Monday, Last day of September!

    

     I can't believe how fast September went. I think I worked really hard in September and that made the time fly.  The list of goals has 21 things completed and I just might get the linen closet cleaned out today.  Might, might, might.:)

     I have two trips in October, so I have to pay attention to  the timing of my work.  Something I am not always good at.  I am however really good at timing when I dance.....

     So this Saturday I will be driving up to Spokane and flying out to D.C. My Sissie and I will then drive to Ocean City and meet Sluggy for a girls trip, and other fun/work/fun. Many laughs and doughnut eating will commence. I am really looking forward to this trip.  


     Then at the end of the month around Oct 25th I will fly with Lil sis to Cancun, for her daughters wedding.  I am the slave labor, as I worked her to death at my daughters wedding and pay backs are hell, we all know this, right? I have never been there before and although I love the beach I am a little leery of this, but I am sure I will have fun.

     I did get all my ironing done so I want a big old Hooray for that as it was an extreme pile. I am going to run to Wal-mart and get those bags that you can vacuum the air out of, when I clean up the linen closet.  There are quilts of mom's I need to take up less room and I will be trying to organize that mess a bit better.  So that is on my to do list today.

     The shop has plenty for me to do:

1.recover a pillow
2. shorten sleeves on a coat
3. shorten sleeves on a shirt
4. alter homecoming dress
5.shorten two pairs of pants
6. shorten a long stadium coat

 About 1/2 of these jobs are time consuming but I should be able to kick through them. I do have a wedding dress coming in some time today, and the wedding dress that I took in last Friday I will not do until after I get back from this first vacation.

    Trying to use up pantry staples and I an going to have grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner.  I need to use up two cans of tomato/basil soup I was gifted.  Plus hubs got called into the high School this evening, so a quick dinner before the news is in order.

     Let's see what Kim can get done on this last day of September, shall we?

What are you going to do today?  Are you going to try and get a few more things off your list?

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are n the negative.

Kim

Sunday, Finishing up the month

     Well I will have quite a few things to bring into October from my Sept to do list and as it is getting cold and the fact that most are indoor things is good.we will still have to do an annual fall clean up which will take days, and that will probably not happen until November now as I look at the calendar unless the shop slows down significantly.

     I still have plenty to do this week in the shop, and as I will be gone the 5th-12th of October I have to have everything caught up.  I did get a wedding dress in on Friday and another is coming tomorrow.  The one that is coming tomorrow has to be out by the end of the week.  I am just plugging a long, trying to make sure I don't get behind.

     I was able to clean out the two basement freezers, both are small versions, so not an incredible mess.  They are much more organized and I know what is in them and where everything is now.  I had a couple of butters and a margarine frozen that I put in the downstairs fridge for baking.  I will have to stock up on those at holiday sales.  But other than that we will not stock up on anything as we look toward selling and downsizing the house in the spring.  It is strange for me to see a good sale and tell myself no, you do not want to have to store those.

     I am only buying things for immediate use or just a few months out right now.  Sometimes there is no need to grocery shop.  This week I purchased 1/2 gallon of milk and two 2lb bags of powder sugar.   I will need the sugar for Christmas baking and it was the limited sale item for the week at .99.  I also found the milk on close out for .89.  That was my grocery haul for the week.  Don't you all wish you could just spend less than $3.00 for a weeks meals.

     Today is the last day of the musical Hubs is playing in and Lil sis and I are going.  He thinks this is the last show he will do as his tremors worsen.  He can up the meds but then he gets sleepy, although adrenaline pumps in and keeps him awake.  This saddens me as I know he won't get in the practice. He still has the orchestra and quartet group, but 3 week run musicals are good for him.

     I started the mountain of ironing Friday night and I only have 8 pieces left.  I will finish those tonight after dinner. That will be one more thing off the September chart.

     We are having a simple dinner, using up 3 cans of organic soup someone gave me when they thought I broke my arm.  I will make a batch of biscuits to go with it so Hubs does not pout.  He is not one for packaged or convenience anything.

      It has turned very cold here and we had to turn on the heat this morning.  Drat!  I was going to try and not do this until the end of October, but it was 62 in the house and I am already cold blooded and Hubs is staring to become that was as he ages.  Our water bill was $315.00 for the month and we have one more like this coming.  I was hopping not to turn on the heat so we could offset the high water with a low gas bill.   I did turn off the irrigation to the yard and I also turned off the pond pump for the year.  I know it will warm back up we are just having a cold spell.  We will still get our incredibly warm and beautiful Indian summer.

     The pond has developed a bad leak and we will have to replace the liner next spring.  That will be a job. I just hope the leak is not in the hosing as I don't want to dig that up.  Well I am not going to borrow trouble worrying about it now.  It is just one less thing to waste water on.


Have a blessed and peaceful Sabbath

Kim
     
     
    

Friday, almost a free day!

     I was such a good little seamstress yesterday that I only have the wedding dress to bead today and a few other little things to get done.  So proud to me.

     The ironing board and machine are still in the car from the class I taught last night.  So I am going to really clean up the shop before I bring them back in.  First I am going to get the wedding dress done as it is all hand work. I keep thinking I only have a couple things left to do in the shop, but as the nature abhors a vacuum, I have another wedding dress coming in today and another on Monday, plus loads of calls for other items coming in.  This is good, but I will have to make sure and keep a close eye on due dates as I will be gone so much in October.

