It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

We were forecast to get between 1-3 inches of snow last night. I awoke early this morning to the sound of the snow plow and thought they must be desperate for a little work.  When I got up, I opened our bedroom curtains to this:

It appears when all is said and done (it snowed for a few more hours) that we have about seven inches! 

See that dark spot on the lower middle left?  That's our well which normally sticks up about two feet. It has a lovely mushroom cap of snow.  :-)

What a beautiful day!!  Now if only our 4-wheeler wasn't in the shop!! Normally we have a plow attached to the front so Dan can do our driveway.  Maybe it'll be ready today?  She said hopefully. ♥

Knock Knock! It's Me!

Well, hey there!  Yes, it's me.  And it's December.  The house is all decorated and the cards are sent. I'm enjoying the season and puttering away with little projects.  And I finished a big one!

I finally quilted the big Through the Winter Woods quilt I started last winter (seen here and here) over Thanksgiving and then got the binding on over the next week.  Ann and Eric and boys were here for Thanksgiving and Ann was able to quilt a top she made years ago, so we congratulated ourselves over our accomplishments.  Two big buffalos down!

Another big yahoo took place this last weekend.  When I got my humongous Bernina 830 a few years ago, I knew it was too heavy to use with the lift in my sewing cabinet so Dan locked it into position so I could have the bed of the machine even with the cabinet top and built a box to lift it up when I wanted to embroider.  It worked, but it was a chore to lift that 45 pound machine in and out, so I often didn't. I'd put off embroidering or I'd muddle along sewing without having the machine even with the cabinet top.  Last summer I wondered if it would be possible to order just a heavy duty lift and after checking the internet, found one.  We ordered it and it's been in a box under a table in my sewing room. Until Saturday.  Can I just say I am thrilled?  It has rejuvenated my sewing mojo and I'm one happy sewer.

So, Saturday night I just had to embroider something. The new lift worked perfectly and up popped my machine, ready for the embroidery unit.  I dug out my huge jumbo hoop, found a piece of Osnaburg and began a one color Christmas wreath I've been wanting to make for several years.  I didn't even know what I would do with it, but I decided the time had come to stitch it and stitch I would.  I toyed with several colors and went with my favorite dark red.  When I was done, I decided to make it into a pillow with fabrics left from the Winter Woods quilt.  Several hours and five presser feet later, I was done.  Here's a photo of the quilt and the pillow.

Five presser feet?  Yup!  The quarter inch foot for the seams, an all purpose foot for the zigzaging the Osnaburg edges, the ruffler for the ruffle, the buttonhole foot and the button sew-on foot for the closure on the pillow back. And oh yeah--the embroidery foot for the design.  Guess that's six! ♥

Dayna Update

It's been a while since I did an update on our friend Dayna.  My readers will remember that last February our daughter Ann took her friend on a round of hospital and doctor visits one day to find, in the end, that Dayna had a brain tumor.  A stage 4 gioblastoma.  Surgery followed the very next day to save her life and she has been undergoing treatments including chemotherapy since.  

Today Dayna had another MRI (she has them every 3 months) and the wonderful news is that the tumor has shrunk 70 to 80 percent since February.  There was a 40 percent reduction shown in the August MRI with another 40 percent reduction this time.  

Dayna continues to be upbeat and was recently named National Single Mom of the Year after a friend nominated her.  Here is a snippet of what her friend shared about the trip they took to Baton Rouge for the award.

We arrived at the airport but because Dayna had needles and prescriptions with her, she had to be detained so security could make sure she was okay to travel. Throughout this, she was incredibly kind and gracious and of course, made a new friend in the security guard. 

It is hard for Dayna to sleep without help due to the cancer treatment she is taking, so instead of sleeping she drank 5 cups of horrible airplane coffee and made friends with literally everyone in the surrounding area, and continued to do so, in all three airports and two flights. She is a LIGHT wherever she goes. She can’t help but talking about Jesus and what he has done in her life to the many people God puts around her. 

We arrived in Houston, Texas and missed our flight! God went before us though, and we were immediately able to get on another flight on a very tiny plane! This time Dayna and I weren’t sitting near each other but I could hear her happy laugh periodically as she made friends and swapped stories with someone else.

I hope by including this little story you will see something of the very special person Dayna is and feel like you know her just a little bit.  Finally, here is a recent picture of her with her little princess, Maddie.

For those of you who have prayed for her, thank you! There is no end in sight to the treatments as this type of cancer is, well, considered terminal.  But!  ♥

November!

We've been on the road this month.  After returning from Bruder Bear's, we were home for a while, working on bathrooms (will it ever end?), exercising (me!), and doing fun stuff like the laundry, etc., and then we were on the road again.  Last weekend was spent in Boise and McCall, and then Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of this week we were on the road watching soccer games as our two grandsons' school competed in an end of the season soccer tournament.  They came in second and Cam was chosen one of the six top players in the league.  

