Happy Arbor Day and a guest chef!

 Today is Arbor day and it was beautiful here so it was the perfect time to plant my lilac bush.......

I kept the lilac bush in the house while it bloomed so I could enjoy the fragrance.  I was going to spread more mulch but the planting took all my energy.

One of my clematis is blooming........... I have 2 big pots and there are 2 fake evergreens that I put lights on in the winter.....the clematis climb all over them and then when they die back I have the evergreens for Christmas decorating............they serve a dual purpose..

I made turtles today..............

but the real surprise is my guest chef, Grayson............

and here is the recipe that he created and he asked me to share it with you....he said it is healthy and yummy!   Bananas with honey....he also took the pictures and sent them to me.  He's a whiz, that boy!  Thank you so much Grayson!  I wonder what he'll create next?

Tune in tomorrow when it will be the first day of Stitch Maynia 2021!  Stop by and see my first start of the 31 days of Maynia!

Happy Trails!!!

Allergies and more!

 I never had allergies but as I get older there's a lot of things I was never bothered by that bother me now! LOL!  I'm sneezing and my eyes are bothering me big time!  It's been a busy but productive week so far.  Monday was the twice a year garbage pickup where they'll take just about anything except electronics or chemicals and paint. I hauled out the mowing trailer and an old heavy wheelbarrow.  My neighbor came over and took them both!  It's only the 2nd time I've ever seen him since he moved in several years ago. I welcomed him to the neighborhood by going over and introducing myself and taking him a dishcloth and a loaf of homemade bread and that was the last time I saw him! LOL!  Those days are done now especially with Covid.

I made a menu and grocery list and got my order in for pickup yesterday.  It's an all day event by the time I  unload, debag in the garage and then bring in slowly and disinfect everything and then put it all away...whew!  I watered the plants and fed the hummers and I was done for the day.

I was able to get more items for my bug-out bag or as some call it a 72 hour bag.........I got travel sizes of shampoo, body wash, body cream, toothpaste and toothbrush, hairspray, a first aid kit, and a soap dish that I put soap in.  Now at least, the toilet paper won't be so lonely...........

   It's been storming and raining on and off all day so this morning I got my bath in early, a load of laundry done before the storm started, and put together Chicken Ranch Pesto in the crock pot.  It's a recipe from a pod caster I watch and she said her family loves it.  I'll let you know.

I spent the afternoon gathering up my Stitch Maynia projects from last year.  I only have 2 slots available for new projects.....PTL!  I don't need any new ones!  Although I will fill those 2 slots with projects I already had waiting in the wings.  I finished project #1 and project #9 from 2020 and never picked the others up all year!  Shame on me!  That is not how it is supposed to work.  You're supposed to continue working on them throughout the year.

So, I have them all organized and arranged except for kitting up the 2 new projects.

I ordered some clothes the other day...I may have gotten ripped off..we'll see but I used Pay Pal so I feel safe with them.  I'll see what the quality is.......they were on sale and just what I've been looking for......this apron has pockets and crosses over in the back.......

This tunic/dress............I used to have a shirtwaist dress similar to this years ago that I loved...in red also.

 

I'll let you know when I receive them.....

Happy Trails!!!

YOP Week #43

 

Let's face it!  I am slower than snail do-do!  But I will keep plugging along....just don't expect too much! LOL!

I am still working on the socks...you're probably tired of seeing my projects but it is what it is..........some people only publish after they finish a project.  If I did that I would only post about every 3 months! LOL!

I finished the gusset on sock #1 and I'm working the gusset on sock #2 now........

 

I did sew all the rest of the rag strips for my rag rug....those fabrics are over 40 years old....I recognized fabrics from my daughter's Christmas dress and pinafore I made her when she was little and fabric that I used to make curtains and bumper pad for Jim's crib when he was a baby.  Now, I need to cut fabric, then sew strips together, and trim and then crochet.  It's getting the fabric ready to crochet that takes the time but I am loving the results..............this time I will sew the strips together before I wind up the balls.

