Secret Sunday

Find a special place for some time alone.  Bring a cup of tea or coffee and even a cookie if you wish.  Read Luke 19:1-10.  Think about what jumps out at you about those verses.

To help you ponder this wonderful verse my Aussie friend Father Speekman has some words of wisdom. 

[...]When we read Scripture we usually find that a word or phrase or image will capture our attention. For me this week it was a ‘moment’, the moment when Jesus reached the spot under the tree and looked up. I found myself happy to just sit and ponder the beautiful face of the Lord.

And don’t ask me exactly why it was that little moment which fascinated me. Was it the loving gaze in the eyes of the Lord looking up at Zacchaeus - or maybe his gentle smile? Or perhaps just wonderment at the goodness of the Divine Shepherd who comes to seek out the poor lost sheep even in the branches of a sycamore tree!  read the entire article here

Sycamore Tree of Zacchaeus in Jericho

Autumn in North Idaho

Great autumn color depends on moisture.  We had lots of rain this year and together with my constant watering, it has produced one of the most beautiful autumns I can remember.

I headed out with my camera between the raindrops and took a stroll on the property.

(as always - you can click on picture to enlarge to really, really huge so you won't miss any weeds or other ugly stuff :-)  Ok - so I just took my own advice after publishing this post and enlarged the pictures.  Waaaay cool!)

Even the red twig dogwood in the backyard produced some fun color...

A young Radiant crab apple framed by the gate

Amur Maple peeking over the top of some lilacs...

The Amur Maple hedge from the other side...

Amur Maple leaves...

Two of the young Mountain Ashes dressed up for fall...

One of the young maples "strutting it's stuff"

Wow!  Just look at that Cherry tree.  It's right outside our bedroom window making for a very nice view...

Some Cherry leaves...

Lots of color in the front to greet visitors...

Common purple asters...

Peeking into the back yard through the bushes...

Amazing color...

 

Time for a French Press coffee (made with fresh ground caramel flavored  beans), a biscotti, and a peek at Victoria's special edition magazine that just came in the mail.  Then off to church...

  

Does life get any better than this?

Last Snapdragons, First Fire, and Decorating Rules...

After a few days rain break, I was able to get out and do more fall clean-up work.  I cut back the snapdragons (or as my hubby calls them - dragonsnaps.)  He never knew you could make the flowers "talk" by squeezing the sides and every year he is delighted by their chatter.  Sometimes they even give him little flower kisses or bite his nose.    Ok - we're easily amused around our house. 

You can click on the pics to enlarge because the good Lord knows you wouldn't want to miss any dust bunnies, crumbs, or pink cat toys (next to stove.) 

That cute little 4 cup teapot came from T.J. Maxx and only cost $8.99

This little glass dome is a cheese dome that fits on a marble vase.  Sometimes I put a heavy candle plate on top on a candle holder turned upside down.  I haven't found the need to glue the two stand pieces together which means I still have a candle plate and a candle holder to use.

The first fire in the wood stove is always a big day.  We received several extra cords of wood for free this summer.  With electricity prices going up so high we will be doing a lot of our heating with the stove this winter.  It should save us about four to five hundred dollars.  

Decorating 101

Always match your pet to your decor

Angela enjoying the back of the sofa

Some of the things I'm reading now:

It's raining, autumn work almost done, and some cheap pot (no - not that kind) tricks...

About the time I was ready to fall on my lips - it started to rain, which means I get a few days break from outside work.  Planted another 200 or so daylily divisions and we finished restructuring the cutting garden by widening the center path.  Hubby re-cut the wood edging to fit.  To show my gratitude I slapped a bunch of stain on the faded boards. He's happy!

Outdoor office with yet another pile of daylilies to be planted.  

Each year I bring in geraniums so I have cuttings in the spring to replant.  I cut them way back meaning by Christmas they will be grown back and blooming - an added bonus.  This year I wanted smaller pots and finding none in the potting shed I did a bit of shopping.  Everything was too expensive.

One of my other goals has been to use up all the half-full cans of spray paint that have accumulated.  Hmmmm - I have a gazillion ugly black nursery pots.  Wonder what's left in spray paint?  Olive green?  That will work.  I used up what was left of the green paint.

Bonus?  The pots fit on my window sills so they won't all be crammed in the dining room. 

Ewwwwwwwww.....what about those huge holes?

Your pot planting friend.  Coffee filters...

In the spring I'll take cuttings...

Within about a week they'll have lots of roots

Last year I ended up with about 125 geraniums to plant in my yard.  Savings?  About $250.00

My favorite is the variegated pink geranium...

Debra over at BODECI body has started a series of 40 days to Fit and Fabulous.  Head over if you haven't been there.  It's inspirational stuff! 

