A Day at the Fair!

Produce and hexagons??? My heart exploded.

So many things in jars!

Produce shaped like a county!

Thanks for the birthday wishes, Department of Agriculture ; )

 

So many pig puns!

My cute family! Please genetics, let me age as well as my parents have.

For my birthday on Tuesday, my family and I headed to the Evergreen State Fair! I know when you think about the fair, usually you think about rides and ridiculous fried food, but I headed to the fair with two main things in mind: Lumberjack competitions, and pig races. So fun!

In addition to those things, I got giddy checking out all the produce displays, was completely enamored with with the miniature plant displays, and gawked at all the canned goods. 

We all had a great time roaming around, and each found something we were completely fascinated by. My mom kept declaring all of the things she would enter into the fair competitions next year, which was pretty hilarious since most of the things she wanted to enter were made years ago by other people (smocking done by my grandma, a diorama I made in the 5th grade, etc.).

By the time we left the fair we were all super worn out, but not too tired to enjoy a delicious dinner and some birthday cake together!

All in all it was a wonderful day at the fair, and I had a lovely birthday. Thank you to all of you for the sweet birthday wishes!

Til next time!

-Becca

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Giveaway with Belle Hibou!- CLOSED

Hey friends! Today, I'm happy to announce an awesome giveaway from one of my amazing sponsors, Belle Hibou!

If you haven't visited the Belle Hibou Etsy shop yet, let me tell you, it is full of lovely, lovely things! There's gorgeous jewelry, pretty prints, and the cutest clothes for little ones that you ever did see!

One lucky reader will win a $20 credit to the Belle Hibou shop to use on the item(s) of their choosing! 

Wanna win? Use the Rafflecopter widget to do the following:

Mandatory Entry:
- Visit the Belle Hibou shop and leave a comment here letting me know the name of the item(s) you would choose if you won!

Additional Entries:
- Follow Jenn(of Belle Hibou)'s blog on Bloglovin
- Follow Ladyface Blog on Bloglovin
- Follow Jenn(of Belle Hibou)'s blog with GFC
- Follow Ladyface Blog with GFC
- Like Belle Hibou on Facebook
- Like Ladyface Blog on Facebook

Of Note:
This giveaway will run from August 29th-September 4th. The winner will be announced on Ladyface Blog and contacted by email. If the winner does not claim their prize within 48 hours of being contacted, another winner will be chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck everyone!

Til next time!

-Becca

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Printable Canning Jar Labels

Hi guys! Today I'm here to share a fun project that I worked on with me sweet cousin, Joy!

About a month ago Joy asked if I would be interested in working on some canning labels with her. If you check out her website, Imagine Joy, you can see why I was so thrilled with the idea! Joy does the most amazing calligraphy, and is one of the most lovely and talented people I know, so I jumped at the chance to work with her. I was happy to come along for the ride and provide my feedback, as well as to work with her to turn her beautiful artwork into a free printable document, but Joy was really the mastermind behind this project.

These canning labels will definitely help turn your homemade goods into super cute gifts! All you have to do is print them, cut them out, and label them with the contents of the jar. Then, just lay the label on top of the flat lid of your jar, and screw the ring band on to hold it in place!

You can print them on plain printer paper, or if you want to get fancy, buy some pretty card stock and make them even cuter. I think they look amazing on kraft colored card stock, but the possibilities are pretty much endless.

So, help yourself to these super cute canning labels, and label away!

Printable Regular Mouth Canning Labels

Printable Wide Mouth Canning Labels

And, be sure to check out more of Joy's beautiful work over at Imagine Joy!

Til next time!

-Becca

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Salsa Verde

Well, guys, apparently I've been in the mood for Mexican food lately! No shock there, as I'm almost always in the mood for Mexican food. I'm also in total canning mode, so I'm jarring up all the produce I can get my hands on. With those two things combined, I just had to make some Salsa Verde this week!

This stuff is so good. It's nice and tangy, a little bit spicy, and completely delicious. I only made one batch this time around, but I love this Salsa Verde so much, that I won't be the least bit surprised if I decide to make another batch next weekend.

Now, if you're not into canning, you should still definitely check out this recipe! You can do all the steps up to the actual canning process, and then call it a day. If you're doing that, you may also want to quarter the recipe as this makes enough for 4 pint jars. 1 pint jar is just about perfect to simmer some chicken in, make enchiladas with, or just devour with some tortilla chips!

Before I jump into the recipe, I want to thank you guys for always having such nice things to say about my food photography and recipe posts! I love writing about all sorts of things, but blogging has really shown me that I LOVE food photography. So, thanks for drooling over the photos right along with me!

Anyway! Recipe time!

Salsa Verde- Makes 4 pint jars
from Canning for a New Generation

Ingredients:
- 3 1/2 pounds tomatillos, papery husks and stems removed, rinsed
- 1 medium white onion (4 ounces), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 5 large serrano chiles (2 ounces)
- 5 large cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 firmly packed cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
- 2/3 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon pure kosher salt, or to taste

Preheat the oven to 500°F.

Prepare for water-bath canning:

Sterilize the jars and keep them hot in the canning pot, and put the flat lids in a heatproof bowl.

Put all the vegetables in a single layer in baking dishes, or on rimmed baking sheets, and roast for 20-35 minutes, turning occasionally, until blackened in spots and the tomatillos are soft, collapsed, and leaking. Working in batches, puree the vegetables and their juices, along with the cilantro, in a blender, covering the lid with a towel to prevent the hot liquid from erupting. (You can also use a stick blender to do this right in the pan you'll use next. It saves me from many burns!) Put the puree in a wide, 6- to 8-quart preserving pan or other nonreactive pot and stir in the lime juice and salt. Bring to a boil.

