Planning and Packing

Besides getting ready for my big Luau party this Saturday, I am trying to get ready for a week trip in Idaho.  I had forgotton how much one needs to do to get ready for a party let alone what you need to pack when you go anywhere on vacation.  My car is loaded and the majority of it is for the dog. When I go anywhere with Onyx, she has to have her crate for traveling and sleeping in. I need her play pen to keep her from running off, and of course all her blankets, toys, food dishes, treats, her clothes, and leash. Now to find room for my one suitcase and pillow and come Monday morning we will hit the road early.


Meanwhile, I finally finished making the teddy bear I will be giving to my Mother, which I made from a couple of my sister's shirts. I hope she can think of it with fond memories of her child. It turned out cute, don't you think?
I got the idea to make one from a woman who made teddy bears from her husband's shirts, after he passed, to give to all their children. She was kind enough to mail me the pattern so that I could do this for my mom. I hope to make a couple more for my sister's daughter and granddaughter soon.
I plan to be pretty busy with crafts this winter and with the looks of things, it could be a long winter.

It is trying to rain again today so I think it is time to put together the pear tart I have been thinking about making and my pears have just ripened enough.

Have a wonderful day.

Just another day in the kitchen

I could'nt let summer get away without making some jams so I started with Peach jam from a box of seconds I brought home from Grants Pass.

That turned out okay so when I was at the grocery store the following day and saw these nice bags of plums I thought, why not. So I bought them, brought them home and whipped up a batch of Plum jam.

We do love our jams around here. I buy a jar everywhere I see them in gift shops when we travel. I just love to try different ones, don't you?

Well I still had half a box of peaches left over and was looking through my canning book trying to decide what to do with them when I came upon the recipe for Peach Salsa.

Peach Salsa

So I began making my salsa by peeling the peaches, dicing the onions, red pepper, cilantro and then, when I got to the four, HUGE, Jalapenos, I did'nt think to put on a pair of gloves. Well from 1:30 in the afternoon until 8:30 that evening, guess what? Yep, my hands were on FIRE. Funny now, haha, but trying to do all I could to stop the burn, not so. I went out and watered the yard, along with my hands, for about an hour. I soaked them in milk, I rubbed burn cream on them, I sat with ice cubes and a towel on them, I washed and washed and washed to no relief. The burning stopped when it wanted to. While all this was going on, I am also trying to help my husband get things set up for my party next weekend. This was not an easy task to do when your hands are on fire as if they are in an actual fire. The sun made them hotter, the wind made them hotter, touching them made them hotter. You get the idea everything made them hotter. I have never had a burning over my whole hands before. Yes, I have done this before.

When I finally called it a day and went to bed, my thumb tips were the only things still burning. Had to keep them outside the covers.

They say old dogs can learn new tricks. Well, where's my trainer?

 

And to think I only got four pints out of all that.

Just another day in my kitchen.

Come along with me........

Let me take you on a journey with me and my friends, April and MaryGail who invited me to go along with them to Hellgate and back. It began at 5am yesterday morning. Besides it still being dark outside, there was fog I had to deal with, so getting to their house was a slow drive for me. Once over the hill toward Medford the sun began to shine. From here on out we had beautiful weather and a day to remember.

April & MaryGail

We arrived at the Hellgate Jetboat Excursions office to pay for and pick up our tickets. We were a little early so we sat down to some delicious pastries and hot coffee while we waited.


We mosied around the lovely store before going down by the river to join our driver, Johnnie, a tour guide for 23 years who had expert knowledge and the history of the Rogue River and the critters and their habitats. He was a man of great humor and made the trip very fun and fascinating to all.

We saw bald eagles, a turtle, deer and several fishing boats up and down the river. Look at the size of salmon these gals caught! That's a lot of fish.





The sights were so beautiful all along the river. I especially liked seeing flowers in bloom along the rivers bank and every now and then a stray flower sticking up out of a boulder all by itself.

After continuing down the river and into the mouth of Hellgate, it was an awesome site to see the boulders and how the river has formed them and to see how high the river had risen at one time, well above where some of the homes today are situated.

Mouth of Hellgate

From here we went back to have lunch at the owners private home called the OK Corral.

A large and beautiful log home with a huge veranda overlooking the hillside to the rivers edge.

We were served barbeque chicken, scalloped potatoes, green salad, rolls and cornbread and for dessert, berry cobbler with cream. There was iced tea and lemonade to drink and the views from the veranda were spectacular as well.

Once lunch was over we were back on the river where Johnnie gave us a different kind of ride to remember. He occassionally would do a 360 turn or come to a quick stop were some of us enjoyed the spray of the cold water. I did'nt hear anyone complaining and I think it made a few of us feel young again.

It was hard to say goodbye to the river and head toward home, but back on the road we took a detour along the countryside and found a couple of produce stands and picked up a few vegetables to take home. Closer to home, between Medford and Klamath Falls, we stopped along the roadside and picked blackberries. There are some really nice plump ones and some still waiting to ripen. You think I got a large enough bucket? I could have picked for days. I think I got enough blackberries to make a really nice cobbler.

