I'm so glad to be free of all the commitments of May.  Only one this month--to show up at a trail work day this Saturday.  I'll be in charge of pruning (I hope) and looking cute.  I think I can handle it. ;-)

It's been a hot one this past week, but we've managed to get lots done.  Operation High Security continues on as today I planted watermelons, more cucumbers and loofas.  Mike and I covered the area with newspapers and rocks just before a short storm came and drenched them.  Success!  I've fortified the little hills where the seeds are with tomato cages to discourage any deposits of the feline variety.  I've covered the other cucumber plants (which I ended up buying) with bird netting.  Keep your fingers crossed!

Saturday, I went on a baking frenzy and made two loaves of my Famous Sourdough-which-is-not-Sour, another big batch of Tammy's Cinnamon Crunch Granola and the first Peachy Blueberry Pie of the season.  Whew!  That ought to do us for a week or two.  I love to bake and somehow, it being 95 outside is very enticing.  Either that, or I had temporary insanity and wanted to really heat up the house.

Speaking of things in the oven, the baby is doing really well at being super active.  Her movements are much stronger than when I started to feel them around seven weeks ago.  I can feel her somersault around in my tummy and can really tell when she settles in for a moment right above my bladder. Sometimes it feels like I'm either at the mercy of my hungry tummy or my super-productive bladder.  No matter, I love every flicker of life I get to feel.  Even at 4:00 AM after my fifth bathroom break.

I've been churning out the custom orders for etsy and am really glad to have reached a point where sitting down to sew six or twelve napkins at a time is no longer daunting.  That's one of the things no one tells you about crafting--sewing, knitting ,crochet, or otherwise--you have to have time to get used to the pace of the work.  When you find your pattern, things go much more smoothly.  I've moved the ironing board into the part of the house with the air conditioner and now things are even more productive.  Who can sit down to sloth in front of the Food Network with dozens of anxious napkins staring back?

So, yeah.  Here's the obligatory crafting shot.



I'm really liking the lavender hankies.

Say prayer for us at the bungalow--I'm still waiting for some important news and may get it later in the week.

Let me add a big thanks to Tammy for giving me a free ad on her blog.  I'm so thankful for her generosity during uncertain times.  Check it out--Mike designed it.  He's so clever!

I've got some great stuff for Brandy's Fiber Frolic brewing at the Blackberry Bungalow!  I'll be doing major updates over there tomorrow and Friday.  Here's a little peak. . .



Sunshine-y napkins in vintage feedsack repro's.

And. . .



Handmade soap that Carrie taught me to make!!  I'll have Citrus Trio (shown at top), Tea Tree-Peppermint (middle) and a few Rose bars (bottom). 

For Susan and Blue Mountain Mama, who submitted names for the citrus soap, I have a free bar for each of you with your names on them!!!  Just drop me an e-mail at rangerbrandy at gmail dot com with your address and they'll be on their way!!

Head over to Blue Mountain Mama's blog to help her celebrate her birthday and one-year blogiversary!  She's got a great giveaway of apple butter homemade by her little boy, all-natural pumpkin lentil soup mix and a CD of her mother playing Christmas songs on the hammered dulcimer.  Simply leave a birthday wish and you'll be entered!

Happy Birthday, Blue!

The winner of the Name that Plant Giveaway is wetkneefarm!  Anna was right in saying that the plant is partridge berry, and Maggie was quite close in calling it teaberry.  The partridge berry, unlike the tea berry, stays very close to the ground, has very tiny leaves, and forms one berry from two blooms. 

I'm sorry I made it so hard.  I guess I thought everyone had moss growing on their feet like me.  Next time, I'll give better hints and choose a more recognizable plant friend. 

Silly me!

The cool weather really seems to have come to stay.  The days are breezy and the nights cause the condensation to creep up our 76-year old windows.  Thank goodness for shades and insulated curtains!  This morning was our first killing frost, a bit late, but welcome no less.  The car was encapsulated in ice and Mike scurried around to clear it off.

Yesterday, Mike and I went out to collect fire wood for our campfire with friends on Wednesday.  The leaves were gloriously bright and there was just the right chill in the air to make one feel frisky and ready to set to work.  The cold really energizes me.  Maybe it's all that plaid. . .

Mike sawed on a bigger downed tree while I collected the smaller stuff and admired the leaves on the woodland road above Hungry Mother State Park.  We traded out the saw work and made quick work of a fun task.  I just love sawing wood, as long as it's not too big or hasn't got a slug stuck to it (that happened once).  I'll have to go wood-collecting more often!

Saturday was our final "non-campfire" at Hurricane.  The whole campground only had two campers in it, so the food I brought for thirty was definitely plenty!  I made Tammy's Homemade Caramel, brought fresh apple slice, one of the hosts made chili, and we ate hot dogs cooked in an electric skillet.  For kosher dogs, these sure smelled a lot like bacon when they were cooking.  We also enjoyed hot cider and Mike pretended to warm himself in front of the absent fire.  The two campers and four hosts that came had a great time talking and getting to know each other.  It was a great way to end the camping season.

