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Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Remembering .....

Visited my mother's bathroom today (in my mindfull of memories) and looked into the medicine cabinet and the little closet cupboard.
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Would you guess how many of these exact items I have in mine? Well I can tell you THREE! Resinol, Band-aids, and the blue eye cup.  (But I have other similar stuff too!) Honestly, I remember all of the above that I put in my collage. Fun to look back!

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Frugal Baking

Have you ever cut a 21/2 pound acorn squash in half, cleaned it out, baked it on a cookie sheet in the oven, and when it was done, scooped it out, mashed it with butter, salt and pepper, cinnamon and brown sugar? If you have, you would understand exactly why I just could not throw away the remaining squash from Thanksgiving dinner. I was happy to see that there were two cups left over as that is what a pumpkin pie calls for. I didn't use white sugar because I had already put brown sugar in the squash dish. I much prefer to make a pumpkin pie with sweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated milk but couldn't this time. It would have been way too sweet. I had also used cinnamon so I only had to add clove and ginger spices.  Sooooooooo, now we have a squash pie! YUM! 
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Yes, it was very tasty!! VERY.


Monday, November 27, 2017

Eureka!

I did it! Now I have cramps in my shoulder and hands. OK. It fits great, it feels wonderful, it is very stretchy and I won't embellish it at all. 
Maybe the Mister will wear it when the snow chores demand being outdoors and keeping warm. It will come over ears and forehead easily.
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Next project: paper tree folding. I have a few prototypes started. 

Sunday, November 26, 2017

Current Events

I have had the yarn on hand for over a year when I first saw an easy pattern for a garter stitch-only hat and purchased two skeins. I had given away my many sets of needles years ago when my hands didn't seem to be functioning very well and never thought I'd be knitting anything again. Well..... I asked two neighbors if they could knit the hat for me. They don't knit! I then asked one if she had any needles and, as I suspected, she did, as they were her mother's but not the size that was called for. She surprised me a couple of days ago by bringing me a new set in the correct size.  I was very grateful and started the knitting project. WELL.....I soon learned that I should have had longer needles. Too bad, too late so I shall continue using them until my project is complete. In the past I have knitted many items; sweaters, mittens, hats, scarves, vests, blankets and more. Today I can get through a couple of rows a day but will, yes I WILL get this hat made! When I reach the completion of 61/2 inches I will then start to decrease and the stitches will fit better.  
Our son from about 80 miles away stopped in yesterday with his lady and we all had a nice visit. 
The mouse down count is now up to six. The red squirrel down count is three with at least three more to go. 
Oh, and the turkey is gone. And the leftover acorn squash will soon become a pumpkin pie. 
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Sunday, November 19, 2017

Memento

I'm a sucker for mementoes. I love to handle and see them in my home. Sometimes they are large and sometimes small. Crude or sophisticated - it doesn't matter. What matters is the item was given especially to me. They are treasures and I have several similar to this special one. 

Tom stands 33/4" tall and is age 38. He is in great shape. Thirty-eight years ago he was presented to me as a Thanksgiving gift from a 7 year old niece. I treasure him. I am thankful to remember her presentation. I wonder if she remembers him too.
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Friday, November 17, 2017

Recipe as you Requested

EASY!  DELICIOUS!  EVERY TIME!  NO FAIL! 

Spinach is the most labor intensive one, and is still easy! Even kale is wonderful. I usually use left over meats and vegetables so it is even simpler to make. You don't even have to put anything in it! My mother used to make a "cheese soufflé" with no crust which was similar.

     Quiche
noun
1. a pie-like dish consisting of an unsweetened pastry shell filled with a custard and usually containing cheese and other ingredients such as vegetables, seafood or ham.

