My Cozy Corner: July 2012

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Best Ever Bread and Butter Pickles

OK ladies and gentlemen let's

start canning!

Hello everyone,

On Sunday our granddaughters and son left after a fun filled week on the lake and playing in the pool.

The week before they arrived I was busy using the Very Large Cucumbers in the garden for

'Best Ever Bread and Butter Pickles'

Sweetheart and I have lived in this house for 43 years and we have enjoyed a garden every year.

The early years 1969-1980 Very large

1980-2012 Smaller ( that's when I said! No More)I started growing roses and developing an English garden.

Last week I agreed to put up some delicious Bread and Butter Pickles just like the 'Old Days'

You see 6 quart jars now. But, during the 1970's I would can 250 quart jars of pickles plus many other vegetables. There is more to that story later.

Now let's talk about how you can do preserve pickles in one afternoon.

It would have been great to have a visual experience of what my canning product would look like when I completed the process in the 'Old Days'. The tips and this tutorial will help you reach your goal with ease.

The printable recipe for

'Best Ever Bread and Butter Pickles'

GO HERE

4 Quarts of cucumbers and 1 Quart of sliced onions

sprinkled with 1/2 cup salt

Let stand 2 to 3 hours

Drain thoroughly and rinse.

In large soup pot add

2 cups of sugar 1 quart white vinegar, 2 teaspoons celery seed, 2 teaspoons ground turmeric, and 1 teaspoon ground dry mustard.

Combine remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.

Cook 5 mins

Sterilize bands and lids in saucepan

Sterilized jars, Pickle mixture, ladle, and funnel

I wash my jars in the dishwasher and rinse in very hot water

and place the jars on a utility towel on counter before pouring pickle mixture in each jar.

(turmeric stains)

Put a ladle full in each jar. The pickle mixture will be evenly distributed in each jar.

Wipe rims of filled jars. Cover at once with metal lids and screw on bands.

Please follow the printed recipe for more detailed instructions.

ONE BATCH MAKES 3 QUARTS OR 6 PINTS

I make one batch at a time.

I do not Hot Water Bath this recipe.

I have great success with the

HOT mixture sealing the lids.

But if you are new to canning and prefer

to use a hot water bath to seal jars

For instructions on 'Hot Water Bath'

Go Here

~Happy Canning~

The delightful bouquet is part of a larger bouquet my mother sent to sweetheart and I for our anniversary on July 17th.

Thank you so much for visiting My Cozy Corner.

I have enjoyed sharing with you my experience in the world of canning.

The process of canning is so rewarding...

Wonderful fresh food and the joy of eating the bounty is amazing.

I'm happy to join some fun parties this week.

Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday

StoneGable for Tutorials Tips and Tidbits

The Delightsome Life for Home and Garden Thursday

Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday

French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday

My Romantic Home for Show and Tell

Natasha In Oz for Say G'day Saturday

and

The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday

Thank you all for your wonderful comments

and

Hi! to my new followers

Thanks again

Betty

Friday, July 27, 2012

Pink and Yellow ~ Yellow and Pink

Hello Everyone,

Happy Birthday to

Beverly @ How Sweet the Sound

My roses are blooming again.

With the hot weather I thought they would rest until mid-August.

Lo and Behold

I found a few pretty ones to show off today.

'Double Delight'

'St. Patrick'

'Tiffany'

'Therese Bugnet'

'Don Juan'

I'm happy to join in on a

Birthday celebration for our sweet Beverly.

Parties I'm joining

celebrate are:

Pink and Yellow Saturday @ How Sweet the Sound

Mosaic Monday @ Little Red House

and

A Return to Loveliness @ A Delightsome Life

Thank you for stopping by,

Betty

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

A 'BIG' New Cloche for My Cozy Corner

Hi Everyone,

I have a brand new 'BIG' Cloche.

My daughter and granddaughters gave this fabulous cloche to me for my birthday on

June 3rd.

I've been waiting for Marty to have a cloche party so I could show off my 'BIG' CLOCHE.

Actually I have been doing some fun decorating at My Cozy Corner lately.

