Happy dance

Two posts in a short time!  But I'm so excited I have to tell you.  You won't believe it.  My old printer is working!  I plugged it in and gave it one last shot and it's working.  I can't believe it.  We worked on it for days, tried it for days afterward, and nothing.  No black ink at all. 

 

Just to show you how bad the print was on the HP 6830 Office jet, take a look at the top compared to the 6520 on the bottom.  This is why I couldn't use older labels or anything that was already in the computer.  I don't know if anyone is interested but I may have a few boxes this week.  They will all be the tall oval since no others are available.  Making a trip to Hobby Lobby this week but they usually only have one of each size since they separate sets.  It's almost 70 degrees, we went for a walk at 10pm last night - heaven!  Still warm today. 

So that's what I wanted to share.  And one more thing.

Don't forget to decorate your fridge.

 

Have a great day!!

 

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Pierogi Palace

That's what I wanted to call a little take out business, strictly pierogis.  There are so many fillings and I wanted each week to have a specialty in addition to the basics.  My father in law loved poppy seed and Bobalki is still one of my all time favorite desserts.  His mother from Czechoslovakia made pierogi with poppy filling, dried mushrooms, cabbage, cabbage with potato, sauerkraut.  There are many small cookbooks on these little pillows and unending ways to fill them.  These recipes are the ones used by our church for sales, my Dad's version for home, and my mom's family recipe.  I only make the cheese filling and I am so disappointed that the brand of dry cottage cheese locally is like gravel.  It's not the very fine curd that I was used to and these chunks of gravel were tearing the dough.  Next time I will add then to the food processor for a few seconds to break them up.  I have typed the recipes out since some of you were interested, and saved as a .jpg so you should be able to click and print the page.  Also will add to the recipe blog.  The real trick is the pinch, and since it's hard to not get the filling on the edges which will prevent that, as you pinch you kind of pull on the dough a little up from the very edge so it comes over the edge and seals well.  Hard to explain but you can easily get the hang of it, or just run your water dipped finger over the edge before pinching.

 

 

 

 

Where are your samplers?

Hello people!  In the midst of cleaning and decorating, I came across the unframed samplers hanging on the ladder, pinned to the wall, and pinned to a cabinet.  Do you have a sampler wall or do you spread the love around?  At one time I had them all in the dining room (very small) and it felt closed in.  So I kept just these pieces there,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

moved some to the family room, and from there I decided to not frame newly completed pieces. 

Wanting to consolidate them, I pinned them to the very narrow hall leading to the front door, across from the powder room.  I made a skinny stand and added that to the wall.  This entire hall and foyer will probably be paneled and painted, maybe just one wall, but thought I would temporarily add them to see if it would be a good spot.  Well yes it would.  This hall enters the family room and the samplers would be visible, and away from any direct light or heat registers.  Boning needs to be added to some tops, some edges need sewn, but I will still leave enough for mounting if I ever decide to frame.  Right now they are hanging by one pin and crumpled.  But should all the others be moved here?  Not sure there would be enough room, especially with Lucy and Sally.  Maybe one large framed piece in a room and the rest filling the hall.  Adding a peg rail on the opposite side could be for the bags and smaller hangings.  Once they are pressed and properly pinned, I'll have some time to decide.  Mixing the framed with unframed would not look good - what do you think?  Frame them all?  Oh wait.  Just had an idea.  The large empty wall in the new room could be for the unframed, where more primitive cabinets will be.  The framed should be moved to the hall.  How's that?  I usually come up with something when I'm typing a post but it never would have entered my mind otherwise.  I think I have a plan.  What's yours?

 

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All done

 

I hear many of you having the same issue this year - lacking a desire to decorate as much as we used to.  How come?  Several reasons for me.  Partly because of preferring the simple style, partly because of the hassle and work, but I have sadness about current events too.  I don't want to mention details but there have been so many horrific infant deaths at the hands of boyfriends, mothers, and fathers.  I want to stay off the computer because I cannot handle these disgusting headlines and the pain and suffering these helpless babies endured.  I am totally shocked at these hideous acts.  Sometimes I just can't let go of thoughts and it seems every day there is another incident.

