The first day of Fall for me anyway! Awesome day!!!!!

We had storms go through last night and a cold front and it was in the 50's when I got up this morning. Yes!!!  Finally my kind of weather!  I got up early and the girls and I went for a 3 mile hike in the wonderfully brisk morning air.  They were pretty relaxed after that but it energized me, thank goodness!  Hmmm....looks like the front door needs to be cleaned....I see nose prints all over it!

  I came home and picked up the yard of sticks that had blown down in the storm and collected my first bucket of kindling for the coming Winter.

 

 Plus, I couldn't resist gathering some acorns before mowing the lawn..........

 

When I came in I noticed one of my African Violets is starting to bloom!  I bought it from the local Garden Club and there were no blooms when I bought it so I had no idea what color they would be.  It's going to be gorgeous with pink blooms and yellow ruffled edges!  How pretty it is...bad picture but you get the gist of it.

 

 I think God knew the girls and I needed this day of nature to sooth us,  blow fresh air into the house and exercise to clear the mind and renew the limbs.  In the South you get cabin fever in the Summer not the Winter! LOL!  Oh, and did I mention football was on today?  Perfect college football weather....tomorrow the NFL starts....oh yeah!
P.S.  I did NOT get the lawn mowed however....it started right up after not having been used all Summer but I realized quickly that I had an extremely flat tire and some low ones too!  I called my Deere expert and he said he'd stop by tomorrow but I should have been moving the mower and rotating those tires.....now he tells me!  Anyway, hopefully I'll only need one at about $100.00 a tire.  My car tires cost that much and they're LOTS bigger!  I guess my next mower won't be a Deere at those prices!  I hope you had a great Fall day wherever you are.  Please stop by tomorrow to see my YOP update.....my bath mat is done!  Can you believe it?  It doesn't look too bad either.  TTYS!

Did I say I was staying home today?

Not!  I forgot it was recycling today and farmer's market too.  Here's what I got at the market.........

 

Summer squash, eggplant, sweet potatoes and 2 little baby cabbages!  Just the right size for me! I'm visualizing baked sweet potatoes, sauteed Summer squash with some Parmesan and garlic, some apple slaw and more eggplant Parmesan.  I never get tired of it.

I started crocheting another potholder.  I'm really liking the looks of it! 

 

I finished a book this past week.  I picked it up at a "spin-in" at the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, Arkansas last year. (No, I'm not a spinner but hopefully some day maybe.) It looked interesting and it was but it was not the first book in the series and therefore a little confusing.  A friend gave me 2 other books in the series so now I am reading the first book in the series.  It's well written and many people give her high marks but I'm just not into sorcery and magic much so I'll probably read them since they're there but unless I really like them after 3 books, I won't be reading anymore. They're good but just not my cup of tea...not yet anyway....time will tell.   

 

 I did get around to one of my friends blogs today but I am so far behind!  It's the story of my life...."a day late and a dollar short"! LOL!  I hope you had a wonderful day where ever you are.  Fall is trying to come in here but at near 100 degrees it's spawning some severe storms and tornadoes.  There are warnings out now for thunderstorms but nothing yet.  Supposedly once the storms go through tonight and tomorrow we will be cooler.  It sure would be nice.....I'll take "cooler" any day after this Summer.  My Fall clematis is  blooming (what's left of it...half of it died off this Summer) which is a good sign of Fall!  Take care and TTYS!

Went to Wally World today...............

First of all, thank you all for your uplifting and soothing comments.  You REALLY are my friends and I am SO grateful I have all of you!  You just don't know how  much it meant to me....thank you from the bottom of my heart.  You lifted me up so much I got the courage and strength to go to Wally World and you  know how it tires me out but.....the dogs were looking at the few cans of dog food left and then looking at me with those pitiful eyes so,  off I went.
 Here are a few fun items I got while I was there...........
The Fall issue of Flea Market is on news stands now!  It doesn't last long when it's out so,  if you like it,  go get a copy now before they're all gone.  It's a little pricey at $9.95 but then what isn't nowadays?  I love it though because it shows us how to utilize and display lots of collectibles and items we love but are not sure of what to do with once we get them home.   It's in my TOP TEN magazine list!

BTW, after "feeling the love" last night in your comments, I picked up my bath mat I'd been knitting and which I hadn't picked up all week.  I finished it even weaving in all the ends!  The knitting angels were definitely with me too.  It doesn't look too bad actually.  Yes, I did make mistakes but it could have been so much worse! LOL!  I will be posting it next Sunday for the YOP update.  I'll be trying socks again now for knitting and for crochet I picked up some cotton yarn today to make some dish cloths or potholders. 

