~~Simple Woman's Daybook~~

FOR TODAY

December 12, 2011

Outside my window...

Overcast and dreary, its one of those days that is good for baking, or curling up with a good book, or sewing. Which the last will be me in a few minutes.

I am thinking...

I hope the kids ginger bread house holds together. :0) They are making one for a contest as well as it is a yearly tradition we do. This year we are doing one from scratch and it is interesting to say the least, but a good experience.

I am thankful for...

For my health, family, debt free, and secure. With the way the world is going, I am thankful for many things.

From the learning rooms...

Ginger bread house making and all the other things that entail school.  Friday night we watched a movie called The Conspirator, it is about the only woman tried and convicted of being apart of the assasination of Abraham Lincoln. Very touching and sad movie about a dark sad time in our history. Ashley had read about her recently so it was interesting for her to see it unfold on TV. If you are into history this is a must see though at times you can get angry for her and want to cry for her as well.

From the kitchen...

Again ginger bread making, but today is also cheese making. Usually I make cheddar but I have several little wheels of that and our jar of feta is almost empty so feta it is today. I made a batch over the summer and it is just now coming to the bottom.

I am wearing...

A brown skirt and homemade blue peasant top oh and socks. My hair is in a thrown up bun, I have let my bangs grow out for almost two years so they are long enough that I don't need bobby pins to hold them up when I put my hair up like this. Though by the end of the day my bangs will be falling out from the weight of the bun, my hair is to my waist and thick, so very heavy. A lady yesterday said she knew why I grow my hair so long, so that on cold days I can wrap it around my neck and ears to keep them warm.

I am creating...

Christmas goodies, skirts, quilts, truffles, soap, calenders, fun things

I am reading...

Besides the scriptures, The Moor, it is a Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes book by Laurie King.

I am hearing...

Lovely music from Pandora, right now it is The Vote from the movie The Village, a lovely violin planning sweet music.

Around the house...

a mess, icing and ginger bread stuff on the table, and weekend mayhem all over the house. Its a Monday..

One of my favorite things...

A lovely letter in the mail box. So much more personal than an email.

A few plans for the rest of the week:

ginger bread contest, field trip to watch a chef demonstrate for 4H, storehouse volunteering,  finishing up sewing skirts and the quilt. And 35 miles to go for Wyatt on cycling...

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

The quilt, this was last week I think on Wednesday I now have the borders on two sides. I am doing the corners different than the pattern says so that is taking me a little longer to think it thru and plan before a I cut so that I don't mess up. :0)

Hope all have a wonderful blessed day.

Love,

Erika



Hosted by Simple Woman's Daybook

"There is a serious need for the charity that gives attention to those who are unnoticed, hope to those who are discouraged, aid to those who are afficted. True charity is love in action. The need for charity is everywhere."

Thomas S Monson


During this time of year the rush all around us and everyone thinking of gift giving brings out the charitable soul of almost everyone. You see Toys for Tots boxes everywhere and other donation sites for food, jackets, bikes, etc.

During the first few days and couple of weeks after Hurricane Katrina swept through our area the compassion and love shown to fellow human beings was immense. Charity was shown to all we all were in the same boat exhausted and struggling day in and day out.

But after these events go by and the joy of the season or in the storm's case the electricity came back on the charity bug wears off and we go back to our own little boxes. Charity needs to be an unconscious act done daily, starting with our loved ones and moving on to all around us, even those we think are beneath us.

Our situations might be different, backgrounds, life choices, etc but in the end we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father whose love is unconditional and for each of us equally.

I hope you have a wonderfully blessed day.

Love,

Erika

Plain and Simple

 I never for a day gave up listening to the songs of our birds, or watching their particular habits, or delineating them in the best way that I could.

John James Audubon
Journals

 Wyatt has been working on cycling 50 miles for scouts. And while he rides we walk. It is fun, though cold sometimes. We saw this little guy flitting around the trees looking for bugs etc.  The Wood Pecker was way up high when I took this with Wyatt's Camera.

