Our Sunday Cafe

SURPRISE! Wedding Shower for the happy couple.

2013-05-18T16:58:00.002-07:00

We have been absent for a while, for a very good reason. All talking and thinking and working was in preparation for this shower. Originally it was planned for outside, but then this being the Pacific Northwest, well one thing led to another and of course it r a i n e d.......And while the yard looks wonderful, and none of that work was in vain, we could not use the out of doors as we had planned.

So we re-work all plans to have an indoor shower, and this is what we came up with.....

First you set up a phony shopping day so the Mother of the Groom (that would be me) can purchase a dress. Of course I needed the help of my daughter, my daughter in law to be and her Mother to make the trip complete. This of course was never the plan, all along it was this shower. But this shopping trip rouse worked very well..........

Place a Mylar balloon on the for sale sign on the house next door. Ask all guests to park at that house. This keeps the surprise a surprise, because there are not familiar cars when the guest of honor arrives.

We had all the guests sign in on the kitchen chalkboard. Love this chalkboard!

This is a jar of dates for the happy couple. Each guest wrote down a fun "date" to draw from after getting married, because let's be honest. Date night should not go away just because you are married.

We also had a fun game of movie love quotes. And for the record, it is pretty hard to remember which movie these came from. Fortunately there was an answer sheet at the end, and everyone liked this game. We each had the same thought, "really I don't remember that line".........

Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting and Strawberry shortcake cupcakes with a whipped cream frosting. There was also ice cream for those that wanted, and most wanted.........

Since we had originally planned to have this outside, we also had a nice luncheon of grilled hot dogs, potato salad, pasta salad and fruit salad along with chips and drinks. The grill works just fine in the rain, but for some reason those dogs were not as happy inside.....

Flower arrangements in jars to match the out of doors wedding and reception decor for the special day in June.

And of course gifts, what is a shower without gifts for the happy couple? Our gift to the happy couple? I went through the kitchen and picked out items that have been used to produce happy times around the table and made a stack, when presented to the couple I said "from our kitchen to your kitchen, these were used to make happy times and will continue to make happy times".

Included were a cookbook, wooden spoon, a crinkle cutter, glass pie pan, a small rectangular serving platter, a dish cloth, a slotted spatula, a lemon juicer and a serving fork. This was a simple gift tied together with twine and presented with love.

This great framed memory date of 06 23 13, the day of the wedding and each anniversary thereafter.
It must be mentioned that my husband Terry was like always my side-by-side partner and daughter Jessica did a wonderful job on the cakes and the beautiful decorations, games and the memory date gift.

Congratulations to the happy couple and now, bring on the month of June, because we are ready!

As always, thanks for taking a moment to stop and say hello. We appreciate your time and your wonderful comments!

Garden Tuesday, the one about one year.

2013-05-14T05:30:00.000-07:00

May marks the end of one year, we thought we would show you some of what we got done in one year. This might explain why some weekends there is not a lot of recipe sharing.......

The backyard,

Before, May 2012

After, May 2013

The front yard,

Before, May 2012

After, May 2013

We are not done yet, we do enjoy a nice yard. There will be more shared surprises this weekend, so do stop by and say hello again!

As always, thanks for taking a moment to stop and say hello. We appreciate your time and your wonderful comments!

this post shared with:

garden tuesday @ sidewalk shoes

tuesday garden party @ an oregon cottage

Happy Mother's Day!

2013-05-12T05:37:00.001-07:00

This pillow was given as a gift on another holiday, many years ago. It has had a prominent place in my home, since that first day. Always reminding me of the importance of being a mother, and how truly important mothers are.

Wishing all a wonderful day, with lots of family love, happiness and good memories. Also on this day Terry and I wish to remember our own mothers, gone on ahead, but never forgotten.

As always, thanks for taking a moment to stop and say hello. We appreciate your time and your wonderful comments!

Wedding Ramp-up!

2013-05-10T08:02:00.002-07:00

We are on! In 6 weeks everything must be ready......

