HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Monday has rolled around again...

I decided to wait until tomorrow to grind up the green tomatoes , onions and peppers so that I could have all day Wednesday to process the Chow Chow. The vegetables have to set in the fridge over night with salt on them before you mix up all the rest of the ingredients and can it. I'm off Wednesday this week because they've decided to switch my schedule all around again and I'm not going in until 7 again this morning. I'll return to 5 AM starts on Thursday when my direct boss returns from his vacation. They have approved my long weekend off in mid-November and I've all ready found one thing I want to do that Friday. I want to go to the State Museum to see "Uncommon Folk". An Exhibit that is right up my alley!I'll take my camera and if photos are aloud I will take some to share.

Scott and I have also been talking about taking a weekend away to hike and see waterfalls in the Upstate as it has to be stunning in the Fall. And a couple days "out of Dodge" would be fantastic. Just have to make sure that Greg remembers to feed the animals while we are away.

And I'd love a day at the Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens before it gets too cold to enjoy it. My sister gave me a Membership for Christmas last year and I need to use it. That would pretty much fill up those 4 days off. Lots of fun stuff!

Well it's time to get ready for work so I'll wish you all a wonderful day and will check in later today.

Wishing I could just stay home...

I awoke just feeling all out crummy! I should have wore a hat yesterday while we were out and about in that breeze; I know better. If my ears get cold air in them I get sick. I wish I could just crawl back in bed and stay home today. But what I will do is see what we have in the medicine cabinet and press on as it's only a 4 1 /2 hour shift. Fall is REALLY here now - gotta pull out some warm hats to cover my ears.

Robitusin Cough and Cold and I'm out the door - be back later.

The weekend thus far....

My "weekend" is basically Friday and Saturday with half a day with Scott on Sunday. So lets start with yesterday (Friday)...

I finally got the 20x20-inch crazy square sewn together and put into an envelope to go to the first person in the Crazy Quilt Round Robin; Diane in Maine will add the first bit of decorative stitching. My Crazy block is all done in fine corduroy and I'm looking forward to seeing what each person adds to it. When it returns home I will make it into a pillow. I also did some sewing on one of the 12 1/2-inch blocks but have messed up and have to rip it apart as I pieced a section incorrectly. I'll fix that tomorrow. And I did 6 loads of laundry - that was Friday.

This morning I started the day with picking all the green tomatoes and any that had started to turn red. The turning ones will just set on the kitchen counter until they are red and ready to eat. The green ones will be made into Chow Chow. Scott and I spent the rest of the morning getting some of the other ingredients. We went to the State Farmers Market and got onions, bell peppers, hot peppers and some sweet potatoes (those don't go in the Chow Chow). Then we stopped at 4 different stores looking for horse radish root - finally found it and was shocked at the price - $4.99/lb.

Tesla and Nicholas

Almost forgot I also made mixed fruit muffins for part of breakfast. I was wondering what was holding Scott to the bed and when he came out to the kitchen I went back to get my robe and found the problem...

He had two heavy weights holding him under the covers.

Now I think I will share the most precious part of the weekend; my son and his girl all dresses to attend a shipmates wedding reception. Aren't they adorable?

Rachel and Greg

Greg always makes such odd facial expressions in pictures. Can you tell he is a Joker?

Chrysanthemum

 The Fall temps have really brought on some BEAUTIFUL colors in our yard and I had to go around and find the most spectacular of them to share...

Pyracanthis

Holly Berries

Dogwood

Hawthorne Cherry

Scott with the Japanese Red Maple

Confederate Rose that blooms outside my sewing room window.

On My Mind... Summer Remains

Green Tomatoes - I'm hoping there are enough for Chow Chow Relish.

A few Happy Little Zinnias

This is a Friday photo feature that anyone with a blog can join. To take part, post a photo on your own blog, write a short caption explaining it, and link it back to Down To Earth from your blog by saying you're part of "On my mind". Please write a new post, don't link to an older one. When you've done that, go back to Down To Earth and add a comment below her "on my mind" post, with a link to your blog.

So Glad for "Ingredients"

We are between checks and are not really sure when Scotts' first check will hit the bank and the account is quite sad at the moment BUT I have "INGREDIENTS". So no bother that we are out of bread - I'll make some! I really enjoy my Kitchen Aide mixer and let it  do all the kneading for me. Especially after the work load I had at my job this morning - worked 4 AM to 10:30 - straight. I've added a tablespoon of flax seed as we really love the flavor and it's good for us.

