these days

turtlehead plant, taking off in style

mexican sunflowers

a "stray" sunflower, from last year's stash

impatient plant, still hanging on

don't you just love these days? i cannot stand how beautiful they are, and all the more because they won't be here forever. the flowers that are left over from the summer kind of remind me of a beautiful older woman with wrinkles. just kind of a deeper beauty than in the summertime, i think.

anyway, i could just wander around aimlessly all day and see. hope you notice the prettiness around you today, too.

packing up

so, the weekend was good. colder weather makes you feel justified in "staying in" - except for carey, who still seems to prefer the outdoors :)

anyway, i did venture out on saturday morning with lou, in search of the perfect ivory suitcase for her. we found not one, not two, but THREE cream suitcases at a lutheran rummage sale. she nabbed the round one, which is what she was hunting for, and i got the other two, because i am crazy.

i have this fun idea to make a nightstand out of a suitcase. still searching for the perfect "legs" but i had to see if it would fit in my space, and pick out the fabric to decoupage to the top (faux woodgrain, picked up at digs in minnesota this summer).

i LOVE this craft! so much so, that i invited seven art girls over next weekend to have a suitcase decoupage day. i wish you all could come! but since you can't, i thought i'd still try to inspire you to craft something fun for yourself. if you need a suitcase, just let me know...:)

fall on

there are so many good things to love about september. it's long been my favorite month, ever since i was a child and got to go back to school, which i loved (i know, i was always a nerd).

i still love these days. it's so good to pull on a sweatshirt, or cuddle up with a blanket. yesterday, i actually wore a turtleneck! ohhhhhhh, that was nice. and last night as we settled in to watch tv, i had my afghan that i am finishing up on my lap, and phillip sat beside me on the couch with his "colored string" (ie embroidery thread) crafting an ankle bracelet for me. crafts and fall just go together, too.

it's also a great time to bake, since firing up the gas oven is not a good idea in the 100 degree heat of summer.

so, this morning, with my homebaked muffins and peach jam, my trusty mug of joe, and fall in the air very prominently, i am content.

happy friday all!

lab test

quite often in our church, pastor will talk about how if church on sunday is our "lecture," then our lives the rest of the week are the "lab" portion of our walk with Christ.

oh, how true that rings. as i remember WAAAAYYYY back to college, i sucked at lab. in fact, i came very very close to not graduating from college, because of a biology lab that i somehow thought i could discontinue attending, and still make a passing grade. yeah. that was what i did back then, just quit going if the lab portion was difficult or not pleasant.

these days, God has me in lab all the time, for things He wants to change, and let me tell ya, i would STILL rather be somewhere else! thank GOD for isaiah this week, which keeps me on track and thankful. this morning in isaiah 9, which expounds about the sins of the children of God, not once but THREE times, therein lies this verse:

For all this, his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.

i am reminded that even though my life in the lab is not a smooth and pretty one sometimes, He still longs to teach and change me, and even though my grade is not even close to passing, He is not done with me yet.

and who could ask for a better instructor than that?!

isaiah knows

i have a daily bible. every day, there is a chunk of the old testament, new testament, a psalm and a proverb to read. i WISH i could say i even come close to reading it daily, but i don't. lately though, i have been reading almost daily.

funny thing (to me, anyway) is that i have been really getting into the old testament more and more. i have come through job, ecclesiastes, and even songs of solomon recently, and been blessed by the Word. but this morning i was SUPER blessed to get to isaiah.

man, there is something about the book of isaiah. i just love it. not only does it contain my very favorite verse, but the whole book just really compells me. i think some of it is because it seems so REAL. the world isaiah describes sounds to me just like our world today, and the people and their sins sound just like me and everybody else i see, too. and if that is true, it stands to reason that the God of the book of isaiah is JUST like our God today. and it comforts me to know that. and it tells me what i need to do, and who i need to rely on, and how i need to live.

go read a bit of isaiah today, if you get a chance.

autumnal

i'm sure a certain someone who loves fall woke up happy today. personally, i woke up on the chilly side of things, although i'm pleasant enough right now with my jacket and flip flops on - indoors. i find myself dreaming of turtleneck sweaters though, so it must be affecting me too.


just went outside for the morning walkabout carrying my fire king bowl full of colorado peaches. for some ungodly reason, i decided to buy a CRATE of peaches at ace hardware this weekend. as all the smart people know, ace is the only place for hardware, as well as good peaches in the fall. good thing i also FINALLY got a used chest freezer this weekend. last night phillip and i coerced it down the stairs to its final resting spot. so peaches will be "put up." soon, hopefully before i eat them all.



