Saturday, August 31, 2013

The Wisdom of Young Wally


When Wally was nine years old, we made a big move from the Gulf Coast to the East. Ward and I were very absorbed in everything involved with that--getting the house ready to sell, finding a new place, packing, etc. But most of all we were involved in helping Theo, who was six at the time, deal with the coming change. He was very worried about everything and expressing that the only way he knew how--by acting up. Unfortunately daily notes from his teacher became the norm during this time.

After a few weeks of this whirlwind, we realized that maybe Wally needed some attention too. We sat down with him one day and said that we had been paying so much attention to Theo and the move, we hadn't even asked him how he felt about everything. This is the reply he gave us.

"When you first told me about moving, I was upset. I didn't want to leave my friends and my school. But then one day, I laid down on my bed and thought about everything. First I thought about every bad thing there was about moving and then I was done with the bad stuff.  Then I thought about the good stuff like having a bigger yard and seeing snow. And the good stuff is the only thing I think about now when I think about moving and it's okay."

I was inspired at the time with Wally's method on how he handled his worry and still am. Since then, I've tried to remember his example. When I'm worried about something, I try to think about what is really bothering me and causing the worry. Then I think about if there is any action I can take to change it. Next I try to look at the positives of the situation and focus on those. Or to paraphrase young Wally, "First I think about all of the bad stuff and then I forget it. Then I only think about the good stuff."

How do you calm your worries?



Friday, August 30, 2013

Food Waste Friday and True Food Confessions--August 30, 2013

It's time for Food Waste Friday, when the Frugalgirl encourages us to post pictures from the previous week of wasted food from our household. This accountability hopefully will help us to be more careful with our food and maybe save some money. Also, I am using this public forum to encourage us to eat out less which includes better meal planning. You can follow how we are doing in this endeavor by reading True Food Confessions.

This Week's Food Waste

Cottage Cheese and Chicken Soup

The cottage cheese turned green before we finished it. I knew the container was too big when I bought it, but the price was so good. A rookie mistake made by an old pro. Also, last week I was sick for a couple of days and had 1/2 can of chicken soup--our favorite go to with an upset stomach. However, when I felt better, the soup didn't seem so appealing any more. So there it sat in the back of the fridge until it was time for it to go.


This Week's True Food Confessions 


Do you ever have a hard time remembering what you did yesterday? Sometimes I can't remember what I  did even that morning. So sometimes, I can't remember what we had to eat over the last week--like now. But I'll take a stab at it any way. Last night we had meatloaf and a couple of days before that we had chicken and noodles with chicken left over of a roasted chicken. Another night was a frozen pizza. The treats of the week were fresh salads, watermelon, and peaches. Oh the peaches were heavenly. I love peach season. 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream by @browneyedbaker :: www.browneyedbaker.com
Picture from Browneyed Baker.
I didn't make a new recipe this week, but I tasted a wonderful one at work--Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream. This is not ice cream with chunks of cookie dough, but the ice cream tastes like chocolate chip cookie throughout.  It was rich, creamy, and delicious and didn't require churning with an ice cream maker. I may make it this weekend. My friend that made it said that she got the recipe years ago off a bag of a bag of chocolate chips, but I have reprinted it below from Food. com.





Toll House Quick Ice Cream

By children from A to Z on July 16, 2007
0 Reviews
  • timer
  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 24 hrs 30 mins
  • Yield: 1.5 quarts

About This Recipe

"I haven't made this but it sure looks good. I found this in the Nestle cookbook I have. No ice cream maker necessary. Cooking time is chilling time."

Ingredients

    • 1/2 cup brown sugar
    • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
    • 1/2 cup butter
    • 3 eggs
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 2 cups heavy cream
    • 1 cup mini chocolate chip
    • 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

  1. In a small heavy gauge saucepan, combine brown sugar and butter.
  2. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring occasionally; boil 1 minute.
  3. Remove from heat.
  4. In blender container, combine eggs, vanilla extract and salt; cover and blend at medium speed for 30 seconds.
  5. Gradually pour in brown sugar mixture; blend at high speed for 1 minute Set aside;.
  6. Cool to room temperature.
  7. In a large bowl, beat heavy cream until stiff.
  8. Fold in butter/sugar mixture.
  9. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts.
  10. Pour into foil-lined 9x5x3 in loaf pan.
  11. Cover with foil; freeze until firm (several hours or overnight).