These two independent people, will form a family, share a home and build a future. We as parents of the groom will be ready!

There are yard chores, in case we host a gathering. There are house chores, for the same reason. There is also a garden that must be watered. Meals to make and jobs to work. There is a dress to purchase for the mother of the groom, and yes that would be me.....There are decisions to make regarding many, many things.

And we will be ready.

We have been spending much of our evening in the yard, the garden is beginning to have little green dots where the beans and peas are coming up. We have rearranged the composting structure to define a nice shady spot under the trees, for those times when a quiet moment and a cold drink are in order. And tonight the rhubarb bed will be enlarged to accomodate the growth that is happening.

There are rehersal dinners to consider, transportation of family to arrange and flowers and linens to care about. There is the future to think about and savor. There are endless details that at the moment are not even on the list, it always happens that way.....

And yes, we must be ready.

Because this is an important day and we are parents, and parents are always ready. Ready to help, continue to care and when the time is right, let go with best wishes .........

Congratulations to the happy couple, and now we ajourn to get busy! Because ready is the word of the day!

As always, thanks for taking a moment to stop and say hello. We appreciate your time and your wonderful comments!

Garden Tuesday, the one about rocks!

2013-05-07T06:02:00.001-07:00

We live close by a river, so close in fact that just a few hundred years ago when it raged through the gorge it left behind something in our yard. Rocks. We have tons of rocks in our yard. Each time we dig a hole to plant a tree or remove sod to make a garden bed, we discover more rocks.

They are all sorts of sizes and have various attractive qualities. And they are already paid for, so we use them in many ways. For walking paths, shoring up the side of the slope in the yard and for mulching. The mulching is a bit like a puzzle, the pieces need to fit together, but also like a puzzle it is fun.

However, we are also lazy gardeners. While we like the yard to look nice, we want it easy. I should clarify, we want it easy on a day to day bases. We don't mind the work involved to set up a bed or growing area, but that set up always includes the requirement that it must be easy to maintain as time goes on.......

Enter rocks.....

This flower bed at the corner of the house does contain a trumpet vine, which we enjoy. And this will be our first year for blooming so I will definately show off some photos then. But this bed also contained weeds and a plastic drainage device to divert the water from the roof into the yard. Except for the trumpet vine, the whole bed was ugly and needed too much work, too often!

Step one was to dig a french drain to catch the water from the down spout and fill it with small rocks and then the fun can began. A layer of shredded brown paper mulch was laid down and then large rocks were placed at the edge and moving inward. Then smaller ones on top to fill in the open spots. Easy and again, using supplies already on hand. I really like that part.......

No more plastic anything, no more weeds and best of all, no more weeding!

As always, thanks for taking a minute to stop and say hello. We appreciate your time and your wonderful comments!

this post shared with:
garden tuesday @ sidewalk shoes
tuesday garden party @ an oregon cottage.

Guess who......

2013-05-02T19:15:00.001-07:00

Can't load photos? And will have help this Saturday? Yep us.....

This spot reserved for a photo, any photo.....

As always thanks for taking a minute to stop and say hello. We appreciate your time and your wonderful comments!

Garden Tuesday, the one where "we" planted a garden

2013-04-30T07:51:00.000-07:00

We planted a garden. Now as I have previously explained, "We" usually refers to my husband doing the work....and this garden is no exception. However I would like to point out, that years ago, I bought the berry bushes, I'm just sayin.......

After spending some time feeding the soil (leaves, crushed egg shells, a bit of sand) with what we had on hand to increase the worm population, the soil was hand turned. We were successful, there are tons of worms.

The raspberries and blueberries were mulched with straw. Soaker hoses are needed as the rains will let up, then more mulch over the top so the water goes where it is needed.

Currently there are 2 artichoke, 2 hills of zucchini, 2 hills of potatoes, a row of sweet snap peas, a row of blue lake green beans and a row of roman green beans. We have additional seed to have a second planting.

