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Don’t ask me how or why, but I finally got my groove back last week! It felt so refreshing to be buzzing around the house, cooking and tidying and working in the garden, and jotting down huge lists of to-dos. Not everyone’s idea of fun, but it is so very much me.
In the garden, we have our first little watermelons growing and still have cherry tomatoes coming out of our ears! My new zucchini seedling has already emerged, but is looking a little sad after all of the rain storms. Hopefully it pulls through! I also created a loose plan for fall crops: broccoli, carrots, brussels and lettuce are on the docket. We’ll see what happens! It’s all just one big experiment.
Read this week: Made from Scratch: Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life by Jenna Woginrich
As part of our debt freedom celebration, Mark and I budgeted a little “fun money” for each of us to spend however we choose. Since the thrift stores in my area have weird hours right now (and the idea of social distancing in these tiny stores seems stressful), I scoured the Internet for vintage pieces instead. I had an idea of what I wanted and kept searching until I found the right item at the right price. (Some pieces are insanely expensive!) I obviously paid more than I would have at the thrift store, but I’m supporting small business and helping the economy, right? Ha! Here’s what I found:
- a tall wicker picnic basket to hold my fabrics and in process quilt (this one, this one and this one are all similar ideas, but different shapes)
- a small floral still-life painting to eventually be hung in a gallery wall
- a Farm Journal cookbook from the 1970s that I bought for decor purposes, but actually want to cook almost everything inside! (here’s the same one!)
Sophia’s bathroom renovation is finally moving forward! We pulled out her toilet last November (!!) with the intention of ripping up and re-tiling the floor and shower, but ran into a few problems…and then COVID. I ordered the tile this week and we’ll hopefully be able to get this project going by the end of the month.
I made homemade burger buns for the first time and they were delicious and so easy. J and I also whipped up a Strawberry Crumble Cake together and while I could only eat a tiny piece due to my dairy sensitivity, it was really good. I think it would be even better paired with a cup of hot coffee! Here’s the recipe:
Strawberry Crumble Cake
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 cups flour
1 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
1 egg, beaten
4 cups fresh strawberries, chopped
1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp. corn starch
Preheat the oven to 375 and grease a 9×13″ pan.
In a medium bowl, toss the strawberries with the 1/2 cup sugar and corn starch.
In another bowl, whisk together the sugar, baking powder, salt and flour. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or fork until the pieces are about pea-sized. Stir in the egg to form a crumbly dough.
Pat half of the dough in an even layer in the pan. Spread the strawberry mixture on top of that. Crumble the remaining dough evenly over the strawberry layer.
Bake 45 minutes or until lightly browned.
