Why There Is No Card This year

I thought I was really on the ball this year!

Way back in the beginning of November I decided I wanted to include the cats in our Christmas cards this year. I figured they would be BY FAR the most difficult to photograph so I decided to start right then. Took about 1,000 pictures (just an estimate) and finally got one of each that would be acceptable. I figured between the next two Sunday's, I would take pictures of my husband and daughter.

HA!

Never did I hear so many excuses and refusals.

I kept trying.

Until, I just GAVE UP.

Little did I know....

The cats were EASY.

 Someone probably would have taken my picture...

 or I could have done a selfie....

But just me and the cats wishing everyone Christmas greetings????? 

So. 

I decided.... NO CARDS this year.

Maybe I will have to do sneak attacks with the camera on my family next year! LOL!

Even without a card,

we still want to wish a very

To all of you!

And the cats send their wishes also!

Three Fun Days

I had my two oldest grandsons over for a few days last week. They are ages 4 and 3 now. We had SO much fun! We played hard for three days.

The 4 year old wanted hotdogs and marshmallows for supper one night.

Boys are so happy with some dirt. Or water. Or fire. So cute!

I like to dry orange rings with cloves for my Christmas tree and this year, I also dried grapefruit, lemons, and limes. I love how they look!

The three year old took one off and said- 'I like these!'

I told him that those ones aren't very good because I dried them out....

And the four year old said- 'I know. I tried one.'

LOL!

I was treated to serenades. Once at snack time it was:

♪♫♪ We WISH you a Merry Orange,

We WISH you a Merry Goldfish! ♪♪♫

Sung at the top of their lungs with much glee!

We had a very jolly old time!

I also loved the random tidbits of info....

'Grandma, remember that really big tornado in Flagstaff?

Flagstaff has LOTS of tornadoes!'

LOL!

This year I set up the Nativity on the organ again.

They went home and the next day, I was walking past the organ and said to myself- 'What on earth is that?'

Can you spy it?

Haha! Guess the wise men arrived by Army jeep?

I love it. Happens every time they're over! I am sure I have EVERY toy put away...and it NEVER fails- I find one in a totally random place! :))))

I so love being a grandma!

Skor Bars

(I apologize for the lousy cell phone pics....)

I was asked to bring a pan of bars for an event.

I was searching through my recipes and nothing was striking my fancy.

Or else I didn't have a key ingredient.

Then I remembered a recipe I had seen recently and decided to give it a whirl. It looked easy and the ingredients were very basic and I wouldn't have to make a special trip to the store. Bonus!

Grease a pan and put one sleeve of soda crackers on it.

(I had to use an additional two crackers for my 16x12 pan.)

Put ¾ cup each of brown sugar and butter in a pot.

Boil for 3 minutes.

Spread on crackers.

Bake.

Now I see why she said to rearrange the crackers after baking. And I also see it wasn't necessary to get every speck of cracker covered with the sauce.

Sprinkle a bag of chocolate chips on and spread as they melt.

I must admit. At this stage I was very doubtful of this recipe.

It looked like One. Hot. Mess.

I was wondering why oh why did I decide to try a new recipe! and figured I would be stopping to buy something at the store on the way.... Sigh....

But I persevered. And they looked much better.

I sprinkled some Heath Bar bits on.

But I was still nervous about what was lurking underneath.

Those crackers.... 

And that sauce.... 

It looked impossible and totally unappetizing.

I put the pan in the freezer to chill.

And guess what?

SKOR !!!

Amazing. Delicious. Addictive.

And I marveled. Who thought up this recipe???
How did they ever imagine it would work!

The next time I make them though, I am going to use semi-sweet chips. I only had milk chocolate chips on hand and I think a darker chocolate would harden more. They weren't soft per se, but you just didn't dare hold it in your hand for too long.

Originally saw recipe here:
 http://www.simplemoments.ca/blog/2014/easiest-recipe-ever

Then took this advice-

"Boil butter and sugar for 3 minutes" 

-from here: http://cakercooking.blogspot.com/2011/06/quick-and-easy-skor-bars_20.html
-and here: http://www.cookingcache.com/recipes/skorbars.shtml?rdid=rc1

The original recipe said 350° for 7 minutes. The second link said 400° for 6 minutes. Since I have to adjust some of my baking times/temps because we live at a slightly higher altitude, I baked mine at 375° for 7 minutes and it was perfect.

A Beautiful Fall This Year

Can't believe it's almost November.

We have had the most beautiful weather! Nice warm, dry days (and SUNNY!) and crisp, cool evenings.  

 Still using the clothesline every week...

And there hasn't even been a hint of frost yet. My flowers have been loving it!

And I have been loving those zinnias! One of my favorite flowers.

The beautiful weather may not be for long though...

It's going to kick down a notch this weekend...

But the beautiful weather hasn't stopped fall at our house...

Yesterday I cooked up some pumpkin. :)

Got 11 cups!

Now for some bread and pumpkin pudding!

I am also just about done with my fall decorating.

