Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

Actually this bread was supposed to have been Almond Poppy Seed Bread, but I didn’t have almond extract and looked to see what else I had. It was a choice between rum, orange or lemon extracts and I went with lemon.

From the book ~ “The BREAD Machine Book” by Marjie Lambert

This recipe is for a 1 1/2 lb. loaf.

Ingredients:

1 egg
7/8 c. milk
3 tbs. butter
3 tbs. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. almond or lemon extract
3 tbs. poppy seeds
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
2 2/3 c. bread flour
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
6 tbs. slivered almonds

Put all ingredients except slivered almonds in pan according to your bread machine instructions.

Set for white/basic bread, medium crust.

Press Start. 

Add almonds at the beeper or after the first kneading.

Happy baking and consuming!

FlowerLady

Tree trimming, crocheting, bread making, bees

 Hello Folks ~ It is a beautiful Sunday afternoon, not too hot, big blue sky, some clouds, and a nice breeze. Fall is coming to s.e. FL and FlowerLady is happy about that.

This past week has been very busy. I had the tree trimmer come out Wednesday and in about three hours he trimmed everything and raked and cleaned it all up and carted it away.

Some of the tree limbs were up in the power lines along the driveway so they had to go. The owner to the east will have to take care of them on his side. The trees are all on his side, and DH kept them cut back on our side.

Before:

During:

After: He left his huge truck here over night, since he was going to come back to do the neighbor’s black oak the next day.

Before:

After:

Another view after.  I had to take the gate off, and lucky for me the screws in the hinges came out easily and the gate wasn’t too heavy, just awkward to handle.  The tree guy helped me to carry it to lean up next to porch below, but when he left to cart tree debris away, he remembered the gate after he was already gone.  I got it back up my self. “YES!”

While the tree trimmer was here, my neighbor to the west came over to talk with him about taking down his black oak, which was hanging over the workshop, the neighbor’s house and over some of our property behind his house. 

It was starting to cover our avocado tree also.

Before:

After:

Tree trimmer in his bucket next door.

Black oak hanging over the workshop and covering avocado tree..

After:

This below is the back half of the black oak, the darker green.  The front half was already cut back when I took this photo.

All gone!

The black oak was an all day job and then some, in the heat.  The guy and his one man crew cleaned it all up, had a truck or two to take it all away.  Really amazing and a great job.

It is brighter and feels lighter in feeling, not so melancholy.

Now that all of that is done I am raring to go in doing more outside work, but this morning noticed bees flying into a hole in an old phone pole we had set up for birds, squirrels, frogs, whoever wanted to live in there. Not bees though.  I don’t know if they moved in there because of the noise of the sawing going on around here for two days or what.  I watched and lots of bees where flying into the hole.  So I came in and googled a bee removal service for our area and emailed them since it is Sunday.  I’m afraid now to go out there to weedwack or mow.  I hope they come out here soon and hope it doesn’t cost me an arm and a leg.  I don’t know how they are going to do this, but the fencing is wired to the post.  If they have to take it all down so be it.  That whole potting area needs to be reworked anyway. The large hole in the post is where they are flying into.

Now that has me worried.  It seems to me, like it’s been one thing after another since losing my husband in Dec. So keep praying for FlowerLady that she doesn’t go berserk.

I did make a new recipe in my bread machine this week.  Lemon Poppy seed.  Not a sweet bread but a delicious bread none the less.  It smelled yummy in here while baking.  I think I’ll make French toast with it for breakfast tomorrow.

I got news this past Thurs. that a widow friend will be going into the hospital this Wed. for surgery and I got the nudge to make a prayer shawl.  I looked them up online and then came up with this simple pattern.  I prayed on the way to Walmart the next morning, on the way to work, that I would find a nice soft, bulky yarn, and I did.  It took me a little bit to get used to working with the yarn and a huge crochet hook as I’m used to working small. This worked up fast, and I finished it yesterday afternoon.  I wrapped it up and gave it to her this morning before church.