For someone that has been awake since 2 AM I'm full of energy so I'm going to bake up some snacks as well... perhaps a batch of brownies for coffee breaks is in order or some sugar cookies... decisions decisions.

I also have a sewing list that is growing daily that I really need to jump onto and tackle so perhaps a little of that will also be in my afternoon.

The list to the left is just the sewing I need to get done for the gals in my online quilter's group. Lots of 12 1/2- inch blocks. The highlighted ones are the ones that have been completed and mailed to those gals.

The bread is rising now so I guess I will go pull out some fabric and see what I can check off that list.

Tuesday Evening

I think this sweater would make a lovely addition to my wardrobe. I've added it to my mental list of things to make for myself - the list that rarely gets any attention. I find I end up making things and giving them away to others; do you do this?  I need to make more things for myself more often.

I had a lovely nap after lunch but I'll be calling it an early evening as well. This morning I worked steady at putting out most of the Christmas baking items that came on the truck yesterday as well as a direct vendor shipment that came a few days ago. Dean and I worked and worked and still had one u-boat full of product that needs to make it to the sales floor. Perhaps tomorrow I will get that done; unless they change the plan like they always do from one discussion to the next. To top all the freight off tomorrow is a District wide Manager's meeting and it's to be held in OUR STORE so all the South East Managers will be there. I can all ready feel the stress tomorrow will hold and I'm SO GLAD that I am NOT a Manager. OH and tomorrow we are to get another close to 1000 case shipment... FUN! I guess there won't be anytime to get bored; right? I'm thinking I'd like a few days off... SOON! I just requested November 18-21 and Nov. 26th off - I hope they approve it; I need a REAL break.

Tuesday - it is Tuesday

The shift in my work week is really playing havoc with my time perception.. it's day 3 of my work week and it's Tuesday. I will be glad when the Holiday's are over and we go back to Monday through Friday. I think I've caught a virus and would much rather crawl back in bed today; just feeling rotten. Sometimes I wish I could feel less obligated and just call out from work.     

Last night I made a Sweet Potato Lasagna and it was pretty good. We liked it ok but it's a lot of work so I probably won't be making it often. I got the recipe out of Wednesday Night is Vegetarian

I'll check in later and perhaps post something more fun and less whiny.

They're Just Weeds

They may be "just weeds" but they are still beautiful in their full ripeness...

Scott (Husband) with Amelia

We are battling the fleas "Still" and are trying yet another squeeze on the back of the neck remedy on the dogs. Poor Amelia  has very little hair at the moment and we are worried that she won't have enough to stay warm outside as the weather turns colder. So we applied the stuff and then took them for a walk. Amelia will roll and roll if we don't walk her and in less than 30 minutes she will have it all rubbed off. Hopefully this stuff will work.

I worked this morning and came home and we have just taken it easy this afternoon. I cooked a simple meal of baked butternut squash, cooked collard greens and pan seared cubed steaks.  Tesla has tried to lour us into nap land - doesn't he look comfortable...

Family Time

Scott and I along with Greg and his gal, Rachel went out to my sister, Ronda's and her husband Kevin's house for their annual "Pig Pickin" last evening. I wish we could have stayed longer to visit more but I had to be up at 3 this morning to go to work.

Kevin and his Dad pulling the pig from the rack.

I got to see a lot of my family that I haven't seen in awhile...

My Sister-in-law, Alina and nephew, Austin

My sister, Hazel

My Niece, Abby - she and Austin ran and ran and ran some more.

And they loved the Monkey

Of course we all enjoyed the pig and the rest of the food way too much...

My brother, Charles in the striped shirt and ball cap and my son, Greg wearing the green coat.

Greg and his gal, Rachel

My brother, Charles again and B-I-L Kevin pulling meat from the pig.

It was a little chilly so the guys enjoyed standing around the pit after eating...

Just Vegging and Puttering about the house...

I've watched a few shows on TV Links and have been making "visits" to my sewing room and that is about it for today. I needed a day of nothing... not going anywhere... just being at home and relaxing. Letting my mind wander where ever it wanted to go and reflecting on my life. 

