Snow Day

I can't believe that a month has already passed. November flew by. Way too much drama for one single month to have. Had a great Thanksgiving with the kids, not all of them but at least the ones that want to be here were able to be here. Had a little bad weather the day before. Leslie and Caleb made it to Madison ok on Wednesday and came here Thursday morning. Aubrey and Brian headed to Madison early Thursday and then here Thursday afternoon. Both girls had to work on Friday so we had a fairly early night. And now we are already into December.

We had our first "big" snow yesterday. Started early and snowed all day. We ended up with between four and five inches. Not really windy so no blizzard. We were out about 10am blowing snow. No pictures yet. Maybe later.

Decided to wait until spring to paint the kitchen cabinets. Just too much going on. So I guess I will move onto the dining room for it's updates. Looking for a hutch. I want an old style, but with the weather changing and the antique shops so far away now might not be the right time to be out looking for one. Just have to see what comes up.

Going to spend the rest of the day in  my sewing room. I have a wall hanging I am working on and I should be able to get a lot done since the kids aren't here.

November

November already. Not that I didn't know it was coming, it just seemed to arrive so quick. I guess because of the crazy weather we have been having. The past two days have been real nice- didn't even mind wearing shorts to the store this weekend. It is just funny though to see everyone in coats already. I stretch the season out as long as I can. After all-it just makes me walk faster from the house to the garage and then from the car into the store etc..... Nothing else going on. I finished the chairs and now I need to finish cleaning my sewing room. I started earlier and Corra came in to work on her crafts, as she calls them and Carter just came in to climb around on stuff. Something about sitting on the bottom shelf of my sewing table. He has been doing it since he started crawling-he would get up on it and then was scared to get down. Now he is a pro- The stools are his new challenge.
Finishing the kitchen updates are the November project- Hope all goes smooth. Have to order the counter top- Scary thought since we have to take all the measurements. This should all go down after Thanksgiving-Then on to the next project.  Fun times, but it does make winter go by faster.  Nice to have a few days to slow down though before we get into it full swing. Heading to Menards tomorrow, see what I can find.

Before and After Pics

Camera batteries charged so decided to throw in a before and after- Brown was ok and in good shape but the blue sparkles!!  Four down ........ one to go- Gotta go carve some pumpkins- two days to Halloween

Little Windy

We had a huge change in the weather this week. Some time Monday night the winds started to pick up. By the time we got up on Tuesday the wind was blowing at 35+ mph with gusts to 70 mph and it was raining. This lasted all day and through the night. Wednesday morning the wind was still blowing and it was snowing. There was a little accumulation but it melted fast since the ground is still warm. We were lucky though and didn't lose the big old tree-just a few smaller limbs. Finally today it is sunny, wind is still blowing but nothing like the past two days.
I brought the fish in- Found three of the tadpoles-one is almost a frog, it has all four legs but still a bit of it's tail, one has it's back legs and the other is all tadpole still! Lot's of the snails survived and there are lots of babies. The fish all look good except for one that didn't grow much and is missing it's top fin. Now I just need a slightly warmer day to get the pond scrubbed one last time before winter sets in.
We had a freeze last night but the greens still look good in the garden so we just might eat off of them one more time before I pull them up. I would like to have them out of the way and maybe even plot out the beds before winter. I have the plan drawn up and a supplies list started. We are going to be building  an A-Frame trellis for each of the tomato beds. I am also going to need a square foot grid for the mixed beds. I am excited about the new garden plan since I will be able to add all of the annuals that I like but don't seem to have a good spot for in my flower beds.
I have also almost finished upholstering my kitchen chairs. As of noon today I have just one left to finish. My goal was to be finished today and then to paint the kitchen this weekend but have decided to wait on that until I get the cabinet hardware ordered. The new plan for that is to paint the weekend after Thanksgiving. Aubrey will be off so instead of trying to get it all done and put back together in two days I will have three. Gotta love the deadlines. You can tell it is almost winter because now I am switching from lawn and garden mode to home improvement mode. Have to have something to keep me busy though. Starting January though-no excuses-I will be working on a new stained glass piece each month.

