My Absence

I want to put a quick post to tell you why I haven't posted in several days. I had all of the posts laid out the way I wanted them. I had the the pictures. The only problem was that Windows 10 did a major update on our computer and as these major updates go, it messed something up to where I can't see my photos to load them to Google Photos. From what I can tell, it has to do with a syncing problem and I am not sure how to go about fixing it. I have asked DH to look into and see what he can do when he finds the time. It was a busy week last week and a busy weekend, so he hasn't found the time. I looked up other photo sharing sites and set up an account at Shutterfly. That turned out to be a complete nightmare. I found it to hard to navigate and couldn't find anything that was helpful on that site. I had a hard time trying to figure out how to delete the whole thing, but I did get it deleted. I am going to try another one but haven't found the time to do it, yet. To tell the truth, I am finding that keeping up with all this social media stuff is exhausting me.

On top of all the computer drama, I had car drama to deal with last week. We bought a new to us car and it took nearly all last week to get all the ducks in a row so we could finally get it home. It involved a lot of phone calls and running around, but we finally have another vehicle. 

The worse part of the past week is that Miss Oakley is having some bad days. I don't know if it the cancer or if she has another upset tummy. She has been getting gimpier but this past two she has gotten worse. She is still eating and going potty, but she is resting a LOT. Just keep us and her in your prayers. It has been a HARD few days. 

Not sure when I will be back to posting. Right now there are other things that are more important. So from me to you, live life simply and embrace every moment of it! 

Kitchen Know Hows: Cooking Pinto Beans

In the south, we love pinto beans. We love them with onions and ketchup on top. We like eating them with cornbread and cole slaw. We like them in chili beans and taco soup. Pinto beans in a can are okay, but they are much better and healthier if you start with dry pinto beans. The only problem is how to cook the perfect pinto bean. 

It has taken me years to perfect the perfect cooking method for pinto beans. I have tried many ways of soaking them. I have followed the advice of the older women in my life. I have read other professional cooks advice and tried it. I have researched ways on the internet and tried them, but the pintos never came out just right. They were either mushy or still hard as a rock. However, over the past year, I have found the method that works for me. 

Here is my method for cooking pinto beans and what you will need. 

• dry pinto beans
• a large bowl to wash them in
• a large bowl to soak them in
• a large pot ~ preferably a cast iron or enamel pot

Pour the amount of pintos you want into a large bowl. Fill with water and stir a little. Hand full by hand full lift pintos out of bowl looking for blemished pintos and sorting out the broken beans, then place in the other large bowl. 

When the pintos have been washed and placed in the other bowl, pour water into the bowl making sure the pintos are covered with 1 to 2inches of water. Soak for 8 hours. 

After 8 hours, pour the pintos and water into a colander to drain off the water, then rinse off the pintos with clean water. Pour the pintos in the large pot. Cover the beans with 1 to 2 inches of clean water. Place pot on a burner and turn on high to bring the pintos to a boil. When they come to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and cover with the lid. Let the pintos simmer for an hour and a half. After a hour and a half, remove the pot from the burner and allow them to sit for 30 minutes, then you will have the perfect pintos to eat or add to a dish. 

This is the best way I have found to cook pinto beans. If you have a foolproof method or a tried and true method, I would love to hear it. I have found my way to be the best for me, but the pintos can still turn out mushy. So I am forever looking for ways to perfect pintos! 

Living life simply and enjoying simple dishes like pinto beans and cornbread! Enjoy!

Kitchen Know How's: Charring Bell Peppers

Over the next few days, I am going to share some kitchen know how posts. These are know hows are just simple little things that any wife and home cook should know how to do. Some of them, I have just recently learned myself. I also have a board on Pinterest filled with charts, measurements, ideas, and tips that have I saved to help me run my kitchen more efficiently ~ Kitchen Know Hows.

For years, I have watched people on their cooking shows char bell peppers on their gas stove top. They talked about the flavors its brings out in the peppers and that charring was a good way to help reduce the indigestion factor that is common with bell peppers. This was a great interest to me, because bell peppers is one of the things that cause DH to have indigestion and we eat a lot of them. The only problem was we didn't have a gas stove and I really didn't know that it could be done any other way. However, one day while watching "Pati's Mexican Table" the solution to my dilemma was solved by Pati Jinich. She said if you didn't have a gas stove you could char bell peppers under the broiler in your oven. A solution so simple, I am ashamed I didn't think of it. 