Ladle boiling water from the canning pot into the bowl with the lids. Using a jar lifter, remove the sterilized jars from the canning pot, carefully pouring the water from each one back into the pot, and place them upright on a folded towel. Drain the water off the jar lids.

Ladle the hot salsa into the jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace at the top. Use a damp paper towel to wipe the rims of the jars, then put a flat lid and ring on each jar, adjusting the ring so that it's just finger-tight. Return the jars to the water in the canning pot, making sure the water covers the jars by at least 1 inch. Bring to a boil, and boil for 5 minutes to process. Remove the jars to a folded towel and do not disturb for 12 hours. After 1 hour, check that the lids have sealed by pressing down on the center of each; if it can be pushed down, it hasn't sealed, and the jar should be refrigerated immediately. Label the sealed jars and store.

Well, that's it for canning for the day! I'm off to celebrate my birthday with my family at the Evergreen State Fair!

I hope you enjoyed checking out this recipe!

Til next time!

-Becca

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Weekend Wardrobe: Come On, Fall! Get Here!

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Headscarf: Vintage/Similar; Necklace: Woodii; Vintage Cardigan: Trove Vintage/Similar; T-shirt: Urban Outfitters; Jeans: Urban Outfitters; Flats: ModCloth.

Well, guys, it's official. My brain is convinced that it's fall. Yea, I know, it's still August, but something about the cool evenings, gorgeous evening light, and my deep seeded love of cozy clothing has me yearning.

Practically, I can't bust out all of my fall clothing yet, but I'm taking every opportunity I can get to bust out pieces here and there.

I picked this cardigan up at Trove Vintage in Ballard a couple of weeks ago, and am completely in love with it. I've been using every excuse possible to wear it. On Sunday I even wore it to a sunny day at the farmers market because it was a touch chilly. I'm pretty sure I'll be living in it once the weather cools down a bit more. 

We should probably also talk about that fact that I'm wearing pants. Pants! I know, weird. I own 3 pairs of pants these days, 2 of which have been acquired in the last month. I don't usually wear pants because, in all honesty, they're less comfortable to me than dresses, but also because I usually have a SUPER hard time finding any that fit me (you may notice, I have some very, er, womanly hips). Well, turns out Urban Outfitters has changed the sizing on their jeans somewhat recently, and now they fit like a glove! So that's fun! Pants!

In other news, I'm currently on staycation! I'll be off of work through Labor Day, so I'm hoping to spend lots of time canning, organizing, working of projects, hanging out with the cats, and hanging out with a good friend of mine who is moving at the end of the month. I've also got some birthday festivities planned, so it should be a great week!

Do you guys have anything exciting planned for the week ahead?

Til next time!

-Becca

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#Leslieandbecca4eva, or #Yurtsogood

A couple of weekends ago, two of the most amazing people I know tied the knot! Becca and Leslie are two of the kindest, warmest, caring, and awesome people I know and I was so happy to have been a part of such a special day.

The wedding took place at the Tolt-McDonald Park in Carnation, and the setting couldn't have been prettier. Lots of the folks attending the wedding (myself included) stayed on the campgrounds for the weekend, either sleeping in tents, or yurts (hence, the best hashtag ever, #yurtsogood), which was fantastic! There was lots of time spent around the fire, laying on the grass, drinking in the gorgeous setting, and of course, drinking in the party yurt (see what I did there?). Oh, also, the dress code for the wedding was, "Wear what makes you feel fabulous," so it was some of the best wedding fashion I've ever seen.

On top of two great people getting married, the weekend also acted as a catalyst to bring together a lot of amazing people, and to create a reunion of sorts with some of the best co-workers I've ever had. Becca was my manager a few years ago, and during that time, I worked with some of the greatest people I've ever met. It was so amazing to work amongst such smart, compassionate, driven, and talented women, and an it's experience I will never forget. 

Photo by Poni!

There are a lot of amazing accomplishments amongst this group: travels to Hawaii to work on cacao farms; a year in England in a prestigious acting program; a move to Texas and the beginning of a career as a doula; becoming the manager of one of the best bars in Seattle; a trip to Ghana to film a documentary; a move to San Francisco that's leading to a new bout of independence;  an exciting potential new business venture; going to school to become a nurse; and me, a new blogger, who's using this blog as a catalyst to keep myself engaged in all the things I love.

I'm honestly crying my damn eyes out right now with pride, love, and thanks for having these beautiful people in my life. And ya know what? I'm crying because when I look at these photos, I can still feel the palpable joy of the wedding; the friends and family who came together from all corners of the country to watch these two amazing people commit to love each other and spend the rest of their lives together.

Photo by Katrina!

Ya'll, we happy-cried for almost the whole wedding day. It was such a beautiful wedding, in such a beautiful setting, with so many beautiful people, that it was hard not to. By the way, did I mention that after the lovely couple was presented, Leslie busted out into a lip-sync of "Don't Rain on My Parade" and then we all danced in the aisles? Amazing!

Photo by Katrina!

Despite some personal struggles with social anxiety and perfectionism (let's not forget, I made 80 cupcakes for this event), this wedding will stick in my head as one of the best weekends of my life.

I'm so honored to have been a part of such an amazing celebration of love, and so happy I could share some glimpses of the weekend with you.

Til next time!

-Becca

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