Autumn work, pricey pepper, last of the veggies, and adventures in tortilla making

Thanks to the wonderful weather we've been having, our autumn outside chores are perking right along.  The daylily dividing and the moving of two entire beds is almost complete (which is good because I can hardly bend over to plant the little rats anymore.)  I've planted about 800 daylilies so far and have about 200 to go.  Piece of cake!

 Last week I headed over to our local Kitchen Collection to see if they had a lettuce knife.  They did and I got one.  It was only about $3.00 and I managed to snag a lime green one just like the picture in my other post.

I also splurged and bought a tortilla press.  I had an antique one when I was in my early twenties and tried making corn tortillas.  It was a fiasco and I never tried again.  Last night I mixed up Masa Harina (do not substitute corn meal - it's not the same thing) with water and dash of salt, stirred it up, and made little balls of the dough.  I put heavy plastic on the press (top and bottom) and squished out 20 perfect tortillas.  After a quick cook in a dry cast iron skillet set to medium high (about 40 seconds each side), it was time to make enchiladas.  I used cooked chicken breast, which had been marinated in lime, oil, and cumin.  Mixed the chicken with cream cheese, a can of green chilies, and sauteed onions and garlic for the filling.  Baked for 30 minutes with a topping of enchilada sauce and shredded cheddar.  Fresh homemade tortillas made a huge difference.  Can't wait to try tacos. 

Saved the last of the veggies a few nights ago before our first hard frost.  I'll miss fresh tomatoes. 

The priciest pepper, evah!  Can you believe I paid $6.99 for this pepper with orange and lemon peels in it?  I can't either - but I did, and it's wonderful! 

Thought for the day:

Only about nine weeks until the winter solstice when the days will start getting longer again. Since we're having such a long autumn, this winter will just whiz by...

Vows are sometimes meant to be broken...

 Last year I banished all the silk flowers from my home except for one large Capodimonte vase in our bedroom and one vase that sits on a little shelf in the living room.  I vowed to never buy any more dust catching silks.  Ha!  Last week found me at Michaels buying some additions for my living room vase and my old autumn wreath.

I rarely start from scratch on any project but instead recycle and add a few new embellishments.  My motto is "quick, easy, and cheap."

The dried flowers that were in my living room vase were utterly disgusting and I couldn't get them in the trash pile fast enough. I picked up a few very inexpensive flowers and tall squiggly things that matched my cute little wall lamp shade (you can read about that cute little lamp here) and stuffed them in the vase. Time and money spent (other then shopping)?  Maybe 5 minutes and $4.00. 

My fall wreath, languishing in the barn got a few new fall leaves and a ribbon from the Dollar store crammed on it and hit the wall.  Time and money spent?  10 minutes and $2.00.  Ah - that's my kind of decorating...

Introducing another Adrienne. 

Good heavens!  The Adrienne's are multiplying like flies or mice - or something. 

La Vie Quotidienne (which means "daily life")  is home to Adrienne of the pretty red hair, 100 watt smile, and a flare for all things French.  Adrienne can make beautiful clothes,  has designer mice in her house, and has a scarecrow that's better dressed than moi. 

I threw in the moi (sole extent of my French) so Adrienne wouldn't think I was a dummy or something.  After all, she and Parisienne Farm Girl have potagers.  I only have a garden.  Sigh...

Meantime, Roz, over at La Bella Vita is whipping up one of my favorite breakfast or brunch items - frittatas.  As usual she has explicit instructions and great pictures.  I posted a simple "clean out the fridge frittata" a few months ago. 

It has not been a pretty week...

but considering the alternative - it was ok.

Both hubby and I came down with the flu, but not before the belt broke on my lawn tractor (the really, really important one that make the blade go whiz-whiz and cut things).  My email was totally messed up due to the incompetence of Frontier who took over Verizon, and hubby's whole computer had a major melt-down.

The good parts?  Ace Hardware had our belt in stock.  My tractor guru was able to put it on with a minimum of fuss. My email is fixed thanks to the assistance of our local email provider, and our computer guru had hubby's link to the outside world fixed and up and running in record time.  Our  flu only lasted 24 hours (I'm still tired, though) and hubby did a fine job of wielding a mop when I didn't quite make the sink (how embarrassing!!!!)  I have three plump perfect eggplants waiting in my garden to be transformed into something wonderful, and Best Buy bacon (not my usual bacon but not bad for the price) was on special for $1.28 per lb at the store. It's rained for a few days so I didn't have to hit the gully and water all the new trees and shrubs, my lavender crop is outstanding, and the library hasn't run out of books.



Slap it all on the scale of life and I'd say the good outweighs the bad by a bunch!

 


I love the view of our back mountain when it's partially hidden by clouds.

Have a wonderful weekend...