I saw this blessing on one of the prayer shawl websites put it in my card program and added the heart border, cut it out and put in in the card.

Yesterday morning between 4-6 I dreamed of my dear husband and he had this big, beautiful smile on his face.  I can’t tell you how that made me feel then and still makes me feel now.  Wonderful to be sure!

So, that’s what’s been going on down here at Plum Cottage.

I hope you all have a great week ~ FlowerLady

The Winner is … #3

 

Good morning Friends ~ I just went through the list of names again to make sure I had them correct, used the random number generator and out of 13 entries, #3 is the winner.

1. Jane
2. Dottie
3. Ernestine
4. Darcie
5. GOSS
6. Tina
7. Julie
8. Glenda
9. Becky
10. Paula ~ Amish Woman
11. eli
12. Janine Getty
13. Sharon

Thank you all for entering and CONGRATULATIONS to Ernestine.

*******************

It was a busy week here and I’ll write a post up later.

Have a great day or evening wherever you are ~ FlowerLady

Plum Cottage happenings and a give-away

 

Good morning Folks ~ The rains finally let up Thursday so I did my errands, got home around noon, ate a sandwich then grabbed my straw hat, sunglasses, got the lawnmower out of the shed, cranked it up and mowed. Boy did it need it. It had been almost two weeks since I did it last. The mower ran out of gas and I ran out of steam, so that I did not finish the little lawn area to the west between the privacy fencing there and the barn. Another time.  I need to weedwack too, but I’ll do that later also.  It felt good to get that much done.

With all the rain we had this week I was stuck indoors so I did more going through and getting rid of ‘stuff’. I read, I crocheted, and thought about things. This journey of being a widow isn’t easy. I’m getting used to being alone and think of my dear husband and his being in heaven, and wonder what that must be like. I cry, I pray, I live and I am thankful for each new day I am blessed with.  Being thankful is positive and raises my spirits. My dear husband is no longer in pain, he is completely well, whole, he is at peace. I am alive, a daughter of The King, and He  is with me at all times. I am thankful for this little haven, for the little cottage, workshop, gardens, birds, butterflies, scents, colors, for friends, for family, for my love of cooking and creating, for books to read, music that touches my heart and soul, for lessons learned.

My 5th bloggiversary will be on the 28th of this month, so I am going to have a give-away and will use random.org to choose the winner.  I will announce the winner on the morning of the 29th.  This is open to only the continental United States.

The prize is a little ‘Give Thanks’ journal.  A place to write down things you are thankful for, or whatever else you might like to write in there. Thoughts or poetry about being thankful, scripture verses that bless your heart, whatever.

I am thankful to all of you, for reading and following my humble blog.  I am thankful for all of the love, encouragement, inspiration you all have given to and been to me, especially since losing my DH this past Dec. You are a wonderful bunch.

Here is the little journal. The color is more of a dusty, mauvey, pale rose, who knows how it will look with your monitor, as they all show colors differently. The fabric is moiré. I crocheted the flower and hand sewed it and the beads to the front of this little book cover. It has a ribbon tie to keep it closed. The size is 3 inches wide by 5 inches high.

Thank you again and I look forward to seeing who the winner will be. 

Just leave a comment here to be included in the drawing.  Make sure I also have a email addy to reach you. Only one entry please.

**************************

I bought some Czech glass beads of a certain size this week to use on my little purses. I need to buy more felt to line purses with and am loving these little creations. My heart is happy working with needles, hooks, threads, beads. I am thankful for the gift God gave me to be able to do this.

Here’s part of my work surface. Several things going at once as you can see.

Here’s a close-up of the beads used for this purse, a sort of smoky rainbow of colors. In the light, they reflect different colors.

I can’t quit crocheting hearts.  Hearts have always been something I loved, and they are even more special to me now.  DH was my love, my encourager, my mentor, my heart is filled with love and many, many memories of him and our life together.

