making my garden grow

coffee. garden. coffee. does a good morning need anything else? -Betsy Canas Garmon

I just wanted to share a few pics of the beginnings of my outdoor decorating. I will soon be adding to my kitchen herb garden, mounds of fresh basil and parsley. There is nothing quite as satisfying as stepping out your back door and choosing the herbs you will add to your meal that day! :) then Potted vegetables and I will add raspberry and strawberry plants to the ever expanding berry patch behind my shed. The boys are very excited at the prospect that they will pick berries from our very own garden and eat them at breakfast! Meals are eaten outdoors here as much as weather permits. oh summer, how I love you!!!!

Earth here is so kind, that just tickle her with a hoe and she laughs with a harvest. - Douglas William Jerrold

poetry by Eleni

Demeter,Well Pleased

freezing climes of
the heart of winter
warmed by spring's sun
tender green grasses shoot
from the earth
first roses bloom
spreading their
yellow petals
hot pink flowers of
azaleas
rhododendron
violet hues
trees sprout
their leaves
nature has awoken
Hades bargain kept
his season ended
Persephone returned
to her grieving mother,
Demeter, now well pleased

Eleni Byrnes 5/22/2012

This is a poem my dear friend Elenis wrote and I just thought it was so lovely i had to share it!

Hummus!

South Beach diet hummus recipe
 1 can(15 oz.) chickpeas
2T. fresh lemon juice
1/2 c. tahini(sesame paste)
1/4 c. chopped yellow onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 t. extra virgin olive oil
2 t. ground  cumin
1/8 t. ground red pepper
1/2 t. salt
chopped fresh parsley(optional)
I add, 1/2 a 12oz jar of roasted red peppers, chopped

Drain the chickpeas, reserving 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the liquid.
combine chickpeas, lemon juice,tahini,onion, garlic, oil, cumin, pepper, and salt and roasted red pepper in a blender or fodd processor. Puree until smooth,adding the chickpea liquid if needed to thin the puree.
Refrigerate 3-4  hours before serving to blend the flavors. Garnish with parsley if using.

serves 5
16 fat grams, 251 calories

*tip*  I ALWAYS use fresh lemon juice! and I just read in Cooking Light magazine "those cute little plastic lemons DO contain lemon juice, but after its reconstituted and mixed with preservatives the taste is notably off." -Jason Horn

I took this delish treat to my bible study last week, its good with chips and healthier with veggies to dip!!!!
WHAT KIND OF HUMMUS DO YOU LIKE?

must love junk: Welcome!

must love junk: Welcome!: Welcome to my first official post!  I decided to start with showing you a corner of my living room.  I'm always changing things around ...

Happy Birthday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

I am not gonna lie, I love birthdays, not just mine, but everyones'! This year, on May 10th, I had an exceptionally great one!!!! Right now our little family is down to one car! My husband surprised me with this beauty, which I have dubbed "my sweet new ride" He even presented it to me parked in the driveway with a big red bow tied to it(like he just bought me a brand new beemer! lol) my little boys bought me the basket attached to the front. I am looking forward to logging many miles this summer! Also special to me, my dear friend from childhood, Amy Fountain Jackson, presented a gift that will be near and dear to my heart for many years to come. Our mothers, Maureen(me) and Holly(Amy's mom) met before either of us were born. both of our dads were in the army, he father(Bob) was deployed in Vietnam and my father(Fran) was new to the base. Our moms became instant kindred spirits. Amys' whole family, including her younger brother Christian moved here to Ohio, from Arizona, so our moms could be together! We spent our childhoods antiquing and going to flea markets with our parents, buying vintage marbles and sea monkeys as "treats" for good behavior! Sadly, Amy's mother passed away suddenly 10 years ago. We all had broken hearts, but none more broken than Amy at the loss of her beloved Mother. So, you can imagine my delight, when as part of my gift, Amy gave me a set of her moms vintage linens. I have recently started collecting porcelain swans, from thrift stores and flea market. Believe it or not these particular linens were embroidered with SWANS!!!!! This is why I just love this lifelong friend of mine!!!!<3 . And shout out to my amazing sister, Katie ! As a mother of 3, I don't have very much of a budget for clothing. Every year my sister, amazing fashionista that she is, crafts a beautiful outfit for me for my birthday. She always chooses something that is at the height of fashion, which would have inevitably been something I would never have chosen for myself!! she gets me out of my box and I  wear something that makes me feel absolutely mamaliscious!!!!! I will close with my wish for all of you to have an amazing, fabulous birthday and year to follow!!!  

what TO wear?

