Fire Pit Fancy

I fancied a fire pit in the back yard visualizing our family sitting around it roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. Imagine quiet cool nights sitting around one, oozing with campfire aroma and camraderie. When a round one with star shapes went below $100 (the top seller), we slapped down our money and packed it out of the store.

Marshmallows and tin foil dinners have found their way to the coals. On hot summer nights its hard to mimic the campfire chill and feel, but we tried. What child isn't mesmerized by a fire's glow. Bring your weiner roasting sticks and come on over for an old fashioned dinner this week.

Way to Go Window Washers

I had Serene Clean window washers come wash my windows this week. All I can say is Wow! They are sparkling clean. In fact it looks like a whole new world outside. My 'Windows on the World' changed from gray (last photo) to bright green (first photo) thanks to these efficient men (Jory & Jay with Zach as their assistant) washing off twenty three years of grime.

'If your day is gray and grimey, just give them a call. After they are done, 'the sun will come out tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar' it will be bright and clear.

Sticky Sock Situtation Solved

Someone found socks on the bed that needed to be matched and put away. Instead of taking care of them, they threw them on the floor. Perhaps this someone was mad about something or the socks were in their way.

I wasn't going to pick them up, because I'm not this person's Mom. (see previous blog) So the socks stayed on the floor all week long. I was tempted to take care of them, but it wasn't 'My' job. So they sat there.

Someone didn't notice them laying on the floor by the bed, until Sunday when getting ready for church. These socks just happened to match the pants they were wearing. Suddenly they were needed, picked up and used.

Boy am I glad, because, this wasn't 'my' job. Someone was responsible for the task. It wasn't me! Thank you socks, for disappearing so sublimely.

Someone did do lots of other great things this week instead, such as edge the lawn, spray the apple tree, fix the camera (I broke), work late doing extra constructions jobs and fixed a killer turkey dinner. Next time I will match all of the socks. Or if they are on the floor, I will pick them up and even put them away, for all these things someone else did for the gang.

Yearning for a Yard Sale?

Yard Sales are not only alot of work, but you feel like your innards are exposed to the world. That is correct. Everything for sale is what's been crammed in closets, drawers and garages for too long. Go thru the house room by room. Try to be impartial with your stuff. Set two to five things in the center of each room you want to sell. Get some friends to join you making it more fun and fuller.

Have a staging location. Looking at the pile, the sentimental juices kick in and you'll want to keep this or that. Be firm. Say, "I don't need it anymore or when did I last used it?" Get your kids and hubby to select from their treasures, help out and set up. Use lots of bins, tables and baskets to hold the goods and make it more appealing.

Pricing can be difficult knowing you paid ten to twenty times what it will sell for. Have bins of $.25, .50 and $1 things. If it is priced correctly and in good condition, they will buy it. Nothing is worse than not selling. Be willing to reduce if needed. You want your items to call to the customers, "Choose me, choose me!" Be sure to have some large items to attract business. Price them high if you want to keep them.

Have plenty of change and a safe place to keep it. Small trays, cash box or an apron to wear with deep pockets is good. Be discreet with your money. Put larger bills in the house when you collect a few and keep your cash on the manageable side with your eye on it at all times. Several large colorful signs with big, bold lettering placed strategically is a must. It helps if your yard sale is easy to find.

Be willing to negotiate. If their offer is too low choose a mid-range between the two prices, then see what happens. Sure you could make more, but who wants to have another yard sale next week or month? We made $400 and felt good about all the new homes our treasures went to.

Paula's Healthy Whole Wheat Bread

Whole wheat bread is delicious, hearty and healthy. Store bought is too pricey and full of additives. Here's a great recipe you will love.

Buy some hard white wheat from the bulk section or get 40 lb buckets when available. If you don't have a wheat grinder, make friends with someone that does. Call and ask them to grind what you can use in a month. Keep in a cool place to preserve the nutritional value. Use the flour to make wheat pancakes, waffles, muffins & more. You will never go back to the manufactured stuff again.

