THE LOVELY CRAZY
It happens every year. SO MANY TOMATOES! This is not a complaint, just a fun fact. And so for the forseeable future, besides canning and freezing tomatoes at a rapid pace, I will also be sticking them into everything. Enter here a tomato cracker. But who wants just a tomato cracker? I( bet some would love just a tomato cracker) But a tomato basil cracker, well that is something people will want. And yes, I have a buttload of basil at he moment too.. I cook with what I got!
Tomato basil crackers. First off, I needed to make a road snack for the mr and cut up chunks of raw tomatoes would not have gone down well with him, so I figured what better way to use up some tomatoes then a cracker situation because why the hell not. I was a little hesitant to use fresh tomatoes and not cook them or roast the in anyway before using them in the crackers, but I glad I didn’t. The tomato flavor really shines through, pairs beautifully with the basil, and you get to skip having to deal with cooking down the tomatoes, which makes them all the more easy to make.
So I made the crackers and gave a baggie to the mr to eat, which he did right then and there (with some sweet ass baba ganoush because yes) then packed a big bag for the road trip. Not only was the mr chowing down, but my sisters were gobbling them up too, even the one who is gluten free. That is good cracker validation.
If you have never made your own crackers and you are a cracker person, now is the time to start doing it. I don’t eat crackers personally, but the mr and every one around me really seem to be cracker people so a while back I started to make them at home, and once you make a homemade cracker, the store bought ones will just not be acceptable anymore. But they really are super easy so you really should be making them at home anyway.. No pressure though.
The stuff. Flour, olive oil, tomatoes, fresh basil, and sea salt.
Chunks of fresh tomato go into blender and get blended up all nice and smooth. Add in basil and oil and pulse until basil turns to little specks.
Pour the blended mixture into the flour.
Mix with a spoon until you can’t mix anymore then dump onto the counter.
Keeping the counter nice and floured, knead dough for a minute until it all comes together into nice ball.
Working with half of the dough at a time, roll out one of the pieces about 1/4-1/8 inch thick. (really flour counter and rolling pin)
And cut into crackers.. Shapes are up to you, but inch to 2 inch squares are easies to cut.
Place crackers onto backing sheet. Before oven time and after oven time. They shrink and puff up a little bit in the oven. That is what a cracker is suppose to do. (but if you don’t like that you can prevent it by piercing the crackers with a fork before they go into the oven)
And that’s it. Simple, and delicious.
Crackers are looking all pretty like I am about to have party or something. I even made baba ganoush to serve with them. Lucky mr, he got to have this cracker party all to himself. Ha (He did not eat all of these crackers at once, that would be crazy)
-C
makes between 100 -125 crackers
- 3 cups flour
- 2 large tomatoes ( equal to 1 1/4 cup of tomato puree )
- 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- About 2 tablespoons sea salt
Remove core from tomatoes and place into food processor or blender. Blend until smooth and measure out 1 1/4 cups of the puree. Any left overs rs can be used as food later on. Dump measured puree back into blender and add in the basil and oil and pulse until the basil is in little pieces but not completely blended in. Add flour to a big bowl then pour in tomato mixture and mix until a dough forms. Dump out onto counter and knead for a minute or two until dough is uniform in texture.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
On a floured surface, divide dough in half as to make rolling it easier, and roll dough into a rectangle that is 1/4- 1/8 inch thick. It is important to make sure the rolling pin and counter are well floured to avoid the dough from sticking. Once rolled out, sprinkle with sea salt and lightly roll the dough once more to kind of press the salt in then cut with either pizza cutter or a cracker cutter, or a knife, into 1 1/2 inch squares. The edges are going to be wonky shaped and you can either except them as they are or re roll and recut. (Note. IF you want your crackers to late flat and not puff up while baking, stab the crackers with a fork before they go into oven to create air vents. But honestly, most people really like the puffed up cracker) Place cut crackers onto a baking sheet and stick into oven. Bake for 15 minutes, checking after 10, until the crackers are golden brown. Don’t forget to roll and bake off the other half of the dough!
Once crackers look good, remove from oven and place onto cooling rack. They will get crisper as they cool.
Eat as many as you want. Store extra crackers in a airtight container or bag.
I have fond memories of young me skipping school and sitting in front of the tv with peanut butter, a package of graham crackers, and a glass of milk to dunk the peanut butter cover crackers in, watching myself some Martha Stewart. I also have some fond memories of the days in college I would skip class (obviously to finish a paper or something), and sit around eating graham crackers covered in peanut butter and nutella, dipped in beer? Wait no, it was coffee. (although….beer? Could be something there.) Apparently I liked to skip class and eat peanut butter graham crackers. But don’t blame the cracker for the bad behavior, blame the eater. And I didn’t do it all the time, only once in a while. (A girl needed to watch her some Martha or write a 20 page paper.)
We had a BBQ this week and for some reason I though people want to eat s’mores at a BBQ. (I guess I got that confused with camping.) I figured even though the days of skipping life and eating graham crackers has passed me by, that I needed to make the graham crackers for others to enjoy. And then I wondered why the heck no one ever makes graham crackers. They are by far the underrated crispy cookie (lets just call it what it is ) of the snack world. I think I might make it my new thing. I’ll make graham crackers for ever cookie swap situation, every event that requires a dessert, every time a snack is need, until people realize what they are missing. I’ll bring the graham cracker into all it’s glory.
These graham crackers were raved over by people who like graham crackers and were absolutely perfect for s’mores. A few of the littles that don’t like graham crackers did not care for them, but I guess you can’t make everyone happy. Tthey just wanted to eat the marshmallows.) They are crispy and crackery, tiny bit smokey and sweet but not to sweet, and perfect for all your graham cracker needs.
The stuff. In one bowl there is graham flour, all purpose flour, baking soda and salt. The other bowl has brown sugar, honey and molasses. Also going to need vegan butter, vanilla, and a little bit of plant milk.
The big bowl of sweet stuff get beaten together with the butter and vanilla until smooth, then the dry mixture and milk go in an beaten until just combined.
. This is what graham cracker dough looks like. Course and chunky, but done. Don’t beat it anymore, just use your hands to gather it tighter.
Gather the dough into a ball then wrap in plastic (or stick in a plastic bag)and smoosh flat and rectangular. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, if not overnight. IT needs the time firm up.
After the dough has firmed up, its time to roll it out. Cut the dough in half (place the other half back in fridge until you are ready for it) and roll out on a very floured surface. The dough is sticky and not super strong so go slow and make sure to keep the surface and the rolling pin floured so it doesn’t stick .
