....

Worked at the consignment store today...tuckered out!

2012-02-11T15:27:00.000-08:00

But I did stop at the Dollar store on my way home and picked up a few things. I went there for some honey and Febreze air fresheners and look what I came out with! Oh, I did get what I went in for too and then some.

Aren't these too cute? I seem to be into "pretty pottery" these days. When I repotted my plants I realized I just use the same old clay pots and after seeing some of my blogger friends homes I saw their pretty planters and decided to "gussy up" mine too. Can you believe this is the Dollar Store.....movin' on up just like the Jeffersons! Oh! And I got that rug too for the back door on the porch....it's pretty cheap but I love the colors and it's for the dogs to wipe their paws on which I can never seem to get them to do! What's up with that?

And will you look at these? Little bright colored Wellies! I tried to decide which color I wanted but couldn't make up my mind so I just got both of them! LOL! My plants are going to be so happy to be dressed up for a change. Don't tell them....I want it to be a surprise!

And last but not least...and I may have to go back and get more of these! Tee Hee!

Isn't this the bomb? A red metal tub! Doesn't it look like it's levitating on that rug or am I just that tired? It really looks like it's floating above it but I swear...it's not. It must have something to do with the geometric squares or there's something in this hot cider I'm drinking! LOL!

Well, I'm going to get a fire going in the fire place, get my jammies on and rustle up some grub for me and the girls. I'll post the before and after of the kitchen cupboards, or part of them, tomorrow. Tonight it's kick back and knit and stay warm. Winter has finally arrived in the Ozarks and there's a bitter wind with it and an ice storm predicted for Monday so tomorrow will be gathering more kindling and getting more wood in from the wood pile. Stay warm and have a nice cozy evening...I plan on it!

Cleaning cupboards and TRYING to get organized!

2012-02-10T14:20:00.000-08:00

Well, I started last night and I'm back at it. I had to run some errands this morning and now I have the WHOLE HOUSE torn up....well, not really but when you clean cupboards it seems one thing leads to another! I did manage to get the metal shelf unit onto the porch and got some things out of my cupboards that I don't use all the time and that were taking up valuable kitchen real estate. The food items are "backups" and items that won't be affected by heat or cold hopefully.

After that, it cleared up some space in my "pantry" unit in the garage which is right outside my kitchen door on the steps down to the garage. So, then I cleaned that and in both places I STILL have room left over! Yippe! Yahoo! Don't worry...I'll fill it up I'm sure.

This is the top 2 shelves of the "pantry" in the garage. The top has bleach, ammonia, and water. My kitchen door is directly to the right and I am standing on the stairs leaning up against the opposite wall to take this picture. That shelf is not bowed like that but for some reason it looks it in the picture.

The bottom 2 shelves above have my floor/carpet cleaning and laundry detergent making supplies.

And will you "looky there".....an empty shelf!

Now, I've started on the kitchen cupboards but I work tomorrow at the consignment store so didn't I tell you....I'll have to leave with the kitchen all torn up but I'm making progress!!!! Can't fault a girl for that! Tomorrow I'll have before and afters of the cupboards. I got smart after I started this post. Have a great one!

Not feeling too well today..........

2012-02-09T17:47:00.000-08:00

I refuse to say I am sick although I have all the symptoms! LOL! But I will not give in or give up! I was pretty slow this morning and took lots of breaks but I'm feeling perkier tonight for some reason. Maybe it was the green tea I kept imbibing all day or just looking around at all I had to do. Anyway, I went out on my unheated (presently although it has a heater that I refuse to run) porch which has become a "catch-all" and tried to do a little organizing and clearing out. Also, this is my "giant" cold frame when I garden before I plant the seedlings outside. Oh, notice my great curtains? They are everything and anything I could gather up and clip on to tension rods with clothespins! LOL! I was desperate as I felt like I was in a fishbowl out there at night especially. It is 3 walls of windows and in the summer when I crank them all open it's nice but it gets lots of western sun in the afternoon too and can get pretty hot out there thus....the "curtains". Someday I'll sew matching ones when I can afford that much material all at once! Ha! Ha!

This is a cathedral bookcase that has shingled sides and twig molding on the sides and fronts of the shelves. It was so different and the price was right so I bought it. It has "country blue" shelves which is my least favorite color. I think i got so tired of it because there was so much of it at one time everywhere. I was going to paint it but of course that never happened! I store my cleaned, empty wine bottles down there on the bottom right as I plan on making wine someday. There are 2 metal dishes filled with shells from my adventures in Mexico and Belize years ago, clean empty jars that I use for all sorts of things around here and on the top shelf there's birdseed and the hummingbird feeders that are ready to use this Spring again. On the left, second shelf from the bottom there's a ceramic sunflower bird feeder (laying down) that my Aunt Alice made several years back. She was a favorite Aunt (as they all were) and I cherish it along with many other things she made. All my Aunts are gone...all my relatives are gone except for 2 cousins and their families ie; all the people from the generation above me have all passed. You know what that means don't you? I'm next! LOL!

Lots of the things on this porch are things that need to be fixed, or painted or DIY'ed in some fashion or just waiting to be re-purposed. Below is a prime example. The cupboard needs to be "hung" somewhere (on the farm it hung in my kitchen). The doors need to be fixed as they're falling off if you open it and since I live alone there is no one to hold things for me while I try and hang them.....mirrors, shelves, cupboards. I might have to hire a handy man just to help me get this stuff off the floor! The jars hold seeds I collected last Fall.

Here's a little etagere' that folds up and has 3 shelves and some apple ceramic tiles on the back which you can't see because of the flower arrangement there. My daughter made that for me and it used to sit on my dining room table until I started using it as a sewing table! Ha! Ha! I have some miscellaneous pots and buckets and decorations for the yard there. I'm think I might drag it into my kitchen though. I could use shelves in there and it would go with my apple rugs. It's dark green metal. On the farm I used to have it on my screened-in front porch with plants on it.

So, I think I'll make some more green tea and get my "jammies" on and settle in and crochet as I'm starting to feel pretty "tuckered out" now. Have a nice, cozy evening!

"I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date"!

2012-02-08T16:08:00.000-08:00

I need to get my seeds ordered!!!! If you start your plants from seeds now is the time for many of them to be started indoors and some needed to be started in January. This is the R. H. Shumway seed catalog. It's as pretty on the inside as it is on the outside and they have been family owned for the last 142 years! They are out of Randolph, Wisconsin.

Here are a few others. Another beautiful and heritage seed catalog that I love is from Baker Seeds out of Missouri but I didn't receive it this year so I'll have to order from it online. Of course there are many more wonderful seed companies besides these.
I am doing something different this year which makes garden planning SO EASY and succession planting, which I never seem to get a good handle on. It is Mother Earth News Garden Planner accessible from their website Mother Earth News

Just do a search when you get there for "garden planner". It is free for the first month and you can print off your plan and then if you want to continue you can purchase it for $25.00 a year but it is SO much more than a garden planner. Here's a peek!

There's a video to show you how to use it and what it's capable of which is A LOT, much more than I can show you here.

Here's one of my little raised beds for example. Below, you can click on "i" for information on specific plants and here is showing only about half of the information...you can scroll down on that window for Apple tree and there's lots more info! The garden planner includes fruit trees and bushes in addition to vegetables and flowers.

This is my favorite part! Based on your frost start and end dates, it tells you when to start inside, when to plant outside and when to harvest. It also lets you know when you need to rotate certain plants year to year and where and when to plant your succession crops. It's AMAZING!!!!! I've had other garden planners both paper and software and this one is the best for the price that I have ever seen! Thank you Mother Earth News!!! Their magazine is only $10.00 a year and their website has so much free information it's mind-boggling! No, I get nothing for saying all this but I have subscribed to their magazine for years and it's one of the few magazines that I will not cancel! I hope this information is helpful to you gardeners out there. I always like to share information about products and items that help me in my life.

Wal-Mart had some goodies for me!

2012-02-07T11:56:00.000-08:00

I found a whole slew of great magazines at Wal-Mart yesterday. My nemesis, along with books, old furniture, junk, etc. Here's what I "snagged" on my shopping trip.

Doesn't this look interesting? I love "old" anything...maybe because I'm getting there! LOL! It brings back memories of people and places which are no longer around....along with "lost recipes". This is a special publication by America's Test Kitchens which have a show on PBS and always do a bang-up job in my opinion.

Another "special" publication, this one from Martha Stewart...the Queen of organization and couldn't I use a little help in that area!

I'm not much of a "romantic" but this one said country which is what I'm all about! It also had an article on stenciling as an accent and had the catch words...flea market, farmhouse and garden which caught my attention!

I used to subscribe to this awhile back and they always have the cutest potting sheds on the front. It's a great magazine but I had plenty of them I hadn't even read so I canceled my subscription. The Vintage Bag Lady
posted this the other day but when I saw it in the store I noticed it had an article on the cottage gardens of Beatrix Potter! That sold me...I had to have it as I LOVE Beatrix Potter!

I canceled this subscription also but I could kick myself because every time I see it in the store I end up buying it because I love it so. I was very intrigued by the article on selling homemade food without a commercial kitchen but after reading the article last night, you are limited in what you can sell and how. But it is still a great magazine.

Of course, I had to wander over to the garden section and I was actually looking to see if they had a raised bed kit like the one I bought last year. It was $30.00 and terracotta colored plastic and you can make it bigger or just have more if you buy additional kits ie; they'll hook together. I wasn't going to buy one yesterday but I wanted to see if they were still carrying them and if they were in the store yet and they were and for the same price as last year. Meanwhile, I spotted some ceramic pots that I thought were cute and brightly colored! They reminded me of my girl, Mary Engelbreit so I had to get them.

I also spotted this little cutie! On this one it was the checkered rim that got me!

Well of course, I had to get some plants to go in them! But I lucked out as these were $4.00 marked down to $2.00 and 2 of them had those cute little metal tins with them which I can use for something else. By the time I got home I was exhausted from walking around Wally World for hours. I got a ton...literally...of groceries too while I was there. Seemed like I was out of everything and I had to stop at the hardware store too. Then I had to unload it all from the car and put it all away. I was a tired buckaroo!

Whoopie! Whoopie! Whoopie!

2012-02-06T07:06:00.000-08:00

Whoopie pies that is. I got the idea from Cherry Chick
the other day when she posted some. She did not include the recipe though so I went to www.allrecipes.com
(my favorite recipe site!) where I found a recipe that was highly rated for them. Don't make these if you don't have any time to spare because they take time. But they are delicious! I'd never made them before. There was a recipe on Food Network too but it called for shortening in the filling and I wasn't too crazy about that idea.

BTW...it wasn't just me that liked them. I gave them out to friends too and they loved them!
You could dress these up for Valentine"s Day too by dyeing the filling pink or decorating the top with something. As you can tell.....they're going fast!
I'm off to Wally World today to get groceries and some items for future projects so stay tuned! It's going to be a great week!

Craft Group met today...............

2012-02-05T15:20:00.000-08:00

Happy Superbowl Sunday to all! Go BEARS!!!!!! Oh...they're not playing, I forgot...Darn it! Oh well...maybe next year???? A girl can hope and pray and hope and pray and hope and pray.
Okay...enough about Da Bears.
We haven't had craft group for 2 weeks so it was great to get together again! We laugh and eat and ...oh yeah....we work on our projects, almost forgot about that part. I forgot to take pictures again! I think I'm brain dead or it could just be sinuses...I'm hoping sinuses. Next week for sure!(Excuse the font issue...not sure what's going on here but evidently I have no control over it!)
Karrie..you asked what I'm knitting....here goes...mittens for the Jolly Green Giant!

Told you! No, actually it is one of a pair of oven mitts that will be felted (shrunk in washer since it is wool yarn). That is my glove next to it so you can see how big it is. I've only made a few scarves and then this so I am a fairly new knitter. This is my first project using circular needles too and a few other techniques I've never done. Thank goodness I have a great instructor or I would have quit a while back! LOL! But I'm really not a quitter but I'm certainly not much of a knitter either...I guess you could say I'm not a "quitter knitter"! Ha! Ha! I was going to felt the first oven mitt after I finished it but thought I would wait so I can sort of gauge the other one to the same size, as my tension is better on the second one.

Here's what I worked on today at Crafts Group.....

If it looks familiar it's because it is....the other oven mitt. I like things in pairs. Plus, I have 2 hands so I thought 2 oven mitts would be appropriate. But I can see the issue with the "2nd sock syndrome" as once I finished the first mitt it wasn't easy to start all over again with a second one as opposed to wanting to start a whole new project. I just have to tell myself that 2 oven mitts ARE a project so it's not really finished until I get both of them done. Sounds good....hope I've convinced myself.
Now you've also heard me say I am not a girly-girl and I'm not but I get a kick out of some girly things and one is some of the neat nail polishes they have on the market today. I think they're fun and though I have no nails to speak of I wanted to try this polish. The pictures are poor but it's the best I could do. PLEASE...someone...., point me in the right direction for a digital camera, blog photo tutorial! I need one badly!

See the pretty sparkles? It has glitter and different colored hearts in it! It's so pretty. I couldn't resist! The first one I looked at though was an OPI polish for multiple dollars which I didn't want to pay as this is just for fun and it will probably dry up before I use it all. So, I looked around and they had the cheap stuff for $1.95....now that's my kind of price! The only problem is, even if I shake it well I don't get a lot of the glitter or hearts to come out but I'm thinking that as I use more and more of it they will...maybe. But it's cute and fun and I like it and in my little world that's all that counts! LOL!

Oh! there's a heart....see it? I snagged one!

Oh!!! See the glitter...it looks MUCH better in person, trust me! Not the nails but the polish! LOL!
I am truly blessed as it takes very little to make me happy! Today it only took $1.95 worth of nail polish. Although I must admit some days are pricier than others! LOL! Have a great Superbowl Sunday!

Helped out at the consignment shop today..........

2012-02-04T18:47:00.000-08:00

I help out at the consignment store here in town on Saturdays and I just love it! It gets me out of the house and socializing with people which my therapist says is good for me..just kidding. I don't have a therapist...yet! LOL! I'm sure I could use one just like I could use a nice massage, a manicure and a trip to see our National Parks but it's not in the cards this year. I put my money on "Edna"! Ha! Ha! (See past posts about "Edna").

