My Recent Finds

I needed a larger purse and was happy to find this one for $2.00

A pretty serving plate, $1.00

Two wooden candle holders that sit on my bookcase, $2.00.

A pair of crystal pitchers for $5.00

A pair of sconces with candelabras, $5.00

One of my favorite finds is this elephant made out of leather, $3.00.

Getting Away

Last week, my sweet husband surprised me with a night away at a little cottage about an hour away from home.  He told me before bed to have a bag packed and ready to go the next morning.  So, the next morning I packed, made some bread, cleaned the house, did some laundry and finished up a curtain project for my daughter-in-law all by late morning!  So much for "spur of the moment" and easy get away.  Moms can't just pack up and leave without lots of preparation, even if most of the five at home are grown.  I had to take a picture of my packing versus my husbands, quite funny.  

His (I kid you, not!)

Mine (A girl needs her stuff!)

Relaxing by the stream.

The happy couple.

We had a relaxing time, we were in a town of 400 posted as it's population, so it didn't have much to offer in the way of entertainment.  It was a time of being together, sitting by the little stream that ran by our cottage and catching up on some reading.  It was nice, we both agreed two nights away would have been better, but thankful for the time we had together.

A Small Project

We have four of these fans hanging from our living room ceiling.  We have lived in our home for 21 years and I can't remember not having them so they are old, but still running without a problem.   After redecorating the upstairs this past spring they really started to bug me.  They were outdated and didn't match the decor or flow of the room.  I knew to replace them was probably going to be about $75 to $100 dollars a fan so the decision was to redo instead of replace. These fans are running daily all summer long and are a must in our large living room with it's large windows covering the front of our home.  They help keep the room bearable as all the windows bring in the heat.  Chuck agreed to tackle the project, which meant taking down each one, cleaning accumulated dust of 20 plus years from the insides with his air compressor, then applying two coats of spray paint to the blades and base of the fan.  The first coat was a dark brown, and then the second coat was Rust-Oleum American Accents Stone which gives a unique textured finish.  I'm pleased with the results and the fans add  to the room instead of detracting.

This is the blade of the fan after the second coat of the textured paint. 

`            They are all up and running, again, and I love the new look.

A Nice Long Weekend

It was so nice to have a four day weekend.  We got together with family, did some work around the house and then by Monday, we decided to get the bike out and go for our first bike ride of the season.  We're a little late, but have been busy and the weather has been more rainy than usual.  The weather was wonderful and so we went for a long ride and found a walking path along the river that was shady and peaceful.  So, it turned into a bike/walk ride.  It was nice to be alone with Chuck and to be out amongst nature.  We have a greenbelt that runs throughout the city where we can bike, walk, or jog.  A large portion of it is along the river which is so pretty and home to many birds and wildlife.  On this walk we saw some swans and geese.  We also got into some interesting conversation with an older couple who told us they had lived on a sailboat for many years.  What an adventurous lifestyle that would be!  We shared with them about raising a large family which was our adventure and then we parted ways richer for our conversation.  We arrived home, refreshed, a little tired and looking forward to our next bike ride.

Making Greek Yogurt

Mmm, this was my breakfast this morning and I enjoyed every bite. I had some extra milk that I had bought on sale and needed to use up before it expired so I made yogurt.  I had made it before, but this time I decided to try making Greek yogurt.  I had heard it was thick, creamy and very good.   Well, what I had heard was right, this yogurt was delicious and now I'm hooked.  I felt like I was eating a fattening, rich dessert, but it was all in my head as I had used low fat milk and no sugar. A wonderful way to start the day!

I took half a gallon of low fat milk, heated it while continually stirring so it didn't burn to a temperature of 180 degrees.  Took it off the burner, covered and went for a nice walk.  Returned and had time to read awhile until it cooled to 110 degrees.  Then I added about 6 tablespoons of store bought yogurt and stirred well.  I poured into clean canning jars with lids and set in my Excalibur dehydrator and turned it on to 115 degrees, leaving it alone for about 12 hours.  Before I had the dehydrator I used to make regular yogurt by wrapping the jars in a heavy blanket and putting it in a styrofoam ice chest and leaving it for the same amount of time, it worked.  After the 12 hours I took a strainer, lined it with a coffee filter,  I then placed the strainer over a bowl, poured one of the jars of yogurt into the filter and covered with a dish towel.  So the yogurt didn't sour, I put it all in the refrigerator and let it drain until all was left was a thick yogurt.  I had read that the liquid that had drained was very nutritious so I froze it in ice cube trays for adding to smoothies later.  To sweeten I added stevia which is an herb that is very sweet and has no calories, but honey would be good, also.  Adding berries or other fruit makes it extra good and nutritious, I'll be making this often.

Does He Look Like He Likes His New Job?

I laughed when I saw this picture my husband took of Alex on the first day of his first job.  Alex needs to smile at his customers!

My New Mill

I was visiting with my son and daughter-in-law, recently, and was given a piece of her delicious homemade bread.  Jessica had purchased a mill and used it to grind her own wheat for the bread giving it a great flavor.  So, I had to have one!  I've been determined to make my own bread for quite some time, but after making some I wasn't impressed with the flavor and consistency, neither was the family!  I'm a visual learner and so Jessica made some while I was there and then I knew I could do it, too.  I did some researching on the type of mill I would like to purchase and I came across this one and it had wonderful reviews.  It's called the Wolfgang mill and is made out of solid beech with tongue and groove, making it a pretty appliance to display in the kitchen, not taking up much room.
I was so excited in receiving it today that I got busy and made three loaves of bread and lots of waffles. I used hard white wheat and  I'm very pleased with the results and so is my family.