Weekly Recap #23 and #24

{June 6 through June 12, 2016}
{June 13 through June 19, 2016}

General

• I struggled most of these two weeks with one week being pretty much shot. I was very sick for awhile with IBS and Diverticulitis. And, then I got severely depressed. I ended up reading and watching TV. I got sucked into a series called Gravity Falls while I was sick and depressed. I am not going to say much more other than to say not much got accomplished.

Gardening; Yardwork

• We did some canning. We made two jars of pickled green beans (pictured on the left) one evening. We also pickled the rest of the cucumbers from the garden another evening. I tried a cider vinegar recipe this time around and we have yet to try them. I am hoping they turned out well. By the way, I have used up all our pint jars.
• I finished mowing our huge yard. I did this work in sections. I worked on the front, the sides and around the barn (shed) and finally the immediate back yard. Dan does a itty bitty section out front that I am not confident in mowing. I ended up doing most of the mowing in the mornings instead of the evenings.

Kitchen (New Recipes)

• It is not often I try new recipes; but, I am making an effort to come up with new dinners to have that are both delicious and gluten free. Dan and I made two this past weekend.

• I tried a new recipe, Salisbury Steak, this past Saturday that was absolutely delicious! We made mashed red potatoes and had some of our pickled green beans for a side. Note: I like my "steak" on top of the 'taters. Dan likes his on the side with some beer.
• We also tried making some Baked Chicken and Black Bean Taquitos. These were delicious too! A thousand times better than the store bought gluten free kind. However, they are time consuming to make! So, this is a good recipe to make in advance. I'd make them for dinner and freeze the rest. We had thirteen left over and I froze all but three (going to have some for lunch soon). If these turned out great, I will be a very happy camper because I prefer these over the store bought kind.

DIY Shed aka "The Barn"

• The porch roof is now up and it looks wonderful. The roof work was so much slower mainly due to the fact that I am a coward (afraid of heights). Dan did the vast majority of that work by himself while I kept him company when I could.

  We also painted most of the barn this past weekend. We were very fortunate that a co-worker had a much bigger paint sprayer than ours. Now that I have used one of these tools, I am wanting one of our own. I think it's worth the cost. We still need to paint our house and shutters. It makes the work go a lot smoother not to mention quicker!

  All that is left is touch up of the paint, finishing/staining the deck, and getting the roof on the main structure. I will post pictures of the barn soon.

Miscellaneous

• I read The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society by Beth Pattillo. This book was a fairly quick and easily forgettable read. A few ladies within the community would get together to share their latest knitting project and discuss the assigned book to read. But, it turned out to be much more than that when the leader brought a rebellious teen into the group. It is considered to be Christian fiction. I would add "with a touch of clean romance". I gave it three stars on Goodreads.
• I also read The Dog Who Saved Me by Susan Wilson. Another quick read but much better than the first (above). A K-9 cop "retired" and reluctantly returned back to his hometown as an "animal control officer" and avoided both his father (former alcoholic) and brother (a bad dude). This is fiction, romance, and animals I gave it four stars on Goodreads.

Some Links to Share

• Pretty Pincushion and Catnip Toy
  {Includes a Youtube tutorial}

It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.

~ Confucius ~

Weekly Recap #21

{May 23 through May 29, 2016}

General

• Yesterday was a holiday here in the states which is the reason why this post is late.
• My youngest niece came over with her two young children late Saturday afternoon to visit and spend the night before heading onto Garner State Park to join the rest of the family. We are skipping camping this year due to the fact that Dan’s is bogged down with work and deadlines along with our focus on getting the Barn built. Anyway, I really enjoyed having them over and I hope they will feel free to use us as a hotel again.

Gardening

• I actually had to purchase more canning jars as we used up most of the ones I had to make Grape jelly and pickles. I didn’t get fancy colored ones this time – just clear jars. We made more pickles last Sunday modifying a recipe we used last year.

  I think we will have another batch of pickling cucumbers soon and we will make even more pickles! I will have to give some away because there is no way we will be able eat them all within a year!

