Cukes and Zukes and 'Maters, Oh My!

The produce from the vegetable garden is coming in daily, which has me scrambling for recipes and new ways to serve it up.

Last weekend, I made some delicious pickled cucumbers and served them as a side dish. My family really enjoyed them!

I found some pickling spices at the store, and instructions were easy. Boil a cup of vinegar, a cup of water, half a cup of sugar, and spices. Pour over speared cucumbers and let sit at room temperature for at least an hour.

Next time, I may just buy some of the spices listed in the ingredients and give this a try myself.

These cukes had a sweet hot flavor, which made them interesting.

Next up, zucchini! Last Sunday, I made zucchini boats filled with spinach, bacon and cheese. mmm! Good!

This week, I decided to try my hand at spiralized zucchini.

My sweet hubby bought me this Kitchenaid spiralizer for my birthday three years ago, and it has sat in the box ever since. I don't know why, but it looked very intimidating to me. Well, I got it out of the box, read the instructions, and I'm happy to report that it was so easy to use! I'm embarrassed that it has taken me this long to finally use it!

One average sized zucchini made this many zoodles!

Frozen zucchini noodles are not cheap! They average about $3.99 a bag. I figure I'm saving all kinds of money by growing my own! Now I'm researching ways to freeze my own zoodles so that I can use them in the future.

They were sooo much better than the store bought, too! I patted them dry, then put them in a pan with a little olive oil and sauteed them until tender. We topped them with DeLallo's Roasted Garlic sauce, some fresh parsley, and freshly grated parmesan. Delicious!

Now that I know how to use it, I will try spiralizing some more fruits and vegetables in the future.

Here's a link to the spiralizer:

https://www.macys.com/shop/product/kitchenaid-ksm1apc-spiralizer-stand-mixer-attachment?ID=2257148&CategoryID=7554#fn=sp%3D1%26spc%3D1%26ruleId%3D78%26kws%3Dkitchenaid%20spiralizer%26searchPass%3DallMultiMatchWithSpelling%26slotId%3D1

This week, I'm attempting a tomato and squash tart and a zucchini and apple slaw.

Fresh produce! Is there anything better in the summertime?

Blessings, cafe friends!

Feeding The Birds (and other crazy creatures!)

I am at war with squirrels.

I try to feed the birds, but I end up feeding squirrels instead. We have three varieties in our area...big, fat, nutty-colored squirrels, gray squirrels, and small, piney squirrels. The small squirrels have been really destructive, chewing up my feeder and making themselves right at home.

This squirrel managed to lift up the lid, get inside, and help himself to all the seed.

Jemma thought it was really entertaining. She loves to chase these little guys, and they love to chatter, chirp and bark at her from their lofty perch in the trees.

Needless to say, I had to buy a new bird feeder this week...glass, with metal base and metal screw top. Hoping this will work!

I made a fun bird card yesterday. I've been wanting to play with this stamp set for a while. Birds! I love them! Squirrels? Maybe not as much.

I stamped the images, then used an MFT cloud stencil for the background. Then, I sprayed the whole surface with Glimmer Mist to give it a soft, watery feel. It also adds a little sparkle, but it's hard to see in this photo.

{Today's Brew: Give Love stamp set (PTI), PTI inks and card stock, Glimmer Mist, Stampin' Up adhesive sequins, MFT cloud stencil}

By the way, can you see the "before" deck railing in the Jemma photo, and the "after" deck railing in the card photos? The railings are nearly done, and the floors should get started today. It's looking so nice!

Blessings, cafe friends!

Our Servant Summer Continues

This has really shaped up to be a servant summer for our family. We have been so busy helping various family members with odd jobs. It seems as though our calendar is always full! And now we are just days away from August. Where has the summer gone?

Last weekend, we helped our oldest son, Luke, move out of his Ann Arbor apartment. He had lived there for two years, and it was a nice, safe place for Luke. He recently started a new management job that will take him just over the border into Ohio. We are excited for the new opportunities this company will give him. For now, he had to put all of his belongings in storage until his new apartment will be ready in the middle of August.

Doesn't Sam looked thrilled to be helping? I tried to bribe him with donuts.

Luke had some friends from Bible study to help move the heavy things, and I was so thankful for that! I could concentrate on what I do best...packing up kitchens and cleaning everything!

Sam and I worked on another mulching and weeding job this week. We spread ten bags of mulch on my Mom's gardens, and we can probably use eight more bags to finish the job in the back. For now, it looks so much better! The weeds kept growing and growing, and I knew the only way to keep them at bay was a good coat of mulch. This should do the job.

