Hallway done!!!

It took me a week but it is done and cleared out and cleaned except for shampooing carpet and painting walls. Do you see the yellow wall down at the end?  I did start painting several years ago and either I had visitors or a relapse of RA but for some reason I stopped and didn't get back to it.

Those doors lead to the other 2 bedrooms which are my crafts room and the guest room.

This is a crewel embroidery picture I did about 40 years ago!

This sign is for the grands when they come to "Camp Grandma"....I just leave it up as they are the only guests I ever have.

This is a Mary Englebreit poster that I love.....words of wisdom!

Here' s a better picture of the painted part of the hallway............

I took my walk and when I returned there were "treasures" in the mail!  A sweet Valentine's Day card from Uriah........

and my natural dyeing book came from Thrift Books!  Yippee!!!  I'll be reading this one A.S.A.P.!

I did order my headlamp today and a few other groceries from Wally World to qualify for free shipping.  I'm thinking maybe I should order some yarn for dyeing too?!?  I won't be blogging on Saturday's as I am taking an official day off with no commitments of any kind.  Plus, it's a craft day and I usually like to save my craft progress for Year of Projects post on Sunday. 
Here are your  "tidbits" for today...........
Just sharing my little Valentine flowers with you.  If anyone knows what they are please tell me so I can take care of them properly.

 

aren't these the sweetest curtains? Here's the link

 

I'm finding so many lovely crochet patterns lately...like this one!  I love the colors or at least the way they go from dark to light  Here's the link  

It's a free pattern on Ravelry 

and for the truth of the matter.............

Happy Trails!!!

Beautiful day in the neighborhood!

It's sunny and 44 F which is actually perfect for walking.  When I walk I don't perspire but I get warm when you walk at a brisk pace which I try to do.  This morning when I woke up it was snowing! It was 34 F so it didn't even make it to the ground before melting.  I worked in the hallway and got everything out of the hallway except the humidifier.  There were boxes and containers of stuff in the hallway before.  One container went to the basement and the others I went through and they were either disposed of or put in their proper place.  "A place for everything and everything in its place!"  That's my goal anyway.

  I dusted more of the walls here and vacuumed the carpeting and used the crevice tool next to the wall.  I dusted the baseboards and the humidifier and lamp.  Tomorrow I will move humidifier and finish the rest of the hallway.  One thing I forgot to do during this "cleaning extravaganza" was to dust and polish the doors.  I just noticed it when the sun hit one of them and I could see the dust clinging to it!  So, I got one door done and will do 1 per day.  The walls in this hallway need painting and the carpeting needs shampooing but that will have to wait.
I did some cross stitch, read some blog posts from Down To Earth and started the decreases on the 2nd mitten.  Now, I'm off to cook up some greens and onions.  I discovered that you can not only spin greens dry in your salad spinner but you can use it to wash your greens too so that is what I am doing!
Here are your "tidbits" for today................

 I am going to buy one of these to wear around the house.  My house, on the north side where I do most of my work, is very dark.  I even put skylights in but still, I need lights on.  I was watching Simple Living in Alaska and they use these all the time inside and outside.   They recharge the batteries and it cuts way down on their electric usage which is solar.  I am constantly turning lights on and off as I go from room to room.   I have to turn on the hall light just to see inside the linen closet.  So, I will give it a try.  They have various strengths and prices but this one was highly rated and didn't cost too much.   Maybe I can cut down on my electric bill...I'm going to try! 

and here's a little humor for today..............

Happy Trails!!!

Where does the day go?

I've been going since early this morning and I don't feel like I have much to show for it but regardless I know I put in a full day.  I went to work on the hallway first thing this morning and made a pretty big dent and emptied another box that was sitting there.  I put some books on the bookcase............Some I need to read and the bottom shelf is to sell or donate and the middle shelf is I'm not sure! LOL!

I dusted the walls and baseboard on the other side of the hallway and took pictures of paintings that I painted several years back when I took a Bob Ross painting class..........

I took my walk, cleaned Miss Peeps litter box and my tub.  I'm baking off the rest of the cookie dough and I took my broken down old Keurig to recycling.  I've worked a bit on the mittens and read the crochet mystery which is good!  I'm ready to call it a day!  How was your day?
here' s some "tidbits"............
Here's the instructions

How much "over 50" can you be without hurting yourself?  Plus, I think I would need a "spotter" or at least someone to help me get back up!

if that didn't make you smile maybe this will.............

Happy Trails!!!

The weather person is confused!

