Progress!

I finished my little autumn picture and it's ready to frame.  So cute!

I found an old package of 14-count oatmeal Aida cloth that will work for my next project and got it ready to go last night.  It's another Prairie Schooler design.  

I'm doing the big one on the left.  It's been a long, long time since I've done anything bigger than the one I just finished and it's like I'm learning all over again.  Right now I have it on a needlework frame which I'm finding a little awkward to work with.  I'll just keep plugging along and see how it goes.  There's always the hoop option.  

I got D's first pair of boxers made and delivered. He wanted them to be longer than the length on the pattern so I measured him and did a little pattern adjusting which, thankfully, worked out just right.  

I'm started on the second pair and hopefully will get time to work on them today.  I'm substituting for our church secretary while she's on vacation so my stitching time is limited right now.  

And that's it for now!  ♥

Amazingly, I'm Back!

The 4th of July weekend is upon us and it has cooled down from the triple digits to the nineties which seem much cooler in comparison.  We were even able to open all the windows last night, which I love to be able to do.  

I continue to work on my autumn cross stitch picture and here's where I was earlier today:

Isn't that just the cutest house?  As I mentioned in my last post, simple but with details that take it a step above primitive.  

And here are a couple pictures of the completed Christmas tree quilt top.  So glad to finally be done with it! I do like it very much in spite of the fussy nature of all the triangles.  

Of course it still needs to be quilted, but I can wait on that.  Now it's on to making Daniel some new boxers for his jammies.  They're all cut out and ready to go.  

Maybe I'll get going on them tomorrow. That sounds like a good 4th of July project!  Too hot to be outside much and my sewing room is air conditioned.  :-)  

And that's it from the resort today!  ♥

Meanwhile . . .

Yes, April came and went, and so did May and now we're on the last day of June.  Boy, time sure flies when you just puttering along!

So what did I do?  Just the usual.  Cooking, cleaning, baking, you know, the usual household chores.  And reading.  Lot and lots of reading. I've always loved to read and having that Kindle Unlimited subscription just put lots of fun books at my fingertips.  So I indulged.  I'm a fan of cozy mysteries.  A few murders, but no gore, ugly violence or bad words.  Just entertainment.  And I was entertained.  

So now I'm slacking off the reading a little and working on some counted cross stitch.  A number of years ago I did three little Prairie Schooler seasonal scenes and I found the fourth one last winter. Unfortunately I had to buy a booklet that included the ones I had already made to get it. It's an autumn one so I decided to get cracking on it so I'd have it ready when fall comes.  Guess what?  It's as much fun as a cozy mystery!  

Here's a picture showing all of the four seasons:

I'm working on the one in the lower left and here's where I was earlier today:

These little designs just make me happy.  Prairie Schooler is the company that does the yearly St. Nicholas's I have been stitching out for years.  I love the colors they use and the simple yet detailed designs.  Primitive but not excessively so.  (And I love borders!)

The weather here has been hot.  HOT I say!  It was over 107° today and yesterday, and it's supposed to last through the weekend.  I'm so very thankful for air conditioning!  

And finally, what about that Christmas tree quilt I started last winter?  Well, I finally got the last of the top pieced today.  Hopefully I'll be back to share about that soon!  ♥

A Tale of a Rotisserie Chicken. . . and Stew

I mentioned that we went to Costco a week or so ago. One of the things we purchased was a rotisserie chicken for the amazing price of $4.99.  I meant to have it for dinner that night when we got home, but we were later getting to Costco than I had anticipated, which meant we were later leaving, so we popped into Taco Time and got a bite.  Which was interesting because they served it to us in a bag, which we carried to an available table and unpacked.  Such strange times. . .

Anyway, the chicken became our Saturday night dinner, and then again on Sunday.  And there was so much left!! A day or so later, I decided to chop some up and make chicken and black bean enchiladas.  The recipe said it made four or five, but I ended up with a dozen!  I froze six and we ate the other six that night and the next. And still there was chicken left, so I chopped it up and froze it.  Saturday night I decided to make pizza and opted for white sauce and the frozen chicken, along with a little Canadian bacon, red peppers and olives.  We ate the pizza for two nights and I ate the rest for lunch today. (Dan was so kind to let me have it!) And we still have those six enchiladas in the freezer.  That $4.99 chicken has already fed us numerous meals with two still to go. I feel kind of like it was the loaves and fishes!  I think I'll be buying another soon.  