I know Mom really appreciated it. She told me she was so surprised at how strong Sam is, and how fast we work together. We are like a landscaping crew now!

Next weekend, we will go to Indiana and help our son, John, move from his apartment into his first house. Exciting stuff! After that, we will go back to the Dayton area to do some more garden projects for Shirley Ann and my Father-in-Law. As a little work incentive, we have promised Sam a side trip to Pittsburgh, where he can visit his old friends. I'm looking forward to seeing the 'Burgh again. It's been way too long!

Our New Testament reading was from Colossians 2:

"Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving."

We are so thankful to be living close enough to family where we can serve them regularly. And they serve us, too, in so many ways, blessing us so that we can be a blessing to others.

Abounding in thanksgiving!

The Deck Project at the Cottage

Our deck project finally got started this week!

The project had been delayed by almost a month thanks to the rainy start of this summer. But now, 28 decks later, our deck guy, Lou, has got us on his schedule. Yay!

This is a pretty big color change compared to the dark brown that is in place. There is nothing wrong with dark brown decks. I just happen to think they look better when paired with brown houses. Brown tends to give a woodsy, natural, cabin-type of feel. That really isn't the vibe I get from this house. I think of it as a cottage.

I am SO happy with the color thus far. As I mentioned in a previous post, we painted the rusty blackish grayish pergola structure in Gloss Almond from Rustoleum. And for the deck spindles and railings, we chose Sherwin Williams Navajo White, which was the closest match we could find to the pergola and the siding on the house. I think it looks great!

Here's Lou, painting away. You can see old color on the right, new color on left.

I have to admit, it feels weird to have someone else do a painting job for us when we normally do this sort of thing ourselves. The deck, however, was a big job, with some rotten wood boards that needed replacing. We figured we would let a professional handle it this time, and if we need to touch it up in future years, we can handle it then. Lou's rates are really reasonable, and he came highly recommended on Nextdoor.com.

After all the spindles and railings are painted, Lou will start painting the floor and staircase in Sherwin Williams Taupe.

The view of the deck from inside the house is greatly improving! I can't wait to show you the project when it is all done!

Blessings on your weekend, cafe friends!

It's A Great Time To Buy Stampin' Up

Have you seen the new Stampin' Up Idea Book and Catalog? Lots of pretty things. And soon, the Holiday 2019 mini catalog will be available as well.

It's a great time to buy Stampin' Up, and I'm not even talking about the new product. I'm talking about the OLD product. That's because demonstrators love to unload their retired merchandise so that they can make way for new product.

If you are patient, you can get some really great deals. And I have learned to be very patient. Because let's face it, Stampin' Up may have nice products, but they are pricey. And then you make your list, forgetting about the added shipping fees, and just like that you are broke.

I've been getting some really great stamps and dies that have been on my wish list lately. I've even picked up a few winter and Christmas sets, which I normally steer clear of because of limited usage.

I have seen a few sneak peeks from other companies' holiday releases, and I think I'm safe sticking with what I have.

Here's a sweet stamp set that I have seen and admired on Pinterest. Lots of Lavendar is such an easy stamp set with lots of possibilities. You can marker or watercolor, or you can get the look of watercolor just with the layering stamps. Easy peasy! I combined it with a sentiment from Papertrey Ink's Painted Petals stamp set.

{Today's Brew: Lots of Lavender stamp set (SU), Painted petals stamp set (PTI), PTI inks, PTI card stock and gingham paper, Lawn Fawn stitched frame die, SU seam binding ribbon}

Thanks for visiting the cafe today! Blessings on your Friday, friends!

And So It Begins! The Vegetable Garden

After church on Sunday, my husband and I were walking around the yard with Jemma, looking at all of the pretty flowers in bloom.

"Hey Hon, you better come look in the vegetable garden," he said.

"Why? Is the snake back?" I asked.

"No, but you do have a lot of produce that needs picking!"

Wow! It seemed like everything grew overnight! Cukes, zucchini, tomatoes. Harvest season has begun!

I wish I had more room in the sunshine for a big, beautiful vegetable garden, with well-tended rows and a sweet fence encircling everything and keeping the deer and bunnies out. Instead, I have a long narrow patch between our houses that gets just enough daylight to help everything grow tall.

And so, I use a combination of lattice, A frames, trellis, and tomato cages to help everything grow up instead of out.

