2nd post today, 2 hours later, pickles on the go and recipe

It is now a couple of hours since my last post and yes that is ice over the sliced cucumbers, etc.

This is the BEST recipe for pickles that are like a yum yum or bread and butter pickle but they stay really crunchy and the flavor is really yummy!

Since I had the recipe on the computer from sending it off to friends and family who request it, I pasted it in below.

I really think the secret in making these so crunchy and that they stay that way even after a year in the cupboard is that you sprinkle pickling salt over the veggie mix and add cracked or crushed ice and leave it for a few hours.

This is after digging in and tossing the whole lot with my hands......you can use a big wooden spoon, but hands work better and faster!

oops, I forgot the garlic.........this is from the garden, and has done well this year, unlike alot of my other veggies......

I love large cloves......so much easier to peel, especially when I'm making my very garlic-y dill pickles and I need to peel alot of it.....

ANYWAY, HERE'S THE RECIPE, try it, you'll LOVE it!

While they're sitting I have to clean up my mess and go out to the garden and pick cucumbers! If I get them picked today, I can make some dills while they're small and I'll be caught up for a couple of days on the cucumber patch!

 

Crisp Pickle Slices

Makes 8 pints

3 qts sliced cukes (med size)

6 med. onions sliced

3 cloves garlic

1 green pepper

1 sweet red pepper

1/3 cup pickling salt

3 cups white vinegar

5 cups sugar

1-1/2 tsp turmeric

1-1/2 tsp celery seed

2 Tbsp mustard seed

Slice the cucumbers thin, (not too thin) add sliced onions, garlic and the peppers cut in narrow strips. Add salt, cover with cracked ice, mix thoroughly.. Let stand overnight or 3 hours (I never tryed leaving overnight, just 3 or 4 hrs). Drain. Combine remaining ingredients, pour over cucumber mix. Heat to boiling, seal in sterilized jars.

Surprising Garage Sale Find Vintage Linens and day at the farmers market

These were waiting for me!

Leaving the house early to go and set up at the farmers market, my Saturday garage saleing has to be on the way home around 2.00 p.m.

I make a quick sidetrip off the highway to the village nearby, check out any garage sales and then home I go!

Check out that DEEP crochet lace!!

At $2.00 a pair!!! They were kind of behind on a table with a whole lot of unattractive ordinary bedding and curtains.......maybe nobody saw them? ....or wanted them?...

I think they were just waiting for a vintage linen lover to find them!

There's our little setup at the market........Under the light colored canopy. It was a perfect weather day, and lots of people came out for the wonderful fresh produce and so many other things that the market provides with their varied vendors.

These busking gals were GREAT! They sang alot of 80's, 90's tunes and gave it their all!

A lady that does spinning, brought along a pal.....so cute...baaaaaaaa!

Hope you're enjoying your weekend!

I must confess.......

I've been shoving the cucumbers in the fridge this last week or giving them away.....I have got to go and make some pickles and pick the cukes again...

I'd much rather be doing something creative or visiting my blog friends.

.....and the dust bunnies are taking over too!!!

See you soon I hope!

What a weather change and a monarch butterfly

I want to put the heat on! From sweltering humid hot days this week to rain and low temps.......

The farmers market yesterday was windy,cloudy, and we did get a few showers, but the turnout was good and we managed to get packed up in record time before the real rain started!

I captured this picture Friday after seeing this butterfly coming back and forth to my purple cone flowers. I had to sneak up on it and only got the one shot before it fluttered away, but it turned out decent!

I stood still waiting for it to return, but no luck! The bee took over the territory!

We had Kiera for dinner and a visit through the evening. It was one of those gorgeous summer evenings,no wind, comfortable temperature, so we just had to take a walk up the road and round the corner to the little playpark. Oh, what energy..........Kiera must have swung back and forth on that piece of playground equipment at least 75 times!

We let her sneak an apple from the tree overhanging a fence by the park. I know, I know......but there were tons of them laying on the ground, the owners were certainly not picking them!

The little playpark is right beside this creek that runs through our development.

We would have loved a walk on the footpath, but the mosquitoes were starting up so we headed for home!