I thought I would be done with the border on the Giant Granny Square blanket but that's what I get for thinking by myself!  I am still on round 8 of 11.....maybe next week? 

As for treasures.....I did get one and the yarn for the Fox Scarf is arriving tomorrow..........the treasure I got was a book I've been wanting.....it was pricey and I was disappointed when I got it to find out it is soft cover.  I'm thinking it is because the author is from South Africa....it is beautiful; the patterns and the photography......

I found a new website that has the cutest embroidery, wool applique and sewing patterns......

it is Bareroots

Here is a pattern I'm looking at for the patriotic holidays ahead.......aren't they cute?

I'm off to spend some time gathering my Stitch Maynia from 2020.  The only new projects will be in the slots that I finished projects from last year......which aren't many! The unfinished from last year will get worked on this year and then they will get put into some kind of a rotation that I have yet to dream up.....so many crafts and so little time and then there's laundry and cooking and cleaning and gardening.....woe is me! LOL!  Not really....most days I feel more than blessed!  I hope you do too!

Happy Trails!!!
 

Spring is on hold!

 Our last freeze date is April 20 yet we had a frost last night and there's one predicted for tonight too.   I covered my peonies and brought in my lilac............

I did some trimming outside and the lawnmower man is coming this afternoon.  I made a batch of waffles today to freeze and then pop in the toaster when I want one .....my own personal Eggo's.

I have gotten started on my 72 hour bug-out bag.............it's a start!  I do have 3 gallons of water too which don't expire for a year.  You're supposed to keep them in a cool dark place so I will be storing it all in the bottom of my linen closet.  Toiletries are next and I think I will go to Walmart and get those travel size items.  I need food for 3 days so I will have to think about what I want that to be.

As for my Food preparedness, I did buy some extra bags of flour and some extra canned vegetables.

As for my Flylady Zone 4 cleaning this week...it is the master bathroom, closet and bedroom.  De-clutter first and I've started that.  A lot of "crafting supplies" had taken up space in there....imagine that! 

 I'm working on sock #1 gusset decreases and the border on the giant granny square blanket....I'm on round 7 of 11.  I ran out of the orange yarn for the fox scarf; it only called for 1 skein but I have at least 6 more rows to go.  I ordered more yarn and it should be here Monday.

I've finished some books..........this was a slow read as a cookbook.  It was interesting but I probably won't be making many recipes from it.  Things like reconstituted dried corn or corn meal mush.  But then there are jams and jellies and some bread recipes and sourdough starter I might try. 

I read this book and it was hard to put down!  I gave it a 5 star rating!  It was the first in a 2 book series.

Amazon states "            The year is 1883, and in New York City, Anna Savard and her cousin Sophie—both graduates of the Woman’s Medical School—treat the city’s most vulnerable, even if doing so puts everything they’ve strived for in jeopardy...
 
Anna’s work has placed her in the path of four children who have lost everything, just as she herself once had. Faced with their helplessness, Anna must make an unexpected choice between holding on to the pain of her past and letting love into her life.
 
For Sophie, an obstetrician and the orphaned daughter of free people of color, helping a desperate young mother forces her to grapple with the oath she took as a doctor—and thrusts her and Anna into the orbit of anti-vice crusader Anthony Comstock, a dangerous man who considers himself the enemy of everything indecent and of anyone who dares to defy him.
 
With its vivid depictions of old New York and its enormously appealing characters, The Gilded Hour is a captivating novel by an author at the height of her powers."                    

I'm now reading the second and last book...........it is also very good!

 So, that all the news that's fit to print!  I'm off to do some more trimming outside and then de-cluttering my bedroom!  I hope you are all doing fine.

Happy Trails!!!
 