i noticed the neighbor has decided on yet another form of camper to decorate the yard. so far, there have been four, count em four, various versions of vintage campers in their yard this summer. i admit i kind of like the el dorado here. look at the window mural! and the deer graphic!! well, they love to accent the place with all kinds of wonderful hardware. perhaps i should get them a gift certificate to Landscape Garden Centre next spring!


and while most of the blogs have posted shots of their little kiddos going off to school, i'll have to settle for this shot of my small one. still home with me for the day, for the time being at least :)

green tomatoes

i picked some of the tomatillos out of the garden this morning. although there are millions of them on the plant, only a few were "split" out of the shells. i admit i am kind of afraid of them. however. they are so pretty, aren't they?

i found a recipe on the internet for salsa verde. think i will whip up a batch later today. will let you know how it turns out!

Tomatillo Salsa Verde

1 1/2 lb tomatillos
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 Jalapeño peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped
Salt to taste

1 Remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse well. Cut in half and place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place under a broiler for about 5-7 minutes to lightly blacken the skin.

2 Place tomatillos, lime juice, onions, cilantro, Jalapeño peppers, sugar in a food processor (or blender) and pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed. Season to taste with salt. Cool in refrigerator.

Serve with chips or as a salsa accompaniment to Mexican dishes.

Makes 3 cups.

we're off

so, i'm off to the nebraska state fair in lincoln today with two of my best buddies.

hopefully, this guy will be happy that we came all that way. i'm expecting eye contact! ha.

also, i secretly long to see a couple of fancy chickens, and maybe a gourmet bunny, and to have some fried cheese curds on a stick. or something like that :)

happy wednesday, y'all!

powerful stuff

yesterday at church i saw the most awesome video. the pastor in the video is louie giglio. his sermon was called "how great is our God" and for the most part uses science to illustrate the enormous, gigantic, megabig nature of God, the kind of "big thinker" He is. the kicker for me was the bit about this stuff called laminin (a cell adhesion protein molecule), which he described as the "rebar" of the human body, the stuff that holds our bodies together.

i know this little snippet is kinda long. but if you have a few moments, it might be worth it to you to watch. God is amazing. AMAZING.

lovely

thanks everyone, for the awesome birthday wishes. i had a weekend full of surprises, laughter, and peace. i highly recommend 46 to everyone so far!

a few of the highlights...

smelling fall air. it's back, and it is wonderful.
thrifting with the girls.
sharing a big plate of chocolate love (shown).
watching mad men until my eyes fell off.
spending a whole day with my sweetie (thanks boss, for giving him the day off!).
drying roma tomatoes and peppers in the dehydrator.
placing (finally!) my order for all new windows for mabel.
learning to crochet a rag rug.
napping.

ahh.......you guys are the best. thanks so much for being my friends :)

4 + 6 = good

wow. i never thought about being 46 before. i guess i'd better, since tomorrow is the day. you know how when you are younger and you kind of just deceive yourself into thinking the next decade will never even happen to you? i'm starting to deceive myself with half decades now. so "late forties" is a weird term that somehow should not apply to the young hip girl i still think of myself as on the inside.

anyway, it's not so bad. some things are WAAAY better. like not worrying about how you look so much (although the 27 pounds that the doc told me i gained this last year is certainly not something to turn my back at!). and of course, i have the Lord now. which makes even the crummy stuff easier. really, His yoke IS light, i can attest to that. if i would just remember it all the time, i'd probably have a few less wrinkles.

as a birthday gift to all of you wonderful bloggirls out there (and dave :)), here's a recipe i tried last night. if somebody will tell me how to make home made alfredo sauce, it might be even better, but i swear i thought i was at an italian restaurant in my own home.

oh ps. i usually suck at pasta dishes.
happy birthday to me!




Sun Dried Tomato Alfredo and Chicken

2-3 chicken breasts (mine were still frozen)

Place in crock pot and pour over the following:

1 jar Classico Sun Dried Tomato Alfredo Sauce
a couple of splashes of good white wine
lots of dried basil from the garden
several sun dried tomatoes in olive oil (mine were just-harvested, thus the reason for the recipe)

cook on high for about 1-1/2 hours; then low to finish (about 3-4 hours).

serve with whole wheat pasta, the best baguette you can find to sop up the sauce, and however much leftover wine the situation calls for.

ummmmmmmmm.

one more

another movie to add to your queue. not quite as good as 'smart people,' but still quite good. you are not gonna believe that this is the john cusack we all know and love.

surprised

so, karen recommended this book awhile back.

