Today in My Life ... August 28, 2023

 

Today is: August 28, 2023

Today in my life: I sit here and think back to a time when I had no computer and felt as if the world was passing me by.. lol  I just knew that as my grandchildren grew up their knowledge of how these things worked would surpass me to the point we would have nothing to talk about.  Little did I know!  This still happens, but it's not anywhere near what I thought it would be.  :)

I got up this morning:  at 5:00 and turned on the coffee pot as I passed by to turn the alarm off to take the dogs out.  It's quite the eye opener when one forgets to turn the alarm off and nonchalantly opens an outside door... ask me how I know!

I am hearing:  the oxygen concentrator that is humming away beside the door.  It's in here to keep the noise from permeating our bedroom at night.  

I am thinking: that I have outlived my time.  The world as we know it today is not the one I grew up in and I find that very sad for our children and grandchildren. The idea that homes need security systems when there was a time that no one even locked their doors is quite sad for me. 

I am wearing: my pajamas.. it's still very early and I will dress later.  Sweet DH is still sleeping and my clattering around in the shower and flapping closet doors might be a little much.. :)

As I look out the window: I do so love to see the birds fly back and forth to the birdhouse hanging from the eave.  I can hear the baby birds chirping from a window in our bedroom  Every year we have several bird families flying in and out and we can see them from at least 2 windows of the house. 

The current book is:  The Assassin's Target: CIA Assassin   This is the last of a series of books written by Auston King.  This series is reminiscent of the books by Vince Flynn and Daniel Silva...but he is not quite as good.  With that said, I would still recommend his books. 

Creatively:  I have done a few things.  Since we have a new great grandson I loaded the loom and put together a small blanket and made a receiving blanket for Casey.  What a joy to do!  I also got the old knitting needles out and have been keeping the hands busy in the evenings making wristlets and scarves.  I find that when crocheting and having to count stitches, my macular degeneration causes me problems...especially if I am trying to use a dark colored yarn.  So I have been sticking with the knitting needles. 

Plans for the day: It's off the hospital this morning for the yearly mammogram.  Never my favorite thing to do, but necessary.  Then on to do a few errands before coming home.  Seems I enjoy home more all the time.. :)

It's been extremely hot...but then it's August.  Triple digit heat for days on end.  If it's 80° at 5am and that feels soooo cool you want to sit on the porch with coffee even if you can't see your hand in front of your face... for me that's amazing.  But September is on the horizon so we stay indoors and busy... or not busy... as the day unfolds.  

As I sip my second cup of coffee and watch our fur babies sleeping away in their beds beside me, I'll say "Hope your day goes well."  Sending hugs.. :) 

Casey Jaymes Kemper

 Meet the newest of the new... our Great Grandson Casey Jaymes Kemper born last night August 6, 2023 .. I am just delighted with this little fella.  :)  He is the our daughter Paula's 5th grandchild and I have to say that I'm wishing I lived in Wichita, KS right now.  :)

Why Am I Up?

 It's 3:45am.. why am I up?  This has become a trend in the last couple of weeks.  As the old saying goes "Up before breakfast!".  

I still have quite a bit of the black and white yarn I've been using, so I started another scarf.  Not quite the same pattern is showing up as I go along, but still showing the the same geometrics.  I have to say I am enjoying getting back into knitting. 

However, I'm not sure I'm up for the "frogging" that will be taking place as soon as I wake up enough to not totally mess up this scarf and have to start over.  I have NO IDEA how I managed to mess up 4 rows without noticing the screw up! 

I was knitting this last night while we were watching the making of Band Of Brothers and I guess I became more interested in the show than in what I was doing.  I have to say that Band Of Brothers  is one of the most moving series I have ever seen and I will see it many more times since we liked it so well we bought it. 

I had a call yesterday from grandson Jeff.  What a joy that guy is.. lol  He is expecting his first child and he said the baby will be born via section on August 9th.  I can hardly wait and I'm sure his wife is even more ready than I am.  :)  

The moon this morning is awesome.  I went out to try to capture it on camera and it just wouldn't work for me for some reason.  I believe I could sit outside and watch the moon for hours on nights like this.  It's huge and beautifully clear.

Temps for the last few days have been horrible.  Triple digits around 107° every day and we've had poor workmen out working in it fixing the soffits and eaves of our house.  I feel for anyone having to work outside in this heat.  Weather says we're in for a cold front the end of the week.. only around 104° .. not much of a cold front if you ask me.. 