Of course, I try to keep it looking pretty. I mingle in a few flowers and some garden art to make everything interesting.

This really makes me laugh. I tried to grow a few flowers by seed along the side of the house, but they really didn't do much. Instead, last year's cosmos reseeded themselves, and they are growing out of the sidewalk. Ha!

So now I am looking for recipes to use all of this fresh produce. The August/September issue of Mary Jane's Farm has lots of zucchini recipes that I will try in the days ahead. Zucchini pickles, zucchini boats, zucchini frittata. My family will probably be sick of zucchini by the end of August.

This is now the only magazine I subscribe to and enjoy on a monthly basis. It's like an old-fashioned farmer's almanac for women! I can't wait to try experimenting with her Wild Breads next month, too.

Thanks for visiting the cafe today! Oh, and before you leave, would you take a zucchini with you? My family says thank you! ;)

Blessings, cafe friends!

Lemon Lime

There's nothing quite like a cold glass of lemonade on a hot summer's day...except perhaps a cold Corona with a slice of lime. ;)

Today's brew was inspired by both!

To make the half slices, I simply glued the top portion of the full slice to the bottom  portion, and then cut it in half. Voila! A perfect wedge ready for your drink of choice!

{Today's Brew: Gingham background stamp (Concord and 9th), Orange You Sweet stamps and dies (C and 9th), PTI inks and card stock}

The Moon, and other Anniversaries

July 20, 1969 was a momentous day. My father was celebrating his fortieth birthday, and the world was celebrating as man first walked on the moon.

Fifty years later, and my father is now in the Church Triumphant, along with the Apollo 11 crew.

In recent years, a little known story has emerged about that mission and the faith of astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

Aldrin, who was an elder in the Presbyterian church, decided that the first meal served on the moon should be holy communion. He fought NASA hard for this, and was finally granted permission. And so, with wine and wafer and tiny chalice, Aldrin instituted communion, with Neil Armstrong observing. He read the words of John 15:5 that he had written on a small piece of paper:

"I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."

Humbling words for what must have been a humbling experience.

On the return trip to earth, Aldrin read the words from Psalm 8:3-4

"When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?"

It must have been quite a spectacular view.

This weekend, I remembered by father, and gave thanks to my heavenly Father for His goodness and faithfulness.

I found these words in Genesis yesterday:

"While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease." Genesis 8:22.

What a comfort to know that God is sovereign and He is in control.

Blessings on your week, cafe friends!

Craft Break: Three Sunflowers

The craft break continued yesterday....until about three in the afternoon, when Sam came back from cross country camp with a carload of dirty, smelly laundry. Ah well. Those two and a half days smelled pretty good!

The heat this week has made the basement craft room extra special. Jemma follows me down and plops herself on the cool laminate hard woods to take a nap while I listen to podcasts and craft.

I recently got the Sunflower Cover Plate from Papertrey Ink's going-out-of-business-maybe-we-really-don't-know-what-we-are-doing-one-day-to-the-next sale. (whew! That was a mouthful!) Yesterday, I sat down to make three versions with this die.

For the first version, I cut out the die with black card stock. Then, I grabbed some Strathmore watercolor card stock, and did some ink blending with three colors.

Then, I used a lightly wet brush to drag the color down the card stock. I wanted the background to look like a sunset, with the sunflower in dark shadow.

And here it is! Sentiment was from PTI Summer Hills.

For the next card, I cut the die with Kraft card stock. Then, I tried ink blending on a piece of white card stock. I wish I'd used watercolor card stock later. Oh well. The blending didn't add enough wow, so I decided to start adding watercolor, using the cutout die as my guide.

Then, I added more blending with a wet brush. This would have worked better with watercolor paper. I had to let it dry overnight, then really rub it flat with a bone folder. Finally, I decided to glue the panel onto the card front, and really rub it flat with the bone folder. It helped.

I liked this Blessed die cut with the image. It's a softer, water-colory palette, and I like it.

This is a really good time to mention that this pokey tool from Stampin Up (circa 2003? It's part of an old tool kit I got when I was a demo!) is invaluable with this die. I might try to use a metal shim next time, but this time the pokey tool and foam pad really helped to get all the little seeds of the sunflower out.

For the last card, I decided to keep the "seeds". I kept this card soft and subtle, with a white diecut flower on a kraft background and a kraft Tiny Tag sentiment.

Three sunflowers for summer occasions!

Stay cool, my cafe friends!