Make your own wreath

I have wanted to make my own wreath for a couple of years I just never took the time. This year I took the opportunity of a free hour to make a very rustic wreath with things I had on hand.

 I used:

1.An old wire wreath form from a past wreath.

2.twisty ties (because I didn't have any regular wire.)

3. A bunch of mixed evergreens.

4. Pinecones picked up in our grove.

5. An old bow also from a past wreath.

 1. gather little bunches of mixed greens and wire them to the wreath at intervals to make as full as you want.

 2.tie on your bow.

 3. Tie on your pinecones

 4. Enjoy!

Mmm.. now my hands smell like lovely evergreen as an added bonus.

The first snow!

 One of my coworkers told me to stop swearing when I said the word "snow". Now is that anyway to talk about the beautiful terrible frozen white water that falls from the sky?

 It was only a little and I know that it makes life harder and scarier for driving and the salt ruins your car and......

I don't care right now.... it's just so fun ! and you can make a snowman, go skiing and sledding and you have a reason to stay cozy in the house. I'm glad I live where it snows but shh... I won't say it too loud.

Biking in December

Where do I live?

 Iowa ...right?

 I keep saying this is the last day I'm gonna be able to go biking and lo and behold one more beautiful day!

 

I find abandoned roads interesting and a good place to stop and stretch.

Life is full of surprises. Count the little ones.

Feeling the blues, and oranges, and reds ......

The other day I came home from work and I just felt .... Aauurruggg!

Sometimes there just isn't words for the way you feel and sounds come as close as anything.

 In that temperament I sat down to paint. I didn't use a reference photo just went with the flow and splattered and painted to my hearts content. I used crayons for fun because I had them handy and I forgot to remember where my light was coming from or the fact that I have already painted three tree paintings in the past

 But I felt better afterward and I was able to sigh and give up being frustrated and tired and just plain...Argggg.

 I prayed as I painted and didn't linger overly long on the painting. I don't think it is quite done but I needed to stop or I would have killed the freshness and ended up being more" hmmmph".

I wonder how frustrated God gets with us? it that why thunder storms are so beautiful and terrifying at the same time? why is it so hard to express emotion sometimes and especially in a good way?
I'm thankful for the paint to use and the colors God has allowed me to see and feel. Don't you feel colors?
especially rich vibrant ones they seem to have a "mmm" good feeling that delights your eyes and makes you want to see more?

Carmel Apple cake

This is one of my favorite cakes. Even though this particular cake isn't very picturesque it tasted wonderful! My sister made the cake and I hurried it out of the pan thus the mangled right had side of the cake. So don't feel bad if this happens to you because when there is so many pieces the warm carmel can just seep in all the better!

I think we need a bigger platter ....or maybe not because I got to clean up all that lovely carmel on the counter with my fingers......

Caramel Apple Coffee Cake

Yield: 12-16 pieces

Ingredients:

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

1-1/2 cups of vegetable oil (or mixture of melted butter and oil)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups of flour

1 teas. salt

1 teas. baking soda

3 cups chopped peeled apples

1 cup coursely chopped pecans or walnuts

Topping:

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup milk

1 cup packed brown sugar

pinch of salt

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs until foamy; gradually add sugar. Blend in oil and vanilla. Combine flour, salt and baking soda;add to egg mixture. Stir in apples and pecans. Pour into a greased 10-in tube pan;

bake at 350 for 1 hour and15 minutes or until the cake tests done. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.Remove cake to a serving platter. For topping, combine all ingredients in a saucepan; boil 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly pour over warm cake ( some topping will run down onto the serving plate or the counter (:)

DIY craftiness

 I love receiving handwritten letters, don't you? It's not an impersonal printed junk mail . Someone actually took the time to think of you and write a special message to you. They didn't care about how much the postage cost, or that it would take a few days to get there. So I want my friends to feel the same pleasure and I usually hastily write a note on a blank piece of paper and doodle a few pictures to make it interesting.

 But today I'm gonna have fun not caring how long this takes: hand printing my own sationary.
I scavengered around the house to use things I had on hand; a carrot, a vase and I even tried using some left over indian corn.

 Okay so I'm not always very good at long term correspondence but a random thoughtful letter I can do.

 I found these biscuit cutters in the bottom of my kitchen drawer. What fun! I need to use these on some fun food project sometime. I have every size from teeny tiny to giant monster cookie.

 I'm sure there is a lot more sophisticated stamps out there but these were so relaxing and refreshing in their simpleness.

Dear, friend I made this just for you because I love you and I wanted you to know.
P.S. write back soon!

Farm auction

It was a sunny day in late Sept. I went to have lunch at my Mom and Dad's .Dad was just returning from a morning at a neighbors farm auction. This particular neighbor was a bit of a horder or junk appreciator. So his sale was a big deal, lots of stuff tucked away in the grove where most people store things that they just can't part with or don't know what to do with. I decided to check it out with my Dad all the rows and rows of stuff.

 But when I got there I found something much more interesting ( sure a whole hay rack of tractor manuals was pretty hard to beat ). Circles of old farmers chatting with their neighbors telling stories , telling jokes; some I'm not sure I want to hear but just enjoying the festive afternoon.
It made me long for the days when people knew their neighbors and worked and helped one another.
I only recognized a handful, many names I remembered my Dad mentioning.