 

This color would be great for a hostess gift or a swap with a patriotic theme and below is a color I know my son would appreciate in his kitchen.  If I remember correctly, I got 2 potholders out of 1 of these skeins and they're only $1.77 each. 

Thanks to you all, I feel uplifted today, hopeful and grateful that I have such wonderful friends out there that I've never even met!  You guys are GREAT!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend and a great day today.  Thanks again so much.  I'll be home tomorrow but out "visiting" my blogging neighbors to see what you've all been up to.  Blessings to all of you!

Happy Labor Day to all of you..............

There's a saying that a Mother is only as happy as her saddest child.  I have a child...an adult child that brought me some painful news this week and it's not over and there's hope and faith but it shook me and my foundation pretty good.  I haven't posted or blogged or even read emails.  I've just done what I've always done when the storms of life have hit me......I keep active and distract my mind from thinking too much.  I've done all I can for now except continue to pray and have faith that "whatever God brings you to he'll bring you through".  I am sad though so my usual joyful blogging and commenting would be hard to "fake" and who wants "fake bloggers"? But on the other hand no one wants to hear about problems either...I'm sure you all have plenty of your own! LOL! I will return slowly but surely.  I just need to get my balance.
I sometimes wonder if we're all given a certain amount of joy and sadness when we're delivered to earth and once it's gone that's it.  I would hope that it all balances out in the end but who knows.  I hope you are all well and enjoying the last weekend of Summer (unofficial) and that the crisp cool days of Fall will be upon us soon.  It was 95 here today and humid since Isaac came through but on the plus side there's no more fire danger!  Stay well my friends and be as happy as you can for as long as you can! 

Sunday YOP update..........

I can't believe it's Sunday again..........already!  But I have lots to show you.   It's been a fun and productive week except for my blogging responsibilities.  I just can't seem to do it all...something always suffers but I keep aiming for balance in all I do...the intention is there.
So, without further ado...........my bath mat is not done but almost!  It's so bunched up on the circular cable I can't even really see if I've made mistakes but maybe that's good else I would have frogged it by now!  LOL!
Also, I am in love with the Rowan cotton....gorgeous, doesn't split, in fact you wouldn't even know it was 100% cotton as compared with the "less expensive" variety which I used on my potholders.  It's marvelous to work with.

I cast on the sock (1 of 2) again after frogging the last one.  I need to watch the video again though before I start knitting.  I guess it's hardly worth the photo?  LOL!

I did crochet 2 yellow potholders.  The pattern I used is a little harder on my hands but it's worth it because you end up with a nice double thick potholder.  I was thinking this pattern might make nice place mats and/or trivets.  I was able to get 2 potholders out of one of those Peaches and Cream cotton yarn they have at Wal-mart although they didn't end up exactly square.   I'll definitely be making more of these.  You should use cotton if there's heat involved as the acrylics will "melt" if they get near a flame or element. 

I made 2 of these but like the potholders, one went to a friend as a gift.  These weren't on my YOP list but they were on my FAF (fast and fun) list! LOL!  They're supposed to be bookmarks in the shape of book worms but you're also supposed to have little "googly" eyes to glue on which I did not have.  So, until I get some eyes this is how they will look.  I made a red one too but it was sent off in the mail.  These would make great stocking stuffers or grab bag gifts and they do look lots cuter with the eyes! LOL!  I also discovered the tail "button" will slip into the slit on the other end and you could actually use it as a bracelet. 

  I also finally pinned my applique block so I can start stitching on that any time now....

 For those of you who only check in with me on Sunday's here's a great knitting mystery series book that I finished this week and blogged about.....if anyone would like it I would be more than willing to mail it to you and if there is more than one person then when you're done just pass it on to the next person that would like to read it....we could call it "The Traveling Unraveling"!  I will send overseas too so all you wonderfully inspiring friends across the pond and beyond.... it is not an issue.  It's the least I can do for all the inspiration and lovelies I glean from all of you!

Also, for my regular blogging buddies, I promised you the recipe for the Apple Kuchen yesterday and then didn't blog at all!  Shame on me! Here's another picture for my YOP friends that don't read me during the week.............

This was an old Betty Crocker recipe popular back in the 60's...I told you I was old.....but the 60's were great both then and now! LOL!