I was learning all of this as last fall as our bell peppers in the garden really started coming in. So I set about roasting peppers. It was surprisingly easy to do. It also did help cut down on some of DH's indigestion problem. 

Here is what you will need: 

• bell peppers
• a baking sheet 
• a baking pan that will fit over the baking sheet
• tongs to turn peppers with

To start with, you will need to turn the broiler on in your oven and get it good and hot. 

Wash off your peppers and arrange them on the baking sheet. When the broiler is up to temp, place the baking sheet in the oven. When the peppers turn black on the side facing up, turn them over using the tongs. When the peppers are charred black on all sides, remove them from the oven, then place the baking pan over the top of them for about 10 minutes. This helps them to sweat and will allow the thin skin on the outside to easily peeled or wiped off. 

All charred and ready to be sweated.

A pepper mostly peeled. 

When the thin skin is removed, slice the pepper in half to remove the seeds. They will come out easily by using a knife to scrap them out. 

Now the pepper is ready to be sliced and used in any dish. Or sliced to be put in a freezer container for use in the future. 

All sliced and ready to use.

Charring peppers do enhance their flavor and give the dish a hint of a smoky taste, which I like. Charring also seems to have reduce DH's indigestion a little. It is an easy thing to do and can be done when you are doing other things in the kitchen. Charring peppers is just one of those simple kitchen know hows every wife should know how to do!

A Recap Of Our Independence Day Hoilday Weekend

We had a wonderful holiday weekend. Part of it was really busy and part of it was really lazy. It was spent with family and involved plenty of food. 

Friday morning, DD and I went to do a little shopping at our favorite stores ~ Barnes & Nobel (favorite of both of us), Hobby Lobby & Michael's (my favorites.) We also ran a few errands and went to the video store to rent season 1 volume 1 of Outlander for our weekend viewing. Back home, I worked on laundry. DH had to work but got off from work at 2:30 pm. He ran a few errands and then came home. After supper, we settled down to watch tv. 

DH was up early on Saturday morning to head to his parent's house to work on replacing some deck post for them. I walked Snowflake, did a few things in the house, then headed outside to work in my flower beds, but a thunder storm ran me in before I could finish. While working, I killed no less than 3 Black Widow Spiders. That seems to be a running theme around here. 

When DH got home, he went ahead and mowed grass. By the time he was finished, he was wiped. After he got cleaned up, we didn't do much of anything, but enjoy our nice cool house. We ate supper, then settled down in the bed with Miss Oakley to start watching Outlander. 

This is how Miss Oakley wanted us to spend the weekend.

Sunday morning, we slept in, then fixed a big breakfast. We opted out of going to church and decided to spend most of the day being lazy. We did a few little things, then settled back in the bed with Miss Oakley for more Outlander watching. Around 3:00 pm, we headed to one of my aunt's house for a graduation celebration/going away to college party for her oldest grandson, my first cousin once removed. He is headed to Western Carolina to play football. When he and his mom went to orientation the weekend before, they learned he had to move on July the 4th and his class would start the next day. Needless to say, they had a very busy week.

When we left there, we headed to town to get supper a Five Guys. I can't say enough good things about this burger joint. I absolutely love their cheeseburgers and their fries aren't too bad either. We stopped by DH's parent's house for a visit, then headed home to watch Big Brother.   

Monday morning, DH was up early and got straight to work. Although, he did run to Bojangles for a couple of biscuits for breakfast. I had a few "honey do" items for DH to help me with. He moved our mattress off of our bed, so I could wash our bed skirt and vacuum underneath the bed. He headed back outside when he had finished. I got busy giving our master bedroom its annual deep cleaning. It took me most of the day to finish the job. DH finally came in around 3 pm. He got cleaned up and ran a few errands in the middle of a pouring rain storm. I finished around 4 pm, got cleaned up, then started on supper. The rest of the evening was spent watching Outlander. 

