Crochet dishcloths

Love using good tools for washing dishes!

Summer Salad

Summer salads are so perfect for these 90 degree days! I warmed up some precooked chicken cubes and added some salsa seasoning (no tomatoes added). I let that cool then added apples, mandarin oranges, cucumbers and radishes. Then topped with all natural creamy poppy seed dressing (Marketside). It was scrumptious!

Gift from Mom

I got the nicest housewarming gift from my mom. I love it! I have to get an anchor to hang it on the wall. My mom gets me the neatest gifts! :)

Good stuff

I have been munching on chips and junk at work so I stopped to get some good stuff to munch on instead. Bing cherries are my all time favorite fruit. There are a bit messy to eat but so worth it. I love munching on a sliced cucumber and radishes cut in half. I am all set for the next couple of days at work. I am so glad that I grew up eating lots of fruits & vegetables and love them all.

I was out of sandwich works, so I got some deli sliced Angus Beef. It is so good with Hellmann's, honey mustard and good Muenster or Swiss cheese. I always put it in the microwave for 20/30 seconds to warm it up a bit. So good! I try not to eat out to eat healthier and to stay within my (tight) budget.

Strawberry freezer jam

I missed the very short strawberry season this year, which is a huge bummer. Last year was my 1st year picking strawberries and making jam. My mom always made it so I wanted to give it a try. I had no idea how many strawberries to get so I went a little overboard! I will have enough jam for this year too! I wonder how many times Grandma made freezer jam and think about how much she had to make! Wowza!

The strawberries were so ripe and beautiful.

It took a long time to prepare them to make for jam but I had help, thank goodness. :)

I am sure grandma did not use plastic Ball jars! I should be ashamed. Crazy plastic world we live in! Making the jam was one of the funnest things I did last summer! Plus it tastes so good.

I even made my first pie. It was so good! I have strawberries & rhubarb frozen to make another one. I need to do that soon!

simple summer sandwich

Sometimes I crave a toasted tomato sandwich. Sounds weird, ha? I used to work with a vegetarian and she used to make this at lunch. Toast the bread, apply Hellmans's, slice up a tomato, layer and add pepper (if you like it). It tastes so great and really light for summer. Of course, I always have to have Westby Creamery cottage cheese with it.

Summer purse

I finally took the time to sew a bag for myself this week. There are so many steps, so it usually takes 4+ hours to make the set. I still have to make the cosmetic bag to match. I had my eye on this orange (top & straps) fabric for a long time but not sure what to make with it. I finally paired it up with the yellow flowered fabric then chose a dark pink fabric for the liner.

Coupon organizer

My friend requested an apron to keep her coupons organized at the store. She usually rings up 2 or 3 transactions and was finding that was having a hard time keeping them organized. This is what I sewed for her. It has a long strand of fabric that wraps around and crosses at the back then ties in the front. I love the colors of purple and this green together.

Crochet dishcloths

In June, I watched U-Tube and learned how to crochet. I have done single and double crochet but I prefer single for dishcloths. My favorite yarn is Love this Cotton brand from Hobby Lobby.

My first embroidery project

I was influenced by a co-worker to make one of these. I got the 2 pillow-case kit and purchased the colors called for and started in. I love how it turned out. Now, I need to work on the 2nd one. These would make nice gifts for family :)

Log Cabin Cotton Blanket

I was going through my yarn stash trying to decide what to donate/give away and came across a bunch of Lion Brand Cotton-Ease yarn. I decided instead of getting rid of it, I was going to make myself a blanket. I started knitting (size 8 circular needles) it on 4/22/12, finishing it 5/26/12. It is my favorite project so far! It is a perfect nap blanket :)

Grape Salad

Since this blog is about handmade/homemade things, it seems fitting to share the recipe for the most amazing summer salad. Mom brought a whole cake pan of this yummy salad last week. I think I ate it for supper three times last week, during the 7 day heatwave we had. This is what it looks like.....

Here is the recipe(from my mom)....
4lbs of seedless grapes (red and/or green) I use both
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbl brown sugar (I used a lot more to be sure the top was well covered)
4 oz chopped pecans (I used more of course)

Wash and dry the grapes
Mix cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla and sugar together until smooth. Pour mixture over the grapes and stir until well covered; pour into pan. Top with brown sugar; then top with chopped pecans. Refrigerate until ready to serve.