When I picture the windows open in a room, I imagine warm sunshine streaming through as the wind gently blows the curtains. Fresh air hits me and I am compelled to take a deep breath. The refreshing energy fills my soul. Of course there are only certain seasons when it's practical to open the windows, but my goal is to fill my heart, home, and family with a beautiful serenity that always makes me think the windows are open!

Wednesday, November 24

Harvesting the Pumpkins

Garden Pumpkins

In October we picked the biggest pumpkin from our garden for a Halloween jack-o-lantern and left the rest in the garden to keep growing.  This week we picked several more to make pies and side dishes for Thanksgiving.  They weigh about 25 lbs!

rouge vif d'Etampes pumpkin
cinderella pumpkin
pumpkin
  rouge vif d'Etampes

I love having such fresh produce.  This year one of the things I am most thankful for is all the progress we’ve made in turning our bare property into our dream hobby farm. 
pumpkin harvest
Thank you God for the many blessings!!
Rebecca

Persimmon Cookies

I submitted this recipe for a contest today and since I had already taken pictures, I decided to share it with you too.  It’s a great fall dessert and will be accompanying the pumpkin pie after our Thanksgiving feast.

Persimmon Cookies

My parents have had a persimmon tree for as long as I can remember and my mom still shares the fruit with us when they ripen in autumn.  This recipe came from my aunt and has been a tradition in our family for a long time.  They are moist, chewy dollops of heaven!!

Persimmon Cookies 2

Persimmon Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 beaten egg
1 cup persimmon pulp
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chopped dates
2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Cream shortening and sugar; add egg, persimmon, and vanilla.  Beat for 1 minute.  Add pecans and dates.  In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Stir into creamed mixture.  Drop by teaspoons onto greased cookie sheets.  Bake at 375° F for 12 minutes. (yield: 4 dozen)

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!
Rebecca

Wednesday, November 10

Garden Spigot

These cooler temperatures have been great for some outdoor projects.

My garden is about 40 feet from the house and until now I’ve had to run a garden hose down to it from the house.  Of course this means picking the garden hose up every time we mow which, face it, becomes a hassle.  Anyway, I’ve been wanting a more permanent solution and a chance to show my muscle… ha ha... j/k!!

As a kid I remember helping my dad run a waterline out to our barn so I felt confident I could do it.  To tell you the truth it was relatively easy.  Digging the trench was probably the hardest part, but I did it in sections and even enlisted hubby’s help for part of  it.
 02

Made a trip to Home Depot for some PVC pipe, various connectors, and of course a hose bib.

01  03 
Measured and made my cuts with a zip saw.
05 04

Then used PVC primer and cement to attach the plastic pieces together.  And used PTFE seal tape on the metal joints or where metal connected to plastic.
06  

Purple primer on both pieces first.09

Then clear cement on both pieces and hold together for a few seconds. 10 
Wrap the seal tape around the threads on the metal pieces about four times to prevent water leaks. 13
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Here’s a view from the spigot on the side of the house that I tapped into and down the hill to the one I added at the edge of the garden. (Yes, this end of the garden is bare in this picture.)
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I added an on/off switch at the house so I could empty the pipe during freezing weather to prevent it from bursting somewhere in the ground.IMG_1486

At the garden’s edge I popped the PVC pipe up out of the ground and added the spigot.  I also added an old bucket (turned upside down with a hole in it) to keep grass from growing right around the pole.  I’ll back fill a little more dirt around this and it should make mowing around it a lot easier.  (LOL, although not from the looks of the tall grass in this picture!)
IMG_1485

I’m just glad for no more hoses dragged across the yard.  Hope you’re enjoying the cooler weather and finding some fun outdoor projects as well.

Rebecca

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