Spoke too soon!

 Remember that promise I made?  Well, I may have to revise it and do it on a weekly basis.  Too many other things to do!  I always have to ensure I have a meal and clean clothes and that the plants and animals are taken care of.

I didn't sleep hardly at all the other night so that really put me behind.  I have no idea why that happens but thank goodness it doesn't happen often!  We were supposed to get storms so yesterday I went out to the highway to get the car filled up and then I had to go to the bank as I am putting my daughter on my bank account in case I would get sick she could make out my bills for me.  I also got out and harvested herbs and plants for dyeing............rosemary which is drying out on the porch and then will get put in jars...

sage which gets frozen on cookie sheets and then put in freezer bags

Thyme which just gets put in a bag and frozen.....

a few acorns but I read you need to "cook" them to kill the weevils inside of them so I will hold off until I  have enough to make it worthwhile...........these are burr oak acorns

Goldenrod for dyeing gets frozen.....and there are marigolds too but they are big and beautiful right now so I don't want to pick them just yet

It did storm today and there is more coming tonight and tomorrow too....Fall in the Ozarks!  So cozy!

I made lemon pasta this afternoon...........an Ina Garten recipe.....I'll let you know how I like it.....mostly butter and lemon so it should be wonderful!

I'm making some dough for English Breakfast Biscuits but they won't get baked until tomorrow.

I've been working on my Fall Alphabet Sampler...........

I hope you had a great day!

Happy Trails!!!

 

Keeping my promises!

 To myself that is.............I promised myself  I would paint and clear and clean every day...that includes outside work as well plus clearing out.  So far so good!  I painted yesterday and today.  I can't do it for long periods of time because it seems everything requires bending over which is the hardest on my back.  But as long as I keep at it, it will get done!  I did clean and clear a bit too...usually 15 minutes of each or more if I can keep going!  I set a timer.

Today I cleaned the bottom of the pantry and painted part of it...........which you can't see as I painted after I took this picture......

But I was able to put a finished shelf in and covered with a non-slip shelf paper (it's rubberized; not really paper).  It's Pioneer Woman design!  Walmart, of course.  The paint is Kilz interior and exterior primer and paint in one....love this stuff!  I get an off white as I don't care for white......more cream color is what I go for.

Eventually the whole pantry will look like this....lighter and brighter and cuter!  I'm all about the cuteness factor! 

My sourdough bread turned out great the other day..........you cannot go wrong with King Arthur's recipes!  The only problem was I didn't taste a lot of sour like I do in the pancakes.  I may ask them about that.  Plus, the recipe calls for yeast and I thought the whole purpose of sourdough was that you didn't need yeast.   But it's good regardless and slices like a dream!

I got a treasure in the mail today.............

I don't subscribe to it but they had a cute pumpkin quilt and some wool applique...all Fall wonderfulness!  I'll be curling up with this tonight!

I hope you're having a great Fall or Spring or whatever season you're in!  The trees are just slightly changing here but my burr oaks in front are dropping brown leaves like crazy yet the tree looks green...go figure?  

Happy Trails!!!

YOP Week #13

Happy Fall everyone!  I have to tell you though that Fall is my Summer....it's too hot here in Arkansas to enjoy the summer but fall is a whole different story!  I have lots to do outside like in the Spring so you probably won't see a lot of production here until it gets too cold to be outside which could be December! LOL!  There is football that I listen to on Saturday and Sunday so I can do a little crafting then.  This was not a productive week in any area....I have no idea where the week went but it did and I have little to show for it.  But here goes............this pretty kitty should have been done aside from the fact that I ran out of floss!  It's ordered so it should arrive this week and I'll "get 'er done" but unfortunately all the ornaments use the same 3 colors and the majority is the dark brown.  Yes, it's brown not black but it looks nicer with the cream Aida cloth.

The next item on my craft agenda was kitting up the fall cross stitch pieces.  I got some of the material and floss but not all of it.  I was able to cut the material though and zigzag the edges to keep them from unraveling.  I have them in my super cute Ziplock project bags....I really need to sew up some nice project bags....another thing to add to my "Never-ending Project List"!  Now, I just wait for the floss! 

