Waterfowl Rescue Tupperware Fundraiser!

This is from a chicken owner friend of mine who is trying to help support a Waterfowl Rescue here in NC. I do love this rescue and plan my first adoption of new ducks this spring. Recently they had to place cows and 16000 chickens into homes. That was a TALL order!

Some come order some wonderful tupperware as Christmas gifts and help support this great group, so they can continue to help these animals get new homes, or released back into nature as healthy as ever!!!

http://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=18-whats-new
Details on how to purchase are on Terri's BackYardChickens.com page. 

CYBER MONDAY FREE SHIPPING

Its Cyber Monday fun shopping online... but since I have my own shops, I am offering free shipping in my http://ShannonG.Etsy.com Store through today! Order as little or as much as you want. I will refund the full shipping price after checkout using paypal. (That's an Etsy issue, other wise I would let it total it out at check out, etsy won't let me do it that way....sorry!)

So ENJOY!!!!

My ShannonG store is all the eco and green and FUN sewn items that I offer!

Sharing of Thanksgiving Recipes

I want to share one of my Thanksgiving recipes here. If anyone would like to post a recipe they want to share, please do! If you try my recipe tomorrow, leave a review here for others who want to try it. I will post a picture with this when I whip it up tomorrow. :)

CHUNKY CRANBERRY TANGERINE AND WINE SAUCE

• Cooking Time: 10min
• Servings: 6
• Preparation Time: 5min
• 3 cups (12 oz) fresh cranberries
• 1/2 cup red Wine
• 1/2 cup Tangerine juice (about 3 tangerines)
• Zest of 1 Tangerine
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp Honey
• 1/4 tsp ginger powder (or some fresh ginger slices, just remove the slices before serving)
•  
• Add cranberries to pot on stove over Medium Heat
  
  
  
  Add all the liquids and turn up heat until it begins to boil
  
  
  
  Reduce heat to simmer then add sugar and ginger.
  
  
  
  Stir the cranberries until the are super tender to your liking.
  
  
  
  Enjoy!
  
  Printable version here:
  http://www.bakespace.com/recipes/detail/Chunky-Cranberry-Tangerine-and-Wine-Sauce/45836/
  
  
   

Needles and Thread and Sewing, Oh My!

I've been so busy trying to knock out some handmade gifts for Christmas, its not even funny! I get busy with cookie orders after Thanksgiving so I really try to cram now on anything I want made as gifts. This year is the first year I've sewn anything other then 1 small baby blanket as a gift. So far this season I've made Eco-towels (cloth reusable towels used much like paper towels), reusable snack bags for the families with kids, headbands for my mama's and their girls, and now I'm adding aprons to the mix!

Here's my first set of Aprons EVER. I made a matching set for my daughter and I as practice... and they did well, so we'll be adding this to what we are making for gift baskets now.

I have one last batch of Jam I am making for these baskets as well, but I won't be selling any of this batch, sorry!

Anyone interested in my sewn gifts, I have a seperate etsy store for everything I sew and don't give away. http://ShannonG.Etsy.com

New Cookware! HOORAY!

What a wonderful EARLY Christmas gift from my family! I received the 12 piece (plus bonus all purpose pan) calphalon anodized aluminum set with silicone grip handles so I can put the set directly in the oven if need be. This is my DREAM set! (And being priced between $200-$400 everywhere, I didn't think I'd ever get it.)

So what does one do with new cookware? COOK!

I have not had any large pots or pans in months and months since they broke and the teflan coating was chipping off. So I haven't been able to do any large scale cooking. So today I am working the set by making chicken stock, followed by hashbrowns to go with the pulled chicken sandwiches for dinner. I got to get my practice in. I was given this set early because I am hosting Thanksgiving this year.

Can't you just smell this lovely stock?!

Sorry I've been busy...

... the rain and heavy winds finally passed for 70 degree sunny days! That means I've been out and about all over the place. My garden is thankful for it, I was able to clean up all the leaves and mess made from the storm. Its going to be another gorgeous November day today, so I'm going to finish my cleaning outside. Then I will take what will probably be the last of the autumn photos before it just gets TOO COLD! :/

Gardening For Wildlife - Certification

My husband and I have been filtering out invasive species on the property (slowly,) its a long process. Most of our property is open, but we've managed to add a lot of native and sustainable plants since we started gardening. Most of which are blanket flower, coneflower, foxglove and azalea. We're still adding... more trees... more bushing... including some bushes with winter berries for the birds are on our list.

So I came across this website: http://www.nwf.org/gardenforwildlife/

It has all the basics to have a natural wilflife friendly landscape, and all though we WANT to do more and we WILL do more... we've done the basics to meet their certification process! So we're planning on applying this winter.

Is anyone else certified?! I would love to see photos of your properties, and see some of the plants you introduced!

The Storms a Coming!

So what does one do when the are calling for days of rain, icky, nasty and cold weather to come. You go out and enjoy the last few hours of warm fall weather by doing some garden work!!!

I moved forward on the new bed in the front. I turned in some compost today, and used as much of the edging I had left to make it neat and tidy. I then mulched the sides with 3 bags I had sitting around. That area needed it since that is where I transplanted the honeysuckle.

Quilt time

Ok... so I've finally put some real time into the quilt and have gotten to an excellent point! Great timing actually!

Here's the patchwork part finished. I've now adding the batting and backing which was 2 pieces stitched together to them to cover the queen sized piece. I ran out of the colors of fabric I was using so I had to take 7" off the end... so maybe this more of a full size quilt then queen, but it covers my Queen size bed pretty well. I had to borrow a 'hoop' because I think I am going to hand quilt this blanket. I don't think my machine will do too well of a job. Now I just have to decide on a pattern to quilt into it?! Do you think the Hoop is a good idea? I'm afraid of the backing and batting sliding while I am working?! I am so new at this!!!!

Fall Bedding?!

Well, Spring and Summer get too hot for me, and Winter can be too cold.... so we wanted to add more flower beds this fall when the temps are just right. No sweating fussing over this landscape!

 

 

Little daughter helped plant some tulips too!!! 

Halloween Treats

It was a wonderful halloween, even though I was sick all weekend. The kids had a great time, and I got to cause a lot of scaring. Well worth it! Here's a peak at the skeleton we had coming out of the ground in my front garden bed. Of course my daughter kept telling me he was 'cute'.