Summer's End

Hi to everyone,

It seems that the long hot summer has come to an end.  Fall arrives tomorrow and that makes me happy.  Most years this is my favorite time, but with little moisture I am afraid our trees will not produce the beautiful colors we all like to see.  Dave's tomatoes were only fair this year.  We had enough to share with the neighbor and with Cheryll and Joe and some for us.  Our Red peppers did not produce and the sweet small peppers had no taste.

What I did enjoy this year was watching the hummingbirds.  We had at least four that frequented our feeder.  They fought most of the time but I think in the end they all got to drink from it. We had a woodpecker come to the feeder twice and a beautiful butterfly also.

I hope all of you had a good summer and now we can look forward to cool days and fun holidays.

Once again I am going to try to post a little more often so check back to see whats new.

The other night I decided to fix a vegetarian fajita.  It turned out really good. Here is the recipe:
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 large portabello mushrooms
1 large red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 large green bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 medium yellow onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper
1 avocado
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
4 (8-inch tortillas) warmed( whole wheat)
4 tsp shredded cheddar cheese ( low fat)
4 tsp salsa

Remove gills from mushrooms and slice 1/2 inch thick. Place mushrooms, peppers and onions in a skillet that has been sprayed with nonstick spray and the oil added to the skillet.  Make sure skillet is hot when you add theses veggies.  Cook stirring frequently for about 7 to 10 minutes or until veggies are cooked as desired.
Peel, pit and dice avocado.  Place avocado in a bowl with flat bottom and us a fork to mash.  Add lemon juice and combine:  set aside.
Remove cooked veggies from heat.  Add garlic and lime juice and stir to combine.
Spread 1 tortilla with 1/4 of the avocado mixture.  Spoon about 1 cup of vegetable mixture down center.  Sprinkle with cheese and salsa.  Roll and enjoy!

This recipe was featured in the KC Star.  It has 316 calories and 9 grams of protein in 1 cup of vegetables and 1 tortilla.


I used white flour tortillas and did not have an avocado so I left it off.

I plan to fix this again.  Dave and I enjoyed the fajitas.


Until we meet again,

bon appetite !

Hi to everyone,

It has been several months since my last post.  I have been busy having garage sales, projects around the house and family issues.

My husband decided to take my advice and clean out the attic. He thinks the way to do that is to have a garage sale once a month all summer long.  So far we have had 2 garage sales.  I must admit that it has felt very good to know that more stuff has gone out of the house than has come back in.  My neighbor down the street has also been having garage sales at the same time.  Our next garage sale is in August along with the entire neighborhood.  This should be good as a lot of people will be driving through our area.

I have been crafting a little also.  I won't show any crafts on this blog but will show some later.

My husband's Father passed away in June and then his aunt on his mother's side passed away last week.  We made a quick trip to Fairmont, MN for the funeral on Sunday and returned home on Monday.  Quite a few hours on the road.  It is a six hour drive.  I got to take some pictures of old barns and barn quilts on our trip back home.  Iowa and Minnesota have so many beautiful old barns.  I just wish I knew the history on each and everyone of them.

We had a very nice 4th.  Watched the parade in Parkville with family and friends and then invited everyone back to our house for a BBQ.  It was too hot to be out side playing games so most of our time was spent indoors.  I had a nice time and think everyone else did too.

Well that is all for now.  Check back soon as I will be posting pictures of crafts and barns.  Maybe I will post a tutorial on one of my crafts.

Today I grumble about my health or I can rejoice that I am alive.

Until later,

Paulette

It's a New Year

Hi everyone,

It is January 8, 2012 and it is about midnight. I quit my job in November just one day after Black Friday. Wasn't thinking too far ahead or I would have given my notice a week earlier. And if you weren't aware I did work for a retailer. Since leaving I have been very busy around the house. I decided to redo, rearrange, clean up, and organize my craft room. Since I have quit my job and am taking an early retirement I am going to try to make some money from home. I am planning to get a spot on Etsy so as soon as that happens I will let you know. Will possibly try some more craft shows also this spring and summer.

Dave and I took a short trip to see some Barn Quilts. These were around Marshall, Blackwater, and Arrow Rock right here in Missouri. I am posting some of those pictures so I hope you like them. Some of them were not easy to find even with our GPS. On our trip we stopped in Blackwater for the second time and discovered they have antique shops, a trading company and an Old Time Saloon. I have included a picture of that also. We ate at the only restaurant in town which I will just say wasn't anything to brag about. We did discover that there was a sandwich shop that served homemade pies along with ice cream. This is across the street from the Saloon.

The lady at the antique shop was very nice as were the owners of the trading company and Saloon. If you are ever in that area you should also go the Arrow Rock. The have what is known as the Boardwalk, which is an area of Antique shops with wooden sidewalks. They were closed by the time we got there. There is some history in the town along with several Bed and Breakfasts. Just google Arrow Rock Missouri and Blackwater Missouri and see what they have to offer. I would recommend this as a nice Day Trip on a nice warm sunny day. Most of you have my email address so if you need some particulars I'll be glad to answerer your questions.

I hope your New Year is on it's way to being the best year yet.

I leave you tonight with a poem I wrote last winter just after one of our big snow storms. I hope you like it.

A WINTER DAY

The temperature is dipping to record lows

Today I will need several layers of clothes

The weatherman said we are expecting a sciff

But as I look out my window I see a big drift

The branches are laced with the sparkle of snow

Oh my goodness how the wind does blow

As I sit drinking my coffee I think of Spring

And of beautiful flowers warm weather will bring.

Goodnight

Paulette