Saturday, October 29, 2011

SNOW!

My plans for the day have changed.  See what it's doing here.


Does this look like Halloween weather?


It looks more like Thanksgiving to me.


So instead of running around doing errands, I have a load of wash in and am making a pear cake.  I got the recipe from Linda at Linda's Life Journal.  She has a really wonderful blog.  The recipe is right here.  It is smelling wonderful.  And I used up a bunch of my pears that were starting to go bad.  There is still one for me to eat raw though.  ; )

I decided to make my Irish stew for dinner.  It's just that kind of a day.

And it was chilly in here, so I put some of the storm windows in (will be finishing that up soon) and turned on the heater.  It's so cozy.


Now I just have to get to my cleaning.  There's always a lot of that to do.  Hope you are staying warm and eating well too.

Friday, October 28, 2011

FRIDAY VIEWS AND A GIVEAWAY


Hello friends,
Can you believe that one year ago today  I began this blog?  I can't.  What a difference a year makes.  You can read my very first post here.

I began this blog because I was very sick.  Very, very sick.  And I needed major surgery.  Or I would not be sitting here writing this to you now.  I would have been in my grave.  It was a traumatic time in my life.  I was so sick of repeating over and over what was going on and getting more and more upset with each telling.  So I started a blog to tell everyone the same thing at once.  When someone would ask me what was going on I would say "read the blog."  I would cry every day because I was sure I was not going to make it and I was upset about leaving Joe when he was so sick too.

I thank God every day for giving me more time on this earth to serve Him.  Through my illness I became so much closer to Him and trust Him more and more in my life.  I think I really needed that wake-up call.  It is so easy to become complacent with things.

But all of that being said, I thought I would celebrate by giving YOU a gift.  I still have lots of things my mom hand-made for our business.  For those who do not know, we owned a hand-made gift business.  We had a store at one point and later just went to craft shows.  So my give away is two autumn potholders.


They are hand quilted by my mom and just right to decorate your kitchen for the upcoming Thanksgiving season.  Of course they are useful too.

If you are interested in this giveaway, please leave a comment to this post saying you are interested in the potholders any time before Friday, November 4th.  I will choose a winner on Friday morning.  This is my first giveaway and I am really excited about it.  Good luck!

Today I was the only Library Assistant at the Fishtown Branch until the part-timer, Tracey, came in at 2 p.m.  I've done this before, so I knew it wouldn't be too hard.  Fishtown is NOT a busy branch.  I could have taken a nap and still not missed anything.  In fact, I finally finished the book I've been reading for two weeks because it was so slow and I had the time to do it.  I finally found out who did it!

When I got home I was so tired, I laid down for a half-hour and woke up 3 hours later when my girlfriend called me.  So we called out for dinner.  I hate to do that because it is so expensive, but sometimes you just have to.

Now it's really late so I am going to bed.  Lots to do tomorrow.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

IT'S LUNCH TIME!

Here I am at work.  It's lunch time.  I was reading my book, but got sidetracked because I wanted to write down my dentist's appointment on my calendar before I forgot.  This led me to try to find out when the Pie and Praise Thanksgiving Service and the Christmas Jazz Cafe were being held.  I knew I saw the information on facebook (yes, I'm back there), but couldn't find it.  Then I thought it might be in my email.  But I couldn't find it there.  After 20 minutes I found it on fb.  I wrote that down, but then had to find out how my two friends were making out with their health problems.  After that I went to my blog to see if anyone had a new post.  And after reading those, here I am.  Whew!  Now lunch is almost over and I still have not found out "who dun it".

Just Diane and me here today until 3:30 when Marquita comes in for 1 1/2 hours.  It's tough with just the two of us.  And tomorrow it's just the two of us all day.  Sheila went home sick and I'm not feeling too great myself.  I've been trying to take it easy and it's a little better.  Still, I'd rather be home in bed than sitting here feeling nauseous.

In two more days it will be one year since I began my blog.  It hardly seems possible.  I don't know about you, but it seems as if my blog has taken on a life of its own.  Hmm...

