If you have a garden...

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. ~ Cicero
I love to read!!  I read a fabulous book this past week for my neighborhood book club.  Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.  It was captivating from the first page.  I thought it was very well written.  I can't wait to discuss next week at book club.
Not much new happened in my garden this week.  I replanted some radish seeds (French breakfast radishes) and the little happy critter enjoyed some radish micro greens, again... 
I have been crafty this week.  And, I have enjoyed cooking - I love to cook and almost cook every day.  Last night, I made one of our favorite dishes - Shrimp Gnocchi with snow peas.  I used freshly picked snow peas and little green spring onions from the garden.

Shrimp Gnocchi

1 pound medium shrimp - peeled and deveined

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 - 2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 clove garlic minced

6 green onions, chopped (including green part)

1-2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 - 16oz. package dried potato gnocchi (in pasta section at store)

2 cups fresh snow peas (can use frozen peas if snow peas aren't available)

salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

 

Place shrimp, oil, pepper flakes, garlic, onions, and rosemary in a container to marinate for 2 hours (or so), but last night they only marinated for about 30 minutes and it was still tasty.

Bring salted water to a boil and boil gnocchi according to package directions.  Save about 1 cup of pasta liquid to make a little sauce at the end.

Heat a skillet, and then pour shrimp marinade into hot skillet.  Saute until shrimp turns pink.  Add snow peas and saute for 2 minutes.  Add boiled gnocchi straight from the boiling water (just dip with a slotted spoon - no liquid at this point).  Toss for about 1 minute, then add boiling liquit 1/4 cup at a time to make a slight sauce.  Then serve!  It is delicious!!

 

I have also been crafty yesterday and today!  My daughter-in-law asked me if I would make some little party favors for our 9 year-old grand daughter's birthday party.  She is having a horse themed party and I made little horse show ribbons.  I think they are precious and such a sweet idea for a birthday party theme.  I am honored that I was ask to contribute :)

 

 

I hope that your day is is filled with a happiness, family, a little gardening, cooking, reading, or crafting :)  ~ Joeby

In the Spring

"In the Spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." ~ Margaret Atwood
I love working hard in the dirt, vegetables, and flowers.  I grew up on a farm in Arkansas, and smelling like dirt at the end of the day, came with the territory :)

The potatoes are coming along nicely in the garden.  I have 4 (four) varities growing this year.  I usually like Yukon Gold the best, but they vary from year to year.  Below is a picture I took of the potato harvest from my little garden last year.  I hope I have as much luck this year.  Each year is different, and the luck, wishing, praying and hoping, are what I like best about gardeing.  Plus, the more effort you put forth, the more you get in return.  Just like life!  And, eating fresh veggies is a great treat!

Today I have been working on a project using some wool selvages that I bought at the Quilt Festival lin Houston last fall.  If you have never been to the Houston Quilt Festival, and you even remotely think that sewing or crafting is fun, then you owe it to yourself to go!  It is FABULOUS!! Aren't the colors of these selvages wonderful?  I think it is pretty cool that these scraps - that would have been thrown away - are being used to make something unique and crafty.  I am just as happy crafting as gardening :) and I got to do a bit of both today!!

I bought this little stool at Hobby Lobby, and stained in with Minwax Ebony stain. 

 

While I was waiting on the stool to dry, I rolled the selvages into circles - looks like fabric roses, because usually the edges are wavy.

 

Then I glued each little selvage rose on the top of the stool.  Using a fabric glue that dries clear.

Isn't the stool as cute as can be?  I can't wait for the glue to completely dry and then I will find a fabulous spot that needs a little color and craftiness.

 

I love the colors and the texture of this stool.

I hope that you find a little time for gardening or crafting this weekend.  That perhaps at the end of the day, you will smell a a little like dirt (or the outdoors), or maybe a little like glue :) 

~ Joeby

Tuesday

Spring is coming quickly in the North Houston area.  I can't believe how beautiful it is outside today!!  It is 61 degrees outside right now, and I'm loving it.  I worked in the garden for a few hours yesterday planting some Christmas lima beans, eggplant, and a few herbs.  I also hated to do it, but my space is limited, so I pulled out the Swiss chard.  We aren't that fond of it, but it is so beautiful...  I have eaten it many, many times chopped up into scrambled eggs.  So pretty, and it mades me sad, but I planted some eggplant there, and we LOVE eggplant.  When you have a tiny garden, you make choices, and the eggplant wins :)

 

 

I sauted some red bell pepper, little green onions (from the garden) in a tad of butter, added a couple of slices of deli ham, chopped.  Tossed in the chopped Swiss chard, let it wilt, then added two eggs!  It was a great lunch on Monday.

 

 

We had HUNDREDS of lemons on our Meyer lemon tree this past year. Like 500...  We were giving them to everyone!  A couple of weeks ago, we squeezed a bunch to put the juice in the freezer. 

I made a "green" cleaner from the peelings!  I packed a quart glass with the lemon peel, then added white vinegar to the top.  Put the lid on and wait for 2 weeks, while the magic occurs.  Just leave the jar on the counter, it does not need refrigerated. Then strain and use half strength (1/2 water, 1/2 vinegar).  Put in a recycled spray bottle and you are ready to go!!  The lemon makes the cleaner smell so fresh and clean. I am planning to experiment with putting in a drop or two of essential oils to see how it does (like Tea Tree oil...).

 

 

I hope everyone has a fabulous day! ~ Joeby