I have been playing with my camera this week trying to figure out how to take better indoor photos. So I finally figured out how to use the "whitening" feature so my photos aren't so yellow.
{pretty}
This is one of my Grandmother Stuecken's tea cups I inherited when she passed away. I love the yellow flowers with the bold green leaves and gold detailing. This is the first time I have gotten the photo to look right. Every time I use this cup I say a prayer for my Grandma. She was a strong force of nature who loved her family above all.
This rack hangs in my kitchen. I think I overcorrected the light a little too much here giving the photo a little "blue" haze but at least it's not yellow. This rack was made by my father-in-law for his mother-in-law as a gift many, many years ago. In it I have tea cups from the china collections of my maternal Grandmother, my mother-in-law, my husbands godmother and my mother as well a a few gifts from my husband over the years.
Yes, I love my tea cups as much as the tea that fills them at least once a day.
{happy}
So I had this crazy idea a few weeks ago to make my own spaghetti from scratch...as in peeling 24 pounds of tomatoes...then grind them in a food mill...then place them in a HUGE pot...add tons of fresh summer veggies, spices and herbs, and let it simmer ALL day long.
Can I tell you how awesome it is to FINISH peeling 24 pounds of tomatoes!!!!
I am still doing the happy dance. I have discovered that this process is extremely time consuming and labor intesive.
Yes, I realize that I know every ingredient that went into that sauce and I can control the sugar, salt and everything else.
Yes, the end result was scrumdiddlyumptious...absolutely wonderful.
But I think that next time I will buy the pureed canned tomatoes and make my sauce from those. I am happy that I tried and it was a successful attempt. But given the availability of cheap canned tomatoes, I will be making some changes in the future.
A tomato bursting with the flavor of summer. Absolutely lovely.
{funny}
This weekend we were visiting friends to celebrate their daughters birthday. My hubby and their dog Princess Lilo are best buddies. They are even beginning to look alike. LOL!
{real}
So last week I had my physical and the doctor and I had a conversation about my favorite summertime snack...ice cream.
You see, I have gained a little weight recently given my recent change in life. I have not always handled the stress well and tend to be an emotional overeater with ice cream being my got to comfort food.
So we made a deal.
No more ice cream in the house.
I can still have it but I will not be keeping it in the house. I am OK with that. This way when I have the craving I can either make the effort to go out for some or find something healthier to answer the need.
How excited was I that HB wanted homemade ice cream cake for her birthday last weekend???
Oh sweet molly I was beyond thrilled.
Wouldn't you be???
It was divine...maybe next time I will share my "ice cream happy dance" with you. It's a gold medal performance!
~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~
Labels: {phfr}, catholic family life, cooking, home decorating, homemaking, made from scratch
