Flag Day!

So True

Our Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving dinner mixed modern traditional with first Thanksgiving eats.

First Thanksgiving foods: clam (chowder), roast duck, wild rice, and cranberries (tho not fixed in the methods of 1621!).

Family traditional: Stuffing (the Pilgrims had no wheat... so no stuffing for them), green bean casserole, and black olives.  Oh... there was non-alcoholic wine too.

There will be no cooking for several days!

London Fog

Have you ever had a "London Fog"?

I just recently heard about them and decided it was worth trying.  Not sure if it should be called a flavored steamer or a latte tea...

Here's how you make one:

Heat a cup of milk.  I did mine on the stove so the flavors would have time to blend.  In that cup of milk have an Earl Grey or Lady Grey (has lavender) tea bag or use loose tea as I did (you'll have to strain it when you are finished) and a portion of a vanilla bean or some vanilla extract (my choice).

Heat to your favorite temperature.

Pour/strain into your favorite mug/cup.

Add your favorite sweetener.

Curl up in your favorite chair wrapped in your favorite quilt/afghan.

Enjoy.

Visitors from North Dakota

Earlier this month we had friends from North Dakota come down for a visit.  C has come several times before but this year her hubby W was able to come too.  When they left their home it was 8*F and had a blizzard a couple days before.  

Our temps were in the lower 60s...

... until they brought the cold with them!  This is what we woke up to the morning after they arrived.  Temperatures dipped down to the 40s and low 50s.

I'd had a couple things on my schedule during the time of their visit... first was to help take in entries for the area wide Extension Homemakers cultural arts contest.  I had volunteered Himself to help but C stepped in to take his place.

While we were logging in quilts and pillows the guys headed a few miles over to Fairview, KY.  The Amish auction was having a special sale of farm equipment... from horse drawn to tractor pulled.  They loved it!

Next afternoon we headed up to Clarksville to visit its Civil War site Ft. Defiance.  We had a treat of an impromptu group of Civil War reenactors.

The guys climbed around the trails while C and I visited on a bench in the sunshine.

On the way home I thought we were going to have a bit of excitement.  The river is high and the swing bridge had been opened to let this tug and barges through.

However, the captain for some reason didn't go through the open part... he headed under the main span.  The bridge operator seemed very concerned as it watched (and got on the phone to someone).

We pulled over to watch the show.  I started snapping photos in case something happened... maybe I could get them published in the paper!

He made it under... just barely!  I'm sure he was reported to the tug company for ignoring the bridge master.

OK, one snow was funny... two in a week is not!  Yep, we had a second snowfall 3 days later.  Of course with the temperatures it was melted by mid morning... but still...

On another day the guys went back to Ft Defiance to hit the museum and we ladies went to a local flea market type place.  I had to laugh at this note on a hat for sale there.

Their last day here we made a run to Nashville to have supper at a 'regional' restaurant; the famous Loveless Cafe.

Then we buzzed over to our bonsai club meeting where we had a guest demonstrator showing how to repot a tree.

It was a fun visit in all.  Looking forward to next year!

OH - the day they left it was 42*F.  Next day was 72*F!  LOL

Bye Bye February

Our snowy January turned into a rainy February.  We had over an inch of rain every week (18 of 28 days) ; to a total of 10.46" here at The Sticks.  Plus our town was hit by TWO tornadoes on the 24th (more or less on either side of us).

Needless to say, we got nothing done outside.  It's a muddy soggy mess.  That 'river' you see thru the trees is actually a small creek that you usually can't see at all!

On the bright side, that gave me more days to work on my studio KonMari and organizing.  It's all over but the decorating.  Decorating will be done at my leisure and my pleasure.  I'll show you how it turned out tomorrow.

I finished decorating the storm shelter/prayer closet.

And I pulled out all the stored items way in the back of the closet during the KonMari.  We decided that would be a good place to store things that we really should get rid of but won't.  (The curtain you see in the photo 2 up hides this stuff).  On the left are pillows to sit on during a storm and the weather radio.  On the right is Persia's stuff.

