Pupkin Bread From Scratch

Last week, I finally decided to cut open the fairytale pumpkin. I used to use canned pumpkin, until I thought that I could use a fresh pumpkin. I used to also cook the pumpkin in the oven, but of course changed how I did things. I now shred the pumpkin, like you would zucchini, or carrots.





First, I cut a whole in the top of the pumpkin, and then cut up the pumpkin in slices. The outside is easier to cut off when the pieces are placed on their side.



It is some work to cut up the pumpkin,but really not that much because of how I choose to cut it up. It helps to have a sharp knife.



I shredded the pumpkin in our food processor, which was so quick and easy. This pumpkin yielded 31 cups of shredded pumpkin, and I only paid between 4 and 5 dollars.


This pumpkin yielded would yield 20 loaves of pumpkin bread, but my oldest son wanted some pumpkin pie made with the fresh pumpkin as well.

Custom Waist Apron For Customer

I really like how this apron and matching grocery bag holder turned out. The apron strings were made long enough, so that they can be tied in front. I even added Ric-Rac to the grocery bag holder.


I like this apron, because it is so country.



plastic grocery bag holder, which can be used to store rags, etc.

My Cobbler Apron Creation On True Blood Episode

Back in March, I received a phone call from the show True Blood. They liked one of my aprons, and actually wanted two. I only had the one with the garden print, and couldn't make a second one, since I was out of the print. Anyways, they purchased the apron for an episode of True Blood. I was told that the apron was shown at the end of episode 7 and then the one that I knew about was episode 8 (season 4). Since people knew about it, I received a photo taken of the woman wearing my apron in the show. I have had my aprons used in musicals, and film, but when they use it in a film, I just know that it was used, but was never told for what. The woman at True Blood actually told me what episode the apron would be used for. This is so exciting for me.



Here is the original picture of the apron


My apron is on the right. The woman looks so cool wearing her hat, garden gloves, and apron.

Fresh Strawberry Jam

I just made some homemade strawberry jam. We do not have a large garden, so I purchased some delicious red strawberries at our local farmers' market. I took one jar of jam to the farmers' market, and gave it to the woman who has been selling me strawberries.





Even had some left over to put on pancakes. Yummy!

Homemade Jams

I haven't had a chance to blog for a while. I have received fresh apricots and plums from my neighbors. Too many to eat, so I have been making jam.

There is nothing like fresh homemade jam. So far, I have made plum, apricot-peach, and peach jam. The nectarines, peaches, and strawberries are calling for something to be made from the delicious fruit. Our wild California Red Grapes will be ripe, so the task to turn the small grapes into jelly will begin. The grapes are small and have seeds, so they are not suitable for eating. Last year, we harvested 25 lbs. of grapes. Not sure how much we will get off the bushes this year, but the bushes are filled with bunches of grapes.

Spiral Herb Garden at Pasadena City College

With the help and supplies from Cal-Earth the students from Pasadena City College Seeds of Change Club (my son is the president of the club) began to building the spiral herb planter. This is a very interesting project and a way to build up a garden vertically. See pictures below:



They first faced a slope that had to be smoothed out, therefore they got some shovels and moved some dirt.



The earth bags require clean dirt, so they cleared out an area free of compost and debris. The dirt is mixed with other components to form their mixture.



Sharon showed them how to use nails to close the side of the earth bags, so that the content would not come out once they compressed the mixture inside the bags.




They laid out the earth bags before we filled them up.




They used a hoe and a wheelbarrow to mix the dirt and water.They used a 10-1-1 mixture, which is 10 parts dirt to one part water, but they didn’t add the one part concrete.

The mixture would compress but not crumble and not wring like a sponge. Usually, a lower mix of soil is used to water, but their soil mixture required more dirt.





They used coffee cans to fill up the bags with our mixture.




After compressing the bags with the mixture, they finalized the earth bag placement.



They were able to get up to two levels, before calling it a day.

They will work more on the spiral herb garden.

Natural Egg Dye Recipes
Re-posted from my friend Beverly over at Bee Haven Acres


Natural Egg Dyes Recipes
Use hard cooked brown or white eggs. After eggs are cooked, quickly cool the water or rinse in cold water. This helps to prevent greening of the yolk. Natural dyes take longer to color the egg, so plan on extra time, or leave the eggs in the refrigerator overnight.
Recipes make approximately 1 cup dye.

