Me and My Saucy Self!

Wow this giant pile of blueberries has got my creative juices flowing! So many interesting and yummy things to be created! It's really hard to chose what to do with them. My main point of intrigue is the idea of making my own preserves! And since I have never in my life made any kind of jam, jelly or preserve, I've spent more hours than I should have searching through cookbooks and online for how to begin this process. And let me say that I've come to the realization that I'm going to have to do a bit more research and then purchase some equipment before I can actually delve into any of this. Sooo.....  I'm using this batch of berries for another purpose!

A Berry Delightful Experiance!

So I thought I would share one of the most complimented items I serve here at the Inn. The Perfect Strussel Topped Blueberry Muffin! No joke these are some pretty tasty muffins. Not to sweet, not at all greasy, and perfectly moist every time! And thanks to an impromptu blueberry picking jaunt on the way home from the grocery store, I'll probably have some more blueberry recipes coming soon! I also thought I would again remind everyone of how amazing this area is and why you NEED to come visit me! SOON!!

An Apron for Every Occasion, or Day of the Week, or Outfit, or ....

Deciding what to blog about next has proved to be a bit of a challenge. I've been storing up little projects and recipes for over a month now and I've got quite a selection to choose from. But since I needed to dig out the sewing machine to work on a couple of necessary house keeping projects, I decided to share with you a quick little apron project. Now this little project brings up a couple of points I'd like to take a moment to discuss. 

Finally!! A New Post!

So it's been a while since my last post. And what an epic post that was! I knew I was going to have to take a bit of a break after that last one, but I really did not expect it to be as long as it has been. Since that post sooo much has happened. The trip to Atlanta in early April was fabulous! Not only did I get to be there for my mothers wedding but I also had the opportunity to see family/friends that I haven't seen in years/decades. That trip was immediately followed by a crazy month of packing and moving and numerous trips between the bay and the Inn. And once I was finally moved and officially employed I literally had to hit ground running. May proved to be the busiest month the Inn has had since opening in May of  last year and there was very little training involved. And by "little", I mean that I've only meet the owners twice - and that includes the first day I drove up for the interview. I had one quick run through on the computer system and I was on my own. Well not completely - we've had lots of phone conversations. All in all though, it's been an amazing month! I'm still processing the fact that this is my life now! Ever time I drive to the grocery store while gazing at the snow capped peaks of the Sierras I have to take a moment to convince myself it really is real! My God is such an amazing God!

It Was Bound to Happen!

We knew it was bound to happen, people! We knew it was only a matter of time. I FINALLY got a job! Wahoo!!!! And not just any job mind you, the dream job! That’s right, my awesome and mighty God has once again proven his un-measurable love by not only meeting my needs, but by also fulfilling so many little wants and desires as well! And what might you ask is this dream job? It’s a position as a live-in Inn-keeper for a Bed & Breakfast in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains! I cannot begin to explain what an incredible opportunity this is. So I thought I would share a little about the awesome way in which God made it all happen.

Baking Up a Little Lovin

So apparently I’ve been more of a slacker than I thought because now I’m getting subtle hints on FB as well as some not so subtle emails asking when the next post will be.  And for this I am really and truly sorry! Not to make excuses or anything, buuuut…  not only have I been crazy busy, we’ve had incredible rainy weather which makes it hard to get to the library (and with the price of gas driving is becoming a rare occurrence!). Anyway to make up for it I thought I would share a wonderful baking recipe that also happens to be a family tradition (hopefully I’m not giving away any secretes in sharing it!). And so I bring you Cinnamon Chocolate Bars.

Grocery Outlet Gourmet

Well it’s been a while since my last post. Mostly because I can’t seem to find my creativity lately! And not just with crafts. No this dry spot has carried over into the cooking department as well.  It’s been pretty aggravating to say the least and I’m kind of over boxed meals and frozen entrees. But I had a great weekend and I’m feeling much renewed. So let’s hope I can get some kind of momentum going and give you all some fun stuff to read. For starters I thought I would give you a great new GO Outlet feature.

A Bucket Full of Beads

Two craft posts in one week! Can you believe it? This one was so fun and simple I couldn't resist sharing. It was also our craft project at Jr. High STUFF this week which also means that it's virtually free! Could it get any better?  So what is this wonderful little project you may ask? Magazine page bead making! And just in time for Mardi Gras!