Here's the recipe for Paula's Whole Wheat Bread

4 Cups hot tap water
1/4 Cup brown sugar
1/4 Cup honey
2 T Quick yeast or Regular Yeast
1 tsp salt
1/4 Cup oil
1/4 Cup Wheat Germ, Oat Bran and Ground Flax Seed opt.
5-6 Cups wheat flour (5 - 6 Cups white flour
1/3 Cup Gluten flour (Helps bread to be more moist)
Using half wheat/half white flour makes a lighter bread and is easier on your system)

In a bread mixer (Bosch is best) mix water, brown sugar, honey, salt, oil, all of wheat flour and 3 cups of the white flour. Mix on low to moisten. Add yeast, 1/3 cup of Gluten flour. Gradually add remaining flour. Turn to high for the last few cups. When the dough begins to clean off of the sides of the bowl you have enough flour. If it is still sticky gradually add 1/4 cup flour at a time until it does. Set the timer and knead the dough five minutes.

Spray bread pans with vegetable oil. Heat oven by turning on 200' for a few minutes, then turn it off. If it goes longer because you forget, it's okay, it will take a shorter time for your bread to rise. Clean counter or large cutting board.

You will need to either use an oil spray or water spritzer on your hands, cutting board, knife & apatula to prevent the dough from sticking. Wet your hands often to prevent stickiness while handling the dough. Use a spatula to remove the dough from the mixing bowl. Spread into a 1" deep rectangle (about 12" x 16") and cut into for equal pieces. Take each piece with wet hands and shape into a round oblong loaf by stretching/smoothing the dough around itself. Wet hand and smooth top of loaf. Pinch the excess and loose ends together. Wet the dough a bit if it sticks to your hands. Place the pinched end on the bottom of the loaf pan with the smoothed side up.

Put pans into warm oven an even distance apart to raise 20-30 minutes. Check after 15 minutes. When the dough is about 1 inch above the top of the pan, simply turn the oven on to 325-350 degrees. DO NOT remove pans to preheat oven. Bake for 30 minutes.

The bread is cooked when the loaves sound hollow while tapping on the top. When done, remove bread from pans, to prevent the bread from sweating. Slide a butter knife around the edges of the pan to cleanly release the bread. Brush with butter/oil for a soft crust. Cool bread on racks then place in plastic zippered bags.

After bread has cooled cut some slices to enjoy the freshly baked bread. Store the other loaves in the refrigerator/freezer if not consuming in a few days to prevent mold.

Snazzy Sweats for Sale on 6/11/11

I have uncovered more snazzy sweatshirts and pants than a human can accomodate. My skirt selection has doubled and jewelry, too. Our garage sale a few weeks ago at Grandma's was successful in filling others closets and shelves with new shoes, sheets, books, flower arrangements, dishes, towels and more. Men carted off cordless phones, gardening supplies, blankets and crap we couldn't identify. Neighbors, friends and out-of-towners stopped by to peruse the abundance of goods we had on display.

People had been watching to see what we would do with all of her treasures. They came in groups and left with bags full of stuff. We threatened to make any and all who stepped on the property take a Halloween or Christmas decoration with them. It was a joyous time for both seller and buyer.

I am planning a second yard sale at our house, adding in my own excess in hopes of lightening the overload I have. If any of you want to bring your no longer needed things over on June 11, from 9am to noon, start boxing it up. I have even found a little consignment shop for size 14-6X that the remainder of Mom's clothes (at least what they will take) will go to.

‘Al, the Awesome’

Getting an early start to yardwork was the brilliant idea of ‘Al, the Awesome’. Major tree trimming took place. He not only cut out lots of dead wood but did it before the trees were weighed down with leaves. While at the compost dump, he picked up a load of mulch.
That spread nicely on all flower and garden beds, he built another 4’ x 12’ grow box. Two cubic bags of “Black Magic’ garden soil later, we were ready to plant. With time on his hands and energy to burn, he built a nifty greenhouse over the (now) two grow boxes. Stretching plastic over the framework he got from his brother Doug (saved us $100), there was no stopping this man. With openings on each end for doors, our garden seeds nearly jumped out of their little packets to their new home.

If that wasn’t enough, he moved half a house of furniture with the industrial strength dolly I borrowed from work, and then took a rest. I really don’t lay awake nights thinking of jobs for him. I may have to since he has obliterated the list on the bulletin board.