We also have tomato starts in the kitchen window, and some herb starts. These will be added to the garden as soon as they are ready. We will mulch this area and lay down soaker hoses, in the near future.

The strawberry towers (from the experimental garden at work) are in place at the end of the garden. Now we need to count the open holes, transplant that many strawberry plants, fill the center wth stone (there was some settling during transport) and hopefully there will be berries to harvest..... Actually I will get some whipping cream real soon, because what are berries without whipping cream, I ask you?

So how about you, how is your garden growing? It doesn't matter where or even how big, gardening is fun.

As always, thanks for taking a minute to stop and say hello. We appreciate your time and your wonderful comments!

this post is shared with:
garden tuesday @ sidewalk shoes
tuesday garden party @ an oregon cottage

RootBeer Float Punchbowl

2013-04-26T07:49:00.000-07:00

Warning!

The following photo does not show this delicious treat in the best light.....

But trust me, this is delicious! It is also fun and a great way to have root beer floats for a large group. I have offered this treat at work during out tenant lunches. It is the first thing gone from the buffet table. Just ignore the photo, because it is a fact, brown is not a good color to photograph, but check out the easy directions below!

Root Beer Float Punch aka "Ugly Mutt" Punch!

by the seat of my pants!

1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, let soften a bit for easy scooping

2 2 liter bottles of root beer

whipped cream, if desire

Gently pour one of the bottles of root beer into your punch bowl. Top with scoops of vanilla ice cream. Carefully add the remaining bottle of root beer.

Ladle into glasses, add a straw and some whipped cream for a festive touch, then enjoy!

As always thanks for taking a minute to stop and say hello. We appreciate your time and your wonderful comments!

this post is shared with:

weekend potluck @ country cook

Wordless Wednesday (the tree outside my office window at work)

2013-04-24T07:46:00.004-07:00

As always thanks for taking a minute to stop and say hello. We appreciate your time and your wonderful comments!

this post is shared with:
wordless wednesday @ create with joy

Grandma's Rhubarb Cake, a spring time treat

2013-04-22T17:05:00.001-07:00

Grandma's Rhubarb cake

350 degrees

1/2 c butter
1 3 oz package cream cheese

1 1/2 c brown sugar, please do not use dark brown sugar, the flavor will be too strong

1 egg

1 t vanilla

1 t baking soda

2 c flour

1 c buttermilk

2 c diced rhubarb

1/4 c sugar

1 t cinnamon

In large mixer bowl cream together butter, cream cheese and brown sugar.
Beat in egg and vanilla.
In medium size bowl, stir together the flour and soda.
Beat 1/2 the flour mixture into the creamed butter, then 1/2 the buttermilk.
Beat well after each addition.
Repeat.

Stir in diced rhubarb. Spread batter into a prepared 9X13 inch pan.
Combine the remaining sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle over batter.
Bake 35-40 minutes or until done in your oven.
Cool on rack. Serve warm with ice cream, or cool with a homemade custard sauce.

Serves 16-20

As always thanks for taking a minute to stop and say hello. We appreciate your time and your wonderful comments!

this post shared with:
hearth and soul @ premeditated leftovers

Wood storage area, ready to receive winter wood stores.

2013-04-21T06:19:00.002-07:00

I found these Douglas Fir wood chips on Craigslist. Another freescape find, hubby and I had originally talked about purchasing gravel ( expensive also heavy to shovel, pack and spread.....) to cover the area. Mowing when filled with wood is not possible, so a thick mulch of some sort was needed.

That is my little red car in the background, so this pile while free, was big!

The wood storage area with the storage pallets removed. The grass is persistent to say the least. The brown grassy area is where the pallets were. To get through a full winter, we knew we would need to store more wood.

Four hours, 2 wheelbarrows, 1 married couple and a shovel later.

There is also room for the mower and the chipper under cover.

We are ready to get a cord of wood each month during the summer, to be ready for winter. The chipper is a new, used purchase. It will be handy for everything that goes into the gardens. All evergreen trimmings will be place either in the wood storage area or under the cedars in the front yard.

