Rose petals take two...

I went ahead and harvested more rose petals (as you can see we have an abundance of them around here!) for a second batch of rose petal liquor.  This time I followed this recipe!  Fingers crossed it will taste as good as it looks...

On camping...

I grew up car camping with my mom and backpacking with my dad.  As an adult, I was a bit of a camping snob and only camped (almost always backpacking) in remote, off the beaten track, back country destinations.  Then I had kids.  Camping was totally out of the question for a good long time.  Then camping in the back yard became doable... and then we started borrowing a Euro-van for bigger adventures.  This past weekend, we were invited to join a few folks at a nearby state park on a reservoir for some good old fashioned camp ground car camping.  Our group had our own cul-de-sac with nothing but views of the lake in every direction (it honestly felt like we were on an island).  The kids rotated between riding bikes, swimming in the lake, and tent hopping.  The grownups ate, drank, watched kids, and enjoyed the many simple pleasures of camping out (not including washing dishes in the spigot... decidedly not one of the simple pleasures of camping out, but necessary nonetheless).  Dish-washing and all, it really was an unequivocal success!  It made all of us really happy... and it might not have been a pristine mountain lake in the Sierra Nevadas, but it was just what we needed!  I have the feeling we'll be doing a whole lot more of this family style camping for the foreseeable future.

Here are a few things I learned in the process:

• Table cloths and flowers make your campsite feel like a little home away from home (I learned this from my own mama!)
• Air mattresses are dreamy!  
• Having a rug outside your tent's front door is key.
• You can never have too many chairs (or hammocks).
• After getting the campsite set up, be sure to have a cocktail ready to help you relax from all that hard work (gin and tonics were a very delicious choice!).
• Potluck dinners are especially awesome when camping out (we had the Tofu King's famous mac'n'cheese with broccoli and garlic, corn on the cob grilled over the campfire, hot/not dogs, salad, baked beans, strawberry shortcake, and s'mores... yum!).
• Coffee (I remembered both the french press and coffee mugs!!) is even better when you add left over whipped cream from the strawberry shortcake... and even if your air mattress is comfortable, you'll still need coffee in the morning (trust me!).
• Pancakes are even better with leftover strawberries... I think strawberry shortcake is now required on all camping trips from here on out.
• Never go camping without bikes.
• Ditto the Sunshade.
• Baby turtles are amazing!
• Even the local reservoir can be filled with beauty and wildlife... and there is nothing better than falling asleep to a chorus of singing frogs.

Rose petal liquor...

So I thought I remembered how to make rose petal liquor from when I did it last year, but it turns out, I did not!  Oops!!  According to this recipe, you pour vodka (or brandy or rum) over petals in a screw top jar and let the petals and booze hang out together for 28 days before adding a cup and a half of sugar.  You let that sit for an additional 14 days (leaving it in a cool, dark place turning the jar occasionally).  Unfortunately, I looked up the recipe after I made my batch (that's how I roll)!  So we shall see what happens with my version.  I had already decided to put half as much sugar as last year... so I'll just embrace it as an experiment!  My version goes like this... harvest rose petals (make sure they are clean, bug free, and dry!).  Add 3/4 cup of sugar to a little under 3 loose cups of petals.  Then add a lime rind and top it off with cheap vodka.  I'm going to try to make another batch while the roses are in bloom... this time with fresh lavender and mint (recipe found here).  I'll keep you posted!

This first batch might not end up tasting great, but it sure looked pretty...

Busy...

Between grading papers and tending my garden, there isn't a whole lot of time for thrifting, stitching, or making right now.  But watching my small garden explode with life is so good for the soul.  I do have some plans to get good and busy with some fun projects and thrifting adventures once the semester comes to a close.  In the meantime, I'm making some rose petal liquor tomorrow (the roses are blooming like crazy right now... they smell amazing!).  Until then, here is a little garden eye candy for you (because I can't help myself):

April showers bring May flowers...

... and butterflies!!

Happy Friday...

Taking a quick breather from the overwhelming stack of papers that I need to grade.  I just might have to take my computer out to the garden this afternoon for a change of scenery!!  I love this phase of the garden cycle... everything is busting out and getting bigger by the minute.  Happy plants and tons of hope for what the next few months will bring...

Happy May Day!

One of my absolute favorite traditions is May Day!  May Day has old Pagan roots (an important  celebration of spring) as well as more recent connections with worker and immigrant rights (it is International Workers' Day).  I love marking this day with all of that in mind!  As a kid, however, May Day was all about the May Day Basket!  My mom used to take us around the neighborhood where we would put a basket (filled with cookies and flowers... always lilacs!) on a neighbor's doorknob, ring the doorbell, and run!  We did this over and over and it was so much fun.  I've upheld this tradition with my own kids (minus the lilacs because they don't grow here and minus the running... the kids love personally delivering the goodies to their friends!). 

Here is how we do our baskets... First, we make the baskets (the kids decorate paper plates and then we fold them into baskets and add ribbon handles).  Then we gather flowers from the yard (this year we had snap dragons, roses, marigolds, and mint to choose from!).  Finally, we add cookies, flowers, and flower seeds to create little baskets of cheer!  Once the baskets are made, we deliver them to friends and neighbors.  It is definitely one of my favorite days of the year... and a wonderful way to welcome spring!