I fixed two pair of Greg's (son) jeans

I added my second round to Diane's (in Maine) RR

I made a Christmas block for Anne in Illinois

A Fall block for Kathryn in Washington State

I have yet to make the bread I had planned to but perhaps that will come next. I definitely want to try BLD in Montana's Oatmeal bread recipe that she posted yesterday and I need to make some pumpkin bread to take to my sister's tomorrow. Perhaps a short nap....

On My Mind... The First "cold" day

This morning it was only 40*F and I needed a jacket when I went to work and still needed it when I got off at 11 AM.  To knock the chill off the house when I got home I turned on the space heater that we use in whatever room we are occupying at the moment and Tesla thought it was all for him.


This is a Friday photo feature that anyone with a blog can join. To take part, post a photo on your own blog, write a short caption explaining it, and link it back to Down to Earth from your blog by saying you're part of "On my mind". Please write a new post, don't link to an older one.

So I won't Forget

This post is for me to remember how I made these AWESOME Enchilada's tonight...

Becky's Amazing Enchiladas

Brown 1 lb of ground beef in a large skillet

Once browned completely add 1 pkg Taco Seasoning - HOT & SPICY variety
 and 2/3 cup water and stir well.

Then add 1 can (16ozs) of re-fried beans and stir well.

Remove from heat.

Shred about 1 to two cups of cheddar cheese.

Preheat oven to 375*

While oven is heating spread about 1/3 of a 19oz can of MILD Enchilada Sauce into a pan about 13x9".

Then start preparing the Enchiladas... Take one 6" white corn tortilla and spread some of the meat mixture down the center and top with a little of the cheddar cheese and roll up. Then place the roll into the prepared 13x9" pan. Continue forming rolls with the white corn tortillas until meat mixture is used up and pan is full. Top with the remaining enchilada sauce and shredded cheddar. Bake in oven for about 30 minutes.

So DELICIOUS! If you can't handle HOT just use a mild taco seasoning mix instead of the hot & spicy. We like hot stuff but that's just "how we roll".

We REALLY enjoyed the white corn tortilla's and I still have over half a bag left in the fridge. I'm thinking they'd taste GREAT with cheesy scrambled eggs as well. And they are so inexpensive. We also love them in chicken noodle soup. And Quesadilla's would be SUPER easy as well. My mind is spinning with ideas. What are some ways you use White Corn Tortillas?

I'll Sleep Well Tonight

Scott had a WONDERFUL first day - they even kept him an hour and a half over to pull him into a meeting. YEAH! Made for a long day for him but he seems quite pleased with it all so far.

There is such a lovely shower happening at the moment; I just had to capture a bit and share it with you all. In the video as I move left you will see "The Project House" at the top of our street... it's been empty and in remodel for years. Many people have gone broke trying to fix it. Every time one runs out of money and the workers disappear we say, "NEXT". This was a cute house BEFORE the original crew hacked into it. It's a "Buyer Beware" house that will never be right again.

The house next door is in foreclosure and we wonder how long it will be before the Bank has a "For Sale" sign in front of it. Scott parks over there so it doesn't look so empty; the people from the Bank's Maintenance crew said that we could. It's a lovely house that had a beautiful remodel done about 6 years ago. It won't stay on the market long once it's listed. Well as I'm typing this post someone just pulled up and took pictures of said house. HHMMm... GREAT DAY FOR REALTOR PHOTOGRAPHS! Won't that listing look SMASHING?

I'm so looking forward to the weekend and seeing my family again on Saturday Evening at Ronda and Kevins'. Kevin will cook a whole pig and they'll have some wonderful side dishes - Kevin's a Chef. LUCKY SISTER! Scott's a pretty mean cook too.... TWO LUCKY GALS!

I found out today that from now until Christmas I will be working Sunday through Thursday and my "weekend" will be Friday and Saturday.  It will make for a "short" weekend with my DH but it will give me a day to sew in a quiet house. ; ) Lot's of time to get Christmas gifts made.

Have a good evening.

Spend time with the ones you love.....

This song has always touched me deeply...

My Dad's Cocktail Sauce Recipe

Cocktail Sauce

1/3 Cup Ketchup
1 tsp. Horseradish
1 tsp. Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp. Brown Sugar

Mix together.

Makes enough for about 1/2 lb. boiled Shrimp

It's been a VERY long day - I've been up since 2 AM ( I did slip in an hour long nap after lunch) but I'm still going to bed by 8:30. I got a bit of good news  - my raise came through so my paycheck will be a little more impressive. Scott and I are planning to pay off the house, land and car as fast as we can in the reverse order starting with the least owed first. We never want to be in the "free fall" position again. My best advice to anyone just starting out - don't get a bunch of credit cards and pay cash for everything.