As my faithful readers (thank you for sticking with me!) know, I purchased an electric pressure cooker this year. I'm part of a Facebook group for the Instant Pot (the brand I purchased) and they are a busy bunch.  All kinds of pictures pop up each day and they seem to go from topic to topic.  

There's a yogurt function on the Instant Pot and I really never intended to use it, but then pictures began to show up on FB.  Intrigued, I checked a blog site that had been featured and read through the instructions and decided I should give it a try.  Oh.My.Goodness!  Easy? Absolutely.  Delicious? Absolutely. Will I do it again? Yes!

I ended up with six pints of thick, creamy yogurt from a gallon of two percent milk.  It did take all day, but I was only actively involved for less than an hour.  

I found the very nice plastic lids (made by Ball) locally. And I have to tell you, in my current issue of Country Living, they feature a set of very similar looking lids, in a set of six, for about forty-four dollars!!  I bought my box of eight for about four dollars!!  Pretty big price difference.  

The blog site recommended draining the yogurt in something called a nut milk bag, but I just used a large mesh strainer lined with a tea towel and set it over a big stock pot.  Worked quite well.  Here's the cleaned up pieces.  I used my canning funnel to ladle the yogurt into the jars.  

I've been happily eating the yogurt for days now.  I spoon some into a dish, add a drizzle of pure maple syrup, and sprinkle on some home-made granola.  And speaking of granola, here's a link to the recipe.  This stuff is seriously easy to make and totally yummy. 

Fall has finally arrived and it feels good.  Time to cozy down, drink hot coffee and tea, and make plans for the holidays.  I stitched a few leaves to add to our seasonal decor.

Hanging on the china hutch door

Tucked under a candle with embroidered wrap

Happy November!  ♥

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

We took a little road trip down to the Bruder Bear Resort for a few days and had a most wonderful time relaxing and visiting with John and Karen.  We drove as far as McCall the first day and enjoyed a night at the Hunt Lodge and dinner at Lardo's.  Lardo's is such a funky place, but the food is always delicious.

We got up the next morning, enjoyed a yummy breakfast at the Lodge and hit the trail for Boise and parts east.  Have I ever mentioned how I hate driving on interstates?  I used to love them, but now they are so clogged with huge trucks that it's a nightmare.  It was my turn to drive, so I clenched the wheel and hit the gas pedal.  I was so thankful when we rolled into Bruder Bear's driveway!  And he was actually standing there waiting to greet us!

The views from their deck are incredible.  The water was like glass when I caught this photo.

Their house is right on the Snake River facing northeast and the weather was perfect the whole time we were there, so the deck was used every day, well into the evening. Amazing weather for the middle of October. We ate several meals out there and as usual, Karen spoiled us with her cooking.  

We loved our time with them and look forward to seeing them again soon.  Thanks, Bruder Bear!  ♥

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!  ♥

End of August

Yes, friends, I'm still alive and kickin'.  I took the month off from the computer, with just occasional peeks at favorite blogs and FB.  Sometimes it's good to just disconnect and get on with other things.

We planted a small garden this year and I'm overjoyed to report that our summer squash and zucchini have produced!!  It's been years since I've been able to make such a report.  Piles of squash have appeared on my counter on almost a daily basis:

I've made numerous pans of my summer squash skillet and so far we still enjoy each mouthful.  I've made multiple bakings of zucchini bread and with each batch I can't resist breathing in the wonderful aroma of the cinnamon and nutmeg as I set them on the cooling racks.

I also stumbled on a wonderful recipe for a side dish featuring the yellow squash.  I got a catalog last week from a company called Through the Country Door.  I ordered a couple of things and got a welcoming email from them.  At the bottom was a picture of a casserole with a link.  I checked it out and decided to make it Saturday.  I can highly recommend Gunter Family Squash Casserole!  A little bit of work, but definitely worth it.  

I've been stitching in the sewing room making baby blankets for a local ministry.  I've stitched satin binding to fleece for cozy blankies and embroidered flannel to make receiving blankets for the tiny ones.  I love making baby things!  

August has been hot and our area has been thick with smoke from the many forest fires in the west. It rained a little yesterday and today is cool and the air is clear. Hopefully firefighters will be able to use this time to whip all the infernos blazing away.  A cousin lost her home and all her possessions in one fire several weeks ago.  I can't even imagine.  I come from a family of forest-fire fighters, with my dad, my brother and my husband all having spent many days on the fire lines. I am grateful that none of them do it any more.  

So, here we are at the end of August.  I turned another year older and fall is about to arrive.  ♥