You're probably wondering why I'm posting pictures of eggs...well...it's like this, I was going to post about my egg salad but realized I've actually done that post before plus these are the only pictures I have right now and I'm tired from the consignment store so I figured I'll give you the pictures of the egg salad but tell you about my day at the store which is far more interesting. Best of both worlds, right?

Oh! Look! The eggs have to cook for 15 minutes so we have time to chat before I make the egg salad anyway! So, like I was saying, I LOVE my Saturdays at the consignment store (I really should take pictures of that! I will next week...promise). Today was quite interesting as there were lots of customers since she is having a going out of business sale. (I know....I'm so sad about it..oh well). Karen came in and bought some things but had to get to Salem before her meeting so I told her to go ahead and I would wrap up her stuff and she could pick it up on the way back. Well, she did and brought me a fresh, homemade doughnut from the bakery there! I didn't even know they had a bakery in Salem....but I do now!!! Then my friend, Maura stopped by because I had called her because I had made Whoopie Pies last night and wanted to give her some. (I know, you're wondering why I'm not posting about Whoopie Pies....good question since I spent HOURS making them!) This gal has brought me 2, not 1, but 2, containers of homemade chocolate eclaires in the past month. Now, is that a friend or what? So, since I never got my Christmas cookies made (whoops)I figured she deserved some Whoopie Pies! I should really call them "whoopsie" pies. Oh, just a sec,I've got to chop up some stuff for the egg salad....

So, like I was saying..Maura tried one of the pies and gave one to Karen who was still there and they loved them! I feel redeemed thank goodness.

A couple from Missouri came in and shopped and then couldn't get their truck started. It was now afternoon and the local mechanic closes at noon. The man asked if I had some pliers or a wrench but I didn't when low and behold another couple walk in and overhear us and he says he has one in his truck. PTL!!! They got his truck started and he said he wasn't turning it off until they got home! They were 100 miles from home in a new vehicle in a town that is barely open during the week much less weekends. That could be why the shop is closing too.

Oh, I peeled the eggs while we were chatting and that pile of stuff I chopped...that was just some onion and celery I had laying around (in my frig).

After we got the couple on their way back home to Missouri and I was getting ready to close up shop, another man came in and asked if we had a fax machine as he had an important paper to send and his wasn't working. Maura thought there was one in the back where the animal rescue part is so she took him back but they couldn't get it to work. Well, (I happen to have a technical background so) I told him I would give it a try and I got it faxed for him. I felt like Wonder Woman and my reward was a fresh warm donnut from the bakery!!! It was a great day!

Oh! I almost forgot about the egg salad. This is my egg slicer, an invaluable tool in the art of slicing and dicing. You put the egg in one way and slice it and then pick it up and place it the other way and you have diced egg pieces! Perfect for egg salad. I've had this particular model for enough years to make it an antique...what does that make me then? I had already been around for 20 some years when I got it! But see how they made things to last "back in the day"...I'm talking about the egg slicer/dicer.

I throw the chopped onion and celery in a bowl with the sliced and diced egg pieces and add some REAL mayonnaise and salt and this time I added some curry powder. Not too much as curry can be overpowering. Sometimes I add horseradish and today someone mentioned they chop up green olives and/or black. Yum! I mixed it all up and put it on my homemade bread (another previous post...no knead recipe) and ate it. It was so good and afterwards I remembered I hadn't taken a picture of it...oh, well. I wish you could have seen it but more than that I wish you could have tasted it!
Sorry I'm so wordy tonight....this happens when I get tired. I'm going to go sit in front of the fireplace (yes, there's a fire going) and do some knitting and pray that the knitting angels are watching over me because, like I said...I'm tired. Goodnight all!

I think I'm in L O V E......................

2012-02-03T14:49:00.000-08:00

With my new Neato robotic vacuum...now named "Edna" after my dear departed Aunt who was the best "home keeper" I've ever known.
Anyway, I told you I would get back to you and give you an update on this FABULOUS product! First, you have to ensure there are no wires laying on the floor or things that might clog up any vacuum cleaner. This in itself will keep me clutter free and from placing things on the floor which I do a lot. I cleaned up my kitchen and laundry room which basically is the same thing you would do if you were going to wash your floors (which I was going to do right after Edna was done).
You can schedule her to clean automatically but my house is not ready for that yet! There are magnetic-type strips that come on a roll and you cut them the length you need them to block her from going somewhere. I cut 2 to keep her in the kitchen but they are the same width as most of my doorways so they can be utilized in other rooms. Next, I picked her up from the charger and set her in the laundry room doorway and hit the start button. Whoa Nellie! She ratcheted up like a Ferari engine and still wasn't as loud as my other vacuums and then she was off to the races!

I was going to time her to see how long it took for the laundry room and kitchen but she beeped after awhile and stopped and the screen said..get this..."Please empty my dust bin". Okay, this product is made in England and aren't they just the most polite people? So, I emptied the dust bin which was all DOG HAIR don't you know, and placed it back in and then she said "Thank you for emptying my dust bin"...do you believe it! I love this gal!!!!
Off she went and then in awhile she beeped again as she had gotten stuck under my laundry room sink so I blocked it off with a stepstool I keep in there folded up. It's a learning experience for the both of us. I thought she was almost done but then she ran out of energy (you can't blame her...it happens to me all the time in this house!) so I had to put her on the charger for awhile, but not too long, maybe an hour? The first time I charged her it took 2-3 hours.
I was sort of in a hurry because I wanted to wash the floors in there but just when I was thinking of finishing up by hand, I heard her powering up and raring to go again. When she hasn't finished a job she will try to go back and finish when she's recharged and if I had her scheduled for automatic cleaning she would have gone back to the base station herself, charged and then gone back and finished the job. Amazing, huh???? But since my house is being worked on a room at a time I am not ready to schedule her yet but hopefully that day will come! She finished in just a bit more time and beeped to let me know she was done and I took her back to the charger.
Now, I have 2 very good vacuums; one is a cannister that I love for regular floors and the other is an Oreck upright that I use for carpeting. Usually when I wash my floors, even after vacuuming, I still get "stuff" on my microfiber pad mop,mostly dog hair. When I mopped after Edna was done I think I could have counted all the hairs that I picked up on one hand. She did a FABULOUS job! One of the reasons I went with her was because one of the reviewers said she liked Neato because it did a better job than her Dyson! I believe it now! I have not done carpeting yet so when Edna does her first carpet job I will post again. Meanwhile, I am one happy camper!!!!

P.S. I get nothing for saying all this. The company doesn't even know I exist. I got mine at Target online and it is the Neato 12. Stores are still selling the Neato 11 for the same price as the new version so if you get one make sure it is the latest and greatest which is 12 right now. They fine tuned some things from the 11 to the 12. I found this out reading reviews. Also, a tip when using/reading reviews...always read from several stores and not the company store. The best reviews come from stores that carry lots of different products like Target, Lowes, Amazon etc. Just an F.Y.I.

Balance...I keep trying and I'm getting better..I think

2012-02-02T10:54:00.000-08:00

I have always been a pretty hardworking, nose-to-the-grindstone type person and drove myself ill trying to "do all and be all" to all.
But now I'm all about balance and moderation...a few wake-up calls (in the name of illnesses)are all it takes!
For instance, I love to help the environment and recycle but I also need help with things to make my life easier and I'm not going to apologize for it. I do what I can, when I can and I wished I would have been that kind to myself all my life but "when you know better you do better" (Maya Angelou).

So, yes, I make my own bread and detergent, hang my clothes out on the line weather permitting and spend extra to try and only buy products that are humane and fair and healthy ie; purchase with my money in one hand and my values in the other.
But then I had to admit to myself that there were things that would really make my life easier and add joy. So, this year I took the plunge and bought myself 2 things that I had been looking at and researching and thought would do those very things. I saved up my money, as they were larger than ordinary purchases, and bought them. The first one is my Keurig coffeemaker.

How do I love thee...let me count the ways!

And even though I live alone I bought the big model so I don't have to put water in every time I want a cup of something. This appliance has given me so much enjoyment! I have cider and all types of coffees and teas and hot cocoa. I also don't have to wash the coffeepot and accessories every day. It's always there for me ready to offer me a nice hot cup of whatever I want! And come the warmer weather there are ice drinks too, in a minute! They say variety is the spice of life and I've got that and more in my Keurig!

The second item I purchased was a Neato robotic vacuum! I haven't even used it yet as it came yesterday and I charged it last night. To say I'm chomping at the bit to finish this post and go "let that pony run" is an understatement! I can't keep up with the vacuuming and dog hair around here and I have tried and tried but it's a losing battle and one I no longer want to fight! LOL! I was going to buy a Roomba as a friend of mine liked hers but she lives alone and has no pets. I wanted reviews from people who had large, shedding machines like mine and although the Roomba had good reviews the Neato's were even better especially on their model 12 version...5 stars from everyone!

I know lots of women who pride themselves on "doing it all" and I used to be that way myself but not any more. I'll take the help where and when I can get it and I surely do love to hear my machinery doing my work for me! So....gotta run! I (Neato) have some vacuuming to do! LOL!
P.S. I'll keep you updated on my review of the Neato and also she needs a name...put your thinking caps on. I was thinking of Edna, after one of my Aunts who kept an immaculate house and did everything from scratch long before there were many "modern conveniences" but once again..she had no pets....hmmm....coincidence?

I spent hours doing the banner....too tired to post! LOL!

2012-02-01T19:02:00.000-08:00

What else can I say other than it took hours to get my banner done and I still can't seem to get that "Farmgirl Sam" out of the right hand lower corner. If anyone knows how please let me know! I did "seasonal" banners...what was I thinking? Now, I 'll have to start working on one for Spring!
Also, I started "following" quite a few blogs because I didn't want to lose them and now I get an email every time someone makes a comment on one of them. That's a LOT of emails. Does anyone know how to avoid the emails? Any critiques or suggestions are welcome and tips too!
I did find a very helpful blog about blogging though...it's called Blog Guidebook and I will give you a link on my blog...tomorrow but for now just Google her if you want...I'm "hittin' the hay". Blogging can be very tiring! Goodnight all...sweet dreams!
P.S. Does anyone know how I can get the same font and size in my text here as I have in my post title? I'd like it to be permanent and not have to constantly change it every time I post. I used Advanced settings in template designer for the other fonts but couldn't find the one for the actual post text. HELP!!!!
Thanks!

Here's the German Meatball and Spaetzle recipe with pics!

2012-01-31T12:39:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, I messed it up thinking I knew what I was doing without paying too much attention to the recipe...WRONG!!!! But I will give you the recipe and you can follow it which I..as you will soon see...did not! This recipe is delicious IMHO and why I haven't made it in awhile is beyond me. It could be that it is a little time consuming and dirties a lot of dishes...hmmm. I think that's why but just save it for when you have the time to spend. A big plus is it is extremely inexpensive to make and you get a lot for your money in this dish. So, here goes...I'll show you the pictures with some comments and then I'll give you the recipe at the end.

Here's the meatballs:

After the meatballs are cooked you add beef broth, mushrooms and some onion:

This is the sour cream, flour and caraway seed that you mix together to make the yummy sauce:

This is what it looks like after you add the yummy sauce to the pan of meatballs, broth, mushrooms and onions that have cooked:

This is what happens when you don't pay attention to your recipe and think you "know it all" and add 2 cups of milk to the spaetzle recipe instead of just 1 like it calls for...DUH!!!! Yours..if you follow the recipe which you probably will, will not look like the following:

The above does not even look anything like spaetzle and I couldn't take a picture of the process because it takes 2 hands and I couldn't get "the girls" to help me....per usual! Spaeztle is like a dumpling/noodle and I set a colander over a pot of boiling water and pour the batter in and then stir with a wooden spoon to get the "noodles/dumplings" to drop into the boiling water and cook and then you drain the water off like you would for ordinary noodles. Unfortunately, since I added twice the amount of milk to the batter as was called for, my "noodles" turned out more like lumpy grits! So, I did not drain them as it would have all drained out so I decided to eat "as was" and actually with some butter and salt and the yummy sauce it STILL tasted great!

I think next time I will make the meatballs ahead of time and freeze that way it won't be an all evening cooking extravaganza. I usually serve a green vegetable on the side such as green beans.
Here's the recipe...and do as I say not like I did! LOL!

German Meatballs and Spaetzle 4-6 servings

Meatball Recipe:
1 slightly beaten egg
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup fine, dry bread crumbs
1 T parsley (fresh if you have it but I had to use dry last night)
1/2 t salt
1/4 t poultry seasoning
dash of pepper
1 lb ground beef ( I used lean ground chuck and there wasn't even any fat to drain off)

Combine the 1 egg, 1/4 cup milk, bread crumbs, parsley, salt, poultry seasoning and pepper. Add the ground beef and mix well. Shape into 1 1/2 " meatballs. In skillet, brown meatballs, drain fat. Add the following:
1 can condensed beef broth
1 3-4 oz can chopped mushrooms, drained
1/2 C chopped onion
Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile mix together in a bowl:
1 C sour cream
1 T flour
1 t caraway seed ( you can adjust this to suit your taste)
After the meatballs have cooked their 30 minutes add the sour cream mixture. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Serve with spaetzle.

Spaetzle recipe:
2 C flour
2 slightly beaten eggs
1 C milk
1 t salt
Mix together the flour and salt. Add the eggs and milk and beat well. Let the batter rest for 5-10 minutes. Run the batter through a colander with a wooden spoon over a pot of boiling, salted water. Cook and stir for 5 minutes, drain and sprinkle with parsley.

Slow as a slug!

2012-01-30T14:01:00.000-08:00

I am feeling overwhelmed again and not much is going the way I want it to....that's life I guess. Just one of those days when you feel like your taking 10 steps forward and 15 backward. I am so blessed though...I have the legs to take those steps.
I've been spending so much time trying to get a banner made on Picasa and I have it but when I upload it's too big! I did notice that there is a feature in Picasa where you can edit in Picnik for all you Picnik'ers. LOL!