Scott and I went to Red Wing shoes so he could order a pair of steel toed sneakers in a narrow width for work. His first official day at the new job is tomorrow. I hope it all goes smoothly for him. They told him him that he scored the highest on their assessment test than anyone ever has. FINALLY someone realizes he is one smart cookie.

Needless to say I have NOT gotten any sewing done today - perhaps tomorrow after I get home. Or perhaps I will find something cool to photograph and share. For now my head feels like Swiss cheese I think I'm going to head off to bed... Good night.

WOW - It's REALLY DARK at 2 AM

I'm hoping the roads will be clear - no drunk drivers this morning. I will probably be the only one on the road beside my co-workers. We are receiving an EARLY Seasonal truck this morning that will contain all the Christmas tree's, Christmas bulbs, etc. I'm hoping that we get it ALL done in the 5 1/2 hours so I can leave by 10:30 and come home and nap. I'd really like to get some more sewing in today but I will have to wait and see how exhausted I am. "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...."

Saturday we will be attending the "Pig Pickin'" at my sister and Brother-in-laws and I will get to see a bunch of my family. I miss the family gatherings we had when my son was little. We just don't get together very often anymore. It's a sad thing.

Me, Jon Paul, Heather and Peggy Sue - Cousins

Aunt Carol, Susie, Virgina, Jon Paul and I at one of Heather and my combined birthday parties.

My childhood contained LOTS of cousins and extended family. Perhaps later on I will be able to find some picture's from one of Greg's birthdays'. Right now I have to get ready to leave for work.

The Little Extras from the Weekend

Scott got the second coat of paint on this set of windows

Pin Corduroy all pre-washed and ready to be made into a crazy quilt block to send around in a Round Robin to have other gals stitch some fun stuff on it before it returns home and I turn it into a pillow. The colors are a little off; they are actually much deeper in jewel tones.

Kathryn's Fall Round Robin with my two borders added - next it will go on to Anne. I still have Diane's RR that needs one more border and then I will send it on to Kathryn and she in turn will add her bits and send it on to Anne before it goes back to Diane. These are just loads of fun.

OH... and I worked 5 AM to a little after Noon today. Got to be to work at 4 AM tomorrow so I better go "hit the hay". Take care, be safe and HAVE FUN in life!

More Fun Stuff

At Michael's crafts we sell a kit to make plaster ornaments of babies hand prints or animal paw prints and I am thinking about getting a kit to do the cats and dogs prints. But then I got to thinking there has to be a "free" way to do this as well and so I went looking and found this recipe... ornament-and-handprint-clay

And for something that looks SUPER fun and Science oriented check out these homemade Lava Lamps I want to do this sometime when I have some "littles" visiting.

I'll keep looking for more fun things to do from now til Christmas as well as posting some family favorite recipes along the way.

I got up at 5:30 this morning and did some quiet straightening up so the fellas could sleep a bit longer. And then made a pork chop and scrambled egg breakfast. Then more piddling about; lunch and a nap... now to buy groceries. YUCK! I HATE SHOPPING! I know weird for a woman huh?

Need ideas?

The Christmas Crafting Season has begun so I thought some may be interested in some of the things I plan to make this year; lets start with a half dozen...
1. Market Tote
2. Quilt as you go potholders
3. Knitted Dishclothes
4.  Cloth napkins tutorial
5. Christmas Cards
6. Winter "sets"

Have fun and HAPPY CRAFTING!

MMMmmmmm ICE CREAM!

A Celebratory Banana Split at Zesto's.... Delicious but not good for the weight we'd like to loose.

On My Mind... SHARKS!

More shark fabric for a certain little boys Christmas present

This is a Friday photo feature that anyone with a blog can join. To take part, post a photo on your own blog, write a short caption explaining it, and link it back to  Down to Earth from your blog by saying you're part of "On my mind". Please write a new post, don't link to an older one. When you've done that, go back to Down to Earth and add a comment, with a link to your blog.

GOODNESS ABOUNDS!

First thing.... SCOTT GOT A JOB! He starts Monday! We are so happy, excited, nervous, anxious... but mostly HAPPY!

SECOND... YOU'VE GOT TO TRY THESE...