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 (1179 g)
Servings Per Recipe: 1
Amount Per Serving
% Daily Value
Calories 3208.8
Calories from Fat 2467
76%
Amount Per Serving
% Daily Value
Total Fat 274.1g
421%
Saturated Fat 140.3g
701%
Cholesterol 1020.4mg
340%
Sugars 155.0 g
Sodium 1522.1mg
63%
Total Carbohydrate 183.1g
61%
Dietary Fiber 12.0g
48%
Sugars 155.0 g
620%
Protein 36.4g
7



 

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

A Second Look--August 28, 2013

We had a few wonderful days of cooler weather that lulled us into thinking that maybe fall was here. However, real August days returned with temperatures in the 90's with high humidity soon enough. The flower workhorses of the summer have continued to add their color. Some of these include blanket flowers, marigolds, celosia and coneflowers. Acutally most of the coneflowers have finished blooming and the goldfinch are starting to enjoy their seed heads.

The bird feeder has had a lot of activity and is interesting to watch as we see which birds don't mind sharing and which birds would rather have everything to themselves. We had a particularly aggressive male house finch one day that thought it was his job to keep other birds away. This is not typical for the finches as there are usually several there at the same time. And speaking of aggressive birds, I think the baby blue birds are still in the nest. When I got to that part of the yard today, the parents were dive bombing me from two directions. Enough so that I couldn't go into the lower part of the yard to take a Second Look. I guess technically I could have, but the birds aggressively whizzing within an inch of my head scared me. Has anyone seen the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Birds?

Here are a few things I saw this week during a Second Look.






Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Estate sale

There was an estate sale last weekend at a house near where Miss Landers lives and we made a visit to it as a family outing. Theo was looking mainly for tools and I thought Wally should be looking for things to outfit an apartment. Ward and I weren't sure what we were looking for but thought we would know it when we saw it.

The man who used to live in the house lived to the ripe old age of 90 and had plenty of time to pursue his favorite hobby--finding bargains at thrift stores. Therefore there were plenty of clothes and dishes and tools. Not out for sale, but he also had books signed by Einstein. That made for an eclectic accumulation of things to say the least.
Ward is starting to redo this table we purchased.

I concentrated on kitchen things for Wally because he thought he already had what he needed--some plates, bowls, and a pot. I added a few more things like measuring cups, cooking spoons, and a cookie sheet. He wandered around and found things that he thought the other members of the family might be interested in. Ward was a little overwhelmed with the whole thing but was happy when he found a table with just tools. Theo was the one who was focused. He carefully considered most things he saw.

The bargaining styles of the family were just as different as their shopping styles. Wally did no bargaining because he did no shopping. I generally paid what was marked on the items, but tried to group items and get a discount on the whole lot. Ward paid whatever was marked on the item and hesitated about buying things that weren't marked. And Theo was there to get a fair price--for everyone. For example, when he asked the elderly woman running the sale how much the clock on the mantel was, she suggested $5. He said he would feel better if he paid her $10, so he did. And so it went. I wasn't sure if I were proud of him for doing what he thought was right or thought I needed to give a lesson in second hand sales.

All in all, we were happy with our purchases. Wally got a few more things for his kitchen and Theo got a clock and some tools. Ward and I got among other things a side table, measuring cup, and a box of new drawer slides. Now it's time to fix up, redo, and put away our new treasures.

What's your bargaining style at second hand sales?


Sunday, August 25, 2013

Thankful Sunday--August 25, 2013

I am thankful for my sisters.


I am very lucky to have three sisters. Who else can I say pea sheller or Mrs. Schoolcraft to and get a knowing nod and a smile? Thanks to Mother and Daddy for giving me the gift of these sisters.

(In case you're wondering, I have no brothers.)


Saturday, August 24, 2013

Homeowner's Insurance

or Being a Grownup

Ward and I have a list of things that we're working on that we're not particularly excited about doing, but things we should do if we are going to be responsible adults. The latest task we've been doing is reevaluating our homeowner's insurance. It's been something that has been on the list for several years (we're not always good with this grownup stuff) and a recent article in Money magazine finally prompted us into action.  While the article gives a few tips about shopping for insurance, this discussion is mostly about what your insurance may or may not cover. Apparently things have changed a lot over the last 10 years and if you haven't been paying attention, you may not be aware of them.

