Reduce Your Catalogs

Many months ago I came across a non-profit organization that enabled you to stop delivery of unsolicited catalogues by mail. I jumped at the chance because the number of catalogues we were receiving at that time was staggering.

The web site is very user-friendly. You just sign up and then select from an existing database the catalogs you no longer wish to receive. I stopped everything we were receiving since the stores we shop at provide paperless versions online.

The results have been great, which makes for fewer trips to the recycling station!

Go here: http://www.catalogchoice.org/

Beets

Hubby loves beet salad. It's probably one of his favorite summer salads. Since I'm on a mission to make a bunch of cold salads to have over the weekend, I knew beet salad had to be one of them!

Recipe:

6 bunches of beets (or 20 beets)

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

1 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon of salt 

1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1 garlic clove minced

Cut stems off beets and bake at 350 for an hour, or until done.

Let cool, and then rub off skins. Quarter beets into large bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix in tarragon through garlic. Stir well and then pour over beets.

Toss well, chill and eat.

WARNING: Never think you can out smart a beet. Always wear your apron.

Our Picket Fence

Although almost too tired to utter the words, we have indeed finished (there's one last section to do after we put in our entry walkway) building our picket fence. It was hard work and it took longer than we would have imagined but we are both in agreement that we couldn't of hired anyone to do a better job. Well, we couldn't have 'afforded' to hire anyone to do a job as meticulous as us.

I say us as both hubby and I are each meticulous in our own unique ways. His primary focus is mathematical harmony, precision, and durability, all of which include a calculator, a tape measure, lots of math and a level. These things are foreign to me.

For me, meticulous comes in the form of aesthetics. If you remember, it was I who prolonged this project by insisting that we sand each (there were over 300) picket to create a uniform finish. It was also I who felt compelled to hand-pick each picket based on its aesthetic rating. Best pickets go to areas most visible, second-grade pickets go to areas of fence least visible.

Also, in effort to achieve an old-fashioned look, we were once again required to go against the grain. Something we've had to do a lot during our old house remodel. In regards to the picket fence, it meant going with regular cedar posts (which are naturally weather resistant), instead of the recommended chemically treated posts (with their awful pitted finish). We also opted to attach the rails of the fence to each post with screws, spackling and painting all of the screw holes, instead of using the highly visible metal brackets they insisted upon.

The fence offers a wonderful sanctuary to our property. Our farmhouse sits on 7-acres, three of which consist of open fields surrounding the house. The fence provides a separate space around the yard that almost feels like an extension of the house itself.

I'll post more pictures of the fence once we use up the rest of the pavers we have camped out in our yard. The pavers will be used to create an entry walkway and also to create the floor to our outdoor dining patio, projects that have been on hold while we've been building our fence.