More Signs of Spring and a Visitor

Our camellia is in full bloom and I decided to cut a couple of blooms for the vase. Miss Kitty thinks they are pretty (and they look tasty too).

The lilac bush has promising buds and I hope that we will not get any more hard frost.

When I stepped outside I spotted something unusual in the carport and when I went to check it out I found this. A tiny little snake.

The little brown cat took an immediate interest in it as well and was very disappointed when I took the new toy away. I carefully scooped it up with a small rake and took it to the other side of the garden where it slid happily into the grass. I like snakes.

Outside my Window

Shadows

What's for Dinner?

Well, let's see, what can I come up with for the coming weekend and the week after.

Quesadillas, Salsa, Guacamole, Salad, Mexican Rice
Paprika Chicken with Noodles
Baked Potatoes with Broccoli, Ham and Cheese
Pasta with Bacon and Tomatoes, Green Salad
Pizza with Bacon, Pineapple and BBQ Sauce
Minestrone with Garlic-Cheese Toast

Today's Work - Finished!

It only took 2 movies (with a few interruptions like phone calls and lunch). ;)

After the Snow

Today's Work

A basket full of shirts to iron and some videos to watch while doing so.

Dishcloths Galore

I am trying a new business venture.
If you would like to buy any of these dishcloths, you can do so HERE.

In Like a Lion

Pictures taken this morning.



Snow Day

March Decorating

Simple, with a little green and a few shamrocks in honor of St. Patrick's Day and my cross with the purple stole as a reminder of Lent.

Rainy Saturday

New library books.

A bag of yarn from the thrift store = more hats for the homeless shelter.

Monthly Goals - March 2009

I decided to change my goals a bit. ;)

Finish cleaning the woodwork.
Scrub and wax wood floors.

Take things easy.
Love.
Laugh.
Create.
Read.
Enjoy Life!
Get out of the house and soak up some sunlight.
Play with Miss Kitty and do fun stuff with Del.

Plan garden.
Clean garden.
Buy seeds.

Smart Cat

Today is a dark and rainy day. When I was looking earlier for Miss Kitty, I found this:

What a smart cat, she found the best thing to do on a day like that. :)

Monthly Goals - February 2009 - How Did I Do?

First I was sick for almost a week, then Del got sick and I got into some kind of February Blahs and did not do much of anything.

Around the house:
Clean all woodwork (window frames, doors and door frames, base boards, there is an awful lot of it in this house, I plan on doing one room per week) - still working on it
Deep clean the fridge - Done! It was not bad at all, nothing growing anywhere. :)
Grow herbs on the kitchen window - Done, just starting to grow.

Crafty stuff:
Finish one UFO - nope
Make a few blocks for my Civil War Diary Quilt - not in the mood
Make something for Valentine's Day - Did that. Results can be seen here.

Books to read:
Dragonfly in Amber (continue) - I am on page 368.
Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World
On to Oregon
I did not get to read the other books, I was either too busy or too sick.

Personal:
Keep my daily quiet time
Do a Bible study
Let's not even go there.

What's Cooking?

My meal plan for the coming weekend and week.

Leftover Chili and Corn Bread (as usual I made way too much chili)
Stir-Fried Shrimp with Spicy Orange Sauce, Brown Rice and Veggies
Baked Spaghetti with Mushrooms, Romaine with Lemon Dressing
Sweet Rice Casserole with Apples
Broccoli Soup with Garlic Bread
Mushroom Pizza
Egg Sandwiches, Veggies and Dip

Knitting

I finished clue #6a of the Knitalong project and it is getting really big now, if all else fails I'll just call it a blanket. ;)

I like the pattern so much that I started a second one, don't have a picture of it yet but hope to get one soon.

Meal Planning

My meal plan for the weekend and the next week.

Baked Potatoes with Cheesy Broccoli Sauce
Spiced Salmon with Mustard Sauce, Brown Rice and Spinach
Pasta with Potatoes, Romaine with Lemon Dressing
Carrot Soup with Garlic Bread
Ham Pizza
Chili with Corn Bread

Little Curtain

The little crochet curtain is now completely finished and hangs where it is supposed to be, on the shelf in the pantry that holds my most used cookbook and my teas.

Meal Planning

Most of the stuff I had planned for last week did not get cooked because I was out sick. So, some of it will be cooked in the coming week. Here are my planned meals.

