Tomatoes!!

You guys, I have tomatoes! Obviously they aren't ripe yet but I'm still super excited. I've always been scared to grow tomatoes. I know back home they are difficult to grow so I never tried until this year and even then I didn't have much hope for them. I only planted two plants, one of which was promptly spray painted by the gas guy who was marking the gas lines. It ended up almost killing the plant and it hasn't produced any fruit, just a lot of blossoms. This plant though I now have high hopes for. I can't wait to eat my first ever homegrown tomatoes!

Recipe: Chocolate Crackle Cookies.

These cookies are so yummy, they're crunchy around the edges and soft in the middle, just how a cookie should be.

Ingredients:

1 c. semi-sweet choc. chips
1 c. brown sugar, packed
1/3 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 c. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
about 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350.

Melt choc. - combine with brown sugar & oil.
Add eggs one at a time, beat well.
Add vanilla.
Add baking powder, flour, salt. Mix well.
Chill dough until it can be handled by hand without making a gooey mess, then drop by teaspoonfuls into powdered sugar and roll to coat.
Place on greased cookie sheet.
Bake 10-12 minutes.

Tip: Be sure to roll the cookies into small balls. You will think they look way too small but when cooking they flatten right out, these are not very fluffy cookies.

Enjoy!

I'm linked up for Tasty Tuesday.

What I've Been Canning Lately.

First of all, thank you all for your great advice on my last post. I'm trying to use it in a way that works for me. Now, onto something new. Last week I got a lot of canning done. I felt like I was living with Anne of Green Gables helping Marilla make preserves or something. Actually though, I picked up 15 lbs. of pickling cucumbers from a local lady and 22 lbs. of peaches from the orchard. I had wanted to get more cukes, even though 15 lbs. is a lot of little cucumbers, it seems that we always go through them so quickly, but that was all she had. 

I used old recipes from a Sunset canning book my Aunties had given me circa 1983. The original copyright date was in the 70s. I couldn't find any new pickling recipes that didn't have some weird mumbo jumbo added to the recipe. I just wanted plain ol' pickles. I pickled some whole, some spears, and some chips. I made some with jalapenos for a friend who enjoys spicy things, and some with apple cider vinegar for variation. 

It's been so hot lately that I didn't feel like picking my own peaches so I just bought a box of them from the orchard instead. I'm going to do it again in a few weeks when a new variety of peach is ready. 

I canned some peach halves in sauce, next time I'll know that I can fit more in the jar by squishing them down a little. This was my first time. Instead of going with a really sugar heavy sauce I substituted a lot of the sugar content for honey. I hope it turns out well. The jar on the right contains what was supposed to be peach jam but it wasn't cooking down correctly so I opted for peachsauce instead, like applesauce but with peaches. It's so good! 

Advice Please.

Sorry for being MIA this past week. Jake and I got into an argument and it was a rather bad one, as happens with couples. Personally, I think that what the argument was about isn't always the important part, but the reflection afterward is much more important.

Everyone has their flaws and things they need to work on about themselves, but sometimes we need help to work on them. As for myself, I have a bit of a temper (having to do with a lack of patience) and am sometimes jealous (which I extremely dislike about myself but am not able to shake it). It stems from my first "real" boyfriend cheating on me and being a giant loser. I was only slightly jealous before that happened but ever since then, even if I truly trust my partner, I detest when another girl tries to flirt with him. I think it is disgusting for women to do that to each other. We won't even get into what I think of people who cheat on their significant other. I guess it's just human nature though for it always seems to be happening.

Jake and I love each other and I trust him but it still annoys me that this girl texts him all of the time. She isn't a threat and it's kind of flattering that someone has a little crush on my boyfriend, but it still bugs the crap out of me when she texts him. She is the sister of one of Jake's friends. He can't make her stop texting, I can't make her stop texting, since it's going to continue to happen I need to devise a way to not want to punch her in the face every time she texts. Not that I have or would ever get into a physical fight, it's not very ladylike.

