Oh No He Didn't!

This means war!!!!

I will not be out smarted by a squirrel! I was so close to catching him in the act. Right when I opened the front door I saw his little bushy tail run up the tree and jump on to the roof of the house. That is his get away trail because I have seen him do that before after he has finished burying pecans in my garden. When I looked down to check on my pumpkin, I noticed that my pumpkin's face had been eaten out!! I sprinkled Cayenne pepper on it yesterday thinking that it would burn his little tongue but who would have thought he had a taste for the spice! He even left the evidence behind in my garden during his getaway.......

Well, speaking of my garden, I planted my hollyhock and columbine today. To my surprise, I had 2 bags of mulch in my garage so I was able to put down a fresh layer of mulch. My garden is very happy right now!

Stay tuned to the continuing saga of the battle between Liz and the squirrel. Sounds like a good title for a children's book. :-)

Cheers!

Our Thyme Garden Open House

Every year at the Botanic Gardens Herb Festival my mother and I visit cute little ladies from "Our Thyme Garden". They sell the most wonderful herbs that last forever! Twice a year they have an open house at their farm, in the Fall and in the Spring. Today was the Fall open house and my mother, cousin, and I went. Their farm is in Cleburne. I have a special place in my heart for Cleburne because my grandparents had a farm there for many years. We would go almost every weekend to stay at the farm and also for several weeks at a time during the summer. It was such a special place. My sister describes the memories rather well, click here.


Their farm is absolutely beautiful! There are so many gardens surrounding the farmhouse and neat little decorations that add a special charm. Everything is just so practical and quaint. There are tables and chairs set up in various places so you can just sit and enjoy everything the grounds have to offer.

There is even the most fabulous persimmon tree! There are butterfly gardens too. It was fascinating to see that many butterflies swarming the flowers. I think if I had a place like this farm to retreat to I would be the most happy person in the world!

They have a little store too where they sell their vinegars, oils, salts, and rubs.

If you make a reservation to come to the open house far enough in advance, you can request to have a box lunch while you are there. The lunch was absolutely fabulous. We pretty much ate the whole thing. In our box lunch was a sandwich served on a french bread baguette with Salomi, Havarti cheese, pickled veggies, pesto, olives, and a red pepper spread. There was also a black bean salad, roasted herbed pecans, and an oatmeal raisin cookie. The black bean salad was wonderful!

They were selling some of the plants and herbs they grow, so of course, I was in need of a few for my garden. I have some room for a few shade plants so I got columbine and French hollyhock. They were soooo nice and threw in an extra hollyhock for free! They were also giving away free tea and gourds! It was a really fabulous time and I can't wait to see what the open house in the Spring will have in store for us!

Cheers!

He's Back.........

.........remember last year?



He started munching away last night. I am going to play a little trick on him though. I wonder if it will work. :)

Cheers!

Happy Monday

I added a Halloween necklace to Etsy today. I like this one and may have to shrink it up for myself!

Also, I got a little Halloween treat from my sister and niece. My surprise was a Halloween tea towel, candy, and a pretty little orange votive. Might I say those eyeballs are rather tasty!

My sister and I also started working on knitting our first pair of socks last night and of course watched Desperate Housewives! Yes, I subjected her secluded, non-cable, mountain self to it. So far, it has been easy, but we have not made it to the hard part yet. When I get there, I will check back and let you know, because I may be dancing to a different tune by then ;-). The knit socks book is a really good book by the way. My sister gave it to me!

They are leaving tomorrow so the house will have one less sister and one less niece. I will be sad because it has been so much fun having them here! Hopefully they will come back soon!

Cheers!

Halloween Crafting

I thought it might be fun to make Halloween earrings out of shrinky dinks. I started working on 2 different designs yesterday. I think I may also make a necklace too. So, in the spirit of Halloween, I am selling these on Etsy.

Cheers!

Pumpkin Carving

My sister and niece have been in town visiting. Tonight we carved pumpkins on my back porch with our good friend Mel. It has been years since I carved a pumpkin. It was alot of fun and I think I want to carve another one. I probably will a few days before Halloween because I imagine this guy may not last until then.

My niece designed her pumpkin. She just drew right on it and my sister carved out the design. I think she did a mighty find job. Her pumpkin is below and to the left.

I think she could possibly have a career as a pumpkin carving designer. :-)

Cheers!

Free Stuff Sunday!!

I happened across Anna Maria's drawing for free stuff! Interested in winning a lot of cool stuff that is all about Anna Maria? I know you are! Click right here! You can enter everyday through November. I adore her. Her fabrics are fantastic and she is such a neat person. Check out her blog. I know I have mentioned her like a gazillion times and probably sound like I should be imprisoned for my stalker like behavior but...frankly I don't care. :-)

So, another person who is absolutely amazing is Hiromi Hughes. She doesn't have a sweepstakes drawing right now but her patterns are fantastic. I am working on making the tortellini for my niece for Christmas.

It is kind of amazing because they look real. I made these three while watching Desperate Housewives. I probably could have made more in that hour if I had not been so distracted. I love that show.

After I finish this I have some work to do. I want to make all my Christmas tree ornaments this year. I have a lot of ideas in mind and can't wait! I also need to get working on vamping up my Etsy, which is something I keep talking about but can never seem to achieve. Poo. It would be nice to not have a job so I could just stay home and craft all day.

Cheers!

I Can't Wait!!!

.....It is almost time!!!

