Archives for June 2014

Inspirational Quotes: Refuse To Fail

Inspirational Quote: Choose Wisely

inspirational quotes, quotes

When You Lose A Blogger Friend





Yesterday I learned that a rose had been plucked from the garden.  I lost a blogger friend.  I must say I was shocked.  I hadn’t visited her blog, Annie’s Kitchen Garden, in awhile and decided to head over to see what was growing in her garden this season.  She had passed on May 7 from cancer.  Those who knew Granny, loved her and will miss her greatly.  She was an avid gardener, lover of life, wife, grandmother and great grandmother.  I enjoyed her blog so much, and I learned much from her over the past few years in my gardening endeavors. 


It is amazing how social media and blogs connect people.  You can truly form friendships and bond over the internet.  Granny will be the second blogger friend that I have lost.  I am so grateful that I got to know her through her blog.  I will hold her and all of the knowledge that she passed to me in my heart forever.  Her wish for her fellow gardeners was to pass on our knowledge to others and Keep Gardening For Granny. It was an honor knowing her and I wish her family many blessings. May she RIP.  

How To Pickle Peppers From Your Backyard Garden

 Today I’ll be showing you How to Pickle Peppers.   Do you like hot peppers on your sandwiches, nachos, in beans, salads, or dips? They’ll be as fresh months from now as they are today if you pickle them.   My daughter loves them straight from the jar.  She actually asked if I would mail her a few jars through the mail.  I declined that request, but I do take  jars when I visit her.  My daughter’s sister-in-law is a fan too.  So pickling peppers is one of my top backyard vegetable gardening tasks.  

 

Pickled Peppers

 

 

This batch is a combination of:

  •  Hungarian Wax
  •  Sweet Banana
  •  Chilies
  •  Jalapeno
  •  White Belle

 

 

 

However, any combination will work.  So, I throw whatever peppers are ripe in the garden into the bowl.  Some people prefer to use jalapeno peppers only, but I like to broaden my horizons.  I make a homemade pickling broth to cover my peppers.  You will need to prepare your canner for this recipe.  

 

 

 

Here’s the broth recipe for the pickled peppers:  

You may have to double the recipe depending on how many jars you will be canning:

  • 1 cup water
  • 4 cups of white vinegar
  • 1/2 cup of Kosher salt

 


 

Here’s the steps to canning the pickled peppers:

  • Bring the broth to a boil.
  • Add a teaspoon of pickling spice to the bottom of 1/2 pint sterilized jars.
  • Pack the jars with peppers and pour the pickling broth over the peppers.
  • Prepare them for a hot water bath by removing the bubbles with a plastic knife.
  • Take the knife around the jar a few times and ensure the peppers are packed tightly.  Wipe the rims of each jar with a clean cloth.  Place the sterilized lids and rims on each jar.
  • Water bath for 15 minutes.  They are delicious.

 

*Note – Do not use blemished peppers when canning your produce.  Make sure all of the peppers are blemish free and solid.  I hope you enjoyed the post on How to Pickle Peppers.

 

 

 

Inspirational Quote: Know How To Play The Game

Quotes,

DIY – Flower Pot Tower

I’ve been wanting to make a flower pot tower for some time, and I finally got around to it.  I was quick pleased with how it turned out and how easy it was to make.  If you’re interested in making your own, you will need the following:


1 piece of rebar or a garden stake (Found at Lowes or Home Depot) 
1 10 inch clay pot
1 8 inch clay pot
1 6 inch clay pot
potting soil
1/2 flat of petunias


Place your rebar into the ground where you will be placing your tower.  Place the largest pot over the rebar. The hole in the pot will be large enough to place the pot over the rebar easily.  Fill the pot with potting soil.  Place the next pot over the rebar and fill with potting soil and than the third. Place petunias around the perimeter of each of the pots and water thoroughly.  Looks like I need to add a few more petunias to the top.  I want it be full.  

If you want to add a 4th or 5th pot, you will need to use a longer stake.  I recommend a garden stake, which can be purchased at your local garden center for a few bucks.  You can cut the stake down once you reach the desired height of your tower.  


You can also spray paint your pots the desired color if you want to a pop to your yard or add a saucer beneath the pots.  Quick and easy project.  

Growing Dill In The Home Garden

One of the herbs on my backyard kitchen gardening list is dill.  It’s very easy to grow, and can be started from seed or direct sowed in your kitchen garden.  If you are a beginning garden purchase a plant from your local nursery.  Be warned, I purchased a plant from the nursery to place in my garden one summer.  The next gardening season, there were volunteers everywhere. 
Unfortunately, I had already purchased a dill plant from a nursery.  I sure wished I had saved my money purchasing the plant.  Lesson learned, check the garden for volunteers before you head to the garden center.  Dill and onions are great companion plants.  Check out my post on companion planting.  

