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Showing posts from May, 2016

Sweater Treasures

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As so many of us are in the Spring, I have been keeping very busy around my yard.  Clean-up, planting and building new gardens have been central to my life as of late.  It has been a lot of fun getting outside again.  The only thing putting a little damper on my spirits this year is the army worms.  They are wreaking havoc all over the country side and have recently invaded my yard.  They are everywhere!!!  There is nothing to do but allow nature to run its course, so my frustration with the repulsive little critters is getting me nowhere. Today was rainy, and windy and cold.  I took a much needed break and did a little project I've been looking forward to for awhile.  Our very dear Uncle passed away this past January and I asked if I could have one of his old worn out sweaters.  My goal was to create a critter for each of my children, but there was so much fabric, I made 2 pumpkins as well.  These four things only used up the sleeves (Uncle wasn't a small man), and so I s

Chewy Lemon Cookies

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A huge thank-you to Stephanie at The Enchanting Rose for this recipe .  We loved them, and will definitely be making them again.  Soon.  I might just try using a lemon cake mix next time to see how that tastes. I think I'll head back over to Stephanie's and browse more of her recipes.  The rhubarb turnovers   look fantastic and my rhubarb patch is looking so fresh right now. I hope you are all having a great week!

Out of the Box

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While browsing a few of my favourite blogs yesterday, I found a recipe that I was eager to try at The Enchanting Rose .  These chewy lemon cookies looked divine and I suddenly had a craving.  I headed to the pantry sure to find a white cake mix, but only came up with chocolate.  I'm sure I could have made a very similar cookie from scratch, but I have never tried using a cake mix before, so I whipped up the chocolate one in exactly the same way, (sans la extroit de lemon) and I was so very not disappointed.  Fresh out of the oven - incroyable! Cooled down - formidable. And frozen on the next day - delicieux. Why all the french you ask?  Doesn't a foreign language make it sound better?  That, and I really should try to use a little of a language that I studied for no less than 8 years. I encourage you to give these a try, except maybe if you are a French cook or a purist, and anything out of a box offends you.  I picked up the ingredients for the chewy lemon cookies

The First of the Flowers

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I had a lovely weekend spent with family.  We had a BBQ on Friday to celebrate my Mother-in-law's 72nd birthday.  I put together a cute, little cake that fit the season so well.  Although she figured out that our get together was in honor of her special day, we managed to surprise her with the company of her two daughters.  Mom was so surprised, she had quite the giggle and we enjoyed a long evening of chit-chat.    Then we were invited to her home on Sunday for a turkey dinner.  Now, this is all very unusual and a very big deal in this farming family.  Not once, since I've lived here in the past 5 years have we been able to get together on these 2 days.  The men have always been in the field putting in the crops. All of us are happy when the seeding begins, and even happier when it's done, so celebrations are put on hold, and then forgotten. While there, I sneaked out to her garden for awhile to take a few photos. I haven't started any early bulbs in m

A Long Overdue Visit

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The visit was overdue as is this post, but with the weather being as gorgeous as it is, who has time to be indoors?  I truly wish I could get my Wifi to work outside.  Last Friday, I headed about 6 hours west to spend time with a special friend.  The weather was wonderful, and so I headed out to the backyard with my camera, and as promised came home with plenty of photos.  In all my years of visiting her home, I have never gone around and taken photos of the place,  a place I've come to consider a home away from home.  I am so glad I took the time to do this, as it is a source of comfort for me.  An escape from my everyday where I can go to recharge and get a change of perspective when I need it. Rarely have I visited and left without enjoying a glass of Merlot beside a campfire.  The best conversations happen here, and for a time, the world and it's problems seem to be manageable.  I love my friend's style in the garden and have modeled my own yard after