Busy days

Today we finished cleaning out the garden. Pulled out all of the okra plants and made a run to the compost sight. It was overcast and a little chilly, but it was nice to get this job done. It will be nice to be ahead of the game when spring rolls around. Still had enough time to get the yard mowed-and leaves mulched. My rhubarb patch looks terrible. I think it is time to thin it out, maybe even move it to a new spot. The cherry bushes also need to be moved. Looks like I still have plenty to do before the snow falls.
The weather is cooling off again this week-looks like we could have our first freeze by the end of the week. I have to go buy an aquarium to move the fish inside for winter. My pond isn't big enough for them to overwinter in. Should be fun. I know I have at least one tadpole that still hasn't started getting it's legs yet, so the grand kids should enjoy watching that. Just what to do with it this winter if it becomes a frog? Oh well I'll worry about that when it happens! I haven't spotted the other three- they have either grown their legs and hopped off or stay close to the bottom. It will also be nice to see how much the snails have multiplied. I started out with 10-so we will see.
Looking forward to some more sunny days to get everything done. Maybe even a couple of more Bar-B-Que's!

So this is fall?

We had a few nice fall days- chilly enough to turn the heater on. But the something happened last week. Somebody pissed off mother nature and she decided to turn up the heat. Off went the furnace and back on went the AC.  I can't take the heat anymore- It makes me edgy!!! We did make it to Sioux Falls to look at an old stove- It was very pretty and if I didn't have my mind set on a double oven I would have bought it. Drove on down to Canton, SD to see the double oven one and it was in great shape so we brought it home. That was a long day-Anyway, Albert is in the process of running a gas line for it and it should be up and running by the weekend.  Very exciting! Glad I have a big kitchen-enough room I can keep the electric stove hooked up until this one is ready.

Also my Vinyl arrived within two days of ordering it-Very impressed---I will be ordering from Vogue Fabrics again. The colors are great and I almost have one chair finished. Corra is very excited about them. She just had to sit in it because "everyone knows she has never tried a blue chair before".  Now I could use a few of those rainy days to get all the chairs reupholstered.

Along with this I am also emptying out the garden. I picked 4 1/2 gallons of peppers so today we canned 31 pints of hot sauce. I am glad that job is done. Hopefully this will last a year! We are expecting our first freeze next week so I need to get busy. The days should start cooling off starting Tuesday- so full speed ahead. So I guess it is a good thing that it hasn't rained because I have a lot of yard work to do. It is finally dry enough.
I did take the time to make another run to Joann Fabrics to pick up some more craft stuff. Have to stock up before the snow flies-

Lots to do

Time has been flying by. I can't believe tomorrow is already October. Seems like nothing got accomplished in September. How am I going to catch up in October! The weather has been great though. We were able to walk to pick Corra up from school both days this week and also walked to story time at the library yesterday. The evenings have been cool but just right to be outside during the day. No cabin fever this week. Aubrey, the kids and I are going to Watertown tomorrow. Just to do a little shopping. But Saturday we are going to Sioux Falls and beyond to look at some vintage gas stoves. One double oven and one that is just extremely pretty. Hopefully I will come home with one of them. It will be nice to finally have a gas stove. I don't care for electric stoves. Especially when canning veggies-burners seem too small.
Haven't finished cleaning out the garden yet- oh well- it will happen! Strawberries and raspberries are still producing- much to Corra and Carters delight!
I have decided on ice blue sparkle upholstery for the kitchen chairs. I ordered a sample swatch from Vogue Fabrics so will make the final decision when it gets her. Will also be getting vintage glass knobs and pulls -Peacock Blue. Very pretty. Funny though, blue is my favorite color and I have never had a blue kitchen! We will see how it all comes together.
I have been doing a little sewing-making fall crafts and little things like that. Chasing kids and trying not to be edgy. Other than that not much else going on here-the only exciting thing is that Leslie and Caleb have made plans to head to Vegas November 5th thru the 8th. I'll have a new son-in-law, but it feels like he has been family for the past few years.

