Preserving medicinal herbs

The little herb box that Doug built me is in full growth with our medicinal herbs. I'm not sure what type of growing season they tolerate, so I decided to go ahead and harvest them now before much cooler weather sets in.

I cut the leaves off of our elecampane, all heal, fever few, and evening primrose and placed them on the drying trays of our food dehydrator.

In about 24 hours they'll be dry enough to store in zip lock baggies, or pretty little apothecary jars.

When sickness comes around, a simple tea will help us get back to health!
To stave off illness, I'll crush some of the herbs into our soups and salads.

God has given us a pharmacy right in our backyards if we take the time to find out what is growing around us. I am thoroughly convinced that the use of herbal remedies is what has kept us well all year long thus far (knocking on wood!).

How to photograph a ghost!

Oooo, scary isn't it?

To make your own ghostly image, set your camera on a table or tripod. It has to be steady and still to take two of the same photo.
Take a picture of your background. Have your "ghost" come into the same area and strike a pose - take his picture,too.

Now open a photo editing software like Photoshop. Drag your ghost photo over your back ground photo. Now reduce the opacity of your ghost photo until it is to your liking!
Pretty easy, huh?

Hmmm...now I know how all of our cookies have been mysteriously disappearing!
It was the ghosts who ate them all!

Meal Plan Monday

I have my four day (12-hr shifts) work week and Doug has a week FULL of editing shoots from the previous weeks. Meal prep is the last thing on our minds! I've got some quick fix/low prep meals planned so that we can slow down at the end of the day and enjoy each others company as a family...

Monday: Tortilla Soup. All the ingredients will go into the crock pot before I leave for work to simmer all day. Prior to serving, all Doug has to do is shred a little pepper jack cheese and open a bag of tortilla chips.

Tuesday: Amish Breakfast Casserole. I'll fry up the onion and bacon Monday night and then assemble this casserole before going to work. I also think I'll tweak it a bit by adding half cheddar/half swiss and adding some peppers from the garden. Doug can just pop it in the oven before I get home. Serve with fruit.

Wednesday: Classic Pot Roast with Carrots and Potatoes. Everything gets seasoned with garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper and then into the crock pot! Man, the house is going to smell soooo good by dinner time!

Thursday: 15 Bean Soup. Another great crock pot meal! Will have Kyle make some artisan bread to go with this one.

Friday: Rich Pasta for the Poor Kitchen. A very easy pasta dish that I'll tweak by adding some fresh spinach.

Saturday: Doug and I are going to the Foundation for Life gala in Houston. Kids are getting pizza ordered and going to the grandparents.

Sunday: Something on the grill....get your thinking cap on Doug, mama ain't cooking tonight!

Rainy afternoon...

Have a spooooky and safe weekend everyone!

Two wild & crazy ghouls!

Detailed plans for two ghost costumes for Halloween evening!
I am thrilled that the thought of buying their costumes never crossed their minds.

Garden Porn

Meal Plan Monday

Just a three day work week this week! Although it's a light week for me, Doug will be pretty busy so I put together some easy meals that take little prep from him. We ate out a bit too much last week and I am ready to get back to home cooked meals!

Monday: Salsa verde chicken enchiladas. I will assemble these on Sunday night so that all Doug has to do is pop them in the oven just before meal time. Serve with black beans from the freezer.

Tuesday: Chili. I made a batch of this last week and the kids devoured it! Will toss all the ingredients into the crock pot before heading out the door for work. Kyle can whip up some jalapeno cornbread muffins to go with it.

Wednesday: Pulled pork sandwiches. A nice big pork butt goes in the crock before I go to work. Will season with salt, pepper, lots of garlic powder, liquid smoke, and Jack Daniel's honey BBQ sauce. Just shred before serving!

Thursday: Spinach quiche. Farm fresh eggs make this dish sooo goood! Will serve with homemade biscuits and fig preserves.

Friday: Salmon burgers. Using the same basic recipe for salmon croquettes, these will make nice burgers topped with fresh veggies and a sour cream dill sauce. Served with fresh fruit.

Saturday: Baked potato bar with leftovers. Baked potatoes will be delicious topped with chili or pulled pork from earlier in the week!

Sunday: French onion soup with fresh bread. Will put the soup together in the crock pot before going to church and mix up some artisan bread dough when we get home. This will be so good to wake up to after a loooong Sunday afternoon nap!

Sixteen years ago today...

Happy anniversary my dearest Doug.
It's been a wonderful 16 years...and I'd do it all again!
Here's a little stroll down memory lane for you....

Make a Smilebox slideshow

My little Buck-a-roo

DANNY: "Look mom, I made a cowboy gun!"

"I made it little because I'm little."

"I also made this really BIG gun."

ME: "Well, if you made the little gun because you're little, who gets the big gun?"

DANNY: "Oh, that's mine, too!"

"Now all I need is a horse. If I had a horse I'd name him Bananas."


I love the logic of four year olds!

Pumpkin-tastic!

This recipe makes three of the most delicious loaves of pumpkin bread...'cause if you're going to make pumpkin bread, you might as well make a LOT! These loaves freeze beautifully or you can wrap them up in a pretty kitchen towel and ribbon and give to a neighbor.

They'll love you for it.

And it might make up for all the trouble your four boys cause around the neighborhood...maybe...ok, the bread and cash.

Not to mention it makes your home smell like pumpkin pie!

3 cups canned pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups apple sauce
4 cups sugar (brown/white/organic cane...it doesn't matter!)
6 eggs
4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 9x5 inch loaf pans.
In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, oil, sugar, and eggs. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves; stir into the pumpkin mixture until well blended. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The top of the loaf should spring back when lightly pressed.

Variations: add chocolate chips, pecans, walnuts, or dried cranberries!

Happy Birthday Banner

Another great project inspired from Handmade Home!
(I say "inspired" because Mrs. Soule cut out triangles of muslin and sewed on fabric lettering...I took the easy way out, but I think the end product is just as pretty!)

I made this banner for John Paul's birthday but will be using it for all our birthday celebrations. I used scraps of material from meaningful things around the home. The boys will be sure to recognize material from quilts I've made them and some of my handmade dresses.

To make the banner, cut out triangles using pinking shears. Stipple on lettering using a stencil, or free hand your design:

Tuck the ends of the triangles into double fold bias tape and sew.
You could also use hot glue or Heat-N-Bond in case you don't sew.

So easy, so pretty, and hopefully, so meaningful over the years!

Already thinking of lots of other fun banner ideas for the upcoming holiday season!

Happy Birthday John Paul!

Sunday was JP's eighth birthday. We got up and had a big breakfast of pancakes and sausage balls, then off to Mass. After Mass we went into Sugarland for an afternoon at Chuck E. Cheese (JP's most favorite place on earth...Doug and mine, not so much!)
We had lots of presents, pizza, and too much cake! Our precious boy had a great time.
So happy to be your mama, my sweet John Paul, you make me laugh and appreciate life every single day! I love you very much!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Spoooooky!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

What's for dinner?

I got up early this morning and started planning out my day. When I was pondering what to make for dinner (that's what I get for not menu planning this week!) I couldn't think of anything that sounded good. Thinking I would put it off until later, I went to check on our garden.

Looks like our gracious Lord planned our meal for us!

We'll be having stuffed peppers, roasted eggplant, and lima beans!

Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts which we are about to receive from Thy bounty through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

A Spiritual Bouquet

Art work by Kyle...

Many, many prayers by the Creamer family...

Makes for a spiritual bouquet...

Get better very soon Mr. Lawrence!
We love you!