Friday fun and shopping and Saturday outdoors!

Friday Fun & Shopping:

I'm sorry I didn't blog yesterday but all day I felt like I was playing Beat The Clock for any of you that remember that old game show! LOL!  I took Grace to the groomer in Ash Flat and had to sign papers at the vet next door to have her anesthetized as she has never had a bath or nails clipped or a body hair cut.  I didn't want her stressed out.  I went to Walmart after that as it is in the same town.  I got some 'fun' things.....well, fun for me.........they had Fall mums!!!

I couldn't resist, plus, they had this beautiful coleus plant the likes of which I  have never seen!  Isn't it gorgeous?  It says Fall all over it!

Then I bought some trim paint..........it's interior or exterior but I am using it inside...............I looked at white but it was so bright I didn't think I would like it.....I'm such a yellow person anyway that I thought cream would be best...............we shall see......

I also bought some chalkboard paint as I am wanting to paint a door either in my laundry room or my kitchen so I can write things I need at the store when I run out.  I have a little white board on my frig but I think the chalkboard would be nicer for a real inventory. 

and of course I needed paint supplies...............

and some Fall scents in candles...............

I got some potting soil too because I always re-pot my houseplants outside in the Fall before Winter rolls in.

When I came home I went up town and got my prescription and then came home and cleaned up the house a bit.  The lawn mower guy was coming in the afternoon sometime but the garage was open and the mower was there so I knew even if I wasn't there he would still fix it.  I was concerned about the dryer repair guy though as he was coming between 3 and 4 p.m. and I had to pick  up Grace from the groomer and they close at 5.  It's a good 50-60 minute drive round trip.  I was worried about the logistics so at 2:00 p.m. I called the groomer and they said she wasn't totally dry but that they were finished and I could come and pick her up.  I got back home about 2:57 and the lawn mower guy was working on the mower.  It was just a spark plug so it wasn't expensive...whew!  He left and then the dryer repair man came.  Get this.....he was able to sodder the mother board and get the dryer working for a total of $168.00 and it is guaranteed for 90 days!  No $70.00 trip charge and $400.00 mother board replacement!!!!  So, if you have a front loading dryer and you don't want to pay $470 to get it fixed.....recommend that they sodder it!  We'll see how long it lasts but the repair guy said they do it all the time and have not had any problems.  I was doing my happy dance!  If I had known about this repair man before I would not have gone 2 years without a dryer! LOL!  Yippee!!!

Saturday Outdoors:
Today, I mowed!  Finally!  It looks like a hay field out there but it's done!

My Fall clematis is blooming...........one of my old clothes poles is underneath that huge plant!

We have cooler temps......60's at night and 80's during the day............no more 90's!  Yay!!!!  No humidity either.  All the flowers are very happy and doing well...........

Here are my sweet william and zinnias from seed............in my old horse trough

This is what they call monkey grass down here...not sure what it's real name is but it is native I think.

This is my plant that I over wintered and I can't believe it survived as it is an annual..........

My vegetables did poorly this year...every year actually.................since I moved down here...a few beans and more flowers but not enough to make one serving!  Only a few tomatoes too...very bad gardening for me this year. 

So, that was outdoors today and I still need to water outside.  I hope you are enjoying your Saturday and I hope all are safe from Hurricane Harvey!  We will probably get the rain from it later this week.
Happy Trails!!!

Thursday - Recipes, Cooking and Baking!

I'm having problems with Google again!  I sent a problem report and if it gets fixed soon I will blog else I will have to wait.....so sorry!
Happy Trails....anyway!
Okay..they fixed it fast and I am back in business!  Thank you Google for your fast problem solving!
I made a typical Fall meal this week but I just couldn't wait!  It is one of my favorite Fall meals and it is from the cookbook and essay book by Robin Mather.  "How I lost my job, buried a marriage and found my way by keeping chickens, foraging, preserving, bartering, and eating locally (all on forty dollars a week)."  I highly recommend this book not only for the beautiful writing and story but for the wonderful recipes which all come with their own unique tale.  The name of the book is The Feast Nearby.................

 

The recipe is Baked Acorn Squash with Sausage and Maple Syrup.......

This recipe makes 4 servings

"This simple dinner is easy and delicious.  My mother usually served Waldorf Salad with baked squash---the crunchy apple-celery-nut salad was a good companion to the baked squash's silky richness, and it's cool-weather flavors seemed to go well, too.  My father especially loved this dish; I can see him rubbing his hands together in gleeful, greedy anticipation of one of his favorite dinners."

I totally understand her father's feelings about this meal!