Spinach Quiche

  • 1 Prepared pie crust
  • 1 (10 oz) box frozen spinach
  • 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic (or chopped roasted)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup shredded cheese (I used x sharp cheddar + mozzarella)
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. If your frozen spinach is not already thawed, thaw it in the microwave per box directions. Drain the spinach in a colander while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Place sliced mushrooms in a skillet coated with 1 teaspoon olive oil or nonstick spray, add the garlic, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Turn the heat on to medium-high and sauté the mushrooms until they release all of their moisture and no more water remains on the bottom of the skillet, about 6-7 minutes.

While the pie crust is pre-baking for 8 minutes, whisk together the eggs, milk, and parmesan cheese until combined. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Blot and squeeze the rest of the water out of the thawed spinach. After 8 minutes, remove the pie crust from the oven and spread spinach on top. Add the cooked mushrooms and shredded cheeses. Pour the egg mixture on top. If desired, sprinkle the top lightly with more parmesan cheese and/or salt and pepper.

Bake the quiche until it is golden brown on top and the center is no longer jiggly. Depending on your oven, this will take anywhere between 45 minutes - 1 hour. Mine took 50 minutes. Use a pie shield to prevent the pie crust from over browning, if desired. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. This quiche makes great leftovers! Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Baked quiche freezes very well, up to 2 months.
Kale
Kale
Spinach and Chicken
Spinach and Chicken


Thursday, November 16, 2017

My Social Media

Yes, I do have a Facebook site.  Yes, I do have an Instagram site. Yes, I do belong to Twitter.  Best of all I have a Blogger site - no! Make that four but this is the one I use the most.  I don't want more friends, followers, or conversations. My use here first of all, is to share and I also love to document and incorporate my growing photography efforts. It's like a practice board to me. I also love to learn, and everyday I do by reading other's stories.

I have been solicited to accept more Facebook friends. Well, my answer is emphatically, "No." My friends on Facebook are people who are my extended family. There are 17. Three grandchildren, one great granddaughter, one niece, one nephew, one great nephew, one stepdaughter, one substitute daughter, one substitute son, one wife of the substitute son, one substitute grandson, one substitute granddaughter, four "beach girlfriends." I don't even have my own children included there - on purpose. I like to keep my correspondence with them more private. I joined Facebook January 2009, therefore am in my 9th year. 

It is a long story how I started blogging but I'll just say that I accidentally came across an entry on the internet when I was searching for a printer and there was a review written by a fellow in the US Army, based in Texas and he contacted me to suggest a good printer. He was a blogger. He complained a lot and wrote whatever he was feeling at the time, trying to get through a divorce and being the father of a young son. I found myself reading his blogs daily and became brave enough to start my own. Soon I shook myself loose from his stories and here I am - nine years later. I lost one of my blogs when I accidentally deleted it when trying to change the format. That was about 10 years ago. I have read stories written by very brave and dying people. I mostly enjoy wit and humor in people's writings and still hang on and follow two special ones of that type. I see many photographs of places that I will never travel in person and they make me feel that I am on site when I see the images. There is so much "out there" that I simply cannot understand why the internet is misused and become even dangerous to our lives! I don't understand the bullying and meanness that I now see. I don't understand all of the swearwords and hateful remarks that are so openly exposed. Recently it's becoming a sorry place to be. I'm thinking of putting my head in the sand and seeing through rose colored glasses. Then I will see all things in a positive light and be happier here. The internet, especially social media seem to me to both good and evil. I'll take good.



Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Bakin' Fool!

Yep! That's me! It comes on strong when the cold weather prevails. It used to be that I would create and make many different and enjoyable crafts during these cooler days, but now my hands won't work as they used to and I've moved on. 

This morning I baked a pumpkin pie so we could have something for lunch dessert instead of all of those cookies! Let me tell you "It was good to go!" as they would say but it was finished too late to share with the weekly visitor who takes our trash away. He only got a bunch of cookies. 
While I was in the swing of things, I put together a crust to bake and fill later for supper. I chopped a slice of ham into small squares and mixed them in with left over drained mixed vegetables. It is a quiche in the works.

