FO Friday? Yeah right! LOL!

Yesterday was bread baking day and I make my dough and it usually makes 2 loaves.  I only bake one and put the dough in the frig for another one when I need it.  But yesterday I baked 2 loaves because I wanted to take one to my new neighbors.  I also took a container of salt and a bottle of wine!  Do any of you remember the house blessing from the movie It's A Wonderful Life?  I googled it and here it is

               Bread - that this house may never know hunger.
               Salt - that life may always have flavor.
              Wine - that joy and prosperity may reign forever.

I wrote out the blessing on a piece of stationary, wrapped the bread in a towel and put a ribbon on the bottle of wine and off I went!  The wife, Barb, was home and welcomed me in.  I didn't stay long as they are still trying to get settled but I think she was surprised and hopefully put at ease about one of her neighbors at least! LOL!   I hope they like it here and that it is everything they hoped their retirement would be.  I've always wanted to do that for someone and especially since I got no welcome when I  moved here, I wanted to ensure that anyone else that moved here felt welcomed to their new home.
Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture before I took it over so you'll just have to look at the loaf I made for myself minus the wine and salt and blessing. 

 There was a beautiful moon out last night but my camera did not do it justice.  I'm asking Santa for a nicer one this year.

 This is is my leaking gutter (it's been raining all day today).  I took a picture so when it's sunny out and I go to repair it I know where it was leaking.  Great thinking huh?  There's 2 places see?

 This is a bathroom mirror that I am getting ready to paint.....this time I remembered to take "before" pictures.

 The bench is getting painted too...last time when I made my chalk paint I tried to save it but the next day it was hard as rock because of the grout in it so this time I am lining up projects so I don't waste any paint.

 I also ran some errands yesterday and one was to get a new battery for my pedometer.  The weather is cooling and the girls and I will be out walking/hiking before long!  I can't handle the heat and humidity in the summer and neither can they.

 Along those same lines of health and maintenance.......did you know they now have gummy vitamins for adults?  YES!  Yippee!  I love gummy bears and I hate taking those big horse pills as much as anyone so look what I got..............it's not just for kids anymore!

My shamrock plant is blooming.  I think it's confusing St. Patrick's Day with Halloween or is it?  Didn't the celts invent Halloween?

 And yet another mystery crochet.....this time orange.....are you getting warm with your guessing?  Soon, I promise, I will share it with you!   Have a great Friday and a great weekend!

WIP's of all kinds!

Fall officially begins this coming Sunday but who can wait?  Not I!
I'm dragging out the decorations.........

I made this little arrangement myself...I know!  I can't believe it either....MOI?  It's hanging on my freshly painted front door.  I got a package of loose Fall decorations from BH&G last year at Wally World and my daughter gave me that little basket.

The flowers are "perking" back up after the heat of the Summer.......

 

These are the lilies and Russian Sage that I planted this Summer and they've taken well and even thrived and grown

I just planted these  mums this week.....they'll get bigger and spread out I hope.  They're the hardy ones that can withstand the Winter and come back every year...hopefully!

These are my leftover green onions from the store that I planted.  They'll come inside before it frosts and I'll have green onions whenever I need them. 

I forgot to take before and after pictures but I'm not finished so there's plenty of dirty sidewalk to show you and I forgot a patch on the steps too.  I am power washing my cement as here in the South it gets moldy and dark looking.  It looks like I poured new cement where I've power washed!  LOVE!!!!

  It takes a long time to do it as I have a small and not very powerful washer but it gets the job done eventually.  I was afraid it might tear up my caulking that I did last year (and need to finish) but it didn't hurt it.  I'm actually glad it's not super powerful as they can do real damage on some things.  See where I forgot the face of that bottom step?
I also made THE best quiche of my life last night!  I kid you not....you have got to make this recipe as it is fantastic.  It smelled great during the prep, while it cooked and it tasted better than any quiche I have EVER had and I've had a lot....my own and others and even fancy restaurants but none as good as this!  I got the recipe from All Recipes   my favorite place to get recipes as they are rated and reviewed by users.  You can also change the number of servings and it automatically changes the amount throughout the recipe.  It also has all the caloric and nutritional information you might need.  It's a great site and I've used it for years.  Recently, people have been sending me recipes on Facebook and Pinterest and they look great and sound great but some are absolutely awful!  I don't have the time or the money to waste on bad recipes and I'm sure you don't either.  So, when I give you a recipe it has to be 5 star in my book and of course, I have to have made it and eaten it myself!  So, without further ado....here's the recipe and make it A.S.A.P.......you will not regret it!  To give proper credit this recipe was devised by Bailey and I thank you!
The original recipe makes 1  9 inch quiche but I used a deep pie dish and it was to the top but I also happened to use a 16 oz package of frozen spinach instead of the 10 oz the recipe called for.