Cabbage Soup
Whole Wheat Pasta with Tomatoes and Mushrooms
Pizza with Tuna, Onion and Olives
Rice with Peas and Mushrooms and Green Salad with Lemon Dressing
Rice and Beans with Mexican Fixings

A Day in My Life - February 14, 2009

So this is the last time for a day in my life, we have done it for a full year now and it was fun. Thank you, Jenny for the idea.

Here are some glimpses of my day. We got up at 8 am, had whole wheat cinnamon pancakes with bananas and homemade orange flavored syrup for breakfast.

After breakfast we spent some time messing around on the computer. I soaked some broccoli and radish seeds for sprouting.

Then we headed out into the garden to take advantage of the beautiful weather. We cleaned out the carport and I took a few pictures of budding plants, supervised as usual by the little brown cat, barked at by the neighbor's (really dumb) dogs and watched by Miss Kitty from her favorite sunny spot in the porch.

camellia buds

There is nothing more romantic than spending Valentine's Day doing some dirty work together. :) I also got a little not so sweet indulgence for the occasion.

We had hot and spicy shrimp skewers with sweet and sour sauce and brown rice for lunch, canned pears with chocolate pudding and store bought cookies for dessert. After battling that nasty bug all week I did not really feel like baking anything.

After lunch we watched the NASCAR race on TV and I finished clue #5 for my knitalong project.

Now Del is washing dishes which means a lot more to me than a dozen dead roses would have. I am so thankful that Del never bought into all that stuff surrounding Valentine's Day.
Later we will have some nibbles and share a bottle of sparkling cider.
A nice relaxing day, perfect for a weekend.

Knitting

Just finished clue #5 for the Knitalong project. There are over 340 stitches on the needle now and it gets rather difficult to take a decent picture of the whole thing so I just took one of the last pattern set. I am really curious to see where it will go from here.

Library Haul

Last Saturday we spent some time at our public library and I came home with these goodies.

I found two projects that I really like and have put them on my todo list. ;)

I'm baack!

Oh yes, I am back up and running. :)
This morning I washed a load of laundry and while I was hanging it I decided to stay in the garden and do some work there. I disentangled my poor lilac bush from the overzealous honeysuckle, serenaded (and cussed at) by lots of birds, supervised by the little brown cat and barked at by the dumbest dogs in town.
It is a beautiful day, sunny, warm, breezy, the kind of day when you want to open every window in the house and just let the breeze blow out every bit of Winter.
While I was washing dished I noticed that the redbud across the way is blooming and my camellia has big fat buds. I sowed herb seeds in the little green planters on my kitchen window and I am also growing some nice juicy cat grass.
Miss Kitty is happily basking in the sunshine in the porch, I have a bread dough rising and a new knitting project to work on. Yeah, I am definitely back.

Sick

I was hit with a nasty stomach bug over the weekend and spent a night and a day mostly in the bathroom. Today I feel completely wiped out. I had no idea how many muscles are involved when throwing up. Yikes. I am off to settle on the sofa with lots of tea and some simple knitting (although I will probably sleep).

Stuff Happens

When I got up yesterday the house felt a little colder than usual so I went to turn up the heat a little and noticed that the thermometer said 60 and the thermostat was set to 62, not good. I turned it up higher and nothing happened. Our furnace has stopped working - again. This time it was an electrical problem. 2 hours and $ 350,- later it was up and running again. I am glad we had the money even if it means that our emergency fund is now exhausted.
Del took the day off and we got all our grocery shopping done and treated ourselves to a lunch out.

On a brighter note, I finished clue #4 for the knitalong project. The rows are getting very long and I timed myself while knitting. It takes me 20 minutes to finish a pattern row and 10 minutes for the back row which is just purled.

And here is what I plan to cook in the coming week:

Chicken with white beans and olives
Pasta with bacon and tomatoes
Pizza with tuna, onion and olives
Cabbage soup with homemade bread

February Decorating

I decorated my mantel for February, all hearts and pink and red. ;) I even made a new frock for my little dolly (I plan on making him a new one for each month).

Monthly Goals - February 2009

Around the house:
Clean all woodwork (window frames, doors and door frames, base boards, there is an awful lot of it in this house, I plan on doing one room per week)
Deep clean the fridge
Grow herbs on the kitchen window

Crafty stuff:
Finish one UFO
Make a few blocks for my Civil War Diary Quilt
Make something for Valentine's Day

Books to read:
Dragonfly in Amber (continue)
Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World
On to Oregon

Personal:
Keep my daily quiet time
Do a Bible study