Saturday Roundup

Saturday was a great day for me

A bit rainy, which gives me an excuse to stay inside

and do the things I love!

 

I went to the library and picked up a few books that looked like they

might be good summer reads….I always choose more than one, that way if I start on it,

and I’m not loving it, I can switch to something else.

 

I also went to Hancock Fabric to find a few alternative things to hook with.

I was really looking for yarn, but they had all kinds of fabrics on clearance, so I got 1/4 yard

cuts of several different fabrics.  Fun, fun, fun!!!

Yes, I actually sat and hooked on Saturday….so nice!

When I came home, Kenny had made a beautiful flower arrangement from flowers that were getting a bit

heavy in the garden…..good thing he had the foresight to cut them and bring them in before the rain.

The best news is that Lonnie stayed put all day….he’s gotten out of our 6 foot privacy fence

3 times this week.

Even though we had replaced the two boards that we had down so he and Buzz could visit with

our neighbor dog Rascal, removed the wood pile that was against the fence, he still got out

again on Thursday.  Kenny thinks he was able to use the stretcher bars on the gate to hoist

himself out….

as evidenced by the torn up wood on the gate….

Kenny has since nailed up flat boards to cover the stretcher bars on Friday and we’ve had good

luck so far, but Lonnie really hasn’t been left alone for an extended period of time, so we’ll see.

Luckily we’ve had great neighbors and business people who have taken him in and called us.

Let’s hope this is the end of the escapes!!

More Rugs from Heather Ritchie workshop

I have to tell you, I was really blown away by Heather Ritchie’s rugs that she brought to the workshop!

I’ve seen her rugs in her book and her videos, but seeing in them in person is out of this world!

The colors are so vibrant and they are so filled with texture and little surprises!

I must make time to sit and hook and finish my little garden rug I started.

I mean look at all of those shades of purple and chartreuse….just stunning!

And those poppies…..WOW!

Just WOW!!

Above is a little sample of flowers that she taught us to make.

In the summertime….seriously?!

Yes, seriously!!
Okay, maybe not all the time in the summer, but when it’s a rainy summer day, it’s a good day for chili!!
Especially when it’s a chili that you make at home that tastes like it came from Wendy’s!!
Kenny discovered this recipe and asked me to make it about a month ago.
I think this is the third time I’ve made it….
it’s really that good!
Which is a good thing, because this recipe makes A LOT!!
Get out your biggest pot!!
Gather your ingredients and get to work!!
Oh yeah, that’s the other great thing….not too much work to make this chili!!
That makes the recipe a keeper in my book….tastes good and easy to make!
First, gather up your ingredients:
Your canned goods:
Lots of tomato-y goodness and beans!!

Your spices:
It looks like a lot, but honestly, most of them are pretty basic.

Your veggies:

Put 2 pounds of hamburger (I prefer lean) in a really big pot and brown….

Once your meat is browned, drain off the drippings and return it to the pan and add in your canned ingredients….

Sister, I’m telling you, you need a really big pot for this batch of chili!!
Next add in your chopped veggies….

Here’s a newsflash….I really detest green peppers AND celery!! However, there is only 1/4
cup of green pepper in this recipe, and I actually don’t mind celery if it’s cooked , but the thought
of just munching on a celery stick or celery and peanut butter….ICK!!

However, I love onion!! This recipe calls for one large onion….I didn’t think my large onion was large enough
so I used a big onion and a smaller one.

See why you need such a big pot!!
Now add in the spices. I love that this recipe has only 1/2 tsp of sugar…..I’m guessing you could leave it
out, but per serving that’s barely a sprinkle.


I love an action shot!!

Now stir together all that wonderful goodness and bring it to a boil….

I should say a “gentle” boil, because the last thing you need is chili splattering onto your clothes!!!
That would be a disaster!!
Once you get it to a gentle boil, turn it down to a simmer and cover it.  Let it simmer for 1 and a half hours,
stirring it about every 20 minutes or so.  While it’s simmering, finish that glass of wine sitting back there
waiting for you.


