Vicki's Bit-o-earth

From Dear Down Under!

2011-10-31T17:27:00.001-07:00

~Look what was in my mailbox today~

Thank you Dear Dzintra!
How did you know I love bugs!?
(:

It all started...

2011-09-22T18:14:00.001-07:00

It all started...

at the flea market!

...with an ORANGE HAT!
(made by a Mom who had a cute little red haired baby)

How could I resist?

It would look so great
on the head of a cute little red haired girl I happen to know!

...then I thought to myself...

I've gotta have something to go with that orange hat,

that looks so great

on the head of a cute little red haired girl!

So, off to the fabric store
... just to browse...

But then something went all crazy at the fabric store...

Besides finding this perfect fabric
(with little orange flowers)
Which I made into this dress

that goes so well with the orange hat

that looks so great

on the head of a cute little red haired girl!

I found these!

More lovely fabrics
(with orange flowers, stripes and solids)

that look so great with the dress

made out of the perfect fabric
(with little orange flowers)

that goes with the orange hat

that looks great on the head of a cute little red haired girl!

Named Sophia!

Why oh why,

do I make ALL THIS EXTRA WORK FOR MYSELF?

ONE REASON

A cute little red haired girl

...named Sophia!

(;

Tipi Summer

2011-08-28T08:04:00.000-07:00

This summer has, quite frankly, been a busy and stressful one.
I haven't had time or energy to keep up with this blog,
so for now I'm going to show the highlight of the summer.

Without going into too great a depth,
let's just say that the economy has taken its toll
on a number of my family members.
When livelihoods are lost and threatened,
it also takes a toll on health and peace of mind.

We are a close family,
and we support each other as much as possible.
The burdens are shared as much as possible.

The main summer event for us
was when we gathered to celebrate our Mother's Birthday.

To recap a little bit,
in past posts I've touched on my mother's heritage.
Her family has a rich American Indian heritage.
Some of our forebears came from the Shawnee Indian Tribe
located in the mid-west states of Ohio and West Virginia.

My Mother takes great pride in her heritage.
She has attempted to teach her children and grandchildren
the "old ways" of knowledge.
She is an amazing storehouse of knowledge in
old ways and lifestyles of her heritage.

7 years ago my father bought her a Tipi
The family spent a summer vacation painting it and putting it up for her.
But over the years, the weather took its toll
and the Tipi began to disintegrate,
so this summer he bought her a new one.

Our summer vacation was again spent
painting and putting up the new Tipi.

First, the artwork/design must be decided on,
and drawn onto the canvas
Its a very involved process...
Its drawn on the half circle Tipi canvas.
It must be carefully measured and planned out.

Fortunately, we have very creative and experienced people in the family.

The artwork was drawn by my youngest son,
who, I'm proud to say, is an amazing artist!
Actually all my sons are very artistic (:

My Mother has given each family member a name.
The names are based on personality traits
and meanings that she has carefully chosen.
And each name is also depicted by a particular
character or icon image that coincides with it.

The painting process...

This part of the process took us 3 days
of working from early morning until there was no light at the end of the day.
We used exterior latex paints,
since it weathers well and is bright and sharp when applied to the canvas.

One of my nephews and a brother,
(one who is an engineer and the other a building contractor)
did all the measuring and figuring as to where each drawing
was to sit on the canvas so that when the Tipi is erected,
all the paintings will sit perfectly around its sides.

The hard work begins with EVERYONE taking part
We had 26 family members,
and each person had a part to play.
Almost everyone, except the small children, did some painting.

The paintings tell stories

Such as...
"She who gathers and keeps the Tribe"
wraps her protective arms around the tribe

"Man who keeps watch," "Warrior with big heart," and even
"Little Woman of great courage"
ride on the canvas.

"Woman who teaches to change lives"
"Seed Sow-er," "Rain," "Dark Eyed Junco,
"Morning Dove" and many many others gather here

Faceless Guardians stand watch on each side of the entrance

Mom and Dad are each depicted at the top on each side of the entrance
as American Eagles
While the painting was being done,
the place where the Tipi was to be erected
had to be slightly raised,
then leveled and graveled.
This is probably the most important part,
because it must be perfectly level,
with the edges having perfect drainage.

Then the poles are set into place.

It starts with the 3 main tripod poles
These must be perfectly balanced,
because they will literally hold the entire weight of the Tipi.
The entrance faces east.

After the 3 are in place,
the remaining poles are placed at exact intervals
to form a perfect circle.

The Tipi is very heavy.
It took all the men to carry and erect it

The painted Tipi canvas,
is attached to a type of kingpin pole
which is put into place on the cone of poles

Once in place, the canvas in unrolled around the poles

The front is pinned together with special wooden dowel-like needles
that are threaded through stitched slits in the front seam of the Tipi.

The whole process took the entire week of our stay,

As the sun was setting on the last evening of the last day,
we finally got it up...

not permanently stretched and anchored into place...
that part will be done by my Dad and brother after the rest of us have left.

But it was completed enough so that we could all gather inside,
as my Mother performed the ceremony of "we-wos-sa-kie "
Or (Eng) "Peace" on this place.

It is her place of peace.
She goes there every morning and evening.

A bundle of sage and other wild plants with particular meanings
are tied together, lit and touched to the four corners... north, south, east and west.

As you can see,
the eagles (the icons for Mom and Dad)
are at the top in a protective stance over the family.

The rest are positioned around the base

As we sat inside that evening,
it was an amazing feeling of unity for all of us.

After a most stressful year,
here we are,
a united family.

Come what may...
We will always have each other.

Nuff said

2011-03-26T12:20:00.001-07:00

Here are my littlies...

Amazing! The outfits fit!
Almost too perfectly...
they'll only get a few months use of out them

Oh well...
back to the sewing machine!

Truth be told,
as you can see

Miss Sophia is a ham for the camera!

just like her grandpa and daddy
Thus ... more pics of her!
(does it count that she's just so dang cute as well?)

Max is a wiggle worm
and hates to sit for more than 2 seconds

The bottom line is
I hated to leave them
can't wait to get back to see them again!

Its redundant to say,
but they grow up too fast

Ta Da!

2011-03-18T22:10:00.000-07:00

Please bear with me just this once ...

while I toot my horn a little?

Let me just say...
My sister was born to sew!
I was not

Our Grandma came from Ohio
one summer to teach us both to sew...

My sister learned
I did not

She went on to make Tailoring her major in college
Not me

She made all our clothes,
both hers and mine,
from the age of 12 (15 for me since I'm the oldest)
Not me

I was way too busy,
out riding my horse
or motorcycles with my boyfriend
Not her!

She was in sewing
And thanks to my dear sister,
I always had the latest style
because she made them for me

Oh, I knew hooooowwww to sew,
but I really disliked sitting that long
And I always had to rip seams
She never did

Sigh...

So perhaps you can allow me this one gloating time
to say

I DIDN'T HAVE TO RIP A SINGLE SEAM
ON THESE OUTFITS!
"Knock on wood!"

So here is the fabric from my last post
all sewn up into a dress for Sophia's 3rd Birthday

And these two matching outfits
for Sophia and Max

Its his first birthday!

Yippee! They're done!
...and I fly out to see them for 3 days!
I'm one happy Nami today!

(:

Its Been Awhile...

2011-03-14T09:53:00.000-07:00

I've been absent from my blog for quite a few months. I'm hoping I can keep up on it now ... not sure, but here's to giving it a good try!

Suffice it to say that its been a long winter... full of time consuming events. Some good, some trying, and if I were to list them all here, I'm sure some of you would tell me I'm not alone in the scurry of trying to keep up.

The economy of our state is not good (to put it mildly). I won't bore you with all that, but there seems to be a great groaning present here. Semi-silent so far, but California, the country and dare I say - the world - seems to be straining. Does it seem that way to you too?

When it all gets heavy, I'm out to the garden... as often as possible. Its peaceful out there. The animals and plants don't seem to notice what the humans are doing, so I think I think I'd rather be with them.

I remember how both my grandparents lived. They went through the great depression and WWII... raising a family when times were tough. They saved everything... I remember finding gum wrappers in a drawer once ... all folded neatly in a little box. I also remember root cellars packed full of lines of canned foods from their bountiful gardens. The freezer was always full. I used to wonder how they could eat all that food... just the two of them. Well, they didn't. They shared it with family, friends and neighbors. And who knows, maybe we will be doing the same. With numerous friends and family going through tough economic times right now, its time to help and share.

I've always gardened. Its in the genes. My grandparents were farmers, as were a whole line of great-grandparents as far back as 5 generations... They came from the Amish... so I believe that when I can test the richness of my garden soil by its scent, and don't need at test kit to tell me whether or not its good ... I can thank my long line of ancestors.

I've always canned and put-up for the winter from my garden (at least, ever since I was first married)... although I must admit that it was my husband-to-be who was the first one to have a big garden and a room full of plants (when we were dating). But since our wedding, we've made it our hobby together... to garden. I'm not sure he's always happy about it though! I always have an on-going list of things I need him to build or do for my garden! (:

This winter brought SNOW to our Bit-o-earth! Yes, right here on the California coast. Can you believe it? Almost unheard of...
It only stayed on the ground for a few hours, then melted off as soon as the sun came out, but still, what a novelty!

And here is the garden today, only partly planted with spring crops... broccoli, cabbage, onions, garlic, potatoes, spinach, peas and tomatoes in the greenhouse. The soil is ready and waiting for corn, cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, beans... and the list goes on and on!

Another favorite hobby is the local flea market. Hubby and I happened to drive by one Saturday, saw the array of "stuff for sale" and decided to stop in. I was instantly hooked...

My best find, of late?

A whole box of "Virginia Rose, by Homer Laughlin"... my grandmother's wedding china...

She had divided what was left of this wedding set between my sister and I a number of years before her death. There wasn't much... 11 dinner plates, 12 salad plates, 2 cups and 2 saucers. She had used the set for everyday ... she had 6 children, so you can imagine how difficult it was to avoid breakage.

So... my sister, my hubby, and I were at the flea market a few weeks ago when we spied "the box!" FILLED with more than a whole set of Grandma's china! We were so elated that when the seller said she was asking (only) $20 for the whole thing, we didn't blink... WE BOUGHT IT! ... and divided it evenly between us! Now we each have service for 6 of almost every piece! We figured that box, if bought on ebay would have been worth at least $500!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And see how big my little Sophia and Max
have grown!?

It happens TOO FAST, doesn't it?
I wish I could slow time down a bit...

Of course I'm a bit biased,
but they're so dang cute!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And here are "the girls" ...

... all grown up too... Big chickens, and giving us eggs every day

I have to admit... they're probably the most spoiled chickens on earth...

but I can't resist them.
They're just too dang cute (yes, chickens can be cute) to resist!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sophie turns 3
and Max turns 1
in April...
so a matching set of Nami-made(that's me) Sailor outfits
is in order!

~And something extra that I couldn't resist for Sophie~

Isnt' this little stripped fabric irresistible?!
Yes...
and I was a sucker!

I hope you all are well...
and happy,
and making every second count!

... and haven't forgotten me yet! (;

~See you soon~

Not Lazy, maybe a little Hazy, but definitely super Crazy Days of Summer at the Bit-o-Earth!

2010-06-30T16:22:00.000-07:00

I don't know where I ever got the idea that

summer should be
Lazy or Hazy...
but mine certainly is Crazy so far

This past week my sister-in-law, niece
and their best friends have been at our house.

What did we do?

EAT
TALK
EAT
TALK
CAN APRICOTS

EAT
TALK
And a little SLEEP

They have never learned to can fruit,
and asked me to teach them.