***BTW, I did not have the sage sausage...mine was just plain so I added some sage on top***) 

2 acorn squash

1 pound bulk sage pork breakfast sausage

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

Using a very sharp knife, prepare the squash by cutting them in half from stem end to stern.  Scoop out and discard the seeds and fibers.  Turn the squash over; cut a small flat slice from the bottom of each squash half so it will sit squarely in a baking dish.  Place the squash halves in a baking dish large enough to hold them.

Divide the pork sausage into four portions,  Pack the cavity of each squash half with pork sausage.  Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the maple syrup over the pork sausage in each squash half (***I can only ever fit 1 tablespoon of syrup in each squash half***).  Add 1 inch of water to the baking dish around the squash halves.  Cover the dish with aluminum foil.

Bake for 1 hour (***I always have to cook it for 2 hours***), or until the squash is tender when pierced with a knife.  

Serve immediately.

I take the pork sausage out and cut it up on a plate and scrape the squash out of it's skin and mash it and cover it with butter and a little salt! Yummy!  You could also pour a bit of maple syrup on it too!

I too,  make a Waldorf Salad to go with this dish...........I found a recipe by Penny on All Recipes but I changed it some to suit my tastes........... 

Penny stated "This traditional salad is delicious, and you can vary the ingredients to your preference.  Try adding diced, roasted chicken to make this salad a meal!" 

Sam's Waldorf Salad

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 apples cored and diced (I don't peel them but you can)

1 cup thinly sliced celery

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup of craisins (dried cranberries)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, lemon juice, and salt.  Stir in the apples, celery, pecans, and craisins (dried cranberries).  Chill until ready to serve.

I hope you enjoy this meal if you make it and the book if you buy it!

Happy Trails!!!

Wednesday Decorating.............

There's been a little change in plans...as always!  The eye doctor called and my glasses were ready!  So, I took off for Mountain Home...again,  as tomorrow the appliance repair guy comes and Friday Grace goes to the groomer.........so you see I had no choice as I could not possibly wait until Monday for my new red glasses!
So this decorating episode will be about decorating my face!  Are you ready?  BTW.....the minute I put them on they were perfect!  No adjustments were even necessary....these glasses were always meant to be mine!  LOVE!!!!

They also came in a snazzy case!  Pink and orange.............

and look at the inside...............too cute!  Gotta love that Kate Spade!  I find that the older I get the more color I need...to spruce myself up............all my natural color is gone!

I also got a new pair of Cocoons which are sunglasses that fit over your regular glasses..........

I've had these before and love them..........I'm not into transitions glasses as I need them darker than that....I just wanted regular sunglasses..............and these are good ones!

And now you see why I would also make a great Ms. Claus with my chubby cheeks....lol!
So today's decorating was about self decorating..........I hope you weren't disappointed!  I promise next Wednesday will be about 'real' home decorating!
Happy Trails!!!

A New Schedule for my blog..........

I am a list person, a planner and I like a schedule so to that end I am going to try and schedule each day of the week for a different blog topic but the weeks will be the same.  Here's a little preview.......

Sunday will be the Year of Projects which is all about crafting and handmade
Monday will be Book Date and all related topics
Tuesday will be cleaning and organizing
Wednesday will be decorating
Thursday will be recipes, cooking and baking
Friday will be fun and shopping
Saturday will be outdoors (weather permitting)

What do you think?  Please give me your thoughts on this.  It will help me to be accountable for all those areas so it is a little bit of a motivator for me.  It may not always go according to plan like today;  I had to go to Mountain Home to the foot doctor but my toe is healing well, no more soaking and dressing every day and I don't have to go back unless there's a problem.  Yay!  It took all morning but I was back by 12:30 as storms were expected (nothing yet and it is 2:30!)  I was going to stop at Lowes and get a new garbage can but decided to fore go to miss any storms. 
This post will not include daily chores just special projects and today there won't be much but I did make some progress.........this is a dirty wall in my laundry room..........a really dirty wall as there was an accordion style peg unit that was there and I took it down.  This was not easy as my father had evidently nailed it into the wall with headless nails that took a kitchen knife and a claw foot hammer to get it off the wall.  I forgot to take a before picture and it went out in the garbage today so it is already 'gone'!  Yay!  I'm starting in the laundry room but really it will be the hardest room as I can't move the washer or dryer or the water softener that is in there.  I know what needs to be done but it's 'logistics'! LOL!  There is also a door to the outside in there and a linoleum floor that Annie chewed up when she first arrived here.  Woe is me!  If I had money I would just hire it done but right now it is not the priority.  But I will forge ahead and get it as clean and organized as I can right now.  This was the first step.