It's now 4:30am and I've had one cup of coffee, the dogs are sleeping on their beds in here with me, I can hear the oxygen concentrator buzzing and it seems the whole world is sleeping quietly.  What a blessing it is to be safe in our home, cool and comfortable, with the ones we love.  Every now and then I am a bit overwhelmed with the ocean of blessings that we have had bestowed upon us.  

Enjoy your day, hug your loved ones... 

Today in My Life .. July 30, 2023

 Today in my life:  I am astounded that it is already the 30th of July!  The year is half over and all I've done is blink my eyes!

I got up this morning: at 5:30am which is a lot later than I have been getting up.  Seems I wake up about 2:30 or 3am and can't go back to sleep so I just get up.  So today was a real "sleep in" day..lol 

I am wearing:  a really, REALLY, wonky long dress that will cover my feet when I'm sitting in my chair...and that is truly necessary these days.  My feet are always cold.

I look out the window: and am so pleased that the crepe myrtles are blooming, the daylilies have just finished blooming and some of the roses are going for round 2!! Such a pretty site to see looking out the kitchen window early in the morning. 

I am hearing: the buzz of the printer next to me that drives me to distraction. So tempted to turn it off, but DH may decide to print something in a minute..

I am thinking:  not a lot this morning.  My brain seems to be stuck in neutral. 

I am grateful for: all the memories that are held in every picture.  And the fact that those can be passed on to future generations at will.  Amazing.  

From the kitchen: came a large bowl of Tapioca pudding last evening .. It's DH's favorite.. right up there with Custard Pie.  And mine even if I pay for it with a higher blood sugar. 

Current book: is the fifth book in a series called The Kingsfall Histories.  This one is called "Endfall" and has all the mages, dragons, monsters a good science fiction book needs..lol  It's written by David Estes and he is quite good.  

Creatively:  these are many things started and only a few finished.  My procrastination button is stuck in the down position these days.. sigh

Around the house: this seems to be the day for extra things.  Pills for the dogs, cutting DHs hair, doing all those little things and for some reason they seem to be a little overwhelming today.  My brain is not keeping up..lol

From the learning desk: there isn't much happening.  I have tried to "learn Spanish" with an online thing a couple of times and it's a great site, but I keep forgetting to go there.. sigh

Final thoughts: I talked to my sister on Friday .. seems like it's a long time between talks.  That's not good.  I told her we need to set up days.. like every Tuesday and Friday..lol  Maybe we wouldn't get so busy we forget! 

Here's a favorite thing:

This tea infuser was a gift from son and daughter in law many years ago.  I love how it keeps the bits of Lemon Balm that I use to make my tea from floating out and ending up in my teacup.  It's one of my very favorite things.

Have a good day.  Stay cool.  Enjoy your family and friends.  Make it a pleasant memory. 

 

Triple Digit Heat...Knit SMALL Things...

July 27, 2023

 If I get up early enough, I can water my flowers outside with relatively cool weather.  And I have to do this since my Lemon Balm is very unhappy with the direct sunlight.. or is not happy sharing her home with the Rosemary.. not sure which.  But she does have to be watered every day and still shows signs of stress..hmm  What to do.. 

As a result of the 100+ degree weather almost every day this past week, knitting anything larger than a scarf is an absolute no-no.  Since I've done very little knitting in the past few years it was a few days before my fingers remembered what they should be doing.. 

I started knitting a pair of Wrist Cuffs to wear with my coat (that I had to make last year since I lost my favorite one...ughh).  I had some black and white yarn left over from another project so I used it.  The cuffs turned out beautifully so I used some wooden buttons that I bought for use with a crazy quilt and they were good too.. serendipitous! 
 

Since I still had yarn left over (and still do!), I started a matching scarf.  Finished it yesterday.  I have to say that my favorite scarf pattern is one that was first put online by The Yarn Harlot , Stepanie Pearl-McPhee many years ago. It's a One Row Pattern and while being very pretty is also reversible and very soft.  The pattern is found on her blog, free, HERE.

Well, it's now 6:00am and my coffee cup is empty.  I think I will remedy that and refill it, move to my chair in the den and settle in.  It's going to be a bit of a busy day...workmen here working outside yesterday, today and probably tomorrow.  Makes for interesting times.. :)  

Have a good day today...stay cool and enjoy whatever your hands find to do.. 

Tea and Toast

 It's a beautiful morning.  Cool 80° now, but weather says it feels like 77°.  It was cooler this morning and I made it out in time to pick the Lemon Balm and Apple Mint.  The Lemon Balm needs to be moved...I think the sun is burning it.. :(  I got it in and washed it a couple of times.. It's on the counter drying now.  Had Lemon Balm tea yesterday and am having Mint tea this morning. 

