Sunday Thought ~ John 13:35

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

Cool Things on a Hot Day....

It was so hot today at The Blue House with temps reaching the 90's. 

We had an early start working in the garden trying to beat the heat... 

MrD completed the pathway around the veggie beds ... and hes done an amazing job. 

The beds are thriving so it was time to start staking and placing cages 

around some veggies to give strength

 It was warm work in blazing sunshine... and Iced Tea is not much of a reward...

but on a hot day is so refreshing.. 

I must say though.. I think he enjoyed our barbeque dinner much more.

And just a quick update on the nest in our hanging basket. There are now four eggs!. 

So MrD is going to put up a camera above the nest so we can watch whats going on. 

I think its all rather cool

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

Little Treaures...

In the Uk we have Car Boot Sales.. which is self explanitary. People sell their unwanted goods from the back of their cars.. usually in a field or car park... and selling anything from old clothes, books, toys, housewares etc to bigger items like furniture. 

In the US.. I have discovered Estate Sales.. and I love them. When someone dies... the family takes what they want...and sell everything else.. at really marked down prices. Its fascinating to take a peep into someone elses life.. seeing their home decor... how they lived..what they collected. I also feel like a bit of a snoop. And being a real vintage fan... I find some real treasures.

Today my friend and I went to a couple and I love what I found... and here's a snippet..and what they cost

A vintage looking radio.. and I have wanted one of this style for so long. And the bonus is it actually works. Perfect for $20

A pretty vintage looking clock...again.. not a scratch and in perfect working order... for $4

Two Corning ware dishes to add to my collection... and only $3 each

And lastly... another brooch to add to my collection...not only pretty.. I do wear them. Again only $3

Some of the items in the homes today really caught my eye..but they were quite pricey. But I am really pleased at my bargains.

Are you a Thrift shopper? And have you had any exciting finds recently?

Love and Hugs
Phoebe x

Surprise!!

Two weeks ago we bought a couple of hanging baskets for the front porch. They were very pretty.. but the birds seemed to love them. I would see them swooping down and perching themselves on the edge... pecking at the flower heads.

I continued to water them daily... but they seemed to be getting a bit unkempt. So yesterday I asked MrD to take them down for me so I could tidy them a bit..

And what a surprise we had. In one of the baskets we found the birds had made a nest... and there were two tiny eggs!! I had never seen anything like it!

We put the baskets back and hope we havent disturbed them too much

It would be amazing if they actually hatched

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

Good Morning from The Blue House..

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

How Does Your Garden Grow...

So... a quick vegetable garden update..

Bit by bit the pebbles and paving stones are going down arond the veggies...and in the beds everything is growing well.. 

I did lose a couple of pea plants and about four turnips but they have been replaced.

There are flowers and fruits coming on the tomato and pepper plants...but I have reluctantly removed them..hoping that they will put more energy into growing taller and stronger

The zucchini plants are thriving... and I think they are about to flower

These ones I dont have to be removed..so there will soon be a veggie appearing

I cant wait to taste the goodies...

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

Whats For Dinner ~ Meal Plan Monday

Another week...and my hearing has still not returned fully..and I have earache most days and a pressure in my head. Still... I finally have an appointment with the ENT... May 18th. Its quite a while to wait.. but I quess it will be sorted eventually.

The garden is coming along nicely. Over the weekend we spent a lot of time outside as the weather was warm and sunny...and the barbeque was in full swing. I plan on spending more time out there this week

On Friday... my friend and I are off to an Estate Sale. She goes often but its been a while for me..and this one has quite a few vintage items that have caught my eye. I will let you know if I drop lucky.

What plans have you got this week? 

And here's the dinner menu

Weekly Plan - 24th April  2023

Monday               Citrus Chicken Kebabs, Rice

Tuesday               Chicken Tacos, Guacamole, Pico de Gallo

Wednesday          Grilled Pork Chops, Potato Salad, Garden Salad.

Thursday             Crockpot Lasagne

Friday                  Pizza Night

Saturday              Hawaiian Turkey Burgers, Brocolli Salad

Sunday                 Leftovers

The Ten Week Old Chatterbox...

Love and Hugs 

Phoebe x

Happy Birthday...

Happy Birthday to my bestest girl. 

You are kind, considerate, generous to a fault.. and sometimes a complete pain in the bottom..

But as a daughter.. wife and mummy.. there is no equal... 

and it is a complete privilege being your mum.

Love you always Caroline xxx

What a Commotion...

All that rain yesterday did the garden a power of good and everything is thriving. The birds are going crazy for the worms the rain bought up in the newly planted flower borders.