Ear plugs and a chipper needed here!

As always, thanks for taking a minute to stop and say hello. We appreciate your time and your wonderful comments!

this post is shared with:
garden tuesday @ sidewalk shoes
tuesday garden party @ an oregon cottage
simple lives @ Sustainable eats

Breaking forth.

2013-04-19T05:26:00.002-07:00

It is raining. It is also dark, but it is always dark at 4:45 AM. We enjoyed coffee together, then packed lunches, husband is on the road to work, laundry is in the dryer and food for this evening's dinner has been pulled from the freezer. We will be having Portuguese style white fish, one of the few recipes I have not only kept, but made through the years. Husband enjoys fish, and we are from that generation that observed "fish on Friday" as a guideline.

Lunches are packed, let's go...

Today is husband's last day at work. We made the decision that he would resign. Not because of the early hours, a soul can get accustomed to what a life must accomplish. No in fact it was due to rugged and unsafe working conditions and the decision that we would not give away our lives, just to make a living. We do have plans in store for the future and it will be nice to see them through. So we are in fact, breaking forth.

Once the decision was made, I was relieved. It will be wonderful to have my husband back, and work side by side to see our plans take shape and enjoy the fruits of our labor. We purchased a vintage 1970 (mild fixer issues, but usable right now) travel trailer. We have spent the past week going through our camping gear and loading it up, so that Erma (yeah I did name her, sorry....) is ready to go. She has one bumper sticker on the back window that we will leave in place and a cow has been drawn on the refrigerator door inside. Quirky but fun. We will "camp" in the driveway the first time to make sure we know how everything works.

Yep, this is our driveway....lots to do this weekend!

We have a load of wood chips in the driveway (surprise honey, I was going to call you and let you know they were coming, but.....) that I found on Craigslist. We will line the area where we store wood for our stove with a deep layer of chips, to mulch out the grass that really and truly wants to grow there as well as prevent any and all mud puddles. These are Douglas Fir chips and they smell wonderful. As I previously stated, it is raining. That happens here, a lot and you can work with it or curse it. I prefer the first option. Speaking of which, right now the rain is running over the rain gutter, because it is filled with cherry blossom petals. Spring can be such a busy time, chores, growth and change.

It is Friday, and we like Friday's. Home together is our favorite place to be. Tonight calls for a nice dinner, a glass of wine, a fire and maybe a movie. Because there is work to do tomorrow my dear. Work, it is the one constant.

As always, thanks for taking a moment to stop and say hello. We appreciate your time and your wonderful comments!

Garden Harvest Swiss Chard, Recipe rewind because some things are too good to miss!

2013-04-18T04:53:00.001-07:00

Garden Harvest Swiss Chard
by the seat of my pants!

1 bunch of Swiss Chard
1/4 red bell pepper, diced
4 green onions, sliced or 1 thick slice of regular onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
olive oil
sea salt and fresh pepper

De-rib the chard. Cut ribs in thin slices, and green leaves in 1' squares (I prefer square pieces to shreds)

Saute the ribs, red pepper, onions and garlic in olive oil. When fragrant, add the green leaves and 1 T water. Cover and let steam 2-3 minutes.

Remove cover, turn up the burner to cook off any excess liquid and serve immediately with salt and pepper.

Yum!

As always, thanks for taking a moment to stop and say hello. We appreciate your time and your wonderful comments!

this post is shared with:
hearth and soul @ premeditated leftovers
full plate thursday @ miz helen's

Garden Tuesday, the one where there is rhubarb to harvest and other signs of spring!

2013-04-16T17:24:00.000-07:00

Yeah baby, there is rhubarb to harvest!

Yep, rhubarb to harvest, in my backyard! How many tries? How many bed changes? Who knew it would take buying a different house to get a harvest?

But just so you don't think I have "rhubarb brain", here are other signs of spring in our yard......

Let me present the tulips.

In addition, I would like to introduce you to the Fern leaf bleeding heart, making a strong showing in the front yard.

