Weekend winter jaunt...

So maybe I was a bit premature with the whole spring is close theory.  We have averaged about 3-6 inches of snow almost every day since.  I'm afraid to say I haven't done anything very inspiring while housebound.  I did make a little ironing board for my quilting corner.  

I have been doing a lot of snowshoeing.   It does make me feel better to get out and seeing something pretty.

 We had a heavy frost.  I tried hard to capture the individual flakes.  

Home again home again jiggety jog.   I was in a good mood after my weekend jaunt, until I had to shovel for the second time that day.  Since the snowshoeing gives me a different perspective on winter, I thought I'd share a different perspective of our cabin in the woods.  Hope you are all holding tough and finding something to keep you sane this long winter.

A heat wave...

It was a heat wave this weekend.  We got up to 51 degrees on Sunday.  Ella knew as soon as I poured my coffee that we were headed to the porch.  It was wonderful.  I looked through my gardening catalogs and tried to envision what could be under the snow.  As you can see in front is a new addition to my garden.  I have forever wanted an old tool box for a planter.  I found the perfect one in an antique shop.  Of course the poor shopkeeper was using it for a display of old spice containers.  It took him a while to get it taken down.  It is perfect for keeping Ella's pinecones from falling off of the front.  I can't wait to fill it with flowers.

 Don't be fooled by my warm sunny porch.  There is still plenty of snow out there.  We seem to be getting 3 or more inches every night, despite the fact that the weatherman never mentioned it.  

 I tried to get into the greenhouse, but there is too much ice in front.  I just opened the top door and filled my nose with the scent of warm earth.  It will do for another week, but sooner or later I need get in there.  

 Every year I am in charge of making dinner rolls for the officer's banquet.  I enjoy spending the day making bread.  I make a super big batch, so there is plenty for people to take home and a few for us to bring back.  There is something so fulfilling about making bread.  Sorry, no photos of the finished product.   Just know it was a successful day of bread making.

 I was not as successful in my annual bird count.  I didn't have any sunflower seeds.  This made a big impact on my count.  I think last year I had about 20-30 chickadees.  This year I had a whopping 2.  My two white breasted nuthatches made sure they were counted.  I also have at least one downy woodpecker every year.  I did finally get some seeds today.  Not in time for the count, but I'm sure the birds don't mind.

We hit the 50's, so I have high hopes that spring is around the corner.  I hope others had a more successful bird count. 

Wishing away the winter...

It is snowing again.  Ella and I went on our weekly snowshoeing adventure.  This time without the camera.  It was a real workout.  

When we returned I was excited to try something new, strawberry cocoa.  We had some great strawberries in our Bountiful Basket.   I am very happy with the outcome.  

Strawberry Cocoa
1 1/2 c. milk
3 T. white chocolate chips
1/4 c. pureed strawberries
1/2 t. vanilla

Heat on low stirring constantly.  Add vanilla after removing from the heat.

 After making my winter treat, I settled into my chair, wrapped up in a blanket, and reviewed gardening magazines.  Dreaming away the winter.  

Meanwhile, Ella dreamed of chasing pine cones.  


I hope everyone else has found a way to pass the winter time.  Only three more months. 

Take a hike...

I try to be positive, but I am just plain sick of winter.  Ella, on the other hand, is not.  Winter is just as fun and exciting as any other season.  It is hard to turn her down when she begs for a walk.  Even when it is flat 0 degrees outside.   Today I gave in to her enthusiasm, put on my snowshoes, and we took a hike.

Ella was overjoyed!  She took full advantage of our time together.  As the saying goes, "She lived like someone left the gate open."  Can you say happy dog?  My grouchy despise winter disposition quickly dissipated.   Maybe all this snow isn't so bad.

After all, the views were very pretty.  If you look closely you can see Orman Dam.  I also noticed nestled among the hills is a little farm.  I did observe that there doesn't seem to be any snow on the prairie.  

But then again, the snow does give Ella an nice frosty sheen.  She looks so elegant.

The sky was a vivid blue and the wind wasn't blowing for a change.

The landscape was dazzling.  Everything just stood out;  The clouds against the blue sky and the shadows against the gleaming white snow.

Despite the cold, I quickly warmed up while snowshoeing.  The woods were quiet.  There were no tracks.  It was like Ella and I had the world to ourselves.

An enthusiastic dog paired with a panoramic view is a nice way to spend the day.

OK maybe winter isn't so bad.  Thanks, Ella for reminding me to have fun, no matter the season.  

Oh my...

Oh my, this isn't good.  It is only January and I am tired of snow, wind, and cold.  My thoughts are turned towards gardening, hiking, and outdoor projects.  I am afraid I have a good three months before any of that is possible.   Until then, I have to occupy my time with indoor projects such as, baking, sewing, and just plain piddling around.  

Here are a few of my projects.  Please note that all three has something green.  That shows where my thoughts are. 

This was a fun project I was curious to try.  Especially when I saw the Christmas Tree molds on sale.  I like how they turned out.  I don't know that they are the greatest thing ever, but worth the effort. 