Well, back to work.  I'm on the desk in 7 minutes so I have to run.

Monday, October 24, 2011

THE GARDEN

Sorry I didn't get to post yesterday.  It was church all morning and laundry all afternoon.  Plus I took a nap.  There's nothing better than a Sunday afternoon nap.

I wanted to show you the pictures I took on Saturday.  Here is the garden all set for the winter.


Everything is cut back, cut down and put away.  Sigh.  I didn't get to spend as much time outside as I would have liked, but it was a good summer.

At least some of the flowers are still blooming.  My pansies are still pretty even if they are a little leggy.

 
I brought in the last of the roses.  They are so pretty.  I put them on the dining room table, though I might move them to the kitchen since we eat there more than anyplace else and I would get to see them more.





And finally, though not in the garden, the flower pot in front of the house has a new fall look.

 

Sunday, October 23, 2011

COMMUNITY SPONSORED AGRICULTURE -- WEEK #22

Today was a very busy day.  There was so much to do.  We began by heading for the farm.

 

Greensgrow Farms is in the Fishtown section of Philadelphia, sort of between the two libraries I work at.  It's located at Cumberland and Almond Streets.  You don't think of Philly having a farm in the middle of the city, but here it is.  If you live around here I highly recommend visiting.  Even if you aren't a member, you can still buy from the Farmer's Market and that is great in and of itself.




The farm was all decorated for the fall and looked so great.  I asked if I could take some pictures for my blog and they were very happy to let me take anything I wanted.

This was outside of the greenhouse...


And this was inside.

Here's some more of the outside decorations.


These mums were for sale and they were beautiful.

And pumpkins were everywhere.


So anyway, here is what we got in our share this week.
 
     1 head of broccoli
     2 lbs. sweet onions (they were so big we got only 2!)
     8 yellow pears
     1 head of lettuce
     1 bunch of turnip greens
     2 lbs. of cranberries
     1 fennel bulb
     1/2 gallon of apple cider
     1 dozen eggs
     1 piece herbed cheese

And at the farmer's market we got:
     1 spaghetti squash
     1 Asian pear
     1 head of cauliflower

After we left the farm we got gas for the week, went to Pathmark and got our food order, stopped to get Joe's dry cleaning and went to Rite Aid and got our Halloween candy.  I can't believe Halloween is so close.  At least we are all set now.

When we got home we ate lunch and then Frank our yard guy came over.  He gave the lawn a last cut for the winter and then he cut back the hydrangea and the ivy and I cut back the rose bushes.  I picked the last of the tomatoes and he pulled up the plants for me and stacked the cages.  The yard is all set for the winter now.  It is always a sad time for me to see things like this.  It has gotten really cold out and it's not even nice to sit out there anymore.  It's like going to sleep for several months until it gets warm again and the yard comes to life.  I will show you garden pictures tomorrow.  But since it is after 1 a.m. I had better get to bed so I can get up for church tomorrow.  Until then...

Friday, October 21, 2011

FRIDAY VIEWS


Can you tell how I feel now that my seven day week is finished?  Yes!  I have two whole days off from work.

Today was my first Friday back at the Fishtown Branch.  It was very, very slow.  But it was just what I needed.  It was also very nice seeing the people there again and being able to talk with them.

Of all things I was late today.  I left on time, but I hit every single red light the whole way there.  And when I got there, there was no parking and some streets were closed off for repair so I drove around and around for 10 minutes until I saw somewhere to park.  So I was 5 minutes late.  Sigh.

For my Friday views this week I thought I would show you some pictures Joe took when we went to the VA Hospital.  It is of the Philadelphia skyline.  Even though I talk about moving out of the city, I really am a city girl.  I was driving, so it was good Joe was the one taking the pictures.  (Ha, ha!)

 
Here we are on I-95 heading toward center city.


Even though I do not use I-95 to get to work, every day I see these buildings as I drive on the neighborhood streets.   The two buildings on the left are Liberty Place Two and One.  The tallest one on the right is the new Comcast Tower.  Sorry to say I don't know what the other two buildings are.  Can any of my Philly friends tell me? [My friend, Russ, says the one with the pyramid on top is the Blue Cross Building -- see comment from Debra.]