Spinach Quiche   (prep 20 minutes,  cook 40 minutes,  ready in 1 hour)  

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion chopped
1 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained ( I used a whole 16 oz bag and it worked)
1 (4.5 oz) can mushrooms, drained
1 (6 oz) package herb and garlic feta, crumbled (I used plain feta as it was what I had on hand)
1 (8 oz) package shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 (9 inch) unbaked deep dish pie crust
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C)
2.  In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat.  Saute onion and garlic in butter until lightly browned, about 7 minutes.  Stir in spinach, mushrooms, feta and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese.  Season with salt and pepper.  Spoon mixture into pie crust.
3.  In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour into the pastry shell, allowing egg mixture to combine with spinach. (I just lifted the spinach up in places...I did not stir it)
4.  Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.  Sprinkle the remainder of the cheddar cheese on top  and bake an additional 35 - 40 minutes, until set in center.  Allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.

My last WIP is this little bit of crochet but you'll have to tune in later to find out what it will be....actually it's almost done.....you'll never guess! LOL!

Have a great rest of your day!

Monday Reading List and some chalk paint

Remember last year when I painted my front door apple green?  Well, yesterday I used Sam's Chalk Paint and painted it buttermilk.  (Sam's Chalk Paint is my own mix of 2T of non-sanded grout powder with a little water to dissolve it good then 1 cup of your paint mixed in.  Super simple or I don't do it! Ha! Ha!   I love the name and the color.  I only used one coat and I still need to scrape the window a bit and I'm not "waxing" it.  I'm going to see how it wears as is.  It's an experiment just like the rest of my life! LOL!
This is what I'm reading but I'm not going to comment until I finish something.  I did finish Country Living February 2013 and no more of that for me as I can get most of that type of inspiration on Pinterest and literally "pin down" my style not what's "trending" (I could care less about trends unless they appeal to me, myself, and I! LOL!) 
Now, MJ's magazine is different because she goes to the beat of her own drummer!  Just got the Fall issue in the mail.  Oh, there's also an article about DIY dogfood which I am very interested in since my Nitty girl has allergies.

 Oh, I almost forgot to tell you!  I finished Little, Big and it was just as crazy at the end as it was at the beginning!  I'm not posting another picture as it will definitely make the list of The Worst Books Read in 2013.  It doesn't even get a rating as I would have to go into the negatives to give one.
Still reading this one and it's interesting but it is a reference book.  The first chapter was how to build a log cabin (in detail) and the chapter I'm about to begin is about organic gardening.  This man was ahead of his time along with the Nearings who were the original pioneers of the "back to land" movement in the 1960's. 

Since I can only read so much of a reference book at a time, I started another non-fiction written by Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter that I've had for years but have never read.   It's called Everything to Gain.  When I had my career and was working all week (and most weekends it seemed) and on call 24/7, I had the money to buy books but no time to read them.  Now, I finally have the time and not much money to buy new ones so it's worked out good....I have plenty to read in my old age! LOL!

So far, I am really enjoying this book.  They each write their own words about the same topic and they are both good writers.  It was written about the time after they left the White House.
Ahhh....finally some light fiction that actually has plot, real characters and a series of events that make sense.  (If Little, Big had been the first book I'd ever read I don't think I would have ever become a reader.....thank goodness he doesn't write children's books or he would turn off whole generations of readers!) Catering to Nobody is Diane Mott Davidson's first book and a mighty good one so far!  And recipes too....I haven't tried those yet!  They sound yummy though!

That's all for this week in the reading category.  Now, I'm off to power wash my sidewalk, make a spinach quiche for supper and whip up some bread dough.  There's football on tonight so I think I'll drag out my t.v. watching needlework....hmmm, granny squares sound good for that.  I also need to pay some bills (yuch) and run the vacuum, and dang it, I want to slap some more paint around too!  TTYL!

YOP Sunday

This is going to be less wordy than usual as it is too beautiful outside to be in here! LOL!  I've waited  all Summer long for this weather and so have the girls.  I'll be back tonight to check in on y'all!
Flower pin......crocheted, Attic 24 pattern.

Found these adhesive pin backs at Wal-mart...sounds like a good idea....I'll let you know!

Irish Hiking Scarf is almost halfway...........

another flower in progress....these are FUN!

New fiber and new sticks (more dpns) for new projects!

and yes,  this is a supply for a YOP project.....can you guess what it is?  Tune in next week to find out!

Have a great week!

Monday Reads

I had such a great weekend and I hope you did too!  Football was on Saturday and Sunday and my new neighbors have arrived next door from New York.  Sunday night my son Skype'd me and not only did I get to visit with my grandson but I got to read him a bedtime story via Skype even showing him the pictures from the book....The Complete Brambly Hedge which BTW I finished and loved.  We read Spring until my pc over heated and crashed and then we had to finish over the phone but it was fun never the less.  This book gets a 5 out of 5 star rating!