 

On a brighter note, Carole is finally improving.  Not enough to go to market or shop for gifts by a long shot so I am still busy with her errands.  When getting her groceries today, I threw a little hissy fit in the parking lot.  I had gifts, returns, her food, my food, water jugs, the back seat was filled so several bags were on the floor in the front.  Mark was driving and as he dropped me off, the bags at my feet caught my shoes and spilled out of the car.  I kind of tumbled out but didn't fall. Traffic was waiting, items were rolling, receipts blowing away, and I just grabbed the items and THREW them back into the car.  The anger increased as most items hit the seat and came back out.   I need a car with more room and am looking for someone to assume my lease.

 

 

 

I decorated another tree at Mark's request.  I like just lights but he thought it should have ornaments so I did the rusty bells and stars, baskets, and a few Santas.  Now I'm finished.

 

Made the pierogi filling and the little balls are chilling in the fridge.  Tomorrow I'll make the dough, fill, and boil them, ready for the freezer.  We have three different dough recipes but I prefer the one with sour cream.  It pinches easily and stays shut.  Silky smooth and stretchy dough.

 

The weather is beautiful and I worked outside this afternoon.  Hope it stays for a few days.

 

Hope your week is going great.

Thanks for visiting.

 

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Still putting up

and then taking down.  Just about finished returning a few trees and ornament boxes to the attic.  The pierogis have to be made this week!  Stuffed cabbage can wait a little while.  Mark has been washing walls, baseboards, windows, and giving everything a good cleaning.   I did that twice a year but since mom passed, I haven't.  I keep saying that since we are redecorating and painting, we should just wait.  He said he's tired of waiting years for me to find a willing contractor or decide on a paint color.  He doesn't understand why it takes years to pick out a beige. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My latest thing is adding the hand forged hooks of various size to my interior doors.  I can hang my stitchery, drieds, wreaths, gourds, baskets, and because of the hook rather than a nail, the item won't fall off when I slam the door.  Why haven't I done this sooner?  So I brought out the hook assortment and installed them, love it.  I like the longer one that the folded greenery spray is on.  But the shorter ones are nice too.  Even if nothing is hanging, the black hook looks nice with my black iron knobs, but I have plenty of hanging smalls and sampler sacks to display.

 

One of two 3' sturdy branched trees that can take heavy ornaments.  One was Patti's and as I was thinking about that little tree that we bought (and we got the last ones), her husband showed up in my driveway.  He pulled the little tree from the car and asked if I wanted it.  YES!!!  She loved that tree and preferred the crooked trunk one to my straight one. These and the same tree in 4' were hidden in a clearance section and we were thrilled to find them.  The bottom branches need repositioned.  I think it fell over when Mark was cleaning.

 

 

 

 

 

Sprigs make me happy. 

 

 I just typed "have a great weekend" and then Curse of Oak Island came on the tv and I realized it was only Tuesday.  I need gutchies that have the day on them to help me out.  Do they make them in big girl white cotton old lady panties?

 

Have a great mid -week!

 

Thanks for visiting.

 

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The boys are out

Greetings!  How was your weekend?  I'm hoping that these coming winter months fly by as fast as October and November have.  Are you finishing or just starting decorating?  I brought everything down, have it all over the place, and am starting to put more than half of it back.  I'm glad I used the safety pin backs to hold the hangers on the stitched Santas because I think they may be in a bowl and not hung this year.  Do you like bowl displays?  I have mixed feelings because the majority of the stitchery is covered by another piece.  I don't know.  This Christmas I'm just not in a displaying mood.  Is it because it's too much work the older I get or because my style continues evolving to simple and sparse?  Then I browse Pinterest and PictureTrail and totally love the primitive homes that have a LOT on display yet it's simple!  It's a talent and not as easy to achieve as it appears.

 

 

Carole is going back to the doc Monday, not much better after starting four prescriptions, one of which I thought was kind of dangerous.  Never heard of the "pearls" before but they numb your lungs to prevent coughing.  I'm concerned that the vicious cough could move or loosen the pacemaker leads which she is completely dependant on.  Probably not, but we're going on two weeks of coughing so hard she chokes.  It's bronchitis and the bug that is traveling the valley which takes weeks to recover.  Her son Chris was there when I took food today and he is .... yep .....sick. 

 

Hope to make the sweet cheese pierogis and stuffed cabbage this week.  I don't think we have enough room in the freezer, the big fresh bird is still in there.  I knew we should have planned on spaghetti.

 

Have a great week! 

 

Thanks for visiting.

 

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