(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

 Most mornings in the fall, I feel tired and chilly, and might like to just curl up in a warm blanket and cozy in somewhere for the day.  

It may sound silly, but it lifts my spirits to put on a pair of warm, fun or pretty socks, and my favorite boots, which were gifts from my kids last Christmas.  









It almost feels like cheating... Looking smart and a little trendy, which is a boost to the confidence, and maybe even the energy level, while still feeling completely comfortable.  I can be warm, and still look nice, ready to go anywhere.


Like having that cozy blanky I wanted, but for my feet!  

31 Days at The Nesting Place

(Almost) Wordless (on Almost) Wednesday

I was forced to 'take it slow' on Monday. --There was a theme going on in my kitchen!

1)  Roasts in the slow cookers for a new French Dip Sandwich recipe...

I'd planned to list the easy recipe here,
but I think it could use some tweaking first.

2)  Apples in the pot for hours of low and slow cooking to make more applesauce (2nd to the last batch!)...

And, 
3)  The slow and low baking...   

...Something I'll have to tell you about tomorrow!

Sorry to "upset the apple cart," but due to an unexpected brown sugar outage here, today's reveal will have to wait until tomorrow.  :)

31 Days at The Nesting Place

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

This,

A couple pounds of chicken breast, salted and peppered, cooked.
In this case, I had chicken tenderloins, which I broiled.

plus this,

1 1/2 cups chunky applesauce.
From a jar, or, as shown here, approximately
6 apples, peeled, pared, and quartered, cooked until soft,
but with bite-sized chunks remaining.  I also added a
generous dash of cinnamon

and this,

1 cup spicy barbecue sauce, commercial or homemade.
I mixed 1 cup ketchup, 2 tsp ground mustard, 2 Tbsp molasses,
1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, & a dash of cayenne pepper.
Most of the measurements are guesses, so adjust to your taste.
 - Mix with the applesauce, heat, and pour over hot chicken. - 

equals this!

Applesauce Barbecue Chicken, served with a brown and wild rice mixture.
Adapted from this recipe on TasteofHome.com

"Ever since Eve started it all by offering Adam the apple, woman's punishment has been to supply a man with food, then suffer the consequences when it disagrees with him" - Helen Rowland

Thankfully, that wasn't an issue, since Hubby loved this dinner!

31 Days at The Nesting Place

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
And neither, apparently, do the plums!

Even though the combination of storm-heat-storm took most of our beautiful prunes from me, it's nice that our visitors can enjoy some of what drops.  

I guess this mama and her young twins, who come by almost every day, are less picky, and don't mind the mushy ones.


Photos by Prince CuddleBunny  :-)

I wrote and scheduled this post before I decided to begin the 31 Days (An Apple A Day) project.  But it's made me realize something.  I have a LOT of trimmings from the apples, and the deer really enjoy fruit.  So instead of composting it all, or throwing it in the trash, I could share with these friends in our yard.  We'll give it a try next time they come 'round.

31 Days at The Nesting Place

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Bounty in Blue.. or maybe Purple!

The best part of Fall is to walk the yard and have a snack.  These and a few blackberries (also blue/purple!) are the only edible garden items I had this year.

Huckleberries...

...and Italian Prunes.  Yum! 

Disappearing Act

Amazingly enough, I actually had a planned idea for "Almost Wordless Wednesday" today. But my camera battery charger --which is ALWAYS in the outlet above our fruit bowls in the kitchen-- is

*P o o f !*  

gone.  NO one knows where it is.  There is NO reason for anyone to remove or move it.  It is NOT in the fruit bowls or lurking behind them.  A mystery........
Just what I need!  ;-)

Meanwhile, there is lots going on around here...

The kids (and Hubby) are enduring the last week of school, the siding is finally wrapping around to the front of the garage, and I'm about to spend a bunch for doorknob sets, plumbing fixtures, and base cabinets for the upstairs kitchen area.  We've decided to go 'non-upper' and install open shelves instead.

We also replaced our laundry equipment after our dryer overheated to an alarming extent last week, and we'd already been using limited cycles (actually 1 only) on the washer for a couple of years or more, due to repeated problems with the mother board.  So we are now are catching up on the backlog of dirty clothes and towels that can grow amazingly large in 5 days.  Our new set is the low tech, but heavy and durable, made by Speed Queen.

Prince CuddleBunny and I stay almost constantly enthralled, watching the visitors to our bird feeders.  We've had some new visitors this year.. Big ones!  

Meet Mr. Ring-necked Pigeon (the Mrs. came with him, but flew off too fast to get her pic), Mr. and Mrs. Mallard, and Mr. Pileated Woodpecker.  We've also had his much smaller, but similarly marked cousins, a pair of Downy Woodpeckers, which we've also never seen before this year.

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

18 1/2 weeks and Baby is kicking!

It is awesome and special to see a mama's face light up as she feels those first obvious bumps and kicks, knowing someone is really there, and wants to share the moment with Daddy.  I missed the shot of them both smiling...His more from watching her face and sharing the joy that way than being able to feel what she could.

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

I have neglected to show you the project Princess Sassy (with Prince CuddleBunny's help) did the day after having a positive pregnancy test...when things are SO exciting, but it's SO LOOOOONG to wait.  You may have noticed the extra decoration across the room in previous posts of Christmas, etc...

The paper-chain countdown to Baby:

 

And speaking of the princess and, lately and often, of ovens, the bun in her oven is growing!  :-D

I told her she might want a nicer background next time!

You can see by the date on the photo (Jan 26), that she's nearing 17 weeks.  That means the 20-week ultrasound is 3 weeks away... And Princess Sassy and Prince Steadfast are almost counting the minutes until she can see who's in there and what gender he or she is!  Then naming and sewing can begin in earnest.  :-)

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Prince CuddleBunny is (literally) into cabinets!

August 2005

November 2009

January 2013

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Here are the artistic creations made during The Great Power-Outage Pumpkin Carving Party of 2012...  

Princess Eager's 'Volleyball Beast,' back

The player, net, and ball, front

Princess Sassy's artistic fish

Princess Artiste and Prince Go-for-It worked together
on this homage to Pre, the famous runner and Go-for-It's idol

Let's say, Go-for-It was the idea man, and Artiste was the
one who made it happen

Prince Steadfast's ambitious project

The initials of Prince CuddleBunny's favorite college
adorn almost any project he does

And it was completed with a soccer player...Work was still underway
to get the little man a soccer ball.

When Prince Inventive was finally off his phone, his carving reflected his current favorite sport, weight lifting.
The machismo of the piece may be slightly diminished by the peeking eyes of
the 'glow worm' lantern used to light it for the photo.  ;)