I have done it most of my life,
so it was an easy "yes"

We have a blast

It was a ton of work

but mostly it was girl time,
and I loved that~

My sister-in-law (Stefany) is going through her first
"empty nest" experience,
as my niece just graduated from high school
and is headed off to college this fall.

Stef's best friend (Carol),
just married off her eldest son,
and
is sending her youngest (Haley) off to college
this fall
and will have a truly empty nest
for the first time in her life.

Both are suffering the beginning effects of "that time of life"

ME?

I've been there with all of the above,
so my job was to assure them
that all turns out well.

The heart breaks
and is sad

but then life moves along
grandbabies join the nest
and life is good again!

(:

I like my job

So this week,
we head up to "the ranch."

A lovely place with tall pine trees,
warm summer days,
mountain weather,
and best of all,
my parents~

Its our annual Family Reunion

Each year my parents,
siblings
all the grandchildren,
and now the great-grandchildren

join together to celebrate being "FAMILY"

My mother is the hub of the wheel of family
We are the spokes,
and we all revolve around her capable hands and heart.

She has American Indian blood that runs deep in her veins,
and has raised us kids learning their ways.

She's deeply spiritual

She has given each of us an Indian name
and a symbol that goes with that name

My father bought her a huge tepee,
which we have painted with all those symbols,
and our hand prints beside each.
Last summer
Aiden and Ashton were added
OH HOW they LOVED that!

At the top of the front of the tepee
fly two beautiful American Bald Eagles
that represent my parents

but they've never been given Indian Names
so this year my siblings and I have chosen names for them
and will present them in a special ceremony.
I don't want to share them here,
in case she peeks at my blog (:

(We always document it with video, photos and writings,
so maybe I can post about it later)

Shawnee is her tribe
Their names will be given in English
as well as the native Algonquain language

I hope you're all having a wonderful summer
dear Blog Friends!
I'll be gone for a little while,
but back soon to catch up with all of you~

Happy Father's Day to my Men!

2010-06-20T08:49:00.001-07:00

~Happy Father's Day~

There are many men in my life
Ones who I love and admire very much

There are uncles, brothers and brothers-in-law

But the men I'll focus on here

are

My Father
Happy Father's Day Dad!
I love you

My sissy and I
with our Grandpa and Daddy

Me and my Dad & Mom

My parents with Baby Max,
the newest addition to a fast growing family

To my Dear Sweet Husband
Happy Father's Day Honey
I love you!

This is my favorite picture of Hubby and his boys!

It says it all...

A loving, totally involving, funny, happy Father
He changed as many diapers as I did
He cooks and does dishes
He was there every day in every little way
as the boys were growing up,
in their adult lives now,
and now with his grandchildren!

To my oldest Son
Happy Father's Day Son
I love you!

With Miss Sophia

and now with Baby Matz
(Sophie's pronounciation)
He LOOOOOOOVES his Daddy!

Our little Sophia
She LOOOOOOOOVES her Daddy too!

Our oldest son...
All I can say is,

~Like Father - Like Son~

What I wrote above about his Daddy,
our son is all the same things

And I'm so proud!

This image reminds me of our family on almost every trip we took!
The expressions just about perfectly matched ours
LOL!

I love this image of a Dad and his girl

I found these images at
http://vintageholidaycrafts.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Also, I want to give credit where it's due,
and forgot to when I put up the last post...
The title of my post, "Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots"
came from a book by the same title
by Sharon Lovejoy

Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots

2010-06-18T19:25:00.001-07:00

Its a busy time at my bit of earth.

Its the time of year I relish.

I know I say this at the beginning of every season,
but really,
this IS my favorite time of year!

I can honestly say that I just loooooove dragging out
all the recipes, canning jars, kettles and pots...

and that I just LOOOOOVE
how my shelves look after its all done

...when the rose buds have been dried for winter pot pourri

the peas, corn and so much more are in the freezer

It takes an entire season (100 - 120 days)
jammed packed full
of bending, digging, shoveling,
raking, dry hands, dirty knees,
cricks and crinks in the joints...

...and It takes time to make sure the plants have
everything they need to grow healthy and strong

But I love it.
It keeps me moving
It makes be feel stronger

I'd keep a garden

...just to be able to look at it each day

...just to spend the days out in the sun and fresh air

...just to watch the small creatures it attracts
(even the ones I have to shoo away)

...just for the physical exercise it forces me to exert

...just for the satisfaction of seeing my shelves
all neatly lined with pretty jars filled with food

...just for the satisfaction of sipping the chamomile tea
I had coddled from from seed to flower

I'll keep a garden until the day I can't move

...and then I'll dream about growing a garden

My garden is my little bit of heaven on earth.
Its the best place to calm my stressed-out brain and body.
Out there is where I meditate
...and sometimes not on purpose at all.

It just happens.

It may sound strange,
but out there is where I feel I "belong"

...to something bigger than myself

...to some ancient part of what it is to be human

...to something we've lost

...and to something I need to find again

I love the feel of roots

the look of shoots

The necessity of buckets

and the comfort of my OLD Wellie boots

And one day I hope I can pass this love on to someone else

Will it be Sophia?

or little Max?

or someone I've yet to meet?

or even one of my boys?

I don't know yet...
but I can't wait to find out!

Big Hearts, Helping Hands

2010-06-16T17:15:00.000-07:00

Today started as a normal day, but ended up being quite extraordinary...

We headed down the road to the beach for a walk. When we walked onto the beach we noticed a family with two dogs standing near a small black figure (Dad with the two dogs are just out of picture).

It turned out to be a sea bird who was obviously in trouble. He couldn't walk or fly and was trying to escape the waves as they came in.

The family was concerned for the small bird, as were we. They called 911 to get help for the little guy. Though the operator told them who to call, there was no answer at the number they were given. Some people might have shrugged their shoulders and given up trying to help... but not this family.

We offered to go get our car and find the number for the local animal rescue, while they stayed with the bird.

We met one of our neighbors who offered for me to come into her house and call, while hubby went for the car. She knew who to call... Native Animal Rescue (NAR) in Santa Cruz, CA.

When we arrived back at the beach, true to their word, the whole family and two dogs were waiting patiently with the bird.

Thank goodness for big hearts and helping hands! It was great to meet some fellow animal lovers!

Hubby inspects his underside to check for any obvious injuries, but none could be seen. He didn't like the idea too well, as you can see.

Isn't he handsome?!

We loaded the little guy into a box and were off to the Animal Rescue. Our neighbor is an Anthropologist and college instructor who thought he was a Surf Scoter, which is in essence a type of sea duck... as it turns out, she was right.

On the way to the Rescue, Hubby dubbed him "Scooter."

Scooter did fine on the ride (though he added a lovely odor to the car), and now he will be well taken care of.

When he arrived at NAR he did a little hissing at first, but settled down once he was transferred to a new box.

I think he knew he was in good hands!

Supper perhaps?

I want to thank Native Animal Rescue (NAR) in Santa Cruz, CA,
and give them a little notice!

NAR is a non-profit organization whose motto is:

"Animals first! Because no life is too small to save!"

And if you go to their website you can see the many little critters they've saved, rehabilitated and returned to their wild homes

...as well as read a few stories of survival and success.

There are so many unsung heros at NAR!

They depend almost solely on donations,
and true to their motto, they save many many tiny lives!

Donations can be made online or by mail:

You can donate online, using PayPal

HERE

Or mail to:

Native Animal Rescue
P.O. Box 1001
Santa Cruz, CA 95061-1001

Email: eveandfrank@baymoon.com

Scooter is a Surf Scoter

General Adult Description

Stocky diving duck.
Black.
No white in wings.
Male all black with swollen yellow or orange knob at base of bill.
Female blackish with large whitish face patch.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm such a bleeding heart for animals!

We need eachother,

but its we humans who
can and should take the initiative
to care for our furred, feathered and scaled friends.

~Thanks to all the animals lovers who are
currently helping to save many sea animals
at the oil spill area in the Gulf of Mexico~

A Sweet Surprise and a few Random Things

2010-06-07T22:21:00.000-07:00

Just as I was thinking I need to get a new photo album
for my new grandbaby's photos,
Dzintra and Joanna read my mind
and sent me this!

Aren't those little pudgy hands on the card just darling?
(I love cards)

And now I have a pink photobook for Sophie
and a blue one for Max!
~Thank you Dear Dzintra and Joanna~

Random Thing #1

I love the scent of air-dried sheets,
so I hang them out when the weather cooperates
They looked so lovely... flapping lazily in the sea breeze.
They remind me of my dear sweet Grandmother
I miss her so much~
She's been gone for a year and half now,
but these little things remind me of her almost daily.

Random Thing #2

Chickens again...
they are so hilarious!
You wouldn't believe how each of them
has a personality all their own!

Hana...
taking a flying opportunity to get between
hubby's legs, into the house!

What a sneaky bird
...especially when she never gets very far!

She knows she's not allowed to come in...

~Have a great week~

Waaaaaayyyy late, but...

2010-06-03T22:41:00.000-07:00

...better late than never... ?

I've received a few awards lately, but didn't even know about a few of them because I've been swamped and haven't gotten around to my favorite blogs...

Catherine from over at Corner of a Cat's Mind gave me the Versatile Blogger Award waaaaaaay back in May and I only just found out about it, so I hope you haven't tossed me out on my hiney yet Catherine! Thank you~

The rules:
Rule 1. Thank the person who gave it to you.
Rule 2. Share 9 things about yourself.
Rule 3. Pass the award along to 9 bloggers who you think are fantastic.
Rule 4. Contact Blog award winners.

9 things...

1.I LOVE gardening. Bet ya couldn't tell? (;
2. Catherine said she cries while watching ASPCA commercials... ME TOO! I have to shut my eyes at the part where they push that poor cow over with the tractor! How horrible can humans be to animals!!? I'll even try save a bug from getting squished... except for snails in my garden.
3.I love getting into bed at night with a "few" magazines... hubby calls them my paper boyfriends... I'm never without something to read.
4. I want to learn to knit, croquet, and quilt so I can make all those lovely things I see on all your blogs... but then my garden calls my name and somehow all my best intentions get lost out in the dirt somewhere.
5. I love my chickens. This is embarrassing to admit, but I think they're cute! Instead of shoo-ing Hana off my lawn-chair, I run to get my camera to take a pic of her all stretched out in the sun as if she's a human.

6. I don't think there's a single type of food I don't like ... and it shows up immediately on my thighs. I try to be good... but forget it. Life's too short to worry about it.
7. I live a stone's throw from beach, but often go weeks without walking on it. I know! Bad, huh?! Its a terrible thing not to walk down there every day, but I let duties get in the way too often.
8. I love learning about the old ways of doing things... not so much the amount of time it takes to do them though. I treasure family heirlooms and the stories that go with them.
9. I have a closet full of "projects" ... all organized and waiting for my attention, but do I stay out of the fabric and craft stores? NO! If I find another " good idea" ... sigh... I'm resigned... its a losing battle. One day my kids will be cleaning out my things and I'm sure they will not be happy campers!

So I'm passing this on to 9 friends, but if you've already received this award count yourself doubled loved!

Dzintra @ Queen of the Armchair The first visitor to my blog, when I felt quite intimidated with blogging! She's definitely a kindred spirit and I can't imagine blogging without her!

Penny @ The Comforts of Home/Lavender Hill Studio An amazing artist, and you've got to see her piquet assiette birdhouses!

Joni @ Old Centennial Farmhouse We see life pretty much the same on so many fronts, I can't count. It just feels like home at her blog.

Judy @ Red Velvet Her art and visual stories speak more than a book full of words.