And stew?  We have had a very cold November.  We have snow again, with more forecast for tonight and tomorrow night.  I love cold weather cooking--soups, stews, breads, muffins.  Right after breakfast this morning I pondered supper.  I knew I had some potatoes and celery in need of using up, so I thought of stew.  I have a recipe I clipped from the paper years ago called Five Hour Midnight Stew.  It's fairly simple, but you have to remember to get started early as it bakes in the oven for five hours as the title states.  

It tasted so good!  I had some leftover muffins from a couple of weeks ago in the freezer so I zapped them to complete our dinner.  There's lots of stew left, so I'm good to go for a few nights.  ♥

Goodness Gracious!

How can the time have passed so quickly?!?  Guess I've been busy.  But with what?  That's the question.  The days just seem to fly by and they're much shorter now, too.  We have to learn to drive in the dark again, which seems to be more difficult each year.  

Our church secretary knows she can call me when she needs someone to take over the office when she can't be there for one reason or another.  I've done it several times the last couple of weeks and will again this Friday. Kind of fun to pull out my secretarial skills again.   

Last week was Ann's birthday and she wanted Mexican, so we masked up and made our way to our favorite place early and were able to score a table.  They have seating portioned off and it was like our own section. We were just grateful to all get to sit together and could since we were all family.  After eating, we came back to our house for cake and presents and some good visiting.  For some reason, D likes to take baths at our house, so he happily hopped in since it was his bath night and would be too late for one when he got home. He came out all bright and shiny clean.  

I've been helping a friend out with a quilt she is making for a daughter and son-in-law for Christmas.  It's a funny story as the son-in-law saw a quilt kit and bought it not realizing that his bride didn't sew.  (A natural assumption as all the other women in her family did.) So he gave it to my friend to make and she's had it for eighteen years.  She finally decided it would make a perfect gift this Christmas but was hesitant as it involved processes she'd never tried before and that's where I came in to help and cheer her on.  

I haven't taken any recent photos but here's a great one of D when he and his dad were out on a recent hike. Note the bee nest in the background!  

Fall has truly arrived.  We had a wet weekend and the leaves are swirling.  I've had to dig out sweaters and fleece tops and wool socks.  It feels good!  I love fall!  ♥

  

Last Day of September

How can it be the end of September already?  But as I look outside, I definitely see signs of fall--leaves turning color, that blue, blue sky of late September, early October.   Such beautiful days we've been having! Perfect, as a matter of fact.  

Now that I've finished the peaches, I've taken a few "lazy days" and relaxed with some reading and knitting. I'm still working on the brown tweed socks of last spring and discovered that somehow I made the first one too short in the foot area.  Never mind.  I'll see if I can rip back and go again.  If not, I'll just reknit the whole thing.  Mindless, relaxing work.  Sounds good.

Here's a few picture of our house ready for the season. 

I love the fall additions to the hearth.

My favorite corner.

We took a big plunge last week and met with a contractor to do some much needed work on two of our bathrooms.  The lovely (not!) green tub, the last vestige of that awful color in the downstairs bath, will be replaced with a walk-in shower and the upstairs guest bathtub will get a beautiful new surround.  I'm so excited!  He said they would get to it in six to eight weeks, so all should be done by Christmas.  

Meanwhile, we are also toying with raising the sunken living room to the level of the rest of the main floor.  Our advancing years are making us ponder work that could enable us to stay here more years and that step down was a real headache for my parents.  Mom crashed twice when she forgot to step down. 

It's pumpkin season!!  Let the leaves fall and the wind blow and candy corn rule!  ♥ 

Everything Is Just Peachy

Literally!  A week or so ago an old buddy of Dan's called to ask if he would come look at his tamarack trees which he grows for seed.  Some of them seemed to be in distress.  So last Friday, a week ago, Dan headed down to check things out.  He mentioned that Rich said he'd send back some peaches for me.  Yes!  Years ago I got all my peaches from Rich and they were just the best. Each August for the last few years I've thought I would get down to his orchard and get some, but alas, it never seemed to happen.

