We Got A New Kitten and Other Distractions

I have been sick lately and had little energy to sit down and write. Most of the time I am feeling pretty exhausted. It all began a few weeks ago when I thought that I was getting hit with allergies but instead was a nasty cold. Once the cold finally subsided, I was still feeling gross and it turned out to be Fall allergies. I have had Fall allergies since I was a teenager and they always prove to be far worse than Spring allergies. The thing is, I love to be outside, especially in the Fall, also the kids have soccer. I don't make it to every home game, however, I also have nephews who play soccer and I like to go to their games too. This proved to be the biggest problem for me. So, back when I still had a cold, I toughed it out, took some DayQuil and went to my nephew's soccer match. Then, I went to my sister's house for dinner after the game and I didn't get home until after 9 pm. the combination of being out in the cold, out to allergen air, being out late and running around doing too much all made me very sick. Then, I finally got over the cold and WHAM, I was hit with allergies. Over the weekend, I went to another nephew's soccer match with my husband. It was a great day for soccer, nice and warm. The next day, I went to a parcel of land that my Dad owns, with my Dad, to pick apples. Problem is, his apple trees are on a hill, in a meadow. That was very silly of me. Between the soccer match the day before and the apple picking I felt awful. I already had a stuffy headache while apple picking from the exposure during the previous days game, after that I was down for the count. I was having dinner with my parents and was going to watch the premiere of The Walking Dead, but my head felt so stuffed up and after taking an allergy pill, I could barely stay awake. So, I went home, ut on some comfy pajamas, cuddled with my new kitten in bed and watched Masterpiece on PBS. 

 
So, about that kitten.......

My husband wanted to get another cat so that Murr could have a companion. We have one large dog and one small dog, both are great pals. The dogs get along swimmingly with  Murr. Where the dogs are, Murr is too. When it;s time for bed, they all race up the stairs together. The thing is, Murr likes to play, he is only 1 1/2 years old. The dogs, like to play with each other, but they are older dogs and like to relax. Also, they are far too big to lay with the cat. So, I agreed to get another cat, under the condition that it be an all black cat. I have always preferred black cats and I haven't had an all black cat since the passing of Merlin. A couple of months ago a woman he knew posted on Facebook that her cat had kittens and they would be available for new homes when they were ten weeks old. Two of the cats available were all black. My husband asked me if I would be interested, and I gave him a "soft yes." I had forgotten all about it, until a couple of weeks ago e=when he reminded me that the kittens would soon be ready. So, last Saturday morning, we drove to the woman;s home where the kittens were and were handed this little ball of love. I told my husband that a black cat needed to be named after a wizard or a witch, that is is my tradition. He went along with it, he was just happy to get a kitten. I named her "Mildred Hubble" after a character from my favorite childhood movie. It is also a new show available on Netflix and there was another tv version that was made in the 1990s. We call her "Millie" for short. I only call her by her full name when she is naughty.
As I write this, she is sleeping on my lap, only ten minutes earlier, she was climbing all over me and being a bit of a terror. She loves to cuddle and purrs a lot. She isn't a fan of the dogs, yet, and she is very playful with Murr. Murr, is very pleased with his new companion, he finds her to be a very adept pupil. ALready, he is a bit protective of her. So, even though it took some convincing, I am happy to have this darling black kitten, Just in time for Halloween.
It is a very stormy day. The winds are blowing and rain is pouring down hard. This is the perfect weather for hot cocoa, a movie, and cuddles. So, after I complete some more writing, while Mildred naps, I think I will watch The Worst Witch (the 1980s movie version with Fairuza Balk). I will be posting some of the crafts that I had been working on before I got sick. So, be on the lookout for those throughout the rest of the week. Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Pacing Myself

The above photo illustrates how I have been feeling lately. It has been over a week since my last post. I intended to write about the various craft projects that I had been working on, but then I came down with something. I am not sure if I am dealing with allergies, something that always plagues me this time of year, or if the shifting weather brought on a cold. When I had a girls day out with my dearest friend, the weather was phenomenal. The weather has been quite mild, but then the next day the weather would be seasonal. Whenever the weather has an abrupt change, I get sick. So, with the way things have timed out, between going out and about, allergy season, and weather changes, it's hard for me to pinpoint the precise cause. At any rate, I have been a bit under the weather. However, even with my cold/allergies I still need to function like any normal human. I need to get groceries, run errands, visit family, etc. I had been very busy all weekend and I am worn out I'm taking today, which is beautiful weather and a nice change from yesterday, to rest. By rest I mean, still get tasks done, but not overdo it. So, instead of making a chore list to check off, I decided to have a mental list of goals. I decided that I would do things on my goal list, when I felt like doing them, but not be hard on myself if I didn't complete the list. It is very refreshing when I can't do today, I still have time to do tomorrow. Surprisingly, I've gotten quite a bit done and I am very very relaxed. I even made myself a pumpkin latte!

Last week my husband helped me pick some of the apples from our apple tree. It was a fantastic warm morning and it was perfect weather for apple picking. 

We are fortunate to have so many apples on our tree. The better apples are up high where we can't reach them. This week, I am going to have my Dad assist me with picking more. He has a tool that enables you to pick fruit from fruit trees that are out of reach and it doesn't require the use of a ladder or step stool. Because of my impaired balance, I don't like to use ladders, and I am very cautious with step stools. If I can avoid using even step stools, I do so. 