The Japanese painted fern,

also the lavender in the backyard, after being transplanted.

And finally a transplant/project that needs a bit more work. The back row must be moved, they won't get rain and the front edge is not right. So in the end it works out OK, make the front edge correct and move the plants forward.....see isn't that easy?

As always, thanks for taking a minute to stop and say hello. We appreciate your time and your wonderful comments!

this post is shared with:
garden tuesday @ sidewalk shoes

Big Batch Homemade Laundry Soap

2013-04-15T08:11:00.001-07:00

While I love my homemade laundry soap and have been using it for years with very good results, I wanted the convenience of a larger batch. Especially with nice weather on the way, I don't want to have to say to my husband, "I would love to go and have some fun with you, but darn if I don't need to make some laundry soap".....

So here it is,

Big Batch Laundry Soap!

1 box Washing Soda
1 box Borax
4 bars Fels Naptha Soap - grated*
4 C baking soda
4 C Oxy Clean

Combine all together, use just like the original recipe 1/4 c - 1/3 c per load of laundry.

Now go have some fun!

As always, thanks for taking a minute to stop and say hello. We appreciate your time and your wonderful comments!

* see my original recipe for hints on grating soap.

About ready to break forth?

2013-04-12T05:47:00.002-07:00

Things are a bit sluggish at the Brown's......

The winter cold hangs on with windshield scrapings in the morning and much needed wood stove tending in the evenings. The ground too wet to plant and yet the time to plant is now! With days starting at 3:15 AM for a cup of coffee together, then lunches to pack and a 5:00 AM job start time, add in commutes and making dinner once back home and before you know it, time to start the cycle again......

We are caught between seasons. Wishing for a warmer spring for invigorating walks, more yard work and more time to smile. It is pitch black as I write this and my husband has already left for work. We have a flower bed change in progress in the backyard. All the lovely plants that attract butterflies will fill this bed.

Much larger than before, with plenty of room for the plants.

This work was completed last weekend, there has been rain and more rain since then. Some of this weekend will be spent in the yard. I am hoping this can be completed and we can get the peas and beans into the garden. We do have tomato starts in the window above the sink. The blueberries are leafing and the raspberries are awakening. There are two strawberry towers (from the experimental garden at work) to get placed and refilled with soil and berry plants.

I have completed several packages of chicken (frozen in a marinade) for easy dinners. Fridays seem like a great time to bring the grill into play. With husband on the grill, dinner is quick delicious and a team effort. I have found it really does not matter what you pour over the chicken, it is always good from the grill. Currently in the freezer there are 4 different flavors of marinade protecting and flavoring those thighs!

We are also getting in gear for a June wedding! Son is marrying this June, a nice yet small outdoor wedding. Combining two lives to share the future as one family. Up to this point we have not had a lot of chores for this event, but I think that comes to a close soon. There will be rehearsal dinners and last minute tasks, along with the moving of household goods and setting up a new home. RSVP cards are coming in, there is talk of table linens and music and food and the future. Many congratulations to the happy couple!

Easter's ham was finished off with a big pot of beans. I am (almost) succeeding with my philosophy of "cook a pot of beans weekly". We have several containers in the freezer of a variety of bean dishes to pull out, warm up and round out a meal. Those with plenty of meat, are dinner along with a pan of cornbread, a salad and fresh fruit.

The only connection to this sleepy cat and cooked beans, is his love of ham scraps!

We are looking at small older travel trailers. The time has come to "upgrade" from sleeping on the ground. It will be fun to have a stocked and ready to go trailer for camping. Just hook up to the vehicle, add fresh foods to the cooler and go! We will take a short journey north, this Saturday to take a look at one. While in no hurry, when the right size comes along, it is important to make time to take a look. Since it is only the two of us, we want to stay as compact as is possible. My other desire for a travel trailer is that we can go even when the weather is not the best. A campfire, some coffee and a good book seem perfect on many a day.

I fear this one however, is too small!