I also pulled out all the "spring months" decorations and gave them a KonMari.  I went from two 90 quart containers down to three 18 quart containers (Valentines, St Patrick's, and Easter).

Got the Valentine's decorations up on the mantle too!  (Even if I'm not quite done...)

With the January upstairs KonMari done, I've started my room by room "make it sparkle" (with personality) challenge.  I started with the hall bathroom basically because it was the easiest.  Paint and stain touch-ups, getting lime off the sink, and some redecorating was all that was needed.

And I figured out the perfect way to store my tea selections.  Instead of keeping them in the bags and boxes I bought them it, they are now stored in canning jars.  And if they came in a box, I cut the box label to fit over the lid.  Otherwise I wrote on the lid what was in the jar.

In November 1981, as a newlywed who knew nothing about cooking, I attempted to cook a beef brisket.  I broiled it...  Prettiest piece of rubber you've ever seen!  Even the cat couldn't chew it.

In February 2018 I tried again following the instructions of the meat cutter where we buy beef.  Success!!  

We got in a couple classes too.

First was at bonsai club where we learned how to collect trees from nature or yard more successfully.

Second was a Whole Foods class for Valentine's Day.  Individual Beef Wellingtons, Citrus Asparagus, and Potato Fennel Scallop.  Recipes for the last two will be coming this month.

February also brought the personal discovery that I was way, way too ambitious with my challenges.  I ended up throwing out about half of them!  I kept my home (ie "make it sparkle), yard (curb appeal), kits, KonMari, and my spiritual challenges.  In the creative area I went from 36 different things in 3 areas to 6 in one overall area ~ with those 6 being creative outlets I'm building a portfolio around.  But more about that later...

And now it is March... which looks like it will be even busier than February!

From Resolutions To Challenges

As I explained at the beginning of the month, I'm doing monthly challenges instead of resolutions this year.  January is at its end so it's time to see how it has gone for me.

Overall I am very happy with what I have accomplished.  I've discovered I was a bit ambitious in just how much I can do in a month so I have made adjustments here and there.  And as I explained to Himself, some challenges are to be finished by the end of that month and for some challenges the goal is to get started and continue... perhaps for the rest of my life.

My 'home' challenge was to KonMari the upstairs and our downstairs laundry room.  Got it done!  I was amazed at what I missed from the first go around.  This is one of the challenges that continues after the first month.  February I will finish my studio.  I've already started and am making huge progress.  A big part of that comes from deciding what creative projects I really want to do and enjoy doing.  Stash that doesn't work for those is going away.

For the yard I planned on pruning my lilacs.  They had gotten WAY tall and Himself took down about a third of their height.  I realize I won't have the best flowering this year but I'm OK with that.  And while he had the pruner out, he lowered the crepe myrtle and the hibiscus.

Making a shopping price guide was the kit of the month.  I'm not done with this one because it is pretty labor intensive.  I will be finished by mid-Feb and will show it then.  But so far it is proving rather interesting...

It has been so cold that my "sloth running" has been more like "stone running".  Snow, ice, and temperatures that didn't get above freezing stopped that.  Even the elliptical was a no go... my basement studio where it sits average 48*F.  No thanks.  

A new hair and skin routine didn't get far either.  Kept forgetting.  But earlier reviews of the coconut oil for skin is good.

In the creative challenges, that went a bit slower.  Didn't do a thing with my assemblage projects.  Again, too cold to work in my studio.  The quilting project I got started... the components for the two quilts I'm going to do this year have been gathered and put into a tub each.  And I decided to do a small lap quilt for Himself's auntie in MN.  It's called a "Fidget Quilt" and is a very tactile quilt that calms dementia patients.  That will also be done in a couple weeks and you'll see it then.

My writing challenge was haiku and this was definitely a 'starter' month.  So easy but so complicated too.  I'm working on a piece for an EHC writing contest, the deadline is the end of Feb.

Photos... oh my goodness!