Yellow or deep gold:
1 – 2 tsp. turmeric powder, fill cup with boiling water, stir in 1 tsp. white vinegar (dusty after drying, wipe gently with dry cloth & be very careful for stains) Orange or lemon peels, carrot tops, celery seed, & ground cumin can be added for variation.

Peach to orange:
1 large handful yellow onion skins simmered 20 minutes. Now add 1 tsp. white vinegar.

Rust:
1 large handful of a mix of yellow & red onion skins, prepared as above.

Red:
2 – 4 tbsp. freshly grated beets, fill cup with boiling water, stir in 1 tsp. white vinegar Allow to sit overnight. Cranberries or frozen raspberries can also be used.

Purple:
2 tbsp. grated beets, 2 tbsp. red cabbage, fill cup with boiling water, stir in 1 tsp. vinegar A bluer shade of purple can be made using grape juice concentrate and 1 tsp. white vinegar

Blue:
Bright 2 – 3 tbsp. chopped red cabbage, fill cup with boiling water, stir in 1 tsp. white vinegar Allow to set overnight. Blueberries may also be used.

Green:
3⁄4 - 1 tsp. turmeric, 2 – 3 tbsp. chopped red cabbage, fill cup with boiling water, stir in 1 tsp. vinegar. Spinach leaves, carrot tops, and yellow delicious apple peels can also be used.

Beige to brown:
Strongly brewed coffee, limes, pecan, or walnut shells can be used.
Another method - Place eggs in a single layer in a pan. Cover with water. Add 1 tsp. vinegar and dye materials of choice. (Brighter, deeper colors require more dye material.) Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Cool quickly. (sit bowl in ice water) Allow to set, covered in the refrigerator overnight if more color is desired. Drain and dry.

From www.sonnewald.org

Organic Garden and Pasadena City College

Progress is being made in the organic garden at Pasadena City College.
They built another planter using two 2 by 12 lumber for the sides of the raised garden beds. Everyone wanted to give the hammer a swing. It only took a matter of minutes for us to build the sides. The lumber yard was nice to cut everything free of charge.











P.S. I can't wait to see the vegetables that they harvest from all of this hard work.

The compost bin is no longer at our house and in its new home.

Compost Bin

My son designed a compost bin for the Pasadena City College Organic Garden. It is still work in progress as they are still assembling it. I am happy that the college will be composting the food waste.

Here are a couple of the pictures taken so far. I will be posting a picture when the compost bin is all done.

Frazil Ice At Yosemite National Park-Very Interesting

This is very interesting to say the least, especially the snow cone effect.

California Science Center Los Angeles

My husband, oldest son and I went to the California Science Center in Los Angeles today. Every day they have a show in the kelp tank.

Antique Doll Bed Pillows, etc.

My mil had a gorgeous wood doll bed, which was passed on to her daughter, and now will belong to her great-grand daughters. My sil asked me if I could make a removable pad cover, pillows, and pillow covers. She also asked if I could embroider the girl's names on the pillowcases. One pillow will go at one end of the doll bed and the other on the opposite end. I thought that I would share some pictures with you.

Red Skeleton Pledge of Allegiance

Holiday Safety Tips

HOLIDAY SAFETY TIPS … DON’T BE AN EASY TARGET!




With the holiday season upon us and the shopping frenzy in full swing, the Altadena Sheriff’s Station would like everyone to take extra precautions while out shopping, and also around your home or business during this festive time of year. Suspicious activity should always be reported immediately, whether you are at home or away, and people are strongly encouraged to practice the following safety tips that may prevent you from becoming a victim:

While shopping:

¨ Place all gifts and packages in your trunk or out of sight
¨ Be aware of your surroundings at all times and walk with confidence
¨ Park in well-lighted areas
¨ Avoid shopping alone; there is safety in numbers
¨ Try to use credit or debit cards for purchases to avoid carrying large amounts of cash
¨ Keep your car doors locked and windows closed
¨ If you carry a purse or bag, carry it up close to your body
¨ Have your car key in your hand prior to getting to your vehicle
¨ Always report suspicious activity immediately to on-site security or the police department

Suggestions in and around your home:

¨ Keep gifts in areas that cannot be seen from doorways or windows
¨ Install motion sensor lighting in a location that it cannot be easily tampered with
¨ Keep bushes and shrubbery trimmed down and thinned out to eliminate places for thieves to hide
¨ If traveling, postpone your mail and newspaper deliveries so your home doesn’t look deserted
¨ Do not store gifts in vehicles or unsecured areas
¨ Always report suspicious activity immediately to your local sheriff’s station or police department

If you operate a business, some of these tips may be helpful:

¨ Lock unused doors as long as you are not in violation of the Fire Code
¨ Keep only necessary cash in the register and vary the schedule and route for your bank deposits each day
¨ Make sure your cash register is clearly visible to passers-by
¨ Advertise your security alarm system with signs in visible locations
¨ Develop a mutual aid system among stores on your block or close to you

Time Out And A Time To Reflect

I know that I don't have many visitors to my blog, and I honestly don't know why. Lately, I haven't been able to post or go to other blogs. Life is hectic and very busy. For now, I am taking a break and thinking on how I can change and improve things.