 I love Chickadees and this little guy was eating at our birdfeeders on the back porch. I was so thrilled when Wyatt  showed me his shots, I tried all last winter to get up close photos of our little friends at the feeders, but my camera couldn't focus up this close.

Little Chipping Sparrows these guys eat A LOT of food all winter but they are so much fun to watch.

I hope you have a delightful day.

Love,

Erika

Plain and Simple

I haven't done one of these in awhile, but I have had such a hard time just thinking of what to put on here instead of the same ole' thing.

I used my little enamel melting pot the other day to melt some butter, I loved it. It was so much fun and I didn't use a bigger pot or the micro which I really don't like but hubby uses it a lot. It melted perfectly and it was fun to use this little treasure for the first time with homemade butter to boot.

This morning I was getting my pot ready for some catnip infusion and feeding our sour dough starter and I thought I would share something so simple it is actually quite silly.

A spoon, yes that is what is in the picture, but the long handled one is the one I wanted to share with you. When I was a kid this was a tea spoon we used them to mix sweet n low or lemon into our tall glasses of ice tea. Well I didn't but my grandmother did and they always fasinated me with their long handles.

So when I saw some at the thrift for 10 cents each I grabbed 10 of them. I use them for everything, but this morning I used one to feed the sour dough starter since the containers I put it in are deep like quart mason jars or the container below. The longer handle is very helpful when stirring or getting flour out to feed it from the jar above. It keeps things a little neater than a short handled spoon.

Also they are great for digging into jars of olives that are low in the jar, or jams and jellys, honey, coconut oil. Your fingers stay out of the container since you have such a long handle to reach into the jar.

With my regular spoon I was always getting honey or something on them when scooping out something especially something at the bottom, now there is no problem and I can use my wonderful fun tea spoons that I loved as a child though I don't drink tall glasses of sweet tea anymore.

Have a wonderfully blessed day...

Love,

Erika

Plain and Simple

The past few weeks have been...well they have been and coming on the computer has not been a priority for me.

Last Friday hubby took the day off since he was working the next day and we did the family thing. After our volunteering we ran some errands, and then went for a hike on one of our favorite trails. We only did 3 miles on that day, we went to the little stream that the kids love digging around in and skipping rocks.

Yguy is into taking pictures right now so he took pictures while Ash dug around for rocks to skip and just cooled her feet in the cool water.

Hubby and I sat and watched, talked, and listened to the stillness of the forest.

Ashley turned up this little guy by accident. Of course they gave him a wide berth and let him swim his little way to the other side of the stream.

This morning I decided to make a completely out of ordinary breakfast, for us at least. Banana Choc chip Muffins.

1 3/4 c  flour

1/4 tsp soda

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 salt

sift the above item together

then add

1/3 c shortening

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs, well beaten

1 c mashed bananas

choc chips to your taste.

Since this is for a loaf the cooking directions are; place in a greased bread pan and bake at 350 for 1 hour or until bread is done. Muffins cook differently and faster.

 

More trail photos. Lately hubby and I have been trying to spend alot of time together and with our children. It is very important to us to let them know how much we love them and how much we love each other. Things in the world are so crazy and the future is uncertain, but the constant is our love as a family.

As my children grow, and soon into adulthood, I am uncertain as to what to do. I feel lost and a little scared wondering if I have done the right things by them. They are compassionate people, Ash sees only good in all people, though she knows there are bad apples everywhere she sees the good in those bad apples, she is reserved and quiet. Wyatt loves to help and jumps in to help those in need, he is a little more vocal, and not as shy.

I remember being 17 and thinking the world was a great place, but over the years have learned it isn't always that easy nor as friendly or loving as home. While I don't see what the future brings I do see two children growing up and lovely the Lord and being grounded in that. For that I am thankful and feel I have done at least one thing right.

Ether 12:4 Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with a surety of hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.

A Day Away....

Last weekend the kids and I went to see my mom. She lives about an hour south of us in a little commmunity of Diamondhead, this little community is near the town of Bay St Louis. If you watched any of the hurricane coverage on the weather channel for Tropical Storm Lee one of the weathermen was there broadcasting.

