Repurposed Wine Bottles

Repurposing is so big right now. Personally I love the idea and I love to see how creative people can be when they repurpose an item.

Currently our recycle bin is filled with wine bottles.  Each is so different and visually appealing—it seemed ashamed to just toss them.  This got me thinking…

Check out some of these great ideas for repurposing them.

 

~type you soon~

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Busy, Busy, Busy...

I noticed today that I haven't done a post in forever. Yikes! I’ve been slaving over the stove making an ungodly amount of applesauce. I also had a dinner party last week so that kept me busy too.

I’m so excited, my daughter and I are going to see Carrie Underwood in concert! I am so ready to dance and hear her amazing voice in person!! It should be a blast!!

 

My new addiction right now is pico de gallo. I’m making a ton of it because I have three tomatoes plants that refuse to believe that fall is coming and they should no longer be producing. They have convinced two jalapeños peppers that the growing season isn’t over too. The thought of letting veggies that I’ve grown go to waste makes me cringe so I harvest and make pico de gallo. I’ve been putting it on everything—on tacos, on a bed of cabbage or lettuces, and of course eating it with organic corn chips. It’s very versatile.

Here is my recipe.

Juice of 1 lime

 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

 2 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes

 2 to 3 jalapeños, chopped

 1 medium onion, diced

 1 clove garlic, minced

 1 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients in bowl. Stir well to evenly distribute all flavors and then enjoy. I find the longer it sits the better it is.

I just ran across this picture of me when I was one. My curly hair has always been an issue!!! LOL!

~type you soon~

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Apple Harvest

Where we live apples grow well and are plentiful—and we’ve always taken advantage of that.  We usually get boxes full and I spend an entire weekend making tons of applesauce (the kids eat it as fast as I can make it), apple bread, and then slicing the rest and vacuum sealing them so they will keep in the freezer all winter. I have always had a interest in making apple butter but I have yet to try it—maybe this year I will!

 

 

My secret ingredient to making applesauce it to use Trader Joe’s Spiced Cider as the base.

 Here is the recipe I loosely follow—I say loosely because the apples we get are from old homesteads and sometime they aren’t super juicy (add more liquid) or they are very tart (add more sugar) so I just doctor it up according to taste. The house smells so good when you are cook this!

Spiced Cider Applesauce

10 apples - peeled, cored and chopped

 2 cups of spiced cider

 ¼ cup white sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a saucepan, combine apples, cider, sugar, and cinnamon. Cover, and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are soft. Allow to cool and mash.  I freeze the leftovers in freezer bags (lay them flat and stack them on top of each other).

Here is a new recipe that I want to try.

Spiked Apple Cider

¼ gallon apple cider

½  cup dark rum

½  cup cinnamon schnapps

Mix together the cider, rum, and schnapps in a large pitcher. Pour the spiked cider into glasses filled with ice and serve. This can also be served warm. 

I love this presentation...

 

~type you soon~

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Autumn...it's coming!

Can you feel it? The irresistible tug of autumn is in the air. The morning is cool and the days are getting shorter.  I’m so ready for the changing of the seasons.

 

I’m ready to change out my wardrobe...

 

sit down to a warm bowl of soup...

 

enjoy the leaves changing...

appreciate the holidays...



and I shall try and accomplish as many of these as possible…

 

~type you soon~

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~Random Pictures~

I have five million (that might be a little excessive) pictures on my camera—I will snap a picture of anything.  So I thought I’d go through them and clean them up. Here are some random pics I forgot I’d taken.

 

Watermelon Message: At the beginning of summer I distinctly remember asking my daughter if she could cut me a piece of watermelon when she was getting some for herself.  When she walked past me nibbling on a juicy wedge I asked her. “Where’s mine?” She replied, “In the kitchen.”

She’s a crafty one ;o)

 

Brave Waves: My daughter and I went to see the movie Brave and we loved Merida’s curls.

 

My daughter found a way to get Merida’s curls with a sock. Here it is on Pinterest. Her curls came out so awesome I just had to take a few pictures!!! Love her red hair…and no it’s not dyed…we get asked that all the time.

Bored While Driving: I traveled a lot this summer—all by myself so I got very lonely. I totally forgot I took these pictures and not even sure why I took them.

When the traffic wasn’t that busy I actually wrote on one of my books. With a pencil and a pad.

This was my fuel…those almonds are my favorite snack.

Not sure why I took this…I believe I was stuck in traffic for a long time and felt like I5 was taking a piece of my soul…

 

~type you soon~

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