I zoomed in on the ducks  swimming around in the creek.

And another shot of the bumblebee that I just could not get blogger to move to the top....!

CLICK TO ENLARGE ANY OF THE PICTURES

Rainy day, so maybe I'll get something done inside.

Happy Sunday!

GREAT GIVEAWAYS & my domino art digital collages

You just have to go and enter these two giveaways! 

VINTAGE SUSIE, one of my favorite places to visit and one of my very first followers, a true blog friend, and someone you'll all just love to visit..........

COTTON PICKIN CUTE is also having a great giveaway, some awesome goodies! You must go check out her lovely blog too and enter!

 

I was catching up on some blogs I follow and popped in to see Chris over at My Arty Attempts and this link will take you to some very creative ATC's she's done.
 One of them was using the image of this girl. I have the same image and used it in photoshop to create the above digital pieces which I then get printed out..........I layered the girl on different backgrounds and added  to it in different ways to use for making my domino pendants. She's an all time favorite!

I'll  post the link to where we got our images later. Gotta get dinner on right now!

 

Yummiest vintage linens, favorite filet lace!

I just love filet crochet work! It has always been a favorite and I just washed and ironed the two pieces pictured, what a pleasure to revive them!

The piece above is just gorgeous and I wish I had a place for it but it will end up on ebay. I think it was meant for a long sofa back but I would love to see it hung as a valance! I love the design of the bluebirds and the roses and bows!

Yummy.........sorry I had to lay it on the floor to be able to get above it and take a picture.

 

Another beautiful piece of filet crochet, this one so fine and delicate! It's a small square, you know, for a parlor table or similar small table. The detail is wonderful!

Just thought I'd share these pics, I know I love going to other blogs and drooling over vintage linens and lace!

Meanwhile..........back at the kitchen.......seems I'm either picking or pickling these days! Glad I took that little bit of time yesterday to do up a couple of my linens!

An empty nest

We missed the first of the three baby robins leaving the nest, but the second one just wasn't quite ready to fly and made his way to a spot under a tree where mama and papa tended him/her

I kept missing the best pictures of course......like the feeding.....

They sure grow up fast!

 

The last one........gone now as I write this post.

Poor little robin....walkin', walkin', walkin' to Missourri.....remember that song? LOL, I'm dating myself! Can you see that tiny little robin making his way across the grass? That little dot?

Off he went and stayed at the edge of the flower bed for about an hour....when I next checked, he was gone, probably to the back of the yard in the bit of bush, hiding in the underbrush until he could use his little wings. I could hear mama and papa, chirping at him over the course of the day and evening.

While we're at the flower bed, a few pictures for you.

The heat and humidity we've had lately and rain on and off have really pushed the blooms!

The sad thing is, then we will be on the downward side of summer!

I was very happy with the way the flowers planted in those big plastic swans spread and really made a very colorful display.

I will definitely plant these low bushy zinnias again next year. They have really been looking good. You can see some yellow ones in one of the pictures above this one. They are great!

SORRY, if I haven't been visiting, I really miss dropping by to your blogs and seeing what you've all been up to. I will catch up one of these days, meanwhile, I'll at least try to keep on posting!

Don't get too close to the nest! An explanation too!

I'm so behind, and here is a post that was intended for over a week ago! There has been alot going on around here, out of town visitors, cucumbers to be pickled, and .........a husband with a bad back that couldn't golf for 2 weeks.....hanging around the house........get it?
So here is the first of a few posts that I am now taking the time to do. Cukes are picked and ready to pickle in the morning, husband thank goodness golfing again and gone for a while longer so here I am posting!

Daddy Robin was NOT happy when I bent over and was peeking through the cracks of the deck to check on the babies! I wish I could have got a better shot of his head. His feathers/hair was standing on end, he looked like he'd spiked it!

The nest can be seen when you peek through the boards......

Sunday morning I weeded, and weeded..........

See all those bare spots in the garden? Well, that's how bad it is this year, as usually there is hardly a spot of dirt to be found!

More later!

UPDATE.........as I post this I can't get over how the bare spots have greatly filled in.......those cucumbers are going crazy!!!