raspberry jello

Are you a jello fan?

I am a jello fan.

Is jello out of style?

I just don't see a lot of jello recipes making the rounds, but maybe I'm not looking in the right place.

Or, maybe I'm not even looking at all, and should do some research before I start a blog post about the lack of jello related conversation on the internet, because I just this very minute spent some quality time with Google, and there are in fact entire blogs devoted to jello.

Will wonders never cease.

Any time I make a full blown, company's coming dinner, it includes some sort of jello. More often than not, it includes this very jello because it's quick, easy and very, very good.


Raspberry Jello
1 - 6 oz package raspberry jello
1 cup boiling water
1 - 20 oz can blueberry pie filling
1 - 20 oz can crushed pineapple
****************************************
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

In a large bowl, pour boiling water over jello and stir until totally dissolved. Stir in pie filling and crushed pineapple with juice. Place in refrigerator to cool.
Soften cream cheese in the microwave and stir with a whisk until smooth. Stir in sour cream, sugar and vanilla.
(Make sure you get all the lumps smoothed out of your cream cheese. Lumpy cream cheese does not a pretty jello make.)

Back in the day, I used to let the jello set up quite a bit before I swirled the cream cheese mixture through. Nowadays, I usually just blend the two together right away. It's not quite as pretty as having the cream cheese swirled throughout, but it's just as good.

You can also substitute raspberry pie filling. It's every bit as delicious and kind of pretty to have on your table at Christmas as it makes the dish red instead of the purple you get with the blueberry pie filling.

Are there any other Jello Junkies out there? If so, shout out your favorite jiggly recipes.

Unless it's the one with the cottage cheese.

That one makes me a little nervous.

once upon a time

Once upon a time, there was a lovely young lady who lived in Montana.

One day, while minding her own business and living the normal life of a high school senior, she got a call on her cell phone.

As luck would have it, it was her fairy-godmother-photographer calling. (Fairy-godphotographer just doesn't sound quite right.)

Fairy-godmother-photographer had just been to an antique show where her buddies, the vintage prom dress fairies, were obviously looking out for her because she scored a gorgeous vintage dress for a gorgeous vintage price.

This fortuitous event set into motion dreams/scenarios/photo shoot visions that the fairy-godmother-photographer could not. get. out. of. her. head.

Something must be done.

Thus, the aforementioned phone call to the aforementioned lovely young lady.

Now, the fairy-godmother-photographer, living in a house full of prince charmings with nary a princess to be found and therefore not much frame of reference for young ladies and dress sizes, nevertheless could not have been more on the money with this one. This girl and this dress were made for each other.

It was a last minute proposition, only one day could work, but girlfriend was game. She actually had some housecleaning to do with her non-evil, non-step mother, but in an act of sheer brilliance, the lovely young lady volunteered her little sister for the job, so all was well. (Except perhaps as far as the little sister was concerned.)

So, off they went.


Now, it just so happens that this particular location is one that FGP (tired of typing out fairy-godmother-photographer) has been dying, and I mean dying, to shoot at. She had even seriously considered ignoring the no-trespassing signs, but so far had been a good girl and was now being rewarded for that good behavior because the non-evil, non-step parents of the lovely young lady just so happened to know who to call to get permission.

Score.


After being drug around this awesome location and leaning against pokey, prickly old barns and walking barefoot in places that were a case of tetanus just waiting to happen, the lovely young lady took a little break in the hopes that Prince Charming would come and rescue her.


Waiting.

Waiting.


PC was a no show, so the lovely young lady had no choice but to go with FGP to location number two.


FGP is torn between loving the contrast of the lovely young lady in the dilapidated setting, and the lovely young lady in this more formal, beautiful setting.


FGP is also extremely impressed at the lovely young lady's willingness to toss leaves in the air repeatedly and even twirl whilst tossing leaves even though FGP and her camera were not able to master the art of capturing twirling girl/falling leaves/blah blah blah.

So sad.

The lovely young lady also repeatedly ran up these stairs until FGP was able to finally capture this shot, quite possibly her favorite of the day.


But alas, all good things must come to an end and the lovely young lady's carriage was turning into a pumpkin right before their eyes, so they had to call it a day. If it was up to FGP, they'd still be out there taking pictures.

She has a little problem with knowing when to quit.

But, the story of the lovely young lady in the vintage prom dress will live happily ever after on the internet for ever and ever.

The End.

back in the saddle

So, when one takes a three and a half week long, totally unintended blog break, does one need to make the first post after returning from said blog break earth shattering, mountain moving and rivetingly interesting?

If the answer to that question is yes, then we are all in big trouble.

The longer I stayed away, the harder it got to jump back in. I started several different posts, one of which was about cantaloupe and another that in a very round about way told you how I used to have a lavender kitchen. Neither seemed publish worthy, so I just continued to give the blogger dashboard the cold shoulder.


I will say the blog break included a road trip, on which I listened to the audio version of The Help. Fabulous book and the CD's give you the added benefit of having three different actresses read the parts and they did an absolutely amazing job.

Good book.