When it’s all rolled out, trim the sides even the cut into into squares or rectangular (or any shape you want). I was going to measure and make them all the same size and then I was like, yeah, no. I just eyed it and made them kind of the same size. I don’t live in a world where I need perfect graham crackers.
Gently transfer the crackers ( I used the bench scrapper to list them, but a spatula would be good too) on a parchment lined baking sheet. Run a line the doesn’t cut all the way through in the middle of each cracker and then poke 6 (or how many you want) hole on each side. You can use a toothpick or a wooden skewer. I used a size 8 kitting needle.
Get all your crackers made and sprinkle the tops with a little graduated sugar. Pop into the preheated oven to bake for 15-20 minutes, rotated around 10 to keep an even bake.
Done. Golden brown graham cracker success.
Cool the crackers on a wire rack.
And now you have yourself graham crackers for all your graham cracker needs.
May I suggest a smear of peanut butter, maybe a glass of milk or coffee and some Martha Stewart on the tv?
-C
Makes between 20-30 crackers depending on size
- 1 1/2 cups graham flour (unbolted whole wheat flour with the germ and bran)
- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup honey (can sub in golden syrup or brown rice syrup)
- 2 tablespoons molasses (not black strap)
- 1/2 cup vegan butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon plant milk
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
Stick the butter, brown sugar, honey, molasses , and vanilla into a large bowl and beat with an electric beater until smooth, In a smaller bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, and baking soda. Dump the dry into the wet, add in the milk and beat on low until mixture just starts to come together,then use your hand and smoosh and knead the dough into a ball. Either wrap or place dough ball in a plastic airtight bag, smoosh into a flat rectangular shape, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, if not over night.
When you are ready to bake the crackers, preheat oven to 325 and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cut dough in half and place one half back in fridge while working with the other half. Flour a surface and the rolling pin and roll dough our into a retangle about 1/8 inch thick. Trim sides ( a pizza cutter or dough scraper works really well here) to make a sides straight (straight enough) and then cut into equal sizes pieces that are the size of your liking. (What it did was cut in half, then each half into thirds vertically then the whole thing in thirds hortiztally. I ended up with 18 pieces)
Place the crackers on prepared baking sheet and take you cutting instruments and run a line along the middle of each cracker without cutting all the way through (if you cut all the way through, it should fuse back together in baking) Take a wooden skewer and poke 6 holes into each side. Sprinkle with white sugar. Now grab the second half of the dough and do the same thing. And don’t forget to gather all the trimming and either roll into more crackers or just make one weird shaped blob cracker for taste testing.
Once all the crackers are prepared, stick into the oven to bake for 15- 20 minutes (15 for a softer cracker, 20 for a more crispy cracker) , rotating after 10 minutes to insure even baking. Once the crackers are a nice golden brown, remove and place on a wire rack to cool.
Eat the way you do.
Store uneaten crackers in a airtight container for a up to a week. Crackers can be frozen for later use.
The mr has a thing for crackers, like if I were to name his top five foods, crackers would probably be in the top three. So I try to be a nice girly friend and make him some crackers ever now and then. (He says my crackers are the best) I usually make plain or dill pickle ones for him , but last time I asked if there was any other kind he wanted me to make. He named off a bunch of weird shit but also few good ideas and one was carrot. Sounds about right.
A couple of days ago I was feeling like the mr needed some crackers. I figured it was a good time as any to try out carrot crackers because Easter,bunnies, carrots.. You can see where I am going with this right? Plus I have like 20 pounds of carrots in the fridge so yeah.
Full disclosure. The mr, he really like the crackers so that’s good and what counts. Alex, my 12 year old nephew said they tasted like cat food. But he knows nothing.
The stuff. White whole wheat flour, carrots, salt, olive oil , and water.
Chop up carrots and place into a pot with water. Onto a medium heat to steam away and get all tender.
Once cooked the carrots get blended.
The carrot puree along with the oil get mixed into the flour and salt. The mixture then gets lightly kneaded into a uniform ball and .Let to rest in the bowl for about 5 minutes.
Roll the dough out to about 1/8 inch thick.
Cutting the shape is a personal choice. I went with triangle because they kind of look like carrots?.. But any shape will do. After you cut them up, take a fork and pierce each cracker a few times to avoid air pockets while they are cooking.
Onto a baking sheet. No need to leave as much space as I did, they don’t expand any. Once you sheet is full, give those crackers a nice sprinkle of salt and get them into the hot oven and cook to cook. 15-18 minutes should do the trick.
And then you pull them from the oven and let them cool.
Now you got yourself some cracker.
-C
- 1 cup chopped carrot (about 1 1/2 carrots)
- 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 cup water
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt plus more for sprinkling
Place chopped carrots and water into a pot with a lid and place on a medium heat. Cook until the carrots are tender. When they are, puree them with the blender of your choice. You should end up with a cup of puree but if you end up with a little less, add water to make a cup. Too much and you can just eat the extra. Add the oil to the puree and mix
In a medium bowl mix flour with the salt. Add in the wet and mix until a dough forms. Dump onto counter and knead into a uniform ball. Place dough back into bowl to rest for a few minutes.
Preheat oven to 350
Place dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to about 1/8 inch thick then cut into whatever shape you want to eat your crackers in. Take a fork and stab a few holes into each cracker if you want to avoid air pockets (the mr likes the air pockets) then sprinkle the crackers with salt. Place on a baking sheet. You don’t want them touching but can be packed closely.. Into the oven for 15-18 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown and have a slight crisp when broken. Remove and let cool..
Now Eat. With peanut butter, jelly, cheese or chocolate. This crackers are good for anything you eat with crackers.
Left over crackers can be stored in a airtight bag or container and will last for a week or so. If they start to get a little stale, just pop them back into the oven for a few minutes.
The mr is a saltines fanatic. I personally don’t get it, but he really, truly loves a good fresh package of those salty crispy crackers, and loves to make a little cracker crumb mess. (I think it does it to drive me crazy)
The other night during a particularly crumby saltine cracker snack, he declared that the saltine people (who are these people?) must come out with flavored saltines. I then continued to burst his bubble and told him I am pretty sure the saltine people have, in fact, come out with flavors, but he was skeptical and did not believe my words. Whatever dude.
But then I got to thinking, “why the hell haven’t I made flavored saltine crackers yet?” So make flavored crackers I did. I know that the mr is really into dill pickled chips (beause I can smell the when he eats them) and I have been buying these mammoth jars of pickles from the Costco superstore (I love pickles but more then that I need the gigantic jars). so I had me a shit ton of pickle juice. It was meant to be.