I heard a loud commotion earlier and wondered what they were up to. They were going mad because the squirrel was tucking into their bird seed.

 I was just happy that the seed and worms are keeping the critters out of the veggie patch!

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

In the Kitchen ~ Pear Crumble

And just like that the weather changed. It started raining in the early hours of the morning and continued all day. 

Absolutely fantastic for the veggies and plants in the garden...

and our first rose of the year.

Seeing as I couldnt really work in the garden...it was the perfect afternoon to make a Pear Crumble with the fruit I had in the fridge that were getting a bit soft. Ive been making this dessert for years and years.. and its so easy. Not too sweet and with a lovely crumbly, oaty topping. I must admit I use more than the stated amount of pears... it depends how many I have. Its yummy served with a drzzle of cream... a scoop of ice cream... or a dollop of good old fashioned Birds Custard

Pear Crumble

4 pears, peeled and chopped into 1–inch pieces

2 Tbsp brown sugar
¼ tsp cinnamon
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ rolled oats
½ cup brown sugar
¼ tsp salt
⅛ tsp nutmeg (freshly grated ) optional
8 Tbsp unsalted butter (at room temperature)

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Spray an 8×8 inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
• Place the pears in the baking dish
• Cover with the 2 Tbsp brown sugar and cinnamon.
• Toss well.
• In a larger bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.
• Use a fork to smash in the softened butter, then use your hands to bring the mixture together.
• You want it to resemble sand and stick together when your hands squeeze it.
• Sprinkle the crumble mixture over top of the pears.
• Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the crumble looks golden and crunchy on top.
• Let cool slightly before serving.

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

Getting It Done...

My Hubby.... when he gets and idea in his head and wants to do something.. he gets it done. Yesterday.. after working a 10 hour day.. he came home and decided to dig the up hedge in front of the front porch..

Admittedly the old hedge was in a deceivingly poor state. Its problems started when we moved into the Blue House and had to be teneted for termites. The hedge had to be cut back to allow for the tent.. and never really recovered... and inside started to die.Add to it the unexpected..unusual heavy snow in February flattened the front. All the weaving of branches could save it ...so game over.

MrD cleated it all in just over an hour... most of it was dead with just leaves on the ends. So we are left with a large open space

I hope he gets another idea soon and decide what he'd like in its place

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

Warm Weather...

Yesterday was so warm...temps reached the mid 80s and for the first time this year, the bedroom fan was on all night.

The warm weather has made the seedlings on the window sill grow so fast..so I think its time to plant out the peas and beans. The nice weather is making everything in the garden grow too.

I love that we even have brussels sprouts appearing on the plants already. 

Is that ok do you think?

Over the weekend..we (or should I say MrD) has started laying the stones around the raised beds.. 

Its looking great already... buts its going to be a long job as we will be buying the tiles and stones bit by bit to budget the costs

He was watched very closely by this little fella... who had better keep out of my veggies or there will be trouble!

Im also trying a bit of an experiment that I saw on Instagram. Last year I grew green onions in a couple of planters.. but we used so many in our salads etc that we didnt have nearly enough. So..when I saw a reel on Instagram showing how to grow cut and come again onions that will last all season.. I thought I must give it a try. It said to use pearl onions from the supermarket. So I bought a bag.. planted them... and we shall see what happens

Anyone else planting their veggie gardens yet?

Love and Hugs

Phoebe x

Whats For Dinner ~ Meal Plan Monday

I hope everyone had a lovely Easter... I know we did. We were up very early and attended our church's 6am outdoor "Son Rise" Service (not a mis-spelling) which was wonderful. MrD treated us to breakfast out... and after delicious filling omlette each we went home and did some work in the garden..

.

And working in the garden is what I plan to do this week. Id like to get more veggies planted out as they have given rain...perfect for some seedlings.

This weeks dinner plan uses some of the leftover Easter turkey... and I aim to make a couple of Turkey Pot Pies for the freezer. And hopefully if the weather in warm enough we can cook on the grill outside. It really does feel like Spring

Here's this weeks menu

Weekly Plan - 10th April  2023

Monday               Turkey Dinner Leftovers

Tuesday               Mexican Chicken and Veg Kebabs, Rice, Salad

Wednesday          Turkey Curry, Leftover Rice, Naan Bread

Thursday             Spaghetti Bolognese, Garlic Bread

Friday                  Pizza Night

Saturday              Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Coleslaw

Sunday                 Grilled Chicken, Potato Salad, Garden Salad