Phavorites – Tips for Making Pizelle Cookies

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This is another re-post of a phavorite of mine…pizelle cookies.

I love pizzelles. I love making them, I love eating them. I was without a pizzelle iron for about two years, last week I found a new one at a good price. Over the weekend I made a batch of pizzelles. Since this is a non-stick version of a pizzelle iron, I couldn’t use a fork to remove the finished pizzelle as I did with my old iron. What could I use that wouldn’t melt or scratch the surface? I came up with the idea to pop off the sponge portion of a disposable brush and sharpen the end. Voila! The perfect pizzelle tool.

A few years ago a friend gave me a few of her pizzelles with a twist, a bit of colored sugar in the center. I have tried this and love the results, it adds a bit of pizzazz to an otherwise plain cookie.

The problem is this dries to the iron and is hard to remove. Hmmm…another tool from my arts and crafts box. When the iron is cool the dried sugar and any leftover dough brushes off easily with an inexpensive bristle brush.

Did I say I LOVE PIZZELLES? Yes I do.

Phavorites – Snowflakes

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Over the course of December I’m going to be sorting through archives, deleting some posts, and re-blogging some that I consider the best or most popular. I’ll start with one for the upcoming Christmas season – PAPER SNOWFLAKES – one of my favorites.

I love cutting paper snowflakes. This year all my front and side windows have are decorated with snowflakes. I’ve included two Youtube videos below with directions.

Photographs & Pressed Flowers – Happy Thanksgiving

On By TimelessladyIn Photographs2 Comments

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Happy Thanksgiving to all…I’ll be using these pressed Autumn Leaves on my table today. Enjoy the day!

People – Preachers/Lon Solomon

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In the links below you will find an inspiring life story and messages that dare to tell the truth. Too many people preach politically correct messages rather than God’s truth. Visit these links and prepare to hear truth and be inspired. The testimony of Lon Solomon and his conversion to Christ Jesus is an amazing glimpse into how God works and how he uses those who turn their lives over to him.

Lon Solomon: A Story of a Changed Life.

McLean Bible Church

The links below are the same sermon, one is audio only, the other is video.

Revival: America’s Only Hope (Audio Only)
Revival: America’s Only Hope (Video)

People – Preachers/Joyce Meyer

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Over the next three days I’m going to post a few thoughts on three of my favorite ministers. I watch or listen to these terrific preachers through media outlets: television, printed word, and a church audio/video website. Each one is different from the next. I have found these three to be reliable and feel they preach from the word of God. While I know that I am never going to agree 100% with everything any preacher says, and I would question my own relationship with God if I did, from what I have heard in their recent sermons and devotionals, I know that they are on track in what is going on in my life and in the world at this time in history.

I watch Joyce Meyer Ministries almost every day at 8:30 on a local cable channel. I sit down and with a cup of coffee in my hand, wait for her to help me realize little quirks and flaws I need to address in my own character and life. She rarely accuses, instead she uses her own life, her little quirks and flaws, her past and her present, to bring Bible truths home to me. Yesterday after hearing the sermon she preached I was sure it was the link I wanted to use for today’s post, and then I watched today’s broadcast, and was sure that I should use today’s message…so…I am including the links to both and also the link to her main broadcast page. I hope you will listen and laugh and learn as I do. I always feel recharged, refreshed, and ready to change things I should, large and small.

Do Not Take Offense
The Voice of Conscience

Joyce Meyer Ministries

Plantings – Coleus Sampler

On By TimelessladyIn Planting21 Comments

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Sampler of last year’s coleus leaves.

I’ve been cleaning chaff from my coleus seed harvest, dreaming of next year’s new plants. When I’m finished the tedious task, I’ll place the seeds in the refrigerator or in the garage for a few weeks to give them a dose of coldness. This process is called stratification.

Stratification:  In horticulture, stratification is the process of pre-treating seeds to simulate natural winter conditions a seed must endure before germination.

For tips on stratification for seeds read this article: Making Winter for Seeds: Cold Stratification From Fridge to Snow Sowing.

I start my seeds in early January to have good-sized plants by late April/early May. If you’ve never grown coleus, give them a try. The colors and variety will be sure to please you.