 It was fun to see my Dad talking and joking with his old friends . One a college roommate "he was a bit wild in college, but his wife tamed him down. He would do anything for her". Another father and son who used to finish hogs for Dad. Growing up I always thought they were brothers, but apparently the son was born when the Dad and Mom were still in high school .They got married and never had another child. I wonder why.... it makes me curious to know what the background of all these men are?What did this farm look like in it's hay day?

 I wandered the rows of house hold goods random items catching my eye. I chatted with a good friend and neighbor.  After awhile I looked through the hats and suspenders for my Dad he seemed to have farmer camoflage on. And then I spotted him in the middle of the bidding circle head down . He was bidding on something only needing to nod , the auctioneer helpers (not sure what their proper name is) knew to give out a holler.

My dad and I went away empty handed ( mom would be happy) but I still enjoyed my afternoon with dad at the Farm auction.

Fall inspiration

I like brussel sprouts ....well at least a few meals ,but after 4 or 5 I kinda agree with most people "yuck not brussel sprouts again!" since I am the Gardener and the Cook who grew them and cooked them I have no one to complain to. ( brussel sprout chips aren't half bad if you don't burn them brussel sprout chips)

So I went outside and chopped them down" enough is enough". The tops are actually quite pretty and I couldn't just throw them on the compost pile, so I planted them in empty pots of soil and created a little fall display by our back door. Thankyou to my days in flower shop.

Look who came to visit me at the Antique shop! It pleased her Aunties heart to see her love for hats.
We tried on almost every hat in the shop.

What would it be like if we still wore hats today? what styles would we be wearing? would we wear less sunblock? ahhh the important questions of life.

Apple Strudel

 If you go to Austria one of the things you MUST do is find a beautiful old downtown ,find a seat outside a little cafe and order yourself some apple strudel with a cappuccino. Even if it rains the whole time you are there or if you are lost and unsure of your next hostel. This will make everything seem better.

 So this painting is in honor of a very happy memory (good food and good company) .

It was our last day in Europe and I realized I had forgotten to take a picture of an Apple Strudel. We had been sight seeing and walking all day . And as we walked to the top of the hill there of course was a beautiful restaurant with rows of tables under umbrellas. I actually prefer mine with whipped cream ,but this vanilla sauce wasn't too shabby either. 

Danke schoen!

Antiques

I've always had a thing for old stuff. I remember as a kid going through the old bottles and cans Mom was going to send to the land fil and using them in our tree house. 

Good-will holds a special place in my heart.

I especially love old kitchen stuff: dishes ,plates, cups and bowls and cookware.

You can always use another table cloth.

 So since I had some free time what with still not having a job and all, I decided to ask my favorite local Antique shop if they needed some help. it's quaint and funny and the coffee crowd comes in twice a day to sit and visit. I've learned that visiting involves talking about who lives where and when and what the good old days were like, The weather and sometimes some politics.

 I've learned what vaseline glass is and how it looks under a black light and what candlewick glassware looks like. ( If you stop by I'll show you ).

 I've learned how to make a Latte and Cappuccino and a Mocha and what Drunken Uncle coffee tastes like. (it's actually quite tasty). I've met Fred and Weber and Mina , and listened to Chuck tell stories of his family running Paullina's own chicken processing plant. I've heard all about the four day blizzard in the 70's and how they had to just let the milk run out on the ground because the milk truck couldn't make it.

I've also had the opportunity to dust every single glass thing pictured on that shelf above. yessiree old stuff might be old ,but it doesn't have to be dirty! So I'm glad I asked and if you're ever in the area stop by for a coffee and a visit. Sit back and talk about the good old days and rest from the nowadays hustle and bustle.

Pie crust

Never fail pie crust.

I have this thing about pie crust: I really like it. Okay there can be really bad pie crust ,but I'm not terribly picky; I like an all butter crust , a lard crust and even an oil crust. And sometimes I'll even eat a pillsbury crust but it wouldn't be my choice (you need a good amount of ice cream ).

When I make crusts I usually use this recipe from my mom's nursing school cookbook. I have tried different kinds ,but this is the easiest for me and I can make it in the food processor with similiar results every time.

This crust works well with Fruit pies and pumpkin pies ,custard pies and even a quiche . And a quiche is what I am going to make with it . we have company coming for sunday dinner and an abundance of eggs from my mom's chickens so mixed with our own sausage and bacon and a good amount of cheese quiche it is.

The tricky part about rolling is getting the right amount of flour (along with having the right amount of water in your dough. I always seem be too stingy on the water and my dough is dry) . It usually tends to stick in the middle and I  loosen it with a long metal spatula thing half way through rolling and add a little more flour. I go a different direction every time I roll and that seems to make a more rounded circle.

I roll one end of the rolled dough onto my roller and lift it over the pan and unroll it.

The ripple on top is so easy and so satisfying . This is one of the things I learned from my mom helping her in the kitchen. You just put your thumb on one side and your two fingers on the other and make a v with the edge of the dough.

I am going to freeze these until later in the week when I need them. You can freeze them for weeks and it's great to have a homemade crust on hand to whip up a homey, warm , yummy pie!

Optional: go to an antique store and buy an old hat and bow tie before eating your pie, just because.

I hope you'll get up the courage to make pie crust . hey! I'll even come over and test it just in case. And I'll probably say what my Dad says when he wants me to make something again " needs more practice".