New Etsy Handmade Listings

It's been quite the week here, just saying, but not complaining.  We have many blessings mixed in with the sorrows, and are thankful. My orders are caught up and shipped...
 I did manage to take advantage of this nice day, and get a few photos snapped for my etsy listings. These items are ready to ship.  

https://www.etsy.com/shop/SassafrasHillPrims

A Labor of Love

Well what a day yesterday turned out to be.  I brought my mom for her allergy shots, which was not in the plan for the day, but she was sick Tuesday.  We had a nice time, and she was happy.  

 I am grateful to work at home and even though sometimes the best laid plans fall apart  'tis okay and we move on.   Being home has allowed me the time to care for the people in my life who have needed me there... I can't imagine it being any other way.

So anyway...  I started a huge batch of bread and butter pickles when I got up in the wee hours.  I have not made these in a long long time.  But the garden is doing extremely well this year.   Matt keeps bringing in large bags of cukes.  I did a huge batch of refrigerator dills last week.   Later in the afternoon I got my grandmother's pressure canner out from the pantry and gave it a whirl.  Thank goodness, because the pressure gauge steamed up badly.... not a good thing.   That's the only way I have done it, and the way my grandmother taught me. Thank goodness for pinterest and youtube because there are tutorials for everything!  I ended up processing them all by water bath, which was easy peasy, although I'm not sure grandma would have approved.   It was wonderful to hear the plunk plunk plunk as they all sealed.

 

 So in the meantime, I am looking for either a lid, or pressure gauge for the old trusty National #7.... I think it's from the early 40s and every time I use it I am flooded with memories of my grandmother.   She taught me so many things when I was a young woman.... canning, bread making, mending socks (I don't do that but I still think of her when I throw them out!)

We have a busy day planned for today.... never got to the tufa work we had planned for yesterday, so we will be doing that.  haha.... maybe, if nothing else goes haywire.   Also planning a nice little trip to visit my friend Laura at Hidden Treasures and maybe a quick eat at Main Street Deli.  

~Enjoy your day ~

Our Humble Gardens

We have been blessed with good gardening weather this year, and have been working daily bringing the gardens back to their former glory... I try to bring my work outside as often as possible. One of my favorite crows overlooking the herb garden, with rambling rose trellis, greenhouse, and some of our many watering cans in the background.

Why hello little man... peeking out from the watermelon tub. 

My favorites... the purple coneflowers are everywhere, and a feast for the butterflies, birds, and bees! Mostly everything we plant is for them.

A vintage iron sink planted with nasturtiums and kale... should be interesting. 

Why hello little bee.... welcome to the catnip patch!

the top of the hill.  Our previously 40 foot high trumpet vine before the tree was cut, in it's trimmed and trained glory.  The hummer's favorite.

A peek into the raised veggie garden, over the catnip.  I have harvested a bunch of catnip this season, but leave lots of blossoms for the bees and hummers.

one of the hundreds of coneflowers.   they have taken over, and we have allowed them...

A spot at the top of the hill.  Coneflowers have started blooming and the Black Eyed Susans should be flowering in a day or two. 

I moved the shoe garden from near the picnic table, after snagging this plant stand at an estate sale.  I'm not sure how I ended up with one single shoe! 

One very large tufa, probably twenty years old or so, planted with overgrown sedum, on an antique iron base.  I need to do some thinning and transplanting.

The veggie garden is thriving this year.

I am utterly obsessed with wind chimes and motion in the garden.   One of my old worn out chimes.

An autumn project, curing on one of my benches.  First try at pumpkins, and also did a nice cornucopia...

One of my window boxes with petunias. 

I hope you've enjoyed this little stroll on a hot summer day!  Enjoy your day!

A very busy week already...

A busy week for us already.... we spent an entire day busting our butts working on tufa creations for next year's shows.  I like to make sure they overwinter and season nicely before offering them.  We will unmold them this weekend and see how they turned out.    We are currently making molds from last years dried gourds....  I try to pick up a few new skills every year to shake things up a bit.   So far they are coming along quite nicely.    Our cat Cookie probably swallowed a long piece of thick twine....that was my wakeup at 5:30 yesterday morning.  She woke me by jumping on me with six inches or so dangling from her mouth, then must have finished swallowing it as I chased her for the next hour.   Damn cat, it's supposed to be a toy.   They have played with it for almost two years...  She spent all day til 6 pm at the vet's yesterday with barium and xrays, etc.... they don't see anything yet.  She is on her way back as I type, for more fun.   Never a dull moment here, and not in a good way either!   There is so much good in every day, and we mostly have more blessings than sorrows, but stuff like that brings us back to reality.    The best excitement for the week will be choosing which goods to bring to the Coventry Farmer's Market on Sunday.  The theme for this market is Frugal Frolic, so I am planning on a mix of repurposed and salvaged goods.  It's supposed to be a beautiful day, and we are looking forward to a day spent in the country.   If you haven't been to this market, YOU NEED TO GO.... I am positive you will like what you see!      It's another rainy day here.... and we thought it was going to be a dry year.  so that means stitching and stuffing will be done...   Enjoy your day!