SOCIAL MEDIA


Happy Halloween!

Monday, October 31, 2011

The Tomatoes are Canned



I have had an ongoing project of home canning tomatoes. I made batches as the tomatoes ripen. I have completed this years tomatoes, Yeah!! I made about 15 pints of Spaghetti Sauce, using Mrs. Wages canning mix. I finished off my project with about 20 quarts of Crushed Tomatoes.  I will not purchase these things for quite a while.  I plan to use some of the crushed tomatoes in a Cream of Tomato soup.  Now, I need an excellent recipe for the soup.

A Large Vintage Green Spongeware Bowl

Sunday, October 30, 2011

I love old kitchenware, it is a passion that I have to restrain and keep the items that I purchase to certain categories.  There is a junk store in the small town of Harrisburg, Oregon that I rarely stop at.  The owner is a hoarder, and the business is so full of stuff, nothing priced, extremely unorganized, with limited trails, and no way to access the junk and good stuff. His hours are not regular, so I never know if it will be open.  Friday, I was passing through the town...and swung by to see if he was open. The shop was open, so I stopped for a short time with hubby. Hubby is always interested in looking inside...it is such a mess...but he does have old stuff that men like.  I was wandering around, and found this wonderful green spongeware bowl. It is very heavy and in great condition...a really big bowl that I will use for raising bread. OK, now to get a deal from the guy. I am always polite to him, never making any negative comments, never insulting him, and I ask him nicely about what his price would be. Well, $25, hum...will you take $20. No he says...so I give him the bowl. (I don't need it and can live without it.) Then he says, OK $20 is fine. I own this vintage Robinson Ransbottom Roseville Ohio made 10" bowl.  I think that this is a fair price.  A pricey antiques shop in Portland would price it at $50-$60, in a beautiful staged arrangement.

If my daughter was little....

Wednesday, October 26, 2011
If Nicole was little again...she would love these skirts!  I love them!

Choices or Being Right?

Monday, October 24, 2011

This is today's Brave Girls Club message. Boy, it really hits home with me. I think that in all relationships, I remember this message, and live this truth. I have people in my life who do not believe that people are the most important, and that they must win every conversation. These are difficult people, especially when they are family. Non-family people I can choose to avoid, or to carefully limit my time around them. Yes, I have had to cut people out of my life because they were toxic and not good to be around. I am living my truth. 


This message is the way I am living my life. Everyone should try to do this, it gives such a sense of peace to remember that issues are not the most important thing. Just, let it go...they can have crazy thoughts, beliefs, or political views.  Let it go and have the best thing, Living my Truth.

Lovely Fall Color and Lots of Work

Saturday, October 22, 2011
I certainly am enjoying the fall colors all around, in a short period of time...10 days, everything is full of color. We are expecting a frost in a day or two, I better get those tomatoes covered. I have plenty of tomatoes on hand...and I am getting tired of canning them.  I have been making progress on my to do list of 34 items. Hurrah!  Tomorrow, it is time to make apple pie filling. My hubby is home and he will be assisting, BTW, he loves apple pie. We have much to do for that task. Buckets of apples to clean, remove bad spots, peel, slice, and make up into pie filling...then to process.  The final product is so good, and nice to have on hand.


Today, I spent 7 hours canning tomatoes, freezing chantrelle mushroom soup base, and making a chocolate zucchini cake (oh so good!). We had guests over for a casual spaghetti dinner, and to watch the University of Oregon beat Colorado, 45 to 2.


Hubby and our nephew made a trip to pick more mushrooms...and they came home with 3 large bags of Chantrelle Mushrooms. 

Hunting Golden Chanterelle Mushrooms

Monday, October 17, 2011



You know that it is fall when the leaves are turning red, orange and yellow...and when the mushrooms are up. The Golden Chanterelle mushrooms are abundant in this area, and fairly easy to find.  Nicole and Bryan came to visit last weekend, and they wanted to pick the mushrooms and make the wonderful soup recipe that I have. I know a good place to find these delightful mushrooms, so, off we went. It didn't take long to find the mushrooms and fill a shopping bag of chanterelles. These mushrooms are good fresh, and they dehydrate very well. I do have a permit for hunting mushrooms on public lands.


