Exhaustion.....

This is going to be a rather boring post, I can feel it... along with my aching bones, joints and muscles.  The good news is... we're all moved out of the old house.  The bad news is... there is soooo much that needs doing in the new house.  Although the new house is larger on the whole.  I have lost some space in other areas.  Like in the pantry.  Even though my pantry in the old house was rather non-existent, it was still more than I have in the new house.  So I'm trying to figure out how to arrange my food items between the kitchen and the basement.  I'm also a bit short on cabinet space in our new house.  The good news is that in five years we'll be able to gut the kitchen and build something that will be exactly what I want.  But for now... gotta figure out how to work with what I've got.  

We began moving on the 28th of March.  We had 15 people plus 5 kids, helping us pack and haul my stuff.  We also hired a company called "Two men and a truck" to load up and move as much of the furniture as possible in a four hour time frame.  They did an excellent job too!  So most everything got move except clothes from the upstairs rooms and the basement stuff.  (We had a TON of basement stuff!!!)  And there were the normal odds and ends that got left behind.  Then my honey and I spent the rest of the week getting everything else!  Packed it and hauled it.  Down the street and around the corner, back and forth for 7 days!  We finally got the last of it yesterday!  The old house is empty and the new house is in shambles.

Today, we had the City Maintenance guy show up at our door and ask if we used to live at the old house and I said... yes.  Well, seems that the wind took out a tree in our old neighbors yard and that tree took out the power line, cable line and phone line and the pole the phone line was on.  FORTUNATELY, all those lines made it so that the tree fell very gracefully/slowly onto the pergola so the pergola was not damaged at all!  The tree broke 4 fence boards that separated our old yard from the neighbors yard.  Did not do any damage to the structure of the fencing at all.  So, all in all.  That tree that had us and the neighbor worried about for the past nearly three years, actually came down with the absolute least amount of damage possible!   

We contacted the new owners of the house, by phone, and told them what had happened.  Not exactly the way we had envisioned meeting them.  But they seemed nice and friendly.  AND turns out that they live half a block away from the house.  We had no idea!  For some reason we thought they were coming from Omaha.  So, when my honey saw that Omaha power company was going down Main street to go towards the old house he decided to walk over and see if they needed anything.  Well, there was the man that was the new owner of our old house.  That's how my honey met the new owner and found out where they lived.   They are currently renting a house down the street from their new house!  

Okay, I suppose I should get back to work.  Sorry, no photo's this time.  Moving day was a mad house.  I wish I had even thought about taking pictures but to be honest... all I could think about was just getting through the day!  At one point I did stop and look around me and all I saw were bodies everywhere, wrapping, packing and carrying all around me!  It was like looking at an army of ants all busy, busy, busy, moving, moving, moving, all around me!  I'll tell you, we live in the best little town ever!   

Nebraska...

First we had snow.  Then we had warm weather.  Then snow.  Then warm weather.  And it seemed like it was like that for weeks!  But it was really a good kind of snow.  The kind that would begin to melt the very next day  (so you didn't have to get out the shovel) and by the third or fourth day it was gone.  Then we would have a few more days of really nice weather and then...SNOW again!

After the off again, on again sun action,  we then began to see.....

Little spots of Spring color!

And because I'm posting this nearly two weeks after the this last photo... everything has actually gotten even more green and tall!  I've even got little buds on my Forsythias!  Now I'm REALLY excited!  To me, it's not the Daffodils that tell me it's spring, it's the Forsythia shrubs that do it for me!  I can't hardly wait to be able to cut a few branches and plunk them into a vase and have lovely spring color in my house!  I'm thinking maybe by the end of next week I'll be able to snip a few branches and force them to bloom in the house!  Yeah!!!!!!

Today is not such a lovely sunny day.  It was gorgeous Monday and Tuesday.  Today it's all cloudy and cool.  But that's okay I've got packing to do.  =-)  

Hope everyone out there are doing well.  Thanks for sticking with me even when my posts are dull.  =-)

Oh my...!

It's been a long time since my last post.  The first two weeks of every month seems to be filled with one thing after another and I just can't seem to get motivated to sit down and blog.  At this point blogging is still a lot like work!  =-%  Things tend to disappear or show up willy-nilly.  And then I'm close to tears at the end of a two hour session of trying to get 5 minutes of information in.  Aaaargh!  

So, now I have a bit of time except actually what I really want to do is get packing!  YUP!  I said, get packing!  We found out last Friday that all is a go.  The buyers want to buy and the seller wants to sell.  Our house (the house we live in currently) will close on the morning of the 27th of March and the house we want to buy will close on the afternoon of the 27th!  Yeah us!  So Friday night we had our monthly "boomer" night (ya don't have to be a boomer to enjoy boomer night, so why is it called boomer night?  Can't tell you 'cuz I just don't know.)  

