Tim Hawkins....Old Rock Star Songs

My dear friend, Sandi who lives in North Carolina..posted this Tim Hawkins video on Facebook and I just had to share it with my blog readers... sorry,she doesn't have a blog, and is one of my dearest gold friends..you remember the Brownie song.."Make new friends but keep the old..one is silver, the other gold.."? We met and became friends in high school.....

I don't feel like I'm getting older, but know I am..we started everything late in our live together..our boys didn't come until I was almost 40....its been a fun ride
I really enjoyed this video..hope you do too..

Candle Mats, a 50s House and Cats

Here is the unfinished new candle mat..I think I like this pattern the best..hopefully I'll get it finished today....working on a second one...its square and its a new pattern too....
I also am changing my blog background to a more fall one....
yesterday we re keyed a house in Santa Ana...nice town with many 1950s houses..this house had been tastefully remodeled, still keeping the feel of the 1950s or at least I thought so.....the yard was wonderful with many tropical palm trees and plants...

The double front doors are really lovely with etched glass inserts...

They had retiled the kitchen and left the vintage cabinets.....

It wasn't entirely redone..probably lost the house before completion...but did finish the master bath..I liked the bathroom sink..what is that type of sink called? a vessel? I liked it but Alan didn't...he's a traditional guy...

It is really nice a nice house for the right family..3 bedroom, two bath...lots of storage which our house lacks......
to close this post.... a few funny cat photos..

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have a great Thursday!

Wednesday

I don't know if you got see the Restoring Honor rally last Saturday....we watched the entire thing on Glenn Beck's Facebook page.....so glad they were able to show it..but before the rally started, what should happen but a large flock of Canadian geese flew overhead in a perfect V....amazing that they should come right at the same time the rally was starting...coincidence?

I've been busy, doing more stitching....have two new, really new candle mats in the works..I think they are the best yet and hope someone will like them too....I'll give you a preview tomorrow when they are further along...it will be time soon to do a giveaway...you know, I don't do them very often so this will be a good one...!

Alan and I went to Santa Ana today to rekey a foreclosed house...long drive for us, so I'm a little pooped...so is he..of course, he took a nap when he got home...not me....I just am not a nap person....our business looks like its really going to pick up here ...the realty office we work with in San Diego county as told us they've gotten in with both Freddy Mae and Fannie Mack + other government agency for all San Diego county..and will have hundreds of properties to re key really soon....we're hoping to bring in both our sons to help as its more than one person can do....all our hard work is paying off.....

We've also been looking at Hoosier cabinets on Craiglist...we really need more storage in the kitchen...and one of these would fit the bill plus they are just plain wonderful....part of the reason I lost so much in the garage fire is that I had alot of my kitchen appliances in a cabinet out there...like the blender, food processor, ice cream maker, etc. no room in the kitchen for them....but we do have wall space...right now the piano is there but that can be moved into the living room.....hopefully, we will see the right one at the right price soon...can hardly wait....this one is in the running..

Hummingbirds and Assorted thoughts

The first of our hummingbirds are back...Alan brought home a new feeder..we get loads of them in the fall and winter as many migrate here from colder climates...we have two so far..a Rufus and a Ruby Throated...there is one nesting in a neighbors tree and it scolds me when I hang out laundry....they are so fearless.....

Have you ever signed up for a giveaway and then lost the blog page? That's what happened to me last night..it was late, I was tired and was winding down looking at cottage/prim blogs when I saw a wonderful giveaway which I signed up for and now, I can't find it....sigh...I had told her I'd post about it today too....oh, well...serves me right, staying up too late...
well, I just found it! forgive my senior moment, LOL but didn't want to forget to post One Simple Country Girl's Giveaway...a checkered gameboard, a ceramic pie plate with potpourri and a fall garland...just the ticket to get into the harvest/fall season....

The cooler weather is still with us...wonderful! I hope the hot season is over...but am not counting on it quite yet....the lawn looks better...and the plants are perking up...