Last week at work, I was crocheting since it was so quiet. (My boss has told me many times through the 16 + years that I’ve worked there that he hopes I have something to do when it is quiet, so I sometimes crochet.) Anyway, a younger woman came in with her husband and she excitedly asked me if I was crocheting and I said yes and she wanted to see what I was doing. I showed her and she said she was just learning and hopes to someday be able to do what I am doing.  I told her she would, it just takes time and practice, plus she loves doing it and her husband encourages her and that’s a big plus.  I told them my husband had encouraged me too, and that I lost him in Dec. and miss his love and encouragement.  I told her to keep crocheting and she said she would.  I showed her the little purse posted here in the blog and she really got excited.

They told me they were sorry for my loss then continued on around the shop looking at the pieces we have. They said goodbye when they left and my eyes filled with tears and when the door closed I sobbed. The loss is overwhelming at times and I just let the tears flow.

Learning new things is exciting, encouraging others to learn is exciting too.

So, don’t be afraid to try new things,

encourage others too,

and let ‘love’ be a part of all that you do.

Love and hugs to all of you ~ FlowerLady

Filet crochet pieces

Hi Folks ~ I crocheted these pieces awhile back and have had them sitting in my stash.  I thought I would offer them here first before putting them in my Etsy shop in case any of you are interested. They will be a little cheaper here as I won’t have to figure in Etsy and PayPal or Credit Card fees.

Many, many years ago I saw my first filet crochet pattern, and did not think I could do it, but, my dear, dear husband thought otherwise and told me, yes I could. I don’t know if this was the first pattern I saw, but I think it was and I DID do it.  It took time, but I did it.  I found that piece today as I was going through my stash of linens, fabrics, etc.

It has a brown stain in the leaves in the middle and something has happened to the edging at the bottom left hand side.  This piece is not for sale.

Some of these patterns are antique, some are not. I try to look for antique ones to make.

This butterfly I’m not sure about, as I don’t remember where I got it.

The size is 8 1/2 inches wide by 7 1/2 inches high, size 10 crochet thread.

It can be mounted, matted and framed, sewn to a pillow, hung in a window.

$25.00 plus shipping

I made this one with a filet crochet program that I have.

It is 10 3/4 inches wide by 4 1/2 inches high, size 30 crochet thread.

$30.00 – plus shipping

This is another one done using my filet crochet program.

It is 7 1/2 inches wide by 6 1/2 inches high size 10 crochet thread.

$20.00 plus shipping

~ SOLD ~

Another one using program.

This is 10 1/4 inches by 5 1/4 inches, size 10 crochet thread.

$25.00 plus shipping

This bunny and the rooster below are antique patterns.

The bunny is 14 inches wide by 11 inches high, size 10 crochet thread.

$30.00 plus shipping

Rooster is 12 inches by 11 inches high, size 30 thread.

$30.00 plus shipping.

I will leave these up here for a week for sale, then I’ll have them for sale on Etsy and the price will be higher as I said above, because of fees.  If you are interested, just let me know through my profile, you can find my email addy there.

I did some more work in the bedroom today now it’s time for supper, lentils with feta cheese sprinkled on top, and a glass of red wine, and a thankful heart.  The rain let up for awhile and the sun even came out from behind clouds, but it looks like we’re going to get more before the day is over.

Enjoy every moment, they are priceless ~ FlowerLady

Rain, rain and more rain

Good morning Friends,

It’s Wednesday, not light out yet, 6:54 a.m. I guess time changing will be happening soon.  Something that takes time getting used to every change, but what can we do but go with the flow.

I hear a frog croaking, and now I hear rain.  We’ve had days of rain, my grass is overgrown and I thought I might be able to mow today, but I need it to be dry so the grass does not stick to the underside of the mower. 

Sunday it rained, Monday was our widow’s meeting, Friends Needing Friends, we had a thunderstorm happen while we were there and fortunately it didn’t rain on the way to or from, yesterday it rained off and on all day, so I postponed doing errands, will see if I get to do them today. Yesterday I puttered inside, working on the bedroom some more, crocheting, reading.