Pot and Pans & Problem-Solving – Avoiding the Fat

On By TimelessladyIn Pots and Pans, Problem-Solving10 Comments

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This jar contains broth/pan drippings I gathered from the last roast chicken I baked. Many people use these drippings for gravy. To do so while they are still hot makes it impossible to remove the fat that you can see gathered at the top of the jar. To save my family’s health, I always use the previous chicken/turkey’s broth and pan drippings in my cooking, enabling me to remove most of the dangerous fat. Refrigeration causes the broth and fat to separate making it very easy to lift the hardened fat away from the broth.

Today, knowing that the Thanksgiving turkey is going to need a lot of gravy, I purchased three turkey legs. Tomorrow I will cook these down in the crockpot with several cups of water. I’ll add celery, onions and garlic for richer flavor, and have a luscious broth to use for a healthy gravy on Thanksgiving Day. I’ll refrigerate the broth after it cooks down, skim off the hardened fat, and freeze the broth for a couple of days. I’ll leave myself a big note on the chalkboard on Wednesday, reminding myself to take it out of the freezer for the big turkey day. It’s good to think ahead when it comes to sauces and gravies and take a few moments to create a healthier alternative to using the fatty and heart clogging drippings straight out of the pan.

Photograph & Poetry – End of Autumn Days

On By TimelessladyIn Photographs, Poetry2 Comments

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A chill in the air,

Skies are leaden gray,

Winter waits in the wings,

   Autumn wanes away…

~

Pleasures – The Stowaway

On By TimelessladyIn Pleasures1 Comment

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Now usually this little guy on a geranium blossom would cause me to inspect the whole plant for any of his brother and sister cabbage worms. But…this guy somehow survived very cold temperatures and stowed-away on my plant when I brought it indoors. So instead of this post being categorized as problem-solving, it is titled “Pleasures.”

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It gave me quite a chuckle when I began watering my geranium and caught sight of the small caterpillar. I will let him live out his lifespan on the geranium. Maybe he will spin a cocoon and overwinter, or maybe even hatch in the house. It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve had a butterfly or moth flying in the house, taking us by surprise.

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He hasn’t done much damage at all, just a few small holes and some missing geranium florets. Happy feasting little bug! 🙂

Plantings and Pressed Flowers – Growing Snow Peas

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This beautiful blossom is not a Sweet Pea blooming in Springtime, it is instead the bloom of a Snow Pea blooming in my Square Foot Garden in mid-November. I planted the peas near the end of August and they are still producing pea pods for me. I love the fact that anything at all is still growing in the rapidly falling temperatures. The flower of the Snow Pea is quite attractive, a beautiful lavender and deep purple combination.

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What a bonus that the flower develops quickly into a tender, delicious peapod. They are such a welcome addition to my salad greens.

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Another bonus: the twirling fronds the snow pea uses for climbing are a perfect foil for my pressed flower compositions. They press within three days inside the pages of a book. They add the perfect delicate touch to a Victorian Pressed Flower Card.

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Pleasure & Planting – Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Catalog

On By TimelessladyIn Planting, PleasuresLeave a comment

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Oh the JOY of receiving this amazing catalog in the mail! It is over 350 pages and full, and I mean FULL of heirloom seeds. There are also hundreds of pictures that prompt an instant, “Ahhhh…” Well, let me stop right now and give you the link to the website and you can order a catalog of your own. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

Here is a sampling of the pages in the seed catalog. Truly, it is the best seed catalog I have ever held in my hands. Amazing!

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Plantings – Last Minute Planting

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Today I emptied out a summer pot and filled the back side with a mixture of early tulips and daffodils. In the front of these I planted a dozen winter pansies. I have not decided if I will let the pansies rough it through the winter months, or if I will coddle them a bit by covering on frigid and snowy nights…still deciding…will update in the coming cold months. Brrrrrr…………

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Quirkiness & Pressed Flowers – Mailings

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An interesting and very secure way to mail pressed flowers or pressed leaves through the mail is in a children’s board book. I usually can pick them up for a quarter or less at the public library donation table. A paperback novel or hardback book will also work, but will usually weigh a bit more. I enclose the leaves or foliage within the book, wrap in some type of paper to hold it flat and taut, slide package into a padded envelope, and mail. One of the perils of pressed flowers traveling through the mail is careless handlers. When I send flowers or leaves in a book I can be assured that no amount of bending will break or shatter what is inside. The bonus: pressed flowers store best inside a book.

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Happy mailing!

