Saturday, September 26, 2009

what to do on a hot afternoon


To celebrate actually having a garden (and a harvest), last week I decided to make salsa. We certainly had the peppers and tomatoes for it. S harvested the peppers and did the mincing (and the Pampered Chef chopper was a life-saver) while I peeled tomatoes and assembled the other ingredients. We were halfway in before I hauled out the mason jars and hoped that I had lids for them all...fortunately I had bought a box of new lids before putting all the canning stuff away last year. I sound like this is a regular event....actually it occurs every couple of years when I make plum jam, which is my idea of putting-by.

S took off for an appointment and I spent a couple of hot, steamy hours in a 90-degree kitchen. When I finished, I had this:

Eight jars...a lot of work, but very satisfying. To celebrate, we had Huevos Rancheros for dinner. Next time, I need to remember to assemble jars and lids before chopping ingredients, and to add more jalapenos. Otherwise, a success. (Recipe is Fiesta Salsa from the Ball Blue Book.)

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

everything is green

In preparation for some techy upgrades coming our way, we are painting the living room and beginning the overdue process of updating it .... maybe we will begin to use it, even enjoy it one day soon.

First step this weekend, was dismantling a bookcase (we are very good packers), moving it out of the way, and prepping for paint. I am eating this elephant one bite at a time, so decided to paint one wall completely before tackling the rest.

A rare visit from E, Eldest Child, couldn't have been more timely. She grabbed a brush while I did the rolling, and by mid-day Sunday, we had a lovely green wall. Hard to tell the color - this isn't really it, but it depends on the lighting anyway. I finished the baseboard, but still have to spray the vent covers near the ceiling.

Now the fun...moving the furniture around and trying to fit books, videos, games, photos, whatever back into their places. Good time to fling a few. (E made the executive decision on the kids' videos....she can live without the Gnomemobile. There's a bag going to the library used book sale soon.)

Next week...another wall! Can't wait to see where this will lead.