Fall

A new season is arriving tonight- Fall, my favorite time of year. This year though the first day of fall will not be clear, sunny or crisp. It will be cloudy and rainy. The forecast is calling for "tropical downpours". So I will sew all day tomorrow-kids allowing!
I picked the last tomato's from the garden today. Diced two for dinner and Corra ate four of the remaining five Roma's. There are still greens, peppers and herbs that need to be tended to but other than those few remaining things the garden is ready to be cleared out. Kind of sad to come to a close but excited to plan for a new season. I have a new plan in mind, converting over to a Potager Garden. I have been researching these for a few years now and I guess this is as good a time as any to give it a try. I have the room to expand if need since we haven't installed the new fence yet. Should be interesting. I am trying to hold off on setting plan to paper until winter, don't want to get ahead of myself and have nothing to do when it is too cold to go out!
 I am missing living on the farm. I think I would feel better if I could have some chickens! Not a bunch-just three or four girls would be plenty. If I would have known I would be living in town I would have made sure to photograph my chickens and write their stories. I have had some special ones in my time-Who would have ever thought? All my critters, another day, another time!

Blessed

Today is Albert's Birthday- Number 60 for him, the 27th one we have shared.  I am lucky to have found someone that thinks the way I do and believes in the things I care about. My best friend, lover, soul mate. Someone I know I can count on. Everyone has that one true love in their lives and I am so happy to have found mine. We are fortunate-our lives crossed paths at the right time.
There is a nice calm in the house today- Aubrey took the day off, I guess she figured he needed a break from the kids! I have cleaned the house and made the B-day cake. A new recipe- Snowball cake. Hopefully okay!!!! I am taking him to dinner tonight-meeting Leslie and Caleb and then we will meet back here for cake and presents!
I like days like this. Peaceful-quiet-

Chilly anyone?

What a difference a day can make. We have had a crazy weather summer this year. Not at all like it should be. It seems like the heat and humidity were never going to break. Monday evening a storm rolled through and we have been dropping into the 40's at night and only up into the 60's during the day. Nice------ I hope everyone enjoyed their Labor day weekend. It was the calmest one we have ever had. Aubrey and Brian took off to the cities for a zoo and science museum trip with the kids, Leslie and Caleb were camping with his family. We grilled Saturday and I bar-b-que'd Sunday. Things got back to normal Tuesday when everyone had to go back to work.
I have some new sewing projects coming up-but I can't start them until I get my kitchen chairs done. That's my plan anyway. We will see how that plays out. I think I have settled on blue with a contrast- just have to decide on the blue now- dark or light- sparkle or cracked ice. Either way it has to be ordered so I will have time to get the others taken apart. I'll post a before and after pic when I get to that point.
Time to get the day going though. Story time starts at the library this am so I need to get the kids ready for that. We are going to miss morning nap for Carter so we will see how that goes.

Clearing out the Garden

It's that time of year again. Time to start cleaning out the garden.
The onions and beets have been pulled for a while. Half of the potatos are dug- thanks to Albert, (I hate that job). Saturday I did a major clearing of the greens. I only planted Collards and Swiss Chard this year- and the cabbage moths loved the collards so I have had beautiful Swiss Chard since spring. Well worth the sacrifice. The okra is still producing, some plants are taller than me but we are expecting temps to start falling into the 50's at night and just up into the 70's during the day so their days are numbered. Tomatos are done. Green beans are still producing. Cucumbers are starting to play out. I have pinto beans and black eyed peas drying on the vines. I will pull the carrots towards the end of September. Broccoli and brussels sprouts are looking good too. There are also herbs to cut and dry. The freezer is full and so is the pantry, so I am also done!  I put up the canner today.
I did try two new things this year: Dill Pickle Relish- didn't really care for it, and Green Tomato Relish- This one we might like. We'll give it a couple of weeks and give it a try.

I am already working on next years layout. Maybe by spring I will have it finished. The greenhouse we added this year will be put to good use.
Mostly I think everyone is really looking forward to fall. Still plenty to do, but nicer to work when it is cool weather.

