Happy Halloween (?)

This photo is a few years old.  Millie won't really tolerate getting dressed anymore.  I guess we all get more cantankerous when we get older :)

Tomorrow night all the little Trick or Treaters (aka candy beggars) will invade.  Millie will be almost psychotic by the time it's over.  She hates it.  She will be hoarse from barking.  Banging on the door, strange kids trying to grab and paw at her.  But leave her alone in another room?  That's worse.  The barking is inter-mingled with squealing wails of despair.  Not fun for anyone! 

Happy Halloween?  Don't think so :)

Fall Sunday Random

Whoa, posts from me three days in a row.  I'm on fire!  Lol.  First this wet weather system just won't leave.  It's STILL raining.  It feels like it's been raining for a month.  I'm soggy.  I feel like I could start to sprout any day now.  I need some sun!

I was in the backyard today and my neighbor was out putting out some Halloween decorations.  I told her to stop, she was making me look like the only house on the block with no festive spirit!  But I can't go out buying decorations --- I still have no kitchen curtains!  This grown-up priorities thing is really starting to get on my nerves. Lol 

However, I do have a festive bowl of gourds in my living room. 

But I think I'm going to have to throw them out.  The ones are the bottom are all soft and whizzled up.  Honestly, I didn't know gourds went bad.  I was hoping to be able to keep them until I could fill the bowl with Christmas stuff but I guess I need an interim filler. 

I stopped to drop of something to aunties today and as I parked in the yard a giant crow landed on the roof.  It was one of the biggest I've ever seen.  He even posed for me

I'm sure I had a couple of other random snippets to share but of course as soon as I started typing my thoughts disappeared.  The weekend ended to soon.  In a few hours it's back to the grind.  

From failure to redemption

Today's topic - tea biscuits.  My grandmother made the best biscuits.  She could whip up a batch and have them in the oven before you could blink.  And I never saw her measure anything.  A handful of this, a pinch of that - and they were perfect every time.  I don't know if she ever had an actual recipe but if she did, she took it with her to heaven.

For some reason I've always been intimidated to try them but it's been a goal to make an edible batch.  Today was the day.  I went to the Crisco site for a recipe. I mean you'd think they would have a perfect recipe right?

Wrong!  Here is the first batch

Flat, dry and rock hard.  Seriously suitable for use as hockey pucks! I should call the organizers of The Stanley Cup to see if they would like to purchase them.   I was deflated and about to wave the white flag of surrender.  Then my Momma's stubborn streak appeared and I searched other recipes.  I found one in a Taste of Home magazine and I started all over again.

Are you ready??   Look at these beautiful, high and fluffy delights....

And as an added bonus, they were delicious!  A perfect compliment to the beef "stoup" I made earlier. If your new here "stoup" is my version of more than a soup, less than a stew.  ;)

What the heck, here's one more picture because they're just so dang pretty!

Here is the link to the recipe 

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/fluffy-biscuits

Queen for a day

Well to be fair, it was half a day.  There's been a lot going on here. (Hence my lack of posts) I'll elaborate more in a future post.  But let's get back to today.  

This morning a pesky Nor'easter storm was blowing through.  It was raining like a son-of-a-gun, the wind was blowing and it was cold and damp.  By late morning I had enough.  I made an impromptu decision to take the afternoon off and cuddle up at home.  On my way home I made a quick stop to the grocery store for supplies.  And then I went home, put on some slobby, comfy clothes and curled up with Millie and a blanket.  The heater was on and it was heaven. 

I watched Bridesmaids on Netflix, had a couple of glasses of red wine and ate some Mars bars.  Yes, I said bars (plural).  Don't judge :). After supper I had a nice long hot bath, followed by lots of lotions and potions.  Reeeeelaxing!!  

And I'm spending the rest of the evening with 2 fine gentlemen.......Wolf Blass red label and Orville Redenbacher :)

Sometimes you just need to put life on pause and just wind down in your castle.  TGIF folks!

Weather, walls, and water

We had a nice little surprise today.  A gorgeous, warm, balmy day.  So rare for this late in October but loved it.  I've been a bad blogger lately.  It's been a busy week and it seems there was little time for computers.  

