Just 3 Things | #22

I've been all over the place this week. I started making the inside of the house look more spring-like. Then, we had snow flurries and I just left the bin with the bunnies sitting on a chair and gave up. So, I'm about half-springy. I picked up the chair for our bedroom from the upholsterer. I share more about that next week. I spent a couple of afternoons running errands and taking care of farm business. I finally finished up the calculating and filed our tax return. So, it has been a week of this and that.

- What I've Been Loving -

As I was sewing up rips and repairing a few items the other day, I grew frustrated with my sewing machine. It was an inexpensive purchase and has served me well. However, the reverse button is broken and I am having to make-do with stitching, turning, stitching, turning to make a reverse stitch. There's another quirk or two when stitching that I've noticed but I don't use it all that much. I'm now asking myself if I don't sew much because I got out of the habit when I was working full time or if it is because of my sewing machine being sub-par. I did a quick search online and learned that the machine I would like to have is quite pricey. So, I'm ruminating over whether I should invest in a new machine or limp along and not sew much.

As the algorithms do, now I am seeing all sorts of sewing machine information and sewing ideas. One rabbit hole I went down as a result of this is a quilting one. Now, let me say right here that I am not a quilter at heart. I have tried it and I am not a big fan. Maybe I would enjoy it more if I did it with a sewing machine but I am not a hand-quilter. I don't make tidy little stitches that would make a quilt look pretty and I am not satisfied with how my large, gawking ones would look. So, I'm not a quilter.

What I did notice, however, is several table runners, placemats, and pot holders that I absolutely love and am probably going to give a try. I watched a couple of video tutorials about making quilted potholders. I liked some of the techniques that both of these gals showed. I probably will start with making a potholder because the ones I have are a bit sad looking. I liked that one of the videos shows using a towel as the backing. I have some towels that have sad looking edges. So, I might cut those up and use them for backing. 

I also noticed some tote bags that were beautiful but that is something that I think I would have to work up to in order to be satisfied with the outcome. I also noticed some cute pillow cases. So, family members might get pillow cases for gifts. We shall see. At any rate, I've really been loving the ideas that are popping up in my social media feeds!

- What I've Been Reading -

Someone on social media recently was touting the wonderfulness of Elin Hilderbrand's The Perfect Couple. I think it might have been because the book is the fodder for a streaming series. I also noticed that the book and another in the series of four books was offered for a low, low price as a Kindle read. So, I added them to my Kindle library. I paused because these two books were numbers two and three in the series and I wondered whether I'd be lost by not reading book one. So, I chased it down and borrowed it through my Libby App. 

I have read Hilderbrand's work before and remembered that experience as beach reads and somewhat light. Perhaps this one is similar but it is just with the subject matter that I am struggling. I was barely one-fourth in and was already exasperated with the main character and disliking her and her choices. I'm not sure if I will finish this one and am wondering if I will have the mindset to move on to the other two books in the series that I downloaded. I'm on the struggle bus here. I am not giving up, yet, but time will tell.

- What I've Been Working On -

I've been trying out some recipes that I've been saving and marking in the cookbooks I've been sorting and reading. I made a version of a Shepherd's Pie that I hadn't tried before and tried a baked spaghetti casserole. There used to be a local restaurant called HRH Dumplin's. It was what I would call a ladies luncheon sort of place. They served salads, sandwiches, and individual casseroles. Of course, they had delicious apple dumplings for dessert. I guess most women are busy working these days and don't have time to go somewhere for a luncheon because that sort of restaurant is long gone for the most part - at least around here, I think. 

As a young girl, I remember my mother baking apple dumplings and hers were much more delicious than the ones offered at any restaurant. I have thought about those sweet treats and even asked her for a recipe at one time and she couldn't find hers. This week I finally decided to dive in and give making dumplings a try. I used this recipe rather loosely. Here are some of the changes I made:

• I bought refrigerated pie crust dough for a double crust pie. I cut each round into quarters. 
• I used Granny Smith apples and peeled them and cut them into bite-sized pieces.
• I saved the peels and boiled them but will not mess with that again. Instead, I will melt the red candies with a cup of water, a stick of butter, and the cinnamon and sugars that the recipe used.

