Time Out

As you can probably tell already I am taking a little break. Del will be off next week and we have some projects around the house planned and also some time to just be lazy and read and rest and fiddle with something or other. I'll be back soon.

Farmer's Market

Our plan to go to the market early backfired today. The guy we buy our pork from was not there yet and the other farm we usually buy meat from had nearly empty freezers. I had to change my menu for the weekend on the fly, something I don't really like. I now have a pound of ground beef in the fridge instead of the pork roast I wanted (looking forward to cold pork roast sandwiches) but I am sure something to do with it will come to mind until tomorrow.
The market is really buzzing now with so many goodies to be had, I think I got just a little bit carried away. But we will eat like kings this week. :-)

Bug Spray and Ginger Ale

Yuck, not a good combination. :-)

Here is the link to the recipe I am using for making ginger ale. GINGER ALE
It is made with fresh ginger, sugar, yeast and lemon juice. If your bottle gets very hard, you might want to open it in the sink. I had a couple that turned into a geyser that almost reached the kitchen ceiling, what a mess! I have tried making ginger ale from a ginger ale plant but I like this one way better. I usually reduce the sugar to 3/4 cup for a 2 liter bottle.

The bug spray I make for the garden is a simple soap spray. I use a gallon of water with a tablespoon of liquid soap, either dish soap or Murphy's oil soap. It works on squash bugs for which I am mainly making it. I know you can also mix in garlic and cayenne pepper but I have never tried it.

I enjoy reading what everybody is making rather than buying, keep the ideas coming. I forgot to mention that I cook and bake everything from scratch and clean the whole house with white vinegar and baking soda. I only use bleach for the cat boxes and oil soap for the floors and when I wash the wood work. I confess to using Windex on my windows but only because long ago I bought a HUGE bottle of the stuff and I am still trying to finish it. :-)

Have a grand day everyone! It is raining buckets here and my cats are not happy about it.

Yarn Along

Well, here it is at last, my new knitting project. It is my second try at the "Hermia cardigan". I knitted my first one with a wool yarn that had been in my stash for a while and while I was working on the sleeves I noticed a huge hole in the back. The yarn had simply disintegrated. Maybe it had been in my stash too long, there was no sign of moths or anything, it just fell apart.
Now for my second try I am using a wool blend, the blend part is the sprinkles, the wool is the green yarn. I like the color, it is definitely a new one for me. I just started on the lace part but I ran out of yarn and need to get some more this weekend.
I started my 'summer reading'. Pure entertainment, Jan Karon - the first 4 books of the Mitford series and some Rosamunde Pilcher books that have been sitting on my shelves for ages.

 

Joining with Ginny over at Small Things.

Stuff I make

A friend asked me what the things are that I make rather than buy and that got me to thinking about it a bit and I decided to write it down here instead of mailing it to her. Let's see. Here is what I make rather than buy:

• Laundry Soap
• Bread
• Granola
• Pancake Syrup
• Spice Mixes (like pumpkin pie or apple pie mix)
• any kind of baked goods, like hamburger buns, cakes, cupcakes, cookies, etc.
• bug spray for the garden
• Ginger Ale
• Roasted Peanuts
• Iced Coffee
• Yogurt
• Ice Cream
• I always use dried beans and lentils instead of canned

Next on my list to try is homemade tahini and hummus, cheese (which requires a few utensils I don't have yet) and sourdough bread (one of these days I will succeed with that).

I generally look for a pattern or a recipe whenever I need or want something new. If it is non food stuff my next stop is a thrift store or flea market. There are a few exceptions to buying things used but not too many.

Okay now it is your turn, what are you making rather than buying? I am always open for learning something new.

This and That

In case anybody wondered - I am still here. Not much 'blogworthy' going on at the moment, no crafty things to show either. I am catching up on some projects around the house, cleaning things that don't get cleaned every week and making plans for some renovations.

We are still going to the farmer's market each Saturday, but now we go before breakfast because I am not doing well with crowds that behave like tourists, stand and gawk while all I want to do is get my shopping done. I think the walk way between the stalls is way too narrow and I am getting tired of bumping into people who suddenly stop in the middle of traffic. So we try to get there by 8 am and then come home to a lavish breakfast using some of the goodies we just bought. And I discovered how much better peanuts taste when bought raw and roasted freshly at home.


Miss Elsa got spayed and has not 'spoken' with us ever since. I don't know if she is mad at us for dumping her at the vet's office and leaving her overnight or for keeping her in a cage for 5 days. She is not very friendly at the moment and acts as shy as she did when she first showed up in the garden. I hope she will come around soon.


I am reading a lot, mostly Jan Karon and Rosamunde Pilcher. I read so many educational books lately, it is time for some pure entertainment. I am also enjoying our Hulu+ subscription, revisiting old TV shows and watching movies. My latest knitting project is on hold until I can get more yarn and the garden is doing well. Everything seems to be coming up a bit late because we planted so late and the heavy rains let the weeds and the grass grow like mad.


We had a few really hot days but now it has cooled off a bit and the temperatures are more enjoyable. The cats are doing well, the kittens are bigger than the three adults and really sweet. We will not mention the spilled ice coffee this morning at all. ;-)

Life is rolling along nicely at the moment and I am hoping for a peaceful Summer.