DH decided Tuesday would be his lazy day, since he had to head back to work the next day. He worked on a few little things, then came in to help me give Miss Oakley a bath. She was NOT happy. To add insult to injury, we also clipped her nails and put back on her toe grips. (I am going to have to blog about her toe grips. They are a wonderful little product that helps her walk more securely on our hard wood floor.) After lunch, we settled down in the bed with our poor mad puppy to watch more Outlander. 

Around 5:30 pm, we headed up to my parent's house for their annual Independence Day cookout. My momma had the porch and patio area all decked out in red, white, and blue. However, the flowers in her pots and flower beds were the real stars of the show. 

  

We feasted on hamburgers w/ all the fixin's, hot dogs w/ all the fixin's, chili beans, a variety of melons, veggies w/ dip, chips w/ dip & salsa. My momma fixed a pound cake for dessert to go along with homemade vanilla ice cream. Needless to say, we all left with full tummies.

My daddy!

After we ate, we sat outside enjoy the cooler temps that blew in and talking. Some of the younger ones played a few rounds of cornhole, then went in to cool off and to play a few games of spoons and speed.

As dusk began to fall, my momma bought out the sparklers and we all grab a spot to sit for fireworks viewing. My parents live on a hill, which gives us a great view of all the fireworks going off in our area. A little after 9 pm, we headed home, so DH could get to bed and be fresh and ready to go for work in the morning. 

Not a very good pic of fireworks, but it gives you a sense of the view we had.

We had a busy, but lazy weekend filled with work, food, and family and we simply wouldn't have it any other way!

Our Family Calendar/Appointment Board

In effort to keep everyone informed about appointments and family events, I made a bulletin board for our laundry room. Before this board, I would try to keep track of everything in my home management binder, however, I got tried of having to answer everyone's question about when this was happening or that was happening. So I came up with the idea to make a central board to put all the info, so my loved ones could look it up themselves. 

I started looking on line on how to make a pretty bulletin board. I got a general idea of how to go about, then went shopping for my supplies. I bought a cork board, 1 1/2 inch wide red gingham ribbon, and silver thumbtacks. Back home, I laid out a diagonal grid, then started laying down my ribbon and securing where it intersected with thumbtacks. The grid wound up being a little off, but I was still pleased with the over all look. 

On the board is a calendar page for the current month with all the family events and appointments written down on them. We also put any appointment cards for a particular month on the board as an additional reminder. We also put any business cards that we needed for a quick reference on there. I have also printed out all of our family's phone numbers and DH's work numbers on there for quick reference. 

The board isn't very full right now, but that doesn't mean we don't have appointments or plans. The bow is not normally there. I put it up to cover up any phone numbers that might could be seen.

This board has come in handy. I am no longer having to answer dozen of questions or hunt for a phone number. We also leave messages on there to remind of us things we need to remember, like recording a tv show or to run a specific errand. If you are part of a busy family and need a place to keep everything organized so everyone could access it themselves then a calendar/appointment board is simply just the thing for you and your family!  

Our Garden/Storage Shed And Cat House

Our garden/storage shed and cat house was once attached to our old mobile home and served as our laundry room. When we moved into our new home, DH saved our laundry room and with the help of my daddy attached to our outside storage shed, creating a bigger building with two separate sides. The old laundry became my garden/storage shed and the other building became the lawn mower shed. Years later when our rescue kitties came into our lives, it became their house where they sleep at night tucked safe away from the coyotes. With the help of DH's carpenter skills and my organizational skills, our garden shed has become a very functional tool in the caring of our simple home place. So today, I thought I would give you tour of the shed and how we organized it to work for us.

As you walk through the door, you will see a set of black metal storage shelves. We had used them in our old laundry room and were a perfect fit for our shed. I use these shelves to store a variety of items. I use various items to contain items. On the top shelf, you will see a coke crate full of small clay pots. We have an old radio to use outside. This is also where I store the cats canned food, which they get every night when I call them in for the night. The next shelf holds old glass bottles and other glass containers for fresh flowers to put the house. I have some of the small repurposed containers standing in old cake pans. I put old towels in the bottom to help them not wobble around too much.

The next shelf has seeds containers and gift wrapping supplies on it. I also have plastic containers that can be used for various things. The wooden box holds citronella candles for when we host an event outside in the summer. The pink crated holds old towels, sheets, and blankets. The cardboard box holds old dish cloths, kitchen towels, cloth napkins, hand towels, and wash cloths to be used for whatever they may be needed for.  

