Laurie's Everyday Notions

My husband often asks me, "Whatcha thinking about?" Hmm...I always have to think about it. Lately I've changed my usual answer of "Oh, nothing." to "Well....first I was thinking about the kitchen that I need to clean but then I started thinking about the pickles I made but then I starting wondering what is ready to pick in the garden which made me think about the weeds I need to pull which made me think that I need to get The Boy to work which led me to wondering if The Boy is going to provide me with grandchildren someday. I'm really looking forward to being a grandparent. That's what I was JUST (meaning in the time frame of 2-3 minutes) thinking about. And what were you thinking about?" My mind wanders often. I'd like to think this is normal (Please don't message me if this is not normal. I'd rather stay misinformed.). Here are just a few places that my mind wandered to this morning. Early morning wanderings can lead to inspirati

If I had known how fun it is to experiment with canning my excess, I would have started years ago! There is so much satisfaction in seeing my jars filled with different vibrant colors of fruits and vegetable all lined up on the kitchen counter. You know how I have this habit of looking at things and asking, "Can I make it?"... well, now I'm looking at "stuff" and asking, "Can I preserve it?" I am having a blast with my new experiments! Here's what I've canned this week:  Apple Pie Filling, Apple Juice, Clementines, Orange Marmalade, Strawberry Sauce, Sweet Dill Pickles,  Sweet Dill Pickles Brine: 6 cups sugar 4.5 cups water 3 cups apple cider vinegar 6 T. sea salt 1 heaping cup of dill Sterilize jars. (I used 6 pints) While brine is heating up, slice cucumbers (a bunch. I didn't count...maybe 6-10 cukes), fill jars. Top cucumbers with brine. Leave a little head space. Tighten lids and turn upside down. Leav

I've been on a quest that may seem a bit strange to most. For over a year I have been on a quest to find deodorant. My journey began with the simple desire to use a product that was not filled with chemicals, chemicals that have been linked to Alzheimer s and breast cancer. I've tried many avenues and suffered from many failed attempts. My first homemade product worked great for a week and then my pits began to itch as a rash developed. I know now that I am sensitive to baking soda - it makes my head "tingly" and makes my arm pits burn. My next attempts took me to the Au natural aisle at the local food co-op. Kiss My Face ~ patchouli scented worked well, however it was so painful to apply to freshly shaven pits that I had to skip deodorant on shaving day. Tom's Crystal Confidence didn't leave me too confident as it only worked on lazy days, meaning that any sign of perspiration meant a bit of a stink (or in all honesty, VERY stinky). I may be low maintenan

    I became a Wildtree representative a year ago because I LOVED that the company was providing products that were free of artificial junk - preservatives, colorings, GMO's, high fructose corn syrup......all the things that I was trying to avoid. I just found out that by this time next year, Wildtree will also be boasting a ORGANIC title! On August 15th, Wildtree is adding a few new gluten free products. I've only tried the muffin mix. I added a cup of blueberries and it was FABULOUS! I've tried other gluten free mixes and they all seem to have a funny taste....not always bad, but different. The muffin mix didn't taste "funny". The true test? My picky daycare kids...and the muffins passed the test. Here's what I read in my Wildtree news: "Wildtree's GF (gluten free) is not just ANY GF...and here's why: You can walk into just about any market these days and get GF products, but are these products GOOD FOR YOU? Many have preservatives, and

Pirate Week and Beach Bash BEACH BASH Fish in the Sea Beach Bash Snack Fish in the Sea SUPPLIES: 4 - 3 oz boxes of Berry Blue Jell-O Swedish Fish (or gummy sharks/fish/etc) Clear cups Mix 2 boxes of Jell-O with 1 1/2 cup of boiling water, stir to dissolve. While water is boiling, add ice to 1cup of water to make 2 cups. (I found it easier to fill my two-cup measuring cup with ice and then adding water) After jello is dissolved, add the ice water. Stir until ice cubes are melted...or if there is a couple unmelted floaters, spoon them out. Fill cups to create first layer of the sea. Allow jello to set (otherwise the fish will sink) for about 30 minutes. The jello doesn't have to be completely set but just enough to support the weight of the fish. While the jello is setting, mix the last 2 boxes of jello in the same way as the first. Add this to the cup for the top layer of the "sea". Put in frig for 1 hours or until jello has set.

 Me and my little girlfriend On August 5th, 1990, God blessed me with a beautiful daughter. I remember the overwhelming feeling of love, a feeling unlike any other, for my precious little princess. Does anything compare to the love that a mother feels towards her child? I remember watching her sleep and being totally amazed at this perfect little baby that was all mine. Today, as she celebrates her 21st birthday, I am taking a little photo trip down memory lane.  Pure joy.   I love that face!  Really. Look at her. SO DARN CUTE! Camping   Duluth I remember many camping trips. Often we'd load up the car and just go. Our favorite spot was Duluth. We'd eat s'mores, go hiking and play on the rock beaches of the North Shore. Breanna would play forever ~ dancing on the shore and throwing in rocks. Breanna shared with me last year that she never liked camping....and all along I thought it was OUR favorite

I returned to finish my post to find that I hadn't even started it....... Then it occurred to me that I was writing it in my head while I worked in the garden this weekend. As I rhythmically pulled at the weeds and picked the long, tender green beans, I was writing my story in my mind. I continued the writing in my mind while I slept last night. So vivid were the thoughts. And now those thoughts, those words that made many sentences that turned into a beautiful post that I just came to edit, are gone. Those words were never written down and are now only a distant memory. Maybe those thoughts that became words, that made sentences, that filled an entire post were just too long-winded. I have a tendency to over-talk things. Maybe that post...this post...is suppose to be a little more simple. So here's the simple version. This week I was overwhelmed with my responsibilities and while I worked in the garden I was filled with peace. This peace came as I realized that I have