At one time City Hall (the building on the left with the statute of William Penn on it) was the tallest building in Philadelphia.  No one would make a building taller.  But there was no law stating a building couldn't be taller than William Penn's hat.  It was a gentleman's agreement.  There was a big to-do when Liberty One was built and it was taller.  Now we have the Comcast Tower which is the tallest building in the city.  How things change!

Hope you enjoyed today's views of the city.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

I'M ALMOST THERE

I didn't want you to think I had dropped off of the planet.  There just really hasn't been much to my life except working, eating dinner and sleeping.  Today is day 6 of my 7 day work week.  I am making it through and just can't wait until Saturday.  Even though we have a lot of running to do Saturday too.

It's strange working so many days straight.  I have completely lost track of time.  I sometimes can't remember what day it is.  At least tomorrow will be different.  I will be working at the Fishtown Branch.  Since we are open Saturdays during our winter hours, we pair with the Fishtown Branch for Fridays.  In other words, if you work Saturday, Friday is your day off.  If you don't work Saturdays, you work at Fishtown on Fridays.  Same with them.  if they work Saturday, they work at our branch.  It sounds confusing, but really works out really well.

I was asked if I wanted to work Saturday because we are still short a person this week, but after talking it over with Joe we realized we just need a Saturday to get some things done that we can't do on Friday.  Like going to the farm and picking up his dry cleaning.  And I need two days in a row off.

I've been getting some really great recipes from all my blogging friends.  It's been great.  I can't wait to try them.  I can see a lot of baking going on in my life.

Well, have to get ready for work, so I'll run.  Look for a Friday View post tomorrow.  I promise I will do my best to give you something interesting.

WHAT I'M READING

WILLIAM AND KATE A ROYAL LOVE STORY BY CHRISTOPHER ANDERSEN


About the book:
Theirs was destined from the start to be one of the most celebrated unions of the twenty-first century:  he, the charismatic prince who would someday be crowned king of England; she, the stunningly beautiful  commoner who won his heart.

Prince William and Kate Middleton defied all odds  to forge a  storybook romance amid the scandals, power struggles, tragedies, and general dysfunction that are the hallmarks of Britain's Royal Family.  In the process, they became the most written about, gossiped about, admired, and envied young couple of their generation.

Yet for most of their nearly decade-long affair, William and Kate have remained famously quiet and kept their royal relationship a tantalizing mystery.  Now, as their long-anticipated wedding finally approaches, journalist and #1 New York Times bestselling author Christopher Andersen reveals the intimate details of their celebrated courtship and offers a mesmerizing glimpse of the man and wife -- and future king and queen -- they will become.

For many, William and Kate's union represents an opportunity to recapture the magic -- the compelling and complicated legacy -- of his beloved mother Diana, Princess of Wales.  Part glittering fairy tale, part searing family drama, part political potboiler, part heart-stopping cliff-hanger, theirs is, above all else, an affair to remember.

My thoughts:
This really is a "tell-all" book.  Most of the things told about the royal family are not flattering.  They are not the people I would want to hang out with.  There is a lot of partying, drugs, alcohol, sleeping around, and no remorse at all when they spend thousands upon thousands of the tax-payer's money for their own enjoyment.  They seem to expect that because they are royal (or hang around with royals) that they are owed this.  Aarggh!  Don't get me started.

As for the book itself, it is extremely well written and moves right along.  I can't stand a book that drags.  The pictures were beautiful.  It kept me interested and wanting to read the next chapter.

My rating:
Book -- thumbs up
Royal family -- thumbs down

Monday, October 17, 2011

DAY TWO IS DONE

Sorry I didn't get to post yesterday.  I was just so very tired when I got home from work.  But day two of my seven week stretch is done.  It wasn't as bad as I expected.  I was working with a lady from the Library for the Blind and it was fun meeting someone new.  It was also great talking with some of my former co-workers.  Connie was hired the same day I was and was promoted to LA2 the same day I was also.  So we were commiserating with each other about the change in our jobs and looking forward to retirement.  Sometimes I think I am just wishing my life away.