This little town is right on the gulf and was devastated from Katrina as well as the rest of the Mississippi Gulfcoast. My mom and I lived on the coast during the storm and stayed through all of it and the aftermath. Our families have moved since then her still on the coast and mine a little farther north.

We walked on the beach for awhile and had a nice time. There were hardly any people, and there were horse tracks in the sand from a couple of horses from an early morning ride.  We found lots of sea grass in piles from the beach cleanup. The tropical storm brought alot of grass and driftwood up, so we collected some for projects here at home.

Walking barefoot in the sand was a nice refreshing change, one I haven't done in a long time.

Yguy took this photo for me on my phone that I then forwarded to hubby.

There were lots of seagulls, sandpipers, fish jumping, hermit crabs, and those little jelly fish. It was nice and peaceful and relaxing day.

The Friday before we went on a field trip to a lake so Ash could collect leaves for a 4H project. Yguy chased dragonflies to take pictures, we saw a snake, butterflies, lizards, and of course found a tick or two.

I hope all is well for you and yours.

Love,

Erika

Plain and Simple

Plain and Simple that is our family, we like things to be so basic in all we do. We love all and except all. Well, there are some that can get on the last nerve, but I can honestly say we have tried with them and it is a daily battle to keep trying.  

Our children, when reading the scriptures they will come to a place where it is calling a Donkey an ass they will say donkey, so they don't have to say the other word. When faced with words that are offensive to them like, dumb, stupid, shut up, they will skip them. They have always refused to say them even when learning to read, at a young age they both knew it was a bad word and refused to read it. It is sad to hear a 3 yr old saying these words and the parents encourage them to use them or aren't bothered by them.

Now as teens they are kind hearted, they knit pick each other sometimes, but they are kind to all. Especially those who most others are mean to.

a car wash for the van, we will gather up quarters sometimes so we can have a car wash instead of doing it ourselves. The kids and I find this to be a hoot since we laugh and joke while in the wash.

Last night we took our kids to a dance at church at our stake center. They said they had fun and met up with friends of theirs they only see at things like this. Ashley and her friend Hannah were excited to see each other. They are two peas in a pod, and the moment I first met Hannah I fell in love, she reminded me so much of my Ashley. Quiet, reserved, shy, but with a spark in their eyes that they don't let to many people see.

But, then you have the rest of the kids there, you remember the incrowd...I was never in the incrowd. They are the ones that seem to have it all, and don't even realize there are other people in this world beside the perfect little people in their own lives. They are more than ready to take on the world and step all over those who are a little slower, shyer, awkwarder...

Nothing beats a nice early morning nap on mom and dad's bed, especially if you can get there before mom makes it. All that is missing is Pippin the youngest. But he later got in, and caused a bunch of discontent by pouncing on them all. Wheezy (15yrs old), Buster and Lucky ( 9 yrs old), Pippin (1 yr old).

My kids and my husband and I are those shy, awkward people. Though our son seems to be able to jump into anything and be ok, a gift for certain, he still is shy. The rest of us, well though I married at 19 and had Ashley 14 months later, I still took some time to come out of my shell. And now as an almost 38 year old I see that it is OK to be a little slower to develop, to grow into your talents, to find yourself.

This is where hubby and I were this weekend, a peaceful place that I just love to go to. This was taken at about 7:30 in the morning, it was cool with a slit breeze, a true blessing.

Last night the kids had fun, though they were faced with the awkwardness of the world, being asked to dance or not, asking and being turned down, and then asking those who others made fun of openly. Will they be OK with this, yes they will, will they learn from this, most definately.

Ashley driving me to town Monday to mail a package. It makes her so nervous to drive, but at least she isn't cocky about it, she is cautious about it, safe.

I know for this Mama, it hurts to see your kids faced with the world and standing there while it happens. You know it will be OK, you know that this to will pass, but you still hurt inside for them remembering those feelings that were stirred inside.

Recently we have been discussing alot of what it means to be a christian, and we have learned alot from our discussions.

