Microwave Sizzle

 Word of warning...

If you heat a bottle of syrup (or anything else) in your microwave, make sure there is no metal in the label!  Just saying...

Thankfully the damage was only cosmetic; Himself got it shut off very quickly.

Sorting of the Manuals

 As we have gone through box after box we have found all sorts of user manuals to various things we own... some things we don't own anymore too!  Another thing I've been finding with the decluttering is more ring binder notebooks than a person could use in a lifetime.

Time to get this mess sorted!  I do know that many manuals are online.  But I want to lay hands on what we need WHEN we need it! If I am needing a manual you can probably assume that I am aggravated.  And if I am aggravated, it is not the time to be trying to find information on the internet!

I decided on what categories were needed and the sorting started.  My supervisor kept me on-track and working steadily.  She wanted her place on the bed back!

 The foreign language sections were removed.  They went through the 3 hole punch and on into each notebook where they belonged.

Looks better... yes?

Review: Dearfoams Women's Alpine Moritz Bootie Slipper

 

Hard wood floors and feet that hate cold aren't a good match.   So I take finding the perfect house shoe very seriously.

A fuzzy warm inner lining is a must have.  My second requirement is a strong yet flexible "walking sole".  And I want them to look good too.

These Dearfoam house shoes are all that and more.  I've had them for two months and I'm still completely happy with them.  So much so that I'm going to order a second pair to have when I wear this pair out.

I purchased my slippers on Amazon.

Hoppin' John ala Teri

Hoppin' John ala Teri

2 cans black eyed peas, rinsed

1/4 cup chopped cooked bacon

4 andouille sausages, sliced into coins

1 can Rotel tomatoes, mild

1/2 cup of fresh mushrooms, sliced into ‘sticks’

1/2 cup white wine

3 cup cooked rice (the yield from 1 cup uncooked rice prepared)

Sautee mushrooms in butter until about half done (according to your tastes).  Add bacon and sausage until heated through.  Add Rotel and black eye peas.  Add wine.  Mix gently to not break up peas.  Reduce liquids by half.

From here there are two serving options:

1 Put cooked rice on serving platter.  Make a depression in the rice mound and spoon in black eye pea mix.  OR

2 Fold rice and pea mixture together gently.  Serve in bowl.

 

New front load washer - FINALLY

 My washer was finally delivered on 25 Jan ~ five days AFTER it was supposed to be delivered and two weeks after it was ordered.  That is just too much of a wait for something coming from a warehouse only an hour away!

The guys who brought it on the 25th were fantastic.  They didn't find my driveway scary at all!  And it didn't take them long to have it installed, and then take me on a washing machine 'test drive'.

This is my first front load washer and I am impressed.

After it was delivered I called the Home Depot 800-number and made a fuss about how awful I was treated regarding the delivery.  Laid it all out and said I wanted compensation for the horrible customer service.  After a long wait on hold the service rep offered me 10% refund on the total I paid.  

I accepted.

Teri's "Everything Bagel" Blend

Himself loves the 'seedy' bread from Publix grocery store.  However the quality of their mix has been going down.  Last time I bought it, the blend was rather pathetic.  Gone were the sesame and flax seeds. In their place was was oats, corn meal, and white millet.  That's just bird seed!

So I did some online recipe searching and added a couple things to the traditional recipe.  A quick trip out to the Amish bulk foods shop and we were ready to mix up our own blend!

(From top going clockwise- white sesame seeds, toasted sesame seeds, poppy seeds, minced dry garlic, flax, minced dry onion, and sunflower seeds.)

To make about 3 cups

·         1/2 cup white sesame seeds

·         1/2 cup black sesame seeds OR toasted white                     sesame seeds*

·         1/2 cup dried minced onion

·         1/2 cup dried minced garlic**

·         1/2 cup sunflower seeds

·         1/4  cup poppy seeds

 Mix together and store in glass jar in refrigerator.

Not only is this good on bagels and bread, try it on salad, meats, pizza crust, and much more.

*To toast white sesame seeds, put your half cup into a dry pan and toast until medium dark tan.  You need to stir constantly as they can get away from you quickly.  When done, put onto a plate immediately and place in refrigerator to rapidly cool.  Add to mix only after they have cooled.

 **Take care with the minced garlic.  Ours was pretty hard and had to be crushed further.

A Heavyweight Swap

 A few years ago Himself considered taking up blacksmithing as a hobby.  Among other things, he purchased a  # Village Forge anvil by the Trenton company from his blacksmith friend LC.

Then he changed his mind...

So the  anvil he bought became mine.  Do you ask "Why?"  Well, it is very useful in my jewelry making and for setting rivets in some of my other projects.

I already had a small anvil I'd gotten from LC at the same time, so now I had two!

However, I think LC had some seller's regret.  Over the years he let it be known that if we ever wanted to part with that ol' Trenton anvil, he'd give us what we'd paid for it.

Himself told him, "No thank you, Teri is happy with it."

Then we got an email saying if we wanted to SWAP for a different anvil, he had 3 I could pick from!  I laughingly said to Himself that if LC wanted it that bad... yes, I would swap.  I didn't want to keep 'his Precious'!  

Before Himself could answer, LC messaged again to sweeten the deal.  There were now FOUR anvils to choose from.  My acceptance was sent and just a few days later LC rolls up into our driveway ready to deal!

Hmmmm... which one to choose?

LC tells me about each one he brought.

This one caught my eye.  I liked its shape, I liked the size of its face plate, and I REALLY liked its history.

You see, it is a Mousehole Anvil from Cornwall, UK.  It has been around a while as it was forged in about 1865!  Yep, 156 years old.

Its weight is in 'stones' not pounds.  I love how it has been used but carefully taken care of.  That is character!

The swap was made!  And each of us knows we each got the better end of the deal.

Then LC surprised me with a wee gift.  Another small anvil that is about 80 years old.  Love its blue patina. 

Oh, almost forgot!  Earlier LC gave me a tiny cedar anvil he had carved.  It's so cute!

Now my four anvils sit in my studio on a rolling stand made for me by Himself.  The stand itself is 'flotsam' I found along the roadside (an excellent homemade rolling frame) and the boards are driftwood boards we had picked up.