Are you an outdoorsy person or an indoorsy one? I'm an outdoorsy girl, but I also enjoy spending time inside my home. The word balance comes to mind. I've been spending lots of time outside planting, mulching, digging, and watering. I'm increasing my cut flower gardens, but I'm starting it from seed. I love starting gardens from seed! The reward is much bigger than when you start with established plants. Just saying. All this garden work in between soap making of course. Today I made an oldie but a greatie, Lemon grass + Grapefruit.
I also ordered and put together a couple of metal raised beds. The frames were super easy to put together but took a considerable amount of time because of all the screws to put it together. I'm proud to say that I conquered that task and moved on to filling the bins. First a layer of cardboard, then a layer of mulch, and then soil and compost. One bed will be peppers and tomato, while the other will be vines of cucumber, and a couple of different squash including zucchini.
My editor dropped off my manuscript on Thursday and I did a re-read before turning it back over to her before it heads to the publisher. We're coming upon excitement time! I'm realizing the average time for a book to be completed is around two years. I've learned a few things along the way only to help me to be more knowledgeable about book writing and publishing. We'll be getting an ISBN and once this is completed it will be published and available at a few different outlets like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. One of the learning lessons is that a writer should hold tight before marketing their book. Since it's out of the writer's hands when the book is completed there's no way of knowing the time frame. I feel like it's best to wait until you have the book in your hand before marketing your book, but hey, everyone is different and has a variety of preferences. Aren't you glad?
It's still early spring here and my spring blooms like columbine, mock orange and lily of the valley are all blooming. They loved the rain we just had. There's more rain coming and I'm trying to get all of my seeds out so that I can take advantage of the spring rains before summer kicks in and they'll be few and far between.
I make sourdough bread each week. It's the only bread we eat anymore. A couple of small loaves each week fits the bill. It's so good. It takes about two hours to make simply because of the rising time. Well worth the effort and time. I can already invision fresh peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, and squash to accompany the homemade bread. I share with neighbors when we have an extra loaf. I could tell that my neighbor was very appreciative of receiving the fresh from-the-oven loaf a few weeks ago. After all, sharing makes bread-making and gardening even more rewarding.
I hiked through the woods yesterday hunting morel mushrooms but didn't find any more. I guess the season is about done. It was fun going with my brother and dad. It reminded me of the olden days when my family used to take rides through the country. Some things never grow old, and I believe that is one of them. The rivers and creeks were way up because we just had a five or six-inch rain the day before. It was kind of cool being in the woods with the sound of the roaring creek. Little things.
We made Taco Hand Pies last week. So good, and super easy. I didn't use a recipe so this is how we made them.
Simply roll out two puff pastry sheets. Cut each into 8 rectangles. Top one with taco meat and some cheese. Place the top piece on and Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes. Top with salsa, sour cream, green onion, lettuce, tomato, and avocado, just like you would a taco. They were really good and I ended up freezing some. They are really handy to reheat in the oven. I don't do a microwave so I warm everything up in my oven.
Did you know that eighty percent of our garlic here in America comes from China? I sure didn't know that! A great reason to grow your own. Once my veggies have died out I'll plant some heads of garlic. I love Spanish and Thai Garlic! It has a kind of kick to it. You plant garlic in the fall in my neck of the woods and then harvest it the following summer, around July.
The shop is bustling with new soaps and arrivals. I fixed a glitch on our website and added a few items including a new soap every week!
See you at the shop!
Jill
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