Mountain Musings

The Ultimate Dessert

For those of us with a sweet tooth, it can be hard to decide exactly which dessert we feel like having. Do we want a cookie? A piece of cake? A piece of pie? How about all 3 in one! :D I recently came across, from a recommendation of a market customer, a blog/website called Cake Spy. And what was one of the most popular posts? The Cookie Cake Pie. Ahhhhhh! How decandently delicious can you get?!

I just HAD to make one! Starting with one of my homemade crusts, I followed the directions and filled it with cookie dough. Then I deviated a bit and followed a commenter who suggested baking the crust and cookie for about 10-15 minutes before adding the cake batter. Funfetti cake went on top, and then it cooked for another 30-40ish minutes. I didn't feel like making frosting, so I *gasp* opened a can of pink vanilla that we had in the cabinet and sprinkled some rainbow nonpariels on top.

It was a hit, although it was quite rich - just a small slice will be enough. :) Make one yourself...you know you want to.

~Sarah

Country Garden ~ Enter With a Happy Heart

Today I'm linking up with MsGreen Thumb Jean over at this week's Bloomin' Tuesday where bloggers show what's blooming in their part of the country.

This is my favorite part of the garden gate--that delightful blooming clematis and the Country Garden plaque. It's always a joy to see those blooms each spring. I plant and take care of the flowers around the outside of the garden, and Hannah takes care of the vegetables inside: Sometimes the wind and birds carry seeds and cause my flowers to grow on Hannah's side of the garden!

This past weekend I transplanted two columbines blooming in prominent spots inside the raised vegetable beds taking up Hannah's valuable space. I planted them in their new home on the north side of the garden shed and in back of the hostas: The next photo is taken from the opposite direction to better show the Solomon's Seal (below far left) in this same bed. Actually, when I look at this picture now, it surely seems I need to move more plants out of there instead of putting new plants in! What was I thinking??The Siberian Iris are just starting to show some color:And below is the garden at a distance. As you can see, it's not flat at all...we're on a hill, and that hill becomes harder and harder to climb the 10th time you go and come from the shed. But it's all fun!

I'll post an updated photo once the yarrow, black-eyed Susans, and coneflowers begin blooming on this side of the fence:And because a friend wondered if I'd show an "after" photo of all the flower planting going on in last week's post, here are the results....right side with the watering cans (petunias and lantana) next to the azalea: And left side of the steps with the flower pots with mostly lantana and also some geraniums--top and bottom (and a couple of pots that still need plants): That's all for this week. Click over to MsGreen Thumb Jean's blog for more flowers blooming this week across the country.

~Deb

"I Must Have Flowers Always, and Always."

The quote by Claude Monet in the title of this post has been my favorite for a long time--it's so true! Every spring I can hardly wait until it's time to plant flowers in the pots and watering cans that line my front porch steps.

Today's the day! May 15th is the last frost date for our area of Virginia, and this cool spring weather has been around for way too long! Just two nights ago the low was 31 degrees, but today the temps will get up to 89--a great day to get out early and get the planting done!There will be red, yellow, and purple lantana in the flower pots on the left and a variety of petunias, lantana, and begonias in the cans and pots on the right.

Pink and purple striped wave petunias will go in the hanging baskets on the porch, and I purchased red geraniums for the two large pots beside the front door. Last but not least, the yellow marigolds in the bunch will be planted down in the garden by the tomato plants.

"It’s good to bless a new season in the garden

because there is no plant in the ground

that does not boast of the Lord’s beauty."

~Author Unknown

“...Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him.  As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.”  -Hosea 6:3

~Deb

Happy Mother's Day!

Winging their way from California, the Harry & David Mini-Roses that I won over at the Reluctant Entertainer blog arrived just in time for Granny for Mother's Day! 

This gift came with three lovely four-inch potted mini roses (white, pink, and yellow) in a unique crate made of antique replica yardsticks. Here's Granny right after Fed-Ex delivered them: You can also see the Harry & David roses pictured here--quite full of blooms and lovely! I'm sure our roses will be just as pretty once they are planted and start thriving here in Virginia soil!

Sitting on Granny's trunk in her living area, they are quite eye-catching. Thank you, Reluctant Entertainer, and thank you Harry & David for a delightful Mother's Day gift. After all Granny has been through recently with back surgery and recuperation, this roses delivery was especially timely!If you are an long-time reader of Mountain Musings, you'll remember that a couple of years ago I won ten Knock-Out Roses for Granny for Mother's Day from P. Allen Smith, the gardening guru. You can read that story here. That was exciting, too, and we both loved it!

Anyway, we had a great Mother's Day weekend around here and hope that your Mother's Day with your family was a good one, too! I'm so very thankful for my wonderful family.

~Deb

* Hannah honored me by writing a Mother's Day post over on her blog.

Beneficial Herbs for the Skin: Jewelweed

Cross-posted from Hannah's blog

Time for a quickie botanical lesson!

Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis), or Spotted Touch-Me-Not, is a leafy plant found plentifully near shady, wet, woodland areas such as creek banks. It blooms mid-summer to fall with orange-y trumpet-shaped flowers.

Known for its usefulness in soothing skin irritations, burns, insect bites, and inflammation, jewelweed can be especially helpful in preventing or treating poison ivy rashes. The juice from the leaves and stems neutralizes the oily urushiol left behind from encounters with poison ivy or stinging nettles, if used before or soon after exposure.

The alternate name of touch-me-not is derived from the tendency the seedpods have to "pop" when touched. The seeds of this annual plant self-sow in large stands; above you see jewelweed growing profusely along a bank flanked by sunny black-eyed susans. The plant attracts honeybees, hummingbirds, and butterflies to its colorful jewel-like blooms.

I hand-picked loads of jewelweed at a neighbor's property (with permission), so that I could infuse its beneficial qualities into a specialty soap. The leaves and flowers were simmered in oil, which I then used to create my Nature Friend bar. I also incorporated the chopped leaves, along with plantain leaf, which is another great dermatological herb.

Lavender and peppermint essential oils promote healing and anti-histamine action, reducing the itch and inflammation. Lather on this soap before going outdoors as a shield, or use to cleanse affected skin after exposure. Even if you haven't caught the rash in time, this gentle goat's milk formula can soothe troubled skin and assist in the quick healing of the rash.

Jewelweed: what a kind provision of our Creator! Have you used jewelweed soap before, and has it successfully worked for you? Let us know your story!

~Hannah

Redbud Festival, Meeting a Blogger IRL, & Saturday's Farmers Market

Hello! Hello! With all that's been going on with Granny's back surgery last week, I'm finally getting a chance to blog about what's been happening around Mountain Musings!

By the way, thank you for all your prayers for Granny while she was in the hospital and also for the emails I received asking about her. She's still recuperating a bit more, but we think the surgery was a success with the three compression fractures being repaired. She still needs to be very careful getting around!

Two weekends ago Hannah and I set up her soap display and Granny's basket display at the Redbud Festival in Dayton.This was a first-year craft show so we had no idea if it would be well attended.

The day was absolutely lovely, the vendor area so roomy and grassy, and we were blessed with Tom's help in setting up our new 15-foot tent--what a heavy monster--nice, but we never could have managed it alone!

Here's Hannah getting her side of the tent ready with all of her products for sale: Hannah's display always looks nice with the antique scale holding soaps, colorful lip balms, and her two wooden cabinets full of the goats' milk soaps she makes: Normally Hannah would be setting up each week at our local Farmers' Market, but because of this craft show, she just sent one small basket of soap with Sarah to their booth there. Jonathan became "Hannah for the day" and sold soap for her and helped Sarah set up and break down her tent and display.

All ready and waiting for the customers--some showed up but unfortunately a lot didn't!As the day got underway, free wagon rides brought folks all around the town and put them off at stragetic spots--right across the street from our tent being one of the stops: One of Hannah's first customers was a co-worker of Jonathan's, so I took his and his friend's picture:Here are some of the other tents. We were set up right alongside a highway...which was quite different: And did I mention that I met a blogger in real life? I've read Cindi's blog (Cindi's Sewing) for quite a few years. She's a Virginia blogger and only two hours from me, but until the craft show we had never met. Here we are getting acquainted when she stopped by after bringing her daughter to a local college orientation: And did I mention that Granny couldn't be at the craft show?  Well...after Sarah finished for the morning at Farmers' Market, she drove Granny to the show just for a while so she could see the setup and how things were going. Here she is a couple of days before entering the hospital for surgery. I think she looks pretty good even getting around in her wheelchair: Okay, fast forward to this past Saturday ... Hannah took the morning off from Farmers' Market again to head with Jonathan to the Lexington River Road Races. That meant this week I became "Hannah for the day" and tried my hand at selling her soap!

You know what...I've come to the conclusion that I did not take after Granny in the sales department! But I enjoyed the day and had a fun time being with Sarah!

Let's check out Sarah's chalkboard to see what she's selling today: Mini Key Lime Pie, Black Forest Fudge, Blueberry Lemon Muffins, Turtle Cheesecake, and a new favorite Key Lime Fudge--and those are just the ones she wanted to call attention to:In this post I'll feature one of the plant vendors that's at market--Weird Dude's Plant Zoo is set up right next to our vendor spot and features very nice perennials: And here's a final view of Saturday's customers. Many regulars and newcomers frequent the market each weekend. Why not plan a trip to the Farmers' Market and come see us this summer? Who knows...I might be there behind the counter trying to sell you something!

Another prayer request...Granny's only living sibling passed away on Friday, and I'll be taking her to the funeral Tuesday in my hometown of South Boston. Please pray for strength and encouragement for her for the day's events and traveling safety as I drive us. Thank you! 

~ Deb