You have christians who say they are but, well don't really act or look like it. You have those that are very bold with their belief system, very pushy with what they preceive being a christian is. And then you have those that quietly live what they believe, learning, growing daily they show their love for the Savior in a quiet gentle way and by their examples.

No one Christian is the perfect model of what a christian should be, and just because we say we are christian doesn't mean we are perfect. We all get trapped in pitfalls, our kids tease or are teased by other christian kids, adults are judgemental of those around them who are their brothers and sisters, etc etc.

A lone butterfly sipping from the hummingbird feeder among a bunch of yellow jackets.

We are here on this world to be that lone ranger, to be that good example, to stand out in rightousness for others. But at what cost are we willing to be that person, are we willing to step over and on those we feel are beneath us, or are we willing to quietly, lovingly give a hand to those left behind in the social gene pool to pick them up, dust them off, and walk together in this world.

This world is not easy, and I for one am proud of my kids for being those different sort of people that find hate, even by those who say they are christians to be offensive. Who jump and lend a hand to the underdog, who in their own ways are the underdogs, but are Ok with it.

Are you?

I hope you have a wonderfully blessed day,

Love,

Erika

Plain and Simple

Oatmeal, catnip infusion, scripture study, and finding peace in myself.

This morning I am sitting here looking thru the memories in my mind and thinking of all the things I have to do, prepare for, etc etc etc. Yes, the future is a daunting one for me, and trusting and letting it lay till it gets here is so hard. I worry about my children, I worry about the economy, I worry to much.

One of the things I have done to close out the world is I don't read the paper, or watch the news, I skim headlines on the internet, on our homepage but that is all. Yes, I shelter myself from it, but it keeps the worry at bay by not flooding myself with all the negative and creating anxiety in me.

This does not mean I am clueless as to what is going on in the world. I do find things out from hubby, friends, family. But I am not flooded with it morning, noon, and night. And for some reason that helps. I look at the news like the grocery store there is so much junk in it and to sift thru it to what is relevant is very stressful sometimes. So in the grocery I stick to the outside perimeter only skimming down the aisles every now and then.

I have so many things that pop into my head that make sense and makes me see the love that Heavenly Father has for me and I know it will be alright. But, then I look around and that trust dwindles and I start to feel anxious about so many little things.

2 Samuel 22:3 The Lord is my rock; in him I will trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower and my refuge, my savior: thou savest me from violence.

As I stated yesterday, trust is very hard for me so this is a daunting task. I have trusted so much in the past only to be knocked down that I have put a wall up and it takes so much for me to trust an individual.

 But, I know that trusting in the Lord is what I should do, he answers all prayers in his own time and how he knows is best for us.

Knowing and actually doing are two very different things. I am bombarded with the worlds expectations of us and I know is not for me, but the condemnation of others is hard. I am not faltering on my choices, but I am letting whispers, laughs, unkind words, questions make me feel less of myself.

Why do we feel we must judge those around us who are different or who choose to be different.

A story, this story does not mean I agree with this man's choices or that I am for his choices.

There is a man in one of the small towns we shop in, he is a cross-dresser. I have seen him in our Walmart during the day for all the world to see. He is in high heels, short shorts, a silver la may blouse, dangling earrings, makeup with red lip stick. He is most certainly a man, I walk by, take note of him in my mind, but keep walking.  One day I am in Walmart, it is busy and he is there in the checkout near mine, waiting, people are behind him...pointing, laughing, degrading. He stands there his head held high, shoulders back.  And I am in awe of his fortitude to stand there and deal with it. He might be hurting inside, but it doesn't show. I have never seen him in that Walmart again....

Is society's self esteem so low that we have to point, laugh, and degrade those who have found what they feel is right for them even when we disagree? I do not agree with this man and his lifestyle choice, but I do see him comfortable with his sexuality and his body to be who he is and show it, but I am not so low in my self esteem that I will judge him and mock him. I actually admire him and those around me who live, dress, work, and do what is in them. He has courage to live like he feels he should how many of us can say that?