i have this "thing" for ordering used books from amazon, it started when i started buying all those tv series dvd collections. they're expensive, and you can usually get them for about half off when you order them used.

so, i thought, why not try used books? the thing is, the information on the used section of amazon is pitiful. the only description you get is a statement of condition, ie "like new" or "very good" or "acceptable." i've never bought anything other than like new or acceptable stuff. so, imagine my surprise when i got a REALLY COOL 1st edition version of Rebecca! acceptable is right, i tell ya!

it's my very favorite apple green on the outside. it does smell a bit musty, but hey, it came from a clinton, TN library, and had not been checked out since 1977.

looks like i have some pretty nice evening/weekend plans for the next however many days!

not so smart people

in an unbelievable stroke of luck at the video store last night, i got to pick a movie that i actually wanted to see. no action adventure, no diabolical killers or subversive governments, no super heros in fantastic costumes. nope, just people. smart people.

i was so pleasantly surprised. i really, really like thomas hayden church. he has the kind of face that just makes me laugh. but really, the whole cast was ... cast well. even sarah jessica parker, she was most definitely NOT carrie from sitc...which is good, because i hate that show.

nope, this movie was different than that stuff. phillip and i both laughed in various parts. it was subtle, and it was pretty true to life. most smart people are really really dumb at some stuff (from what i've heard), and these particular smart people were really likeable.

thumbs up, my friends.

rambling on

garden on may 22nd

garden on august 19th

just like karen over at white walls forever, i'm struggling lately with what to write. late summer is definitely in the air, i smell fall now when i get up and go out to the back forty.

the late summer garden is a mixture of things. mostly it's overgrown and out of control, but still quite beautiful in places. i've been working to get rid of some of the weeds and dead stuff, and hopefully to prepare for digging up the last remaining lawn so that next spring i will have more room. always looking forward. one of my favorite things about gardening.

my spirits match the season. somewhat restless, ready for the new. but also a little melancholoy and hanging on to what was...not ready to let go of the last days of summer. it's a peaceful time when i just relax and let it be. here's to a joyous august day to you, wherever your garden grows.

one more

okay, i can't stand it, heavy move of God over here today. this song has great meaning for me because of the scripture from Isaiah...Isaiah 6:6-7

very powerful.

listen to it.


oh. the video is kind of weird.

reign in me

i love how the Lord gives His gifts. today i have been rumminating...about all of the stuff going on in my life, about the Lord and about how He is everywhere, and about how much i long for a moment, just a moment, WITH Him.

i thought of this worship song...and downloaded it and am singing it LOUDLY. both outwardly and inwardly!

the video is cheesy, the song is not.

mad men

just when you are started to get worried about me because i watch too much tv, here i am talking about tv again. seriously, i don't watch THAT much. considering i'm home all day, it could be alot worse :)

ha.

anyway, i just ordered a tv series for ME, not for us. it's called Mad Men, and i just got a bit enamored with the promos. apparently, it's about an advertising agency in the 1960s. not sure what i like about the concept most, but i am imagining it's the 1960s part!

forget the men. LOOK at the kind of clothes the women wear!!! arrrrrrrrrrgggh. cannot stand how much i love these dresses.

i heart the ups man

...cause he just brought me this.

oh. be. still. my. heart.
another season of the cutest boy in the world.

thanks rani

rani knew JUST how to make my day when she invited me out to her house for a good ole fashion canning day next weekend!

i am so excited. i really want to share this experience with other women!


we'll make some salsa, of course :)


one thing i have a TON of is hot peppers. some of them look weird, and i'm not sure what they are. but i BET they are hot :)

so excited. thanks rani for thinking of a great way to cheer me up. i hope some others of you out there can join us!

in other news, every time i go in the back yard, i get dive-bombed by bees. there must be something SWEET and powerful drawing them back there right now!

my portion

well, i finally got around to canning the first tomatoes of the season this morning. i got the crazy idea that i could take my wonderful, yummy tomato basil soup recipe, and prepare it all except for adding the cream at the end. so really, i made instant soup :) i hope it works, and salmonella or something does not grow in the rest of the ingredients. time will tell, i guess.

anyway, i was thinking about how disappointed i am that i only got 3 quarts of tomatoes. in my head, i was going to get a BONANZA of canning done this year! i had visions of sauce and paste and more sauce and salsa and more. i had visions of a huge beautiful pantry with lines of pretty jars. i had visions for lots more than this. i really thought it would happen, because i planted, and planted, and weeded and watered and did everything the way i thought i was supposed to. it started out well enough, and there were lots of fruits on the plants. then, midsummer they almost all developed a blight of some kind, and all of the growth stopped. most of the plants are deadish now, even though actually, there are still quite a few tomatoes on the vine waiting to ripen. i will probably get quite a bit more canning done, it's just that i'm really not sure yet what those half-dead plants will yield.