Hope you enjoyed the journey into Hellgate and thanks for stopping by.

What to do

Our weather has really been cooling down lately and it feels like Fall is apon us. We have had rain off and on for the past three days and looks like it is about to rain again. When it is like this all I can think about doing is staying inside with a warm cup of tea or cocoa and looking through my MaryJane magazines and all of my old craft books for ideas to do indoors. I just received  the Farm Chicks newest book called 'The Farm Chicks Christmas'.

There are beautiful pictures throughout, and the craft ideas are really neat. I love looking at the pics of how these ladies have decorated their homes and I hope to borrow some of their ideas as well. 

As you can see, I have their 'In the Kitchen' book too and I love the ideas and especially the recipes that are tucked among the pages in both books.

My mind is busy with ideas and where to start.

I also borrowed my daughter's new book she just bought of Martha Stewart's called the 'Encyclopedia of Crafts'. Let me tell you there are lots of really cool ones in this book too. A few I am borrowing to make for the Luau party I am having for our chapter of farmgirls, in a couple of weeks.  Some really cool shell ideas.

I have been busy setting up areas outside around my yard for camping trailers, tents, and tables for crafting and eating. The party will begin in late afternoon and into the next morning for those who are brave enough to spend the night in the country air (city gals seem to think it's too quite to sleep). Guaranteed to be a blast any way you look at it, with the gals that are in our group.

I went to Farmer's Market on Saturday and bought some green beans, red potatoes and some strawberries. I still have not been able to pick one thing from my raised garden bed. There are a few tomatoes on the vines, some squash and peppers, but our weather is not cooperating so they are just not growing much and ripening. This just reminds me how bad I need a greenhouse.

Some people are having good luck with their gardens, but the majority of people are not this year. Weather has been funny all over the place. It is suppose to warm up, yet again, next week. You just don't know how to dress around here, from one day to the next. I am NOT ready to pull out the coats just yet.

Day Two

Once we checked into the Motel 6 we discovered that there was no airconditioning other than opening the window. We open the window and find someone standing right outside it smoking because this is where the ash tray is. We are in a NO smoking room so this just made sense, right? After showering and laying down to sleep we discover the bed my daughter and I are to sleep on is slanted, the pillows are rock hard, and with the window open to vent we hear everything outside. The only thing nice about our stay was the view of this bridge from the room balcony.

Up early, we drive 25 miles towards Port Orford looking to find coffee and breakfast. We came upon the Prehistoric Gardens that I wanted us to see instead. The lady opened a few minutes early for us, so we got to enjoy the gardens by ourselves. With this being a natural rainforest everything grows abundantly with ferns growing gigantic in size, mosses everywhere and the trees are hundreds of years old.

We walked all around the trail which took you up and through these tall trees to see the prehistoric animals that were scientifically correct in the restorations and detail. This was really something to see up close. I can't even imagine how people lived with these creatures.

After going through the gift shop we headed back down towards Brookings. Along the way we decided to grab a coffee and hit the beach. Here we stayed for a good part of the morning. We hiked the beach collecting shells and rock. It was so warm and the sand felt so nice on our feet we totally forgot about breakfast.

We finally found a place to sit down and have lunch, since we skipped breakfast. It was a small hamburger joint on the beach in an RV park. The burgers were huge and the fries were delicious. After we ate we headed  towards home with a few stops along the way to take some more pics of these magnificant trees.

We were hoping to go to the Oregon Vortex , a place I have been wanting to see,  but would not make it  there before they closed at 4:30. We arrived in Grants Pass, stopped at the Dairy Queen for an ice cream and discovered it was 109 outside. Needless to say we did not stick around long, but headed for home.

This was definitely a mini vacation we all totally enjoyed and have made plans to come back next year and camp for a while along the beach.

Two Day Vaca

I just got home from two days at the coast. My daughter, younger sister, neice and myself went to see Trees of Mystery in Klamath, Ca. We actually went on the Sky Trail gondola through the trees 360 feet in the air.

It was a bit scary at first with my sister wanting to panic, but everyone calmed down and we enjoyed the ride. At the top was an observation deck with spectacular views.

It was really overcast so you can't see the Pacific ocean too much but look at that view. Along with the magestic redwoods are spruce, douglas fir and many ferns underneath. Every now and then a wild flower would show through the brush. There was one uprooted tree where the sign said it was over 3,000 years old. 

We walked up and down the winding trails admiring all the art sculptures carved by chainsaw, and reading the informational displays along the way.

I could relate.

In the gift shop, I found a refrigerator magnet to add to my collection, bought a tiny piece of fudge that cost $3.50 Ouch! Looked through the Native American museum and then it was back on the road.

We came upon the town of Kerby, where we spotted this really cool place called Burly Galleries. If you are ever in the area, stop and admire this man's art. The young fellow (right), posing with my daughter,

says he has been doing this for 23 years. I would have thought much longer. His art is beautiful and what an imagination he has. Look at the detail in this door.

His home

Just walking around this place makes you wish your were a kid again. From tree houses to Flinstone cars to funny characters everywhere, one could only imagine the hours you could spend playing and never wanting to stop.