     I am hoping after I get that beading done and another small alteration, I can maybe clean the linen closet and also clean out a freezer or two.  Just get something else done on the list. Wouldn't that be nice?

     I have no idea what I am making for dinner so need to go explore a bit. Like maybe take stock of a freezer, or a cupboard. I was noticing the upstairs food cupboard was getting eaten down which is great!  It needs some organization and love.  But not today, I have other plans for today.


     I am going to the Harley dealership tomorrow to sew on patches, and if it is a bust like last time it will be the last time I go in.  I have better things to do on my Saturdays.  Now if they paid me a minimum Dollar amount per hour I would go in for them.  I know they pay their bands, I cannot give my precious time away. 

     I also need to get my nails done.  This is always an aggravation for me as it is expensive and I hate sitting there, but it does keep infections on my itchy skin down. I have a bride and a homecoming dress coming in after 5:30 I am not sure this can be accomplished today.  Maybe late tomorrow.  Just have to fit it in before Sunday if I can.

     One thing I will try and get done this evening as Hub's is in the pit is the ironing, which now has a gravitational pull of its own.

     So what are you plans for Friday?  Do you iron?  Do you own and iron?

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Thursday, Not much got done

     I am not sure what happened to yesterday, I just not much got done.  I did get the tomato sauce in the freezer. When you make tomato paste/sauce, and you sieve it and then boil it down it really condenses. A half a large stock pot of tomatoes, boiled and sieved only made 2 cups of paste/sauce. I also made two large pans of chicken enchiladas and delivered a meal.  I burst and froze 4 packaged of chicken breasts, but I did not get much sewing done.  I took a nap for about 1.5 hours and I am still have problems with my digestive system.  I keep thinking it is getting better and then not so much. I have no excuses for not getting things done in the shop and today I am going to kick my butt in there.

     I have to teach a sewing class at church tonight.  Just basic hemming and know your machine.   I will need to get things ready for that.  We will have leftover enchiladas for dinner. So no worries about dinner.  Hub's is in the pit again tonight and I have his concert clothes washed and ironed ready for this weeks final run.

     What is Kim going to do today?

1. go to Joanns for two zippers
2. do two loads of laundry
3. hem and patch a pair of hunting pants
4. call clients for pick up
5. replace zipper in a skirt
6. replace zipper in a dress
7. replace zipper in a couch cushion
8. sew patches on a military uniform
9. get the beading done on a wedding dress
10. hem a bridesmaid dress
11. fix the neckline on two dresses
12. hem two pairs of pants
13. take in a shirt

     If I stick to my guns I should be able to get all this done today.  I do have tomorrow also but I would really like to get the two coats I have been putting off altering done.  I also have two more wedding dresses coiling in by next Monday.  But the shop is getting caught up and maybe I can relax more and get other things done.

I am off to complete above list.  What are you going to get done today?

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Wednesday, More pictures, too much to do.

Our group of young ones.  They were so good that day.  Our oldest grandson, and our youngest are the product of two lawyers.  Both are much more serious that Schmills.  Although the eldest can come up with some real zingers.  James on the end is really shy and could not be convinced to keep his hat on or to come down the aisle, but that is okay, I think the family can only handle one Schmills.

I loved this picture of the groom holding up her dress so they could walk down the road.  So sweet.

This is the most gorgeous groom on the planet.

I think this is my all time favorite, looking off into heaven.

This is my twin sister.  She is very classy.  I am not classy.  This is my brother in law Ty and he is a character.  If you want to meet a real cowboy, Ty is one of the few remaining.  He is a wonderful man.  Love these two more than life I tell you.  Well enough of the wedding pics, onto life in general.

Yesterday while I was blogging and doing laundry our sewer line backed up with clean wash water.  We had roots in the pipes leading from the house to the new set up in the driveway.  I knew this had to be cleaned out every 2-3 years and as we had not had any problems I forgot about it.  So Roto rooter came and I paid $180.00 to get that fixed and also had to clean up the water.  Dang!  I needed that like a hole in  the head.

     I need to steam a wedding dress this morning and I have several things on the pile that have come in, but most of it is easy hemming,  There is a big pot of tomatoes on the stove and I am going to sieve and cook to sauce.  I also bought boneless skinless chicken breasts for $1.29 a lb and I will be making two large pans of chicken enchiladas, one for us and one for my friend to take a meal into her today.  Then I have to seal a meal the rest of the breasts.  So I have much to get done today.  I would also like to do at least a couple of things on the list for September, but as I have not been feeling well I might just take a rest later.

What are you going to get done today?  Anything fun?  Is there something you have been waiting to do going to get done today?

Oh on a final note:  The mortgage is below  $8,000 I have put an additional $1000.00 on it in addition to the extra $1000.00 I had already put on so I am making progress.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are n the negative.

Kim

Tuesday, Warning Photo heavy!

  B's wedding photos are in and they are delightful.  She was such a beautiful bride.  It was a glorious day.  Well not for the mother running around like a chicken with her head cut off.  But everything the bride had dreamed about so the mother
 was happy.

I love this picture of B.

This is a good one also.

Here is B's bouquet, I thought is turned out lovely and she loved it so that is worth everything.

 I loved this picture of the rings.  Both of these were inherited, one from my mother and the grooms from a neighbor.  He left his platinum wedding ring to B for her groom when she was a little girl.  So sweet.

 Isn't this a beautiful picture of one of the pew boughs.  Most of these flowers were picked form our neighbor hood. The bows were made by my Lil sis with ribbon ordered from Amazon.  These boughs have been used for two weddings all ready and are being sold to be used in another.