Without any additional tools, we picked three full baskets of apples. I've already baked apple crisp and apple rhubarb pie. I plan on making a lot of applesauce and dried apples for the winter. I think I might try to make apple leather, too. I will still have some apples for baking and will spend the rest of the Fall baking pies, crisps, muffins and coffee cakes.

I mentioned earlier that I had done many crafts that I wanted to write about. I will be sharing those in upcoming posts, so look out for those this week. Until next time...~Toodahloo!

Tackling Small Home DIY's and Pretending To Know What I'm Doing, pt.2

An old chair from a set that I had in college.

 As I mentioned in my previous post, I am a frugal diyer. I wanted to make little changes to the kid's rooms to help make studying easier this year. I gave my desk chair to my step-daughter and decided to use my yoga balance ball at my desk instead. My step-son never really used his desk, but when he saw her chair, he set up his desk and grabbed a spare chair that was stored away in our garage. I was surprised at this because I had previously offered my desk chair to him and he didn't want it. I suppose he decided to use his desk this year.

A layer of primer.

 Since he was going to begin using his desk to study at this year, I wanted to give him a more comfortable chair that matched his black desk. I went to my parent's attic and found a chair from a set of chairs that I had in college. The table is in our garage and I use it for a work surface, These chairs came with built-in cushions, that could be removed with screws. I removed the seat and sanded the surface of the chair to remove the gloss on the "wood." After wiping down the chair to remove any dust, I spray painted the chair in a highly ventilated area.

A layer or two of black spray paint.

 Once the primer had set, I painted several layers of black spray paint all over the chair, making certain that the layers were completely dry between coats. I used a can of spray paint that I already had on hand for the primer and I purchased the black spray paint for less than a dollar (I think it was 98 cents, but I'm not certain) at Walmart.

A fat quarter and hot glue to reupholster the seat cushion.

 While I waited for the paint to dry, I worked on the seat cushion. I spread my fat quarter, right side facing down, on my work surface and then centered the cushion, cushion side down, on the fabric. Using a hot glue gun, I wrapped the fabric around the cushion and glued it to the underside of the seat. I worked my way around the perimeter until the fabric was taught.

The final result.

Before I screwed the seat back onto the chair, I ironed the cushion to make the fabric nice and smooth. It really couldn't have been easier. I already had the chair and some of the materials that I used to make a chair for a study area. I only needed to invest in a can or spray paint and a fat quarter. This cost (roughly) $2.00 to complete. I think that is quite frugal and I like how it worked out. The chair matches the desk and the rest of the decor of my step-sons room and now he has a comfy chair to sit in when he's working on his computer. These are the kind of projects that I can handle. Some paint, a few screws, a glue gun, an iron and a sander are simply tools and supplies that I feel comfortable using and I feel happy making something old new again. Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Tackling Small Home DIY's and Pretending To Know What I'm Doing pt. 1

My laminate countertop after I sanded and cleaned the surface.

 I admit it, I am a bit of a home improvement diy wannabe. If I were a Spice Girl, I'd be "Crafty Spice," because I need to create. Growing up, I watched endless hours of  This Old House and Hometime on PBS. When the diy channel and HGTV became available on my cable channel package, I was a bit excited in a very dorky kind of way. To me, an idea of a good time is to cuddle up to my husband and watch Chip and Jo Jo and marvel at the before and after. When we were first able to get into our house last year, my husband spent a lot of time removing carpets and gutting the bathroom, while I scrubbed and painted walls. My kitchen needed love. When we are totally done with the kitchen, I will do an entire post on the before and after. Here I just want to show what I did to my countertops since I needed to re-paint a section last week. **I am not a professional. I am a novice, a housewife who experiments with inexpensive diy solutions. This is not recommended as a tutorial, it is simply a "show and tell" type of post. I am NOT an expert, I'm just showing you what I did..**

Adding a layer of primer.

 When we moved into our home it needed a lot of TLC. Most of it was on the surface. The old gal just needed a makeover with a little nip-tuck in one area. The rest of the makeover just involved some fresh paint, flooring, and curtains. With a bit of wall art, throw pillows and candles here and there. Since there was a lot of little things and an entirely new bathroom to install, keep on a tight budget was our only option. We didn't have the time nor the money to fuss about with installing new countertops. So, I did some research on Pinterest ( something I did A LOT during our home makeover) and I found a solution for updating our countertops for very little money. I bought a can of black chalkboard paint for $10.00 and a small foam roller for around $5 (we already had the roller handle, we just needed more sponge rolls). I already had a can of paint latex with a built-in primer, so I used that to prime the surface. The first time I did this last year, I skipped sanding the countertops. I shouldn't have done that, but I was in a rush. I recommend sanding the laminate surface and cleaning it so that the paint can really adhere to the laminate countertop. Since I skipped that step, it peeled off last week, which was why I had to do it again. This time I did it the right way.

My laminate countertop after the primer had dried.

 After sanding and cleaning the surface, I painted two layers of primer on the entire area. I made certain to really let these dry before adding another coat. This primer and the chalkboard paint took twice as long to dry because it was very humid outside.

My laminate countertop after I painted a few layers of chalkboard paint onto the surface.

