Garden Roses...

 Love and Hugs
Phoebe x

Veggie Tales...

 Everything in the garden is growing well

We have some beautiful tomatoes coming...

and our cucumber are starting to appear.... one long and thin like MrD

and another little and fat like me.

And the last of our sunflowers has finally bloomed... and it towers over the others

I have no idea how tall it is..but the others are six feet.

How did that happen??

Love and Hugs
Phoebe x

Whats For Dinner ~ Meal Plan Monday

Oh my Goodness.... this heat is not treating me very well. MrD and I went to Swap Meet over the weekend... and I couldnt cope... 106/41 degrees...no shade and a wilting Brit do not mix well,

Im getting my housework done before 10am...then I sit in the corner melting in a pool of sweat for the rest of the day. My mum used to say...ladies dont sweat... they glow. Well mum..Im glowing like a pig!!!

The house updating continues. This week we are moving out of our bedroom to the guest room as MrD wants to sand and restain the floor...and Im going to give the walls a lick of paint. No rush tho...so once the prepping is done we can wait for a break in the hot weather. Lets hope thats soon....

Have a great week...

Weekly Plan - 27th June 2022

Monday               Parmesan Ranch Chicken Tenders, Potato Wedges, Coleslaw

Tuesday               Adodabo Chicken Tacos, Homemade Guacamole,  

Wednesday          Kansas City BBQ Pork Chops, Potatoes Wedges, Coleslaw

Thursday             Chicken, Spinach and Artichoke Pasta Bake 

Friday                  Pizza Night

Saturday              Hawaiian Turkey Burgers

Sunday                 Spaghetti and Meatballs

Sunday Thought ~ Romans 1:16

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

And..A Busy Saturday..

Another busy day here at the Blue House.. and MrD was in the crawl space again.. 

This time...running all those unslightly electrical and internet wires from around the outside of the house..underneath it.  Rather him than me... I dont think I could fit

He didnt seem to mind... I heard him humming the music from "Mission Impossible" as he went in. As he came out... it reminded me that Im from a family of coal miners (and shop keepers) so he fits right in

So while he did all the hard work... I finished my morning coffee while facetiming our grandaughter. My goodness she can talk...but shes so fun!

I dont know where she gets it from!! lol

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

Busy Friday..

Yesterday my neighbour and I went to an estate sale.. where I picked up a box of canning jars and bottles... plus new lids for just a couple of dollars... a fraction of the normal cost

Jars can be reused... but I wouldnt risk the lids... so I use them for dehydrated foods. Its was a good box with a few unusual shapes..and some pretty blue ones

Its so hot now... but my canning continues... I daren't measure the temperature in my kitchen.

So latest items for my pantry... the leftover lemon juice that will last for years... and the first batch of strawberry jam

Im a bit disappointed in the jam as I didnt skim off all the foam... so the tops look a bit cloudy... but its still very tasty... especially on my waffles this morning

I also dehydrated some celery... Two whole heads are in that jar. It will be lovely sprinkled in soups, stews and casseroles come winter.

I was so hot and tired tonight... MrD treated us to a fish supper from a local British Chip Shop. Not too healthy...but bloomin' tasty... but it was missing the mushy peas. And... I really fancied a pickled egg... but I dont think they have them here... So.. I thought why not make your own...

Thank goodness I bought more jars!

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

In the Kitchen ~ Lemon Jelly

The weather is really hot now... touching 100 degrees almost every day. Last night was a funny old night... rolling thunder... amazing flashing lightning that lastest for hours...but unfortuneately not a drop of rain...

But I digress. As you may or may not know.. anything with lemon is a winner for me. So when my neighbour gifted with me with a huge bag of lemons from her tree.. with a promise of more...I knew I had to preserve them.  When squeezed they made a lot of juice

So first things first I made some beautifully clear Lemon Jelly.  A great start to the preserving season and its boosted the sweet goodies my store cupboard.. Plus...as I didnt use all the juice.. more canning is on the cards...

Anyone else started their preserves yet?

Delicious Lemon Jelly

Lemon jelly is very easy to make and this recipe has only four ingredients: lemon juice, water, sure jell, and sugar! It's tart but not too tart that it's unpleasant to eat... and I love it on toast or homemade scones. 