The Northside Fashion show was AWESOME!!!!This is the outfit I purchased the night of the show, and I want to know this, which shoes should I wear with it? please give me your vote in the comments or on my facebook page!!! It was really cool to see my jewelry paired up with the fabulous clothing that Lauren carries in her shop!!! more pics of the fashion show to follow...and if you cant stand waiting check out the great photos on the blog free to be stacia lee....good stuff!

reading and writing....

I am back into reading these days! Here are the most recent two I am reading. Actually, I just finished the Hunger Games. Wow, after reading it, I feel like I should learn some survival skills or go out and forage for my food. I plan on reading the whole series but not until I read Heaven Is Here the compelling story of Stephanie Nielson. I have referred to her many times on facebook and a little here on my blog. I am so inspired by her after reading her story in Parade several months ago and following the birth of her baby on her blog... I just had to read the book! What an amazing, strong, God-loving woman! Just hearing a little about her. encourages me in my small daily struggles. I am so happy to reconnect with my love of reading and writing after these years of primarily mothereing and trying to find time to  do simple tasks such a  combing my hair....I finally carved out a little nitch of time for me to be me. *****sigh***** life is good.

my new favorite song: Hourglass by Mindy Gledhill

my new favorite song!!!!I got it off a video of Stephanis Nielsons children on www.nieniedialogues.com, and it is such a sweet beautiful song, it brought me to tears!!!

partial lyrics:
 little boy, when you speak
I cant help but kiss your cheeks
I love the way grab my hands
and tell me all about your plans

Rocket high, comets fly
You and I could take a ride
And fly away to Neverland
And give our best to Peter Pan

When you reach for the stars
Don't forget who you are
And please dont turn around
and grow up way too fast

sigh....maybe its the fact that both ny little boys will be going to school next year or just the simple lyrics of this music....but this song is just too precious <3

One more sneak peek

one last look

I had to put in just one more sneak peek before the big show saturday. This bracelet will be for sale at Noto the night of the show!  This almost went directly into my own collection! I am all a flutter in anticipation of seeing MY jewelry on the runway!Details and pics will be coming as soon as possible after the show. Thanks to my awesome friends and family for their support!

If I knew you were comin' I'd have baked a cake

Glazed Lemon Bundt Cake

I got this crazy urge to bake a cake Sunday night....an internet search and the unearhting of  a bundt cake pan I havent used for years resulted in this deliscious lemon bundt cake.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Butter, Softened ( I substitute fat free organic yogurt)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 t. lemon extract
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 cup milk
1 t. grated lemon peel

Glaze:
1/4 cup lemon juice(i squeeze it fresh)
1 T. water 1/2 t. lemon extract
3/4 cup sugar

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in extracts. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture, alternating with milk.Stir in lemon peel. Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan. Bake on 350 degrees for 60 to 70 minutes or until a tootpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; invert on a wire rack. Cool 10 minutes longer.Place wire rack on waxed paper. combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over warm cake. cool completely before serving.

we actually served it up while it was still slightly warm. The boys loved this as a bedtime snack with a nice big glass of milk! (and their Daddy didnt mind havin 2 slices himself!)

which brings me to how much i hate washing dishes! A household of five and NO dishwasher!!!! I recently remembered this poem my mom had hanging in her cupboard when I was a kid, here it is:

Thank God For Dirty Dishes: by anonymous

Thank God for dirty dishes;

They have a tale to tell,

While others may go hungry,

We're eating very well

with home, health and happiness,

I shouldnt want to fuss;

By the stack of evidence,

God's very good to us.

Amen.