I love to wear skirts, homemade clothing, be a stay at home mom, home school, garden, live in the middle of nowhere, beat to the tune of my drum, be debt free, and live like I know is right for me. I cannot say I have not and do not judge those who make different choices, but I do strive to understand and see them for who they are a child of God. I too am only human and learn daily to take note, but not condemn those around me.

When do we learn to look past the judgements of others and move on to not let that create worry, anxiety, or feelings of ineptitude?

When do we stop trying to fit in the box society has created for us and see that we all have talents, are different from each other? That cookie cutter mentality has created a society of people who are self righteous, self loathing people, who feel superior to all around them.

One of our vocabulary words yesterday was Youthquake. A weird word that came about in the 60's. It means our youth creating a wave that shakes our foundation and changes society's values, styles, etc. The kids and I talked about the entitlement mentality our society has and what it all means. Their writing assignment this week is to pick an article out of the world section of the newspaper and write an argumentative essay on the article. One of them was the violence and looting in London, neither one of them picked the article, but it was perfect for this word. They both agreed that asking in prayer and getting guidance from Heavenly Father is a much better use of their time then following the wave of styles, degrading of values, and the "fitting in" so many of their peers feel is what is suppose to happen.

I may worry about my children and their futures, but when they teach me I am humbled and reminded to trust in the Lord.

Love,

Erika

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

6 c quick cooking oats

1 1/3 cup dry milk (I omitted this)

1 c dried apples

1/4 c sugar

1/4 c brown sugar (I omitted both sugars)

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cloves

Mix all ingredients and store in an air tight container. To make add 1/2 mix to 1/2 boiling water.

I made mine without the powdered milk or sugars. And added honey to mine with coconut milk. 1/2 cup serving is more than enough, very filling. Though I am limiting my carb intake to a small amount daily this is perfect and without the sugar is very good.

N is for Plain and Simple....

Well, not really but since I missed doing my Plain and Simple last week here it is this week.  These little pretties are West Indian Burr Gherkins or little cucumbers. We have grown them for years and they are so much fun and very prolific. There is a big bunch in the old chicken yard that came up all on their own. We gave our hens the leftovers last fall.

Last week I set them to ferment as well as asparagus. The asparagus were ready yesterday so I chilled them in the fridge and had them with a lovely salad at lunch they were so good. Can't wait try these little cuties.

Native: I am a native of Florida born and raised there till I was 17,and then moved here to Mississippi. Not to many people can claim that anymore, I think since so many transplants have moved there. I remember when I was a kid bumper stickers that had a green state of Florida on them with the word Transplant or Native in big orange letters were very popular. My mom was a native my dad a transplant. :0). Now 20 years since I have lived there it doesn't feel like home anymore.

Isis with her boy, of course she is clueless as to who this person she shares a room with and carries her around is. She definatly is not like a dog, she is independant and not very loyal. But he loves having her...

Nasa: when I lived in Florida we lived across the river from the Kennedy Space Center I remember seeing the first shuttle launch, Columbia, and later in 6th grade the shuttle Challenger accident. I was standing in the parking lot of school, the rest of the day was a slow day as we sat and listened to the radio. I don't remember much school work being done that day.

Nonconformist: I like to beat to the turn of my own drum instead of the standards of the world.

Normal: no this isn't me.

Our pastured turkeys. They are doing very well and are a source of amusement. They are now in the yard with the ducks since we thought they were big enough not to drown in the duck pond. They are, but they still have fallen in and just stand there not certain what to do in the water.

Last night the boys cleaned the duck pond and refilled it, they were so excited and couldn't wait to leap in. On the egg front we received our first egg the other day from our little flock. The ladies are not named yet, though one was, she has left us thanks to a fox. But the drakes are Mr. Darcy and Mr. Binley.

All of them in the pond having a blast, they would splash around and then all jump out and run around and them drive back in. Such fun and excitement!

We do enjoy them very much such talkers and a joy to have.

I have been to New Hampshire, Nebraska, New York, New York City, New Jersery, and Newark. And I am sure some more, but off the top of my head this will do. 