And with all this I shall leave you with proof of spring.....

Freescaped Iris tubers along with tulip bulbs from Costco.

These were planted in blocks for mixed color (tulips) and

the time honored iris purple.

While the tulips will be finished once the iris bloom, we should

have nice color and/or green on the street edge most of the season.

We have added two trees to the front yard as well, a (5 variety)

grafted apple tree and a twisted white birch. The birch was another freescape find.

Other freescape or gleaned items include two more rose bushes along with gleaned pavers, stepping stone rocks and large ceramic planters.

Freescaping so far has been quite fun!

As always, thanks for taking a minute to stop and say hello. We appreciate your time and your wonderful comments!

Wordless Wednesday.....

2013-04-10T05:44:00.001-07:00

As always, thanks for taking a minute to stop and say hello. We appreciate your time and your wonderful comments!

this post is shared with:
wordless wednesdays @ create with joy

Lemon and Mustard Salad Dressing, Recipe rewind because some things are too good to miss!

2013-04-04T05:19:00.001-07:00

Recipe rewind, because in the beginning there is a blogger who has no readers. She still posts great food in hopes that the readers will come..........you can also view it here in the archives, Friday March 25, 2011.

If I got to live in a perfect world, I would serve a crisp salad each evening with a freshly made salad dressing, and never purchase another bottle of the stuff. But alas my world is not perfect and even I get tired of salad every night. The homemade salad dressing part? That I can do. There will however be that ever present bottle of Wishbone Italian dressing that Honey believes is absolutely the only dressing that should go on a salad, ever. OK Honey, but take a look at this........

I know, parsley again? Yes and for a good reason. Most salad dressings and vinaigrette, are very high in fat content. Good quality olive oil is wonderful, and we need healthy fats in our diets. But lets be honest, we don't have a problem getting enough fat in our diets here in this country. Maybe the right fats, but certainly not enough fat. Enter parsley, and a host of other ingredients, these ingredients can take the place of some of the added fat and offer good nutrition in the trade. Your own homemade "light" salad dressing.

Lemon Mustard Salad Dressing
adapted from: Salad Dressings!
by: Jane Marsh Dieckmann

1 bunch of parsley, washed, dried, trimmed with a 2 inch stem
1 green onion, sliced thin
1 clove garlic, minced
juice of 1 lemon, strained
1 T sugar
1/2 t salt
2 t dijon style mustard, or 1 T of a milder grainy type
1/3 c olive oil
1/2 c buttermilk

Combine all ingredients through olive oil in processor bowl, process until smooth(ish).

This lovely dressing is delicious over sliced
tomatoes, or steamed and chilled vegetables.

Scrape down sides, add buttermilk, process additional 30 seconds.

Decant into a jar, refrigerate, shake before using. Makes approximately 1 1/2 c cups.

As always, thanks for taking a minute to stop and say hello. We appreciate your time and your wonderful comments!

Garden Tuesday, the one about the canopy

2013-04-02T04:55:00.000-07:00

When you stand at the back door and look across the yard, this is what you see....

spring time has indeed come to Vancouver WA. Just in time I might add!

As always thanks for taking a moment to stop and say hello. We appreciate your time and your wonderful comments!

this post is shared with:
garden tuesday @ sidewalk shoes

Happy Easter, from our house to yours!

2013-03-31T04:58:00.000-07:00

May your day be filled with peace, family and celebrations to fill the soul.

As always thanks for taking a minute to stop and say hello. We appreciate your time and your wonderful comments!

Easter Dinner Suggestions

2013-03-29T05:34:00.002-07:00

At our house, a baked ham is the centerpiece dish for Easter dinner. A bone in ham, because we all know a pot of beans comes soon after baked ham! I would like to share some suggestions to serve up to your loved ones.

Many of the dishes we serve, require no recipe. Roasted sweet potatoes, buttered corn, carrot raisin salad. But it is always nice to have some special dishes as well. I have gathered a few to share. Not in any particular order, but all delicious.