My version of Apple Dumplings

The candies makes them a beautiful red color and add some spiciness to the sauce. They really turned out pretty and were tasty as well.  I didn't think about making photos so that I could share my recipe - maybe next time I make them. I didn't even think of taking a photo at all until Mike and I had dipped ours out of the dish. So, the photo above shows off only a corner of the dish that was left. Mike absolutely loved them! He told me that he could have eaten the entire dish of eight dumplings. They tasted just like I remember the ones my mother made. So, I loved them as well. I must say that I understand why Mama didn't make them very often. They are more trouble than just making an apple pie or apple cobbler. I do think they are worth the effort, though. Working in the kitchen is always a good thing, though!

I'm in the throes of washing sheets and quilts and pillows and such. Yes, I still do some spring cleaning but this is more of a wash up to get rid of any germs that might be lingering from all of our coughing. Mike and I both spent a bit of time sleeping in the bed last night instead of sitting in chairs to sleep to prevent coughing. Plus, the weather is warming up as we go into the weekend; so, I'm hoping we are past this sickness mess and spring really is upon us. Hope your weekend is delightful!

Today I noticed... Maybe there are no mistakes.

 Maybe that is the way with life. Maybe there are really no mistakes. Maybe we just need to recalculate our route. 

I had planned to run a few errands on Tuesday and one of those included a trip to the post office to mail a certified letter. Now, I rarely mail anything via the U.S. Postal System anymore but when I do, I'm always thankful they are there (and I usually ask myself if I should be doing less digital tasks and using the postal system more). I mapped out my afternoon and set about getting tasks done. A couple of errands took a bit longer than expected and I saw that I wasn't going to get to the post office before it closed if I went to the upholsterer before he closed. Since the sun was shining and I would be hauling a chair home, I decided that the upholsterer trip took precedence. 

So, the post office trip got pushed to Wednesday's errand. I already had a pretty full day of tasks planned for Wednesday but made a conscious effort to set aside a point in the afternoon before the post office closed to go there. Amazingly, there was very little traffic en route. There was no line at the post office and I walked right up to the counter to mail my letter. 

Then, I decided that I also had time to go through the car wash to remove the evidence of where a bird had been enamored with himself in my side mirrors. Again, there was no line and I drove right up and got the truck washed, leaving time for an additional errand.

Once again, no waiting at the dry cleaner. So, I decided we could be treated to a take-out dinner and picked that up as well. Then, on my way home, I experienced no traffic snarls and quickly arrived home in a relaxed state feeling as if I had accomplished some things efficiently.

I saw the blurb at the top of the page as I was scrolling social media Wednesday evening and marveled at the wisdom. I promised myself that I needed to remember these wise words.

Maybe it was no mistake that I didn't get to the post office the day before. Maybe I just recalculated my route and everything worked out for the best.

Today I noticed...We had four seasons in one day.

On Sunday we had sunshine and temperatures in the upper seventies. 

Then, the wind started blowing. It became quite blustery. 

A thunderstorm rolled in that night and we had a downpour. 

By Monday morning we had freezing temperatures and snow flurries. 

Falling Asleep

 I went for my annual medical checkup last week. I am amazed at many of the questions that are asked at those checkups these days. One of the questions I was asked is, "How are you sleeping?" First, I'm surprised that is even a question. Secondly, the follow-up question is also one that surprises me: "How many times per night do you wake/get up?" Then, I was asked if I ever sleep somewhere besides my bed. Also, interestingly, the nurse taking notes was consistently shaking her head as I answered. 

When I saw the pithy statement above, I shook my head in a similar manner. I had not thought about it, but even when I am tired, even when I have dropped my reading material onto my head a few times, I will still have to lie still and pretend to be asleep so that I can fall off to sleep. 

