Creating, planting and chilling

I am spending a lot of my time cleaning and creating. My grandson wanted another octopus... 

Our state has a stay at home order in place, so yes, we are staying at home.  

Some substitutes you might find useful during these times.

I watched a video by Jamie Oliver on how to make soda bread, measuring with a tin can.  He also made biscuits and cinnamon rolls with the same recipe. 

I tried the cinnamon rolls. I like them but Dude missed the yeasty taste. These do have a wee bite of soda.

We are also taking time to plant. 

We got out the heat mat for the tomatoes and peppers, along with the trays for planting. 

 We do use a seed mix so as not to introduce bacteria to our gardens. We can't sow right into the grow yet as we still have frost … and sometimes snow. 

I began herbs without a heat mat. 

Dude got the grass seed spread before the snow flew last night. 

Things are growing in the greenhouse. 

Garlic 

Lettuce and spinach.  There is more planted in another area. 

Beets are all coming up .

I made some cards today.  Many people are connecting with each other more that ever now. Today I learned about ZOOM and had an online "meeting" with my grandson and all the grandparents. It was so good to see his little silly face and the antics he ensues. 

One of our friends requested we all send cards for her daughter whose birthday is coming up. You can make cards quite simply with a piece of cards stock or paper.  

To get the size of an A2 card simply cut it in half and fold. 

I found scraps of paper, you can use things you print of the internet, old books or magazines. 

Glue or use double sided tape to tack down in place. I like to embellish cards and found scraps of sequin tape to glue down. 

I had these piece of fake flowers and bling. You can also take apart a fake flower for pieces to add to your card.  Stickers work well too. The Happy Birthday piece below, I simply typed in my search engine "happy birthday images" and found this and printed it off. 

Just get creative and use what you have around the house.

We did get a nice gentle snow last night. 

It is already melted.

Love, compassion and empathy.

Sunday -canning, baking, dinner, and a quick craft

It began as a challenge on Friday afternoon at work.  Two of us, who like to bake, are challenged to make cinnamon rolls.  Wow!  That IS a challenge! I wasn't sure if I wanted to accept that challenge but here I was today getting out the flour and buying yeast.  It took four tries before I could get the yeast to grow.  On the last try I remembered hearing somewhere to add a teaspoon of sugar to the liquid and yeast to help it grow.. and sure enough it grew! 

I got the dough made and let it rest to rise double before rolling it out. 

While it was rising I got out the canning supplies. It's raspberry season.  This time I was making raspberry lemonade concentrate. I can think of sooo many uses for it.  Six cups of raspberries, four cups of lemon juice, six cups of sugar (remember it's a concentrate). Put it all in a pot to melt the sugar and mash the raspberries with a potato masher. Don't let it boil. 

 Jarred it all up. 

I did save the pulp and froze it to add to hot tea later on. 

 Turned out nice. 

Rolled out the dough next.  Sprinkled with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and walnuts and ready for a second rise. 

Then bake

So perfect, I couldn't wait...I ate one. I don't think I will win because I wanted to make cream cheese frosting but, alas, I had no cream cheese. Any way it was fun and they ARE tasty. 

Then this came out again. I need to think of what to do with it. It is so basic with just a few borders that I don't want to waste the time quilting it.  I also said I wouldn't start another project until I finish others ...ugh. What to do?

For now I will get dinner ready.  Yesterday I thawed one of our chickens. On the homestead we clean the chicken again, soak a bit in salt water and...

Go over the whole bird to make sure there are no pin feathers. 

I put in in a Bundt pan and butter it up (if Dude was making it, it would be sprayed with Pan but to me... Mo Butter, Mo Better).

Add salt and pepper and our parsley we dried this week. 

Ready to go! Pop it in the over at 400* for a couple hours. 

I went out to the shipping container and found this!  I save whatever I can salvage from old homes I have lived in.  This was from an 1800's home I lived in in Denver. I think I could use it today. 

It was warm today but smoky from the California fires.

Dude spent the day removing window screens and washing windows. 

While his buddies  looked on. 

The quilt top plus the vintage window equals this. I can now craft on. I'll have Dude hang it this week. 

I had an hour before dinner would be ready to take out of the oven. 

Dinner is ready!

Before you leave here is the Sunday Gospel. 

Gospel John 6:41-51 

The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said,
"I am the bread that came down from heaven, "
and they said,
"Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph?
Do we not know his father and mother?
Then how can he say,
'I have come down from heaven'?"
Jesus answered and said to them,
"Stop murmuring among yourselves.
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,
and I will raise him on the last day.
It is written in the prophets:
They shall all be taught by God.
Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.
Not that anyone has seen the Father
except the one who is from God;
he has seen the Father.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes has eternal life.
I am the bread of life.
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
this is the bread that comes down from heaven
so that one may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."

peace