Move Along

The beautiful journey of today can only begin when we learn to let go of yesterday.

Dr. Steve Maraboli

Great Cage Cover-Up for Your Dog

I saw this in a magazine and thought it was a great idea.  Personally, we are animal lovers and I immediately loved the idea of being able to camouflage something as big as a dog cage.  This couple built their table just a little large than the cage so they could slide the cage out the end or on the side.  She took fabric panels and cut them down and made a pocket at the top for tension rods and hide the rod under the table apron.  If you wanted to go all out, I've seen some really cute animal fabric and you could make your own curtain for each side. 

Just love this idea!  :)

Wishing You a Beautiful Day

Whatever your religious belief, I wish you a beautiful day with your loved ones!

What A Wonderful World!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8WHKRzkCOY

A Cup of Gratitude

I'm drinking in a big cup of Gratitude this morning.  The picture in the background are my favorite people in the world plus our Star Dutch.  He was just a twinkle in his mom's eye when this picture was taken.  My cup is running over this morning with gratitude and thankfulness.  You are probably thinking it's not Thanksgiving are you looking at the wrong month on the calendar.  No, I know what month it is, I just can never say thank you enough for my life, my family, our friends and the journey!

I don't want you to get the wrong idea, life has not been perfect but real happiness doesn't come from having enough money, or the perfect job, or the right mate or anything physical.  It comes from inside.  I was thinking this morning of some of the things we have been through and at the time they seemed so hard but after you've been through the testing or trial, you can look back and feel good that you came through, that you learned some important lessons and that you are a better and stronger person for the experience.  But today I'm glad I'm on the other side of some of the testing and that I can look at them and know that I came through and I feel for other people who are going through their trials and I hope they learn what they need to learn and they come through their testing being a stronger person.  It's hard to have resilience, to not give up and to remember that part of success is failure.  And I love this quote, " you have failed when you stop trying." 

Whatever your issues may be today, I pray for your strength, determination and that you will never, never give up.  I encourage you to take the time to sit and think about all the things you have to be thankful for, it's just wonderful to sit in a quiet room alone.  I also love this quote, in fact, it hangs in our family room, "Let us be silent that we may hear the whisper of God."  Emerson

Always, much love~

Good Thought!

Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness.  Kindness in giving creates love.

Lao Tzu 

Pinterest and Pie Crust

My daughter actually signed me up on Pinterest and I love looking at all the recipes and decorating ideas.   If I don't watch myself, I can spend too much time looking at this.  Before I know it, two hours have passed. What I wanted to tell you about in case you haven't seen it are the pie crust ideas on Pinterest. They are literal works of art.  I enjoy making pies and I can't wait to try some of the ideas I saw.  For the holidays, take one of your favorite pies and make it a show stopper on your dessert table.

Mistletoe Picture

I found this cute picture at Hobby Lobby.  I think it made a cute vignette on our mantel. 

An Informative Ted Talk

This information is a must!  I hope you will take the time to listen to this Ted Talk it is about 10 minutes.        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0s__qs0cBek

Gary's Cheese Ball

My husband is becoming quite the recipe saver from the internet.  He found this cheese ball recipe and it turned out to be really good.  If you are a bacon lover you will love it.  I do this only in December for Gary.  He really loves cheese balls and he is a snacker so he enjoys being able to go to the frig and pull out his cheese ball with some crackers and have a snack.  It is also good to have on hand for company who stops by.  You can add some some carrots, sliced cucumbers and celery with a vegetable dip and have a great little snack for friends.

This recipe also suggested making the cheese mixture into small bite size balls and sticking a pretzel into each ball to pick it up.  I thought this was a great idea for parties.  It takes more time to make individual cheese balls but it's a great idea.

12 ounces of cream cheese, softened
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder, (I used 3 medium size garlic cloves and minced them)
1 teaspoon paprika
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
8 slices of bacon, cooked and finely chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh chives
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans

Mix together cream cheese, cheddar cheese, garlic, paprika and salt and pepper.  (I also added the chives and pecans because I wanted them on the inside of the cheese ball instead of a garnish for the outside.)  When this is well combined shape into 18 small cheese balls or one large one and refrigerate for one hour.

In a shallow bowl or on a plate, stir together cooked bacon, chives and pecans.  Roll the balls in this mixture and insert a pretzel stick.  If not serving immediately, wrap loosely with plastic wrap and keep in the frig.  Let these sit at room temperature 15 minutes before serving.