Thanksgiving is in 4 weeks!

:))))))

A Prize And Arm Wrestling

I bought myself a prize!

I have been looking for a hand-sewing project and decided I wanted to try a crewel project. Preferably a vintage style one. I haven't done any hand work in years and years. When my kids were babies, I used to do cross stitch but then I got tired of all those teeny tiny X's.

After looking at Jo-Ann Fabrics and not finding any, I came home and searched on the internet for more choices.
I looked at Jo-Ann's, Michael's and Hobby Lobby.

THEY DON"T SELL THEM ANYMORE!

Not even real crewel kits of ANY type- vintage style or not. They are all mostly stamp printed backgrounds with a small amount of actual crewel work!

So I started watching eBay.

And finally found one so I quickly ordered it before it sold.

 This photo is from the eBay site.

Here is the description:

It's not quite what I was looking for but VERY close. I wanted it to have orange, yellow, and red flowers on a neutral background in a 60's or 70's style. This one sorta has fall leaves in it too but I decided it didn't really matter.

When it came in the mail I was so excited!
Then I realized I need an embroidery hoop. :(

But until I get one....
I have LOTS to do to keep me busy....

I need to sort three types of yarn into 17 colors....

And learn 20 of 22 stitches....
Zowie.
All I have done is the straight stitch and cross stitch.

Hahahaha!

It looks like this will keep me busy and then some...
for the next 10 years!

Possibly? I should have bought a small one? to start off with?

BUT WHAT WOULD BE THE FUN OF THAT!?!?






Our Arizona State Fair is open and I saw something intriguing on their web site....

United States Arm Wrestling Championships

Say. What???

I used to be a champion arm wrestler. Well. At least a little bit. In my circle of friends...

It says it's open to men and women....

"Prizes include the potential for earning a national ranking, as well as trophies."

NATIONAL RANKING??? TROPHIES???

"FREE with Fair admission. Registration begins at 11:00am, with competition starting at 1:00pm."

And it's FREE???

source

Bah! Those boys don't stand a chance!

Who's game! Who's up for a little arm wrestling!!!!!!

Bwahahahaa! My arm would be squashed in seconds.
It sounded like fun for a couple of minutes, though. Until I came to my senses.
It's, um, been a while since I did detasseling.....

But if YOU want to try, here's the info:
https://azstatefair.com/attractions/united-states-arm-wrestling-championships

Kitchen Shelves Part 2

Here are my shelves...

So much more cheerful.

Now that my walls are all painted white I need to add color in accessories.

For the top shelf, I got a green bowl from the cupboard and added some fake lemons I found at Walmart. The framed silver spoon and old scale are family heirlooms. On top of the scale is a bird shaped tea strainer from my daughter and also (you can barely see it) a cobblestone from my great grandparents' stable yard.

The next shelf- I already explained the "vase" and the yellow bird, but also on there is the biscuit cutter I found in Wickenberg. I just love to put on an apron and make biscuits with it! There is also a nut chopper I found many years ago at Savers. Above those is a framed crochet piece that my daughter made for me.

Above my stove is a metal salmon- a gift from my son and with it- the plate I serve salmon on. Love how they look together. It makes me think of olden days. 

The top shelf here has my collection of vintage chickens/roosters, a sign from my daughter, and the coffee grinder is another family heirloom.

The next shelf holds the tractor one of my sons played with as a young boy.

The bottom shelf has my 'Boomer' picture and a vase of flowers that I am not sure I like. That may change if I think of anything else to put there. Also on the shelf is a cast iron pig Bill got for me and an old camping coffee pot. The little frame says....

'Bacon in the pan

Coffee in the pot

Get up an' get it

Get it while it's hot!

That is my chuckle for this room. 'Cause, first, you will need to CATCH the bacon! Hee hee.

I'm easily amused....

So altogether I bought some lemons, a blue coffee mug, some little flowers, and some yellow spray paint. Whew. Not bad. I thought for sure NOTHING I had was going to work on these shelves.

Here it is again.

BEFORE:

AFTER!

I am so much happier with the mix of old fashioned/nostalgia and the newer/present-day things!!!

Although.....
looking at this picture, I may need to get that old cast iron rooster that I had hanging under the bottom shelf and hang it above 'Boomer' to balance the black from the other side more.....

LOL! I wonder if they will ever be 'done'.

And soon it will be time to decorate for CHRISTMAS! :)))

Kitchen Shelves Part 1

I had to divide this into two parts because it turned out way too long. All of this should have been blogged about over the last couple of months but for some reason I wasn't blogging. I guess I took a break.

I was so excited to finally get the kitchen shelves up (last May or June!) so I could put all the stuff I had been saving on them.

I messed around with them for days....

And I couldn't get them to look 'right'. I had too many old things and not enough color. It all felt too blah and lifeless. Out of frustration I decided to just ignore them while I thought about it. And everything just gathered dust in this woebegone unloved state for weeks.