I don't know what's gotten into me, but I've been on a baking spree for a couple of days.  I made Peasant Bread using the recipe from Alexandra's Kitchen.  Go have a look .. she has many wonderful recipes.  

I've used this recipe many times and the only thing I change is .. I add 1 tbsp. gluten for each cup of flour and 1 tbsp. dough conditioner for the entire recipe.  This makes it just like Wonder Bread..lol.. anyone remember that bread??!!  

The recipe itself is  HERE..

  In the process of spending all that energy,  I also made a Custard Pie.  I can't take credit for just WANTING to make that pie.. The fact is, I'd had that pie crust in the fridge until it was almost out of date.. use it or lose.. ya know..  And my sweet husband likes Custard so it was a win-win ..  

I used a different recipe than I usually do.  It's called Grandma's Egg Custard Pie.  I made it exactly like the recipe .. HERE .. but it calls for an egg white to coat the crust before you bake the pie.  The egg white is supposed to keep the crust from becoming soggy... Well, I didn't want to have an egg yolk sitting around doing nothing, so I skipped that part and just stuck the crust in the hot oven for about 7 or 8 minutes to harden it a bit and voila'.. no soggy crust.  

It actually turned out very well.  My hon says it's the "best pie I've ever had"!  You don't suppose he was buttering me up, do ya??  :) 

I'm a little on the tired side today.  I don't expect to get much done today except maybe knit on my scarf.. I'll show that in another post.. :)

Have a good day.. rest if you need to..Hugs.. 

Finding a Few Old Things

 Good morning.  I'm sitting here wishing it was cool enough to go out and cut Lemon Balm and Apple Mint to dry and keep for tea... but alas it's already nearing 90° out there and the sun is high.  It has been a beautiful, wonderful spring with rain several days a week until now.  The grass is green and the magnolia trees are full with beautiful green leaves.  The Crepe Myrtles are blossoming and covered with rose pink flowers.  

I was looking for something "lost" the other day in my sewing boxes and came across this little Biscornu that I made 15 years ago.  What a blast from the past..lol.. when I was totally enthralled with anything that had to do with embroidery.  

This blog began as a way to keep up with my embroidery journey and I was fascinated with anything on a blog now called Pintangle.  Sharon Boggan has had this blog up for many years and it has evolved and yet stayed the same.  If you are interested in embroidery at all... this is the place for you!

There are many places on line to find Biscornu patterns if you are interested in embroidery.  They are quick to do and fun to make. Here is a you tube tutorial on how to put one together .. 

The House of Langford.. Biscornu 

Here is a free pattern from

The Stitcher's Forum

Here are some free patterns from 

Faby Reilly Designs

I also came across a few photos of paintings.. Some kept and some painted out.  Like this one.. This is part of a painting I did for my husband.  He made several changes during the incarnations of this painting.. lol  One was this fish..

I actually loved the way it came out and I guess I should make a entire painting just of this little piece.  It was eventually painted out of the large painting as he decided he would rather not have it.  

It's amazing how just looking at a few "found" things can make a lost item a memorable "travel through time" journey.  

I'm trying to get back into the habit of blogging.  I will try to do better.. :)  

Hugs and have a wonderful day... hug your family and enjoy each moment. 

Hello Again!

 If I wait another few weeks it will have been a whole year since I have posted.  It has been an up and down kind of year as far as our health is concerned and as for right now... we are doing great.  It's Easter Sunday today and the day is warm and sunny, the kind of day everyone wishes for when laying plans for Easter egg hunts and spending time with family.  

And speaking of family.. One of my cousins has posted on facebook a terrific way to beat the heat, pressure and stress of summertime meals... and I asked her if I could plagiarize it..lol  And she said yes..  

Darlene Ingram Davis

10h  · 

As our summers get super busy with kids, camping, sports, activities, etc I always try to do a big freezer meal prep. All of these meals go into gallon sized ziplock bags that I label and get frozen flat in our chest freezer. The night before I pull one out and put it in the refrigerator to thaw. Each one cooks in the crockpot so it’s very simple and doesn’t heat up the house or require me being in the kitchen when I don’t have time. The initial investment for all the groceries is quite a bit but if I calculate it out per meal this is very reasonable for a large family. The amount I prep usually lasts us 6-7 weeks and dinner leftovers get used for lunches or the next night’s dinner. I’ve perfected a list that our family really likes and are cost effective with not too many ingredients. Hope this helps some others looking for budgeting in the kitchen!

