Gardening Day

Hello All!

I have been avoiding my garden lately. It has been too hot and humid for me to dig into the weed problem. However, today was one of the most beautiful days we will have all year. I didn’t waste it. I spent a good portion of the day weeding my garden. And my body is FEELING it!

 

Pumpkin Plants

I am super excited for these pumpkin plants! I love watching them grow as we approach fall and Halloween. I was worried they wouldn’t do well because they are kind of close to a Maple tree. I hear that is bad.

Pole Beans

 

This is the second year I have planted pole beans and I am loving them! Last year was the first time I tried them and they produced all summer. This year I did a better job with trellising them. I made two good-sized tee-pees  for them to climb, thanks to a YouTube video I watched from The Farmer’s Almanac.  Tee Pee for climbing Beans Video

Besides gardening, I also put the finishing touches on a Socktopus and started work on a new yellow and purple Socktopus. I will be listing a few new things shortly. I also have a loooooong list of things that need sewing for the upcoming craft fair at Coffee Break Fest in August. So, my aching gardening body is off to work on a few things before turning in for the night.

Have a wonderful night and great weekend!

Missie S.

Coffee Break Fest 2018

It’s that time of year again, when we are counting down the days until Coffee Break Fest in Stoughton, WI! On August 18 head over to Mandt Park and take a look at the car show, shop at the craft fair, sample some extraordinary coffee from the brew-off, get a bite to eat and more! Stop by the giggleFritz booth and say “Hi”!

Click here for more information on Coffee Break Fest:  Coffee Break Fest 2018       Map

2017 Handmade Collector’s Mug

Have a great day!

Missie S.

Garden Binder

Hello!

One of the projects I started back in May was to make a better binder to hold all of our gardening and landscape info. I have been collecting notes and articles for years, but they have been tucked away with other misc. notes in a binder. I went ahead and pulled out leftover scrapbook making materials and prettied-up a binder I had on hand. Total cost of Gardening binder: $0.00ish!

Front Cover of New Gardening Binder
Helpful gardening tips from our local paper
Map of my Garden for crop rotation purposes

I WILL get better at organizing. Oh, yes, I WILL!

Have a wonderful evening!

Missie S.

 

Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole Recipe

Hi All!

I just wanted to share a neat recipe I found a few weeks back. I found “Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole” in one of our area newspapers. We’ve eaten this twice now and it’s a keeper with my family.

The recipe calls for tomato sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire Sauce, yellow mustard, and salt to make the sloppy joe sauce. I made it faster and easier by just using a store bought can of sloppy joe sauce.

Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole with Dill Pickle Topping

Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole – Serves 8

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

2 Tbsp packed brown sugar

1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 Tbsp yellow mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1 bag (32 oz) frozen tater tots

2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (8 oz)

1/4 cup chopped dill pickles

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 13×9″ (3 qt.) baking dish with cooking spray. Brown hamburger with onion. Drain grease. Stir in tomato sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire Sauce, yellow mustard, and salt (or can of sloppy joe mix). Cook 2-3 minutes stirring frequently until bubbly. Line bottom of baking dish with half of bag of tater tots. Pour beef mixture on top of tots. Add 1 cup of cheese over the beef mixture. Add remaining tots and top off with last cup of cheese. Bake 45 minutes or until bubbly and tater tots are slightly browned. Top with chopped dill pickles.

Note: I don’t do all of the layers. I put the sloppy joe/meat mixture in the bottom of the baking dish, add a layer of tater tots, and bake. After the casserole is baked I add the cheese and let it melt for 5 minutes, add chopped pickles, and serve.

This recipe works great for my family of three (two adults, one toddler). We eat half and then I freeze the other half for a meal later.

Here is a printable version of the recipe: Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole

You can also find it on my “Recipes” page.

Have you tried this recipe? What do you think? Do you have any special substitutions? Let me know in the comments below.

Have a great day! 🙂

Missie S.

Spring is here, Baby!!

Oh the difference some nice weather makes!

This time last week it was snowing. Snowing!! My crocuses had come up before we had two snow storms. As the snow started to melt, you could see them poking through the snow. THAT is a tough flower! Now my bulbs are in full bloom. Every time we go outside DD must count and “boop” each flower. She can’t wait to start picking dandelions.

Purple Crocus
Crocuses between Lilac Bushes

The nice weather is really making a difference. People I have talked to or run into today seem happier. Everything is greening up and neighbors have been out doing yard work. I have been planning our vegetable garden and researching which apple trees I want to plant this year. This is spring!

I am off to make sock monkeys! Have a fantastic Wednesday!

Missie

 

Happy Spring, Happy Easter!

Happy Spring and Happy Easter, Everyone!

Easter weekend was a whirlwind! Saturday we spent with my husband’s family. We had a lovely lunch, went bowling, and brought home tons of Easter treats. We had a blast!

On Easter Sunday we hosted my family’s Easter at our house. After a beautiful Easter church service we came back to our house and had brunch. We talked, laughed, ate ham and German potato salad. Time flew by too quickly.

While I was preparing our house for our get-together, I thought it would be nice to get a little fancy and use my mom’s China.   I am not a fan of paper/disposable anything. My own dinnerware is looking shady. But, it was Easter (THE most important holy day for Christians!), so I dusted off my mom’s beautiful China.

Family China – “Regency Rose”

Before we ate, my sister said to me, “Remember when we used to go all out for Easter? We’d get dressed up for church and have a sit down dinner?” She was pleasantly surprised when I told her we would be using mom’s china for our meal. It was a beautiful Easter in so many ways!

Before we met up with my husband’s family on Easter weekend, I received a call saying my sewing machine was ready to be picked up. I was SO happy! Not only did I pick up my old pal (and now she runs like butter!) I purchased a new machine! It is a great machine (Janome) and I still have so much to learn about it.

So, I am up and running again. I have been catching up around the house from Easter and sewing new things to list and put in my booth at The WB Merchantile.

Have a wonderful Saturday, and try to do something either fancy, relaxing, or both! 😉

Missie

 

Index Card Binder

Hello, All!

As I wait for the return of my sewing machine I am working on my wire bound notebooks. From sales on the “Note-to-Self Mini” fabric portfolios I have learned that many people organize their lives with index cards. People tell me they use 3 x 5 inch index cards on a daily basis and they use the mini fabric portfolio to hold their cards and help keep organized. After some research (that has actually gone on for several months, but hasn’t been acted on) I decided to make an index card binder. I didn’t know these were so popular. However, after making one I know I want to make more! They are very cute and I can’t help thinking about all the ways index cards could help me get my act together.

Index Card Binder for 3 x 5 in index cards – by giggleFritz and Co.

I will be making more of these and getting them in the booth at The WB Merchantile in West Bend and in my online shops. I am not sure which size is more popular: 3 x 5 in or 4 x 6 in. Let me know in the comments if you use index cards. What do you use them for? Do you prefer the 3 x 5 or the 4 x 6.

I am still antsy without my sewing machine.  I have a lot of work to do and will have to get hopping when I get it home again. Until then I get to work with pretty papers and try out some new things. I can live with that!

Have a great Wednesday!

Missie S. 🙂