 This is the venue down by the pond.  My sisters did all the flowers and the decorating.

 The wedding party, so fun.  Hated the flower girl basket, but daughter must have forgot the one she made.  Oh well is it important, not really.

 Here are the happy parents and bride, but the fun is just about to begin and all I am thinking is hurry up I need to get to the kitchen.

 From left to right,  Eldest daughter, Groom, youngest daughter, really old mother, even older father, middle daughter.

 Here is D#2 and family.  This is Schmills, I had already run up the hill to the kitchen and I wanted D#1 to have a family photo, but was not there for directions.

This is Schmills signature move.

 Yes I am happy and my feet are blistered.

Lil sis and I with Stick Dan.  Sissies husband could not come so we made him a stick puppet for the photos.

No family event with the three of us would be complete without Sis's head in Lil sis's arm pit.  See how I have changed into my comfy mom shoes.  I still got blisters.
  I will have more pictures tomorrow, the wash machine is backing up in the floor drain.  It is always something.







Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Monday, I stayed strong

     I am back from my humanitarian trip to my brothers.  I was pleased that the the house was not as bad as it was that last time we were there.  The girls room was almost spotless, like they had not been in it since we left.  There was a little damage but not much.  The girls are 5 and 8 but both are autistic.  They are quite destructive.  The elder is getting better the younger is all I can say awful.  Do I love them? You bet!   But they leave a path of destruction every where they go and my brother just sits there and plays a video game.  It is sad.

     Some of the suggestions I had for the girls last time I was there were in follow through.  Like not allowing them to play unsupervised in their room and making sure all toys were returned to their toy bins.  This keeps the house neater for the next day.  Also their toothbrushes were up off the floor and in their little hanging cubbies I purchased last time I was there.  I feel that 10 taught and only 2 things learned is a win in this situation.  We took a truck load of old collapsing furniture and junk to the dump and almost another load of things to good will.  Taking this out of one room freed up a lot of space.  The room looked very nice when we were done.  Bro's wife was thrilled and I was happy for her.  She just needed help and encouragement.  Bro was practically useless and not very appreciative, but to heck with him.  I did not do it for him.  Bro is very depressed but will do nothing to help himself out of it.  He just expects the world to do it for him and I will not, I can not.

     The sad thing is there are so many people like my brother out there, waiting for some else to come in a solve the problem.  The problem is them.  After I helped my sister in law reclean her house (I did not scrub one wall, but boy did I want to) I left to come home.  I wanted to be home before Hub's was out of the orchestra pit.  I was able to make chicken cordon blue, baked potatoes, fried squash and a dutch crumb apple pie before he got home and boy was he surprised and happy.  The way to a mans heart.

     The littles are here today and one is asleep on Hubs shoulder.  The oldest just turned 3 yesterday, hard to believe. They are growing up so fast.  I do think they are more work now than they were when they were both under a year old.  Just busy and into everything if you are not careful.  And they are also fighting now, which is funny and also a little wearing.


     My master bedroom is a flippen mess with things brought back from bros.  My mother had given them her entire linen closet when she moved and they had not touched any of it.  I took many of the sheet sets as the trims on them were all from Sweden and I have fond memories of these.  I will remove them and reuse them.  But the laundry needs to be done and I picked an entire sink full of produce again which is waiting to be processed. 

     My joints have been really achy lately.  Especially my hips and shoulders making sleep a little hard.  Also quite head achy.  Like I am going to come down with something, but nothing materializes.  So that is something to be thankful for I guess.

     I am behind again on my September list, but I am going to revamp some of the things and exchange one for get the ironing done.  It is really out of control, and I am about out of clothes to wear.  So it will have to be done. And I dare to think my poor sister in law is behind on her laundry sometimes.  Shame on me.  It is so easy to judge.

     So today is just a catch up.  Catch up on laundry and house work, and garden and maybe set up the ironing if I can get myself to feel a little better.  Somedays are just a few steps backward.  Today is one of those days.

     Do you ever have backward days?  What do you do to conquer them?

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim


    

Thursday,Try and get out of town

     Since my post yesterday went down the rabbit hole never to return, I wanted to re-show a picture of the figs coming out of the dehydrator.

    

Also a couple of commenters wanted to know the name of the brand  of dehydrator I have. It is an Excalibur.  I love it , it has 9 trays and they can be adjusted by height.
Hubs folks gave us this for Christmas one year.  It gets so much use in the fall.

Pears from our tree.  I am drying these like crazy.  My kids and grand kids love dried pears.

I am going to Missoula to help my brother this afternoon. I made it clear to him that I could not work as hard as I did last time.  It was just too hard on my hands and arms.  He assured me that things were much better. Of course his much better and mine are in two different worlds, but that remains to be seen.  His wife wants help redoing their bedroom and she liked what I did with the girls room so I will come and help them get things organized and decorated.  They have old nightstands and dressers that we gave them about 5 years ago.  So there is no furniture involved just the purchase of a bed frame.  I am taking the truck so Bro and I can peruse second hand shops.

I had a hard time yesterday keeping myself motivated, I don't know what my problem was.  I have most of the things off the pile.  There are many things I want to accomplish today before I leave and I would like to be out of here by 3:00.  I want to be over the pass before dark and I lose an hour once I hit the Montana border.  Deer are prevalent on the top of the pass, and the most dangerous part of the trip is the last 2 hours, so I want that done in daylight.  I have hit two deer on that road.