Yesterday we spent the afternoon at a 24 Hr. urgent care, my Alan had a infected finger that was really bothering him....we had tried all the home remedies and nothing was working so knew he needed some antibiotics.....we found a wonderful clinic that takes people with no insurance for a low price..had to wait about an hour which wasn't too bad and he got his needed meds....he feels alot better today and the finger looks better too...antibiotics are God's gift to mankind......the injury had started out as very minor, but it got very infected..his entire finger nail area was swollen and very painful...he couldn't pick locks! and that wouldn't do....

Locksmithing is a dirty job..people spray all types of things into locks..needlessly and then dust gets in there and makes them very dirty..probably why he got the infection to begin with..never spray anything into your locks...its really not needed....we even found superglue put into locks so they couldn't be opened.....the lock had to be replaced..weird...

I didn't get the writer job but they did pay me for the article I wrote which was nice. Stiff competition...

Fall Monday

This past weekend was so wonderful...the air was cool and there was a wonderful breeze..fall is coming fast...most of the fruit trees are losing their leaves including our big fig  tree..Alan harvest 150 figs yesterday and made more fig preserves...the house  smelled really good with lemon, orange, and cinnamon....

we opened the French doors and let the house air out..after all the hot weather, it had been closed up too long.. it gets down into the 50s at night and into the 70s during the day..perfect weather with blue skies and fluffy clouds.....hope your weather is improving too!

Sunday Hymn..Great is Thy Faithfulness

Thomas Chisholm was born in 1866 in the state of Kentucky. He wrote over 1200 hymns, such as: "Living For Jesus," and "O, to be Like Thee." But the hymn we remember the most is "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." Chisholm did not write this hymn because something great and miraculous had taken place in his life. No, he wrote this because over his entire life he had learned to see the greatness of God. At the age of 75, he wrote:

"My income has not been large at any time due to impaired health in the earlier years which has followed me on until now. Although I must not fail to record here the unfailing faithfulness of a covenant-keeping God and that He has given me many wonderful displays of His providing care, for which I am filled with astonishing gratefulness."

Growing up in the Methodist church, this is one of my favorite hymns...I like Fernando Ortega's version.....

We woke up to much cooler temperatures..in the 60s this morning....what a wonderful fall change after the last week with triple digits....I sure hope the hot weather is over but am not counting on it......maybe I'll get motivated to  bake and work in the garden again...been too hot to do either..

Last night I stitched up 3 little Halloween fabric tags...they were fun to stitch and a simple design

I listed these in Yardsellr

This morning, I watched the Restoring Honor rally in Washington D.C. on Facebook....just wonderfully inspiring speakers and music.....there were almost 1 million people gathered around the Lincoln Memorial..and Washington monument......very loving and peaceful, .....it ended with a bagpipe Amazing Grace and over 200 spiritual leaders in prayer...it was wonderful..
here is a video

Down to the River

Thought I'd post this wonderful Alison Krauss video....so much of our heritage has been forgotten...American was once a very Christian country..not perfect for sure, lots of problems but better... people had a sense of decency and humanity in most places .these photos of baptism are outstanding. My mama said even though she's have to walk to the bus stop at night during the Depression with the days earnings in her purse in the bad part of town...no one ever bothered her and in fact, the homeless men watched out so she was safe...would that happen now? I doubt it.

Piccalilli and Rummage Pickles

Here are the other two recipes I promised to post...I well remember being served Piccalilli at my grandmas....it is a prized recipe..

Best Ever Piccalilli

32 medium sized green tomatoes, quartered
1 pt. small onions
6 green peppers, quartered lengthwise
6 sweet red peppers, quartered lengthwise
1 1/2 qts. vinegar
3 1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. salt
1 1/2 t. allspice
1 12/ t. cinnamon
4 ts. celery seed
1.2 c. mustard seeds

Wash vegetables, put through food chopper (food processor now) using a medium blade. Drain.
Place vegetables in a large kettle, add 1 qt. vinegar. Boil for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Drain and discard liquid. Return vegetables to pot and add remaining vinegar, sugar,salt and spices. Simmer 3 minutes. Keep mixture simmering while packing hot sterilized jars. Pack into one hot jar at a time. Fill to 1/8th from top of jar. Process in boiling water bath for 5 minutes. Makes 6 to 7 pints.
This is so good on hamburgers, and served with meats.....

