An "off" day ~ Thrift Store Adventure (and dollar store)

The "more" on why I took the day off Friday, although I know my time is running out to gut the garden. . .

We all have days where things go haywire, off kilter, and just agonizing.  I had one of those days on Thursday.  Everything I did seemed to go wrong - I'd drop stuff, didn't have ingredients I needed, just chaos I tell you.  Or it felt like a chaotic day anyway.

I remember all too well, getting sick last December and so I ignored the garden for a day, and took the slower road on Friday.  It paid off too. 

I'm feeling better, more focused, and guess what? Hubby slept almost the entire day, so we both took the day "off" (on Saturday).   It's not like I run out of things to do, ha ha!

As for the barn rubble, we re-homed a mess of metal materials.  There is more to give to the happy taker too.  I'm always happy to see more rubble find a new home. 

The biggest challenge?  Coming up with a breakfast, that only used 2 eggs, but feeds 4.  I ended up making pancakes and fried up a small package of bacon.  However, the egg supply remains low.     

I was up at 2am and couldn't sleep, so after rolling around at 4am, I got up, and whipped up breakfast.  In the dark, ha ha.  Funny thing about this, is Daughter worked until midnight, and couldn't sleep until 4am.  I think we just missed each other in the kitchen.

At 11:30am it was still a brisk 40°F and about an hour prior to that, a motorcyclist went by.  Brrr!

Oh, and remember the nuisance neighbor making a road adjacent and along our south property line (between us and a crop field)?  Well, a person in a blazer has been sitting there, on the other side of our fence, in the area of our pear trees.  As soon as I go out to do my morning chores, he pulls out and leaves. 

Hm.  I'm not sure if he is bow hunting, the land owner now, or what.  But I'm the sort that doesn't trust the neighbor, so I'm watching him (could be a friend of the neighbor too).  As he passes the house, he looks directly at our house, while I'm watching him out the window.  Oh, and his vehicle is loud, so he can't hide in the trees either.   We can hear him plain as day when he pulls down that so-called lane before 6am too.  

My Grad Daughter and I decided to take a trip to the "big" city and check out the thrift store (so Hubby could sleep, and we could have a little fun).    We also visited the dollar store.  I brought home a new rooster kitchen towel, and two blue ones (the blue will be hand towels in my bathroom for winter first).  Many of my kitchen towels are so worn out they are turning into rags now.  These were washed and are hanging on my indoor clotheslines (yes I have one), to dry.

I had to come back and update this post.  While walking around the thrift store, two older gentlemen were talking about the bells for sale on a shelf.  One picked one up and said as he rang the bell, "I need to put this by my computer so I can ring it and holler for her to bring me more coffee."  Laughing proceeded.  Funny men.
 

Daughter found a few nice tops at the thrift store for wearing to work, and I found this gem.  I found a lot of other gems, but I can't take them all home you know.  This book is packed with 631 pages of instructions - firewood box, all sorts of things we could use.  I told Hubby "Merry Christmas" and he laughed, but he later wanted to look through it (he he!). All for the price of $2.00.  As for the other two gems of books I wanted?  Well, I wrote the titles down, and will just check them out of the library.  I have to keep a limit here.  Maybe.

Have a nice Sunday.  Typically we'd take it easy today, but we are fired up to get stuff done today, and the wind hopefully dried up the garden enough to work out there. 

Random Tidbits ~ Snow Showers

So I made sweet potato ginger brownies for the first time.   I used a recipe online using coconut flour (Civilized Caveman Cooking).  I have to admit, it was not our favorite.  Everyone still ate it, but I was hoping for a "wow" taste so I could freeze some, utilizing the sweet potatoes.  One daughter said, "hm, they are interesting."  Ha ha ha!  They have the top like a brownie should, but they tasted more like a texture of a cake.  Moist.  Healthy too.

I took a day off from the garden (more on that later), and went through half the stack of library books I have right now.  Oh my.  I put a few on my "wish list" and found some Christmas gift ideas for 2018.    The above photo came from one of the books, and I just had to snap a photo.  Ya' know, considering I was bitten.

I took the day off from "hard work" but still did laundry before the rain arrived.  I also made a double batch of sweet potato chili.

 Why you ask?  Well, we had our "Vet Tech" in training Daughter over for a 21st birthday celebration (Army Daughter joined too).  Birthday Daughter requested it and is too broke to make it on her own, and of course I have sweet potatoes.  It's a family favorite and they will fight over the leftovers.  I sent some home with both girls, in canning jars.  And I sent home some homemade buttermilk cornbread.

My "Grad" Daughter baked her sister some birthday cupcakes with my Grandma's frosting recipe.  The kids love to play with all the cake decorating supplies she handed down to us.  I actually learned how to decorate cakes by simply watching my Mom.

Another magazine arrived.  It's not my subscription, but I get to read it too.

I know this post is mind-numbing.  Nothing spectacularly interesting.  It rained all night, so that limits my outdoor work.  Hubby pulled an "all-nighter" and isn't even home yet this morning, as I post this.  He'll sleep most of the day, so that puts more limits on splitting wood. 

Hm.  I've just about given up on the "extreme clean" of my utility room.  Hm.  I have some areas in the kitchen that need deep cleaned, and more carpets to clean, but I'll need quiet projects until about 2 or 3pm. 

It's a brisk 37°F this morning, with "snow" showers.

 My writing room, or our "study" is pretty cold.  There are no heaters in there, so I may toss some wood in the wood stove today.

Have a blessed weekend.