 
 

YOP Week #42

 I hope you've all had a good week.  I've been absent from the blog scene as I have been cleaning and that isn't very interesting to blog about..  Because of my Spring cleaning I haven't done much handwork except at the end of the day.  I've been working on the Giant Granny Square border.  I got this book to help me find a border..........

it's a great book only I didn't realize that most of the borders depend on the number of stitches you have on each side.  That works if you know how many stitches you started out with but with a giant granny square it just gets as big as you want it and I didn't do any counting of stitches nor was I about to! LOL!  So, there were still 6 or 7 borders that did not require a knowledge of the number of stitches.  I chose one of those and it requires 11 rounds and several rounds are different stitches.    I am actually on the 5th round which isn't in the picture that I took last evening.....it now has a grayish blue next to the powder blue.............I am hoping to finish this week and get all the ends woven in.  I will not block it as it is acrylic but I will give it a good turn in the washer and dryer.

Here's my petunias that I bought last week.  They're in a basket hanging from a shepherd's hook in my front yard.  It has been cool, cloudy and rainy  this past week.  The sun is out today but it's supposed to rain again this afternoon.

My lilac bush is starting to open.  I decided to let it bloom before I plant it in the yard.

I ordered some new candles because pretty soon it will be too hot to order them....these rainy days have been cozy......this one is called Cozy Cabin and it smells wonderful...

 

Not much else going on but when it's not raining this week I will be planting.  Our last frost date is April 20th so I can get all my plants outside.  I also have yard work and trimming to do.  Tomorrow I'm cooking a corned beef brisket to make Reuben sandwiches....it's been a long time since I've had one and I love them!

Oh, Stitch Maynia is coming in May!.  I need to get my projects out from last year.  The only new projects I will start are the few open slots from finishes last year which aren't many!  Mostly, I will work on the ones that didn't get finished. 

Happy Trails!!!

 

YOP Week #41

This is all I worked on this week.  I got 10 of the 20 inches done............

Spring has sprung even more............violets

honeysuckle............it smells so good!

and last but not least...the dogwoods are blooming in the woods!

Friday night we had storms that woke me up so many times that I was dragging on Saturday and got little done.  I ended up taking a nap in the afternoon.  Today I am rested and got going!  I wanted to make a crock pot meal so I ran up to our local grocery here in town (where no one wears a mask... not even the employees!) I wore a double mask...one for them and one for me!  I got some groceries and came home and threw together white chicken chili.  It should be done around 5:00 p.m.  I fed the birds and filled their suet and added a stacker plus birdseed.  I think they must be busy "nesting" as I don't see them as much.  When I was at the store I splurged and bought a hanging basket of purple and white edged petunias.  I had no flowers last year.  I took a picture but for some reason it didn't turn out.

I hope you are all enjoying good weather and staying healthy and well!

Happy Trails!!!- 

 

Wednesday already?

 We are under a tornado watch until 8 p.m. tonight.  So far, it's just dark out but no rain or anything yet.  It's to the West of us and should arrive about 3:30....so I always get anything to do with water done and out of the way before a storm.  My Mother was hit by lightening once during a storm while washing dishes in a metal sink.  Knocked her clean out!  She came to and was fine but it was pretty scary!  In reality, you should not be in a tub, flush your toilets, run your washing machine or your dishwasher during a storm.  Just an F.Y.I.

Meanwhile,  I went out this morning and got the rest of the brush to the ditch and took all the firewood back out to the stack outside.  I keep a bunch in the house during the winter in an old washtub along with kindling.  

I've gotten all my supplies now to start gardening ..............my gray totes......

A bolt of green tulle for covering my plants so the critters can't get to them

shepherd hooks for bird feeders and plants

My soldering iron, power bank for cordless water pump and the pump!

I will use the soldering iron to poke holes in the totes and the water pump will be a "bubbler" that the humming birds will enjoy and other birds too.

I'm reading this Guide to Food Preparedness...she has a website, The Food Organizer and an Etsy shop.  It will be a slow process to build a food pantry but I will be working towards it every month.  I'll keep you updated.  I'm also downloading the LDS Preparedness Manual for free but only 30 pages at a time as it is 509 pages altogether!

I am trying to get back to the Flylady cleaning method with Zones but so far I haven't started.  I'll let you know when that happens.

I did try a new recipe which I like for a fairly healthy snack...it was a recipe from one of my Hannah Swensen mystery books called Imperial Cereal........