Apple Kuchen

1/2 C butter softened

1 package yellow cake mix

1/2 C flaked coconut

1 20 oz can pie sliced apples, well drained or 2 1/2 C sliced and pared baking apples

1/2 C sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 C dairy sour cream

2 egg yolks or 1 egg

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cut butter into dry cake mix until crumbly.  Mix in coconut.  Pat mixture lightly into ungreased baking pan 9 x 13 x 2 inches building up slight edges.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Arrange apple slices on warm crust.  Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over apples.  Mix the sour cream and the egg or egg yolks and drizzle over the apples.  The topping will not completely cover the apples.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until edges are light brown.  Do not overbake!

You can also try these variations:

Pear Kuchen: substitute 2 (16 oz) cans sliced pears , drained on paper towels, for the apples and a package of devils food cake mix or German Chocolate cake mix for the yellow cake mix.

Peach Kuchen: Substitute 1 (29 oz) can sliced peaches, drained on paper towels, for the apples and 1 package of white cake mix or sour cream white cake mix for the yellow cake mix.

What I like about this recipe is that I can keep these things on hand and the dairy and eggs I always have.  I want to try substituting my own homemade cake mix and also yogurt for the sour cream but haven't done it yet.

Well, I'm off to see what my Ravelry bloggers have been up to this week....it's very inspiring and humbling at the same time! LOL!  Have a great week ahead and a peaceful happy Sunday!

This will be quick...there's a Bear's game on tonight!!!!! Yippee!

I finished a good book last night and it's the first one in a series of Knitting Mysteries that take place in an Eastern seacoast small town.  I'll have to get some more of these as it was really good! I got this one at the Thrift Store...I think.  This is the first one in the series.  Of course, it involves a group of women who knit together and solve mysteries too and there's a sweet little yarn shop with the owner being part of the group.  It was a good plot and a good writer.   Thank you,  Sally Goldenbaum! 

 

I made an apple kuchen today.  Do any of you remember when these came on the scene years ago involving a cake mix?  You can use any pie fruit you want.  I'll give you the recipe tomorrow.....it's only 30 minutes until "kickoff".....sorry.  I promise, tomorrow! LOL!  It may not look like much but it is easy and delicious!  I've made this dessert for 30-40 years!  It's definitely a "keeper" in my house!

I've also been doing some knitting and hoping to finish my bath mat by Sunday.  It's getting pretty big on the circular needles and hard to see....use your imagination and pray it will turn out!  I also crocheted another pot holder.  These were both on my YOP list so I'll publish more on Sunday. 

I also went to the store today and the bank and took a bath.....that's enough for one day isn't it?  I hope you had a great Friday....it's still my favorite day of the week!  TTYT!

 

A few things I forgot to show you the other day.................

I got this cute little basket at the thrift store last week and it looked like someone had put a plant in it because the bottom was all black and dirty.  I threw it in the dishwasher, as I do so many things, and it came out nice and clean but if you look you can also see all the white paint chipping off of it all over the place!  It's clean but will need another paint job to get it to stop peeling.  Not all of my ideas are brilliant.....most are but not all.
I also picked up these 2 plates.....I am into roses...it's come on gradually.  I think it started with Green Fried Tomatoes (the movie where she had all those roses cut out of magazines and cards and pinned on her wall....I loved that! )  and it has grown from there.  Plus, my dear departed Mother loved roses and all my friends across the pond inspire me with roses in their fabric,gardens, and needlework.

 

There was only the 2 and they're old as the finish is crackled with age.....kind of like my face! LOL!  But I love them and I love my face too.....I've earned every "crackle" just like those plates!

And last but not least...this is the bomb, the bees knees etc; and I am enjoying every drop of it!

I didn't realize until I got it home that it is seasonal so run, don't walk to your nearest store that carries it and buy up all you can (unless you shop at the Walmart in Ash Flat, AR.....stay away from that one! ).

It is delicious!  Why did I not know about this?  Probably because it was all bought out by the time I got there, I'm guessing.  Dunkin' Donuts is my very favorite coffee and trust me I've had it all!

I hope you had a great Thursday and got more done than I did....it was "one of those days" for me but I'm going to go knit now and at least I'll see progress in that unless of course I mess it up and have to tear it out....oh no....please not that! LOL!  Take care!  TTYT!

 

I guess I jumped the gun on Fall......97 today! Whew!!!!!!

That's what I get for buying "Fall" items and cooking up some "Fall" grub.  I made Hot Pockers which was my son's name for a dish that most people call a version of calico beans.  This is my favorite crock pot meal and it makes the house smell wonderful!

