~Coming to my library~

I was so excited the other day when I checked my library catalog online and Jane Brocket's book, The Gentle Art of Domesticity, was in the system! Yay! And I'm only 5th on the list! So once the book gets released in September, I'll probably have it sometime soon after that! :-)

~Frogged Sweater~

This afternoon I frogged my sweater (frogged = ripped out). There were several reasons why I chose to frog rather than finish this project: my knitting was very tight and it was going to be much smaller than the pattern said, the size I was knitting was too small in the first place (yeah, not so smart), and the sleeves looked terribly wonky.

So. I like the yarn, and I will use this yarn for a different project. It actually feels good to have this sweater frogged - this project isn't hanging over my head any longer!

~Glads~

I'm really enjoying my glads that are in bloom now. I had hoped that they would all bloom at once, but they are blooming little by little, and that is fun too!





Next year I will try to plant them behind a larger plant, so that they will have some support. A few of them have toppled over.

And just for fun, a bloom off a butterfly bush that I bought at a farmer's market. The flowers start off white and then turn pink. Fun, fun! This plant grows fast too - it is supposed to get up to 5 ft tall! (It is an annual.)

~How to fold a t-shirt~

I used to fold t-shirts this way. If you need instructions in English, there are a number of videos on youtube with English instructions. But really, it is more fun to learn from this video. Try it! :-)

~Gingham Aprons~

There are certain fabrics that just make my heart go pitter-patter with excitement, and gingham is one of them. Last fall, I was out with a friend and found two pieces of vintage apron prints. I was ecstatic to find them, and made up aprons for my Etsy shop.

Currently for sale in my shop:



And then I was clicking links the other day and came across Rick Rack Attack, an online shop which sells vintage aprons. Just look at one of the aprons they have for sale!!!

~Fourth Happenings~

Well, let's see...we had a quiet 4th celebration with just the two of us. We had hamburgers, potato salad and three bean salad for lunch. =)

We went to the park to watch the fireworks. They started at 10:30, we were there before 9:30. So lots of time to sit and talk. :-) And take pics of ourselves:



When the fireworks finally started, we discovered that they hadn't been worth waiting for.



Lots of people left within minutes of them starting, but we figured we'd waited so long to see them, we might as well watch them. The grand finale was pretty good. Next year we'll skip them. =) With all the illegal fireworks people bring over from Indiana, we could have just stayed at home and seen about the same. LOL

The most entertaining part of the evening were the fireworks created by a mother who got mad at the family in front of us. Lotsa bad words coming from her potty mouth. Shame on her!

We had a nice day together. It is always nice when Kevin has a day off work and we can spend it together!

~Strawberry Jam~

I always forget that mid to late-June is strawberry season here in Michigan. Thankfully I usually remember in the nick of time! Last Saturday I got a flat of strawberries. I made three batches of jam and a strawberry pie.

I wanted to share about the jam, because I made the first two batches sugar-free. Sure Jell makes a "no sugar or low sugar" pectin. The first batch I used Stevia to sweeten it. I was nervous about putting too much in because I didn't want it to end up bitter. It tastes good - but the next batch was better! Instead of the added one cup water, I added one cup of white grape juice concentrate. YUM!

Now, if you're going to make jam sugar free, you have to keep in mind that it is more of a fruit spread than "jam". The consistency is different, as well as the flavor - even the color is different. Instead of sugar with fruit, the fruit is the dominant flavor! I did make one batch of regular jam so I can have it on hand for gifts and company.

I plan on making several more batches of sugar-free jam (I'm thinking cherry, peaches, maybe another berry! mmmmm).

~Fresh Strawberry Pie~

I found this recipe in my Betty Crocker cookbook, but made a few changes. Enjoy!
:-)

I made this for a dessert fellowship our church had last Sunday evening. It was SO GOOD. Yummy. I would have liked a whole pie to myself! As it is, I only got a sliver!

Baked Pie Crust
1 1/2 quarts strawberries
1 cup sugar
3 TBS cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup sugar

1. Prepare baked pie crust. (Use your favorite pie crust recipe.)

2. Mash enough strawberries to measure 1 cup. Mix sugar and cornstarch in 2-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in water and mashed strawberries. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute; cool.