When Dan got home, he asked me to come look in his truck.  He opened the back door and there sat four huge boxes of peaches!  Four!  And a gunny sack with twenty-two ears of corn!  Oh my goodness! I called Ann and asked if she'd like some of each and she was happy to say yes.  

Saturday morning right after breakfast I went to work on a peach pie.  It's my absolute favorite.  The peaches were gorgeous and huge.  I hopped into the shower and by the time I was out, Ann and Keaton had arrived to claim their bounty.  We worked it out and I was thrilled when she agreed to take two boxes and a bunch of the corn.   She went home to begin canning and I began to freeze some.  By the time Tuesday was over, we'd totalled up twenty-one quarts canned (Ann), twenty-two containers frozen (me), two peach pies (me), many eaten out of hand (both houses), and twenty jars of jam (me).   

Here are a couple of pictures of our bounty.

And the corn?  It was absolutely the best I've ever tasted.  We had it three nights in a row and Ann's family had it two nights.  So sweet and delicious.  Mmmm...  ♥

 

The Times . . .

. . . they are moving along . . . slowly.   Such a strange, strange year.  The virus, staying at home, people getting all het up over politics, and now smoke.  The west seems to be on fire although thankfully most of it isn't near us. My dad spent years and years in forest fire control and in all those years, never did he have fires that grew like they seem to now.  I don't know if it was because he was good at his job (he was) or because the forests were in better shape than they are now.  At any rate, we've been smoked in for almost a week and it's definitely added to the strangeness of 2020.  Actually, it's been eerie.  But somewhere up there the sun is shining!! 

I signed back up with Ancestry.com.  I think I left about the time my parents passed, so it's been three years or so and there's so much more information available.  I've had a great time finding information about my mom's side of the family.  Because Grandpa came from Norway, those records weren't available except for a high price, but thanks to a sale, I got an international pass included at the same price as the U.S. pass usually goes for.   So much information, much of it recently added I'm sure.  I was having a ball as I clicked and saved.  Most holes in Mom's family tree have now been filled in.  Wish she was still here so I could show her.  

Now I'm rationing my time on the computer and starting to put out our fall decorations.  I started with the front porch and am now working on the living room and dining room.  You wouldn't believe the dust I'm encountering as I move things.  All the harvest dust and particles in the smoke!  I recommend buying Swiffer stock!  Ha!  At any rate, it's fun to get out things that have been put away since last November.  I love the continuity of the changing seasons and decor year after year.  

Very little is happening in my sewing room.  I'm so linear that I seem to be able to only work on one thing at a time.  I did turn the collar on a favorite workshirt of Dan's and prepare the backing for the Peace on Earth quilt this week.  One of these days the mood will strike and I'll load it on the long arm and get it quilted.  

And that's what's happening at the Resort!  ♥

A Little This, A Little That

Our phone rang a little after noon on Friday and it was Bruder Bear saying he was in Riggins just coming off a fishing trip with some friends and wondered if he could come up for a visit for a day or so.  Yay!!  So Dan and I hopped to and got a little house work done (left undone for too long due to my cold and Dan's knee) and we were mostly ready when he arrived about three-thirty.  We ate out that night (ref. clean house instead of cook...) but I came up with some plans for Saturday night.  I'm always okay with breakfast and lunch, but dinner often stymies me when I have company, even someone as easy at Bruder Bear.  

My plan?  One Hour Swedish Limpa Bread from Foodie with Family and Chicken Wild Rice Soup from Pressure Cooking Today.  The boys kept busy with discussions of hunting and reloading and then, thanks to BB's scouting skills, left to buy some rims for winter tires for the new SUV we purchased last summer.  I have tried to do some preliminary work for my cooking these days, so I gathered ingredients and chopped away on onions, celery, and carrots (which I have learned is called mirepoix in the fancy cooking world) and chicken. Having all these things plus the other ingredients at the ready is called mise en place.  All these French terms!!  But I am becoming a true believer in mise en place, it keeps me from leaving something out and I'm much more relaxed when it comes to actually doing the cooking.

