can't sign in to google

  this is pretty strange-not able to sign in, but I can type this up. if I comment comes up as annymous  Not sure yet if I can visit other blogs or not--just so you know.  I did write up a post before this happened this morning.

Good Morning Wednesday & Online Updates-This & That

 Good morning Friends,

    We have gotten lots of rain here-so thankful for that, a bit cooler for now too-out of those 90's F We do have the humidity still.

  Thought I would share some updates.  I buy a lot online theses days-easier, faster usually less expensive as well never had too much negative experiences.  

   Ebay is a place where you can not call them, have to email them for help. I just heard from them yesterday obviously they did not read everything that happened and are refusing to give me my money back-saying that I received it. So they didn't follow through very well as I had shipped the needle back unopened and the tracking clearly shows that. I did write a negative review for this seller-so nothing else I can do sadly.  I think I will be buying less on Ebay going forward-but there one can support small business's and just regular people too.

   I try not to but I do order a lot on Amazon-I don't pay for prime though I just meet the dollar amount for free shipping.  Last time I went to sign in to my account they added more things to do in order to get to  my account. In addition to getting a code etc now they want my social security number, my address and more-not happening. So I deleted my amazon credit card. Actually I have another card that I have had for many years that gives me more money awards back then the Amazon card ever did.  Would you type in your social security number in order to sign in to a credit card account online?? 

  A couple days age my monitor started acting up so it needs replaced. Larry just ordered one for me. When we bought this lake home I knew eventually that all the appliances needed to be replaced. My very old freezer around 20 year old or more now needs to be replaced soon as well.  These life things happen in cycles-I think it is just all hitting now.

  After waiting for new rotary cutter blades in order to cut the poly/ cotton broadcloth for the toothbrush rug I decided cutting that will be a disaster getting it all on grain. So I went back through my remaining quilt cottons and found about 4 yards of fabric that I want to use instead. The rug will be all cotton this way too and easier to wash and dry.  I have that all torn and am now finishing up ironing it.  So will be ready to start the rug soon. I just need to get  my head clear smiles.

  I think this is the 5th day now that when I was out blowing away all of the fall leaves off the pathway in front of the house-I got bit twice from a wasp-I didn't see it so assuming that is what it was. I got bit in the neck first-and then I went out again to finish up and got bit again in my right hand.  I did the vinegar first and then the baking soda and water paste. after three days it still burned-found a tube of benadryl cream the next day the swelling was finally gone. My hand had gotten really large.  Today it still burns on both bites-so I guess I am a bit allergic. I always get very ill from poison ivy too. Always something haha

  Well thank you for "listening"   My blog is where I can express myself and to interact with people-as we rarely see anyone here except for the mail carrier and those that deliver my packages. When Larry has physical therapy-we do get people interaction that way too-but Medicare has cut that off again for a few  months.

  My monitor is flickering like crazy again so will give it a rest  

Happy Mid Week

This is strange I can no sign into my blog-any idea?

Welcoming In First Day of Autumn

 

(images found online)

Freezing Veggies from Store Bought & This & That & Vacuum Sealer

   Good morning Wednesday, We have been watching  President Trump and First Lady arriving in England this morning. I recorded it as it was early this morning.  Kinda like watching a movie with the elegant coaches and awesome horses, then the military bands etc.

  Yesterday I needed a big wal mart trip. Got  my plates renewed first-this city is still under construction at their main 4 way section to go anywhere in the city.  They have been working on this since the spring months. This time only one lane all four directions so very very long wait times. Coming home my car did not like this, it was shaking a bit, and the a/c quit (we are 90's and humid)  and the engine light came on all the way home.  ugh 

   Made it home safely but now another concern. I may have to figure out how to drive Larry's big suburban after all that is a bit scary for me  always challenges in life-right?

  We did get some rain finally-but need more as the next day the soil grabbed all that rain and now very dry still.I just noticed that the fall colors are here already-thinking do to no rain.

