Anniversary.... and More Blackberries

Mine and my  husbands' wedding anniversary was a week ago. I don't know if I mentioned that. We've been married 24 years. These are the flowers he brought me home (and a card).  He said he bought them because I always say, "Don't buy me flowers. they just die and are a waste of money". So he bought these to plant outside. But, when we put them outside they withered right up. ??  Maybe they need a shady area. I will have to google it. 

My sister-in-law brought me a plant over on our anniversary, too. (I feel like I wrote about this..) She didn't know it was our anniversary until later.  It's a begonia? I always thought begonias were flowers you planted outside. Apparently there's houseplants that are begonias too. They do get flowers.

My Mom sent us a card, and a gift card to go out to eat. We still haven't gone out to eat (with this card- we did go out to eat on our anniversary). We didn't get this card til the day after our anniversary, I think?  I think I have gotten that same card for Steve before. Or he got it for me.  :P

The last time I went out to pick blackberries, they were huge!! I hadn't gone out in a few days. 

And there were so many!! Oh my god...   

Aren't they beautiful?  :)

This is how many I picked that day. And I didn't even pick all of them. I got sick of picking them.  I need to go out and pick them again so they don't go to waste. P  But I don't want to...    I have all the blackberries in the world, and I should be happy. But...  Sigh,...

I made another cobbler.

And smoothies for the kids..   I made another batch of syrup for pancakes. It's also good on ice cream.  And I still have a big bowl in the fridge that I hadn't frozen yet and need to use up.  

This was the "project" I wanted to do with the music sheets.. So far, I've made three envelopes.  While I was making the second envelope, I noticed "copyright 1914" on the bottom of the page.  :0   I was like "What did I just do?"....  Maybe this was actually worth some money!?   But then my husband and I were looking at the book later, and the book is copyrighted 1946.  Still old!! World War II era.    The other book I had bought is too small.  

My husband has been working for someone who has been giving him big bags full of apples. I said "Did you tell him we have two apple trees?" (And a million blackberry bushes?!!)  He said "No that would be rude.."  It probably would, but...  What am I a Farmer's Wife?    I made a big pot of applesauce. I used this recipe.   I was not sure what "six pounds of apples" measured out to. I weighed the bag of apples on my bathroom scale but it kept coming up 00.  One time it came up 6.8. Which was the whole bag. But then I googled how many cups is a pound? And it said three cups. 3 x 6 = 18.  :0  18 cups?  Well it came out to the almost the whole bag. So...  I guess it was right. I did add almost a whole other half cup of brown sugar, and more cinnamon.  

It is yummy! I might have to make some more..    (Good thing I have tons of apples still...)

My husband asked me if I wanted to go shopping with him, to Walmart or Target (to get some work shirts cheap); the other night.   We had to go to Home Depot for something first. Some part for work he needed...   I was walking past some work gloves; and I said (out loud), I should get a pair of gloves for picking blackberries." Another reason I don't want to pick blackberries is because the pickers are getting really bad! Two of my fingers still have pickers imbedded in them (one was bad) and besides that my fingers and arms were all scratched from them.  So... I went and found a pair of gardening gloves.  

And I got a lamp. I always ask to borrow Eon's lamp so I can see at night when I crochet..   He kept saying whenever we were out and walked past lamps "You should get a lamp so you can stop borrowing mine.."      I got to go to Target and what do I buy? A lamp and gardening gloves...   Lol. What kind of a girl am I?   (I honestly couldn't even find anything I liked in clothes or shoes...  What the heck are they trying to pass off as "style"?  Sheesh..)    Steve and Eon found shirts they liked..

Monday would have been Eons' first day back to school, if we still lived in Tennessee.  I wish we did. It wasn't perfect there. But I would rather be there than here.  I think my husband is sick of me saying it.  But it's true.  Out of all the children (me and my siblings), I am the only one who lives far away now. Everyone else is in either Michigan or Tennessee. I was in Tennessee, before we came here.     I wish I had a time machine..

Christmas In July

Since I've gotten over my knitting and crocheting funk, and finished two boho purses.. I have been thinking what else to do. I did start (and finish) a scarf. I started a hat to go with it. For the Operation General Beadle Project (Pine Ridge elementary school drive).  I ran out of yarn though. I should have got more yesterday when I got this yarn. DUH....   See how dizzy I am?...  I was only thinking about the thing(s) I was currently working on, though.   Which is a CAL in another group I am in on Ravelry, Crochet Christmas.  Christmas in July.   I have small amounts of white and pink, and a half skein of red. But, I was thinking about making a few of each thing. So I thought I should get some more. 

And I wanted some sparkly yarn for knitted Christmas Bells. I really wanted sparkly variegated Christmas yarn. But I couldn't find any...   I wish they still made Jamie Baby Pompadour yarn. The white with the sparkly thread in it..

This is one of the things I did, a Santa Badge. (It's a free Ravelry download.) I think it's supposed to be a pin.  Or you could use it to hang on your Christmas tree..  Or a package topper...  You could use it for whatever you want.