 Yesterday they predicted rain 70 %......no rain until the middle of the night.  Today a 20% chance and when I went to get the mail I got wet!  I came back in and checked the radar which had been clear when I got up.  We were covered in green and they had changed 20% to 70%.  I think I will just check the radar and look out the window from now on or get myself one of those indoor weather stations.  Anyway, it did clear off this afternoon for a bit and I was able to get my walk in.  
I got to work on the hallway first thing this morning and I cleared out a bookcase, polished it and moved it into my bedroom for now.  The only thing I want in the hallway is the humidifier.  I have not returned the books to the bookcase yet as not all of them will go there.  I did find some VCR tapes and I have a VCR so I need to hook it up and ensure it works so I can play those tapes.

 

I stored them in one of those empty drawers in my nightstand 

I also found some old journals and a Where Women Create magazine that I don't think I ever read!

I'll take a look at the journals and then they will get burned.............

Yesterday I ordered a used botanical dyeing book from Thrift Books and I have been starting to save things like avocado pits and skins.................

and onion skins...........these are yellow but I will also save red onion skins.............

I received treasures in the mail today!!!!  My Thrift Books order..............this is the first book in a crochet murder mystery series and I am looking forward to it.  It also has a recipe and a crochet pattern! 

I got the 2nd book in the Cobbled Court Quilt series by Marie Bostwick.  I enjoyed the first one and it continues on.............

last but in no way least...........I got a Renee Plains craft book which is hard to come by!  She doesn't design anymore but I love everything she ever did!  So when I see something of hers I snap it up.  I will be curling up with this book tonight!

 I did some other chores today too but this afternoon I took time to make some oatmeal cookies...........this is a recipe from The Farmchicks cookbook but the recipe is from Margaret.  A couple they met and they are the sweetest couple........so I made Margaret's cookies today.  They are her husband Floyd's favorite.  They are soft which I usually don't care for but these are delicious!

She uses Apple Pie Spice instead of cinnamon..........I didn't even know such a thing existed but when I went to the store there it was in the spice section!  Where have I been?  Did you all know about this?

Here are the cookies and they are good!  So next time you make your oatmeal cookies try using Apple Pie Spice and see if you like it.

I've also been bingeing on www.down---to---earth.blogspot.com  she is an author of several books that I own and her whole philosophy is living a simple and satisfying life.  She's a great writer too!
This post is already too long so I am going to sign off now.
Happy Trails!!!  

Off to a good start!

I made one of the Blue Zone Kitchen recipes from Sardinia and it was amazing!  Who would have thought that some roasted vegetables with some herbs could make your house smell heavenly and taste that way too!  It is called Veggie Cassola.  I am including the recipe for you with the hope that you will like it as much as I do and it is so good for you!  It is from the cookbook The Blue Zones Kitchen and if you like it you can go buy the cookbook.  This is the only recipe I've made so far but it is a winner!  I took this picture before I cooked it and I forgot to take a picture after it came out of the oven.

"Total cook time: 70 minutes   Makes 4 servings
Talana, like the other villages in the Sardinian blue zones area, is located a day's journey from the sea (and until 1960, a two-day round-trip trek was required to reach the coast).  To avoid the travel, villagers produced their food in the highlands around their homes instead of relying on seafood.  During the summer, when their gardens offer a bounty of fresh vegetables, this hearty dish appears on the dinner table of Sardinian shepherds most nights of the week.

1 zucchini cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 large onion, chopped
2 large red or yellow bell peppers, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 Italian eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper (optional)
1 bunch parsley, washed and chopped
5 leaves basil
1 sprig thyme, stemmed and minced
1 sprig oregano, stemmed and minced
3 bay leaves

Preheat oven to 300 F.  In a large bowl, toss all vegetables with olive oil.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Toss with herbs, then spread out evenly on a large roasting pan.  Roast for 1 hour.  Remove bay leaves, then serve with crusty bread."

If you make this I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

It was Cleaning Extravaganza again and this week is my hallway.  I dusted walls and woodwork on one side and all the pictures and frames.  The pictures here are hung with no particular order.....I  just wanted them off the floor and used nails that were already there!   I removed a defunct doorbell chime and went through a box of papers and miscellaneous "stuff"

By the time I went through this box I refilled it with lots of papers to burn.  I put away the other items and that was it for today in the hallway.
I went for my walk and filled my new battery container.  I tested all the batteries before putting them in the container.  The tester worked great!  I have yet to put my AA's in there but I could use 2 of these containers!

 I had these left over.................

I keep it in one of my dresser drawers so it is handy especially in the middle of the night during a storm!  I do like it a lot!
 I worked on my scarf but guess what?  I ran out of yarn!  I hope Walmart gets more of this color in as I really like it and I like this pattern too.

 I've made Betsy's French Onion Slow Cooker Chicken today...it is cooking away and I have potatoes cooking for mashed potatoes.  I'll have the veggie cassola also but eventually I will be using it for a main dish.  I hope you've had a wonderful Monday!
Here are your "tidbits" for today...........

This would be great for Spring! Here's the link

I happen to love math but I know not everyone shares that feeling...........

Happy Trails!!!