My Latest Junk Store Find

I was at a junk store in Chickasha recently and found this.  I loved the way it looked and it reminded me of a dome cloche that sets over plants.  My original intent was to put it in my flower bed among the flowers and maybe plant something in that opening.  But I was talking to the owner of the store and he told me it was an onion basket.  I did a little research but didn't find anything that looked quit like this.  I'm looking for some fake onions that I can put in it.  I really like the way it looks in my kitchen.

Kale Apple Salad

There are a lot of recipes these days for kale salad and there is a lot of similarities between them all. 
I made this one for dinner last night and Gary and I really liked it. The kale, apples, and dates are all supposed to be cut very thin, but I didn't take the time to do that.  It was passed our dinner time and we were very hungry.  :)

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 bunch kale, ribs removed, leaves very thinly sliced
1 honey crisp apple (or another variety crisp tart apple), cut into matchsticks
1/4 cup dates, pitted, sliced into thin slivers
1/4 cup walnut pieces
1/4 cup Parmigiana Reggiano cheese flakes
2 slices bacon (optional)

Make the dressing by whisking together the lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  In a salad bowl add the kale and toss with the dressing to coat all leaves well; set aside for approximately 10 minutes while preparing the remaining ingredients.

To matchstick the apple, cut it in half, lay it on the cutting board skin side up, slice thinly toward the core.  Take the apple slices and stack them together and slice again to make matchsticks.

In a skillet over medium heat, toast the walnut pieces.  Stir often and watch closely to avoid burning.  Once done, transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

Cut the bacon slices into thin strips.  In the same skillet used to toast the walnuts, cook the bacon bits over medium heat, stirring frequently until nicely browned.  Once done, transfer the bacon bits to a small plate or bowl and set aside.

Add the apples, dates, walnuts and cheese to the kale.  Toss well and top with the bacon before serving. 

Serves 4

Bert and Miss America

This is my oldest and dearest friend.  We have know each other since we were probably five years old.  We grew up in the same neighborhood 3 houses between us.  There are so many memories from grade school, to junior high and then high school not to mention all of our neighbor escapades. The one I will tell you about is Bert and Miss America and it has stuck with us through the years.  To this day I receive many cards and gifts from her, signed Bert.  :)

My mom had several friends who were in Eastern Star (a masonic organization for women) and they would give me all of their long formal dresses and high heels.  I loved to play dress up.  There were two other girls in our neighborhood and we would gather at my house and have a Miss America pageant and my dear friend was always Bert Parks.  The rest of us girls would decide what state we were from and we waited in the garage until our state was called by "Bert" and then we waltzed out of the garage in our long dresses and high heels and made our way down the run way (which was a long sidewalk to my dad's dog pin where he kept his birddogs) LOL.  I wish we had this on video.  The ending to this story is she always let me win "Miss America." So, to this day I'm Miss American and she is Bert.

I can never begin to tell you how much I admire her and of all her accomplishments.  She never went to college but was second in command with the IRS at one time(I don't know her official title) and she teaches at Auburn University several times a year. In fact, during her interview with the IRS position they couldn't believe she hadn't attended college. I've never know anyone with her sense of humor.  I told her she missed her calling, she should have been a comedy writer because she is hilarious!  She holds a special place in my heart and I love her very much.  She lives out of state and we don't get to see each other very often.  But we keep in touch through e-mails.

The picture above was over the Thanksgiving holiday.  Her niece and I helped her with a surprise birthday party for her sister who turned 70.  I always cherish the time we get to spend with each other.  She is the "godmother, I call her the godgrandmother" of my grandson.  Dutch got to see her for the first time at this party and he became quit smitten with her.  Maybe, she will make more trips back to OKC. :)

Last Rose of the Season

I usually post the first roses of the season.  They are so beautiful and perfect.  But this little one popped up on my rose bush and I had to bring it in.  It was so perfect!

Thanksgiving Centerpiece

This was my centerpiece for Thanksgiving.  I have wanted to do a natural centerpiece using flowers, fruits and vegetables.  This didn't turn out exactly the way I wanted it but it was ok.  My daughter brought this little place mat for Dutch.  I thought it was a cute idea. 

Addendum to the Green Bean Casserole

I forgot to add 1/2 cup of sour cream with the mushroom soup.  
Sorry! 