For basic photography I made my first challenge to deal with the photos I've already taken... both on my laptop hard drive AND on my external back-up hard drive.  What a nightmare.  Double...triple... even quadruple mass saves from different times.  It all had to be consolidated and then the duplicates deleted and then deleting of all those photos I just didn't want (like when you take 50 photos of the baby playing with her new toy).  I worked every single day of January on this.  Seriously, I have deleted at least a quarter million photographs.  I have learned a lot in the process.  Not quite done, but I will be by mid month Feb.  This is NOT going to get this way ever again!!!

I finished ~ as in done-stick-a-fork-in-it ~ my photo album from my Mexico trip in 2006.  Journaling is complete and excess photos have been dropped in the trash.  Done!

My photo book on the Scotland 2011 trip is also done.  Blurb has put up a 40% off coupon so I am doing my last proofreading today and hitting 'publish' tomorrow.  (I'm only going to publish when they have a good coupon!)

And finally my bonsai.  I have planned my new bonsai garden for when they wake up in a couple months.  I've cleaned up my tools, taken stock of my pots, and reorganized what I have.  I'm ready for spring!

Cold Snap This and That

Still hanging out here at The Sticks... keeping busy.  

During the early month cold snap we put away our Christmas decorations and did some general neatening.  I had to bring my small bonsai into the garage because it was just too cold for them.

We started the second KonMari.  I'm not as ruthless as some, so I definitely need another go around with it.  Hitting areas in my studio this time that haven't been done at all... like ALL writing/drawing instruments.  Seems I have a bit of a problem with Sharpies...

Not even Persia can escape!  I pulled out all her toys I could FIND (she is a cat, after all...) and went through them.  You can see I don't spend much on cat toys.  About half of her above stash disappeared.

The leaf?  SHE put that in her toy box!

Then we got a 2 day break from the cold.  It was lovely.  

We used the warmth to open the windows to air out the house.  The Christmas decorations were taken back to the shed and the winter decorations were brought in.  We cleaned up the garage (it really needed sweeping out badly) and bonsai were pushed out the garage door.

But all good things come to an end.  You see that cold and snow for last Friday?  

It hit.

Friday morning we woke up to this.  Ice glaze.  I walked over to the road to see if it was as bad as I thought.

It was worse.

Then it snowed 2.5" on top of the ice.

Persia was NOT impressed.

We were VERY happy to see this Saturday afternoon.  But it was still undriveable until Monday (today).  The salt, chemicals, and sunlight had to do their work.

So we waited and amused ourselves by working on the KonMari.

Found this in the pantry.

Doesn't a loaf of hot bread sound perfect on a cold winter day?

Yeah, we thought so too.

I'm going to tell you a secret...  That beer bread mix was at least 8 years old!  It was a gift from a friend and was misplaced when we moved.  Once found, I just didn't get around to making it.

So Himself whipped it up.  It turned out deliciously perfect.

Plus I've been working on all of my January challenges... some more than others.  But I still have half a month left so life is good.

Well, it is time to see if the road up our hill is passable.  I need eggs!

Christmas Home 2017

This was the year that I finally got my Christmas decorations down to what I want.  Decorating got out of hand over the years and to the point that I dreaded putting stuff out.  Early in the month we pulled out the tubs and started our KonMari decluttering of Christmas.  About 3 tubs worth headed to a charity store the first week of December so there would be plenty of time for others to enjoy.

My funky little purple tree in my studio.

The only decorations that didn't get out this year was my second small tree what we decorate with trinkets from our travels.  A mouse made a nest in it and it had to be thoroughly cleaned, after which I just didn't get it up.  But next year...

(Both small trees and all their decorations are now able to be stored in their own mouse proof plastic tub!)

And here is our live cut tree we picked up from our local tree farm.

Here's a bit of the decorations on it...

Yes... just a few...

This year we put a nativity under the tree.  I love it!!!

Our angel topper we got for our second Christmas.

And the rest of the decorations...

We hope each and every one of you had a wonderful Christmas!