Here are a few highlights from the article:

Homeowners insurance is one of the least profitable kinds of insurance these days. One of the reasons is there have more damaging weather events so there have been a lot more payouts. Therefore, some of the coverage has become more restrictive. 

A burst pipe might be covered, but a leaky pipe may not be. Mold caused by either may not be covered and probably not if it came from a leaky pipe.

Wind coverage may be limited or have a much higher deductible than other coverage. You may need a rider for this to be adequately covered.

The amount of extra money it takes to rebuild an older home to meet current building standards may not be covered.

Flood insurance is an extra policy purchased from the government. If any of your house is below ground level (even an inch) and gets water in it, that is considered a flood and must be covered by flood insurance.

These are just a sampling of things Money magazine gave us to think about. Insurance rates and policies vary by region and state and of course individually. So insurance coverage is something that needs to be researched and discussed by each person with their agent.

How did we do with our latest review? Pretty good with no major changes needed. Now I'm going to play a little before I have to be a grownup again by tackling the next thing on the list.


Friday, August 23, 2013

Food Waste Friday and True Food Confessions--Aug. 23, 2013

It's time for Food Waste Friday, when the Frugalgirl encourages us to post pictures from the previous week of wasted food from our household. This accountability hopefully will help us to be more careful with our food and maybe save some money. Also, I am using this public forum to encourage us to eat out less which includes better meal planning. You can follow how we are doing in this endeavor by reading True Food Confessions.

This Week's Food Waste

Nothing

We saved a few tomatoes by roasting them. This was the first time we had roasted tomatoes and they were delicious. We ate them as snacks.



This Week's True Food Confessions

A sampling of our menu this week.
 
Well, I think it's time for a review of this experiment. We all like eating out. And sometimes, the food is nutritious and sometimes it's not. And most of the time it tastes good but occasionally it doesn't.  And sometimes I like spending time in the kitchen, but mostly I don't. And sometimes Theo likes to cook, but usually he doesn't. And Ward and Wally never like to cook, but are okay with cleaning up. And we're lucky to have enough money to eat out within reason. So when I consider all of that, I think it's a miracle that we stay home for meals at all. :) But we will keep trudging on with the goal of eating more at home for both economical and nutritional reasons.

So how did we do this week? The carnivores were happy because Wally took us to a pit beef place that literally was a hole in the wall, but had very good meat. Another night, Theo took us to the local biker bar/family restaurant that had good food, but an even more interesting crowd. Ward got to have his turn when he brought home food from his favorite Chinese restaurant.

Did we eat at home? Well a few times with chicken soup, spinach pie, pizza, roasted tomatoes, and an omelet. And even though it wasn't an official meal, we also really enjoyed fresh bread with strawberry freezer jam. Not a stellar week, but still better than before we started these weekly reports. Once again, public accountability has its benefits.

Until next time...




Thursday, August 22, 2013

Today...

Today I am going to step back and look at things from a distance.


Sometimes I get too caught up in the details and forget the big picture. Today I am going to look from a distance so I can get a new perspective on things.

___________________________________________________



Wednesday, August 21, 2013

A Second Look--August 20, 2013

Here are some of the things I found this week during a Second Look.

Balloon flower



Every year the story's the same. Insects invade the peaches and then a few weeks later the all of the fruit seems to have disappeared. That is unless you look really closely in the grass underneath the tree. Then you find the pits. Some year I am going to spray and net the tree to see if I can compete with the critters.



Hosta blooms




Resting insects on the celosia. Saturday morning I found several insects very still on these plants until the dew had lifted and the temperatures warmed up. Then they were all as busy as bees.



This squirrel provided some up close and personal entertainment for the cats.



The hibiscus have started to bloom in the last week.



The bald cardinal has been visiting the feeder regularly.






Monday, August 19, 2013

Monday Morning



It's Monday morning and I am awoken by the sun coming through the light blocking blinds.( They never did live up to their name). I check the clock and realize that I don't have to get up yet, so I snuggle close to Ward to sleep some more. However, sleep doesn't return because my mind is busy with the activities of the day. And soon Leo joins us to let us know that the cats have gone all night without food and they are STARVING!  I decide to get up. I gather a load of laundry and take it to the basement to wash as I feed the cats. They are very grateful.

I turn on the news to see what happened while I was sleeping and check the weather. It should be cool with rain, and even though I know it's very important, I can't concentrate on the troubles of Egypt. My mind is filled with what we might have for dinner tonight. Quiche is on the menu, but it seems too soon to have an egg dish after the omelets we had yesterday. I won't be home until late today, so the chicken soup in the freezer seems like a good choice.

