Rough and tumble....

That's what this month is starting out like.  Family drama, financial upheaval and some worrisome news.  That's why I haven't blogged but if I wait until everything's perfect I would never blog again! LOL!
Things are settling down but the worst news is my little namesake Sam who is 7 has to have surgery.  He started soccer this Spring and although unrelated they've found a "mass" in his leg bone.  The night of the lunar eclipse my daughter called me while they were outside watching it to remind me.  Sam had been favoring his leg a little but that night he twisted it and it was really painful so Amy knew she had to take him to the doctor.  This was not just growing pains.  They did an x-ray and then an MRI and then yesterday he had to go see an orthopedic surgeon at the University of Iowa.  It's a very rare condition but he's fortunate it is not on his growth plate but even after this surgery it may return and he may have to have it done again.  The bone they remove will be replaced with donated bone marrow cells from what I understand.  They will do a biopsy for sure but the surgeon said in most cases it is benign.  We are all praying that it is and if any of you want to send prayers or positive thoughts his way we would certainly appreciate it.  There's no date yet for the surgery but I will let you know when it is when I find out.  It's a good sign they didn't rush him into the operating room then and there, right?
Meanwhile, I've been working hard and keeping busy as I find that is the best way for me to keep any negative thoughts at bay.  There has been so much tragedy this week all over the world that I may have to stop watching the news too. 
Fall is slowly creeping in but it warmed up again a bit....not humid like Summertime though.

 It's been overcast and smoky from fields being burned off.

I still have yet to get my Christmas list finalized and I have some Halloween items to work on which I can't show here but will later after Halloween.  Meanwhile I'm still working on a few things I can show you.  My "scrapghan"............these are the ones you've seen so far

Here's a new one..........

and here's the present WIP #5 of 12

I also crocheted these little cuties from a link that Tammy
had on this posting from her blog.  Thanks to Repeat Crafter Me for the pattern and to Tammy for providing the link and inspiration!  Her's are crocheted much better than mine so you should check out her blog.  Great little coasters for your morning coffee!

Happy Trails!

First fire of the season and so much more!

Oh Fall.......I adore you!  I have a fire in the fireplace as it is fairly cool today and I didn't want to turn the heat on.  Yesterday, I really got into the Fall spirit and did some cleaning but also some Fall "goody" making for the weekend crafting and football watching!
First up was Caramel Apple cider from this recipe

I will never be a food stylist! LOL!  That's my caramel apple cider in the crock pot. But this is her picture....so much more appetizing!  It is so yummy!  I will never have plain old apple cider again.  I put it in a pitcher after the crock pot and now I just pour a mug and heat it up in the microwave.  If you usually have regular apple cider at this time of year you HAVE to try this recipe....you'll love it!  It is also on my Fall board on Pinterest so my Fall "bucket list" is actually utilizing some of those many pins.

I always have a helper in the kitchen (she follows me everywhere which is good as this way I know what she's up to! LOL!).   Every day she helps me with the dishwasher.

Then she shakes the rugs for me...........

and then she keeps a watch outside for any birds that might try to break into the house.........

While she was busy with all her chores, I proceeded to make pumpkin muffins with cream cheese frosting from this recipe

I used some Halloween muffin liners and evidently didn't put enough dough in the liners as I got 24 and not 12 like the recipe stated.  I made the cream cheese frosting but I was tired so I just frosted a few for my dessert and went to bed with some pumpkin tea to go with them.  I am so not fancy but the taste is what matters to me and they are DELISH!  I might freeze some with some frosting in another container....we'll see! LOL!  Here's her picture which is so pretty but I'm all about the taste!
Another "pin" from my Fall board.

I hope you are enjoying your Fall and my prayers and thoughts go out to the families and people in that little town in Oregon who suffered such a terrible tragedy.  I am also praying for the people in the path of all that rain and flooding.  Stay safe everyone but don't forget to enjoy life too.  Bless you all!
Happy Trails!

Cool down here....loving it!

It's cooled off a bit and it's time to get outside and get work done before winter!  The mums are blooming.........

the leaves (some, mostly sassafras and weed trees) are starting to fall ..........

 and turn color...........

 the girls are enjoying staying outside longer............Nitty does NOT like her picture taken

 whereas Annie is a little ham............and we're ALL getting gray! LOL!