I hope all have a wonderfully delightful day....

Love,

Erika

Plain and Simple

at the cottage....

I'm going to combine my Alphabet in August with my Plain and Simple probably for the whole month.

So let's see how creative I can get

Saturday morning dew steaming off in the blazing heat and it was 7:45 in the morning.

Cabin fever:  get cabin fever when the weather is either cold, rainy, or hot. Lately it has been the later two and the kids and I are starting to get this badly. So we are running errands in this dreadful heat today to remind us why we seem to be inside alot.

Caesarean section: I've had three and they weren't as bad as they say. Though if I could go back and change it I would, but I can't so why dawdle on it.

This picture represents us very well. Me as a blur as I seem to be always on the go you'd think I would be skinny, the counter showing our hecticness, crockpot going so that we eat right, and hubby trying to catch up with things on email since he is hardly able to keep up with himself let alone us, church, and life.

Candles: I love them, love burning them, making them, finding them at yard sale really cheap.

Cheap: I love to find things cheap especially at yard sales. Going to yard sales is my therapy. Depressed give me twenty and send me yard saling and I am a happy camper.

"Play with me," Don't ya feel sad for her she wants the cat to play with her so bad. He usually does but not then. He was hot and she was being rough.

There are my babies Pippin the cat, and Mary the dog. Yes I love Lord of the Rings and these two do resemble who they are named after and they love their momma (me) very much.

Cats: I love them I am definately a cat person I have 4 inside and 7 outside. We just got all but two of the barn cats fixed which was a feat, claws, teeth, growling, but it is done and they have forgiven us somewhat.

This sunset was so pretty I wish I had a better camera to capture the beauty.

Cards: I love playing cards especially Rummy. I am pretty good at it as well. Hubby and the kids gang up on me and try to beat me, when one of them does they all give a cheer. But it doesn't happen that often ;)

Chair: this lovely chair is a new project for me. We are going to sand it down, repair some areas, primer and paint it, and use it under the trees. I can't wait.

Cash: I prefer to use cash over credit. Credit cards have gotten so many in trouble including hubby and I, that now we prefer to pay for something outright. Including our house, barn, vehicles, etc. We have no debt, though we have a small income we have been blessed, and I have worked only twice in our years of marriage. Each time only about 4 months each. I have way to much here at the house to keep up with.

The rocker from last week we painted it in the heat yesterday, I could believe how sweaty we got standing in the shade. I like the white the brown seem to darken the room. The kids playfully argue over who will sit in this chair they both love it. :0)

And Ash's new skirt she made yesterday and without a pattern. This is her this morning she looks grown up even with her pig tails.

Hope all have a wonderfully blessed day.

Love,

Erika

Plain and Simple

at the cottage....

I think, I will change Plain and Simple to Thursday, Wednesday seems to come up on me way to fast. :0)

Yesterday, hubby was home so I stayed away from the computer. He hurt himself at work and so we went to the doctor to get him checked over and then ran a few errands.

Today's Plain and Simple I thought I would share some things I do in the kitchen or have recently discovered.

My son is working towards being a chef for a career and he wants to cook Italian. So we bought him a how to book on italian cooking. I skimmed thru it a couple of weeks ago and found a recipe for these wonderfully tasting potatoes.

We had just gone yard saleing with my mom and I bought a counter top convection oven for our outside kitchen (it was $1) and thought this would be a good recipe to try in the oven while we were grilling something. These potatoes are so good! A very nice change with oven potatoes and very tasty using fresh ingredients.

Potatoes (I used our homegrown reds) and I cut them up, cut up the amount you will need for your family.

1 medium purple onion cut up or I have used a sweet onion. Like vidalia or walla walla

8 cloves of garlic peeled

fresh rosemary to taste.

butter (we used our homemade yummy goodness)

olive oil

I am a throw in the pan kinda cook so this of course is not exact measurements. This was cooked at 350 for an hour or until everything is a nice camelized color. Stir things up a bit thru out cooking this helps everything stay coated with the butter and olive oil. The garlic and onion carmelize so well. I did prefer the purple onion over the sweet.