 

Inside his shop is so many beautiful pieces of artwork from water fountains to chairs and art for the floors and walls. Burl wood pieces are quite expensive so all I could do was enjoy looking at his work and wishing I were kin. I hope I will have the oportunity to come and visit again.

After leaving the gallery we stopped at the Rogue river for a looksy at the crystal clear water. We saw people whale watching along the ocean shore but we could never get a good picture ourselves of the whales.

We drove on into the town of Brookings, since we had had a full day of sightseeing and driving, to find a place to spend the night but at $179 for a shared room (we did'nt even want to know what that meant), to $379 for a one bed cottage, was not in our price range so we drove another 27 miles to Gold Beach, sat down to dinner of fish and chips at the Port Hole Cafe along the shore and later found a Motel 6 to spend the night.

more to come................

Its a Party

There is always time for a party especially when there are gifts to giveaway.. Check out what Linda is up to now over at Prairie Flower Farm. Her button is on the right. Just stop in and say hello.

Laundry Day

It's laundry day around here and I'm almost out of my fabric softener. So thought I'd share with you just how I've been making my own. If you have never tried this it's not hard to make and only takes a few minutes.


                                           Homemade Fabric Softener

 First you will need:  

 1 cup Baking Soda

 6 cups White Vinegar

 8 cups Distilled Water

 10-15 drops Essential Oil

         In a large pot, placed either in your kitchen sink or outside, put in 1cup Baking Soda.

                  Slowly add hot Distilled Water until completely dissolved.

          Then gradually, (as its known to explode everywhere), add Vinegar,
                                    stirring gently, a little at a time.

fizzing up

Next, add 10 - 15 drops of your favorite Essential Oil (I use fresh linen),

and pour slowly, one cup at a time into a bottle.

I use an old clorox bottle and this recipe just about fills it up.

  

That's it!

Now, if you followed the steps correctly, you should NOT be cleaning up any mess. My daughter made hers and is still wiping down cubboards, walls, and the ceiling in her kitchen.
 

Use as you would any liquid fabric softener. I fill to the level in my washer. This should last several months and costs pennies compared to commercial types. Besides being inexpensive and easy to make, you can scent it with your favorite oils. I have even used lemongrass which acts as a disinfectant and smells good too.

Now with my laundry done and hanging out to dry, I think its time to bake up some Chocolate Chip cookies. Yum, won't you please stop by and join me?

Summer fun

On our way to Medicine Lake my daughter and I were so busy talking and looking at all the wild flowers, that I overshot the turnoff by 10 miles. Let me tell you that if you go anywhere in the forest and don't know where you are, you can feel pretty lost. I pulled over, called my husband, told him what highway we were on, and he say's "oh honey you better turn around." I was very lucky to get reception then because we had none the rest of the day. Found our way back to the turn off which was a nice relief.

After unloading all our things down to the beach area we sat and had lunch of spinach, veggie and meat rollups, a bowl of fresh fruit and drinks and then took in the sun, swam in the warm water and tried our hand at rowing the raft. Not an easy thing. My daughter would go in circles just two feet from the shore till she was exhausted. I giggled so hard I thought I'd wet myself. So I did the right thing and pushed her out farther so she could float.

We had the beach all to ourselves for about an hour and a half when  people with dogs and kids started showing up.

We stayed on until the water started getting too cold for us to get back in, then drove on over to the Little Medicine Lake.

  

We strolled down a path that led us to the back of big Medicine Lake and took a few pics. 

 It is just as beautiful from this angle, don't you think?

 

After wondering back up the path to the truck, I almost got lost again, we changed into dry clothes and decided to head out and see the Lava Beds and historical sites along the way. First stop was a hike up a steep hill to what is called A Mammoth Crater.

Is'nt it huge? I got jello legs just

looking down into it. I'm not much for heights.

 

Then we went on down the road to a trail called Crystal Caves, which took us about 20 minutes to hike, which I almost turned back to the truck as it went on forever.

We thought this was it (left pic), but saw that the path continued around another bend to the actual cave (center pic). You can barely see the opening to the cave (center of pic in shadows next to pointed rock) because I was'nt about to hike down the narrow steep path to it.

Can you see the path? Bottom of pic is steps to start down.

Once back on the road we came upon the Balcony Boulevarde Caves. It does'nt look like anything is out there except lava rock, but omg they were everywhere. It was scary to think that under our feet we were walking over really huge caves.

We walked around for awhile and took pics of a few of what I'm sure many more caves that were out there. You really need to stay on the paths or you could just fall down into one. These paths were'nt as easily seen as the others we went on.  The caves were really close together and you did'nt see them until you were over the top of them. Hence, the balcony.

They don't look like much from my pics, but they went very deep and far. You could only go down into one that we looked at that was safe enough to climb down to. It is just hard to imagine this whole area out here is above so many caves. From the road all you see is the lava rocks. This was enough hiking and exploring for one day for both of us, so it was home from here.

We are already planning our next trip which we hope to take a drive over to Gold Hill and see the Oregon Vortex, which I have wanted to see for years. I can hardly wait.