 I put up one Fall decoration but I need to do more........

 I washed screens to ready them for putting away for the winter.  I could leave them up but you can see out the windows so much clearer with them off.  It's a little early to put them away here but they'll at least be clean along with the windows.

  Yesterday I was looking to organize my batteries which seem to be all over the house.  I "googled" and found this one to be the best....for $6.00 at The Container Store online.  But then looking at it I thought I have a lot more batteries than that!  I have battery operated candles, lights for when we lose power, camera, flashlights and lanterns.  I would need several of those containers.  So, I looked around the house to see what I could use that I already had.  "Use it up, make it do, throw it out or buy it new"!

This is where some of them were stuffed stored, some in drawers and some laying on bookshelves.

I knew I had some Lock n' Lock containers with dividers in them that I had purchased for sewing supplies....hmmmm...........this was the biggest one..........

so I emptied it and put the batteries in............I thought it worked pretty slick as I want them all in one place. 

until I went to put the lid on............not deep enough....and if I lay them down there's not enough room for them all...........thank goodness I had one of my brilliant ideas! LOL!  The dividers were removable so I dug through my other Lock n' Locks and found a smaller but deeper one that the dividers from a smaller one fit into.  Voila! 

I still need C batteries and more AA's but I think they will all fit in there.......

and the lid fits on!!!!  I like the Lock n' Locks because they are waterproof too.

Where do you keep your batteries?  Are you "prepping" for winter yet?
Happy Trails!

It's Tuesday... what are you reading?

I'm sorry I wasn't blogging last week or even around at all.  I started watching Pope Francis on MSNBC and I didn't stop until Sunday night when his plane flew from view.  I am not catholic but once I started watching the coverage I couldn't stop.  I have no doubt that this man is holy.  They even have a name for it..."the Francis Effect".  I couldn't take my eyes off of him and his words and his interactions with people.   He expressed many things that have been on my mind but he's a much better communicator.  In fact, I have a St. Francis of Assisi statue in my backyard.  So, I'm back now and yesterday I had to do a lot of "catching up" here on the home front.  You'd think I'd gone to see him in person the way I ignored everything around here! LOL!

 This man is a gift to all of us...........

Look at the crowds he drew!

I attended more masses in the week he was here than I have my whole life.  If you didn't watch any of it or aren't aware of this man then you owe it to yourself to read up on him.  If not a book, of which there are many, then google for more information.  I personally am ordering a biography but I probably won't stop there!  But right now here are some books I finished............
#1 - The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brockett 
I am such a non-fiction girl.  I love real people and their real lives and this woman covers the gambit of a life at home.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and there are books she recommends, movies that have a domestic bent to them, recipes, gardening, quilting and all the joys of loving and living in your home.  I highly recommend it if you are a "home body" like I am and enjoy all the aspects of homemaking, well, maybe not all! LOL!  I plan on getting more of her books.

 #2 - The House at Riverton - Kate Morton
Remember I got this as a cd collection from the library?  Well, about 85% through the cd's they started skipping so I had to buy the book on my Kindle.  I had no choice!  I was almost done with the book and I was caught up in it.  You can't help but get caught up in Kate's books.  In my opinion, she hasn't written a bad one yet.  They are just my cup of tea!  Only 2 more of her books to read....I might have to stretch them out a bit in order to savor them.

 #3 - Country Living Magazine - October 2015

 This was a great issue as it was not only Fall but also log cabins and rustic interiors.  I think this is my last issue and they've already sent me an $8.00/year offer but then they hike it up to $28 the next year.   They also do that "subscription thing" where if you don't contact them they keep sending it plus the bill which just so happened to triple since you subscribed.  I don't like being "tricked" or manipulated so they lost me as a subscriber....so did a few others because of this method.  A lot of their decorating and recipes, etc can be found on Pinterest too or visit their website.  I do that a lot with magazines now a days.  It's a great magazine but their sales department is a little to tricky for my taste.

#4 - Maisie Dobbs - (book #1) Jacqueline Winspear
I read this before years ago but want to read all of her books so I decided to start over and I'm so glad I did!  The first book really gives you her history and how she got to the point of having her own detective agency.  She's a great writer with such interesting story lines and I love that time in history; the early 1900's.  Another "winner" and now on to Book #2 - Birds of a Feather  which unfortunately our library doesn't seem to have....back to the Kindle!