The bottom shelf is full of old coke crates that hold old sheets and pillowcases. It also house our rash can. A bucket for any leftover garden soil I haven't used, yet, and a bucket to hold the scooped litter from the kitties litter boxes. I have an old clothes basket stuffed full of old linens to provide a cozy spot for the kitties to curl up in. 

 

Underneath the window, between the black shelves, and the storage shelves DH built, he built me a potting table. As with most other areas I use, I have made it pretty and filled it with things that mean something to me. 

My sweet niece gave me the "Live, Laugh, Love" sign that is attached to the window, for my birthday last year. I love how it compliments the area ~ color, birds, and all. I found a pretty water can that sits on the window sill all year round. DH nailed some nails into the wall that separates the storage shelving from my table, so I could hang up all of my garden tools. 

On the right side of the table top, I have flower pots DD has given me as presents over the years. The watermelon one holds measuring spoons for measuring out flower food, etc. The bigger blue one holds garden markers I use to mark the veggies I sowed. The other small pot holds the cats' hair brush. 

On the left side of the table, I have two flower pots stacked on top of each other. The colors really don't well in our home, so I use them for tool storage. I lined the top one with old kitchen towels, then added my pruning scissors, pruning shears, and a other little items. Other either side are things I won when we were playing cards. I like candles in place I may need to see if the power goes out. The other jar holds a pair of old scissors and pencils. The little butterfly sat in my childhood room and just seemed to find a new home on my potting table. 

The potting table has a shelf where I have plastic storage containers that hold miscellaneous items and all of the baskets I use for gardening. The basket on the bottom with the orange towel in it is the basket I carry around with me as I work. I place all of my tools in it, as well as old hand towels to wipe dirty hand on and a bigger towel to place on the ground when I need to sit. The other baskets are what I carry to the garden when I gather produce. Below the shelf is an old toy scooter that belong to my brother. I am not sure how I wound up with it, but I put it to good use by storing Seven Dust, Miracle Grow, and clay pots one. The big white bucket holds dry cat food, which they nibble on all day long.

 

The storage shelves DH built are sturdy and hold a lot of boxes and tubs. All of our Christmas, winter, Easter, and fall decorations are stored here. The lowest shelf holds tubs that are covered with old towels, because the kitties like to sleep on top of them.  

DH's part of the storage shelves is much smaller than mine, but they contain a lot of items. His side doesn't always look that neat. I straightened them up before I took pictures. You can also see the cat have use of part of his shelves too. 

In the bottom picture, you can see a clean litter box and a little red wagon lined with blankets. I try to provide a lot of comfy, different places for the kitties to sleep. Underneath the wagon is another basket full of linens for them. In the right corner, you can see a little bit of white showing. It is my old play table that we keep around in case we need it. I store buckets and containers underneath it. I also separate the cats plates when I feed them at night. Miss Bashful gets her plate on top the table. Miss Cooper gets her plate underneath the table. 

I truly believe in decorating and making the places you use a lot pretty and meaningful. It makes work a little less of a chore when you are happy to be there. I even add decorative touches to the door of this room for different holidays. During the summer, I have a cute little welcome sign on it that puts a smile on my face. 

Well, that completes the tour of our garden/storage shed and cat house. This little shed and the pretty inside are just a simply good place to have at you disposal!

Happy Independence Day

On this date, the 4th of July, we celebrate the day our country declared its independence from Great Britain. On that date the 4th of July became more than the fourth day of July, it became our Independence Day. 

Pic via Kidz World

On this very important date for our country, I would like to share two very important parts of our constitution ~ the preamble and the 1st amendment. The first words of the preamble is easy mistaken for the beginning of the Declaration of Independence. The first amendment is believed by a lot of people to have the words "separation of church and state" in it, which it doesn't. Very few people really know what the 1st amendment says. 

The Preamble of the Constitution

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

The 1st Amendment to the Constitution

"Prohibits Congress from making any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering with the right to peaceably assemble or prohibiting the petitioning for a governmental redress of grievances." 