The bread recipe truly is quick although an hour and fifteen minutes is probably closer to the truth for me.  AND it makes two lovely sized loaves!  Win, win!  We decided when I first made it earlier this year that we weren't fans of the fennel seeds, but otherwise I follow the recipe exactly.  And oh! the smell of the orange peel.  Mmmm!  We had leftovers from the first loaf toasted with breakfast this morning and it was delicious with a little butter and peach jam.  Dan said it was as good as dessert. 

Our beautiful days seem to be coming to an end with light rain and clouds in the forecast for the next week or so.  Fine with me!  Makes it all the more cozy.  We've had the fireplace burning merrily many nights.

The front porch is very festive for the season.  We've gathered in a few more pumpkins this year thanks to some friends who had leftovers after a Fall Festival at their Christmas tree farm.  We usually have one, but I'm loving the look of more!

I realized as I looked at this picture I just took that I need to take down the birdhouse and put up the Indian corn!  So I'm off to do that before I forget.  ♥ 

This Is NOT a Mirage!

Yeah, yeah, I know I've been absent.  Sometimes the words are just not there, for whatever reason. Maybe just so I won't bore you!  :-)

And now, it's October and fall is here.  Love it!  The poplars are laying down a carpet of gold on the grass in the backyard, the box elders are turning their usual stunning red, and the days are blue and gold.  Here where I live, fall is our shining time.  Gorgeous!

I've decorated the house and added a few new pieces. I've need a centerpiece for the dining room table and back in August I took advantage of some coupons at JoAnn's and bought three large fall picks and one flower pick that had about five chrysanthemums on it in varying colors.  Two weeks ago I finally got brave (Who has to get brave to make a centerpiece??  Apparently I do.) and decided to see what I could do.  I had a lovely white casserole/soup tureen in the cupboard and I used it for the vase.  I simply bent the stems of the fall picks in a 45 degree angle and placed them in the dish.  Then I had Dan cut the flower pick apart (I tried, but my fingers didn't have enough umph...) and placed them among the leaves.  

I am inordinately pleased with the results!

I got a new catalog in the mail and found these cute little pilgrims who begged to be added to our home. They are a Williraye design.  Aren't they adorable?

A week or so ago Ann and I ran away from home to a neighboring town for a little fun.  In addition to Costco, we hit Pier One and I, sucker that I am for seasonal things, had to buy this mug to drink my fall morning coffee.  I love its pumpkin color, it's shape, and rustic glaze. It makes me smile each day.

Last week when I went to Ann's for my usual Thursday afternoon of watching the D-man, Ann had my birthday present waiting.  We both enjoy the Pioneer Woman's cooking show and her cookbooks, and were excited to learn she had a line of kitchen goods coming out.  Ann had been waiting for them to show up at our local Walmart and they finally did. 

This beautiful bowl was full of utensils including a wooden spoon, masher, and flat whisk.  What fun!!  I love kitchen things!

I've been machine embroidering again and did some lace this week including this bookmark:

Meanwhile, Dan has been working on our bathrooms as time allows.  Part of the plan is to redo the cabinet fronts and he's been experimenting with drawer fronts. I think we've got it figured out!

Normally I'd be watching Daniel this afternoon but he was up all night with the throw-ups so Ann is home with him.  She said he was finally starting to feel better about ten this morning.  So, here I am, doing a catch-up.  

Happy October!  ♥

Fall is Definitely Here!

Of course fall is here--it's November!!  And apparently it's been some time since I've posted.  Ah well, I'm back.  

Dan is off to the woods today, daylight savings time is over (big yay to that!), and I was actually up before seven, thanks to the end of the aforementioned DST. It's a dampish, cloudy day and here I sit in my jammies, enjoying a cup of coffee deliciously flavored with raspberry white chocolate creamer.  (I think I drink coffee just for the creamers, but that's another story.)  

Since Dan was off early, I made myself a bowl of my favorite cool weather breakfast--oatmeal.  (Dan is not a fan.) I use old-fashioned oats, cook it long and slow, stir in a tablespoon of peanut butter, add a drizzle of pure maple syrup, and top it off with vanilla almond milk. Yum!!!

