Friday, July 18, 2008



I hope you can find use for this line drawing - I've created it on a transparent background, and saved it in PNG format, so you can 'fill' the fruit and veg with whatever you wish. I would love to see what you make - just send me a small photo to lalaime(at)hotmail(dot)com I'm starting to get the hankering for canning meself, and Mr. Miles loves canned peaches with fresh ginger strips in the syrup.



(click to see a bit larger)
SUMMER FUN - layout by meself
credits:
Rainy Daze Kit by Beth Long
Sand Alpha by Mrs Miles (ya, me)

Don't you just LOVE this kit? It's Beth Long's new RAINY DAZE KIT which you can find by visiting her blog and there are links galore to the shop etc! I KNOW, I Know, its a RAINY daze kit, but I saw the SUN in there, and figured by turning her raindrops upside down I could draw attention to the BIG SPLASH our brother made in the lake! Your kit is WONDERFUL Beth, and there's so much more in there I'm longing to use in the future!!!

Our brother Dave and Sister in Law Neti just stopped in for a quick surprise visit this week, so we took a day out to enjoy their company. They arrived on their motorcycle, all hot and sticky from the combination of the hot weather and wearing proper motorcycle gear, including entire black from head to toe - pants, jackets and helmets. (I think the black helmets look like beetle heads) It was sure good to spend some time together.


Dave to the Rescue!

Though they were only here for a day, we decided to take them up to the top of a local mountain which affords a great view. We set off early in the morning with the whole day laying ahead of us. The peak of the mountain is 20 km up a gravel road - we made it to 17 km. Thats when I (of all things) SMELLED something - like oil, or hot engine, and I mentioned it to the guys in the front. Dave poked his head out his window, looked back and informed us we had a FLAT! Back Right. Same tire I'd mentioned looked a bit low the previous week. Same tire I kept mentioning sounded like it had a small rock lodged in it each time we went to town, and kept reminding myself to take a look at when we arrived home (but forgot) Besides, the tires are only 2 months old!

Sigh.

Flatter'n'apancake.

So Dave offers to change it out - Miles has had a sore back lately, don't want to fool with that! THANKS DAVE!

And guess what - we have no air pump. And the spare is flat too. The spare is the newest of our 'old' tires - which the guy at the garage musta forgot to check it out too closely, as it was his suggestion to use that one. Double sigh.

Small blessing - the cell phone actually was in range and we were able to call down to our friend Rogers and he came to our rescue too. And he roars up on a white steed - well, a white truck, driving like a real rally driver, could see him coming for MILES off in the distance, setting up a a rooster tail of dust for several km behind him. He comes bearing a compressor and all sorts of goodies. But to no avail. The tires are just BAD, so he and Miles head to town where (to the tune of over $100) a new tire is purchased.

Dave and Neti were very gracious and patient about the wait, even took a nap under some trees for a while and I took advantage of the spare block of time and completely turned out the van and cleaned it from head to toe. It's needed it for a very long time!

We never did go to the top - will save that for another visit.

And thanks Roger - you are ALWAYS there for us, and we REALLY appreciate all you and Marie do for us.




Simple Summer Supper

I served my own little recipe for supper. I've been experimenting with dishes I can cook OUTSIDE using our little toaster oven. This way I don't have to heat up the house. The toaster oven just fits these four foil packet portions I made up. This recipe is super simple - and almost any type of ground meat could be used instead of the sausage, if you would like.

Barb's Simple Summer Foil Packs

4 hot italian sausages
1 small onion, 1/2 inch thick rings
sliced red, yellow and green peppers
butter

Cut 4 pieces of tin foil. Lightly butter the center - about 6 inches long, 3 inches wide. Layer some onion slices on butter. Layer a few slices of each red, yellow and green peppers. Using a sharp (filet is ideal) knife, slice the casing of an italian sausage and remove the meat. Flatten the meat into a patty which covers the onion and peppers (aprox 6 inches long x 3 inches wide. Cover the veg. Repeat with the remaining three sausages. Place on the cook tray for the toaster oven. Bake at 400 degrees for 1/2 hour. To serve, lift each foil pack out of the tray, hold over something to catch the juice, and poke a hole underneath the foil pack, allowing the liquid to drain. Next, simply slide the veg and meat onto a plate! Voila, all you need is your side-dishes, and its DELISH!



Chill!

Rest

Take some time away from the world...

and pray



Ere thou sleepest, gentle lay
Every troubled thought away;
Put off worry and distress
As thou puttest off thy dress.
Drop thy burden and thy care
In the quiet arms of prayer...

-by Henry Van Dyke

11 comments:

  1. Hi there

    Not been blogging at all this week, but halfway through a well needed bloggy makeover. George the cat been back staying at the vets AGAIN - but back with us tonight.

