not an apple picking frock

This weekend was just beautiful.  A couple of ideal autumn days.  The evenings were crisp and cold, the days in the mid 70's and offered that fabulous end of summer hurrah.  It was perfect weather for picking apples, which we did.  We drove 40 minutes to a beautiful apple orchard that offers u-pic organic apples for .40 cents a pound just 1 weekend of the year.  So, even though we were exhausted yesterday we trekked on for our 100+ pounds.  Even though our feet and our bodies ached, we still enjoyed romping, picking, hefting and heaving between rows of 30 year old apple trees.  "Why were you exhausted, and why did your feet and bodies ache?", you ask.  Here's your hint... Audrey didn't wear the dress in the above photo apple picking... but she did wear it this weekend!


Blessings, Debbie

this little piggy got a pedi

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Wishing you a lovely weekend!  

Inspired my Amanda at Soulemama
Blessings, Debbie

justification

Back in June I planted a little something that I knew would give me great pleasure.  I planted a bird feeder!  Over the years I have learned that a minimal investment in bird seed each month provided me with maximum entertainment.  The visitors I have received throughout the changing seasons are as diverse as the interesting people that walk by my house each day (and we do see some interesting characters).  The strategic placement of one of my feeders brings the activity into full view through the living room's bay window.  Imagine my excitement when one of the bird feeders I planted shot up 8 feet, far exceeding the height of my previously favored one!  Let's see, the month of October costs me the price of a single sunflower seed as opposed to the $10.00 I spend the other 11 months of the year.  That's a savings of, lets say roughly $9.90.  Hmmm... that's 3 lattes, or a movie ticket, or a bargain skein of wool...  

If I can keep the birds off of 11 of the full heads then I can put them away and bring out one a month, impale it in the garden and save myself $9.90 a month each month!  In a year, that's 36 lattes, or 12 movie tickets, or 12 skeins of wool!!  

Wait a minute.  If I save 12 seeds from one of the sunflower heads I already grew, I save another $1.20 on the seed packet I would have purchased for next year.  That's a bag of m&ms!  Sometimes it's fun playing in my head!     

Blessings, Debbie 

cozy booties and a noble character

You have to forgive my crummy picture of these yummy booties.  I had company until late with every intention of taking the photo earlier in the day.  So if you want a truer version click the link to Amanda's Ravelry page for this Bernat design.  I'm using a scrumptious Manos del Uruguay kettle dyed cotton in seafoam.  This is one of the yarns that made its way home with me on this day.  I purchased it in an alpaca knitwear store from the owner's personal stash clearance for just $2.00!

Uncle Tom's Cabin is the book that has us enthralled at the moment.  I read it for the first time several years ago and purposed then to read it to the girls.  We always have a read aloud going along with their own personal reads.  It's as good as I remembered and the girls are loving it.  I remember when I read it before that I was surprised it was so encouraging.  Tom is of such stellar character as to inspire noble aspirations in the reader.  It doesn't get any better than that!

joining Ginny's Yarn Along

picture perfect

this is my photograph of the photographer

A heart full.  That is what I am carrying.  A tiny package of sweetness all wrapped up in pinkness was ours to gaze at, play with and photograph for 2 hours.  Erin was a bit nervous at first, indecisive and shy.  By the end she was all confidence.  And wait 'till you see the pictures!  I'm leaving that for her.  Here is the link to her blog so you can see for yourself.  I'm not just talking like a proud mama.  I am a proud mama.  The proud mama of a photographer!

Blessings, Debbie

tough love

Come on... act like you like each other!  I just want a picture of my girls.  Is that really too much to ask?

Am I the only one who has to put up with this just to get 1 decent picture?  Of course I'm glad that they have fun together, but sheesh.  I was way more tolerant when it took 10 tries to get a toddler shot - they are young women now!  I'm often found trying to sneak a picture and you know how that goes...

Blessings, Debbie
*note the cute skirt that Erin made Audrey for her birthday in August~

goat cheese

The photo shoot has been postponed until Monday morning but we still had a lovely hiccup planned for this afternoon.  The young friend who provides us with our goat milk came over to teach us how to make goat cheese.  She's only made it once herself.  The ingredients were simple, measurements unclear, and results quick.  Her mom and I laughed and called this 'cheese making basics' and agreed we can fine tune.

This really is basic but tastes fine.  It was too hard to spread so I crumbled it like feta and figure we'll see how it melts, and how it might taste on a salad.  In other words this batch was experimental.  We'll be making another with a bit more precision next week.  I'm so thankful for the lesson... Now we know it's not rocket science!

Blessings, Debbie