After a bowl of Cheerios, I check the bird feeder on the way to the shower. I see a cardinal and a finch this morning. Soon I leave for work. My timing is good today, so I won't have to get annoyed when I get behind a really slow car. (We'll see how that works.) Another day, another dollar.


Sunday, August 18, 2013

Thankful Sunday--August 18, 2013

I am thankful for fresh eggs.


My friend's chickens are laying well these days, so I got a dozen and a half of fresh eggs yesterday. This morning we are having omelets for breakfast and tomorrow we are having quiche for dinner. Fresh really does taste best.


Saturday, August 17, 2013

Saturday Morning



It's Saturday morning and the day is full of possibilities. So many things that we want to do. So many things we think we should do. But the out-of-doors is calling stronger than any of these things. The weather is cool enough that I need a sweatshirt even though the sun is starting to shine. Ward decides that he is going to do some fence line cleaning, and I decide that I am going to rid a flower bed of Johnson grass. The dew is heavy and in no time our feet are soaked and our pants legs aren't far behind. But this doesn't matter because we feel like we're part of the creatures who call the out-of-doors their home. When we first go out, the birds are quiet and the insects are resting, but as the sun gets higher in the sky, they start flying and chirping. We take this as a signal that it's time for us to think once again about all of the things we want to do today and all of the things we think we should do. But that's okay because we know we can come back at the end of the day and be part of this world again.


Friday, August 16, 2013

Food Waste Friday and True Food Confessions--Aug. 16, 2013

It's time for Food Waste Friday, when the Frugalgirl encourages us to post pictures from the previous week of wasted food from our household. This accountability hopefully will help us to be more careful with our food and maybe save some money. Also, I am using this public forum to encourage us to eat out less which includes better meal planning. You can follow how we are doing in this endeavor by reading True Food Confessions.



This Week's Food Waste
Lettuce and Tomato

I bought a bag of lettuce that had seen better days before I even opened it, but I did manage to save some of it. However, a tomato turned rotten waiting for me. But the other dozen or so tomatoes we got from Uncle Billy were put to good use (made salsa) before they met with a similar demise. Also saved were a cucumber, mushrooms, and the last of the yellow watermelon. Fresh produce is hard to keep up with. Sometimes it feels like I am spinning plates in the air to use it before I lose it.



This Week's True Food Confessions

The making of Slow Cooker Pork and Sauerkraut

A little cooking and its leftovers, good sandwich supplies, and fresh salsa and humus kept our bellies full this week. And oh, I should mention there were also leftovers from Ward's favorite Chinese restaurant. We have developed a pattern over the last couple of months with our eating. We eat in most of the week and eat out sometime over the weekend. This usually happens when we're away from home on an outing. .

We did try a new recipe this weekend thanks to Theodore who took the time to look one up and buy the ingredients. We made Slow Cooker Pork and Sauerkraut from the blog Dad Cooks Dinner. The recipe has pork ribs, bacon, potatoes, and sauerkraut as the main ingredients. And guess what? The carnivores in the family loved it. And guess what even more? So did I.

I have copied the recipe below from this link.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Pork and Sauerkraut

Cook time: 8 hours
Equipment:

  • 6 quart or larger slow cooker (Crock Pot brand is fine, but I like my fancy one from All-Clad)
Ingredients:
  • 8 oz bacon, cut into 1 1/2" pieces
  • 2 lbs sauerkraut, drained and rinsed (I prefer bagged sauerkraut)
  • 1 lb new potatoes, scrubbed
  • 2 apples, cored and diced
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1/2 tsp coriander seed
  • 1/2 tsp whole peppercorns
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 lbs pork western ribs or pork country ribs
  • 3 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 cups white wine (Riesling or other dry white wine)

Directions:
1. Brown the bacon: Put the bacon in a cold fry pan and turn the heat to medium.  Cook, rendering the bacon fat and turning occasionally, until the bacon is browned and crispy, about ten minutes. Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon. Leave 2 tbsp bacon fat in the pan, and dispose of the rest.