Jaime @ Rayne This girl creates pure magic with her camera, and with her thought provoking words about her wanderings.

Anna @ Nature Trail an amazingly strong girl who has conquered alot this past year!

Manuela @ Pleasures of Homemaking She enjoys keeping house and it shows bigtime!

Well I made it to 6... but its late... a quarter past midnight to be exact... and though I haven't gotten to 9 awards passed on, its not for lack of appreciation for so many of you, my blog friends... its because my brain is falling asleep and hubby thinks its time to quit for the night.

Have a great weekend~

xxxVicki

Memorial Day & Cook- up with Dzintra

2010-05-31T16:33:00.001-07:00

Memorial Day
May 31, 2010

To all of those who have served in the past,
and those who are serving now

We thank you for your selfless service to our country
We love you
and
We honor you today

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Its been awhile since I've done a cook-up with Dzintra

but finally here it is

Short but sweet!

A few posts ago I (well ok, maybe more than a few)...
I think I was chatting about my broccoli being ready to harvest
when Susan, over at Miss Maddie's suggested that
it would make a great cook up with Dzintra.
I couldn't agree more!

Dzintra is from the Great Down Under,
and I from the Big Up Over
(don't you love those country titles? (:

We've so enjoyed sharing food ideas,
Dzintra's recent graduation from TAFE (Technical and Further Education)
and so many scrumptious recipes from a mutually loved
magazine by Donna Hay
What a blast we've had!

My subscription to the magazine ran out
and I've had a doozie of a time getting a new one
(a story which I won't bore you with!)
Anyway, long story short...
its now reinstated and I hope it gets here soon!
Dzintra informs me that the current issue
focuses on Maple Syrup from the Big Up Over state of Vermont!
Sounds wonderful, doesn't it?

Back to today's cook-up

On this Memorial Day in the USA,
we usually have a big BBQ with all the trimmings,
but for circumstances beyond our control,
I'm on my own.

So I thought that today was a great time to do a cook-up with Dzintra!

Cream of Broccoli soup

Yep,
simple
but
DELICIOUS!

Since my new magazine isn't here yet,
I went hunting for a Donna Hay recipe that would fit the bill,
Here it is~

Lemon and Broccoli Soup

50g unsalted butter
1 leek, rinsed and sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 broccoli, chopped
4 cups (1 litre) vegetable stock
100g baby spinach leaves
1 cup (250ml) single (pouring) cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
sea salt and cracked black pepper
80g fresh ricotta cheese

Heat a deep, medium saucepan over high heat. Add the butter, leek and garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the leek is tender. Add the broccoli and stock, bring to the boil and cook for 8–10 minutes or until the broccoli is tender. Add the spinach and cook for a further 1–2 minutes. Use a hand-held blender to blend the soup until smooth. Stir in the cream, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and top with ricotta to serve. Serves 4.

I wandered out to the garden,
clippers in hand
and found this perfect broccoli head

and these perfect lemons
(grown just for me by our lovely Lemon tree outside our window)

And these tender sweet spinach leaves

Put them all together in the pot
along with one of my own additions to the recipe:

1 tsp of cayenne pepper (for a little zing)

And the indispensable glass of wine

...and voila...

Dinner alfresco!

Have a great week

Reminders...

2010-05-30T11:37:00.000-07:00

I have been feeling a bit sorry for myself lately
As winter slid into spring
the weather warmed,
though its been a rainier cooler year all round

...I had dreams of a leisurely spring
of planning out my garden,
days in the sun...

You know that dream?

Unfortunately this has remained just a dream.
The reality is that there's never enough time in the day
to accomplish the things I love to do,
let alone the things that have to be done.

The mad dash starts early each morning
and goes until late in the evening.

...the current job keeps money coming in,
but is demanding and time consuming

...the comings and goings of the household,

...the never-ending household up-keep,
laundry, cleaning, meals, dishes

...family health and losses

I know I'm not alone here,
and really, this is not meant to be a grumble session in any way!

But its easy, when life's demands get hectic
to lose sight of what's real,
and of what brings happiness.

We have to look for those things in every moment of every day

I haven't had time to read my emails and peruse your blogs,
a thing I love doing!

I find myself wonder if anyone will actually remember me
when I do show up.

Then last evening afforded me a precious few moments
to reconnect, read emails and blogs...

I found an email from my friend Coty at Styling by Coty Farquar
She said she there was an award for me at her blog,
so I went to check it out, and here is what it said...

'This is an award is for those who are brave enough to expose

just enough to reach, touch, and possibly help someone

else to see something differently.

and I pass this award on to

Vicki at Vicki's bit of Earth

for being true to herself!

And just at a time when I was thinking to myself
that I was anything but "true to myself" right now.

Thank you Coty~
Suddenly I was reminded that every day
I must consciously remind myself to enjoy every breathing moment.

The job will end, having given me money to spend on my grandbabies!

The house will still need attention every day,
so take joy in the fact that I have the health to do it!

Be thankful for friends,
that encourage me to stay true to myself!

So today I've been fortunate enough to have a little time to myself
and here is what I've with the time...

And now I'm passing this lovely award on to

Dzintra at Queen of the Armchair
for her real and tireless devotion to her family
and to her blogging friends!

To Susan at Miss Maddie's
for her words of encouragement
and always showing the real beauty in all of life

Jaime at Rayne
for her amazing photos and thoughtful words about real life

June at Laughing With Angels
for touching us with her words and images of her beautiful life

Astrid at Grandma's Red Stitches
for sharing her beautiful work with fabric and thread

Shannon at Our World
for making me laugh and for being a loyal friend to those she loves

Alina at The Purple Caravan
for her honest and thoughtful words that never fail to lift my spirits
and provoke thoughts about life

There are so many more I could add to this list
of people I appreciate for being "Real"
Wish I could list you all!

Thank you all
for coming into my life~

~Today~

The local small Flea Market

This little beauty is a covered vegetable bowl
by Homer Laughlin - Virginia Fluffy Rose design
Years ago my grandmother divided what was left of her
wedding china between me and my sister.
We each got 6 dinner plates, 6 salad plates and 2 cups

I've looked up replacement pieces, and all are fairly expensive,
so I've not really bought any...
until now!
This little lovely was only $3.00!
Don't you just love it when you find things like that?

Crock Pot & two screens
I've never made my own sauerkraut before,
and the cabbages are ready
so when I saw this lovely 5 gallon crock,
I nabbed it for $10.00!

And the screens...
I'm not even sure what they're called,
but I have an experiment going in the garden...
CUMIN!
I'm experimenting with growing my own,
and according to the how-to's,
I will have to thresh the tiny seeds out of the seed heads...
I think these screens will do the job just fine!
And can't beat $3.00 each, right?

Here are the baby Cumin plants...
We'll see how they grown!

This morning the sun was sparkling on my garden
I just had to take a pic of it

I hung Chamomile up to dry...
I'm thinking tea for next winter!
Here its growing...

and here it hangs to dry

Raspberries are coming on!

Basil and Italian Flat leaf Parsley

The first tomatoes will be ready for harvest soon...
we're all watching intently,
and imagining that wonderful flavor!
There's nothing so good as home grown tomatoes!

The Topsy Turvey Tomatoes are doing great!
I love this little experiment so far...
in fact I may go get a few more of them.

Pickling Cucumbers and lettuce will be ready to plant out this week

Flowers will be ready to plant out soon too

And the flowers in front of the greenhouse are in full swing

Last, but not least.... bear with me here!

The girls are just too cute!
Hana and Putt-Putt are full grown,
and should be laying eggs soon...

They still think they are people (:

The little girls are about half grown

Funny thing...
I thought I'd be the only one who loves them,
but it appears that hubby loves them too.

Scenes of a busy life

2010-05-21T21:09:00.000-07:00

The older I get,

the faster life goes.

Right now I'm dreaming of the day when I can

...putter in the garden allll day, every day

...sit and read a whole book in the sun

...walk down to the beach every single day

...go see my grandbabies any ol time I want

...sit for a whole half hour in a hot tub of water
and get all pruney.

but alas,
it seems these will remain a dream
at least for now.

I'll race off to work in the morning
back in the evening to make supper,
then grab a few minutes here and there
to complete mini-harvests from my garden...

~Life~

I remain grateful for it all

Scenes from my Bit-o-Earth

~Today's Harvest~

Broccoli

Cabbage

And Oregano

This year's supply will be hung to dry
and stored is a glass jar
How about you?
Do you have time for all you wish to do?

Have a great weekend dear friends!

Busy Bit-O-Earth

2010-05-10T21:12:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been so busy
that you don't know which end is up?

That's what its doing here at my bit-o-earth!

The chicken coop is finally done!

and the younger girls seem to like it

But the two older girls, (Hana and Putt-Putt)
get to wander around the yard.

I have to admit I'm pretty much of a softie with these two.
Since they were the only survivors of the dog attack,
they've enjoyed special treatment.

Everyone in the family is attached to them,
and their antics never fail to bring a smile,
or an all-out laugh!

Sometimes we have to race them to the back door
to get inside and shut the door before they get there...

I guess they haven't forgotten where they were raised,
or maybe they think their human!

(Hana does have a full leg here... she's just resting on it)

The garden is in full swing...

Peas for stir-fry

Baby Leeks

Corn
My Grandpa used to say that corn should be
"knee high by the 4th of July."
I think we're right on track here!

The tomato plants have reached the rafters of the greenhouse
where the garden chandelier hangs,
and we should have ripe tomatoes within a month
Yipeeee!
And my newest experiment,
the Topsy Turvy Tomato grower is doing great!
I may even get a few more of them.

The Bean Tipi has baby beans sprouting around the bottom.
In a few months the walls will grow
and hopefully fill the tipi with all colors of hanging beans!

Chamomile is ready to pick and dry for winter tea

California Poppies

and purple Flags

My favorite flower...
the Roses are in full bloom
I can't resist bringing in vases full of them!

So that's my spring so far...

How's yours?

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T08:40:00.000-07:00

~Thank you Mom~

Thank you for your tireless devotion to three generations;
to me
to my sons
and to my grandchildren~

Thank you for your cheerfulness,
even though I now know you were more often exhausted

Thank you for being a stay-at-home Mom,
even though I know the budget was always tight,
because raising 4 children with only one parent working
was a strain (to say the least)
It meant the world to me and the others,
though we didn't realize it until years later
when we had our own families.

Thank you for teaching us
to be kind
to share
to help others
to be responsible
to be accountable
and to be thankful

Thank you for always being there
when life hurt
from the innocent little hurts
to the big and heart-breaking ones.

Thank you for giving, and giving, and giving...
to this very day~

Happy Mother's Day
~I love you Mom~

When life hands you lemons...

2010-04-28T06:58:00.001-07:00

Make lemonade!

My two not-so-little buddies,
Aiden and Ashton came to visit on Sunday

I always look forward to visits from my grand-nephews

They came ready to be farmers!
All dressed up in their overalls,
Aiden immediately said,
"Aunt Dittie, we have our farmer clothes on
so we can work in the garden!"

How cute is that!?

So I put them to work with shovels,
and they did a pretty gosh-darned good job
digging the weeds along the edge of the garden.

After that, the treat!

LEMONADE!

They filled every available pocket the the golden jewels
from our Lemon trees

They squeezed them all
and had a refreshing drink after all that hard work!

Ahhh.... the life of a farmer!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Then there were my big boys!
Nothing warms my heart so much as watching
the comradery of the group of best buds
that my boys went to high school with!
A handsome group of great young men,
I'm very proud of them all.
The friends are all like our own kids,
so when they all come home to visit
I'm in heaven!

