Landscaping, bread making and homemade taco seasoning

I forgot to show you the red bud branches I picked the other day.   They are definitely in full bloom now and so are the dogwoods.

I have no picture of the bread that's still baking but you've seen it before.  It is my usual no-knead artisan bread.  I did manage to get some landscaping done today despite the wind which was wild today!  I had 2 big Styrofoam pots in the back yard that I wanted to use for the clematis that I had in front of the garage.  They were full of dirt so too heavy to lift so I emptied the dirt into buckets (it was organic soil) until I could lift them and get them out to the front of the house.  I weeded and raked the area and put the pots in front of the stairs with the idea that the clematis will climb up the railing.  I was tired after that and still had some things to do inside so tomorrow I will re-pot the clematis in them.

I also rearranged the bench on the front porch so my plants will get rained on when and if it rains. 
So far I only have the kale there but there will be more soon.  My seedling tomatoes are not doing well so I may have to buy plants this year.  I think I need a grow light and also individual little pots plus I need to read the Seed Planters Guide.  I always have that 'damping off' problem....and they were doing so well.....

I had a really great day yesterday too.  I went to the vet and Walmart.  I checked out the recycling center for electronics and they are open Saturday from 9-noon so I won't be having a garage sale this Saturday with the rest of the town but hopefully I will get a printer and 2 t.v.s off my hands (non-functioning) (the t.v. and printer are non-functioning....not my hands heaven forbid!). 
I had to go to the bank this morning and then I stopped and got more chili powder to make taco seasoning mix.  Once I had everything, I made it...easy peasy!  I'm trying to make things for my pantry from scratch each week.

Last night I watched the first episode of Barbery Hall?  It was on You Tube and from the BBC.  It was good and I hope to get to see the rest of the episodes.  Sort of on the Downton Abbey theme which I love. 
What have you been up to?  I hope you're not having bad weather.  It was cloudy here today with lots of wind which was great for working outside and staying cool. 
Happy Trails!!!

Taxes and sock knitting.............

Yesterday was all about taxes and it took me the afternoon mostly because of gathering info I needed.  But they're done thanks to Turbo Tax! Plus, I'm getting a refund!  I haven't had a refund in years and years!  I was doing a happy dance!  The reason is because they doubled the standard deduction for single people!  Yippee!  It's not much but it might get me some of that fabric, yarn and xs patterns I've been wanting.  Turbo tax is so easy and for free or the $20 version I use. 

I cut up a beautiful melon I had gotten at the store....expanding my breakfast items.  I had this with some of my homemade sourdough toast and it was a great combo.   I still have to make my taco seasoning and breakfast burritos sometime this week.

My tomato seedlings are getting a bit leggy....I'm wondering if I could put them outside in the shade during the day....it was 87 F today!  Here we go right into summer!  Our last frost is April 30th so I definitely can't leave them out just in case but it's been in the 60's in the mornings.

Today I got out my 'box of socks' to put them away for the summer.  I won't be wearing wool for quite awhile now.......I've always wanted to make 12 pair in a year but so far that has not been the case........after several years I still don't have a dozen.

Here's what I have so far but this has taken several years!  7 pair and there's a blue pair missing and I have no idea where they are....they'll turn up eventually.  Then of course there's the pair I'm working on.......time to order more sock yarn!   The pair that looks white are really my Hudson Bay socks.

I have some cedar blocks that I sand when they stop smelling like cedar and I will throw one in the box with my socks.  What a shame it would be to open it next year and find moth holes!  I would cry for sure!  I got these years ago and you can hang them in your closet or put them in drawers....wherever you feel the need.  Just remember to sand them once in awhile so they keep doing their job!

I'm just about done with the gusset decreases on my sock...I should finish tonight and then it's all down hill from there!  I'm posting it again so my daughter can see it as she is not allowed to look at my YOP posts because of the possibility of  gifts and secret projects in the works for her and other unnamed individuals.

I hope you're having great weather and are getting all your 'chores' done.  Tomorrow is Walmart mostly because I have to go to the vet and get the girls their meds so I might as well go to Walmart as long as I am over that way.  Take care!
Happy Trails!!!

YOP Week #43

Finishes: none this week

WIPs (works in progress): 
1) I worked on Hawk Run Hollow January a little bit..........

2) My Seasonal Sunday project "Spring" is almost done............

3)  The Button-Eyed cat for Witchy Wednesday.............moving right along!

4) Sock #1 of 2..........This is where most of my time was spent as you can tell..............I finished the leg, the heel flap, the heel turn and picked up the stitches for the gusset (after this picture was taken)
I am loving the yarn, the pattern and my sock knitting!

Acquisitions:
None this week

New Starts Planned: they're all secret! LOL!

