Happy Halloween

I know I complain about the heat, too much I think. I wanted to tell you how beautiful it was this morning. We had a bit of rain Tuesday night. The air now is full of moisture and the smell is just heavenly. All of the smells of fall and cold and fog and today, I know why I will never move. All that is in me loves this place. My grandparents bought this place in 1963. In November that year my parents with my grandparents moved out here. I was four years old, I remember that every day I walked around the garden and the yard and the huge old trees, the old farmhouse, the Quonset hut where my grandparents were living all of it called to my heart. Even at four years old, I knew I was home.

 

Not much remains of the place that lives in my memories. This place had been a working farm and a dairy. All of that is gone. Where my house sits now was where the old barn was, it blew down in 1977 so by the time we built our house all that was left was an old foundation. This place survived a fire that destroyed most of the out buildings when my grandparents were alive. When I walk the pastures, I am reminded of the love I have felt for this place for most of my life.

 

Next year, all of that may change. The city has decided that they will turn the road in front of my house into a freeway. If they use the law of eminent domain, my front yard almost to the front tree will be gone. It will take all of the houses on the street. If that happens, remember my saying from last week, " Fear is the darkroom, where negatives are developed." I will not be afraid. I am reminded at four years old, even then God knew the heart of a tiny girl and brought me here. He still knows the heart of this old woman, and what ever it is that He decides I know I will be blessed  where ever I go. As He always says, " Will you trust me," I know I will because as I learned from last year, His ways are always the best even when I don't understand.

Today is Halloween, I love Halloween, and I love that my kids and some of my grand kids will be here. A home, is not the house I live in but with the people whom I have been blessed with, no matter where I go, as long as there is family I will be home.

Have a lovely day,
~Kim~

True Confessions and a Recipe

I thought I would share with you a bit of a confession. I am still shuddering inside when I think of it. Since we are almost to November, I need to tell you a story of Thanksgiving last year. When I was young, I made every thing from scratch. I spent months trying to decide on the perfect meal for Thanksgiving and Christmas. As our family has grown, I am more of a cook to feed the masses. Yes, fallen so far off the wagon I will never get back.

This was part of how it looked in my kitchen last year.

 

The little kids had been outside playing zombies with Nik and Emilie, Kessie was making cotton candy for the kids who were waiting patiently. Nik had made his famous guacamole so the kitchen at the other end was grown ups eating that wonderful stuff. So far okay right?

Here is the confession part. Nik's Mom came for the first time to meet us. I found out later, that she never fixes anything food wise unless it is from scratch. Ron brought in the turkey that we cooked on the smoker. What am I doing? I am opening boxes and boxes of Stove Top stuffing, and opening packages of gravy mix, you know the kind that you just add water. Because the kitchen is wall to wall people and I am starting to panic because my dinner rolls won't brown. Silly me, I was afraid we would run out of mashed potatoes so I had fixed 15 pounds of boiled potatoes and Megan was mashing and mashing for me. My sweet potatoes were overflowing in the bottom oven so there is the smell of burning marshmallows. Ron was trying to get the turkey ready so he needed platters and such. The kids were running back and forth wanting to know when dinner will be ready and when can they eat chocolate pie.

 

I have thought so much about that day, and just the over whelming thoughts of having Nik's Mom make the stuffing. How there was no order to the whole meal, there was so many of us and not at all like I planned. I don't think anyone remembers it and I know the kids had fun. I am going to have to do it again this year. I will do it different, starting with this new recipe for rolls. These rolls are so good that my son yesterday, instead of going straight to work from school, came home and had the fried chicken and biscuits I had fixed the night before. So hands down, these are the best biscuits I have ever made.

Angel Biscuits

5 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 package of yeast
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
2 cups buttermilk

Mix dry ingredients, then cut in butter ( the one cup part) Dissolve 1 package yeast in 1 tablespoons warm water. ( I added a bit of sugar for the nourishment of the yeast) Add the buttermilk to the dry ingredients mix.
Add yeast and mix well. Dough will be sticky. I added enough flour until I could take it out of my mixing bowl. Put flour on board and kneed a few times until elastic.Roll to 1/4 thick and cut with biscuit cutter. Dip roll in the 1/4 cup part of melted butter and let rise. (optional) Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 to 17 minutes depending on your oven. Makes 40 biscuits.

I know that when I fix these this year, every dumb thing I do will be overlooked. I am working on recipes for Thanksgiving already. I plan on a trial run with the turkey this weekend.
I can't wait to make these biscuits for breakfast one morning with gravy, yep out of a package too.

Have a wonderful day,
~Kim~

Storms and Things I Made

This morning it is cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain. We will just get dust and wind. It doesn't matter, I will take it over sunshine. I have mentioned before that I have two cataracts, living in the valley like I do and the early years of trying to get that perfect tan have taken the toll on my eyes. This last week because of the haze it has made it very hard to see so the break from the sunshine is wonderful.

 I was finally able to finish up my big crow this weekend. I needed Ron to cut the wood that the crow is sitting on so I could finish it. He was working on the chicken house so of course I just didn't have the heart to ask him to do one more thing. He cut the wood for me this weekend and I was able to finish it.

