Author: Timelesslady

Married with children and grandchildren. Reader, writer, painter - maybe a bit of an artist. Gardener... Led by the Spirit.

Pots and Pans – Penguin Appetizers

On By TimelessladyIn Pots and Pans2 Comments

I repost this every year because they turned out so CUTE! They’re delicious too…

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These adorable penguin appetizers were a big hit at Christmas dinner yesterday. Peel and cut carrots into medallions, cut a notch out of each medallion for the feet which automatically creates a beak to place in the large end of a small pitted black olive. Using a large pitted black olive, cut a small slit in the front, open and place about a quarter teaspoon of cream cheese inside. (I used the already softened variety of cream cheese in a tub) It helps if you shape the cream cheese a bit on a plate or wax paper before you place it inside the olive. Take a toothpick, insert through head, into the larger cream cheese body and into the feet with the notch pointing frontwards. So easy, not expensive, and so much fun!!!

I found this idea on Pinterest. Click here to visit Pinterest

I wish I had taken a photograph of my little flock, but in the busyness of the day became distracted and forgot. They are even cuter when you have a dozen or more standing at attention on a serving plate.

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Project – Dollar Store Kid’s Craft – $3.00

On By TimelessladyIn ProjectsLeave a comment

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This beautiful Christmas tree was easy and inexpensive to create. All three of my grandsons loved putting it together. The only supplies we needed were bought at the dollar store. We purchased one piece of black foamboard and two packets of glittery stars. We had freezer paper on hand for the template, but old newspaper would work just as well.

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First we scattered the stickers and took a good look at them. We noticed the stars could be used as they were, or to double the amount we had to use, the insides could be punched out and used as separate stickers. Whoo-Hoo…fun…let’s begin!

Before the boys were ready to start I cut a piece of freezer paper into a tree shape by folding it in half and cutting away half a tree. When opened, the sides matched and when placed on the foamboard waxy side down, the paper clung to the  surface just a bit. To help keep the freezer paper from shifting we weighted the corners down with what was handy…salt and pepper shakers. The littlest grandson thought the salt was part of the project and promptly salted the foamboard.

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All three of the boys ages 2 1/2 through 8 years enjoyed the project. It was completed within fifteen minutes and was instantly gorgeous and bright. The only problem we had was some of the paper backing on the stickers stuck a bit for the younger boys.

When the tree was complete and we had oooh’d and aaah’d over how beautiful it was, I used my glue gun to place a string for hanging about a third of the way down from the top. The foamboard is very light and will hang on even the smallest nail.

Happy Christmas Crafting to You!

Project – Dollar Store Kid’s Craft Salt Dough Snowman $4.00

On By TimelessladyIn Projects3 Comments

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Salt Dough Snowmen are easy to craft. We spent two dollars at the dollar store and purchased a three pair pack of colorful girl’s socks and a microfiber towel that matched the color of the socks. The materials we used at home probably added up to about another two dollars.

The salt dough is so easy to mix up…knead it in a ziptop bag and slowly dry in a low temperature oven. The salt-dough can be used to make Christmas ornaments and other holiday gifts too.

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SALT DOUGH CLAY
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup salt
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Place the dough in ziplock bag and knead until smooth. Could also be kneaded on a board or countertop with no problem. A ziplock bag is recommended because it keeps the dough, counter and your hands very clean.
(We doubled the recipe to make three good-sized snowmen)

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After the dough is kneaded, take out of the ziplock bag and form into three smooth balls. They should be graduated in size, just like a snowman made out of snow.

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Have a plate handy to set them upon as they are formed.

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Place them together in a snowman shape to make sure they sit well. Cover a cookie sheet or flat pan with parchment paper or foil. Take the snowmen apart once more and bake them in a 180 degree oven until they are hard. Ours took about three hours. I checked them constantly for browning. You don’t want any browning to mar the off white color. I also turned them several times as they dried out.

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When they are hard to the touch let them cool. Glue the pieces together. We used a glue gun which did not hold after a few hours. Tacky glue is a better choice.