On my blog break I also went to Costco....hungry. Have you every gone to Costco on an empty stomach? Don't do it. It results in buyers remorse over a cart full of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, Costco cinnamon rolls and quite possibly a few other items I'm not willing to share on the internet. I know better, and I'm pretty sure it cost me at least an additional $100.00. At least. I already have issues the second I walk through the Costco door, such as the panicky feeling that if I don't buy the 48 pack of cream of mushroom soup and the jumbo 487,000 square foot box of plastic wrap, the world as we know it may very well come to an end.

Is it just me, or does everybody get Costco Fever? I have a suspicion I'm not alone.

(And here I was thinking this post was going to lean toward the boring side....who could be bored reading about my trip to Costco? This post is already screaming Pulitzer and I'm not even done yet.)


My blog break included lots and lots and lots of pictures. Brand new Baby Harlee paid me a visit....


She's about as precious as it gets.


I also had a date with this handsome fella.....


....and a batch of puppies. What a great combination! These were the final four of a litter of ten. Cutest things ever.


Do you think he'll be this happy to rake leaves when he's sixteen and it's one of his chores?


Fall is still doing its glorious thing around here. Crisp mornings, beautifully sunny days and shiny liquid gold leaves everywhere you look.


I just need to take the time to stop and smell the roses while I still can.

falling for fall

It's official.


Let the record show that I am hereby a Fall Girl.

I've spent my entire life boldly proclaiming my love of Summer.
I have lived for Summer.
Longed for Summer.
Had God given me a daughter, I would have named her Summer.


But.

Yesterday, as I hurriedly harvested the pumpkins and gourds that survived on Pumpkin Island, and even more hurriedly arranged them in a wagon, and then hurriedly took some pictures, before I hurried off to a birthday lunch, I fell in love with Fall.

I fell in love with the crisp bite in the air.

And the leaves on the ground.

I fell in love with perfect little curlicues.


And the cute little in-betweens that are no longer blossoms but not yet gourds.


I fell in love with green and orange and yellow.


I fell in love, once again, with the wagon that hauled my boys around when they were little.


And most of all, for some odd reason, especially odd since I almost never opt for white when there is color to be had, I fell in love with this little guy.


I didn't want to leave my little wagon of all things Autumn. I wanted to spend some time, time that I didn't have, just enjoying the beauty and the color and the vines and the tendrils.

But, I had places to go and people to see.

I think my issue with Fall, the reason I can't let myself just relax and enjoy it, is the ever looming feeling that the axe could fall at any moment. There's that chance that we may not get another glorious, golden lighted, blue skied, brisk and beautiful day. This year has brought the best Fall I can ever remember. Snappy mornings and warm afternoons all glowing in the slanted rays of a sun that's headed south for the Winter, a Winter that can come quickly here. Once it comes, it's usually here to stay.

But this year, I'm letting my guard down and for now anyway, my heart belongs to October and spiced apple cake and mums.

I so wish I could leave you here, ready to rake some leaves and bake a pumpkin pie. However, circumstances demand that we go all double subject today, because an update is in order and it just can't wait.

I told you about the visitor/visitors we had on the farm last week, right? Well, Sunday morning, my husband got the call that there were three young bears in our next door neighbor's tree.

After all three of the men that happened to be present (one of which promised to love, honor and sacrifice himself to save me, till death do us part) promised to run interference for me if mama showed up, I grabbed a couple shots of the apple stealers.


Way up high, away from me, I have to admit he's kind of cute.

(It goes without saying that I used my longest lens and cropped big time for these shots.)

I liked this. I liked seeing them on my terms. I liked having them way up in a tree. I liked having three cars right next to me should I need to make a quick exit.

However, should we unexpectedly meet face to face, I will die on the spot.


Never to be heard from again.

Until then, I'll just be pondering my future career as a National Geographic photographer.

From the safety of my comfy chair, inside my cozy house.

simple homemade applesauce

Have you ever made applesauce? It's the easiest thing ever, and so worth the little bit of effort you put into it.

Back in the day, I used to pick apples from any tree offered, but now I'm lazy. I admit, there was something special about using local McIntosh apples, but honestly, buying the huge, beautiful apples at the store is so much easier. Peeling one big Honeycrisp gives you about the same amount of apple as peeling four of the little home grown fellas.

These days, I'm all about getting the most bang for my peeling buck.

I know.

Lame.

Let's just pretend I picked my apples off a local tree because we'll all feel much more Mother Earth News if we do.

So. This year, I used a combination of Honeycrisp, because they are the aforementioned huge, Gala, because they were on sale, and Granny Smith. I always use Granny's - they have a flavor that can't be matched for applesauce.

Peel and chop. I've used the stove top and crock pot, but this year opted for the microwave. Which is probably just adding insult to injury. Store bought apples cooked in the microwave.

I don't deserve to live on a farm.

Let's just pretend I built a fire out in the yard, hung a cast iron kettle and cooked my apples in that.

I stirred them every six minutes and after about twenty five minutes, mashed them with my potato masher. We like our sauce pretty chunky, but if you like yours smooth, an immersion blender would work really well also.

I add sugar to taste after the mashing is done, cook for just a couple more minutes, and here's the final nail in the applesauce coffin.....I don't even can my sauce. I put it in jars and freeze it.