They are all out of college and into their careers now,
but when they're home, they become boys again,
and all we do is eat, gab and laugh!
There are 12 of them in all,
(only half of them here...)
They still get together for each of their
birthdays, graduations, and any other big event.
I suspect this will continue until brides and babies come along! LOL
But even after that, I know the boys will be friends for life.

Love you boys!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spring is in full swing for me,
and I'm swamped with it all
so if I haven't gotten around to all your blogs
quite as often...
you'll know why for now,
but as soon as the season turns into
the lazy hazy days of summer,
things will slow down a bit and I'll visit more often.

Until then,
make every moment of life count,
and have a great day~

New Baby & a Surprise

2010-04-21T14:54:00.000-07:00

We're back from our new baby's birth
He's such a sweet little doll
(what else could a grandmother say?)

I don't know how our son and DIL got so lucky,
but they now have a second very good baby...

He sleeps well
...has no tummy aches
is so calm and observant,
He just looks around,
checking out his new world.
He's a sweetie!

His big sister looooves her new baby brother!
I think Max is a lucky little guy
to have such a loving sister.

She brings diapers to momma

...and listens to his heartbeat!

Notice the dirty mouth?
Every now and then she gets to have M&M's
mmmm!

She teaches Nami how to listen too! (:

What fun!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And a most lovely surprise came in the mail today!
all the way from my dear friend Dzintra
over at Queen of the Armchair

I love the Koala on the envelope!

...and inside...
these gorgeous Handmade-by-Anna gifts!!!

Thank you Dzintra!
~You have the perfect touch~
I love them!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And next up...
planting in the garden,
care-taking of 8 new baby chicks
(who will join Hana and Putt-Putt
when they get big enough!)

The first two are big girls now,
and stay out in their new chicken coop.

Wishing all of you a lovely spring
or fall (Australia) day~

Rain Rain Sew Sew

2010-04-12T18:48:00.000-07:00

Its been a rainy 2 days

I don't know what got into me ...

But, since its been rainy for two days...
I've been SO restless.

And everyone in the family knows
that I have a strange sort of "lack-of-sun-disease"
in spring and summer

If the sun is gone for more than ...
oh say...

24 hours...

I start to get a little neurotic

Anyway, I have soooo many things that need "doing" out in the garden. Way too many to be waiting for the rain to stop!

For one thing - hubby had to leave on a business trip this week ... before getting the ramp done for the chickens to get in and out of their new coop. I have to leave them this week to go for the birth of our second grandchild ... and I immediately realized that this leaves an extra job for me to do ... before I leave too.

I've done plenty of fix-it jobs around the house, and I'm not afraid of most machinery (in general) ... but running a chop saw is just one of the things I don't feel super confident about... but something about that large loud saw makes me a bit nervous.

I'm pondering the issue.
Maybe a handsaw...

So it was raining raining...

and I have lots to do...

but still,
as I'm putting some things away in the closet,
I got the wild hair-brained desire to sew!

and voila!
...there on the shelf
sits all my unfinished sewing projects...

The one that caught my eye was

all cut out and waiting to be sewn up

It had been cut out for...

...hold onto your chair now...

8 years!

Does it get any worse than that?
(and that's not the longest waiting project I have...
but we won't go there)!

So there it sits... a garden dress!
Its a pattern that I drew up for myself years ago...
(because nothing I bought was just right for working in the garden)

...back then I had pulled out my garden journal,
and put my creativity cap on

...and doodled
until I drew out something I thought would work better in the garden.

You know...
something with BIG pockets
(to hold all sorts of doo-dads I need while working)

...something sleeveless
so I could wear my choice of long-sleeved,
short-sleeved,
or even tank-top blouse underneath,
(depending on the weather)

...something plain-ish
because I get dirty in the garden,
(and don't want to worry about messing it up)

...but kinda cute-ish too

...something that looks great
in either plain or patterned fabric.

I used butcher paper to draw out the pattern.
I fudged a little by using a McCalls pattern for the full skirt part.
(to make sure I got the measurements right)
but the rest was a free-for-all, and then

Ta Da!
A garden dress pattern was born!

I sewed one up with muslin,
just to get all the kinks out of the pattern,
and finally came up with a dress I loved.

Over the years I've sewn up numerous dresses
that I've worked in,
used up,
and tossed into the rag pile.

But I needed a new one for this year...

so there it sat...
...waiting for ME!

and besides that...
a few weeks ago I had found
a lovely little embroidered table runner
at the flea market.

I thought of it immediately...
and realized that the colors go well together
(I'll show you in a minute, but first I sewed up the dress)

It took all of about an hour

But now I have a dilemma
and a few questions...

to throw out there into the wild open spaces of blogland.

The ends of this table runner have lovely
hand embroidered hearts, butterflies and ribbons

...which would go great on the big wide pockets of the dress!

~BUT~

Would it be practical?

AND/OR

Would it be TOO CUTESY
for (shall we say) an "older" woman?

I mean,
it would look great on Dottie Angel
or
the cute Miss Merrick over at Apple A Day

...but
...you know what I mean?

The completed dress

The dress with the table running hanging above

and with the table runner hanging from a pocket

So tell me what you think?
Be honest...

and thanks for stopping by!

(:

Precious

2010-04-08T20:21:00.001-07:00

Its been a totally crazy couple of weeks around here!

How's it been for you?
I've missed reading around my favorite blogs,
and haven't had a moment to myself

On Easter Sunday my nephew brought his precious
family over to hunt for any surprises the Easter Bunny
might have left, have dinner and spent a little family time.

I love when they come over,
because that means my two favorite little buddies,
Aiden and Ashton come to play!
They are just the cat's meow to their Aunt Dittie!
(that's me... Aiden named me that
when he couldn't pronounce my name)

Here's Aiden
He's turning into such a big boy...
I'm kinda sad about that
He's 4 years old
And here's Ashton
Isn't he a doll?
And his little personality is just like his face!
Joyful and always smiling
He's 2 years old

We always have a great time,
and now they are joined by a baby sister,
Autumn Dawn.
She's just as precious as the boys!

Isn't she just a Cutie Patootie!?
Those chubby cheeks are irresistible
As you can see!

She gets lots of kisses...
and she deserves them too!

How could anyone resist those chubby little cheeks!?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And in the chicken world
Hana and Putt-putt are turning into big chickies
Hubby has been racing to get their coop finished...
we leave soon for the birth of our second grandchild,
and the girls must be safe while we're gone...
(or I'll worry myself silly... which wouldn't be a good thing)

Out in the garden...
things are growing beautifully,
but more slowly this year.
We've had a very cool and wet late winter/early spring.
It has slowed things down a bit

~The apple trees are in full bloom~

~I can't wait to put the onions into food~

~Potatoes~

~Sugar Pod Peas~

~Tomatoes will be ripe for eating by May~

And this is my latest experiment
I saw these hanging tomato pots a the garden nursery
They intrigued me, and I just had to get one.
You plant the tomato down at the bottom of the hanging pot,
and water it from the top.
Its called the Topsy Turvy Tomato grower
We'll see if I get tomatoes that look like the ones in the pictures!

Next to go into the ground will be,

Aubergine (Eggplant)
Cucumbers
Zucchini Squash
Green Beans
Pumpkins
... and much more

Our gorgeous California State Flower,
the California Poppy

This time of year there are fields of them
I love their cheery faces,
and mow around them on the property

Its evening now,
and as the sun sets over the Monterey Bay
I think of everything that's precious in my life...

family
pets
garden
health

A roof over our heads
food on the table

...and being lucky enough to sit in front of the Big Blue
out there on the western horizon each day.

During the hectic days,
its important to take time
to count the blessings in life;
to live in the moment
and to not take anything for granted.

~Thanks for stopping by dear friends~

Angels come with red hair~

2010-03-26T20:14:00.001-07:00

I hope I don't bore you too much...

but...

We just spent a wonderful week in Oregon
with our Son, DIL and grandbaby,
and I just have to put a few pics of Sophia up.

I don't think I have a single photo without her in it! (:

Sophie turns 2 years old on April 1,
but we celebrated early
since baby brother will be born near that date.

Here she is in her new dress

She is now calling me Mee-Mee...
I have no clue why,
but I'll take it!

Playing with Popi

Every child, grandchild, and now great-grandchild
is introduced to Papa's (my dad) pride and joy,
the John Deere

Momma removes a sliver

and saves her from the scary Daddy monster (o;

~Have a great weekend~

2010-03-20T20:44:00.000-07:00

Endless To Do List items were the order of the day

I'm heading off to spend a couple days with my sweet Sophia!

She's a girl after her Nami's own heart (that's me)
See the rake in her hands?
She and her daddy started a garden this week
I'm sure she'll tell me all about it...
the trick will be understanding Sophia language! (:

She loves flowers

She'll be 2 on April 1,
but we're celebrating early
because baby brother is due to arrive
about the same time as her birthday.

I spent today getting last minute things done
and packing to go

The baby chicks are turning into teenagers...
all raggedy and gangily...

Putt-Putt shows off her height and new feathers!

They talk to eachother constantly...

"Something moved...
we're sure its a yummy bug!"

"Hey! That was my bug!"

They're a real pair!

The Cecil Brunner rose is starting to bloom

I can't wait for it to be a froth of pink over the garden gate
The blossoms are intoxicating

The greenhouse is busy these days too
The tomatoes are putting out flowers in good numbers
We should have tomatoes by the end of May

Fusia and Geraniums in hanging baskets

In the outside garden area,
DH has made me these rather unsightly,
but very effective garden bed covers.

They serve to keep bugs off,
and the heat in during the early spring days.

My favorite buddy, and trusty work horse

Earth is here so kind,
that just tickle her with a hoe
and she laughs with a harvest.

by Douglas William Jerrold,
about Australia, A Land of Plenty

Happy St Patrick's Day

2010-03-16T18:38:00.001-07:00

In honor of the few Irish genes I inherited from my mother's side,
I'm seeing green collections around my house

Beads

A vintage green photo album

Green colored books

A collection of green vintage kitchen implements

Green vintage bottles

Kitty on the green rug?
Ok, maybe that's a stretch...
but couldn't resist our cute kitty
all snuggled up on the floor!

~And an Old Irish Blessing for you~

Wishing you a rainbow
For sunlight after showers—
Miles and miles of Irish smiles
For golden happy hours—
Shamrocks at your doorway
For luck and laughter too,
And a host of friends that never ends
Each day your whole life through!

Don't forget to wear Green,
and avoid a pinch

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2010-03-15T21:31:00.000-07:00

The ancient Greeks wore wreaths of these little jewels,

and the Romans made them into wine.

According to Greek mythology,
the violet was created from the tears of a nymph
who was loved by Zeus.
In order to hide her from his wife,
Zeus turned her into a white heifer.
She was forced to eat grass.
It was so bitter that she cried.
Her tears were turned into violets by Zeus
to provide delicate fodder.

This time of year my viola odorata is in full bloom
I can't walk by the patch without stopping short
and taking taking a deep breath
... and another..
...and another...

It started with two small plants,
and now have a 20ft long patch of violets along my garden fence.
They love rich loamy soil
and a little protection from hot afternoon sun

Viola Odorata is a perennial plant with soft
heart-shaped leaves and intoxicatingly
heavily scented flower.

Probably the most common know use is
crystallised for use on cakes or in desserts,
but did you know that a decoction can be made
to use as a remedy for chest colds?

... and a syrup of violets serves effectively
for bronchitis, coughs and chesty colds.