Baking Up A Little Lovin

I know that it's well past time for a new baking recipe. I've been a real slacker lately! And this recipe is in keeping with my laziness because it’s made with a store bought cake mix! The ultimate in short cuts. Now for those of you have never heard of making cookies from cake mixes, let me introduce you to a wonderful new world of endless options for the slacker baker.  One simple box of cake mix can be turned into almost anything your little heart has a craving for! From brownie cookies to tiramisu biscotti, red velvet whoopie pies to butterscotch bars! The list goes on and on. And if you’re the kind of person who rarely bakes and doesn’t have a regular supply of ingredients –it’s the best and cheapest option! Most of the basics of baking (flour, baking soda, salt, etc.) are already mixed for you! Recipes for cake mix cookies can be found-a-plenty on numerous cooking websites. The one I’m using today came courtesy of Duncan Hines (even though I used a Pillsbury mix that was on sale).  And I choose this one in particular because I’ve been wanting to make snicker doodles but don’t want to mess with the cream of tarter that the recipe calls for. So I decided this recipe for Cinnamon Crinkles might be a good alternative.

A Touch of Green - In More Ways Than One!

So last week was another “One Post” week. It’s amazing how life has a way of getting in the way of your plans! Although for the most part the interruptions last week were pretty fun! I did get to take a last minute, one day road trip down the coast. I’ll probably write more about that tomorrow. In the mean time I thought I would share one of the projects I’ve been working on. It’s one that I’ve seen numerous times on countless craft blogs and finally decided to give it a go. Its toilet paper tube wall art!

Sprouts of Joy

Where to begin? Well it’s been an entire week since my last post. But in that week I was able to accomplish quite a few projects. Some were crafts projects, others where housekeeping and still others were just the plain old boring but necessary tasks of life. I won’t be sharing too much about the latter because that would just be a drag, but I will be sharing some of the more fun and interesting things I was able to accomplish over the week. For starters I thought I would share my little seed planting project with you.

Baking Up a Little Lovin

Since I still had half a bag left and I was so delighted by how great last week’s cookies turned out, I decided to give baking with apples a little more attention.  After searching though quite a few cookbooks and website I found a recipe that sounded not only quite tasty but that used apples in a way I would find palatable. That means shredded or pureed! It also calls for oatmeal and I love the heartiness of breads with oatmeal. It’s another great recipe from Allrecipes.com and is offered up thanks to Helen Hanson.

String of Hearts

I honestly don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I’m kinda diggin Valentines Day this year. Well maybe that’s going a little too far. I guess it would be more correct to say that I’m lovin the V-day crafts. And I know I said I would post a project using the glass cylinders I found at the rummage sale, but all of those dang craft emails that fill my inbox each morning make it soooo hard to stick to a plan! So thanks to Curbly.com and their V-day craft round-up, I bring you a lovely little paper heart garland!

Grocery Outlet Gourmet

Being that it was Super Bowl Sunday I decided to take a different approach to this week’s GO Gourmet feature. Instead of a tasty meal, I’ve decided to come up with a delectable party dish that serves twenty people for less than three dollars. Now there were a couple of aspects that I had to take in to consideration when coming up with this dish. One – I had some ingredients in the house I needed to use before they went bad, and two – what the party host would be serving.

Urban Treasure Hunting

Well happy Monday everyone. Hope you all had a fun and interesting weekend! I once again spent a good bit of time outside enjoying the beautiful weather. It’s hard to believe it’s only February when you’ve got the windows wide open and its 70 degrees at midnight, but that’s just what this weekend was like! And while out and about on a Saturday morning stroll, I happened to stumble upon one of my favorite things in the world – a church rummage sale!

Baking Up a Little Lovin

Well I’ve finally moved on from the lemons and have found a new ingredient to inspire me. As I walked through the door of the grocery store this week I was enveloped in the sweet perfume of fresh apples and immediately began a mental review of my recipe box.  Now traditionally, although I love munching on a nice crispy fresh apple, I tend to avoid cooked apples with a vengeance. There’s something about the texture that just creeps me out. That’s why when I decided to go for an apple recipe, I had resigned myself to allowing others to enjoy something I personally would rather not eat. But being the good little baker that I am, I tested a cookie from the first batch out of the oven and was happily surprised at the outcome.

Grocery Outlet Gourmet

Well my trip to the Grocery Outlet proved to be a bit frustrating this week.  As they say timing is everything and I guess my timing was off because I chose the day that all of the employees where crowding every isle to stock shelves. The shelves I could get to where rather bare so I suppose it was kind of necessary.  I actually left after grabbing just enough to do this week’s post. That means I will no doubt have to make another trip at some point this week. Good news is that I was still able to come up with another tasty meal with what was available. 

My Paper Heart

Well hello everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was rather busy and quite enjoyable! It included everything from tea parties to movie outings.  Most of which involved our awesome Jr. High youth group! But my favorite part of the whole weekend was the ending. After a chilly and rainy Sunday morning I spent the afternoon tucked in at home making soup, watching the newest BBC version of Sense & Sensibility and making some Valentines craft projects.

Baking Up a Little Lovin!

