She's Blowing Bubbles

it begins with color

I have decided to try my hand at this weekly challenge. it begins with color offers a weekly (Mondays) challenge to photograph color with guidelines. I am excited to give it a try.

It is more to make myself see beyond what is right in front of me and more about taking time to notice the less obvious things around me.

This weeks challenge was to get as many colors into one frame as possible.
My submission...

I took this at the fish festival last weekend. I didn't know about the guidelines of the weeks challenge but when I read them I instantly remembered this picture and I think it works well.

You can check out other submissions here and maybe you will join me with your own view through the eye of the lens.

Try this!

If you have a far away friend or your preschooler does, consider picking up some visitor guides for your area and sending them on. I thought of this recently while getting a package ready to send out in the mail. After thinking about it, I decided I was quite clever. :)These will be great for cutting and making collages or goodness knows what other crafts can be made from some of the animal pictures and what not.

Cali made a little friend last year when we participated in a book swap. We kind of follow the little guy on his family's blog.

Recently we attended a weekend festival and Cali passed a booth selling books. In fact the author was selling them and signing them too. She remembered her little friend and told me to get him one of the books. I found it very sweet that she still thinks of him so I did. We included the visitor guides with his package. Hopefully he will have a fun little Alaska afternoon thanks to his far away friend Cali.

*I will send visitor guides to the first 5 people who would like them. So if you'd like some and think they'd be fun for your brood, comment to let me know and I will contact you to get an address for mailing. Then you can have a fun Alaska afternoon too! :)

Oops- Word of the Week

Monday has come and gone and I missed the whole thing.

Since you enjoy words... A peace offering.
I warn you, it is addictive.

DEEPLEAP

A fast moving word game, no downloading! :)

Have fun!

Just Pray

Most of you are aware, Kelly's (my best in friend in the entire world) Mom is dying of cancer.

I can honestly say that now as the things she is going through are killing her, almost silently. I am sad and afraid.

I have learned so much following their struggle and realized I know so very little about the disease.

What breaks my heart the most is the never ending roller coaster ride they are on. Every day, I hear her; Kelly tries to get a handle on it. She knows where her mom's disease is at, she's got a grip on it, only to hear, see, discover some odd thing an hour later that makes it very clear, she will never have a handle on it. She will never know where each day will take her.

She is like a feather floating around on a breezy day, rising with the gusts then falling at the very moment the wind stops blowing, when one would hope the stillness would bring peace and comfort. With cancer there is no comfort, no peace of mind.

So I ask you, to just pray. Pray for Kelly, my friend who has been a pillar of strength, trying so hard to make the last days of her Mom's life the best they can be. Pray for Jana, that she know in the depths of her soul, where we can not be, that she is loved so very much. Pray for anyone you know who has or who has ever had cancer and even those you don't know, that each day they find some sense of the comfort, safety and peace of mind that eludes them during this fight of their life. Please just pray. Thanks.



Also, Kelly shared this with me today. You may need it to or maybe you know someone who does. It is national Cancer Survivor's Day and as she was leaving the hospital she received a scroll with these words.


What Cancer Cannot Do!
Cripple love,

shatter hope,

corrode faith,

destroy peace,

kill friendships,

suppress memories,

silence courage,

invade the soul,

steal internal life or

conquer the spirit.

No Words Necessary

Dandy Syrup

Did I mention I have a new fascination with dandelions?

Recently I read about Dandelion syrup at 5 orange potatoes. The last time I tried to make syrup I nearly burnt my house down. I wasn't real confident going into it but she made it look fairly easy and since I have penchant for trying new things, well what the heck, I went for it.

We have lots of dandelions in our yard and we live at the end of a road where there isn't much traffic. I was sure our dandelions were safe from exhaust and since we don't fertilize the yard we were in the clear there too.

I kind of guessed at the 250 dandelion heads and started right away. After bringing them to a boil I was a little concerned that I wasn't going to have enough water so I added about 1/2 cup before putting them in the fridge to steep.

The first batch I made I cooked too long and it turned out HARD. I salvaged it and learned a few things along the way. And since I spent the first day after I made it carrying it around along with a bag of spoons making everyone try it, the first batch is almost gone.

Yesterday we started on our second batch and decided we'd double it. Cassi helped me pick the dandelions.

We have pretty much depleted our yard but we have other spots in mind to get some.

The process is seriously simple. All you need is 4 cups water, 1 lemon, 2 pounds of sugar, and 250 dandelion heads.

The hardest part is waiting overnight for the flowers to steep.

Once they have steeped for 12 hours-ish you can squish all the water out of them.

Looking at it this way doesn't seem so appealing but I assure you the syrup is DANDY!
The water looked rather green to me prior to adding anything.

Once you bring it to a boil you have an hour or better (her recipe says 2 but it didn't seem to take me that long) of regular stirring. When you see the froth(not just the bubbles from boiling), you are probably done.

I canned mine as I want to give it away and I'd like it to last.

I have read a lot about the benefits of the dandelion and I do think I'll be trying the wine soon. If you make anything or know of recipes to share, I'd love to hear about them. After all, I've got this fascination to feed. :)