One of my priorities is sewing my bed quilt which I am hoping to get some work done on this afternoon but I am also still cutting pieces for the QAL Christmas quilt and that is a slow boat to China.  I can only cut for so long and I have to take a break.  It hurts my back to bend over the cutting table for too long.  I'm getting there though....slowly but surely!

I spent some time this week binge reading Laura Mattox's Instagram account as she is a phenomenal quilter!  I love everything she does and she has a sewing room that is the cutest!  She's very inspiring!

As for today, I am making some sourdough bread....my starter is ready as I fed it last night and let it sit out.  If you want any information on bread making of any kind and great recipes for other things just go on over to King Arthurs website!  It's amazing and there's even a phone number if you have questions or problems.  Here's my starter rarin' to go!

There's a Chicago Bears game on at noon so I'd better get hopping!  The Iowa Hawkeyes won again yesterday!  3-0!  They beat Colorado State 24-14....Go Hawks!!! Go Bears!!!

Have a great week everyone!

Happy Trails!!!

Tillswall Scrubber

 

Several of you have asked about my new scrubber so I thought I would give you a rundown.  Here's the scrubber with all the attachments.  I showed the scrubber itself with the wand extended. The metal extension can go back in and you have a shorter scrubber.  I used it today and it did a great job but there are drawbacks.  One, the minute you hit the floor with it you have to hold on or it will get away from you! LOL!  Although you can dip it into a bucket with your cleaning solution (not deep though) I decided to mix up some Dawn (just a little) and vinegar and put it in a spray bottle.  I sprayed an area and then used the scrubber.  It cleans great but you have to have something to wipe it up with or the dirt just stays there with the liquid and will dry on your floor again.  I was not prepared for that so I just grabbed some rags and got down on my hands and knees and wiped it all up.  Getting down on my hands and knees was what I was trying to avoid! I  have since thought I will use my mop which was just a pad that attached to the bottom with velcro and it had a bottle attached that I filled with the same solution of vinegar and Dawn (just a few drops).  So, now I will use the mop without wetting it to "dry" the floor.  I'm hoping that works.  I like the scrubber because I can use it to really scrub whereas the mops just seem to push the dirt around and I felt I had to get down on my hands and knees to do a decent job.  I need to dig up my knee pads too!  I can use this on carpet also and I love the corner attachment.  It also came with an adhesive hook so you can hang the scrubber up.  I'll have to get a bag for the attachments.  But for $70 it seems to do what it is intended to do.  I got it through Amazon. Maybe it would be cheaper to hire a cleaning person! LOL!

I'll keep you informed as I use it more.  It did a great job scrubbing my bathroom floor and it was dirty as I use hairspray and it lands on the floor....I wish I didn't need to use hairspray but I have a hairstyle that defies gravity so it's sort of a necessity but it does make  a mess of my bathroom floor!

We had a storm come through last night and this morning, and now it is only 64 F here!  Yippee!  Fall showed up right on time! I did some laundry, made a menu, grocery list, and ordered groceries to pick up tomorrow.  I also called a fireplace store here in town and got the name of 3 chimney sweeps!  PTL!

It's been a productive week so far.  I hope it keeps  up!

Happy Trails!!!

YOP Week #12

 Too much going on in the Fall....but I love it!  Still getting things from the garden.  We have a long growing season here.  I'm gathering acorns, marigolds, and goldenrod for dyeing fiber.  I'm also preserving herbs and planting some Fall plants, and some inside the house, like lettuce.  

There's cleaning, painting and so much more!  Whew!  But when I get tired I sit and stitch so here is what I got done..........

 and a start on the first ornament which is a cat...........these ornaments are from the same Prairie Schooler pattern as my stitchery above.

I got another row done on my bed quilt............

It's also football season and although I can't watch them I am able to listen to them via www.freefootballradio.com   Yesterday I was able to listen to the Iowa Hawkeyes beat Kent State and today I am listening to the Chicago Bears on their way to a win over the Cincinnati Bengals!  Go Bears! What a great weekend this has been!   