The first time I made the crackers, I did a really small batch and wasn’t expecting anything amazing, just going for a decent whatever cracker. But no, the few that I managed to make, the mr went nuts for. He told me they were the best fucking cracker that he has ever had and I now have to make them for him all the time, and that it is now a birthday tradition (it was his birthday). He said they were the prefect dilly-ness, the pefrect texture and just the right amount of salt. Perfection.
Well that made me happy so instead of waiting for his next birthday, I just made a big batch. Again, more proof that I am the best girlfriend ever!
The stuff. Flour, dill pickle juice, olive oil and some dried dill and salt.
Flour into a bowl gets drizzled with olive oil and mix around with a fork.
Then in goes the pickles juice , same deal, mix together with a fork until the mixture forms a dough. (almost resembling a pie dough)
Place dough down on counter. Let it sit there for a few minutes to give it time to rest.
After the rest, roll the dough out as thinly as you can (try for about an 1/8 inch).
I found that when I slightly damped the counter that the dough was easier to roll. It might be because I have wood counter top so this may or may not work for you, but is worth a try.
And with a knife or dough cutter (or fancy cracker cutting tool), trim off sides (if you want) and cut into 2 inch squares.
Note. IF you want to, poke a couple little wholes into the tops of the crackers. Doing so will prevent the crackers from poofing up (I was told the poof is good)
And place the crackers on a baking sheet, brush tops with the pickle juice, then sprinkle with chopped dill and a tiny bit of salt.
Stick into the preheated oven.
Bakeuntil they start to turn a light golden brown and arepoofing up a little (go ahead and grab one now for quality control)
These crackers be cracking. And wouldn’t you know it, they are already all gone. Next time I make them I am going to have to hide them.
Have a great weekend!
-C
Makes about fifty 2×2 crackers
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 6-8 tablespoons pickle juice
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- finishing salt to taste
- tablespoon chopped dried dill
Preheat oven to 350
Place flour into a shallow bowl and drizzle the olive oil in. Mix around with a fork. Grab pickle juice and drizzle in 6 tablespoons of the juice and mix with the fork until a dough forms. Add in another tablespoon or two if the dough needs more moisture to come together.
Form dough into a ball and let rest on the counter for a few minutes (good time to wash the dirty dishes)
After the rest, take the dough and roll it out to about 1/8 inch or as thinly as you can. Weirdly enough, I found that I was able to roll my dough out better when I damped my counter. The dough didn’t slide around and it still lifted up easily with a spatula.. but do what works for you.
Once you have rolled the dough, trim sides to clean lines and cut into 2×2 inch squares (you can cut into any shape and or size you like) Any trimming reform into a ball, roll out, and make a few more. (If you want a more authentic looking cracker, you can poke little whole into them. Doing this also make the crackers not poof up when bakes)
Place crackers on a lightly colored (or parchment lined) baking sheet. Brush each cracker top with a little pickle juice and sprinkle the tops with salt and dill. Place in the oven to bake for about 12 minutes or until the crackers have poofed up and are turning slightly brown.
Remove from oven, let cool completely and either eat right away or place in a air tight container for later.
These crackers had no later.
It’s Mother’s Day weekend which means that you and I and everyone out there should feel the slightest bit obligated to at least do a little something nice for your mom for the mere fact that you were borned. And really what better way to celebrate mom than with food… It really is the least that you can do. (I think mom’s also like flowers and cards and handmade pasta necklaces) My mom is defiantly about the food. (she has had her fair share or pasta necklaces) A many years back on Mother’s day, this sweet little girl (me) made her mother a special breakfast treat…blueberry scones. And ever since that day, for every freaking holiday, birthday, whatever day, my mother requests (demands) a batch of those scones. She is always saying that these are her favorite treat and that no one has ever made them as good as I do. (I guess that just reiterates that I am her number 1 child)
The stuff. Flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. A bit of sugar, vanilla, buttermilk, and butter (use vegan butter and nut milk if you want to make them vegan) And of course we need the blueberries which can be fresh or frozen. I usually use fresh, but the store I stopped at only had really big containers of fresh that were like $1000 dollars a piece and the organic frozen happen to be on super sale. So you know, the cheap in me won that battle. 
So into the bowl goes all the dry stuff; flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and the sugar. Give it a good whisk.
Now dump the blueberries into the flour mixture. Toss them around to give them a coat of flour. Add in the buttermilk and vanilla and give a little mix until liquid is absorbed. We are trying to handle the dough as little as possible.
Turn mixture onto counter. It’s very loose, but thats what it should look like. 
Very gently and with as little handling as possible, gather dough up, knead a few times till everything just comes together. Press dough into a disk that is roughly an inch thick…. and it doesn’t need to be perfect. 
Cut the disk into even sized pieces. Do 6 big, 8 normal, maybe even 10 smaller. Whatever size you like. (I did 8) Place the scones onto a baking sheet, using a spatula to transfer, and sprinkle the tops with a little bit of sugar. Into a preheated oven for about 20 minutes.
And when the scones look all nice and browned and a tester comes out clean. remove and either serve right away warm, preferably with huge cup of coffee or tea, or stick on a rack to cool before storing in air tight container.
THE LOVELY CRAZY
May 20, 2019 by maximios • Blog
And all of a sudden the world is green and it is mazing and magical. The best time of the year, when all the cool and wet weather pays off with sunshine and flowers and the greenest greens. No longer freezing and it is yet to be too freaking hot. Spring spring SPRING. It is not lost on me. I take it, I suck it up, I appreciate it all. Even the cray cray rain storms. What a time, what a time.
Last week we started off Sunday going to see some jumping fish. We packed our lunches, grabbed the camera, drove the 2 hours to the river and sat around watching and waiting. Sadly we saw no jumping fish. And that was that in case you were wondering. One of these years we will see it.