I made a mistake at this point and added the features with permanent felt-tipped pen before brushing on Mod-podge. (Mod-Podge is the name of a waterproofing glaze, we used the glossy variety.) The foam brush I used smeared a bit of the ink, even though it is supposed to be permanent. I reapplied the eyes after the Mod-Podge dried. I had no problem adding it at this point. Much better to draw the features on after the glaze is applied. (Glaze is a good protection, not sure how well the snowmen would hold up without it.) You also could use acrylic paint to create features. This would add at least a half hour to completion time for drying.

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The salt dough is still a bit pliable at this point. We were able to push small branches into their torsos to create arms. Small buttons were added and a toothpick was colored orange and pushed into the face as a nose.

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We cut the top of the socks off, rolled up a brim, and placed them on the heads of the snowmen as hats. We added pompoms to the top of one. The hats were a little ornery to get on…they kept popping off until somehow they gripped and stayed in place. We cut the microfiber towel into long strands and used these as scarves. We were so very happy with the way our sweet snowmen turned out.

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The boys were able to form the snowmen, but an adult or older child might need to draw the features as was the case with ours.

Plants – Microgreens Update

On By TimelessladyIn PlantsLeave a comment

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My microgreen pea seedlings are up and growing. I’ve already nipped several down and used them on my lunchtime hummus and crackers. Oh the joy of it. Even after I cut the sprouts way back they seem to regenerate another branch and continue growing.

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I’ve visited the Pinetree Garden Seeds Microgreen Seeds Website and begun to dream about what microgreen seeds I want to try next. While browsing the category I noticed several varieties of seeds I already have that can be used as microgreens.

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Happy Microgreening!

Perspective – Let Every Heart…

On By TimelessladyIn Perspective2 Comments

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This morning, I started the day off by joining a little bird I heard singing outside my window. He sounded merry as he greeted December 1st. I tried to do the same and began to sing, “Joy to the World.” I didn’t get very far, “Let every heart prepare Him room.” My voice was silenced by the flood of God’s presence as I sang those words I know so well, but often don’t dwell upon.

Is my heart prepared and open to him this Christmas season…is yours? Have I kept a hallowed place within where only he can abide, or am I so busy, always setting my inner self to rights, that I cannot fall to my knees and treasure the moments he touches me…moments like the one I experienced this morning when I sang…”Prepare Him room?” My spirit rose and felt touched by God’s presence, when my heart answered, “Yes, I have prepared Him room.” I hope that anyone reading these words has done, or will do, the same. Please my friends, let your heart’s door open and prepare Him room at Christmas time and the whole year through. Blessings on you this Christmas Season.

Photo courtesy of Flickr and Curtis McCormick

Quotes – Something Inspirational?

On By TimelessladyIn Quotes8 Comments

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It’s growing colder here in the Mid-Atlantic states. We’ve had several weeks of very brisk and breezy weather. The northern portion of our area has already received a good amount of snow. The little squirrel who lives in our oak tree has already had enough of the early winter. He left his cozy nest of leaves one day to escape the pelting rain. An old bird house, remodeled by the incisors of several generations of squirrels, was the perfect shelter in the wintry rainstorm.

Feeling at a loss today as I wrote a post that I hoped would be uplifting on the Sabbath day, I said to my husband, “Think of something inspirational I can say in my blog post.” He didn’t even think about the request. After spending hours raking up many piles of fallen leaves, he said, “Finally the last of the leaves!”

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In a lifetime, we go through many seasons. Some enjoyable, some not so much, but like the little squirrel, we all need to find a place of solace and comfort in the storms. I like these wise words of Charles Spurgeon on where to turn when life drenches you in the freezing rain of earthly trials and tribulations.

“You may readily judge whether you are a child of God or a hypocrite by seeing in what direction your soul turns in seasons of severe trial. The hypocrite flies to the world and finds a sort of comfort there. But the child of God runs to his Father and expects consolation only from the Lord’s hand.” ~ Charles H. Spurgeon

May you find joy on this Sabbath day, but if it is one of those drear times that drench your spirit in trouble and trials, find solace in the shelter of the Heavenly Father’s love.

