~Pamela Susan~

Fridays, Pickles, and Marbles... Hooray!!

Ahhh, Friday has come upon us once again.  And thank goodness, I say!  This gal is looking forward to some R & R the next couple of days.  Nope, we won't be canning pickles tonight until 1 am like we did last night.  My Dad brought a box of cucumbers over a couple days ago and Aaron and I decided to get them done all at once, and I'm so happy we did, but I'm one tired puppy.  (And let me add here that that man of mine makes for a pretty cute canning partner!)  I thought of taking some pictures of the whole canning process, but decided to link to this past blog post instead.  I think a blog can only take so many pickle parties, right?

So instead, how about I share some pictures from last week.  My Dad stopped by for some lunch since he was in the neighborhood.  While I prepared lunch, he taught Miss C how to play marbles, and what a sweet thing it was watching those two. (I purchased an old vintage canning jar filled with marbles at an estate sale last year... what a fun find that was!  I can still picture that colorful bottle sitting on a shelf in that back room just waiting to go home with me.  It was love at first sight. :) )  It's a game I and the kidlets have been wanting to learn for a long time, and by golly, we weren't going to let another day go by without learning how to play them properly.

It was fun listening to him tell us stories about how he used to play marbles every recess with his friends when growing up, and how my Grandma Flossie made him a marble pouch out of an old pair of Levis.  I also learned that my Granpda Frank was a pretty good marble player himself, though I wasn't surprised.  He was a big guy with big, strong hands and I can only imagine how far he could make those marbles fly! 

I, on the other hand, need practice.  It's a lot harder to flick one than I thought!

But my Dad?  Let's just say he's got the technique down...

And for those of you who don't follow me on facebook, here are a couple pictures I shared there a week ago. Loooove the colors of these glass beauties.  I swear I can just sit there forever staring at them, gazing at all the different designs swirling inside and around each one...

I'll have to pull my macro lens out next time and capture some close-ups!

 

But for now, Happy Weekend to All!!

 

xo,

Pamela, a lover of all things shiny and colorful.  And pickles.  And Fridays, too!

 

p.s. If any of you have been wanting to learn photography to capture special family moments like the one above, I'm here to tell you to DO IT!  You won't regret it.  I've so been enjoying this photography-learning-journey.  I think I've come a long way since I started this blog a few years ago.  My only regret is that I didn't start sooner, so meaningful moments like this could've been captured while my Mother was still here on earth.  ♥

Millions of Peaches... {and some really cute sisters!}

Well, we didn't exactly pick millions of peaches, but I sure did love that song back in high school. (go on and click on the link... I think it's definitely worth a listen!) :)

This week we took a box of these...

(we picked the peaches in Canby, Oregon at the Roses on Riverside farm)

and turned them into...

Yummy jam and pancake syrup! 

Boy, did it feel good canning again.  And I'm happy to report not one jar broke while processing them.  Now I need to get my little hands on some cucumbers to can some PICKLES!!  Oh, how I love pickles!

And on a completely different note (because I'm all for being random) I had the pleasure of taking pictures of two friends who just happen to be sisters.  Aren't they beautiful?

Remember when Erin wore my necklace on General Hospital?  I'm still on a happy high from that!  Thanks again, Erin for making the Ava's Nest necklace famous! :)  And if you're a cat lover, don't miss her in this Purina Cat Chow commercial that's airing right now.  (Which by the way, if you are a cat lover, I'm sure you're loving her shirt she's wearing in the above picture.  :)  ) And if you're a brownie lover, catch her on this Fiber One commercial.  Because, heck, who's not a brownie lover?!! She is a fun actress to watch.  Very talented!

Well, Happy Friday to all of you! 

xo,

Pamela

 

p.s. Thanks to those who emailed and commented on the last post concerning Jane.  I appreciate your concern and input!  Interestingly enough, the ENT did not find any fluid behind her ear drum yesterday (which I should mention to my know she has never had an actual ear infection... just fluid that wasn't draining).  I was so surprised.  I was for sure thinking he was going to recommend tubes by the end of the appt.  Though I'm elated that didn't happen, I'm left feeling puzzled as to what is going on with her ears. There's one more test that does need to be performed by an audiologist (when we went for that appt the machine that was supposed to used on her was broken... ugh).  I guess from here we'll get that last audiology test done, continue speech therapy, and have her ears looked at again a couple months from now.  Wish us luck! :)

 

Free Simplicity Earrings with over $20 order!

