Five Things Friday

It is time once again for Five Things Friday! Today I can throw an eclectic bunch of thoughts at you at once:) So, what do I have to share today???

• We are still eating (and yes, I'm bragging) tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, beets, strawberries, raspberries, eggplant, butternut squash and kohlrabi from the garden! We haven't had a frost yet though I know it's coming. We generally get the frost before November 15. Today I will be making my All You Can Eat Soup  with goodies from the garden for lunch...yummers!
• We will definitely be purchasing the Janome HD3000 sewing machine sometime before Christmas:) Yay and Woo Hoo! I decided I want a travel bag for it so I can take it to my daughter's and to crafting get-togethers. This is the one I am looking at although there is a nice rolling bag at Joann's that is tempting...

• My starter for the Artisan bread I have been itching to make died:( Or I think it died anyway. I am going to give it till Monday and if it doesn't really get going I will start over again. I might need to put a propagation mat under it (slightly heated for starting seeds) to keep the temperature consistent. Our house gets chilly at night because we let the fire go out so I'm thinking we need to try to keep the starter environment closer to 70 degrees (F).
• I am making a pair of boot toppers and they are so easy and fun! This will be a great gift idea for the ladies on my gift-giving list:) I am currently lusting over this beautiful Pink Elephant "Resilient" Superwash Merino Sock yarn from Expression Fiber Arts only I want to use it to use it for a beautiful lacy scarf. The drawback right now is the yarn is $24 and I am trying to only spend on Christmas gifts right now.
• I just started If I Stay last night and it is sooo good! The writing is incredible; the kind of book you don't want to put down! I checked it out from the online library so need to finish it soon. Speaking of books, I LOVE paper books that I can hold in my hand and turn the pages however, I have come to appreciate the Kindle App on my iPad. My brother-in-law introduced me to Book Bub. You set up your account and your preferences then you get an email every day with suggestions for you in your chosen categories! There are e-books on the list from FREE to $2.99; I don't think I have ever seen one for more than $2.99. If you have a Kindle, Nook or other reader, check out Book Bub!

Well, that's it for this week's Five Things Friday! I hope you have a great weekend and I will be back on Sunday for Carla's Sunday Night Chit-Chat over at My 1/2 Dozen Daily.

Thanks for stopping by:)

Kat

Happy Homemaker Monday

Funny badge courtesy of Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

Thanks for joining me today for Happy Homemaker Monday! I always look forward to linking up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom and the other brave souls who take part each week!

Breakfast time....what is on the plate this morning::::
Nothing...nada! Monday, Wednesday and Friday are my Intermittent Fast days so I have a 500 calorie meal around noonish on those days.

On today's to do list::::
Laundry - two loads
Clean up the kitchen and run the dishwasher
Clean off the dining room table--it's out of control again!
Work on projects for this week's stamping club

Currently reading::::
A Promise to Believe In by Tracie Peterson and A First-Rate Madness by Nassir Ghaemi

On the TV today::::
Just finished watching Cedar Cove--can hardly wait for the next season! Now what?!!!

The weather outside is::::
Cloudy and cooler:) I think it got up to about 80 degrees today and it took all day to work up to it! It was 62 degrees when I got up this morning! Brrr!

On the menu this week::::
No menu...flying by the seat of my pants as usual! We are eating out of the garden a lot. Today we had fresh green beans, corn on the cob, summer squash, cantaloupe and strawberries...yummm! The cantaloupe and corn came from the store but the rest was from the garden. Today was the first picking of green beans!

If I have a few minutes to myself, I will::::
Read my book!

New recipe I tried, or want to try this week::::
Haven't even thought about cooking lately because it's been so hot. If it stays cooler, I just might get the cooking bug! I did bake up two loaves of Banana Nut Bread today and am looking forward to eating it tomorrow:)In the garden::::We are eating tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, hot peppers, green beans, summer squash, beets, strawberries, raspberries and apricots.

Favorite photo from the camera::::
I don't have a new picture today...sorry!Homemaking Tip::::I hate fruit flies! The other day we had a bunch of them in the kitchen because of the compost bucket so I went onto Pinterest to see if there were any good suggestions. This is the one I used: Fill a water bottle half full of Apple Cider Vinegar; add 2 teaspoons honey and a couple drops of dish soap. Let the bottle sit on the counter near where the fruit flies are congregating. Voila! Fruit flies are greatly diminished within two days! I let mine sit there for a week then dumped it out and made another one...just in case.
Visiting with Blog friends (blog you want to share, blog post that caught your eye)::::
As an English Bulldog lover, I can look at Baggy Bulldogs for hours! Love all their great pictures and videos of bulldogs:)

Praying for::::

• I am still praying for our sweet Rocky to be returned to us. He has a chip so there is still hope.
• A storm looks like it may be coming in and the report says it could have hail with it. My prayer is that it doesn't damage our garden. 

Bible Verse, Devotional that is resonating with me at the moment::::
I am reading One Simple Act by Debbie Macomber about "Discovering the Power of Generosity". It is reminding me that you can't out give God and that I need to look for more opportunities to practice Random Acts of Kindness. Beautifully written book. 

I hope you enjoyed your visit. I hope you visit again soon!

Kat

How Does My Garden Grow

Technically,it's not my garden! But since I live here I am claiming it as my own:) Like having a gardener...who I happen to be married to! My hubby LOVES to make things grow! He plants all the flowers, fruit and veggies on our little homestead! Today as we were walking around checking everything out, he asked when I was going to blog about his garden. Sooo...

Since I took a lot of photos I wanted to share I decided to try making collages out of them with My Digital Studio on my computer. It's a digital scrapbooking and cardmaking program by Stampin' Up! (who else!). A free trial is available if you are interested! But, this post is not about my love of Stampin' Up! 

The top photos are of our little flower area with the Mandevilla, ivy, Amaryllis and Begonias. The bottom photos are of the very swollen buds on the Peony bushes--just ready to burst forth with bloom! The inset is a bloom on a very short peony bush right next to the big one. 

Then on to the food...

The raspberries are blooming and I am so ready for those juicy morsels. On the inset, can you see the bee? The raspberry bushes are full of honey bees at the moment...they are loving it!

The strawberries we transplanted are doing so good! They are very happy in their new home:) Don't they look happy?!!!

Hubby put out 39 tomato plants he started from seed in the greenhouse. He also purchased a few plants that will give us a jump on some early tomatoes. The others will be used for canning, making salsa and pasta sauce.

Check out the spinach. We ate some in a salad the other day. Then their is my favorite--Sugar Snap Peas! Oh, I can hardly wait!

Hubby also has bell peppers, hot peppers, cabbage, onions, collards and eggplant planted. He is still planning to plant beets, green beans, carrots and who knows what else!

I hope you enjoyed my little garden tour!

Kat