News from the nest, August 19

Happy Monday! It’s a great day to have a great day!

August has always been a weird month for me. It signals the beginning of the end of summer when I start yearning for fall. My garden usually starts to look tired from the relentless sun and heat. I’m hesitant to put anything new in the ground and try to maintain what I have the best I can. Here in southeastern North Carolina, it is too early to start our fall veggies, so August is just a bit of a holding pattern in the garden.

We are taking a road trip later this week to Cleveland and back with both pup girls in the car! We will see our daughter and catch up with two of Terry’s childhood friends.

Elsa…is a HOT MESS! Thankfully, she still shows no sign of further seizures and has no ill effects of the seizure meds, other than we think they jack her up a bit. Yay…

These pictures fairly summarize Life with Elsa. The first one shows water drinking skills, and the second one, taken this morning as I was sitting here writing this newsletter, catches her after she proudly marched into the den with her latest piece of contraband! I need to start a support group for women over 60 who are crazy enough to adopt a new, large, rambunctious pup.

New on the Blog

• This flavorful yet easy sourdough flatbread recipe is a must-try to elevate your homemade bread game. Combining the tangy richness of a sourdough starter with the creamy texture of Greek yogurt, this recipe yields perfectly tender and slightly chewy flatbreads. Use this versatile flatbread for naan at your next Indian meal or roll them a little thinner for tortillas for your favorite taco filling.

From the Knit + Crochet Studio

• The body of this simple Polka Dot baby blanket is comprised of basic knit and purl stitches. It is a reversible pattern and is perfect for new knitters. The crocheted bauble edge, while totally adorable, can be left off if you are uncomfortable with crochet. Nab this free knitting pattern, warm up your needles and you’ll have this adorable blanket in no time.

• This Crochet Washcloth Pattern is suitable for beginner or experienced crocheters. For those new to crochet, a video showing step-by-step instructions for how to crochet this Lemon Peel Stitch Dishcloth with a Crocheted Scalloped Edge.

• As a knitter or crocheter, you may want to start a new project, but the pattern calls for a specific yarn that you don’t love or can’t find. This is where yarn substitution comes in handy. Check out this post on how to substitute yarn in your pattern, and make sure to print off the free Yarn Substitution chart.

From the Kitchen

• Use summer’s peach harvest to create homemade peach preserves with an optional touch of vanilla. You can preserve these by using a water bath canner, freezing, or refrigerating.

• This Chive Gorgonzola Cheese Spread is an easy appetizer that everyone loves. I always double or triple the recipe so that I have enough to satisfy everyone.

• This Pickled Jalapeno recipe is always in the top 5 most-visited articles during summer months. It’s a fool-proof recipe that is perfect for first-time or experienced canners. With this jar-by-jar recipe, you can easily alter the recipe for as many pounds of peppers as you have. This recipe gives directions for refrigerating your canned pickled jalapeños or water bath canning them; it’s up to you which direction you choose to go!

• It’s getting close to soup season, although we are a year-round soup family. Make this easy, Healthy Homemade Tomato Soup from start to finish in under an hour. Suggestions for substitutions are included. This delicious, creamy soup is Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, and Low-Fat.

• Bake this Sourdough Focaccia to serve with your tomato soup.

• This simple carrot bread recipe is similar to carrot cake but a little healthier with less sugar. But you’ll never miss the sugar in this moist and flavorful quick bread.

• These easy Snickerdoodle Cookie bars are soft, thick, and chewy, with swirls of the requisite cinnamon. But, unlike the cookie version, you don’t have to roll each little ball in cinnamon sugar. I think of them as the Lazy Girl’s Snickerdoodle Cookie!

• What was the cake or dessert that you always chose, or still choose, for your birthday or special meal? When I was growing up, my all-time favorite birthday dessert was an Angel Food Cake with a Chocolatey/Kahlua Frosting and then sprinkled all over with candied almonds. This is the cupcake version of that yummy cake.

From the Arts + Crafts Studio

• A flat Turk’s Head Knot is perfect for rope coasters and trivets. I’ll show you how to tie a Turk’s Head Knot with this DIY coaster tutorial, step-by-step instructions, and a video tutorial.

From the Garden

• Depending on where you live, it’s getting close to carrot planting time. By choosing the right carrot companion plants, you can attract beneficial insects, deter pests like the notorious carrot fly, and even improve the overall health of your vegetable garden. This article delves into the best companion plants for carrots and how they can help your garden thrive.

In the House + Home

• Learn how to make a grommeted counter skirt to dress up a counter or table and, possibly more importantly, hide the storage space underneath!

• Downsizing your home, whether by choice or necessity, can be daunting. Having recently gone through this process, I’m sharing ten downsizing tips for seniors, retirees, empty nesters, or anyone choosing to move to a smaller space. These are tips that worked for us or that we realized after the fact would have been helpful.

• This Digital Decluttering Checklist has us focused on cleaning, decluttering, and streamlining our computers, mobile phones, and tablets.

Some Fun Finds + A Few Favorites

Some of these links may be Amazon affiliate links and I may earn a small commission from the sale of these products to help defray the costs of operating this site, but the price you are charged is not affected. You can see my full disclosure policy here.

• I 💗 this free app! The Yuka app analyzes product labels and tells you the health impact of food products and cosmetics. Knowledge is power!
• If you, too, have a dog that didn’t attend cotillion and didn’t learn how to drink water properly, I’m all in for these rubber mats!
• Keeping a stash of birthday cards on hand helps minimize runs to the store and maximize the ease of remembering everyone’s special day!
• Another cute puzzle!
• Very cute butter dish.
• Darling hobnail planter.
• For my fellow Southerners!

Well friends, I’m off to take Farrah and Elsa to play with a fellow Golden in an effort to fully exhaust them! That’s my goal each and every day! 😉

Wishing you a day full of sunshine!

Hugs,

Thanks for making my day by SHARING!!