hunting, but didn't see a thing.  My garden is done.  I'm afraid I have the blogger blues.  I couldn't even get a good photo of my mascot the Blue Jay.  Hopefully, it won't last long.  In the meantime I will look to my blogger friends for inspiration.

A day older...

 I'm a bit slow on posting.  I've been keeping busy.  Somewhere in the last few weeks I celebrated my birthday. Kelly and I  also enjoyed our 19th year of marriage.  I have really pondered about how much I am enjoying my 40's.  I am both confident and comfortable in my life.  I have learned a few things along the way. 

Lesson 1:  Stay Fit - I learned something at 40 that I took for granted in my 30's.  Staying in shape. I became a principal in my 30's.  I was so focused on the challenges, that I let my exercise routine slip away.  I entered 40 with a determination to get back in shape. My niece encouraged me to try something different.  We both agreed to run the Mickelson Trail Half Marathon.  I hadn't run since high school.  I did the 13 miles (gulp) and in a decent time.   I was going to burn my shoes after that, but my friend in Denmark signed us up for the world's largest 5k (a mere 3 miles).  Since then I have kept up with my running and weight lifting.  I will continue running and am appreciative that I have good friends that push me when I need it. 

Lesson 2: It is never too late to Learn -  Pinterest has given me the resources to try different things that I was always interested in, but never had information on.  Again, I had kind of become stuck in a rut.  Just doing things I had always done.  Now I am expanding my quilting, garden projects, recipes, canning, and even some beauty stuff.  Now, I look ideas up all week and Sunday is project day.  I look forward to Sunday and what new ideas I can try next.

Lesson 3:  Rise to the Gardening Challenge -  My husband has been the person who pushed me to this realization.  When I only grew perennial flowers, he built me a rose garden.  Only professionals grow roses, but by golly I have had some survive (not all mind you, but my survival rate is improving).  Next, he built me a greenhouse.  Vegetables?  Only my Mom and sister can grow vegetables, I missed that gene.  What do you know I even had sweet corn and potatoes this year.  I've added two outdoor beds and have thoughts for a third.  My orchard is starting to produce, which took patience.  My last achievement is this year I grew annual flowers, which always eluded me.  I was so excited about my peaches and cream hollyhocks and dahlias.

 

Lesson 3:  Take care of your Body - I never cared much about make up, creams, and such.  They are expensive and I am notoriously cheap.  Then I learned how to make my own and I liked knowing what was in the ingredients.  I realized they did make a difference  Not everything I made worked, but some did and I can tell the difference.  I now use homemade hair conditioners, sugar scrubs, and face toner.  

Lesson 4: There is True Love -  What can I say?  My husband followed me halfway around the world.  His support and love amazes me more and more every day.  I am so lucky.  My love for him grows with every passing year. 



 That's what I have learned so far.  I'm sure there are plenty of life's lessons still waiting for me.  I look forward to what I have yet to learn.

 

Sunday Sunday...

I am so excited.  The weather was great and I got to work in the garden.  I was even able to plant my garlic.  It isn't quite where I had wanted to put it, but I wasn't about to shovel snow. I'm sure I have plenty of that in my future. The lazy gardener in me decided Mother Nature wanted garlic in the melted off corner.  Then I attacked the greenhouse.  I pulled out the last of the carrots and even salvaged a couple of tomatoes.  I cleaned everything out.  Hauled in 4 heaping loads of cattle compost and mixed everything together.  I then planted some lettuce, peas, spinach, and carrots.  Just to see what happens.  I also brought in my washtub, so I wouldn't have to worry about dragging it in if spring ever comes.

My next project was to the roses to bed.  This isn't the best photo, but I'm so proud of my little rose blooming despite spending weeks under 4 feet of snow.  I may have tucked them in early, but most of them suffered quite a bit of damage from the storms.  I trimmed them way back, covered them in the cattle compost, and wrapped them up tight.  I'm always unsettled when my roses aren't tucked in.

Then I heard something. A sound that brings joy to my heart.

It was the cranes.  The sound of fall.  We didn't get much of a fall, but if all I get is the cranes I will make do.

Autumn Greetings

 

No sense staring out the window...

To heck with the snow.  I got things done this weekend.  It was a mix of old favorites and new finds.   I love pinterest.  I can look up anything my heart desires.  Here are some of my pinterest projects...

 Pumpkin Spice Coffee Syrup
1 c. water
3/4 c. brown sugar

1 T. pumpkin puree

1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

-Combine water and sugar in a microwave safe bowl and heat through (4-5 minutes).

-Stir until sugar is dissolved.

-Whisk in pumpkin puree and spices.