This Onion Gratin is delicious. Onions cooked soft and sweet, covered in a crisp crumb and cheese crust.

http://momssundaycafe.blogspot.com/2010/09/saturday-spotlight-onion-gratin.html

It is no surprise for me to include a beans dish. This one is easy and uses a crockpot.....

http://momssundaycafe.blogspot.com/2012/08/western-style-baked-beans-in-crockpot.html

Super easy yeast dinner buns. These will round out your meal, especially for the bread lovers in your group.

http://momssundaycafe.blogspot.com/2010/07/sunday-morning-kitchen-cottage-cheese.html

This is not only delicious, but beautiful. A bit more work, but completely do-able. Serve with whipped butter.

http://momssundaycafe.blogspot.com/2011/01/swedish-saffron-bread.html

This is a refreshing salad. Easy to find ingredients and delicious results, it doesn't get better than this.

http://momssundaycafe.blogspot.com/2010/07/saturdays-spotlight-cucumber-parsley.html

I need a picture of this wonderful sauce! But until then, this photo of my favorite napkins will have to do!

http://momssundaycafe.blogspot.com/2010/12/pineapple-raisin-sauce-for-ham.html

This sauce is like a tangy liquid cheesecake. Put fruit along side a piece of cake, and enjoy this over the top.

http://momssundaycafe.blogspot.com/2011/04/buttermilk-creme-as-sauce-for-berries.html

For these two cake, see above! Your family and guests will thank you.

http://momssundaycafe.blogspot.com/2010/05/sunday-morning-kitchen-graham-cracker.html

http://momssundaycafe.blogspot.com/2011/10/old-fashion-pound-cake.html

As always, thanks for taking a minute to stop and say hello. We appreciate your time and your wonderful comments!

Well now, If it is not one thing it's another.....

2013-03-28T05:25:00.000-07:00

Not my usual post, but here goes.....

Apparently too much of anything is not good. Thankfully I am not talking about that extra glass of wine or eating a rich dessert even though dinner filled you up. No I am talking about s.t.r.e.s.s. As it turns out, that is absolutely the case with stress or stressful living.When I started to think about things, I was shocked to find the following history. I guess I was to busy to see that I was too busy.

" love people, cook them tasty food"

In the nine years from 2003 to 2012, I have:
Moved back to Vancouver from another state.
Purchased a "fixer" house, sold it, and moved.
Purchased a moderate "fixer" house, sold it and moved.
Purchased a "last home" house, that I was wrong about, as I needed more opportunities for gardening. So I moved.
Purchase what is my last home, where we are making it into the house and home that will see us through retirement and beyond.

But wait there is more, on the work front I,
Resigned a long term Administrator position, I had reached burn out.
Took a simple office job to recharge self. But the calming effect was not healthy for my pocketbook or any pocketbook for that matter.
Took another position where the environment was difficult, but easier on the pocketbook.
And now, finally the job I now have, thankfully found me and I am very grateful.

There have been personal losses as well, but those shall remain my own, to know.

And a funny thing happened along the way. My gut revolted against me. Speaking to my gut at this time I would like to say: Really? Come on, it was not intentional and haven't we both had enough drama for awhile?

So I have been a bit out of sorts with stomach pain and malfunction. Eating has been difficult and many foods were no longer tolerable. And through it all, the simplest pleasure was the most difficult to endure. I had to give up the whole milk in my morning coffee. Black coffee is not my favorite.....

But I believe I have figured it out and thankfully there are great acid reducers available. I should be better soon. Cooking more for my family. Sharing more here, and best of all, having milk in my morning coffee again.Some sunshine and yard work with my husband is on the agenda for this weekend, and I am looking forward to it and our time together. Here is wishing you all good health and happiness!

As always, thanks for taking a moment to stop and say hello. We appreciate your time and your wonderful comments!

Tuesday Lookingglass

2013-03-26T05:35:00.000-07:00

Tuesday's Lookingglass....

