Spending Time With Isabel

My Daily Drive

Coreopsis

Prickly pear

Peek-a-boo! I see you!

Roses

Raisin Walnut Oatmeal Scones

Yep. One is already missing. :D Guess whooooo?! LOL

 

I LOVE my sectioned cast iron skillet! Not only does it bake great scones, the cornbread is so good and crusty! Yum!
 

Buttered with orange marmalade. Heavenly!

The Drive to Work and Home Again - Jiggedy Jig!

Wednesday on the way home:


Roses growing on a fence row.

 I don't know what this is but pretty!

At home Sam, Kirk, and I checked out the neighbor's land clearing progress. This was not timber - just overgrown with brush and spindly trees. 

Kirk enjoying his early evening romp. 

 

 

He found this bone early in his residence here. LOL It is longer than he is. Jonathan had to carry it to the dog run for him. 

Friday morning I tried it. YEP! I can now point my toes enough to pull my boots on. Yippee!! Only 10 weeks or so since I sprained my ankle. :D Still not totally back to normal but getting closer each day. (I'm staying off dress shoes with heels taller than one inch. bummer)

Pea soup fog Friday morning. (But remember...I had my red boots on!)

Snacks and Clouds

 Look good?

All you need is a package of oyster crackers. Mix some vegetable oil, ranch dressing mix, onion powder, fresh ground black pepper, whatever other spices you want. Spread in a baking pan. Bake 30 minutes at about 350 degrees stirring every 10 minutes.

I LIKE Penzey's spices and blends. I used their ranch dressing mix. I believe I had more of it left in the bottom of the pan than I did in the past when I used Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix which must be finer ground.

If you don't know that I love cloud formations...you haven't followed my blog very long.

Sunsets and Cinnamon

I love the cookie scoops. They look like small ice cream scoops. Perfect for making Snicker Doodles - no more rolling out with your hands!

 

Jonathan arrived just in time to help. 

Scoop dough out into a bag of cinnamon sugar. 

Shake and place on cookie sheet. 

Bake, cool - a little bit - eat!

The recipe came from Sam's mother, Hazel. This was his favorite cookie until I started baking his new favorites, Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies. :D

Snicker Doodles


1 cup butter *
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix shortening and sugar and vanilla.  Add eggs, flour, cream of tartar, soda, and salt.  Roll into balls the size of small walnuts. 
Roll in mixture of 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon.
Bake at 400 degrees on an ungreased cookie sheet for 8 - 10 minutes.

*The recipe calls for shortening. I do not use shortening or margarine. The butter worked just fine and you know the cookies tasted better!

Bless You!

In church yesterday morning, a lady sneezed. The little 3-year old girl behind me leaned over and said, "Bless you!"

LOL

Pressing Issue

I've gone through two rather pricey irons since 2005. (Don't you love the title pun?! :D)

The first was a Rowenta that worked perfectly for a few years until the water reservoir ruptured causing it to slobber all over everything. I sent it on to Jonathan who was ironless. He said it quit heating pretty shortly after that.

The next was a Shark. I had heard good things about it. It quit while Jonathan was ironing a pair of pants. (Jonathan has moved back home temporarily.) I told him where the two old irons were located and to use the Black & Decker because the GE has a frazzled cord.

The B&D still worked, but just did not get hot enough IMHO. Frazzled cord and all, I plugged the GE in and turned it on. It got hot quick. Jonathan told me to get the Shark, which I fished out of the trash. He needed screwdrivers and a pair of pliers. Working together we took the cord off the Shark and put it on the GE.

I LOVE IT!

 

It was a wedding gift in 1971. It is still as hot as it was when new. Does a beautiful job on 100% cotton curtains. Made in the USA! Built to last. :D

OH! Is this considered VINTAGE?! LOL

My Flowers

My sprained ankle severely set my yard work back. Everything has had to do its own thing.

My bluebonnets are just about wiped out. 

We have acidic soil and they don't like it. The ag teacher at high school told me I needed to put some lime out. I can't do that in my planting beds because the azaleas and the camellia prefer acidic soil. The bluebonnets down by the road look pretty poorly.


The camellia was loaded this year!

I planted hostas in six places...have only one left. The bed is just too sunny.

 

 

 Speaking of azaleas...

I have a few yellow and purple old-fashion irises.

This shot was taking on toll road 130 around Austin traveling at about 80 mph. :) Legal speed limit. These are bluebonnets.  

A "Restful" Afternoon and Evening

 Isn't Kirk such a cutie? 

Jonathan and Sam were going to town for something. I decided I needed some sun on these old woman white cellulite dimpled legs - so I put on a pair of shorts, put out a cot, got Kirk's leash and my Kindle and sat back for relaxing read.

Not! This dog does not chill!!

Sherry could not read...

Later, a relaxing sunset.