-Drain over a small sieve or cheesecloth.

-Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. http://www.inkatrinaskitchen.com/2013/09/homemade-pumpkin-spice-coffee-syrup.html

 The little white container is my attempt as making essential oil from my lavender.  Everything I read instructs me to let is soak for several weeks in olive oil.  I am skeptical.

I then tried making a pumpkin scrub from some leftover pumpkin puree. 
 
Brown Sugar Pumpkin Scrub
1/2 c. Pureed Pumpkin
1/2 c. Brown Sugar
1 T. Olive Oil
1 t. Honey

I was very unimpressed with the scrub.  The brown sugar dissolved leaving it pretty flat.  I have since added 1 c. white sugar with hopes of improving it's texture and ability to exfoliate.

http://www.thebeauty-counter.com/2011/09/pumpkin-sugar-scrub-recipe.html

These pumpkin bars are amazing!  They are moist and pumpkinee (don't think that is a word, but it is descriptive).   I cut their recipe in half.  It is a good thing because it is too good to let go to waist, I mean waste.   http://likemotherlikedaughters.com/2010/11/pumpkin-bars/

Pumpkin Bars:

1 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1  t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. allspice
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 c. solid-pack pumpkin
2 eggs
1/2 t.  vanilla
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:2 c. confectioners’ sugar
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. butter, softened
1 t. vanilla
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and butter a cake pan.  Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, baking soda and salt into a bowl and mix well.  Beat the sugar and oil in a mixer until blended.  Add the pumpkin and mix well. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients gradually and mix well.  Pour the batter into your buttered pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the edges pull from the sides of the pan.  Cool in the pan on a wire rack.



I didn't just experiment with new recipes.  I also went back to my tried and true rolls.  I think it was my best batch ever.  The great thing about these rolls is that you can freeze them and just pull out a few for soups or steaks.  I posted the recipe long ago.

 Of course, if you are going to be socked in all winter there should be a good supply of wine to go with your bread.  I racked my crabapple, chokecherry, Saskatoon, and hard apple cider.  One more month and I will have quite a bit of wine.  Just in time for Christmas gift giving.  If you see something floating in the red bottle, they are wood chips.  I am so happy with the raspberry wine soaking in an oak barrel I am experimenting with oak wood chips to add flavor.  I will let you know how that goes. 

 I got a pleasant surprise tonight when I came home to find that the bee keeper dropped off 6 pints of honey with my husband.  The bees didn't do as well as the other two hives last year.  I'm sure as they get used to the area production will improve.

 This is very exciting for me.  The bee keeper also gave me a huge wheel of bees wax!  This is unusual, because he generally leaves the wax in the hives.  If he leaves the honeycombs, the bees don't have to go to all of the work to remake the combs.  They can just concentrate on making honey.  I am already researching all of the things I can do with this rare treasure. 


Well, that was my weekend adventures.  If anyone has any ideas for the bees wax, please, let me know.  Being creative does make the days go by faster.  Eight more months and I can get back to gardening. 

 

I am still here and so is the snow...

I haven't posted for a while, because there isn't much to say.  We've had two more storms after our 55 inches, another 18 inches, and a nice 3 inch topping.  I haven't been in the greenhouse.  There isn't much I could do if I got in.  I've just decided to settled into winter mode.  Lots of baking and sipping apple cider.   Maybe I'll put up the Christmas lights this weekend while it is warm.  Anyway.  Thought I'd share a few photos. 

 My husband got a kick out of this suet feeder.  I have to say it is pretty cute.  The birds seem to like it.

The robins appreciated the crabapples I left.  They weren't the only ones.  The woodpeckers, juncos, chipmunks, and turkeys all harvested the leftovers.

 

I promised that I would share the sunflower seed heads. 

 

 

It isn't the best photo, but he was far away.  I just thought he looked so cute with his little crabapple.

 

 



 We enjoyed watching the birds and little animals munch on the seed heads.

I have yet to dig into the greenhouse.  I'm very impressed with its strength.  I had to pop two panels back in, but that was all the damage is sustained. 

 

 I don't mean to be depressing.  My sister keeps asking if we still have snow.  I'd say yes we still have a bit of snow left.

It has been warm enough to sit on the porch with coffee and a blanket.  Believe it or not quite a bit has melted.  The ground still hasn't frozen, so it is melting from above and below.    That is about all I have for the week.  Besides shoveling, things have been pretty quiet.  I hope everyone is enjoying fall.  Maybe we will get one next year.

 

Oh I wish...

We had 2-3 inches of rain and another 2 inches of snow.  If you don't mind, I think I will just relive some memories of our days on the Danish beach.