And I did a Santa Frame Ornament. I actually started this one first. But I was really tired and totally confused myself...  Like usual...    I have this thing where I do what I think the pattern is saying, but then screw it up (because I'm doing it wrong..)   It's also a free Ravelry download.  I ripped it all out then did the Santa Badge first.  I want to do a few of these, if not a bunch.  I used to love doing CAL's...   The excitement just isn't there any more for me.  It was fun, though.

Besides JoAnn's, my husband actually said he wanted to go to Goodwill. :0 I was shocked. He never wants to go there.  I want to go, almost  always.   I have been wanting to get some sheet music for a project I wanted to do..  I found these for 99 cents and $1.99.

Another Summer Boho Bag and a Weekend Family Day Out

I finished this bag last night.  I was wondering how many actual skeins it would take to do this, when I was doing the first one (seeing as how I had to buy three just to finish it). It only took one 5 ounce skein of Red Heart "Aran Fleck". I had a yard or two leftover, too.  For the strap, I cut fifteen strands about 47 inches long and braided them.

I tried to get a better picture of the tassle...   I want to line it. I know I have some muslin in one of my bins somewhere..   Not a bad bag for $2.49 on sale at JoAnns.

Saturday we took Eli up to turn in a job application somewhere. (Turned out it is for a midnight shift- uh, no....)  I was all stressed out that day.  I don't know why.  Well, I do know why..  I had to drive him there myself and I do not know my way around here. My husband wrote down directions. But...   Then there's trying to get them both up (Eli got up on his own, but...  Eon is another matter).  And, other reasons.. Which is a long story.  Well, it turned out by the time I was almost ready Eli was just getting out of the shower, and Eon was up..  Then Steve came home from work early.  So, he ended up taking us all.   Then we went to a Farm Store/Petting Zoo.  The boys are (I thought) kind of old for a petting zoo...   But they liked it! Who doesn't like animals?  Especially goats and baby goats..  Look at Eli smiling. :)

I wanted to goat-nap some of them...

Especially the babies. 

Look at Eon smiling, too. :)  There were a few machines were you put a quarter in and get some goat food (they had some for the rabbits, too).  He was feeding them. One of the older goats kept trying to butt the babies out of the way. So I distracted the bully goat so Eon could feed the babies..   I don't think that's this picture. I think that white goat with the black eye was the bully.

I was surprised Eon agreed to this picture (but happy!).  I think because Eli was already over there, he did it..  :)

Me and Steve.   I haven't posted many pictures of our little trips we take. But I finally uploaded all my phone pictures yesterday, so...   :)

Are you sick of me taking about blackberries yet?...   I will probably be talking about them a lot. Since we have so many of them!!  These were all from just this morning.  I wanted to make some blackberry syrup for pancakes.  

Look at how big some of them are!! I couldn't believe it.  And they are so yummy. 

Pancakes with homemade blackberry syrup.  I strained some of it to get the pump" out, for Eon. And he still hasn't even ate any... :(  I'm sure he will though.   You can see my Ball canning jars I got, to make blackberry jam. I might do that this week. I have three quart sized and one gallon sized bag full of blackberries in the freezer.

My husbands plate..

A picture of Duke who got on the couch the second I got off to go get my camera. :P

I started another Boho bag...   

I shouldn't have wasted money on this...  I have so many magazines.

But, I kind of liked these.. The only things that have been interesting to me lately to crochet are containers or the Boho bag..

I kind of liked these too. I don't know if I would make them though.

Crocheted Summer Boho Bag and Blackbery Cobbler

I didn't mean to post yet today... Sigh. I haven't even taken a shower yet, and I have to go take Eli up to turn an application in somewhere today. (He isn't even up yet, though.. But he usually gets up around this time. Sigh again..It's not just taking him up to turn in an application I start thinking about everything and getting myself all stressed out..)  But, instead of getting ready; I ended up writing up the way I crocheted the square to make this bag, which I saw on five sixteenths blog; on Facebook. Then, I had to copy and paste it to my pattern blog. (What a pain, and it doesn't look right...  Sigh again..  SIGH!!!)  Anyway. I finished this bag last night. I have been in a major crochet funk, and didn't want to crochet at all. (It's no wonder I didn't want to crochet, the way I over-complicate everything for myself. Lol..) I should have just done it on my pattern blog first, and copied and pasted it to Facebook. Or added a link to my pattern blog. Anyway,  I kept looking at things to do. To make myself want to crochet...  My husband said "Just don't crochet then."  But I want to..  I just don't want to..  (See? I'm losing my mind...)  But then I saw this bag somewhere. And I don't remember how I even found it.  There wasn't a real pattern for the squares. So I looked at the pictures, and tried to do what (I thought) she did.  This is what I did for the squares:  My Pattern Blog. This is the Five Sixteenths Blog Post where she tells how she did her bags.   Anyway, I want to do another one. In all one color. I got four skeins of Aran Fleck. Oh, I took a picture of all the yarn I got to do these bags with..  I should try to add it here. But it will probably screw up this whole post. So I won't..  Technically, I did start a square in Aran Fleck. And, I started another square just like this bag, to test the square pattern I was writing up... So I will probably do another one just like this.  :)  I want to put a liner in this. I'll have to find some fabric I like..  Or see if I have any I could use...   

