Sunset ~ Sunrise

I had a rather long day yesterday, and I was outside later than usual.  I had to snap photos of the sunset.  I'm glad I did.  Right after I took these, the beautiful colors disappeared.

I  opened the kitchen blinds early this morning, and before I had the time to post this, I got the chance to view the most beautiful sunrise this morning.  I was tempted to get my thick robe, put my coffee in my yeti cup and go out and sit to enjoy the entire sunrise.  I may be doing that in the future.  It was rather nice to be out there, with complete silence.  Not even a rooster from afar, nor a bird chirping.  It was rather nice.

I do have to clean up my porch yet, so there is that reason to be out there.   We've had some rather warmer days lately too.  In the 50's which is rare for December.  It's definitely not sending any Christmas vibes, but I'll take the warmer weather.  We have more work to do on the chicken coop and other area clean ups.

Last Night's Sunset and other Chit Chat

Although we got zero rain, we had a beautiful sunset for a short time.  We can't really see all of it, due to the woods behind our home, but the sky was a pretty pink.

I spent about 2 hours cleaning stuff from the upstairs.  Mostly, I spent time bringing down any larger items to donate.  I may have found a home for a pole lamp she left up there, and I have a kitchen floor full of boxed up stuff to donate somewhere.  I filled the trash, and put a few things in the burn pile.  Today, I need to spray Lysol up there, as I realized she had 4 animals up there, and I am not sure how well she cleaned, as in sanitized.  There is still much to clean out.

I cannot tell you all how happy I am to have an entire summer of wicked, miserable work hours end for my husband.  He was home, and out mowing after work! 

The handyman finished the bathroom, but left without putting the bathroom door back on.  My husband and I put that back up, installed a new toilet paper holder, installed a mini wooden ladder to hold bath towel, washcloths, and installed a hand towel holder.  We just need to add a small bit of decor, and it's completely done finally.  It is hard to take photos in that small bathroom, but once we have whatever decor up we decide on, I'll try and show you all before and after.  We now have peace of mind that the floor, shower, toilet and sink are good for many years to come.

I have to say, it is truly nice to have the house to myself again.  I know it will be crazy again soon when we tear up the living room, but thankfully we have time to do more cleaning and removing of furniture, and packing up bookshelves before that happens.  Speaking of which, the bookshelf holds all of my homesteading info, so I may just temporarily move it to the office or bedroom, so I can access it.

I told my husband I am not ready to rip up the stairway carpet (also ruined by the dogs), because I am literally dragging stuff down the stairs (ha ha!) to save myself.  It makes it super easy to get things down and out.

Unfortunately, our chances of rain continue to blurp right off the radar.  It was 60% yesterday, and we go zero.  I'll be watering everything today.  The garden has slowed down due to the lack of rain, but praying we do get some this week yet.

 

Weeding ~ Tending Tomatoes and other ramblings

 

I spent the better part of the day weeding this part (my muscles reminded me this morning) of the front flower beds.  I have a lot more to do, but today I have to be in the tomato patches.  As you can see (sorry for the bath photos, I took them on my phone), there are no annuals. It just didn't happen in this bed.  Next year we'll get landscaping stones and it expand it out where we put tarps to kill the grass.  It will make mowing much easier.

During my husband's crazy long hours, we ended up with two different trims for the bathroom.  We had to run to the other "big city" and get the right trim so the bathroom could be finished up.  

We had a beautiful sunset last night.  Mom used to text me every night there was a beautiful one, because our sunset view is behind the house and behind the woods. I would not see it unless I was outside.

We ended up walking around the garden at dusk, to check on our motion sensor solar lights.  All are working, but one look into the tomatoes and I let a big sigh....I have more staking and tying to do.  Plus, the handyman used up the last of the gas, so if I will have to go get gas in order to do the tilling (again).

Today is one of those days I wish I had help.  Flower beds need finished weeding, tomatoes are in dire need of securing, beans need picked.....and oh, I have to paint one piece of floor trim this morning before I even go out the door.  I never got pancakes made yesterday.  I literally got the grill to the counter and that is as far as I got.  It's one of those whirlwind days today.

Speaking of the handy-man, since he changed his tune on payment amount regarding the bathroom, we are going back to doing the mowing and trimming ourselves.  However, the mower needs a new battery.  

More Red ~ Market Visit

Sharing with you another embroidered hand towel.  This one was challenging with those tiny stitches required for the cute baby chicks. 

We've had a few very humid and very hot days here lately.  I tried to dodge the rain and get some blankets and a handmade quilt washed and dried.

Getting Outdoors ~ Crocheted Hand Towel ~ Granola Bars

Hubby and I got to work early yesterday.  He picked up a few truck loads of stone, and filled in holes in the driveway. 

Unfortunately, I found my one hen, had passed away yesterday night.  We didn't do a chicken autopsy, so I don't know what did her in, but she was walking around outside yesterday.  We opted to skip buying new layer chicks this year, but we may next year.

Tidbits ~ Steep or Infusion?

Last night we had a beautiful sunset.  They sky was filled with pink hues.  Just gorgeous.

My boxes of homemade items

Rest and Relaxation (kind of) ~ Whiskey Butterscotch Sauce

Sunday we finally sat around and simply enjoyed ourselves.  We tossed around the idea of going bowling, but the more we relaxed and took time for ourselves, the more we wanted to simply hang out (in pajamas no less).

It's hard for me to sit around and do nothing, which was what we told Mom to do (she had another ER visit) for the next few days. 

I was reading through a library book, on handmade gifts and decided to not let the year end without a "bang." 

I went to the kitchen and made Whiskey Butterscotch Sauce.

What my kids do to me ~ Sunset and other Tidbits

The other day my younger three girls were raving about muffins I made last year.   I had been discussing making pumpkin pancakes or waffles, so the topic of pumpkin was wafting through their busy brains.

"They were HUGE!"

"They were so good!"

"They were really moist and big!"

Sunday Sunset ~ Tidbits

I watched a beautiful sunset Sunday evening.

Sunset ~ Sick Hubby ~ Another Cold Blast

Sharing a sunset photo from Sunday evening.  Just a few minutes after taking the photos, the beautiful pinks completely disappeared.

Thankfully, I have some loose leaf elderflower tea on hand.  Hubby is home sick. You know when men get sick (at least mine), they turn into blabbering babies.  I may even drain off one of my jars of elixir early (if the tea doesn't help).  

Homemade Mosquito Repellent ~ Summer is Not Over

I know it's a bit late in the season, but I have been wanting to try a recipe using basil and vodka.  The temperatures soared up to the 90's this week.  It definitely feels like summer is still here.  

I spent the early part of the week deep cleaning my kitchen.  That was a relief, and it kept me out of the heat.

I also took some time to file recipes, pitch the ones that didn't make the cut, and recycle most of the paper.  

The kids are still sick, and I am feeling better.  There is nothing worse than to have severe congestion when it's 95°F outside.

Soap Making Day ~ Beautiful Sunset

Just a regular day for me.  Make a 5 gallon bucket of laundry detergent, and a container of dishwasher detergent. I now make it with grated goat's milk soap (unscented) that my daughter makes here.

Had to drive to the vet for Jesse again.  That infection is back in his paw again.  We are pretty sure it never completely healed.  We have no idea what happened to it, and the vet recommended another prescription.  Thankfully, it was only $7.20, and we didn't need a vet visit this time.

Nursed a day of the sniffles, and downed some elderberry extract.  Jesse and I spent some time on the couch together.

I'm sharing a snapshot of a recent sunset here the other day. 

And one of the moon, on the same night.