YOP Goals from last week:  Very poor showing but in my defense...Spring is here and I have double the workload now with the outside and the inside.  I'll just keep these goals for next week too! LOL!
Except for the sock....hopefully, I will have one sock done by then.  But then my taxes are due and there is the City Wide Garage Sale next Saturday which I'm still considering on participating in?  Maybe?  I'll see how much I get done.  I may need the money to pay my taxes! LOL!

1.  finish stitching Pumpkin Spice Farm
2.  finish hexies and stitch together for Pickle Dish #5 of 11 (there are also 2 half PD's on the vertical and 6 half PD's on the horizontal plus 4 quarter PD's and then the connecting hexies)    
3.  Work on Amy's Frida Kahlo basket
4.  Start house ornament
6.  do the finishing work on "America" xs
7.  do the finishing work on "Merry Xmas" xs
8.  do the finishing work on "Primitive Santa"
***DONE*** 9.  finish leg of sock #1
10.  make sock box and ornament box for 12 of each in a year (yeah right) lol!

 TOP 10 (or more) WIP's:

1)  Pickle Dish
2)  Stars and Stripes Saturday - America x-stitch - done but needs finishing
3)  Amy's Frido Kahlo basket (July birthday) - done but needs to be sewn together
4)  Pin's embroidery
5)  socks
6)  C2C blanket for Grayson (July birthday) 
7)  Monthly Monday - HRH January
8)  Witchy Wednesday - Button-Eyed Cat
9)  Fall Friday - Pumpkin Spice Farm
10)  Santa Sunday -Old St. Nick - done but needs 'finishing' work
11.  Turkey Thursday
12.  Seasonal Sunday - Spring
13.  Santa Sunday - new house ornament

 Finishes so far in 2018-19: 
1.  4th of July cross stitch pillow/ornie
2.  Hitchhiker shawl
3.  Felici Hibiscus self-striping socks
4.  Felted wool loafer slippers with leather soles for me Sam
5.  washcloth (extra large) and back scrubber for Christmas or birthday for SIL
6.   Iowa Hawkeye hats for Sam and Grayson
7.  Techniques learned so far this year: a) knit cast on, b) reading a knitting chart, c) lace work, d) inserting and using a lifeline e) charting a graphghan
8.   dishcloth(s)...I need to count them
9. Cubs hat for Uriah
10. 12 days of Christmas Advent gifts
11. Cowl for Ben
12. Cowl for Tracy
13. Cowl for Natalie
14.  # 2018 Collectible ornaments for the grands
15.  Cowl for me or gift basket
16.  11 scrubbies for gift basket
17.  1 pot handle cover for gift basket
18.  Ben's Bear's hat
19.  Falling Leaves Scarf
20.  Tissue Box Cover - 5 of them!
21.  Granny Square Shawl
22.  Kathleen Tracy doll quilt

As for other news on 'the homestead'...I have a 'tale to tell'!  Yesterday was beautiful but storms were coming over the weekend and I really wanted to get the lawn mowed for the first time before it got too long.  I got the mower started right off the bat.....great!  I filled the mower with what gas I had and it looked like enough....wrong!  I was about 3/4 done when it ran out of gas.  So, I went out to the highway and back for gas and filled it up and started mowing again.  I hadn't mowed 3 minutes when I got stuck in the mud trying to mow the ditch.  Woe is me.  This happened one other time and I called B&J's and they came and pushed me out but this was Saturday afternoon and they were closed.  With storms coming I really didn't want the mower sitting out there so I wondered how I could get it out by myself plus I wanted to finish the darn lawn!  I Googled my problem and sure enough after 3 videos I found a guy with my exact problem....alone and stuck in the mud! LOL!  He used a 'tow rope' and his truck to  pull it out.  I did not have a 'tow rope' but thought maybe the dollar store did so off I went.  They didn't have a tow rope but they had one better....a ratchet rope with hooks on both ends.  I came home and there were no directions on how to thread it......soooooooooo......back to Google!  There was a video on that too!  Thank you You Tube people!!!  I learned how to thread it, attached it to my mower and my Tahoe and pulled it right out....no fuss, no muss!  I finished mowing before the rains came and I was so elated that I had figured it out myself (with God's help and You Tube) and it worked!  Ta Da! I put everything away after mowing, came in and took a nice hot bath, got my pj's on and had a nice supper of goulash that I made Friday.......and a salad of my home grown greens.  It started raining while I was eating supper and I smiled to myself........I got 'er done!

I went out this morning and took some pictures.......the first 'mow' of the season is always a bit rough looking but so glad I got it done as it's supposed to storm again tonight........I have a red bud growing on the edge of my property!  I love red buds and they are all in bloom right now............

Here's some across the street............

My little hyacinth is still blooming.............

The pansies I planted are looking great.............

The peas are up!

and so is the kale...........

That's all for this week  other than I have several projects already on my YOP list for this coming July!  Woo Hoo! 

Please stop by and see all the other fantastic projects that other  YOP'ers are working on.
Happy Trails!!!