Blogging for me will begin again after the new year, unless I have something exciting happen. I am worn out for now. So, if you read this blog, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Solar Eagle

My son was part of an Earth Art Event in downtown Los Angeles. They spent the morning laying out thin solar panels and copper strips to form an outline of the solar eagle. Here below are some images from the event. It was a challenge due to the winds. Everything had to be down before the satellite and the helicopter flew over to take the picture. The helicopter started filming for 45 minutes.

















Courtesy DigitalGlobe

Here We Go Again-Refrigerator Woes

In case you didn't know it,late last month, our refrigerator stopped cooling down. There was water all over the floor and the refrigerator was over 50 degrees. With a good repair, a new part (took a week to get), the refrigerator was on its way to being back to normal.

But wait! Two weeks of pleasant temperatures, frozen ice, and a cool refrigerator had quickly come to an end. It is odd because it was exactly two weeks after getting a new compressor that the refrigerator decided to do the exact same thing. With a new phone call and a quick analysis, everything was fixed once again. This time it was a clogged tube-the tube that carried the refrigerant. Everything is fine once again.

But wait! This relief lasted only two days. We think that everything was fine so we start to put groceries back in the refrigerator, but soon discover that the refrigerator is warm once again. This time, the temperature fluctuates from 34.1 up to 55 degrees. With a phone call, the same tech is back at the house. This time the refrigerator is back down to a normal temperature and stays that way. Well, the tech can't fix something that isn't broken. So, dh brings home the groceries from their storage place, only to discover that the process has started all over again. We kept a log just as the tech wanted us to, which indicated the temperatures and the noise level. The temperature slowly rises up to 57.1 degrees then it begins once again at the bottom and climbs again.

So....today they will hear from us once again. This isn't good with a holiday coming around the corner. We are using a small refrigerator. You know one of those mini refrigerators that you can barely fit anything in. Sigh......

The thing that we liked about the refrigerator is that there are four sections that are individually controlled. The bottom left drawer can be used as a freezer or as a refrigerator.

Annual Turkey Tussle Football Game

To truly understand the meaning of the Turkey Tussle, this is a must see video.



It is a HUGE thing around here that two schools look forward to each year. It is the annual Turkey Tussle Football game between two rival high schools: John Muir High School and Pasadena High School. I attended my first Turkey Tussle football game when my youngest son played in the John Muir marching band. It has been a long time since I have been inside the football stadium at the Rose Bowl and I forgot how challenging it was for tall people to sit in the seats.

Last night was the game that all the current students and past students geared up for, when the winner would covet the victory bell for another year. It is an entire year where the winner has bragging rites of the other rival team. John Muir has been a winner over the Pasadena High School football team and this year was a landslide victory. We won 66-6.

Song by Amy Grant

I heard this song for the first time today. Great song by Amy Grant. I would put the video up on my blog, but I don't know how to do it, so that is why I linked it.

Project Linus-Great Organizaton

As many of you know, I do a lot of sewing. I especially make a lot of aprons, meaning that I usually have a lot of fabric scraps. I used to have a source of women who wanted me to send them the scraps, but the downside was that it cost to ship and usually they paid for the shipping. They were happy to pay for the shipping because of the large variety of quality fabrics that were shipped.

I found another source, since these ladies are up to their ears in scraps. The organization is called "Project Linus." I was fortunate to find a local chapter to donate the scraps and fabric yardage to. Arriving at the meeting place today, I was flabbergasted. In the large room there were so many sewing many sewing machines, and there were not only women sewing quilts, but women crocheting blankets. There must have been at least 100 women there sewing. I could be wrong on this since I am poor at calculating, but besides the large room, there was another room filled with women as well.

Since the Project Linus organization began in 1995, they have made over 3 million blankets for children in need. This is absolutely amazing to me. If you sew, crochet, or knit, I urge you to check out the Linus Project, and if you have spare time, maybe you can donate your time making blankets for such a worth cause.