I hear Mike snoring almost immediately after his head hits the pillow. I just wonder if he also has to pretend at all before drifting off?

Just 3 Things | #21

It's on the horizon. I can just see it over the hill. Spring is coming! As I look out the window of my office, I see the grass getting greener each day. I see little buds of green on the tips of the trees out that window. Flowering trees are blooming and pollen is floating around and landing on the back porch and everywhere. Those cold, grey, rainy days will be behind us soon. I can feel it!

- What I've Been Reading -

I truly enjoyed watching the HGTV series where Lorraine Bracco renovated a house that she bought for one euro. It seems that small towns in Italy sold vacant homes as a means of repopulating the community. In Bracco's case, the mayor of the town created the one-euro program as a way to bring people back to a historic town after much of it's younger generation had left for bigger cities. The catch: these old homes had to be renovated within three years of purchase. So, when I saw a book where the main character bought a twenty dollar raffle ticket and won a pub in Ireland, I figured it would be a good read. 

The Pub Across the Pond by Carlene O'Connor is about a woman from Ohio who wins the raffle and treks off across the ocean to Ireland and changes her life. I'm enjoying it!

- What I've Been Working On -

It is my most dreaded time of year. Tax time. I don't know why I hate doing our taxes so much. I don't know if it is because I have to immerse myself in math and numbers or if it is just a mental thing brought on by other people's attitude about taxes. I just don't like working on it. Yet, I don't want to pay somebody else to dig around in our business. So, there's that. I am working on our tax return and not liking it. 

Right now I am up to my elbows in receipts and spreadsheets and online forms. I will be glad, once again, to get this chore complete and checked off my To-Do List.

- What I've Been Loving -

We have been watching the SEC basketball tournament. I was never a die-hard sports fan until I married the Mister. I enjoyed watching our children play sports - basketball, baseball, and softball. I was a sometimes-fan of sports my students participated in while I was in the classroom. I would try to make at least a game or match or two of each sport during the season. The Mister, however, has UT orange in flowing through his veins. He is a rabid fan of many sports that The University of Tennessee participates in. Sometimes I think he would prefer to watch UT sports than to watch his own grandchildren in their various sports endeavors. 

So, this week we have been watching the SEC basketball tournament. Today, we will be cheering on the  team from Rocky Top when they play. If you are a big fan of some team, may your team win - so long as they are not the Big Orange opponent!

Hopefully on the Downhill Side

We have not been sick with colds or flu or any sort of sickness for the past several years. Yet, it seems that for the past three-plus months we could not shake sickness. We would feel better for a day or two and then feel sick again for a week.  General flu-like symptoms with aches, fever, sniffles, sore throat, and coughing, coughing, coughing.  I think I am on the feeling better side of all this - finally. I still have a bit of a nagging cough now and again and some sniffling but generally feel better.

The Mister is still "coughing up a lung." So, he went to the doctor's office yesterday. Now, remember I went to a local Physician's Assistant between Christmas and New Years and was told it was viral and was told to take over-the-counter cough meds - no swabs for tests of any kind. Then, recall that we both saw the Physician's Assistant back in mid-January and were sent for X-Rays - still no swabs for tests of any kind. The X-Rays showed that I had a touch of pneumonia but the Mister did not. We were prescribed cough meds and I got a nasal spray as well. We were told to practice deep breathing and it was recommended that we use a spirometer. Yesterday, the PA's nurse swabbed him for flu and COVID. 

He tested negative for both types of flu but positive for COVID. Since his symptoms had been going on for several days, the PA said that there was really nothing she could prescribe to help other than some more cough meds. Although he still had to sleep in the recliner, the cough meds did help and he slept for about six hours last night.

It is recommended that we both quarantine for the next five to six days and if we don't feel better at the end of that time, we should return for more tests. We are ready for spring temperatures and a bit of spring in our step!

Miracles