I received my long armed scrubber with attachments.  It's charged and ready to go tomorrow!  I'll let you know how it works.  On Sundays I plan the coming week and the priorities.  If I didn't get everything done last week it gets forwarded to this week.  I have categories and my Creative category is the longest list! LOL!

As for cooking, I made a white chicken chili and some biscuits with sausage gravy this week....both very tasty!

I finished 2 books; Arctic Homestead - The True Story of One Family's Survival and Courage in the Alaskan Wilds  - Norma Cobb and Charles Sasser

This was an excellent book and it got 5 stars which I rarely give.  I couldn't put it down!  I also finished The Winds of Skilak - A Tale of True Grit, True Love, and Survival in the Alaskan Wilderness.....another winner!  It's amazing how well written these books are by novice writers.  I am now reading Winds of Skilak: The Continuing Saga which is also good.  I've always contended that true life is much more interesting than fiction and these books testify to that!

As for what I've been watching.......Friday Night Lights and Madame Secretary series on Netflix and Father Brown on Britbox, another series.

I hope you had a great week and that you were able to indulge in some things that brought you joy!

Happy Trails!!!
 

 

Good day!!!

 Today I got groceries and paid bills.....2 biggies! LOL!  I also ordered some fabric and floss for my Fall XS projects.  Some of the supplies I already had so it wasn't too bad.  I forgot to show you which Fall project I picked!  Actually there's 2 because I always have an alphabet sampler on the go..........

and then this one which is very apt since we are in the month of September........

I have all I need for the grands Halloween ornaments so at least I can get going on those.

I got a whole slew of  good junk mail catalogs today in the mail!  I'll be looking at these later tonight.

I hope you had a good day and I hope Texas faired okay with Hurricane Nicholas!

Happy Trails!!!

YOP Week #11

I missed last week as I really had nothing to show.  I don't have much this week either but I have been busy with all sorts of things.  I'm truly in the mood for Fall regardless that it is still in the 90's F here!  Although, it does seem like there is less humidity this year compared to past summers.  

I worked on my Halloween cross stitch this week and I'm making progress............

I also got out my Halloween needle punch and traced the pattern.............

Hopefully when I get it done it will look similar to this............you trace it backwards and punch needle from the back that's why the letters are backward and the design also.........there's a video tutorial on how to trace it and how to punch needle....thank goodness!

I picked out the 2021 annual Halloween ornaments for the grands and moi!  These will be individual ornaments............

I worked on the sheep pillow and I have about 10 of the 16 inches done on the body of the sheep...................

As for haul....I received my floss winder in the mail.  It is handmade by a couple in Kentucky.  I only ordered one but I received 2!  They sent me a note explaining that after they got it done they noticed a crack in the wood so they made me another one!  They included both as they said the cracked one may last or it may not but they sent it anyway.  How thoughtful and what great craftmanship!  They are RNR Woodworks Kentucky if you are interested.  They have other wood products also.

I got my Quilter's Cookbook in the mail and although nice it is just a regular cookbook but the recipes are from quilters.  I thought it was a book of easy and delicious recipes so you could spend less time in the kitchen and more time quilting! LOL!  Oh well, it is fun reading it and where all the quilters are from and what they are quilting.

This past week I had an eye doctor appointment in Mountain Home about 1 1/2 hours away.  I haven't been there in 2 years!  Mountain Home is rampant with Covid.  There was even an ABC documentary about it.  The county I live in isn't too bad but Mountain Home is really bad!  The hospital is full and many of the health care workers refuse to get vaccinated!   I pray I don't get sick!

At the eye doctor, everyone was wearing masks but the patients!  I was able to drop an entire SUV full of bags at the Salvation Army before my appointment which was great.  A nice young man unloaded my car for me.....again....unmasked....it was hanging around his neck.  I wear 2 masks....one for me and one for those who don't wear one!  I get my eyes dilated when I go and it never bothers me.  I just put a pair of sunglasses on and I drive home.  This time was different for some reason.  Things were blurry and the green traffic lights were blue.  It was a bit scary driving home for an 1 1/2 hours but I made it PTL!  I was exhausted and went to bed at 6:30 and slept the whole night!  The doctor said I had lost a significant amount of vision in my right eye but that my left eye is making up for it.  He said it is because of cataracts.  He said I will know when it's time to have the surgery.  Huh?  How?  When I can't see anymore?  I have no one down here to help me and they said I would definitely need someone to drive me home.  I talked to my neighbor and she's in the same boat so I guess when the time comes we will drive each other.  She has lots of friends....me not so much.  I guess that's what happens when you're a loner!   Amy said she would come down but they only have 1 car right now so I told her no, I would figure something out.  Thank goodness it's a gradual thing.  I really need to get back up North!