 

It is a pattern I bought last year from Tammy Franck at Rock River Stitches. I still have plans to make it in red wool for the winter. I think it would look pretty as a cardinal. It is very big and it looks wonderful on my table.

 

 This is my rug I have been working on. I love this rug and I love how it is turning out. This is from an old book I bought in 2002 by Whimisicals. It is called Woolgathering. I have enjoyed this rug very much. I spent so many years dreaming of hooking this rug so now I find myself just so very happy to finally get to do what I love. I just love handwork and rug hooking and anything to do with fiber art.

So just some odds and ends this week. I hope you have a lovely week too as we race towards November.
I do think time seems to have just accelerated it just seems to go so fast.

Blessings to you all,
~Kim~

Odds and Ends

 

It is finally the weekend. It was so nice to wake up and it was Saturday. We have a cold front arriving by Monday so you can imagine how happy I am to get to wear a jacket and warm clothes and they are promising wind so that would be nice and I would like to hope for a bit of rain but I won't get my hopes up that much.

 

Last weekend I lost a filling from a tooth. So this week when  I went to the dentist, he asked me, " So what have you been doing for fun?" So this whole week since, I have been pondering, what do I do for fun? My thought, at the time was how do you answer that question with tools and plastic and the thing that blows air and water in your mouth. I just shook my head of course. How do I say, I blog, and I have met these wonderful people from all over the world, or say, I am a hooker, (rug hooker of course.) Or just waking up each morning is fun. Finding out that our library is going to be open and extra day and now on Saturdays too. Having a wonderful family and grand kids and a new chicken house and the leaves are changing that is all fun. I feel like sometimes, there is such a different me online than the me you see in real life.

I bought this pumpkin yesterday. I have never seen one this color before. I bought it just for seeds and I hope they aren't genetically modified. I am going to grow this if I can next year.

 

Isn't that an awesome pumpkin? See the little white one next to it? I am saving that ones seeds too. As I have bought pumpkins this year it as been for the color and shape and trying to get different kinds than from normal packs of seeds.

While I was taking pictures for this post, I thought I would show you what was really going on behind the scenes.

 

Linx the cat thought I should be taking her picture, she had been staring at me and then when I turned the camera on her she of course had to do the whole not interested thing.

 

Sasha of course wanted to be in every shot. She is of course acting like she really is looking at something out in the pasture and is not really aware she is in the way.

 

Then the dog and the cat have to walk around and inspect every thing. I finally gave up and stood there and waited for them to get tired of watching and following me.

 

I washed windows and cleaned flowerbeds this week. It is so nice to get to enjoy it a bit before the cold comes, but I do sit out here with a cup of coffee and watch the storms as they approach. I have visitors coming on Halloween. Batman, Ironman, Spiderman and the Hulk. I can't wait.

I hope you have a lovely weekend,

~Kim~

Ten Things I Love About Fall

Today, it will be 88 degrees, so I am more like Eeyore than anything. I decided I needed to think about all of the things I love about fall.

1. Cool Mornings, filled with blue skies.

2. The changing of the seasons that I see coming each day.

3. A new grand baby coming to remind me of hope for the future and how to be truly thankful for all of the gifts I have been given to not dwell on the things not given.

4. To be thankful for all of the things I thought would happen, and the things that didn't happen. To look back and see that most the time my fears are unfounded. " Fear is the darkroom where negatives are developed."

5. One of the things I noticed yesterday, we have 4 Northern Flickers. I was so happy to count them as they flew over and see the flash of red against the blue of the sky and the green of the trees when they flew to hide from me.

6. When I was out taking pictures this morning, like small gifts were these feverfew. It was such a surprise to find some blooming and I felt so blessed to find these blooming in spite of the weeds.

7. I had a thought this morning as I was walking around, that when I am ungrateful, and longing for places other than  where I am I fail to see the beauty at my feet. I almost missed a treasure because I was complaining about the weeds to myself. In spite of the weeds, there is always something to be happy about.

8. One of the things that I do love about fall is that when I do work in the dirt and get on my knees and pull weeds, there is such a nice feeling to the earth. The weeds come out like cutting butter with a hot knife.

9. Pumpkins

10. The golden light that shines in the fall. I love the light and at night when we sit outside and watch the sun setting and as the twilight deepens and I look in at the house and see the people moving about, I am thankful and content. I remember why I love fall.


Have a lovely day,
~Kim~

The Finished Coop!!

The coop is finished!! It has turned out to be as my whole life has been, beyond my wildest dreams. I think it is the nicest coop I have ever seen. So without further ado here are the photos.

 

There is sits in the late afternoon sun, with the light drifting down through the trees. It is all white. I decided to just let it look nice and clean.  The door is on now where the nest boxes are and it is so nice.

 

It has this lovely handle and even a lock on the door. Ron put chains on the door so it isn't heavy when I open it to get the eggs out.

 

Isn't that the nicest thing you have ever seen? I won't even have to go in the coop to collect eggs anymore.

 

This is where the roosts are inside. They are double what I have now. Hopefully it will keep them from pecking each other in the night.