 Once the primer was dry, I painted three coats of chalkboard paint, making sure the layers were dry before adding another. I really should have let each coat dry for a day to harden properly, but when you have pets trying to jump on the countertops and you need to use the countertop, that is hard to do. I should have waited a day to let things really dry and made sure to do it when it isn't humid. After all of my hard work, once hot dinner plate on the paint made the paint bubble and peel away. This didn't happen last year because we weren't living in the house yet, so it had plenty of time to harden, not to mention it was colder and not at all humid. I have covered the spots with electrical tape in order to conceal the spots and also to protect the paint from peeling even more.

The end result after two layers of wax.

Once the paint was dry, I smoothed on a layer of butcher's wax all over the top surface and I waited for it to dry. After the wax hardened I buffed the wax until shiny and smooth, then I added one more layer for extra measure. I really do love the look of this, it's a fantastic solution for revamping a laminate countertop when you are on a budget. Down the road, we will be replacing these, but for now, this works. The only thing that I didn't use to make this a total success was PATIENCE. If you don't let the paint harden for at least 8 hours after it has dried, it will not set correctly. It's a lot like painting your fingernails. If you add a base coat, you let it dry before adding your nail color. If you don't let you nail color harden between coats and then try to add a topcoat, the nails never dry completely and your nails smudge.
When the weather changes to more Fall-like weather and the humidity finally dissipates, I will touch up the spots to peeled. Until then, the tape covers it nicely, the color is an exact match, fortunately! This post proved to be longer than I had expected. So, I will post about my other diy project in the next post. This post isn't meant to be a tutorial by any measure. I am a novice who needed an inexpensive solution and this is how I solved my problem. There is paint made specifically for countertops, but those kits are so pricey, that you might as well buy a new countertop for the price. This is what I did for my home and it worked, but it still needs to be corrected in a few areas. At any rate, I hope you enjoyed my little experiment.
 Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Fall Has Arrived

Fresh apples from the local orchard.

 According to the Autumnal Equinox that just passed over the week, Fall is officially here. I have seen little signs of its arrival, with all the candy corns, pumpkin scented candles, pumpkin spice coffee on the shelves in stores. The new Fall line-up is coming this week on tv. Soon, I will be able to cozy up with a warm blanket and a hot cocoa and watch Poldark. I even found delicious Macintosh apples from the local orchard at our grocery store. When you grow up in a town that has an orchard, not mention the numerous apple orchards in surrounding towns, you get to enjoy the tradition of fresh apples in the Fall. It won't be long before we jump in the van with the kids and the dog and take a trip to a nearby orchard for apple picking and pumpkin harvesting. Not to mention a trip to a local corn maze.
 I have been preparing for fall by gathering my old decorations and finding new additions to my collection. I have also been working on home diys that will be harder to do once the chillier weather sets in. This week, I will be gathering materials to help winterize my home. Last year was our first fall and winter in our home. We didn't get to move in until October and by then, we were exhausted from home decorating and remodeling. We didn;t have any more energy to expel on the house. Instead, we wanted to focus on the home. That being said, we learned over the winter where all the drafts and cracks were. So, this week, I am being proactive and will be gathering supplies to help make the home warmer. Not that the house was too drafty, but I'd prefer to eliminate all, or at least reduce as many as I possible, drafts.It is much better for our wallets to keep the house snug in the winter. 
   

Late summer wildflowers in bloom.

 I'm itching to decorate the inside of my home with my Fall decor, but I'm waiting for the perfect day. Last week it was very summery weather and this week will be much the same. It's hard to get in the Autumnal mood when it is sunny and 80 degrees outside. I've had only one cashmere day so far. I just can't bring myself to decorate, yet. Traditionally, I don't do much decorating until October anyway. I certainly don't put out my Halloween decor until after Columbus Day. So for now, I think I will continue to gather my supplies and wait patiently until the right time arrives. This week, I am having a long overdue girls day out with my childhood friend, who is still my dearest friend. It will be a nice break from the preparations. Still, will we are on our adventure, I will certainly be gathering materials for my decorating, crafting, and winterizing. I'm just looking forward to chatting like little chipmunks and consuming far too much caffeine.

Murr the cat isn't ready for Fall either. He prefers the sunny spots of summer.

In my next post, I will tell you all about some of the recent diy projects that I've tackling. There will be more to come next week, too! Until then~ Toodahloo!

Preparing For Fall

I know that it seems early but I am already starting to crave pumpkin spice coffee. I know that it is early, but I'm already gathering my Fall decorations. I know, I know, but Fall is my favorite season and I can't wait for it to begin. This summer has been really uneventful. I thought that I would have a blast focusing energy on my garden and preserving food. Here's the thing, it was a huge bust. Yes, I do have a garden, but it was a disaster. Last year, we had a vegetable patch in the yard of the house that we were renting. The yard hadn't been tilled for a garden before then and after tilling the garden and planting the seeds things were going great. We enjoyed fresh tomatoes and greens and I was really looking forward to my squashes. Then, we discovered that we needed to focus our energy on finding a house and the garden went to pot. So, I really wanted to succeed with this year's garden. Sadly, even with a lot of tilling of the ground there still was too much grass to contend with. It's one thing to weed a garden daily, its an entirely different issue when you're trying to keep a lawn from growing. So, I do have tomatoes and zucchini coming, but my greens have been lost to the jungle. Oh well, there's always next year. So, now I am looking forward to Fall. Soon, the school year will be starting and that will make life easier, if not a bit busy I happen to like being busy because it at least follows a schedule. Soccer season will be in full swing and I will have a normal schedule again. 