This coming week I will still be working on the bathroom and also doing more painting.  I hope to get the ornaments kitted up and started on, finish the 16" of the sheep and try my hand at needle punch!  Plus, work on the Halloween XS.

I hope you all had a good week and have great plans for the week ahead!  Oh, I got to listen to the Iowa Hawkeyes football game yesterday!  They've won their first 2 games.  I love Fall in Iowa although it was in the 90's there yesterday too!  

Happy Trails!!!   

Fall cleaning and decorating...........

 But it's very slow!  I did  manage to get the towel bar removed and took it and the register out to the garage to paint.  It's too windy to do it outside but I did open the garage door! LOL!  I went to get what I thought was the paint I had used but alas...it was not the paint I had used so I didn't have any in the brushed nickle.  I thought of waiting and ordering some but then I was all set up to paint so I found some cream colored spray paint and I went to work.

BEFORE:

I use styrofoam to stick the screws in so I can paint them.........

AFTER:  (but not done yet)

On breaks I've been working on my Prairie Schooler Halloween cross stitch from last year.  I'm pretty sure I will finish it by Halloween but whether it will get framed or not is another question.  It's not a common size so I should probably order a frame online.

I'm running late today.  I still have some peppers and eggplant to cook, green peppers to cut and freeze, and a load of laundry to wash.  I better get hoppin'!  Dinner is fish filets, corn and a baked potato...easy peasy!

Happy Trails!!!

Moving forward!!!

 I bit the bullet and ordered a battery operated scrubber to help me around here since I have lost my "elbow grease power".

Tilswall Electric Spin Scrubber, Cordless Grout Shower 360 Power Bathroom Cleaner with 4 Replaceable Rotating Brush Heads, Tool-Free Adjustable Extension Handle for Tile, Floor, Bathtub 

 

 

It was around $70 but had over 4,000 4.5 reviews so I decided to go for it!  I also ordered my register filters and magnetic covers.  I cleaned out my bathroom drawers and filled my little garbage can in there.  Becki and Marsha were right....every time you go back and clean something out you find yourself throwing more away!  That was the second time I've cleaned those drawers out and I got rid of more this time than I did the first time!  Yay!  I still need to do the cupboards after I finish this post.

Oh, BTW, my lawn guy found another pest!  An in ground nest of hornets by my mailbox!  I didn't know they built nests in the ground!  He warned me and said he would take care of them when he comes back to spray the army worms.  Whoa Nellie!  He was trimming around my mailbox when he noticed them.  It's a jungle out there!

Did I mention that I have new neighbors across the street?  They have been traveling for 5 years in a fancy motor home and now they've landed here.  They bought another place in Texas on the coast and they have just left to go park their motor home there.  They'll be back in October but they are "snowbirds" so come the cool weather here they will leave for Texas.  I guess some people really like the heat!  AHHH!  I can't wait  until it cools off.  I'm not going anywhere that might be warmer!

I got treasures in the mail.............beautiful Fall fabric called Adel in Autumn by Sandy Gervais.....look at all those gorgeous Fall colors!  She nailed it with this fabric...........

This was from Fat Quarter Shop and they included a free cross stitch pattern from Plum Street Samplers called Good Company.....................also perfect for Fall!

My floss arrived so I can kit up my Fall projects............

I found my Celery colored chalk paint that I was looking for.  I plan on painting the bathroom mirror with it.  It won't match the table I painted but it won't clash either.  I discovered there is spray chalk paint too!!!  I can't wait to get my hands on some of that!  This Waverly chalk paint is available at Walmart....where else? LOL!  I've been able to order paint that they have in store with my grocery orders.