Easily Distracted

Well, since I am never able to focus on just one project, I have been researching oilcloth fabric this evening. I love the vintage look of oilcloth. For those of you interested, this place seems to have pretty fair prices. I also stumbled across Oilcloth International and they have a blog completely dedicated to oilcloth! So, of course being the compulsive crafter I am...I had to purchase some oilcloth. I want to re-cover my kitchen chairs with it and maybe also make some placemats to match. I also have some ideas for a few new Etsy items. Ah, I need to focus and complete one thing at a time...but...what is the fun in that?

I have been knitting with my own spun yarn. It is really satisfying. I think I am going to make this into a coin purse, felt it, and then needle felt a little decoration on it. If I can ever manage to complete that little project, I will post pictures. Focus....I need to focus. I think I have crafting ADD.

Cheers!

Crockin' Up A Pot Roast

Crock pots are fantastic. You can throw all the ingredients in and then come home to the wafting smell of dinner after work. Since I do all the cooking, it is kinda nice to walk into my house and have it smell like someone has been slaving away all day in the kitchen. So, in celebration on the fall, I will share my crock pot-pot roast recipe with you! Now, for recipes like this I do not measure anything. I just throw it in so just throw in enough to feed everyone you are cooking for!

Ingredients:

chopped carrots
1 white onion, chopped into large chunks
1 red onion, chopped into large chunks
red potatoes, chopped into large chunks
red wine, about 1/2 a bottle (or a little more if you like), and save the rest for yourself!
veggie or chicken broth-enough to fill the crock pot after all the other ingredients are added
kosher salt
freshly ground black peppercorns
fresh rosemary, chopped finely
olive oil
a nice lookin' piece of roast

Season the roast with salt and pepper, pan sear both sides in a skillet until nice and golden brown.

Turn crock pot on to desired setting. It usually takes my crock about 6 hours on high to fully cook or about 10 hours on low. Layer half of the potatoes, onions, and carrots. Season with salt and pepper and half the rosemary. Add the roast and then the rest of the potatoes and veggies. Season the top layer with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Add the wine and chicken broth. Enjoy with the rest of that red wine!

Cheers!

Fall Is Here

I love October, and so does Cedella, my little Halloween kitty. The weather is cooler (oh and have I mentioned that the weather is cooler?), Halloween is lurking around the corner, comfort foods are waiting to be made, and pumpkins, there are lots and lots of pumpkins! I have been in a crafting lull, mostly because when it is hot, I can't do ANYTHING! I am not meant for the hot weather, I am just worthless. I think life would be good if I moved to Santa Fe. How could you ever be in a lull. Oh Santa Fe and the perfect temperatures all year long! Hopefully my parents will move there in the next few years and then that will give me an excuse to either visit, at least weekly, or pack up and move! First, I have to convince Jeff that Santa Fe is the most magical place ever. I don't think it will take too much to convince him. I just have to get him there for a visit and then he will be sold to the idea!

I have posted my first Halloween item on my Etsy site. It is a little trick or treat tote bag. If this one sells, I have enough fabric to make a few more. I may make a different style of trick or treat bag and post that one too, we will see.

Well, now I am off to peruse the Martha Stewart website for Halloween decorating ideas. You can head over there everyday for the Halloween decorating idea of the day. I have started decorating a bit but there is also a bit more to do. I think I am due for a trip to Garden Ridge! Oh, also I have been practicing my spinning. I think I am almost ready to add a skein to my Etsy site. So stay tuned!

Cheers!

ACL

Well, I took a break from making the hat and went to ACL. I need to adjust the pattern because it ended up way too big! But, for using a pattern for the first time I did end up learning some new sewing techniques and I think I can get it right the next time I try. ACL was a nice break! Jeff, some good friends, and I went down to Austin last Friday and stayed the whole weekend. It was the first time I have ever been to the festival and it really was a great time. Much to my surprise the weather was nice and not too hot! I can't hang with the hotness. We stayed at a La Quinta that was very close to the festival. On the way down there we were kinda sweating about how we were going to get to the festival because there is no parking on site. You either have to be dropped off by personal car, taxi, walk, or ride your bike in. Now, our motel was close, but not close enough for me to walk there and back everyday. When we arrived to check in, we were told there was a shuttle for $5 to the festival. So, we hopped on the shuttle and met Frank, he was our driver. He was hilarious, even though his driving was a bit frightening. I don't think the defensive driving course he took a few weeks ago helped. Pretty much every time we were in the van with him we almost met our demise. I recall a few huge dips in the road he flew over which meant everyone in the van flew out of their seats. But, old Frank was reliable and got us to the festival and back to the motel every time. He even sent us off to the festival on Sunday with a chocolate rice crispie treat.


We saw Manu Chao, G-Love, Erykah Badu (she is pregnant by the way!), Beck, Gnarls Barkley, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, The Black Keys, and the list goes on. Manu Chao was by far my favorite. He plays an awesome show every time. This will be the 3rd show under my belt and I hope to make it more than that! Erykah Badu and Gnarls Barkley brought the house down! Sharon Jones is just your regular female version of James Brown, awesome! I was a little disappointed with Beck. He came on strong for the first half of his set, then it went downhill from there and he ended way early! He was to play until 10 but finished like 20 minutes early. But it was all in good fun!





By Sunday we were exhausted! You have to walk at least 3/4 of a mile to meet up with Frank after the festival because they close all the streets up because when the festival is over at night there is like a mob of 40,000 people walking down the street. Usually we made that 3/4 of a mile walk like champs but buy Sunday there were parts of me aching that I did not know existed. So, we hopped on a rickshaw which was the best decision we made all weekend long!















ACL is a nice relaxed festival. The city does an excellent job making sure everything runs smoothing and that everyone is safe and has a good time. You can even swim in Barton Springs if you get hot! Now, you can't beat a deal like that. ACL is where it is at, yo!

Cheers!