Pretty + Simple

a message from...

:: Justin Tyme ::

 
 
 "Have a boo-tiful halloween my lovely darlings!"
 
 

full of fall

{ fall bounty }

This past weekend we finally had the perfect fall weather.  Long awaited and much loved.  I worked at the farm/orchard on Saturday and Sunday was spent at home.  It felt so good to be home and a beautiful day added to the love of being home.  I harvested the pumpkins, gourds, and squash from the garden.  If there is one thing that we grow well here it's gourds!  Whoa!  I had every intention of selling these at a little stand at the end of the driveway but time just was not on my side.  And that's ok because now I get to enjoy them every time I look out the back door! 

Besides the beautiful weekend I also enjoyed another one of my fall loves and I really don't think the season would be complete without these:

Have you tried that combo yet?  Seriously yummy.  And dangerous too I might add.

But then again, it does make me do this:

Now you're probably thinking,

"She's corny and she plays with her food!"

Yep.  You've got me pegged! :)

this is so much better

Well, that was certainly an extended absence from this space that I had not intended to happen.  My computer connection was out of commission and I had to resort to the slower-than-molasses-in-January dial-up method and I must say, it was painful.  How I ever got a photo to upload on here is beyond me.  I tried many times to post a new entry but it usually plopped me somewhere out in space while I continued to sweat and swear until I finally gave up.  But... but... the good news!?  It's over.  Amen.  Everything is up and running again and I could just squeal with excitement!  :)  I feel like I just opened a present with my all my favorite things inside. 

So let's see... where do I start? 

Summer is in full swing over here.  There's been two trips to the local strawberry fields, a visit to the flea market and the farmers market, an old fashioned drive-in movie complete with a blanket of stars, a whole lot of time spent in the garden weeding (and swatting mosquitoes), a small painting project, a tiny bit of sewing, a hometown parade, cruising around with the pedal bikes, reading and enjoying the perfect summer weather from the ever-popular hammock and did you know that summer just isn't summer without viewing it from the hammock?!  It's true.  I speak from experience.  Aaaah.  It's good to be back here too.  I'm anxious to catch up with everyone.  Hope you're well.  I'll be seeing you soon. 

 

*   *   *   *   * 

 

what's to love about the 3rd week of june?

 

the smell of summer in the morning 

ice cream sandwiches

a rain barrel filled to the brim from the recent storms

laundry on the line

grilled hamburgers and fresh greens picked from the garden

busy little chickens

using leaves from last fall as mulch between the garden rows

planning a summer vacation

wide open spaces

summer solstice

i love june.

a bumper crop kind of a weekend

{ sweet pickings }

 

Not bad huh?  Well, actually this is the first handful for the season.  We started a new raised bed strawberry patch this year so the pickings will be bit slim this first year but we hope to have a small crop to satisfy our tastebuds. 

The weekend was absolutely beautiful.  It was the perfect summer weekend by all measures.  There was time spent with a dear sweet friend, graduation parties, a little gardening/yardwork, and I even managed to find time for the backyard hammock one evening complete with a crackling campfire.  Did I mention that the perfect summer weekend also included lunch at my favorite sandwich shop in the whole world?  It did.  AND... I should mention that it included the world's best (& biggest) sugar cookie.  Ever.  Oh my.  It was so good!  Makes mouth water just typing about it. 

So with that sugar cookie loving thought I leave you with a view from the hammock:

  

::  enjoy your week!  ::

what happens when it rains

It rained here almost all day yesterday and today is starting off in the same footsteps.  Since work these days is mostly outdoors, the rainy day gave me a chance to catch up and do a few things inside.  This is the first year in a very long time that I started seeds inside.  A few of them needed to be transplanted into larger individual trays.  Some of the starter trays that I used were recycled produce (spinach, lettuce) containers from the grocery store.  They work really well.  I also used egg cartons (cardboard kind).  That way I can just cut those apart and plant them in the ground since they are biodegradable. 

 

I store my seeds in an old sewing drawer.  It's just the right size for holding seed packets.  See that little relish fork?  That is the ultimate seedling garden tool.  Great for poking holes in the potting soil to plants seeds and perfect for picking up tiny transplants.  Pretty much everything that you see in these photos in this post came from estate/garage sales or thrift shops and you just can't beat that!

 

A rainy day also meant for a quiet day at the backyard wash line and a full day for the indoor clothes-rack.  That cute little quilt came from a thrift shop and is made of flannel patchwork.

 

I also had a chance to do a little baking:  Pineapple Coconut Ginger Muffins = Yum!