I'm off to go clean the bathroom cupboard and then I hope to paint the mirror!  Wish me luck!

Happy Trails!!!
 

 

Laboring on Labor day!

 The yard man and his wife came this morning.  I asked him why my grass was dying in places and he said I have Army Worms and they can kill your entire lawn! I never heard of them but he's also my pest control person so he said he would take care of it for me!  Whew!  I've never had them before but evidently they are not just in my yard.  Nothing surprises me anymore.

I did get the window painted and done....3 coats plus some touch ups and I can still see places but it's done regardless..............

 The sun is shining in that window so it's hard to take a picture.......

The next step is I took the floor register out and it is in the dishwasher waiting for a good wash!  After that I will spray paint it.  I already have the paint but if it doesn't work out a new one is not that expensive.  The new charger for my scrubber came (Actually called a Scumbuster by Black and Decker) but the battery will not take a charge.   The newer models are way more expensive now.  We'll see.  There are also 2 other items I need to get.............

These are filters for your registers..........I noticed soot and dirt and although I use furnace filters that doesn't do anything for the venting system....so, voila!  These will prevent dust, dirt, and allergens and it also prevents things from falling into the register........

the second item is magnetic register covers.  There are several rooms in this house that I don't use so this way I can save money on heating and air conditioning them...........

I did manage to sew another row on my bed quilt and press all the seams open.............

 

That's enough labor for one day!  I hope you had a great Labor Day!
 

Happy Trails!!!
 

Painting finally!!!

 Yesterday, I was going to paint my bathroom window.  I put up the painters tape and got my step stool and all my equipment .......only to open the can of paint and discover it was dried up!  LOL!  In reality, I thought I had bought a gallon of Kilz not to long ago.  So, I went onto Walmart online and was going to order some.....I love Walmart because there it showed that I had previously purchased Kilz Paint and Primer In One in the Cupcake Frosting color!  Now I just had to find it!  I unearthed it out on my porch buried under some junk.  PTL!!!

So, today I got 1 coat on the window.....it looks terrible but it will improve with a 2nd and maybe a 3rd coat.................

This window was stained and sealed and had never been painted before.   I'm sure my step-father is rolling over in his grave as he did not like painted anything and he built this house.  I think light painted woodwork is much easier to clean and it doesn't show the dust as much.  I'll see how I like it when it's done.  I have a feeling there will be more painting in my future.  If this was an old house with those beautiful window trims and mouldings, I would not touch it with a paint brush but this wood is nothing to write home about.  The gal on Farmhouse on Boone blog and podcast said she painted her entire house just painting 1 hour a day so that's what I'm going for.

One of the members of my YOP group mentioned a book that I put on my wish list............

"Inspired by the gorgeous sock drawers of Susan B. Anderson, Jasmine and Gigi of The Knitmore Girls podcast started the hashtag #operationsockdrawer in an effort to knit a collection of socks just as photo worthy. Tens of thousands of knitters have since joined the campaign to knit more pretty socks and the hashtag has grown to over 180k tags on social media. Think of Operation Sock Drawer as your sock knitting survival guide. In it you'll find- 20 original designer sock patterns-more than enough to fill your first drawer. Great how-to information on knitting a variety of toe shapes, heel styles, options for comfortable ankles, and more! Darn it! Don't toss old socks, repair them with simple darning techniques. Bonus information on knitting socks two at a time, how to make great yarn to pattern matches, and how to overcome second sock syndrome. Grab your needles and a skein of yarn, and then join The Knitmore Girls on their mission to expand sock collections around the globe."

Such pretty socks!!!  Perfect book for Fall sock knitting!

I ordered a wooden embroidery floss measurer for cutting my DMC floss into 18" lengths so I can attach them to floss drops and get them off the cards that we used years ago.  I'll show you when it arrives.  It is handmade by RNR Woodworks and is very reasonable.  I heard about them from Lori Holt on her podcast.  I ordered some Fall fabric too.....I couldn't resist..................isn't it gorgeous?  I see a table runner and more with this fabric.....yay for Fall!!!

I hope you are having a good week so far.  Do you have plans for the Labor Day weekend if you are in the U.S.?  

Happy Trails!!!