My Garden and the Spinach

This is the picture I was not able to post before about my little garden by my house.  The spinach is still growing beautifully but the basil was nipped to the ground by the freeze we had several days ago. :(

Since we have had such warm weather for this time of the year, the ground is still warm enough to germinate the spinach.  I don't know if this would happen if the temperatures were what they should be. Anyway, I'm thankful to have the spinach!

Scrambled Eggs with Spinach and Mushrooms

This has become one of my favorite dishes for a quick meal.  I take care of my grandson a couple of days a week and it is past dinner time when I get home.  This is something I love to fix, it always hits the spot and it's quick and light for a late dinner.  This summer when I was in Portland, Oregon I had this for breakfast at a restaurant called Mother's.  I fell in love with the restaurant and this dish was exceptional.

3 eggs

4 mushrooms, sliced

2 cups of fresh spinach

Gruyere cheese

Put a couple of tablespoons of butter in a large skillet with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil.  Sautee mushrooms until they are tender and add spinach and sautee it until it is almost wilted.  Take 3 eggs that have been wisked add salt and pepper to taste and add to the spinach and mushrooms and stir this into the mixture until the eggs are cooked.  Put this on your plate and grate Gruyere cheese over the top.  I love a piece of sour dough toast with this and a cup of hot tea. 

Apple Dumplings

I keep working on this recipe to improve it.  I have wanted to make a sauce for the dumplings to cook in that thickens that can be spooned out with the dumpling and I finally came up with something that works great and taste wonderful.  In a couple of posts back, I mentioned that we celebrated our son's birthday.  Apple dumplings is what I made for dessert.  He is not a dessert person so he didn't care what we had.  The dumplings were a big hit.  Our youngest son said, "it was the best dessert I've ever made and he wanted me to make these for Thanksgiving."  It was also the consensus of the rest of the family that I finally came up with a winner.  And, I didn't make these for Thanksgiving.....too much work for that day!   :)

I've posted apple dumplings before so consider this as a revision.  Have your pie crust ready.  I peeled and cut up five apples in cubes and put the juice from half a lemon over the apples, about 1/2 cup of sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon.  I tossed the apples until they were covered in this mixture. Roll out your pie crust and cut squares that are about 7 inches by 7 inches.  I would rather have the square too big than not big enough. I just spoon the apples onto the square.  I brush a little water around the edges of the pie crust to hold it together.  I bring up the sides of the pie crust and pinch them together.  I then put the dumplings in a greased 9 x 13 casserole dish.  In a small pan over medium heat I melt 1/2 stick of butter, 1 cup sugar, one 12 ounce bottle of apple juice, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. I stir this until the sugar has melted and then I ladle this over the apple dumplings.  I bake the dumplings at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes.  Watch the dumplings, if they start to get too golden brown, cover the pan with foil to finish the cooking time.

When the dumplings are done, remove them from the oven and put one in a bowl and drizzle this caramel sauce over the top.
2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of white Karo syrup
2 tablespoons of flour
1/2 can Milnot
2 tablespoons of butter
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Mix sugar, syrup, flour and Milnot .  Bring to a boil and cook about 3 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla and stir until butter is melted.  Then let cool.  When it is cooled beat until it is thick and creamy.
Now, to this you can add vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. 
This is so rich and so good.  It will become your favorite dessert for a while!

You could also substitute the caramel sauce for a rum sauce.  I also wanted to mention that you can peel and core the apple leaving it whole.  Set the apple in the middle of your pie crust square stuff  a little butter down the core opening and also put the sugar and cinnamon mixture down the opening.  Bring your pie crust up over the apple and seal the edges.  Some people like this better than the cubed apples.  I have tried both and I prefer the cubed apples.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins

I had been wanting a good moist pumpkin muffin.  I found this recipe and it is wonderful.  You swirl in cream cheese and cream cheese makes everything better.  ;)

1 3/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-15 ounce can pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 tablespoon vanilla

Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 375
In a medium bowl which flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt until well combined.  Set aside. 
In a large bowl whisk pumpkin, sugar and brown sugar.  Beat in eggs, oil and vanilla.  Slowly whisk in flour mixture until there are no lumps.  Put muffin cups in a muffin tin and fill 3/4 full.
In a medium bowl beat cream cheese until smooth and add egg yolk, sugar and vanilla and mix well.  Top each muffin with 1 tablespoon of cream cheese mixture.  Then use a toothpick to swirl into the batter.  Bake for 18-20 minutes and store in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

