TODAY'S HEADLINES: Stay-at-Home-Mom wastes too much time and doesn't even enjoy the summer sun!

My goodness, I don't have any photos of yummy food to show you....nor do I have any photos of cutesy craft projects.  I've been in a semi funk all summer! Like, not a bad funk, just a little funk. I don't know what my deal is. Of course, I have absolutely no good reason to be in a (semi) funk...I am blessed beyond measure and God takes care of our family constantly. He is so good to us every single solitary day. So why the funk? Hmm? I don't know. I sound spoiled and ungrateful! But I promise you,  I am very, very grateful!
One thing I thought about the other day....it totally just made sense! I haven't been outside very much this summer during the heat of the day in the direct sunshine. I was thinking I might be lacking vitamin D from the sun. I totally get this way in the winter....and I get blah. This has been the most I have stayed inside during the day, during any summer I can ever remember. I have to make myself catch some rays today.

On to other things...I am going to attempt some time management for myself. It's not that I don't have enough time to get things done....it's the opposite. I have too much time! And......I need to be utilizing that time to my advantage!! I have so much time and I am letting it slip away to nothingness!

Oh look, it's a picture of me! 

LOL!

People.....this is me this summer!! All June and July...but hopefully not August. 

Must. Reform. Myself. 

!!!

At this time in my life, I am blessed to have the time to get chores done, be a mom and wife, annnnndddd, also have plenty of time to do my hobbies. There are some quilts I started that I would love to finish....and I would like to get back into scrapbooking. I've got the time....I'm just not using it right! Days go by and I think, sheez, what do I have to show for it! I made a list of things that "kill" my time and I am evaluating whether I really need them in my life....is it something that adds quality to my life? If not, cut it out. Some things I'm going to try to eliminate and some things I'm going to just cut way back on.

My first order of business (after housework and children)  is to get working on those unfinished quilts....and I will show you guys when I complete them. If I actually finished these quilts, I cannot tell you how proud I would be of myself!! But, I have to be careful to balance the time and not let the quilting time get out of control or then my housework will slip! hahaha!

Okay guys, that's all for today! I'm going to get moving! I have already promised myself time in the sun today...then I'll do some touch up housework....then I will pull out the first quilt top to be finished!!! Please send some energizing, motivating brain waves my way!

Garlic Scape Pesto...it'll knock your socks off!

Garlic scapes!
I just love 'em!
What are they, you say??

Well, garlic scapes are the stalks of the hard neck variety garlic plant. 

They grow straight up and then form one or two loops.

After the stalk has formed one or two loops, you snip it off so the garlic bulbs will grow strong.

They are edible and when harvested young, 

they are tender and a lot more milder than the garlic cloves. 

They can be chopped up and  used in a stir fry or pesto...or really used any creative way you like in cooking.

Here's the pesto I made!

When I received garlic scapes in my CSA, 

I hadn't a clue what I was going to make with them. 

A little searching on the web....
and I was good to go!

This pesto is absolutely fantastic!!

Now,  let me tell you....this is for garlic lovers!  

This is some serious garlic intensity here people.

However, you can control the intensity by the amount you use on your pasta.

My hubs can't take a lot of garlic like I can,

and he totally loved it with the small amount I put on his serving of pasta.

This made a lot considering you only need about a Tbsp. per serving. 

I froze the rest in a couple of  ziploc bags. 

I scooped out heaping tablespoons, one at a time, and placed them in the ziplocs, just far enough away from each other so it will be easy for me to break them off to use as needed.

I also used a bit of this pesto in a recipe that called for chopped garlic. 

I just threw it in and it was fantastic!

Recipe:  Garlic Scape Pesto

approx.12 garlic scapes,  rough chopped

1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1/2  cup almonds

approx. 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Throw chopped garlic scapes, parmesan cheese and almonds into food processor. 

Grind almost to a puree while adding olive oil through the feed tube.