DIY Shed aka "The Barn"

• Dan worked on the Barn a little more on Memorial Day (May 30th). The day dawned rather stormy and we had a power outage. Our plans to go see family at Garner State Park for the day was cancelled mainly due to the fact that there was a Flash Flood watch in effect until 1 pm for that area. We know firsthand what flash floods can entail and we just did not want to be traveling through them should it happen.

  The storms lasted until late morning here and then Dan started working on the barn. The porch post braces were added and I really like the look. The beam to hold the upper porch trusses was also added and the braces for the Barn’s trusses were beefed up on the other side. Not much was done because it was a holiday weekend and Dan deserved to take some time off.

Quilting; Crafts

• I made two more clipboard frames and am pleased with them. I used a memorial flyer of my Aunt who passed away recently to demonstrate the use of the clipboards in the above picture. These clipboards will be used to hang 4x6 or 5x7 pictures of family. The pictures are easily swapped out for newer ones which is exactly what I wanted. Plus, I wanted to hang more casual pictures rather than the nice formal ones.

  I do need to figure out how to streamline the crafting process and clean up the actual craft better. But hey, they are good enough to hang in a darkened hallway and I can always claim that they are supposed to look like crap! Ha!

Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.

~ Lilo and Stitch (movie) ~

Weekly Recap #20

{May 16 through May 22, 2016}

General

• I have struggled for more than a week (and am still struggling) with chronic illnesses. It has made it difficult for me to focus on much of anything in particular. I am also beginning to be aware that I can no longer tolerate the Texas heat and humidity. More often than not, I will come down sick with headache, stomach and body ailments.

Gardening

• I harvested and dehydrated more Basil this week. I also harvested a LOT of pickling cucumbers. We made (canned) nine jars of pickles! We will have another bumper crop of pickles come in within the next two weeks.
• I did a lot of heavy weeding in my garden. I need a sign saying “Garden of Weeden”. The thing is I don’t grow marijuana. I grow good stuff along with legitimate weeds some of which are wildflowers too. So, I don't dare put up one of these signs for fear of someone getting the wrong impression.
• For the first time since we moved here, my rain gauge reached the limit of 5 inches. There were a lot of storms that came through with one bringing 2-1/4 inches making it a total of 5-1/4 inches for the week!

Quilting; Crafts

• I took the time to make a clipboard frame using scrapbook paper and Mod Podge. It will be used to display either a 4 x 6 or 5 x 7 picture. Now that I have made one, I think the rest will go quicker now I have a template to use. I want to make a bunch of them to hang in the hallway.

DIY Shed aka "The Barn"

• A severe thunderstorm in the night caused us to make repairs to the barn trusses first thing Wednesday morning. I discovered a day later that there were some damages from wind in the surrounding areas. I think we were very fortunate that the trusses were just a tad tussled. I believe I mentioned and posted a picture in my last post about the shed.

• I got fairly sick by noon Saturday which made me useless to Dan concerning the Shed for the rest of the weekend. I did help just a tad Sunday. In spite of this, he made a lot of progress. The porch roof in now going up!

Winning Love

• I was notified not too long ago that I was a winner of a “super secret newsletter subscribers only giveaway” by Heather Kojan Quilts. That prize (pictured above) arrived last week and I am thrilled.
• I also won another 100 Blocks magazine through Cora’s Quilts which was sponsored by Quiltmaker via blog hop. That prize came in last week also. I am wondering which relative of mine will claim dibs on this magazine first? We shall see.

Some Links to Share

• How to Photograph Dragonflies.

A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats.

~ C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892) ~

Weekly Recap #17

{April 24 through May 1, 2016}

Gardening

• I harvested a few more strawberries. I am cleaning, flash freezing and packing them up into freezer bags. If I can collect enough of them, I want to make strawberry jam. If not, I will most likely make a dessert or two with them.
• The cucumbers in the main garden have flowers. The peanuts have also sprouted flowers. It is beginning to look like I will have success growing onions this time around and I am shocked! If they are actually successful, I will have five or six onions -- a very small crop. But, I planted just a few to determine if they will grow in our new space.
• I purchased a food dehydrator. I did not want to spend a fortune and this particular machine got decent ratings at Amazon and elsewhere. I purchased some more Clean-a-Screen trays so that I can utilize all the trays that came with the dehydrator to dry herbs. I am going to purchase more Add-a-Tray and Clean-a-Screen trays in the near future as the machine allows a maximum of twelve trays!