A Fresher Version of a Green Bean Casserole

For years we had broccoli and rice casserole at Thanksgiving, then I started making Brussel sprouts and not all of the family likes Brussel sprouts so I was thinking about making a green bean casserole.  As I thought about it, I knew I didn't want to make the traditional green bean casserole.  I had in my mind how I wanted to do it and this is what I did and it turned out a winner.  I had great reviews at Thanksgiving.  If you want to try something new for Christmas dinner you will have to give this a try.  It's a little more work but worth every bite.  :)

I used the French green bean (it is very thin) called Haricot verts.  I get them at Sam's and I think they come in 2 pound packages but I'm not sure.  You could use regular fresh green beans but I think these are the best.  I used 1 1/2 pounds but you could use the whole 2 pounds. I put about 2 tablespoons of butter and about 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large cast iron skillet. I let the butter melt then I added 3 cloves of minced garlic and added the green beans (the beans had the ends removed, washed and patted dry and I cut the bean in half) and salted the green beans to taste.  I sautéed the green beans for about 3 minutes until they turn the bright green then I added a small package of chestnut mushrooms sliced very thin and let them cook with the green beans.  To this I added  1 1/2 cans of mushroom soup and 1/2 cup sour cream.  Mix this together well and cover with a lid over medium low heat for maybe 5-6 minutes.  Watch it because the soup will thicken and it can burn.  Then put in a casserole dish.  I covered mine with saran wrap after it cooled and kept it in the refrigerator over night.  The next morning I used my mandolin on medium thin and sliced two onions.  I used a paper towel to pat them dry.  I then heated vegetable oil until it reached 325 degrees and fried the onions until they were golden brown.  Drained them on a paper towel.  When they were cool I scattered them over the top of the casserole.  You don't have to keep the casserole in the refrigerator over night, I did it to save time Thanksgiving morning.

I covered the casserole with foil and baked at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until bubbly.

A Wish for a Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing you and your family a happy Thanksgiving.  May it be filled with family, friends, thankfulness, happiness, lots of fun, and great food!

T-Shirt Quilt

We celebrated our son's birthday on Wednesday.  He was going to be out of town on his birthday so we all got together to celebrate him a little early.  I've had these t-shirts saved for a long time.  There are t-shirts from when he was a little boy (his first soccer team) to when he played basketball in college.  Little did I know what a task this would be.  I cut new neuro pathways on this one. LOL  It's not like you have a square and all the squares are cut the same size and then you put them together.  I'll make a long story very short, I started this the first of September thinking by the end of September I could have it done. By the end of September, I was ready to pull my hair out.  I have a wonderful friend who is a wonderful quilter.  I called her and she graciously has been helping me.  As you can see, I'm still not finished but I hope to have it quilted and totally complete by the end of January.

My son was totally surprised and he really loved it.  He couldn't believe that I had saved all those t-shirts.  And I was even able to put some pictures of  him playing basketball and soccer on some of the t-shirts, with the help of my daughter.  You have to use the computer to do that.  Anyway, a great birthday for a wonderful son who has always been a blessing to our family.

Spinach

I'm ready to fling my computer through the window!!!!!!

I have pictures of my spinach breaking through the ground after a week and the basil is growing.  So until I can figure this out.  There are NO PICTURES!

So, I wouldn't hesitate to plant a few vegetables.  Maybe some arugula or a variety of lettuces. I have some arugula seeds left from the spring and I think I'm going to plant them.  I'm going to check some green houses for more herbs.  I saw the 7 day weather forecast this morning and by the end of next week or before we are back in the 70's again.  I will say this is wonderful weather to be gardening in, in fact, it's ideal. 

Looks like another beautiful fall day.  Will we still be calling it "fall days" when winter arrives in December? 

Fall Garden

Earlier in the week, I planted a fall garden.  I've been trying since the end of August to get this done.  This is a small flower bed on the south east side of our home.  I planted two basil plants and four rows of spinach.  I normally wouldn't plant this late but after my daughter gave me the weather report for the winter or I should say we really won't be having any winter weather.  I decided to give it a try.  She heard where the average temperature for the winter would be in the mid 60's.  I don't like that forecast, I like it cold so we can enjoy the wood stove.  Who knows it may really turn off cold but if it doesn't we will be enjoying fresh spinach all winter.  Oh, and basil.  :)

Cute!