Anyhow, we got home really late (Had tons of fun!), so couldn't begin packing on Friday.  Saturday I had a ladies meeting in the morning and then my honey and I went shopping for a new fridge. (We are NOT going to be taking our current fridge with us!  It is an extremely stupid design for a fridge!  That whole "french door" style with the freezer on one side and fridge on the other...  STUPID!) 

Our afternoon was a long one because I know what I want but evidently it's not in line with what is on the market!  So we came back home and did a little more window shopping on-line and realized that what I want...I really can't afford.  Gosh, who knew my tastes in appliances were soooooo, so-called "professional grade"?  Anyhow... eventually I did come back down to reality and made a decision on a pretty nice fridge.   After dinner we went back to the store and told the sales person that we knew what we wanted and we wanted to buy (the store was running a sale that ended at midnight).  Well, turns out we can't get the fridge we want until NOVEMBER!  I mean really!  How ridiculous is that?!?  So he helped us look for something else similar and found nothing and then he came back and said..."my boss said, we can give you an upgrade to the one you wanted and get it to you by the 28th for the same price as the one you wanted which was on sale!"  Well, I was a bit skeptical.  I wanted to SEE what it looked like, and READ the description of the model.  They didn't have the model in the showroom but the guy did show me a photo of the thing on the internet and it did look like the model I had decided on.  The description of all the functions were a bit intimidating.  I have a feeling, that it may end up being more than I'm up for.  There are LCD screens involved.  Functions, key pads and so on.  Yup, it may be more fridge than I'm capable of handling.  BUT, I'm moving and I am getting a larger, less stupid fridge!  So YEAH!!!!!!!

And this post had nothing to do with my boys (Ethan & Ricky) as I'm sure you noticed.  I just couldn't bring myself to have a post with absolutely no pics in them.  =-)

'Kay, gotta go and get started on the packing.  Did I mention we have some, 13 thousand pounds worth of stuff to move, and we are going to move it all without the help of professional packers and movers?    Oh my, I think I just frightened myself! 

Another food entry...

Sausage-stuffed Portobellos with Spinach!  Oh my goodness talk about YUM!  This is a recipe gotten from (here)  I must admit, her photo turned out much better.  I'm still working on learning how to photograph food...  Anyhow, a few of you have mentioned that I should include the recipes as well.  I'm going to be lazy and just have the link to the blog I got it from I'm sure Pam won't mind...(right Pam?)  This recipe is from "Cuisine at Home's Weeknight Grilling"- Dinners from grill to table in 30 minutes, I may have to try to find this book for my own collection.  Like Pam, as I was eating this I was thinking of when I could make it again!  The mushrooms had that great meaty texture to it and the sausage gave it a bit of a tasty "zing"! (I used whole seasoned bulk sausage)   The onions and peppers gave it a little soft textured crunch and the cheese was gooey. (I used Pams's suggestion of dotting the cheese on top instead of adding it to the meat mixture) The tomatoes gave it freshness and the topping was crunchy and topped it off to wonderful perfection!  I served it with couscous that had arugula and spinach added to it and the whole meal was fabulously delicious!  AND  it really wasn't a messy meal.  I used one pan to cook the stuffing components in and one bowl for the topping.  I grilled the mushrooms on the grill outside and there you have it!  

Oh, and here is the plate at the end of the meal!  

This is a meal worth serving to family and friends!  Thank you Pam for bringing this recipe to my attention it is much appreciated!

       

Yesterday my in-laws came to visit.  They will be with us over the weekend and today we will be going to an Antique shop I discovered a while back.  I love going to Antique shops so I am really looking forward to getting going!  

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend and please do try this recipe!  And DO enjoy the rest of "Sidewalk shoes' "  blog.  

Cuisine India...

Well, here it is and I must say... it tastes better than it photographs.  Obviously I need to work on my photography skills because, seriously, it looks a bit of a mess.  But... it sure went down easy.  And my honey said that it actually tasted just like something he had when we last ate at the Indian restaurant!  The Naan needs a little more work but it tasted good.  Just a bit thick.  Probably needed to stretch it out a bit more.  I love using my mortar and pestle to grind up the spices it is so neat to smell the different spices as they are being ground.  And then when the spices hit the oil.... it's an aroma heaven moment!  I made the Naan basically by hand except the kneading part which I used the Kitchenaide for.  It is so much easier on the wrist that way and the dough comes out silky smooth.  And I probably 

won't bake it for as long.  (it only took 4 minutes!)  And I'm playing with the idea of maybe grilling it on the gas grill instead of using the oven.  My oven sucks!  I didn't choose this stove it came with the house and I hope that the other house has a better stove! (I can't remember)  Anyhow...  The recipes came from a cookbook that I found on the sales rack in Borders for $4.99!  (I just love that!)  The book title is "India's 500 best recipes".  The chicken recipe is Chicken Dopiaza and the literal translation for Dopiaza is "two onions".  You cook two different types of onions at different stages of the cooking.  Although the recipe doesn't state what types of onions to use other than "small and large", I decided to use pearl onions and then yellow onions.  It tasted yummy!  The Naan recipe was super easy and it didn't call for any kind of "special" flour.  It uses bread flour and there are other spices and such that you can add to it to change it up.  Next time I'm going to make the Garlic &Coriander Naan.  I decided to go with the plain Naan because I had Chime Choir practice that night and I didn't want to overwhelm everyone with the garlic!  (see, I can be nice sometimes... ;} .......)