I made the rose patterned pillows this spring, and a couple of weeks ago I covered two more pillows on the sofa that been on there for more than 20+ years.

I'm following the decorating tips for coffee table appeal.

Something Tall + One Oddball Object + Something Fresh + A Stack of Books

I love my new cloche. I will be busy finding wonderful things to display in it all year long.

When I started to blog I didn't know what a cloche was. How quick I learned.

In the beginning I found ~What I called cloches all around the house~

Go Here to see a review of the past cloche parties I have joined.

As you can see I have acquired a few real cloches. A little fruit under cover and on the sofa table behind the love seat I have put some of my fresh Lavender in a vase.

I love to sit in the love seat and read my Country French and Tea books

I also enjoy my vignette using my thrifty finds.

A Lenox vase and candle holder from the thrift shops in our area.

This cloche is just a perfect size for small decor

A cloches can be used to display treasures from a vacation or treasures from home too.

The little ducks I bought from a little mexican boy in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

He was so cute and the little ducks go so well with our Cozy Corner.

And a little jar of lavender buds for accent comes from my lavender plant in my garden.

I made this heart shaped lavender sachet with the same rose patterned fabric I used for the rectangular pillows on the sofa and love seat. I love the way it hangs from the lamp.

My newest hobby is to go to the thrift shops and find inexpensive decorating books.

They are not new, but the rules of decor stay the same. Just a little update once in awhile.

I've found the painted letters are very popular now. So I bought this letter Y at TM.

Sweetheart painted it black for me in a heartbeat.

He is so talented and willing to please me. Even after 52 years. LOL!

As I was buying the letter Y I thought I would embroidery the letter Y on one of my new pillows.

But I forgot how to embroidery. I thought I would have to do some samples first...That would be to long and you can see me in tears before I was finished with the project. Well, I decided to have the monogram done by a professional ($5.00) yes. I know, amazing !

I love the color of the thread and the block style is the same as the Y on the mantel.

I'm having so much fun making our home Cozy.

I made a matching heart sachet, but the bow was being so stubborn that I just tied a knot.

I love to recap my photos in a collage.

Thanks Marty for throwing this great party.

I love my Cloches...

Thank you so much for visiting My Cozy Corner.

This week my son from Pasadena is spending the week with us and of course bringing our

two granddaughters. We are planning to go to Water Works Park and water sking at the lake.

The four cousins are getting together for sleep-overs and other fun activities during the week.

Ages of girls are: 2 - 12 year olds, 1 - 10 year old and 1 - 8 years old.

Our grown granddaughters (18 and 21) are coming up on Saturday to visit for the day so I will be taking

lots of photos.

The blogs parties I will be joining this week are:

Tuesday

A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday ~ Cloche Party

A Delightsome Life for A Return to Loveliness

Wednesday

Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday

Thursday

No Minimalist Here for Open House Party

My Cottage Charm for Treasures and Trinkets Thursday

Friday

The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home

French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday

My Romantic Home for Show and Tell

Saturday

Natasha In OZ for Say G'day Saturday

Sunday

The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday

I hope you have a great week and think of me as I'm out on the beautiful lake laughing and watching my granddaughters learn to water ski.

EAT ICE CREAM

WATERMELON

AND

S'MORES

Thanks again to my wonderful followers that drop by and have a laugh or two.

I love you all

Betty

Monday, July 16, 2012

Tablescape #49 - Celebrating 52 Years of Marriage

Welcome everyone to a celebration.

Happy Anniversary

July 17, 1960 - July 17, 2012

Adding a new chapter to our love story with a delightful alfresco meal to celebrate another year of happiness

Dinner in the Fern Grotto

Our open air patio

Our favorite place to dine outside

This tablescape tells our story

and some of the stuff only boring old married people like us understand

That Friday night is actually the perfect time to go grocery shopping

That no one else can drive you crazy quite like the person you love most in the world.

That it's wonderful to have someone you can always lean on...and possibly fall asleep on.

That it's hard to beat waking up beside the person who's given you so many of the

best days of your life.

That "date night," Although a nice idea, bears little resemblance to an actual date.