Lately, I've been passing the down time with youtube. Normally, I like to watch makeup tutorials, but they are all starting to sound the same and I'm not learning much from them anymore. I have shifted to watching channels about organization, budgeting, and Dollar Tree crafts. I love crafting, especially on a budget. I do most things on a budget; so all of these channels have been inspiring. One type of post I like to watch is about Dollar Tree hauls and right now, ladies are buying a lot of Fall decor. I have started to notice more of it creeping into my Dollar Tree, so I decided to grab some items here and there before they sold out. By the time October is here, I don't know if all of this stuff will be available. I am also already planning Halloween and what I will be doing to celebrate the holiday. 

Poor Murr, it was a chilly day yesterday and he wanted nothing to do with life.

 I have a number of projects that I want to take on in the Fall. These projects will keep me busy during the daytime after I am done with everything else that I normally do in a day. I have also been preparing to have a yard sale. My husband and I organized our garage, so not only do we both have our own individual work spaces, but we also have a little lounge area to hide in when the teenagers have taken over the house. Now that it is cleaner I have room to store items for the yard sale. I have also been going to my parent's house and I am slowly cleaning out the attic, finding old treasures and items to sell at the yard sale. Everything seems to be happening so quickly, but I will be happy to see summer out and let Fall roll in.

So, in all the chaos and whirlwind of preparing for Fall and the school year,  I have not been in the writing head space. I've been wanting to write, in fact, I had a craft project that I wanted to share but I kept putting it off, maybe I'll post that later in the week. For some reason, I just didn't have the energy to write a tutorial. Also, lately I've really been wanting to start a youtube channel, but I want to have the right equipment to do it. I have a nice camera that I like to use for blogging, but the batteries died and I'm not certain that it can record for a long time. I still need to read more about the camera. I know that more YouTubers will tell you that you don't need super fancy equipment to post a video, but I still like things to look slightly professional. I will continue to look into the tools that I have available and once I have more of a handle of filming and editing and I have the finances to make a small investment, I will upgrade my camera. Until then, I am sticking to a budget of zero. If and when I decide to launch the channel, you will be the first to know. I think it could be a lot of fun and it would be a great creative outlet for me. I've been really inspired lately and I can't wait to start creating! Until then~ Toodahloo!

Criss Cross Applesauce

When I first toured my home, I fell in love with the yard. One of my favorite parts of the yard is the apple tree, right in front of the house. Growing up, apples were a big part of my life. Initially, I was allergic to apples. I always felt a little left out when I watched my siblings bite into a fresh, crisp apple, while I snacked on a harmless banana. Eventually, I out-grew my allergy and was able to enjoy them, too! My father grew apple trees as a hobby and the kitchen in my childhood home has an apple themed decor. There are numerous orchards in the sounds towns and throughout the state. No fall is complete without a trip to an orchard for an afternoon of apple picking.

I was excited to tell my Dad about the apple tree in front of my new house. He was very pleased to see the tree and the variety of apple, a Northern Spy. Apparently, it's a nice sturdy apple, late to ripen and it has a long life in proper storage. Late, one warm October morning, my father came to pick the apples off of the tree for me. I helped him and we divided the pickings between us. We both decided to make apple sauce. He used a very different technique than I, but mine comes from how I was taught years before. One day, when I was in the third grade, my teacher brought in homemade applesauce. Up until then, I thought it was something that you could only get in the store. She told us how she did it, and I went home, that day, and made my own apple sauce.

Not the prettiest apples, but perfect for cooking!

I gathered an armful of apples from my stash and peeled them. Then, I cut out any bad parts. I used a handy tool that cores and slices the apples, all at once!

After all of the apples were peeled, cored and sliced I placed them in a saucepan and added enough water to cover the apples. Basically, I cooked them like I do potatoes, when I want to make mashed potatoes. However, it takes far less time to boil apples than it does to boil potatoes. When the apples were fork tender, I removed them from heat. It only took about 5 minutes.

Peeled, cored, sliced and ready to boil.

After draining the water from the apples, I added cinnamon (a few shakes) and a pinch of nutmeg. Then, I added a tablespoon of honey and I added a tablespoon of butter, after which, I whipped the apples with a hand mixer. It's best to use a hand masher, first, before you use the mixer. You could also use a food processor to really blend the sauce. The apples can be blended as long as you prefer, depending on how smooth you like your sauce. The end result was smooth, thick, applesauce with a few random chunks of apple. So tasty! The recipe that was taught to me when I was 8 years old, still holds as a great lesson. It was a wonderful way to learn a tradition and to enjoy the fruits of my labor. I really need to make some more. 

Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Daylight Savings Time?

Daylight savings time is upon us, the tradition of falling back and getting an "extra hour." However, it always takes a couple of days for my body to adjust to the new time shift. Lately, the sun hasn't been rising until after 7 am, so it will rise after 6 am, giving me more daylight hours. It just seems like there is never enough time in the day to do all that I want to do. Being a homemaker, people assume that you have all the time in the world to watch Judge Judy and play online games. If I had a maid, I could possibly do those things, if those things were at all interesting to me. This supposed "extra hour" evades me.
As I began writing this very post, I had to save it and set aside for the night so that I could make supper. Now, it is late afternoon, the following day. I have a chicken roasting in the oven and the Keira Knightley version of Pride and Prejudice is playing on the DVD. There just never seems to be enough time to get everything done in a day. Perhaps, I make too long of a list for myself. I suppose I care cut things back a bit. With the holidays fast approaching and a house that still needs to be finished, the list remains long. The bathroom is nearly finished. I should have my washer and dryer installed in the bathroom by the end of the week' which will be very nice as I've been doing my laundry at my parents' house for the past month.