 

Of course, baking leads to another task:

 

I also got a chance to sneak outside in between rain showers to check in at the coop.  Along the way I noticed the tulips in full swing and I wished they'd stay for at least a month!

 

The chicken littles were busy, busy, busy.  There was lots of leg stretching, chicken scratching, investigating, napping, running over each other, and eating.  Then... it starts all over again!  It's great entertainment!

 

On my way back to the house, I made sure to clip a few tulips to enjoy inside as well.

 

 

 

It's always important to take time to smell the flowers! 

So I did.

* * *

The newest family members are here!

We received a phone call this afternoon that the chicks were in and ready to be picked up.  I must admit, I was extremely excited about these new additions.  I'd been thinking about them all weekend. 

The 25 littles were packaged in their tiny cardboard taxi and handled with extreme care on the ride home.  We could've had a sign on the side of the vehicle that said *Precious Cargo Onboard*.  The chickens chirped away and I drove like I was taking my driver's license test. 

Once we arrived safely home, we opened the box and introduced the little beauties to their new home.  There are actually 26 chicks.  The company that we ordered from usually sends one extra for good measure.  In this little box we have six different breeds:  Barred Rock, Black Australorp, Gold Star, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Buff Orpington, and White Rock. 

 

They quickly checked out their new flat and decided it was just what they had been looking for... good food, fresh water, fluffy wood shavings, *and* not one but two heat lamps!  What more could a chick ask for?!

 

A little love... of course!

 

Now do you understand why I'm so elated about them?

candles and chicks

This past weekend my sisters took my Mom out on the town to celebrate her birthday.  We had the best time!  Hanging out with my sisters and Mom is always a treat.  We did a little shopping, enjoyed dinner and then headed back to my parents to top off the day with a celebration birthday cake.

These are the remainders of the "Knock Your Socks Off" cake:

 

Yes, indeed.  Chocolate.  Mmm!  Yum.  (which also might explain why I'm craving sugar today!)

Yesterday we made a quick visit over to my sister's place.  Just a week ago their family grew by 50.  50 chickens that is.  We wanted to introduce ourselves to the littles and hang out at the coop until all of our own chicken questions were answered.

The Lunchroom Lady greeted us upon our arrival:

 

We found out that label reading is a popular past time:

 

Quickly followed by group discussions on calorie and protein content:

 

After much debate they headed to the water cooler to catch up on the latest happenings at the coop. 

 

So now that we are up to speed on chickens we are hoping to put in our order tomorrow at the local co-op.  The list has been made, double checked, hashed over and then triple checked.  We will be getting a hand-picked variety of 25.  That should be enough to keep us entertained.  We searched for a few chicken supplies today and everything was really picked over.  Apparently we are not the only ones with chickens on our minds.  A few modifications need to be made in their new (to them) shanty before they arrive.  Now let's hope that the weather continues to cooperate with us. 

Making use of an old door.

Remember this?  That old door has been given a new life.  As a headboard.  I really like the end result.  We were going to use fence posts as the bed posts but since we were trying to stay within a budget on this project we went with a 4"x4"x12' douglas fir post instead and customized it to fit the size we wanted.  

   

I found the headboard reading light at a garage sale for a mere $0.25 years ago knowing that one day I would put it to good use.  I'm thinking of painting it another color though.

 

Old photos of the mountains and national park postcards to dream about while drifting off to sleep.

 

The bottle (flower vase) is rounded on one side, flat on the other.  Perfect for the bedpost and fresh flowers from the garden this summer!

These photos were taken late this afternoon.  All that light coming in the windows is not the sun.  There's a snowstorm going on out there!  Yet another one.  The good news is that temps are expected to be back in the 40's by this weekend and a major meltdown will be happening.  These are also helping out on a snowy day:

  

 

 

Thin Mint Cookies.  Compliments of the Girl Scouts.

And always remember:  one sleeve = one serving.  :)

Oatmeal, chickens, tea. You know, the important stuff.

{ currently loving }

::  Hot oatmeal for breakfast with a handful of frozen raspberries thrown in, topped off with a little pure maple syrup and a splash of milk.  This whole combination is crazy good! 

Side note:  We picked those raspberries late last summer.  They are called Autumn Bliss and are a late summer/early autumn variety.   

 

::  Chickens.  How many?  Chicken coop.  What type?  When can we order them?  Lots of chicken talk going on over here.

::  Lemon Ginger tea from the food coop.  It's not too lemony and the ginger not too spicy.  It's like the best lemon drop you've ever tasted.

 

::  A clean kitchen floor.  :)