Here's the recipe:

Preheat oven to 300 F...rack in middle position

9 cups dry cereal any combination (I used rice chex and cheerios)

1 cup nuts (I used pecans)

1/4 cup orange juice concentrate

1/4 cup brown sugar packed

Note: You can use any cereal, any nut, any fruit juice concentrate, and any dried fruit you want)

1/4 cup salted butter (1/2 stick)

1/2 cup Craisins

Place the cereal and the nuts in a 9 X 13 pan and mix together.  In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the orange juice concentrate, the butter and the brown sugar.  Heat for 1 minute in the microwave or until the butter is melted.  Stir thoroughly.  Pour the mixture over the cereal and nuts in the pan.  Mix it all together until the cereal is evenly coated.

Bake uncovered, at 300 F for 15 minutes

Take the pan out of the oven and mix in the Craisins.  Leave the pan to cool until room temperature. Stir it again to make sure it is not stuck together in big pieces.  Store in a tightly covered container at room temperature.

Yield:  approximately 10 cups

I finally got a picture of the red headed woodpecker!

Well, it's thundering and raining now...time to turn on the weather radio!  Stay safe and well where ever you are.

Happy Trails!!!

 

YOP Week #40

 

What a great week but it flew by as usual!  I worked on the same  projects but made some progress........

The Giant Granny Square is getting giant and I am thinking of finishing it off.

I did about 4 or 5 rounds this week.......

I did order and I received the crochet border book I wanted from Thrift Books........I'll be choosing a border from this book for the Giant Granny Square..........

I finished the heel flap and the heel turn on both socks......on to the gusset!   Plodding along........

For the fox scarf I finished the section of ribbing and now I have 20 inches of garter stitch....love!

As for stash, I did get some fat quarters of this luscious fabric.....Cherry Lemonade from the Two Thimble Quilt Shop.............perfect spring/summer fabric!

I made French Breakfast Muffins this morning...delicious!  A Pioneer Woman recipe.....I'll be making these again for sure.  I'll be freezing some too as she said they are great for freezing

My Easter lily opened up just in time for Easter!  It smells divine.......there's at least 4 more buds on it too............

The Bradford pears are all done blooming but now the red buds are stealing the show!  The dogwoods are right behind them!

This was blooming on the edge of my yard but although it looks like an apple blossom I'm fairly certain it isn't.

I finally broke down and hired a man to mow and trim my yard.  My neighbor uses him and he is reasonable and does an excellent job.  He did it yesterday and it looks better than it has in a long time.  The weed whacking makes such a difference!  I love to mow but not when it gets hot and it's just getting to be a bit much for me to stay on top of everything.  It was a real gift to me!  I mentioned I would be cutting down some weed trees that had taken hold and he said he would take care of it for me.  I told him I would pay him extra.  He is truly "an angel among us".  I hated to admit I needed help but I needed help!  I am very grateful.

This week I got all my gardening supplies in so this next week will be planting.  I'm also going back to my old Fly Lady routines and zone cleaning that I still do some of but needed a refresher.  You can google Fly Lady if you want to learn more or if you haven't heard of her before.  I also started watching a podcast called "She's in Her Apron" and she is very motivating and enjoyable to listen to.  She and her family are Mormons and they follow their churches methods of food storage.  They have a lovely family and she cooks some mighty delicious looking dishes!  You can download the LDS Food Preparedness manual for free but it is 509 pages so I would only print about 30 at a time! LOL!  You can buy the manual also for about $26.  They're not back woods survivalists but it is part of their faith to be prepared.  I've always kept quite a bit of food on hand but I didn't really keep track of it or cycle through it plus I didn't have a lot of the basics like water.  So, these are the things I am concentrating on this week along with the coming July birthday plans.

Today I am baking an Easter ham, Party Potatoes in the crock pot and green beans!  I  usually sit down Sunday afternoons and plan my week ahead too.  It is 75 here today and beautiful.  I may do my weekly plan outside!  Happy Easter!!!

Happy Trails!!!