     I wanted to grow some spinach etc but the weather is not cooperating, soooo I looked to see what wal mart had in fresh veggies. My smaller wal mart has very little in frozen veggies-instead all the frozen dinner type stuff-ugh.  I brought home fresh spinach and fresh kale that looked really fresh and am in the process of steam blanching it all to freeze. I also picked up a very fresh looking cauliflower so will steam blanch that too for the freezer. 

 The spinach of course really really shrinks down, If I would have had room in the frig I would have gotten two containers of it. I usually mix a little bit of the spinach with the kale or with peas when I serve it. So for around $3.00 for the container it will make several meals

  In Larry's younger years, He spent several years in Japan and loved it there. When we first got married and we had a huge veggie garden he used his wok to make us delicious meals. He also had a large steamer like this one. When we used to go to lots of garage sales-I found this smaller version. It is nice for small batches.   My camera does not take indoor photos well-this was the best one. (I soooo do Not care for electric stoves-especially since I loved my 10 burner Wolf commercial gas stove)   The plan was to upgrade all of the appliances after the woods property sold hopefully next year that will happen. I prefer  a gas stove and oven. and the oven is going out on this stove-jumps to over 400 degrees F if I need to set it over 350 degrees F

  

 After the vegies come out of the steamer I place them in very cold water first--ice water is better but we don't have a ice maker. then drain them in strainers and freeze.

   I am excited that my next meat box is to arrive tomorrow. they offered usa farm raised turkeys so I added one to the box. The organic option was too expensive,  but the other option was still ranch raised with no antibiotics etc added to their food. These are 10-12 pounds. Last year's butterball was terrible  so hoping this one will be better. I have tried the store brand turkeys  here at the store near me and it was not edible- I ended up just getting some soup stock from it.

  Happy Mid-week everyone-I am off to get these veggies packed and in the freezer.

Update Afternoon:  I wanted to give an update-Remember the post I shared about using a vacuum sealer with canning jars and lids?  I did several wide mouth pint jars of fresh blueberries, grapes, and those little sweet tomatoes .I sealed those on August 26-today is September 17 so am guessing around three weeks. This produce is still fresh just like when I bought it. These are in the refrigerator. I have a vintage tool we found years ago that pops open the canning lid without bending it.  The tomato jar has now been opened and resealed three times now.  So am very happy with this process, and I am not going through lids when I open and seal it again.

   I had also done quite a few pint wide mouths of raisins and cranberries-they always dry out on me-they look perfect as well-since those are dried they can be in the cupboard. I also sealed open bags of rice.  So I am very happy with this vacuum sealer.

Good Afternoon Sunday

   We are still in the 90's F here and the humidity has arrived Lots of boaters out on the lake this weekend-don't blame them-a perfect weekend.  I do see rain in the forecast end of next week-finally-but will see if we actually get some.

 Since my last post about the Amish toothbrush rug-today I finished steam ironing all the strips. I had purchased the poly-cotton broadcloth for the strips to tie the knots on to-yesterday I got the new blades for my rotary cutter-so this week I will work on getting those cut-hoping this doesn't end up being a mistake-as much easier and more on grain to tear the fabrics. I did not have any fabric in my stash for the base strips.

   The flower print in upper left had corner was a lot of yardage that was given to me over 20 years ago. It never fit into quilts I was making at the time but will be perfect for this rug-lots of it too,

  Here is a photo. I lined a box with an old pillowcase This just shows some of the fabrics and this is a deep box.  I did get much nicer needles for this project, and I am still not clear on some of the instructions for making these rugs, so I bought a vintage pattern when these were very popular in the 1980"s  but was disappointed in that.  Will go back to you tube videos when I am ready to start.

   Am still having trouble getting my money back for the needle from the bad seller on Ebay. He has had the package back over a week ago now. So this morning I went back to Ebay for help-they do support the buyer.

    Click photo to enlarge for better viewing

   I had written about my football teams and just deleted it haha many don't watch sports or you have your own teams you care about.

  I did get another skein spun up with the bison fibers so am still working on that craft project--thinking this yarn may weave into a warm scarf

  This time of year we have such lovely moon views in the evenings, and still gorgeous sunrises-so special for sure. Sorry didn't get newer photos of those.