So while our chili is making it’s magic in the pot, let me tell you about one of my very favorite cooking tools:

The Chopper!!! I bought this at a Pampered Chef party YEARS ago, like over 15 years ago and I love it!!
It’s getting a bit rickety, but I’ll keep using it until it just goes kaput. It makes short work of mincing onions, celery,
chocolate etc.
Oh my, the chili is finished!!!
I like mine with crackers and onions!!

Kenny likes his with the Wendy’s Hot Chili seasoning….of course you can’t buy a bottle of it in the store,
it just comes in these little packets.

The closest thing he has found in a bottle is this:

Regardless, top it with what you want….cheese, sour cream, pickles, heck, I don’t know what you like…
but go for it!!
Now for the recipe, via  Love Bakes Good Cakes
Chili - Like Wendy's
 
Printable recipe
Yield: 10 servings
2 lb. hamburger
48 oz. can tomato juice
29 oz. can tomato sauce
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1-1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. white sugar
1/8 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 can (15 oz.) dark red kidney beans, drained
1 can (15 oz.) pinto beans, drained
your choice of toppings, optional
In a large soup pot, cook and crumble the beef over medium-high heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Return meat to the pan and place all remaining ingredients, except toppings, in the soup pot, stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Stir every 15-20 minutes.
 
Enjoy inside or out!! Summer or not!!

He’s a Little Runaway

What will make me leave work early, dirty two bath towels,

move a pile of wood and then pour a glass of wine before 11 in the morning?

 

Lonnie has been pretty much the perfect and most loving dog…..

until Sunday.

I got home from hot yoga and Kenny met me in the driveway asking if I  had Lonnie with me…..

no…..

he’s gone…..

Luckily a neighbor called and said they had Lonnie in their backyard….he was tired and hot and they gave him some water.

Kenny went to pick him up….

he wasn’t in the lady’s backyard….

he called….

start looking again….

Then another neighbor said they had seen him headed down their street….

found again and brought home.

He was awful sorry….

We checked the backyard to see if we could find where he might have dug out….

NOTHING….

Kenny replaced two of the six foot privacy fence boards we had taken down so the dogs could talk to Rascal, our neighbor’s new pit-bull puppy…

this left  a four foot chain link fence…..which is where we thought he got out….

either due to the thunder that day or perhaps a bunny that he got excited about.

We thought we had things shored up…..

Until this morning when a different neighbor farther away called and they had Lonnie….he was wet as sop!

Yes we had rain and thunder this morning…..but how did he get out?

I left work early (luckily we were not busy) and came home to meet a friend who had went to pick up Lonnie and bring him home.

He was wet, dirty, and again, awfully sorry.

I dirtied two bath towels getting him cleaned and dried. 

Then I made him and Buzzbee stay inside the house while I surveyed the backyard trying to find the new escape route.

Walking the perimeter of the backyard in the rain, looking for where he might have dug out….

again,

NOTHING….

We do have a woodpile at the back fence and Lonnie likes to get on it and bark at squirrels.

You can see him sitting in front of the woodpile in the picture below (from a few years ago)

Okay, so it might be possible for him to get on the woodpile

and jump over the 6 foot fence

and then jump out of the neighbor’s chain link fence and be on the lam.

So, in the rain, I start to disassemble the woodpile. 

Yes, it’s messy work, but I tried to find the beauty in the moment…

Teeny, tiny mushrooms growing in the woodpile (yeah, the woodpile needed to be moved anyway)

It’s just one of those chores that gets put on the bottom of the list.

Needless to say, mentally exhausting…..

Poured a small glass of wine before 11am….

I think I’m entitled!!

Cuteness Overload

While were at Ivy Jean’s Ozark Farmstead, rug hooking, there was a birth.

 

Sweet mama Pearl had a strapping baby boy!

 

Isn’t he just adorable?!!

 

Pearl is such a proud mother.

 

 

It was fun watching “Little Brother” get used to his new gangly legs.

Below is the “money shot”….he looked right into the camera for me!!

Must read

“Don’t confuse getting inspired with getting things done. Create before you consume.”
@MarieForleo

Read more: http://www.marieforleo.com/2014/01/when-inspiration-backfires/#ixzz35HKwdPcx

This is truly a new beginning for me. You can visit my old blog at Skip To My Ewe to see the journey that brought me here.

Welcome,
Tammy Lanet