Mersydotes

Would you like to come with me and visit the garden?  It is our little piece of paradise- drenched in sun and smelling of sweet straw. Voudriez-vous venir avec moi au potager?   C’est notre petit paradis, bien ensoleillé, où l’air est parfumé par la paille. We have tried growing onions for the first time this season- and they're doing great! C’est la première fois que nous cultivons les oignons- et ils croissent bien ! I sprinkled carrot seeds all around the onion patch, and a few have started to come up.  Their tops are so delicate and lacey! J’ai aussi parsemé le lit d’oignons de petites graines de carottes, et il y en a quelques-unes qui ont déjà germé.  J'adore les  petites feuilles de dentelle! Next to the onions, there are two different little gourd patches planted with mini gourds to use as decorations in the fall (I'm soooo excited!) as well as dipper gourds to be dried and used as ladles. A côté des oignons, j’ai aussi plant...

This morning started off with a bit of jammin'-another recipe from the awesome book Canning for a New Generation .  The lavender strawberry jam was such a hit, that I decided to try out another creative recipe- this time Strawberry and Lemon Preserves.  This week I stumbled again upon strawberries for 50 cents a pound, and couldn't resist homemade jam!  :)  Fresh fruit is an amazing thing, and it is reassuring to know that the world is good enough to produce wonders like lemons and strawberries!  The kitchen and my fingers smelled sooooooo good after preparing all the fruit.  It needs to rest for a bit in the refrigerator before it can be turned into jam tonight. When the jam is ready, an adorable little jar is waiting to greet it! I made a set of these from empty Bonne Maman jars, twine, ribbon, and little crocheted flowers to fill with homemade bath salts for a friend's birthday, and I had one left over.  (The idea came from...

(Today we have a big treat here at Mersydotes!  Papi Mersydotes is sharing a very special recipe for a new cake he just made, a Maria Cookie and Lime cake!) I am a school teacher, a job I thoroughly enjoy.  Being a teacher allows me to sponsor one of the academic teams at my school.   Recently, we had our end of the year picnic to hand out awards and certificates.   To get ready for the picnic, I decided to make a Maria Cookie Cake.   If you have never had a Maria cookie, you are missing a real treat.   Maria cookies are not bold in flavor; this would limit their use.   Maria cookies are subtle in their flavor, which allows them to be more versatile.   Maria cookies are popular in Venezuela, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Mexico, Australia, Costa Rica, Pakistan, the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Spain and Egypt.    This is an interesting mix of countries.   Their history is also interesting so check out t...

Mr. Mersydotes and I just returned from a wonderful vacation to the windy city, and I'd love to share some pictures with you.  Would you like to come along for a visit? It was such a nice, warm weekend, although a bit hazy.  Our first stop was Millennium Park.  Flocks of little children were celebrating the beginning of summer in the big fountains.  It was so fun to watch.  We joined in too, but since Mr. Mersydotes and I wish to remain anonymous, I'll just post pictures of scenery! :) As always, the Bean was a lot of fun.  How can't you love that awesome reflected view? The greenery and flowers of Millennium Park made a great contrast to the severe steel and glass of the city.  I felt like I could breath there in the open by the lake. Speaking of Lake Michigan, we went on an expedition along the river and out into the harbor.  Our little boat was filled with other tourists, but we got to sit on the top under the sun, so we felt...

At the moment, I'm all about seaside blue, which is ironic, seeing as Mr. Mersydotes and I don't live anywhere close to a body of water bigger than our bathtub!  But there's something about the idea of gentle aquas, and sea foam, and waves that has been capturing my crochet imagination recently.  The other day, I found a glorious kid mohair and nylon blend yarn- it feels fabulous, and is almost intimidatingly delicate! I'd been reading up a bit about free-form crochet, and found a pattern for a light and airy summer scarf that was an intro to free form in that there are no strict patterns or measurements to be followed. It was a very relaxing project and is surprisingly warm considering its laciness.  A week ago during our last cold snap I wore it wrapped around my neck and pinned, and stayed toasty warm.  It also looks good just long and drapey.  It could have turned out quite ordinary, but the airy texture and the extreme length took it from ordina...

Hello all!  It's been six whole days since we've had the chance to chat, and I've missed being in Mersydotes land!  Mr. Mersydotes and I have just returned from a wee vacation, and today I have quite a little "to-do list".  Would you like to join me as I check off my tasks? 1. First, I need to soak in a nice warm bath to relax the "creaky bones".  And what has appeared in the bathroom?  Why, it's homemade bath salts! It is so simple to make them (link here ), as all you need is Epsom salts, baking soda, sea salt, and essential oils.  My favorite sent is a combination of grapefruit and peppermint- delish! 2. Next, I need to box up the first batch of dried mint from the garden- all set to make some delicious tea!  Mr. Mersydotes loves mint tea, and it always reminds me of rainy cafes in Morocco. 3. The crocheted fruit that I'm working on are finished, but they need some little seeds embroidered on them for the appropriate verisimilit...

In the community garden where we have our tiny "estate", wild mint grows all along the garden borders.  It especially likes to grow around the water pumps, and makes the whole area smell wonderful.  However, we aren't allowed to grow it in our garden plots since it spreads so quickly- so instead I pick a little bit now and then and bring it home. Here's the bunch that I picked this morning. I picked off the leaves, washed it up... ...and then put the leaves in the dehydrator.  It will make wonderful tea!  I'll invite you to come and join me for a cup when it's tea time! Take care! ~Mersydotes