 Happy new week everyone

Thoughts on The Events of This Week

   This week seemed to fly by.

      I did get my car back yesterday morning-thankful for that as I have a couple errands and food shopping to do. Through most of next week  the Lake of the Ozarks hosts a huge bike fest-so there will be lots of bikes on the road. Should not see a lot of them in my area but I did see several yesterday when I picked up my car.

    I won't get political but this recent assassination was horrific. I am old enough to have lived through several of these beginning with both of the Kennedy's  I cried for days over President Kennedy I just could not wrap my head around that.  I cried over this one as well-such a shock to me, and the hateful comments by many were so shameful and also so un-American. I am glad a few of them got fired. (in the media)

  Our country was formed with God at the helm-this has mostly been lost in recent years.

  Our country needs to come together-debate over issues, work together for the good of our country. The mainstream media has added to the decline of Love of Country with their untruths.  

  Where is our American Spirit??   My family before me would be appalled by what is going on. 

  This is not the same country I was born into at all.

   My opinion also is cell phones should be limited for children until they graduate from high school.  Have you seen the recent education scores? our school children do not know how to read or write!  unacceptable. 

  Just my thoughts that I needed to write down. 

Pumpkin Recipes

   It's beginning to get closer to pumpkin season and their recipes. (although we are headed to the 90's again this week)

  Do you have favorite pumpkin recipes?  

   This time of year reminds me of a dear blog friend that was a self taught chef and she loved all things pumpkin. She passed from cancer many years ago now but most years I like to share a post with pumpkin recipes in her remembrance.

  In my inbox this morning I got a post from the Big Man's World with several healthier pumpkin recipes I wanted to share a few of them-they looked really delicious.  His recipes are always really good with healthier ingredients.

Healthy pumpkin bread    "My healthy pumpkin bread uses oat flour as the base and is sweetened with coconut sugar. It’s easy to make, super moist and fluffy, and has just 150 calories per slice. Gluten-free and dairy-free."

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins    "My healthy pumpkin muffins are lightened up with less fat and sugar, but are every bit as moist and fluffy as you’d expect. They are quick and easy to make and perfect for a wholesome snack or afternoon treat."

Pumpkin Blondies   "My pumpkin blondies yields soft, chewy bars with pumpkin spice flavor and half-melted chocolate chips studded throughout. The best part? They’re completely grain-free!"

Tea or coffee?

Enjoy September as fall weather begins for some of us  

    Sorry for the small print on the quotes-I keep playing with things-fonts and backgrounds and the text is not enlarging for some reason.

Moon Over the Lake

   Tonight's moon looking out the windows towards the lake Is very large and very bright-not red-orange here though  It is beautiful  My camera doesn't take great photos-but not too bad

Happy Friday & This & That

   Even though I am retired and mostly don't venture out much any more these days-this week went by fast for me and it's Friday already. For the most part this was a quieter Labor Day weekend than past years. No fireworks from neighbors, one neighbor did not come in to spend the holiday and the other neighbor worked on outdoor projects and left on Sunday. A couple busy days with lots of boats-but not bad really. Biggest thing-cooler and more pleasant weather-finally

  I got bad news from my safety inspection for my 1999 Mountaineer They have to re do something in my front tires-no longer safe. Larry called it a front end.  This car has been perfect for me-we bought it used with very little mileage from a friend. It has gone on several long road trips over this time that I have driven it. The issue now is finding a neighbor that can help me get back home after I drop it off. I would just stay there and read my kindle-but the shop is soooo busy and they might not get me in at the 8 am appt and it is a 4-6 hour job.  I need to call the one neighbor that helped me with my shattered back window. I just dislike asking for help as I can't usually return the favor-now especially.

  Still no significant rain here, we got a few sprinkles the other day but not a soaking rain like we really need. Predicted to rain this afternoon so we'll see if we get it.