Adjust olive oil as needed for consistency and taste.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

heat + humidity = a wimpy slacker

Happy weekend everyone!!

tid bits of the past few days

my favorite drink on a hot summer day

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To Kill A Mockingbird, a book I was forced to read in 7th grade English, but didn't remember a single thing about because I was only 12 years old and not interested in the least...at 12 years old, I could barely make myself read this...why do they make 12 year olds read American classic literature???  I was way too young to even appreciate this story....I think you've gotta experience life a lot more than 12 years to be able to appreciate the social and cultural aspects in this story.  It is not a difficult read at all, it's quite pleasurable...but not for a 12 year old. As an adult, I loved this story!! Especially now that I can look back on my childhood and laugh at the hilarious antics of Scout, Jem and Dill.....and now that I know what it's like to be a parent, I can appreciate the character of Atticus as well as Calpurnia...and now that I have been around racial and social issues, I have so much more sympathy and empathy for the characters in this book. There is no way I was going to get that kind of emotion and understanding when I was 12 years old. Especially thinking about  the part  in the story ~  the  morning after Tom  Robinson's trial,  Atticus awoke  to a  table filled with food, all  brought to his house by Tom Robinson's friends and family and Calpurnia was making chicken for breakfast!!! I just cried  when I read that part...that was beautiful and so powerful. Ain't no way a 7th grader would experience those emotions after reading that. Anyhow, my point...if  you read this in high school, and you are much older now, and you've been through the ringer a time or two, and you've experienced  love and blessings as well as pain and loss and suffering, please give this book a second chance....don't just go by your feelings about it when you were forced to read it in middle school.

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And then, last but not least,

I've done a little quilting!

I had so much fun making this block!!  I used fabrics from  my stash. What I really wanted to do was  go out   and buy more fabric...but I've gotta stop that! Use what I have!!!!!!  Anyhow, I'm going to make another one with reds and whites! I think that will be very pretty!! This square is going to be made into a kitchen table mat. Something to put in the middle of  table for your salt and pepper and butter dish to sit on. I still have to make the binding and quilt it.

Well, there's my little tid bits of life these past few days.

What have you been up to??

Summer Activities with the kids, Episode 2, Handmade Journals

I am in love with journals...{and scrapbook supplies}.  Actually I just love journals....period! I love the journal section at the book store!  I usually wish I could have all of them! What is it that attracts me to these pretty books with blank pages? I'm not sure...maybe it's the possibility of what is yet to be written or created. 

Since I cannot afford to buy every adorable journal at the book store, I thought I'd try my hand at making some. They are completely made from scratch...hand sewn, the whole nine yards. I up-cycled thin cardboard from another project for the front and back of the journals, used scrapbook paper to decorate, and embroidery floss to sew the pages together. The blank pages are made from plain white card stock. When needed, I used Elmer's clear school glue. 

Just a quick note here: this started out as a project with my youngest son. He was totally into it until something went wrong and he got a little frustrated. He's 10 years old and completely capable of making one of these journals...but I just don't think he was in the mood for pressing on, this particular day. However, I still wanted to keep the title to my post as "summer activities with the kids" for any of you out there who have kids that would be interested in making a journal. It is such a great summertime activity! They could make a bird journal, or a sketch pad....or just a writing journal for poems and such. Anyhow, I just thought you might be wondering where the photos of my kids were in this post....so now you know! :)

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So, you're wondering how I put it all together, aren't ya? Well, here's my secret...I watched this great tutorial
on Youtube...she does a great job of explaining and showing every detail of how to make a simple, basic, journal. Once, you get the basic idea, you can just run with it!

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I customized the inside front of this journal. Polly is my mother-in-law...I made this for her for her birthday which is coming up next week.  I used my giant foam alphabet stamps and brushed them with creamy white, acrylic craft paint. I am loving the look of it!

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And...I'm just plain 'ole in love with the cover on this tiny doodle journal I made for myself. I cut this cute little sewing machine from some scrapbook paper. It's just adorable!

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Now I'm in the mode, I've been dreaming up all sizes and styles of journals I could make. I have so many pieces of gorgeous scrapbook paper just begging to be used. Now, I must get to work...so many ideas, so little time!

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Do you like journals? 

Do you keep a journal?

I have several journals that I have been writing in since I was about 25 years old. Not to mention my diary that I still have from when I was a child and a pre-teen. Oh brother, the things I used to write! Hilarious! I intend to give all of my journals to my children when I am old and gray. I hope they will be interested in them. I try to write about daily things, but also, my thoughts on things get intertwined along the way. Hopefully they will get that it is a piece of history to their past.

Anyhow....happy journal making!!

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