News from the Nest, June 10

Good Morning, Glories!

I hope this finds you well! We are starting this week after having enjoyed a lovely weekend.

But…sad news on the garden front: We returned home from Columbus last week to find that the deer had decimated our vegetable garden! They ate every leaf of our zucchini plants and cucumbers! But it gets better…because then they moved to the beans and ate them to the ground, and then the tomatoes, which they heavily pruned!

And, as we worked in the garden this weekend to try to figure out how to salvage what was left of the zucchini and cukes, we found that those d#@mned squash vine borers picked up where the deer left off on the zucchini. I think the cucumbers and tomatoes will recover, but our zucchini days are well and truly over. Gardening is truly equal parts heartbreak and satisfaction. Not only am I heartbroken for my garden and my plans for all the produce, but it concerns me that the deer are so hungry that they are eating those prickly leaves on the cukes and zucchini!

I am all ears for any suggestions. I believe in the Bobbex Deer Repellent for my hydrangeas and other flowering plants, but the instructions specifically state that you shouldn’t use it on edibles. I shaved a bar of Irish Spring before we left town and sprinkled it around the beds, but that didn’t work. We put up bird/deer netting around what they left this weekend.

Here’s a shocking fact: If you are in the U.S., we will be celebrating the 4th of July in just over three weeks! What the heck? My mind is spinning with that little bit of knowledge. And just a reminder that Father’s Day is this Sunday, so plan accordingly for those special dads or dad figures in your world.

Table of Contents

Elsa Update

She’s really doing so well! Well, other than the fact that last week, when I let her on the sofa to snuggle with me, she stood up and urinated on my sofa! Yeah, other than that, she’s doing great! Luckily, I discovered I could machine wash all the covers on my sofa, so that was a good thing!

O.K., I feel dumb saying this, but man…having a puppy is a LOT of work and tending this puppy is really all I do now! We quickly realized that she NEEDS to play with other dogs more than any other dog we have ever had, so my days revolve around her playdates! She is a much better-behaved pup when she can get that out of her system. Other than the unfortunate sofa incident, she’s basically potty trained…(she says, under her breath, with every finger crossed!)

New on the Blog

• For all you patient crocheters out there, I hear you! I have added a content creator who is a savvy crocheter to help me produce patterns for you! Tawnie is the creator behind the Crochet Bookmarks we published several weeks ago and this Sunburst Crochet Dishcloth pattern!

• Mom was over for dinner last night, and as she grabbed this trivet to put on the table, she remarked, “Did you make this? It really is lovely!” Of course, she’s my mom, so she has to say that, but objectively, it really is a great little trivet that whips up quickly with a simple garter stitch.

From the Kitchen

• While I haven’t asked yet, I’m pretty sure grilled burgers will be the feature of our Father’s Day dinner next week. Here are our tips for great, flavorable, juicy burgers and our recipe for Hamburger Seasoning.

• These old-fashioned baked beans are ideal to accompany the burgers and also happen to be a favorite of Terry’s.

• And hands-down, this is his favorite dessert…always has been and always will be! This Brownie Sundae Recipe takes it further by adding toffee chips to the brownie and ice cream, and then a hefty drizzle of caramel syrup over the whole kit and kaboodle!

• After enjoying all that yumminess on Father’s Day, your system will surely appreciate a little bit of ginger and lemon the next morning…or every morning! These ginger lemon tea cubes make it easy to get the benefits of ginger and lemon every day.

• And every day is Dog’s Day in our house! These 3-Ingredient Dog Treats are an internet favorite for a good reason!

• If the deer (or birds, or worms) haven’t stymied your tomato production, set some aside to make this Smoky Tomato Jam. A true treat that you will savor, as will anyone you give a jar to.

From the Arts + Crafts Studio

• This post will teach you how to make a DIY heated neck wrap using buckwheat and lavender. This wrap can be microwaved for warmth or kept in the freezer for a cold neck or shoulder wrap. The lavender added to the heat pack makes it very relaxing.

• Given my luck with my vegetable garden, I may just stick to indoor gardens! This tabletop garden has been going strong for several years and neither the deer nor the rabbits have found it!

• I added these pot feet to the aforementioned tabletop garden to avoid rings on my furniture. Super easy to make and very handy. I now have them on the bottom of all my indoor pots that sit on wood furniture.

In the Home

• Need some inspiration or ideas to decorate your kitchen hutch?

• Hands-down, the handiest, most referred-to piece of paper in my kitchen! This free Measuring Equivalents Chart download is taped to the inside of my kitchen cabinet and details measuring conversions for ounces, cups, teaspoons,and tablespoons! Makes dividing or multiplying recipes a breeze.

A Few Favorites and Fun Finds

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• Just ordered this Car Battery Charger and Air Compressor for a Father’s Day gift. I like that it has an alarm if you put the clamps on incorrectly as I’ve always had a fear of blowing the whole thing up with a wrong connection!
• Hmmm…a battery powered, remote-contolled with timer picture light! I have a couple of pieces of artwork that I’d love to have illuminated!
• Super cute sandals!

Well, I don’t know if you remember that several weeks back I took the week off to finally finish our guest bathroom and then I had that unfortunate tumble from the ladder. Well, I’ve been chipping away at it and this past week, I got back on the ladder and finished painting the trim! Yay me! This week I will finish sewing the shower curtain and hang pics and it will be done! Hallelujah!

Have a great week! Take care of yourself and those you love.

Until next week,

Thanks for making my day by SHARING!!