Just Horsing Around

You know that I can't post photos without first showing clouds. :-)

All the mamas are gathered together one morning. They must have already dropped the children off at school.

 The next morning I caught the kids playing hookie!

Hummingbirds and Pinky...Pinky? Who is Pinky?

 When I looked out the living room window Sunday morning I saw three hummingbirds at the feeder. Grabbing the camera, I went outside and stood beside one of the porch pillars. Two of the hummers paid me no mind...the third would zoom in and out hovering just "over there" watching me, but never approaching the feeder.

I LOVE this one caught in mid-hover!

A friend gave me a couple of pieces of fabric. Jonathan immediately recognized this piece from Saturday morning cartoons when he was a kid...Pinky and the Brain. He recently acquired a Kindle and requested a cover using this fabric. He is just a 29-year old kid after all. :-)

 Like me, he did not want a triangle cutting across his Kindle screen so I used Velcro. He will stick the other pieces to the back of his Kindle.

In mine, I used cardboard for stiffener. Since Jonathan did not want pockets, I used plastic needlepoint canvas.

He has a book reading light that is supposed to be clipped onto the pages of a REAL book. He wanted a slot for the clip. I made a long buttonhole...and he can clip it onto the plastic canvas.

A Full Month

I had a "landmark" birthday mid-August. Yes my fine friends, I turned the big six-o...60. Where oh where did the years go? I am pleased to report that I did not fall apart! Neither mentally nor physically. :D I have no aches and pains. The right knee creaks a bit, buy my sister-in-law's knee has creaked since she was a teenager and she is still going strong at 56...so I'm not worried. Over the years, as I've hit "the" age, I have thought, "I am in better health than Mama when she was this age." I continually thank God that this has held to be the truth.

When Sam and I married 16 years ago, I told him that I was not big on cut flowers...an expense to just throw away in a few days and I would rather got out someplace nice to eat or...just buy me CHOCOLATE! :D

So for my sixtieth birthday I was surprised  for the third time since we married with a beautiful bouquet.

My birthday celebration continued when I was surprised at the pizza place to find Cody, Brook, and Isabel waiting for us after church! Such a sweet second surprise!

And a perfect chance to show-off my very first homemade bagels!

 

These tasted GREAT, but I am not going to post a recipe yet. There's one more recipe I want to try.

Just Stuff

One morning I stepped out on the front porch with my camera to check the clouds. While standing there, I heard a hummer. It flew toward the feeder as I watched not moving. 

 

Then it decided to check ME out. LOL

Last Tuesday evening while watching television, I looked out the back door. The sky was orange. I've never seen an orange sky. I called Sam's attention to it as I jumped up and grabbed the camera on my way out. Unfortunately, the color just does not show up in the photo. RATS...

Kids in church...a few weeks back I mentioned about a little girl saying, "God bless you," to someone who sneezed during church. It was not a whispered blessing...it was a regular voice blessing. :-)

This morning a little girl down in front of us was singing. She sang during the song and quit singing when the congregation stopped. She did this with every song. Sam and I looked at each other and just smiled.

Then...

there are the parents who do not get to hear a word of the singing or sermon because they spend the hour shushing their child(ren). I'm not talking about infants and toddlers who are learning how to act in church...I am talking about kids who are at the age that they should be sitting quietly. I do not know why this mother does not have a "bag of tricks" for the kids during church: sketch pad, colors, coloring book, story books, etc. ANYTHING to keep them quiet.

It's a mind-boggling thing.

All I Want

I saw an ad on a Facebook vintage stuff for sale page: mid-century vinyl couch. 

LOOK!!!

It reminded me of a Darius Rucker song (click song title):

All I Want

Sunrise - Sunset - And all Good Things in Between

I am measuring my food and have been surprised at my interpretation of a serving is and what the package states.

Did you know that a serving of almonds is 24 almonds and has 160 calories? Sigh.

This is what one (LOL) serving - 1/2 cup - of Blue Bell Honey Caramel Greek Yogurt looks like. It has 190 calories. 

 

ONE-HALF CUP! I could eat a whole pint in one sitting. I HAVE eaten a whole pint in one sitting!

One morning while still in bed, I looked out my north-facing window watching the clouds. Then I saw this. I grabbed my camera and ran down the hall to see the brilliant sunrise. There wasn't one! The best show was to the north.

A few evenings later, this is what I saw to the north...

 to the west...

to the north...

back to the west...

Then there are the grand things in between...  

Red

 

Last night's sunset.

I did not expect to ever purchase Tupperware again. The prices are astronomical now. 

But I noticed two things:
1. 10 Wonderlier bowls and lids for the price of 4.
2. The plastic has been reformulated to omit BPA.

One other point, my old Wonderlier bowls were from the early to mid 1970s. The bowls were scratched and stained...the lids warped. They needed replaced.

Pretty and Funny :-)

The Pretty from July 1

The funny from July2

Mom said they emptied the hamper in their bathroom.

 

 

BUT they did not flush. WHEW!

Two days before they got the vaseline and some cortisone cream and smeared a wall. Boys will be boys. And mom will soon learn that if two boys are quiet - she better RUN to go check on them!

Sunset - Last Evening in June

My Yard...and Beyond

 One of our wild "pets."

 Doughnut Muffins! Recipe below.

 Cardinal hens - through the sewing room window.

 This has bloomed before. I have two of these - one on either side of the door. These are the first I have ever had to bloom. I think it is because instead of being houseplants, they are outside.

I got this recipe on the HGTV food forum from Martha (aka Linderhof - her blog is in the list on the right)

DOUGHNUT MUFFINS

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 to 1 1/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg, to taste
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup milk

Topping
3 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons Cinnamon-Sugar Plus

1) Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin. Or line with 12 paper or silicone muffin cups, and grease the cups with non-stick vegetable oil spray; this will ensure that they peel off the muffins nicely.

2) In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars till smooth.

3) Add the eggs, beating to combine.

4) Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla.

5) Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined.

6) Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan, filling the cups nearly full.

7) Bake the muffins for 15 to 17 minutes, or until they're a pale golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean.

8) Remove them from the oven, and let them cool for a couple of minutes, or until you can handle them. While they're cooling, melt the butter for the topping (this is easily done in the microwave).

9) Use a pastry brush to paint the top of each muffin with the butter, then sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar. Or simply dip the tops of muffins into the melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar.

10) Serve warm, or cool on a rack and wrap airtight. Store for a day or so at room temperature. 

Yield: 12