Anyway, I have much to do today so I had to "let it go" and just get to posting. Still working on the kitchen among other things and that's my major project but today was also laundry and change sheets and a bunch of other "piddly" stuff that needed to be done. I was going to post my German meatballs and spaetzle today that I was making for dinner yesterday but that never happened. Hopefully, tomorrow or I'll be going hungry tonight!

I finally got everything down from above the cupboards and finished washing it all. It was mostly old tins and pots.

Here's the pile of them......

I have some neat old cannisters that I had forgotten about...the lid for this one is still drying

The table is finally cleared of all it's clutter as a result of my "cleaning". So, I guess there's some progress but boy, it's like a slow boat to China!

Happy Sunday to everyone!

2012-01-29T13:43:00.000-08:00

I'm late posting today because last night I went to bed REALLY early! Like 6:00 p.m....I could not keep my eyes open! It was busy at the consignment store yesterday but I don't work THAT hard! I got back up at 9:00 p.m. and felt totally refreshed but now it was night time...so, I read and then watched the news and got back to sleep about 11:00 p.m. and slept until 7:30 this morning! I swear, ever since they messed with my thyroid I am like a slug! I have a brief window of energy but it seems to be getting smaller and smaller!

Anyway....look what my friend, Maura, brought to me while I was at the shop!

Yes, you guessed it....cream filled chocolate eclairs!!!!! Okay, I am not a candy or sweet person, well except for cookies, and ice cream and pies and some cakes but give me a plate of eclairs and I'm yours!

All my Christmas weight were because of the eclairs she brought me for Christmas. Now what am I going to blame these pounds on? I swear, you gain a pound per eclair and yet, they in themselves are very light!

I used to make these years ago when my kids were little and I stopped, thank God because we'd all be on Biggest Losers if I hadn't but if Maura keeps this up there might have to be an intervention! Thay are so good that I can't eat just one....I devour them until they are gone. That's why I had to take the picture and blog because I ate half of them last night and as I sit here writing to you...there is only one left on the plate! Oh..I am SO BAD!!!! But only with eclairs, I promise!!!!

On a lighter note...literally...here's what came in the mail for me yesterday while I was gone.

It's my new Mary Engelbreit mouse pad!!!! But wait...that's not all....

This is a storage/photo box with dividers inside for organizing your photos...but wait.....that's not all!

I saved the best for last didn't I? I'd show you what was inside but it would blow you away. Plus, I want to surprise you later when I make projects with all the delightful little pretties inside that box. But you could probably get your own if you wanted as Current was having a big sale! In fact, I almost wish I'd ordered 2 of these. When do you ever have enough Mary Engelbreit anything????? Not me...NEVER...it's never enough when it comes to ME or eclairs. And yes, if you're wondering....they are all gone now. YUM!

Baked some cookies last night........

2012-01-28T05:58:00.000-08:00

I wanted to get some Christmas cookies out to some of the local businesses where the people are especially nice but I never quite made it so I thought instead I would get a headstart on Valentine's Day. Unfortunately, I made the dough the other day and chilled it like your supposed to only I didn't get back to make the cookies until last night and by then it was a little dry. I wrapped it in Saran wrap but it didn't seem to help much...maybe 2 layers next time. Anyway, I guess I'll just have to eat these myself!

Finally finished the countertops!

2012-01-27T07:20:00.000-08:00

Tah Dah! Then I looked up and realized I had forgotten to clean above the cupboards on that side of the room! Oh well, there's always today. Plus, you haven't seen the other side of the kitchen or my table! (I made a little mess over there!) But then this is not something you do every day. This is major cleaning. I took everything off the wall, spice cabinet etc, and washed each item. Plus, I did a little remodeling! I took out the appliance garage! LOL! I had my microwave on a stand across the room. This takes up my counter space but is much more convenient.

This is the "before" picture of my appliance garage. As you can see, I can't even fit my Kitchenaide Mixer in there. Plus the "door" to it fell off awhile ago! LOL!

Here's the "after"

Yeah, I know there's no wallpaper there but maybe I'll paint that little corner. I'd love to paint the whole thing but I have got to get the house on the market...that's my goal...not redecorating the whole thing. I keep having to remind myself of that as I would love to slap paint on just about everything in this house and rip up the carpet...but I must focus on my goal which is to get it on the market first and foremost.
Here's the rest of the counter top. I wish I could get rid of the drainboard but I'm always cooking and baking and there are things that just can't go in the dishwasher so I really use it. Unless I'd start drying dishes...oh, let's not go there! Maybe if I actually had people coming through the house I could hide it but for my daily life it will remain where it is.

I need a new cook top also as there is a grill and griddle on one side which I never use and 2 burners on the other side of which only the small one in the back works. I have a grill on an enclosed porch and this one in the kitchen is a bear to clean if you use it. I would never have one myself and especially since I have the other, I can grill whatever the weather. It's built in on the other side of my fireplace. Now that one is handy! I'm saving for the cook top as we speak. I'd prefer gas but haven't looked into how much more that would cost to run the lines. Another "to-do"!

And there you have it! The counter tops are done and most of the area above the cupboards. How long has this taken me? I better drink more coffee!

Yesterday was bread making day...yum!

2012-01-26T09:28:00.000-08:00

I usually make my own bread. I used to do the kneading and all that but since I got RA it's a little hard on my hands so I went to a bread making machine but it wasn't the same and then I found this wonderful, easy method for exactly the type of bread I love and it does not require kneading! It's from Mother Earth News.

5 Minutes a Day for Fresh-Baked Bread

It is a great website with TONS of wonderful information from gardening (they have a planner that I will be investigating soon) to building, to raising animals to making your own "anything" from scratch. The only problem is their website is slow so keep trying and once you get it, print it off. I highly recommend their magazine, books, and website. Anyway, back to the bread making.

This is my "batch" of dough that I keep in the frig. It will make 4-6 loaves depending on size and keeps in the frig for 6 weeks but it never lasts that long. This basic dough can be made into anything! How about some homemade caramel pecan rolls this Sunday? YUMMO! As you can see there's some dough missing....

This is the dough which I just grabbed from my frig container, formed into a ball and put it on a parchment covered cookie sheet sprinkled with some corn meal. They call for a stone and pizza peel but I don't have them and this works just fine. You let it "rise" for 40 minutes.

After the 40 minutes you sprinkle it with some flour and make some "slashes" in it with a serrated knife and then pop it in the oven.

About 20 minutes into the "rise" of the bread I put a water filled pan on my lower oven rack and preheat the oven to 450 degrees. The water keeps the bread moist yet with a crispy crust. I was raised on Italian style breads so doughy, soft breads are not my favorite but this is! The bread bakes for 30 minutes and VOILA! You have homemade bread EASY PEASY!

YOu're supposed to let it cool before slicing but who doesn't want a warm slice fresh from the oven? I wait a little...but not much!

This bread is great toasted, for sandwiches and dipping in olive oil and parmesan cheese. You name it and this bread fits the bill! I live alone so I just make a small loaf but you could make a larger loaf or 2 small ones to fit your needs and your family. This IS the easiest and fastest way to make bread and it's all natural. There's also a recipe for wheat bread made this way and additional recipes on the website. Please try this....you will never again buy store bought or even use your bread maker this is that easy!

Have a great day!

My plants are happier today!

2012-01-25T08:34:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day here with lots of sunshine and high 60's temps.....SO.......since I had failed to get my repotting done in the Fall when I usually do it, I did it yesterday. I like to do it outside because it's such a "dirty " job....get it..."dirty"! Ha! Ha!
Some are a little limp today. I think after all the neglect they're still in shock to have fresh soil, food and water! LOL! Plus, I divided my shamrock plant (not sure if that's the real name for it) and it is a very delicate plant but needed to prepare it for it's big show and flowers come St. Patty's Day! Does anyone know the real name for it? How often do you repot your plants and how do you get them to look so full and healthy like the ones at the store?
This is the "before" picture...

This is the "after" picture...I know...it looks worse but they'll perk up...won't they?

Here's the rest...I have more to do but these were the ones that needed it the most....

I just started using Picasa but I'm having a little trouble getting the pictures uploaded to my blog....one minute they're there and the next minute they're not so bear with me while I figure out this new way of posting pictures. Thanks for stopping by!

Miscellaneous.........

2012-01-24T09:24:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning I took a nice hot bath first thing to ease my aching joints into the day. I'm not much of a 'girly-girl" but I do love Philosophy's Amazing Grace fragrance products. They're fresh and clean smelling and not over powering. I love the "philosophy" that's written on their packages too. Here's one of them:

" How you climb up the mountain is just as important as how you get down the mountain and so it is with life, which for many of us is one gigantic test followed by one gigantic lesson. In the end, it all comes down to one word, grace. It's how you accept winning and losing, good luck and bad luck, the darkness and the light."

Next, I changed the sheets on the bed and did some ironing.....

There was laundry and supper to make. I made a soup recipe that I got from Velma at Down Our Country Road It was her Cheesy Chicken Chowder and just wonderful! She has angel biscuits with hers but I didn't get that far! LOL! The soup was really good...it's a keeper for sure! Thanks, Velma!

And who can forget dessert? I know this looks like a giant serving and it is but it was the last bit of this dessert and I needed to make room in the frig for the soup pot. REALLY!!!! and of course the ice cream had to be in proportion to the dessert which was dump cake....I can't remember if I ever posted it before so I'll post it here for you now. This is not a "health" dessert by any means but when you need a "go-to" dessert that is fast, easy and delicious......this is the one to fix!

DUMP CAKE:
You can double this recipe for a rectangular pan but the amount of butter remains the same regardless.
375 degrees for 45 minutes
This recipe uses an ungreased 8 X 8 pan
Throw a can of any pie filling or fruit not drained into the pan. Next sprinkle 1/2 of a cheap yellow cake mix on top of the filling or fruit. Take 1 stick of butter and slice into 16 pats and place on top of cake mix in pan. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of nuts on top and bake for 45 minutes. Oh, and if you haven't guessed yet....serve with a massive amount of your favorite ice cream! (double up on your cholesterol medicine after eating this....no...just kidding..DO NOT do that! LOL! But if you don't take medicine for your cholesterol yet...you might want to think about starting after eating this! Ha! Ha!) (Paula Dean would be so proud of me!)

Is this too much or what?

2012-01-23T08:10:00.000-08:00

I love living alone, although having a few locally close friends would be nice and the reason I say that is because when you're alone you have no "barometer" to gauge your behavior by or your physical appearance. I could be really whacky in the head....FOR REAL but who's going to tell me??????? So, blog friends...it's up to you! Should you decide to accept this mission...well, you know how it goes. WARNING!!!! This will not be easy though as I tend to laugh things off most of the time so you'll have to be vigilant!

So, here's your first assignment:

First of all I have to tell you that I pride myself on "no-nail" construction....long story but I have several of these "no-nail" construction projects around my house. Scary, huh? What you can't see above the pots and pans is a broomstick on top of the 2 cupboards (a good 7 inches on both cupboards) from which those pans are suspended by GIANT "S" hooks. I used 6 of the 12 hooks I bought. I think that's enough weight but if I want to hang more there is room for another broomstick! But I don't want the cupboards to come off the walls either so maybe one is enough.
The little wire "whatchamacallit" below the pans is the back of a kitchen shelf that I had gotten free at a sale as it was falling apart. I dismantled it and only used the back part. I couldn't use the shelf part as it was wider and wouldn't fit between the cupboards. When I held up the wire part to see if it would fit I sort of shoved it in between those cupboards and miracle of miracles.....it wedged itself in there buckling a little at the sides but fit nice and snug...It was an accident actually...I was just "puttering around" to see what it would look like. And get this.....it did not scratch the side of the cupboards! Another miracle!
Here's a better picture of the pot and pan hangar.

No, I'm not showing you my clean sink...although it is nice and clean isn't it. I thought I'd throw in "a few of my favorite things" for the kitchen. This one (and I have several of these because when they're dirty I just throw them in the dishwasher) is a wire mesh drain "picker-upper"? It keeps things from going down your drain that you don't want to. I took out the ones that came with the sink, those metal twist ones that never work for me. For years I would use them, fill up my sink with soapy water only to turn around to discover it had drained out. Now, I use a plastic dish tub that fits right in my sink (I got mine at Dollar General) and I don't use the metal sink drainers at all anymore.

Below is what I use to store my vegetable brush, a scrubby and extra drain catchers. Of course, it's a little something I picked up at a sale years ago. It's a planter but I never use anything for what it was meant to be used for and it's yellow...need I say more?

The gadget below is the "bees knees"! It cost like $2.50 at Walmart and it allows you to rotate the head of the faucet to reach all areas of your sink plus if you pull down it sprays and if you push up you get a steady stream. I love it and it was LOTS cheaper than buying a new faucet! And actually I prefer it to the sprayers that are separate from the faucet that come with some sinks. I've had those before and never again. Sometimes simpler is better.

And last but not least is my Mrs. Meyers counter top cleaner which is really her all-purpose cleaner diluted
and put in a spray bottle. I LOVE her products, they're natural for one and smell divine and do the job! It's so much better than store bought chemical stuff and it makes cleaning a joy...literally! She has all kinds of scents and some are seasonal. I love basil and sweet pea and in the winter I use pine but it's the Christmas tree pine and it's called Iowa Pine. The 2 products of hers that I cannot live without is her all purpose cleaner above which I buy the big size and you dilute it 1/8 cup to that spray bottle and it lasts me a year or longer. I guess I should clean more often? The other are her candles; they are soy, and they really don't smoke or turn the container black, come in reusable cute jars, are reasonably priced, burn right down to the bottom each and every time and smell divine!
Okay....you can leave your comments about my decorating sanity by posting "anonymously" if you don't want to identify yourself. I can't afford a therapist or a brain scan so it's up to you all!