I just picked up the family room and I have started two loads of laundry.  I need to clean both of the upstairs bathrooms, they are disgusting.  When I work outside the inside suffers. I should pull some things out of the freezer for hubs.  Then I have a few sewing things I would like to get done.  I still have a mens suit jacket to alter, it is ripped and waiting.  Then two dresses to hem.  I am going to wait on starting to fix that antique wedding dress until next week when I get back.  That is just to intense to start right now.  So today is mostly about leaving a clean house and finding food Hubs can eat easily.

Do you have any plans for your weekend? Do any of you clean your house before you leave so if you die and people come over they won't know you are a slob? Morbid I know, but my mother always told me to make sure and leave a spotless house when you travel.  Sometime I do and sometimes I just don't give a rip.  Plus leaving hub's here gives me no hope of coming home to really clean.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Wednesday, Another chart!

     Some how I lost this entire post when I was trying to update my list.  Sorry  no time ti redo, just know that I completed another chart so onto #21  I am three months ahead of where I was last year.  That is a great sign.

     So far today I have put in another full dryer of pears and figs.  Picked another peck of figs first.  I have hemmed 4 pairs of shorts, one pair of pants, replaced a coat zipper, replaced a skirt zipper, I am currently working on shortening a mans suit sleeves.

     I still want to take in a mans suit coat, and replace another zipper in a dress.  Maybe hem a couple more dresses.

     Need to leave tomorrow open to bead an antique wedding dress that has work missing.

How can you hit a button and everything is just gone?

Kim

Tuesday,Time to dehydrate and harvest

     We ate the last of the green beans from the garden last night.  I am so happy the beans lasted until September.  Usually they are over in July, but the new drip line I had installed really worked.  we install a new line like this on the blueberry run next year.  When I was making up Hub's plate last night it was, a large helping of corn I had shucked off the cob left over from last nights dinner.  It had come from our garden and was previously frozen.  Then I dished up a large helping of onions, green beans and squash.  Also a salad of onions, tomato and cucumber.  The plate was so colorful and pretty.  Then topped it off with sliced of leftover roast in gravy.  Everything from the garden except the meat.  It is easy to keep the grocery budget low when you can eat almost exclusively out of the garden.

     I was able to get quite a lot done on the the list,so I was happy.  When I took over the neighbors curtains, I picked a large tub of figs and have them up in the dehydrator.  I will be able to pick another batch in a few days.  Hubs also went out and picked a sink full of apples and we cooked up and froze 2 gallons of sauce last night.  He is going to pick another sink full so I can make pie filling which I will can.

     He also picked beautiful huge pears off our tree which I will slice and dry once the figs are done.  I bet that dehydrator doesn't quit for the next 6 weeks.  My neighbor is bringing me orchard apples and more pears to dry.  This is in exchange for the curtains.

       The littles are here today and I also have to go teach for an hour tonight, so it will be a busy day.  No sewing will be done I am afraid.  But that is okay I can get the pile done tomorrow and start working on the other three things.

     It was nice to be able to do something other than sew all day and then not feel guilty.   Today I am going to try and get a little house work done with the littles here.  Laundry, beds, floors, all need love.  I used to clean house when my kids were little so I see no reason I can't do this when they are here.  Someone just walked by me with really stinky pants.  Whew!


  Well my eyes are watering and I need to go find a butt...

What are you going to do today?  Anything fun?  Please tell me something fun.  I need fun right now.:)

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim
    
  

Monday, Light at the end of the tunnel

     I hate to post things that I feel or see sometimes as I am sure that  the fates will take it and run.  But I just went into peruse my shop for my daily what do I need to get done and all I can see is the pile.  Yes there is one wedding dress that needs beading fixed and two coats that need to be altered that will both be quite hard.  But other than that it is the pile.  This could mean by the end of the week I will be caught up.  That has never happened in September before. Does this mean my shop is slower this year?  No!  It must mean that I have been working harder. ( choke, laugh, snort( you will notice I snort a lot))

     I have to remember that for three years previous to last fall I had mom to deal with and she took a great deal of my time.  Then last summer into fall I was a mess dealing with mom's death.  I got really behind as she was so sick in May and June, and then I was in that terrible fog for a few months.  But maybe it is just that I have been actually working harder.  Like maybe I am growing up and getting organized in my life enough to not feel like I am constantly behind.  Okay this is really nonsense but I was just thinking out loud.  Or typing out loud.  Thoughts?  Opinions? Or do you think I am going to get bombed by the end of the week?

     The hateful curtains are done. I finished those yesterday evening because I was not going to look at them today.  I am going to take them over to the neighbor after this post.  It is nice to be able to go back in the blog posts and see where the shop was a year ago.  I am really ahead of my schedule this year.  I don't know if this is a fluke or I am just managing better.  The fact that I will be gone for a couple of weeks in October has made me really try and get things done earlier.  Or maybe this is just a weird year.  Anyway I will take it.

     I can hardly believe that I could be close to caught up by the end of the week.  If I am just think of all the things I could get done on my list.   I am really counting my chickens. In the mean time.....

To do:
 1. take curtains to neighbor
2. shorten bridesmaid dress
3. hem a pair of pants
4. hem three pairs of shorts
5. hem 5 pairs of pants
6. alter mans suit coat
7. shorten sleeves of a suit coat
8 .shorten choir dress
9. patch three items
10. mend two items
115.replace waist band on 4 pairs of pants


That is today's pile.