Remember last Monday when I discussed the 2015 Reading Challenge and gave out that list?  Well, the first item is a book of over 500 pages.  I picked a "doozy"!  How about 817 pages?
 I've had this book in my possession for several years but never read it.   I read the introduction as I like to get a feel for the history or life of the author leading up to the writing of this classic especially since it was written so long ago and was a newer translation.  Well, they should have had a "spoiler alert" because they told the beginning, the middle and the end of the story!!!!  Who does that in an introduction????  Are they so arrogant to assume we've read it and this is just a re-read of a new translation?  So, WARNING, if you have this particular copy of Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

 DO NOT READ THE INTRODUCTION!!!  I'm forging ahead with it though so please wish me luck! LOL!
I'm backtracking on my next magazine.....it's the June Issue of Country Living with Miranda Lambert on the cover.  It's got a country western style to this issue as in music and Nashville.  

 I'm still reading this one......for my non-fiction..........it is dark, gloomy and sad and I should know better....it's a "prize winner" and although I am learning a lot about falconry, I have also come to the conclusion that it is another one of those "hobbies" where man (or in this case, woman) tries to subjugate a wild animal.  I told you it was dark.  I haven't finished it yet but I'm close.

As soon as I am done with the hawk book I will be choosing a new non-fiction from the following.  The books that aren't about Pope Francis are people he mentioned when he addressed congress telling them they were Americans he most admired (not congress...heaven forbid!).  I'll probably read the ones about Pope Francis first but they are all on my "list" now and I hope they fit into some categories on the Reader's Challenge.

 No wonder I love this man....he's a rebel!

I've had Team of Rivals on my list for a while now....
Dorothy Day I had never even heard of before........

I grew up around the time of this history making individual so I guess I sort of felt like I didn't need to read about it.  But on further thinking and more time to read these days I want to learn more.

I had heard of Thomas Merton but didn't really know much about him so I am looking forward to reading more about him

If anyone knows of any other books that are good involving the above individuals please let me know.  I'm always up for recommendations from my friends!

Happy Trails!

It's Monday...what are you reading?

I am in love with Kate Morton...the author......the woman is unbelievably talented in my opinion.  She takes you to another time and place in each of her books and you become so involved with her characters you really feel like you know them.  Her character development is beyond words.  The first book I read was The Forgotten Garden and then I finished this one, The Secret Keeper.

Each of her books is a different story but they are so involved that you get wrapped up in it like it's a true tale.  I escape every night to worlds that Kate has created and given as a gift to the world.  Thank you, Kate!
I'm still listening to the audio book.  It's an excellent audio but I am still a physical book type person so her remaining books will be ordered and held in my hands. This is also a winner.  I cannot get over how talented this young woman is.  She's gifted.  What will I do when I run out of her books?  Re-read them!

I also finished my Organic Living magazine and the latest Country Living magazine; both of which have been canceled subscriptions.  Now on to my old magazines.

I'm still reading this one and it's a little dark but the writing is excellent.  This is not your normal nature book but if you read it, stick with it because I think it will be worth it.  I''ll let you know for sure when I finish it.

I started reading the Maisie Dobbs series of mysteries by Jacqueline Winspear.  I read this book when it first came out but then as she wrote more books I didn't read her others which I do not know why as I loved her mysteries and writing.  I love the era she writes about in the early 1900's.  I plan on reading the entire series and "catching  up" as each book builds on the others.  I am thoroughly enjoying myself and look forward to reading it each evening.  You will love it if you haven't read her before.

On another but related note, I found a wonderful blogger, Modern Mrs. Darcy who has a great blog about books and reading.  I found her on Pinterest because she had a 2015 Reading Challenge at the beginning of the year.  Is it too late?  "No", I told myself!  So, I am doing this even though it is September!  It's just so interesting and I think it will force me to read outside my comfort zone and also to read books I bought long ago that I tend to ignore.

I enlarged the list as much I could but here is the link to the original list and a downloadable printable list if you so chose.  I think there are probably some I can already cross off.  Want to join me?  I think it will be fun.  If you're already participating good for you and let me know what you've read and how you liked it.  There can never be enough good book recommendations! What are you reading?
Happy Trails!