We are not usually black tea people, but I thought this recipe sounded like the most refreshing drink for a very hot Ohio day. We had all the ingredients on hand, including the black tea bags which we normally use for staining paper.

Mint Orange Black Tea (from the cooking channel)

3 c water to make the tea, plus 3 c cold water or a bottle of carbonated water
7 black tea bags
1 c freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 c sugar
fresh mint sprigs- at least 3 large
1/2 orange cut into slices

1. Boil 3 c water, remove from heat and add 7 tea bags; cover and steep for 10 minutes.
2. Make the orange simple syrup- mix the 2 c OJ and sugar in a pan, bring to a boil, then simmer until the sugar dissolves (about 5 minutes).
3. Let tea and orange syrup cool, then mix in a pitcher. Add a few sprigs of mint and orange slices, and 3 c cold water or bottle of carbonated water.
4. Serve cold on ice.

I’ve also been working on some new hedgehogs, I have a booth at a street fair in early June. This is a big reason I haven’t been blogging as much lately, work, work, work AND organize, organize, organize.

I made these yummy raspberry bars yesterday-

Hearty Raspberry Oatmeal Bars (from an old Vegetarian Times magazine)

1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 c light brown sugar
1/2 c unsalted butter (softened)
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 c old fashioned rolled oats, divided into 1 3/4 c and 1/4 c
1 c raspberry jam

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in large bowl.
3. Cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla and almond extracts until smooth. Add flour mixture to butter mixture; mix until combined. Stir in 1 3/4 c oats. Spread 2/3 of batter on bottom of prepared baking dish. Spread raspberry jam over the batter with back of spoon.
4. Add remaining 1/4 cup oats to remaining batter. Crumble over top of raspberry jam.
5. Bake 30 minutes, or until golden. cool, then cut into bars.

And Araina keeps bringing in the flowers for me. I found this little arrangement on the kitchen counter yesterday afternoon. The bright red begonia made me smile.

Little quick link share love- Kari, from The Snail’s Trail, has put up a list of nature activities to share as well, visit here for the link list of ideas and get your family outdoors!

I won’t be blogging for the next 5-6 days (I may not get and Outdoor Monday post up next week); I’ll be in Georgia at the art fair…….it’s ironic because I could be moving to this area come mid-summer. Have a wonderful and safe Memorial weekend!

“That’s all.”

I was excited to grab my basket and fill it with the first herbal harvest of the season- bee balm, chocolate mint, and rose petals (for rose petal jam).

A lot of time was spent lugging houseplants (aloe, succulents, and scented geraniums) outside to the front porch so they could spend the warm weather outside. I will keep them out there until the fall frost. They seem to explode in size thanks to the warm humid Ohio summers.

Still catching up on the washing, can’t let a good drying day go to waste! I picked up these beautiful vintage sheets at a thrift store a little while back, ugh, they smelled of moth balls! A few vinegar baths and a dry in the warm sun took care of that nasty smell. If you hang your wash on a line (indoors or out) and like sharing pictures of this lovely domestic task, visit Gardenmama for her Wash Wednesday posts.

I picked some roses and mint for my Friday’s Flowers bouquet, hosted by Renee at FIMBY. This “challenge” is simply sharing a bouquet of flowers on Fridays. 

Araina and Emma spent a lot of time today on the front porch building sand castles and fighting off big sisters that wanted to smash down those sand castles. HA! The big sisters didn’t forsee the little sister power- karate kicks and screaming were the weapons of choice!

Did some admiring of Ohio’s beauty. I couldn’t help myself, I had to pull the car over and take a picture of this beautiful field full of Ragwort. 

We spent the end of the day at the creek with Sybil, Emma, and Natalie. Catching up with dear friends is my favorite way to end the day!

“That’s all.”

MMMMMM, the beautiful red, black, and green of fresh berries.

Making berry syrup-

2 cups fresh berries
2 cups sugar

-Mash the berries into a pulp.
-Add the sugar and cook over low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture thickens (about 10 minutes).
-Store in the refrigerator in an airtight jar for up to 1 week.

Tasty with seltzer water to make a berry soda or drizzled over vanilla ice cream or pancakes.

Straining the peppermint to make jelly. I also made lemon balm jelly today; I love herbal jellies! I’m trying all different kinds this year.

Araina has figured out how to make water balloons and she can even tie them!

Fauna tending the garden and nibbling on radish sprouts.

Wonderful rosemary! One of my FAVORITE cooking herbs so I grow a lot of it.

Tonight was a big night for Fauna- she modeled the garments she made in sewing class this year. She walked the runway and everything! It amazes me how sewing lessons have boosted her confidence in her creativity.

And a friend stopped by on my kitchen window today while I was doing the dishes (he was on the outside thank goodness). I have to admit that I have a bit of a spider phobia- especially when they are this big. This guy was easily 6 inches long from tip of back leg to tip of front; I think he is a type of wolf spider. I hope not to see him again anytime soon!

Well, I’ll be signing off for a couple of days. I’m off to the Shenandoah Valley with my little ladies and my sisters to visit my grandparents. My Appalachian blood is calling me South, I love it down there, feels like home to me! See you again on Monday. There is still time to join the Outdoor Challenge Mondays and the Nature Swap by clicking here. Have a wonderful weekend!

“That’s all.”

Recently, I read an article in the NY Times called Playtime is Over, by David Elkind, he said something that floored me (in reference to Richard Louv’s book Last Child in the Woods)- “our young people are more aware of threats to the global environment than they are of the natural world in their own backyards.” This statement has really stuck with me. We teach our children to make the correct environmental choices and be aware of our environmental footprint, but are we REALLY teaching them WHY they should be doing this? Are we doing more than simply saying, “Save a tree, don’t use that paper towel.” Are we teaching them RESPECT for the plants and creatures as well as telling them the consequences to poor environmental choices? Getting them outside AND going outside with them is the best way to learn respect for the beautiful Earth we live on. Turn off the TV and video games this month, climb a tree, look under a rock, play in the mud, plant some seeds, eat a dandelion leaf, etc……explore YOUR backyard!

 So I have a challenge for you that I know will be quite easy for many of you in the blog world; I know how many of the bloggers I visit respect and care that our children get outdoors on a daily basis. Lets show the world how we do it; in honor of Children and Nature Awareness Month, go outside everyday, rain or shine; then take a picture each day, for the rest of April, of your children outdoors and post it. Just a single picture will do; words aren’t even necessary. Lets spread the word and go outdoors!

Leave your blog link below if you’re with me!

 ”That’s all.”

Studying buds and twigs (more of this study to come).

Admiring the blooming forsythia or as Araina calls it, “the bush full of sunshine.”

Picking and finding some of Mother Nature’s treasures….

Araina’s rules to picking flowers-
1. If you see a bee on a flower, wait for the bee to finish her job before picking.
2. Pick only the flowers that the bees have already visited.

Beautiful bluejay feather found by Araina.

Fauna, my monkey child, hanging in the apple trees.

Eating the first wild edibles of Spring……yummy chickweed!

This little creeping plant is worth knowing, we love it around here; it’s good in salads or just by itself! Time to harvest it for herbal remedies as well! I will probably have a post about this wonderful plant on another day.

“That’s all.”