But there is still to be done

1. fix all beading on antique wedding dress
2, shorten coat sleeves on a winter coat
3. shorten a winter coat

  Then the shop is empty.  This is it.  If people will leave me alone I could get caught up.  It is like a dream.  Can you imagine just have a few items a day to do and not a whole pile?  I can't either.

    I am living in a dream for the next hour.  Dang the shop bell just rang.  I hate to be woke up from a good dream.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Sunday, Fabulous day in the yard

     I had so much fun yesterday.  Hubs and I worked off and on in the yard all day.  I worked more than him, but I wanted him to take it easier as he had to open the theater at 4:30, then play in the pit for 3 hours and close up the theater so was not home until after 11 last night.

     I was able to get so many things off the September list and the yard looks great!  We filled 4 large trash cans and one large trash bag with weeds and debree. It is amazing how much work is left to do out there, but I do feel somewhat caught up,which is a good feeling.  We will still have to do a final fall clean up, which will be grueling, but that can wait until later.

     My hands and back are a little stiff and sore today as you can well imagine.  I weeded 6 large flower beds, and trimmed a 100 foot ivy wall and also planted many fall flowers and transplanted hostas.  Hubs picked up my messes as I threw weeds behind me and then he mowed the lawn.  I am great at making messes and love it when someone cleans up after me.( Sissie)

     Hubs just left for the matinee at the theater and I have a huge roast I am going to sear and put on later this afternoon.  We will be eating on that for a few days.  I am going to just make it with onions and bake some potatoes.  I want to use up a bag of our corn on the cob and make a nice tomato/cucumber salad.   Hubs will get home a little after 6 and he will be tired and hungry.

     Now I feel a Sunday afternoon nap coming on.  Yippee!

Have a wonderful and peaceful Sabbath.

Kim

Saturday, change of plans

     I did not finish the neighbors curtains, I forgot how much time curtains take.  I hate (yes hate) sewing curtains.  They never end and these are lined which makes them worse.  I actually have the four pieces of the last two on the ironing board and they may get done today and maybe not.  I really just want them gone.  Grrrr!

     Yesterday about 3:30 I realized I would not be able to finish said curtains and then get any kind of rest before driving the 2 hours to Spokane.  I had slept horribly the night before and I have a tendency to get really sleepy when driving.  So I decided to take a rest.  Just as I had laid down I get a call from D#2 she reminds me that it is a full moon and also Friday the 13th.  I take no stock in the 13th thing but a full moon has the deer out in droves and I am a deer magnet.  My thought of leaving after 6 to avoid the Friday night rush hour traffic, just took a whole new turn.  I thought if I get sleepy I will just pull over, I have done this before.

     So up I jump (yes I can jump) and I pack a small bag and get my deposit ready for the bank, then go to bank and stop by Lil sis's to feed the cats. As I was pulling out of town  I get a call from D#2.  Her renter over heard the conversation with me and offered to watch the Schmills.  Schmills loves this young girl and the girl is between school jobs so needed the gas money.  I could still come up but was not needed.  I was torn as a day with Schmills is always a day to remember.  But my conscience said you are really behind on yard work, think of how much you can get done.  So I turned the car around and went home.

     Here I sit in my overalls all decked out for yard work.  My only problem is where do I start?  Do I cut back the ivy in the backyard?  Do I clean out the flowerbed one of three in the front yard?  Do I try and convince hubs to help me move the canoe and attack the blueberry patch?  I just have so many choices. 

     I will be a fun day no matter what.

What are you going to do with your Saturday?

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Friday, stinkin power

I was finally able to clean out this flower bed and area by the garden.  The garden is by no means done and we need to dig all the potatoes, but just having the wisteria cut back really helps.

I was able to clean and set up the front door for fall.  Of course Roscoe had to be part of the decor. Now why you ask was I able to do this, when I had just started to work on my neighbors curtains?  Well because as I ran over to her house she said her power had just gone off.  This is the second time this week we have lost power.  Dang!  I lost 3.5 hours of sewing on Tuesday, which led to a delicious nap.  But this is too much.  Of course when I got back to my house I entered into a tomb of darkness.  Well Drat!  Now I have no choice but to find something else to do and it was not nap.

As the weather was lovely I went to work on the yard and knocked a few things off my list.  Like this back sitting area which was needing a good weeding and washing.  It was messy dirty work but it is done for fall. I was able to wash and decorate the front porch.  Two things off my September list.

I love to come out here and sit and the babies love to come out here and sit with both Hubs and I.  We each have our own chairs.  we have snacks out here.

 

I was able to clean off the back deck and rearrange everything for fall.  The flowers that were so burned over the last month are coming back and perking up.  They still need a good trim and I will be planting some fall mums and ornamental cabbages later next week.

 I changed out the table cloth on the back deck and added fall pillows.  The old cloth is in the washer and boy is it happy and dirty.

I also cleaned and weeded the red patio next to the deck, but failed to take a picture of it.  So  yesterday I was able to catch up with 12 things done on my September list. I don't know if I am more aggravated with the power situation or blessed.  I am behind on my sewing but at least the yard work is benefiting. Count your blessings right?


     The power was out until after 10:00 p.m. last night.  That was 6.5 hours. I went over to Lil sis's as she had power and watched some TV.  She was packing to go to St Louis for a few days.  I am taking care of her cats again this weekend.