Moving right along in the kitchen.... area #2 done

2012-01-22T07:32:00.000-08:00

I can't even remember what challenge this was but out of 52 weeks of organizing, week #1 was kitchen counters. One would think that in 1 week I could get my kitchen counters done but noooo...not I!!! Today is the last day and I'm still not done. Am I the only one that gets off tangent and into wild forays of decorating and rearranging that make you question your sanity???? I am even staying home from craft group today (we have severe weather looming here also so this reorganizing may be all for naught if "the big one" hits but on a brighter note it's a sign of Spring!). This counter wasn't too bad except I just had to go get my Keurig that I have wanted for 2 years but was waiting until they got the "bugs" out and the reviews got better and they did...hopefully. So, having purchased it I had to set up a "coffee and cocoa bar" like Brenda over at Cozy Little House . I'm also trying to cover up that UGLY wallpaper. Not sure putting the signs in back is the answer. Any suggestions are welcome! I'm also thinking maybe a tray to corral supplies would be better than the little chair etc. Anyway....here's what it looks like so far....oh....and should I remove the lamp and instead put that little chair I got the other day with a plant on it? Am I anal or just looney? You don't have to answer that last question.

The white coffee and tea cannisters hold my "K" cups for my Keurig and yes..the coffee one holds the coffee K cups and the tea holds the tea K cups....ingenius huh? Cream (coffeemate) and sugar are on the little bench and the jar with marshmallows is...you guessed it....for the hot cocoa K cups and actually I added another tin with those after I took this picture.

I also put cup hooks up underneath my cupboard and hung my favorite mugs which freed up some prime real estate in my cupboard. Speaking of, have you ever looked underneath your cupboards? DON'T! Things splash and guess where it goes? OMG! Gross! But that's another project for another day. Sometimes I think there's nothing wrong with "blind ignorance".

Picked up a few treasures yesterday!

2012-01-21T07:34:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was shopping day. I needed to go to Ash Flat, which is about 30 minutes away, where the hardware store is, Walmart and the Thrift Store. I stopped at the thrift and saw a few items but they raised their prices! I saw 2 mugs that were colorful but they wanted $4.00 each which is about 3 times as much as I was willing to pay! LOL! They had some pretty dishes too but again, $4.00 each. I know, I'm a real cheapy but these are used and also we don't live in a highly populated area plus the economy and people down here don't have a lot for the most part. I think they must have gotten someone new in there that's pricing but for the first time in years, I walked out with NOTHING!
Then it was on to the hardware store where I needed some BIG "S" hooks (another project I will post about when done...if it works else you'll never see it here..Ha! Ha!)and Johnson's had just what I needed as they always do! It is a family owned "Ace" hardware store that's been in this area for several generations and as I like to say..."If Johnson's doesn't have it....you don't need it"! LOL! And that's the truth! They know exactly where everything is and take you right to it and they are so knowledgeable about all of it! So, "sure nuff", they had my "S" hooks and then I wandered over to their "decorating" section where they have a little bit of everything; antiques, new, some furniture and decorative items for the home and even rocks! They're really not just rocks though, they're crystals and various gems in rock formation. Arkansas has LOTS of those if you know where to look. I digress, but you get the picture and they were having a 50% off sale on some of their items....BINGO! I found my treasures there! After that it was on to Wally World to get supplies and my long awaited and researched Keurig Gourmet Single Cup Special Edition Home Brewing System but that's another post! I'm still setting up my "coffee bar" which you'll see tomorrow. So, enough said....here are my pretties from yesterday.

This is a doily that has a stain, as you can see, but that doesn't bother me as it will match all my other "stained" items in my house! LOL! The workmanship is what I admire and the time someone took with those teenie, tiny crochet hooks to work on it for hours and hours and it was $2.50....I felt guilty only paying that much for it even with the stain which I could probably get out if I researched it. I love it!


This is a strange item, new and made in China of course but it is made with wire and WOOL...you know how I	cannot resist WOOL! It is a leaf, berry and pinecone swag made from WOOL...yes, it's Chinese WOOL but it is WOOL, I checked. Oh, and there's bells on it too. There was no price on it so I asked and she said $5.00....I said DEAL! It will probably go on my fireplace mantel as it is Winter, not necessarily Christmas....there's a difference. Winter decorations can be left out longer! Ha! Ha!

Isn't this cute? Don't ask me what exactly it is but for me it will be used for a plant on a table or surface somewhere. Again, it is new and made in you know where but it was marked down from $19.95 to $9.00 and that was okay by me because I have been looking for various plant stands to elevate my "dangling" ones like spider plants and such. There you have it! Were they deals or not? You be the judge!

Look what came in the mail.......

2012-01-20T06:24:00.000-08:00

YES!!! More Mary Engelbreit! I worked at the consignment store yesterday and when I came home this had arrived on my doorstep. I ordered these from the Mary Engelbreit website. The first is a 10" round puzzle which I plan on framing when done. It was only $6.00. It is one of my favorite sayings and a reminder to live in the present and enjoy the NOW!

This is my new kitchen curtain fabric! I love it! I am going to make cafe curtains out of it and replace the "ugly" fabric blue shades/blinds that are there now (sorry Mom but our tastes are world's apart). As I've mentioned, I inherited this house from my parents when they passed and they were into French Provincial, dainty and pastel. I, on the other hand, love vintage, bright colors and cozy not formal. I need to wash and iron the fabric and I will take before and after pictures when I do the window. I promised myself I would ignore (which isn't easy) the paint and wallpaper so I can get the house ready to put on the market but I couldn't resist this BREIT (get it...Engelbreit?) cheery fabric for the window.

I forgot to post yesterday!

2012-01-18T08:43:00.000-08:00

I was so busy looking at others blogs that I forgot to post! I had taken the pictures and evidently my little mind thought that was enough...NOT! Oh well...a day late and a dollar short here goes!

This is the top of the frig...will you look at that shine? No before pictures here! YUK!

The only things on the frig now are the whiteboard which I find REALLY handy for writing things down when I run out of them in the kitchen and then when I'm ready to go grocery shopping I know what I'm short on. The towel hanger is magnetic and the only one I have in the kitchen unless you count the stove but it's farther from the sink.

I'm following a 52 week organizational challenge and they started this week with kitchen counters but I'm going around the room floor to ceiling (sort of). I did the hutch yesterday and today was the refrigerator. I cleaned the inside, the outside and took all those magnets and papers off. Whew! That puppy was dirty! You could see where the papers had been! And the top was worse! But all clean now! Tune in tomorrow for the continuing saga!

Changed a few things around here today!

2012-01-16T15:39:00.000-08:00

I changed my blog to accommodate those who have trouble viewing it. I hope this is better! I also changed my hutch in my kitchen. I put material behind the glass and put some different decorations on top. The little tree has my cookie cutters on it and I need to tie some red ribbon on them. I decorated it for Christmas but then realized I really liked it and decided to leave it out year round. I have a battery operated candle on top too which turns on automatically at a certain time and then goes off in 10 or 8 hours. You can get them on QVC and I like them for putting in high places where I would like a candle but don't want to go around lighting them in those places. The hutch needs work but this is good for now. What did you do today on Martin Luther King Day?

BTW....thanks to Jodie at www.jellywares.blogspot.com who sent me the invite to Pinterest that finally worked! Jodie has the most gorgeous blog, farm, children and yarn shop in New South Wales. If you're a knitter or crocheter you really need to visit her! She does beautiful work in everything she does! Thanks again Jodie!

OMG!!!! The greatest thing EVER!!! Why didn't someone tell me?????

2012-01-15T15:16:00.000-08:00

I discovered PINTEREST!!!! OMG!!!! It IS the greatest thing since sliced bread! I am a "visual" person evidently because I have been glued to it most of the day. I am addicted.....gave up cigs and now I'm addicted to Pinterest....it's always something! But really...will some one PLEASE invite me to join? I sent a request to Pinterest but they are very slow...we're talking days, weeks maybe! I did try before once but by the time I found the invite I think it expired. I cannot get in and I want to SO BADLY!!!!

This is great as you're aging too because I can't always remember where I "saw" something, like in a magazine but now.....who needs magazines!?!??! LOL!!! (Oh, better not tell the magazine publishers I said that.) I'm good to go with just Pinterest! Oh, please, please, please someone invite me to join!

Thrift store "junky"...literally!

2012-01-14T14:57:00.000-08:00

I helped out at the consignment store today and here's what I personally "nabbed" and brought home. They need to be cleaned up yet but I already have plans for them!
This is a pottery piece or cement as it is heavy. It's tilted for some reason so it might be hand made but no drainage hole so perfect for a plant inside

I also picked up this picnic basket and a wool blanket.....WOOL!!!! My favorite fabric...woo hoo!

And isn't his cute? It's going next to my tub, I think with "spa" ingredients on top of it...a pretty candle, a lace table mat, a bowl with handmade soaps....ahhh....I can just picture it! But now I have to go make supper as I have nothing in this house to eat! I hate when that happens. Oh well, maybe I can play with my new treasures later if I have any energy left! LOL!

Guess what I did today................

2012-01-13T17:32:00.000-08:00

After making out bills yesterday, I tackled the next big issue.....THE BUDGET! I am SO bad on budgeting. I was good years ago but then I started being so busy MAKING the money that I didn't have time to manage it. Well, guess what...I have plenty of time now and definitely need to manage my money! It's easy to move up on the financial ladder but a whole different story to come down. I have very expensive medicines that I take which I am blessed are available but it has certainly affected my bottom line. Living on lots less has taken me time to get used to but I'm getting there and tightening my belt has been challenging and yet invigorating at the same time.
The file above is for bills and receipts and inside each month is a list of bills. It's just a piece of notebook paper...nothing fancy. It has the name of the bill, amount due, balance, interest paid, amount paid etc. I have Quicken on my pc which allows me to pay using check, EFT(electronic file transfer for when you pay bills online), DEP for deposit and SAV for savings. I use SAV for deducting per month what I would need to pay bills that aren't monthly, such as taxes etc.
There are some pictures of some old budget books/systems I used to use and are still good but now I do everything on my pc. I downloaded a great, yet simple, budget spreadsheet from Laurie Perry/Crazy Aunt Purl . Scroll to the bottom of her website and on the right side you will find "Crazy Aunt Purl's Budget Worksheet". It's the one I use and it works...well...as long as you plug in the correct numbers and "face the music". LOL!

BIll paying day..........but a good day to do it!

2012-01-12T18:19:00.000-08:00

We had cold and snow here today. A far cry from the 60-70 degrees we had the last month. It is 24 degrees right now...brrrrr! I've had a fire going all day and did laundry and paid bills. That's about it....not very interesting but glad I had the money to pay them! There they are by the front door ready to be mailed. Only 2 to mail...the rest get paid online. I WISH I only had 2 bills to pay!

Oh! How I Love Thee Mary Engelbreit....let me count the ways!

2012-01-11T14:37:00.000-08:00

I am going to try and "link up" with "It's a Very Cherry World's" Rednesday celebration. This is her 3 year anniversary! 3 Years!!!! And she does such a beautiful job. Please stop by her blog....you will not regret it. It is RED, Engelbreitish, cheery and cherry and just darn cute and uplifting! She's a role model to me! So, in honor of her 3rd year and of Rednesday and Ms. Engelbreit.....here is today's post. Here is a link to Sue's blog:
It's a very cherry world

Books, books, and more books.....what can I say?

2012-01-10T18:13:00.000-08:00

More books came in the mail today from a wonderful friend of mine.....ME!!! LOL! But you know since everyone has the e-readers now, it seems real paper books are a steal! Most of what I get is used if I can get them that way so they're really cheap and a lot of the type of books I get aren't available on the e-readers yet anyway.

Primitive Quilts and Projects is a magazine I subscribed to. It is 4 times a year but pricey so not sure I'll resubscribe but they have really nice stuff in them. I just won't make that much stuff....ever.
The other book is about flea market finds and antiques. It was talked about on PBS once I think and if something sounds really good I write it down for future purchase (unfortunately, our library never has the book I am looking for...it's very small). This was one of those "future purchase" books.

The Betsy-Tacy book is the first in a series of childrens books "back in the day" which I never read and never heard about but when I did I was right "on it"! I love those old children's books and series and I've read a lot of them.
The Memory Quilt is about the Great Cloquet Fire of 1918. Cloquet is a sweet little town in Minnesota that I used to stay the night in on my way to Canada. It was the halfway mark of 8 hours in a 16 hour trip. I had no idea of this history so I will be very interested to read about it.

YES!!!!! More felting is in my future...I just know it!!!! Aren't those darling projects on the front??? I want to make both of those for sure! My friend that owns the quilt shop just made the one on the right with a black background in the size of a dresser scarf but when she "felted it" her "woven ends" came out and she ended up with holes in it in several places....I wanted to cry FOR her....not sure she'll be doing anymore felting or crocheting in the near future. But as an aside...she said she knew she spun it for too long...she wanted to get the water out of it because it was so heavy and wet and she wanted it to dry faster. WARNING.....weave in your ends REALLY well and do not use your spin cycle. Poor Jamie.....it's lesson to all of us!

Woe is me.............

2012-01-09T13:26:00.000-08:00

Here's the book I've been reading that inspired this post. It said to gather up your cleaning items in a bucket with a handle and that way they were ready to go with you wherever you wanted to clean! Brilliant, I thought!

This is the bucket she showed in the book all full of these delightful cleaning items from Caldrea. I really liked the idea and the bucket...especially since it's yellow and don't I need new cleaning supplies???? So, I mozzie on over to the Caldrea website and for $75.00 I can have it ALL!!! Bucket included not counting S&H. AHHHH!!!!! My dreams dashed...I sit there for a moment and wonder how I could possibly replicate "the cleaning bucket". Whoa! Wait a minute...I have a yellow porcelain bucket in my bathroom being used as a wastebasket! So, I empty it, clean it and fill it with MY cleaning supplies! Brilliant, I tell you! Brilliant!

Ok...it's not new and maybe not quite as "pretty" as the Caldrea one with it's "newness" and fresh supplies but I didn't spend $75.00 and change either!

Here's what it looks like.....microfiber cleaning cloths folded in the bottom and my supplies surrounding it. There's room for more if I think of something else too. I did not include bathroom cleaning supplies as those are in each bathroom at the ready and those are supplies that are only used in the bathroom so why bother toting those around was my thinking.