Before the weenie roast, Mike went hiking and took photos, while I helped to get things ready.  Then I took a short hike down the Comers Creek Trail, feeling glad to see that the rain had returned the trail to its usual soggy self.  The sun was sinking behind the hill as I caught a glimpse of the color on the mountains.

The air down in the valley where Comers Creek flows is always cooler.  The hosts said they'd only turned on the air conditioner one time the whole summer.  I agree.  Some years, as soon as we stepped out of the car, the cold October air would hit us and set us quickly to work at keeping warm and building a fire.  Some of the coldest times I've known have been in that valley, in fact.

Of course, cold weather makes for perfect mitten conditions.  So, I was sure to bring my mittens that helenkosings made me along for my wanderings.  On the hillside by the hosts campsite, I found some lovely edible berries.  They had spread over the bank and brought a bit of merriness with their bright red color.  If you've read this far, prepare yourself for a contest of sorts.  The first one to correctly identify this festive edible will receive a custom handmade goody (likely knitted or felted) from me, made and mailed just for you.  Edited to add a hint:  This berry spreads along the ground, blooms and fruits all year, and tastes a little minty.

The days are turning cooler, the mornings come later and birds can be seen making their way South. 
It must be time for an Autumn Giveaway!!

The great thing about blog awards is that they are meant to be passed on--they're built for generosity. 

When Rhonda Jean at Down to Earth gave me this award I immediately set to thinking about the bloggers in my life who have a great impact on the way I run my home, create my handcrafts, and relate to the abundant land that is our Earth.  The two women I honor are great at using what they've been given, seeing beauty all around them, and finding creative answers in a world that sometimes seems far too bland for its own good.

And so, for their creative techniques of beating the same old-same old system, I offer this award to Tammy's Recipes and Felicia's Fluffy Flowers.

Tammy is a stay-at-home mom to two energetic boys (with another little one on the way!).  Her recipe blog offers creative insights on self-sufficiency and intelligent use of time.  She's got advice that spans the topics--cloth diapering, recycling, working in the home with children and most of all--creative recipes for what you've got on hand.  She offers tips on making your own laundry soap, frugality, and saving time in the kitchen.  Her site is a great place for all who strive to do things the homemade way!

Felicia's blog Fluffy Flowers runs on the premise of "saving the planet one creature at a time."  She mixes a love of the natural world with creative recycled crafts to create one-of-a-kind art.  I know Mike and I love our little stuffed kitty, Jane, made from a felted sweater sleeve.  In her spare time, she offers photo essays of local trails, parks, and museums in middle Georgia.  She's a great inspiration for those who wish to use what they have to make their world a more beautiful place! 


For more information, please see the Down to Earth blog.  Images courtesy the aforementioned blogs.

So wonderful to wake up and discover I've won the latest drawing of Fluffy Flowers' Harry Potter Giveaway. 

Leave it to me to win the prize that includes Harry-themed cookie cutters and a Ron Weasley sweater!  I'll definitely be baking cookies as soon as the package arrives.  I'm so excited!

For now, it's off to tending to my sickly husband.

Over at the Nichols' homestead, the gardens are settling in for the long haul of Summer. 

The last of the Columbine seed pods have opened and will be collected tonight.  The first round of Delphinium seeds are ready to be collected, too.  They're promised to my mother, but I've got Columbine seeds coming out my ears!  Just when I thought I might do an entry without a picture (gasp!), I had to remind you all just how lovely this perennial is.


My Everbearing Strawberries have begun their second round of blossoms.  I get to leave these on to let them fruit!  My gourd patch is going to town and I believe I might have some sort of little pumpkin-y thing growing on my largest vine.  All my others are blooming, but I haven't inspected them for other gourds or melons.  Tonight!

I've pulled up some of my lettuce that I let go to seed and have some Red Ridinghood heads at various stages of development.  Any lettuce I remove, old dead leaves or spent plants, I leave it in the back by the hedge.  Something always manages to come along and munch it up--a compromise, you might call it, for the rabbit-proof fence. 

The tomatoes are growing like trees and I've done some pruning to try to save my pepper plants.  I've got lots of little tomatoes and we're excited.  I believe we'll have another basil harvest this week, just in time for Beth's visit.  I've pulled up one carrot and it was big and fat.  It's in storage until I work up the nerve to cut it.  I'll harvest the rest of my three carrots soon and have planted more for the Fall crop.  So nice, to be thinking of Fall. .

I don't even know where to begin, you all left such kind words and excited voices in my heart! 

Birthdays should always be fun, no matter what the age.  Every year is a new adventure and you all have given me such a good start with all your well wishes.  Thank you, so much!  I've gotten to meet lots of new people and have quite a pile of new blogs to read.  I've even made a new LiveJournal friend--chasnlndsy!

Oh, I'm so excited!  But, I know, you want to know who won.


Leave it to Tammy to help make a giveaway a success!  I really wanted to be able to send jams and jellies to all of you, believe me.  I'll definitely be doing blog giveaways again, maybe some handcrafted knitted or sewn items the next time.  And I'll be sure to get the word out.