Shower Jelly

2 pkgs of unflavored gelatin

3/4 c. boiling

1/2 c. shampoo or castile soap

2 drops of body safe coloring

1 t. salt

30 drops of essential oil (I didn't add any essential oils)

Put molds on a cookie sheet, so their are easier to move. Pour the packets of gelatin into boiling water.  Stir completely using a wire wisk until gelatin is dissolved.  Add shampoo and the essential oil if you are using it.  Stir in salt and food coloring.  Pour into desired molds.  Place in refrigerator.  Keep in a cool dry place 

 I got the idea from: http://www.easy-home-made.com/shower-jelly.html

 My next project had to do with 10 apples I had leftover from Bountiful Baskets.  I'm getting another basket on Saturday and figured I'd better use up what I had.  I pulled out the awesome apple peeler my parents got me from Lehman's and had the apples peeled and sliced in no time.  I then poked around for an apple crisp and apple muffin recipe that spoke to me.  I got the apple crisp recipe from the good old 4-H cookbook.  I couldn't find an apple muffin recipe that looked good, so I merged several.  I am extremely happy with the results.  


Apple Spice Muffins
2 c. flour
1 t. baking powdeer
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
4 T. ground flax seed
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. maple syrup
2 c. chopped apple
1/2 c. butter
1 1/2 t. vanilla
2 eggs

Topping
1/4 t. cinnamon
1 T. flour
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 T. butter

Directions:  Preheat your oven to 375. In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients and sift.  Then add eggs, maple syrup, melted butter, chopped apples, and don't forget the vanilla.  Mix well.  Bake for 5 minutes and add crumb topping.  Then bake another 25 minutes.  Most of this recipe (with a few Bonnie adjustments) came from: 
http://healthyeasyrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/03/apple-spice-muffins.html?m=1 

This sewing project was supposed to be done this Christmas, but that didn't happen.  I'm going to post it in hopes of completing it by next Christmas.  Sorry for the poor quality of the photo.  It looked like a good picture on the camera.  I liked this project, because it was a sew as you go.  I hate measuring and cutting, and this was pretty liberal with the measuring.  







Here is the pattern for the tree:  http://mythreesonsknit.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-11-10T05:37:00-06:00&max-results=20&start=14&by-date=false  

A good pattern for the wonky star:  http://thesillyboodilly.blogspot.com/2009/02/wonky-star-tutorial.html

We have had some amazing sunrises and sunsets this winter.  Thank goodness, I have something to color my landscape of winter white.   The winds have been horrendous and I've only been able to sit on the porch once since January.   I have my vegetable garden planned, along with several garden additions.  While I wait to put my plans into motion I will keep busy with projects.  I hope everyone else is staying warm and productive.  

Projects...

As the sun rises on a new year, I have been keeping busy.  I have had lots of little projects going here and there.   There hasn't been much around to take photos of lately.  A person can only look at white landscapes for so long.  I was almost late for work when I started taking photos of this sunrise.  It was a beauty.  The old saying 'red sky in the morn sailor's be warned' holds true.  We had a bit of a snowstorm that evening. 

I saw this project on Pinterest and didn't think much of it, until I was taking down my Christmas Card display and realized red and green clothespins would look pretty cool.  I used two jelly jars and put 3 Tablespoons of vinegar, 20 drops of red food coloring in one, and green in the other.  I then stuffed the jars with clothes pins, filled them with water, put a lid on, and shook them vigorously until the food coloring was dissolved.   I let them sit overnight and this was the result.  The green wasn't as vibrant as I hoped, but you can still tell they are green.   I got the idea from:  http://www.surfinthroughsecond.com/2013/07/monday-made-it_15.html

This is a project in the works.  It is a perfect piece of slate with two holes punched in it.  My husband thought I would be able to do something with it.  Any ideas?  I am excited with the possibilities. 

Winter is meant for baking and I made my favorite blueberry muffins.  I got the recipe from my plethora of Gooseberry Patch Cookbooks.  I couldn't resist taking a photo of them in my perfect pie plate.  My sister is a pretty good gift giver.  The recipe for the muffins is in one of my earlier posts.  http://birdsbeesberriesblooms.blogspot.com/2011/05/blueberry-sunrise.html

I am still making wine.  I make a new batch every month.  I bottled some Hard Apple Cider and some Sassy Saskatoon.  I've been making wine for four years now.  That little $35 kit was worth the money.  

I was very happy to get cucumbers in my Bountiful Basket. This summer I became addicted to adding lemon cucumbers to my water.  I'm back in business.  I can't say enough what a fresh flavor the cucumbers add to ordinary water.  

The beeswax our beekeeper gave me has been fun to work with.  I made these easy lotion bars. I can't say where I got the recipe for sure.  I looked at several different sites.  Basically it is 1 cup of coconut oil, 4 T. beeswax, 2 T. sweet almond oil, and 15 drops of lavender essential oil.  I mixed it in a double broiler and poured into tinfoil cupcake liners. I recommended using them before bed.  They are a little oily when applied, but it soaks in quickly. 



My next project was making a lavender salt scrub.  I mixed 3/4 c. Epsom salt, 1/4 c. sea salt, and lavender that had soaked in 1/4 c. olive oil. Again it was a combination of several recipes.  I think the salt scrub is ok, but I like the lemon sugar scrub better.  I think I will use the rest as a bath soak.





That is about it.  A little dabbling here and a little dabbling there.  Since I am allergic to of the lotions sold in stores, I am very happy to make my own stuff.  I have resolved to try Epsom salts and coconut oil in more of my projects.   Well, that is all I have been up to lately.  If anyone has any ideas for the slate or other small projects I'm all ears.  Kind of like this fella below.