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Receiving Birthday Love from Above: My 40th
Today 40 years ago I was placed into the arms of my Mom for the very first time. That moment is one of the greatest gifts I will ever receive – the gift of her nurturing love, guidance, and presence in my life for 38 years along with countless lessons that she taught me along the way. I wanted to share just a handful of those lessons with you today to mark this milestone day. Lesson #1: Be Present. When my Mom and I talked on the phone (which was all the time) she would stop what she was doing and would give me her full attention. In a time…
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Farm Fresh to Favorite Recipes: Loganberries
This is only my second post in this category but I look forward to writing them and sharing my farm adventures with all of you. In mid-July my husband and I took a date day trip to a nearby farm to do some berry picking on the Olympic Peninsula. They offer strawberries, raspberries, loganberries, blueberries, blackberries, boysenberries and lavender. The Farm Visit: Graysmarsh Farm is located in Sequim, WA and is a locally owned and operated farm that grows berries, lavender, and has started producing honey and essential oils. They pride themselves on establishing a connection with every customer and hand packaging all of their products that are shipped out…
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Farm Fresh to Favorite Recipes: Raspberries
This is the first post in a brand new series on the Grateful Heart Home & Garden website. I’ll be featuring farms that I visit throughout the summer and then share the recipe (or recipes) I make from my farm fresh finds. In essence, the farm to table concept! So come along with me on my journey to the farm, into the kitchen, and finally onto the table to enjoy with family & friends. The Farm Visit: Bainbridge Island Farms, also known as Suyematsu Farm is one of the oldest, largest, and continually operated farms in our county with over 100,000 pounds of produce grown each year. We’ve been going…
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Refreshing & Delicious Frozen Cherry Limeades
When I was a young girl my Mom would make frozen limeades on hot Midwest summer days – a treat we all enjoyed and it’s a drink that brings up fond childhood memories of life on the farm. I took this simple recipe and added my own twist to it by adding sparkling water and a homemade cherry simple syrup. Follow the simple steps below to make one of your own! Cherry Simple Syrup – Makes ~ 1 1/2 cups 10 oz. frozen and pitted cherries 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup sugar Step One: Place the water, sugar, and frozen cherries into a small uncovered saucepan on medium high for…
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Quick & Easy Ooey Gooey Molten Lava Cakes
This is a “fancy” dessert you can make with just a few minutes of prep time. I serve this regularly when we have friends over for dinner. This recipe has just 5 ingredients and is sure to impress your guests. Serves 4. Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter 2 tablespoons flour 2/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips 2 large eggs + 2 large egg yolks 1/4 cup of sugar Serve with a scoop of ice cream (optional) Step One: Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Step Two: Spray four 6 oz. ramekins or glass bowls. I find that using Baker’s Joy or a cooking spray that has flour works best – this will…
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Fast & Simple Italian Meatball Marinara Hand Pies
My daughter has been in a musical theater program for the past several months and is on the go with her busy schedule in the evenings. This recipe has been a steady friend as an easy grab and go homemade meal for her – it’s so good I wanted to share it with all of you! Serves 6. Ingredients: 2 frozen puff pastry sheet – thawed 1 cup of marinara sauce 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese 3 large sweet Italian sausage links 1 egg Italian seasoning Step One: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Step Two: Place your thawed puff pastry sheet (I like to use Pepperidge Farms) on…
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Simple Fresh Strawberry Crisp Crumble
This is one of my go summer recipes and this is my recently updated healthier version – a version with less sugar and flour but still amazingly delicious. Serves 6. Ingredients: 4 cups of strawberries, cleaned, hulled & quartered 1/8 cup of granulated white sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla 3 tablespoons cornstarch 1/2 cup butter, melted 1/3 cup flour 3/4 cup old fashioned oats 1/3 cup sugar 1/3 cup brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon Vanilla ice cream – optional Step One: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Step Two: Get out a pie pan or an 8×8 baking dish – grease with cooking spray. Step Three: Clean, hull,…
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Colors of Kindness Crayons
This past week I came across a unique happy box of crayons – Crayola Colors of Kindness crayons. I picked up the box instantly falling in love with the colors and the concept behind this simple box of crayons. The box says, “These 24 Crayola crayons are specially labeled with warm words to inspire smiles and happy thoughts!” Yes please! One of my Mom’s favorite things was a brand new box of crayons – such a small simple thing that would evoke memories of childhood and inspire joy in her heart. As I was reading through the names of the crayons I felt a wonderful wave of peace and calmness…
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Blogging with a Grateful Heart
I had a wonderful opportunity for Grateful Heart Home & Garden to be featured on Meadowlark Consulting’s Women to Watch blog. I have known the owner, Cory for many years as we have kids the same age and met through our parenting group over 14 years ago. To read the full interview you can visit the site at: https://www.meadowlark.tech/blogging-with-a-grateful-heart/ but here are some of the questions featured. First things first – what would your walk-on-stage music be? Ordinary Miracle by Sarah McLachlan – it has a beautiful message of finding the miracles in your everyday life, very similar to the theme of my website and blog. When did you start your business,…
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Cutting Flower Garden Plans: 2022
Many of you know how much I love to create fresh flower bouquets. After many hours of reading and being inspired by Floret Farm’s Cut Flower Garden book I selected my flower varieties for 2022 all from Renee’s Garden. Here is the line up… Heirloom Zinnias; Cool Crayon Colors – These are long-stemmed, deeply petaled, full double flowers in deep lavender, carmine-rose, soft pink, and white. Heirloom Cutting Zinnias; Moulin Rouge – These zinnias are bright scarlet, rich true crimson, and deep dark red that attract native pollinators, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Cutting Zinnias; Raspberry Sorbet – These are deep raspberry-tinted double blossoms that attract butterflies and promise to provide jewel…
