This Christmas, Mr. J and I gave some homemade food gifts. Earlier in the year we had taken a canning class together that was really inspiring. We’ve been really into canning ever since then, especially since we have such a prolific backyard garden. It’s such a great way to preserve the very best flavors of [...]

Even with the arrival of daylight savings time, it’s been hard for me to make enough time to work on outdoor projects. I’m dying to get my hands in the dirt, but by the time I get home, make and eat dinner, it’s dark. Last night, I got home even later than normal. I made [...]

Labor Day is the weekend, which for most, signals the end of summer.  Kids are back in school, in many places the weather makes a distinct change, summer parties come to a halt. I always get a little down right about now; sad that the days have slipped by. At the beginning [...]

It’s really easy to get carried away with buying decorations for a party. As we’ve said before, we think that it unnecessary to break the bank, going hog-wild at the party store on things you’ll use once and then throw away. Opening your eyes to the things you already have around you and thinking creatively [...]

I’m lucky to have a backyard big enough to have a sunny area that we use to grow vegetables. Before I go any further into this post, I must give props to half of the “we” that actually grows things in it.  That would be my boyfriend who spends a ton of time tending to [...]

That’s my lemon tree, brimming with juicy, ripe lemons. The tree is so laden with fruit right now that its branches are bent low from the weight.  Not only are there lemons galore, but this year, the fruit is perfect. So wonderfully juicy and brightly flavored.  So as the saying goes “When life gives you [...]

Is it strange that we get ridiculously excited about tomatoes?  Well, we do!  And this weekend was the much anticipated annual event, Tomatomania.  It’s held at a local tiny farm, so small that it’s actually nestled along one of our busiest freeways. Every year, the farm hosts Tomatomania, where you can purchase countless varieties of [...]

As I mentioned on Friday, a lot of “Spring Cleaning” needed to be done in our yards. Saturday and Sunday were both spent weeding, trimming, and re-planting. A ton of dirty work! While there is still a lot to be done, I was able to set up our our outdoor dining room so that we [...]