 I also finished Old Farm and can't wait to order some more books by Jerry Apps.  He's a great writer and makes even the most mundane topics interesting....although nothing interests me more than "the old days".  This book also gets a 5 out of 5 star rating.

Still making my way through this one.........only 65 pages to go!!!!! (It's grueling let me tell you!)  I'll be so happy when it's over....why did it have to be so long if it was going to be so bad?  You're probably tired of looking at the cover! LOL!  With 65 pages left can the author pull it out of the ditch?  We shall see....stay tuned but don't get your hopes up.

  I finished a magazine,  Country Living September 2013 issue.  I like a few magazines because I can take them to bed with me or to read in a waiting room but really....today with all the blogs and Hometalk and Pinterest  and Facebook etc; the need to be inspired by photos in a magazine is really not necessary and they are very expensive while all the aforementioned are free minus the cost of my internet connection.  So, bye-bye  magazines!
 (I still have a lot to go through though so you'll be seeing them here for awhile yet!)

 

  This quote fits me to a "T" and I can't wait to get to my next (last) house where I can do this!  I can't now since I'm trying to sell it but if it takes very long I just may! LOL!  And the author of the quotes name is Sandra, just like mine!  Coincidence?  I don't think so.......
I'm just starting on this one now, Country Living February 2013....I told you I was behind!  (Years actually but I had some eye problems too for several years so you have to give me that).

I get some ideas once in a while from these magazines but at my age I have my own style and I'm not into expensive "knock offs" or trying to make my house look like some decorator came in and took over.  I'm into cozy, and homey and welcoming and my version of that... which isn't everyone's. 
 I've listened to Tales From Watership Down a bit more but usually when I'm ironing and I'm a bit behind in that right now! LOL!

 I did start a new non-fiction (well, it's not a new book as I've had it for years).  When I had my little farm I was always snatching up books about how to be self-sufficient and live off the land.  I'm still interested in it just on a smaller scale now.  This is a reprint as it was such a classic and the author died back in 1997.  The original book was written in 1972.  It's full of information but mostly factual and instructions.  It's not something you can read for hours on end like Jerry Apps book,  Old Farm.  I read a chapter a night and I'm learning how to fell a tree, sharpen an ax and begin to build a log cabin.  Will I ever use this information?  You never know!  But it is interesting for sure and a keeper!

    I also started another fiction book.  Something lighter and easier than Little, Big.  I've read some of these before but it was several years back and I want to read them in order....you KNOW how I am! LOL!
Here's the first one in the series.  Some of you may be familiar with her as she is pretty popular.

As you  might be able to discern from the title the main character is a caterer.  She's also a single mom who escaped from an abusive marriage.  They are great mysteries, unusual plots and easy evening reading.  Not too violent or gory and recipes included!!!
I have to go make dinner now...or something that resembles it! LOL!  TTYL!

YOP Sunday

Actually , it's football Sunday! LOL!  I love football and I'm a big Bears fan although I don't get to watch their games down here (another reason to get back up North! LOL!).  But that's actually a good thing because I usually get most of my needlework done during football season.  I finished 2 projects and The Irish Hiking Scarf is still ongoing and I finally got all my yarns for the granny square blanket.  I'm sure that will be another "never ending" project.  This is Stylecraft DK and these are the colors I'll be using for it.

 I got a lovely surprise in the mail from my blogging friend Tammy over at T's Daily Treasures
Tammy lives in Kuwait but was "traveling" this summer.  Thank you, Tammy!  I love handmade treasures by people I know.  I will think about you every time I use it!

I had a visit from Sue, the book fairy yesterday and she "loaned" me some knitting books to look at....what a treat that was last evening........

These are all lovely books and I saw a lot of inspiring projects.  Have any of you used any of these books?  I especially liked these scarves from the the Scarf Style book.......

Everything I like looks like it might be complicated especially the dragon....Entarsia or is it Intarsia? I love to learn new things though so onward and upward!  New skills to hone!
I forgot about my hook holder as I was trying to finish up these this week.............

They're both gifts going out in the mail A.S.A.P.   Today I started experimenting with making flowers from Lucy's pattern over at Attic 24.  I have uses for them for brooches, adding to purses and adorning lots of different things.  I think I need a "supply" of them always on hand! LOL!  They fun, quick and colorful.  There's leaves for them if you want.....which I do.  This is only the beginning of the flower...more layers and colors to come!

I also ordered  "yarn & sticks" so stay tuned to see what's next!  I can't wait until they get here!  Have a great week everyone!