     Speaking of weekends.  D#2 called and has a work seminar she must go to all day tomorrow. So she asked me to come up and watch Schmills.  Her husband got called in by the state for the weekend.  (that boy works way too hard)  So I will take off from here after dinner as I want to avoid the traffic and stay the night and will then come home tomorrow evening.  This is why I can't get anything done in the yard as I take  every other weekend doing something out of town and that is not going to change I am afraid.

     I pulled a bag of homemade stew out of the freezer for dinner, so all I really have to do today is finish the neighbors curtains.  To heck with the pile which is now a mountain again.  But that mountain will be waiting for me when I return.
    
     What are you going to get done this weekend?  Any plans? Anything fun? Schmills is fun!

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Thursday, Still trying

     Well other than getting $200.00 down to the bank to get the house under $9,000, look, look, look, I am still behind on the things I want (need to get done ) this week.  But is Kim discouraged? No,  because I still have today and tomorrow and I will see what I can do.

     I have all the strips of leather cut for the regalia, but now I have to use a rotary cutter to cut the fringe.   It won't take long to get the fringe on the dress, but it will take time to cut almost 5 yards of 1/4 inch fringe.  That is my first project for the day.

     Yesterday I went to the storage and pulled one can of pumpkin expiring at the end of the month and two cans of condensed milk, I had pie crusts in the freezer.  So I whipped up two pumpkin pies one for my friend and one for hubs.  He sure was happy to have a pie waiting for him at 11:00 last night.  I had already gone to bed, but I could hear him using the spray whip cream, before he had his treat.

     I have not decided what to do today? Do I make my neighbors curtains or do I attack the pile? The pile is going to be out of control again soon, decisions, decisions.

     After sewing and getting the leather strips measured and cut and then cooking, I was wiped out.  So I did nothing last night even though I had about 1.5 hours of sun light.

     I just ran to the neighbors to look at the windows I am making curtains for and her fig tree is ripening. So I picked about a dozen figs and I ate 4 immediately.  I am going to have hubs get the dehydrator upstairs and I will start drying figs and maybe apples and pears.  I have not allowed hubs to pick any of our apples or pears as I just don't have time for the mess.  Thank goodness the garden is slowing down. At least I don't have that to contend with daily.

     Well I am off to get something done.  What are you going to do today?  Anything fun or exciting?  Please tell me something exciting, my life is so ........ yeah.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Wednesday, Kim plans, God laughs

     Well as usual nothing went as planned yesterday,  I was so proud of myself setting out my work and keeping ahead of the game.  I had my little schedule, and I thought about how much fun I was going to have working outside after I finished my sewing.  I had finished hemming and taking in bridesmaid dress #1, and then I hemmed bridesmaid dress #2 and I was on a roll with bridesmaid dress #3 cut and serged and ready to sew.  As I was changing the thread from grey to blue, the power went off.  I was sitting in the dark.  Sitting there just about to squint and put that blue thread through the needle.

     So I went upstairs to see where hubs was and I told him the power was out.  He as usual was sitting on the sofa reading his latest biography.  He turned on the light next to him and sure enough his power was out also.( if you want to know the truth Hubs power has been out for a long time)

     So now I think well at least I can go outside and as I was thinking that there was a loud rumble and clap of thunder, which explained the power outage. Well you can't weed in the rain, I guess I could have but I knew I had to go teach a class at the studio and the thought of getting all wet and having to reset my hair was not something I wanted to do.  So I went a laid down to play with my cell phone.  That led to a very deep three hour nap.  Yes I woke just as the power came back on at 5:35.

     Yikes, I have to be at studio at 6.  So off I go, I teach for an hour and then run to Lil sis's and she wants help with her daughters upcoming wedding.  Now I had every intention of getting home to complete at least my sewing for the day.  But ,alas as I had worked her like a dog at my daughters wedding, she has fair game at my time.

   I was at her house until a little after 10 p.m. and then came home and finished dress # 3.  Then cut the top layer of dress #4 which had sequin strings along the bottom and each one had to be glued to keep it from unraveling.  So I had to leave this drying in the shop for this mornings adventures.

     Needless to say NOTHING got done on my list.  But I did get in a good nap which was wonderful.  Count your blessings.  So now I need to get to my list for today in the shop as well as take a meal into my friend.  I have a taco casserole in the freezer and I am going to make a nice salad and stop and get a bag of tortilla chips, and I need to scare up something for dessert.  There has to be something in the storage I can whip up.

  I will finish dress #4 from yesterday and then I have to steam a wedding dress for pick up at noon.  I have a grooms man suit to hem and press, and I am also going to cut the fringe for another Nez Perce Indian regalia. I also hope to get two suit coats altered, but that might not happen. The pile is getting larger again and I just got a call that more is coming in.Tomorrow I will deal with the pile.

     Hubs is in the thick of rehearsal and was not home until after 11 last night.  I really think he needs to nap in the afternoon during this schedule as it really wipes him out.

     Thanks for all the advice on paying off the house.  I am so glad I have so many good advisors as I am so dithery (I made up that word).  Of course all your advice was not what I wanted to do, but many of you said maybe 1/2 so I will think on that.  Pay down more and go from there.  Patience is not my virtue.

     There is laundry to put away and laundry to get done, also bills to pay, hair to set, makeup to put on, beds to make, linen to swap out, a meal to cook, a dessert to find.  So I had better bet the old rear in gear.

     What are you going to do today? Any fun plans?  Or is it just plan old everyday chores?