Over the course of the past week, I've been working on smaller projects around the house, which I will share once I can figure out why my phone refuses to load photos onto my laptop. I was happy to go to the old thrift shop in my hometown, on Thursday. There, you can fill a bag full of clothes for $3.00. I gathered sweaters, plaid shirts and plaid skirts to repurpose into stockings and pillow covers for Christmas. It is likely that I will share the details of that in December. I am thinking of blogging each day in December, leading to Christmas, as I did a few years back. I rather enjoyed doing that. The Hallmark channel is already airing their Christmas movie marathon. I admit, I have been scanning the pins on Pinterest in search of more Christmas ideas and it is making me very excited for the holiday.
In other news, I discovered that my kitten is a boy an not a girl, as was told to my husband when he fetched her/him. So, we had to change. His official name is Paddy Murphy, but we call him "Murr" for short. The kids are very pleased that he is a boy and not a girl, as they believe male cats have better personalities. I've never had a girl cat, and my old cat Merin was delightful. Murr is a very loving and social cat and I have no doubt that he will remain so.
Halloween came and went. I didn't get at chance to decorate the yard, but I will next year. If you saw my picture on Instagram, you know that I dressed as a cat. It was a very last minute costume. My husband passed out candy while wearing a rainbow clown wig. I listened to my Halloween song list on Spotify and kept the dogs from getting too irritable. I was surprised by the number of trick-or-treaters who came to my door, as our neighborhood is so quiet. The next day, I went to the store and stocked up on half-off candy. It should keep my sweet tooth content until Christmas.
As soon as I can resolve my technical difficulties with m phone, I will be able to share my latest projects. Hopefully, everything will mend itself, soon. Until then~ Toodahloo!

Settling Into A New Home

A sunny morning at the camp.

 Last year, in early September, I started a new adventure by moving out of my childhood home and moving three miles away to the other side of town. My then boyfriend (now husband) was also at a place of change and we started the adventure together. We rented a large farmhouse that had a huge yard. It had beautiful tin ceilings, hardwood floors, a front porch swing, and beautiful landscaping. It was just what we needed at the time. The opportunity to rent landed in our laps and the timing was right. A year later, we decided to transition to a permanent home. We were on the lookout for houses that we could afford and discovered something perfect.
 The new house was not super exciting to me, at first. When we first toured the home, I really didn't know what to think. However, the realtor was a woman who we both have known since childhood and I trusted her. When we first stepped into the house, I was a bit alarmed by the smell of cigarette smoke. Although I'd grown up with smokers, this was a whole other level of smoking. Some of the rooms were oddly painted and the ceilings were stained with nicotine. However, I could see the potential. The house had good bones and a nice yard, it was in a a good neighborhood and it was the change and challenge that we wanted.
After a lot of hard work (and packing) we moved out of the rental house and moved our possessions into the garage of our new home. However, we did not move in. The house needed some work. I'll give all the details about that in a later post.

A view of the lake, before sunrise.

 The town that we moved to was the next town over from our hometown. Since we couldn't move into the house as soon as we bought it, we remained at our rental until the end of September, and then we stayed at a family members camp. The nice thing about the camp location was that it was close to the house so I could go there during the day to work and it was close to where my husband works so, he didn't have a long commute.
So, every day, I'd spend some time at my parents' house, watching reruns of Heartland and streaming new episodes of Haters Back Off on Netflix. Sometimes, I'd get some laundry done, too. Then, I'd go to the new house and paint. Once the living room floors were installed, the bedroom floors painted, walls and ceiling painted and the bathroom shower and toilet installed, we moved in. I was eager to get into the house, even if it was still a work in progress. While the camp on the lake was a relaxing place to stay, I really wanted to be in our home.

Sunrise on the lake.

Yesterday, we were finally able to get our internet set up. For the most part, I've unpacked everything. Since the bathroom isn't yet done, most of my bathroom supplies are still in the garage. Also, we haven't begun work on our dining room. I don't think we will begin work on that unto late spring of 2017. So, for now, the dining room furniture will remain in the garage as well. I'm just happy to be here, even if I can't find half of the things I have when I want them. Today, I'm going to bake cupcakes and that will be so relaxing. The cold weather is already here, so I'll be staying cozy inside and baking.
What I wasn't prepared for, even though I should know better, is how exhausted I am. Under normal circumstances, I get tired easily and require rest each day. However, because I've been so focused on getting work done on the house, I've been pushing myself more than I should, and not resting. Now, I am paying the price. I am more tired than usual and I'm exhausted all the time. So, knowing this, I am going to take it easy today and tomorrow and rest when I need to. Otherwise, I could make myself very sick.
I'm so happy to be settled in and to be able to return to blogging. I can't wait to share more about the work we've done and to share more about my adventures in ta new town. Thank you for being so patient while I took my break to focus on the house. Until next time~ Toodahloo!

It's December Already!

 I took last week off in an effort to restore what was left of the week. The week began with one clumsy event, followed by another clumsy event and a lot of sleep deprivation was involved. After all of the craziness, all I wanted to do was relax and enjoy my four day weekend with family.

