God’s little creatures created this beautiful web in my garden along with the other two in the pictures shown below. It was early in the morning with just enough dampness in the air for the tiny water droplets to still be clinging to every part of the web. The intricate detail of it all glistened and sparkled the moment light hit it.
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A close-up of the water droplets on the spider web….. amazing!
Getting to know Bill and me on a little deeper maybe more on the weird level since our kids have told us often that we are “weird parents”, so we must be. The things we look forward to during the Fall Season may not always be high on many people’s lists of priority: hunting, firewood and the NFL “Red Zone”.
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To be out hunting or fishing is Bill’s ideal thing to do this time of year. The opportunity came and he took it without any hesitation. Last week was the first day of duck season. He and a friend went out at midnight to their hunting spot to prepare and set up duck decoys. Seven o’clock in the morning couldn’t come fast enough for the guys. That was the official opening time and knowing Bill, he probably was completely awake the whole night with excitement. Opening day was a success for the guys. They got a total of eleven ducks that day.
Watching Duck Dynasty might be as close as I will get to any duck hunting, even though the guys on the show really don’t show a lot of duck hunting. Duck Dynasty has become one of our family’s favorite shows to watch.
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I feel like a squirrel collecting nuts for the winter, but it’s firewood. To see a LARGE stack of firewood in the backyard to last us from winter into spring makes me truly happy. I will gather and stack them and with Bill’s help when needed. The warmth of a fire during the winter just feels right. Winter brings with it unpredictable weather and power outages. In having a wood stove as the source of heat, a place to cook and bake, we can withstand those situations a little easier.
This cut timber came from our property and is soon to be firewood for the next winter. See how the guys took down these trees last year. {here…}
“NFL RedZone delivers all of the touchdowns, key moments, and nonstop action that NFL fans want to see every Sunday afternoon,” said Matt Lederer, Director of Sports Marketing.
Football Season is definitely kicking into hight gear. Our newest cable channel that we can’t be without is the “NFL RED ZONE“. It’s on Sunday between 10:00am and 5:00pm from September till the last NFL game in January. When I discovered this at my brother-in-law’s house a few years ago, it was literally love at first sight! {weird??} I was able to see the games in real time without commercials, timeouts, delays etc… No more of having to click from channel to channel and possibly missed out on a great play. If you are a football fan check the Red Zone out. Go Broncos!
Pumpkins are here! Every year there is a temptation to buy just one more pumpkin and add it to the growing collection at home. And I give in, one too many times! There are many varieties to choose from at the grocery stores and local markets. At this time of year, the local farms are bursting with fresh fruits, vegetables, and pumpkins. Out in the fields is where I love to go in search of pumpkins and squash, especially when they are still attached to the vines and ready for picking.
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This beautiful Cinderella pumpkin {Rouge Vif d’Etampes} peaked out from beneath the vines and dead leaves to reveal its bright orange/red color.
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What a sight to see, Green Goblin Pumpkins {Marina Di Chioggia} with knobby skin are quite a unique squash with yellow/orange sweet flesh. They are great for baking and a source of vitamin A.
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Have you ever seen a yellow pumpkin as bright as this one!
The Blue Hubbarb Squash is teardrop-shaped with a hard outer shell and orange sweet flesh. They are great for pies, and soups.
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Fairytale Pumpkins {Musque de Provence} originated from France, they will start out green and gradually turn brown/copper in color when ripe.
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The striped pumpkin {Kakai} is popular for hull-less deep green seeds. The seeds have a wonderful nutty taste for snacking and for oil to be used in cooking.
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A field full of orange pumpkins is a sight I never get tired of at this time of year.
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Arrival of the fall season brings with it pumpkins. Place them outside at the front door {see it here…} or scatter them throughout the house. A large bright pumpkin could stand alone as the center piece of the table or on a mantle. Group similar color/size pumpkins together in a bowl, platter or other containers to brighten a room. Here I’ve gathered some simple and easy ideas to decorate with pumpkins.
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Kim at Simply Domestic used little white and striped pumpkins to decorate her kitchen and dinning room . {see more…}
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A few orange pumpkins placed in the middle of the kitchen island gave this neutral kitchen a nice pop of color.
