A little Garden update

Since this week has been mostly spent outside,I decided to show you a few photos of how the garden is progressing.

when this picture was taken only one of the little flowers was blooming,this evening the whole row of them was a bloom :)

The small patch of sunflowers in the garden are blooming pretty good now.  They always make me smile :)

The peas,peppers,tarragon,and the cucumbers are still a little small.  However since it is warming back up,it won't be long before they take off.

We had a salad for dinner,with all the goodies from the garden,yum :)  After dinner we harvested 4 gallon size bags of lettuce.  One row of it is hiding behind the Swiss Chard,we also picked 4 bags of it too.  Some of it is going to work with me,some with Mr. P.  The last bag of each will be staying in the fridge.  I picked 4 sandwich size bags of cinnamon basil to share also :)

Will you look at those tomatoes?!  We had to trim them up a bit,so the nutrients would not all be going to the limbs instead of the tomatoes themselves!  The Radishes are looking good also.

The squash are already producing nicely,this last weekend I baked 4 loves of Zucchini Bread :)

On the crafting front,this is my latest solar light!  I picked up this little owl jar the last time we were out thrifting.  Hopefully there will be time to sew,and finish up the grocery bag that is in progress,in the next couple of evenings.  Have you been enjoying all the fruits/veggies of summer ;)

Happy sewing,crafting,gardening!

A "B" weekend

All the rain we have been getting lately has made baking this summer a breeze.so far!  What with the rain cooling things off,I have not even thought twice about cranking up the oven :)

This bread has fast become my favorite/go to recipe :)  You can find the original over @ Janet's blog Simply So Good   This loaf was whipped up Friday evening and proofed  overnight.  First thing yesterday morning it went in the oven.  Thirty minutes later this is what it looked like!  The flavors used in this bread were a Light Havarti cheese,and Lemon Basil.  The basil of course came straight from the garden :)

Another day,another loaf of bread!  Lately Mr. P. has been going around saying "everything is Better with Bacon"  So this loaf was especially for him,the flavors?  You guessed it,Bacon bits,sharp Cheddar,and green onion.  Now while I do not agree that everything is Better with bacon,this bread sure is Good ;)  Tired of me posting about bread?  Hope not because it has only just begun,as the possibilities could be endless ;)

On to sewing news,these are my July blocks for Stash Bee although happy with how these turned out they were both an inch short on one side :(  They were supposed to be 11 x 12 inches,mine turned out 11 x 11.  However KristyLou  said she would take them as they are!

Also finished up the other 3 boxy bags,and they are now listed in my etsy shop :)  In the background you can see the peas!  You might be wondering what is so exciting about peas??  Well,considering that the deer got into the garden and mowed them  a couple weeks ago,they are doing quite well :)

We have now extended the fence by about 3 feet with netting all the way around the garden,so far there have not been any more intruders in the garden!

This morning while the sun was still out I also snapped some photos of the sunflowers in the garden area.  Check out the bee on this one :)  Hope you all had as great a weekend,enjoy your week!

Liebster Award

While reading one of the blogs I follow, Hearth and Whimsy ,the other day I was both pleasantly surprised as well as and Honored to see that she had Awarded me the....

Liebster Award!!!  Thank You so much Terrie :)

If you have never been over for a visit you are missing out on some great ideas/inspiration!  For example just the other day she posted about this Rustic Potting bench Terri does not just do one thing,she is a crafter of many different interests.  For example check out what she did with the lid to a tin!  She also has a great etsy shop !  So click  on over there and  check out her blog,you won't be disappointed :)

Liebster means "dearest" in German and this award is a great way of encouraging new bloggers with less than 200 followers. And what a fun way to do just that! I know I'm feeling pretty encouraged right now. ☺

According to the rules, once you receive this award you must follow 3 simple rules:

1. Link back to the giver
2. Post the award on your blog
3. Pass the award on to 5 other bloggers with less than 200 followers.

These are the 5 blogs that I am nominating:


1. Karen @ Hazel Dell Quilts
2. Miranda @ The Craft Bot
3. Kelli @ Seriously..I think it needs stitches
4. Leslie @ Sage Endeavors
5. Mary Ann @ Rocknquilts

Take a minute to check out these great blogs  leave a few comments and spread some bloggy love around! :)

Up~Cycled Tie & a Giveaway

Once upon a time there was a young man who owned a black tie with pink polka dots.......

It looked a lot like this,that is until,he tried to iron it!  I came home from work one afternoon a few years ago to find a Very Upset Gil,tie in hand.  The first words out of his mouth were,"mom You Can Fix It Right"?  There was a melted spot about three inches in diameter about mid-chest.  It Sucks when,as a parent you Can't Fix It,even when it is just a melted tie.

Since then the tie has hung on a hook in my sewing room,that is until this weekend!  Can you see the bits of pink in the strips of fabric on the bath towel?  I finally had an idea of how to re-purpose/up-cycle Gil's tie!  He Loved that tie so much,it was a gift from his cousin when he was one of the grooms men in her wedding :)

The rest of the braided block was attached to the cuff of a pillow case.  After finishing the two projects I sent two picture texts to Gil,it was such a great feeling to get this reply....

"I Loved that Tie,I Like"!!!  Being a parent has its moments,Bad & Good Alike.

On to the Giveaway....

Sara over at Southern Transplant recently won the Traveling Stash (or one of them)  and is now ready to give it away!  Go check out her blog and leave a comment for a chance to win this box of fabric goodness :)  While you are there take a minute to check out her blog,if you like what you see give her a follow ;) 

                                         Good Luck!

Cinnamon Basil & Sun-dried Tomato Artisan Bread

In keeping with my decision to start making/trying things that are on my boards on pinterest today was a day for baking.... Bread,two different kinds,and a casserole for dinner too!

I wasn't sure if my Romertopf was big enough to handle the amount of dough the recipe made so baked   it in two batches.  It turns out there is plenty of room so next time there will be one large loaf,instead of two small ones.

Mr. P. was chomping at the bit for me to hurry up and take the pictures already,so we can try it!

He almost blew a gasket when I told him he had to put the piece he was enjoying down for one last photo!  haha,poor guy!  No worries,he lived through it just fine ;)  In the forefront his piece with butter,in the back my piece with tomato jam mmmmm good!  Credit where it is due........
                                               Simply So Good Is the name of the blog where you can find the recipe,and make yourself up a loaf too!  Really, it is super easy!  Of course I had to make it my own,by using my own mixture of flavors,hence the Cinnamon Basil & Sun-dried Tomato :)

Next up Carrot and Zucchini bars with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting (excuse my doodles on the freezer paper)  This turned out great and is a keeper also!  The only thing I changed was adding less of the carrot and more of the zucchini.  The next time there will be even less carrot,since it has a much stronger flavor than the zucchini.                     Want to try out this recipe?  You can find it over at
                                                  Real Mom Kitchen

                                                        Picky Palate

Since I forgot to snap a photo of my casserole I borrowed the original from the blog the Picky Palate.
The name of this dish is called Cheesy Chicken and Wild Rice casserole,it is as good as it looks in the picture!  The only thing I did differently,was to add mushrooms,yum!  One note... This makes a large amount,so you might want to cut it in half,if you are only cooking for a couple of people.

Hungry yet???  Hope you have had dinner,LOL!

I will leave you with a parting shot of the first sunflower of the year!  This is one of the volunteers that came up in the flower bed in the garden,where they were planted last year :)  Call me crazy but,it looks like she is giggling behind those petals!!   Have a grrrrate week ;)