Caldrea and Mrs. Meyers are run/owned by the same people, I think. so I even got close as to supplies since I do LOVE Mrs. Meyer's products www.mrsmeyers.com BTW...she's having a sale on Holiday items as we speak so stop on over to her website! Great smells, great cleaning, and all natural! As you will notice I have used some of the bottles for my own cleaning supplies that I make up myself. I got the recipes from Mary Jane's Farm chat room where there is SO MUCH great information about everything!

These are leftovers from a by-gone era and as soon as they are used up I will be replacing them with something less "chemical" and more natural. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Oh!!!! Silly me....I forgot to include my newest and most favoritest (tee hee) product!

It's the Pledge Multi-surface duster which is similar to a Swiffer but softer and 360 degrees around so you can dust the most delicate of objects without even picking it up if you don't want to! I forgot to include the handle but there are the refills in the bag in the picture. I also found a few other things to put in the bucket....my Sonic Scrubber which is great since I have RA and my "elbow grease" just isn't what it used to be, an old veggie brush I use to get dust out of corners and next to moldings where it's carpeted and the denture brush which is really good in the carpeted corners.

Okay...I guess that's enough for today, it's almost 3:30 and I'm not sure the cleaning is going to get done today....maybe tomorrow! I avoided that one didn't I!?! LOL! I hope you accomplished more than me today! But I'm all set for tomorrow!

Got a few books in the mail yesterday...Woo Hoo!

2012-01-08T15:22:00.000-08:00

I have been REALLY bad this week but then again...they are my Christmas and Birthday presents but they just keep coming and MOI has to pay for them! LOL! Yes...I am my own "bottom line"! I haven't read them yet but they look very interesting to me.

This one I have already read from cover to cover! I have another book by her that I got at a thrift store and I loved it. She designs her own and it is "ART". She's very famous and has things hanging in galleries! I don't think that will happen to me but I would like to try and design my own applique pictures. Stay tuned for further developements!

Today was our Craft Group from 1-4. There are about 8 of us in the group but only 5 were there today. We have it at my friend's quilt shop as she has everything right there...ironing boards and irons, sewing machines, supplies if we need to buy them, FABRIC, YARN and she's closed to the public so she can actually work on something for herself. She's doing a wool granny square, to be felted, dresser scarf, 2 others were sewing quilts and myself and another gal were doing wool applique by hand. I need to remember to take my camera so I can BLOG about it and show you how talented these gals are!
Now, I'm off to make dinner....which I will post about tomorrow as it's a new recipe from another blog I follow so tune in tomorrow...I have high hopes for it!

I'm SO tired!

2012-01-07T17:15:00.000-08:00

I helped out all day at the local thrift/consignment store and as much as I love it....I'm exhausted! So, I came home, fixed supper, folded a load of clothes, ran the dishwasher and Googled Mary Engelbreit which sent me into "la-la land" for who knows how long? Do you ever do that? Get on the internet and look up and hours have gone by? AHHHHH!!!!! It was inspiring but I am too tired to do anything about it! LOL! So, I am posting my finished crocheted and felted wool tote bag which will probably be used to hold my knitting and then I'll have to make a knitted wool felted tote to hold my crocheting! Ha! Ha! I'm going to bed now. I think I am fighting off a cold as I keep bumping up the thermostat. I'll get my jammies on, curl up with my ME decorating books and make plans for when I have more energy! Hope y'all had a great Saturday!

Spent the day outdoors....70's....almost had to turn the ac on (not really)

2012-01-06T16:15:00.000-08:00

Okay...who could say "no" to these 2? Not me! So we grabbed the leashes and off we went!

It was a gorgeous day in the Ozarks to "take a hike"!

Unfortunately with this warm weather the plants are getting confused I think.....these are daffodils (I think) coming up in the woods. They grow wild around here. There were daffodils here last year so that's why I think I know what they are. Not sure what will happen if Winter really does show up now.
After we got back I took down the Christmas decorations outside and spent time cleaning the garage. I know, it's not a very interesting post but I was happy!

Did I have a Happy Birthday? Oh yeah!

2012-01-05T16:57:00.000-08:00

No, I did not make that cake....although I have made my own birthday cake before, I chose not to this year. I bought a Pepperidge Farm Birthday cake...vanilla cake and frosting. It's something new I think. Anyway, I bought a quart of Butter Pecan ice cream (MY FAVORITE) to go with it....yep! That's what I'm talking about! The girls and I had a party....they did not get cake but they did each get some ice cream...they love it as much as I do! No candles....we're not licensed for that big of a fireworks display! This picture is from last night BEFORE the party! LOL!

Today was off to Wally World for supplies and I spotted these rugs and snapped up 3 of them at $10.00 each. They are the half circle kind; 1 for in front of the frig, the sink, and the stove. I really needed them as my old kitchen rugs are starting to fall apart. It's funny because my old rugs are apples too that I bought at Target (back in the day when I lived near a Target) and they lasted about 10 years!

I also picked up this little gem! I love books SO MUCH....I just can't help myself! I heard a very postivie review on this book and it is a NYT's best seller but of course that doesn't mean "MOI" will like it but the photography and the title grabbed me and all though I was never told I was peculiar as a child there were other adjectives they used so I thought I might find the tale intriguing! I'll let you know.
Now, I'm off to have some din-din, the girls have been fed and gone out already and sit down to do some knitting and watch Grey's Anatomy. I hope you all have a lovely evening!

Wednesday - January 4, 2012.

2012-01-04T13:47:00.000-08:00

I'm having a little trouble with my blogging alignment. They've changed it since I last blogged or I've forgotten so please be patient while I "experiment"! LOL! Today is my 63rd birthday! I cannot believe I have made it this far! But here I am...still breathing! It's been a beautiful birthday so far and I'm getting ready to sit down and knit for awhile. I ran out to the quilt shop and got some "knitting advice" earlier and I'm ready to go again. I also took "the girls" for a 3 mile hike in the woods as it is 60 here today and just gorgeous.

What I'm posting is a project I did a few weeks ago and almost a challenge to myself. I bought the book below and loved every project in it so I told my craft group that I was going to make all of it; every project in the book. Of course there was much laughter because I am not known as a good "finisher"....."starter" yes but not too good on closure. I told them I was turning over a new leaf! I wanted to pick the easier projects first to build up my self confidence so I chose these fabric berries with wool stems. I made 6 large and 6 small and they are tea dyed also. The only thing I did not do was sew on seed beads all over them.....REALLY???? That was a bit much I thought but maybe someday when I'm bedridden and desperate for something to do I will but for now I like them as is. In fairness, I also polled the craft group first to ensure I wasn't NOT finishing a project but thank goodness they agreed that it would take forever plus I didn't have any beads that I could use. I can be a bit anal at times though so who knows what might happen to those berries down the road.

Here's the berries in a too large bowl but I wanted you to be able to see them individually. I usually have them in a smaller bowl mounded up.

Here's the Need'l Love pattern book that I made the berries from. I love all their pattern books! So, check in to see if I get everything in this book done by the end of the year! Oh boy...what have I gotten myself into? I think next are those little woolen pumpkin coasters on the front.....like I said, I'm going for the easier projects first to build my confidence muscle for finishing projects. Oh, I have also made a "resolution" to work on an old project simultaneously so that there are multiple streams of finished items! This is my dream! P.S. Sorry for the glare on the book...I need to learn how to take pictures too.

Third time's charm!

2012-01-03T15:23:00.000-08:00

This is my 3rd day posting! They say 21 days and it's a habit! Tuesday is my knitting lesson at the local quilt/yarn shop and I am making the oven mitts below. The pattern can be found on www.purlsoho.com/purl/purlbee. Anyway, I've knitted a few scarves but nothing complicated until now. For most "established knitters" this would not be complicated but for me it is a learning process!

This is my Christmas present to myself...a complete set of Hiya Hiya interchangeable circular needles. The red case has the bigger sizes and the blue case has the smaller sizes. I BETTER learn to knit and do it well for what these cost! But we don't live anywhere near a place that sells knitting supplies except the quilt shop does carry some yarn. Every time you start a project you have to order new needles over the internet and wait for them to arrive so I decided to get these so I would always be ready for that "next project"! I love knitting but I am not very good at it yet. I have to concentrate and not watch T.V. and have the house quiet with no interruptions else I mess up and still sometimes I do!
Any of you knitters out there?

2012-01-02T18:06:00.000-08:00

January 2, 2012. Monday
Well, I'm already behind the 8 ball here in my blog! I'm not sure when to blog...the night before for the next day or in the morning from the day before or maybe right now on what I accomplished or didn't accomplish this very day? For now what you are reading and seeing is from today at 6:40 p.m. DST. But see what I mean...today is January 2nd...you're supposed to make Hoppin' John on January 1st!
I don't know about you but I just do not get the amount of things done I used to when I was younger and before they "messed" with my thyroid! I used to have SUPER energy and now I'm more like a slug. But back in the day I worked myself too hard and got very ill because of it so I am now forced to go at a slower pace which I actually really enjoy but then I look around my house and think I may be in BIG trouble! LOL!
Do you have a schedule like those vintage kitchen towels depict such as certain chores on Monday, Tuesday etc? I have a bit of one...Monday is change the sheets, do laundry and iron (yes, I iron but only 10 items at a standing but I like to iron), Tuesday is my knitting class and garbage day, Wednesday is recycling, Thursday is whatever and Friday too and Saturday I help out at the local resale shop, and Sunday our Craft Group gathers at the local quilt shop from 1-4. After reading this I realize Monday is really the only day I have planned...hmmm. Where did cleaning, watering plants etc all go. I better get planning and FOCUS on a few other things around here!

Here's the "lucky" blackeyed peas

TaDa! I added mustard greens which were not called for but it did suggest kale but I had none of that. I did not have to go to the store either! It has onion, green pepper, celery seed instead of celery and chicken broth, garlic, vinegar and ham pieces. Now that I've eaten it I can tell you it is delicious! Credit goes to Pioneer Woman as it was her recipe.

I would like to someday make EVERYTHING from scratch but for now I am trying to accomplish my first goal which is to use up what I have in my cupboards! Yes, Jiffy corn muffin mix! Next time it will be from scratch!

This is my old 8" square pan which has some holes in it so I lined it with parchment paper. I bought a new pan but it is 9" square. Can you still find 8" square pans? All my recipes call for 8" square.

Here's the finished dinner but as you can tell I am no food stylist! LOL! But it tasted great and that was all that mattered to me!

For today I did get laundry going (as we speak), I changed the sheets on the bed, and I made Hoppin' John, rice and corn bread. I wanted to make bread and cookies but didn't get that far...yet. So for now here is my pictorial of the Hoppin' John whose recipe came from the Pioneer Woman blog which is amazing and a delight to peruse! I highly recommend it!

Long time no see...........

2012-01-01T16:27:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm back. I apologize to my followers which I'm sure are zero now but hopefully you'll come back. I went through a "life-changing" aha moment over a year ago now. I think my last post was November 2010. Okay...I'm slow getting back on my feet, I admit it. But it was a period of questions for myself and my faith and the way I had orchestrated my life and my relationships. Good to go now though! I tore off the rear-view mirrors on my car too.....no looking back except to remember the lessons!
Enough about me! I am thrilled to be back and missed you all SO MUCH and I apologize to some of you who sent me things that I never even acknowledged because I had nothing to give to anyone. But I am happy and at peace with myself and my life and hopefully will be able to reconnect with all of you especially those who were so generous with their interest and encouragement in all my crazy forays! LOL! My crazy forays continue...I'm starting off 2012 with a passion for felting wool! Okay, maybe it's just a passion for wool, or maybe fiber? Oh, and fabric too! Regardless, I have crocheted a bag with embellishments that I felted today and it is still drying. I need to sew the flowers, leaves and dangly tendrils on when its dry. So here goes to great food, great projects and great books in 2012 and most of all to the great friends I hope are waiting out there for me. Happy New Year everyone!
P.S. The pattern for the bag is free on www.ravelry.com

Want to make your own "corn chips"?

2010-11-23T16:47:00.000-08:00

I am never going to buy corn chips of any kind again because these are SO EASY and SO DELICIOUS to make yourself! I don't do a lot of snacking but when I want to these are perfect and also a great accompaniment to soups and guacamole among other things. This was a recipe from Marlene Koch's Eat What You Love cookbook.....my favorite...in all my life I have never liked so many recipes from one cookbook. I'm sure she won't mind if I share as long as you go out and buy her cookbook. You will buy it won't you? And no, I get nothing for it and we're not related.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
slice corn tortillas into thin strips (or you can cut them into pie shapes like the ones in the store or whatever shape you want) and place on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper (saves your cookie sheets and your time trying to scrub them clean)
spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt
bake for 10 minutes or until brown and crisp. ENJOY!!!!

Marlene instructs you to turn once during baking but I don't have time for that! LOL! They turn out great without that additional step.

As Thanksgiving draws near.......

2010-11-22T18:23:00.000-08:00

This is my little cabin collection. It reminded me of Thanksgiving and the villages that the pilgrims might have lived in. The painting was done by a friend of my Mother's and the little Amish boy and girl are sort of like pilgrims and were given to me on my birthday many years ago by a very dear friend.

Pumpkin Paradise!

2010-11-21T16:10:00.000-08:00

These are my "accidental" pumpkins that grew from one that fell off my porch last fall. There are certain pumpkins that are better for pies and cooking etc; but since I have no idea what kind of pumpkin this was I guess I'll just take my chances! I've never done this before so it has been enlightening! It's not hard just time consuming but does allow you to multi-task so that's a plus! I cut them in half...by far, the hardest part and be careful! They are tough! But then, I just layed them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and baked them at 325 for an hour and VOILA! The rest is easy!

I peeled the cooked pumpkin, cut it into chunks and threw it in my food processor and there you have it! Pureed pumpkin in freezer containers...so far I have about 4 cups worth from the little and medium sized one. The BIG mama-jama I'm tackling tomorrow. They do say that the smaller or medium sized ones are best. But my BIG one isn't that big so I am not wasting it! I've been baking them in the evening after supper and then letting them cool overnight so I've been doing one pumpkin a day...not to worry....I only have 3.