The peanut butter adds protein and it only takes a little maple syrup to sweeten a bowl compared to the amount of brown sugar I used to use.  

Saturday was spent at an out-of-town soccer tournament watching Cameron's school compete.  Dan, Ann and Daniel went up on Friday and were thrilled to watch the team win two games including defeating the number one seed.  Cameron scored eight goals between the two games!!  Saturday was the final playoff for the top spot, and while they didn't win, Cameron scored both goals in the 3-2 heart breaker.  He also received a trophy for being one of the top league players.  And the second place trophy the school won is pretty impressive, too.  It was a very cold, windy and damp day, but we all huddled together, kept warm and had a great time! (And a little chocolate didn't hurt, either.)

Hope you're all staying warm and cozy--  ♥

Thankful Thursday

Wow, I can't believe what a slacker blogger I've been this month.  But then again, there's only so much you can say about dusting, organizing shelves, and cleaning sinks.  Yeah, it's been that exciting here this month.  

But, this morning I grabbed my camera and took a few pictures.  I try to do at least four posts per month, so stay tuned for a flurry in the next few days!

Meanwhile, I know Thursdays have become known in the internet world as "Throwback Thursday", but today I decided I would do a Thankful Thursday.  So, in a few words and a few pictures, here goes:

I'm thankful for this perfect little ceramic bird I found last fall in a drugstore next to the shop where I get my hair cut.  It makes me smile.

And I'm thankful for my trusty ancient NordicTrack.  I can't believe that for the last one year and nine months, most days, I climb on it each morning and work away. It's a love/hate relationship, but still, I'm thankful!  

Hope your day is as beautiful as it is here!  ♥

September?

Well, it looks like I've missed a few weeks here.  Things have been busy, and when I've had down time, I've been lazy.  :-)

I have my little house picture done and hanging.  I've left the frame matte-finished, but I may varnish it later. I do like it!  And it solves a bare-space dilemma for those times when my Christmas stocking and my little flag banner are out of season.

The little basket below it holds our car keys and I've made different garters for it for various seasons. I haven't been to a Longaberger party in years, but I sure love the baskets I have and use them all the time. (We'll just have to ignore the fact that the light switch isn't centered...  Bah!!)

I have finished changing out Americana decor for fall and it feels so good!  Love, love, love the fall season. And here's that Edyta Sitar runner I made earlier this year. Doesn't it look perfect with this arrangement on it?

So far I've found no bags of cute little pumpkins at Safeway, but I'll keep checking.  ♥

Happy Pumpkin Day!

Fall leaves, cloudy skies, bright orange pumpkins, happy kids...

Happy Pumpkin Day!

A Little Autumn Walk

Our town has some wonderful walking/bike paths resulting from the "rails to trails" program, and yesterday I asked Dan if we could walk a section that I've always wanted to explore.  Don't ask why we haven't; you know how it goes.  So we drove a short distance, parked, and began to walk.  The weather was perfect, sunny but definitely cool.  Our first steps took us into an area that seemed almost tunnel-like with bright colored trees and bushes everywhere.  There was a little creek to the side and the sound of the water caught my ear.  A spillway has recently been created and it made a lovely, peaceful spot.

A little further down the path, we discovered a row of trees, each with a plaque dedicated to a student from our high school who had passed away much too young.  

I had no idea such memorials existed, but I recognized several names, and one in particular, a young seventeen-year-old who, as a boy, had attended the school where I taught  for many years.  

As we continued, we discovered a small park (who knew?) that made me want to have a picnic immediately!  I think we shall have to return soon with a bag of sandwiches, some fruit, and something warm to drink.  A hidden treasure!  I kept marveling over this area that I never knew existed.  

Below, a horse chestnut is about to pop.

And, oh, the gorgeous leaves!

It was a most restorative walk.  Peaceful, beautiful, and perfect.  I think we must do it again soon.

Pumpkins!

Somebody had way too much fun with a couple of bags of little pumpkins!

 Love these varigated ones!

Here's another with a tiny white one.  ♥

A whole basket full!