I have invited this girl to hang out at our house instead of her trying to lure Jake out of our house to hang out with a "group". She won't come around because she says she, "is afraid of me." This indicates to me that she knows her behavior is inappropriate as she has no reason to be afraid of me. I've never officially met her, been mean to her, or anyone else that she knows, or anything of the kind. Since I can't seem to affect her behavior, I just need to change my response to it.

So, my questions for you are, if you have some of the same struggles that I do, what methods do you use to not become so annoyed when a girl has a little crush on your man, and how do you keep yourself calm when your patience has been exhausted?

Thanks in advance for your tips and tricks because trying to ignore her doesn't work particularly well.

P.S. The argument wasn't about this girl, but this issue came to light when thinking about why I get so angry sometimes.

Itching for Ink.

My friend Clair posted a photo of her newest work in progress tattoo which inspired me to share some ideas I have for my next tattoo. On my left arm I have a portrait of Frida Kahlo that I love. Getting tattooed in a visible place was a difficult decision for me to make, one that I thought long and hard about for many years. In the end, I love it and have no regrets (knock on wood). I want to get a piece on my other arm in the same location. I want a gypsy girl but I'm having a little trouble deciding on black and white or colorful.  I'm also having trouble deciding if I want it portrait style or not. Here are some examples I have been liking on pinterest. Keep in mind, none of these are exactly what I'm looking for but give me lots to think about.

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I think this is my favorite but you know, with a face. I love her wavy hair and the big roses but I think I'd want them colored.

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I like this too except for the creepy boobs. Actually, I think I just like her eyelashes and hair.

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I love the colors used here but I don't like how her eyes look dead. If I don't get a face that looks like a real person I'd like something like this face, but with eyes that have a little life behind them.

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I like the light shades of blue here. Perhaps something like this color for the roses on the skull gypsy's hair would be nice.

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I love this photo and it's probably this that I'll end up showing my tattoo artist for inspiration.

I won't be getting this tattoo for awhile. I still need to think on exactly what I want my gypsy girl to look like.

Help My Reading List, Please.

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My best friend is a librarian. When we lived in the same zip code he used to drop off a stack of books at my office and once I had finished and returned them, he'd drop off another. Now we live about 6 hours apart and I really miss having that personal shopper style librarian. I never had to search for books, I'd just ask him for suggestions and they'd magically appear. He knew my tastes and there was always something amazing in the selection he had for me.

Lately I've been re-reading books I have around my house because I'm not sure what to read next. I need some book suggestions. I like fiction. I'm open to all genres but I'm not much of a mystery reader. I enjoy fantasy and find myself reading a lot of YA books. Recently I've re-read The Hunger Games trilogy and The Song of the Lioness series. I'm not really into chick-lit or fluff books about relationships, shoes or dogs. If it's not fantasy I like books that feel real, that leave an impact after finishing them.

Do you know of any good reads? Give me all you've got, our library is tiny so I'm sure they won't have half of what you suggest so lots of options would be awesome.

P.S. If you ever need book suggestions, there is a tab at the top of my blog that has a list of books I've reviewed here. Some I liked, others, not so much.

Bright {Neon} Lights.

I have a thing for neon signs and marquee lights. Especially older ones where the paint is fading and chipping away. I think they're so cool and beautiful, even if they're forgotten. I saw the peacock gifts sign in China Town when I was visiting my sister and I wished so badly I could take it home with me. Peacocks are my favorite and he has such a great vintage feel to him.

This sign just feel so 50s professional to me. I think it's the black and white.

I love how this sign has bulbs to make up the letters and then neon lights outlining them. 

I kind of want my own sign made of flashing lights but I have absolutely no use for one. I do have a large front window, maybe I should get a Chinese Proverb in lights and hang in in the window for all the neighborhood to see, a snarky saying directed toward my nosy neighbors could be fun too.  