The other recipe is called Rummage Pickles..in the old days, you used every thing that was left..all the odds and ends........nothing was wasted....

Rummage Pickles

2 qts. green tomatoes
1 small head cabbage
3 sweet green peppers
3 sweet red peppers
1 large cucumber
3 onions
1 qt. red tomatoes
6 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. salt
1 1/2 c. vinegar
1 1/2 c. water
4 c. sugar
1 t. dry mustard

Chop all vegetables first, discarding pepper seeds, and peeling onions. Add salt and let stand overnight. In morning,drain and discard liquid. Add vinegar, water, sugar and mustard to vegetables. Bring to a boil and simmer an hour or until clear.
Pack into hot sterilized jars and process in boiling water bath for 5 minutes. This makes 14 pints.

My grandma would always serve different pickles and relishes at every dinner..she had pretty little depression glass plates to serve them in....sometimes the plates were divided for the different types of relishes and pickles.....I've collected a few of these..often see them at estate sales...
they are usually very inexpensive...the footed one in the middle was one of my grandma's....

. I loved her bread and butter pickles....my mother in law years later make a wonderful sweet pickle called Crystal Pickles..we begged for it whenever we went back to Iowa for vacation...just wonderful..crisp and sweet...she gave me the recipe and I tried several times to make them but it just wasn't the same.....

Harvest and Hot, Hot, Hot

Alan got up early and harvested the rest of the tomatoes....mostly green....our garden is officially over for the summer...I plan on making some Green Tomato Pickles or perhaps Indian Pickles..There are many recipes to choose from, others are  the old fashioned Piccalilli and Rummage Pickle....
here are the recipes for the first two and tomorrow the second  two.......

Green Tomato Pickles

2 qts. sliced green tomatoes
3 T. salt
2 c. vinegar
2/3 c. dark brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
3 T. mustard seed
1/2 t. celery seed
1 t. tumeric
3 c. sliced onions
2 large sweet red peppers, chopped
1 hot green or red pepper, chopped

Mix tomatoes and salt. Let stand about 12 hours. Drain. Heat vinegar, sugars and spices in a large pot to boil; add the sliced onions and boil for 5 minutes. Then add the drained tomatoes and peppers bring slow to the boil again. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
Pack in hot sterilized jars. Be sure the syrup covers the vegetables. Seal at once.
Process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes. Makes 9 half pints.

Here is the other recipe..this is called Indian Pickle

4 lbs. green tomatoes
4 lbs. ripe tomatoes
3 medium onions, peeled
3 medium sweet red peppers, seeded
3 medium green peppers, seeded
1 large cucumber
7 c. chopped celery
2/3 t. salt
3 pts. vinegar
3 lbs. brown sugar
1 t. dry mustard
1 t. white pepper

Chop coarsely all the vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and let stand for 12 hours or overnight. In the morning, drain well and discard liquid, add remaining ingredients.
Bring to a boil and simmer slowly for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour into hot sterilized jars, seal at once and process in boiling water bath for 5 minutes. Makes 6 pints.




The last few days have been really warm here....yesterday it got up to 108 in the shade on our patio...I hated to go out to hang up the clothes and then again to take them down (although the clothes dried in record time)...our poor Mrs. Quack was in distress and trying to stay cool in shade of our African sumac tree...I took pity and put out a sprinkler for her where she sat in the cool water.....she is moulting and doesn't look very good right now so no photo....poor girl...no eggs either..its just too hot! She has a small wading pool she takes a dip in occasionally...
We do live in a hot climate..the inland Californian valleys can get quite warm. This hot weather isn't unusual but we haven't had it like this for several summers....last year, I think we only had to put the air conditioner on for a week...its on daily now and even though we set it at a rather high temperature (81) it runs constantly. We are also coming into fire season....no major ones yet but with weather like this, its only a matter of time.