wall of memories

August 20, 2014 Megan Rodriguez

The hallway in the house I grew up in was always filled with pictures. Family pictures that were taken for the church directory. Pictures from vacations. Pictures from weddings. Pictures from the cabin. Pictures of memories. I loved that hallway. Being a rather nostalgic person, I would often pause as I walked to and from my bedroom to look at the those pictures and would then carry those memories with me throughout the day.

As I've mentioned before, we have a lot of windows in our little house and very little wall space. So, while I've always loved the idea of filling our house with photo memories, it's easier said than done due to the lack of wall space. Over the past few months, though, I started looking at our staircase and realizing that there was perhaps some wall-space potential there that I had been missing. Because, while I love the idea of a hall/stairway filled with pictures, I also love the simplicity that comes with clutter-free walls. Our stairway has two walls that can only be seen when you are on the stairs, and so it was decided that these would become the designated pictures walls!

A project soon commenced. Photos were selected and printed and a frame search began. I love finding old frames at thrift stores and then spray painting them all the same color to make an eclectic collection. The different frames add character, while the matching color unites them. Not only does this make for a fun project, but it is rather economical as well. I have a rule that I won't buy a frame it if is over $3.00, and I usually try to get most of them for $2.00 or less. I was able to buy 11 frames, two cans of spray paint, and print my pictures for $25-30. That's not bad at all, if you ask me!

We left room in the collage to later add other pictures as we make more memories. I'm so excited to watch these walls fill up with images of our lives and the things that make us who we are.

raspberry/blueberry fun

July 30, 2014 Megan Rodriguez

A friend Mandy and I picked raspberries and blueberries this past Saturday. Berry picking is such a great hang--while your hands are busy, the conversation can flow so freely. I had a wonderful time, and I do believe that raspberries and blueberries are my favorite berries to pick, clean, and eat! So delicious and versatile, those berries are! Since Saturday, I've been finding ways to incorporate as many berries into things as I can. It's been quite a success, and quite enjoyable.

I started with a batch of raspberry/blueberry jam. I love having my basement canning shelves filled with homemade jams! Not only are they delicious, but I love knowing exactly what's in them--good berries, a little sugar, and some lemon. It's so worth the time and money upfront!

I was also able to put quite a bit in my freezer this year, which I also love. My hope is to not really buy berries again this year. I'm sure a special occasion or two may come up where I'll buy a half pint or two, but for daily eating, this is it, folks! Eating locally makes me appreciate fruits and veggies even more. Not only do they taste better when they are that fresh (and ripe when they are picked, ahem!), but they also become more of a specialty when we only eat them fresh when they are in season. It makes us cherish them more (and waste a lot less), and I like that.

We've, of course, been enjoying berries on food, specifically breakfast and dessert. The other day I made my mom's Pannekoeken recipe, topped with plain yogurt (this is my new favorite brand!), real maple syrup, and berries. With a little uncured bacon on the side, you've got one delicious breakfast! Yum!!!

My go-to breakfast, though, has been yogurt, a little raw honey, a little homemade granola, topped with berries. Just perfect for a summer morning on the deck.

Ah...berries! They are so much better in season!

hanging storage

July 25, 2014 Megan Rodriguez

We live in a 100 year old house with little storage and many, many windows. I love the windows, but they leave me with very few walls to put things on. So, I've found that I need to be creative about where and how I store things.

My sewing area is off of our dining room. It has three walls. Two windows fill one wall, three windows fill another, and a piano fills the third. The natural light is lovely, but all that glass makes it rather difficult to store all of the crafty supplies that belong in a sewing room! To add a little extra storage, I started working on a simple little project last fall. Like most projects, it got tossed to the side when another project with a deadline came along. However, last night, this little storage project surfaced again and finally got its finishing touches!

I created these three simple bags to hang on a little nook-like wall between my bookshelf and window. In order to be better organized in my sewing area, I wanted these bags to hold random craft supplies that have previously resided in messy baskets or bins. Each bag was made with left over fabric and buttons from my stash. I do so love projects like that! The workmanship is nothing spectacular, just functional.