It's all about the weather

Another hot and humid week has passed. Actually we did have two or three nice days with no humidity. Any way it got me thinking about when I was little. We were always at the coast. My dad fished, my mom took us to the beach where we would stay all day. It is some of the best memories I have of my childhood. But where were the memories of the heat, the humidity, the sand where God never intended sand to be? You know it happened. It was Texas. I had none of those memories.
You see we normally don't have humidity like we have had this summer. I got spoiled. About five years ago I told my kids that we were thinking about moving to the coast. Sell the farm, buy a little spot close to the beach and become beach bums.  They could come visit. We were excited. The dogs were excited. That plan was going along pretty good until I walked outside to do some farm chores and it was hot- not just hot-but hot & humid. Very humid. The childhood memories came back to me of being hot- the humidity and the hot wind that seemed to blow all the time. I knew then that I would not be moving to the coast. I no longer had dreams of being a beach bum or even running a little shell shop.
 Instead there will be frosty spring mornings when you sit outside in the morning drinking coffee with a blanket around you, summer days when it is almost too chilly to get in the pool, chilly hayrides in the fall to pick apples and the quiet, cold snows in the winter. I love a good blizzard. Taking a walk after the first snow of the season. Do I miss Texas? Oh yes at times. I miss the beach, the ocean even the hot salty air. I will go back one more time before I die. To see the changes all that have occurred since Leslie was little, to see the grand kids see the ocean. Shop the surf shops and shell shops. Have some fresh seafood. Then I'll come home to Minnesota. I'll turn the AC off in September. In October I'll drain the pond, cover the tender perennials and bring in the annuals. I'll get out my snow shovels and move the lawn mowers to the back of the garage and pull the snow blowers out to the front.(I do love to move snow) I'll bake and sew and work on some stained glass. Play with the grand kids and plan gardens for the spring. I'll whine about the cold and the wind that never seems to stop blowing. I'll be thankful.

Crazy Busy

It has been a crazy week. Monday Albert and Guy went to the cities to get his new car. They left around 9am and didn't get home until after 6pm.They took a wrong turn!!! Long day for all of us. The grand kids and I were stuck inside because it has been hot and humid still. Wednesday calmed down a little and we were actually able to spend some time outside. I broke down and filled the pool for Corra and Carter on Thursday.  That night we had a bad storm move through. We didn't have any damage, just a few small limbs down. Sold the motor home- They will be here Saturday to pick it up. Friday errands for both of us. Albert to Marshall- when he got home Carter was napping so Corra and I ran to Dawson. Since he bought his Cadillac he decided to sell the Crown Vic- A guy came and got it Friday evening. Saturday I went to Watertown SD with Aubrey and the kids- It was a fun day. Corra did some major "big girl" shopping. Claire's for earrings and then down to Bath and Body Works- She was in heaven! Leslie was up to Fargo for a bachlorette party. She made it home on Sunday but I guess was too tired to stop in to work in the garden! Guy, Aubrey, Corra, Carter, Albert and I spent a few hours and got alot picked. The weather was nice Saturday and perfect today. This could last the rest of the summer. Checking radar though I think we will be warming up again Wednesday or so- But oh well it was picture perfect today. Will be canning tomatoes and pickling beets tomorrow. It should be much calmer around here for a while- Maybe- 

Hot Hot Hot

Well it is August- The weather should just now be heating up but we have been hot and humid for about a month now. It hasn't been a great summer. In May we still had the furnace going- June we got over 9" of rain, July has been oppressive! I have used that word more times in the past 6 weeks than I have all of my life! August, so far, hot, humid and in general just yucky.


The garden is still producing. Tomatoes are getting ready and the okra is really taking off. I pulled all of the onions last night, kind of muddy though, we had 4" of rain Saturday morning. Things are getting done as I get them done. I decided not to let it stress me anymore. If it doesn't get picked today it will get picked tomorrow.

I started the curtains for Aubrey's craft room today. They will have Corra and Carter's hand prints on them. Went smoother than I thought it would- at 4, Corra is a great listener and pretty crafty- Carter on the other hand decided after a few prints that he liked squeezing the paint in his little fists more than making hand prints. Why did I think at 1 year old he would want to cooperate? We did get two colors done before I decided that was enough for one day. Now if Corra can keep from blabbing, Aubrey will get a nice surprise. I am still in the process of deciding what color vinyl to reupholster my kitchen chairs in. After making Leslie's curtains I am kind of leaning towards black and red but am not sure I would like it long term. Lots of colors in my kitchen to choose from so maybe turquoise and white will win out.

Today has been a long day and I am ready to call it-