 I mentioned on Facebook that it snowed earlier in the week. The snowfall didn't accumulate to much and it didn't take long for it to melt away. Last year, we endured a massive snow storm the night before Thanksgiving, which made for crummy travel weather. This year, I stayed home. I didn't drive myself crazy with baking. Instead, I baked my caramel apple pie the night before Thanksgiving, the next morning, I baked homemade cinnamon rolls to eat while we watched the parade, something I haven't been able to do for years. Then, I made one more pie, a lemon pie. That was it. I took it easy on the holiday and it was a nice break.

Now, I am continuing to work on preparing the home for winter. Today, I began the holiday decorating process. I think that I will do a little at a time. Tomorrow, I might decorate the front porch; it will be could an nasty outside, However, I'll bundle up and then when I come in, I'll be able to cuddle with the pooches and binge on Youtube vlogs. I have a few crafting projects in mind for the holiday season, which I hope to share with you all. I will also be baking, once the oven is fixed (all part of the clumsy events of last week). I will be digging into the files of my Pinterest boards for inspiration. So, hopefully, this month will prove to be a busy one on the blog. My fingers are crossed.
 Until Next time~ Toodahloo!

Spicy Comfort Food

As promised in my previous, I shall share with you a tasty dinner recipe. This is one of those dishes that can be easily thrown together, at last minute, and it's quite adjustable. I did not come up with this idea. I came upon this dish one evening when I was out with my family. We all were in great need for comfort food as we'd spent the entire day at a wake and were taking a break for sustenance before enduring the evening visiting hours. My solution was a "make your own" burger, which I loaded with tomatoes, avocado, pickles and jalapenos, partnered with a pile of fries. My sister selected Buffalo Chicken pasta bake. At the time, her selection didn't seem very appealing to me. However, the more I thought about it, weeks later, the more brilliant it became. So, a month ago, I searched for viable recipes on Pinterest and I stumbled upon one that I really like. So, here is my version of the recipe.

Ingredients:
1-2 cooked chicken breasts (shredded) or 1 can of chunked chicken breast meat
1 pound pasta
1 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese (plus extra for sprinkling on top, optional)
1/8 c. - 1/4 c. Tabasco
1/2 c.- 3/4 c. Ranch Dressing ( You could also use Blue Cheese dressing, too.)

So, from looking at my list of ingredients it's clear that this can be made according to personal taste. I happen to really like hot sauce, but not everyone in the household is used to that. This could also be the case if you have children in the home who can't handle the heat. I recommend supplying a bottle of hot sauce at the dinner table for those who wish to have more of a kick to their meal. With this recipe, you can adjust the hot sauce to ranch dressing ratio. When I first tasted this, before placing it in the oven, I found that it was too spicy, so I added more cheese and dressing to cool down the Tabasco. Also, I used canned chicken, because that is what I had on hand, but if you have left over cooked chicken breast, that would also work.

First, I put the pasta on to boil and while I had that going I mixed the Tabasco with dressing in a small bowl. I set that aside.

Once, my pasta was cooked and drained, I placed the pasta, cheese and chicken in a large bowl, along with the sauce and mixed it all together.

Next, I place the pasta in a greased casserole dish, topped the pasta with extra cheese and baked in a preheated oven, set at 350 deg. F. and baked for 17 minutes.

You can see where I added the extra ranch dressing at the last minute. This tasted great and was super easy to throw together and it was very filling. If you're looking for a comforting dish that has a bit of a kick and is something apart from your normal comfort food, give this a try.

Next time, I'll tell you all about trying to get my office together and the harsh less I learned from procrastinating- it's a doosie! Until next time~ Toodahloo!

A Moment of Bliss

The view outside of my kitchen window. I love this view!

So, yes, it's been a while. I wanted to post yesterday, but I ran out of time. I do that a lot. However, I did sit down with my idea notebook the other day, and I did some brainstorming. Sometimes, I  find myself relying on the old tricks to writing that were taught to me by my English teacher back in the seventh grade. At the time, it was tedious and vexing. Now, I find that not only is it tremendously helpful, but that those lessons deeply embedded themselves in the parts of my brain that I take for granted.
Lately, I have been spending a good deal of my time preparing for the winter. As you might remember from my posts last year, the storm season started early and lasted a long time. The first huge snow storm happened the night before Thanksgiving and the final storm happened in the Spring. In between those months, we endured a few blizzards. So, it should be no surprise that I am in preparation mode.
I spent the first part of the afternoon preparing the meal for tonight- General Tso's Chicken in the Crockpot. There is something deeply comforting about a Crockpot. When I use one, I know that dinner will be ready on time and it will be good. Yes, I still have to make a dessert, that will happen after I take my time to post. Right now, I am enjoying the mellow quiet of the house before everyone comes home in the evening. I should say that I am not required to make a dessert, but I really, really need something chocolatey. Therefore, I shall make a chocolate pudding cake. It's easy to throw together and is insanely tasty. I was going to write a post about the lovely and easy dinner that I made last night. Instead, I find myself enjoying the moment of writing again. I will share that recipe on my next post.
It is gloomy and grey outside, but in here it is cheerful. There's the smell of a pumpkin spice candle and a Crockpot meal cooking on the counter. I'm listening to Gilmore Girls in the background. I've been watching a marathon, via Netflix, all day. there is something about the show that just relaxes me. Even though I've seen these episodes countless times, I still fall back on them for entertainment. The bliss that I am experiencing comes from the fact that tonight's meal is finally going, it will be ready when everyone is ready to settle down to eat and I won't find myself rushing to get it all together at the last minute. I have to make rice and broccoli. but that is easy to accomplish. I am also finding delight in finally admitting to myself that it is okay to not be Martha Stewart, or even Betty Crocker. I am only one person. A person who does not have a team of interns racing around to make my life function seamlessly. All the pretty pictures on Pinterest and the perfection displayed in magazines were mostly accomplished after many, many failed attempts, perfect lighting and Photoshop. Sometimes, the soup might need more salt, or the burritos might need a little less hot sauce. Everyone's taste is different, We do our best, and that is all you can do. That is all people desire, not perfection. Life doesn't need to look like it does in those carefully crafted magazine photos. Your friends and family are just happy that you care so much to try to make things nice for them.
Through this recent discovery, I actually enjoy myself in the kitchen far more. Now that I no longer pressure myself to make everything pretty, and just make things nice, life is so much simpler. That affirmation has brought forth total bliss.
Next time, I'll share the tasty recipe for the meal that I threw together last night. It was super easy to make and very tasty! Until next time~ Toodahloo!