Phavorites & Phun – Holiday Happiness/The Gospel Quartet

On By TimelessladyIn Phavorites, PhunLeave a comment

I came across this little bit of “phun” and wanted to share it. The video is sweet, funny, and captures the essence of Christmas Joy and Merriment.

Photo Challenge – “Just Doesn’t Belong?” – CONVERGE

On By TimelessladyIn Photo Challenge at Wordpress2 Comments

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CONVERGE

Geometrics? Concrete? Yes, I’ve photographed actual concrete…house, steps of brick, shutters…rectangles with a few bushy circles. And then, smack in the middle of it all…the ABSTRACT! This globe full of stinging fire just doesn’t belong on the front of a house. Yikes! The vanishing point…anyone who rings that doorbell will “vanish” quickly. I know I’m taking some liberties with the challenge…oh well! Couldn’t resist using this as my “vanishing point.”

“WORDPRESS PHOTO CHALLENGE – Geometry in photography — shapes, diagonals, vanishing points — fascinates me.

Psalm & Praise – U2’s “40” (lyrics) – A Song of Thanksgiving

On By TimelessladyIn Praise, Psalms and Proverbs5 Comments

A BLESSED THANKSGIVING DAY TO YOU.

“I waited patiently for the LORD;
And He inclined to me and heard my cry.

He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay,
And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.

He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear
And will trust in the LORD.”

Psalm 40:1-3

“And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that “as you reap, so will you sow” stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff.I’m holding out for Grace. I’m holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don’t have to depend on my own religiosity.” ~ Bono

Painting – Aquabord and November Plant Parade

On By TimelessladyIn Painting10 Comments

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I recently took part in the WetCanvas Plant Parade for November. The category was rainbows and I chose the rosebud reference photograph to watercolor.

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I used a piece of 5×7 Aquabord for this painting.  I love Aquabord’s sturdy, non-warping background. I also am impressed by Aquabord’s easy release of watercolor. I “lift” paint quite a bit when I watercolor, and the Aquabord lets the paint loosen and lift like a dream. Unfortunately, this same asset can quickly become a nightmare. I never use Aquabord without a struggle to get my washes smooth. Often when I lift the paint, more is removed than necessary.

I enjoyed creating the background for this watercolor. The Aquabord stayed very wet and allowed the watercolors to blend beautifully. The same wet into wet blending also caused a bit of a problem…the paint ran over the outer edges of the rosebud.

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No worries about losing edges when painting with Aquabord. A stiff brush, a little water, and I wiped and dabbed the watercolor off the rosebuds petals and stem.

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One day, I hope to use Aquabord for a large watercolor, but right now I’m content to learn on smaller versions of this interesting watercolor board.

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The best news of all about Aquabord is that it does not need to framed under glass. A light spray of clear matte acrylic and your painting can be hung without the glare of glass to distort its shape and colors.

Pots & Pans – Cheesy “Crack” Bread

On By TimelessladyIn Quirkiness2 Comments

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Doesn’t that look like a yummy appetizer. Believe me…it is delicious! It’s called “crack” bread. Now, I don’t know if it is called crack bread because you cut diagonal slices in it, thus forming “cracks,” or, could it be that it is totally addictive and hard to stop munching once you start? Whatever the reason for the name, it is easy to make, inexpensive and enjoyed by young and old alike.

I found a terrific recipe at Recipe Tin Eats. If you like pieces of garlic in your recipes then please take a look at this recipe. If you are like my family, perhaps you will prefer a softer version of the garlic butter and use Adobo seasoning or garlic powder to flavor your spread. In any case, please check out Recipe Tin Eats blog page.

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Flickr Photograph courtesy of Robyn Anderson – Creative Commons license

Here is my adaptation of the recipe.

Ingredients
1 crusty loaf of bread
¾ cup shredded Mozzarella cheese (or other melting cheese)
(optional) 1/4 cup fresh grated Asiago Cheese

Garlic Butter
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp Adobo seasoning or garlic powder (not salt)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped (more or less works fine, also a lesser amount of dried can be used, but fresh is definitely better)
3/4 cup fresh grated mozzarella cheese

I used a round bread, next time I’ll go for a more oblong shape. Make several one inch diagonal cuts with a sharp serrated knife, turn bread and slice up the other side, creating diamonds. Slice almost through, but not quite. Place bread on a piece of heavy duty foil. Melt butter, careful not to burn, and add garlic powder or Adobo. Spoon butter in between cracks.

