Anna Maria Horner's Piece of Cake Dress

 Things have been busy around here. We just got back from a wedding in Park City, Utah. I can't stop daydreaming about the beautiful scenery. Incredibly beautiful. But here we are, back to work, and in a whirlwind. Like always. At least lately. My checklists each day seem to get longer and longer. Let me show you what I've been up to. 

 First on the list: make a dress for Evelyn to wear for the wedding. The last two sewing projects I tried, following my own patterns, did not turn out as I hoped. Both are awaiting readjustments. So when I chose to make a baby dress, I decided to follow a pattern rather than risk wasting time and fabric. I usually don't like following patterns. But Anna Maria Horner's Piece of Cake Dress did not fail me.  It's a quick sew, and what's even better, she has a video on You Tube you can follow if you get stuck. I was excited about this one. 

 Second on the list: make raspberry muffins with raspberries from the raspberry forest in our backyard. 

 Last cool thing on the list worth mentioning: loads and loads of laundry. One of my least favorite chores. And these pants were both grass stained. To remove them, I used some powder Oxy Clean, and some liquid gel Resolve. If a grass stain is dry, wet it to reactivate the stain. Then treat and let sit a few minutes before washing according to the garment's instructions. Here's the thing. When in doubt, I air dry any items in question. That way I won't set any stains in the dryer and can treat them again if necessary. This time, it worked like a charm. Two pair of pants were saved! On to the next. list of chores. It's seriously a challenge to keep up around this place. 

From the Garden

 I've been waiting months to make Roasted Veggie Tacos with Avocado Cream and Feta. Seriously nummy. It's easy to make, just takes a little time chopping all the veggies. Since I'm eating foods that won't trigger another gallstone attack, I substituted red quinoa for the tortilla. 

So fresh. I love spring. It's pretty much awesome. 

  We spent the day working outside, and still, there's so much to do. And we're on just 1/4 acre. Some days I think I'd love to have a small farm with a white farmhouse, and some open fields lined with evergreens. We'd grow lots of dahlias, geraniums, hydrangeas, pumpkins, tomatoes, kale and zucchini. There'd be lots of fruit trees and chickens. And then I think, "You're crazy." When would we have time? And I love our yard, imperfect as it may be.

So we just keep working on it. And I love it. It's so relaxing working in the dirt. Today I planted more salvia to replace the ones my shasta daisies insanely took over. And harvested all the rhubarb. I'm planning on more strawberry rhubarb crisp and  rhubarb jam. I just have to learn how to make it first. Anyone have any pointers on canning? Or good resources?