2. Prep and layer ingredients in the crock pot: While the bacon is browning: Drain and rinse the sauerkraut, and place in the bottom of the slow cooker crock in an even layer. Scrub the new potatoes and put them in a ring against the outside edge of the crock. Core and dice the apples, and put them in the middle of the potatoes. Sprinkle the brown sugar, thyme, coriander seeds, peppercorns, and bay leaves into the crock. Sprinkle the pork with 3 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp ground pepper, then layer on top of the other ingredients in the pot. Put the browned bacon in the pot whenever it is ready; in my case it wound up on top of the apples.

3. Saute the aromatics:When the bacon is done, add the diced onion, crushed garlic, and 1/2 tsp salt to the pan. Saute, scraping the browned bacon drippings into the onions. Cook until the onion is starting to brown around the edges, about five minutes. (While the onion is cooking, continue with the layering the ingredients step if it is not done yet.) Add the wine to the pan and bring to a simmer. Scrape any remaining browned bits from the bottom of the pan, then pour the onion/garlic/wine mixture into the crock over the top of the pork.

3. Slow cook the pork: Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours or high heat for 4 hours.

4. Plate and serve: Remove the pork ribs to a plate. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon, cut into quarters, and sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaves and throw them away.  Stir the ingredients left in the crock into the sauerkraut, then remove the sauerkraut to a serving platter using a slotted spoon. Ladle a cup or two of the liquid left in the crock over the sauerkraut, ribs and pork. Put the pork and potatoes on top of the platter of sauerkraut, and serve.

Variations:
*Pork Roast: Instead of the pork ribs, use a pork shoulder roast. Increase the cooking time to 10 hours on low or 5 hours on high. *Add smoked sausage: If you have a pound of kielbasa or smoked sausage, slice it and add it on top of the apples. You'll have bacon, smoked sausage, pork ribs, and sauerkraut. What could be better?
*Use red wine instead of white wine: Red wine is common in German sauerkraut, so if that's all you have, go ahead and use it.
Notes:
*Riesling: Riesling comes in a wide variety of sweetness levels, from dry (no sweetness) to syrupy sweet (dessert wines). A dry to semi-sweet Riesling is my preference for this recipe. German Rieslings have their sweetness level as part of the name; look for halbtrocken (off-dry), or trocken (dry). Really, any inexpensive white wine that isn't too oaky will work. (Avoid cheap chardonnay, which tends to be very oaky.)
*Why a cheap white wine? Because about half a bottle goes into the slow cooker. I can't bring myself to cook the good stuff for hours. I save the good stuff to drink. If you're serving a crowd, get a cheap bottle for the pot, then some better wine of the same type for everyone to drink with the meal.



Until next time...

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

A Second Look--August 14, 2013

Birds and Bees Edtion

While there are still flowers blooming, the big shows of spring and summer are gone. That means I've spent more time watching the celosia right outside my window. It is all volunteer from last year and as most volunteer plants do, it is growing very well. This week it had a great influx of bees* and I'll show you some of them.
(*I am using the term "bee" in the most generic sense. These are mostly pictures of wasps and maybe a fly.)

Also, what would a week be if I didn't show you some difficult-to-make-out baby bird pictures? The baby sparrow should fledge any day now, and the baby bluebirds have just hatched. Last time I looked they still didn't have their eyes open. Also, there has been a male cardinal at the feeder with a somewhat bare head. It is molting season for many birds and I assume that is why he is bald.

For this week's Second Look
"Let me tell you about the birds and the bees."
 (Does anyone know that song by Jewell Akens?)






































Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Ordinary Treasures--maple syrup crystals

Every once in a while I find an ordinary thing that happens everyday but strikes me as wondrous. I found one of these recently in a jar of maple syrup in my refrigerator--large sugar crystals.  I know I can melt these back down, but I think I will just admire them instead.

Maple sugar crystals. They are about 1/2" high and about 1" long.

What everyday wondrous thing have you noticed recently?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And now for the rest of the story.

--The maple syrup that I found these in was some that my father made. There was a lot of work that went into that endeavor starting with tapping the trees. For me, that makes them even more special.

--Also, I had a crystallography class in college, and I exercised some very rusty parts of my brain trying to classify them in the right system, etc.



Monday, August 12, 2013

Read the Labels

Recently I was having a discussion about vitamin D with a friend and she said I should check my bottle to make sure that I was getting the dose I intended. I had two different kinds and looked at both of them.



At first glance it appeared that the major difference between these two was that one of them is a gummy vitamin that you chew and the other is the traditional pill that you swallow. However, when I read the nutrition information on the back, another more important difference came to light.