Here's the recipe...I scanned the recipe card but you wouldn't be able to read it so I'll just retype it here......

Hot Pockers
----------------
1/2 to 1 lb of ground beef
3/4 lb bacon, cut in small pieces
1 C chopped onion
2 cans (1 lb 15 oz size) pork and beans
1 can (1 lb size) kidney beans, drained
1 C ketchup
1/4 C brown sugar
1 tbls liquid smoke
3 tbls white vinegar
1 tsp salt and dash  of pepper

Brown the ground beef and bacon in a skillet and drain off fat.   Place it in the crock pot with all the other ingredients and stir together well. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
This is good served with cornbread and a jello salad.  It's very economical and also freezes well.

BTW.....I tried something new................Mary Jane's Farm product.......Chillover Powder instead of Jello.  It comes in a cute box with 4 packets of Chillover which is a gelatin alternative and there's also recipes that come with it.  It looks, tastes, and acts just like gelatin but it is vegetable based not animal based.  It is actually derived from Agar Agar kanten which is a Red Sea vegetable.  You flavor it yourself and add however much sweetner and what type as you like.  I happened to use some apricot juice I had and a can of fruit cocktail.    It sets up very fast and does not get soupy when it's left out.  It's amazing stuff and the best new product I've tried in a long time.  This is the only way to go folks!  No more Jello for me!   You can purchase this at  Mary Jane's Farm or simply call 888-750-6004 for those in the U.S.   If you're not familiar with Mary Jane, you're in for a treat...her products, her chat room, her books.....it's all wonderful!  She's an organic farm girl out in Idaho and you will love her!

That's all folks....I'm sad to report that I had to close up the house and turn on the AC......I guess I won't be delving into my new Fall wardrobe yet! LOL!  Hope you all had a great Wednesday!

My new Fall wardrobe....................from the Thrift Store! LOL!

A nice corduroy blouse....I LOVE me some corduroy!  And flowers too....looks like those wonderful English flower prints.  I paid no more than $3.00 each for all the clothes I am showing you....a total of $27.00 for my Fall wardrobe!  Below is a soft flannel blouse............love the red!

2 pairs of soft knit slacks with pockets (I have to have pockets!)

These are more summery but it will be warm for awhile yet....they're cotton...

These are 2 blouses that need to be ironed and then a knit one on the top.....

There you have it!  It may not be glamorous but for $27.00 it works for me! LOL!  Hope you had a great Monday!

Once more with feeling.........or should I say pictures! LOL!

I missed last weeks update because I ran out of Google storage and by the time I figured it out and had to "pay the piper" for more storage it was Monday and I figured I would just skip last week and wait until today.  I haven't gotten  much done anyway this week as it was "catch up" from all the time spent watching the Olympics and also it has cooled off and I 'm able to get outside finally and get some chores done out there.  Plus, I am really moving forward on my "moving" project and I've been spending time going through audio tapes, vcr tapes and dvd's and cd's and except for the cd's they are all cleaned and packed away in plastic bins which has left me bookcase real estate which I can always use!  So, yes, the cleaning and organizing bug has hit and I have run with it as it doesn't affect me very often! LOL!
But I did mange to get a few things accomplished on the YOP list and with football looming on the horizon I will be getting more done soon. 
Ok, the table runner is finished...I'm sure your tired of hearing about it and looking at it....I know, I'm slow.

Next up is my felted wool applique quilt blocks which was a WIP when I joined the YOP so I thought I would catch you up to date..........these are the blocks that are done so far.......

There they are...10 blocks done....2 more to go plus the border which is all appliqued too and embroidered.
I did get the next block prepped and cut out.........leaves....just in time for Fall!

I also started and almost finished  (I need to measure and weave in ends but I'm pretty sure it's done) potholder of the double thick variety.  I love this pattern and will be using it again.  It is nice and thick and easy to crochet once you get the gist of it.  After that no pattern needed but the pattern does have plenty of pictures to get you started.

It really is more square than it looks in the picture....honest! LOL!
As for my knitted bathmat,  I haven't worked on it but need to and hopefully this week and also I need to start up the socks again but with the weather so great and so many outdoor projects they may have to wait until Winter....we'll see.  Now, I'm off to see what you all have been accomplishing and also to get re-motivated for the week ahead!  Have a great week everyone!  For the rest of my blogging friends, I'll talk to you again tomorrow!  Enjoy this day of R' n R'!

Finished a couple books this week...................

