Goodbye to 2017

As I sit down to write this, the sun has just bid its farewell to 2017.
I really don't have much to say tonight other than I wish you much joy and happiness for 2018.
Always love~

Keep Close to Nature's Heart

Keep close to nature's heart
and break clear away,
once in a while,
Climb a mountain or
spend a week in the woods.
Wash your spirit clean.

John Muir

Mailboxes

My friend who does the airbrush painting finished up some mailboxes I picked up at garage sales.  I told him I wanted one with sunflowers and one with a cow and hail bales if possible.  I was so excited he did such a wonderful job.  The mailbox with the cow is so heavy, it is really big, big enough to put a good size package into.  Can't wait to get them up.

Another cute idea is to take an old mailbox and paint it for your garden and use it to put garden gloves and your garden tools into.  It's always there by your garden and saves you some steps.

My Rant for the Day

I think it is disgusting how people live miserable, sad, boring and unproductive lives and instead of changing their life they want to come in and ruin yours.
It is the epitome of selfishness and being a low life.

Winter Decorations

My Christmas cactus was on our little patio all summer and I was concerned that on the really hot days it had gotten a little burned.  But, look at it.  I brought it in the house about a month ago and almost immediately it started forming buds.  It's just beautiful!

Winter has arrived inside our home and the last couple of days it has felt frosty outside.  These are pictures of a few touches of the winter season at our home. I love experiencing the change of seasons and although it's a lot of work to change out the décor I always love the finished product and it gives a great feeling to our home.  My decorations are more about winter, therefore I leave them up until mid or late February. The house decorated.....now all I need is the aroma of a big pot of soup and cookies baking in the oven.  Although, that is not happening today.  :)

Sunrise

Oh, Wow! look at this sunrise this morning~
My camera doesn't quite capture the magnificence.

Gratitude

This is my cup of Gratitude.  My birthday was this past Sunday and wrinkled and grey I may be but there still resides a little girl inside of me. Growing older is going to be a wonderful adventure for me but I must remember the important word "growing."  I am very thankful for the years I've lived and the experiences I have had but there are even more exciting ones ahead.

Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Always love~

Thanksgiving Centerpiece

This is my attempt at a woodland centerpiece for Thanksgiving.  I couldn't find the exact animals that I wanted but it will do.  I wanted to surprise Star Dutch with little animals in the centerpiece.  He loves animals.

I have sat and watched a beautiful sunrise this morning from our breakfast room.  All red and orange just the colors of this season.  The beautiful colors have faded now into a bright yellow sun, so that means it's time to start cooking.  A full day but I'm going to have several great helpers at my side.

Enjoy the hustle and bussel of getting ready for a great Thanksgiving with family and friends.

More Fall Decorating

A Wonderful Autumn Salad

I love salads that have fruit and nuts and different greens.  I made this for dinner last night and I loved it.  Gary liked it and thought it was good but his favorite salad is all veggies with ranch.  :)
I used organic mixed salad greens and added some red leaf lettuce and some arugula from my garden.
I sautéed one cup of roughly chopped walnuts in one teaspoon of butter.
I thinly sliced one apple and one pear
Tossed all these ingredients together and sprinkled blue cheese crumbles over the top. Then drizzle with the dressing.

The dressing:
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon paprika
1 heaping tablespoon of finely chopped onion
Put all the ingredients in a bowl except olive oil.  Whisk the ingredients together then slowly add the olive oil while you whisk.  The olive oil will emulsify and the dressing will thicken as you whisk.

Sun and Moon

When I was looking for a sun and moon for the "Landing Zone" this was one of the pictures I found.  I loved this but I knew this would be hard to replicate on the barn.  Just wanted to share it, a fun rendition.  :)

Fall Arrangement

This is a horn of plenty that I picked up at a garage sale this summer.  It was unusual and rustic and I knew it would look good with the things in our home.  I'm happy with the way it turned out.

These Will Make You Smile

I love whales but I also love polar bears.  I found these wonderful pictures and wanted to share them with you.  They make me smile!  This post would go on and on if put them all up.  I'm starting a nature wall in our family room.  It's going to be sketches and pictures of animals as well as interesting rocks and flowers and leaves I have pressed from different places I've been. I'll show you pictures when I get it complete.