2 cups Lemon Juice..strained to remove the pulp
2 cups water
1 pack of sure gel
4 1/2 cups sugar

• In a Dutch oven, combine the 2 cups lemon juice mixture and 2 cups water
• Stir in Sure gel and whisk to dissolve
• Cook over high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. 

• Continue to boil for one minute
• Quickly stir in sugar
• Return to a full rolling boil; boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Remove from heat.
• Quickly skim off any foam with a metal spoon.

• Ladle into hot, sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving a 1/4-inch headspace. 
• Wipe jar rims; adjust lids. 
• Process in a boiling-water canner for 5 minutes (start timing when water returns to boil). 
• Remove jars; cool on a wire rack. 

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

Good Morning...

 Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

Whats For Dinner ~ Meal Plan Monday

I hope everyone had a Happy Fathers Day. For me it was time to celebrate all the Dads in my life...

From the kindest..funniest most gentle man who gave me life... to the man who stepped up to be the best dad and grandpa/gaga to my offspring when he didnt have to... and to my two sons and son in law who have given me the most amazing grandbabies. Thank you for the love... hard working example you bestow... and being the best role models our "Littles" could wish for

 So back to this weeks plans.. I have been gifted a huge bag of lemons that I need to process so I have some canning to do...and I will have to get it done early as we are heading for some super hot temps.

Thursday..my friend and I are doing something we havent done for a while... going to a couple of Estate Sales. It should be fun

Then Friday... MrD and I have a bit of DIY and grocery shopping to do when he finishes work... so he is treating me to a Fish Supper from  the local British Fish and Chip Shop. It will make a nice change from Friday Night Pizza and give me a night off from the kitchen. 

What are your plans for this week?

Weekly Plan - 20th June 2022

Monday               Chicken Chow Mein

Tuesday               Tacos, Cilantro Lime Rice, 

Wednesday          Honey Garlic Pork Chops, Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes

Thursday             Cajun Chicken Pasta Bake, 

Friday                  Fish and Chips Supper (Take out Treat)

Saturday              Pineapple Chicken, Potato Salad, Garden Salad

Sunday                 Turkey Curry, Rice, Naan Bread, Mango Chutney

Sunday Thought~Psalm 103:13

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

Down the Drain....

Happy Anniversary to us!!! Its one year since we unloaded the UHaul and moved into our Blue House!I so love this 1950s house with its original kitchen cupboards... creaky floor boards.. and vintage pink bathroom. However... part of the that originality is the 70 year old plumbing!

When the bath refused to empty.. even after cleaning the drain.. MrD determined it had to be the plumbing... and after crawling under the house... he discovered the old lead pipes were so corroded they were crumbling...

So after removing the closet wall to access the back of the bath...  MrD has spent the last two days... on his back..under the house.. in a very narrow crawlspace.. replacing all the plumbing! And what a great job he's done..

I myself could now become a plumbers mate as I ran back and fro to the garage.. fetching any tool he needed and passing them to MrD through the small(ish) hole in the closet. I even replaced the plug hole and overflow cover... with instructions shouted by MrD from the crawlspace as he held the pipework in place under the bath

So if anyone needs a plumber.... I work for coffee and ice cream!!!

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

Heart Sales..

Yesterday.. I sold two more Hanging Hearts... and surprisingly they were Christmas ones... although.. Christmas in July is just around the corner

This one is on its way to Texas..

And this one is off to Illinois.. which the lady says is going to be used in her Easter display next year. She promises to send me a photo.

Im looking forward to seeing it

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

Finding a Bargain...

So...how are the rising food prices affecting you. Im certainly paying much more for my groceries. We try to shop at cheaper supermarkets like Walmart. Aldi, and the local markets.. but even their prices have increased. Its annoying so Im always grateful to find a bargain

The other day.. Aldi was asking nearly $5 for a four pack of corn on the cob. Although I had them on weekly meal plan..I decided to leave them and find a substitute. But on the way home we stopped at the local market and they had sale on their corn still in their husks.

I brought home a bag full... cleaned them... cut them half... 

blanched them in boiling water and cooled them in ice water.

When cold and dried... I put them into freezer bags and popped them in the freezer

Thirty two corn on the cobs for less then the price of the four from Aldi...

And we wont have to buy any for quite a while!!

Have you found any bargains recently?

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x