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Plantings – Wintering-Over Geraniums

On By TimelessladyIn QuirkinessLeave a comment

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I’m beginning to bring in my geranium plants in the hope of overwintering them. Last year I pulled several out of the ground and stored them in my garage. The garage doesn’t freeze, but it gets very cold. Half of the geraniums I attempted to overwinter made it, the others never showed new signs of life. I think I would have saved them all if I had kept the boxed geraniums in the basement instead of the garage. I also wish I had labeled my plants last year. When it came time to plant them again I couldn’t remember which one was pink, red or magenta. This year I added a label and attached it with a pipe cleaner.

Here’s a video tutorial from Garden Gate magazine with good advice on keeping your geraniums alive. This short video has excellent tips on storing your geraniums and when to replant for new growth. Happy gardening!
How to Overwinter Geraniums

Project – Rock & Wire Display

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This is a fun and easy project for children or adults. If you have a favorite rock on hand use it to display photographs, postcards, a favorite quote, or as I did above, craft a few letters to celebrate the season.

Directions:

Cut a piece of wire to about 12 to 15 inches.  I used some copper wire I had on hand. Remember the end of wire is sharp and can easily puncture your skin, take it as fact from someone who has done so many times. 😦

Choose your rock. I had several beach rocks on hand, I sprayed them with a glossy layer first, and then wrapped the wire around the bottom and twisted to secure. When I was sure the wire would hold on, I twirled the remaining wire around a pencil. When I reached the end I turned the last two swirls upwards and pinched them together. Voila, a perfect photo display holder. This is easy enough for children to do. A pipe cleaner would also work for very young children. Fun!

Phavorites – A Walk in the Park and a Quote

On By TimelessladyIn Phavorites2 Comments

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I thought I would share two of my favorites today, a lovely place to walk, Alcyon Lake Park, and a quote on doing good by John Wesley (1703 – 1791)

“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.”

Projects – Pressed Leaves

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It’s not too late to press a few Autumn leaves for crafts and Thanksgiving table scatter. They look lovely hung from mantels or chandeliers. They make great place cards. Write the names of your guests on them with metallic felt-tipped markers. Encase within pieces of glass, seal edges with copper tape or decorative duct tape and use as trivets for your holiday table. Have fun!

Perspective – Raking Leaves

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My oak tree is dropping its leaves. This adds up to a huge amount of raking…hours upon hours. My state of mind can become overwhelmed even thinking about the leaf removal job ahead. For me, body and spirit do better if I break the job up into small increments. Each day I try to rake up three to four loads of leaves. It sounds silly, and possibly ineffectual, but it works for me. Little by little those piles of leaves I rake clear the yard and gardens of Autumn’s debris. For those of you facing mountains of leaves…happy raking.

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Pleasures – I’m Happy to Say, “I’m Back!”

On By TimelessladyIn Pleasures8 Comments

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It’s fitting to begin blogging once more with the same image that I used to announce a hiatus from writing a daily post. It was good to take a break, recharge, and best of all receive a laptop/notebook that allows me to work in any room of the house instead of sitting in the basement at the old computer. Now, don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed using that old computer, but since I watch grandchildren four days a week, this new computer allows me to watch them and also compose a blog post. Thank you to everyone who still follows this blog and thank you to my children for giving me this brand new “TOY!” Stay tuned for more posts…

Perspective & Problem-Solving – Rivers of Difficulty

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“When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown” Isaiah 43:2

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I didn’t plan on this post in advance, heavy storms arrived, and the problems they caused seemed like a good subject to blog about today. In some areas of Maryland this morning the rain was falling at a rate of near 12 inches an hour. This type of rainfall can create the danger of flash flooding. Here in South Jersey the heavy rains happened early in the day before people left for work, and although many are now stuck in standstill traffic due to rain-drenched and flooded roads, many more opted to go into work a bit later today.

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My Square Foot Gardens are now Square Foot pools of water. I’m thankful all the new seeds I planted last week already sprouted, and hopefully are rooted deep enough to withstand the heavy downpours.

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Horrors! As I was sitting in the living room, sipping coffee and watching the rain pour down, I became aware of a drip, drip, drip. NO!!!!!!!! Oh yes, the rain fell so fast and blew so hard it somehow managed to get into my house around the fireplace brick and mantel. A good tip to remember when this happens is to mark the area with tape. I positioned a piece in exactly the spot the drip was occurring and also marked where the drip hit the ground, or hearth in this case.

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Stay safe, and stay dry everyone! Happy Tuesday!