 

These are the nicest nest boxes I have ever had before. He put a slanted board on top so the hens can't get up here and roost. They would you know. I really am happy with how they turned out.

 

Here is the window and the man door all finished. I can't wait until the move in day. The hens have no idea what is in store for them. Being creatures of habit I know that first night will be so funny. Not for them but for me. They are so cute when I clean their house they always want to come in and check it out. I know they will like this one better.

The little chicken door closed, so I can lock them in at night.

 

The little door open. I am sure they will be so happy when they finally get to move it. There is still the yard to build.It will be awhile yet. We are still working out how the little chicken yard will look. This huge job is done now. You know when we got married and I said " For better or worse," I am pretty sure it didn't say new chicken houses. It always makes me feel so in awe, that Ron does all of this for me. He is really a keeper.

I think always that I got the best end of the deal.

Have a lovely day, we will be taking the day off tomorrow.

~Kim~

More Photos

 

I feel like a I have found so many treasures since I upgraded to Picassa 3. I have photos that I took but always needed a bit more work to make them presentable. I was digging through my photos today and I found a few I took but I don't think I shared very many of them.

 

I was walking along the beach and the pelicans had been feeding as the sun was beginning to set. I had my camera when this guy just swooped down and landed. I thought he might have been hurt as he was trembling as I took his photo. I made him so nervous I didn't stay long but walked away. He watched me but never moved.

I was standing on the pier and the seals started swimming in great groups toward this place on the other side where there must have been school of krill or something it was quite a sight to see.

 

They were swimming to here. This was thousands of birds, seals, and who knows what all. It was a time when I had forgot to bring my binoculars. I wished I could have been able to see what else was out there. It was time for the whale migration so I was hoping to see that.

 

I was leaning over the top rail of the pier and this guy was beneath me looking up. I am so scared of heights that for me to even stand like that to get picture was tough. I can hardly make myself walk on the pier any more. The cracks just freak my mind out. I make myself do it anyway because I love walking on piers.

 

This was just before Emilie met Nik. I remember taking this picture and feeling like things were going to change. Little did I know. I took the shot just because I wanted to capture that moment in time when life is just perfect. Little did I know how much more perfect life would be when God brought Nik to our family.

 

I mentioned yesterday in my post that Ron has been working on the chicken coop he hasn't got to go do his fun stuff. The man who owns this Bonsai Nursery, has a sale in October. We haven't been able to get away. I want to go over there and look at trees. I want Ron to be able to do his Bonsai instead of chicken coops. So you see, why I feel so guilty about that chicken coop. I love going and visiting this place. I love watching Ron's face as he talks to George about trees. It makes me so happy.

 

I just love looking at the trees when they are in the pots. You know that when you see trees like this it is for show only right? You can't leave them in pots like this or they would die. You have to move them into a different pot and put them outside. That was one thing I learned about Bonsai. They are trees and they have to live outside, that is why if you buy one they die when you try to keep it in the house. I always thought it was because I have a black thumb.

 

So this was my walk down memory lane today. I am in a need of a beach trip. I really do like the beach best in October. The crowds are gone and the days are just beautiful.

Have a lovely weekend,
~Kim~

Almost Friday

It is almost Friday, which means I always enjoy Thursdays just because of that. I hope this has been a pleasant week for you. Do you ever have days when there just isn't a lot going on in your brain? In fact, feeling pretty boring right now. Not to mention feeling too happy inside to rant about something. I have been playing with my photos again so I thought I would share a few. 

 

My roses are feeling tired and I really need to be lopping of their heads instead of taking their picture. Just a question those of you who have roses, when you trim them do you feel a bit like Morticha  from The Addams Family? I always do, I keep waiting for Gomez to come in and talk to me with his cigar in hand.

 

Not so many colors as this yet, but every day just a few more leaves are tuning red. Now if we could get a nice swoop of cold air from Alaska I would be very happy.

 

I wish you could see my hard drive and see how many times I have taken pictures of this hand plow. I can never get them to turn out right. I did some cropping of this one and I think it is okay. This is my grandsons favorite toy. When they come out here they like nothing better than to push this all around making furrows in the pasture.

 

I still love this stem on this pumpkin. One of the things I love about growing my own pumpkins is getting to decide the length of the stem. Since I don't have any pumpkins from my garden this year, I go digging around in boxes to find stems. Apparently, commercial growers could care less about stems. I almost feel like a pumpkin stalker as I go rubbernecking by pumpkin fields and stands looking for stems.

 

I love this little rosebush just because it looks pretty when it first blooms and even prettier as the roses begin to get crunchy. It looks so pretty out in the yard right now. Even though it isn't a fall color, I do love this color all year long.

 

My front tree is almost completely leafless. It thinks it is fall and I can look out in the front yard and enjoy the fall season. The back yard is still full blown summer. No leaves changing color in the back.

So this is my post for today. I hope you have a lovely weekend. Ron is off tomorrow, and the chicken house should be finished by this weekend. He has worked so hard on this. I will be glad when it is finished so I don't have to feel so guilty about the weekends. I will be glad when he can do all of his fun stuff again.

Thank you so much for stopping by today,
~Kim~