LATER...
Want recipe? just ask.

Monday, November 13, 2017

In the Kitchen...

Morning cookies! Peanut butter and chocolate chip variety.
Now I better get my fanny in gear and make some coleslaw from scratch because my daughter brought me a large section of her huge cabbage head yesterday. I never can use the stuff sold in the stores because it is always too coarse for our taste and never has the flavor we like. I don't even have a recipe for mine and use exactly and only the ingredients my mother used - 1/2 head of finely chopped cabbage, one finely chopped carrot, real mayonnaise, a little half and half milk, apple cider vinegar, celery seed, salt and pepper and a touch of white sugar. It has to sit for at least a day to age a bit. Once in a great while, if I have a real lemon on hand I will use its juice instead of the vinegar. 
LATER...
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Yes, I got it in gear.

Sunday, November 12, 2017

Art?

One of my granddaughters is very talented at sketching and I asked her permission to play with a recent drawing of a character she calls "Bulma."
I accidentally took a shot through my dining room window that took my fancy and I wanted to blend it with hers - just for fun.
Her Original
My Original
My Assorted Blends
 
FINAL BLEND 
And here,  my image giving a snowy view - just because.
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Saturday, November 11, 2017

Get Real

Stop reading right now if you don't know that we kill mice that trespass and intrude and cause damage to our property. Do you know that there are many diseases mice carry that may be transmitted to humans or pets? ...that they can squeeze themselves into your home through a very small crack or gap?
I mentioned in yesterday's story about mouse #5 being trapped and the trap reset. It is a fact of life here that the mice invade our homes at this time of year. We kill them. Several years ago they got into the cabin when we were in SC and stored and hoarded the pellets that were left for them in my printer and completely ruined it with their body wastes. Another time we returned late at night from SC only to find that they had invaded all of my kitchen cupboards at floor level and dirtied every single bowl, pot, pan, utensil and shelf. I went to war because, later on I found that my linen closet had been invaded and many materials destroyed. We did find their main entry hole in a bottom log crack and plugged it well. We don't go south now and are here so the control is easier. A single trap placed outside by the back door is the most efficient method. Peanut butter is the bait we use. 

We also have glueboards on the floor in the closets to help with spider and millipedes - not mice. We don't check it often. This morning one of the boards was out of the closet (the bottom of doors don't reach the floor and there is about a one inch gap) and in the room by the door. A very newly expired mouse was there! Now we have to search for another entry. Maybe since we no longer have our dog, the regular snap traps will be used. I really don't like to think of the struggle it went through to free itself before dying. Of course, we could always get a cat!

Friday, November 10, 2017

Weather Report

It is a sunny windy day here with a few light flurries BUT I am not venturing out. Yesterday I took a ride around on the golf car and froze my fingertips even though I was wearing gloves!

As I looked out my window at 8AM it was 25° and after the sun had moved, at 8:50AM it was still 25°. Brave souls with red noses were out there walking dogs, not seeming to care and possibly even enjoying the brisk air. 
We had a fellow come last week to clean the leaves out from the gutters and rake up and dispose of the pine cones on the grassy beachfront. He had three heaping wheelbarrows full. This year there are an abnormal number of them. Well, this week the Mister has been doing a little more raking himself with four piles to be picked up yet. 
Earlier I spent about an hour watching, through the dining room window, five red squirrels going up and down the pine trees and racing from tree to tree across the grass. Those little devils are quick! They were in a frenzy with all of the seeds to pick up and get stored before winter. In the carport by the back door, mouse #5 was trapped and the trap is reset. 


Me, I stayed indoors and baked cookies. The "easy" kind. They are tasty but lack the buttery flavor that scratch cookies have. 
I don't know what I did when I took this shot but I LIKE IT! It is untouched and wraps up my weather report - in its own way.
(It is now 22° at 10:45 AM and very windy.)
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