Hello Everyone...

The shop is open!  And the jewelry bug took a big bite out of me today so I went ahead and made a few new designs.  Since we've been receiving an abundance of rain here in the Pacific Northwest I decided to go ahead and make a couple more Drip Drops necklaces. ($39)

I decided to add a bit o' color to this one.

With the constant downpour it only leaves me longing for the soul-warming sun, so I came up with a brand spankin' new necklace... Here Comes The Sun, made with Oregon Sunstone gems. ($69)  I'm a Beatles, did you know that?  One of my earliest memories is running around outside in our front yard in Iona, Idaho with my Mom's record player blaring the song Here Comes The Sun.  Love, love, love it.

I used my torch to make the headpins that attach the stones to the hammered sterling silver wire. 

I love the look of the headpins so much I think this necklace can be worn with the backside showing as well...

And the clasp is pretty fun, too.

Want some matching earrings?

I also finally added some earrings I made a little while ago... simple fine silver ball posts.  I titled them Simplicity. ($9)

Here's how my pair look on me.  Nice and Simple.

I thought it'd be fun to give away a pair of Simplicity earrings to any of you who purchase more than $20 worth of jewelry!  Just mention this gift at checkout.  And don't forget to use the free shipping coupon, SpringHasSprung.  :)

 

xo,

Pamela

 

A Classic Hound Winner, 14 Bottles of Salsa, and Soapy Soap. How's That for Random?

We have a Classic Hound winner!  But first, I want to thank all of you who entered the giveaway!  It was fun reading the many entries.  Ellen offers a pretty good selection of designs, wouldn't you say?  

Okay, onto the fun part.  Carrie is the lucky number 28... CONGRATULATIONS!!  Email me at [email protected] and I will forward your mailing information onto my sister.

And guess what I realized today?  I haven't given you an update on my salsa-making adventure!  I'm happy to report I was able to make a couple batches, and boy is it delicious!  Thanks again, Stephanie!

(before the onions, peppers, spices, vinegar and other goodness were added)

(after)

(the finished product... yummers)

And I finally got around to making the soap this week for our swap.  Licorice and chocolate were the two fragrance choices I settled on... I hope that's okay with you, Stephanie!

I love the chocolate soap--it darkens over time until it actually takes on the appearance of chocolate!  I took this picture right after I cut it, so the inner portion hadn't darkened yet.

Yes, my house smells fantastic right now, if I do say so myself.  And it felt great making soap again.  

Here's to veggie oils, lye, and saponification!

 

xo,

Pamela, a gal who loves salsa just as much as soap.  Well, almost.

 

 

Tomatoes Up to My Elbows

Last week I was the fortunate recipient of 150 pounds of tomatoes.  At least 150 pounds, maybe more.  My Idahoan cousin Stephanie and I decided to trade tomatoes for handmade soap.  I'm feeling especially lucky because tomatoes in this part of the country are sparse--summer wasn't quite warm enough to yield much. So I've been canning quarts and quarts of whole tomatoes and tonight we're going to make salsa. Yummmmmmy.  

 

 

xo,

Pamela, a lover of tah-maters

 

 

 

 

It's Pickle Time!

Okay.  I love to eat pickles...not just ANY pickles, but my Mom's home canned pickles.  (Actually to give credit where it's really due I need to mention that my mom has always used my Grandma Flossie's recipe, so thank you, Grandma!!) They are divine and OUT OF THIS WORLD GOOD.  Both Ellen and I are determined to carry on the tradition of canning these pickles for our own families, and we both JUST HAPPENED to can them this past weekend for the VERY FIRST TIME by ourselves!  (Ellen is in New York, and I'm in Washington state--I love that we were both in the pickle-canning mood at the same time while living in opposite sides of the country!)  Boy, was it a hoot!  I loved every minute of the ''pickle process"!

First I gathered my ingredients:  pickling salt, vinegar, dill, garlic...

and of course the cucumbers!

Avery helped fill the jars.  She loved the tiny ones...she'd say "Ohhh, Mama!  The little ones are SOOO CUTE!"

I loved how the dill looked...isn't it purdy??

 Here's a pic before they received the "dunk" treatment:

And here they are all finished!  I won't be able to try them for about a month...I'll let you know if they taste just like Mom's!

