This week has been full of:
I've had my eye on this spooky-looking plant in my parents' front yard for a while. It finally bloomed! The pear trees out front have been weighed down with these tiny, sweet pears for the last couple of weeks. The limbs were almost at the breaking point when I finally got out there to pick them. Thanks to my Nana and our neighbor, Granny, I've recently come into a lot of apples. There's no way I could eat or bake them all into something, so I decided to can them. Come October when the four of us are 500 miles away...
Projects for Fabric Scraps
Sorry for my prolonged absence and sporadic posting. If it's possible for things to be both dull and hectic then that's what they are--we've got a lot of last minute school/house stuff to deal with, and none of it should really be that taxing, but it's so hot that all I want to do is sleep through the day and watch television all night. Additionally, we're drowning in fresh apples, pears, and figs right now. The last thing I need is sweets (you know, in combination with the sleeping all day and watching television all night), but I can't let all...
Annie Leonard’s The Story of Cosmetics
I absolutely love Annie Leonard's The Story of Stuff project. The videos are so informative and easy to understand, despite the fact they deal with pretty controversial and complex issues. Her most recent installment, The Story of Cosmetics, has to be my favorite so far. It's an honest portrayal of the cosmetics industry's lack of regulation and real concern for its consumers. I want hold a mandatory viewing for all the people who have looked at me like I'm paranoid or have too much time on my hands when I've told them I make my...
Chevron Terra Cotta Pot Tutorial
I made these back in May as Mother's Day gifts. True to form, I neglected to take any usable pictures (I did a lot of work on these while watching Dexter and just couldn't take my eyes off of the television long enough). I passed out my Mother's Day gifts and put this project on the back burner until I got the chance to go through all the steps again and take pictures. (Side note: the above picture was taken back in May, while we were still living in our crummy little apartment in Columbus. I know it's only been...
BPA in home canning?
I've been canning a ton of tomatoes and a few jams and jellies with my grandmother this summer. The benefits are many: spending time with my grandmother, learning a skill, and slicing a huge chunk out of my grocery bill--just to name a few. But I hadn't really considered that there could be any negative aspects until I read Grist.org's Ask Umbra on the dangers of BPA in canning lids and canned food. BPA, or Bisphenol A, is a compound found in plastics that's hard to avoid because it's just about everywhere (the Environmental Working Group...
More milk glass!
I believe I've made my love of milk glass known, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that whenever I visit thrift stores I'm always on the lookout for interesting pieces. I wasn't on the lookout for anything, however, when I was at my grandmother's house earlier this week helping her make jam. I went into the laundry room and saw these two beautiful serving dishes sitting on top of the washing machine, and I literally gasped. After informing me that she never uses them and making me promise not to break them, my grandmother told me I...
Lemon Fusilli (sort of)
Kyle and I stumbled upon this recipe about six months ago, and it's become one of our favorites because it's ridiculously easy and very filling. Two of the tastiest things I can think of are heavy cream and tomatoes--throw in lemon and spinach, and my world is pretty much rocked. This should be made with fusili, not elbow macaroni, but in all honesty we've used just about every kind of noodle available and it always turns out just fine. This recipe comes from the fabulous Ina Garten via The Dreamy Dish. To make this, you'll need:
1886 Vintage Ingalls Embroidery Patterns
I literally jumped for joy when I saw that Feeling Stitchy had posted a link to these beautiful 1886 Ingalls vintage embroidery patterns, which have been cleaned up and made available by Flickr's jeninemd. There's no way I could pick favorites, but here a few that really jumped out at me: Embroidery has become my lazy-summer-watching-television-everything-else-is-in-the-garage-or-too-expensive craft, and I can't wait to stitch some of these beautiful vintage designs. (all images courtesy of jeninemd via...
My favorite thing about summer…
I used Flickr photos for the fried green tomatoes and caprese salad because both times we've made them this week they've been eaten up before pictures could be taken. What's your favorite thing about...
Plants that Grow Well in Containers
Yesterday I had a wonderful visit with my friend Alexa. Among other things, Alexa and I discussed her bare porch, and she asked me to recommend some plants that would do well in pots. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and it's based solely on the plants I've had success with. Since I've lived without a yard for the past four years, I've had quite a bit of time to experiment with growing plants in pots. I've come to look for and appreciate certain characteristics in potted plants, and there are a few varieties that I can...
Advertise With Us
-
Now Reading
Planned books:
None
Current books:
-
Winesburg, Ohio (Bantam Classic) by Sherwood Anderson
-
The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan
Recent books:
- Blood and Milk by Sharon Solwitz
- Night Clerk at the Hotel of Both Worlds (Pitt Poetry Series) by Angela Ball
- McGee by Rose Marie Nichols McGee, Maggie Stuckey
- Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born by Tina Cassidy
- Why Did I Ever: A Novel by Mary Robison, Mary Robison
-
