pretty + simple

singing in the rain

April is zooming right along these days.  The weather forecast this weekend is for rain but that's fine by me - the outside world could use a good drink of water and I would love to spend some time in the kitchen and the back porch.  I found a couple of links recently that I've tried out and enjoyed... and I thought you might too (just in case it's raining at your house this weekend):

 ::  spoon oil for polishing wooden spoons, serving pieces, bowls, cutting boards, etc.  ::

::  these are now my new all-time favorite  ::

::  a fancy broom handle with dollar store decorative tape (who knew tape was so fun!)  ::

 

{  hope your weekend is full of fun!  }

applelicious

Do you want to know what tastes super fantastic this time of the year?  It all started last fall while hanging out with the apples.  Each year the owners make freshly squeezed apple cider from the many apples that are just waiting to be used up.  We helped make the cider so in return we have gallons of this gold stored in the freezer to enjoy all year long.  The cider press is nothing fancy but does an unbelieveable job at getting the job done.  Who knew?!

I love this apple cider served ice cold and not hot.  Nothing has been added to it either.  No spices, no sweeteners... just a little love and loads of apples.  :) 

 

Of course it helps to serve it in my vintage Looney Tunes juice glass.

This is what greets me with my last sip:

 

"That's all folks!"

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-::-   Have a wonderful, spring-filled weekend!   -::- 
 

spring has sprung

Spring has been welcomed with open arms over here.  Yesterday I was home for the day and it was such a beautiful, sunny day complete with spring breezes.  The perfect combo to start the season by hanging laundry on the line.  I *love* hanging laundry out.  Love, love, love it.  It's such a mind-quieting task.  All troubles fall to the wayside.  Maybe it's the extra vitamin D I'm soaking up or the fresh air filling my lungs.  I think I need to start a new business:  Pretty + Simple Wash Line Laundry.  Have a wash line?  Fresh laundry and sweet dreams guaranteed!  Ask me how!  :)  I could lure new customers in with my fancy clothespins:

Or maybe they'd be captivated by my fancy polka-dotted rubber boots and thrifted wicker laundry basket:

 

Ah yes, I can see them lining up now...

How's business at your wash line?
 

5 cents

Or how about 5 sense(s)?

These are what my 5 senses are enjoying in February.

tasting  ::  last summer's strawberries on the world's best pancakes

seeing  ::  tangled together = barb wire + old grapevine

hearing  ::  birds at the feeder (old enamel lids make great hanging bird feeders)

smelling  ::  Gordy's famous cast iron pan pizza baking in the oven

feeling  ::  my frosty + snowy cheeks after snowshoeing

* x * x * x * x * x * x * x *

How about you?  What are your 5 senses up to lately?
 

long life

I found this Longlife sprout jar at the thrift shop (for cheap!) a few months back knowing full well that come mid-winter it would be put to good use.  As you may remember we are crazy for sprouts over here.  Winter gets to stay as long as it darn well pleases whether we like it or not so in return I sprout.  It tastes just like you harvested fresh goodness from the garden.  The grocery store sprouts do not even compare to homegrown.  Seriously.

This particular sprouting jar is far better than the expensive model I purchased last year.  This beauty sports a plastic rim and a brass screen.  Last year I used a metal ring and screen but with the jar being inverted most of the time and draining any water remains... it starts to rust and that's not an issue with the plastic ring.  So if you wondering which one to use/buy I'd highly suggest the plastic.  Although you can use cheesecloth as well.  Just put that over the top of the jar and secure with a rubber band.

If you've never grown sprouts, you should... it's so easy!  Purchase sprouting seeds from your local food co-op or check at your local grocery in the bulk area.  I usually add about 2 tablespoons of seeds per jar and then fill the jar about 2/3 full of water and soak overnight.  The next morning I rinse them thoroughly (and always keep that screen on) about 3 times - making sure to do this for about 30 seconds 2-3 times per day.  Do this every day for the next 4-5 days.  Each day you'll see progress.  By day 4-5 you'll be ready to enjoy sprouts on everything from sandwiches to soup to eggs or your salad or a smoothie... see what I mean?  There's no stopping!  Once the sprouts are done, I put them in a container in the frig but they never last long so now I've got 2 jars going.  Oh, and did I mention that this is all very inexpensive?!  Yep.  And they are high in nutrients too.  It's like getting spring in a jar everytime!

Ok now if you're still with me I just wanted to say thanks for the well wishes on the shop.  You know that I'm a bit of a greenhorn setting it all up and very much a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of a gal!  So all those bits of encouragement from you mean the world to me.  Please be sure to drop by every so often, the shelves are slowly being stocked and I've got plenty to share.  ~xoxo

Now... how about some sprouts!?

Over the holiday break, my niece decided to stay overnight at our house and have a little fun with her favorite aunt (at least that's what I think ;).  The first day she was here we had the perfect weather for sledding.  I may have mentioned this before but we live on a hill which can be good and bad.  For sledding purposes, it's great!  We can go from the top of one driveway all the way down to the road that goes in front of our property and sometimes we need to "bail out" into the road ditch in order to avoid running into traffic!  Crazy fun!  Seriously.  The walk back up the hill is another story.  There's no doubt that its good exercise and plenty of fresh air is an added bonus.  Working on those buns of steel.  Right.

While my niece was here we also worked on a few fun projects like paper snowflakes and decoupaged clothespins.  She was thrilled to be taking a handful of those home with her.  There were also movies and homemade pizza to top off the day.  It was non-stop action from start to finish and by the time she left, I needed a nap!  Apparently I need a little more exercise on the sledding hill.

