In The Refiner's Fire

Do you see the blossoms on this tomato plant?  I'm SUPER excited! To all my US readers - I hope you are enjoying a meaningful and relaxing Memorial Day!  Having a parent and several other relatives who served in the Armed Forces makes me appreciate the sacrifices that so many have made.  We are flying the flag today. And I am very proud to do so. Our visitors left this morning to visit friends for several days before making their way back to their home.  Our home feels to quiet with two fewer people!  They will return in about 6 weeks and we are looking forward to seeing them again. Our meals this week were a bit odd to put together, as we are trying to finish up some odds and ends in our refrigerator and the freezers. We are picking lettuce and rhubarb from our garden this week and we have not received another box from our CSA at this time (we received asparagus and rhubarb two weeks ago and then...

Salad with Salmon and Fruit - dinner one night last week. We had LOVELY weather last week and were able to eat our evening meal outside on the patio several nights.  I am enjoying it so much!   My flowers are starting to bloom - the rhododendron is done for the year but the first wave of iris are blooming and the peonies are budding too.  I'm so happy!  I am so very grateful that we purchased a home with a large garden!  We have guests ("company") until the end of May and I'm enjoying having them here.  Food-wise it means we've been eating up a few things that are a little harder to eat with just the four of us (beet pickles, for instance!).  I like that too!  We spent $62 this week on groceries after spending only $26 the previous week and we are feeding four adults and two teenagers.  We harvested lettuce and rhubarb from the garden this past week and we received chives, a different type of rhubarb and asparagus ...

 The Birthday Cupcakes my children took to school on their Birthday.  They were super easy to decorate and really enjoyed by the children in their class.  The blue "night sky" cupcakes are just a large silver-colored gum ball and star sprinkles on blue icing.  The "campfire" cupcakes are chocolate rocks, pretzels and gummy candy cut into wedges for flames.  They were delicious! WOW!  Mid-May already!  Time does fly.... We're officially in spring/early summer here - the lettuce has sprouted, the rhubarb is ready to cut and we received asparagus from the CSA this week!  YUM!   I'm so excited!   My rhododendron is blooming and making me deliriously happy.  I think spring is my favorite season, though fall is pretty nice too. We have company this week so we are feeding four adults and two teenagers.  Here's what we're eating this week: Sunday, May 13, 2018, Mother's Day:       Bre...

These iris are about seven inches (17.5cm) tall right now - they reach about 24 inches (60cm) - but it is a sign that spring is definitely on the way! A busy week for us!   Out of state family arrived to stay with us for a month and we had two other events this week. We are busy like this for another two months and then have about two months of down time planned.  I am looking forward to the events but not the running.  I am also looking forward to the planned down time later this summer.  Here's hoping for good weather and lots of time in my garden! We are into super saving mode here for the rest of the year.  So, here are several of the frugal things we have done this week: * We made bread, no bake energy bites, minestrone soup, scones, muffins, pancakes, and crackers at home this week. * I replaced buttons on a dress for our daughter. * We attended a free music concert at one of the local schools. * Our children attended thei...

Four loaves of homemade bread - on my agenda to make this week! We're expecting company for a month starting this week!  I'm super excited but it always means spending more on groceries and doing a bit more in the kitchen than I typically have time for this time of year.  Thankfully our company is more than willing to help out and it makes things so much easier.  We have a dance competition this coming Saturday and will eat both breakfast and dinner at home but will have to buy lunch there.  They do not allow people to bring food into the venue so we will purchase something little and filling and then will make soft pretzels when we get home.  Friday evening we're meeting some extended family for dinner at a restaurant mid-way between our homes - I'm pretty excited since it has been quite a long time since we have seen them. My Dad, who is now officially the oldest living member of the family, will be treating - his request. We're still eating some...

Some of the flowers that are starting to grow in my garden right now!  YAY for Spring! Goodness, this spring has just flown by!  We only have a few more days of University left for me and then we jump into our abbreviated "summer session".  Final projects and exams and piles of grading at the normal routine here.  End-of-year projects, spring concerts and recitals are all coming up for the children.  John is thankfully heading toward a quiet season in the church year (Ordinary Time - also known as the Season After Pentecost - starts May 20th and programming for the year decreases at that time).  We're all looking forward to longer days with sunshine and green grass, flowers and fresh vegetables.  Two weeks ago we received 18 inches (just under 46cm) of snow.  Today, we have green grass and the iris are up about 3-4 inches (7.5-10cm) above the ground!  I'm hoping the daffodils and tulips bloom soon - they are just starting to bud!  T...

I found this photo of taco salad from who knows how long ago - yum!  I may have to put it on the menu next week because it just looks SO good! We received more snow this week.  Snow.  In April.  Not a "dusting", mind, but a full 3 inches or so.  I really am done with winter.  But, I guess winter is not done with us, so I will keep planning my garden and push through until spring actually arrives!  Where we live, snow is always a possibility all the way up through Mother's Day in May (this year, May 13).  This winter has just seemed long.  John and I ran to the grocery store on Friday evening last week, since we had other events all day on Saturday and were also planning on being busy Sunday afternoon.  Whole chickens were on sale for 79-cents/pound so I bought two - which is what our grocery budget could afford. I would have loved to buy more but the budget is tight and the freezer is nearly full still, so two it wa...