This year, the apples did double duty. Little Miss Zailey got to pose with, (and drool on), them before they met their maker.


That alone will make this year's batch the best ever.

good news/bad news

The good news....my favorite model came over to my house last week for some practice shots. It was a beautiful evening, the light was gorgeous and I couldn't be happier with how the pictures turned out. I had spray painted a cruddy old bike earlier this summer and finally found the perfect opportunity to sneak it into a photo shoot.

The bad news....Kayla and I aren't the only ones who have been enjoying this pretty spot lately.

It would seem we have a bear on the farm. I won't go into details, but I found the evidence, and The Farmer in all his outdoorsy wisdom confirmed, that a bear is indeed hanging out under the apple tree in the background of these pictures.

Now yes, we do live in the country, but not that far out in the country. It's not like we back up to a national wilderness or Jellystone Park. We have deer by the bushel, coyotes, foxes, and on one occasion, a moose. But never a bear....that I know of anyway.

Normally, my gut reaction to this type of situation would involve villagers, torches and pitchforks, but I'm trying not to over react. My hubby claims Yogi will run away if he hears me coming.

Um, hello? Meadowbrook Farmer? Have we met? That's not going to be good enough to get me out in the woods again.

Actually, there's a small, very small, part of me that wouldn't mind a glimpse of him...from a distance of course.

But for now, I'll just hope my hubby is available to chaperone any future photo shoots, and I'll also be keeping my doors locked.

Because everyone knows...bears can open doors.


And Kayla? I don't know about you, but I think these pictures were worth the risk.

You're gorgeous, girl!

it's all about me

One year ago today, after much hemming and hawing, I got up the courage to publish my very first blog post. My blog had been up and running for quite a while, thanks to the Fabulous Kelly over at Fabulous K Creative, but I was too scared to actually use it. I'm always a bit timid about the unknown, and this was a very big and potentially very public unknown.


To be honest, I thought there was a very good chance blogging would be like so many other projects I've tackled....start strong, but by the time a month passes, only a distant memory.

I thought I'd celebrate this milestone by sharing ten things about myself that you don't know.

Or need to know.

Or even want to know.


Actually, I've secretly been hoping someone would send me one of those "tell five/ten/a million things about yourself" tags, but sadly, no one ever has.

Don't worry though, I'm not taking it personally.


Okay, here we go.

1. I can drive an excavator. Impressive, right? Now it's important to note that I said I can drive an excavator, not operate an excavator. Because there is a big difference. I can drive the beast from point A to point B without incident, however getting it to do what I want beyond that is futile. Picture your toddler trying to get that very first Cheerio into his mouth and that's pretty much what happens when I try to pick something up with the claw-bucket thing. It's highly entertaining, yet kind of pathetic at the same time.


2. I eat almonds hand over fist. If I was stranded on a desert island and could only have one food, almonds would be it. I buy them at Costco and eat many, many handfuls a day. I eat them raw, even though I prefer them toasted. Here's why. If I toast them, I like them better and will eat more of them. If I don't toast them, I still eat a lot, but not as many as I would if they were toasted.

Don't even pretend that doesn't make sense to you.

It makes perfect sense.

It does make sense, doesn't it?

Because now that I see it written out, maybe not so much.


3. I have plenty of clothes, but I wear this hooded sweatshirt almost every single day.


(My hair and makeup people have the day off, hence the headless picture.)

(Why is my neck so wrinkly?)

It's perfect. The perfect size, the perfect length, the perfect weight, and definitely the perfect color. Plus, it says "Sunshine" on the back. I love it so much I even wore it on the plane when I flew to meet Jen, despite the fact that it now has huge holes in it.


Did you notice, Jen? I was obviously not too worried about your first impression of me, and it was a lost cause anyway considering I'd spent twelve hours on planes, but I'm still kind of hoping you didn't notice my holey sweatshirt.

Dear Gap,
Please make this exact sweatshirt again. I will buy twenty of them.
Love,
Teresa


4. When I put on a light switch or outlet cover, the slot on the screw absolutely has to be perfectly up and down or the earth will surely stop rotating on its axis.


5. The very first outing I went on with my future mother-in-law and sisters-in-law was a craft night at their church. The tables had candles on them, and while leaning over to do my craft, my bangs caught on fire. I kept seeing these little black ashes drifting before my eyes, but had no clue what it was until someone said they smelled hair burning.
Just the perfect first impression you want to make on the new in-laws, don't you think?


Wow, did I say ten things? I think I'm going with five, because I'm out. I'm sure I'll think of more over the next year, so maybe we'll make it an annual event, but for now, there's nothing but a snowstorm swirling around in my head....white and very blank.


I have to say, blogging over this past year has been so much more fun than I ever thought it would be. It truly is a special community we all belong to and I've really enjoyed all the new friends I've made.

If you've never commented here before and feel like giving a shout out, I'd really love to meet you. And if not, I totally understand....before I started blogging, I was the biggest lurker out there. I never commented. Ever.

Thanks for sticking with me and making my first year of blogging better than I ever dreamed. Ya'll are the best blog buddies a girl could have.