This Moment...

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. ~Soule Mama

I spoke too soon....

( No, you are not reading an old post, this was taken this morning.)

Well, Spring HAD sprung, but apparently Old (crotchety) Man Winter wasn't done with us.


FOOEY!

Luckily, on the suggestion of the fabulous book that I have been reading.

 I decided to sow all of my seeds indoors this year.

Have you seen this book?

It really is the most comprehensive little diddy out there. There are recipes and planting plans including information on all plants as well as what to do with them after they have grown.
AND they pretty much give a lesson on anything related to homesteading right there in it's 368 pages.

So far, I have learned how to.....


Milk a goat.
Make wine and beer.
Mill flour.
Dry herbs.
Make Jam.
Raise Chickens....boo hoo( if only my husband would bend on that one.)
Make cheese.


It really is amazing.   I highly recommend you getting yourself a copy.

Speaking of amazing.

While eating my most favorite crackers the other night I turned the box over and saw pretty much the smartest thing to ever come out of a box.

 Cracker Jacks, eat your heart out.  Triscuits are where it's at!!!!

 And it gave me an idea to try something new.

Now I must leave you though,  I have a foot of snow to shovel.

It makes me sad that I put all of my winter gear in the attic.

Flip flops + shoveling = purple toes.

While I was away...

Well, that was intense! 

I'm glad that it is over.

The way that I felt, you would have thought that my world was crumpling around me.  I know that it sounds so melodramatic (and I am so NOT one for DRAMA!), but honestly....

I was a complete mess.

Case in point...

I was just standing there, relaying my excuses to my mom and Laura why I couldn't possibly go to the city with them.

"I have a lot of things to do. I have do laundry and get groceries and I want to go for a walk."

And, and, and... 

My mom just looked at me skeptically....she knew. 

(Of course she knew....Why is it that mothers are so intuitive? )

She asked me "What is the matter?"  (She used that tone reserved only for use by mothers..  You know the one that I'm talking about, don't you....the tone of care, the tone so full of love that it drips compassion...That's my mom alright.)

I could feel the tears stinging at the back of my eyes, the tightening in my throat.   I just shook my head, I turned away and pretended to adjust the seatbelt.

I bit my lip.

Don't...Don't do it.  Pull it together.  Breathe.

But I couldn't.

Suffocation.

"Tell me Julia." She said.  (There was that tone again.)

And so, I did.  I told her and my father and my twin.  I told anyone that I loved.  I told anyone who would listen in that moment.  And I realized that with each new time that I opened up, something new came bubbling to the surface.  Something else that was festering deep down inside escaped my lips.  And each thing was something that I had been putting off, procrastinating on, or that had just been frustrating me. 

It was self imposed and it was out of my control... it was big and it was little....and it was everything and it was nothing at all....all rolled into one.

Sometimes it just takes the ear of someone who cares to help you sort everything out.

And so that is what I have done...I got my act together (with the help of my family ).  And then I did some things to help make the changes that I wanted to see in myself.

Every day I made the choice to...

Get out of bed.

Go for a walk...to my favorite place. 

Do something that makes me smile (like buy a $3.00 bouquet of happiness.)

Get dirty ( I mean REALLY dirty)

Do some sewing. (I'll show you soon.)

Spend quality time with my boy.

Eat good food.

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And the treat of the week....the thing that really put a smile on my face and pulled me from the PIT of funk-dom-ness, was a surprise 2 hour phone call from a dear friend.   I forgot three quarters of the important stuff that we talked about....but I do know that there was a LOT of chit chatting and giggles.

Her timing was perfection. 

I feel ever so much better. 

Planets aligned, brain decompressed.  Humor and well being are renewed.

I am a lucky, lucky girl to have such a wonderful family and wonderful friends in all of you.

Thank you.

On the right path....

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. ~Soule Mama

Thank you all for your words....I've missed you, but this break was JUST what I needed.

See you on Sunday.

The neverending FUNK....

I had a stretch of two days off this past week.  The boys were back in school, the sun was shining, the breeze was blowing, the birds were chirping.  It was gorgeous out.

And where, might you ask, was I?

 I was in my office (aka, Eben's bed)

I couldn't get out of it.

I tried, really I did.... but every time that my feet hit the floor, my butt magnetized to the mattress.  I was in a slump.  While my sister regaled me with stories of how good it felt to jog down the mountain that we had grown up on and walk back up it to her house, I was tucked into a queen size bed with an electric blanket tucked snuggly around my neck.

I've had times like this in the past.

I do not enjoy. 

And after my two days working, I thought that the end might be in sight.

But it's not.

I am in a funk of all funks.  

FUNK.