The rest of the week has been a little crazy. In between work and chores and life stuff, just about every day we have had anywhere between 2-4 littles. What for their parents needed a sitter or a ride here and there cause their car broke down. Or just some aunt and uncle hang time because who doesn%u2019t want to hang with us? So beside the mr finish off the trophies for the Lund Family Fund Raiser, me working the pug mill at the studio, or us trying to trade off the car in hopes that we both can get where we need to go in time for getting there. (Oh man the car thing, that is a whole other beast.) Yeah, it%u2019s been busy and hectic. On the bright side we have spent a lot of the time running around outside, drawing, and eating. A few little highlights. One of the nights So was feeling a little sick and Coco was feeling mean and wouldn’t let her nap on the couch so she ended up dragging a bunch of pillows into the pantry and falling asleep. It just made sense. Then there was Judah with his mad drawing skills drawing me pictures of vegetables (amazing) then farting with his armpits. And Miley, with her tude and phone. Getting her to hang out and just be sweet was nice. And Coco. That freaking little. Always happy, always eating, always causing trouble. Loves to run into the garden and jump all over the couch covered in peanut butter. (that is the baby, not me. ha) We found him a three wheeler. His legs might be too short but we will figure it out. It is gonna be a fun summer!
After the week long little marathon that ended with sticky littles eating pancakes (and being dangerously low on maple syrup), thrift store shopping (I scored the best new photo piece), and stopping in on my maybe future new bike(???), I came home and cleaned the crap out of everything. It never fails to amaze me how gross kids can be. The toilet alone, well, lets not go there.
Today, as it is Mothers Day and all, I am going to be a dutiful daughter and go see my Mama. Right now (at the wee early hour of 5 am, I%u2019m about to pop some bread and then a cake into the oven as offerings. We are going over around lunch so I%u2019m going make focaccia grilled cheeses (with the fresh bread) and hand over the blueberry cake that she loves. Then hopefully just spend a couple hours drinking lots of coffee and chilling on the porch.
Look at me, I am such a good daughter.
Links of interest on the internet.
–Yes, I’m In School for Nutrition. No, I Don’t Want to Hear About Your Diet. I feel this. Sometimes people feel like they need to tell me everything they eat, for approval or something. And I actually don%u2019t mind talking about what people eat. I’ll even make suggestions about foods that I like to eat or ways to prepare certain things but I stay away from telling people what not to eat%u2026 (people always assume I am going to tell them to not eat meat. I say, I do me. You do you.)
-I don%u2019t know how may times I have seen Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure. This should be good. PlusI totally have a thing for Keanu Reeves. Bill & Ted are embarking on a third excellent adventure next year
–How Weeds Help Fight Climate Change. Weeds are not the problem friends. The chemicals that people use to get rid of them are!
-If you are interested in VT State Parks, here its the list of all the parks opening days. Can%u2019t wait for CAMPING!!!
-Did you go through an Arizona iced tea phase? I had a very brief stint with the green tea%u2026 I can%u2019t even imagine drinking one now. The Dream of the %u201990s Is Alive in AriZona Iced Tea
–An Interview With A Man Who Eats Leftover Food From Strangers’ Plates In Restaurants. I think this is awesome and have much respect.
-A question the I didn%u2019t know I wanted answered until I read this article. Why do cats%u2014and so many other animals%u2014look like they%u2019re wearing socks?
-I get all sorts of feels when I see pandas. MY favorite favorite animal growing up. I carried a pink polka dotted panda around with me for years. SO many panda things. So this is fantastic and I hope to visit one day and hug me a panda (with pink polka dots) China%u2019s new panda park will be three times bigger than Yellowstone
–I have heard and seen some crazy fights in the past in places we have lived. A good few actually. It is never a comfortable thing but sadly, we got used to it. Listening to My Neighbors Fight
-Mothers Have Been Complaining About Mother%u2019s Day Breakfast in Bed for More than Half a Century. Why Does It Go On?. I am a strict, NO FOOD! in bed person. It just have zero desire to eat in bed so breakfast in bed sounds terrible to me. Plus I am awake at 430 every morning and I don%u2019t eat for a few hours after I wake up. It just wouldn%u2019t work.
And pictures from the week.
This week has definitely gone by really slow except that it has flown by super fast, you know what I mean? It%u2019s probably because of all the up and down weather and my overall crazy brain that is pulling me all over the place New seasons do that to me, make me crazy.
The week started off with Easter. We went to my moms (half the family didn%u2019t show up (butthole reasons), did some lunch, played outside, and that was that. Then I came home to continue yarding (yarding is a new word I invented that means to spend time in the yard doing yard stuff)
The rest of the week went. We worked, the mr finished putting the floor down in the porch (I forgot to take a picture) He moved the camper and created a new workshop, applied large stickers to doors, made me 6 more raised beds (4 are TRIANGLES!!!). He has been doing all sorts of stuff. Me, I have been spending as much time outside I as I can, in between the piles of papers that I am trying to deal with, working at the studio, throwing pots, thinking about fixing my bike, and all around trying not run through a wall. I am in that head space where everything needs to be done and I am trying to do everything. All at once. Thats my spring brain. All of a sudden and BAM, my brain is awake, the world is awake, and there is a ton of shit to do.
On one of the nicer days (it has been a little chilly and rainy all week) we spent a few hours with Megan her littles and I grabbed the other littles. We took them outside, into the world, away from screen for a little jaunt in the woods, some time on the playground, and a bagel sandwich lunch. Fresh air, stick collecting, and see sawing was the highlight of the afternoon and a highlight of the week. I mean, gown ass people and little littles on the see saw, well you will see. Haha.
Saturday morning, 8 am, grocery store. If you need to grocery shop, this is the time. Yesterday I got to the store and no one else was there except all the stockers who had nicely stocked everything that I was looking for. I got to it before all the other people did and was rewarded with the best cabbages and apples! After that I went home, the mr took off to work with his work guy and I ended up staying home for the morning, cleaning house, doing laundry, and trying to organize the unorganizable. After that the mr came home we went and hung out with the littles for a few and got texted $5 each of store credit to the hardware store which in turn turned into a bunch of new seeds. Yay free seeds!
Today the mr and I were planning on hitting up the Kingdom to watch some jumping trout, but with the weather being as it is (raining and cloudy) we are going to hold off on that and just find a nice little, not too flooded stream for the mr to fish in and for me to sit nearby and spend some time reading. With all the coffee my can cup and bring. It%u2019s gonna be great.
Some stuff you might find of interest from the internet.
–Our Grocery Stores, Ourselves. Loyalties to the grocery store are deep. I know I have mine, kind of. (I shop around and I am more loyal to the farm then any grocery store.) But I do think there is a definite quality difference to stores, at least around here. You get to know which store sells local. Which stores have the crappy greens, or which store charge and extra $2 for the same exact thing you can get at a different store for that much cheaper. Straight to the farm . Always best.
