Blackberry Crumble

This is a must-make spring recipe for me. Living in the south, you can find big juicy Dew Berries (southern blackberries) along the woods and throughout the ditches and this crumble is the perfect when paired with a dollop of cream or a scoop of ice-cream.

Blackberry Crumble Recipe

1 3/4 c. Quick Oats

3/4 c. Flour

1/2 tsp. baking power

1/4 tsp. soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. softened butter

Combine the above ingredients and use 1/2 of mixture to fill the bottom of a 9 by 12 pan, pressing it down lightly.

1 c. sugar

1 cup water

3 Tbsp. Tapioca (or 3 Tbsp cornstarch)

Combine above three ingredients and bring to boil for 5 minutes.

Then, layer 3 cups blackberries over the crumb crust and
pour boiled sugar mixture over the top of the berries..

Lastly, top with the remaining half of the crumbs.

Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly brown on top at 350 degrees.

DIY Turning Photo's Into Postcards

I went to the mailbox expecting my usual stack of bills, junk mail, and more bills. After all, who actually gets mail from a real human being anymore? I was pleasantly surprised to see a postcard in my box, and not just a store bought one, but a picture that a friend had taken and written the address and stuck a stamp on the back. It totally made my day!

 To turn your favorite photo's into a postcard, you will need...
-a 4 by 6 photograph
 -a magic marker
-a stamp

 And viola- happiness is spread to others!!

The postcard was inspired and thought up by a blogger found here and it thoroughly made my day. I hope to send out some of my own very soon!

Give Me Serenity, Wisdom & Strength

A picture from a jaunt to the local rose garden and pier in Fairhope paired with a prayer that seems to be quite meaningful right now.

A Real Mower

Spring had sprung and I was standing in a yard almost knee high of grass and weeds trying to decide what my next move was. The local lawn care crews had been knocking on my door, offering me quotes to mow my lawn for several weeks and if I didn't hurry, I'm sure someone would be asking if they could bale hay off my small lawn.

I'm not a fan of the loud, fume belching mowers that my neighbors push around so when I went to the local home improvement store I asked for only one thing... I'll take anything that doesn't require gas to make it cut grass.

So now, I have a lovely bright orange reel mower. And no, that is not a typo- it is a true reel mower in the sense that it has no other motor except me to shove it around and make it go and it cuts the grass with a rotating blade. This proved interesting when I accidentally dropped it on my foot, breaking a bone. I had to explain to coworkers, nurses, and friends that it was a reel mower, to which they would reply "I know it's real, what kind is it?" and I'd reply... no, a REEL mower. After a few minutes of this they would comprehend and then say "oh, that's not a real mower, it has no motor".

I must admit, if you have a nice size yard and grass that actually grows this would not be the mower for you. My small subdivision lawn without any true grass to speak of is about all I can handle. When I get annoyed with the time and effort this type of mower requires... I try to remember I am saving the planet, one mowed lawn at a time. Smile!

I've Been Everywhere

I started to map my travels and realized that while I've visited a good many place on the east and north eastern part of the United States, my travels out west are... well... non-existent. I'm quite excited to remedy that in a few short weeks with a trip to Phoenix, AZ to visit a close friend.

The Road Less Traveled

Every journey has a beginning and every blog it's first post. For me, these have both been daunting and yet here I am, ready to "pack my bags" and launch out into the blogging world. A photo I snapped this fall on a stroll through the woods and my favorite poem seem like the fitting way to begin.

Robert Frost (1874–1963).  Mountain Interval.  1920.

1. The Road Not Taken

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;         5 Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same,         10 And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.         15 I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.         20