After you’ve filled each crack with a bit of butter, stuff in some cheese, sounds easy, but it is a little tedious and time consuming.

Wrap in the foil. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven. If needed, you can refrigerate for a few hours until ready to bake.

Now here is where I had the BIG problem, and the reason why I can’t show you the finished loaf. When I unwrapped my cheesy bread, the whole thing fell apart when I tried to place it on a serving platter. I think I sliced the diagonal cuts too far down. So instead of my finished loaf, I am showing you a Flickr photograph courtesy, of Robyn Anderson.

Delicious!!! And the bonus…it reheats easily in the toaster oven and tastes even better. Happy Crackin’

Plants – Microgreens

On By TimelessladyIn Planting7 Comments

The post below is a timely re-blogging of one of my favorite winter gardening activities: Sowing and Growing Microgreens. I have grown Microgreens for several years and have never been disappointed. Give them a try.

In winter I love sprouting microgreens. The seed companies listed in this post are very reliable. The seeds I bought a year or two ago are still near 100 % viable. I have flats of microgreens growing in my sunniest windows at this time.

Sowing seeds and indoor gardening seem to be dominating my blog posts. I am starved right now for green, tired of the bare branches of trees silhouetted against the sky. I have been sowing seeds in hopes of harvesting Microgreens. Microgreens are harvested from seeds sprouted through the early leafing out stage. I am using seeds from Pinetree Garden Seeds. This is my first attempt at this type of gardening.

I am growing the Microgreens on my windowsill in plastic throwaway containers from cookies and other snacks.

 

Gather supplies: antique pots to look pretty, throwaway plastic from cookie containers, corn holder for poking holes in the plastic.

Make sure the containers would fit inside my chosen pots before I added the dirt.

Poke holes for drainage in the plastic with the corn holder.

Fill the containers with organic soil.

Water containers of soil and let them drain.

Space the pea seeds out in rows.

Sow the Kitchen Sink Mix en masse.

Cover with one of my favorite kitchen tools, Glad’s Press ‘n Seal.

The seeds are already up…they sprouted in less than two days.

My Microgreens are up and growing fast. I can’t wait to try them in a salad.

Oh My! The Microgreens look terrible…what happened to my lush crop? I’m afraid to say I have already eaten most of it. I pop off the tops of the pea sprouts and eat them like candy. This is reminiscent of the peas I grow outdoors in the Spring. They never make it to my table. Warm afternoons usually find me standing in the midst of the pea patch eating the fresh peas out of the pods. Actually, the microgreens are a complete success. I am really enjoying growing them and most of all eating them. The best use for them so far was garnishing my turkey and Swiss cheese sandwich with a row of them. Oh Happy Day!

The kitchen sink variety is also thriving and perhaps today I will start grazing on them too. Moo!

Plants – Autumn Sumac

On By TimelessladyIn Plants2 Comments

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Sumac Tree

I live in the Northeast portion of the US. At this time of year the Sumac trees turn a brilliant red and their berries deepen to magenta. There are many uses for sumac trees. The articles I’ve linked to share some history and some ways to use sumac. Eat the Weeds – Edible Sumacs

Plants – Propagating a Spider Plant

On By TimelessladyIn Plants4 Comments

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I have many spider plants. They are a favorite for hanging on my porch in the summertime. In the colder months of the year, according to Nasa’s Clean Air Study, they are one of the plants you can grow to remove toxins from indoor air.

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I have always been entranced by the babies spider plants produce on the end of bouncy offshoots. Each one of these babies can become a new plant. Two of my large spiders are children of the original plant I purchased.

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Over the course of the summer, I lost a portion of one of my spider plants. This loss left an empty space in the pot. No worries…I can easily fill in the plant with one of the babies. Because the plant is potbound with roots, I don’t want to dig into the soil and possibly cause damage. Instead I will bend one of the shoots upward and “peg in” a baby with a unbent paper clip.