I found this recipe on www.cdkitchen.com

Cream of Chanterelle Mushroom Soup

4 Tablespoons Butter
1/2 cup finely Chopped Onion
1 Lb fresh Chanterelle Mushrooms, cleaned and well chopped
2 Tablespoons Flour
2 cups Chicken Broth
2 cups Half and Half
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper

Melt Butter in a heavy saucepan set over medium heat, add onion and saute for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute 5 minutes, stirring often.

Add flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly to coat onions and mushrooms with flour. Add broth, immediately bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add half and half, salt and pepper and heat on low, just below a simmer, for 10-15 minutes.

Serves 4.
This soup is even better after being refrigerated 24 hours, the flavors improve.


My favorite comic - Stone Soup

Friday, October 14, 2011

I think that Val, the redhead is my alter ego. Totally relate!


Oh, and all my followers...I had 96 views yesterday. I wonder what that was all about.

A Very Busy Farmgirl!

Thursday, October 13, 2011
This lovely artwork was featured at Molly Mo's last August.


Three days ago, I wrote a to do list...it had 34 items on it. Wow, I had to start working on that list. I am making progress, not really quickly...today my Sis and I goofed off. Tomorrow, I will be back to work, expecting guests soon.  
I just realized how many craft projects that I have lined up to work on...so...it is time to stay out of those very tempting stores.

BTW, the elk returned again. They tore all the leaves and limbs off my newly planted Sweet Gum tree. I wish that my dog would hear the elk and let me know, so I could scare them off. Well, the snow will not break anything off of it this winter...and it will probably live. I may get 4 - 8 ft tall T posts, and fence it for several years. It will be an ugly thing. 

Elk #$@%&&^%$#@

Sunday, October 9, 2011


These are Elk. There is a large number (oh, about 250) of Elk that live around our home and a few miles around. I am not joking when I say that I detest the animals! They come onto our 10 acres, raise havoc, eat everything that grows, tear down fencing, and destroy the landscaping. They came right up to the front door of my house last night, tore down my bird feeders and broke them. The ate a plum tree up to the 9 foot level, tore many branches off the tree, and ate or pulled up the plants around my home. They also destroyed my outdoor lighting. Ugh......I ---- them, and I have a elk tag that I will fill this year.  The deer are mere pests compared to the elk.

Handmade Fabric Pumpkins

Saturday, October 8, 2011


I am missing summer very much...but to move into fall when the leaves are still green...how to do it?  I crafted two fabric pumpkins today. I have saved some nice pumpkin stems to use, and have fabric on hand (to say the least).  I got out all the autumn decorations and put them all over the living room and dining room. I cut sunflowers from the garden and filled two vases to bring inside.  I would have liked to have picked some Black eyed Susan's...however the deer have devoured the plants. Maybe if I light some scented candles it will be nice.

Have a Cupcake! Enjoy! Take care of Yourself!

Wednesday, October 5, 2011



This is today's Brave Girl message.  I think that is perfect that we take care of ourselves, treat yourself, and give yourself time to enjoy life!
Brave Girls Club

I love Susan Branch artwork and products!

Monday, October 3, 2011

I was very lucky to find this 3 ring binder on clearance at Barnes and Noble Booksellers.  The binder has all the pages inside to create my own cookbook. I will write down my favorite recipes and keep them together in one special book. It's another project put aside for when the weather is bad, and I will fill it. I have recipes tucked here and there. Cookbooks with pages marked....it can be difficult to locate favorites for me.  I have postponed this project because my handwriting hasn't been too good the last 5 months (from an index finger injury).  I am looking forward to finishing this project.  Check out Susan Branch, I think that you will like her blog.

She Sings...

Sunday, October 2, 2011

I just want to share this pretty art project by Tammy Tutterow. Find her blog Tammytutterow.typepad.com.  She shows crafting projects and instructions for making the things.  I love this small paper crafting item. Still She Sings away....pretty!


The quote by Victor Hugo "Be as a bird perched on a frail branch that she feels bending beneath her, she still sings away all the same, knowing she has wings."