Blueberry Muffins

I like simple and that's why I'm definitely going to try this recipe from Homesteading in Maine. Last year my mother and I went blueberry picking... just the two of us. I took home tons of blueberries and used most for smoothies and to pop into my mouth but oh... this would be so much more fun in the morning!

Dishwasher Detergent Woes

Many of you ... (aka the 2 readers that read my blog) may remember that I had posted last year about making my own Laundry & Dishwashing detergents. No? Well I did. I've been thrilled with the Laundry detergent. As a matter of fact - I was almost giddy doing 3 loads this past weekend. Finally having enough sun and air circulation to hang dry was another reason to be a bit excited. The dishwasher detergent however, has been an annoying display of natural soaps gone rogue!

My dishes come out clean... at least they seem clean. I've eaten off of them and haven't gotten sick yet. They just don't look clean. They look cloudy. They look soap scummy! Which is odd considering no actual soap is involved. So... today while perusing pinterest I saw a homemade dishwasher detergent recipe and clicked...

The link lead me to Offbeathome.com and I'm so glad it did. The recipe is the same as the one I've been using but she suggests you add 2-3 drops of dishwashing soap into the machine ... no more or you'll overflow your washer AND a splash of vinegar into the bottom of the washer. This is such a simple thing to do. I've tried the vinegar alone but not consistently. And our rinse agent dispenser seams to be broken so that hasn't been doing the trick.

Now I'll just need to let the Hubs know so that when it's his turn to run the dishwasher he can follow those simple steps. Thank goodness for Costco sized vinegar jugs - we use it for nearly everything... hair conditioning, laundry, dishwasher, cleaning.... COOKING

Thank you, Vinegar!

Spring & Growing

It's that time of year again... that time with the temperatures start rising, the days are getting longer, and my yearning desire to grow foods is in full effect.




This year Paul and I joined our local CSA. I'm so excited for my ~bushel of veggies to be delivered to my office every week. But what about the herbs... yum. I know the CSA includes a few fresh herbs once in a while, but I still plan to grow my own.




Last years basil plant was a true success. If I kept up with trimming and cutting it, it may have lasted longer. Alas, you live and learn. And 5-6 months was not a bad life span in my kitchen.




Our kitchen has a window above the sink with a curtain rod... but no curtain. What? I like the sunlight, the crappy view and the link to the outdoors (err road/strip mall). None the less... it's a perfect window to get sunlight and it's a perfect location to be close to my hands when cooking. So I decided that this spring I'll be planting some herbs inside hanging from this empty curtain rod.




So here are my thoughts....




Here is the window. It's a pretty large window right? Look at that light? (Don't look at the mess of a kitchen or ugly paint color and cabinets).

So I'm thinking from that rod I can hang these from the curtain rod:

All photos from Ikea - click photo for direct link

This would also look great - I love that they hang lower and are super feminine

I also thought something like this could look cute hanging - and you could fill it with cute colorful tiny pots of your favorite small herbs.

I thought these were all inexpensive yet pretty ways to bring herbs into our kitchen. Lets see what Paul thinks!

Camera bag..err PURSE!

Excuse my crappy Iphone pics - feel free to click to see the larger image.

Also - isn't Paul super awesome?

Last night I came home to find a gorgeous Kelly Moore camera bag hiding behind my pillow. Paul bought it for me as a "just because I love you" gift. He's super sweet isn't he. He knows my camera has been taking a beating as well as staying home more and more often b/c I just don't feel like carrying it. I considered putting a camera bag/purse on my Christmas list but couldn't decide on which one. Well Paul picked which one and surprised me with it right before out travels where my camera will be coming along. Check it out. http://kellymoorebag.com/womens/mimi-bag/mimi-bag-black.html

Every Snowbunny

Should snowboard in their wedding gown... or ski, or sled, or really anything that floats your boat (that includes you summer loving people out there)!