Unwelcomed Home Invader

My husband and oldest son were just sitting watching television this evening. My husband said, "What is that crawling on the floor." When I first saw the ugly insect, I thought that it was a potato bug, but how did it get in the house? My son did some research on the Internet and that ugly insect that I thought that was a potato bug was actually called a Jerusalem Crickets Ugliest thing I ever saw. Of course our dog was very interested.


This isn't the actual Jerusalem Cricket that was in the house. My son wants to take a picture. Go Figure! We have lived in this home for 25 years and I never have seen anything like this before. I am still curious how it got inside our house. What we found out that it is native to the Western United States and that the early rains are drawing them out of their burrows. There have been a lot sightings since our recent rains.

CERT Training

For the last week, my husband and I have been in an Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training class. It was grueling with us giving up two Saturdays (8 hours each Saturday), and 3 nights of not watching our favorite shows on television, but it was worth it. We are now certified if needed for emergencies in our town. Last Saturday was the final. When I first heard FINAL, it brought me back to the good old school days. I wasn't really big on tests. I was nervous then as I was for this final.

We had 2 groups to begin with, where we worked on cribbing (raising a heavy object-platform off of a victim (no victims underneath or no dummies used), and then we had to pair up to put out a small fire. Putting out the fire was fun because I have always seen it on tv, but never had the opportunity to really put out a small fire.

The next part was the actual final. We had 3 groups of 6 people, but somehow during the last scenario, we had 9 people. The first scenario was a bus accident. There was an earthquake and the school bus hit a telephone pole and wound up in a trench. Of course there was no real trench for us, just an empty parking lot. I was assigned to the task of taking the injured victims off of the school but, but somehow, others just took over. Go figure. Anyways, one of the victims was a young girl. She was place on the yellow tarp, which called for monitoring. I was standing by the bus, and happened to look over at the treatment area. The girl got up and started walking towards the bus. The medical person didn't notice her walking away, so I just put my arm around her shoulder and led her back to the tarp. The next thing I noticed that the young man on the red tarp (immediate or more serious victims) had his eyes closed. When I got closer, he was repeating the same phrase over and over again, which was a sign of shock. I asked the questions that we were told, but he didn't respond (sign of shock), so I covered him up with what I could find.

I had asked my husband what his role was in the bus incident, and he said that he was search and rescue. There was a man place at the back of the bus. This man had a red tag on him and a brief description of what was wrong. While the others were treating the minor injuries (not to be done on the bus, but in the treatment area), the man;s airway became obstructed. My husband noticed the man and climbed over the other victims and followed the procedure for opening up the airway. He did this twice, and the man was taken out to the red tarp to be monitored. The instructor said, "You are not supposed to be out here. You are dead!" The man replied, "He (pointing to my husband) opened up my airway."


Our oldest son could only attend a couple of the classes as he was getting ready to leave for a geology trip to Santa Cruz Island. He was the cook for the group.

Partly Clear, Partly Cloudy

No, I am not talking about the weather. It is raining here, and we are expecting rain all week long. My purchased one windshield wiper during the last rain. He was told that the left wiper was 24" and the right side is 21" We still haven't found a 21" wiper, so the driver side view through the windshield is clear, but the passenger side view is foggy or cloudy looking. We have had our Honda Odyssey for about 3 o4 4 years now, and never knew that the sizes were different.

Refrigerator Our Of Commission

We have had this refrigerator for almost 3 years now, and like it very much, but the troubles began. I noticed water on the floor, but thought that the water pipe was leaking in the back again. My oldest so noticed the water running out of the freezer (melted ice). OMG! How can something be wrong so soon. We used to buy extended warranties, but thought that it wasn't necessary this time.



So.....thank goodness there are 3 refrigerators at dh's workplace. We loaded up the perishables. The sad thing is that I just bought some chicken. I guess that if a refrigerator breaks that it would be on the day when you just loaded it up with fresh items. Updates to come

update: they ruined the refrigerator. Never found out what was wrong with the Samsung refrigerator.

That Some Kinda of Pizza

My son has me hooked on Big Mamma & Big Pappa's Pizza.



The first time he brought home a pizza, I was shocked. It was huge, but only to find out that there is another larger sizes(36"). They hand toss the dough. I watched the man do this with the 28 inch pizza dough. Amazing.

Apple Harvest Cake

I am going to make this Apple Cake




courtesy of my friend Bev from Bee Haven Acres

I can't wait to make and of course eat the cake. Thanks Bev.