My cousin the contractor arrived this week.  He finally got to my To-Do list.  I had an extra doorway in my living room.  It's bothered me since I moved in.  Here is the "before" picture

That doorway to the left of the tv leads into a closet area and then the bathroom.  But as you can see, you can also enter that area from the den.  So Mike has dry walled it in for me.  He has to come back for a little more work (mudding) and then I can prep the rest of the walls.  Here it is now, with a wall

I love it and can't wait to paint.   He also insulated under my eaves upstairs in the little cubby hole doors.  There are 3 of these little "hobbit doors" upstairs.  It should make the upstairs much warmer this winter.

But as usual, with the good comes the bad.  I threw in a load of laundry tonight.  Luckily I left the basement door open.  After the washer started to run for a few minutes I heard water.  Not the gentle sloshing of water filling a tub......the sound of water rushing......

Yup, that's soapy water all over the floor.  I ran down the stairs and water was shooting out everywhere.  Quickly I stopped the machine and found a hose off.  After a few minutes I figured out where the hose was "supposed"to be and shoved it back in.

I managed to finish the load but I think I've just added another thing to Mike's to-do list.  Now it time to dust off the hooking frame.  Cheese puffs in the oven and a glass of Pinot Grigio.  Happy Saturday !

Brrrrr

Fall temps have arrived with a vengeance. It's downright chilly.  Although it pained me to do it, I had the furnace running today.  

I thought I'd do a little blog catch up on some stuff that happened before I got sick.  The day before the flu took over I got a call from a friend.  Her neighbor was having a big yard sale the next day as she had to move quickly.  She was selling almost everything.  But lucky me got invited to go over the night before the sale and get first pick.  

The first thing that caught my eye was an old tin.  As long as I can remember my grandmother had an old tin she kept buttons in.  I always played with it as a child so when I moved I brought it with me.  Silly to keep an old beat up tin but it reminded me of her.  Well, this lady had an identical tin, a bit larger but in perfect condition.  I had to have it. 

I also grabbed a pottery wine chiller and a lacy runner.  And a set of 3 blue Pyrex mixing bowls.

And one day while digging through the basement at Aunties house I found this old metal stand.  I thought it would be cute cleaned up as a coffee station.  It was originally white but quite filthy and rusty.  I got some red rust paint and spruced it up.

Taadahh!   Looks kind of cute, don't ya think?

I'm working on a small hooked piece that was a Facebook challenge from Lori Brechlin.  Stay tuned for my version of Santa Claws :)

Tomorrow is turkey day!  Happy Canadian Thanksgiving 

The bad, the good, and the messy

The above image explains my recent absence from blogville.  I had the worst flu bug.  I missed over a week of work.  I just couldn't do anything.  I do appreciate the blogger friends who messaged me to check in and see if I was ok.  And also my local friends who delivered me treats and medications.   I've been back to work for a couple of days and I'm feeling better despite the nagging cough that won't seem to leave.  I had several fever-induced stories to share but they seem less funny in the light of a normal body temperature.  

Now for "the good" part.  My car registration had expired.  I knew I was pushing my luck everyday so today I had to go the the Registry of Motor Vehicles.   And I only had time on my lunch break.  This place is usually a nightmare of waiting in lines forever and I figured lunch time would be the worst.  I walked in, took a number from the machine and turned the corner........the place was empty.  EMPTY.....that never happens!  I was in and out in a matter of minutes.  I should have left there and bought a lottery ticket because it felt like my lucky day.  

.....but things changed again later.  I had a nice bowl of leftover pasta and sauce in the fridge for supper.  Grocery shopping is tomorrow night so this was going to be perfect.  I put it in a bowl, heated in the microwave and on my way to the table......it slipped out of my hands 

On the floor, on my pants, on the front of the oven and the cupboards.  The bowl resting upside down about 2 feet away from this mess......   Not only was I mad, I was also still hungry and now had to scrub the kitchen!  Supper consisted of a bag of chips and a handful of cookies while I muttered about the mess and how stupid I was.

This weekend I will get back around to your blogs.