Friday Randomness.

I made these cute little slippers last week. I adapted this baby slipper pattern from goodknits. 

I posted a picture of them on facebook and I had a couple people offer to buy them from me if I made them in Oregon Ducks or Oregon State Beavers colors. I think this weekend I might go pick up some green to go with the yellow and whip up a few pairs. 

School started on Wednesday here. We live right across from the middle school so that's always fun. What is with kids this age? They're on their way to becoming pita high schoolers so right now they're just being little brats. They're working their way up to being full pita. The very first day of school our yard was full of trash, one of the kids opened the gate to our backyard, and we found marijuana hidden in our fence. It's not the worst place to stash your pot as you wait to pick it up after school, but it's not the most ingenious either.

At jam night last night the farmer guitar player brought more of his amazing corn (it has both yellow and white kernels) and he gave me a watermelon. He grows a giant garden so his friends and family can use it for canning and he said that we can come over when the tomatoes are ripe and pick as many as we want. He has over 300 tomato plants.

Speaking of fresh produce, I'm supposed to be picking up a 1/2 bushel (24 lbs.) of pickling cucumbers on Saturday. On Monday the orchard opens for u-pick peaches and nectarines. Our neighbor down the street also has grapes growing that he said we could have as long as I make his little 3 year old daughter some jelly. I think this will be a very busy canning week in my house.

I'm linked up at FTLOB. 

Consumers.

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The Tsaritsa posted a Tide commercial the other day of a mother complaining that her daughter preferred to wear olive green instead of pink and wasn't girly enough. While I thought the commercial was really distasteful, it led me to think about other things. While I may not express all of my opinions on my blog, I have very strong ones, on most every subject. I have strong opinions on religion, politics, morality, sexuality, etc. What does that have to do with a Tide commercial?

We are a large nation, filled with many voices and opinions. We are also a nation of consumers. We purchase things on a daily basis ranging from necessities, such as food, to complete randomness like jelly bracelets. I’m trying to live a lifestyle where I’m conscientious about how and where I spend my money. I don’t want my lifestyle to have a negative impact on the planet or society. I want to do what I feel is right and so oftentimes I try to create rather than purchase. Obviously I can’t make everything and so I have to go the store for certain items, wherein lies the problem. 

In purchasing items, from any store, we are supporting an agenda which is not our own. The companies we purchase from donate large amounts of money. I’m not talking about their donations to charities. I’m talking about their donations to lobbyists, political parties and groups, religious organizations. They all have an agenda and they’re using the money I spent on the goods I purchased from them to further their agenda and that doesn’t sit well with me. The idea that I’m inadvertently supporting causes that I am adamantly opposed to makes me queasy.

A lot of times a product from one brand is owned by another brand, which is owned by another. It’s hard to know where the money is actually going and what it’s being spent on. You can do a lot of research and still have no idea, so in addition to trying to live a greener lifestyle, I’m also trying to spend less and live my life in a more thoughtful manner.

That's not the only reason I'm trying to purchase less. As consumers we spend exorbitant amounts of money on items we don’t need. I’m not even talking about things that could be argued over whether we need them or not (television for some), I’m talking about junk. How many extra toys have you bought your kids that they don’t actually need, how many hundreds of colors of nail polish do you own, did you go buy a bunch of junk at the 99 cent store just because it was 99 cents? How many times do we walk into a store to pick up only certain items and come out carrying 3 other things we just had to have? This is why we’re becoming a nation of hoarders and I want no part in it. If there is an option between purchasing an item and making it myself (within reason) I’m going to make it myself. I am only purchasing necessities.

I realize that not everyone has the same value system and strong opinions that I do and that some people will read this and think I’m nuts, like that girl on facebook the other day whose status was, “I need to buy an ice cream machine.” I asked why she didn’t just use a plastic bag and some ice like we did in Chemistry class one day. Her response was, “Why would I do that if I can just buy it?” I realize that some people think being able to purchase the luxuries in life, like the latest technology, is what makes life worth living. That is not the point I’m trying to make. I just think we need to be more conscious of not only what we’re spending our money on and how we’re spending it but of whom we’re spending it with. I’m not trying to tell you how to live your life; I’m just sharing something that is important to me.

What I Love Wednesday: Kitchen Equipment.

When I cook and can, I rely on the most basic of kitchen utensils. I don't own a mixer, not even a hand mixer, I don't have a blender, I don't even have a potato masher. I do however have a mini rice cooker from college. It's easy to make do with whatever I have around. There are a few little things I've been lusting after though.

1. I would love a stick blender to aid in the canning of certain things, like applesauce.
2. I could really use a larger colander. As of now I have a very small plastic one, also from college.
3. I would love to have a food dehydrator. I could dry all sorts of orchard deliciousness to save for later.
4. Who doesn't love a new book full of recipes?

Are you lusting after anything new for your kitchen?

I'm linked up at lollipops.

Damsel In The Dress {Giraffe Style}.

This is my new favorite dress that I own. It is incredibly comfortable and doesn't wrinkle very much. Plus, it's covered in giraffes. So awesome. I really love this outfit because I feel good in it. The fabric is slinky and not clingy so I don't get too warm like I tend to do in other dresses. I like the length, it's short but not too short. I've never really been one for showing off my legs and this is about as short as I like to go. It's not that I dislike my legs or anything, I just hate the way shorts feel all bunched up between my thighs so the only time I show my legs is when I wear a dress.

Dress: Hot Topic (who knew they carried something that doesn't look like a lollipop threw up on it?)

Cardigan: H&M

Shoes: Ross

Earrings: Made by a dear friend

It also has pockets! Woo hoo! In my opinion, every dress should have pockets. I think it'd be cute with a thin belt but I don't have any. Maybe I'll make a crocheted belt...with tassel ties?

I love the back cutout. It's so fun and even when I'm wearing a cardi and nobody can see it, I still know it's there. It's like my sweet little secret.

Here is a closeup of the giraffes. I love the wooden look of the buttons too. They're not actually wooden though. I'm so happy to finally have a yellow cardigan. I purchased a mustard colored cardi a few years ago on the morning of my sister's wedding. It was getting kind of windy out so I told her she could wear my new cardi with her wedding dress as her wedding colors were yellow and grey. She never gave it back citing some rule about, "If you wear it on your wedding day, it is yours to keep forever." I never even got to wear the darn thing, not even once. This one is more canary yellow than mustard but I still like it.

I've linked up at The Pleated Poppy.

Sashi the Snail.

I felt like hand stitching the other day and I wanted to make something fun and cute. I thought making a little animal would be fun but I didn't want to make anything with legs so a friend and I did a quick brainstorming session. Very quickly we came up with whales, fish, snakes, slugs and snails. I thought doing the shell with a patterned fabric swirl would be cute so I got to work and this is what I ended up with. I drew a snail on a piece of notebook paper, cut it out, and used it as a pattern to cut the felt. I still need to make her some antennas but I didn't have any stiff wire to make them stand up so I figure I'll do that later. 

I like when things look handmade. When the stitches aren't perfect and things are just a little wonky.

Maybe next time I'll make a fish or a whale. When I feel brave enough to make a ton of legs I want to make a jellyfish.

I've linked up for Life Made Lovely Monday and Make it Monday.

How To: Entertain a Baby.

My Auntie Val uploaded these photos to facebook last night and I just had to share them with you because Lana's face is priceless. My Aunt & Uncle like to call themselves Grauntie Val and Grunkle Ed since they're Lana's Great Aunt and Uncle, which I think is so cute.

Frozen Fruit.

In addition to canning and making fruit jams, one thing I like to do to preserve delicious summer fruits is to freeze them. It works really well for berries and grapes. I purchase or pick fruit when it's ripe and on sale, wash it all very well, lay it on a baking sheet in the freezer and once it's frozen I transfer it to a mason jar and return it to the freezer. It's so easy and I get to enjoy yummy fruit all winter long. Have you ever had a frozen grape? They're my favorite. Also, the berries are great to thaw and use in a pie.

They also make great and fun ice cubes for your iced tea. 

What I Returned With: Part Three.

My Uncle Cool (that's not his name, just what we call him) grew these from one he had taken from my Aunties' house and then gave one to everyone at the family reunion. My mom says they're called hen-and-chicks because one (the hen) will produce many more (chicks). I really want to transfer them to the ground but I'm having trouble deciding exactly where I should place them. That's the hard thing about renting, I never know where to plant anything. Also, when we move again I'll have to dig everything back up. I've wanted to get some succulents for quite awhile now so I'm really excited about these.

Last night was Jam Night at the local bar so I took yarn and my hooks and worked on some dishrags I've been making. I also made a headband for one of the bartenders, by request. He has long, poufy, curly hair and wanted something to hold it back. All of the guys tease me about my crocheting at the bar but it doesn't phase me. One of the guys who plays his guitar at jam night is a farmer and he brought everyone sweet corn. I always get excited about free food, especially if it is fresh and locally grown. I can't wait to have corn on the cob tomorrow.

For Sale.

I don't know if you noticed but I have added a button at the top of my blog that says, "For Sale." If you click on it you'll see I've listed some Stampin' Up! stamp sets that I'm wanting to sell. My sister recently gave me some stamp sets and I ended up with duplicates and I did a little purging of my own collection as well. They're all listed for 5 dollars each so if you see anything you'd like to call your own, just shoot me a quick email and I'll mark it yours. If you know of anybody who loves Stampin' Up! or just stamps in general, if you'd pass this along to them I would be very grateful. Thanks so much!

Trying Projects Seen on Pinterest.

I generally use Pinterest for inspiration. I've never purchased anything I've seen there but I have tried several recipes, craft projects, and various odds and ends. For instance, the other day I pinned some adorable crocheted necklaces. They were really cute and as a general rule, I don't buy something I can make myself. Since she's selling them on etsy she doesn't have a pattern listed for them so I just made up my own pattern from my prior crocheting knowledge. Are they exactly like the original? No, but I like them just the same. If you don't know how to crochet, you can purchase them from Maya's shop.

I found a homemade mosquito spray on Pinterest that works amazingly well. At the beginning of summer, I went outside one night to lay with Jake in the hammock and the next day I woke up with 30-40 mosquito bites covering my entire body but mostly my back, you know, right in the middle, where my arms have a tough time reaching. I immediately bought the ingredients for the spray and have been living relatively bite free ever since. I still get the occasional nibble but very rarely. I mixed one bottle of witch hazel with 15 drops citronella essential oil and 15 drops lemongrass essential oil. Simple life saver in a bottle.

Now for some attempts that didn't go quite so well.

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Homemade toothpaste. I found this recipe and was excited to try it, although, I couldn't figure out why I would be putting essential oil in toothpaste. I guess it would be so my breath smells good because essential oil doesn't impart flavor. I ended up skipping the essential oil. The toothpaste tasted awful and I didn't like that I had to dip my toothbrush in the jar everyday to get toothpaste. It didn't seem very sanitary to me. One thing I will say for it though is that, if you can get past the taste of baking soda, your teeth feel really nice when you wake up in the morning, no slimy feeling, and my morning mouth didn't taste so bad. I would use it but Jake was over it after 2 days.

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Scrapbook paper and tile coasters. I thought this was an ingenious idea and went straight to work making them. It was easy enough but I found that the corners of the paper didn't want to stay attached to the tile, which led me to worry that the paper could easily be torn off. I didn't like the streaks left by the mod podge either. I have an idea to try this again but this time with fabric, which is more pliable than cardstock, and adhesive spray. I'll let you know how it turns out because it truly is a cute idea.

