Welcome to the Playroom at 14 Peonystreet!

This blog started in the "playroom". That's what DH calls artwork- playing. Wish I could live in the "playroom" forever.

Friday, June 20, 2014

Small Miracles...........This Week On the Farm

Oh, Look at those little bunnies!
Ain't they cute!?
More about these later......
This was the corn on May 27.....
This is the corn today, June 20.  It's about 6 feet tall and 
it's tasseling.....
Each one of these hairy "blooms" is an ear of corn...
Look how pretty!
And this.....
I think they're showing off!
It's dry this week, so we're getting plenty of road dust on the garden.
The blueberries are growing like gangbusters this year.  Bird netting was necessary. 
Mostly it's been mockingbirds so far that want them.
We've still had plenty for two pies and about 4 gallons frozen. Mmmmmmm......
We'll be picking green beans soon, and....
...making pickles!
Here's a garden tip for ya:  Black plastic (held down) will kill anything underneath it.
I'm using this method, along with tilling, to keep the crab grass under control, which is extremely a pain in the neck to remove by hand.  I'm saving this space for pumpkins, which won't be planted til July.
So far, so good!  Corn in the back, green beans, then tomatoes and then peppers.  Watermelons and cucumbers to the left (by the plastic) and blueberry bushes to the right.  Love this garden!
Had a visitor over the cornfield.  There's a patch in the middle of the field that the corn didn't grow, due to too much rain.  I think they are looking for something else.....
We've had some small miracles lately.  This saucer magnolia is blooming for the second time this year, after a torrential rain.
And this white crepe myrtle is LOADED with blooms this year.
Last summer it never bloomed and looked like it was going to die.
This pecan tree sprouted from a "dead" pecan tree.  It was nothing but a black stick.  It got fertilized, and it sprouted near the bottom, and it's going crazy now.  The next picture shows another pecan tree, and how big it would be if it had not "died".
Pecan tree, large. 
Okay-- a really cool "miracle":  baby bunnies.
This photo only shows one, but there were two live baby bunnies borned in the garden.  Two didn't live.  Their nest was disturbed by some unknown source, but found when weeding.  The two live ones were obviously under stress, breathing hard and weak.  It was also very hot outside, so...
I had to help "save" them.  Fed them some water and milk with a dropper.  They don't have their eyes open yet.  They were really stressed, but they perked up and looked much better after a few minutes.
Just so you know, these are wild cottontail bunnies.  If they look like this, they are 5-7 days old.  If a human touches them, the mother will still take care of them.  But the best thing to do is leave them alone.
This was a rare opportunity for me to hold something this small and alive in my hand, so small, so light, so soft, and alive!
After their "refreshing", they were placed in a safer nest location, yes, back in the garden, only a foot away from the original nest, and the mama came and moved them somewhere else!  Whew!  That's good!
I wonder if I'll recognize them when they're older?
Time for a hug!  Don't be scar'd! This is Stinky.  He's just as affectionate as a cat, rubbing on you for a hug and petting!
He loves water!
Awwww...! Only a face a mother dog could love...!
Sneak peek of new apron design in progress.
Lilac Hill pattern by Jan Patek,  all needleturn on the applique.   Fun- love doing needleturn.
I'll leave you with this- the corn,
reaching to heaven.
Happy Summer!


Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook - (Review) - Sweeties, You're Going to Like this one!

Hey all you sweets-lovers out there!
You're going to like this book!
I purchased the e-book last week, and will probably have to get a hard copy- because I like to make written notes when I make the recipes.
I just made the Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Frosting and 
OH MAN!!!
They are freaking AWESOME, for lack of a better word.  This is a new way for me to use up bananas!
I made one substitution- 1/4 cup sour cream in the frosting instead of 1/4 cup of heavy cream.
It gave it a nice little tang!
I love southern cooks and southern recipes.
Simply because I love to bake.
And I love to eat something sweet.
I can't wait to try some of the other recipes.
The ingredients called for in the recipes are mostly common ones.  Some of them are ones that must be specific to their bakery, but they give you resources in the back of the book, if you want to mail-order anything you can't find.
The crumb on this little tasty cake is delicate and moist and just downright perfect!
It's made with cake flour.  The chocolate chips do go to the bottom, but I don't care!
The taste is absolutely perfect.  I really love it with my sour cream in the chocolate frosting.
I think this would be a perfect birthday cupcake.

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