How do your tomatoes grow?

Ours grow big and dusty rose!

As in the form of a Cherokee Purple tomato.

This one weighed ONE pound 11 ounces.

That is Jim's hand.

The Cherokee Purple tomato is said to have originated with the Cherokee Indians.

Jim sliced this baby up and gave it an egg bath and then coated it in bread crumbs.

He heated a pan and some oil and fried them up.

They were topped with fresh basil from the garden and fresh shredded parm.

There is no picture of the fried goodness, but I can assure you, they looked pretty and they tasted even better!!! They were super sweet and full of flavor.

Here is a peek at some squash, our first cucumber and another Cherokee Purple.

When I walk away from the computer I am going to start the process for a squash relish.

I also need to look at some recipes for green tomatoes. Some of our plants have been hit with leaf spot and possibly blight. /sigh

I am also hoping to sit in front of the computer a little later and do a couple posts that I can set to automatically post! Lots to share!!!!!

How are you? How do you like your tomatoes?

Blueberry Muffins

I bought some local blueberries last weekend. I had intended for us to have blueberry pancakes but the weekend didn't allow for blueberry pancakes. Sooooooo, I made blueberry muffins!

I used the Barefoot Contessa's recipe.

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour 
1½ cups granulated sugar 
4½ teaspoons baking powder 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1 teaspoon kosher salt 
2 cups buttermilk, shaken 
¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled 
1½ teaspoons grated lemon zest 
2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten 
2 cups fresh blueberries (2 half-pints) 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners. 

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and mix together. In a separate bowl, mix together the buttermilk, butter, lemon zest, and eggs. Make a hole in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix with a fork just until blended. Fold the blueberries into the batter. Don’t over mix! With a standard (2¼ -inch) ice-cream scoop or large spoon, scoop the batter into the prepared cups, filling them almost full. 

Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. 

I don't have enough muffin pans to make the 20 muffins the recipe said it would.

I got brave and sprayed my mini muffin pans, said a prayer, and scooped the batter into the mini muffin pans.

I don't have a picture, but they came out in one piece. ALL OF THEM.

The muffins are almost gone. I would like a little more lemon flavor in the recipe.

Very good as is, but we both think more lemon would be good!

Blueberry pancakes or blueberry muffins. Which do you prefer?

What do you do with your blueberries?

A little of this and a little of that...mostly about the weather

Big news!!!!! It rained today. I swear to you, when I pulled in the driveway from work I could hear our plants cheering. They were oh so happy it finally rained on them. We were happy too. We like happy plants!!!

I think this is how the plants were feeling.

I saw this picture over at my friend Cindy's blog

Art, Books, Tea

That link will take you to the post where I saw it.

She posted about the much needed rain today.

Her blog is fun for me. It is place a little different than my own, a little escape.

She posts about, Art, Books, and Tea! Clever huh?

I recently won this bird from a giveaway on her blog.

This is her photo. It looks pretty cute sitting on the bird bath doesn't it?

I haven't yet found a home for him here. When I do, I will take my own picture.

I hope you don't mind that I borrowed your picture Cindy. The complete post can be seen here!

She also has these awesome cats that post now and then!

I do hope you will stop and pay her a visit.

My friend Cathy over at My 1929 Charmer posted about deadheading our flowers in our gardens to help them survive in this heat. That is such great advice. I have some that I have deadheaded out of habit, and others I will be visiting tomorrow, to help them through this heat. Yes, it rained, but it has still been a stressful summer for our plants. Cathy's blog is fun . She actually has a '1929 Charmer' and she has an awesome linky party on Sundays. Take a break from the heat and say hello to Cathy!

My friend Sam over at FarmGirlSam finds plenty of ways to beat the heat.

In my house, this wouldn't be a beating the heat sort of task since we don't have a/c, but...

If canning isn't your thing, Sam loves to create with yarn and string. She has taken on the challenge of a year of projects. You just never know what sort of interesting thing she will share from day to day. We've become friends. If we lived closer, we would beat the heat sharing a nice cold beverage!!! She would love new visitors!  (who wouldn't right?)

Despite the lack of rain, the yellow squash are doing fine!

I wish I could say the same for our cucumbers. We have TONS of blossoms, but no cukes. :(

It was soooooooooooo nice listening to the rain drops fall earlier.

If only they were gently falling shortly as I fall asleep.

I won't get greedy though. The rain earlier was very much needed. They are comparing this summer's lack of rain (and winter lack of precipitation) to the drought of 1988. ICK!!!

I hope you will take some time to beat the heat and pay my bloggy friends a visit.

Hugs!

Jen

One of the reasons I love our backyard

Hazy, Hot and Humid! Is that how it is where you are? If so, I hope you are staying hydrated and cool.
I miss not posting on a regular basis. I've decided that I can share whatever, not just creations. I think I have learned I am a better crafter when the sun goes down early. Plus, with the garden, crafting time is a little less. So....let us start with one of the reasons I love our backyard...

We get cute moments like this! Having a wildlife friendly backyard is very cool!

I hope you have grinned, at least a little!!

Hugs!

Pallet planters and trellis

In one of the last posts I shared a picture of our planters and trellis. Here is a little more info and a bunch more pictures!!!!

It started with the above picture.

Jim brought home a couple of these plant pallets.

They were pretty cute as is, but have you known us to take the easy way on things?

NOPE!!!

Those plant pallets were turned into TWO pallet planters!

