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!
So now that we're past the #!$@:! Frigging pool noodle lollipops, I have some relaxing projects to round out a candy themed Christmas display. First are the super simple candy cane straws. You can make canes with a bunch of PVC elbows but I think those look way more like a PVC pipe creation rather … Continue reading Candy Cane Straws and Ice Cream Sundae Outdoor 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
So I went and checked on the bananas today. We are still having 80+° days but the nights are getting chilly. Friday and Saturday are really our last decent days at about 65°/62° but the nights are already bouncing around in the 40s and 50s. They're a little bigger but they have a ways to … Continue reading Not Quite Ready!
There are still wonderful people out there! This is a YouTube channel I follow. The guy drives around his city and finds areas that need attention. He's cleaned up sidewalks for kids, to be able to walk home from the bus safely. He cleans up abandoned properties to bless the community and make it safer. … Continue reading A Man With A Great Heart
OK, I know that anyone who has made sourdough will argue with me that there is no "easy" sourdough. But trust me here for a minute, and let me demystify some things begginers struggle with. Sourdough can be easy, it just takes time. Picture of two starters. I usually have two going because I make … Continue reading Easy Sourdough bread
So, I ordered some fruit bags, from Amazon, for my bananas. They are lined on one side with cotton to trap the ethelene gas (ethelene gas helps make fruit ripen quickly.) The cotton also helps with humidity and shades the fruit from the sun. They have holes in them, so the fruit can breathe. They … Continue reading Protecting The ‘Naners
I was out watering today and found these! YES! God bless short cycle bananas! The Kokopo is the 6' one on the left of the giant bananas. I love my bananas. Even the ones I haven't gotten fruit from. So pretty! Finally! After years of growing and tending these monsters I got some fruit! This … Continue reading Ba-Ba-Ba Bananas!
My whole yard is spiderwebs! This is 6 panels of beef netting. It's a lot of work to cut all the holes and make it look right. This year I backed off of our usual display. My son and I have been having medical issues since August. A few days ago, my husband tried to … Continue reading Spiderwebs
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
Happy Halloween! This year: Silver Faceless Aliens! They are human height and shape and creep everyone out! I instantly had the idea after looking at this mask. So much fun! Like all of my projects: it's super cheap and has a big impact. I'm making four. Here are the supplies you'll need: 59 inch silver … Continue reading Silver Faceless Aliens
I saw this and I had to make one! All of my Halloween decorations are cheap, but some require a little planning. If you want to make this you will need to find the pieces and order them so that this is done before Halloween! Get my new e-book on Amazon! It’s free with Kindle … Continue reading Cousin It… Oh Yeah!
I made my original dead body bag about 4 or 5 years ago and I've learned some things about how to make these after having to repair it a few times. Get my new e-book on Amazon! It’s free with Kindle Unlimited or $3.99 to purchase. There are projects in this e-book that you won’t … Continue reading How To Make A Bagged Dead Body For Halloween
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
Here we go! It's Halloween time on my blog again! I hope you enjoy the tutorials! I love making Halloween decorations! I also love to make CHEAP decorations. I don't think I can find a good reason to buy a lot of what I see in the stores. I am pretty happy with a lot … Continue reading Milk Jug Spider
I grew a few bush, and vine habit, winter squash this year. I only grow squash that are squash vine borer, resistant. There are two squash borer invasions per season here in my part of Texas. I only got one green one this year. If I like it significantly more than the yellow ones I … Continue reading Winter Squash, Texas Style
This is awful for trying to juice pomegranates. In fact I think it would be awful for citrus, which is what it is made for. This does not compress enough to be worthwhile. I used my fingers to juice what was left and it shot out from under my grip and spilled what little the … Continue reading Yes Or No: Pomegranates?
One of my family's favorite summer foods are often called either "quick" or "refrigerator" pickles. These make the crunchiest pickles because they aren't cooked. I grow Armenian cucumbers, which are actually melons. They taste like cucumbers and they don't get bitter in our high heat like actual cucumbers do. So, I always have fresh additions … Continue reading Quick/Refrigerator Pickles
We went on a tour of different universities. My boys had to deal with me excitedly saying, "Mushrooms!" as I ran across the street to take pictures. Yes. I am that embarrassing as a parent. But, they had a lot of patience for their goofy mom. I can't go places and not notice things in … Continue reading Great Links About Fungi
OMG! I am so glad I stuck with the annoying, ridiculously hard to train (to move indoors for winter), tropical vining cactus: the dragon fruit! I have only seen one other flower that rivals a dragon fruit flower. It was also a type of night blooming cereus. My mother had it as a house plant … Continue reading Dragon Fruit: Texas Style!
Crazy Green Thumbs 