All I knew for sure was that I still wanted to use this dog print I had. (A sweet friend helped me with this! Thanks, Gloria!) This dog reminds me of our beloved old Boomer. He was a treasured part of our family for many years. Such a beautiful and wonderful dog he was!

One day I put the print in that black frame on the bottom right shelf and it didn't look good at all....

So I painted the frame green. It still didn't look right- it needed something more besides solid green  and I had a few ideas but couldn't settle on one. 

So.

Here is how it sat among the rest of the unloved shelf decor.
I knew the shelves needed some modern things mixed in with the old but WHAT? 

I really, really didn't want to have to buy anything new. I already have been trying to get rid of as much stuff as I can from our house and I didn't NEED anything. I was sure I could make it all work if I just thought about it for long enough.

Then a couple of weeks ago, they were bugging me again. I looked through my kitchen inspiration photos and found these two from

The Handmade Home

(Although, I can't find the exact post I got them from. So frustrating!)

All I had to see was the striped frame and the little vases of flowers.

AND I WAS OFF AND RUNNING.

I took everything off my shelves that I didn't absolutely LOVE.

I painted stripes on the frame.
(For some reason, the stripes photograph almost neon- they are much more subdued in real life)

I found a blue coffee mug I liked at Walmart and dug out an old ceramic bird I had. I loved the bird's shape but that depressing color....not so much.

So I spray painted it sunshine yellow!


Then I found some little fake flowers at Jo-Ann Fabrics and.....

:)))))))))))))

Happy!

This is the end of part 1.

I know you all will be sitting on the edge of your seats for the

!!!BIG REVEAL!!!

*I tease*

Haha! I am just so excited to finally be getting somewhere on them.

Mosquitos, Night Visitors, And A Cloudy Day

We have had quite a bit of rain this summer and the

mosquitoes have been HORRIBLE!

Even out here in the countyside. And I was searching everywhere for something that was still holding water. In the article I linked above, it said even a bottle cap has enough water for mosquitoes to breed in. I knew there was a culvert down the road a ways with water still in it, but the mosquitoes just seemed SO THICK.

THEN... 

one day I was walking down the path to the shed and saw...

GREEN scum growing out the pipe my clothes washer drains from.

The recent flooding had put a lot of dirt and rocks around it and it obviously wasn't draining.

I got a stick and pulled those rocks out and a ton of putrid water came out.

GACK.

Then I got a shovel and dug out a trough for the water to go.

Then I got the water hose, put it down the washer drain and flushed it out well.

And it was like my very own little water feature!

As I was watching it, I envisioned some stones and waterfalls with some pretty plants and flowers along it.....

But...

I had to shut the hose off and abandon the dream....

I mean, WHAT WOULD BILL HAVE SAID????

I did this a couple of weeks ago  and it seems to have worked! In the same article it also said that they are mostly 'floodwater mosquitoes' from all the torrential rains we've had this summer. 

A couple of recent nighttime visitors.....

A tarantula....

And a baby rattler....

WHY WASN'T HE HOME IN BED?

I'm SO done with snakes this year....

It seems every other week- or even every week,

It rains.

Now they were predicting MORE for yesterday.

The clouds....

SO DREARY.

So glad to have these bright cheerful flowers to look at!

And there is my spiffy new rain gauge just waiting....

I decided while we waited....

To make Grandmother Bread.

This is my absolute favorite easy bread recipe. It has a tender crust for making toast and sandwiches. I prefer a bread that is not too sweet, or rich with milk, eggs, or oils. Hands down my favorite everyday bread!
And the rain did come. :)
With more today.
At least if it's cloudy, it better rain.
Makes the dreary clouds worthwhile.
And a slice of fresh warm bread with butter helps too!

Chipmunk Update

Last Friday I reached the end of my rope with chipmunks. Nothing was working on getting rid of them so I decided to try The Bucket of Doom. I merrily set up my bucket and baited it with sunflower seeds. No chipmunks came near it. In fact, I didn't see chipmunks anywhere. I was puzzled and thinking, HOW DID THEY KNOW that I was trying to kill them off. I just figured that it was just like as soon as you pull out the flyswatter, all the flies disappear. Then on Sunday my grandsons were over so for safety, I emptied the bucket.

Then it all came clear. 

On Monday evening Bill heard something in the carport. Behind the metal sheet that will be for making a chimney cap WAS A....

Diamondback rattlesnake.

Aha! That's what scared all of the chipmunks off! Maybe he even ate one.

He was quite fat. Guess the eating has been good around here.

Here is another picture of him in the sun.

You can really see how they blend in with the ground.

If you don't keep your eyes peeled you might step on one.

So guess what? Bright and early yesterday morning,
the CHIPMUNKS CAME BACK.

Thinking evil, happy thoughts, I went and got the bucket again.

The chipmunks like to eat the leaves from the flowers right behind the bucket. And they like to go on this bench too so I decided to use that instead of making a ramp.

Come on little chippies! Come get some yummy sunflower seeds!

 Heh heh heh. :))))