We filled them with bricks (about halfway) before we added the soil.

We got them positioned. Then we had another idea (imagine!)

Why not connect them and give this part of the yard a feel all its own??

Yep!!! An arbor/trellis...made from pallets!!!

(I'm pretty lucky he loves me right?)

Taking shape!

Putting the pieces on the top.

Do you like the telephone pole looking thing?

This reminds me that I don't think I have shared it with you. :(

All done!

Sitting in, looking out.

On the "outside" looking in!

It really does give the patio/fire pit area the feeling that it is its own room!!!!

Pretty neat looking and all the wood was FREE!!!!

This picture is a few weeks old.

In the planters we planted pole beans and bush beans.

The pole beans are now as tall as the first 'step'

The birds have let us know they approve!!!

I think it needs a sign hanging in the middle of the arbor. That may be a rainy day or a winter time project though. The tomatoes are starting to turn red so we will soon be busy canning away! We will have to remember to take time to sit and enjoy our 'new room.'

I wish those of you that are my bloggy friends lived closer so we could sit out back and catch up!

Hugs!!!

Jen

I'm linking up here:

Thankful!!!

Hi!!!! What a week it has been. Thanks for your kind words! So many things to say and sometimes just not sure where to start. I was sitting out back earlier thinking about so many things, one of which was today's post. I went back and forth about what to post. There are a couple projects sitting here waiting for me to write about them. There are plenty of garden pictures waiting to be shared, as well. Then, a little bunny hopped out into the garden, not more than 4 feet from me. It was then that I decided today's post would be about things I am thankful for.

Here is the little bunny. He's cute, even he is eating our carrots.

He made me smile, that is something to be thankful for right?

I am thankful that my Grandfather was such a genuine, caring and loving man, that the funeral home was standing room only for the service.

We stayed with my Dad's Dad while we were in town. I think I have mentioned before, there is roughly 100 miles between us and my family. I am thankful for the time we had together with my Papa and Sue. We had dinner together at one of the places Jim and I like to go when we're home, but there just never seems to be enough time. Papa and I looked at some old photos. The morning we left, Papa and Sue made us breakfast. It was reminiscent of old times. We definitely need to find a way to change some things in our lives so we can go "home" more often.

I am thankful for the wonderful friends we have. Some of our closest friends had something sent to the funeral home.

It was just a something. It was a basket full of perennial plants.

The basket is awesome on its own.

The plants are cool too! There were 12 total plants in the basket and 10 different kinds.

We sent 2 home with my Mom. Over the next year or two, we will make sure my Mom and my Aunt get a "complete" garden. I am not sure the plants can survive in Maine. If so, we will make sure my Sister gets some too. What a great idea. These plants will come back year after year. :)

I am also thankful for some amazing co-workers.

They had something sent to our home. It came yesterday!

www.seedsoflife.com

A Magnolia Tree with a very touching card. It also came with an engraved marker with my Granddad's name and the day he died. Finding a place for the perennials has been the easy part. This tree may be small now, but it is going to grow up! I am thankful for the people that thought enough of me to donate toward the purchase of this great memorial. I am also thankful for the person that spearheaded the effort.

That burlap bag is CUTE!!!! I am not sure what I am going to do with it, but you can rest assured  will find a use for it. 

Two great gift ideas for a number of occasions.

I am thankful for the friends and family that expressed their friendship and sympathy in a variety of other ways.

I am thankful for those of you that read every post and let me know you were here. I am so glad we have become blog friends and can share ideas and memories with each other.

I am also thankful for those of you who stop by and just look around. If you are looking around,  hope I have inspired you in some way!

I am thankful for little miracles such as this:

Donkeytail spurge growing in a crack in our driveway.

A squash blossom...on a plant we grew from seed!

The whole plant!

This sunflower...was planted by a bird!!!!!

Something so beautiful and I didn't have to plant it!

There are so many things around us to be thankful for...like the bee on the sunflower.

That bee has a job to do. That bee is helping our other flowers AND making honey!

If you haven't done so in awhile, just sit still and take a look around. There is plenty to be amazed by!

...Including an 85 degree day that feels comfortable because the last few have been 100+. Ugh!

Thankful?? Yes! Because it could be this:

This was our deck, December 2010.

I am also thankful that we can work TOGETHER and make things such as this:

Two new planters and an arbor!

All made from pallet wood.

It was a combined effort.

There are many other things/people that I could talk about. and I am thankful for each of them!

The last person I want to mention is...

Jim! So many things/thoughts come to mind. Simply put, thank you for being you!

I love you!!! and together we will continue to do great things!!!

Yes!!! I am thankful for her too!!!!

She's too precious and sweet not to be thankful for!!

Thanks for stopping by! My next task is to clean up the creative space so perhaps I can, oh I don't know, CREATE something!!!

Hugs!!!! ~Jen

The fight is over...

Yesterday my Granddad lost his fight with lung cancer. I am sure he has been reunited with my Grandma and they are happy together once more. I am sharing a few photos with you and letting you know I won't be around until later in the week. I hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July!!!

These photos were taken last summer.

with my Aunt and my Granddad

<3 Granddad <3

Here is with his Great Granddaughter, my sister's little one!

My Grandparents on their wedding day.

They were married for just over 60 years when Grandma passed away.

Thanks for stopping by and again, please have a happy and safe holiday week.

See you soon!

hugs

The J's