Here's the seeds after being washed. They are draining. Actually, I have never tasted homemade toasted/roasted pumpkin seeds. We had pumpkins we grew for Halloween but they always stayed outside until they rotted! LOL! Plus...as a career woman with 4 children on a farm....I was lucky I bathed regularly much less made pumpkin seeds but I did garden and can everything else...I think I was just too tired from canning and freezing garden produce by the time the pumpkins arrived. In fact, I thought cleaning the seeds would be a really time consuming, difficult task with all that stringy pumpkin flesh mixed in but it was surprisingly easy to clean them! Who knew???!!! I'm on a roll! Of course it is amazing how much patience I have now that I divorced my husband and the kids all left home. I'm sure they'd be amazed at what a nice person I am now! Ha! Ha!

Here they are all roasty and toasty! And I must say DELICIOUS!!! They are good for you and better than any snack I can think of! WOW! I wish I had grown more pumpkins because they are NOT going to last the season! I took 1 1/2 cups of seeds and melted 1 Tbs of butter and a pinch of salt and mixed them all in a bowl. I then tried as best I could to spread them on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet and baked them at 300 for 45 minutes stirring several times during the roasting/toasting. I sure hope that last big pumpkin has LOTS of seeds in it! I am definitely having a pumpkin patch next year! And I haven't even started with the pumpkin bread, that pumpkin roll with the cream cheese frosting in the middle and of course the pie for Thanksgiving and last but not least....I am going to try pumpkin butter! I am loving this! Mary Jane and Martha move over!

Look what Kim (alias Tabitha Lenox) sent me!!!!

2010-11-20T18:03:00.000-08:00

I met Kim on Mary Jane's Farmgirl chatroom and she is a very talented multi-media artist....(little did I know!) She's even been published....TWICE!! Anyway...we got to chatting about how I love the art cards and tags that people make and swap but "I know nothing"...I've never even scrapbooked. Although, I must admit I have bought some items to do it but really am not very creative unless there's directions! LOL! Sort of defeats the purpose of creativity I guess. Kim has faith in me though and despite it all she sent me these beautiful and inspiring gifts! Now I have to do something with them....AHHHH! Where do I start? Look below.....

She sent me these inspiring and beautiful books and magazines that are a true testament to the talented people inhabiting our planet! I am going to start small....playing cards or tags and I have a few ideas and lots of pictures and acrylic paints and I am SO EXCITED!!!! Please check out her blog. It is oh so wonderful and inspiring! Thank you SO MUCH Kim and I hope I make you proud! Her blog is www.tabithalenox.blogspot.com.....she's AWESOME!

Waffles.....I forgot how much I love/hate them!

2010-11-15T16:57:00.000-08:00

Some one on Mary Janes Farm chatroom (which I frequent) brought up the subject of waffles and waffle irons. I LOVE waffles but never had any luck making them 30 or 40 years ago when I was a young woman. I remember getting a waffle iron for a wedding present, trying it, making a big mess of the whole thing and selling it at my first garage sale, I think. But a couple of years ago a friend had a garage sale and had 2 old waffle irons from my Mother's era (1950's) that she was trying to sell. I said "No thanks...been there done that" but I was selling on Ebay at the time and she suggested I sell them on Ebay and she would give them to me for free if I would take them off her hands. What could I say, I took them and stuffed them in the basement and promptly forgot about them. With the thread about waffles and waffle irons on Mary Jane's website chatroom, my memory was awakened and I remembered those old waffle irons in the basement. Sure enough, they were still down there so I brought them upstairs and assessed them. The round one looked promising so before I started cleaning it up I decided to plug it in and see if it even worked. One thing I noticed was the cord neatly corraled by a toilet paper roll. What a great idea! I plugged her in and VOILA....no sparks or smoke and it was a cloth cord....I've never used one of those but I had inspected it and it seemed in good shape. There was even a light on top that actually lit up! There were 3 settings; light. medium, and dark. I cleaned her up REALLY good, made my waffle batter in a pitcher as I figured that would be convenient for pouring. I sprayed the griddle with organic canola oil and turned the slot to dark. I like things crispy. I was excited! I whisked my batter in the pitcher but it said not to "over mix" so once it looked mixed and I thought my griddle was heated up I poured on the batter. So far, so good. I closed it up and set the timer for 5 minutes which the "batter" recipe said to cook it for. Well....it depends on how hot your griddle was when you poured in the batter because after 5 minutes I opened it and it wasn't ready. I closed it quickly hoping it would be okay. Meanwhile, I quickly googled waffles and found a recipe that said NOT to open until steam stopped coming out. I waited and then opened it (it took 10 minutes so obviously my griddle wasn't hot enough when I put the batter in.) It was done...bedraggled looking but I got it out. The next one was too dark....evidently the griddle was hot enough now and I had waited for the steam to end and sure enough it came out just perfectly...no sticking! I turned the lever to medium and the next one came out PERFECT!!!! I figured I had finally mastered it! I had one more to make eyeing my remaining batter. BTW I resprayed the griddle each time before adding more batter. This was the last waffle so I tipped up the pitcher to empty it all and POUFF!!!! There was batter and underneath it a bunch of flour that had not gotten incorporated! AHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! What a mess! And it was a hot griddle so I just closed the lid and hoped for the best.

I did not eat that last waffle but the others were great and I froze a few. I left the kitchen after unplugging the MONSTER and like Scarlet O'Hara I decided I would deal with it another day or at least much later. But.....I learned a lot...mostly 3 key points I would like to pass on to future generations of waffle makers......1) don't open until the steam stops coming out, 2) give your griddle plenty of time to heat up before that first one and 3) DO NOT whisk your batter in a pitcher...use a bowl and transfer to a pitcher after it is mixed that way if there is any remaining flour that has not gotten incorporated you will probably see it before you dump it on your griddle. I talked to my youngest son later last night who gave me yet another tip (he's worked as a short order cook in the past)....he said instead of spraying which can be a bit messy for surrounding items in your kitchen....he used to have a little bowl of melted butter with a (previously unused) paint brush that he would baste the griddle with before each batch of waffles. The reason I stated "previously unused" paintbrush is because funny thing...he is a painter now. So.....now you have it...my entire Sunday Morning Waffle Extravaganza! Tune in next week....will she attempt more waffles? Will the griddles be discovered on Ebay or Freecycle? Will she go on to be Queen of Waffledom? Only The Shadow knows!

Not very exciting posting but I was thrilled!

2010-11-13T14:53:00.000-08:00

I know this probably isn't the most interesting posting I've ever done but lately my priority has been finances and cutting back (forget the previous posting at the thrift store....that was a little slip-up on my budget) and I have also been trying to eat healthier, exercise and all that good stuff. I was planning on making broccoli cheddar soup so I went to the store to get a few items for that and LO & BEHOLD......they must have just filled the cart for reduced items and it was the same rush of adrenaline I get from ANY good bargain.....WHOOSH! I got all those vegetables for $2.50 plus 4 grapefruit for .59 but I had washed those and put them away already. Have I just not been paying attention (very possible with me) or are these wonderful prices? And the stuff is not rotten or even bad. The oranges maybe one, the turnips (those are turnips aren't they?) not at all. The eggplant is perfect....unless I cut into them and find they were accidentally frozen or something. I mean REALLY..,,,considering the cost of fresh produce nowadays I felt like I'd won the lottery! Now....what do I do with it all....let's see....grapefruit for breakfast and zest the peel from those and the oranges for putting in with your coffee brewing in the morning and is that ever tasty! Eggplant parmesan for sure, turnips and potatoes with a roast chicken? And the oranges are just pure pleasurable eating unless I want to make an orange chicken dish but I think not....I'll just eat them!

Shame on me...a few thrift store items!

2010-11-11T17:22:00.000-08:00

Actually it was sort of an antique/consignment store and I didn't want to go BUT the gal I was with did and I knew if I went in that I WOULD buy something....and I did. But in my defense I have wanted some of these old fashioned cookie cutters for years and never saw any. They were just laying there on a table practically begging me to buy them....so I did....just to shut them up! Can I use these? Can I wash them? Will they rust if I wash them? Are they sanitary? Any and all advice appreciated.

This was just TOO CUTE to pass up! And cheap! $3.50......bargain of the day in my book! I haven't cleaned it yet as you can see. I haven't cleaned my kitchen floor either which I am hoping you can't see.

Sorry I haven't posted or visited....

2010-11-08T16:42:00.000-08:00

I've had a little cold...not much but it slowed me up a bit. I did have my class for the pillow wraps and got the Christmas one done at least. I also finished up block #6 of my Folk Art Quilt. I finally got a new rug shampooer...a Hoover with attachments for upholstery. They had it at Walmart and I came home and looked up the reviews and they were great so I went back and got it. I did my bedroom and it turned out great! And it was dirty with the dogs laying in there every night. This carpeting is 30 or more years old but it was good quality and it cleaned up very nicely. Hoover has a pet shampoo that deoderizes and neutralizes any leftover "accidents". It smells fresh and clean...not for long probably but anything was an improvement!

Good bye summer......we had our first frost!

2010-10-30T13:41:00.000-07:00

The last of my roses.....

It amazes me how the different types of roses have different scents....the white ones smell totally different than the pink ones.....but they all smell WONDERFUL!

Poinsettia class at our local quilt shop.........

2010-10-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

Taking shape.....literally

The finished product...what a beauty!

A work in progress....by a student...I did not sign up for this class...like I need another UFO! But I did stop in to see everyone since I know the owner of the shop, the teachers and several of the students. I just snapped pictures and got them some lunch.

This is Sue.....working hard or hardly...I can't quite tell.

Do you recognize these 2 partners in crime? Yes! It is from left to right, Margaret, President of our quilt guild and Jennie, Vice-President of our quilt guild. They are THE BEST teachers.....if they could teach me to quilt believe me they are good! Nice picture girls!

Country Quilters Quilt Guild yesterday.........

2010-10-21T17:34:00.000-07:00

We couldn't meet at our usual place which is North Arkansas Electric Cooperative so the First Baptist Church let us in....Amazing, Grace! They have a HUGE room as you can see. This is Iris who shops for us and gets us great discounts on quilting and sewing supplies.

This is Pat who bought this quilt from an "up and coming" quilt artist but Pat does beautiful work herself.

Here is our BELOVED (and I mean that!) President, Margaret who made this gorgeous Christmas quilt that I did not get a picture of! DRAT BATWOMAN! I think she did the ones on that table too. She was my first (and only) teacher along with our Vice - President, Jenny.....they are great teachers and I learned so much from them and still do. That's Joann in the chair and she is the head of the other group I attend....Fit n' Sew.

This is Linda...our "Hostess with the Mostest"....she does the best door prizes and drawings and there are her beautiful cockscomb flowers that I have seeds from if anyone wants any. There's our official insignia too...hanging on the wall. Have insignia will travel! I missed pictures of so many great quilts because I was doing the library and the Opportunity Quilt tickets. I will post our quilt we are raffling off tomorrow.....GORGEOUS! There's still time to buy your tickets! $1.00 each or 6 for $5.00. It goes to replenish our coffers for the guild.

Happy Halloween!!!!! I celebrate the WHOLE month of October........

2010-10-19T17:46:00.000-07:00

I got these years ago and I have 2 trees in front and a ghost hanging from each one. Those are tin cans at the bottom that clang when the wind blows.....ooooooowww......scary!

Okay...so it's daytime and you don't really get the whole effect but I could break my neck in that pumpkin patch if I go out at night! Plus...it's scary out there....didn't you see those ghosts?

Here's the tiniest pumpkin.....

Here's the medium sized one...but get ready for.....(drum roll please)

THE GREAT PUMPKIN.....just what Charlie Brown has been waiting for! But will it be ready by Halloween? Stay tuned!

Here's my ceramic (so much easier to carve..let me tell you!) pumpkin with it's reflection in the window. Told you it was scary! Happy Halloween everyone! Let the frightening begin!

New bedspread and books I'm reading......

2010-10-14T18:13:00.000-07:00

This is my new bedspread! I call it my "happy bed" now...isn't it delightful? I love chenille bedspreads and this one is brand new and it came with the shams. It was on my "wishlist" for over a year and then I found out they weren't going to carry it anymore so I HAD to buy it before it was lost forever! It is a pale yellow with yellow chenille dots. Oh! Did I mention I love dots too!

I found this book at the library tucked away and it is so awesome! Laura was one wise woman! These were her articles she used to write for the newspaper in Mansfield, Missouri in the early 1900's. She could be writing it for today...it is all still very relevant. I'm going to try and purchase this book if I can find it somewhere. It is one of those books that makes you feel good and like you are living in that time. My Mother grew up in that era and it gives me a glimpse of what things were like at that time in history. Wonderful book...I am savoring each article!

Another book from the library (I'm trying VERY hard not to buy any books and that is really not easy for me since I love owning them). This book is current and, as it states on the cover, it is the search for the science of spirituality. It is very well written and very interesting reading. Science and spirituality are coming closer and closer together. There are interviews with prominent scientists and spiritualists and religious leaders. Excellent book!

I just have to say that I have long been an admirer of Adriana Trigiani. I bought my first book by her and it was her first book also, I think, as a remembrance of my vacation through North Carolina and at that time she was a local author, so I bought it. It ended up being the best and funniest and some of the most wonderful books I'd ever read....I think it was Cherry Holler or Big Stone Gap...I can't remember now but there is a Trilogy and you should read them in order if you can. The last one was Milk Glass Moon I think and it was good too. This book is totally different and not as funny and takes place in New York City. It is good but I loved the setting and characters in her first 3 books and I have to say.....I miss them! But I know we need to grow as authoresses and as readers so I am enjoying this book too. I just seem to be attracted to books with a rural theme as opposed to a city theme. Either way she a is a fabulous writer! I'm not sure that she was really a local author in North Carolina at the time or ever but it was written about that area and I think she might have grown up there. Just don't quote me on anything....

Fall pics with my new camera!!!! Now, about the photographer....