We have switched pretty much to wheat on everything we bake. I don't buy white flour anymore or white sugar though I did buy some in June to make cookies for the fathers at church. Yguy used it all up yesterday making cookies. :0)

My hubby's stomach has a hard time with red wheat so we stock white wheat and I sprout it so it breaks down so we can absorb all the goodness these little grains hold. I sprout it for 3 days about and then dehydrate it in the dehydrator.

They grind up beautifully and make lovely rolls etc.  Above are some grains I ground the other day for pizza, see the dry little sprouts on them?

I will sprout and dry a #10 can size of wheat at a time. This amount fills up my dehydrator they take about 2 days to dry and I will grind up what I need as I use it. It is better to have fresh ground.

Roasting tomatoes I love the smoky flavor this imparts on any veggie I'll grill. Tomatoes are quite easy, These were picked and put right on the grill I have a 1/2 a bushel to do today that we picked yesterday. We grow heirlooms and they are so good. Cut up fresh with olive oil and lemon juice tossed in is so good they are so much tastier than store bought to eat fresh.

To grill I fill the grill up like above and turn the burner on low since this is a gas grill, on an open fire which is even better you don't want lots of flame just hot coals. The skins will crack and the bottoms will brown turn them over and let that side do the same things. I will fill a bowl up and then let them cool before peeling chop them up and make what you want. Right now I am grilling, peeling, dicing and then freezing till I have a big batch for salsa. I will also do it for canning just plain diced tomatoes.

I hope this finds you well and you have a blessed week...

Love,

Erika

Plain and Simple

at the cottage....

Last week we learned some very simple techniques to decorate cakes. A good friend of mine taught us some simple ways to spruce up a cake and to ice it beautifully. We placed plastic tableclothes on the long tables and let the women practice away on the tables. Heres Ash trying her hand at it.

On the way to the farm Saturday I spotted  animal life in abundance and had to share with you what I saw...a black snake crossing the road was to fast for me to catch on camera.

Yesterday, the kiddos made new pajama pants for youth conference this weekend. Yguy had my sewing machine at the table and Ash had hers at the sewing table. Such fun... The table was full of fresh picked tomaties and yummy fruit. The box has Trail of Tear beans drying they were a little damp from the rain the night before. They are  black beans and I am looking forward to saving them and building my supply of seeds for someday to grow our own black beans to eat.

tomatoes from the garden and sweet chocolate peppers.

Roasting them for Roasted Salsa. I also roasted two onions and garlic for this yummy goodness.

For this all you would do is roast your tomatoes for your favorite salsa recipe. Very easy they can be done on an open fire which would give them such a good flavor, but it's to hot for a fire. Or in the oven or on the grill.

Sorry for the blur, little dryed ornamental Chinese peppers these little babies have a bite to them, but are so cute in this spice bottle. Even though it says ornamental you can eat them and they dry very fast.

The jelly and jam behind them the kids made Tuesday,  Watermelon jelly and Sugar free blueberry jam.

Watermelon Jelly

4 cups pureed watermelon. (take the seeds out before pureeing)

3 1/2 cups sugar

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 package of no sugar pectin ( I use this anyway but this recipe stated this kind, you can add sugar when using this pectin though you don't need to. But for this recipe you do.)

Follow package directions.

The cake our instructor decorated for us while teaching us how to make these lovely flowers.

We have been getting quite a bit of rain in the evenings and it as been so hot we have had heat index advisories the last few days.  Hubby has been very busy at work funerals seems to pile up when there is a heat wave or cold snap.

Garden is doing great the butternut squash are loving all this rain and are spreading their vines out. The strawberries are multipling like crazy which I love babies everywhere, I hope to pick our first berries next year.

Nothing to exciting going on around here except the normal summer activities though they keep us very busy. I hope to sew today maybe a skirt, maybe a blouse or two, or some zipper pouches for my purse to organize it some.

Hope you all have a wonderfully delicious day...

Love,

Erika