Enjoying A Crisp Fall Day

So, Fall is in full swing here. The nighttime air has been dropping to chilly 30 degree temperatures. The days go from super sunny to grey skies, wind and rain. Most of the leaves have fallen from the trees in my yard and each day I marvel at the simplistic beauty outside my kitchen window. Then, my next thought is "Ugh, it's so cold!" A month ago, we were experiencing unusually warm weather. It was humid and in the 90's and I was running around the house in short shorts and t-shirts. I had the windows open, with the warm breeze drifting in and out if the window screens. It was bliss. Now, I'm running around with sweaters layered over t-shirts while I scope out the house, searching for areas that need to be sealed up. The process of preparing the house for winter is my main focus at the moment. That and baking, I have been baking a tremendous amount of pies, bread and doughnuts.

Freshly fried doughnuts are the bomb! Oh, and Halloween is coming and this year, I am celebrating by not handing out candy! What? I know. Yes, so since I moved, I didn't need to decorate the front porch like I've done every year for the past decade. It is so freeing to not have to make my porch look like a haunted house. It is such a relief to not scramble to morning of Halloween to come up with some sort of costume to wear to pass out candy. This year, I'll be sipping coffee while I watch (from a distance) a small group of tweens trick-or-treat. It will be one of those things where they kids get a little independence, while the grown-ups still are watching over and making sure they stay safe. It will be way less of a stress than handing out candy, in full costume, while making small children cry as they cautiously accept your treats.
As I write this post, I am watching last seasons episodes of Chasing Life on Netflix. The other day, I began watching an episode of the current season on American Horror Story: Hotel and half- way through I was reminded of why I stopped watching the show. It just isn't my thing. I like spooky shows, in fact, I'm LOVING the show Scream Queens, it's hilarious; but AHS is just too much for me. Hopefully, I'll watch Night Of The Living Dead tonight, if I can manage to stay awake.  I do like a good zombie movie/show. Which brings me to The Walking Dead, the last episode was rough and, in order to avoid spoilers, that is all I have to say about that.
Two weeks ago, the mister and I decided to make grape jam. He picked four grocery bags full of concord grapes and I found a recipe on Pinterest for grape jam. I'd never tasted grape jam before, I've only had grape jelly. So, we followed the directions and made delicious jam. I wish it were as simple as that, though. Two hours into the process, I quickly realized that the recipe was seriously flawed, that the person who wrote the post was not nearly as thorough as they should have been and I deeply regretted not consulting the Bell canning book. We were up past midnight, waiting for the darn jam to gel. We broke up the frustration of the project by eating late night Totino's pizza and watching Doctor Who. Yes, the jam is delicious. I enjoyed it on toasted homemade anadama bread this morning. However, if I ever make it again, I'll use a different recipe and start it much, much earlier in the day.
So, that is what I've been up to lately. A bunch of baking, coffee drinking and all kinds of domestic delights. The next time I make a pie, I'll try to remember to document it, so that I can actually share my recipe. Until next time~ Toodahloo!

October Is Here!

I am only in the first week of October and already it is full of surprises! We were experiencing an unusually warm Fall, in the beginning, but I knew that would be short lived. Now it is super chilly and as if over night, most of the leaves have turned. The hurricane brought a bit of rain and wind and those stormy days tend to be crazy. Last week, I decided to take a crack at my bread machine. I received the machine for Christmas a decade ago and I stored it in my parents attic to use when I moved out. The appliance came with a lovely manual/cookbook. So, using a recipe from the cookbook, I followed the directions and added the ingredients to the pan. Then, I popped myself some popcorn, grabbed a blanket and set off to watch The Omen on Netflix. Just after Damien's nanny performed her party trick, the power went out. It was a stormy day, which would have been perfect for that sort of movie. I went downstairs, after the power returned and check int he bread machine. It seemed to have resumed the baking process, so I returned to the movie. However, after losing the power, I saw it as a sign to not watch the movie and turned on something else, instead. When the bread finished baking, it certainly smelled like bread, but after seeing the dent, I was worried if it would taste like bread. The Mister came home and made corn chowder and sliced my bread for me. To my delight, it tasted like delicious bread. Next time I decide to use the bread machine, I will check my weather app for any storms first.