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim
    

Tuesday, Look at that number! Look! Look!

     Yes, We are definitely below $10,000, in fact I am going to get that overage this week so we are blow $9,000.  Which essentially is still $9,000 but my mind focuses on the 8. I actually between my inheritance and savings have enough to pay this off.  But I am so afraid I will never get the money back in savings.  It is a temptation of mine to just pay the darn thing off and then put money back.  But will I put money back?  I have so many things going on this fall and I just don't know.

     Also for those of you that are saving a penny a day.  I just put 74.53 into my penny can for the month of September.  Are you up for this? I could also use part or all of this to help speed up the house, but I do want money for Christmas.  Then I think, good grief you are putting out almost $3000 a month to get his house paid off, do you think you will not have any money if you do?  I just have this constant fear of not having enough.  I think the years of debt have damaged my spirit.

    

I finally got my red/white/blue stuff down, not that it was a lot of stuff, a wreath,and napkins. I do have more fall things, which I have had for years, all given me by my mother.  Anyway it was nice to get this done and have the house cleaned up a bit.  Also something off the list!

These vases were given to my parents as wedding gifts.  They are a weird shade of 50's yellow/green.  I love them.

I also did up the dining room and a few spots in the kitchen, but I plan on getting the back deck done today so I will take pictures for tomorrows blog, (I think), you never know how my day is going to go.

Yesterday I actually got 6 dresses done and today I am going to get at least 4 more done.  It was nice to be able to stop sewing about 4:30 and just say that is it I am done for the day. 

I then did some house work and flipped the summer/fall decor items. Today I am going to sew what I have set up and then, do some weeding in the back yard and finish up the back deck, and maybe the front porch.

Even though I am not out of the woods in the shop my schedule feels lighter.  I feel like I have more time for possibilities.

Well the shop is waiting and I don't get to go do fun stuff until my work is done.  Dang!

So thoughts.... Would you pay off the mortgage if you had the money in savings?  Or would you wait a few more months and just be patient?



Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Monday, Week ahead, Eggplant parm

     I made a new recipe (finally ) of eggplant Parmesan. I am telling you it was the best I have ever tasted.  The only thing I can say is that it had  alot of steps, and took forever.  Kind of like making lasagna, just so much work.  I did make two big pans and froze one for later.  I like to freeze things to see how they taste after they are frozen.  Eggplant can be slimy and maybe it is not worth freezing.  We will see.

     This recipe could so easily be vegetarian, but not vegan because of the eggs used in the coating.  It was so nice as it cost so little for two huge pans.  I used my homemade marinara sauce out of freezer all from my garden and a quart of home canned tomatoes.  The two large eggplants were also free, as were the eggs.  I only spent money on bread crumbs, and cheese, spaghetti I served along with it.  I think if you had to buy everything it could get spendy.  I don't know as I don't buy sauces or tomatoes ever.

     Recipe: Take one large eggplant and slice in 1/4 inch slices (I left skin on.) lay slices flat on paper towel or other towel and salt both sides vigorously let set 45 minutes to an hour.

Wash off eggplant on cold water and pat dry.

Dip eggplant in egg (three beaten) and then into panko bread crumbs

place on well oiled cookie sheet and spray with oil or baking spray.

Bake at 400 for ten minutes, flip eggplant over and bake another 10 minutes

Have marinara sauce and quart of diced tomatoes mixed.  spread a good two cups in a baking dish.

take eggplant slice and put on a generous slice or two of hand cut mozzarella cheese.  Stack another slice on top and another slice of cheese. Keep doing this until all slices are used. This should make at least 6 to 8 towers of two slices.
Sprinkle with Parmesan and fresh basil
Add the rest of sauce around the stacks and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
I served this with buttered and salt/pepper spaghetti.

     This was so good but felt like it took forever.  I guess if you salted your eggplant earlier in the day it would not add to the making.  This is necessary as eggplant can be bitter and  the salt draws this out.  This is a very impressive dish and so, so good.

     Happily there is enough left over in the one pan for two more meals.  Yeah!

I have several dresses to contend with in the shop today and I am happy to say I think I am coming to the end of the very busy season.  Not that there won't be more work and dresses, just not the crazy over load I have been experiencing. I still have so much left to do this month as far as sewing goes, so I cannot be lazy and put things off, which I am prone to do.

     So I want to get in the shop and get my sewing done as much as possible and also line up all the sewing for the week.  Then I want to do a couple of things on my list and call it a good day.

What are you going to accomplish this week?  Any plans just for today?

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim
     

Saturday, Lovely

     I was able to get the wisteria cut back and clean out around the flower bed under the wisteria.  It took several hours and filled three large trash barrels and the truck.  I think everything on that list I made for September is a project.  But as I have found other things that needed done I have added them so now I am at least 7 for 7.  I was hoping to get out a little today but it is raining at last.  We are really behind on rain so I will not squeak.

     I still have not made up my eggplant parm so I will do that after a long nap this afternoon.  I need to run to my Lil sis's house and feed her cats, she is gone for the weekend.

     This is hell week for Hubs as the musical he is playing for opens this week.  He will be gone in the evenings which will give me plenty of time to get things done.  I like to work on projects that make messes, like cleaning and organizing when he is not around to question every little thing I do.  Then try to find a way to make the job longer and harder than is should be.  It is just easier.

