Lazy Sundays...

We woke up this morning to some what cloudy skies, which was a relief from the grey skies we have been having lately. The clouds moved in and out all day long, sometimes blocking out the sun. It was kind of strange for this time of year. It was muggy, but all in all, not bad weather to garden in. We had a couple of unexciting projects to do in the yard and we we happy for the shade the clouds brought.
Here's some of the goodies we picked from our garden this afternoon. The tomatoes have been very bountiful. We have three plants. That's plenty for us and enough to share with neighbors. The yellow tomatoes have turned out to be our favorite this year. They are so sweet.


Pretty much a lazy Sunday here. We took a nice long bike ride, finished a few chores and had a great dinner. How was your weekend?

Sew much fun!

I was eating cherries the other day, and believe me, I do a lot of that in the summer, and got inspired to make a new bag to put on my Etsy site. I got this Mary Engelbreit fabric by Moda a while back because it was so cheerful and summery. And of course right now I am really into polka dots...they are just too much fun!


Viola! A new bag inspired by my over eating! The cherries are made of wool. I appliqued them by hand on some white cotton canvas. That is a pocket on the front...it is kind of hard to tell in the picture. I lined the pocket with more of the cherry fabric. It's a good size pocket...8 1/2 inches across. I lined the inside with more of the polka dot fabric. The red and white fabric is cotton canvas as well...very durable. I made pockets going all around the inside out of the cherry fabric for all things a girl needs to carry. I think we can never have enough pockets. The bag is quilted in a diamond pattern. I like how quilting makes them so much more durable. This bag can stand up by itself and that's a good thing when you're trying to locate something in the bottom of the bag.
I like creating new and different bags. I have a basic pattern I started out with and every one has a bit different look. I never know how they will end up until I'm finished. Sewing is like that for me...come to think of it everything is...I never have a plan!
I think the sun has come out so you will find me in the garden for the rest of the day! Enjoy!

My latest creation....

It's been grey and gloomy here in the mornings lately, which to tell the truth has been a good thing. It gives me more time to do things inside, because when it's too nice outside, I want to be out there. Here is the latest bag I have finished. It is a custom order and I had a lot of fun with it.
She requested an all black body and magenta lining, but said I could use my imagination on the rest. She is a girly, girl and I thought this pretty flowered fabric I found at the nearby quilt store would look nice. After I quilted the bag, I made belt loops and then made the flowered print into a sash, and I thought it came out pretty cute. I added polka dots for a handle, because polka dots are just plain fun! They also made up the inside pockets.

I quilted the inside too. I always do. It just makes the bag more durable. There's a swivel key hook in there as well as tons of pockets, too. A girl can't have enough pockets in her bag. Now that I've completed all my special orders, maybe I can add some new things to my Etsy shop, Lord knows it needs it. It's in pathetic shape! Actually, I do have another bag almost complete to put in there. Maybe today I will finish it!

Outdoor Wednesday....backyard style...

It has been cool , damp and gloomy here the past few days and I haven't done a whole lot of gardening. I did manage to go out and weed and dead head my flowers a bit, and of course I always take my camera with me. Our artichokes are done for the year and we always let a couple go to flower because they are so pretty. The top picture is the flower and the bottom one is what they look like just before they start to flower. We got so many artichokes this year. It is just our second season with them and we have cut down almost all the plants. We are already seeing new shoots starting!

I have a lot of lavender in my yard because it grows so well here. It attracts the bees, which are wonderful to have in the yard. I also get a lot of hummingbirds but they won't stay still for a picture. I will keep trying to catch one!

The zinnias are starting to show up. I have planted seeds everywhere.

Snapdragons are still around because of the cool weather, but not too many left!

This is a Summer Snapdragon. It will stick around through Fall and then die back, although I have had a couple of them stay around longer.

Of course I love the Gerber Daisies! This one is such a bright pink. I have many Gerber Daisies through out my back and front yards. They just make me happy!

It's apple time!

Here in our neck of the woods, it's apple season. I know that it seems like a strange time to be harvesting apples in the middle of summer, but no one said our apple tree was normal. The fact is, our tree bears a huge crop of apples every summer and a tiny crop in the fall. Our tree is really big too. We use various methods to pick the apples. Climbing on the ladder, a fruit picker, and if all else fails....Don will shake all the branches. I hate when he does that. Have you ever been knocked in the head by falling apples because you husband decides to shake the tree before he warns you....Ouch!!
Here's a little of our crop. We bag up a bunch and give them to family, friends and neighbors....frankly anyone who will take them!! Then we take a few large boxes to the homeless shelter downtown. They give out free lunches and some fresh fruit is always appreciated.

Next we start on the apple pie process. We make the pie crust weeks before when we have time and freeze it. We have found this works out the best for us. We buy lots of cheap pie pans and make a bottom crust in those first. It takes all day to do this and it works out in our assembly later on. We usually freeze anywhere from 12 to 20 apple pies a season. We have those to use for pot lucks or when hungry looking sons come home and take them back to San Diego!

Don is in charge of the apple peeling. This is our second peeler. We wore out the first one several years ago! This one is from Pampered Chef and it seems to be working out.

Our apples are sometimes very odd shaped so we get some skin left on the top. Our dog, Sydney used to love to get some of this for a treat. Now we put it in the compost.

I mix up some flour, sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice in a big bowl.

Next we put in about 8 cups of sliced apples and mix it up really good. We pour that into the pie shell and the first pie is almost done!

Put the top on and press it down and it's ready to freeze. We do this 10-12 more times and we are done for the day. What a way to spend a Saturday afternoon....whew! We just make enough to put two on each shelf of the freezer. We have to wait until they freeze through to stack them. We will make more next weekend. All we have to do is wait for the peaches to ripen and we will be making peach pies too! Oh we are pretty exciting people on summer Saturdays!

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July everyone!

Let's hear it for the Red, White and Blue!

Although some how my pictures came out as blue, white and red....

It feels like summer....

The first of the Shasta daises in my yard are finally starting to bloom and that's when I know summer is here. Next the Zinnias will start. I have a few, but not big enough to show yet.
These flowers are so big and happy. They make me smile!

Here's a wall hanging I finished for my front porch. It's an adaption of a pattern I bought a while back. I took away the bunny that was on the pattern and replaced it with bees. I thought it would make a nice summery greeting near my front door. Next I want to spruce up the pillows on the bench nearby. Maybe that will be a good project to start today. Only time will tell!