2010-10-11T18:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, I haven't read the manual yet but I will!

LOVE the colors of Fall.......

I planted and nurtured heirloom tomatoes all summer and they got tomato hornworm and are no more but the pumpkin that rotted and fell off the porch well looky here!!!! LESSON????? I guess I 'll just throw some tomatoes out there next year .....probably have more luck!

Maybe I do need to read the manual...a little blurry

Tell Charlie Brown I've got The Great Pumpkin...it's just not quite ripe yet.

I'm my own "sou" (sp?) chef.............

2010-10-09T04:43:00.000-07:00

I always get these pictures in backwards....this is the last picture....anyway the pre-prepping worked really slick. The only drawback is the extra dishes but I have a dishwasher so it's not that big of a deal and even though I was tired when I came in, I had the motivation to throw it together since most of the work was done. Before this, if I came in and was too tired I would end up snacking instead of eating a decent meal. So....I will most probably be doing this from now on....problem #564,962 solved...now on to the remaining 564, 961 problems...LOL!

Here's the recipe and picture of the black bean soup I was making.

Ok...I have a problem having the motivation and energy to cook supper after working outside all day so I decided I would take a tip from the chefs and cooking shows and prep everything BEFORE I started cooking....in fact, before I went outside and started working. That way, when I came in and was too tired to "start" something...all I had to do was mindlessly throw it together. Mindless is good for me! Here are my prepared ingredients.

Block #5 of my Folk Art quilt done.....this one took awhile

2010-10-08T14:07:00.000-07:00

This was a "killer" block and I was glad when I finished it....I have a new camera but I had problems with getting pictures uploaded to the blog but got that figured out finally so that's why I didn't blog for a few days. On to block #6 of 12 not counting borders, I think.

A REAL old cotton gin...really!

2010-10-06T09:10:00.000-07:00

This cotton gin is about 6 miles from my house and I have wanted to get pictures of it but you have to do it in the winter otherwise there is too much overgrowth and you can't see it plus it is hard to "pull over" on many Arkansas roads.

When my son was visiting I mentioned it and he grabbed the camera and didn't just take a picture...he went inside and took pictures which I would have never gotten had it not been for his "gutziness" (is that a word?)...I have wanted these pictures for years. He took them last March I think but then I couldn't find them but the other day I ran across them so I can finally share them! I can't tell if this year is 1888, 1882, or 1880 but regardless it is older than me which means it's an "antique"! Actually...things my age are also considered "antiques"...hmmm...what does that say about me? Don't answer that!

This says Franklin, Arkansas Cotton Gin and something else I can't read...when the leaves fall I'll have to go back and see what that says...I'm thinking "built by"?

It isn't "restored" but it looks like someone took the time to paint the outside and put the dates on it. There are several historic places around here that are still in the hands of the original family that owned it.

This is the inside and I have no idea what these pieces of equipment are but there are still pieces of cotton stuck in them.

There is an Historic Society around here and I should contact them and see if I can learn any more. There are things down here that should be restored and maintained before they are lost but it all takes money I guess and Arkansas has never been a wealthy state but it has to start with someone caring and maybe that's me except I don't have any money either! I hate to see any of this history fall apart and be lost and I'm not even from here. There is still cotton raised in Arkansas but not as much as years ago and maybe they still have gins like this in use. I have no idea. If anyone knows anymore about this please email me. I'll have to do some research so I can identify those items and learn how they took the raw cotton and made material out of it.

My best "before and after" yet? You be the judge!

2010-10-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

This is my fireplace in my family room....but there's something missing...there's no mantel! I wanted a mantel but couldn't afford to hire a carpenter and didn't really want to try myself and mess up the brick trying to drill holes etc. So, I spent my Saturday night building a mantel without any nails! See the results below.....

Fall is REALLY here this time....and it only gets better from here!

2010-09-24T16:27:00.000-07:00

Now that the wood is in it was time to bake up some Fall flavors! How about some Pumpkin Pecan Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting???? Yeah....that's what I'm talkin' about!

Ready to go in the oven....can't wait!

It's done....but I have to wait until it cools before I can frost it so use your imagination in case I don't get a picture of it after it's frosted....I may just "dig in" and forget the blogging!


This is a phenominal cookbook! The recipes are not only healthier but they taste the same! You would NEVER know they weren't made with the high calorie, fat and sugar ingredients and trust me...I'm picky! I have made several meals from this cookbook and they have all been scrumptious! Check out her website www.marlenekoch.com

This is her second cookbook and highly rated just like her first which I am going to have to get!

Let it snow!!!

2010-09-24T16:07:00.000-07:00

The wood was delivered yesterday. I need another tarp but I am ready for winter! I still need to replenish my emergency supplies of food, water, dog and cat food and various other things. After the ice storm here 2 years ago and having to go 8 days without electricity I have gotten even more savvy....I hope!

Fall cleaning.....ok, so it's year long around here just to keep up.

2010-09-23T17:39:00.000-07:00

I REALLY should have taken a "before" picture here....I cannot believe I got it clean.....but I must admit I spent a lot of time on this little section! Who would put white carpeting right up to the front door????? Who would have white carpeting???? Who would have carpeting?

After all that cleaning I had to put my feet up and do a little stitching on my #5 block of 12 not counting the border.

A few things from the thrift store.....

2010-09-21T17:47:00.000-07:00

I think this is a photo but either way...I love it! It's so ME! My cabin...ahhhh.

This was practically free and I have a few of these in different colors now....does that make me a collector?

This is a signed bulb pot for bulbs that I will plant this Fall and they will bloom in the middle of the winter!

I think this was a bell but it has lost it's "clapper"...not unlike many of us but there is still something to love! A wee little bird perches on the very top of it....sorry for the blurrs....new camera is on the way!

Perfect colors of Fall...not sure what they smell like...I haven't lit them yet.

Where does the time go?

2010-09-20T14:12:00.000-07:00


I can't believe I haven't blogged, emailed, facebooked or been on the phone! I have been cleaning....I clean best when I am upset and I am upset because I thought Fall was coming and it was here for 2 days and then BAM! It is hot again....in the 90's! I went to Fit and Sew last week and there was a table of "FREE" stuff and of course I couldn't resist!

Fall is HERE!!!! Ya! That's what I'm talkin' about!

2010-09-12T10:44:00.000-07:00

I spent the day outside yesterday cleaning the windows, the garage and the front porch. Here's my little "Fallscape".

I did some dyeing last night.....

2010-09-07T17:48:00.000-07:00

I needed some new colors for my wool applique but didn't feel like getting out my chemical dyes so I used the "Kool-aid" method and did some over-dyeing too. These are the blues I got that I needed.

I put some water in my crockpot, set it to high and throw in some different wools and Kool-aid. Last night I was looking for some blues so I put in some dark blue wool, a couple drops of liquid detergent that helps "wet" things and then 3 or 4 packages of blueberry Kool-aid . Depending on the time in the crockpot and the original color of what you're dyeing, you get different results which is what is so cool!

I use tongs to pull out the HOT wool and let it drip into the upside down lid while I take it and drape it over my faucet so it can drip in the sink until it cools off. Once it cools, I rinse it in a bowl of white vinegar to SET the color and keep it from bleeding and then I wring it dry and throw it in my dryer.

And this is what I do with the dyed wool after it's dry! This part takes the longest but knowing that I used old wool that I get at thrift stores and then dye it the colors I need makes me feel like a true "re-purposer" and very GREEN! If anyone has any wool clothes or old material they want to get rid of you can send it my way! Wool is very expensive nowadays and actually hard to find since most materials today in clothing are synthetic. It needs to be 100% wool in order to keep it from fraying. You "felt" the wool by washing it and drying it (without fabric softner) and it shrinks so it doesn't fray when you applique it.

Happy Labor Day....I took it seriously...I've been working all weekend!

2010-09-06T09:27:00.000-07:00

Well...first I mowed the lawn and helped my neighbor with his too. Then I washed the mower....a season's worth of grass and dirt on that tractor and on me too since it was so dry it was like taking a dust bath to mow!

Then I went to town and bought some mums and then back to cleaning the garage and yada, yada, yada....inspired or just tired? I took a nice long bath and fell into bed!

Guess what I've been doing.....

2010-09-02T16:47:00.000-07:00

Yep! You guessed it.....I've been cleaning my closet. I removed all of the out of season clothes and look how much room I have! I dusted the walls and corners and washed the shelves and rods.

I dusted the molding and brushed the edges of the carpet where the vacuum never seems to reach and then I shampooed the carpeting. I have 2 laundry baskets in there for dirty clothes...one for lights and one for darks but I'd like to find a better solution since they take up quite a bit of floor space. Any ideas anyone? I have some baskets..tall, reed baskets that I might make some liners for and there's a McCalls sewing pattern #2784 that has hanger covers. Am I getting carried away? After all...it's just a closet plus there are other areas of my house that need attention....maybe a back burner project. I can get SO anal sometimes!

OK....I went to the Dollar store and got containers for my shoes as they WERE all over the floor in the closet and get dusty and again take up precious floor space. So, I am going to polish/clean them and put them into the smaller containers and the bigger ones are for boots.

While I was at the Dollar store I saw these cute kitchen towels and washrags in "harvest" colors! These are the colors I want my kitchen to be eventually but right now I need towels badly so I grabbed them up!

Not a pretty picture.....literally!

2010-08-31T16:02:00.000-07:00

Here's one of my tomato plants that I found when I went out to water this afternoon....sad but true!

And here's the culprit!!!! He or she is HUGE....and inch in diameter and over 3 inches long!!!! GROSS! Does anyone know what this monster is? I love nature but I didn't really want to touch this guy/gal...it's like something out of one of those old horror movies! I hope I can sleep tonight! How big do they get?

Busy, busy , busy!!!!!

2010-08-30T14:03:00.000-07:00

This is the center block of the folk art quilt I am making. It will be used as a wall hanging. It is wool applique hand stitched with the blanket stitch and a lot of the wools I dyed myself. It is brighter colors than what is appearing here...don't know what the problem was.

Whoa Nellie....I am not even the same person that blogged here last time! I am amazing even myself! The weather cooled so I have been walking 3 miles a day with the dogs AND this morning I started the Nutrisystem program....lets all say a prayer! I cant use apostrophes in this blog or it takes me to quick link...anyone else having that problem? Anyway, things are great here and I am getting cleaning done and organizing and working on my folk art quilt.....here is what I have done so far.

This is the next block I am working on. There are 12 blocks in all not counting the center house block and then there's a border to do also that goes all the way around the quilt. This will take months if not years! LOL! But I have a friend who has one finished and hanging in her quilt shop and it is GORGEOUS! Right up my alley anyway.

The cupboards are full!

2010-08-25T17:29:00.000-07:00

I have not even weighed myself yet! I have to read the instructions but looks like minimal cooking so not only will I hopefully lose weight but I will not have to spend time prepping for meals! What a perk. I hope I like the food or it will be a long month. I told the UPS guy when he delivered it that he probably will not recognize me the next time he stops by because I will have dyed my hair black and I will be looking similar to Marie Osmond!

Finally finished the bathroom......Whew!!!!

2010-08-24T16:53:00.000-07:00

Look at all that "free space" in there!

That photographer sure didn't dress very professionally!

This cupboard is on my list to paint/refinish but I decided to use it anyway but I have PLANS for it!

My reward for a job well done plus my Nutrisystem hasn't arrived yet so "a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do"!

Can you believe it took me this long? But I did everything! I purged, I went through every little thing in there and what was kept got cleaned with Invisible Glass towelettes and organized into containers and the cupboards cleaned inside and out and vacuumed the floor and scrubbed it good and put down clean rugs. For those of you who are not aware, I live in a house I inherited from my folks who both passed and I also had their stuff in this house when I moved in plus my stuff....thank goodness it is a big house with a full basement and garage. It has been a journey to say the least. So, when I clean things I am finally dealing with not only my own things but theirs which I had a hard time doing at first but now I am "in the zone" and de-cluttering like a mad woman!

You gals inspired me! Plus I needed to clean my bathroom.

2010-08-21T16:49:00.000-07:00

I use "strange" items for curtains....this is a dresser scarf and I use tension rods so I can adjust the height to whatever I'm hanging. I had a feed sack there but it needed to be washed so I hung this dresser scarf in it's place.

Here's a shutter shelf over my toilet and of course my Dick and Jane picture....both gotten at the thrift store!

Here's a little table I have in my bathroom.

I LOVE FRIDAYS......all of them!

2010-08-20T15:11:00.000-07:00

I try to order my pictures and my comments but it seems I goof it up no matter how hard I try so if it sounds confusing it's because it is! I splurged and bought 2 new books and a new magazine. This issue of Quilt has a gorgeous pumpkin throw size quilt that I ADORE!!!! It is bright and colorful and when I get some money ahead I will be making it! Tonight is football....Philadelphia Eagles and the Cincinnati Bengals...I get lots of handwork done during these games but sometimes I miss good plays or stitches or both. Have a great Friday!

I went grocery shopping today and if I haven't shared with you...I am trying to take better care of myself. First I quit smoking and I am still on the patch but it's working. Then I started taking good care of my skin by getting some good skin products. I got that Reader's Digest book on Living a Long Life and started reading that. It said that people who ate whole-grain cereal every day were 17% less likely to die over the next several years from ANY cause, and 20% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease so it was a no-brainer! I went and researched on the internet and most people voted for Fiber One cereal by General Mills so I bought a box with 51% of the daily requirement for fiber. Then there was a display of another NEW high-fiber whole-grain cereal that had a mail-in rebate of the total cost of the cereal! So, if you want to add fiber to your diet for FREE!!!!! Go buy Kellogg's Fiber Plus. I came home and had a bowl of Fiber One and it was delicious but I haven't tried the other yet.Now, the other area is exercise and I was exercising by walking 3 miles a day but it has been so hot here all summer that I gave up! In the North, I would walk whenever and if it was cold I just dressed warm but here it is TOO HOT...and you can only take off so many clothes without getting arrested and even nude you wouldn't be cool in this heat. So, I will walk again as soon as it cools off but meanwhile I saw this exercise "kit" and decided to try it. There's the exercise band, Richard Simmons with his great music and the neatest thing is this food mover calculator thingy which I haven't investigated yet but looks very interesting!

