OMG! I forgot to blog...I get so entranced with others blogs I forget my own!

Remember the other day when I said I was going to Wal-Mart?  Well, I didn't, but I did go yesterday and got a few magazines and one came in the mail!  Just in time for the weekend and "kickin' back"....yeah right...I'm retired...every day is the weekend! LOL!  But you do have to be a little self-disciplined in order to stay on top of things.  Retirement isn't all it's cracked up to be....all that FREE time?  You end up spending catching up on all the sleep you DIDN'T get for the last 60+ years, you can't eat anything yummy and you must exercise constantly or you'll drop dead or is it the other way around?  Anyway, for those of you who are not retired, I just don't want you to think it's all fun and games.

Oh....here's those magazines I picked up......all good ones too!



Why did I stop subscribing to this?  I always buy it when I see it at the store....DUH!

They stopped publishing this magazine which I adored but this is a special decorating issue.  I'm hoping they're testing the waters and going to make a comeback.

This is a special Teatime edition of Victoria magazine.  It's all full of tea and crumpets and scones!  Yummmm...I think I'll be baking this week!

This is my subscription to Mary Jane's Farm magazine which I could never be without.  Look at her....the woman never ages....no jowls, no chicken skin on the neck....what's up with that...it's just not natural.
Okay, so you can see how my weekend is going to be spent...today is beautiful and I have clothes hanging outside in the Spring breeze but tomorrow is a different story...cold, rainy, windy which means my corned beef and cabbage will be simmering on the stove all day, there'll be a fire in the fireplace to chase the cold and damp away and I'll be "crafting" and reading those magazines and having a cozy Sunday!  I wish you a joy filled weekend!

I feel like Snow White but without the elves! LOL!

Remember Snow White and how she found the cabin in the woods all dirty and messy from all those elves?  And remember how she cleaned it up so nice and made it so cozy?  Well, I felt like SnowWhite yesterday except the elves didn't make the mess....I did!  Along with some help from the Shed girls.....Nitty and Annie....shedding all over the place.  In fact....they've been in Doggie Daycare for a week now and they're not happy! Can you tell?

They've been relegated to "the porch" which is mud room, root cellar and pantry in the winter.  Nitty won't even look at me (she's on the left..the big girl) and Annie...well, just look at that face...it says it all.  They usually have the run of the house but they are shedding profusely even though they get special oil capsules and get brushed daily and coinciding with that I am trying to do my Spring Cleaning.  The timing is really bad!  So, I solved it by putting them in what I call "Doggie Daycare"!  It also keeps them from underfoot as Nitty likes to lay in doorways....she's my "guard" dog so she will always lay between me and where ever anyone might possibly come between us which is every doorway so you can imagine when I'm trying to  clean and running around the house how it impinges on my productivity and efficiency.  So, off they go to Doggie Daycare!

Below is a picture of them plotting how they're going to get back at me....they'll "make me pay"!  (Usually in pricey treats and such.) Oh, and did I tell you they ignore me and pout?  Oh yeah!

OMG!  If looks could kill!  That's pure evil that look!

Here's the dreaded gate that keeps them in side what they perceive to be Doggie Daycare hell........I do have a little heater out there but it's not THAT hot!

They'll get over it!  but  meanwhile I got some serious cleaning done!  Look at this...and laundry too! LOL!

 

I also got THEIR beds washed and dried.....trust me, I would never have gotten all of this done if it hadn't been for "Doggie Daycare"!  

Spingtime...second installment!

Yes siree....it truly is Springtime here, take a look if you don't believe me!

 

This Bradford Pear tree was hit by lightning twice that I know of then lost branches due to wind but every Spring it blossoms and gives a beautiful show regardless!  In fact, I like it's free-form shape better than the
"perfect" ones they use for landscaping.

I put the camera in "closeup" mode but it doesn't seem to work but look at the sweet flowers in the background with their perfect pink centers.  These are the Bradford Pear flowers.  This is not an edible pear tree but it does get pretty little brownish green fruits in the Fall that I use for decorating.  

Hurray!  Storm clouds are  moving in!  We need rain badly!

 Even the woods are "greening up"!

So, it's official!  I'm glad I took these pictures yesterday as it is raining today but no threat of severe weather  so far (whew!) just a nice rain and an occasional thunder.  I'm happy for the rain as we have been in high fire danger for a week or more and there have been some fires in AR but not near us, thank goodness!  With the high winds we had these last few days it would have been impossible to contain a fire if one started.   I am pretty much surrounded by woods here so you can see my concern!  But the rains came and I am grateful!  Happy Springtime!

Cleaning and creating seems to be the order of the day..........