A collection of pumpkins and squash with other items of similar green color brought cohesiveness to the display on the shelves.
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This large wooden cake stand with two pumpkins stacked together created a wonderful display.
Have fun finding pumpkins and decorating with them!
The summer season is coming to a close and there will be less sunshine and blue sky in the horizon {predicting lots of rain next 6 …7…9 months}. It has been a fairly laidback summer for us with most of our activities and trips being short distances from home. The above picture is me enjoying the warm sunshine and ocean air and just beyond the trees is a short walk to the beach {click HERE to see more pictures on Facebook of our family trip to the ocean}
The following pictures capture some of what went on close to home this summer.
This cute little deer is one of my four new “friends” that likes to come over for a visit during the summer. They tend to come in pairs, while the other deer went off into the woods, she decided to stay awhile and visit with the neighbor cat and me.
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Hannah & Grace having fun paddle boarding at Rattlesnake Lake …nothing but mountains, water and the view. This is also a great place to go on a family hike.
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Taking the backroads is a favorite driving excursion. A few miles away from our house are farm lands where cows, horses, water buffalos, chickens, goats and wildlife live. My favorite area to cruise below the 25 mph speed limit is where the farmers have planted fields of flowers {shown: zinnias} and rows of corn stalks. Late in the afternoon and early evenings they will be busy filling buckets and buckets of fresh picked flowers to be sold the next day at Pike Place Market / Public Market Center in Seattle. What can I say about local corn other than … they are the sweetest. These backroads are also a favorite area for Bikers and dog walkers {Glory & me}.
Last June, Bill wrote a blog post about Orvis fly fishing 101 class {read more …}. He took the kids to the class and after that session ended they had the opportunity to go out on a stocked pond {here in the Snoqualmie Valley} and catch trout. Staff from the Orvis store were there to instruct and guide everyone. All the participants caught fish and learned more about fly fishing. Caleb caught his first two fish that day! Look for these {Free} fly fishing 101 classes to be available again at the Orvis stores across the United States in May and June 2014.
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Snoqualmie Falls is a big attraction here in the valley. A great day hike along the river to the falls is fun for the kids and adults. The first time my two girls went on the hike was many years ago when Grace was 5 {above pic} and Hannah was 8 years old. They have since walked the trails many times. If hiking is not what you want to do, there is a lookout area near the falls that’s a short walk from the parking lot.
Blueberry Buckle is an old-fashinon single-layer cake with a streusel topping. This is a wonderful and versatile cake that’s also great to serve for breakfast, brunch and anytime {with tea/coffee}. The consistency is like coffee cake but not as sweet.
Before going any further about Blueberry Buckle, I want to share where these plump blueberries came from. Everyone in the family was busy except for my son Caleb and me so we decided to go blueberry picking at a nearby farm. Bybee Blueberry Farm is situated at the base of Mount Si offering incredible views while picking these sweet blueberries.
So ready for picking!
For about an hour of picking {and a little bit of eating}, we got almost 9 pounds of blueberries.
These blueberries have been washed and ready to be eaten in these fun snack cups. Blueberries are one of the best snacks. They are rich in antioxidants, full of vitamin C, manganese and fiber.
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter {room temperature}
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
5 cups blueberries {can use frozen blueberries}
STREUSEL TOPPING
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter {room temperature}
Heat oven to 350°. Butter and flour springform baking pan {ten-inch round}.
STEP 1. In a bowl of an electric mixer cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy.
STEP 2. Add egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
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STEP 3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Reduce mixer speed to low, alternate adding reserved flour mixture and milk to mixer, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
STEP 4. Gently fold in blueberries {all 5 cups}. If using frozen blueberries, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flour over the berries and mix gently to coat each berries with flour before adding to the batter mixture.
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STEP 5. Pour batter into prepared pan {butter and flour springgorm baking pan}.
In a medium bowl, mix together all the streusel topping ingredients with a fork to form large clumps.
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STEP 6. Sprinkle streusel topping directly onto the cake batter.
Place the springform baking pan on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. This will help to contain any leakage from spreading all over the oven. Bake 60 to 70 minutes until cake tester comes out batter free. Remove cake from oven and let it rest on the cooling rack for 10 minutes.