3. Beat cream cheese until smooth. Spread in pie shell. (Note: I added 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/3 cup sugar to the cream cheese, and beat until smooth. It was divine! If you beat in the sour cream and sugar, you'll have a little too much filling.) Fill shell with remaining strawberries (the recipe doesn't say to slice them, but I sliced mine and sprinkled a little sugar over them). Pour cooked strawberry mixture over top. Refrigerate about 3 hours or until set. Refrigerate any remaining pie.

Substitutions: Use 5 cups peaches; or use 6 cups raspberries.

~Bloggy Break~

I'm taking a little break, and I'll be back...when I feel like it. LOL Hope everyone is having a fun summer, and I'll still be stopping by my regular blogs.

~$100 Shopping Spree: Etsy~

Etsy is a fun place to shop. Here are some items from some of the shops I've marked as "favorite" that I would be tempted to purchase (all prices include shipping):

From Purple Petunia, an earthenware surprise mug, $48:


From Sunnyside Ellen, Cottage Rose sock yarn:


and Strawberry Smoothie sock yarn, $47 for both combined:


And...that leave me with just $5 to spare. Money goes fast when shopping Etsy! :-)

~Tour of the Grounds~

I planted wave petunias along the front and part of the side. They are doing really well - behaving like wave petunias ought to, and spreading and blooming like crazy! :-D



The driveway runs along one side of the house, so I only have the one side to do any planting in. A bed runs along the length of the house. I am very happy with how things are growing this year! My perennials have come back nice and strong, and are blooming or are about to bloom. For perennials, I have: two echinacea plants, one lavender plant, two carnation plants, a Shasta daisy, a small variety of bleeding heart, and a few other things. I only had to get a few annuals to fill in the spaces this year, which was my goal! I would still like to plant a rose bush and then I will consider this bed complete. I plan on moving some things around to optimize the plants, but I'll do that in the fall when the blooming season is over.



I already posted this picture, but these are my lilacs. I planted allysum along the border and I really like it!



I'll have to get some close ups of the pretty flowers! I'm enjoying a huge bouquet of carnations! Maybe tomorrow...

~$100 Shopping Spree: Christopher & Banks~

Continuing on with my "shopping spree", my next stop is Christopher & Banks. If I had $100 alotted for Christopher & Banks, I would purchase:

Tropical Floral Hooded Cardigan, $39.50:


Belted Gored Skirt, $17.75 (on sale):


Button Decorative Tee, $9.99 (on sale):


Skinny Stripe Shirt, $25.50:


My grand total? $92.74. If I were shopping in the store, I could probably find a clearance item for the remainder. :-)

~Daybook~

June 16th
Outside My Window...a lovely, breezy, cool day!
I am thinking...of my grocery list. It seems we ran out of everything this week, sooner than I had planned for!
I am thankful for...the lovely weather!
From the kitchen...Oh...something simple tonight, but I'm still not sure what it will be!
I am wearing...a printed tee, jean skirt, and black slide-on sandals.
I am creating...a knitted scarf out of mohair. I'm loving it!
I am going...to the grocery store, sometime today!
I am reading...a book by Tracie Peterson.
I am hoping...to find some good sales at the grocery store this week.
I am hearing...cardinals, I think, outside my window.
Around the house...nothing major, but I need to straighten up after a busy Saturday but lazy Sunday.
One of my favorite things...to eat right now...eggs over easy with toast. Mmmmmm.
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: finish planting my summer flowers, get a few tomatoes going, and keep up with the housework!
Here is picture thought I am sharing...


My lilac bed. We got beauty bark on Saturday, and I cleaned the weeds out, and planted alyssum along the rock border.

For more Daybook entries, visit The Simple Woman.

~£100 Shopping Spree: Cath Kidston~

Today's stop is Cath Kidston, which is a UK-based shop.

If I had £100 (and yes, I fully realize that £100 would be more than $100) to only spend at Cath Kidston, I would purchase:

Spot Paper Napkins, £3.50:


Breakfast Tea Towel, £6.00:


Strawberry Tea Mug, £6.00 (oooh, strawberries and pink together!!!):


Strawberry Crush Mug, £4.00 (I love strawberries, can you tell?):


Spot Print Classic Mug, £7.00 (this is the last mug, but I had to get in some more polka-dots!!!):


Multi Mix and Match Stationery, £6.00:


Summer Toile Bucket Bag, £40.00:


Mini Strawberry White Fabric, £18/metre (£27.00 for 1 1/2 metres):


And that leaves me with £.50, which I highly doubt is enough for shipping! :-)

~It's a miracle! It's a freak of nature! It's...~

...no doubt a mis-labeled plant!

