Time to Plant the Peppers

So I just got done planting peppers for the garden. I had some success last year with growing peppers from seed so this year I really went for it. For starters I did go with a red bell pepper and it’s the biggest pepper start I have. I know BORING! Here’s the good stuff: I’ve got some Jimmy Nardello’s peppers started. These are typically fried with onions and sausage for sandwiches.

 

I’ve also started some Jalapenos. I chose a species that is not so hot but makes up for it with an improved flavor profile.

 

The Atris Hybrid is an Italian bullhorn type pepper. These are also typically fried but they’re sweet enough to use like a regular bell pepper.

 

I love pickled peppers and I’ve planted a ton of cherry peppers to take advantage of this. I first experimented with pickling last year and I’ve been surprised and excited by how easy it is to get some fantastic pickles.

 

Finally I’ve planted some Count Dracula peppers. I don’t know what they taste like and I don’t care. These are coolest looking peppers ever. The leaves of this pepper are a deep jet black. Purple flowers turn into black peppers. The peppers turn a blood red color when ripened. I can’t wait to see these!

 

I’ll have pictures when there is something to show off. Till then!

Alex

I love salt!

If you are a lover of salt and chocolate and fine things I highly recommend an awesome little store located off Mississippi Ave in Portland, Oregon called The Meadow.  I happen to be a lover of salt and was really excited when Jeneen told me about The Meadow.  Since she told me about it, Tim and I have made two 145 mile trips to Portland just to go to this store!  They have an online store as well (check it out here) but I appreciate the fact that in person I can taste a pinch of the salt before I buy it.  Our favorite salt is the Red Alder Smoked salt.

It tastes good on almost everything!  I add it to my sunny side eggs for breakfast, mix it in with avocado to spread on a sandwich, and Tim adds it to his rub mix when he smokes meat.

It has a dark, rich color and smells so, so good! 

 

If you live in the PNW give this place a try.  It has a lot to offer in the chocolate, bitters, and flower department as well and there is an AMAZING ice cream shop next door called Ruby Jewel that sells salted caramel ice cream.  A serious win/win!

 

I also have exciting news in the bridge lock department.  Locks have been added and I couldn't be more pleased. 

~another glorious day~

J.M.Riley





Easter Gifts

I found a cool post about using different fonts on Feeling Stitchy.  Check it out here.  This post showed me how to take different fonts and create just an outline to make it easier to use them in embroidery.  I'm using this to make embroidered Easter towels for my Sis and Mom.  Here's a little sneak peak:

I have the perfect idea for the boys too!  Tim is always using the nice kitchen towels we have for the BBQ and smoker and it ends up ruining them.  I bought some mechanics towels for my Dad, Alex, and Tim to use instead. 

I'm going to embroider them with a little flames in the corners and voila'!  No more ruined kitchen towels.
~xoxo J.M.Riley

Whiskey Tasting

Whiskey:

Four Roses Single Barrel 100 Proof

Glassware:

Use this glass while drinking whiskey

Observation:

The whiskey is a honey-amber hue. Giving the glass a quick swirl you can see that it has decent legs, giving away that it has a good residual sugar content.

Nose:

Lots of good oak-vanilla scents. Also some burnt sugar- molassesy goodness in there. Maybe a little biscuit and peach at the end. This smells great. I kinda don’t want to even take a sip for a while. Gonna bury my nose in this stuff.

Taste:

Assertive but not bossy. It tells you up front, ”I am all about spice, honey and stone fruit.” There must be a peach orchard near this distillery. Definitely on the sweet side but not cloyingly so. This tastes like what you want a good bourbon to taste like. It hits all those notes you want to experience from

the corny honey sweetness to the oak to the spice of the rye and finishing with some kind of peachy yumminess. The meek may inherit the Earth but they won’t have a clue what to do with this.

I’ve had the whiskey sitting in the glass for about 5 minutes while figuring out what to write and it just keeps on opening up more and more. Now I’m getting a little black pepper and mint during the very long finish.

Please don’t mix with Coke or even water or a single ice cube. Four Roses is not for babies. This is an old school styled bourbon with a modern refinement to it. Highly recommended.

Alex

Another lock!

On March 8 I posted about adding our lock to the Chambers Bay lock bridge .  Today we went back for a quick walk and to see if anyone else had added their lock...