So it’s finally time for this week’s baking recipe.  A little late but hopefully you will find it worth the wait. The inspiration for this week came from two sources.  One, I still had a bunch of left over lemons. And two, I’m hosting a tea for my Jr High girls small group tomorrow, so I needed some tea time recipes.  After scouring one of my favorite cookbooks I found the perfect recipe – Lemon Tea Bread.

Fruitful in a Land of Suffering

When I woke up this morning I had fully intended to post my weekly baking recipe. However as I was praying and getting ready for the day I felt led to share something a little different. I wanted to write a little about all that God has been speaking to me in the last couple of days. I think someone else needs to hear this or at least be a little reminded. It always amazes me how when God has a point to drive home He uses every aspect of your life to drive it home. Be it a weekly Bible study, a Sunday sermon, a song on the radio or a old podcast from months ago. And that’s exactly what the Lord has been doing with me this week. All through the story of Joseph and his eleven brothers.

Grocery Outlet Gourmet

Sorry for the lack of posts over the last couple of days. It's just been soooo beautiful and warm outside that I couldn't resist skipping the indoor projects and enjoying the great outdoors! Sorry to all you East Coasters who are still dealing with the effects of Snowmageddon but yesterday was a perfect sunny 70 degrees here in Livermore, CA (sigh of contentment....).

But I'm back and have some great plans for the week. To start with is another Grocery Outlet Gourmet feature. There were so many delicious options at GO this week that I had a hard time deciding what to make! But thanks to everyone else and their savory grill aromas wafting through my wide open windows, I finally decided to do a little grilling myself. And so I bring you:

 Lemon Pepper White Fish with Wild Rice and Grilled Zucchini.

Paint Pallet of Life

I think I have fallen in love with not only a newly discover (for me at least) neighborhood of the great city of San Francisco, but also with a new friend to make my little adventures with! You see this past Thursday I made an excursion into the famed Mission with my dear friend Kathrine and had an absolute blast! One of the best parts of the entire day was finding out how much we both enjoy aimlessly wandering through side streets, curious looking stores and unusual eateries! So often when I make the trip to the city it’s with a specific purpose and time frame, and I as much as I would love to I, never really get to just explore. Not so this day! We hopped on BART with a loose idea of what we might want to check out thanks to a Lonely Plant iPhone app, a little late night Internet research and a book titled “Off the Beaten Path San Francisco”. Then we just let our inquisitive natures do the rest.

Baking Up A Little Lovin!

I hope someone appreciates this post because I had to get up pretty early this morning in order to fit baking in to my very busy day! But considering I missed week two of my self imposed weekly baking challenge I felt a little obligated to bust out a some deliciousness. So here you go!

As I mentioned previously, I try to always bake something different for our weekly meeting. I've worked my way through some of the basics like chocolate chip, oatmeal and peanut butter. Now I'm venturing in to the unordinary and looking for some inspiration. Lucky for me my little house sitting adventure over the weekend decided to offer just such inspiration in the way of lemon tree!

A King Like No Other

When I first read the email late last summer I was so disheartened. No more Sunday night Bible study? How could this be? We were only half way through the 1 Corinthians study! Didn't they understand that this was the highlight of my week!

But sometimes that's just how life goes. Those who had been leading it were going through some personal transitions and very busy periods and just weren't going to be able to continue. At first I wasn't sure whether to look for a different group or not. Maybe it was just time to do some studying on my own. That's when the second email came. One of my fellow 1 Cor friends wanted to know if I was interested in joining her and another friend at their Monday night BSF group. I agreed right away!

A Country Kind of Weekend

One of the nice things about being single with no current obligations is the ability to help a friend out when they are in a pinch. Which is exactly what I've spent this wonderful sunny weekend doing. House/pet sitting for a family from church who's planned sitter had to cancel at the last minute. And this isn't just any old house sitting job. The home I'm watching over happens to be on an old dairy farm, which is also the future home of our new church campus. It's quite an interesting place and has quite the interesting story. And although it's been terrible neglected and poorly cared for in the last couple of years it still has an incredibly rich in history and is full of potential. I'm not even going to try to explain how our church came to posses the land because that's quite a story in itself and because I have no doubt I would get more facts wrong than right. But I will share some of the ubber cool (at least I think they are) pictures I snapped using my Tilt Shift App on my iPhone and what I did to fill my time.

Grocery Outlet Gourmet

So this weeks GO challenge served to accomplish two things. One would be this post, which is my second GO Gourmet post. Two weeks in a row! I'm so proud of my self! And the second would be to check off yet another soup from the long list of homemade, from scratch, soups I ambitiously scribbled down on that first cool weekend last fall. I've spent most of the fall and winter working my way through this list. Some are old favorites, others are just interesting recipes I found in a magazine, cookbook or on some blog or website. So far I've made Chicken Tortilla, Split Pea, Creamy Tomato, Wild Rice and Mushroom, Baked Potato, Rustic Vegetable, Chicken and Dumplings, and Blacked Eyed Pea. All of those and I'm just past half way through!