Spiced Waffles with Caramelized Apples

I made this for dessert for my hub but these make a great brunch dish.  Omit the ice cream and add a dollop of whipped cream.

2/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
6 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
large pinch of ground cloves
large pinch of ground white pepper
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons honey
1 large egg, separated
1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
2 tablespoons, (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Whisk first 12 ingredients in a large bowl to blend.  Whisk buttermilk, honey, egg yolk, and orange peel in medium bowl to blend.  Whisk buttermilk mixture into dry ingredients.  Stir in melted butter.  Beat egg white in another medium bowl until stiff but not dry; fold into batter.
Spray 8 to 9 inch square waffle iron with nonstick spray and preheat.  Pour half of the batter (about 1 cup) onto hot iron.  Close top and cook until brown and set, about 3 minutes.  Transfer waffle to large rack.  Can stand at room temperature up to 3 hours.  Or rewarm in oven at 350 for about 5 minutes.  When ready to serve plate and top with caramelized apples and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Caramelized Apples

6 tablespoons (3/4) unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
2 pounds of Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2/3 cup whipping cream

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat; sprinkle with sugar over.  Stir until sugar begins to melt, about 1 minute.  Add apples.  Saute until apples are brown and tender and juices form, about 10 minutes.  Add cream and simmer until sauce thickens slightly about 2 minutes.

These were a hit and it is a wonderful spiced waffle.  You could make these waffles and just served with warm maple syrup.  A wonderful fall breakfast!

Turmeric Roasted Cauliflower

This turned out to be a wonderful recipe. I teamed this cauliflower with some steamed squash and onion and I'm still getting garden tomatoes from our farmers market.  It was a light and satisfying dinner.

11/2 pounds of cauliflower, halved, cored and cut into l inch florets ( 6 heaping cups of cauliflower florets)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup of pine nuts or almond silvers
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

In a small bowl combine the oil, garlic, turmeric, cumin, red pepper flakes and salt.
Place the cauliflower florets in a large bowl, drizzle the oil-spice mixture over the cauliflower and toss to coat.
Spread the cauliflower on a large rimmed baking sheet.
Roast, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is lightly browned on the edges and tender, 40-45 minutes.
Meanwhile, roast the pine nuts or almond silvers in a pie plate for about 5 minutes until lightly toasted.  Set aside.
Remove the cauliflower from the oven, top with the nuts and cilantro and serve hot.

The Landing Zone

This is the back of our barn.  I met a man who does air brush painting and we bartered out the work.  I was excited about exchanging our talents instead of money.  I had a hard time choosing which sun and moon I wanted painted on the barn.  I found so many cool ones. You can't see it in this picture but on the moon side there are little stars and on the sun side there are floating clouds.   This will eventually be a gathering place for family and friends with a fire pit, comfy chairs and eating space.  In the evening, it's shaded and there is almost always a nice breeze.  It's a wonderful place to star gaze at night and it faces the east so it's a wonderful place to see the sun rise.

When we were on vacation, we had dinner at a restaurant with a beautiful outdoor dining area next to the bay in Seattle.  It was so beautiful outside at one point, I ask my husband did he notice anything.  He didn't know what I was getting at but there was no wind sweeping down the plains and no bugs (flies or mosquitoes).  That is amazing to me, certain parts of the country get all the perks.

My husband affectionately named the area behind the barn " The Landing Zone" after I had a wild dream.  In the dream, I was working in flower beds on the north side of our home, I heard a noise and looked up and a ET craft was slowing rising from behind the barn.  The craft was a shape that I have never seen.  I stood up and started jumping up and down and waving and yelling the craft dipped down to acknowledge me and then in warp speed it was gone.  Usually. I don't remember my dreams, or I can only remember parts of a dream, but I remembered every detail of this dream. It was pretty exciting.

Beautiful Sunset

A beautiful Oklahoma sunset this evening!

The Way You Think

The way you think about the way you think impacts the way you think!  :)