No words necessary

Date Day Plan B

Every Friday is date day for me and Mike. We take turns planning the day and this date was mine to plan. Here is my plan: Pick up Palm Branches for Church, stop by McDonald's for two coffees to go, decorate for Palm Sunday at Church, head to the Antique Rose Emporium to shop and have a picnic. But here is what happened: Picked up Palm Branches, got coffee, made an unplanned stop at the grocery store and Walmart, decorated at Church, headed to the Rose Garden, got a flat/ruined tire, headed to Discount Tires in College Station, ate our picnic lunch outside the Tire Shop while they put on a new tire. 

 This tire is one month old! Two very nice Aggie guys stopped to ask if we needed help. The first time, Mike said that we were okay and the second time he said we did need help.

                         Sitting on a large rock, eating a rib-eye steak sandwich from our ice chest.

The weather was beautiful, the picnic lunch was excellent, our tire was under warranty so it didn't cost us anything, and we learned how to get the small spare tire out from under our car. We didn't make it to the Rose Garden but the day was an adventure after all.

7 a.m. on a country road

This was a very cool, sunny, and peaceful morning for a jog. When I finished my run, I walked a bit to cool down and got to see this Mama Hen and her babies. She was one of several sets of mamas and babies but she brought her brood back out into the sun as I quietly stood waiting with my camera. 

Good news, bad news

This is my first blog in 4 years!  During that very busy time, lots of good things happened. 

The Good news: Family

Mike and I celebrated our thirtieth wedding anniversary and my daughter Ky got married. Here are the members of my family now.

Aaron my son-in-law, Ky,   me (Kerrie), Mike,   Lee and Peggi my daughter-in-law

I love seeing these wonderful people as much as possible.

The Bad News: Termites

We have been in this house for 30 years and the termites are only in one small area, so it isn't all that bad. But, Mike has to take apart a new drainage system that he designed and figure out another one. Here is the work so far.

Despite the termites, Spring has been wonderful for me. We are enjoying the season by working in our vegetable garden, fishing, taking golf cart rides and exercising outdoors. The wild dew berries are getting ripe and I plan to make one really good pie. The wild grapes are blooming and there are flowers everywhere. I look forward to each afternoon-with a good book and a cup of coffee, followed by our golf cart ride and a healthy supper. I love very, very simple things and appreciate every blessing. There's always good news to be had-if I just remember to look.

When you live in the country......

You usually get to adopt some new pets, even if you weren't searching for them, when you live in the country. This golden cat is a full fledged male, apparently a lover and a fighter. He mostly stays with us although I am fairly sure he belongs to a neighbor. He is the loudest cat I've ever been around. He is sweet. He is always hungry and he is always loud. He is very friendly and tame around us but I've heard him with other wild cats. A few times he has appeared at our house with major wounds. Once I thought his throat was opened up so much that he needed stitches but he just took things easy for a few days and healed right up. This week, he is missing at least one toe and has a huge chunk of his face ripped away-right by his right eye. Well, we will continue to feed him and love him when he is around. Mike has named him Alphonse. My cat, Anderson, seems to like him too.
Soon, I will tell you about the other neighbors little dog who sleeps in a chair on our front porch.

Tired muscles

An 10 foot ladder, a paint roller on an extension pole and a 20 foot ceiling equals? A long, hard day and sore muscles. This part was actually easier than what I did earlier in the day. I had to reach the top of the wall with a 16 foot extension pole while standing on the floor. My upper body is a lot stronger than I thought! The darker area is the last of the unpainted wall and I was just about to finish up when Mike took this picture.I don't like to be very high off the floor. As you can see, I am above the door frame and even above the air vents-which are at 9 feet. I am working on my bedroom today and I would say that we are about 65% done with our remodeling.

The sunroom: before and after

The piled up mess, the old sub-floor, patched sheet rock with old paint, no trim, dirt, dust. Of course the major mess is from pushing everything to the center of the room so I could paint.

New floor! New paint! New trim!, Stuff still piled up but much more manageable and I can walk through this room. Still some dirt and dust but we are getting there. Today, Mike will work on the trim in the hallway and I have taken up the old carpet in our bedroom. I am weeding out the unwanted books and boxing up my keepsakes. I might even paint the bedroom ceiling today.


Sherrie, I want to remodel our bathroom and you volunteered your services, right?

busy Springtime

I have been very busy lately. Mike and I are remodeling our home. For us, that means that Mike and I are doing the actual labor. After the house was releveled, Mike started patching the sheetrock and I followed with the paint. As of yesterday, we are about half finished. When we are done, the entire downstairs will have new paint, trim and floors. I am starting to redecorate as well...after all it is first-things-first. I found my little dog Amos making use of my new bird pillows. And, I believe he was wet from the grass. It is a good thing that I believe in a house that all can use and enjoy.

December was hot here in Texas. I mean shorts and T-shirts hot. Finally a cold front was in the forecast, on Christmas Eve. The day went by and we waited. I think we may have even had the air conditioner on. By evening, dark clouds developed along the Northern horizon. That was the "Norther" we had been waiting for. We knew the front was close so we sat on the deck and waited for it. 

 We got to be outside the moment it arrived. Here, my daughter looks toward the North as the clouds pick up speed. Suddenly, we hear the wind before we feel it.