i guess that i do this kind of thing alot. i plan and plan and put a vision in my head of how things will be. when things don't end up looking that way (and they almost never do), i feel sad. alot of times, i just give up and assume the worst. and most of the time, i miss out on the enjoyment of the "smaller portion" that i do have. i know God wants me to learn this lesson. i know that whatever i end up with will be enough. because He provides. and He knows what i need.

anyway, today i just may open up one of those precious jars of soup and eat it RIGHT AWAY. no planning or saving for later. just enjoying what God has given me on this day. hope that you can do the same, whatever He has given you for today...

oh. and ps, if you are thinking that this post is probably not about tomatoes, you are correct :)

book club

i read this book last week, just finished it last night. i bought it because somebody said it was good, and because the cover is pretty.

i cannot say it was wonderful to me, there were lots of weird loose ends. it was hard to read as an animal lover, but at the same time, that is what kept me going with it. i did enjoy the imagery of the early circus. not sure if it's at ALL accurate, but it was worth reading just to take a peak.

oh. and the ending was good. there, that is my book review. do with it what you will...:)

pop of color

just when i decided to go on a money diet for august, in an attempt to save some $$ for once, all of the cool fabric rock stars have new lines in the stores. and with names like "farmer's market" and "garden party" and "pop garden" - um, i think they might have been looking to ME for inspiration :)

ah. anyway, i don't really need to buy at this point, i still have alot of fabric on my shelves. must sew some of it up first. but let's just all take a minute and LOOK at the beautiousness today, shall we?!

hidden

i am really having a hard time with the garden this year. it just looks dreadful right now. there are TONS of weeds, and outta control vegetation. half of it is dead, the zucchini and spinach and overgrown lettuce all need to be pulled out.

even the tomatoes are disappointing. oh, and the cucumbers, which have completely quit yielding. i'm sad that i did not get to make even ONE dill pickle.

and the melons. last year, they were fabulous! this spring, they were pitiful. i think maybe it was just to cold for them. some even died early on, and i had to replant. by now, the vines are quite vigorous, but try as i may, i could not see ONE fruit. not one.

last night i was out, and much to my surprise, right at the edge of the bed, i saw a tiny SOMETHING sticking out. one cute little melon.

then another.

then another.

then a HUGEish one in the back!


and once again, much to my surprise, things aren't as bad as they seem. looks like the garden may hold some hidden treasures yet. i wish i saw things that weren't there more often. i wish i had KNOWN in my head that they would be there, even though i could not yet see them.

i'm going to ask God to help me out with that :)

pray tell

can anybody tell me WHY i love these so much?! i mean seriously, they have, like, 2 bites of faux food in them. and a large plastic container. and yet, they. are. so. yummy. especially when eaten once every three or four years, as i am wont to do.

am i the only one?!

g'day

woke up to a nice quiet rain today.

for some reason, i needed that.

i think the heat and sun are wonderful, but my mind needs a break from them. so today, i'll sit inside with my coffee cup and look out the window.

oh. and i'll look at my new tent. i got it yesterday at target!

i bought it even though phillip does not seem thrilled with the prospect of camping. i told him i'd put it up all by myself. he rolled his eyes. so, wish me luck with that should i ever have the opportunity to attempt it.

oh. and yes, i bought it because the lime green color is so wonderful, and will contrast doubly WONDERFULLY with bert (car). got a problem with that?!


:)

august garden

by this time of year, the garden is usually out of my control. the weeds sometimes outgrow the plants, and the "jungle" feeling is in full force. most of my annuals are dead or dying, probably due to lack of attention. i TRY, but i always lose it by now. too hot, and too much work. still, the perennials keep things interesting. lots of colors, mostly clashing...

this tiger lily sits by my reading chair. sits ON my reading chair, really.

objects are larger than they appear in pix ;)

first time for hollyhocks, i bought two this spring. reminds me of farming. very old school.


my favorite lilies.

i like to call it "the tomato chair," for the obvious reasons.

and the fruits of the labor. nothing better to brighten the house up.

free pass

one whole day, no commitments.

what to do, what to do? i think the kitchen is calling me to spend the day, playing with vegetables, dreaming up a menu for the week, maybe making some bread.

and a nap and some reading time thrown in for good measure.



what will you do with your free pass?