While I am not the tallest person, I have always been one of the tallest women in my family. In school, I was always in the back row. This happened in pictures, as well as where desks were placed and in time I was expected to stand back and let those who were smaller go first. Apparently during my grade school years, tall was synonymous with mature. But wait a minute, I was still a kid.....

We came upon this scene, at our lovely Ester Short Park in downtown Vancouver WA.

Fast forward 50 years (ouch!) and I am finding that the top shelf in the kitchen is now out of reach. Wow, when did this happen?

This weekend husband and I spent a couple of hours bringing down the shelves. Now those items are reachable without a stool. Come on, who wants to get a stool to get something down from the top shelf? Apparently not me.

Of course the shelves being changed required some of the dishes to be placed in different places, with larger yet light weight items going up. In the food cupboard the chips and crackers are "up top" and in the dish cupboard, the plastic drink pitchers are "up top".

The weekends go to fast. Yes there are chores, which we enjoy completing together, like the shelf project. But we also try to take a little time for some fun. We took a little stroll downtown and not only enjoyed the park, we came upon this along the way. Whimsy is fun, no matter where you find it.....

We also were able to stop by our favorite haunt and pick up some great bargains for the house. Including this great drinking kettle. I adore enamel ware and this will make a great flour canister.

Oh and a few cookbooks, the count is getting close to 500.....

As always, thanks for taking a minute to stop and say hello. We appreciate your time and your wonderful comments!

Garden Tuesday, the one where stuff is growing

2013-03-26T04:49:00.000-07:00

Our weather has been "iffy" as in, "if it was not hailing, I would work in the yard" or "if it was not so cold and wet, I would work in the yard". The little weather monitor in the kitchen window, does show a small picture that includes a sun. But it has been a false announcer before.

However, when looking at the photos that have accumulated there is the beginning of a series. The front flower beds were planted last fall with iris tubers (free from craigslist) and mixed tulips from Costco. Then we laid down a layer of bark mulch when the sprouts were about 1 1/2 inches tall. Of course by that time the weeds were growing better than the bulbs and tubers.

But here is a bit of progress, and I can't wait for the blooms!

and.....

They are taller even still.

And you know, "if" it wasn't so dark outside, I would take another picture as proof!

As always, thanks for taking a minute to stop and say hello. We appreciate your time and your wonderful comments!

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Julia's Beans

2013-03-22T05:03:00.001-07:00

This is another recipe from my little binder of recipes. The ones good enough to make again and again. I found this recipe in a magazine article about Julia Child, so many years ago, I no longer recall the publication. One of my first cookbooks that I needed to "own" was Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Now truth be told, I never cooked from that book as the food itself did not call out to me at that time. I was a very young bride, with an even smaller understanding about food from different countries and cultures.At that point all the food I had eaten had been "American". It took many years to understand that all along my folks enjoy food from many different countries. Many of the recipes and dishes of food on our own table each Sunday was in fact from another country.

But these beans were from her years after retirement when she had a good time simply being Julia Child. They are classic American food, and the plus is that they are easy to make as well as delicious to eat. In this household we enjoy cold beans along side our sandwiches or just as a side dish. My husband most of all, so these being a bit on the sweet side is a plus. Think Pork and Beans, but better....

Julia's Beans
adapted from: a magazine article with this recipe, sooo long ago
serves 8-10

1 pound small pea beans (great northern work nicely also) soaked overnight, drained well
1 T salt ( I usually cut back on the salt and add a little ham base)
2 T molasses
6 T sugar
1/2 pound salt pork cut into small chunks ( I have never used this and have never missed it....)
4 c water
1 onion left whole
Optional: 1 T catsup

Place beans and onion in a large pot, add the water. Bring to a boil, simmer 1 hour.

Transfer to a crockpot, add remaining ingredients, stir well. Cool on low 8 hours, or until done.

Before serving discard the onion. Enjoy!

As always thanks for taking a minute to stop and say hello. We appreciate your time and your wonderful comments!

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weekend potluck @ the country cook