I am trying to get out of it, but it seems to be hanging on longer than I had hoped. 

And the worst part is that it is nothing that I can pin point.  My family is happy and healthy, my house is good, my housework is caught up on, my work life is good.... it's just me....I'm irritable, anxious, I've been eating too much, I feel like I'm picking fights...

 

I am in need of a little self discovery right now. 

I'll be back in a few days.

Hugs, Julia

Joining the crowd....This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. ~Soule Mama

See you on Sunday.

The real-men-don't-eat-quiche......Quiche

Did you know that if you Google " real men don't eat quiche" you come up with 72,100 hits?  Believe me, I tried it! 

So, you can understand my trepidation at the thought of serving it up for dinner to my man (insert Tim Allen style Arrrr! Arrrr! Arrrr! here) of a husband.

Story and recipe as follows....

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I had a hankering for eggs around Easter and decided to try my hand at making quiche. I dove head first into the kitchen while visiting with my sweet mama and ended up making two separate batches. When Fran got home from work, he audibly sniffed and then asked me what I had made.

I stalled and asked him, "Why?"

He replied, "Well, it smells really good."

I told him that it is like a stratta, minus the bread.

And he said "Hmmm, it smells REALLY good."

Any way, long story short, he ate it.  He ate MOST of it and kept asking me what was in it.  So, I listed off the ingredients to him and mumbled under my breath that is was basically a quiche.

He heard me and said.  "Quiche?!?!?  That was quiche?"

I told him "Yes." glad that my secret was out.

He sat there silently and said after a minute "Hmmm, I've lived almost 34 years without eating quiche.  I thought real men don't eat quiche?"

To which I replied..."Apparently, they do."

*************************************************************

So now, I share with you other Mamas  out there who may just have your own persnickity manly man on your  hands, the recipes for the two varieties of real-men-don't-eat-quiche....Quiche.

Of course, I went to my trusty Better Homes and Gardens Bible for a recipe.

Which in true Julia style, I butchered until it was barely recognizable.  You can find the recipe that I altered here.

Ham and Cheese Quiche

Ingredients

1 package of Pillsbury ready pie crust

1/2 chopped onion

8 beaten eggs

1/2 cup half-and-half

1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper

1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

8 slices of deli ham

1. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the pastry. Trim; crimp edges as desired. Line the unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of foil. Bake in a 450 degree F oven for 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes more or until pastry is set and dry. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
2. In a bowl stir together eggs, half-and-half, salt, pepper, cheese, and ham.
3. Pour egg mixture into the hot, baked pastry shell. Bake in the 325 degree F overn for 45 to 50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. If necessary, cover edge of crust with foil to prevent over browning. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Anything-that-you-have-in-your-refrigerator-quiche, 

(or in my case)

Sauteed broccoli, peppers, onions, ham and cheese quiche.

Ingredients

1 package of Pillsbury ready pie crust

1/2 chopped onion

2 cups of frozen broccoli florets

1 diced bell pepper

8 beaten eggs

1/2 cup half-and-half

1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper

1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

8 slices of deli ham

Directions

1. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the pastry. Trim; crimp edges as desired. Line the unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of foil. Bake in a 450 degree F oven for 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes more or until pastry is set and dry. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook onion, peppers and broccoli until tender. Drain on paper towels.

3. In a bowl stir together eggs, half-and-half, salt, pepper, cheese and ham Stir in onions, peppers, and broccoli mixture.
4. Pour egg mixture into the hot, baked pastry shell. Bake in the 325 degree F overn for 45 to 50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. If necessary, cover edge of crust with foil to prevent overbrowning. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

And there you have it.

***************************************************************

What do you think would go with the start of a sentence....

"  Real ladies don't eat...."

I'm going to go with...

"Beef jerky"

Cleaning up...

We've been cleaning up...around the SNOW that surprised us!

and climbing playhouse roofs....just because he's a "BIG boy", and Daddy is at work ( he gets nervous when Eben gets up there.....me -not so much.)

2 bags of debris.

The yard looks WAY better now.

Enjoying the Great Outdoor Challenge over the past couple of days, even with the snow.

How about you?

New Shop!!!!!

I know that I usually share my tutorials for free with all of you, but after much consideration...I've decided to join Laura over at Adirondack Patterns on Etsy.  All of my already listed and free tutorials are still listed here on the blog and are still free. (and I will be continuing to provide new FREE tutorials as I come up with patterns here on my blog) but four of my newer patterns are going to go over to Etsy.

Adirondack Patterns is a collaborative where Laura and I will be selling tutorials for some the most popular goods that we used to sell at the Farmer's Markets.
 