-Always water, mostly because it is free and I hate having to have stock or broth on hand. WHEN WATER CAN BE THE KEY TO MORE FLAVORFUL SOUPS
I am pretty into these murals Maybe i%u2019ll try not do something like on one of my walls. Interior Murals by Camille Javal
-I could, and should, and dang it I am going to make something like this A frame. Simple and sweet. Now were to put it?
-Just in case you don%u2019t know. What%u2019s the Difference Between Jam and Jelly?
–Wait, I Should Clean My Fridge *How*%u00a0Often?. Yes folks. And I tell you, clean the stove every time! It%u2019s one of the best habits I have ever created.
-I wish I could embroider like this. Pretty freaking awesome. Graceful Figures and Shimmering Peacocks Embroidered on Tulle
–Can Nothing Change Your Life? Essence of flower is a thing and it might just be what you need in your life.
-Trees are magical. Trees by starlight%u2026 Whoa. See the world%u2019s oldest trees by starlight.
–I am very excited to find this pattern for this FRENCH MARKET BAG. Now I just need to learn how to crochet%u2026%u2026%u2026Yeah.
And pictures from the week.
I was walking around Costco this week and they have set up all the Christmas trees and decorations. It struck me hard, like what? Did I miss something. What about like fall and Halloween and Thanksgiving. Leave it to Costco to make you feel like you are behind on your holiday preparations. Lucky Home Depot had it right and had only Halloween decorations out. Those little skeletons made me feel a little better, and even excited. Fall be coming for real soon!!!
The last week started with our usual camping Sunday. Stopped at a few pieces of property for sale (fell in love with one except it is really close to high voltage power lines and yeah, I don%u2019t know if I can live that close to that). Found a plastic Santa on the side of a dirt road in the middle of now where and was so pumped. I have been on the look out for an old vintage Santa for the house (this one was a knock off, but still cool) so we grabbed him and stuffed him in-between the tent and sleeping bags.
We got to our campsite, set up the new tent(yeah!) sat out Santa, then tooled to the woods. Did some hiking, some exploring, and just really savored all that the world is in. A good lentil and potato dinner, a fire made by the best fire starter in the world, then assed out as soon as it got dark. Camping is the best. Woke while it was still pitch dark out, made the coffee, packed up, and watched the greatest sunrise before heading to the river for the mr to go and do some fishing. Unfortunately Santa did not make it through the camping trip. When we were packing up I accidentally shattered his head while trying to stuff him back into the car. I was so pissed, but what can you do? He was a fragile old man. But the hunt continues. I will get my plastic Santa. I will.
Then back to life in town, which this week consisted mostly of me miserable because I bit a whole in my tongue (yes I did, and it was gross) and the mr on high ladders and me on the porch, painting away. We need to get this house done before it gets too cold.
Barb and the littles came over for dinner and sour patch kids, I gave the mr a hair cut, and went to Mileys first ever field hockey game (She is so dang good). Barb came over again for dinner because she really likes it when I feed her good food, and basically besides running around doing chores and errands, it was painting. Oh, and I did work at the studio, cleaning and such, and I did get a little time to start the tearing the garden apart process, but yeah, that%u2019s about it. That and I bought my first sugar pie pumpkin of the season%u2026 Gonna eat the shit out of that! So excited!
For today, it%u2019s off to the great outdoors. I think the mr was saying something about good fishing soon or whatever, so we are camping out near some rivers that he like to fish. Me, I am just excited to get my hike, and knit, and read on. We only have a few more weeks before all the campgrounds are closed and it gets to cold to camp so I am going to savor every bit of it.
Internet from the internet from the week.
-I didn%u2019t even know, or even thought to think about it. Watch How Steel Ribbons Are Shaped into Cookie Cutters
-This new blood test can figure out what time it is inside your cells Whoa. I wonder what my cell time is?
-Don%u2019t care about the hot tub, but the rest. SO COOL! Next time I am in Wales I guess. Luxury Dome Getaway with Private Hot Tub near Round Swamp in New South Wales
–Cross Back Apron. On my list of things to make within the next week (or month)
-I still use plastic containers because I have them and don%u2019t want to just toss them away, but maybe I really should.(But I probably won%u2019t, at least fora while) There%u2019s So Much to Worry About I Forgot to Worry About Plastic Poisoning
–When Your Child Believes Meat Is Murder It happens, be prepared. I remember when I became a vegetarian when I was 11, the shit I got from my family (And still sometime do, 21 year later) and I didn%u2019t know what to eat. I ended up eating lot of garbage food until I figured my shit out later in my mid teens. Not good.
-I don%u2019t really eat any food that comes in a package, but I would totally be the one to eat the package if I did. Eat Your Food, and the Package Too
-The Truth About How Much Happiness Money Can Buy. All relative though. I make far far less then 85k and I am pretty happy, I think?
–Modular A-frame homes.. Just not in America, yet.
I hate the fidget spinners, they make me anxious. Fidget spinners, weighted blankets, and the rise of anxiety consumerism
Pictures and Barb eating from the week.
I can’t believe it is Sunday already. The last week has just blown by so fast. These summer days, they can do that. But they are coming to an end and I might be a tad sad about it but I caught myself %u00a0longingly looking at all of my sweaters the other day…%u00a0I will leave that one alone for a little longer.%u00a0
Our camping adventure last week started off with us under a bridge. It was so freaking hot out that my earwax was melting so the mr found the coolest place he could think of to fish, and that was under a bridge. After that, we just headed up the mountain to our campsite. %u00a0When we got there to check in we were pretty much guaranteed %u00a0to see a bear because there had been so much bear activity, especially at our site. So I was a bit nervous, a lot excited, and ready and prepared. %u00a0After the mr started a fire from logs he threw into the air and dropped so they would break (we forgot a saw) and ate our dinner, all traces of food were then packed away in the car. %u00a0All evening every little noise we heard, I was expecting bear but nothing. So we went to bed.%u00a0I had my noise maker ready at my head, my shoes untied and ready to slip on, and my camera because I would need to get a picture. Every time I woke up (I wake up a lot)%u00a0I would poke my head out the tent window looking for a big fury mass, but all night I did not see one. We didn’t get a bear.%u00a0So much for that.%u00a0
After packing up camp super early, it was back to a river for some prime fishing and coffee and reading before heading back to the real world of noise and work and people. And we needed to get back to the cat, which I keep finding in piles of leaves next to the house looking dead. I was scared once or twice but it turns out he just likes looking like a dead cat in a pile of leaves. %u00a0Yup.%u00a0
Tuesday we had the littles over for a sleep over. We gardened, drew pictures, sat around and read, ate lots of corn, and walked down to the neighborhood cornerstone for creamees. After we sent the baby back to it’s mother, the littles and the mr watched another inaproperate Adam Sandler movie, I went to bed, they stayed awake all night watching cooking shows, and I had to shake them awake the next morning in order to feed them all the brightly colored pancakes before %u00a0dropping them off at camp.%u00a0Those guys are doing summer vacation right.%u00a0
Wednesday the mr and I had to quick quick run up to see our friends in the north at Ikea. It was last minute, we needed a countertop, so no I did not have time to call everyone I knew to see if they wanted me to buy them anything. But shitty shit, when we got there, the countertop we needed was not there, so that kinda sucked. But I did end up getting a new toilet paper roller, a toilet brush, and the mr picked out a new pillow. We drove all the way up there, we couldn’t leave empty handed.%u00a0
And how is your fresh farm and garden food these days?%u00a0Farm share is at it’s peak and so is my food consumption. I find myself eating more then I really want to just because we have so much fresh and beautiful goodies that I just can’t stop myself. The tomatoes are so ripe and sweet, how can I not eat like 10 a day? (my acid reflux is kicking up a little) %u00a0And not only are the tomatoes going gang buster at the farm, but my garden is like a tomato jungle. There is probably going to be a day when I am buried alive by the tomatoes. It so could happen.