So, tonight, I have no idea what I'll make yet.  I'm feeling a little Rachel Ray like.  You know, "30 minute meals".   I've got tons of things that need to get done today and when my day is like that I tend to put off thinking about what I'm going to cook until the last possible minute.  Hence the "Rachel Ray" description.

I hope you all are having a great week!  And thank you for stopping by... ;-)

Daffodils, tomatoes and roses, oh my!

Hi all!  Today is a lovely day!  All sunshiny and fresh smelling.  We've had a few days earlier in the month when it got up into the high 60's!  And although it's not near that warm today... the sun is shining and the air feels fresh!  So much so that I've pulled out my flower catalogs and my seed catalogs AND my pictures of magazine cut outs featuring gardens!  I'm thumbing through them saying, "oooh!  I want that!  And that!  And OH, that one too!"  I'm looking at photo's of gardens I admire.  And gardens that look basically similar to what my new yard will look like.  (Don't get excited, nothing is a done deal yet.)  I pulled out my garden notebook and I'm patting myself on the back for having finally followed through with a good idea.  And that is to keep track of the plants that I've planted and the plants that I've moved around over the last two years!  I even marked what days I planted seeds and plants and how long things took to germinate and thrive.  Man, when I'm good, I am just that good!  ;-

Okay, maybe I'm patting myself on the back a bit too enthusiastically!  I've always wanted to keep a garden diary.  I've thought about doing just this type of thing for years and years.  All those years of messing around in the tiny yards in our government quarter homes.  Trying to find out exactly what "dappled light" really was.  And trying hard to think about other people and what the next family would be willing to do in the yard or even what they wouldn't do in the yard.  The thought that all my hard work would fall to a family that didn't have time or wasn't interested in "gardening" was really hard for me.  So I would try to do plantings that didn't take a lot of maintenance.  And hope for the best.  But now....  for the past two years I've been able to really get my hands dirty and experiment and purchase plants that I've always wanted!  Lavender, Roses, Tulips, Daffodils, Ferns, Hostas, Day Lilly's and so on.  I've drawn pictures in my garden diary to keep track of where I planted things and where I've moved one plant to another place.  And that's just my flowers.  I've got records of my vegetable gardens too!  Even stuff like when our last frost was, when we planted our first tomato plants.  AND I've kept track of some of the bird migrations!  I mean, come on!  I NEVER thought I'd be that detailed!  Heck sometimes I amaze myself... gosh I'm boastful today!

So for now I'll just sit here and look at these photo's and thinking "can I make our next house look wonderfully, interesting?  Can I make it special to be in?  Can I make it so my yard invites everyone who sees it?"  I sure hope so.  At least, I will record and track all that I do in the hopes that someday it will be as I see it in my minds eye.  ;)

Peace and joy to you all.  And enjoy your daydreams....

Warm neck...

Happy holiday everyone!  Okay, for those of you who didn't get this day off.... bummer.  On a good note ya'll maybe didn't have the normal traffic to deal with since a lot of people got to stay at home.  ;-)  

So, this is the scarflet that I finished.  It turned out pretty good if I do say so myself.  And I luckily got to wear it before the winter was over!  Hurray!  It took me FOREVER to get it done even though it was a really simple garter stitch.  The loop had me working hard trying to figure out how to do it.  One of the things that I find very difficult is the different pattern directions.  There seems to be more ways to write a pattern than there are for Crochet patterns.  Maybe I'm wrong.  It has been a while since I picked up a crochet hook...  Anyhow, I finally, with the help of others, figured out how it needed to be done.  And voila!

Now I am working on a no-sleeve cardigan and I think I may have made a huge mistake trying to make this.  It took me nearly two months to make the scarflet.  The cardigan may not be completed until this time next year!  I've done about 6 hours of knitting and it's only about 5 inches long.  BLAH!  But I like the yarn  I got and the colors on it.

I've gotten responses on my little bag.  I think all of you who expressed interest in the felting and needle felting should all just bite the bullet and go for it!  It is the most fun I've had in ages!  Seriously, no drawing talent is needed.  I have none!  You don't need color theory in your back ground!  You don't need to know mathematics!  Although, for those of you who may be slightly accident prone.... I say, proceed with caution.  Those needles are really scary looking and I wouldn't want one of those to go through my finger!  :-0  There were times when I got so excited punching the fibers through that I got a little carried away and started going really fast!  I even broke a few needles!  So, extreme caution is advised!  But man, I'm tellin' ya!  It is tons of fun!

I hope you all have a really nice day.  And try something crafty!  ;-)