I've been cleaning more than usual lately....not that I shouldn't but it does seem to be in my genes more so at this particular time of year.  I think it is so I will be free to go outside and do yard work soon! LOL!  Double-duty in the summer time!  I cleaned bathrooms yesterday and even scrubbed the floors on my hands and knees...actually I sat down...the knees can't handle it anymore unless I have knee pads on.  Yep, I do have some great Black and Decker knee pads if I need them.  A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do!
I also made a nice dinner of chicken with rice and turnip greens which I love.  My favorite are mustard greens but not seasoned just butter and salt.  I was going to fix bacon wrapped chicken breasts in the crock pot.  A great sounding recipe from Aunt Nubby's Kitchen.  She's a retired teacher who has the greatest cooking blog!  I didn't have the right ingredients though and I didn't want to go to the store so I made do with what I had.  It was good but I definitely want to try the crock pot recipe with bacon...I LOVE bacon!

I take little breaks during my "work" and either visit blogs or sit and knit.  I've been knitting quite a bit lately and really pleased with my progress and proficiency as I still consider myself a novice.  Here's my scarf I started last week.  I've finished one skein of 2 so I guess I'm halfway done.  The picture looks like it's narrower at the far end but it's not.  It's an illusion, like a picture of railroad tracks that seem to get narrower and closer together the farther down the track you look....really!

 I love the Noro transition yarns that change color auto-magically without me having to do a thing.  It's like a surprise when you're knitting to see it changing colors.  That's all for now...signing off as I have to go to recycling today and Wal-Mart before the 2 days of rain and storms they're predicting!  Have a great day....I'll be visiting you all when I get back from the store as Wal-Mart shopping makes me too tired to do anything else! LOL!

In the days before Pinterest...........

Before Pinterest came along I used to make "dream boards" and actually still do especially for things that are very important to me and that I need to be reminded of constantly so that I can keep them in the forefront of my life's priorities.  Below is an example which hangs on my closet door in my bedroom that I see every time I go in there which is definitely multiple times a day. 

 

Sorry for the "ripples" but it was done with a glue stick which is not the best...and it's been hanging here for a few years now.  I would use ModPodge now and get a bigger piece of cardboard or posterboard.

This is only one segment of my "dreams" but this woman, Pinky was determined to find her home in the country and that is my goal too.  Her decorating was right up my alley especially the kitchen as I do not want the standard cupboards they offer today.  I really want an old kitchen with more furniture than cupboards. 

And she portioned off a corner of her "living room" for a library corner and table and chairs.  I love the colors in that room....orange walls and dark green trim....edgy!  Love it!  But she also dilineated that space and across the room on the other side of the door it's a different color....like teachers separate their classrooms into different activity centers.

The screened in porch above is wonderful and used just like another room when weather permits.  These are all important to me...screened in porch, hardwood floors (no carpeting allowed!),2 story, basement, fireplace or wood burning stove, beautiful views of countryside, ability to see sunrises and sunsets, acreage to raise some animals and garden..........

Above is the bathroom with light streaming in (love big windows with lots of light coming in but cute curtains to pull closed when it's cold or stormy out to make it feel cozy) and a claw foot tub which I've always wanted.  I think my colors would be a bit brighter; I'm not really a pastel kinda gal....bright and bold is more my style, vintage and cottage would best describe me with a little primitive or lodge thrown in for good measure! LOL!  

  So, now that there's Pinterest.....I better get busy making some more "Dream Boards".  If you need an invite to Pinterest just let me know.  Maybe they've changed but when I got into it you had to be invited not because it's a snobby thing but so they could be prepared  for the amount of people logging on without anyone feeling response time issues.  Inspiration overload!  Now, if they could just find a way to motivate me as much as they inspire me!  

Made these over the weekend......addictive!

Okay, so it doesn't look like much here but let me tell you......if you want an easy, fast delicious dessert here's your answer!  It's really a cross between a cookie and candy but who's quibbling?

I got this recipe on All Recipes where I almost always go as they are rated, reviewed and you can change the quantity if you want plus they have nutritional information which, in this case, you  may not want to look at.
Here's the recipe:

 

Servings  (Help)

USMetricCalculate

Original Recipe Yield 1 cookie sheetful

 

Ingredients

• 4 ounces saltine crackers
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
2. Line cookie sheet with saltine crackers in single layer.
3. In a saucepan combine the sugar and the butter. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Immediately pour over saltines and spread t cover crackers completely.
4. Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Let sit for 5 minutes. Spread melted chocolate and top with chopped nuts. Cool completely and break into pieces.

Nutritional Information 

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 150 | Total Fat: 10.2g | Cholesterol: 14mg

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I used my big cookie sheet and I covered it in foil and then put parchment paper on top of that for non-stick and easy cleanup and it was.

I just noticed the amount it makes.....35....thank goodness I shared some of those calories with my friends yesterday!  Whew!