White Chocolate and Cranberry Cookies

I got the recipe at slow living essentials ; the recipe is at the end of the post. I won't copy to my blog as it's her wonderful gift to share not mine... but the link will get you there. AND OH MY! These are DELICIOUS! The only thing I did differently is I buttered the bottom of a drinking glass and dipped it in sugar to flatten the cookies a little instead of using a fork dipped in flour.

Now I really must get ready for bed... I didn't get my nap today and I am exhausted. Goodnight folks.

What a Neat idea...

ABC's of me...

A=Age; 47

B=Bed size; Full size - it was Scott's Grandparents and we've slept on it since day one together.

C=Chore that you hate; cleaning the bathroom; followed closely by cleaning out the fridge after it's been "too long".

D=Dogs; Two Biutches

E=Essential start to you day; Coffee and about an hour to wake up and be quiet before the madness of work begins and to read blogs.

F= Favourite colour; Earthy greens and browns - I can't choose just one of them.

G=Gold or silver; Mostly Gold but have some Silver in my hair so I have to like it.

H= Height; 5ft 7in

I=- Instruments you play; Took 6 years (age 6 to 12) of piano lessons and can't play a thing now.

J=Job title; Replenishment Team Member

K-Kids; Just 1 grown son

L=Live; Hot and steamy South Carolina but am from Cool and Beautiful New York

M=Mother's name; Mary

N=Nickname; Becky; no one but my Grandma and one cousin ever has called me Rebecca

O=Overnight hospital stays; Birth of our son and when I had a Heart Cath in 2008

P=Pet peeves; Smoking, lazy people

Q=Quotes from a film;  "OHHHHHhhhh.... The MEEK... the meek will inherit the Earth. well that's good as they've had a hell of a time"

R=Right or left handed; Right, but I can do lots of things with both.

S= Siblings;  I'm the oldest and have 3 sisters and 2 brother

T=Time you wake up; 3 AM weekdays and whenever I get up on weekends but it's usually by 6 AM

U=Underwear; 100% cotton

V=Vegetable I hate:  Brussel sprouts and eggplant

W=What makes you run late; Over sleeping - I can't stand to be late and will actually arrive 5 to 10 minutes early where ever I go.

X=Xrays you've had; knees as a child; and my hand when the wind slammed the door closed on it years ago.

Y=Yummy food that you make; Oh, so many….. A Favorite is my Lady Baltimore cake that takes all day to make

 
Z=Zoo animals; Any of the large cats but I'd rather see them in the wild

Buttons Got Me Thinking

Buttons over at Buttons Thoughts got me to thinking as she describes a recent trip she took into the BIG city of Toronto. I grew up in a small town out on a dairy farm in Upstate New York where everyone knew everyone - REALLY. And where we were all just able to "be ourselves" as we all knew each other and our families.

Me and Kattie

Me and Kattie and the farm house where I grew up.

When I moved to South Carolina I also lived out in the country but once I met Scott we've always lived in a City and I slowly changed through my 20's and 30's and lost site of that feeling of being able to "be myself". I fell into the "have more be better mindset" and I hated it! Once I hit my 40's I've been on a journey to find my "true self" that so freely lived through my childhood and teen years. I don't know what it is about City living that changes the thinking... perhaps it's the fast paced atmosphere... perhaps it's the over Commercialization... but everyone worries so much about what other's will think of them by what they wear and less about how they act. People are rude whether walking through a store or driving a car or even in their workplace. It's all a rush to see who can have more, do more, be more... WHY? Why not focus more on just the "being" and the "experience" without all the added pretentiousness.

Little Nickie and I last winter

I do have times like Button found in Toronto where people are cheerful and glad to share bits of their lives but those encounters are not the norm. Like her I've found that they occur more often when you let your own walls down and open up first. Here's to just "being" and opening up more to my fellow human beings!

Mr Tesla - Just "being" himself

Warmth, Love and Family

Candles represent warmth on a cool and cloudy day;

Love when you share a special meal with someone dear to your heart

and

Family during celebrations of life and Season.

I love the warm glow of candles and I really enjoy 3 wick candles. My sister, Robin made this candle holder for me many years ago and it is the perfect size for these large candles.

Sunday Morning Walk

I love Fall flowers almost as much as Spring's blooms...

And then there is the man made beauty....

I just think that some graffiti is beautiful.

And then there were the fungi and dried leaves...