LIFE IS TOO SHORT............SMILE WHILE YOU HAVE YOUR TEETH!      :)

Mississippi Roast vs. Dutch's Dip Beef

A couple of weeks ago I was watching The Kitchen on the Food Network Channel.  They were talking about a roast recipe that had gone viral on the internet.  They had the women who came up with the original recipe on their show that day.  It was originally a family recipe and it was too spicy for her family so she changed it up a bit.  It is a very simple recipe and we ate it one night with a baked potato and salad and the next day I warmed up the meat in the juices and made a sandwich on ciabatta bread and put a little grated gruyere cheese on top.  I liked the sandwich the best. The pepperoncini peppers give it a unique flavor.  The recipe on the Kitchen that day was one stick of butter, 1/4 cup water, one package of Hidden Valley Ranch Mix (dry), one package of AuJus Gravy Mix by McCormick, Pepperoncini peppers and the jar with the juice and a 3-4 pound roast. She said to use the roast of your choice.  I had a rump roast that I used and I would definitely say to use a chuck roast.  You put all the ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.  As I looked on line, there were many variations to the recipe.  The author of the recipe never mentioned salt and pepper which it needed. 

I don't normally toot my own horn but this time I have to say something.  If bloggers and Sam Sifton of the New York times thinks that is an exceptional recipe then they must try my recipe for dip beef.  It's called Dutch's Dip Beef after my dad, he loved it! This is a family favorite and we never get tired of this.  It is wonderful with your favorite potato salad.   This recipe is 35-40 years old and I too, have made changes from the original.  The original used dried onion flakes and all the spices were dried and I use fresh rosemary, fresh onions and beef flavoring. This sandwich will melt in your mouth and the flavor is phenomenal.  The smell, when this roast is cooking is out of this world.  I promise you it will be a favorite with your family.

When I make this for our family I buy two chuck roasts about 4 pounds each.  I used to buy those hard French crusty rolls (about 7-8 inches long) by Pepperidge Farms but I can't find those any more.  I love ciabatta rolls, so I have started using those.  I toast the bread and then butter it and pile lots of roast on the sandwich.  The au jus is so flavorful it's almost like French onion soup.

I wash off the roast and pat them dry and then season liberally with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  I put them in a Dutch oven and cover them with 2 large diced white onions.  One half tablespoon of oregano, 4 bay leaves, and 5 to 6 sprigs of fresh rosemary laid on top of the roast. You can either use about 4 beef bouillon cubes or I use beef flavoring that doesn't have MSG in it.  I use 3 to 4 tablespoons and I add it to about 6 cups of water.  You want to add water that comes to the top edge of the roast but not covering the roast. That is around 6 cups. I cover the Dutch oven with foil and cook at 275 degrees for about 5 hours.  Check for tenderness and cook longer if needed.  When ready to serve remove roast from Dutch oven and use two forks to pull meat apart.  It should almost fall apart and then pile roast on your toasted roll and have a small bowl of au jus for each sandwich.

Well, it's a winner.  I hope the New York Times gets wind of it!  LOL

Old Fashion Applesauce Cake with Caramel Icing

This is a great dessert for Sunday dinner in the fall.  My thoughts after making the cake, which I put in a 9x13 baking dish, was this would be very pretty in one of those beautiful cake molds with the icing drizzled over it. It would make a great presentation on a pedestal cake stand.  Apples plus caramel always equals WONDERFUL!

I was looking through an old cook book for an applesauce cake recipe.  My husband is not a fan of a lot of icing and I was going to put the applesauce cake in loaf pans.  But I found this caramel icing recipe in another section and thought, "oh my goodness this would be great on an applesauce cake."  The icing makes quite a bit.  I knew it would be pretty thick on the cake so I just drizzled it over the cake while it was warm.  I'm saving the rest of the icing for this weekend.  I'm going to make apple dumplings and this icing will be wonderful warmed and drizzled over the dumplings.  Oh my gosh, I can't wait!

Applesauce Sauce Cake

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup raisins, cooked and drained
1/2 cup chopped dates
1 1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons soda

Cream butter and sugar.  Add applesauce and dates.  Mix nuts with 1 cup flour and add to the creamed mixture.  Mix other ingredients to the remaining flour and sift.  Stir into the mixture and bake at 300 degrees until done.  It took my cake about 40 minutes.  Test the cake with a toothpick to make sure it is done.  I put the raisins in one cup of water and let them come to a boil for just a couple of minutes.  Then drain.

