Heirloom Tomatoes & Squeezo Machine

My Favorite tomatoes for slicing and eating plain are the heirloom varieties. They are flavorful and come in so many unusual colors. Aren't these green ones gorgeous? They are fully ripe and this beautiful bright green color. The best tasting though, this year, was the dark ones that had a purple/black skin with a reddish pink flesh called Pierce's Pride. It's pictured here on the plate with the green variety and a delicious yellow tomato.

We also like the big tomato varieties for sandwiches, such as Big Boy or Beefsteak.

And the best for cooking into a sauce are the Roma varieties. This year I found an Amish tomato that was like the Roma only much bigger. The reason the Roma tomato is good for making sauce is because it is a fleshier tomato with less juice and so it thickens beautifully. With the amount of tomatoes we grow though almost every variety ends up in my tomato sauce.

I use this squeezo strainer to remove skins and seeds from the pulp. Mine is very old (at least 50 years). One can buy them new for over $200 new, but I did see quite a few up for auction today on ebay starting for a lot less money. It's a very handy machine for making tomato sauces as well as apple sauce. There is a crank on one side. Out the other side of the squeezo comes the skins and seeds, which we toss into the compost. The large funnel at the top is where the blanched product goes in, and then there is a spout out the front where the pulp comes out. We attach it to our picnic table because it can be quite a juicy mess.

Nothing can be simpler than cooking down this sauce and processing it up for winter storage. Every modern canning book will have picture instuctions for how to can or process tomato sauce. These books can be purchased any place where canning jars and other canning products sold.

Here the the girls and Noah are helping to make applesauce last fall. We get our apples from one of the many orchards just south of the Missouri River. We usually combine a juicy sweet Gala or similar type apple with some tart Jonathon's for our applesauce, which I also process for winter use. Look here to see my canning recipes for the best salsa and old fashioned cucumber relish.

More Swarovski Starfish Earrings In More Colors

Some more eye candy; Swarovksi Starfish Earrings.

We have here Burgundy Starfish with long dangles of brown pearls and smoky quartz, another Burgundy Starfish pair wire wrapped with a burgundy pearl and bicone crystal, Indicolite (Blue) Starfish with Paua shell, Golden Shadow Starfish with natural mother of pearl, and Crystal AB Starfish with pink keshi pearls.

All earrings are made with Sterling Silver earwires and findings. I will be adding these to my etsy shop soon. Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing them before they are listed.

Peridot Swarovski Starfish Earrings with lime green coin pearls can be viewed and purchased here. Silk Swarovski Starfish earrings with pale peachy pink coin pearls can be veiwed and purchased here. And a Burgundy Starfish Necklace made with burgundy pearls and sterling silver can be veiwed and purchased here.

Belle Adorn

Fun, Beachy, Vibrant and Sassy Beaded Jewelry :)

Tree Frogs

Every Winter we forget how quiet it really is until Spring arrives. Our frogs make so much noise at night beginning sometime in March. It is a welcome, happy and lively sound along with the crickets at night and the song birds during the day.

We have a blue heron that visits the ponds and I'm sure he gets plenty of frogs to fill his belly. This bird has a huge wingspan and almost looks prehistoric when it flies by. Someday I hope to get a picture of it too.

Noah, my little guy, is absolutely facinated by the frogs, toads and lizards and will play with one for hours. He's learned to be very careful after one of his little frog friends got squeezed a bit too hard.

How Does Our Garden Grow?

It's doing quite well with all the rain we've had. Our hay on the other hand is a whole other story. It was finally cut, but it has been rained on twice. My husband is turning it over. Hopefully it will dry out enough so it can be bailed up.

Butternut squash.

Corn.

watermelon or cantelope.......

Grandma and Grandpa's

We took the kids on a mini vacation last week down to Warsaw, Mo and stayed with my inlaws. They have a place surrounded by oak trees that overlooks a pond and it is so pretty and peaceful there. My mother in law feeds hummingbirds, orioles and all kinds of song birds, deer and turkeys. I didn't get pictures of the birds or deer this time though. I took pictures of all the wildflowers and will have several posts showing all the ones I could find.

My husband's sisters and their families were there as well and so we were a crowd of 18 people all together! There was lots of cooking and lots of helping hands too, thank goodness for dishwashers and inflatible mattresses! The kids had a blast with their cousins and the weather was so mild we had the windows open with fresh air in the house.

Missouri is usually very hot and humid by the end of June. The muggy hot air was here on Sunday to greet us when we arrived home. I think it will be here to stay for awhile too.

Here's a picture of the children with their cousins just before we left.

Yellow Orchid Pendant with Citrine Beaded Necklace

One of my favorite pieces, this is a real orchid that has been preserved. I think it's lovely with citrine and gold filled findings. It is adjustable with an extender chain. This necklace is available here:http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9122366

Swarovski Crystal Starfish Earrings with Coin pearls

These interesting crystal starfish are so pretty. I love how they are not perfectly symmetrical because it gives them an organic look with character and the beauty of high quality swarovski crystal is shown off in them so well.

This second pair is in the silk color which is a soft pale peachy pink color. I've matched them up with some lustrous sunset colored coin pearls. They are wire wrapped with sterling silver and hang from sterling silver earwires. They are available here:http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8805840
The green set is made with peridot swarovski crystal starfish, lustrous lime coin pearls and crysolite swarovski bicones, wire wrapped and finished with sterling silver earwires.
This pair is available here: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8798227

There are more colors of Swarovski Starfish earrings that can be viewed here, in blue (indicolite), golden shadow, crystal aurora borealis, and burgundy.

There is also a necklace with a large Swarovski Starfish Pendant in burgundy can be veiwed here.

Belle Adorn ~Adorning You Beautifully with Unique Artisan Jewelry

Fun, Beachy, Sparkle, Bling, Summer, Pizazz

Bright Turquoise Beaded Jewelry

This bright colorful necklace was made with faceted and smooth, green and blue turquoise beads, hill tribe silver, and has as it's focal a beaded pendant made of dyed howlite, faceted turquiose rondelle and a pacific opal swarovski crystal. It is also adjustable with a two inch sterling silver extender chain and lobster claw clasp. It's available here.....http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9126650

BelleAdorn
Belle Adorn
~Adorning You Beautifully with Unique Artisan Jewelry
Fun, Bright, Colorful, Summery, Hot

Keera Got a Haircut!

You can see how long it is here while she's helping to pot up some flowers for the porch.

It's a layered bob with no bangs. We're very happy with the outcome. I got my hair cut too.

Anklets For Summer

This ankle bracelet is made with glass coral seed beads, padparadcha swarovski crystals, faceted coral and coral pearls. Finished in sterling silver, it's available here....http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9799082

This ankle bracelet has white pearls, champagne pearls, golden swarovski crystals and golden glass seed beads. This piece is available here at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9774771

If you would like to see more colors and styles please check out my shop on etsy. http://www.belleadorn.etsy.com/