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In about six weeks, roots will have developed and anchored the young plant into the pot. I will be able to remove the paper clip and cut away the offshoot. Filling in the pot in this way will save the remaining plants from possible trauma.

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Spider plants also propagate very easily in water. This is the best way to start a whole new pot of plants. Spider plants produce their classic cascade of baby offshoots when the plant is crowded and potbound. In the case of spider plants, you want to crowd them in. Happy planting! 🙂

Photo Challenge – Angular

On By TimelessladyIn Photo Challenge at Wordpress17 Comments

Angular – Not to put too fine a point on it, though this week, we challenge you to show us what “angular” means to you.

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Angular Challenge – These photographs were taken in Treasure Beach, Jamaica. Boats in the water always appear sleek and swift, out of water, they appear angular and cumbersome.

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Photo Challenge – ANGULAR

Poetry & Photograph – Emily Dickinson

On By TimelessladyIn Photographs, Poetry2 Comments

alcyon park in november

“The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry’s cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town.
The maple wears a gayer scarf,
The field a scarlet gown.
Lest I should be old-fashioned,
I’ll put a trinket on.”
– Emily Dickinson

Quick Tip – Extending an Envelope’s Dimensions

On By TimelessladyIn Quick Tip2 Comments

Who among us hasn’t signed a greeting card for a loved one or friend, addressed the front of the envelope, and then, when we try to insert the card for mailing, find we have brought home the wrong-sized envelope. “Arrggh!” Or, even worse, addressed the card and completely botched up the address. Last week, I had just such an incident with a greeting card envelope. In this case I placed the return address label in the place where the postage stamp was intended to go. Double “Arrggh!”

What to do? I didn’t want to go out and buy a whole new card just for the sake of the envelope. So, I did what we all would do…I searched the house for an extra envelope. I found what appeared to be a likely candidate only to discover it was a fraction too small. I had no other choices, so I made the envelope do by extending its dimensions. Did you know you can do this? It was the first time I had been desperate enough to try. If the card is less than a 1/4 inch too big this will work…any bigger, you will need to create some extensions with paper to make your envelope larger.

Here’s a step by step illustration.

Open the envelope. You will find the bottom corners seem to have the most glue. I got around this by sliding a trusty scrap of old credit card between the layers.

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Your envelope will now look like this:

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Fold one side again, extending the edge a few fractions of an inch. If you need more room, fold out the opposite side too.

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Glue…

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Tape…

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Or use stickers to firmly hold the edges down. “Voila’,” a larger-sized envelope. It doesn’t look perfect, but in the real world, who ever notices what the back of an envelope looks like before they open up the card?

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Projects – Sources for Beautiful Background Images

On By TimelessladyIn Projects2 Comments

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I want to let you in on the secret of how I created the colorful background shown above. I used this image as the background for yesterday’s quote poster. The background is a scan of the inner recesses of a small shell (less the diameter of a quarter )I found on a beach in Jamaica.

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How to do it: I scanned the inside of the shell, cropped it down, saturated the colors and cropped again to a standard size. I added the lettering in my “Paint” application, and then went to PicMonkey to frame it. I chose the Drop Shadow frame for this quote poster.

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Create a few posters with your own favorite quotes as desktop wallpaper, or as a note of encouragement for a friend or loved one through email or Facebook. Quote posters are also great to insert in a blog sidebar.  There are countless ways to use them. Happy quoting and creating!

Prompt – Oh Grandmother!

On By TimelessladyIn Prompt/The Daily Prompt at Wordpress7 Comments

Good Things

“Present-day you meets 10-years-ago you for coffee. Share with your younger self the most challenging thing, the most rewarding thing, and the most fun thing they have to look forward to.”

Ten years I was on the cusp of becoming a grandmother. Yes, what you’ve heard is true…being a grandparent is one of the greatest joys in life, definitely rewarding and challenging, often in the same moment. The most fun…oh yes! It really is true, after the fun, you can give them back. 🙂

“Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.” Proverbs 17:6