Caramel Icing

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup white Karo syrup
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 large can of Milnot
2 tablespoons of butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix sugar, flour, syrup and milk.  Bring to a boil and cook about 3 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Add butter and vanilla.  Let cool.  Beat until creamy and thick enough to spread.

A Nifty Idea for Pictures

Four children later, our pictures didn't all make it into nice folders.  I have the bottom half of a big cabinet that is full of nothing but picture albums and now there are several covered boxes of pictures that need to be in albums.  Several months ago, I was looking for several pictures and I opened this cabinet.  I ended up pulling a stool up and sitting for several hours organizing and getting some structure to this madness. I'm usually never up till 11:00 but that night I started texting the cutest pictures of our kids to them.  Pictures, they had forgot about.  We were all laughing and they couldn't believe I was up so late.  I couldn't either. :)

I was reading an article about a famous designer and she said, "she likes to leave pictures out in nice bowls throughout her home for company to look through who are visiting."  I loved the idea! I've always said, get those things out of your attic and closet and use them, well, this is another thing that needs to be out and I have already found that your visitors will really enjoy looking through your photos. 

This winter, one of my projects is to get the majority of the pictures into albums but I think I'm going to leave some out in bowls.  I have Thanksgiving pictures along with other pictures in my bowl now but there should be plenty of pictures of winter days and holidays for the end of the year.

Watch out, because when you start looking through those pictures the hours will pass by.  I enjoyed it so much!

Happy Fall Sunday    xo

Fall Has Arrived at Our Home

Beautiful Morning!

This was a beautiful morning several weeks ago.  I was up before the sun and went outside behind the barn to watch the sunrise.  After the sun was up, I walked around in bare feet, the grass was wet and it reminded me of being a kid and going barefoot in the summer.  I picked these flowers.  They are growing wild around the edge of the pasture.  I really enjoyed the morning and enjoyed these flowers a couple of days before they wilted. 

A Little Straggler

I thought all the hummingbirds were gone.  This morning a little straggler showed up.  He looked pretty wind blown and cold.  He has been hitting all my morning glories, cypress vine and the hummingbird feeder.  He is so cute, I wish I could keep him all winter in the house. :)

I'm wishing him safe travels to his next home!

Irish Lawmaker

http://spinzon.com/irish-lawmaker-shreds-obama-calls-hypocrite-century-war-criminalvideo/

Over the past five or six years, I've contemplated the thought if I were rich enough to move to another country which one would I choose.  My choice was Ireland!  I've never been there but I seen pictures of it and watched travel shows featuring it and it is the homeland of my ancestors. 

The address above is of a woman from Ireland addressing their parliament.  She is a representative or lawmaker.  After watching this, it was confirmed, if there are more people like her Ireland is the place for me.  She should come to the United States and run for President. 

Technical Difficulties

Due to technical difficulties I haven't been able to post pictures.  Hopefully, it will be fixed soon.  :)

Heart of Stones :)

This is something similar to what my daughter showed me on Pinterest.  The Pinterest photo was a short and fat heart on nicer boards.  I tend to like the longer slimmer hearts and we have plenty of old pickets to put something like this on.  I attached the rocks with tile putty or glue.  You could make any design you wanted and I think it would also look good in a grouping in your house. Even a word out of rocks. 

I'm not on Pinterest and it's probably a good thing.  I would never get anything done looking at all the wonderful ideas.

Life's Journey

http://www.lifecoachcode.com/2016/09/04/alan-watts-the-pointless-rat-race/

I posted something recently about living without money.  This is a short two minute video that my husband sent me.  It is so good and says what I was trying to say about life and having it centered around money. 

One of My Favorite Things

One of my favorite sites in this world!  I think if I were to be cremated I would want my ashes spread over a beautiful pasture with hay bales.  :)

Vegetable Sandwich and Another New Burger

I love vegetable sandwiches but came up with a little different idea.  After reading about mushrooms several months ago (3 mushrooms a day are a good preventive for breast cancer) but they are better for you if they are cooked rather than raw.  I saw some fresh broccoli sprouts at the store, some great tomatoes, a sweet onion, mushrooms, an avocado so I had no choice but to fix a vegetable sandwich and I have eaten them for 2 days.  I usually make them with a good wheat bread but this time I used ciabatta bread.  I toasted the bread and spread some cream cheese on one side and mayonnaise on the other.  I sautéed mushrooms in about 2 tablespoons of butter and seasoned them with salt and pepper.  The sautéed mushrooms were so much better than the raw.  It made a great difference in the way the sandwich tasted. You could put red and yellow bell peppers on the sandwich.  You can come up with your own combination of veggies.  A vegetable sandwich with a good tomato basil soup is a great dinner or lunch.