Even though both labels on the front say 2000 IU, it takes one pill to equal that of the traditional vitamin and TWO gummies to equal that of the gummy vitamin. Sneaky. Yes. I guess the out for the gummies is that it says "Formula" after "2000 IU".

I like to think that I am a smart shopper and have a good eye for detail, but not this time. I fell for the "clever" marketing practices of the vitafusion company. I hope that I pay more attention in the future and you can use this as a heads up for your own shopping.



Sunday, August 11, 2013

Thankful Sunday--August 11, 2013

I am thankful for my new running shoes.


I am not a runner, but I appreciate the lightweight support these shoes give me. I am not a runner, but these may turn me into a walker.

_____________________________________________


Friday, August 9, 2013

Food Waste Friday and True Food Confessions--Aug. 9, 2013

It's time for Food Waste Friday, when the Frugalgirl encourages us to post pictures from the previous week of wasted food from our household. This accountability hopefully will help us to be more careful with our food and maybe save some money. Also, I am using this public forum to encourage us to eat out less which includes better meal planning. You can follow how we are doing in this endeavor by reading True Food Confessions.


This Week's Food Waste

A little cucumber and tomato salad. 
  
The fridge has been fuller than normal recently with fresh produce and somehow the last bit of this salad got hidden in the back. However, we really do like it, so I made another one today.  I don't think this one is going to get lost because I not only made another one today, we ate it all today.

 
This Week's True Food Confessions

Our treat for the week--yellow watermelon
My true food confession for this week-- I'm getting tired of cooking regularly. That should come as no surprise if you have read many of these posts before. There are many other things I would rather do than cook, but it is important part of every day life so I guess I'll stick with it. I'm going to have to think of a way to shake things up though because the thought of eating out seems more and more attractive every day. I mean every day I want to eat out. Oh well, let's move on.

We were lucky this weekend to go to a couple of cookouts.We took the food for one of them, but it still felt like a treat. Also, we used fresh tomatoes to make a mushroom and tomato sauce for tortellini one night. Another night was chicken and potstickers and yet another we had pizza (still can't say enough about Aldi's take and bake pizza.) Despite all of my longing to not cook, we actually only had takeout one night with Subway Sandwiches. 

I didn't try a new recipe this week, but I did try a new food--yellow watermelon. The outside of the watermelon looked the same, but the flesh inside was yellow instead of pink. The novelty of the melon got "I-don't-like-watermelon" Wally to try it. And guess what? He liked it as much as everyone else. 

Until next time... 



Tuesday, August 6, 2013

A Second Look--August 7, 2013

We've had a lot of rain off and on so I didn't get to do a good look at the lower part of the yard like I hoped. However, there was still plenty to see close to the house. The tiger lilies are gone and many of the butterflies have left with them, but not all. I haven't seen the monarch caterpillars for a couple of weeks, so I hope they have gone off to build a chrysalis. I've looked in the area a little, but there are enough shrubs, trees, and weeds around they could be anywhere. It seems as if the tussock caterpillar numbers are on the rise and they have been joined by milkweed bugs that are starting to hatch. I will say that the milkweed plants host a lot of interesting activity.

On the bird front, the other three sparrow eggs have not hatched and after a couple weeks, probably aren't going to. The lone baby is continuing to develop and has gotten some real feathers while the bluebird mother is still sitting on her eggs.  It seems like there is more activity at the feeder with both kinds and numbers of birds. However, I'm never quite sure if the numbers are increasing or I'm just watching at the right time.

Unfortunately, I have seen one house finch with conjunctivitis. This is a well known problem in the finch population and affects approximately 5-10% of them. What this means to me is that I need to clean my bird feeder with bleach to cut down on chance of spread. This is something that is recommended to be done every two weeks, but it doesn't happen that often here.

Here are some of the things I saw this week during a Second Look.

The surprise lilies came up this week. They are called surprise lilies because their leaves come up and die months before the flowers emerge.



This is the last variety of hosta to bloom this summer.



It's hard to make everything out in this messy sparrows nest, but notice the unhatched eggs and the feathers forming on the one baby.



These will turn into orange and black milkweed bugs.



Skipper Butterfly on Black-Eyed Susan



The downy woodpecker is one of the birds I'm seeing in greater numbers at the feeder. The red patch on the back of the head is the tell-tale sign that this one is a male.



Part of our shade garden with Japanese painted fern, hydrangea, lambs ear, and nettle. You can't see the  large hosta framing the sides (pictured above) or the teaberry growing underneath.