That's it for now...I hope everyone is enjoying a beautiful week!

Oh, wait a second...how could I forget?!?!  Today was Avery's FIRST day of preschool!  She was as happy as could be.  Here she is before I took her to school:

My little girl is growing up!

Until next time...

xoxo,

Pamela, a very proud Mama who loves to eat pickles, even when she isn't pregnant!

Striped Applesauce, Anyone??

Last week was a treat.

I traveled down to Canby, OR not only to visit my Dad, Lane, and Ashley, but also

to pick blueberries at my friend's blueberry farm.  

Miriam is her name, and she has one smokin' blueberry patch.

We picked and picked, and talked and talked.  It was great seeing her again.

And check out this GIGANTIC blueberry I found! 

 How fun is that?!

So, I stayed the night at my parents' and planned on leaving the next morning to head back home, but before I left I strolled through their little orchard and then it happened.  My eyes spotted an apple tree...with RIPE apples!

I had completely forgotten that this particular variety, Lodi, was an early ripener.  There was no way I was going home that day!  Instead, we picked and picked so we could make applesauce.  

After canning a couple batches the event became a wee bit boring, so I decided to spice things up.

I asked myself, "Why not add some of my freshly picked blueberries to the sauce?  And why not include some boysenberries into the mix while I'm at it??"

And this was born:

But I couldn't stop there, because that got a wee bit boring after a while, too.

So I thought, "Heck--why not make STRIPED applesauce???"

 

And how about 'polka dots' with blueberries??

 

Ladies and gents...it is true.  I have way too much fun canning fruit.

If you are going to make applesauce this year I highly recommend giving this a try!  

You will not regret it!

Oh, and guess what?  I won a blue ribbon over the weekend!  There was a little arts/crafts/baking/canning contest at a picnic our church hosted and my striped applesauce won first place in the canning division!  I was very happy.  :)  I'm now thinking about entering a couple jars at our local fair.

One more thing before I let you go--just this morning I found out about a very cool website from my cousin.  Check it out if you are interested in canning this summer.

Simply Canning

It is a wonderful resource!

Until next time...

xo,

Pamela

p.s.  Tomorrow we find out if our little baby is a boy or girl!  We are very excited.  Stay tuned!

Merlot Grape Juice...a little taste of heaven

The girls and I are back at my parents' home visiting my Dad, sister, and our dear friend Heidi.  We're busy working/playing in the clay and are having a grand ole' time.  Yesterday as we sat around the table to devour our favorite thai food, we opened a bottle of homemade Merlot grape juice to celebrate our reunion.  It is so unbelievably delicious!  The best part about this juice is that there is no added sugar or preservatives.  It's a great story how this juice came to be, so I thought I 'd share. 

Last fall while visiting a friend, I noticed the vineyard next door was dripping with ripe grapes...I thought to myself, "Why haven't they been picked?!"  It turned out that due to an early frost they were not suitable for winemaking, and were not going to be used.  

 

Lucky me!

You see, I'm not a wine drinker. However, I am a juice fanatic...and when making grape juice, it is best to wait and pick the grapes after a frost.  

 I mustered up the courage to call the owner of the vineyard to see if I could pick them for juice making.  She said yes!  The only form of payment she wanted was some of the juice I was going to make.

My friend, September, came along with me.  Do you recognize her neck? :)  She's the neck model in many of the pictures for Pamela Susan.  Here's one of my favorite shots of her.  Once we arrived we learned these beautiful grapes were Merlot.  Not only were they Merlot, but they were certified organic...even better!

 

 

I couldn't resist capturing a picture of the stream of sunlight shining in on the grapes... so pretty.

 

Here is the juicer I bought for only $4.99 at our local Goodwill!

The grapes are steaming away.

Gorgeous color.

60 quarts later I was one happy gal!

Merlot grape juice is BY FAR the most enjoyable fruit drink I've ever tasted. 

 It is so sweet that no additional sugar is needed!!  If you ever have the opportunity to can some yourself this fall, you need to do it.  

To learn more about canning, here is a great site.

I canned my juice a little different from the online sources I found--I didn't strain the grapes.  I washed and de-stemmed them, then allowed the juicer to do the rest of the work.  It's so easy!  Please contact me if you have any questions about how I processed them.

Tomorrow I'll post pictures of the jelly that was made from this juice...so yummy!

Have a great day!