~Violet Syrup~
Put 3 large handfuls of flowers into a bowl
and add 1/2 cup of boiling water.
Cover and let sit for a whole day.
Strain through a piece of cheesecloth or muslin
and be sure to squeeze all the water out of the flowers.
In an enamel pan, add 4 Tbls. of honey with the Violet water
Heat slowly to dissolve honey and bring to a boil.
Immediately remove from heat, and cool.
Put the violet syrup into a screw top jar and store in a cool place
for the next time you have a cold.

~Violet Ointment~
Violet ointment is made with fresh violet leaves
and can be used to soothe and reduce swelling,
or to soften dry lips,
or for soothing haemorrhids.
Melt 2 heaping Tbls. of pure lard or
vegetable shortening in an enamel pan
and add a handful of chopped leaves.
Cover and cook on very low heat for 30 minutes.
Strain immediately through a piece of muslin or cheesecloth
Pour into small pots
Cover when cool
and store in a cool place.

~Aromatic Bath~
After a tiring day, draw a nice warm bath
to which is added a strong infusion of violet water
Pour 2 cupfuls of boiling water
over 3 handfuls of violet flowers.
Leave to infuse for 10-15 mintues
then add to your bath water.
Climb in and relax!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I want to thank all of you for leaving kind words yesterday
It was a tough day
It amazes me that I have been so fortunate to have found all of you
and I count you as friends
Thank you for your words of encouragement.
I'm probably a bit silly about my animals,
but I get so attached to them.
When something bad happens to any of my pets,
I almost can't bear it
They are dependent on me,
and I take that seriously -
and love them.

My favorite little Tweetie Pie didn't survive
the dog attack on Sunday.
She was the most loving of the 7 chicks,
and liked to sit on my foot,
even when I walked around.

But since losing their sisters,
these two little ones and I
have become very attached to eachother.

They hate being left alone in their box,
so in order to be able to move around,
I put them in the big floppy pockets of my garden dress
and there they sleep while I work

This is Put-Put
(Funny name, I know... but its hubby's choice!)
She's very active and bold...
always first to chase a bug or find a tasty morsel

and this is Hanna
(no reason for the name. It just seems to fit her)
Hanna is very quiet and gentle
and loves to cuddle

Hubby is working feverishly
to get a strong coop made for the girls.
We've been planning to take a trip to Oregon
to see our Sophia (grand-daughter) next week
I'm nervous about leaving the chicks...
We'll see how they like their new coop

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Happy Spring to you~

Heartbreak

2010-03-14T11:29:00.000-07:00

The woes of raising animals
is that you can fall in love with them
but lose them.

This morning the neighbor's dog got into my greenhouse
where I have been keeping my baby chicks during the day
until hubby got the coop built...

I thought it was totally secure,
but obviously not.

All but 2 of my baby chicks were killed.

I'm just sick
and sad...

Peek-a-Boo

2010-03-10T12:21:00.000-08:00

I'm still feeding my birds
I'll taper off soon since food is more plentiful for them now,
but for now I'm still enjoying their company.

Many of them are very trusting of me
Some don't even move from the bench as I put food down,
but this little guy wasn't so sure of me.

I think I know what he's thinking...

"What's that!? ...something's moving...
I'm not sure if I want to be here..."

"I think I'll just move over here... just in case I have to get outta here!"

"OK... I'm outta here!"

I know alot of bird watchers really dislike these little guys,
but who can resist a picture of those yellow eyes,
silky smooth feathers and deep metallic blues?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I found this perfect air-tight gallon sized jar at Cost Plus World Market
Its perfect for storing my sundry ribbons n' lace!

With everyone tightening their belts due to the tough economy,
DH has built me a clothesline

I just love it!
He surprised me with a fancy little twist on the ends (:

I had forgotten how good line dried sheets smell!
After drying my first load of sheets in years,
it brought back memories of my childhood...
as we climbed into bed and breathed deeply the wonderful fresh scent
and drifted off to sleep

I got the best night's sleep~

2010-03-08T10:43:00.000-08:00

Minna over at Blomsterverkstad

is giving away 3 of her beautiful new books,
so go on over and check it out!

True, its not in English,
but I don't need words to love the ideas and images

~She's an amazing stylist~

Cook- up with Dzintra

2010-03-03T20:34:00.001-08:00

Somehow I let my subscription to Donna Hay magazine lapse
By the time I realized it,
I had missed out on the newest issue.
I'm totally bummed
and will have to go to the bookstore to see if I can find it.

In the meantime I renewed my subscription,
but its taking a forever to get here from Australia

Sooo... I went on over to Amazon to see what I could find
(I love that store!)

I found this wonderful cookbook from Donna Hay!

So I bought it
because I've really been very impatient
to do my cook-up with Dzintra

I found a delicious recipe in the new book!

Ready-ing all the ingredients...

~Ginger~

Wine vinegar
Soy sauce
Sugar

Fresh Corriander (cilantro) from my garden!

Pad Thai Rice Noodles
with chili peanut sauce

Chicken simmering in the sticky sauce

Here's Donna Hay's photo of the dish...

And here's mine...

Looks delicious, doesn't it!?

It was!
I ate way too much
(I can feel the chub attached to my hips as I type)

I love Donna Hay
I hope this doesn't offend anyone,
but to me, she's kinda like Martha Stewart is the US

but better....
Is that bad to say?