Our family was together on Labor Day and we had burgers.  We were trying some new combinations on the burgers.  One of the choices was a Theta burger which I told you about in another post but we came up with a new one that was very delicious.  We sautéed onions, spinach and mushrooms and put this on top of the burger then put grated gruyere cheese on top of veggies.  The veggies were still warm and it melted the cheese. We also had muenster and Swiss to choose from but I love gruyere. 

Broccoli and Spinach Salad

Our daughters were done on Sunday for the day.  It was just the three of us and Dutch.  I wanted to do something easy because we were going to be outside with Dutch.  Dip beef sandwiches are always easy just put everything in the pot and let it cook for 4 to 5 hours.  But the salad is what I want to tell you about it is wonderful and healthy and a meal in itself. 

1 large head of broccoli, trimmed and cut into large spears
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 hard boiled eggs
3 tablespoons drained capers, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish
1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
8 cups of spinach, stemmed

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Put broccoli on a cookie sheet and salt and put 2 tablespoons of olive oil drizzled over broccoli toss and roast until golden and tender.  About 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the lemon juice mustard, eggs and 1 tablespoon of water in a food processor and pulse to combine.  With the machine on, slowly drizzle in olive oil 1/4 cup until dressing is smooth.  Stir in the capers and dill.  Scrape half of the dressing into a large bowl.  Add the warm broccoli, beans and spinach and toss to coat.  Transfer to a serving platter and serve warm, sprinkle with more dill, with the remaining dressing on the side.

I wanted to tell you about dessert.  Very easy nothing you haven't had before but just a reminder of something delicious and easy.  Fresh cut peaches with a little sugar stir and cover and chill in the frig. When ready to serve put in individual serving bowls and drizzle with heavy cream.  So simple and soooo delicious!

My New Potting Bench

My husband rebuilt the top of my potting bench.  I just love it now!  The bottom was still in good shape but the boards on the top had started to warp and they were loose.  He put in an antique sink that I've had for some time.  I do sell these occasionally and I think they make not only a potting bench but a great buffet for outdoor entertaining.  The ones we have made usually don't have a sink in the middle.  The other pictures are my CLEAN flower beds.  :)

I almost forgot to tell you about the cream colored post.  My neighbor recently sold his home and the new neighbor was remolding the porch and took the old post off.  He was throwing them away and I asked him if I could have them.  This is one of the post with a bracket at the top and a huge hanging wire basket hanging from it.  I have a lot of ideas for this wire basket with the changing seasons.  I want to eventually get a good size birdhouse to go on the top of the post.

My country home sweet home!

Living Without Money

I first heard this concept(living without money) about 3 or 4 years ago.  We heard a man from South Africa speak on this concept.  It is his passion and his mission in life to free people from this life style.  At the time, I couldn't see how the concept could possibly work.   Most of the world is so entrenched in money and working 8 to 5 I just thought it would be to hard to change things.   So when I saw this documentary (Living Without Money) it was refreshing to see this woman actually doing what she believes in her heart. She is a woman about my age, a teacher and counsel.  She decided she didn't want to live her life by the current standards and so she takes drastic measures to change things in her life.  She sells all she has except a suitcase full of her clothes and 3 pairs of shoes.  She is asked, "how do you feel now that everything you own is gone?"  She said, "I feel free."  During the documentary, I never got the feeling that she had any regrets.  She has never slept on the street or not had anything to eat.  And she said, "that when she really needs something it just seems to appear." 

She goes into businesses (example if she wants some bread) and tells the business owner how she is living her life and could she do something for
him in exchange for the bread she needs.  She never takes more than what she needs for the day and she doesn't want handouts.  She really wants an exchange to take place.  I thought if our society was like this we would be more dependent on each other and hopeful more kind to each other in helping each other meet each other's needs. 

As I was telling my husband about this, he stopped me in mid stream and said, "we are not living like that" I started laughing.  I said, "well wouldn't it make life a lot more interesting?"  Just kidding!  I do like the concept of getting unhooked from the system but I could see this working more before the industrial revolution than now.  People did a lot more bartering back then.  I have been thinking of small ways we might change things in our life.  Honestly, I love having a home that is my sanctuary and my bed to sleep in at night.  But I greatly admire this woman.  She is doing what I'm not willing to do.