 

garden dill

 

Dill from your garden can be used in the following ways:

1.  Homemade dill pickles
2.  Dip for potato chips and veggies
3.  Garnishes
4.  Sauce for salmon cakes

 

garden dill

 

I’ve made make spicy dill pickles for the past two seasons and used fresh dill from the garden. This year I will be making bread and butter pickles.  I also dry my dill and store it in an airtight container for dip.  Fresh dill can also be used on fish, not my thing but many people love using it in that manner.

Last, we hope you like our growing dill tips.  It is an easy herb to grow, and has given me lots of volunteers during the growing season.  It loves my garlic plants.  I have to harvest often, so it doesn’t choke out my onions and garlic.  As a result, I should have more than enough to dry and store for dip and to share with family.  If you love veggie dip, this herb will enhance it immensely.  It’s much more flavorful than store brought dill.  I’ll be sure to post my dip recipe the next time make it, which will be soon.

 

Turn It Up Tuesday – Week 37

Welcome to the 37th week of Turn It Up Tuesday!
Thanks so much to everyone that joins us each week and makes this blog hop the best that it could be!

As you may know, Turn It Up Tuesdays is all about being happy, excited, energetic…and having fun! Link up your favorite posts and meet some awesome bloggers in return! Link up your funny stories, DIY posts, recipes, mommy moments — anything at all, as long as it is family-friendly. We want to laugh, be entertained, be inspired, and have a good time!

SPONSOR OF THE MONTH

Bex from Futures

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Bex is a fashion, beauty & lifestyle blogger from the UK. She writes about just about anything & everything: her current day-to-day life, updates on Jack, reviews, shopping hauls, books she’s currently reading. Thank you so much Bex for being our sponsor!

Are you interested in having your blog or website featured in this spot? Then, sponsor Turn It Up Tuesday for a month! Click here! It’s only $5 for an entire month!

Welcome the lovely ladies of Turn It Up Tuesday!

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(from the top – left to right)
Natasha from Epic Mommy Adventures | Stacey from This Momma’s Ramblings | Jessica from The Wondering Brain | Cathy from A Peek Into My Paradise | April from 100lb Countdown | Becka from Probably Craftin | Carolyn from A Lavender Life | Margaret from The Mother Rising | Kae from Where’s My Pacifier? | Rachel from Craving Some Creativity | Cindy from Mom Maven | Shana from Organized Chaos | Rhonda from Mother 2 Mother | Lisa from The ‘Fix It’ Stitch | Karen from Quinton Wench | Jillian from Baby Doodah | Katy from Chaos & Kiddos | Tenns from New Mama Diaries

And welcome our awesome guest hosts for June!

 

TUT Jun 2014 (2)

(from the top – left to right)
Debbie from Heartbeats Soul Stains | Katie from View From The Fridge | Elie from Organizer By Day | Shana from Technotini | Kimberly from Keystrokes By Kimberly | Ce Ce from A Chicago Mom | Sherry Ann from Teach, Inspire, Love, Raise | Rebecca from Futures

Interested in being a guest host or becoming a permanent co-host?

Complete the form here! Monthly co-hosts will be chosen on a first come first-serve basis.  We’re now accepting guest hosts for July & August.

Here are the Featured posts from last week!

10 Things Nobody Tells You About Having Kids
Carolyn chose 10 Things Nobody Tells You About Having Kids from Superheroes in Jammmies. “I could really relate to these ten things and the post had adorable pics to boot!”
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Rhonda chose Water Safety Tips that Parents Need to Know from Kinder Keepsakes. “I selected this post because it only takes a second for an accident to happen in pools or at the beach. This post offers great tips on what parents should do be before entering or allowing their children to enter the water.”
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Jillian chose How To Write An Email That Won’t End Up in Spam from Blog U. “I chose this post because I know how important it is to grab someone’s attention right from the start and to convince them to work with you. That can be tough to accomplish, this has some great tips on what to do so you don’t end up in someone’s “spam.”
SS Stuffed Cabbage Rolls CU1
Shana chose Southern Style Stuffed Cabbage Rolls {Granny’s Recipe} from Cooking with K. “These Southern Style Stuffed Cabbage rolls are not only simple but perfect for a tasty dish! Whether you decide to serve up some sides and make a meal out of it or bring it along to your next potluck these are sure to win over a few tummies!”
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Cindy chose Think Outside The Toybox…Glow Sticks Ideas for Kids from our very own Katie from View From the Fridge. “My boys would have loved making these when they were younger. I may be babysitting a 7yo friend this summer and I am collecting ideas of things we can make together and I think he would love these glow stick lightning bugs.”
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Cathy chose Orange Bundt Cake / Pound Cake from Sumee’s Culinary Bites. “I love to make breakfast from scratch on weekend mornings; when hubby and I have time to eat together. I love baking muffins and breads. I can’t wait to make this recipe this weekend!”
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Katie chose Rustic DIY Wood Plank Clock from Making It In the Mountains. “I am in love with this rustic clock! What a statements piece! Looks like she paid big bucks for this, but Kristi did a great job with this DIY version from pallet wood! It turned out simply stunning!”
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Gurvy chose How To Create An Impressive Email Signature from Blog U. “I admire the simplicity of the tutorial and the choices she’s displayed with examples. I haven’t tried it yet, but you’ll see my signature upgraded by next week :)”
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Debbie chose Beat the Blogging Mental Game with This Awesome Free Printable from HobbytoHot.com. “I absolutely loved this post as I was able to read it just at a time when I needed it most. It’s so easy to get in a blogging rut or feel you aren’t succeeding and this is a great bunch of printable affirmations.”
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Natasha chose Credit Card Lessons for Kids Before They Use Them! from Pragmatic Mom. “This is such a great post with great tips! Since I was taught about money and debt, I had to learn the hard way. I want to make sure that my son is properly educated on all money matters. This post is definitely a great start.”
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The post with the most clicks is How To Rock Your Blog With Image Maps from Joyful Life.
If you were featured above, feel free to share the badge below with pride on your blog or website!
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And the Best of the Best is…