I love her style
Its classy, but down-home,
and the photos are as delicious looking as the food tastes

~~~~~~~~~~

I've hatched a new project for myself...

I've been creating a recipe book for myself
...and another one for my little Sophia.

To keep all my favorite recipes in, and
I'm hoping that one day she'll like having my recipes too
...like I love having my grandmother's recipes

She may not realize it until later...
But in the meantime, I'll have fun making the books

They're both in the style of True Colors,
(a collaborative art journal produced by Somerset Studios)

I found this unique little binder at the flea market
...so here's what I've been doing with it...

(slowly... as I have time)

The pages have pockets where my recipes slide in and out

When the binder is open,
it sits up on its own self-contained stand.

Isn't it fun?

And here's Sophie's Recipe Book

I'm not as far along with hers,
but I figure I have a little time...
she's only 2...

Here she is...
super serious about mixing those cookies!
and wearing her little apron I made for her 1st Birthday

I wonder if she'll have favorite dishes that her Nami makes...
Can't wait to find out!

(:

Woo Hoo!

2010-03-02T19:47:00.001-08:00

Done!

Finis!

(Well, except for the buttons...)

My little Sophia's Birthday dress is almost complete!

and I didn't have to rip a single seam...
... pretty darned relieved about that one!

Now all that remains
is to find a pretty shirt to go under the jumper,
and to find a few child's garden tools
for the other part of her birthday present.

I've been wondering if the gardening bug
would rub off on any of my kids,
and it appears that it has...
Sophia's daddy (my darling son)
has decided its time to put in a garden!

I can't wait to see the progress when I
go up to their house for the birth of our 2nd grandbaby,
and for Sophie's 2nd Birthday!!!

*******************************

And on the chicken front...

This is Tweetie Pie!

My favorite chick!
Whenever I put my hand into the pen,
she rushes over and jumps on board!
So cute!

Sea Jewels

2010-03-01T20:20:00.000-08:00

I'm posting this image
just because its so beautiful

Don't you just love the colors?

Its seaweed from down at the beach

Recent storms have tossed alot
of this lovely weed up onto the beach

as I say the word "lovely"
I've got a clothespin on my nose
its lovely to look at,
not so lovely to smell

So I brought some home
and hung it up under the eaves of the porch

It looks like jewelry,
don't you think?

~Maybe mermaid jewels~

Hello there

2010-02-24T13:52:00.000-08:00

Its been a crazy busy few days
with the new babies~

We've had a ton of rain over the past few days,
but today the sun finally came out again.
I went out to check on the garden and greenhouse

The greenhouse was a nice toasty 85 degrees F,
and the tomatoes are looking great!

Since the baby chicks are doing so well now,
I decided it was warm enough to let them enjoy it

The second day after I picked up my baby chicks, I lost one.
It about broke my heart.
Some just don't get as good a start.
She's buried out by our dog, Jazz.
I called the feedstore,
and they told me they'd replace her,
...so I went in to pick up the new one.
I saw that there would only be one baby left,
and I didn't want to leave her alone
so took her too...

Now I have 7 healthy babies,
so out to the warm greenhouse to catch a few bugs!

If I thought my children grew up fast,
its true,
they did...

...but nothing seems to show the growth
quite as fast as these little girls!

They are already looking teenager-y
They have little stick-up tail feathers
and are a bit gangily looking,

but still oh so cute!

They think I'm their Momma,

...and of course I kinda like it (:

They rush over to my hand to see what I have,
They aren't afraid to sit on my hand
or in my lap.

They're definitely going to be pets!

Chicken have come home to roost...

2010-02-20T16:10:00.000-08:00

Hi friends!
Guess what?!

We have new family members!

... feathered ones...

These cute little gals arrived at the feedstore yesterday
We had put our name in for 6 baby chicks last month

Aren't they cute?

They don't stay fuzzy long...

Years ago, when the kids were young
we had chickens.

It was the kid's job to feed them,
gather eggs

and the most horrid job in the world - clean the coop!

We haven't had chickens for ages,
but we couldn't resist this year

We're looking forward to lovely
blue and green eggs,
These chicks are Americana's
... that means no coloring them for Easter

They'll never go into a pot,

...and it may sound a bit silly,
but chickens become pets to me

They'll all have names
and they'll help me keep bugs and slugs
under control in the garden.

Welcome Home Chickies!
(:

Friday Sew-in

2010-02-19T20:43:00.001-08:00

Tonight I joined the Sew-in
that's advertised over at Handmade by Heidi

I've been looking forward to this evening of sewing
a new outfit for my little Sophia's 2nd birthday.

However, I neglected to really check out how the
pattern might fit Sophie.

I settled in to cut out the pattern,
but as I looked at the pattern

I realized that my little Sophia

is

a

t
a
l
l

girl!

Her daddy is 6ft 5 inches tall,
and her momma is 5 ft. 10 inches tall!

She's been measured at 90% in height
when she goes to the doctor...

So I looked at the pattern and it just didn't look right.

I measured it...

and thought about it...

...and ended up calling my daughter-in-law
to ask her to measure Sophie
so I could make sure it would fit.

Well, it wouldn't fit!

Sophie's the right size around the middle...

but waaaayyyyy taller than the pattern!

So needless to say,
my Sew-in became a bit complicated!

I had to match the measurements,
and adjust the bodice and pants,
by making them 2 inches longer on each.

I was so nervous...
I'm NOT a seamstress!

I caaaaan sew...
and do when I'm so inclined...

but really,
if I make a mistake...

the garment almost always goes forever unfinished.
I just hate ripping seams!!!

So in this case, I didn't want to make ANY mistakes!
Especially since I love the fabric.

Needless-to-say...
what I got completed for my Sew-in
was the correct size cut out of the fabric!

Yep, that's all! That's it!

Now I'm pooped,
and going to sit in bed with a book.
I need to relax my brain from all the figure'n!
LOL!

I will join the Sew-in again though!
(:

I miss you still...

2010-02-16T18:31:00.001-08:00

Zella Mae

September 1913 - February 13, 2009

I wasn't going to post anything about
it being one year since my beloved Grandmother passed,
but I can't help it.

Have you ever missed someone so much
that it actually hurts?

That's how I feel about my grandma.
I posted about her life last year when she passed,
so nothing more need be said except,

~I miss her so~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I'm down or blue,
one thing always feeds my soul...

~Le jardin~

Following the crazy storms of January,
we've now got glorious weather,
so I've been out in the garden every day.
(I should be doing so many other pressing things,
but I can't help it right now...)

I just have to be out there

Over the past 2 days I've rototilled the whole thing
...raked and cleaned the weeds out

The soil is ready

the first crops to go into the ground will be:
onions
garlic
broccoli
cabbage
cauliflower

The first plants in the greenhouse are:

Tomatoes

Basil

Italian Parsley

We'll have garden fresh tomatoes by May.
Can't wait!

I took some ibuprofen right away, so I don't feel it yet...

but I'm going to be so sore later!!!

I really do torture myself! LOL

I grew up in Southern California, but lived for over 20 years in the mountains of Southern Oregon (4400 ft above sea level). We usually had snow on the ground until March... and could have frost anytime of the year because of the high elevation. But when we moved down here... what can I say? I am in heaven!

If I really wanted to, I could garden year round ...but its good to take a break, so I clean the garden in December and let it sleep until the middle of February. I don't take it for granted. I feel very fortunate to live here.

~A few garden vignettes~

(Note to myself: don't forget to bring the candles in each evening!
It gets up to 100 F during the day in the greenhouse)

~Smile~

Spring has sprung

2010-02-15T11:46:00.000-08:00

You know that particular feel in the air,
when the sun suddenly seems brighter and warmer?
... when the air is warmer,
...the birds are louder,
...the bees are busier?

I love that feeling!

It arrived in my garden this past weekend

It called us,
... and we answered

Its our thing
the thing we do together,
the thing we share a big common interest.

See this little machine?
Its 20 years old February 14

it was my Valentines Gift all those years ago...
and its still humming along.

Thank you Valentine Man! (:

You could say its our hobby

And the side benefits:

*exercise
*fresh air
*a feeling of accomplishment
*delicious organic food

Ahhh....
Spring has sprung!

~Happy Valentines Day & A Happy Surprize~

2010-02-12T19:37:00.000-08:00

I met my Valentine

on Valentines Day
30-some years ago

He was tall
...with red hair

He drove in to my Dad's ranch in a big truck

He was looking for hay

He played the guitar
and sang love songs

Who could resist?
Certainly not I!

Happy Valentines Day
my wonderful man!

I'm a terrible pack-rat

... a collector of too many things...

One of my collections includes

Vintage Childlife Magazines

Any printed before 1930
by Rand McNally & Co.

Here's a little Valentine Wish to each of you

A little Valentines Day Dessert

It was a long and difficult day today

I drove into the drive,
and checked the mailbox...

I found a sweet surprize
from my dear friend Dzintra!

Did she know how I love bees?

I'm not sure I've ever told her how I love them,

but there in my mailbox was this sweet surprize!

A small notebook
With a BEE on it!

Though I'm not a Bee-Keeper (Yet)...

I collect vintage Bee publications

I'm studying how to keep Bees...

I try to save them,
if I see them floundering on the beach

I've never once been stung by one,
though I handle them all the time.

I work among them in my garden
I love to hear their merry humming

I plant flowers that they love,
to thank them for their hard work

Without them, humans could not exist

~Thank you Dzintra~
For the sweet gift!
You made me smile,
and you made my day!

I plan to spend my Valentine's Day
with my Valentine man!

How about you...
Do you have a Valentine?

DUH on me!

2010-02-08T17:53:00.000-08:00

Well... what can I say!!?

I can tell you that my kids sometimes call me
DORY
after that silly fish in the "Nemo" movie!

So I'm known for spacing things off...

I've been so busy with work
that somehow my calendar got real messed up.
I thought today was a holiday..
but NOPE!
Its next Monday

So Shannon,
your package will still be on the way tomorrow!
LOL

~sheepish grin~

Just Because Giveaway Drawing and Winner

2010-02-06T20:39:00.000-08:00

Its time to draw a name
for my "Just Because Giveaway"

Putting this together was tons of fun!

...print up all the names of those
who asked to be entered in the giveaway

...put em in my nifty Amish Hat

Mix em up...
and don't peek!

and the winner is....

~Shannon from Our World blog~

Congratulations Shannon,
and thank you for visiting my blog!

This little package will be on its way to you on Tuesday
(since Monday is a holiday)

Under the magazine
are a few things that will hopefully
help you celebrate the lovely neutrals
seen in Scandinavian Decor!

Thanks for visiting!
xx Vicki

A "Just Because" Give-away

2010-02-01T15:00:00.001-08:00

Hi Everyone!

Today I'm Annoucing a
~Just Because Give-away~

No reason...
except ...
since starting my blog a year ago,
I've become enamored
by the gorgeous blogs of
Scandinavian Decor

Have you seen them?
Gorgeous!

I keep wondering if that decor will start to catch on here

On several of the blogs I follow
I've seen this beautiful magazine

~Jeanne d'Arc Living~

I just couldn't stop myself
I had to have one...
just to see all the lovely pictures,
and to get a few ideas for my own home.

I found a blog that offered it for sale
and ordered one.

For some reason when I tried to pay,
it didn't seem to work out...
I didn't think the order went through,
so I went hunting for another place to buy the magazine.

I found it at Enchanted Treasures
and ordered it again.

Surprise!
Both orders came!

Its the most gorgeous magazine!
(and its in English)
Its filled with tons of decorating ideas.
I think I'm in love!

So now I have 2 Winter issues of Jeanne d'Arc Living
and one is going to waste...

so I've decided to hold a drawing
to give one away to one of you.

If you want to be included in this give-away
just comment on my blog,

(grab the Just Because Give-away button
and put it on your blog)

Your name will be put in the hat!

The drawing will be on Saturday, Feb 6

(in celebration of my brother's birthday...
I'm sure he's excited! LOL)

Spread the word
If you know of anyone else who loves
Scandinavian Decor,
~Send them here~

Good luck!

Here are just a few pages in the magazine

Treasure

2010-01-31T23:05:00.001-08:00

The rain will be back tomorrow,
so a walk to the beach was in order today
while the sun still shines.

Its turns up all kinds of treasures

The winter storms have tossed piles of debris onto the beach

Some of the debris is unwanted...

and sometimes I wonder how the sea creatures
bear the piles of stuff that gets dumped into their home.

I love the path to our beach
Its lined with aromatic Rosemary shrubs

Amongst the blue flowers
are these little "honey pots"
happily humming up a busy day.

...a stray feather makes itself into a lovely ornament

Well camouflaged,
this little pretty hides in the grasses and suns itself.

It only takes a few minutes on the beach,
to melt away the stresses of life.

I could just stay on the beach forever...

What would it be like to
not have to go to work,
pay the bills,
clean the house...

Would I get tired of just listening to the waves?
I can't imagine that I would

Did you get to take a walk this weekend?
down a neighborhood street
or a wooded trail
in a park,
or at the beach...

No matter where you walk,
nature is always there to offer its treasures

2010-01-31T17:36:00.000-08:00

Can a leopard change his spots?

(photo credits - http://amurleopards.net/)

Can a man change his stars?

Do I really have a choice?

Aren't these the biggest questions of all?

.. and ultimately what hope rests on?

~just think'n~

Gypsy Friends

2010-01-29T11:17:00.000-08:00

We have some dear friends who are true gypsies
They popped in for an overnight stay last night.

We've been friends for about many years,
...raised our kids together,
and have stayed in touch forever.

They've been sailing for years,
and have made Australia their home-away-from -home for the past 8.
They started out by learning to sail on a small lake
near the town where we all lived.
They both went back to college and became nurses
in order to support themselves wherever their travels took them.
As they honed their sailing skills,
they gradually expanded the distances.
Before long, they had sailed from California to Hawaii,
then down the west coast of South America
through the islands
and on to Australia.

They own this (pic above) large beautiful catamaran
and have made Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia
their homebase
...until now.

We've enjoyed years of receiving emails, photos and
amazing tales of travel from them.

A few years ago, they took a kitty on board,
who they named Pooterhead
(go figure... where do we get these names! LOL)

This cat loved living on the boat
