Pineapple Delight

This is a table runner that I made for my friend Amy who LOVES pineapples!  It was suppose to be a Christmas gift last year, but I couldn't get around to finishing it.  I finally finished the binding and was able to gift it to her on her birthday in August.  I found the pineapple fabric in St. Louis when I was there shopping with my sister-in-law a couple years ago.  I saw it and just had to make something for Amy with it.  She loved it!

Top - Double Hour Glass Pattern

Back - With another Double Hour Glass

Apple Cranberry Jam

My second attempt to make jam.  Early this summer my friend Amy and I made Strawberry Rhubarb and it was delicious. Only bad thing was that the recipe only made 4 half pints.  Mike & I brought home apples from his parents tree and had to do something with them.  My dad and I made an attempt to make Apple Cranberry Jam and it was fabulous.  It yielded 11 half pints which will make it perfect Christmas gifts.  There was a bit of leftovers so we toasted up some bread and ate it while it was still warm!!!  I got the recipe from the book Food in Jars http://www.foodinjars.com/the-cookbook/ , which was a birthday gift from the McG's.  Amy swears by this ladies canning techniques and food combination.  I think I'll enjoy the book!  I also made some Rosemary Salt as a rub on meat.  Tried it on chicken and it was very salty, will have to watch how much I actually use.  Below are pictures of the Apple Cranberry Jam Making!

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My Dad's Madonna Pose

Home Preparation

Hello Fall!  I love this time of year, even the cold and rainy days.  1 1/2 months then Mike & I will be Married!!!  Definitely looking forward to moving in and making a home with Mike.  His house is in great need of a crafty woman's touch.  I have been doing google searches and Pinterest scrolling and have found many great ideas for home efficiencies, office and closet organization, sewing room ideas, recipes, natural cleaning tips and a whole lot more.  I'm lucky to say that I just get to move in.  I don't have the headache of buying a home since Mike has already done that hard part six years ago. 
 
This week we have painted the remainder of the rooms upstairs.  I like to go in there and just imagine how things will be when everything is in it's place.  This may take a few more months of getting the home how we like it.  Pictures will come soon!

My herb garden keeps growing despite the chilly temperatures.  I clipped a few Rosemary leaves and placed them in water this week just to see what it would be like.  I let it sit there overnight in the fridge and it's quite a refreshing flavored water.  I made more last night. I want to try some lavender for the next batch.

I also altered an apple crisp recipe to accommodate for Mike's gluten free intolerance and it turned out to be delicious.  I just substituted coconut flour instead of regular all purpose flour.  The gluten free flour doesn't get as crispy on top but it's still delicious.   

Rosemary Water

Gluten Free Apple Crisp

Peppers, Onions & Herbs

 Garden Update:

Mike got mono in August and the garden suffered some.  He hadn't been out in a few weeks and when he does, he find an enormous amount of purple and green bell peppers.  He cut them up and we froze them all.  The onions shown below have been harvested for some time now and Mike has been caring for them but we noticed that some were getting bad so we decided to cut them up and freeze them too.  We just got a deep freezer this summer and it's wonderful! So many things from the garden will be there all winter long.

My herb garden went a bit crazy too.  I harvested Rosemary, Sage and Lemon Balm this weekend and now they are hanging up drying.  The office is full of fragrance, which isn't so bad.  I would say that my first attempt of gardening went off fine.  You get what you put into it.  I'm sure I'll be more active next year since I'll actually be living there.

Purple & Green Bell Peppers

Cut and Ready for the Freezer

Onion Harvest

Ready for cutting

Sliced

and Diced

Harvested Rosemary, Sage and Lemon Balm

Indy TT

The Indy TT was the last race of the season for me.  It was a time trial, which meant one person started every minute and you race against the clock.  That way 50 riders aren't sent into the trails together which makes passing easier since it's more difficult on these trails to do so.

I rode the 11.5 miles in 1 hour and 20 minutes, which may be my fastest for Indy.  These trails are my favorite in the area.  The climbs, gravity dips, logs and downhills are so much fun.  It is some of the most difficult trails in the area and I definitely don't ride them near enough.

I did win the Intermediate Women's Over 30 category.  That is mostly due in part that I was the only Intermediate Woman over 30 racing.  Let's get some more women on mountain bikes.  I would love the competition.

At the Starting Line

And I'm off!

At the Finish!

On the Podium...