...and someone had!  Exciting!  We're hoping that as spring turns into summer more people will see the bridge and add their locks.  I noticed that the "permanent" marker we used to write our initials on our lock was not permanent.  I'm going to go back and try paint with a shellac or another pen.

~xoxo J.M.Riley

Bean Bag Easter Eggs

Bean Bag Easter Eggs!  The perfect compliment to my Ballpoint Embroidery Paint that I was talking about on Tuesday!  Bean bag Easter egg toss played with Easter baskets is a fun game for kids and adults.  I started by drawing out my Easter egg and transfering it onto white cotton.

Then, I colored in sections of the egg with the Ballpoint Embroidery Paint...

...and embroidered over it using backstitch and french knots.

Next, I used heat bond lite to attach my embroidered egg to a bright, solid pink cotton fabric and sewed it together like a pouch leaving a hole open at one end to add beans.  Don't fill the egg all the way with bean, it should be about 2/3 to 3/4 full. 

Make three or six bean bags to display in a bowl until Easter!  Then, on Easter play with reckless abandon!

~xoxo J.M.Riley

Happy pre-birthday to me!

Here's my early birthday present to all of you! 

41 random things either about me or what I've come to realize...enjoy!

1. Art of animals in clothes is always funny
2. I can only look at 30 pages of art on etsy before it all starts looking the same
3. Being yourself takes way less energy than putting up a front
4. If you want to have relationships, you have to put the work into it.
5. Working everyday is hard but hey, what else are you going to do?
6. It’s not the big things that cause stress but picking up that same sock every.single.day that really tests your limits
7. Disneyland really is the happiest place on earth. Unless you’re a little kid who hasn't had a nap, had too much sugar and can’t see a dang thing in the parade line-up, then it’s just a chore for everyone around you.
8. Tinkerbell really is real
9. Job interviews are the hardest, most painful experience you will ever have (disclosure, I haven’t given birth but I think I would still consider job interviews more painful)
10. Spring fever is very, very powerful
11. Construction jobs take twice as long and twice as much money as you allotted
12. Whining and flailing your arms about something only helps for a minute but sometimes you really need that minute!
13. Facts are the only thing that matter
14. The only thing you can control in any situation is your reaction to it.
15. Listening to Led Zeppelin cures all my ills
16. Having a husband who cooks is an anomaly that I take full advantage of (thank you Alex!)
17. I’m a good auntie to human babies and a terrible mother to dog babies (i.e., I give my dog babies waaaayyyyy too many toys and treats)
18. It’s fun to encourage other people’s creativity
19. Having a yard sale is a good idea only in theory
20. Would it really kill artists to have their albums on youtube? It’s the only thing I can listen to at work…
21. Breathing in your asthma medicine and feeling your lungs open up makes you very, very appreciative for modern medicine!
22. Blankets shield you from the bad guys in horror movies!
23. Seeing your garden grow and produce fruit will make you squeal with excitement – Neato!!
24. Learning from your own mistakes is so very hard to do
25. Keeping quiet is the only way you learn what you didn't really want to hear
26. Yapping and yapping is a sign of nervousness
27. People are nervous around people who are quiet and peaceful
28. Finding your people is hard but once you do, hang on to them! They’re the only ones who will laugh at your Lord of the Rings joke!
29. Everyone is a geek in their own way
30. Be nice to people who are different than you – there are way more people who fall into the autism spectrum than you realize.
31. I love summer but hate being too hot. Yes, I realize this is weird!
32. Water, water and more water along with rest is really all you need when you’re sick
33. If I was a survivor on “The Walking Dead”, I would miss music more than anything else. I’d probably sing as much as I could without attracting the walkers.
34. You can sometimes get away with slacking at work if you usually get all your work done on time
35. People respect you more if you choose your battles. Never cry wolf, you’ll be ignored faster than fast.
36. You make your own fortunes and opportunities – be willing to listen and do the work.
37. If you see something that needs to be done, do it, whether you get recognition for it or not. If it makes someone else’s day better, then it’s worth it.
38. You will not be applauded for showing up for work each day; you manager may not even realize you’re at work until something bad happens.
39. You absolutely have to be self-motivated
40. All you need is love!
41. 41 is old to the folks 20 years younger than you and young to the people 20 years older than you!