I hung the bags on sticks with two nails in the wall for each one. Once the bookshelf is pushed back into place, the bags are rather hidden, but that's one of the things that I love about the design. They are cute and functional, yet they are mostly hidden from view. With the open floor plan that our house has, it's great to have things tucked back into corners like this. It makes the rooms seem less cluttered and full, while still fully utilizing the space. It feels so good to have this little corner cleaned up and better organized! It's amazing what a difference a little project like this can make.

drying herbs

July 14, 2014 Megan Rodriguez

Last summer I grew several different types of herbs on my deck. My garden was new to me and I wasn't sure if I wanted to put the herbs in the ground or in pots on the deck. I opted for pots on the deck, but as the summer progressed, I realized that many of the herbs I had planted were perennials. It seemed like a waste to buy new herbs each year, when they were fully capable of making it through the winter. However, knowing how some of them could spread and take over, I was a bit hesitant to put them in the ground. Practicality won out, though, and before winter came I decided to create an herb section in my garden. Then during the long, long winter, winter I started collecting glass herb and spice containers with the hopes of being able to utilize my homegrown herbs throughout the year.

This summer my oregano has taken off! It was maybe an eighth of the size that it is now when I put it in the ground in the fall. I've been so impressed with it's growth (and slightly alarmed as I imagine having to keep it under control in future years). So this weekend, as I looked at the flowers and seeds forming on it, I decided it was time to start the trimming and drying process.

Herbs are supposed to be dried in a dark cool place. However, I find that half of the fun of drying herbs is seeing them and smelling them...so, I typically hang them in my kitchen, especially when I'm just drying one or two bunches at a time.

It will take a few weeks for them to be crumbly, but I'm excited to watch my jars begin to fill with my own freshly grown and dried herbs!

summer break

May 22, 2014 Megan Rodriguez

It's summer break!!! My teaching job at the University of MN is finished for the semester and I am off for the summer! This will be my second summer on break, and I'm thoroughly excited about it. While I have the opportunity to teach in the summers, my husband and I have decided that it's better for us if I don't teach. The reason for this is that not teaching in the summer frees me up to do so many other things. It gives me the opportunity to travel with my husband to music festivals and his other gigs. It gives me time to relax and enjoy the quite home-life for a few months. And it also gives me time to grow and preserve a ton of food! For us, these benefits far outweigh the lack of income. We've realized that sitting down to a table full of homegrown produce (throughout the year) is worth a bit of penny pinching through the summer. It's amazing how much our quality of life can improve when we take a few moments to prioritize and choose to live with less, in order to really live with more.

So, summer break is here! Now, some of you may be imagining me spending my days lounging with a book, a blanket, and the sun, and while that will most certainly happen, that's not what the majority of my days will look like. Food is my focus for the summer. Twelve tomato plants are going in the ground in the next day or two, along with peppers, cucumbers, beets, potatoes, beans, summer squash, zucchini, carrots, radishes, lettuce, kale, shallots, and herbs. My plan is to can and freeze as much of that homegrown goodness as I can. I will also be filling my freezer with strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries from local farm fields. Whatever I can't grow enough of or can't pick from someone else's field, I will buy at the farmer's market and preserve that. This past summer, I was able to can enough tomatoes, corn, green beans, pickles, soups, applesauce, and jam to sustain us through the winter. I am just finishing up the last of my berries from last summer, and the pesto that I froze will be eaten up until another batch is ready for the blender! It's been AMAZING to have such good, fresh, local food on hand all winter. And I've realized that not having to buy all of those things, has allowed me to spend my grocery money on organic produce and eggs, grass-fed meets and milk, and even some organic pantry items. I've often wondered how people can afford to buy really good food, and now I know one of the ways that it's possible!

So, while I may not be teaching this summer, I will most definitely be working. You'll find me busily working to provide my family with good, wholesome, nourishing food that will last us through the winter that will most certainly come!