  There is just something about cutting herbs straight from the garden and laying them out in a single layer for the dehydrator that makes my soul sing. I started two layers Sunday morning – Parsley and Basil. They should be done between 20 - 24 hours.

DIY Shed aka "The Barn"

• Dan managed to get all the wood cut for the trusses (the roof). He is now working on the things that support the trusses. His allergies hit him hard Sunday; so, he called it quits. There is no hurry. It will get built sooner or later.

Kitchen (Canning)

• We made some grape jelly from a mixture of store bought red and black grapes. We did not get any wild grapes last year. I believe the reason is lack of rain during the summer. I am hoping that this year will be different. If so, I will make more jelly from wild grapes.

  In the meantime, I bought grapes on sale to make jelly for Dan and myself. We canned Sunday (May 1) using the Heritage Collection purple Ball jars that I had for some time now. That is why it looks so dark.

  We managed to make a mess and I burned my thumb. In spite of this, it is so worth the effort. Dan's words upon first tasting was "We are never buying store bought jelly again"! I am in agreement.

Miscellaneous

• I started reading and finished a book, The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan. I first learned of this series (The Wheel of Time) years ago long after the first book was written. It is considered to be a classic among the fantasy genre. The first book was no longer being sold. And, I am one of those folks who have to start from the first book in a series. I finally landed the first and second book at Half Price books not too long ago.

  This book was an extremely good read. It has been ages since I was sucked into another world via written words. There were times I was in so deep and then I would be jolted out of the world mostly by Abby Gail (my cat) who demanded my attention. These are the kinds of books I once loved and the kind of books I used to seek because they were my escape from the harsh reality of life and loneliness in my youth.

By perseverance the snail reached the ark.

Charles H Spurgeon (1834-1892)

Phone {Picture} Dump IV

Camera {Picture} Dump I

Camera {Picture} Dump II

Camera {Picture} Dump III

A Gluten Free Bakery, Red Oak Bakery, in New Braunfels, Texas. April 22, 2015

Butterfly, April 23, 2015

I wanted my camera so bad! All I had was my lousy phone as I was waiting for my new camera at this time.

A Minion trying to get into my room! Ha! April 26, 2015

My new garden Hat – not so floppy! April 25, 2015

Upcycle: Old drawers into shelving units. April 26, 2015

Note: I had purchase four old drawers from an antique/junk store for $35.00

My new camera finally came in and what do I do? Snap a picture with my phone. Shaking my head (SMH) April 29, 2015

Pickling cucumbers (first harvest); May 6, 2015

Turned them into pickles! May 10, 2015

Yummo! May 10, 2015

Note: A total of eight jars of pickles were made.

Note II: We had a second harvest of pickling cucumbers and made relish.

Dug out an old UFO (Unfinished Object) to work on. May 15, 2015

"You can take the cat out of the wild but you can't take the wild out of the cat". – Dan

This was his response to my text concerning Abby losing her mind when she attacked me. I had to put her in time out for the first time in ages after she attacked me again a few minutes later.

This lousy picture is of her being loving and "asking for forgiveness" after being released from time out and slinking back into my room. She had worked her way onto me while I was on office chair and on the computer. She purrs, kneads, and snuggles my neck. How can you resist a mischievous bratty loving cat like that? SMH

This is what happens when a ripe pickle is missed in the last harvest – it gets huge and overripe! SMH May 20, 2015

And yes, that is Abby photobombing the picture.

T-shirt. I saw this and immediately thought of my eldest brother… And then one of Dan’s brothers… And then, Dan himself… and then, a nephew….

In case you don’t know, sarcasm tends to run in my family. SMH. May 22, 2015

What I've Been Doing Lately

{Abby Gail Sound Asleep on My Office Chair; June 12, 2015; shot with phone camera}

{Note: She twitched herself awake soon after I took the picture and looked at me with utter betrayal. She made me laugh!}

Lest you think I’ve been lazy like Abby Gail above, let me tell you what I have been doing (besides the usual every day chores):

• I went camping, relaxing and tubing.

