Snapshots from our Holiday

Fun time spent together,visiting the small town of Lanesboro during the Memorial Day Holiday.We enjoyed the beautiful weather eating outside at a local restaurant,visited the museum and the art gallery,some gift shops. We strolled up and down the streets looking at the beautiful architecture of the old houses.

My miniature pumpkin patch

The weather is turning into a real summer.It was so hot yesterday, 92 degrees, that I wished I could be by a river or at the pool.As it is so nice outside I try to spend as much time as possible out of the house.I started my little vegetable garden with few tomato and cucumber plants,some herbs and onions.We also have several strawberry plants.Many times when I am outside tending to my garden my daughter will bring her Guinea pig Hurby and they will play in his little play pen and will keep me company. This year my daughter and I decided to experiment with growing our own pumpkins for Halloween.I had some pumpkin seeds saved from last year pumpkin decorating.We started the seedlings in a plastic container on top of some cotton.Remember that experiment you did when you were in elementary school?Watching the miracle of the seeds turning into small plants?Then I planted the little seedlings into the ground.You can see them in the first picture.Then something started eating my precious delicate pumpkin plants.I thought it was a pesky little baby bunny and double fenced the patch. On top of that I covered them with Pepsi bottles cut in half with the cap off,like a little personal green house for each plant.In the end it appeared that the culprits were the slugs who snacked on my plants.I don't know what I can do about them but so far my pumpkin plants are thriving growing their third and forth leaves.Let's cross our fingers and hope they will grow big and strong healthy plants that no slugs can defeat.

Whatever my heart desires

Three days off.I can do whatever my heart desires and I enjoy every minute of my Me time.They said it was going to rain today so I went on my five mile bike ride early this morning.The wind was strong and blew my hat away but otherwise it was warm and pleasant.The sun's been playing a game of hide-and-seek the whole morning getting in and out of the clouds every thirty minutes.I hope the weather makes up its mind and brings us some rain.We really need rain.Especially my little vegetable garden and our miniature pumpkin patch.
My girl has a school play today and we,the whole family, are going to watch her.Can't wait to see her in action.

With watwercolor pencils #144

This drawing was inspired by that free magazine I got at the Paris airport last summer.

Spring,spring,spring

Can't get enough of the season.The sunshine,the outdoors,the garden,the bike rides in the woods.Our little Guinea pig loves to be outdoors too.In his little play area.I got motivated to clean the house in the morning but had a relaxing afternoon after that.I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

It is time for jumbleberry jam again

You don't agree?It is too early?No, it was the perfect time,last weekend.The prices of the strawberries went down and the frozen raspberries and blackberries were on sale in our grocery store.On top of that the weather was so nasty;rainy,cloudy and gloomy, that it called for some creating in the kitchen.I found this simple,fast and easy recipe for berry jam in the British edition of Country Living magazine last summer.To be exact it was the June issue of 2011.I tried it, loved it and made several batches of it.Kept it in the freezer,though because did not feel like wasting time on sterilising.Last year I promised to share the recipe with you but never did.Sorry about that.Now I am determined to do it and I hope you will like it too.Here we go:

Makes 1 kg/roughly about 2 1/2 lb/
1kg soft summer fruit like raspberries,blackberries,redcurrants or strawberries
juice of 2 lemons
1 kg preserving sugar/4 measuring cups/

1.Place the berries in a preserving pan with 150ml water and the lemon juice.Heat gently for 10 min.
2.stir in the sugar and dissolve over a low heat.
3.Bring to boil and bubble for 10-15 min. on a medium to high heat.After 10 min. test for a set by putting a teaspoon of the jam on a cold saucer.Leave for 1-2 min. then push the jam with your finger-it should wrinkle.If not continue boiling and testing every 5 min.
4.Turn off the heat and let it stand for 15 min.Pour jam into hot sterilised jars.

This time I made it with 1 lb strawberries,12oz frozen raspberries and 12oz frozen blackberries.Last year instead of blackberries I used blueberries and it was scruuuuumptious!I like to leave the jam runny so I can use it as syrup over my French toast and ice cream.

Girly stuff

Her room is always messy or at least ninety percent of the time.Artistic,creative mess ,I have to say.Always drawing,painting,cutting,gluing.A room of a girl in between two stages of her life,her childhood and her teenage years.A lot of toys mixed up with jewelery, makeup and hair bands.
A dark,rainy day today.A day for chores,browsing the web and lounging around the house.Oh,I made a batch of homemade berry jam.

Pictures from last week

I was too busy to blog the last four-five days.Here are some snapshots of our life from the last week .A family bike ride,a play date for our Guinea pig,our little stinker Precious trying to get the Guinea and not just to play with him.A brook trout caught by my girl while sleeping over at a friend's house.Some ME time today biking after the rain.Precious and sometimes funny moments.