There are so many people I owe phone calls to and it just never happens. I come home, make dinner and fall asleep.  So if I owe you a call, please do not take it personally.  I just can't help it.  I will get to you soon, I promise!

Last night I had roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and broccoli for dinner.  It was an easy meal and turned out so good.  The night before I made a salad with a lot of the veggies from the farm that I have to use up.  Joe said it was one of the best salads ever, so I think I will try to recreate it for dinner tonight along with fried eggplant.  There is no sense in getting all this great food and letting it rot in the fridge.  Right?  Right!

Yesterday would have been my mom's 80th birthday.  I have been sort of sad, wishing she was still here and I could have celebrated such a wonderful milestone with her.  But I know she is so much better off where she is with Jesus and I wouldn't wish her back to this earth for anything.  To read the tribute I gave to my mom on Mother's Day, click here.

Well, it's off to another day of work.  I've been running late last week, so I want to make sure I am on time today.  Let's see what day three brings.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

ANOTHER WORKING SATURDAY

Day one of my seven day stretch is under my belt.  I'm so tired already I don't know how I am going to make it through a whole week.  And on my days off there is always so much to do.  *Sigh*  I don't mean to complain.  I really am very thankful that I have a job to go to when so many people today do not.  I'm just tired.

I went to the farm at lunch time today.  It wasn't our week to pick up, but there were a few things I wanted to get.  One of the things was purple cauliflower, but when I got there they had sold out.  Oh well.  I still picked up some other things.  I just cannot go there and see all the great produce and not get something.


I needed some potatoes (I'm almost out) so got them.  I was down to one shallot, so got them too.  The eggplants looked good even though they were kind of little.  So I got two.  But most importantly, I got two Asian Pears.  I love Asian Pears and the only place I can find to buy them is the farm.  They look like an apple, but taste like a sweet pear.  So good!  That was the main reason I went.

After work I stopped off at Fashion Bug.  They were having a sale and by using my card I got an additional 10% off.  Since I lost so much weight before and after my surgery last year a lot of my clothes are too big for me.  I got a pair of jeans and a pair of black pants for $47.  Now I have to get the old stuff to Salvation Army this week.

Friday, October 14, 2011

FRIDAY VIEWS


I am off from work today because I am working Saturday.  In fact I am working for the next seven days  straight.  Not fun, but I didn't plan it this way.  Oh well.

I have been very lazy today.  Really haven't done much of anything except to get breakfast at Wawa and go to the pharmacy for Joe.  Joe is still really sick.  I am feeling fine following my week of antibiotics.  He, on the other hand, hasn't gotten better at all.  So the doctor called in a different antibiotic and we are hoping this one will do the trick.

I wanted to get out and work in the yard today but it is pouring.  I wanted to show you some pictures though.

Remember the caterpillar I showed you a few weeks ago?  Well now there are two.  They are eating all my parsley!

I am really curious to see what happens with them.

My mums are blooming beautifully.  Well, let's say two of them are.  One plant died.  I bought two more, but nothing this year.  Hopefully next year I will have all five plants blooming.


I also wanted to show you the little tin pumpkin I bought in Lancaster this week.


Here is the little setup I have on the table.  I still have to change the cloth, but it's one of the candles I got on Monday, the tin pumpkin, and the white pumpkins I got at the farm last Saturday.  I think it's pretty, but I know those real pumpkins won't last forever.  I have to think of a way to use them.


Hope you like my little Friday views.  Hope you have good views also.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

APPLE PIE

I had so many apples from the farm co-op we belong to.  I decided to use them up I would make an apple pie.  I heard that putting various types of apples in one pie makes it extra good, so I put in what I had:  Red Delicious, Fuji, and Northern Spy.


I cut the apples into chunks and put them into the pie crust.  Then I added my sugar (in my case Splenda so that Joe could eat it), butter, cinnamon and flour.