Saturday was work at the studio. I was on fire and unloaded %u00a02 kilns (someone piece blew up in one) and loaded a glaze kiln in record time. After that I was pretty tired, my hip was sore (to much bending over kilns) so I came home, had a snack, cleaned the shit out of my house (there was watermelon stickiness on everything) and called myself ready for bed at like 8. The days are getting shorter again so I don’t feel so bad crawling into bed earlier. HA
Today is family day. Our cousins are up in Vt at the camp so we are heading there to spend the day with them. After that, the mr and I are camping in some field somewhere (probably a baseball field?) outside of the city to each the meteor shower. It’s at it’s peak tonight and I am super excited to sleep under the stars and watch. Hopefully we don’t get any shit for illegally camping in a park. We aren’t going to have a fire (so we can see the starts, duh) so it really shouldn’t be a problem. Right?%u00a0
Some reads from the internet this week.%u00a0
-It’s tonight guys!%u00a0How to See the 2018 Perseid Meteor Shower
–It%u2019s Time to Admit That Iceberg Is a Superior Lettuce. I wouldn’t call it superior but I have to admit, I do like me some iceberg. It’s kind of like my junk green. Not much nutritional value but taste so mighty fine dipped in mustard. Crisp an refreshing.%u00a0
-I know some people (mom..) that might have a slight buying books addiction, even when they won’t necessarily read them all.%u00a0Tsundoku: The art of buying books and never reading them. I stopped buying books (or rarely do and its usually a book I have read and love so much) and just do the library. It would be very expensive if I just bought books… I read to much.%u00a0
–Angry People Tend to Overestimate Their Intelligence. Ever have to deal with an angry know it all…. its enough for me to run away screaming. So frustrating.%u00a0
-“If you’ve ever seen someone with testicles get kicked in the groin, then you probably know that male genitals %u2014 often portrayed as a symbol of male strength and virility %u2014 aren’t actually that tough.” hahaha, what a great opening paragraph.%u00a0Boxers Or Briefs? Experts Disagree Over Tight Underwear’s Effect On Male Fertility
–What’s the Difference Between Zucchini and Yellow Squash?.%u00a0One is zucchini and one is yellow squash.%u00a0
–Spent $200 on a Weighted Blanket, and It’s Changed My Entire F*cking Life. I don’t think I will ever spend $200 on a blanket, but I am really into the idea of getting a weighted blanket..I think Ikea sells one for like $30.
-I could live in a state of natural silence for ever (or for a very long time)%u00a0Are You Listening? Hear What Uninterrupted Silence Sounds Like
–8 Fruits and Vegetables You Shouldn’t Be Refrigerating
Pictures from the week.
So much nice weather this week. I spent a good chunk of time in and around the garden, getting everything planted (it’s all in the ground) setting up a kinda fence of driftwood and yarn, running a strip of cooper around all the beds to keep the slugs out, and mad running with stick in hand screaming at all the squirrels. It’s been a lot of work but so very very satisfying. The only sucky part is %u00a0with all this nice weather comes those stupid f-ing mosquitoes.%u00a0%u00a0I have already gotten my allotted bites for the year. Back to wearring heavy carports and hoodies while I garden, or walk out the door. Meh.%u00a0
Other then all the gardeining, the week was productive. I did a lot of baking (cookies, banana bread, bread, hot sauce, some other shuff as usual), I picked up the last winter farm share (summer share starts in 3 weeks!!!), purged a bunch of crap, repotted plants, and finally got the taxes DONE. The big goal of the week of was for the mr and I to pick a paint color and buy primer and paint for one of the %u00a0buildings in town we are repainting. We were close. We kind of picked the color but are going to wait until next week to make sure we really like it so we didn’t buy the paint. But we will so we are on track. As for the primer.. A whole day trying to track down what we needed and no one seemed to carry the product that we were looking for. Everyone said it was a %u00a0special order and it will take forever to get. We did manage to find %u00a0a few gallons so it’s a start.%u00a0
And I still have not found the vacuum attachment which I keep looking for. I really should just order a new one, but I know as soon as I do I will find it. Life without the attachment is getting pretty dirty. Gurrrrr.%u00a0
Then the littles slept There was more hole digging (because why not), pizza with Barb,%u00a0tandem bike riding, and apparently while I was inside cleaning up food messes, there was a bike, rope, and scooter thing that only stopped because of a cop?…. Yeah. %u00a0I also taught Judah how to play the amazing card game of solitaire. He was at it all night then after a breakfast of 10 pancakes, went out to the front porch like an old man and contuined to play. He is obsessed and its awesome. And I think I have got the Miley hooked on NPR. I was able to listen to Morning Addition through Wait Wait Don’t Tell ME without complaint. She even asked me to turn it up.%u00a0That right there is win for the week.
I am hoping that today is not all rain, although the garden is loving it all up and I could spend the day doing inside things.%u00a0%u00a0I wanted to go for a bike ride or maybe a little hike of some sort. Going to have to wait and see. Other then that, no big plans. Probably make a few more phone calls about primer, doing a little weeding, drink a pot of coffee, and definitely take a nap. I need to reinstating summer weekend nap time. I end up staying up later during the long light hours so naps are greatly appreciated.%u00a0
Interent links from the week.%u00a0
–Are octopuses aliens from outer space that were brought to Earth by meteors?%u00a0I mean, this just makes you wonder right?%u00a0
–For Animals, Plastic Is Turning the Ocean Into a Minefield. Plastic is just not good. Not good at all.%u00a0
-Avoiding Plastic When Grocery Shopping.%u00a0Learn how to go grocery shopping and stock your kitchen without buying any plastic products.%u00a0Lots of good advice here. Again, think of the animals.