I made some blackberry cobbler yesterday. With all the blackberries I picked yesterday. I had enough.  Just.  I have been picking blackberries almost every day.  I have three quart size bags in the freezer, packed full. And a gallon size bag started. And a tray full I need to put into the gallon sized bag..  P  I used this recipe for the cobbler. It was really easy. And really, really yummy! My husband keeps saying how yummy it was. He wants more. I said "I can make some more."  So...   I have to go pick some more blackberries soon to make some more.  I have never had blackberry bushes like this before. It's a blessing and a curse at the same time. Lol...   

With vanilla ice cream..    Summertime..   :)

I Haven't Felt Like Crocheting...

... or knitting, for that matter.  I don't know what is wrong with me.  I tried to do a couple things that I was even the remotest bit interested in. Nope.    

I took this picture a few days ago. The house behind us had mowed their field and baled all the hay a few weeks ago.  Then they let their horses out there. :)  I opened my kitchen curtains one morning while I was waiting for the coffee to brew, and I saw this view.   I don't think I have ever had such a nice view. In my lifetime. Except maybe when we lived in Colorado.  (But, our house situation was not good then..)   There's three horses. One black, one brown, and one brownish with white on it's back. I thought it was tan/spotted.  The black one is the friendliest. She has come to say hi to me when I was out walking before (before they were in the field behind us).  The other two are standoff-ish.   The only "bad" thing about this is, our dogs will not stop barking at them.  Especially when they come up in the field right by our house. The neighbors property comes all the way up to our road just in one little strip. Our yard goes all the way back to that wire fence (behind the wood fence - I don't know if you can see it in the picture).    They don't let the horses in this field in the winter because all it does is rain here. And they make a mess of  the field. So  it will probably be just for the summer.  

I have been baking.  (Always...  The kids eat all the foof like there's no tomorrow!) I made some snickerdoodles this morning.  Rolling them into balls in the cinnamon sugar mix..  

All the little cookie dough balls waiting to be put on the cookie tray.  

Cooling off.  I was thinking this morning, "I should just buy a proper cooling rack. Lol.."  This was a broiler rack in the drawer of our oven when we lived in Nevada!   I just use it to put cookies on.  :P   

And I don't think I have posted a picture of my "new" cookie jar?  I didn't bring my old one with us when we moved to Tennessee.. (I made snickerdoodles in that post, too. :P) And I haven't had one all this time.   I didn't really love this one. But...  Until I find one I do love..   :)

All can't be bad when you have a jar full of snickerdoodles.

I used this recipe.  It's good for when you are running low on everything, even butter.. (Providing you have shortening, that is.)  We need to go grocery shopping.  Tonight I am making Pork Fried Rice.   Hopefully my husband gets paid soon.  This isn't the recipe I use (I can't find it), but it is similar. I don't use bacon.  I basically cook rice. Then chop up some leftover pork chops (or pork loin), and an onion. Fry them with some oil. Mix in the rice and soy sauce. Then I put it all over to one side of the pan, and I put the eggs in and cook/scramble them. Then mix it all in together.  I don't remember where I got that recipe. You can add more vegetables. But I don't usually have them.  And everyone likes it. (Thank goodness because I usually make it when we don't have any food..) 

Boring Post...

Wait. Aren't all my posts boring?... Want to see some gross, boring pictures of me cleaning my stove?...  Sorry..   This bugs me.  This is how dirty the stove was when we moved in here. You would think that a realtor would pull the stove out to clean (especially when your lease is a fourteen page long lease stating how every single item in the house has to be cleaned upon vacating the premises?..)   Grrrr.  Apparently they don't have to do that for you, upon moving in.  I pulled the stove out because every time I stand there, cooking; I can see down the side and it is disgusting... (It's worse in Real Life).  This is the Before.

After.   I won't show the floor pictures...  (I took them for "Proof", in case we need it at a later date - you never know.)  Sick of crooked people.  Anyway. That's clean now. One of a hundred things I need to do...

Some Inside Out Carrot Cake Cookies I made..   Everybody loved these.  Even my Mom and sisters on Instagram. Lol...

Today I made some Fro Yo Treats for the kids. (I ate one, too. Which I shouldn't have because I was almost immediately in the bathroom from that little bit of Greek Yogurt.)   Anyway, I saw these on Pinterest: Two Ingredient Frozen Yogurt Bites.  They were super easy to make.

I only had one container of Light & Fit Greek yogurt. It made these four. 

I used some of the blackberries from our bushes. :D  These are the ones I picked today.

These are the ones I picked two days ago.  I washed them all and froze them (I feel like I blogged about this already?...) I think I posted the picture of this bowl..  I used all of these for the Fro Yo Treats. I also want to try these Frozen Banana Bites this summer.  I did make some Homemade Hershey's Syrup last night. I didn't take a picture of it.