Next I put on the top crust and put it into the oven.


Doesn't it look good?  It really is.  It turned out to be one of the best apple pies I have made.  There's not much left of it.  Since Joe used to be a baker when he likes it, I know it's good.

Believe it or not I got the recipe from the bottom of my pie dish.  It's a no-fail recipe.

Apple Pie
6 cups diced apples
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 nine-inch pastry shells
Prepare pastry and slice apples.  Combine sugar, cinnamon and flour.  Arrange apples in layers.  (Sprinkle each layer with sugar mixture.)  Dot each layer with small pieces of butter.  Cover with top crust.  Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.  Reduce to 350 degrees.  Bake 30 minutes longer.

Now I have to figure out what to make with all of my pears!  Any suggestions?

Monday, October 10, 2011

A DAY IN LANCASTER COUNTY

Happy Columbus Day!  I had off from work for the holiday.   It was 85 degrees today and we wanted to do something besides work around the house.  So on the spur of the moment Joe and I decided to take a ride out to Lancaster County.  I was hoping to see some fall foliage, but it was a little too early.  The trees are just beginning to change, but not at their full peak.  A few more weeks and we will have to go again to get some really great shots.

Going to Lancaster is so peaceful and does wonders for the soul.  It is so wonderful to get away from the dirt and noise and crowded city and see something like this.


A lot of the farmers were out in their fields today with their horses and harvesters.  Corn seemed to be the crop of the day.  Everyone seemed to be in the cornfields.

We went to Hershey Farm for lunch.  We both got the buffet.  Our server was Linda who waited on us almost every day when we were there on our honeymoon.  We have gotten her a few other times too.  We love Linda and it was so nice to have her as our server today.  She always remembers us.  She told us to ask for her the next time we come.

As usual the food was out of this world.  For dessert I had something called a Pumpkin Crumble.  It was a parfait glass with layers of graham cracker crumbs, pumpkin pie filling and whipped cream.  It was topped with graham cracker crumbs and grated nutmeg.  So good!  I am going to try to recreate this dish for us.

After we ate we looked through the stores and, of course, bought a few things.  One was a tin pumpkin that says "Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow".  I'll have to take a picture to show you.

They had so many cute things.  This is just the outside portion of the store.

I loved the little pumpkin painted to look like a cat.

Every year they make these Indian corn wreaths.  So clever!

A better look at one of them.  Each one is different.  I loved the corn cobs too.

The mums were gorgeous!  They look so nice with the pumpkins.
We put our things in the trunk of the car and took a walk around the grounds.  We did not take the mile hike, just strolled near the restaurant.

You can see how the trees are just turning.

Famous Amos had gotten a new coat of paint (he needed it).  His shirt is now green instead of blue.  And his toenails have suddenly become white.  (hee, hee)

Bad picture of me, good picture of the wild grasses.  Look how tall they are!

Finally some autumn trees.
Joe standing by an Amish buggy.
I love the lake.

We also took time to look at the animals.  The baby goats have grown up a lot.


Next we headed over to Rockvale Mall an outlet center with hundreds of stores.  Joe has lost so much weight that none of his clothes fit him right any more.  He had gotten a few pairs of pants there at the Hagger store that fit him so well that he wanted to get some more.  He got a brown pair and a gray pair and a navy cardigan sweater.  Then we went to Christmas Tree Hill and got an advent candle.  This is a candle with 25 numbers printed on it.  You burn it down to each number every day in December until Christmas.  I also got a couple of battery operated candles that look really real, an advent calendar and a new nativity set.  The one I had was destroyed in the flood we had in the basement two years ago.  I picked up the figures and they fell apart in my hands.  I was so upset, but what could I do?  This one is pretty and was only $10.

I have to show you this picture.  There were these beautiful pink rosebushes in the parking area of the mall.  But look how this one is growing both pink and red flowers.  How odd!


We were pretty tired by this time.  It was 5:00 and it takes 2 hours to get home, so we stopped and got gas (it's 10 cents a gallon cheaper out there) and went home.  It was a really fun day.