Freezer Jam

I love the taste of freezer jam because of how fresh the fruit tastes. I made some recently and it lasted exactly two days before I pulled it out of the freezer to eat. So much for fresh fruit taste in the middle of the upcoming winter. :)
 



If you haven't made freezer jam, give it a try because it is very easy. There is usually a recipe on the pectin box or try allrecipes for a recipe and technique.


Monday, August 5, 2013

Today...

Today I am going to be full of energy.


Sometimes the amount of energy I feel is a mindset. Today I am going to imagine I have all of the energy of these waves and have a very productive day.
____________________________

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Thankful Sunday--August 4, 2013

I am thankful that Lucy's head wasn't really caught between these two posts.


Cats don't usually get themselves into situations that they can't get out of. But you never know. Especially with Lucy. She had to twist her head a bit, but she was able to extract herself just fine.



Saturday, August 3, 2013

My Blogging Approach


Some of the everyday things I have blogged about.

Before I started this blog, I thought about stories I wanted to tell. They were stories about personal struggles and triumphs. They were funny stories and serious stories. However after two years, I haven't told one of those stories here. That is because they involve details about other people who didn't ask to be part of my blog. They were about friends and family who would rather not have some important parts of their life shared in a very public way. So, I have tried to respect that. 

Therefore, you may know what my family had to eat last week and that we went on a hike, but you won't know the individual struggles we are having--the ones that make us angry with each other and the ones that make us cry for both sadness and joy. You may know that we got a good deal on a garden tool but you won't know how that savings fits into our overall budget. It's not that I think that others shouldn't share these things on their blogs. In fact, some of the most meaningful and inspirational stories come from reading about others personal journeys.

 As time has gone on, I have thought of my blogging community more like a family. I am ready to share more personal things like the death of my father, but others still are not ready for me to bare all. I ask permission if a post involves anyone other than myself before I publish it even though we all have an alias. You may have noticed that most of my pictures don't show faces or show them only from a distance. If you see a whole person, the picture is quite old or a stranger I have gotten permission from. Some place names are real and some are not. If you read much, you should know what area of the USA I live in, but not much more than that.
  
"With this blog, I am trying to take time to notice everyday things around me with both appreciation and curiosity."  That was one of my early statements about the purpose of this blog and I think Live and Learn-Toss and Turn has helped me to do that. I do know that this blog has made me a happier person overall. I spend more time appreciating the outdoors around me with A Second Look. I take time to be reminded of the simple things I'm thankful for with Thankful Sundays. I remember fondly Wally and Theo's early years with Ponderings and Boy vs. Girl. I am eating healthier and more frugally with Food Waste Friday and True Food Confessions. And the list goes on. 

Upon reflection, I declare my blogging approach a success for me. For now, I will share some of my personal stories with just my family and then enjoy reading yours.


Friday, August 2, 2013

Food Waste Friday and True Food Confessions--Aug. 2, 2013

It's time for Food Waste Friday, when the Frugalgirl encourages us to post pictures from the previous week of wasted food from our household. This accountability hopefully will help us to be more careful with our food and maybe save some money. Also, I am using this public forum to encourage us to eat out less which includes better meal planning. You can follow how we are doing in this endeavor by reading True Food Confessions.

This Week's Food Waste 
Nada
although I did have to cut some bad places
out of several tomatoes to save them. 

This Week's True Food Confessions

A Sampling of food we enjoyed this week. 
Let's see, I'm too tired now to make this post especially witty or enlightening--and I might need more interesting subject material if I were going to do much of that. So for now, I'll give you the facts, just the facts. (Anyone out there remember Dragnet?)

--Ate out once on the weekend after I came home from working on Sunday. A good choice as far as I was concerned because I was really tired. A good choice as far as Wally and Ward were concerned because they had been hoping all day that they could convince me to go out for Mexican.

--Ate a lot of fresh cucumbers and tomatoes. Nothing better. Okay, maybe homemade ice cream is better. Or chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven are better. Or corn on the cob is better. Maybe I should rephrase the opening statement: We enjoyed a lot of fresh cucumbers and tomatoes this week.

--No new recipes this week, but we did try salmon burgers from Costco. They were very good. No one liked them better than beef burgers, but would be happy to have them often since they offer nutritional benefits that you don't get with regular hamburger.

 Did you try anything new this week on the food front?

Until next time...