Sunday I made a homemade pizza for supper. Yummy! Even if I do say so myself.  DH always enjoyed my pizzas. Italian sausage, homemade sauce using canned tomato sauce with garlic, onion, and Italian seasoning added, simmered for awhile. Sliced green olives.

Mozarella and parmesan cheeses.

Baked for 15 minutes, convection oven at 375.

Driveway overhang from the east neighbors. I’m having a tree trimmer coming to take care of my trees in the next week or so. DH used to do this with his saws-all, then we would both cut it all up smaller and take it out front to be picked up.  Grueling work.  This guy has a bucket truck to cut things back, and he will cart everything away.

This is a ficus tree that hasn’t been trimmed in a couple of years, maybe 3.  A guy would come around and do it for us, for a price, but he hasn’t been around and I figure he has moved on.

Palm fronds have fallen from the palm and landed in the tree, two are hanging in there now.

This is from the front patio.

This is the black oak from our neighbor’s to the west.  I need three limbs cut back to keep them off the work shop and out of my avocado tree.  I’m hoping he will pay for that part of the tree trimming.

I’m hoping this fall/winter to be able to do a lot of clearing out of ‘junk’ and overgrowth here at Plum Cottage.

Thank you all for your kind words about my crocheted purse. I’m hoping my creations will supplement my income. I want to thank all who have purchased different bits from me, I do appreciate it. I love creating with needles, hooks, threads and beads. I did sell a crocheted needlecase to one of my widow friends this past week and that was nice.

I’ve been only working two days a week lately at my job because of the economy.  I’ve been working there for 16 1/2 years. No benefits except that it’s a great job, easy going and my boss is easy to work with. I used to work 3-6 days a week, but not anymore, once in a great while. I am thankful I still have my job, and try to spend my income wisely.

I got 5-6 cuttings recently from a friend of the red flowered passion vine, two of them are doing well, new growth, the rest croaked.  I know, just what I need, another vine.   Not sure where I will put it yet, somewhere where I can control it. The flowers are wonderful.

A widow friend made stollen the other day, and gave me a loaf.  I’ve had it toasted and I also made French toast with it and that was oh so yummy.

I guess that’s it for now.  May you all feel God’s love, peace, strength and blessings surrounding you.

FlowerLady

***

Let the rain kiss you.

Let the rain beat upon your head

with silver liquid drops.

Let the rain sing you a lullaby.

Langston Hughes,  April Rain Song,  1902 – 1967

***

P.S. I am just reading about and seeing photos of the flooding and loss of homes and lives in Mexico, and we’ve already seen and read about the flooding in CO. My heart and prayers go out for all effected by these flooding waters. It makes me feel ashamed for writing about days of rain, with no flooding.

Finished crocheted purse and next one started :-)

Good morning Friends ~ It’s another gray day with a possibility of thunderstorms. We had rain off and on yesterday so it was another indoor day for me. I finished the first purse and just love it, although there is some tweaking for me to do with these.  I started another one too using a ‘dusty rose’ colored thread.  Last evening I had a commenter say that she loved the purse and thought it would look good in dusty rose. Amazing.

Here the little purse is finished. I finished off the sides with crochet, then crocheted an edge across the top, and also sewed on some tiny beads just above the ribbon. The size of the purse is about 4 inches wide x 4 1/2 inches high.

In the photo below, the color isn’t true as it’s not in daylight, but lamplight, taken early this morning.

I have 9 more leaves and flowers to make to complete all of the elements for this purse. I timed what I did yesterday, each different pattern, so that I would know how much time it takes me to create this. With just the elements, it will take a little over four hours. Sewing them all on, adding the beads, crocheting the sides closed and the the edging will take more time.  How much, I’ll let you know later.  I love creating.

Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don't unravel. 

Author unknown

Have a great weekend.

FlowerLady

P.S.

I posted this then did a research on drawstrings, as I didn’t have it right at all, now I do.

Easy peasy, and yippee!