Friday - August 10, 2018.

Yesterday I cleaned and redecorated my family room for Summer....yes, I'm a little late.  I really wanted to start decorating for Fall but I thought that might be pushing it a bit.  Summer here seems to last forever.  I don't really have many decorations for Summer but I do have a lot of chickens so I used them...........

I love lights but had no 'Summer' lights so I found some pink ones....they'll have to do...........I have an old lid from a can I can't find but I love the cherries on it so I added that to my Summery decor.........and,  of course,  candles for that Hygge effect.........

Here are some of the 'flock'...............

I also added some 'canned goods' which are really candles..........and some 'blue' birds..............

Here's the rooster of all roosters!  My Aunt made this and it is beautiful!

There's a bowl of wool 'strawberries' on the white shelf and a garage sale lamp with flowers on it.  Come to think of it, most everything I own, including furniture, is either from a thrift store, auction or garage sale, or I made it myself or it was a gift! LOL!  I love my 'antiques' and treasures.

Here's the other side of the fireplace and mantel..remember the frosted pumpkin was hanging there?  He'll be back before long!  See that orange chicken on top of the books in front of the picture?  My daughter made that when she was in school and now she's an art teacher and mother herself.  I love that chicken....it was the beginning of my chicken collection.
And yes, that is a little lit up Christmas tree in the corner to remind me to keep Christmas in my heart each day of the year!

Today was Finance Friday and I did work on finances today!  Also, it was Fall Friday and I worked on my Pumpkin Spice Farm cross stitch............I cannot believe how much I am enjoying cross stitch after all these years apart!  I used to cross stitch years (30-40) ago but I don't think I enjoyed it nearly as much as I do now.   It could be the retirement! LOL!  

 It's also Fix-it Friday so I will be mending tonight!
  I have plans and ingredients to make Mediterranean Chicken with Pepperoncini and Kalamata Olives tomorrow in the crock pot.  I got the recipe on All Recipes.  I am trying to use what I have, eat as healthy as possible while still enjoying food and clear out my freezer too.  I only needed a lemon and some sour cream.  I have everything else.  It's supposed to rain this weekend so I think a crock pot meal is always cozy and you know I am all about 'the cozy'! LOL!
Have a great Friday night!
Happy Trails!!!  

Wednesday - August 8, 2018.

It's Witchy Wednesday so I pulled out my 'scaredy cat' and did some work on it...1 thread over 40 count and I can't believe I'm doing it! 

 Besides regular maintenance around the homestead here, I vacuumed some today and then made a Peach Cream Pie.........

Here's the recipe if you're interested..............another easy delicious one if I do say so myself.  Actually the name is :

Peaches and Cream Cheesecake
Grease bottom and sides of a 9 or 10 inch deep dish pie pan.  Put the following ingredients in a large mixing bowl (Kitchen Aid  if you have one)
3/4 C flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 1/4 oz package of Cook and Serve dry vanilla pudding mix (NOT INSTANT)
3 Tablespoons softened butter
1 egg
1/2 C milk (I used almond milk)
Combine all together and beat 2 minutes at medium speed.  Poor into prepared pie dish.
1 15-20 oz can of sliced peaches or pineapple chunks well drained. I used fresh peaches I had frozen but defrosted. Reserve the juice!
Place the fruit over the batter then using the same bowl mix together 8 oz cream cheese softened , 1/2 C of sugar and 3 tablespoons of the reserved juice.  Spread this over the top of the fruit and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.   Enjoy!

Happy Trails

Monday - August 6, 2018

Today was hot and humid and in the 90's so I got out early this morning to do some work.  I dumped dirt  into my trough as the dirt level  had gone down quite a bit you can see where the red and the white lines are.  It needs more but that was enough for today...........

I had one bag of mulch left from Spring so I did a little weeding and tried to make the one bag go as far as I could which wasn't very far!  They stop selling mulch here in the Spring so I'll have to get some at Lowes when I go to Mountain Home this month.

I need to transplant some of the monkey grass as it does really well in dry conditions.

I thought I lost my garlic chives but I think these are them!  Once the tree came down everything started growing again....

And look at the "magic' lilies!  Aren't they pretty?  The reason they're magic is because they shoot out of the ground almost instantaneously and the next day they bloom!  Magic!

Grace isn't feeling good which scares me after that whole liver issue I went through with her.  She slept in her bed and never crawled in with me last night which she usually does and she's been sleeping all day today.  Her nose is warm so something is wrong but she did eat a bit so I'm hoping she'll bounce back.

I worked on my budget today but not much and need to do more later....I can only take that stuff in small bites! LOL!  It was supposed to be done on Financial Friday but that didn't happen.  I'm trying to get things on a schedule...everything. 