-It’s ok to eat romaine lettuce again, for now.%u00a0How salad became a major source of food poisoning in the US
-Would Your Cat Choose You Over Its Food?.%u00a0The stereotype of cats. Yes is the answer. I know that Only’s one true love in life is food.%u00a0
-This is my kind of Earthship.%u00a0
-Food as art when there are starving people… Something to think hard about.%u00a0THE RISE OF THE EXPERIENTIAL FOOD MUSEUM
-Some of my best memories from my childhood was when my mom would blast music (usually Whitney Huston or Toni Braxton) and make us dance with her. Good good times.%u00a0The Surprising Benefit Of Moving And Grooving With Your Kid
–Frozen Food Fan? As Sales Rise, Studies Show Frozen Produce Is As Healthy As Fresh. I always have a bunch of frozen veggies in the freezer.%u00a0
-Delicate Accumulations of Colorful Spring Flowers Installed in a Historic French Home%u00a0Just lovely
Pictures from the week
What kind of bees give milk?
Boo bees.%u00a0Hahahaha….hahaha
I know, what an awesome joke. When I heard it, it sent a deep ripple of laughter through me. Who doesn’t love a good bee joke right?%u00a0
Anyways. %u00a0How did your week go? Are you in shock and awe that it is actually finally spring? I have been. Every morning I wake up and expect to see a new coating of snow, but no, it has been ever so pleasant and warm. And raining, which makes me happy because spring rain is the best. Everything is all of a sudden %u00a0green and growing and the flowers and it’s just all so freaking magical and awesome and so so needed. The winter almost broke me. I’m so much better now. And so are my feet. Chacos or barefoot all day long. I have spent way to much time in shoes this year.%u00a0
And the heat is off and all the windows are open. Ah, freshy freshness. Good stuff.
This spring week has brought on a lot of outside stuff.%u00a0%u00a0I spent a good day turning over the garden beds and started to rake up the leaves.%u00a0I need about another day to finish that and to dig up all the baby thistle that is covering the lawn. Although what I really need to do is get over to al the apartment buildings in town and tend to the gardens and clean up around the outsides. That’s probably what I am going to be doing this coming week.%u00a0%u00a0I did manage to plant some greens and peas in one of my newly turned beds, but I am having a slight problem with squirrels right now so I didn’t plant any more then I was able to cover (I need to get more chicken wire).%u00a0
The mr and I did trip out to the NEK for a day. We stood by a rushing river for a while waiting to see the trout jump (we didn’t), then we went to meet the piggies at Jess’s farm, and installed the farmer lady a hot water heater (It’s actually a water heater, not a hot water heater, but I can’t stop saying hot water heater) The trip out of town and into the lushness of spring nature had me even more excited about the weather. Soon there will be days of hanging out by the river,%u00a0the mr fly fishing, %u00a0and me hiking around, looking for rocks, and reading under a tree. Oh so soon. So so soon.%u00a0
We had the littles a few times. and did a sleep over the started with cupcakes and ended with Barb and pancakes and now my sprinkle stock had dwindled drastically. We watched a movie (I read, they watched),%u00a0trashed my house, ate all my peanut butter, and crawled onto the new couch in the morning and feel asleep. Highlight was Judah and I got into a debate over the %u00a0pros and cons of a magic carpet vs a magic couch. I said I wanted a carpet because you can roll it up and put it away, but Judah was all about a couch because it would be more comfortable, turn into a bed, come wit pillows,%u00a0%u00a0and because it was magic, you could still fold it up and store it. That kid, he got me on that one. Now I think I want a magic couch instead.%u00a0
The agenda for today. I finally broke down and bought myself new running shoes (my toes are breaking through my old ones) so when I go to the gym this morning, I am going to be breaking the new batboys in.I %u00a0know, big plans right.%u00a0%u00a0Then up until like 10 minutes ago, I thought it was going to be a cool and sunny day,%u00a0and I was going to be able to spend the day doing yard work.%u00a0%u00a0Turns out %u00a0it’s actually going to be raining and cool. I guess that just means I will have %u00a0to spend the day on the porch, wrapped in a thick sweater, reading, napping, and enjoying the coolness before it gets to mother find hot next week. 80 degree days… Now I am going to be bitching about how hot I am. Ha.%u00a0
Things that I actually spent the time to look at %u00a0on the internet.
–Homes Or Gardens? Developers And Urban Farmers Grapple Over Vacant Land. There is a need for food and a need for housing, it’s a hard one.
-I didn’t realize that there really was anyone that really believed the earth is flat.%u00a0How to argue with flat earthers
-When I fist saw this, I thought it was fake and a little creepy.%u00a0Spectacular Fans of Feathers Define the Vogelkop Superb Bird-of-Paradise Courtship Ritual
-Always thinking about what the bees will like.%u00a0Make Your Yard Bee-Friendly
-%u00a0Cozy 250-Square-Foot Cabin in the Pacific Northwest. Just the right size for me to escape to. Or this%u00a0Joshua Tree Shack%u00a0would also of the trick.%u00a0
-I check this every few days to see what the pollen count is and how miserable I might be.%u00a0
–The Tweeting of the Lambs: A Day in the Life of a Modern Shepherd. This dude takes care of 500 sheep. Thats freaking nuts. Much respect.%u00a0
–The latest star map from the Gaia spacecraft plots 1.7 billion stars. Thats a lot of stars.%u00a0
-I am either really good or really shitty at mindfulness.%u00a0Mindfulness Meditation Advice for the Anxious and Distracted
This Healthy Convenience Mart Aims To Take On 7-Eleven%u00a0Think this is pretty neat.%u00a0
Pictures from the past week.%u00a0
I don’t know if it’s because it’s spring and the days are longer and we getting more sunshine, but I am feeling good and feeling like anything and everything is possible. Like I could take on the world and do it all. What all is I am not sure yet but I am feeling it. The winter thaw, the spring awakening. Only complaint I have is all the dog poop that is now surfacing from under the snow. And maybe the crazy ass dreams that I have been having. Does anyone else have crazy dreams in the spring? I think it’s a thing because it happened to me every year.%u00a0
This past week was all about the littles.%u00a0Coco was in the hospital with some nasty bronchitis shit all week which means we had Miley and Judah for the week. We had pretty good routine going on. Wake up, make breakfast and beat on the mr.%u00a0%u00a0Off to school they went and we had a few hours to do what we could do (like chop apart huge trees, sew chair cushions, stock up an food because they eat A LOT, and clean their house and bedrooms).%u00a0%u00a0Then pick up and conversation on the way back to our house,%u00a0snack time, homework, drawing and game playing, make dinner, go for a walk, watch some Iron man (they had a Iron Man movie marathon going on), nighttime reading, brush the teeth then bed. And that was not just the littles, that was all of us. We function well together. Then Coco the hulk (the meds they had him on made him into hulk monster.. it was amazing)%u00a0was released from his hospital room and is doing great and the littles are all at their home and now I miss them. But at least I don’t have to sit through any more Iron man so I am ok with that. And the mr and I deep cleaned the house yesterday of all the sticky….. How do they make everything sticky? %u00a0Those littles.%u00a0They are freaking awesome.%u00a0
Today, we are childless with a clean house and it’s Sunday so Yeah!!!! The mr is probably going to go off and work on his fly fishing cabinet and I need to go through all the seeds we got at the seed swap yesterday. Plus I rented like 10 books from the library and have been getting back into painting with acrylics %u00a0so I think I am going to spent the day doing just that, planting some seeds,%u00a0reading, and painting. And we have plans for a good long walk. It’s all about taking it easy today. And hey, it’s spring so it’s time to spend all the time outside!