They aren't expensive, only $3.00 per pattern, but they will help me to rationalize the time that I spend taking the pictures and writing up the tutorials.  PLUS!!! By buying the pattern we grant you, our friends FULL permission to use the pattern for creating goods for your own store!  

Along with Laura's fabulous crocheting tutorials for sale already over there, this morning I listed 4 tutorials of my own.

The Coloring Case Wrap

The Diaper Case Clutch

The Stationery Wrap

And I did post the knitting needle wrap there too.

Thank you all for your support since we closed up Adirondack Mama's Gifts.  This is a way for Laura and I to still stay creative and to keep one foot in the world of shop keeping which we miss terribly.  So come on over and visit us at  
Adirondack Patterns.

Have a fabulous weekend!  

Jules

Waking up...

The snow is gone and our garden is waking up.

Our mole-of-a-cat Whitie squints the day away, peaking at the unfamiliar sight of sun.

The exploring begins.

And fingernails are filled with dirt that even the most bubbly of baths won't erase.

It is there for the duration.  Dirty fingernails and boys go hand in hand in this neck of the woods.

The tidying has begun.  Remember those tomato cages from just a few weeks ago?

They now stand stacked, ready to support their new babies.

And it may not look like much from afar.

But there is a secret lying at our perennial garden's feet.

New little sprouts...reaching for the sun.

I can finally let myself believe it.


Spring has officially sprung.

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We've joined in on the Great Outdoor Challenge!  Come and see me over at Rhythm of the Home for more info and a giveaway!

Scenes from our day...

Eben isn't one for babies.  He is more of an animal type of kid.  If you give him the choice of holding a baby or a cat, he chooses the cat, hands down.  So, my nerves were jumping when I was faced with a day of entertaining my boy and his little cousin.

In truth though, my fears were all for not I realized as I strapped Gary into his carseat and drove off watching the boys hand toys back and forth in the rearview mirror.

Eben showed Gary how to write his name, and told him that he did a "Great job!" even though all he drew was a squiggle.

There was a lot of hand holding....and introductions to all things boy.

And lessons in throwing a ball.

And the best part of the day was the synchronized naps sandwiched in between two little loves.

These boys are kindred.

It was a wonderful day.

The Winner....

Thank you to everyone who commented on the giveaway.  I wish that I had 38 bundles of scraps to give away, but alas...I have one.

The name pulled from the Easter Basket (fitting, don't you think) by Eben this morning was Nicole of Frontier Mama.

So Nicole, email me your address and I will get the bundle right out to you!


PS...


The babysitting is going swimmingly.

I've even changed a diaper!!!

Happy Easter...

(If you are looking for the fabric giveaway, you have until tomorrow...4/5/10, the link is HERE.)

The boys dyed eggs with their wonderful Oma.   We left them for the Easter Bunny to take to other kids....a trade for the chocolate filled eggs that the bunny left in return.

I think that the Bunny got the short end of the stick, wouldn't you say?

Anyway, what a great day.  Skiing at the mountain, egg hunt at my grandparents for the boys,  and tonight a dinner with my husband's family.

I hope that you all are having as lovely a Easter as we are.

Back in a few days, I'm watching my one year old nephew tomorrow. 

ONE YEAR OLD....

It's been a while since I had to worry about babyproofing....I guess I should put the 10 or so pairs of scissors that I have strewn around the house for crocheting away, huh.

He's such a cutie, bu it's going to be a long day.  I'm out of practice.

Sharing the wealth....A fabric Giveaway!!!

Yesterday at the hospital, one of the girls that Laura and I work with brought a garbage bag FULL of fabric for us to HAVE to make baby goods for Adirondack Mama's Gifts.

And even though my head told me to tell her "Thanks anyway, but I don't need it any more, we closed up the shop."

My heart just wouldn't let the bag slip out of my hands.  And so I ended up saying "Oh my God, Thank you SOOOOO much, it is beautiful!"

And she smiled and said "You're welcome."

I hauled the bag home after my long day and only this morning did I dare to go through it.  I emptied the bag's contents onto the floor and marveled at her generosity. 

I folded every piece and separated it into piles.

A stack of baby printed flannels, upwards of a yard of each!

And a bunch of large quilting scraps.....

Here is where the giveaway comes into play! 

Each piece measures approximately 5in X 18 inches and are of really high quality quilting cotton.

In a lovely rainbow of colors.

So, to share the wealth, Laura and I are giving the whole stack of scraps away....but we're keeping the flannel for gifts for all of the new babies around us.


All that you have to do is leave a comment here AND become a follower of EITHER my blog OR Laura's blog OR BOTH....(if you feel so inclined).

See....easy!!!!

We will be announcing the winner on Monday morning.