    Lovely post, and great recipe.

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  2. Thank you so very much for the creative canning element and versatile recipe!! LOVE the photos and layout too! so glad you had help with your tire! big HUGS to you!! hope you have a SUPER weekend!! :D

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  3. AnonymousJuly 18, 2008

    Hi Mrs. Miles..after hearing so much about you from Kims blog I decided to stop by and say thanks for your post..I loved the poem..I really enjoyed reading about your experience with the tire..oh life's little unexpected blessings..after all you did get your van cleaned out..good :)thinking..I will be back to visit soon..and hope you come see me too..

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  4. BARB!!!!!!! Hooray!!! You used my kit!!! LOL! Thanks bunches and bunches and bunches for being such a sweetie and putting it to use! (REALLY bizarre for me to see ANYBODY using something I put together!!! I only even first HEARD of digi scrapping a year ago!) Your happy spirit is contagious girl!!! LOVE reading your blog and 'soaking in' my Mrs. Miles fix! Make sure you take some pics when you finally DO get to the top of that peak... and thank goodness for cell phones eh? BIG BIG BIG {{{{HUGS}}}} for you!!!! MWAH!

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  5. Thank you! Your blog post will be advertised on the DigiFree Digital Scrapbooking Freebie search engine today (look for timestamp: 19 Jul [LA 01:03am, NY 03:03am, UK 08:03am, OZ 06:03pm]).

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  6. Wow, thank you for sharing the great jar. This is my first visit to your blog and I love it!

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  7. Good Morning Barb:)
    Vellum Valinda Here!!! hehe Think I had forgotten you?LOL NO WAY!!!:)
    I spent yesterday trying to catch up on some house work.Swept and mopped the floors and did some laundry...changed the sheets on my bed and fluffed the feather mattress topper.OHHH it felt sooo good crawling under those clean sheets last night.:)If I had read your poem..I would still be sleeping.:)
    Leave it to you to do something constructive while waiting for your tire change.:)Glad you had company.:)
    Your sausage dinner looks YUMMY!Bet it tasted it too.:)I am like you..don't use the oven when the toaster oven will do the job!!It's just too hot!
    I made boiled eggs and put them in a large jar of pickle juice a couple of weeks ago.Does that count?LOL I didn't think to take a pic though.Bummers!! Oh well..the family asked me to do it again soon..hope I have a camera handy.LOL I hope you know I am just teasing you.:) Thank you sooo much for the cute jars.:)

    Have a wonderful weekend!!!

    Hugs,
    Valinda

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  8. sounds like you all had fun...glad to see Dave and Neti were out riding around ..sounds like you guys were on an adventure ...the canning layout looks neat ...well have a good weekend ...

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  9. I just love reading your blog! You are so inspirational! (and very talented too in cooking and designing)! My mother, my grandmother and my grandmothers mother are/were the picture of domesticity. All domestic skills and being able to grow a botanical garden were given to my brother. I on the other hand thought I had no talent, I was the timid nurturer, that had too much compassion that makes me where I can't help someone else because I will be crying harder than they are. I did discover that I had a talent with computers - all kind of computers and worked my way up to Systems Analyst of a mainframe computer before it was over. I am also a very good, loving mother, that my personality is perfect for the nurturing of young ones but gets taken advange of by teenagers!

    Oh well I did not come here to tell you all of that I just wanted a bite of the yummy looking stuff you cooked. I also came her to tell you I have uploaded a lot of stuff since your last visit. I forgot to let you know because my last week has been a nightmare.

    Thank you Barb for giving such inspiration. I can always come to your blog and find something to smile about!

    With love, Renae

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  10. hee hee- so Mr Murphy came to visit you did he?- BWAHAHAHA- Barb, now THAT is something that would happen to ME!- LOL. Glad you got it sorted with a phone call and a friend on hand! LOVE the photo show and tell- and GIRL, I'm giving that recipe a try on the fire! Well you know we SAfricans love to braai ( winter or summer-LOL) and that is something that would work on there too by the sounds of things- YUM!! Now you gone and made me hungry too ;-)
    Hope you are having a great weekend my friend- we're taking it nice and easy this side.
    OOOh- to answer your questions about the Gecko- yup it's made from old steel plates and the black locals make/weld and then sell them here on the street- they come in all sizes- that being one of the bigger ones- it looks wonderful at night with the lights shining from under it ( well that's when the light gets replaced now- LOL)
    sending hugs
    ME

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  11. Hiya Barbs!
    We keep missing each other and that makes me sad. I MISS YOU LOTS!!!! I'll try and catch you later love!

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Your comments are a blessing to me!

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