links to freebies!

thinking about canning?  paula deen has a great article that will give you helpful information....home canning 101.

here are some great canning labels, too!

Source: cottage-industrialist.com via Donna on Pinterest

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winner, winner...chicken dinner!

chicken 'n' dumplins, that is!  ronnie bought a whole chicken at the grocery story yesterday. ususally i would roast the chicken with onions & rosemary.  this morning ronnie suggested that i make chicken & dumplings.

now my family likes chicken 'n' dumplins southern-style...no veggies, just chicken, dumplings, & broth.  i did a search for recipes via pinterest.  this is the recipe that i settled on...

Source: backtothecuttingboard.com via Brittany on Pinterest

and the ending result...

maddison compared my chicken 'n' dumplins with those from cracker barrel.  ronnie thought they were better than mama dip's!

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t

a very productive friday!

yes ma'am!  the morning began with a new experience that i will add to my 45 before 45 list...canning!  my aunt trisha used to make this delicious tomato sauce that we used for pasta: spicy homemade ketchup.  i know, i know, it doesn't sound like something to pour over pasta, but it is wonderful!  the recipe includes onions, peppers, garlic, vinegar, sugar, spices.  yummy!  i decided that i would like to attempt to recreate the recipe.

justin, my cousin, provided me with 20 lbs of homegrown tomatoes.  these were washed, cored, cut, & juiced.  i also blended the onions, garlic, & peppers in the tomato juice.  all of this went into a large stock pot.  i added the remaining ingredients & cooked for about 4 hours.  the house smelled wonderful!  for lunch, maddison & i "tested" the sauce to ensure its flavor...delish, just as i remembered!

i sent my canning jars through a cycle in the dishwasher & scalded my lids & rings.  the next step was actually filling the jars.  11 pints, people!  i was so excited to hear the pop of each lid letting me know that the jar had sealed.  i did use a hot water bath for two jars & shortly after pulling them from the water, they, too, made that sweet pop.  ah!  sweet success!

during this 4 hour wait for my sauce to reduce, i did a little sewing.  remember this...

Source: curbly.com via tammy on Pinterest

well, i completed this...

this sweet little bag was gifted to jackie, one of the ladies that i am teaching to quilt, in celebration of her birthday!

that's right, i am leading a small group of ladies in creating a lap quilt.  last night was our third friday night.  we are making a rail fence quilt.  at this point, we have cut fabric, sewn strips, cut squares.  we are now in the process of sewing the squares into rows, the rows into a quilt top.  we are close to adding borders!  

our small quilting group consists of 7 people as of last night...we have grown by one person each week!  we meet at a small country church & have fun sharing food, stories, & sewing! ...so my day ended with quilting!

here is a link to the pattern that we are using...

rail fence quilt

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t

25 random facts about me...

·     i was born and raised in a small southern city…i still live there!

·     i married my high school sweetheart…we have been together for more than half of my life!

·     i have two children

·     a former house #, 1137…current house #, 1317

·     i love to read

·     literacy instruction is my favorite part of the instructional day

·     summer is my favorite season

·     green is my favorite color

·     i drive a green vw

·     i had a 10 lb fibroid tumor

·     mountain dew is my favorite drink

·     costumed characters frighten me

·     thirteen is my favorite number

·     i love mac computers

·     i don’t like to talk on the phone

·     i may suffer from a mild case of ocd… alphabetically speaking, cdo!

·     i love bags

·     and sharpies

·     chocolate…it is a food group, right?

·     i love to make things…knit, crochet, sew

·     my aunt taught me to crochet when i was 8

·     i taught myself to knit when i was much older than 8

·     i am quiet

·     i am sarcastic

·     i am learning to love cooking...and i am not being sarcastic!

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t

wednesday's wise words...

Source: mobypicture.com via tammy on Pinterest

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what's cooking?

tonight, we actually had leftovers for dinner, but yesterday, the kitchen was a busy place!
on the menu for lunch: paula deen's chili, minus the biscuit bowls...

Source: foodnetwork.com via Audrey on Pinterest

for dinner, onion strings from the pioneer woman cooks & steak fajitas from america's test kitchen...

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Amber on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Ashley on Pinterest

i will leave you with a cookbook recommendation.  ree drummond is the pioneer woman.  she blogs about her life on a ranch as well as fabulous recipes with step-by-step photo instructions.  everything that i have tried has been delish!  she is the author of the pioneer woman cooks.  you will also be able to see her on food network beginning on august 27!

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Barbara on Pinterest

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motivation for monday

i love the internet!  typically i open 6 tabs in safari: gmail, google reader (for my daily blog fix), facebook, ravelry (seaching for new partterns), outlook, & pinterest!  it is my new obsession.  once you establish an account, you can create pin boards that will allow you to pin an inspiring photo...it could be a recipe, a craft tutorial, an organizational idea.  the photo will allow you to link to the original post.  think of it as a visual bookmarking system!  additionally, you can follow others as well as search for topics of interest!

are you pinning?  no, well take a moment to look at my page...tammy's pins.  want to join me on pinterest?  message me with you email address & i will send you an invite.

motivating me...

Source: curbly.com via tammy on Pinterest

Source: annamariahorner.blogspot.com via tammy on Pinterest

Source: u-createcrafts.com via tammy on Pinterest

Source: u-createcrafts.com via tammy on Pinterest

Source: google.com via tammy on Pinterest

stay tuned...some of these may appear on my 45 before 45 list!
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a birthday, a goal, a blog...

in just a few weeks, i will once again mark a milestone in my life...birthday 44!  now, i am not one to fret over another birthday...after all, it really is just a number...you are only as old as you feel, right?  in celebration of this occasion, i am challenging myself to explore everyday curiosities...live & learn...by completing 45 new experiences before i turn 45.  you must know that i am one who is happiest at home, so these experiences may not be adventurous to the average joe, but i hope to use this challenge to learn something new.  it may be a craft project, it may be a new recipe, it may be a new adventure.  i will use this blog, which, by the way, will be experience #1, to document my attempts to meet this goal!
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