Project 365: October 25th through October 31st

October 25th: My cell phone fried Monday and I had taken my daily photo on it so I bring you a photo to take its place which I took of a huge snowstorm we had in 2003. This is this gorgeous little pond which was right by our house at that time period. Copyright Mikhail Hamilton.


October 26th: Hello Bat Kitty! Found at Albertsons doing grocery shopping while Sprint worked on my phone.


October 27th: Walking up to work - I love the woods there.


October 28th: Drinks at Dana's with the ladies. Sitting outside with my glass of wine admiring her pumpkin spider.


October 29th: More trees at work which are just stunning!


October 30th: Ready to hit Lauriel and Edward's forest themed party dressed as a Banshee and then Heidi and Robert's party as a ghost... versatility rules.


October 31st: Wandering past the park blocks


October 31st: A night at the movies! We watched Alfred Hitchcock's original Psycho play on the big screen at Arlene Schnitzer while the Oregon Symphony played the original score. It was amazing!

Viola and Rose Petal, Rose Petal, Lavender and Lemon Balm Jellies

One of my new favorite creations is jelly and the discovery that with a little overnight steeping you can turn nearly anything into a jelly.

I started this year with Viola and Rose Petal Jelly straight from my yard. 1 cup of Viola flowers and 1 cup of Rose Petals.


Clean thoroughly and pat dry.


Add two cups boiling water and steep overnight.


The juice is a stunning color.


Add 4 cups of sugar and the strained fresh juice of one lemon (1/4 cup) and stir in over medium high heat until it comes to a boil that cannot be stirred down. Add a package of pectin and stir constantly while boiling for two minutes. Skim off any foam.


Laddle into canning jars which have been prepared and sanitized properly.


Process in a water bath of boiling water that covers the jars over by at least an inch for 20 minutes.



For Lavender Jelly a 1/2 cup of lavender flowers which has been dried are used with 3 1/2 cups boiling water for the steeping which is again done overnight.




The other instructions are the same however... If you want a soft gel you would boil for two minutes and for a medium gel you would boil for four minutes.


The colors are beautiful. The left hand side is the Viola Rose Petal Jelly and the right is the Lavender Jelly.


And here is me starting to make Lemon Balm Jelly. The bowl of yellow liquid is the day after steeping two cups of lemon balm leaves.


Rose Petal Jelly and Lemon Balm Jelly

Project 365: October 18th through October 24th

October 18th: Dinner with Lisa Marie and Aaron at her place. This is the "holiday house" as she calls it right down the street from Lisa Marie's where these people decorate an insane amount even for Flag Day. I personally am partial to their Halloween decor!


October 19th: Decorating for Dias de los Muertos...



October 19th: Jen did an amazing job to my bathroom for Dias de los Muertos decorating!


October 20th: My work's building I may loathe but I adore the amazing tree collection we have on the grounds and always look forward to autumn when they put on their best display.


October 21st: Movie night at Melissa and Mathias' home and their fantastic bathroom tampon artwork.


October 22nd: Fright Town with Heidi and Jen which was an amazing amount of fun. This is Ira's beautiful baby he had been working hard for years on.


October 23rd: Our annual tradional Pumpkin Patch outing with Patrick, Christina, Jaxon, Scott, Jen, and Spencer.


October 24th: Pumpkin carving party at our place and the best pumpkins ever! These were the ones Scott and Jen did.


October 24th: Patrick's perfect traditional pumpkin. It is almost creepy because it is so cute and because Patrick made it.


October 24th: Selona's elephant man pumpkin which was probably the winner of the day!

Roff Moss Removal

So our remodeled outbuilding has always had horrid moss build up we meant to take care of. When we recently switched homeowners insurance carriers we were told we needed to take care of that. So, Patrick tried moss killer and also scraping it down but nothing seemed to work. He then used our power washer which worked like a charm.

Before:


And after:

What was I up to on Sunday?

On Sunday my friend Jen and I decided to make an early start to our day and hit the European Flea Market to benefit the Oregon Spay/Neuter Fund and the Animal Rescue & Care Fund.



Human Blood! This box was fantastic - I mean, wha a great Halloween prop, right?? But priced at $25.00 we were not buying.


I fell in love with a glass bottle collection and envy people who decorate with things from another time. I always enjoyed the cluttered collection look even though I myself am far too OCD to handle that look in my own home.


I also have a special place in my heart for minatures. I always envied friends with doll houses and wished I made one when I was a young girl and had the space and free time for such a venture.


"BOO Tie"!


Jen had a lot of fun in the costuming section with the masks.


I never knew they made porcelain teeth holders, let alone this many types of them! Disturbing...especially buying one that is "used"....ummm ewww...


This was one of my purchases that now lies under my Eucalyptus...a sweet carved stone kitty.


Here is The Chevy store which is where the flea market was - well, the flea market was actually in its parking lot. But I could not resist a photo opportunity with the Camaro RS and vintage cooler collection.


Next on our Sunday afternoon plans was the Out of the Darkness Walk to benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in downtown Portland starting at the Marriott Hotel.



The crowd walking down the waterfront.


Jen's shadow with her Iphone and parasol.


"Make Love"



The crowd walks over the steel bridge to the new section of waterfront.











Ducks!







Hawthorne Bridge


Some folks let their balloons go at the finish line which are to the direct right of the light pole.