I also cleaned my cleaning tote and restocked it with my essentials and rags so it's ready to go.  I do need more spray bottles which I will pick up next time I go to the Dollar Tree.  I make almost all my own cleaning supplies and laundry detergent.  At some point I will publish the recipes for those on my sidebar for those who might be interested.

Some of the resources I have found that I really like for cleaning are:

I would highly recommend you get the book version though and not the Kindle as it is really a reference after you read the book and it is difficult on my tablet to go back and find areas in the book.  Maybe a real Kindle is different but I have an Acer tablet.  I also love Debbie Nobodyneedstoknow videos on You Tube which are excellent for specific cleaning jobs.  Both of these gals have their own cleaning services and if they don't know nobody does! LOL!
I also printed off cleaning checklists from Martha Stewart 
These are really helpful to remind me of what to clean and when.
Another very helpful site was this one
about cleaning top to bottom.  When it comes to organizing I don't think anyone can top this book.......by A Bowl Full of Lemons....a pretty famous blogger............again, I got this on my tablet but I would suggest the hard copy for books like this...........it is excellent!

 That's it for my first post about cleaning and organizing.......I know I didn't get a lot done today but I did do something and it may be baby steps but I call it progress! LOL!
If you have any books, resources or suggestions for me please let me know.  Am I the only one that struggles to keep my house clean and organized?  Any tips would certainly be appreciated!
Happy Trails!


 

 

What are you reading, listening to and or watching?

I am linking to Kathryn over at www.bookdate.blogspot.com

I have finished reading The Hungry Ocean and it was excellent!  I highly recommend it if you like non-fiction that reads better than fiction. 4 or 5 stars!

 So, for my non-fiction I am reading Drunk, Divorced and Covered in Cat Hair.........funny and poignant........this is my second read before I get rid of it............definitely 4 stars

My new fiction is this one and I would do the Amazon review but I am finding some of these reviews tell the whole darn story!  So, I am leaving them out!  I don't even want to read them.....they are truly 'spoilers'!

I am still reading Pioneer Woman magazine......it's very good but I am slow and tired lately at night......she's got some great recipes I want to try though and some involve Dr. Pepper!

As for what I have been listening to?  Daily Hope with Pastor Rick Warren but not nearly enough!
I did watch Pride and Prejudice with Collin Firth as Mr. Darcy...........now I  understand what everyone was talking about!  Excellent!  I watched the most recent episode of Ruby Moss Cottage podcast which I adore!  I also love The Little Tailoress and Stitched in Sweden but I am caught up.  I've listened to some Cubs games and a few pre-season football games on the radio which are great for doing cross stitch. I also started watching Sex in the City which I had never seen before....it's pretty forward so not sure how far I will get but it is the younger generation and they are making me feel pretty old and stodgy! LOL!  I think that's about it for this week.  Next week I will be including new blogs and websites with this post.
What are you reading, listening to and/or watching?
Happy Trails!

YOP Week #8

How is everyone this week?  We are still in the single digit weeks of YOP and I feel like this might be my best year yet!  I know it's too early to tell but I'm off to a good start!  I have another finish this week!  2 Christmas gifts done!  Using a row marker definitely makes a difference! LOL!  But they both are functional and no money spent!

I also got the heel done on my first ever toe-up socks.  I'm not sure if I care for this method but I will finish this pair and make another pair in order to give it a fair assessment.  I am using Stylecraft Special DK acrylic as Very Pink suggests a DK weight yarn for a first pair.  I understand the German Short Row now although I'm not sure I could transfer it to another pattern that calls for a wrap and turn like the Bird of Happiness pattern I tried.  We'll see.  The shorts rows still leave a 'gap' and more than one compared to my regular sock heel.  I'm almost done and get this......I can do regular knitting without looking now! Can you believe it?  I see so many doing it so I tried and lo and behold.....I was able to do it!  Will wonders never cease?  I amaze myself sometimes!

I picked up some Warm and Natural batting for the I Spy Quilt and also backing material for all 3 quilts..............the baby size batting is just right!

Here's the backing material...............bright yellow with black dots.............perfect!

I was 'out and about' quite a bit this week and next week looks to be the same so I'm not getting a lot done but I manage to work a little bit on projects each evening............Almost done with the bottom half of the Frosted Pumpkin stitchery.

That's all for this week....hopefully by next week I will have the first toe up sock finished and be started on the second one, I'll have the bottom of the pumpkin stitchery done and be working on the top and I will have the first quilt 'sandwich' ready to be quilted or more!  That's my plan anyway...I'm hoping if I write it down here I will feel more committed to making it happen! LOL!
Happy Eclipse tomorrow and Happy Trails all week long!