 Since I brought up the case with Ebay about the poor instructions and very high shipping-I got my money back on that this morning. The seller was supposed to send me a label to return it which he never did. I did yesterday put it into a smaller envelope and mail it back to him. I also refused the package with the needle and was able to do that by writing "refused mail to sender" I checked with the post office and you can still do this as long as you don't open the package. I did this on my own without contacting Ebay for help  so am hoping he does the right thing and refunds my money on this.  Ebay refunded the money on the instructions since he was not being cooperative.  Too much drama haha   I very rarely have any problems shopping online though.

  Have been doing a lot of reading online and watching videos about the process for this Amish toothbrush rug and some things are not clear in my head still.  I looked online and found a vintage pattern for this rug-many are too high priced but I found a seller that was reasonable. One needs to know how to increase the stitches as the rug gets larger so I think this pattern should make this more clear.   This was a popular craft brand back in the 1980"s 

    I did find a group on Facebook that is based on making crafts from recycled materials instead of buying all new.  I found several making these rugs so I was able to ask some questions.

   I have gotten a lot of cotton strips torn and steam pressed this week. Most do not press their strips, but I think it will be easier to work with and a nicer finish as well.   

   One needs a base strip that you tie the knots on to-and I didn't have a fabric for that in my stash. So reading online-many use poly-cotton broadcloth for stability. Not big on poly anything for fabric but I think this will be a good choice.  I did find a seller that also sells supplies and she was selling 100% cotton broadcloth for rug making-cut on the bias and one very long roll in one piece. This was too expensive to me.  Many buy sheets at the resale shops and make rugs with those-and they can be all cotton or not.

  My grandparents farm in Indiana was located right in the middle of Amish country. My parents bought the property when they passed. I was quite surprised at the time that most of the clothing that the Amish wear is not cotton-it is all synthetic or broadcloth and wool for winter. My Mom and I used to shop at an Amish fabric store, so I had asked why and she said because the clothes dry faster on the line than  cotton clothes. So if using older clothes or sheets for these rugs they would have had a lot of synthetic fibers in them, and the rugs would last longer too. Just my thinking.

 Those of you that watch-are you ready for football?  The KC Chiefs first seasonal game is tonight and in a different country. We can watch it for free online on You Tube.

  I have been catching up on laundry here the last couple of days, cleaning a bit too. Oh and I wanted to share a new series I found on Magnolia Network-I like this channel so am happy it is included in our package.  A Mom and daughter already own a Frank Lloyd Wright home but if I am understanding this right in one of the buildings on their property where he worked-- his last design was found after he passed. These two are going to build it.   The whole reference to the home was a small tulip tree-now that tree is very large and not in good shape and is surrounded by other trees after all of these years---so they have decisions to make already.   The first episode was last night. Here is a link about this show

   Happy Friday and weekend

Hello September

   Good morning, Happy Labor Day, and Welcome in September

I am so ready for September and cooler weather.  The lake of course, has been crazy busy-expected and we missed the rain-again-that was predicted. Yesterday was warm but looks like we are back to 70"s F today Love it.

Over the weekend I have been tearing strips of quilt fabrics-that I won't be using any more. Some of the pieces came from my Mom's sewing stash-she never kept a lot of fabric around-unlike many quilters who "collect" fabrics.  A few of them I remember picking up when a quilt shop was closing, and one piece with lots of yardage was a gift from a blog friend  20 years ago when I first retired-that one will be perfect for the rug. 

I decided to iron all the strips and remove all the loose strings-some of the quilt fabrics really bunched up after tearing-so I think these will be much nicer to use being ironed. 

    I have gotten no where with the bad seller on Ebay-he is in denial-tells me the needle is in the mail but the tracking shows not shipped-could be an error with the post office-but I don't want his needle. I found a much nicer one on Etsy. I can't contact Ebay about the needle til Sept 4th along with reporting that he hasn't settled returning my money or sending me a label for his instructions.

 Did you watch any college football over the weekend?  I watched the Notre Dame game they lost as the time ran out-but this year they have a rookie quarterback that will get better over the season. 

  Tomorrow early I need to get my car inspected so I can renew the plates. Since I have an old car (1999) I need to get it inspected every 2 years.

  Off to turn the page on my calendar to September