      We had a church conference today and we got to hear from several women who all are married to doctors or dentists and how perfect their lives are and how they can have the perfect religious home and do all things required and asked of them.  I sit through this often and say in my evil little voice, have you every had to work or pay a bill?  Have you ever had to wonder where you were going to get the money to keep your lights on?  Do you sew several hours a day and maintain everything in your home?  I could be perfect too if all I had to do was  raise my kids and fuss over my appearance and keep my house clean.  I am tired of belonging to the B team, and hearing of the perfection of the A teamers.

     Well this is a quiet Sunday and I am off to check on Lil sis's cats and grab a storage container from her basement.

     Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Saturday, cleaning after Hubs

     They say highly sensitive people (snort) have a hard time with clutter.  It can immobilize them, I would like to see myself immobile. Anyway, as busy as I have been hubs tries to help by cleaning the kitchen after I cook.  This mean doing the dishes.  Only the dishes.  Here is a picture of the dining room after a few days of hubs cleaning the kitchen.  Nothing gets put away.  Just stacked and left in piles.  Yes, this eventually drives me crazy.

See the pile on this counter, all clean but not put away. It just piles up and up.














You can't see that the stove has never been wiped off and everything is a greasy mess. Even though I put out a de greaser for him, like maybe he will get the hint.....

Every section of the kitchen counter now has stuff piled.  GRRRR!

This is a bad photo, but the crap behind the sink is just over the top.  By the way this is a clean kitchen.

Also no vases or decorative things can be washed so they are stacked in a corner.  Yes that is my diet coke, I needed it to tackle this clean kitchen.  By the way that crock pot has been there for 4 days.  Poor thing does not have a home.

The garden produce on the table, the jar of rice, the groceries that he was to put away.  He doesn't know where the garlic and the onions go..... poor soul.  I am about to burst all that meat (not all shown) and put it through the seal a meal after I clean this KITCHEN!!!!!!!!!

but, there is a counter top under all that crap that could be put away when you are cleaning the kitchen. Yes thes floors have not been done but that is a hubs job and he does a pretty good job.

That recipe card is the last one mom and I used to make banana bread, it is in her very scrawly hand writing she had right before she passed I treasure this.

  

You know you can wipe off a micro wave and also put two dozen eggs in containers and put them in the fridge.

See that nice clean counter, doesn't that just make your anxiety about your messy house go away?

   

If you take fruit out of the plastic bag and put it away it lasts longer

That cookie jar is empty, poor hubs.

I don't expect hubs to go out and do floral displays but it would be nice if something was just put away.

I know,I know I should be grateful he does the dishes right?  I have been so busy in the shop and so wiped out at night I just can't get to many things.  But is was so nice to get this all cleaned.  I did it while the littles were running back and forth. Hubs had outside duty and I had inside.  I just cleaned and tended kids and put away and tended kids and then burst all that meat into smaller sealed packages.  This only took about and hour, then we had bacon lettuce and tomato sandwiches, for lunch.  Yum!

     One of the littles grandmother cam a got the older girls who is two and took her about 1 p.m. so Hubs took the baby and put him down for a nap and I ran down stairs and hemmed three pair of pants, and shortened the sleeves on a dress shirt.  Then I took a two hour nap and it was lovely.  Of course by 4 clients were coming over and the last pick up was at 7:15. 

     I went to bed early last night and I am raring to get out in the yard today.  I have started the three loads of laundry I have let go all week and I have also taken a picture of the wedding things I want to sell.  I am going to posts them to a selling site right after this blog and them get my butt outside.

     Yeah! Kim gets to play in the dirt.  She is so excited. If I am really good and get alot done I will go and get my very damaged nails done later this afternoon.  We will see.

Do you have any plans for the weekend?  What are they?  Is is something you have been putting off?




Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Friday, Another chart and below $10,000!

    

     This was a nice way to end a stressful week.  I completed another chart and I paid the mortgage for September along with an additional $1055.00 on the principle.  I am not sure of what our actual balance is as our house payment went up from $1445.00 to $1580.00 because of taxes and insurance increases.  They want to keep an extra percentage in the escrow.  This seems so silly to me as we will pay off the house in a few months, but the money will come back.

     I was able to get most things done in the shop yesterday and even rested for a couple of hours late in the afternoon.  I still have a few things to do in the shop (hem three pairs of pants and shorten the sleeves of a dress shirt) but I will do these while I watch the littles.  Hubs can run interference.  All the ripping is done, and everything is ready to sew.

     I thought I would get out in the yard today with the littles here, but it is overcast and rainy.  If it clears up later I will go out.


     I have two large beautiful eggplant brought to me by my sister and I am going to make two large pans of eggplant Parmesan today. I also think I will try and put away everything in the kitchen that hubs neglects to put away when he does the dishes.  It is comical.  I will take pictures of what he calls a clean kitchen.  If the dishes are done....

     I did get my roots done last night so another thing off the list.  They were bad.

     This morning I ran to the pharmacy to pick up Hubs meds, while he watched the littles, as we get up earlier when we take them, I was at the store before 9 a.m.  This gave me time to hit the meat department mark down section and I hit the mother load. Bacon for $1.25 a pound, and many packages of stew meat for under $2.00 a pound, pork sausage for under $2.00 a lb.  So I will be repackaging meat this morning with my seal a meal.  I bought $136.00 worth of meat for about $37.00.  Now I have to find someplace to put all of it.

     Well there are many things I can get done today even with the littles here, I just have to make sure the eyes in the back of my head are working.

What are you going to try and get done today?

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim