NO BETTER DAY, THAN THIS!

"Patience - in time the grass becomes milk."
Author - unknown


While I was waiting for it to warm up a bit yesterday morning, I took my coffee down to the sun room, closed my eyes and pulled a book from the shelf.  The book I held when I opened my eyes was a little book called "Apples Of Gold"- a small book of quotes by unknown authors compiled by Jo Petty  and published in 1972.

There is an inscription in the front cover dated 1976.  It reads:

A Tribute and Thanks for 12 yrs of Explorer Duty.

Signed:  Lee, Gail & Jean.

This little book was given to my mother in 1976 by three of her closet friends who also were co-leaders of the Explorer Group in our Church.  I was an Explorer as a child and later became a leader  myself.  Explorers were a Christian Group for girls aged 6-12.  It was the pre - CGIT group, sort of like the Beavers were to Brownies...

My mother was the head leader for 12 yrs.  This book must have been given to her when she retired from the position.

It is full of really great quotes - I could have sat all day reading them - but I had a date with the outdoors so I read a few pages - but I didn't put the book back on the shelf.

The quote at the top of this post made me smile.  I will share more with you in the coming days.

But then it was find the work clothes and head outside.  I have been waiting for the moment when I could get outside and work in my yard for 5 months!  Nothing was going to stop me now.

I intended to rake, but when I went to the south yard where my fruit trees are, I suddenly got the urge to work on the over-grown plum tree.  It was a matted mess, and last year only produced 4 plums.

I forgot to take a picture of it before I started to work on it - but you can get an idea how overgrown it is by this picture, taken in December.

Every article I read and every video I watched on fruit tree pruning stated that a properly pruned tree should resemble the shape of a wine goblet and the center should be open and airy so the sun and the air can move freely through it.

So I got the ladder and my loppers, and climbed up into the gnarly poky mess of my inherited Plum Tree.

Three hours later I had this...  and a sunburned face!

 The bottom half is now looking like the experts say it should - but you can still see how the top is overgrown.  Trouble is - I have no way of getting to that top bit... I will figure something out, but the weather is supposed to turn cool again, so I might have to wait a few days.

I am committed to improving the lives of my two fruit trees starting with this much needed hair cut, followed by some good earth at their feet and some nutrients for their veins.  They might not reward me for my efforts this year, but hopefully they will eventually understand that I mean them no harm.





 Here is what I removed...

I also pruned my very small Saskatoon tree, and the Lilac bush...

 

And so I had the best afternoon working in my yard on this lovely March day... unheard of in these parts - but it was a true pleasure for me, for sure!

A BARN RAISING!

It is finally gonna warm up again outside.  Today it is supposed to be 11C or warmer- so I am getting ready to head outside and start raking the front yard.

There are still flower beds out there that I have never gotten to with a rake or a pair of shears or even a spade - all of the above will be needed eventually, but for now a rake will do.

It's a good time to take a walk along the hedge, and around the trees and shrubs and check out the branches, and if I was real brave, perhaps I would do some serious pruning on the Plum tree - and I might tackle that as well, but today is all about the ground!b

In the meantime, with my time being spend building the island all weekend I really wanted to spend some time in my craft room yesterday so I headed up early after breakfast and started on a small quilt for my new island.

Since it is supposed to be a country kitchen, I decided to try something with a country image.  I found a picture of a barn in a colouring book and used that as my starting point.  It might be entirely possible that I am getting a tad carried away with the detail in this project, but that's me.  Here's what I have cut so far...  I know my silo looks a little off, but it is not sewn down - I will straighten it before I sew it.  I am going to try and dot some sheep up on the green hill on one side, and maybe sew a crop on the other, using some embroidery, and perhaps a tall spruce tree or two will be growing somewhere - we will see...

But for now, I am heading out to rake... no doubt my mind will be on this piece while I am out there raking... perhaps a fantastic idea will come to mind... or maybe my mind will completely change and I will start all over again - nothing is sewn but the back ground so anything is possible...

Enjoy your day!

BUILDING AN ISLAND, THE NOVICE WAY!

I hope everyone had a Happy Easter.  We were invited to a cousin's for Easter dinner with their family.  It was a lot of fun mainly because my cousin has adorable grandchildren who are so very entertaining to watch and be around.   We had a lovely meal and a fun time spent with them all.

The rest of our weekend was devoted to finally getting around to building our kitchen island.  This was quite a project for such novices as Gary and I.  I wasn't entirely sure if we would have either the tools or the know-how to get it done... but get it done, we did!

We started with a used 2 drawer, 2 door kitchen cabinet we purchased at a second hand shop.  It was a sturdy well made cabinet, but the sides and the back were unfinished - suitable for using as kitchen cabinets against a wall and surrounded by other cabinets, but not suitable for an island.  There were a bunch of large holes cut in the back and the sides as well, so these needed to be dealt with pronto!

After much discussion we decided to cover the back and the two sides with Melamine... so we bought a sheet and and marked it out...  A special thank you to Jason from the Co-op Building Center for the excellent instructions on the right way to cut Melamine!

INVALUABLE INFORMATION!

Gary is stronger, and I am straighter - so he held, and I cut the pieces with my little Jig Saw!

Then it was time to attach the Melamine.  This was much more difficult that the cutting, let me tell you... But we got it all on - eventually!

Next we fastened the new island top we had custom made, and it fit perfectly....

Some finishing touches  and we were done and ready to sit and eat our first meal on our new island!

It was a great meal too - Swiss Steak, Mashed Potatoes and Asparagus!  Yummy!

Am I happy with the finished project?

Oh Yeah - I LOve it!

We still have to get some corner moldings for the island, but those are not available here, so we will have to wait until we go into the city.  And then there is the floor.  It's going to cost a lot to replace it - it is huge, so for now, we will keep the funky vintage floor...

PROJECT COMPLETE...WHAT'S NEXT?

A DAY OF TEARS!

Yesterday was a day of tears.  It was the second week anniversary of loosing Molly, and for some reason I had a very difficult time getting past that.  These past two weeks have been rough, I will be the first to admit that I have had many moments where grief of loosing my best friend have knocked me to my knees for a moment or so, but I have had my cry and moved on.

Yesterday wasn't like that at all.  I did very well all morning, I was working on my mug rugs all morning in my studio, and getting really quite creative, if I do say so myself.  I am impressed with myself and my creativity in actual fact.

But then after lunch we went grocery shopping and had to drive past the animal hospital where Molly died - we have no choice - it's right on the highway - that started the lips quivering.  We shopped, and again had to drive by the vet hospital to get home, this time quivering was accompanied by a few tears.

When we got home I was so relieved that was behind us.  I went back upstairs to work in the studio, and Gary went to get the mail.  When he got back it started all over again.

In the mail was a beautiful sympathy card from the Vet himself... more tears.  As well there was a small package from my best friend Sharon and her husband Al, who live in Alberta.  I started to cry before I even opened it, because I knew it would be something that made me cry anyway!

Sharon's little gifts never are just a gift.  She has the knack of finding that which touches your heart in the most amazing ways.  I knew the gift would have something to do with Molly's passing - because I know Sharon.

She wrote a lovely card with her own thoughts and then included this quote.

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened."  Anatole France.

Tears... lots of them streaming along my chubby cheeks....

Then I opened the little box that held her gift.

It was a little mesh bag containing 2 marbles, a piece of string, an eraser, a tiny little rubber bear, a heart locket, a four leaf clover charm and a dime.

There is a little card attached that reads:

Marbles, for those days when you have lost yours.
String, to hold you together when everything seems to be falling apart.
A Heart, to remind you that someone loves you.
A Teddy Bear, for a nice big hug when you need one.
An Eraser, to make those little mistakes go away.
A Coin, so you're never completely broke.
A Four Leaf Clover, to bring you all the luck in the world.

Already an emotional wreck, that about finished me off - but this time the tears held comfort and even a smile at her thoughtfulness started to push the tears aside.

I wasn't done yet it seems - I went to check my emails, and there waiting was an email from Molly's vet back in Winnipeg.  She had been a patient of his vet clinic all her life so was well known to him and his staff.  He wrote a long note saying how much he had loved her.  He wrote about her gentleness, her kindness and her special abilities towards those she loved.  He ended by saying he would never forget her or us.

More tears...

Here's hoping today will be a day of smiles!

CROCKPOT BROWN SUGAR BALSAMIC GLAZED PORK TENDERLOIN... YUM!

I have to tell you about my dinner Sunday night.

We got a new meat pack (our second since being here) from the local butcher Oak Ridge Meats, last week and so I decided to pull out a couple packages of the pork tenderloin.  These are the real deal - not the roasts but the real tenderloin.

I wanted to try something new so I went to Pinterest to find something good.  Because I was planning on spending the day upstairs quilting, and I knew how time seems to get away from me, I decided on a Slow Cooker Recipe.

I chose this one...

http://laurassweetspot.com/2013/06/12/crockpot-brown-sugar-balsamic-glazed-pork-tenderloin/

It was out -of- the -ball -park, excellent.  The glaze or sauce that you apply at the last hour was fabulous.  If you are doing pork of any kind - this is the recipe to try... It is like something you would eat at a five star restaurant, it is that good!

About that meat pack - we get a beef and pork combination.  The meat is so tender and tasty, that I kind of feel sorry for everyone who can't have access to meat like this.  Makes me wonder why we ever ate meat from the grocery store!  We put our order in on a Monday, and usually the meat is ready to be picked up two days later.  Had I known about this place when we lived in the city, I would have made a day trip out to get it, for sure.

Only thing about this recipe - there were no left-overs!  That could be a good thing - I am not a great lover of left-over meals - but this one I would have enjoyed eating again the next day!

Make it for your family - they will love it!

This post sort of sounds like an infomercial... but I believe in supporting that which is good, and both Oak Ridge Meats and the recipe are just that!


While we are on the subject of food... have you started your plants for your garden yet?  Now is the time to pop those seeds in some trays and get them going.

All my trays and mini-greenhouses are still back at my son's home, sitting in my deck box on his patio.  So this year I had to improvise a bit.  I planted directly into peat pots, which by some fluke, I did bring with me when we moved.

I knew I was going to use the peat pots, so I have been saving all the small yogurt containers to set the peat pots in so I can water without making a mess... and while I don't have little greenhouses this year - I do have radiators - so I am trying a bit of an experiment.

I planted 3 types of tomato seeds (Hybrid Cherry Super Sweet; Prairie Pride Bush Tomato; and my cousin Lawson's sweet tiny tomato seed that I saved myself).  For flowers I planted Echinacea Cheyenne Spirit; Rudebeckia Goldstrum, and some Lavender Lady....

And my little piece of ginger root, that had started growing on it"s own!

I made the little plant tags - yes, everything does have to turn into a craft project!  Take a plastic container from anything, margarine, yogurt, whatever... cut the bottom and top off, then cut in strips.  cut a point at one end and wrap masking tape on the other so you can write on it and you have saved yourself a few dollars that can be used to buy more seeds - or plants!

Now it really does feel like Spring!

AWAY WITH FRIDAY, BRING ON MONDAY!

Sorry I missed posting a re-purposing Friday again.  We got a call that our much awaited Island top was in, so Friday morning we set off for Neepawa to pick it up.

I finally baked on Thursday evening

So I put some muffins in a bag to take along to my Aunt who is hospitalized. there.  I was a little worried about my muffins - especially taking them to this particular Aunt because she has always been the best baker in the family.  She consistently won awards at the summer fair for her baking - in particular her Chiffon cakes.  Oh My Goodness, if only you could have tasted her lighter- than -air cakes... they were perfection, as was everything she baked.  I wonder if the woman ever had a flop - if she did she certainly kept it a secret.

I baked banana raisin and Cranberry Bran muffins - nothing new, I bake these all the time.  But for some reason this time they got over -brown.

The oven's fault - I have not a doubt ... but still you can understand my reluctance to take them to my Aunt.  I am sure she has noticed by now that they are a tad over done - someone like her would have to notice that, she is too good a cook, not to...

So off we went, muffins in hand,  We got there in time for lunch so stopped at Subway for a quick bite.  Then we headed downtown and made a few stops at some stores, and then off to the hospital.

We visited with my Aunt, met her new roommate, promised to come back soon and off we went to retrieve our island top.

We didn't get far - we ran into my cousin and his wife and made a short detour to DQ for some Blizzards and conversation - and then proceeded on to pick up our island top.

By the time we got home it was supper time - we had pretty much spent most of our day away, and it was actually quite nice to be able to do so without worrying about our sweet Molly.

You would think that after all the time we have been waiting to have our island top made we would have jumped right at the opportunity to finally get the island finished.

Here it is Monday, and we still haven't taken the top out of the back of the car!  I have been busy  designing mug rugs, and Gary has been fixing the keys on his organ.  What's with that?

I am sure we will get around to it sometime this week.

For now - back upstairs to play with some more fabric...

Wait until you see my newest mug rugs...

Next time!

TIME FOR SOME GINGER TEA!

I decided that I really do have to bake today.  But first I had to go to the doctor and get my B12 shot.  It's a blustery spring day, so when I got back I decided to brew some of my Ginger lemon/orange tea.

I haven't made any of this for awhile, and surprise to me when I reached for my Ginger I got quite the shock...

This has never happened to me before - suppose it's trying to tell me something?

I am going to take that little nodule off and plant it in a pot.  Kinda neat!

So I can't make my tea, but I can share the recipe with you in case you want a really good warm you to your toes tea.

Ginger is very good for you.  It is long been associated with relieving stomach issues.  It relieves nausea's of motion sickness, morning sickness, and even post-chemo nausea.

It also is a natural anti-inflammatory, so it can be useful in many inflammation-related health issues - chronic pain, Rheumatoid Arthritis.  I don't have Rheumatoid, but I do suffer from achy hands from time to time - a couple of cups of ginger tea always take that away!

New research is linking Ginger to having the ability to slow certain cancers - ovarian and colorectol, and also to improving the symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease.

All of this and the wonderful taste make it a perfect tea to use frequently.

I make my tea with either orange or lemon - my preference is Orange, but if I am having cold symptoms, I will always use lemon.

so here is the recipe

In a medium saucepan place

4 cups of water

1-1.5 " sliced fresh ginger root

The juice of one medium orange or lemon with some zest added for flavour.

4 whole cloves

sprinkle of cinnamon if you please - I don't bother.

Place all ingredients in the saucepan, cover and heat to a rolling boil, then reduce and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Remove from heat, strain liquid into a mug - add sweetener if you must - I use honey and enjoy!

I don't think I will use the root above - time to get a fresh batch from the store - and then I really need to get to that baking!