  It was a wonderful time. I was extremely pleased to see that the younger kids LOVED to come over to our site. They are so cute and adorable. I am sorry to say that I have not taken many pictures of people - only one shot out of many were of people. Maybe next time.

• I have been dealing with needy sick cat. When we returned from camping, I noticed Abby Gail's third eyelids was constantly showing itself. I also noticed that she seemed lethargic. So, I dumped her at the vet early one morning (so that they could see her between appointments as they were all filled up). Much to my shock, it turned out that she had a severe ear infection. I never dreamed she had ear problems. I suspected stomach trouble or a broken tooth. But, this diagnosis was a surprise to me.

  She was not herself for about a week and then gradually returned to normal. We are still giving her ear drops (medicine) and her last dosage will be on June 24th and she will return to the vet for a checkup on the 26th.



{Shot on May 6, 2015 with phone camera}

• Making pickles and relish. We had a bumper crop of pickling cucumbers. Yes, from our own garden. We first made some pickles. And then, with the second wave of pickling cucumbers, we made some relish. I am now wanting to make jams and jellies. I will use grocery produce (e.g. raspberries and peaches) as we do not have them growing on our land. Yet. I should plant a peach tree, should I not? And, try again with apple trees.
• Since I purchased a new camera, I discovered I needed to get new software. I had to “upgrade” Photoshop Elements. I was four versions behind. I hated being forced to upgrade; but, I had no choice.

  The difference between the two versions is making it very difficult for me to navigate. As a result, I am feeling reluctant to process pictures. But, I will get there someday. Now you know why I have not been blogging of late.

  I am going to need to do a phone camera dump soon. So, this will give me an incentive to get going learning my way around the new software. By the way, the picture of Abby Gail above is my first phone picture I have processed with the new software. And, I need to get going and process the ones I took at Garner (camping) with my new camera.



{"The Castle" designed by Teresa Wentzler; Unfinished; About Halfway Done;
shot with phone camera}

• I picked up my oldest WIP (Work in Progress) and UFO (Unfinished Object) and started Cross Stitching again. I was working on this before we got married in 1994! I put this aside to make things for other people, return to and finished college, and dive into quilting.

• Dealing with resurgence of chronic illnesses -- mainly migraines and stomach troubles -- which returned before I went camping. I seem to be on the upswing at the moment.
• Reorganizing files and folders on my hard drives (both local and portables) as it has gotten messy throughout the years.

  What got me started on this project? A portable hard drive crashed. Thank goodness I am one of those anal people that backup to two or more portable hard drives because all that data would have been lost. Note: I do not keep ALL data on my local hard drive (personal computer). I keep them on two or more portable hard drives.

  And yes, I immediately purchased a new portable hard drive. Let me tell you, technology has come a long ways since the last one I purchased. This one can hold more data (like I need that), is smaller, and cost about the same as my old one. I was astounded; and yet, I should not have been surprised.

• Attempting to restart scanning pictures, slides and negatives from my folk's house (and more). I discovered that since I got my new laptop, the driver for the scanner no longer works properly. Dan worked on it for over a day and could not get it to work the way it should. We suspected that the new Windows OS (Operating System) was interfering with the old driver. So, the solution was to get a new scanner. The other one was purchased in 2009 which makes it OLD by today's standards. It is my goal to get this project done by the end of this year. We shall see how that goes!

Did I ever mention how I despise technology? No? Well, I do!

You purchase a new camera? You may not be able to use old somewhat obsolete software due to newer format(s). So, you are forced to purchase upgrades or new software. You purchased a new computer? The old softwares or drivers for devices like scanners and printers may no longer work with the newer OS (Operating System). If you are lucky, you may be able to download a new driver for the old device. But, that situation did not exist for our old scanner. And, don't get me started with VHS, DVD and Blu-Ray! Yes, I think it is a conspiracy of companies to do all this to make a person part with his or her money. Yes, I'm grumbling. I am a cheapskate. Ha! :-)