More of Less

It has been very rainy here in Germany, so I had to regroup my to-do list and am now working on some projects I had thought to do in the Fall and Winter.  Last November I started to organize my spice cabinet.  Notice the word November (wet and grey).  It is now July (also wet and grey).  OK, I am now moving on. I still have a five tickets for the outdoor pool.  Moving on. At the BBQ we had this weekend guests huddled around the grills. Really moving on. Now. 

First thing I did was buy more jars during my trip to IKEA.  I had originally thought to buy the DROPPAR jars, but when I saw the ones from the 365+ IHÄRDIG series it was container love at first sight.  After a little rethinking about which spices would go in what jars I got out my glass marker  and got to work. Labeling was a step that I skipped last go around and I came to find it is really hard to tell the difference between curcuma, curry and masala once they are in the jars.

 

Much better.

I got rid of the box the salt comes in and am now storing it in this canning jar.  The opening was the perfect size to use during cooking.   Then I just added an unnecessary label and I was happy.

Summer is Back

Well, that might be a little overstated.   The title of this post should probably read  "The Sun is Back", because the despite mostly sunny skies we only had a high of about 21º C or 71º F today.  I guess after days of rain it doesn't take much to get that feeling of Summer.

My tomatoes don't seem to care about the weather though.   For the past few years they hadn't really done all that well, so this year I only planted two plants:  a San Marzano and a cherry tomato. Had I only known, I would have planted more.

Figures.  But I really shouldn't complain.  Instead I will make a simple tomato sauce and enjoy it this evening with my two guys.

Happy Monday everyone!

More of Less

And I am back down in the basement.  We have had a lot of rain in the past few days, so I tried to put my time to good use with some organizing projects.  A quick trip to IKEA and I was able dig in.

As sad as it is, the above picture is a good representation of what our basement looks like.  You might remember this post from last year and it is even sadder to say that there hasn't been much lasting progress.  "Lasting" is the key word here.  I am starting to think that cleaning the basement is like going on a diet.  You loose a few pounds, but you gain it all back plus you add a few.  Until I am sure though I will continue to buy stuff to make the stuff I have look nicer.

On that note, while at IKEA I picked up two (should have gotten three) SORTERA flip top boxes,  so I could rid of the plastic bag storage for the bottle recycling.  A definite improvement in the aesthetic department and I hope it is equally functional.

A quiet Sunday

Just a short post on this quiet and rainy Sunday, which also happens to be Milt's birthday.  We kept it simple today with just the three of us spending the day together.  I haven't had many quiet days in the past months so I am enjoying it to the fullest.

Next weekend we are having our annual Summer/Birthday BBQ celebration.  Probably won't be quiet, but should be fun and hopefully rain free.

♥ Happy Birthday Honey! ♥

Lavender

I love lavender and a walk through my garden should give you an idea just how much.

It bloomed pretty early this year as can be seen in this post from May and gave me a wonderfully long and fragrant season. 

I took this photo about two weeks ago and you can see that the blossoms were already a bit past their prime.  The bees where still all over it, so I decided to keep it around a bit longer.  This weekend it was time to trim it though (thanks Honey).

This year I couldn't bear to just through it out, so I decided to make lavender oil.  As you can see I was optimistic in this picture. See the three empty jars.  After a perceived eternity I plucked enough flowers to fill one jar and topped it off with extra virgin olive oil.

I have placed the jar by a north facing window and will try to wait two weeks I have been told it takes for the oil to be infused.   The remaining lavender is stored in a large plastic bag with the idea to fill another jar for oil or to make some sachets.  Note to anyone interested: plucking lavender is highly tedious, but relaxing. :)

Keep Calm

 

Many would say that it has been over done, but if I like something I really don't care. I felt the same way  about the Cole & Son Woods wallpaper that I put in our guest bathroom. The only difficult part about getting the poster was agonizing over deciding on what color, but once I did I ordered it from here. 

For me the kitchen was the perfect place to hang it.