Sloppy Joes:

1 lb. Ground turkey or beef

1 onion diced

1 green pepper diced

1 15oz. Can tomato sauce

1 packet Sloppy Joe Seasoning

Add all ingredients to a freezer bag and seal. Mix the bag to incorporate ingredients. Cook in the slow cooker on HIGH 3-4 hours. Serve on buns or rolls.

Sausage and Lentil Soup

2 packages of sausage or kielbasa, sliced

2c. Brown lentils

1 bag baby carrots

3-4 stalks of celery diced

1 onion diced

2-3 cloves garlic minced

1 15oz. Can diced tomatoes

1T. Italian Seasoning

Add all ingredients to a freezer bag. Cook in the crockpot on HIGH 4-5 hours. Serve with bread or rolls.

Hawaiian Meatballs

2 lbs. Frozen meatballs

1/4c. Brown sugar

1/4c. Soy sauce

1/2t. Garlic powder

1 jar sweet and sour sauce

1 red pepper diced

1 green pepper diced

1 onion diced

1 can pineapple chunks with juice

Add all ingredients to a freezer bag. Cook in the crockpot on LOW 6-8 hours. Serve over rice.

Cilantro Lime Chicken

3-4 chicken breasts or thighs

Juice from 2-3 limes

1 small bunch cilantro chopped

1 bag frozen corn

1 onion chopped

1 can black beans

Add all ingredients to a freezer bag. Cook in crockpot on LOW 6-8 hours. Shred chicken and serve over rice or in burritos.

Broccoli Chicken Alfredo

3-4 chicken breasts or thighs cut into chunks or strips

1 jar Alfredo sauce

1 bag frozen broccoli or fresh chopped broccoli

Mix all ingredients in a freezer bag. Cook in a crockpot on LOW 6-8 hours. Serve over fettuccine noodles.

Pepperoncini Pork Roast

2-3 lb boneless pork or beef roast

1 jar sliced pepperoncinis with juice

Add to freezer bag. Cook in crockpot on LOW 6-8 hours. Shred meat and serve over rice or potatoes. Leftover meat is really good in breakfast burritos!

Chicken Fajitas

3-4 chicken breasts cut into strips.

1-2 green peppers sliced

1-2 red peppers sliced

1 onion sliced

1 pkg. Fajita seasoning

Add all ingredients to freezer bag. Cook in crockpot on LOW 6-8 hours. Serve over rice or in tortillas for fajitas.

Chicken Cacciatore

3-4 chicken breasts or thighs

1 jar chunky veggie style spaghetti sauce

1 zucchini chopped

1 green pepper diced

1 onion diced

Add all ingredients to freezer bag. Cook in crockpot on LOW 6-8 hours. Serve over rice.

Teriyaki Chicken

3-4 chicken breasts cut into chunks

1 onion sliced

2 cans diced pineapple with juice

2-3 garlic cloves minced

1c. Teriyaki sauce

Mix all ingredients in a freezer bag. Cook in crockpot on LOW 6-8 hours. Serve over rice or noodles.

Sausage and Peppers

2 packages sausage or kielbasa sliced

2 green peppers sliced

1 red pepper sliced

1 onion diced

2-3 cloves garlic minced

1 15oz. Can Italian style diced tomatoes

2T. Italian Seasoning

Mix all ingredients in a freezer bag. Drizzle with olive oil and cook in crockpot on LOW 6-8 hours. Serve over noodles.

Don't forget each recipe is for a single bag. Double the amounts if you'd like 20 meals

*Edited to add I had NO IDEA how wildly popular this would be I’m sorry there’s no way to respond to all 3,000 + comments and messages I’ve received but THANK YOU. I simply do what works for our large family/budget. I allow these to thaw overnight in the fridge before putting in the crockpot and it’s perfectly safe to cook veggies and meat combined in the crockpot together as long as they reach the appropriate cooking temp. I’ve never had an issue with these and I’ve been doing freezer meals many years. Each bag serves approximately 4-6 depending. I do not pre-cook any of the meat or ingredients. Press all the air from the bags before sealing to help avoid freezer burn. Hope this answers some of the questions!*

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 I am definitely going to try some of these.  We are not pressured by youngsters and their sports all summer, but we do try to beat the heat by using the crockpot and cooking on the porch as much as possible.  I usually fill the crockpot and plug it in on the back porch.. check it occasionally and voila'.. supper... no mess, no fuss.  

I hope your Easter Sunday is filled with hope, love and lots of family hugs.  Have a very Blessed Day!