Interneting from the week.%u00a0
–Hundreds of Thousands March For Gun Control Across The U.S.%u00a0The message is simple.%u00a0Never again. These young people are amazing.%u00a0
-As soon as the weather is nice enough, this will be my new project, seriously.%u00a0Couple builds tiny A-frame cabin for just $700
–What%u2019s the Deal With Olive Oil%u2019s Shelf Life? I think I have kept a bottle around long enough to go rancid…..oops.%u00a0
-This show was one of the best growing up.%u00a0Guitar rift here.%u00a0Explain It All: Why Was it So Easy for Sam to Climb into Clarissa%u2019s Window?
–What Ever Happened to Colored Toilet Paper?%u00a0It always seemed wrong to me.%u00a0Glad it’s not around much anymore.%u00a0
-To all the people who think they know me so well, you are delusional..haha..Invisibilia: We All Think We Know The People We Love. We’re All Deluded
-This is a good thing to know. I have definitely used unactivated baking powder and it’s a bummer.%u00a0The Surefire Way to Test Whether Baking Powder Is Still Good
-I just really liked this.%u00a0The Acrobatic Entanglements of Everyday Objects
-Doing my research on insects in the garden for. I get ladybugs, but I also get aphids. Let them eat each other I guess.%u00a0Ladybug Patrol
–Why Do Cats Have Whiskers?%u00a0Every now and then I notice how freaking long Only’s whiskers actually are. Like really long.%u00a0
Week in Pictures%u00a0
Did you get to enjoy any of that spring day where the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and all the snow melted? I busted out the sandals, broke a sweat on a walk, and picked up some garbage that was living doormat under the snow and ice. That was one excellent spring day, and was well needed, and now I am ready for another snow storm because we all know it’s going to happen. And I want it too because spring winter, with clean fluffy snow and blue warm skys is the best. And then real spring will be even better. Ah the weather. Never a dull moment.%u00a0
As weeks go,%u00a0nothing out of the norm this past one. There was some work, some play, lots of baking, and some feeling like a crazy person. It’s that time of year when things are kind of slow but about to get crazy and we know it, but there is not a whole heck of a lot we can do to prepare so we just do what we can and wait. And plan. And plan an escape. We need to escape, at least for a little while. And the west coast seems to be calling our names. So we shall see of things to come.
%u00a0I did spend a good amount of time trying to finish up the star cave in the kids room before Friday because we had a planet pillow making sleep over party and I just wanted it to be done. (it pretty much is, I just need to do a little touch up) %u00a0The littles (Miley, Judah, an Sophia) slept over, Barb came too, and we spent all of our time cutting fabric, playing with filling, and eating and leaving popcorn all over the house. %u00a0They all used their newly made galactic pillows and got to experience the awesomeness of sleeping under the stars in a heated room(I think I really outdid myself with this paint job. And all for a kids room in our house when we don’t even have our own kids. Can we say #1 aunt and uncle? I think so). %u00a0They got to wake up to pancakes, more pillow making, dropped clothing in the toilet and Sophia brushing her teeth 4 times because she said if she does that she would not have to brush her teeth again for a few days. He logic makes perfect sense but luckily Miley was there to straighten her out (I just told her that she was so smart and what a great idea. HAHA) And then they left and we spent the afternoon cleaning the filth off of every surface because kids are gross.%u00a0
Not sure exactly what the plan is for today but I would like it to involve some kind of seed and or plant shopping which is the only kind of shopping (besides food) that I like. Other then that, a coffee nap (maybe under the stars) , maybe clean the car out if its not raining and brush the cat out because he is looking a little mangy.
Some of the Internet I looked at %u00a0this week
–The World’s Most Colorful Natural Phenomena. I must visit all these places.
– It happens to me all the time with the weirdest things.%u00a0%u00a0Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon.
-I love a perfectly made bed.%u00a0Expert Advice: Proper Bed-Making 101, How to Make Square Corners, Step by Step. It really does make me happy.%u00a0
–Like Lemons? Quinoa? Thank This Food Explorer For Bringing Them To Your Plate
-I have a Le Creuset and Martha Stewart and a Lodge. II want a Staub. %u00a0And I love them all in different ways.The biggest difference to me is that the cheaper I tend to chip the enamel on the cheaper ones.%u00a0%u00a0%u00a0Are Lodge Dutch Ovens Really as Good as Le Creuset and Staub?
-The loveliest chapel ever.%u00a0. %u00a0A National Park-Inspired Chapel Composed of Branching Fractals by Yu Momeoda
–MAKE A DURABLE DIY HALF APRON FROM A $4 PLACEMAT%u00a0Thinking of this next time I see a sweet ass placement
%u00a0-About to get my seed starting on.%u00a0Vermont Garden Journal: Seed-Starting Problem-Solving
–Can Being Cold Really Make You Sick?%u00a0And when you are sick Tea, Honey And Lemon: Does This Classic Trifecta Actually Help A Sore Throat?
And pictures from the week