and learned to swim from boat to land and back.

A few years ago some other friends and I talked
Shirlee into writing a book of their tales of travel.
We've been working together on the book ever since.

Well, its almost done...

To publish the book
is dream that will hopefully be fulfilled one day!

So they popped in last night after flying in to Los Angeles.
They're moving back to the States for now.
Shirlee's parents need her help for awhile.
Sadly, they are selling their boat and staying ashore indefinitely...
but one day they plan to buy a new boat
and sail down the East Coast of the US,
and on down to South America.

We had hoped to vacation with them in Australia one day

...but the years rolled by and one thing or another always came up...
or maybe we allowed it to.

Sadly for us, it looks like our opportunity has escaped us...

for now.

I so admire their gypsy-ness...
You wouldn't believe the tales they have to tell,
and I love hearing them

...but I am also so much an earth person.
I need a home place, a garden and a solid spot on earth,
but I can kinda live a gypsy life vicariously through them,

...because I know their gypsy blood
will not allow them to stay land-bound for long.

And one day we will join them for an adventure!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After seeing this little button on Dzintra's blog,
and then following the link to Heidi's blog to read about it...

A Sew-in sounds too inviting to ignore.
I'm making this new outfit for Sophie,
and a sew-in will give me a boost to get it done!
I can always use an extra incentive...
So I'm joining the February Sew-in

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

El Nino

2010-01-25T13:43:00.000-08:00

Before winter, the meteorologists said we were in for an
El Nino winter.

For us it means that we will have a warmer and wetter year.
Well, El Nino finally showed up last week.

Last week's storms took out all our communications
for a few days...
No TV, phones or Internet...

...which left plenty of time to think in quiet.

At first I felt cut off.
Then I got to thinking...
When we were first married,
we lived out of town by 3o miles or so...

We only had one TV channel,
no Internet,
and we even had a party line on our phone.
Anyone remember those days?

So, what to do with all the techno-free time?

Watch the storms roll in off the sea
Read
Sew
Clean
Dream up plans for Valentines Day

~It was actually quite nice~

The storms gave us a break over the weekend, so we took stock of the damages. The whole neighborhood was doing the same. Our neighbors were burning fallen branches and debris, and as the fire burned everyone stood around for a neighborhood chat. What fun!

Sadly, we realized that one of our avocado trees had been damaged at the roots by the high winds and rain. It was lifting up on one side and leaning toward the back corner of the house.We had no choice... It had to come down. I really hated cutting that tree down. It was healthy and producing (even though we couldn't reach the fruit), and trees are such special things. This one was meant to be pollination for its partner... ):

Later, toward evening...
after the fire died down a bit,
the kids brought out the hot dogs and marshmellows for roasting.

~Its great to have good neighbors around us~

When the tree came down,
all the avocados came with it.
I now have two large baskets full,
and have been giving them away to neighbors and friends.

Soon, when they have all ripened,
it will be guacamole time!

Other damage was done to part of our back fence...
smashed by falling limbs.

It may look like just an old mossy fence,
but under that moss was lovely redwood.

We've already had about 12 inches of rain over the past week
and the soil is saturated, but more is due to come in this evening and tomorrow.
We're always thankful for rain,
and if the communications go out again,
I've got another book to read~

Oh Stormy

2010-01-20T10:16:00.000-08:00

Three of four storms that are lined up out in the Pacific
have hit us.
One left to go...

Yesterday lightening and thunder...
so big that it almost felt like an earthquake!
We have this hug Redwood tree in front of the house.
You can see it on the right in this picture.

The lightening was amazing!
For about an hour it was one streak after another

I hope hope hope its strong enough to withstand the
60mph wind gusts we've been getting!

In the back yard,
a whole trunk of a falling Cyprus tree has smashed our fence

Naked looking Avocado trees,
and a yard filled with piles of torn off branches.

At one point we were getting 2 inches of rain an hour

One more storm is slated to come in tomorrow morning,
but after that, hopefully we'll get a break.

We need the rain, but this amount all at once
has caused power outages, flooding, and mudslides
in our area.

So far, we still have our power...
"knock on wood!"

A big clean up will be in order when the sun comes out!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, I had a chance between storms
to go to the fabric store and buy this fun mix of fabrics.

Years ago, when my boys were little
I made matching sailor outfits for them...
proof that I can sew IF inspired to.

My problem:
one mistake, or need to rip a seam,
and the garment is likely end up abandoned.

I really must work on "patience"
Hopefully I can make this easy little pattern for my Sophia,
without having to fix mistakes!

One remaining pumpkin gets a shower on the back porch

Waiting for spring...

2010-01-17T12:45:00.000-08:00

Here I sit,
waiting for spring...

Feathered friends are busy eating to stay warm.

The old broom and bucket wait to be used

The old bench waits to be meditated upon

Traces of last year's Agapanthus stand bare

The nut trees drink up the rain

A last remaining pumpkin of last year's harvest sports a hole...

maybe a mouse house?

This week's weather forecast is for rain, rain, rain.

The prediction - wind, flooding and possible mudslides.

We need the rain...
so I'll sit inside and wait where its warm,
... thankful for the rain.
That ensures a good start for my bit o'earth.

What are you doing while waiting the up-coming season?

Cook- up with Dzintra

2010-01-12T20:23:00.000-08:00

~Bonjour mes amis~

Its time for another cook-up with Dzintra over at Queen of the Armchair! For those who might not know, Dzintra and I enjoy sharing cook-ups! Its a sort of Julie and Julia thing ...without Julie or Julia... just us (: What fun we've had! If you care to join in... please do! Pick your recipes and have a go! Link to us, and make it a party~

BTW, I saw the movie "Julie and Julia" over the holidays and loved it! If you haven't seen it yet... I don't think you would even have to love cooking to enjoy this fun and heart warming movie.

Dzintra is the real chef here! She has completed a Cookery Course at TAFE (which I would love to do one day too) Check out her cooking blog at My Dolce Vita . I love to cook, but have never done much other than cook for my family. Somehow as we chatted via email, we realized our shared love of cooking and a good Food Magazine from the Great Down Under by Donna Hay... so one thing lead to another, and when Dzintra suggested we do a cook-up, I loved the idea! The rest is history. Its been so much fun that we've continued... even if there are some long stretches of time between them.

It takes a surprising amount of time and dexterity to juggle food and a camera at the same time! During each cook-up, I find myself racing between stove, oven, sink and the camera... while trying to keep from smooshing food all over it... and keeping the food on schedule at the same time! DH thinks its hilarious to watch, but doesn't have a word of complaint when the food is brought to the table!

Usually we try to choose our menu from the most current issue. I've had a subscription to Donna Hay, but I didn't get it renewed before it ran out, so haven't received the most current issue yet. I decided to choose a few recipes from past issues for this cook-up.

So here it is, the menu for Cook-up with Dzintra #3:

The recipe for Avocado Egg Salad,
came from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.
Next time I'll use one of Donna Hay's great salad recipes,
but this one was delicious too.

Smoky Beef Rib Eye Roast
from DH issue #45, pg 112

This recipe started with a delicious rub that includes
lemon zest, sumac (not the poison kind. I had only
heard of the poison kind before, so had never used this before!)

both hot and smoked paprika,
Rib Eye Cutlet (which I couldn't get, so
I went with a roast instead)

and whole roasted garlic on the side.

This rich tangy recipe was delicious,
and a huge hit with DH and sons!

Pumpkin and Mascarpone Risoto
from DH issue #32, pg 104

The risoto was a hearty complimentary side to
the rich flavors of the Beef Rib Eye.
I had pumpkins left over from my fall garden... it was a perfect fit!

Sour Lemon Cake
from DH issue #44, pg 142

(Dzintra, one note of interest - I made this gluten-free!
I just exchanged the flour with my gluten-free flour,
and voila, it turned out great!
DH and boys didn't even notice!)

served with

Jackson-Triggs Vidal Icewine
from the Niagra Penensula

which I learned of from Susan
at Miss Maddie's

Thank you Susan!
This was a most exquisite sweet dessert wine that
offered a rich silky finish to our dinner.
I believe DH and this wine are new best friends!

~Bon appetite mes amis~

Blissful Weekend at last

2010-01-08T18:46:00.001-08:00

After a hectic week
This weekend I plan to:

Walk - down to the breakers

Sit - on the beach

Listen - to the waves and wildlife

Stare - at the big water

Poke - around tide pools

Look - for the coveted lovely Purple Sailor

(I've only found them once in all the years we've lived here)
Janthina
This little treasure is a floater,
and due to the light weight
and the very fragile nature of this shell not many
perfect specimens are in collections)
up to 1 1/2" (4 cm.)

Wait - for sunset

~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm always mesmerized by the waves

What is it about water?

...especially moving, tumbling, crashing water.

It has a way of washing away the everyday stresses
and replacing it with peace.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I plan to surprise Hubby with a home cooked meal...

After being gone from home on business,
its what he looks forward to.

This weekend will be my next cook-up
with my friend Dzintra over at
~Queen of the Armchair~

A perfect addition to this cook-up
will be this lovely small prize!

~Icewine from the Niagra Peninsula~
My friend Susan, at Miss Maddie's
posted about this lovely dessert wine last weekend.

It looked so inviting that I had to ask her to tell me more.
She did, and I ordered a bottle.
I was so surprised that it arrived in one day.
I can't wait to taste it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For those of you who requested it...
a 100th Post Thank-you & Give-away
is finally in the mail

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What will you be doing this weekend?
~I hope it brings you what you wish for~

Is it that time already?

2010-01-06T13:11:00.001-08:00

I get completely giddy each January!
When the Garden Catalogs arrive...
avoid the crazy woman in Monterey!

I begin doing crazy things...
like pulling out every gardening book I have,

and you'd probably be aghast if I dared show you my library!

I can tell you, my DH is often aghast...
but has totally given up.
If you ask the questions...

"Another one?"

and...

"Why do you really need another gardening book?"

only to get the same answer from each time...

"I don't know, I just do!"
Well, you'd either go nuts, or give up!

But one thing I will assure you (and him)
I DO read every one of them...
over and over.

Plus, the photos are to die for.

Also, out comes the garden journals from years past...
They're refresher courses on what went right,
and what went wrong.

Always tweaking the new garden~

What can I say?
Come January, I 'm a little bit crazy every single year!

Christmas through the eyes of babes

2009-12-31T09:38:00.000-08:00

Pardon while I indulge myself
... and talk about my Sophia~

After a grueling 12 hour drive (each way)
its good to be home (sort of)

I needed a day to catch my breath,
mourn over leaving my sweet Sophia,
wish we lived closer to them,
and get back into being home.

There nothing quite like experiencing Christmas from a child's eyes
(...especially when its my first grandbaby)

It brought back memories of my boy's growing up
sentimental memories of Christmases past

Funny how that happens as I age, isn't it?

Now I know what those tears were all about
years ago as I watched them flow from
my grandmother's and mother's eyes
at times like these

This is the first Christmas Sophie really understands
and what excitement!

To see her eyes light up!
..and hear her squeals of delight!
...at seeing her new dolly stroller, highchair and play pen
sitting under the Christmas tree!

She knew exactly what to do with them!

I had all boys
so watching a little girl's excitement over girlie things
was a blast!!!
Its amazing how little girls just naturally love dollies

Other fun things were...

Cousin Tristan being there too!

A tube to climb through!
The simplest things make children happy
If only we could keep it that way

Learning toys

Kitty was such a help!

and SANTA showed up!
(my brother did a great job! LOL
...Tristan is his 1st grandchild)

Dolly must go for a walk in her new stroller!

Come on Nami!
Put that camera away and go for a walk with me and dolly!

When it was time for us to leave and go back home...
and to know it will be a few months before I see her again...

well, nothing more need be said.

Tears and a journey...

Here's to looking forward to the next time I get to see my Sophia!

~2010~
Happy New Year to all

2009-12-21T09:49:00.000-08:00

My 100th post was to be my last before Christmas,
but I can't help myself...

I've found Nancy at last!
After literally years of searching for any word of her..
I found her,
I just had to let any of you who are interested...
the founding Editor of our (well, at least my)
beloved Victoria Mag azine

Thank you Nancy~

100th Post & Giveaway

2009-12-18T20:13:00.000-08:00

Hello blogging friends~

Welcome to my 100th post

I hope I don't bore you to death today,
but I'm just going to let it roll
since I will be taking a bit of a break from blogging
to visit my Sophia (and her parents) for Christmas!

But first...
To celebrate my 100th post,
if you email me and let me know you're interested,
I'll send you a little something from the Monterey Bay.
(It won't come to you until after Christmas - when I get back home)

~Happy 100th Post~

So should you be so inclined... settle in
because for some reason I'm a little long-winded today.

Wow... never in a million years did I think blogging would be like this! I started out pretty careful of what I wrote. I've focused on the good things in my life, and resisted writing about negative things. There are plenty of negative things in life, but I figure no one really wants to read about them.

Still, as I thought about what to write in my 100th post, I decided that life has both sides ... positive/negative, yin/yang, light/dark, up/down, good/bad... as a general rule I don't want to focus on the negative side of this equation, but I don't want to ignore it either...

so I've opted just this once...

for an open splathering (is that a word?)
of whatever is on my mind.

...hopefully I'll still have some friends at the end of this post!