I usually drink Dunkin' Donuts coffee and I love it but today I saw this Dunkin' TURBO and with all the things I plan on doing I think I better start drinking this TURBO version!

I ordered these the other day and they arrived in the mail today! I'm SO EXCITED!!!! The one DVD is for kids to learn to build...(I'm just an older version)...I want to learn to build things and have for a long time. Mostly just to fix things around the house or remodel if I get REALLY good! I figured this is a good place to start. The other DVD is by the West sisters who have a whole series of DVD's about homestead skills. There are ones on cooking, gardening, quilting etc. I'll let you know how I do!

Quilt Guild today....so fun and inspiring!

2010-08-18T15:35:00.000-07:00

New school clothes!

Aren't these pretty? See the cherry one in the back and the lady bugs?

One of the gals at guild brought a whole bunch of cockscomb from her garden and you can dry them later and after they're dry you shake them upside down into a little bag and the seeds will fall out and you can plant them the next year. Anyone want to trade for different colors? I'd love some orange and yellow ones.

Here's the rug kit....and no I didn't get that far yet...she gets it started for you...I'll let you know how it goes! Good way to use up scraps and I think some call them "toothbrush" rugs too and you can use a toothbrush instead of the wooden needle this kit came with.

Yesterday I spent all day getting ready for guild but I never got my material quilted. I got it laid out and pinned but that's okay. There were many who didn't sew their tote bag today either and I have the directions so I can make it at home. It was so fun though to see what others were working on and had made since our last get-together. One of my friends had accidentally taken home a bag of mine from our last "shop hop" trip so I got that today...like a new purchase but it was already paid for! I also stopped at our local quilt shop to get some thread and she had these little rug kits that a gal in Mountain Home puts together so of course I HAD to pick up one of those! Plus....I got some new "school clothes"! I get them even though I am not going back to school but I am constantly learning so I figure that counts. There's no place to shop here so I buy online and one of my items came today! It was 95 today so it better cool off so I can wear my new threads!

Progress....I think?

2010-08-16T18:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I sewed an envelope pillow case for a 16 " square pillow form which I don't have yet and got one pillow wrap for the pillow almost done but then I found out I didn't have to have it ready until 8/26 so I painted today. Then I realized I was supposed to pre-quilt some material for a LARGE bag to make Wednesday at quilt guild and although I had the material I had no batting and the quilt shop is closed on Monday....oh boy. But the paint looks nice and the I'm liking the pillow wrap and I had a great weekend!

Finally finished the baby quilt!

2010-08-15T14:28:00.000-07:00

The quilt guild I belong to makes baby quilts for the area pregnancy center and I finally finished this one to take to guild on Wednesday. I try to make at least one a month. In the winter we also make knitted hats for cancer patients. I don't knit so I use one of those "spool thingies" which works and it's great to do while watching t.v. Now I have to go sew pillow wraps for the class/demo I'm giving next month for another sewing group I belong to.

A little shopping therapy.......does a girl good!

2010-08-13T18:05:00.000-07:00

Well...okay....it's not like a "real haul" or anything but it got me out of the house and I didn't spend too much. Most was from the dollar store....underwear in bright colors and some guys t-shirts so when it cools off I can use them to layer. I found a finance/bill organizer with a band to hold them all in. Each month has an envelope for the bills and a space to write them down with due date and amount paid etc. (if you've been reading my blog I have been working on "finances"). The colored striped package is multicolored STARS!!! I have my own chore chart and I am going to be giving myself STARS when I get my priorities done and when I have a certain amount of STARS I am going to reward myself....great idea huh? Yes...I am nurturing my inner child. The votives are apple/cinnamon and the white board is exactly that! A white board with a marker but wait....that's not all....it's MAGNETIZED! Isn't that cool.....(it doesn't take much to impress me OR to make me happy). I put it on my frig so I can write down grocery items when I run out or I'm thinking about them while cooking. I might have to get another one....I could put it on my metal desk for listing those priorities OR I could put one on the side of my car so when I'm out and about but in a store....people could leave me notes when they see my car in a lot....hmmmm....maybe not such a good idea. We have a new gift store in town...well, it's been there almost a year but I just went in today so it was new to me! She had some neat things but pretty much all of it was outside my budget but I did buy some "Wood Wick "melties" and a refill bottle for my empty scent diffusers....all in apple scent as usual....I am SO wanting FALL to come.....SOON....it was 105 here today and the heat index? Well....I just can't talk about it anymore.

Fall must be coming....I'm storing up food!

2010-08-12T16:01:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh....comfort food! Fall is coming, the leaves are falling from the trees (only because of the high temps and no rain), the squirrels ARE gathering nuts and I have the ac running, curtains drawn and candles burning....it's Fall in my little world!

For years I have made cornbread in muffin tins with the cupcake liners and when you peeled off the liner half of the cornbread went with it. FINALLY....I tried making it in a pan....DUH! So much easier...now there's actually something to put that butter on!

Dessert is on the way! The strawberries are hulled, rinsed and draining. I don't remember having to "hull" strawberries when I was younger but then they weren't the size of apples either!

This is torn up angle food cake on the bottom covered with a combo of whipped topping, sugar and cream cheese

Ta Dah! These are fresh strawberries tossed with a strawberry glaze.

This is Gunline coffee....I usually drink only 1 cup of coffee in the morning and then water the rest of the day but even taking my vitamins I've had an afternoon slump. I'm hoping this will take care of it! I found this recipe on www.allrecipes.com and the original recipe makes 80 servings....I just made one to see if I'd like it and I do! It's a nice pick me up made with real instant coffee but I also have some decaf on hand in case I want one in the evening.

Ok.....I'm staying BUSY!!!!

2010-08-09T15:28:00.000-07:00

I know many of you may hate ironing but to me it is like meditating.....calming, soothing and VERY relaxing and sometimes I can actually solve a problem or do some great thinking while I am ironing....washing dishes is about the same, and hanging clothes outside and digging in the dirt and folding fresh clothes off the line or out of the dryer. My best thing to do where I really shut out the world and would get "in the zone" as they like to say was when I was riding my horses but alas...they're gone and I have none to ride but oh do I remember that feeling.

I could blog all day....but "my girls" are wanting din-din...forget about me....it's all about them!

I made this picture over 30 years ago for my Mother. Since she is gone it is back in my hands. I am wanting to hang it on my new yellow hallway wall but could not find my drywall hooks OR my Command hangers,,,,DARN! BTW I never noticed it had dogwood flowers on it....my Mom LOVED cardinals and at the time she was not living in AR but she moved here and now I am here and that is the state flower I think...if not it should be! Anyway...coincidence?

Here is the fireplace DVD I got on clearance with an aquarium one. Of course on the DVD it is an actual fire with movement and snaps and crackles. It has music or not, snaps and crackles or not and you can pick just one or have them change over time to other fireplaces. I think this is "the nuts" except with heat advisories out for our area this is not one I will be watching right now but I can't wait until the "snow flies" for this one! I have a real fireplace but it is in the family room. I can now have a fireplace in my bedroom! Check out www.screendreamsdvd.com You will not regret it....ahhhhh

I got this and the fireplace DVD on clearance and LOVE them! This has like 8 different scenes, you can pick one or have them change over time, there is music or sound effects or both. Very calming and I always wanted an aquarium but this is no work involved and no heartbreak when the fish die! BTW my cat REALLY likes this one!

I don't know about you but when I am dealing with any issue of any kind I try to "work it out" by "working it off". I am definitely not "focused" right now but I keep moving and doing mundane tasks until I am "okay" or as good as I'm going to get! Ha! Ha! So...here are some the mundanes I did today.

I have WAY too many projects going on!!!

2010-08-05T18:08:00.000-07:00

I made up this little notebook to try and stay on top of just one area of my life and projects. Hopefully, it will help me remember which material is for what project!?!? It may take me a while to figure it all out and some material I may always wonder about.

OH....so pretty!!!! New material!!!! Now that's gotta make a girl feel good! I have a class to teach (long story) on a sewing project I've never done (a little misunderstanding somewhere along the line) so I found the pattern and got some material and need to get going on it so I have a "finished item" to show and can demonstrate my knowledge and mastery of the topic (choke). How DO I get myself into these things?

Trying to organize bills and budget.....I didn't pay them but they're organized! There was a money program on Oprah one day that stated that no more than 35% of your income should go to housing and the cost of living there, 15% to transportation, and 25% to the rest of your life. You should be saving 10% of your income and only have 15% monthly debt. You can check her website at www.oprah.com for details. Easy for Oprah! I'll check MY numbers tomorrow...enough for today.

Here he is again...evidently wanting me to focus on my Brocante Home Housekeeper's Planner which is actually not a bad idea!

The Roaming Gnome is bossier than he is helpful! He just stands around with his hands in his pockets and stares at me reminding me subliminally of all my unfinished projects...pick up a paintbrush bro!

Okay....where are those people that complain about being "bored"? I would be more than willing to SHARE with them because I have never been bored in my life! I could live 9 lives, like a cat, and STILL never get it all done! I have too many interests is the problem on top of the fact that there are things that HAVE to be done if I want to keep the neighbors, the government and the IRS away from my door. I do love my life but servants would be nice.

My sweet tooth was calling.......

2010-08-04T17:42:00.000-07:00

All my BEST recipes are in here! Mary Englebreit...no less! I think this was my first ME item I ever got.....LOVE!!!!!

Ingredients at the ready!

My trusty Kitchen Aide mixer creaming the butter and sugar.

Fresh out of the oven....need to cut into squares while still warm.

Ta Dah! All ready to eat!

These are my Jan Hagen cookies that I have made for over 30 years I think....one of my fav's. If anyone out there knows who the heck Jan Hagen is I would be interested....I have no idea who she is or where I got this recipe! But if anyone wants to make them, here follows the recipe:

Jan Hagen Cookies

1 C butter
1 C sugar
1 egg yolk
1 egg white
2 C flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I always use pecans...another fav)

Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg yolk and mix. Sift flour and cinnamon together and gradually add to mixture. Spread dough on a cookie sheet ( my cookie sheets are HUGE so it only covers about half but any port in a storm you know....if you have a regular sized cookie sheet like any normal person would it will work just fine). Brush on a film of egg white. Sprinkle on the nuts and bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. Cut into squares while hot and let cool. (If you don't cut them while hot you will never get them out of there without a big mess on your hands....guess I how I know that.)

Do you love "before and afters" like I do?

2010-08-03T13:08:00.000-07:00

This is the "before " picture and I know it doesn't look that bad but it was....in fact it took 2 coats of white because I realized after I got going that they had never sealed the ceiling! AHHH!!!! What were they thinking! Of course I washed it first but I kept wondering why the paint was coming off....it wasn't paint it was drywall skim coat or whatever they call it.

See how much better it looks! It really does...trust me on this one! And I washed the light and even was able to fit a CFL bulb in there.

Okay....here is a better before and after/side-by-side picture....that wall is really mint green,,,,BOY! Do I ever need a new camera or is it my pc? I think it's the pc although it's fairly new too!

This is my new YELLOW wall.....I thought it would be more a cream yellow and actually it looks that way in the picture but it is more a lemon soufle color and now I am thinking maybe I should have gone more golden.....hmmmm? And the whitish glow is evidently from the sunshine coming in across the room....it really looks better in person....really. AND...it feels clean, looks clean and just knowing it is clean is a motivation in itself!

I ran out of batteries on my camera so was delayed in posting but it is just as well since I did not have the "after" until this morning! LOL! I am painting my hallway ceiling and walls but can only manage to do a little at a time since I have 50 BILLION other projects going at the same time but I was determined to get something slapped on those walls! I always us TSP (trisodium phosphate) to wash the walls and ceiling first. It cuts through grease and grime and literally dulls up the surface a bit so new paint adheres really well and since these walls and ceilings have not been done since the house was built some 30 or more years ago you can imagine how badly they needed it. I painted 2 coats of ceiling white on the ceiling after washing and "cutting in" and I used this new ceiling paint that goes on pinkish/purplish so you can tell where you've painted and also when it is dry it turns white so you can tell when you can recoat....not worth it. It's actually sort of a pain. The only thing that was nice was the new lids they come with. This was Dutch Boy paint I got at Walmart and the lids are screw on and off and a pour lip and no drip spout! That was worth the price of admission right there! I had to put 2 coats on the ceiling because I don't think they ever sealed it!!!! What were they thinking??? I will keep you up to date on this project as it keeps me motivated if I know I have to answer to my blog friends! LOL!

Sorry I haven't been here......

2010-07-31T12:38:00.000-07:00

That little knome has been a little high maintenance but I think he's settling in and his traveling days are over....he's decided to stay here. One of his cousins is taking over for him at Travelocity so you'll probably be seeing a lot more of him around here.

Maenwhile, life has been very exciting and emotionally charged for me lately. I came in contact with my Father's family who I never knew. I really never knew my Father either because my parents divorced when I was 18 months old. He has since passed and I never even had seen a picture of him but once and it disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Anyway my new family is SO NICE....they are just delightful, so kind and receptive and welcoming and I hope to meet them all some day. AND.....I found out (this is pretty exciting for an only child)...that I have 2 half-brothers too! One has already passed away but there is one still living out in California and I have his phone number but I'm a little hesitant to call since I am sure he doesn't know about me and surprises at our age could send you to the hospital! LOL! But here is a picture of my father, the only picture I have....pardon the candlestick in front of him. He is SO handsome! I think he looks like George Clooney!!!!

You'll NEVER guess who stopped by yesterday!?!?!?!?

2010-07-29T13:43:00.000-07:00

Do you believe it???? The Roaming Knome from Travelocity!!!!! I heard a knock at the door and there he was! We visited awhile and then had a light supper and he retired early. All that traveling around the world I imagine does tire one out. He didn't mention how long he's staying but I have a feeling he likes it here so we'll see. I need to go the grocery store...does anyone know what knomes like to eat? Any special dietary requirements?