Blended Huckleberry Hard Lemonade - Adult Beverage

I am so amazed at the bounty that God provides! How tiny seeds turn into heads of lettuce and seemingly little bushes can be SO covered with tiny little gems of deliciousness!

How can we just drive past these marvels and ignore that God is providing nutrition! Yes, the birds, and in my neighborhood sometimes the bears, eat them, so when I harvest from nature, I am not gluttonous, and I be sure to leave some for the other creatures that roam our woods!

I have been picking huckleberries around my yard and freezing them! Also the raspberries that grow in my brother-in-law and sister-in-law's yarn ... they don't eat them but just let them grow ... I think so that I can come get them and day dream about childhood summers picking raspberries warmed in the sun with my grandma!

So far I have 5 sandwich bags of huckleberries (this is no small feat as those things are tiny!) and 13-15 sandwich bags of raspberries tucked into the deep freeze, just waiting for one of those days in the fall or winter when I am longing for the taste of summer! Think of all the money I am saving by harvesting the free food that God provides all around us!

These berries will be SO delicious!

I will make: scones, pie, cream cheese coffee cake, shortbread cookies, danishes, and chicken and fish dishes ... I will put them on cereal, and in cottage cheese and yogurt ... OK, you get the picture!

According to several sources, huckleberries are very good for you! And because the grow wild, they are not genetically modified and are organic! They are very high in antioxidants and have several other health benefits! here are some of them as listed on Lifestyle Lounge's article about them ... 

THEN in conversation with some friends about my amazing discoveries ... Well ... Look what happens next ...

I should have chilled the hard lemonade in the freezer for 15 minutes and used 2 cups of berries to give a more "slushie" like consistency, but it was SO delicious!

As you can see, the possibilities are endless!

Get out there and eat well and 

Live Well,

Love from Your Rural Girl,

Suzi Que

Magic Square Potholder - Crochet Tutorial

This is a great scrap busting project!
Take all of the cotton yarn scrap you have, tie them together, roll them in a ball, and lets get started!

When you are all done, take a picture and post it to Perfectly Knotty's Facebook Page
Creating fun, beautiful, useful and sustainable items for your home or for gifts is an act of
Living Well!

Love,
SuziQue

Peek-A-Boo Crochet Afghan Pattern

Looking for a little bit of a challenge in your crochet projects that will leave you feeling successful? Well, this charming afghan might just be what you are looking for!

Purchase your yarns here:

Post by Perfectly Knotty.

Available now on Amazon for Kindle:


Instant download on Etsy:



and on Ravelry:

Creating beautiful gifts is an amazing feeling, and knowing that the recipient with cherish your gift for a lifetime is so amazing!

What a great way to ...
Live Well!
Love SuziQue

Salted Caramel Pretzel Brownies

I saw a picture of this on Facebook, and decided to try it.
I could have done it gluten free, but decided that since I was going to eat all kinds of things I don't usually, I might as well make it the way my husband would like it best.

You will need:
Brownie mix (or make it from scratch!)
Mini pretzels
Carmel squares (I looked for the old-fashioned Kraft ones, but my store didn't have them, so I got another brand that I like)
Rock sea salt (I used pink Himalayan sea salt)

While the brownie mix is still dry, rub the baking pan with butter or oil, then lightly dust with some of the mix, to keep it from sticking.

Then mix up your batter

(my amazing husband unwrapped the caramels while I did all this!)

Put a thin later of the batter in the bottom of the baking dish, then arrange 2 layers of pretzels in the bottom ... Per the directions I originally had, I arranged in neat orderly rows, 2 layers deep.

Pour on the rest of the brownie batter, and bake per the instructions.

While it's in the oven, melt the caramels in a glass bowl in the microwave with a little splash of milk or cream ... It only took about 90 seconds, go slow, as you don't want to burn the caramels, that would just be sad! Stir really well so it is smooth.

After the brownies are done and tested with a clean knife, pour the caramel mixture over the top, and LIGHTLY sprinkle salt over the top.

Let the whole thing cool well.
Serve with ice cream if desired (my husband and step-son had ice cream, I did not)

My family's review ... ?
It was fun to do, and easy to make.
I thought it looked pretty.
We didn't really like the pretzels softened.
My husband does not like the salt with the caramel.
I like the salt and the caramel together.
I'm not much of a chocolate eater, or even a sweets eater for that matter, so it was too rich for me.
The 14 year old boy was too busy snarfing to comment much except that we was sad that the pretzels were soft.

Over all not bad, but I don't think it suits my family's dessert favorites. I will make it again to take to a function!

Living well is about trying different things and accepting them for what they are! No harm. No fowl. That's how we learn! If you try it, comment and tell me what YOUR family thinks :)

Love,
SuziQue

Keeping Focused - Taking Time for Prayer and Meditation

In the Pacific Northwest, we have Vine Maple.
In the fall the leaves turn some of the most amazing shades of red and orange! They are rather unmistakable as you drive along many or our country roads.

But, when they are not in their full fall glory, these limber foliage plants go rather unnoticed. Focusing on both the big picture and the details is a balancing act that requires that peace and quite time. Up close and personal in the spring, this fun plant has tiiiiiny little red blossoms, and if you did not STOP, look, pay attention, you would never notice them.

While a member of the tree family, there is no traditional trunk that stands straight and tall; the strong, and very flexible, green limbs seem to just go on and on, they often grow horizontal, and I have rarely seen a limb bigger than my forearm.

This is one of my favorite places in the woods near my home. A nurturing little place where the energy is good, and I feel like I can connect with God and meditate.

When I come to this place, I feel calm. I feel safe. My mind is at ease and I am free to think and feel

Taking those moments is important for our health, and our welling being. Allowing our thoughts to just be; focusing on the breath. Listening to the world, without analyzing or cataloging.

After you have sat quietly for at least 5 minutes, this is a great opportunity to journal your experience. Maybe write about what it was like to not think. Write about what the air felt like on your skin. What the air smells like. What the breeze sounds like as it passes through the leaves.

Just BE. Then come back to to "reality" slowly, take your time.
Or maybe THAT is the place of reality, and the rest of life is the distraction.

Allow yourself the time you need to calm those thoughts that run rampant and wild and out of control.
Allow yourself the calm, the peace, the quiet.
Serenity.

Please share your thoughts with me! And pass this along to your friends!

When we do not allow peace and serenity a place in our lives, we cannot fully and truly...

Live Well!
Love,
SuziQue