I grew up in the 50's... a time when life was simple. Oh man, that sounds like an old thing to say! I remember my grandparents and parents talking like this ... and now I know how true it is! Life is always simpler when we were young! (My kids will probably say the same thing...)

I was raised in a religious family during a time when that wasn't a bad word. It was a time when it was safe to play baseball in the street until well after dark. A time when we knew there were bad people, but they were called "hobo's," and they weren't in our neighborhood.

I think I was a pretty lucky child.

-My parents were happy people.

-They made life good for us, in the best "family" kind of ways.

-They're still married.

-Oh sure, they had a few tough times, but who doesn't? Its what we do with those tough times that matters. They worked through them... did the difficult things, and are better for it today.

-We weren't rich, but we weren't poor either.

-We always had just what we needed... a roof over our heads, enough to eat, and clothes on our backs.

-We got handmade Christmas presents, and were excited about them.

-We made paper dolls by cutting out magazine ladies and their outfits. It took two years for my sister and I to get Barbie Dolls for Christmas... because they were a bit on the expensive side, and Mom had to stash money away for them.

-Mom was a stay-at-home-mom in a day when women weren't looked down on if they were.

-She was always there when we got home from school.

-We ate homemade suppers together as a family, and were expected to help with the cooking and cleaning up afterwards. No "if's", "ands" or "buts" about it!

-We didn't own a clothes dryer until I was around 8 or 9. Instead we had a wringer-washer and a clothesline.-We didn't own a television until I was at least 12... and it kinda looked like this
-Women looked like this! My sister and I laughed at the pointy pokes we got when our aunts hugged us!
-We made up our own entertainment, using ingenuity and imagination.

-No, I didn't have that beautiful canopy bed I dreamed of at age 13.

-No, I didn't get that cherry red Corvette that I drooled over at age 16... but I did get the horse I dreamed of ... and worked hard to get a B average in school to keep my end of that bargain with my dad.

-I didn't get a car until I was in college.

-I wasn't allowed to go out on a date until I was 16.

-I had a real job at age 15. Babysitting jobs long before that...

-I worked my way through college. It was hard, but I did it... no student loans.

-My parents never argued in front of us kids... Yes, they argued, but I didn't know it until years later.

-We contributed to our community by collecting food and clothing, and distributing them to those who needed them.

-My heroines were my Mother, Aunts and Grandmothers.

-My heros were my Dad, Uncles and Grandfathers.

-My Dad worked his hiney off ... even had three jobs at one point, to support the family. He was an accountant at first, then manager of data-processing for a hospital. He was also a teacher at the local community college, and accountant for the local credit union, as well as his flying club. He loved the outdoors... was a "rock hound," an explorer, and a nature buff. Both my parents taught us rock-climbing, wilderness survival, and how to identify local animals, insects and plants. My Mom was amazing! She could keep up with Dad any old day!

-It was difficult, but they also saved and bought a house. I'm still amazed at that... with 4 kids and all.

-We all worked.

-We had one car for most of my childhood, and my Mom didn't have her driver's license until I was 12.

-We worked to earn money for the things we really wanted... like bikes or other special items here and there.

One time my grandparents came to visit for a week, and Grandma taught my sister and I how to sew.... it stuck with her ... but not with me. (My mother worried that I'd be a terrible wife/mother one day!) Oh, I knew how to sew ... just preferred not to. I'd rather be outside.... riding my horse or doing outdoor things.

(Note - something must've stuck though, because I now think of myself as a "decent cook", and I keep my house clean. I still prefer to be outside in the garden though) Back then, I preferred to learn about "guy stuff"... like engines and how they work, how to drive a tractor, fix a fence... I learned to drive in a stick-shift pick-up truck long before I was allowed to drive on the roads. Does the word "tomboy" fit?

Does all this sound kind of corny, silly or goodie-two-shoes-like?

Probably, but it was my life.

Oh sure, there were bad things back then. Of course there were! We had bad people around, but for the most part I felt safe, and over-all I thought I could trust people.

But now....

I have to admit that I don't really feel safe. I'm kinda concerned for my grandchildren's future. There are people I know I can trust... but in general I don't have a "trusting" feeling about society.

Do you?

Sometimes it feels like the world is coming unglued. Am I alone here? Do you feel it too... or... is it just me?

The news never was a "good" thing, but I don't know... it seems absurdly bad lately. I can't hardly stand to listen to the news ... but I do anyway. I feel forced to, in a way.

And here's another thing... do you think most kids listen to adults? It seems like they are mostly in their own little world... with an ipod or cellphone permanently attached to their bodies, like an extra appendage.

Do families eat supper together anymore?

Who are the heroes and heroines for kids today?

What are the words to their music? Oh I know... there's good music now, but we had the best music back then!

And kids have so much handed to them. How many really have to work hard for anything?

And I think we're being robbed at every turn ... by all the popping "money bubbles" that suck our savings, retirement and inheritance away into thin air ... the government, the banks, the companies ... It seems we either have more scallywags around, or they are just more out-spoken (or maybe more bold) ... or all of the above!

Scallywags have always been around ... that's true, but I just feel surrounded by them now.

I don't even want to venture into politics here... that's kind of a taboo... but suffice it to say I'm not happy. Haven't been. Enough said.

Geeze... I sound OLD! Its embarrassing...

I'm really not, uh... what's that word my Grandma used to use? ...a "fuddy-duddy!"

(I just looked it up, and its actually in the dictionary!)

fud·dy-dud·dy (fd-dd)

n. pl. fud·dy-dud·dies

An old-fashioned, fussy person.

Well, I suppose that's what I sound like right now, but don't get me wrong here... I'm not a stick-in-the-mud. I love a good party. I know how to have a good time. I'm not afraid of adventure, or trying something new... but I sorta like being a fuddy duddy in certain things. I just can't seem to put my finger exactly on what I'm trying to say at the moment.... I'm an old fashioned kind of person ... but then, I'm not either. I love the old-fashioned family ways. I admire my parents, and hopefully I can give back to them when they need it in old age... because they gave me everything.

I have a lot to be grateful for, and I try to say so each day. I have a decent life. We work hard and try to do our part... We have jobs, and we can pay the bills. We have a roof over our heads, food on the table and clothes on our backs... and I guess that's saying something today.

So there it is... in all its wordiness...

~My 100th Post~
Thank you for stopping by,
and thank you each, for sharing your blogs with me too!
I enjoy each one so much~

Merry Christmas!
See you again when I get back~
(:

Angels n' Nuts

2009-12-16T22:05:00.000-08:00

You might wonder what angels and nuts have in common?

At Christmas time something happens to me
I get all silly over ideas for fun projects
Each year I give my neighbors something from my garden
This year it will be Nuts

We have 5 walnuts trees,
so...

1. I picked them (it took several weeks)
2. Dried them in the sun on the front porch
(which took another two weeks)
3. Then I cracked them ... alllll of them
(that took another two months,
while watching chick-flicks, of course)
4. Roasted them with a delicious Ginger-Honey Glaze

Recipe:

Ginger and Honey Roasted Almonds

Yield 5 cups

Inspired from: Eat Make Read

5 cups almonds

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

2 tsp salt

2 tsp ground ginger

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp water

2 tsp canola oil (or another flavourless, odourless oil)

Preheat oven to 325°F/160°C

Place nuts in a single layer on two rimmed baking sheets. Toast until nuts are fragrant, 10-15 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through cooking. Meanwhile, combine sugar, salt, and ginger in a small bowl and set aside.

Combine honey, water and oil in a large saucepan. Bring it to a boil over high heat.

Reduce heat to low and add roasted almonds while still warm. Cook, stirring a few times, until all of the liquid has evaporated and evenly coated with the honey, this will take 3 to 5 minutes. It should look nice and shiny at this point.

Now, spoon the sugar mixture over the nuts, stirring between every addition of sugar and spice mix and then tossing it thoroughly to coat evenly. Spread nuts in a singer layer on a sheet of parchment paper to cool. Can be kept in an airtight container for 1 week.

5. Meanwhile, back to the crafts ...
I used quart-sized canning jars, an idea from Hanna ,
and her lovely Norwegian blog...
(I can't understand a word on her blog,
but I love looking at her styling!
And I've come to love the beautiful whiteness
of the Scandinavian crafts & home decor!)

I stuck sticker stars all over them,
and along with using a paper doily, I sprayed them silver.

6. I sprayed the lids silver too.

7. Then, using silver paper doilies and wooden craft clothespins,
I made little angels to hang on each jar.

I won't tell you how many nuts I ate while roasting them,
but suffice it to say, they're ADDICTIVE!
(:

Merry Christmas Crafting!

and WOW, I just realized that this is my 99th post!
How time flies!

...almost 100!

Homemade Christmas Cards and Stitchery

2009-12-14T20:01:00.001-08:00

Each year I make my own Christmas Cards

And normally they'd be done and mailed by now...
but I got a bad virus and was sick for a week,
so the creativity wasn't flowing very well.
Time is running out,
and I actually considered not sending any at all!

Until today...
I made myself think up a super fast design
and work it all out...
in one day.
What a push!

but its done and in the mail... finally!

First, pull out the paper and stuff

Play a little bit with some ideas...

Have a super brain block...
until finally some ideas started to flow...

I decide to fold cream colored card stock to make a card,
and sew some pretty paper on one side of it
to make a pocket

I have a very simple Singer machine
because I have a sort of love-hate relationship with sewing
(to be honest, I usually end up outside in the garden)

Its not that I can't sew...
it's just that, when I do sew,
I always make mistakes!

And when that happens,
I hate ripping seams so much
that I usually toss the whole thing into a box,
and there it stays forever!

The sewing machine works well for attaching paper sleeves though!
And no ripping seams! (:

Pick out a cute pic of my grandbaby, Sophia!
Print it out on a bazillion papers

Stick em in the pockets...

and Voila!

Meanwhile...
outside in the rain, my birds are having lunch.

AND... I'm pretty proud of this one!

My friend Dzintra,
over at Queen of the Armchair aka Dzintra Stitches
had sent me a stitchery project
waaaaaaayyyyy back last spring (fall for her)
I had my garden to attend to all summer
and didn't get to my project until the weather changed
and I had that cold last week!

Well, finally...
here it is!

Isn't it great?
Thank you Dzintra!
I loved creating my first stitchery project,
and now I'm hooked!
Already looking for something new (:

Now all I have to do is put the backing on it and hang it in my office! YAY!

Come take a walk with us...

2009-12-12T19:48:00.000-08:00

Hubby and I have had a little project going on
for the past 3 or 4 years.

We walk the beach as often as we can...
not every day, but whenever we have a span of time to spare,
we stroll the beach to the north and to the south.

We've made it our pet project
to find as many access-ways to the beach as we can on this bay,
and we've decided to call them, "beach portals."

We take pictures of them,
and try to learn all we can about each one.
And who knows...
maybe one day we'll write a book

Firstly,
what is the definition of the word "portal?"
por·tal (pôrtl, pr) - noun
entrance, entranceway, entryway, entree, entry -
something that provides access (to get in or get out);
"they waited at the entrance to the garden";
"beggars waited just outside the entryway to the cathedral"

Secondly,
we try to answer several questions:

...whose portal is it?
...how did it come to be a portal in the first place?
...what does it mean to the people (or even animals) who use it?

~Meet the beach portal for Old Camp McQuaide~

This particular beach portal
is the access way to a 400 acre piece of land
that used to be called Camp McQuaide during WWII...

...named in memory of the deceased,
Major Joseph P. McQuaide,
who had been the Chaplain of the 1st California Infantry
and the 250th Coast Artillery for many years.
Following the expansion of the US military in 1940,
the camp was developed as a
Coast Artillery Replacement Training Center,
and in 1943, it was converted to the
West Coast Processing Center...
the official stockade for all stateside
Army AWOLs (Absent With-Out Leave)
and other troublemakers.
Even now, there are unseen underground
bunkers along the bluff that have long been locked up.
Some, however are used to house farm equipment for farmers
who now work the strawberry fields up the hill a ways.
Under this very spot... is a huge empty bunker.
You can stand on it and see the
large metal pads where gun mounts used to sit.

There is even an old amphitheater that sits
just up off the bluff... all closed up, and not in use for many years...
but back in the day, it was used for entertainment for
military personnel.
Its a grand old place. I've been inside it before...
but unfortunately I have no photos.
Its got a huge solid wood stage,
with floor to ceiling burgundy velvet curtains,
and rows upon rows of beautiful burgundy cushioned seats.
Back in its day, I'm sure it was considered to be plush!
I've often wished I could just go in,
sit down and see back in time...
to the shows that were given back in the 1940's.

See that small plateau across the gully?
There's an old gun mount there too...
and a bunker beneath it.

Just past the trees to the left,
there's a private air strip...
Hummmm...
I wonder if it was used during WWII?
I bet so, but I have no proof. Not yet...

The camp was decommissioned after WWII,
and sold to become a private high school
for boarding students.

What a place to go to school, hmmm?

This old Camp McQuaide,
is the only true privately owned beach on the bay...
or so we've been told.
Its the only part of the beach that you can allow
your dog off his leash,
and you can't be cited for it!
The rest of the bay is public,
and all dogs must be on the leash.
I used to bring Jazz here almost every day.
I sure miss the ol boy!

(unfortunately, vandalism is a problem)

And so here it is...
the lantern lined "beach portal" of Old Camp McQuaide!

So far, I can only go back to the 1940's,
but there is much more history to this place,
and I plan to find it ...

For now, I hope you enjoyed hearing of one of the many
"beach portals" on the Monterey Bay, California.