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10 Things Nobody Tells You About Having Kids
10 Things Nobody Tells You About Having Kids from Superheroes in Jammmies
As the Best of the Best, you win free ad space on Epic Mommy Adventures for 30 days! Please showcase the badge below with pride on your blog!
Please send an e-mail to Natasha at 1EpicMommy @ gmail.com and she will provide you with all the details!
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So now that you’ve seen the Featured and the Best of the Best and met our hosts and co-hosts…

let’s get started!

  • Show some love to your hosts and co-hosts simply by following them on social media and leaving a comment so they can follow you back.
  • Link up as many posts as you’d like! The more, the merrier!
  • Check out some of the other posts and make some new friends!
Grab the button below and showcase on your sidebar! Invite your fellow bloggers to join the fun!
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Link up your posts, make some friends, and earn the chance to be featured or become the Best of the Best on Turn It Up Tuesday! We will feature the favorite posts each week!

Never miss another Turn It Up Tuesday! Sign up for reminder e-mails!

Interested in reading all of the Featured Posts on Turn It Up Tuesdays? Or do want to know if your post was featured before we go live next week? Follow Natasha Peter’s board Featured on Turn It Up Tuesdays! on Pinterest.

Quotes for Success: Plan To Succeed

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5 Benefits of Growing Chives

Today, I’m sharing gardening tips on the benefits of growing chives.  The flowers on my backyard garden chives are in full bloom, and they are beautiful.  I recommend that you plant a chive or two in your backyard vegetable garden.  The purple blooms are so pretty, and they enhance the flavor of many dishes.  Maintenance is easy, simply remove the spent flowers and cut the plant to back to 2 – 3 inches in the summer.

This should give your plant a good start for another harvest later in the season.  Furthermore,  removing the flowers is an important step.  Otherwise, the seeds will blow and the plants will take over your garden.  You will end up with volunteers, plants which have seeded and germinated from blown or dropped seeds.

 

garden chives

 

 

So, there are several benefits to growing chives beside them.  First, they are very easy to grow.  Once they are planted, they require regular watering and a little fertilizer.  My soil is so rich, I usually by-pass this part of the maintenance, but I do water them.  Here a few other reasons to grow and eat chives:

 

 

garden chives

 

Benefits of Growing Chives:

 

1.  They’re a magnet for beautiful butterflies.  You kids will love chasing the butterflies across the yard.  Pick up a few butterfly nets and identification books so the kids can research.  The can get some exercise chasing the butterflies and connect with nature.  Here’s another benefit, you can keep them occupied while you put up your feet and sip a cup of coffee.

2.  Also, they are delicious on baked potatoes, omelets and other dishes that call for onions.  I love them in salads as well.

3.  They are a great source of antioxidants and can help fight cancers in the breast, colon, prostate, ovaries and lungs.  This study is from the University of Maryland Medical Center.

4.  Additionally, they are a great source of Vitamin K.  Which, is good for bone strength.

5.  Furthermore, they help lower blood pressure and cholesterol according to the University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell.

6. Although I have not eaten them, the flowers on chives are edible.  For some reason, I just can’t get past the thought of flowers in my food.   On a cake yes, in my salad no.  However, they can be used to decorate a dish or vegetable tray.

7. Did you know that chives can be used fresh or frozen.  You can chop and seal them in an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator or freezer.

8.  Chives return year after year.

 

 

 


 

 

Last, they are low maintenance, have health benefits, and enhance the flavor of your dishes.  Head to your local nursery and pick up a few plants.  Better yet, grow a few plants from seed.