Have you tried any fun projects you've seen on pinterest?

Monogrammed Apron.

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I've been infatuated with monograms lately. They're everywhere, go to Pinterest and do a quick search and you'll come up with lots and lots of photos. I wanted something a little less crisp & preppy, and a little more Laverne & Shirley. I grew up watching classic t.v. shows with my dad on TV Land and Laverne's monogrammed sweaters have always stuck with me. When I saw this lovely apron pattern from Goodknits I knew it was the perfect thing for me to monogram.

I wanted the J to not be perfectly up and down but it's leaning more than I meant it to. Oops.

First, I slowly made the apron. It's not difficult to make at all, I just worked on it here and there in between other projects. I made it exactly like the pattern except that I changed the belt part of it. I didn't like doing the herringbone stitch so I just did something else. I like the look of the herringbone stitch she used, I just didn't like doing the stitch. Once I finished the apron, I used a sharp darning needle to embroider the J. I used the chain stitch, as seen here.

Being my first attempt, the J looks a little like a g but that's okay.

I am absolutely smitten with this apron. I love the colors, I love the scallops (another obsession of mine), I love the monogram. The whole thing is just adorable.

I bought this skein the other day and I'm trying to decide what to make with it. I'm leaning toward either a scarf for autumn or buying more and making a retro 70s looking blanket. 

I've linked up at Lollipops.

Spicy Dilly Beans.

Green Beans were really inexpensive at the grocery store the other day so I bought a few. Now I am wishing I had purchased more. I decided to make Dilly Beans but I only had enough for two jars. That's okay though, I was excited to use some of the jars my Aunties gave me.

For the most part I followed this recipe from Food in Jars, but at the last minute I decided to make them extra spicy so I added more cayenne pepper.

I don't generally go for spicy foods but I'm really excited to try these when they're ready. I have a feeling Jake will love them. Hopefully I'll see another deal on green beans soon so I can make some that are less spicy as well. It's kind of a waste for me to just make two jars of something like this because I know they'll go so quickly once we decide to eat them.

I've linked up for Tasty Tuesday.

What I Returned With: Part Two.

I just wanted to take a second to thank you guys for all of your votes in For The Love of Blogs' Best in Category poll. I won my category, which was crafts. Although I'm pretty sure I was the only one in my category, I'm still super stoked about it. So thank you, very very much. You guys are awesome!

Speaking of crafts, while in California, my sister gave me this box of stamps. I need to go through it because I'm pretty sure I have a lot of the sets already but it's always nice to get free stamps. I think once I go through them I will try and sell duplicate sets in a tab at the top of my blog. I probably won't get around to that for awhile though since our house is a disaster, our dog is in heat so I'm constantly cleaning up after her, and I have projects coming out of my ears. Being busy is nice though.

My mom gifted me with these 3 boxes of ribbon. I have so many ribbon related ideas. My mom also gave me a new stamp set of the cutest hot air balloons. I can't wait to experiment with them on some little cards.

Shabby Apple.

I received an email last week from Shabby Apple inviting me to do something pretty cool. Basically what happens is, if you click on that button in my right column and decide to purchase something from Shabby Apple, I get a little commission. It's not a whole lot, but since I'm pretty broke and it's a company that actually produces things that I like, I'm all for it. I've featured some Shabby Apple dresses before in my What I Love Wednesday posts but I thought I'd share some of my favorites again.

I love everything about this dress. It reminds me of a vintage skirt suit my Auntie handed down to me a few years ago but with a more modern twist.

I love the peter pan collar and the fun green apple color of this dress. I kind of want to put a peter pan collar on everything I own.

The bow in the front of this skirt is beyond adorable.

They also have bridesmaid dresses, shoes and other accessories, children's clothing, fitness outfits and swimsuits.