Happy Halloween!

Every Rose Has It's Day

nazka2002

...and as with every rose, Alterity has begun to wither also.  This is not a bad thing and has actually been in the making for about a year now.

With the advent of Etsy's new "Change your shop name" feature, I finally had the opportunity to change my shop name to something more relevant to my products.  I had so many names chosen and, of course, they were all taken by the time I finally got online.  So, I now unveil to you:

Glamour Buttons on Etsy

Now that that's sorted, there are other changes coming up in the near future, which I will save for next time.  Just be in the know that Changes....they are a' comin!

Hot Peppahs!

So, I have this bunch of hot pepper plants and I need to do something with the peppers before a killing frost occurs.  I had been freezing the peppers all these years, but they are just so smooshy and gross when you defrost them.  I will not buy fresh hot peppers at the market as every time you turn around, they are being recalled for salmonella!  Yech!!!

So, this year I dried them!  Seeing as though it is mid-October and the warm, sunny days will not be seen for another 10 months here, I dried them in my oven.  I believe it is not wise to dry them in a gas oven, so luckily I have this horrible electric oven that I hate so much!  Guess I should start liking it because it saves me from buying a dehydrator!

How exactly do you dry peppers in the oven, you may ask?  Well, here's how:

Obviously, you want to wash your peppers, but keep the stems on them and don't cut them in any way.  Apparently, when you cut the peppers open, the "hotness" permeates the air while they dry, leaving you with stinging eyes as the "heat" fills the air!  No thanks!  Keep them peppers whole, my friend, unless you can keep the kitchen well ventilated! 

Spread them on a cookie sheet.....single layer - this is so important.  You want the air to flow around the peppers to promote even drying.  Set you oven to the lowest temperature.  My oven has a "warm" setting, which is actually the best setting for drying peppers.  Otherwise, just use the lowest possible setting.  Set your timer for 3 hours, put your peppers in the oven, leave the oven door cracked open to allow moisture to escape and wait.....

Turn the peppers over when the timer goes off and continue to turn them every three hours.  Drying time will vary depending on how many peppers and how thick they are.  This batch took three days to dry, each drying session lasted 12 hours.   The main thing is that you really dry them well....the skins will be crispy and the seeds will shake inside like a rattle.  If they are not completely dry, they will only rot and what a waste of time all that was!

When your peppers are sufficiently dry (you will know!), store them in an airtight container.  You can cut them, grind them, rehydrate them, whatever your wishes are!  Please keep in mind that a dried hot pepper is way hotter than a fresh hot pepper, so use with caution!  But know that you are using peppers that you grew with your love!

Hello World, Meet Tayelor.

 This year, Tayelor is a senior.  We decided that I would be doing her casual senior pictures.  Here's how they went!

So hard to pick a favorite!  If I had the money, I would retire as a jewelry designer and open my portrait studio!

Coming Back....Where I have Been....

Yea....sounds a little oppressive.  It's not at all, really.  Just an announcement that I am getting back on track.  Business has taken an unexpected turn (more on that later), my daughter is graduating high school this year (more on that later), I am still swimming in the ocean from my vacation in July (more on that later), and my dystonia is getting worse.  Yup, you guessed it....more on that later! 

I have been tending classes also....learning some new things.  Weaving!  Okay....I said it.  I have been learning how to weave....boy, dressing a loom is super tedious and migraine inducing :)  You will be seeing a peak of this soon....

I have also been working so hard the last month or two to prepare for the holiday rush.  Sometimes, 16 hour days just weeks before Christmas are just too much and I can only attribute them to poor planning!

I do plan on catching up with you and if you are one of my friends that have stuck around...checking in on me from time to time to be sure I was still alive, I am totally in love with you!  You are what keeps me plugging away sometimes :)