The Little Things

Lot’s of sunshine, seasonable temperatures, and the little things made today a perfect fall day in the Finger Lakes.  It was one of those days when I felt like a lot got done.   I baked homemade cinnamon pumpkin (yeast) bread, made an apple pie, AND whipped up a dish of coleslaw for dinner to boot.

Man, it’s been a long time since I’ve felt like spending that much time in my kitchen!

Once I closed the kitchen down for the afternoon I headed out for some fresh air.  These little plants, or should I say weeds, were begging to have their pictures taken.  And so I obliged and I even gave them each a caption.

Sunny and Bright; Yellow and White

More Pink Than Purple

Pretty and Periwinkle

What kind of weekend did you have?  Busy, slow, productive, or not so much?

 

 

 

Advertisement

Brightening a Cloudy Day

Yesterday was a fairly dreary day here in the Finger Lakes. Clouds and rain filled the sky.  However, plans had been made.  My daughter and her husband were going apple picking (rain or shine) and they promised to bring us a taste of their harvest.  In return, I offered to make Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese for dinner.  A fair trade in both our opinions.  We always like to fill our family’s bellies when we have them for dinner, and considering that most of our family doesn’t like to cook, it’s a fairly easy task for us to accomplish. 

When my daughter walked in the door her hands were full with a bright and colorful bouquet of flowers.  Apples were not the only thing she had been picking.  What a perfect way to brighten an otherwise cloudy day. 

I couldn’t resist taking pictures of these flowers to share here on my blog.  As for the Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese, the recipe will be forthcoming one of these days.  And the apples?  I’m going to make a batch of homemade applesauce.

Hope these help color your day bright!

A Joy of Caking DIY Project

Every winter I need a reminder that spring is just around the corner.  One of the best ways to do that is by making something pretty, bright, and flowery smelling.

Homemade soap fills all those requirements.  With a block of clear, unscented glycerin soap base that is easy to find at your local craft store, a bottle essential oil, and a bottle or two of soap colorants you can create your own personalized soaps to remind you of April showers and May flowers.

You can invest in a soap mold or use Dixie cups, plastic electrical tape containers, or anything that you can think of that will get the job done.

I like to pick the glycerin soap up when I get the big coupons in the craft store’s weekly circular.  As for the oils and the colorants, they relatively inexpensive and seem to last forever.  You can also use them to scent homemade candles too.

This project is simple.  It does require a microwave for melting (follow directions on the glycerin package), and it’s very kid friendly (with adult supervision) of course. 

Soaps can be creatively packaged or stored in a box with a lid to help maintain their nice scents.

Check out last years batch here.

What little tricks help get you through the long winter months?  Do you buy yourself fresh flowers, start your spring cleaning early, or start a seed garden inside?