That the ten-thousandth kiss, in its own quiet way, is just as sweet as the first.

That "for better or worse" really means

"for better or worse."

That love takes work.

And time.

A lifetime, to be exact.

The bountiful plates represent the fruits of our labor.

The gold napkin rings represent our gold wedding bands. The monogrammed napkins with the first letter of our last name Young helps us to remember that we will forever be "Young."

The golden flatware is a reminder of the times we have been true to our promise for richer or poorer.

The beautiful flowers are a reminder of the precious and beautiful things we have in life.

Wonderful children and granddaughters. A comfortable home and gardens.

and

We enjoy every new day!

'Lavender Tea'

Please enjoy some tea with a printable recipe

Go Here

The amazing beauty of 'Roses'

The crystal glasses represents the clear path we have traveled through sickness and in health.

If it's your pleasure to see our Golden Anniversary party Go Here

51 years of marriage celebration Go Here

and

The Cloche Tablescape with some Wedding keepsakes Go Here

Thank you for visiting 'My Cozy Corner' for another home spun story about my journey through life.

I will be joining some wonderful parties so please come along with me.

Tuesday
A Stroll thru Life for Table Top Tuesday
A Delightsome Life for A Return to Loveliness

Wednesday
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday
A Southern Daydream for Outdoor Wednesday
Cuisine Kathleen for Let's Dish
Thursday
Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday
No Minimalist Here for Open House Party

Friday
Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
French Country Cottage for Feathered Next Friday
My Romantic Home for Show and Tell
Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday

Sunday
The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday

Monday
Little Red House for Mosaic Monday

Thank you all so much for your
wonderful comments and a
Big Hello to my new followers.

I was so happy to see all the questions regarding my lavender plants.
I have decided to write a Q and A for all
the comments about enjoying lavender.
So see you soon
xo
Betty

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Purple Reign: Lavender Harvest

Hello Everyone. I hope your week is going well. This week I have been busy at My Cozy Corner.

It's harvest time again for my lavender plant. What an amazing plant. The plants' pungent purple stalks rippling in the breeze, releasing a fragrance that soothes the soul.

In all its purple glory, lavender-a member of the mint family-is closely related to rosemary, sage and thyme, and its flowers and buds are edible both fresh and dry.

The type of Lavender I grow is 'Grosso' Lavandula x intermedia Grosso.

I love the long stems and the flowers of violet blue and darker violet calyces.

I have bundled the lavender with a rubber band, and as the lavender dries the rubber band will hold the bundle together. Because it's so dry in our area I harvested the lavender in the morning and stored it in an open box and the next day it was almost dry. I spread out clean paper and bundled 20 stems of lavender together. The loose buds left on the paper I scooped up and put into a plastic bag for culinary uses.

Can you see the plastic bag in the basket? The buds in the box I put into the round jar.

When the bundles were wrapped I trimmed the lavender below the rubber band and put the stems into the other jar to use in the fireplace.

The buds in the jar were collected from the box where the loose lavender was stored until the next day.

In the next few weeks I will be busy making:

Lavender

Soap
Sachets
Bath Salts and Tub Teas
Candles
Water

The clean and dust free lavender will be used for:

Lavender

Lemonade
Tea
Lavender-infused simple syrup
Homemade lavender sugar crates a mysteriously fragrant sweetener that can enhance countless recipes

Lavender is also very decorative. This bundle of lavender in my french flower can will last for weeks.

A wonderful addition to the patio, with all the fragrance from the buds. If it is bumped ~ It's a bonus

Fresh, clean smelling scent will fill the summer air. You can imagine the scent of fresh laundry hanging on the clothes line.

I put the lavender stems in a basket with a fabric liner by the fireplace in the winter. As I light the fireplace
I throw a small handful of stems into the fire and a wonderful fragrance is released.

Even the bee's love lavender.

The scent of fresh crushed lavender is a soothing dose of aromatherapy stress relief. Lavender relieves anxiety and tension naturally.

Oh, how I love to make a mosaic. I created two for this post and I couldn't choose which one I wanted to publish, so I've published both. One on Top and This one.