The term "separation of church and state" came from a letter Thomas Jefferson pinned to the "Danbury Baptist Association in 1802. He was reassuring them that they had the right to follow their tenants of faith and that the state of Connecticut could not infringe upon their right because the 1st amendment thus building a wall of separation of church and state. His letter does not deny that religion had no part to play in the running of our country. It also doesn't say that religion should not play a role in a politician's life. He says it isn't up the the government to determine what or how a person chooses to believe and live out that belief in their lives. 

An excerpt from the letter: 

"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between church and State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.

I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection and blessing of the common Father and Creator of man, and tender you for yourselves and your religious association, assurances of my high respect and esteem."

For our country to continue having our liberty and for our republic form of government to survive, it is important for us to know and learn our history, especially the history of our founding documents. I feel is is our duty, our obligation as citizens to do so. Do you feel the same?

Happy Independence Day, my fellow citizens! Long may freedom and liberty reign! 

My DIY Coral Project

Ever since I decided to decorate our master bath with a ocean/sea theme, I have been looking for coral decorations to use. I found some at Hobby Lobby, but I wasn't going to pay $20.00 for one. Also, I could never find it on sale or in a color that would go well with my bathroom colors. I also looked at other stores, but to no avail. So while I was perusing Pinterest one day, I came across a DYI pin for making you own coral decorations using spray paint and a piece of coral bought from Walmart's aquarium section. I thought this was doable and I knew I was getting some money for Christmas so I could make my own. 

I ended up buying mine at Pet Smart. I just couldn't seem to find what I wanted at Walmart. I paid a little more than I would have at Walmart, but that is okay. I bought 4 pieces; 2 of these pieces and 2 of pieces similar to this one. (I can't find the actual ones I bought.) I then bought 3 cans of spray paint all in satin; Ivory Silk, Green Apple, and Eden at Walmart. I want to create an ombre effect. 

I started out with the Ivory Silk. I had to spray on several coats to cover the bright yellow/orange and bright pink. However, I didn't mind if small sections of those colors still shined through. 

The next step was to spray on the lightest green which was green apple. I started at the bottom and went about 3/4's of the way up on the pieces. 

Next came the darker green ~ Eden. I started at the bottom and sprayed about 1/2 way up. 

 

Pleased with the final product, I moved them to their home on the edge of our tub. I paired them with 2 white seahorses I found on sell at Hobby Lobby and candles I already had from Walmart.

I know I spent a little more than I wanted and only saved a little money, but I did get the sizes I wanted and was able to tailor the colors to our bathroom. I would call that a win! Besides DIY coral decorations is simply a good thing! 

A Week Of Veggie Side Dishes: Potato Salad

Everyone has there favorite potato salad recipe or how to fix potato salad. I know my family and I do. We don't like hot potato salad. We don't like it all mashed and pasty. We don't like it with sweet pickle. We like it with more yellow mustard in it. We have found we like it with some bacon thrown in. 

Here is what you will need: 

• 2 to 3 medium size potatoes in their skins boiled until a knife slides through them with ease.
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• a 1/4 of an onion, minced (or as much as you want to.)
• 1/2 of a bell pepper, chopped into small pieces  (or as much as you want. I use all colors of bell peppers.)
• dill pickles, chopped into small pieces
• bacon bits
• your favorite herbs and spices
• yellow mustard (French's)
• mayo (preferably Duke's)

Once the eggs and potatoes are boiled, allow them to cool to room temp. Peel the skin off of the potatoes and peel the eggs. 

In a large bowl, add the potatoes and eggs chopped into bite size pieces.

Chop up the onion, the bell pepper, and dill pickles and add them to the bowl.

Once everything is chopped up, it is time to add the mayo, mustard, herbs, and spices. All of this will depend on your and your family's taste. Like I said earlier, we like more mustard in it than mayo. The herbs and spices I use are Lawry's seasoning salt, garlic salt, black pepper, onion powder, parsley flakes, and bacon bits. The best way to do this is to add small amounts at a time, until you get the taste you want. When I have it where I want it, I put it in another bowl and place in frig until I am ready to serve it. The longer it has a chance to set and let the flavors meld the better it is. 

Potato salad is good with any kind of meat. It is also a cold refreshing dish that is perfect for any summertime cookout or barbecue. It is one of those simply yummy veggie side dishes!