And another tiny white one.

Our local Safeway had mixed bags of these little guys for a pittance, so of course I had to buy one.  Then another, and then another for Ann.  They are just the perfect accent for fall and make me smile every time I see them. And yes, there are more scattered around the house, but I thought four pictures were enough.

It's October!!  ♥

A New Table Runner

I've finally gotten down to my sewing room, and I just finished a runner for the shop featuring the Honeycrisp line of fabric from Dear Stella and the Waffle Time pattern by Atkinson Designs.  It's the perfect runner for August and September when you want something late summer/fallish without pumpkins.  

The pattern is the perfect showcase for that gorgeous fabric in the center.  It's too beautiful to cut into smaller pieces.  Feels good to be sewing!  ♥

Last Piece in Place

We decided on the last end table and while I was working at the shop on Saturday, Dan picked it up and brought it home.  I keep wondering whose house I'm in!  :-)

I need to make a new little topper as the old one is much too small for this table.  Soon.  Meanwhile, I just finished a little project for the shop and need to get back to my fall quilt.  

It's an absolutely beautiful day with a steady breeze.  The wind chimes Matt made us are singing and sound so good with the slider wide open.  Have I mentioned I love fall?  :-)

It's Friday! (And OTN)

Yup, I'm still alive friends.  Busy.  Or lazy.  Or both. Hmmm, those don't seem to go together.  How about I'm lazy, and then I hurry and get busy so I get something done.  Yes, that's it!

Knitting has been done although these warmer days haven't been conducive to knitting. Sock one of the latest pair is complete and sock two is started.  I'm still lovin' plain socks with self-striping yarn.  

Meanwhile, I have the bibs all done except for attaching the velcro, which is my least favorite part of bib making. Too pokey (figuratively and literally), I guess.  Maybe if I made just a couple of bibs at a time instead of a dozen or more it wouldn't seem like such an ugly job.  I know!  I'll just do a few at a time.  Divide and conquer.  Sometimes I stun myself with my brilliance.  :-)

I'm also working on an embroidery project--just waiting for the final inspiration.  Table runner (in which case I'll need to embroider a second piece) or just a quilted wall hanging?  Ponder, ponder.  

I like the simple, almost hand done, lines of this design. It's from Autumn Contours by OESD.  I'm starting to get in the mood for fall and like the idea of some new decorations for the house.  And speaking of fall, I picked up some fat quarters at Huckleberry Patches in McCall when I accompanied Dan to a meeting there this week.  

They're from Sandy Gervais' Phenomenal Fall line by Moda.  I'm a sucker for her fall lines and I couldn't resist these.  I'll probably wish I'd purchased more, or some yardage, but thought these would be perfect souvenirs of our trip. 

And that's it, folks.  I'm off to dust our bedroom.   

Snow! And Cake!

We had our first snowflakes of the season today. For a while the ground was sprinkled with white, but then it disappeared even though the snow continued to fall as the temperatures rose. Why is it that sometimes it will snow at 36 degrees, even up to 40, and rain at 30? Well, I'm no scientist so that question will remain unanswered. For now, anyway.

This was the view to the southeast just a few minutes ago:

I've resisted playing any Christmas music today, but it's coming!

And the cake part of today's title? We're having a ladies soup and bread night at church this evening and I made an old recipe entitled Dutch Apple Cake to have as dessert. I got the recipe from Goldie Adams, a neighbor of my family's when I was in high school. I haven't made it in years, but I had some apples that needed using, and it's a cozy recipe for a cozy day.

Here's the recipe:

Dutch Apple Cake

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp orange rind (optional--or used dried)
• 1 cup canned milk
• 2 cups chopped apple
• 1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Instructions:

Mix sugars and shortening well.  Add eggs.  Mix dry ingredients and add to sugar mixture, alternating a third at a time with the milk.  Fold in apples and nuts (if using). Spread in a greased 9x13 pan, sprinkle the top with sugar, and bake for 40-45 minutes at 350.  

This is good both warm and cold, topped with whipped topping or not.  It's also nice as a coffee type cake in the morning!

Hope your day has been warm and cozy.  It's beginning to look a lot like...