So when I came across the beautiful little arboreal bunches of broccoli while browsing the produce bins at GO this week, I new what was on the dinner menu!

Cream of Broccoli and Cheese soup!

A Great Start to a Great Weekend

What a wonderful weekend this is starting out to be! No rain, temps in the mid 60's and a trip to the Pleasanton farmers market! All this and a good friend too! I love things like open air markets and fairs. I think it's because they remind me of shopping at the Saturday markets in Widen Germany as a kid. All of the interestingg vendors. The hussell and bussell of the crowds. And best of all is the freshness of the produce and flowers and baked goods! Such sweet memories.

I Think There's a Bug on You're Shirt

Since my last post I've spent a bit of time thinking about why I find printmaking so intriguing and I think I may have figured it out. It's because I can freely give away the things I make without feeling like I'm losing a part of me. There are multiple copies! I can keep one and still give it away to others with out feeling like I've lost anything. Sounds funny I know, but I'm sure I'm not the only person who feels this way. You see I put a lot of time and effort in to the things I create. And although I love to share them I worry about my creations. For the most part the things I make are wholly unique and one of a kind. And when I give it away it falls to the mercy of the person receiving it. And I wonder, will they understand the effort I put into it. Will they take care of it. Will it speak to them the same way it speaks to me? Or will it be just another thing to them. And then I wonder if this might not be just a glimpse of what my Father God feels like with His creation and suddenly I'm overwhelmed with feelings of love and worth! Sigh

But with printmaking I don't have to worry so much. I can always keep a copy for myself but more importantly I can make a new one if harm should come to the ones previously made. And so I introduce an exciting new project to you - Screen printing!

Stamp of Approval

Originally when I decided to start a blog I had intended it to be mostly about all of the different crafts I do. And I have even mentioned my love and enjoyment of making things in some of my previous posts. But as of yet I haven't posted a single thing about any of my projects. Well have no fear my friends because today is the day! I figured this cold rainy day warranted skipping the walk to the library and some creative fun at home instead. And since I didn't walk to the library I'm attempting to do this post via my iPhone. Do have a little understanding if it ends up lookin a little wonky!

Grocery Outlet Gourmet

Being on a shoe string budget has presented numerous challenges. One such challenge is grocery shopping and creating delicious meals. Cooking for me is like therapy. I love to cook and I love to share what I cook. I've always been that way. Even as a kid in a family of seven I would so enjoy getting to cook dinner for everyone. It was kind of my escape - mostly because if I was in the kitchen cooking I wouldn't have to take on some of the other less appealing chores -like cleaning. That was a task best left to my older sister Heather. That girl can clean like no one I've ever meet. She is also a fabulous cook and an amazing wife & mother.

All this to say that I am never happy with cookie cutter, out of the box (or freezer) meals. And so I'm left trying to find interesting ways to make delicious meals for very little money.  In comes one of my new favorite places to shop!

Inspired by Who?

Just thought I would let everyone know that I've spent a couple of minutes working on my blog list today. The sites I've listed have been a huge source of inspiration for me personally. You can find them in the right hand column. I would really encourage you to take a couple of minutes to look at some of them! There are some really amazing people out there with some pretty amazing things to share! Hope you enjoy!

Baking Up a Little Lovin!

Holy Cow! Here we go with my first weekly challenge and a SECOND post in one day. Let's hope this doesn't become an addiction!

This weeks recipe is a result of me trying to use up whats left from the holiday baking and my love of gingerbread. And so I bring you..... Molasses Crinkle Cookies!!

(Didn't really crinkle though)

A Little Structure

It's amazing how something as simple as publishing that first post has sent my mind whirling! I've spent a lot of time in the past two days thinking about what I'm going to write about next. And then that gets me to wondering if the things I think about are at all interesting to others and if anyone cares. And then I start to feel stupid and kind of embarrassed and again wonder why I'm even doing this. And then I'm able to relax because I remember why I'm starting this. It's for structure and order and challenge to my otherwise unstructured days.

Well hello!

Wow! My own blog! This is quite an intimidating undertaking! First off - let me explain a little about why I'm even attempting this. It's not because I have some great aspiration about writing -because believe me if there is one thing I am not - its a writer! It's mostly because I am a thirty something single girl, living in the east bay of SF, who is currently unemployed, completely broke and quite frankly totally bored!! I'm running on six months of unemployment and at this point I'm trying anything to keep a little structure and order in my life. And so...   I'm going to tell you all about what I'm doing to fill my days.