As the man from South Africa explained, the programing starts as children when we start to school.  We go 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 five days a week.  As children, we start living for the weekend. Why, because we get to do what we want to do.  Do you see the picture it carries right on over into adulthood and that is what you hear so many people saying, oh, I can wait for the weekend, it's hump day on Wednesday and TGIF. The majority of people are doing jobs they do not like and there is no fulfillment in their lives.  They continue this life style because they don't see another way, there is the pressure to have a certain type home, clothes, go to the right schools and then there are the people who just barely make ends meet.  There is never time to learn new things, read the books, enjoy the sunset, smell the flowers, sit out under the stars at night.  Everyone is too tired from doing what they really don't want to do.   Isn't that why it's called a rat race?

I don't know that these drastic changes can ever take place but for me I like to ponder the concept because I know that what is currently in place is not right.  I hope this is some food for thought for you.

I love hearts and the picture above is from the plane when we were on our way to Portland.  This land was in Colorado.  I thought it was pretty cool~

I love this quote!

Our bodies are our gardens.....our wills are our gardeners.

William Shakespeare

Charlotte's Baby Spider Sack

I've spent the last 3 weeks cleaning out flower beds and boy, it was bad.  Last summer, I didn't get anything done in my flower beds and the weeds were pretty bad.  It all looks so good now, the weeds and leaves are gone and there is lots of mulch in its place.  I could just sit and look at everything and I do.  It's peaceful and calming and I love sitting there.  My mailman just stopped by to bring a package and committed on it being an inviting place to sit and rest.  After all the work is done, it's almost like after you clean house you feel so good you just want it to stay this way forever but it doesn't.  :(   We live in our houses and things continue to grow so it keeps us busy. 

In the process of cleaning the flower beds, I was also pruning some of my bushes and found the little spider sack.  I had to take a picture of it so when I read Charlotte's Web to Dutch I can show him an actual picture of a spider sack.

I wanted to also show you a picture of Dutch's little mosaic hand print that he gave me for Mother's day.  It looks so good among this ground cover.  It's by the sidewalk as you walk to the house and I see it everyday.  This ground cover is great.  It is a succulent and my aunt gave it to me.  It survives our winters.  Bounces right back and wherever it falls it starts to grow.  I'm sorry to say I don't know it's name.  If you like garden art and have children or grandchildren you will love having there little hand or foot prints in your garden.  I think my daughter got her kit at Hobby Lobby. 

Turkey Pot Pie

I bought a turkey breast about a week ago and baked it.  Turkey really sounded good to me.  We had a meal with the turkey and veggies etc. then we had several meals with turkey sandwiches. A few days later, my husband told me he had all the turkey he wanted until Thanksgiving.  I had a lot of turkey left over so I decided to make turkey pot pies for the freezer.  They really turned out great. While I was making them I had the thought that these might make good gifts for several single friends who don't like to cook and my aunt who is alone.  I was excited......making good use of the leftover turkey and coming up with gift ideas.  :)

I had close to 4 cups of turkey after I diced it up.  So these are the measurements I used for this amount.  You might want to cut it down. Also, the store I went to didn't have the little pot pie dishes so I bought the smallest container they had.  This container would provide two servings.  I filled 5 of these containers.

4 cups turkey or chicken, diced
2 large carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1/2 onion, diced
3 medium potatoes, diced (placed potatoes in boiling water and cook until barely tender) remove from water a cool then dice the potatoes.
1 small package of frozen sweet peas, thawed
3-4 cans of chicken broth
1 stick of unsalted butter, melted
1/3-1/2 cup flour

Melt butter and then saute carrots, onions, and celery until tender.  When the vegetables are tender sprinkle in the flour and stir into the mixture until the flour is transparent.  Slowly add chicken broth and stir until thickened.  Add in potatoes, turkey and peas and stir until well blended.  Let this mixture become warm and also taste to see if you need salt or pepper.

Make your pie crust and line your container ladle in turkey mixture and top with another pie crust.  If the pot pie is not frozen cook at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.  If it is frozen cook at 400 degrees for an hour and after 30 minutes you might want to cover the top with a piece of foil so it doesn't burn.

You might want to keep this in mind for your turkey leftovers after Thanksgiving.  That is if you have any turkey left over.  :)