I decided to do some tinkering last night as I wanted a fudge pie, but really, I don't like pie crust (unless it is the cream cheese, butter conconction I make) and I knew "crustless" pies existed. So I made the filling just like always, except I added an egg because I thought it might need more body. Failure. It was too cakey. Next time, I'm not going to add an egg. My favorite mashed potato tinkering, found recently? Really, I am a purist when it comes to potatoes. Guess it must be my Irish blood, I want it to taste like just a potato. But we've had dried garlic in the pantry forever. I tried addig it to the water when the potatoes are boiling. It's really good for a change. And it's using something rather than throwing it away, my favorite. It's time to make a cake and it could be the vehicle for that frosting! Oh my gosh. Awesome. Meldy, I get the cleaning/nesting bug when I get stir crazy too. I think I want it to be a better place since I am stuck in it. :) Right now I am frothing at the mouth since I put seeds out, it's raining, and the temperatures are about to start their steady climb here. I keep my nose pressed to the glass and dream of the days when I can go dig in the dirt without freezing my hands. It's close.

who knew... 40 odd years of garden in a snow zone... who ever thought to go to a garden/arb or tree farm in the middle of winter.. NOT ME.. until i took a grafting class at gee tree ... and gary gave a two hour tour of his arb in mid-january ... i think single digits plus wind ... if you live within 3 hours of SE MI ... make a day of going to hidden lakes in tipton MI .. and gee tree in Stockbridge MI ... in winter.. again ... go figure on that ... listen fireboy .. dont bankrupt yourself 'needing to buy' everything you see .... be careful with that ... the mugo ... would be carsten's .... or the other name ... i cant ID your pic.. but a proper spelling helps research if necessary ... short of asking bob ... the picea pungens lutea ... is probably not much different that the P. p. 'aurea' i offered to send you for the cost of shipping ... but alas.... i gave it to bro-bot for Xmas ... and .. that is the same landscape fabric in the pix .. not more.. right/???? lol thanks for the pix ken

Magpie...I'm laughing at what you said about your DH... mine didn't go along with it that eaisly at first. I had to convince him 'He Could Do It'... I told him how clever he was and knew he could...he did warn me quite a bit, that the glass could shatter. I WAS amazed in the end, that he succeded. I hope you and DH had a great fishing day. Sounds like a nice 'together' time. yachter...Yep...Kathleen will be making her way to her local CTS shop. Nothing gets past her...lol As far as those chocolate cupcake candles...when I go next time, I will look to see if they still have any left and will keep you in mind. They would look cute with your Chefs. OA...I've seen those chocolate bunnies in many stores.. They seem to be pretty popular this year. I first saw them last year in Home Goods, but now many other places. party music...keep the faith.. as I said to Luvs. Also, keep checking out the CTS site..they have a listing of where they are and future sites as well. MM...you should Register on Michael's site and have them email you their weekly sales AND coupons. This way, when you go, you can print out a current coupon. I do that, because they don't send a flyer to my area. Hi Marlene..Welcome. You don't want to 'Short Out' you PC with all the drool!! lol Glad you enjoyed my 'haul'! I didn't realize until I unpacked everything...how much SPRING I bought.. Guess, just like everyone else, I've had enough Winter already. Hope to hear more from you, and please join in and share any pictures that you have...We LOVE pictures, as you can tell by the responces to mine!! lol PUNK!! You've been missed! I know you've been busy and glad you had a chance to 'pop' in. Glad you enjoyed looking at everything. I don't think your tree will make me laugh...you are always too modest. I'm looking forward to seeing the hand painted eggs your friend gave you. Looking forward to seeing you back when you get the time. jane

Yesterday was our 14th day in a row of 100-degrees F or higher, and it topped out at 110-degrees F yesterday. Thankfully we'll have highs in the low 90's this week, and a much needed break from the extreme heat.... But the humidity will be higher and I always think that is worse at any temperature than dry heat. I get up at 3:30 a.m. each morning so I can get everything I need done before 9:00 a.m. when the heat really sets in. The gardening is done by 7:00 or 8:00. I love being at home, so cabin fever or getting bored doesn't fit my personality. I've been spending the hot afternoons making Wonder Ovens (aka Wonder Box - a form of thermal cooking) for Christmas (see link below). Your recipe for homemade mayonnaise made me think of my mother. I don't think my parents bought a jar of mayonnaise until I was a teen in the late 60's - it was always homemade. If you ever are concerned with using raw eggs, you can pasteurize it/them first by bringing the egg/s to 140-degrees F in a pan of hot water, and maintain the temperature for 3-1/2 minutes. Place in cold water to stop the cooking process. It's enough heat to pasteurize the egg, but not enough to completely cook it so you can still use it "raw". Lots of raw whole foods these days (but that's normal all year round) - especially with the garden producing. Cooling fruit or homemade fruit sorbet for dessert. Lots of homemade sprouts to use in wraps and on sandwiches now that it's gotten too hot to grow fresh greens. I also have a lot of pre-cooked meat, soup and chili in the freezer in user-friendly amounts we use when it's hot (cook once, eat twice - or more). Frozen seasoned steak strips or chicken for hearty dinner salads or a head start on a stir-fry, or quick Mexican entrees. Pulled pork has all kinds of uses.... I portion it in snack-bags and then vacuum-seal it in a FoodSaver bag. Add some bbq sauce and a homemade burger bun from the freezer and top it with shredded cabbage (also from the garden). I baked some new (homegrown) potatoes in the Solar Oven the other day, reheated some chili (formerly frozen) in the Solar Oven as well, to top the baked potatoes for a quick meal along with sliced fresh vegetables from the garden. Chili also makes a quick Taco Salad. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Wonder Box