Earlier in the week, the Mister's parents visited and his father handed me a bag of rhubarb. I love rhubarb, especially in pie. I chopped it up and froze to have on hand. Later, my parents came over for dinner, so I made rhubarb crisp; it was delicious!

The end of the week to an unexpectedly heartbreaking turn when one of the family dogs died. I am grateful to have been home, to hold him as he passed so that he wasn't frightened or lonely. I miss him terribly, he was a wonderful friend. We spent the rest of the weekend staying busy and doing our best to keep our chins up. We decided to go apple picking and that helped tremendously. We picked apples and pumpkins and enjoyed the fresh air and beautiful sunshine.

This pumpkin looks like it could make the perfect Jack-O-Lantern! Now, I am looking forward to the rest of October. At some point today, I will need to unearth all of my Martha Stewart October edition magazines and glean some ideas for baking and cooking. I hope to make this October fun, relaxing and make the house feel super cozy. Until next time~ Toodahloo!

I Don't Know Why I Swallowed The Pie

Hello readers, I hope you all had a lovely week. I was rather busy preparing for Thanksgiving and I found it difficult to sit down and post. I did share photos on my Facebook page (Lady Toesocks), if you follow me on Facebook you might have seen my pictures of my many confections. The holiday has come and gone. I ate a ridiculous amount of food that day; enough to make me say "Well done!" Now that I have fully recovered from all of the excitement, I thought I'd share the photos here and tell you where you can find the recipes. The photo above is a pie called "Lemon Velvet Cream Pie" I discovered this recipe, a few years ago, in a November issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. When I saw the recipe, I thought that it would be fun to try. My mother used to make lemon meringue pie on Thanksgiving, which I liked, but I didn't want to bother making meringue. I tried this recipe and it was a huge hit; so much so, that it is requested each year. It is a keeper! It is very easy to make. It tastes like a dream, with a beautifully smooth texture. Oh gosh, I can't say enough about the pie. Whenever you have your first bite, you have a moment where words are impossible to assemble. You can find the recipe here: www.bhg.com/recipe/pies/lemon-velvet-cream-pie/

I call this pie "Gilligan Pie." It is a combination of banana cream pie and coconut cream pie. I created it many Thanksgivings ago, when I could decide if I wanted to make a coconut cream pie or a banana cream pie. So, I made both into one and created magic. Both of the pies use a basic vanilla custard base, which made it easy to combine. I used a recipe from the Betty Crocker Cookbook for coconut cream pie. I substitute coconut extract for vanilla and add half a cup of shredded coconut. At the bottom of the pastry shell, I slice two bananas and spread the banana slices all over the bottom before adding the coconut custard on top. My sister absolutely loves this pie and it has become a Thanksgiving tradition. Oh, about the name.. my sister asked me what the pie was called so I came up with "Gilligan" after the character from the show Gilligan's Island. I you've watched the show, you'll remember that Gilligan made an obscene amount of coconut and banana cream pie.

This year, I decided to make a few homemade candies. My nephews really take a fancy to things like fudge and Muddy Buddies. I found a recipe for caramels pinned on Pinterest which looked very easy. What peaked my interest about this recipe was that the candy was made in the microwave. This is appealing because it takes less time, doesn't require a candy thermometer and uses one dish. All of those elements are of interest to me on the day before Thanksgiving, since I already have a lot on my plate. I made these, following the instructions, and they looked great! I combined the ingredients and cooked it in the microwave for 6 minutes. I cooked at one minute increments, stirring between sets. After four minutes, the caramel looked ready, but I wanted to follow the instructions. So, I continued on. On Thanksgiving day, I tried to cut into the caramels and found it to be impossible. The candy was too hard and it would have been a nightmare on my teeth. I did, eventually, manage to cut some out after warming the dish in hot water. The result was similar to a Sugar Daddy. Imagine a giant Sugar Daddy, that is what was in my pan. I don't think the fault was with the recipe, rather I believe that my microwave was at a higher wattage than the microwave used in the recipe on the site (my wattage is 1000). Had I poured the caramel, while it was still hot, onto sticks, it would have been a huge hit. Next time, I'll trust my gut and stop at 4 minutes. Either way the caramel was tasty! The recipe for this can be found here: www.food.com/recipe/microwave-caramels-367414

Lastly, I made chocolate fudge. My nephew loves fudge! I like making it for him and for everyone to enjoy. I've tried numerous variations on fudge. I'm not a fan of using marshmallow cream in my recipes, as I think it creates a weird texture. There are two recipes that I like to use, depending on what I have in my cupboard. This recipe can be made in the microwave, too. Although the original recipe calls to prepare this on the stove in a saucepan. I find that combining the ingredients and heating in the microwave, for 1 minute at a time, works well. I like to use the classic Domino Sugar recipe for Nut Fudge, omitting the nuts. It is a tried and true recipe that is incredibly easy to throw together and it's a crowd pleaser. You can find the recipe here:  www.dominosugar.com/recipe/quick-nut-fudge-232

With any recipe, you want to experiment and make your own adjustments to create a perfect concoction. These are my favorite Thanksgiving treats that I contribute to the meal. These candy recipes I like to use on Christmas Eve, too. This is the last post of November. December begins tomorrow and I will be posting every day! You can stay updated on the posts on my Facebook page- Lady Toesocks. You can also find other bits from my world there, too! The next month shall be a productive and festive one and I look forward to it. Until next time~ Toodhaloo!