Groomed and Fed

On Thursday I groomed the yard, swept the porch, steps and driveway clean. I bagged leaves, pulled weeds and trimmed some bushes. It was only a drop in the ocean compared to what remains to be done, but I feel good that I got so much accomplished before I pooped out. The bad news is that there are still tons of leaves in the trees. The backyard is still covered and the back deck has a couple of inches of leaves on it as well.

Rachel spent Thursday night and the day Friday with me while her hubby was away on business. I got lots of sweet baby time and I got to finally see him sign his first word....more. More food, more fun, more milk. Priceless.

On Friday we clipped coupons and went to the grocery store together. By combining coupons with buy one, get one free offers I saved $46 and some change on my total bill....thanks to my saving guru Rachel.

One of my goals for the weekend was to do some cooking. I wanted to get some meals put up in the freezer and some REAL food cooked for myself. I'm sick of eating fast food and frozen meals. At the end of the day, I had 10 meals in the freezer and 6 in the fridge. I also sent 4 bowls of food home with Rachel.

One of the recipes was something new, Summer Squash Soup. I altered it a little to suit my taste. Altogether, it took about 35 or 40 minutes for prep and cooking.

1 tbs olive oil
1 pound yellow squash, sliced 1/2 inch thick (I used 4 large squash)
2 ears corn, corn removed from cob. Cut cobs in half and set aside. (I used 4 ears because that is what came in the package I bought)
3 large shallots, chopped ( I substituted large green onions)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 fresh jalapeno chile, chopped (if you don't like the heat, try a banana pepper instead, the fresh jalapeno I used didn't add any heat, I removed the seeds...for more kick I'd use 2 fresh instead of just one)
1/4 tsp ground cumin (since I love cumin I used about 2 tsp or more...suit your own taste)
2-1/2 cups water or broth (I used 1 cup low sodium chicken broth and 1 1/2 cups of water)
Italian parsley sprigs for garnish (I used cilantro instead)

In a 5-quart heavy kettle, heat oil over moderate heat and saute all ingredients (including cobs) except water or broth for five minutes. Stir in water or broth and simmer until squash is very tender, about 20 minutes. Discard cobs. In a blender, puree mixture in batches until smooth. Note that a food processor doesn't make the mixture smooth enough! Season with salt and pepper to taste. (I added a dab of reduced fat sour cream and some grated cheddar cheese) Without the sour cream and cheese the soup was a bit too sweet for my taste...with it the soup was delicious.

If desired, garnish with sour cream and fresh Italian parsley sprigs. (I used cilantro) It made 4 servings.

Now, I'm off to clean out my closets. Then it's back to work tomorrow...... : (

Thrilled Thursday Fruitful Friday

I plan on enjoying being at home today and tomorrow, while getting a lot done. My to do list is uber long. Anybody want to come help?

Blue Monday Black Tuesday

It's time for a couple of days away from work. Today is my Friday.

Some Recommendations for You

Avenue Montaigne - charming French comedy

Enchanted April - it enchanted me

William and Mary - what happens when an undertaker falls in love with a midwife? watch this BBC series and see

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall - adapted from a Anne Bronte novel

Mostly Martha - every foodie should see this one

Falling for a Dancer - set in remote Ireland

Her Majesty - delightful coming of age story

Jean de Florette/Manon of the Spring - another set of French movies...very good

The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas - startling

The Chorus - first time teacher teaches delinquent boys to sing like angels

Arranged - two arranged marriages...one Muslim and one Jewish

Big Night - fantastic cast, fun movie

Bread and Tulips - unappreciated housewife makes a new life for herself

Lost in Austen - fun for all Jane Austenophiles

Miss Austen Regrets - based on her life and letters

Cranford - wonderful English period piece

Ladies #1 Detective Agency - you'll love it

Must see movies that I give 4 and 5 stars for being either heartwarming, thought provoking or just plain entertaining.

Benchmark

I took this picture because these two patterns together make me smile.

How about you? Do you decorate with lots of color and pattern or do you tend to use mostly neutral colors. Has your style changed much over the years or do you mostly stick with the tried and true things you've always loved?

Blind Contour Friday on Saturday

Stapler and Mono Correction Tape gadget.

See more blind contour drawings here...better yet, do one yourself and participate. It's fun!

Happy PFF from Amish Country

About ten years ago when my oldest son and daughter in law lived in Ohio, we made a couple of day visits to Amish country. We toured a Amish home, had some homemade bread, ate at some good family style restaurants and toured a cheese factory. We also meandered along a lot of country roads. The Amish countryside is quite beautiful. One of my favorite sights was lines of their clothing drying in the wind. Another favorite sight were the conical hay stacks. Here in Alabama, farmers roll them into big bales of hay...there they were shaped like the haystacks in Van Gogh paintings.

My daughter recently gave me a few of the postcards she had purchased as souvenirs.



For more Postcard Friendship Friday posts check put Marie's blog Cpaphil Vintage Postcards.

Road Trip Sunday

We went North in search of fall color and adventure.

We found color under our feet.

And above our heads.

Our destination for the day?

The biggest used bookstore I've ever been to.

McKay's Used Books.

I took a sack of books with me, traded them for credit to use for my purchases...a new sack of books to take home.

EDIT: The McKays that we went to is in Chattanooga, TN. They also have locations in Knoxville and Nashville. You can take in books, CDs, videos, etc that you would like to trade. They will give you cash or credit for trade. The Chattanooga location is easy to find, but they recently moved and the map on their website isn't up to date. The new location is on the same road as the old location so it isn't hard to find. Email me for directions if you are going to make a trip. The store is easy to navigate. It is set up in sections much like any bookstore. If you love books you've got to go! It didn't take me long to bust my budget. I picked up 6 or 7 Little Golden Books that I didn't have, 2 childrens books for the grandkids, 3 art books for moi and 3 novels for myself.

Exactly a Week Since My Last Fix

My co-worker just popped the top on a soft drink. I swear I heard the fizz escape.

Friends, I'm in pain! I've been good, but I want one.

Blind Contour -Week 3

And because I can never do just one.....more practice on faces.

The same face...8 interpretations.

Check out more blind contour drawing on Diahn's blog, Ottwork.