Name that Snake?

We found this snake in our yard.  We checked it against the poisonous snakes in the Adirondack area so we're pretty sure it's not one of those.  Just curious about what kind of snake it was.  Any ideas?

Gardening!

 Spring has finally arrived and I've been able to enjoy planting my herb garden and my daughter's created a flower garden.  My husband also bought me a rose bush.

In my herb garden so far I have basil (lots!) oregano, dill, purple basil (first time), chives, shallots (planted last year), parsley, rosemary, sage and a cabbage.  The cabbage was accidentally added by my daughter who thought she was helping out.  I'm thinking it'll be far too big and I'll need to take it out, but maybe I can get a small head of cabbage first.

Hopefully the vegetable garden will be done next weekend.  Tomatoes are in the ground but it almost froze a few days ago so they were looking pretty wilted.  We'll see how they do.

What are your "must haves"?

Gerber Daisy

My new rose bush

Dark purple pansy

Raised bed flower garden

Herb garden

Want to Win a $300 Prize Package from Dollipop Cosmetics?

Dollipop Cosmetics is having an amazing $300 giveaway celebrating the opening of their new shop!


Here's the link... http://bit.ly/JtFssZ

Simply Like the page and fill out the form.

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3 Dollipop Cosmetics (formerly Frosting Bath & Body) Soaps
10 Random Dollipop Cosmetics Eye Shadows2 O.P.I. Nail Polishes4 Nicole by O.P.I. Nail Polishes1 Dollipop Cosmetics Room Spray1 Dollipop Cosmetics 35ml Perfume1 Dollipop Cosmetics Lotion1 Dollipop Cosmetics Marigold Eye Cream  1 Dollipop Cosmetics Votive Candle1 Bella Il Fiore Light-up Compact Mirror1 Betsey Johnson for Tweezerman Pair of Tweezers1 60ml Sephora Daily Brush Cleaner1 Travel-size Urban Decay Oil Control Makeup Setting-Spray1 Travel-size Benefit Bad Gal Lash Mascara1 1" Zoe Professional Styling Iron1 Large LeSportSac Summer Tote Bag and Matching Wet-bag for Swimsuit.

Pinterest as a Tool for Handling Asperger's

I didn't know it when I started my Pinterest account but I had not only found a way to keep track of crafts I will never make, I had also found a way to calm my 9 year old son who has Asperger's.

My son has a great sense of humor and loves to laugh.  I created a board I named ROFLs and began pinning funny pictures and things that made me smile.  I knew some of them would make him laugh so I started sharing them with him.  Everyday he would ask if I had any new rofls for him.  He made a self-imposed rule that he wouldn't look until I had at least 6 new rofls for him to see.

I've discovered that not only does it give us a chance to laugh together it also often works as a tool to help calm him.  It has helped to avert melt-downs and helped him when he's feeling out of control or angry.  I love it and so does he.

If you look at the album you'll see that he especially likes lolcats, legos, and Star Wars.  You'll also see a few jokes that I pinned for myself to which he says "I don't get it."

http://pinterest.com/karlatrx/rofls/

Here are some of our very favorites:

Grandma's Italian Meatballs - World's Best!

My lovely and talented youngest sister, Rebecca, already wrote out the recipe and instructions so I will include those for you below as well as some pictures that I took the last time I made them.  These meatballs are tender, flavorful, and delicious.  I highly recommend them.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 large garlic clove , minced (or 2 small cloves)

¼ cup plain breadcrumbs

1 large egg

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1 (26 ounce) jar Ragu tomato sauce , Old World Style Mushroom

5 raisins

Directions:

Mix ground beef, garlic, bread crumbs, egg, basil, parmesan cheese, and parsley until combined. Do not overwork meatball mixture.

Make golfball size meatballs with meatball mixture.

Brown meatballs in a frying pan over medium heat, or bake at 375 degrees F for about 15 minutes, until cooked through.

Combine browned meatballs in a pot with sauce and raisins.

Cook covered, simmering gently over low heat, for at least 3 hours and up to 5 hours, stirring gently occasionaly.

If sauce becomes too thick over the course of cooking, a small amount of water can be added to thin it.

Serve over spaghetti, on rolls, or however your heart desires.

This recipe is from my Italian grandmother. The one change she made to get with the times was to use Ragu sauce instead of homemade, and she declared that it still tasted just as good. It's never failed to impress the people I make it for. My husband says these meatballs have forever ruined him to other people's, or even restaurant meatballs. The real secret is in the time you take to slowly cook the meatballs in the sauce. Don't skimp and just toss the sauce on and eat it. It will still taste good, but not anything like it should be. The raisins are meant to absorb the acidity and impart a little sweetness to the sauce. This recipe can easily be multiplied to feed more people.

Read more: http://italian.food.com/recipe/grandmas-italian-meatballs-360117

Want to See What was in the Giant Egg?

Update to the Giant Egg post.  I was hoping for 3 yolks but 2 jumbo sized yolks in one egg is still pretty respectable.  I included a pic of a normal sized egg for comparison.  I think the larger yolk is almost as big as the regular egg! 

I used it to make meatballs using my grandmother's recipe.  I'll be posting the recipe for that soon.

Face Candy Couture is Having a 40% off Sale

Mineral eyeshadows for $2.99 each on their Etsy shop.  I wish I had ALL the colors!  Aren't these 3 pretty?

I received no compensation for this post