Then, we see the leaves blowing wildly all around us and the full force of the wind hits us. Within 5 seconds or so, it is too cold to sit outside without a coat. It was magic to us. And just as quickly, Christmas Eve was here.

Celebrating Christmas:Family

 

 

Yep, we had a few outakes during our family picture session. Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

Mike

Mike is a big part of my physical "transformation". He is my biggest fan. He participates in my exercise routine and look at him! He is really fit and trim and very youthful. Here we are in November of this year. It was a beautiful afternoon, just before the wedding of a close friend, and right before a huge thunderstorm. I had all of my family around me and was enjoying the coolness of the weather and the beauty of the lake. I was very happy!

my garden in December

It was nice being able to pick these vegetables the other morning. They went right into a pot on the stove and we had them for lunch. Not bad for December!

My exercise update

If anyone was wondering if I kept up my exercise routine here is an update. I am now running between 3.6 and 5 miles three times per week. I also do toning exercises twice a week. On the other days I walk 4 miles. I still take Sunday off. I also reached my weight loss goal a few weeks ago. I have lost over 60 pounds. I have a new wardrobe and a new goal-maintain my current level of exercise and my current weight. I will keep you posted so I hope you check back in.

Icy Blue

Thank you to my sister for this early birthday present. She saw me looking at an icy blue Christmas display and sneaked this out of the store while we were shopping. I placed it on top of my Grandmother's piano and have enjoyed just sitting in the dark, with only the Christmas lights on. Thank you Sherrie.

Mini Corndog muffins

These are showing up on the internet in lots places so I decided to make them for a covered dish lunch. They were a big hit! Just use whatever cornbread recipe you usually use but spoon the batter into mini muffin pans. Then cut hotdogs into 4 or 6 pieces and stick a piece in each muffin. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12-15 minutes until the bread is light golden brown.

How big did it get?

 

 

I finally picked my "Giant" pumpkin from the garden. I thought that it had reached its maximum size. It weighed 22 pounds (less than I thought) and measured 45 1/2 inches around from stem to end (oblong). The circumference right around the middle was 35 3/4 inches.

It now sits on this table in my living room. I think it will be the centerpiece on Thanksgiving. It was a lot of fun watching it grow in the garden. Next year, I will get an earlier start in planting the seeds and see if we can grow one a little larger for next Fall.

 

 

Baking is crafting

 

 

I like to bake! I only bake when I can share with other people because, as you probably can guess, I also love to eat. I cannot resist homemade treats. Here are two items I baked in September:

                                         Butter Herb Bread that I baked for the County Fair.

2 pkgs. yeast
2 c. warm water
6 eggs
1 1/4 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. oil
1 1/2 tsp. rosemary
2/3 c. parsley
8 c. flour
1 egg for top

Dissolve yeast in water. Combine eggs, salt, oil, herbs and 3 cups flour. Add yeast and mix well. Add more flour to make dough and knead on floured board for 10 minutes. Place in greased bowl and cover. Let rise for 1 1/2 hours in warm place. Shape into two loaves on cookie sheet. Cover loosely and let rise for 45 minutes. Brush with egg and bake for 50 minutes at 375 degrees.

       Harvey Wallbanger Cake I baked for the Volunteer Fire Department Auction Fundraiser

• 1 box of yellow cake mix
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup vodka
• 1/4 cup Orange liqueur
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate

1. Mix cake mix, eggs, and oil together.
2. Blend them with a mixer on slow.
3. Add orange juice,  orange liqueur, and vodka.
4. Stir together.
5. Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan.
6. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes.
7. Mix powdered sugar and orange juice concentrate together with a fork until smooth and drizzle over cooled cake.

Crafts for wedding accessories

 

 

 

 

 

 

I made this hair wreath for the flower girl at a friend's wedding recently. I started with a thin metal hairband, covered it in ribbon and lined the bottom with pearls. Then I glued on little paper roses, larger silk roses, artificial pink branches and ribbon. I thought it was beautiful and so did the little flower girl. She wore her hair up and this little wreath encircled her bun and ringlets.

 

 

                                   This is the view of the front of the wreath of roses.

      This is the view from the back. The silver ribbons cascaded down around the flower girl's neck.

I also took the purchased flower basket and added some matching accents. I lined the top of the basket with pearls and used the silk rose and pink branches to match the hair wreath. This was one of my favorite projects.

Crafts as gifts

I had a really fun time making these hats for a birthday gift. Can you see "Minnie Mouse"?

                                                                   Child size hat.

                                           A matching, mini hat for this baby doll.
I like to try to give something a little different-something no one else will have. I hope this birthday gift brings a special little girl lots of joy

My "Giant" Pumpkin

 

 

 

I am still producing 3 kinds of peppers and some okra in my garden. I think that is amazing for this time of year. I also have lots of basil, lavender and fennel. The tomatoes are producing again since the weather has cooled. My favorite little project is this pumpkin. Just for fun I planted 2 giant pumpkin seeds at the end of June-very late in the season. The two vines made one pumpkin each but I soon lost one of the vines. This one survived the hot, dry summer and is beginning to ripen. I will measure it soon and give an update. It has a very oblong shape and it is a good 2 feet long from stem to stem.

 

My little dog Amos sits by the Giant pumpkin. He weighs 10 pounds and is much smaller. We have had a lot of rain and the pumpkin continues to grow. Update soon to come!