Suzy Homemaker Here...

I made pickles and pickled okra. Yummy. This was super easy and a lot of fun. I soaked cucumbers and okra in pickling lime. Then after giving them a good wash I cut of about 1/2 inch from the end of the cucumbers and steamed the okra for prep. Then I mixed my seasonings...this time I bought them in a package but now I plan on making my own dill mix. I brought vinegar, seasonings and water to a boil then turned it off but left it to keep warm on the stove. Then in a large pot I brought water to a boil. I sterilized the mason jars then packed them with okra or cucumbers then filled the jars with my seasoning mix until it was about 1/2 inch from the top. Then after put lids on the jars each took their turn in the boiling hot water! Though the first jar broke the others came out fine. I have them soaking in the refrigerator now for about two weeks then time to eat! Well now that I have tried making eggplant parmesan, canned pickles and okra, and last night planted some herbs and cherry tomatoes for my indoor garden who knows what is next? Maybe making canned tomatoes or pasta sauce. Happy Tuesday everyone!

Happy Birthday

Tattoo, bowling, food, and friends. All in all I would say it was a Happy Birthday for Jared!

So far so great!

So far this has been in a great mini-vacation. We have celebrated Jared's birthday with bowling, friends, and yummy foods. Then we watched our Hogs come close to victory lol with friends and food. Now it is time for a few days to rest, get the leaves in the yard under control, and enjoy this news fall weather. We have had a bit of a fall snap and we are praying that it sticks around. The yard needs some serious TLC. So we hope and pray that you all have a great weekend and we are planning to just relax and enjoy our down time.

Things that I am looking forward too.

1. Going to look for the perfect pumpkin
2. Camping
3. Celebrating Jared's birthday
4. Getting the office and guest room put together
5. Enjoying being outside more...AKA working on the yard
6. Race for the Cure
7. Starting a new gym with a great friend
8. Fall festivals

Is there anything you all are looking forward too?

Thank you Lord for these nice cool mornings and nights...Fall is here...or almost right?

These are faux pumpkins that I carved and put small battery operated lights that look like flickering candles in. They are super cute in the dark. You can see below.

Then I found these great plastic bags and figured out what to do with most of the newspaper I have saved. So closer to October I will stick these out front.

 Now for these name place holders. I got a great deal on these. So instead of names for a dinner party they have note cards with things we are thankful for...our first home, hubs, wiffy, family, health, friends etc.

This last one is an acorn and small pumpkin. They are too precious and just a few of the great fall things that are now all around the house.

to title or not to title...that is the question

Oh man. I want to say I have been so busy…but in the same breath I feel like I have not gotten much done. I guess that is just having a to do list a mile long and crossing one thing off some days does not feel like much. Things have been very good though. J has really started to get back to his old self. I do not think he is 100% but that is because I see how tired he still gets. It is tough trying to recover in all this heat. So ready for fall. I just read in the farmers almanac that this winter will not be as harsh as last year so maybe we will get to enjoy a longer fall this year. It seems like it always goes too fast. I love that time of the year. Crisp mornings, warm afternoons, and cool evenings are great for being inside and out! Not to mention I have a ton of fall home decorations I can not wait to put out! I am making a really cool pumpkin display for outside as well. Also I love the time of year when you can go to the pumpkin patch. Just so much going on and so many fun things. J and I will be seeing his Aunt Tami soon as we hit the King Biscuit Festival this October. I have never been so I have been beefing up on my BB King. I want to really get to enjoy the experience and not feel lost. We are also taking a trip in a matter of days but I want to save all that for another post. Also I want to be able to include the pictures. Speaking of which I did add some new photos to our photo site. I have been learning and practicing tie dyeing and it has been so much fun. There are two examples of liquid dye and one is spray tie dye…seems like spray paint but it does not dry as tough as spray paint does on fabrics. Well happy Tuesday and will update again soon!

update-licous

okay so let me see where to begin...
First off J is recovering still slowly but surly. Things have changed. We certainly look at meals, times, and water in a whole new light. Always want to make sure there is a lot of water around to flush foods down and foods do not need to be over cooked or tough. So strange to be in this boat but so blessed to get my husband back to feeling better.
Now on to the house. More painting has been going on. Pictures and art are up on the walls and we are finally getting that warm and welcoming feeling we were looking for. Nice to have roman shades up and the blankets down. Amazing to have a vacuum cleaner that works and works well! So many little things that add up to a home. This certainly takes a lot of work and money but it has been worth every single second of it.
Is it just me or do those snowy days look so great now? The heat here is insane and it is almost out of the question to think you could get in your car and not get branded by the red hot seat belt. Lord give me strength! Ha.
This week has seemed extra long but maybe because I have two days off next week and I am so looking forward to knocking things off the to do list. Running errands, seeing the doctor, cleaning, washing the car, oil changes, and getting other odds and ends wrapped up. There are just so many things going on this week that trying to focus at work and at home seem impossible. I am so ready for my long weekend and so ready for all that will be going on.
Oh and for those who do not know...a friend of mine and I were lucky enough to get to do the dizzy bat game during a baseball game here...for a AAA team. So funny because I thought for the size of the team that there surly would not be more than 2,000 but in fact there were over 6,000 people. It was nuts! I won! Woo Hoo.
I think this is all I can say for now because mostly my brain is to full to think of anything else...my cup runeth over today.
Happy Thursday people!