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In my last post about vodka and love... oh wait a minute -- I mean... vodka, vanilla beans and love!  A few of you had a couple of questions regarding bottles, vodka (for vanilla extract?), and how much is needed.  For the bottles - I used recycled bottles.  Ones that work really well are glass bottles from molasses, apple cider vinegar, cool beer bottles and I even used a soda pop bottle that I topped with a cork.  Fancy at its finest over here!  I just made sure to soak the them in hot, soapy water to remove old labels and get the insides sparkly clean.  You can use vodka, brandy or even rum to make the vanilla extract.  Store bought vanilla has alcohol in it as well and can be quite costly especially for pure vanilla.  This is so incredibly easy that you'll never waste your hard earned money on store brand vanilla again!  I use about two (or three) vanilla beans per quart.  Once the vanilla has aged (about 6-8 weeks) it will turn a nice golden brown (don't forget to shake the bottle about once a week).  I then take a funnel and pour the vanilla extract into my smaller bottle that I keep in the spice cupboard.  You can also top off your large bottle with more vodka.  The vanilla beans will continue to work their magic for a very long time.  Next, enjoy a swig off the ol' vodka bottle yourself because if you just finished reading this big, long paragraph you're going to need it!  :)
 

vodka, beans, and love

So after my last post I was thinking that there's probably going to be a whole new fad started this winter.  I can just picture all those knitting needles clicking now.  It could be marketed as a simple, fast and fun project that will provide years of warmth and entertainment!  Forget knitting those washcloths!  Try the warmers!  Now, just so you know... my needles are still resting.  Since last winter!  Sad but true.  I do know where they are, does that count for anything?! 

Over the holidays there was another gift given.  One quite different from the niftee warmers.  In early November I had started new bottles of homemade vanilla extract with the idea of giving these as gifts for Christmas.  I have not purchased vanilla extract since I started my first bottle back in March.  It's that good.  Now this is truly a simple, fast and fun project!  The only thing I needed was a little help on the labels.  I had seen some really cute ones (sorry I can't find the link right now) on Cindy's blog and she ever so kindly explained how to make round labels.  Folks this was a big deal for me!  I only have a black and white laserjet printer but the results were fantastic.  At least for a first-timer like me!  Thanks Cindy for the instructions - that made life so much easier!

Have you tried making your own extract yet?  You really should!
  

on the line

Today was a beautiful summer day.

One of the many that we've had this summer.  The best part about the day was that I got home a little earlier than usual and I had time to hang the laundry on the washline.  I love this task.  There's something about this simple, rhythmic process that I enjoy so much.  Maybe it's the thought of Mother Nature's winds drying my goods for free.  Or maybe it's knowing that later I'll have the best smelling laundry around.  I'm quite certain that there are no better bed sheets in the world than those that have been line dried.  At least in my opinion.  Those sheets are guaranteed to bring a deep sleep to a weary body after a hard day's work.  Of course while I'm hanging the laundry, my thoughts drift from one thing to the next and I've got a little extra help with that.  On each of my clothespins I have inspiring word(s) or phrases that make me think and reflect.

 

It is a rather *nifty* idea that I've been using for ages.  So nifty in fact, that I thought I really should share it with you too!  I used scrapbook stickers and decoupaged them on for extra durability although a plain ol' permanent marker would do the trick as well.

 

I always *day dream* about everything under the sun while I'm hanging out at the washline.

 

Today though... today I was looking for a bit of *harmony*.  You know... the kind of harmony when everything just seems right with the world and the day feels perfect with the sun on your face and there's a breeze on your back.  These summer days are fleeting and sometimes I feel like there's so much going on all at once and I don't want to let these days slip by just yet.  So I'm grateful.  Very grateful for these days when I'm in the sun and the laundry needs to be hung on the line.

 

*   *   *   *   *   *   *

 

It all started

with a hot summer day and a need to quench the thirst.  There was this bottle of cold, refreshing peach soda calling my name so naturally I downed it like it was the next best thing to ice cream.  It all happened so fast.  Not much thinking went into this swift movement.  As I looked down at the empty bottle I noticed the perfect colors gracing the 70's like logo.  Hmm, I thought to myself... I should do something with this.  This bottle was just too nice to throw away.  Don't you ever think that?  Well, I just happened to have an extra bottle pourer in the kitchen drawer so I filled the bottle with dish soap and topped it off with the bottle pourer for a little instant kitchen helper/spruce-up.  The bottle pourer allows you to use much less dish soap rather than a mindless squirt(s) from the bottle it came in.  And it's cute to boot!  Of course there are oodles of soda pop/beer bottles out there to pick from so the skies the limit here.

 

Hope your weekend is refreshing!

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raindrops + barrels

As I'm typing this the rain has arrived for the evening and we are prepared for Mother Nature's latest episode of Summer Storms.  Love this rain.  Love to save it too.  One can never know when the next rain will arrive so we like to save it.  Save it for a rainy dry day.

Gordy found the plastic barrels at a second hand shop a few years back.  He cut one end open and we have one at each end of the rain gutter on the garage.  You can't see it in the photos but Gordy connected the two barrels (on the right in the photo) just below the rim with 3/4" PVC pipe to catch the overflow from the first barrel.  On top of that first barrel we also have an old window screen to catch any debris that comes down from the gutter.  There's also a shorter barrel under that apple green gardening table that works really well for washing off your dirty rainboots.  Just dip and go! 

 

The barrel on the far left has a spigot at the bottom so we can easily fill a watering can or bucket.  We used old yellow chimney bricks salvaged from our house years ago to raise the barrel to just the right height. 

Living on a hill with lots of rocks and sandy soil equates to an increased need for plant moisture so we try to collect as much rainwater as possible.  Not only do we love saving the rain but the plants think we're the next best thing to Mother Nature!