 

I was really looking forward to this book as I was under the impression it was about "women" farmers but although interesting,  it was all farmers out West (I should have known as the forward was by Mary Jane' s Farm founder and she lives out West).  It was good but most of these women were married so they had a partner and I was really looking to read about women doing it on their own not to take away from the fact that I'm sure they work hard!  There were a couple single gals but I really felt like with the high percentage of women farming these days that it wouldn't have been that hard to find "women" farmers doing it on their own without a man in the background.  I know there have been several in MJ's magazine.  But it was interesting never the less just not what I expected.

The book below was a joke!  I can't remember where I heard about it but it sounded great...a life reinvented as that's what mine is since I retired and it was about a woman who retired from being a librarian for years.

   First of all I thought it was non-fiction but it was fiction but there was no plot, no story just this woman talking about her day-to-day life of travel and arrogance and throwing names around in foreign languages.  She even thought we would be interested what she had to eat at each meal.  It was by far the strangest book I have ever read but I kept thinking it would "kick in" any minute and then it was over and I was sitting in shock that any publisher would touch it with a 10 foot pole!  I thought, it must have been self-published and sure enough......it was!  How did I get a hold of it?  I bought it but I do remember reading something about it or seeing it and again having a totally different impression and certainly didn't expect a self-published book and fiction which means there should be a basic story line of some sort?  I will be sure from now on to see recommendations from some major reviewers before I plunk my money down from now on!  No fool like an old fool! LOL! 
I hope you had a great week and a wonderful weekend ahead!  It's pre-season but it's football and I'm grateful especially having withdrawals from the Olympics....I'm a sports gal can you tell?

It must be my magnetic personality!

Well, it has been quite a week!  It started on Sunday when I couldn't load pictures because I ran out of storage for my blog.  I now pay $2.50 a month to blog so that's fixed.  Then we had a storm....1/4 inch of rain but the lightening hit my t.v. and now that's broke but no fires so that's good.  Then I had problems with my Dish satellite so I spent a day on the phone with them (ok, so not all day...but it felt like it!) then the next day they came out and installed a new Dish Satellite which took the afternoon.  By then, I needed to go to Walmart and get groceries and I've been behind ever since!  The storm woke me up the one night and so I was tired anyway....it was just one of those weeks or 3 days where I could not get anything done.  But hopefully, I'm back on track now and can blog and watch t.v. and get some needlework done too.  I haven't even touched it! BTW....yesterday they said it was cooler so I went outside and started doing some heavy duty landscaping and I thought I was going to have heat stroke!  I came in and it was 97!  They call that "cooler"?  Whoa Nellie!
  Below is my ugly landscaping!   I tried landscape fabric and that did NOT work so I am using newspaper which is more natural and hopefully by the time it "rots" I will have established a "no weed" zone.....most notable Bermuda Grass...one of the Top Ten most noxious weeds known to gardeners!  I would have never started this project had I known that....live and learn!  

 

Below is what I am dealing with......at least some of it died out with the drought.

 But I did manage to take 3 boxes of things to the Thrift Store and I picked up a few things too but not 3 boxes worth.  Mostly, it was my Fall wardrobe! LOL!
 This heavy duty basket.............I can always use good baskets!

 This wallpaper is vinyl and pre-pasted and only .99 a roll....I bought all they had as even if I don't use it as wallpaper it is great for lining drawers or even on table tops as it is vinyl and washable.  It looks like green ticking cloth. 

  I also got this cute little bowl/dish but after I got it home I could read the bottom and it had come with a candle in it at one time so I probably won't use it for baking or eating but it is cute for holding a candle.

That's all for now but I have lots to catch up on in telling you and also visiting and seeing what you all have been up too!  Have a great Thursday!

YOP Sunday Update..............

 

Well, the Olympics are ending tonight and maybe I'll get more done.  I thought I could get a lot of needlework done but I forgot I used up all my multi-tasking abilities when I was younger and now it seems I can only focus on one thing at a time else I mess up! LOL!

I do have an FO..........finally!  My crocheted table runner!

Well...I just got a message from Google that I have used my 1 GB of storage and I have to pay for more.  I went into Picasa and "deleted" a bunch or so I thought
but if I delete too much then there is no blog archive right?  Hmmmm.   I worked on deleting a bunch and kept logging off and back in but it still says I have no storage.  Does anyone know anything about this?  Have you other bloggers paid for storage or how did you manage this "turn of events"?  Until I figure this out I guess there won't be any pictures....sorry.  I hope you're having a better Sunday than I! LOL!

P.S.  I have Google blogspot blogger.