I was shocked when I looked out the window this morning and saw some pretty pink flowers. I thought they were perhaps weeds...but no, they were growing on my white carnation plant.

How odd...I know I purchased a white carantion plant last summer (it never bloomed last summer, so I was very excited to have a plant full of blooms)!

Oh well, I'll enjoy the pink! I got quite a giggle out of my plant changing colors on me though!

~$100 Shopping Spree: April Cornell~

We used to live near a mall that had an April Cornell shop in it. I loved to go in there and just look. I just looked because everything was so expensive. But it was so fun to look, and the store had a nice comfy armchair which Kevin could enjoy while I browsed.

So if I had a $100 giftcard to April Cornell, I would consider the following:


Josephine Mug, set of 4. $42.00


Cherry Blossom Tea Towel. $8.00

This was sold out, but since I'm not spending real money anyhow, I'll add it to my list:

Josephine Lime Market Bag. $29.00


Cherry Blossom Gold 16" Napkin Bundle (set of 4). $16.00

That puts my total to $95.00. I guess the rest will go towards shipping, because I doubt there is anything on the site for $5.00!

~$100 Shopping Spree: Amazon~

If someone gave me a $100 giftcard to Amazon, I would most likely purchase:

Because I am #38 on first hold returned at my library:

The Forbidden, by Beverly Lewis. $11.19

I have read Jane's blog Yarnstorm for over two years, and was delighted she was writing a book. I do like the UK cover better than this one, though this cover is pretty too. :-)

The Gentle Art of Domesticity, by Jane Brocket (title to be released in September, 2008). $23.10

I wish my library would get this book:

Pretty Little Pincushions, by Lara Books. $12.21

I keep checking this book out of the library and then not doing anything with it. It has a ton of recipes in it for household cleaners.

Clean House, Clean Planet, by Karen Logan. $10.17

This just looks like so much fun:

Gingham Aprons of the '40s & '50s: A Checkered Past, by Judy Florence. $26.96

Knitted Lace:

Knitted Lace of Estonia: Techniques, Patterns, and Traditions, by Nancy Bush. $16.47

I only went $.10 over. Pretty good, hmmm? LOL

~Just for Fun: $100 shopping sprees~

I thought it would be a fun series to post what I would buy if I had $100 I had to spend at specific stores/websites. Each store will be a different post:

Amazon
April Cornell
Cath Kidston
Christopher and Banks
Etsy
Ikea

Any other websites that you would be interested in seeing my shopping style? Look for my Amazon picks tomorrow! :-)

~Motivation~

Kitten with Broom

Lately I haven't been feeling very motivated as far as housework goes. So I've been doing something very simple: I write a list titled "5 Things" and list out (are you ready for this?) five chores that I need to accomplish. Sometimes one "thing" is actually several tasks pertaining to the same room/chore.

Yesterday's list looked like this:

1) Take all laundry down to basement, sort, and start load
2) Make bed, pick up room, dust
3) Pick up living room and dining room, dust, Swiffer floors
4) Dishes, sweep kitchen
5) Write out menu and shopping list

Then I start at the top and set my timer to count up, and see how long it takes me to do each item.

Need even more motivational tips? Hire a maid for the day, and other motivational tips.

What are some things you do to motivate yourself?

~Not really a recipe YOU will want to follow!~

My kitchen and I are generally on civil terms, though not necessarily friendly terms (especially when it comes to the oven!) People tell me that I'm a good cook, but I think that is because I actually cook - so few people take time in the kitchen these days! But I'm not always so great of a cook! Take dinner a few nights ago...here's the "recipe" I followed:

***Brown some ground turkey with onions and garlic.
***Retire to living room to allow meat to finish cooking.
***Forget about the meat for a while.
***Suddenly remember meat, and rush into the kitchen.
***Just because it is stuck to the bottom of the pan, does not mean it is "burnt". We cooks call it "caramelized". Yeah, that's right. It is still perfectly edible.
***Dump in contents of spaghetti sauce from a jar in the fridge. Stir well.
***Discover mold growing on the sides of the jar.
***Shriek and cry! Utter despair. It is already 7 p.m.!
***Run out to Taco Bell. It tastes better than spaghetti anyhow!