It was also Merry Monday so I started another free cross  stitch pattern by Little House Needleworks and you can get it on her website.  I didn't get too far but I'll work on it tonight too....great for watching Dr. Blake's Mysteries which I love!

I hope you had a great Monday and enjoy your evening too!
Happy Trails!!!

YOP Week #6

I started lots of fun projects but did some 'sloppy' knitting this week. Here are my goals I set for this past week:
1)  Keep searching for the I Spy quilts and my Folk Art quilt - I'm erasing this goal as they are evidently in hiding and will only show up when I stop searching.
2)  *Finish the first Felici sock - I mean it....finish it and start the 2nd sock! Accomplished this...this was the 'sloppy knitting I was referring to.  There are gaps and just sloppy stitches for what reason I do not know other than I was 'rusty'.  It's not the yarn as others have raved about it and I had no trouble with it.  I've used the pattern before but I think with the next pair I will go back to Susan Anderson's basic sock pattern or her Smooth Operator.  Hopefully washing them and blocking will help.

 3)  *Finish the next pattern repeat on the Falling Leaves scarf (20 rows) - completed this goal and I an loving this project but it is definitely not to be done in front of the t.v. or when I am tired.  I didn't need to utilize the 'lifeline' on these 20 rows so I took it out and put in another one before I start the next 20 rows. 

4)  Cut and sew up my daughter's Frida Kahlo basket
5)  Sew soles unto slippers
6)  Cut material for next pickle dish and get started sewing it
7)  cut binding for Sampler quilt
8)  cut pillowcase material
9)  do finishing sewing on 4th of July pillow - for sure!

I did nothing on goals 4 through 9.....but I am hoping to have a sewing/cutting session this afternoon.  The problem is I can pick up handwork easily for a 15 minute break but sewing requires a commitment of time and action which at the end of the day I am not willing to make.  I just want to recline  and do handwork.

10) start embroidery on PINS pin cushion - I did start this and enjoyed it............it's been years since I've embroidered so I need to hone my skills for sure but not bad for my first try.  This is a project for me so imperfections will not bother me.  I'll get better with practice.

I did update Ravelry this week...finally but I need to again after starting all these projects.  I know it's not for other 'crafts' besides knitting, crocheting and spinning but I manage to put them in there anyway and why Ravelry doesn't expand to other 'fiber arts' I don't know.  Most knitters and crocheters I know also do other crafts.
I watched Adelaid Cottage podcast and also Priscilla and Chelsea.  Adelaid Cottage is having a Harry Potter blanket KAL or CAL and I haven't committed to it ...yet.........but you know how I love blankets!  I did participate in the weekly themed x-stitch SAL's with Priscilla and Chelsea....that includes Witchy Wednesday where I started this Halloween Cat............

    Fall Friday I started this Pumpkin Spice Farm.......

and for Stars and Stripes Saturday I was supposed to 'finish'/sew my 4th of July small pillow ornament but instead I started this.............

Here's a better picture of my few stitches............

and for Santa Sunday I started this one...............another small item.........most of these last ones were free patterns on the internet............

Then there's Merry Monday but I haven't done that one yet.  The objective is that you actually accomplish more finished items by having multiple projects and working on them regularly.  It keeps you motivated and not bored with being monogomous where you get tired of working on one thing and never finish it.  That's the theory anyway and for me it works...I think.  It's not everyone's cup of tea but I am enjoying the variety so far.  As for the days in between there are other SAL's and there are a few I am very interested in.  There are some pay for patterns for farm themes and bee themes and a Christmas village and some beautiful alphabet samplers I would love to make.  Thank goodness my budget won't allow me to spend too much!  I definitely need to keep working on the crafts room so I will have room for all these new projects! LOL! 

Here are my goals for this coming week:
1)  Start on Merry Monday x-stitch
2)  Finish cuff and leg down to heel of sock #2
3)  Finish the next pattern repeat on the Falling Leaves scarf (20 rows)
4)  Cut and sew up my daughter's Frida Kahlo basket
5)  Sew soles unto slippers
6)  Cut material for next pickle dish and get started sewing it
7)  cut binding for Sampler quilt
8)  cut pillowcase material
9)  do finishing sewing on 4th of July pillow - for sure!
10) work on finishing letter "P" on pins embroidery
11) work on Witchy Wednesday x-stitch
12) work on Fall Friday x-stitch
13) work on Stars and Stripes Saturday x-stitch
14) work on Santa Sunday x-stitch
15) work on hexies for Pickle Dish block #3

That should do it for this week folks!  I hope you had a wonderful week and enjoyed working on your projects.  Please stop by and see all the other fantastic projects that other  YOP'ers are working on.
Happy Trails!!!