Big Beefy Pool Noodle Lollipop Decorations

This tutorial shows you how to make the best looking pool noodle lollipops out there. Don't mess with the dollar store noodles. I decided to add some Christmas tutorials for my decorations outside. I'm creating a candy background for some characters from the Nutcracker Ballet. My first task was making some candy. I decided on … Continue reading Big Beefy Pool Noodle Lollipop Decorations

Just In Time For Christmas: Modern Cinnamon Pickles And Lemon Candy Pickles!

My grandmother used to make cinnamon pickles out of watermelon rind. It was a dessert she proudly put on our plates. They were delicious and in memory of her, I now make them yearly for my extended family and my kids. Last year I also tried a vanilla pickle which was pretty gross. I'm not … Continue reading Just In Time For Christmas: Modern Cinnamon Pickles And Lemon Candy Pickles!

Do You Duolingo?

I have a language learning hobby. I ended up with about 8 years of French between middle school, high school and college. I was not at all serious about it until college. I started with several languages on Duolingo, years ago, and ended up just focusing on French. This year I tried to learn chess, … Continue reading Do You Duolingo?

Happenings In The November Garden

We still have a couple of weeks until we freeze for the year. Most of my plants are shutting down. A few completely tropical plants are starting to fruit. I will be repotting some of the smaller plants into a single pot and bringing others indoors as is. My son's lemon tree is about ready … Continue reading Happenings In The November Garden

Walking And Friending

These are the type of friends you don't need social media to keep up with! Today the emu had some of its own friends. You may be wondering why the heck anyone would want an emu. I did. So I looked it up! Emu meat has the taste and texture of beef. So. Maybe one … Continue reading Walking And Friending

Rendering Lard

This is super easy. 1. Get out a crockpot/slow cooker. Don't use something to cut this on that will be hard to get the grease off of. 2. Put 3-6 lbs of pork fat, cut into 1 inch cubes, into the cooker. Look for organic grass fed pork. Otherwise, this will be more similar to … Continue reading Rendering Lard

Happy Halloween 2025!

This is my finished spiderweb themed display this year: I thought I'd also share one of our other finished Halloween displays. This is from 2023. It's a large display and the tutorials are on this blog site. If you see something homemade, and don't know how I made it, it will be in the $4, … Continue reading Happy Halloween 2025!

Walk=The Same. Things I Notice? Always=Different!

"Oh, that lady's hips!" "What beautiful hips she has." "Those hips are delightful!" No, not a personal description. These are rose hips. 😜 We're playing the "what is that squash?" game in the compost pile. Tomatoes from the food bank. Bright orange zinnia. Beautiful cactus fruit!, What in the heck is this? It looks like … Continue reading Walk=The Same. Things I Notice? Always=Different!

Haunted Heads

I had two main projects I wanted to accomplish this Halloween. One project was my Silver Faceless Aliens and the second was some posts with masks, or: Haunted Heads! I decided to do these after I saw a pin. But unfortunately, no matter which pin I opened I couldn't find the instructions to make these. … Continue reading Haunted Heads

Another Walk

This time in the sun, at double the pace. There's a bunch of really negative stuff in my life right now, (at a distance) so I enjoyed a walk! It was a pretty, but a little bit blinding, walk! Itty bitty start of something seriously pokey! It's just sticks and leaves. I definitely looked closely … Continue reading Another Walk

Flowers in the Desert

Riddle me this, Batman: how does a leaf, follow a stream, a couple of hours after a storm with a clear drop (or three) of rain? It floated through rocks and on muddy water, but the raindrop it carries is still pure. Pretty, even if I can't explain it! I'm in Arizona right now helping … Continue reading Flowers in the Desert

Trash Bag Witch Circle/Ghost ring 

I love making Halloween decorations, but I think they should be nearly free. Most of the things in our yard are homemade (with the exception of a couple of blow up displays and some skeletons.) I need my display to make a big impact (because we are trying to get people to walk down a … Continue reading Trash Bag Witch Circle/Ghost ring 

Easy Packing Tape Ghost

This is a great project! I've been able to reuse the original for nine years because I bought a dress form and a Styrofoam head that I restretch the ghost over every year. I really recommend getting a form for this project. Find out how to make her below! Halloween 2023 Oh, I had fun … Continue reading Easy Packing Tape Ghost