WEEKEND FUN

Kalin, Violet, and I had a most relaxing weekend...filled with soul feeding, hanging out, house building, cooking, and crafting. I kicked it off early on Thursday by attending my woman's meeting. Oh how I love them.





Friday was a gardening day. I got all of our tomato plants in the ground. FINALLY!! Violet turned out to be a big help. She hauled the tomato cages over while I dug the holes, filled them with amendments and planted them.

Later that evening...Kalin went cat fishing with the guys, and Violet and I played movie theater. It was great fun.


We woke up to a rainy snugly Saturday. Kalin arrived home from his fishing expedition loaded with catfish. The Arkansas River was abounding! The big daddy in the picture weighed in around 9 pounds!

After we got some cleaning under our belt, Violet decided that we needed a repeat performance of Friday night's feature, Snow Buddies. Kalin requested biscuits and gravy...so we consumed them while watching the movie.


The afternoon provided some crafting for us girls while Daddy took a nap. Then for dinner Violet helped me put together some yummy pizza pockets (which
unbeknown, to her were deceptively fortified with carrots. oh how I love pasta sauce and its many disguises)

Sunday we drove into nearby Mountain View, the folk music capital of the world :), to acquire a few much needed provisions. On the way home we went to the
Little Yellow House for some ice cream. We walked over to the park and watched some picking on the square. The band that was playing was good. Violet had fun dancing with her chocolate ice cream. The gardening association has really done a lot of improvements to the grounds of Pickers Park. It is now landscaped and has three new gazebos. What fun!!

.....Being on the square reminded me that I will be planted there in a few short months trying to peddle my wares at Bean Fest in September. I have got to get busy making stock!!!

That evening, Kalin layed a few more blocks for the basement. It is coming along slowly but surely.


What a wonderful weekend! Good thing...it is going to be a busy week, as we are preparing to leave for New York. We will be gone a little over two weeks. I have lots of gardening, packing and other preparations to complete before we leave....Also we are trying to cram all six weeks of the summer library program into three weeks, so that Violet can get her prizes. We are almost there.

Until next time. Thanks for reading!

GRAPE LEAF PiCKING

My inventive friend Laura and I took our kids grape leaf picking. She has tons of grapes that grow on the sides of her driveway.
It was a beautiful day in the Ozarks...kind of hot but with a cool breeze. The kids had fun adventuring while we picked the leaves. It was very satisfying work. My mind wandered to the thought that people all over the world have been doing this for centuries.What great fun!!

When we got back to Laura's house we canned the leaves in jars. We reserved a bunch to consume for dinner that night. Laura showed me how to make her families recipe for stuffed grape leaves. Her father, who is Lebanese would make them for the family. Boy are they tasty!!!
They are quite different than the dolmas that I have had before. They are stuffed with meat and rice. You could make them vegetarian also. Here is the recipe for those that are interested:



LAURA'S STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES

1 c uncooked rice
1 lb uncooked ground meat (beef, lamb, ground turkey)
1 onion minced
2-3 cloves garlic
handful of fresh parsley minced or 2 tsp dried
2-3 tbsp fresh mint leaves minced or 2 tsp dried
1/4 cup lemon
salt and pepper to taste
1 can of tomato paste (optional, we made some with and some without, both were tasty)
50-60 blanched grape leaves

Mix all ingredients in bowl. Place leaf shiny side down on work-surface. Place about 1-2 tbsp of the filling in the center of the leaf. Amount of
filling will vary depending on the size of the leaf. The filling will expand a little as it cooks. Fold the bottom of the leaf up, then the sides,
then continue to roll all the way up, kind of like you roll a burrito. Place in the bottom of a pot side by side in one direction for the first layer
and then the opposite direction for the second layer. Rotate directions for each layer until all leaves are rolled.
Fill pot with water until it is about 2 inches above the grape leaves. Place an oven proof plate inside of the pot to weight the rolls down and keep
them from unraveling. Cover. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and Simmer until rice and meat are cooked...about 1 hour.


Enjoy! Have a wonderful day!!!

WATCHiNG THE WiLD ViOLETS GROW

Well this is my first blog entry. I have to thank my awesomely creative sister for introducing me to the wonderful world of blogs.
They add such a level of happiness and inspiration to my life. I have named my little blogspot Wild Violets after my fledgling
business...whose name is inspired from my four-year old daughter Violet. I am a stay at home mother. I enjoy sewing , knitting, drop spindling, organic gardening, cooking, and reading. I live on a farm in the Ozarks with my family
a few animals and my angora bunnies, Marmie and Pickwick.


Violet took the picture of me...I was pretty impressed...gotta give her credit

I thought to start things off I would include some pictures of a blissful day on the farm


We planted sweet bell pepper plants that I started from seed. With any luck they will grow up to be beautiful and delicious in various colors of
red, orange, yellow, purple, brown, and white. They were started from a multi pack so you never know what you are going to get until they ripen. I can't wait!!!!

Later that day, my husband, some friends and I worked on our house. It is quite the labor of love. I am really excited. It is going to be our cute little
cottage in the woods. Kalin built this pulley contraption to move the cinder blocks down into the basement hole. I have to say after many trips of manually
hauling the blocks...the pulley rocks. It has totally increased our production!!!



During this process Violet had a tea party with her babies and washed her doll clothes. I put together a washing set for her birthday and she loves it. I want to add a similar set to the Wild Violet site. I am working on making my ideas come to fruition!!!

Cheers everybody thanks for reading. Until next time!!