Sunshine With Breakfast.

A Gloomy, Blustery, Day....

It has been so windy, that I keep thinking of what Winnie the Pooh said in The Blustery Day. It went something like this:

"I know today is Windsday,

And this is how I know;

It is always on a Windsday

That the winds begin to blow."

....Yes, it should be Windsday, not Tuesday......

Because of all the wind and rain, we had a power outage this morning, and it lasted for around two hours. Of course it had to happen while Miss Posy and Boots were playing down the basement in her tent. The poor little things couldn't find their way out of it, and I was bumbling around in the dark trying to help..........~such terrified screaming and crying!!!! I think they will be traumatized for life!~And my ears will never quite be the same again. It is really pretty hilarious now that I look back on it........I know, I'm heartless.......

Looking~Glass Morning

"Oh, Kitty, how nice it would be if we could only get through into Looking~Glass House! I'm sure it's got, oh! such beautiful things in it! Let's pretend there's a way of getting through into it, somehow, Kitty."

~Alice, in Through The Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll

~~~~~~~

I was feeling a bit like Alice this morning......but then I started thinking how a Looking~Glass house was sure to have just as many dirty dishes and piles of laundry as my own.........and worst of all; everything would have to be done backwards ~for that's how things work in the Looking~Glass world...........I guess, I'm happy to stay right here! ;)

An October Picture and Poem.......

~October's Party~

By George Cooper

October gave a party;

The leaves by hundreds came~

The Chestnuts,Oaks, and Maples

And leaves of every name.

The Sunshine spread a carpet,

And everything was grand,

Miss Weather led the dancing,

Professor wind the band.

The Chestnuts came in yellow,

The Oaks in crimson dressed;

The lovely Misses Maple

In scarlet looked their best;

All balanced to their partners,

And gaily fluttered by;

The sight was like a rainbow

New fallen from the sky.

Then, in the rustic hollow,

At hide-and-seek they played,

The party closed at sundown,

And everybody stayed.

Professor Wind played louder;

They flew along the ground;

And then the party ended

In jolly "hands around."

The Bonus

to making pie for after~dinner~dessert, is that you can usually count on a slice for breakfast the next morning............at least that's what I do. This is a blueberry/mulberry pie. It is very good with coffee;)

~~~~~~~~~~

Last night my dear husband brought home a large manila envelope...........

~What was inside?

The official survey papers of our property!!!!!!! Hurray!!!!!! Now it shouldn't be long 'til we close!!!

We have exactly nine and a half acres, and it looks like the wooded area, which my husband was hoping would all be included, is.

It is so exciting......

Tomatoes......

The kids are still bringing them in from the garden! I will miss them so much when they are gone!!!!

On Patience....

"Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them ~every day begin the task anew."

~St Francis de Sales

A Compliment?

I had just put the finishing touches to my hair and applied some hair-spray when my eldest son walked in and hit me with:

"Where are you going, mom? You're smelly."

Comfort Food

I made this savory~chicken pot pie last night. Just threw together some veggies, chicken and a roux for the filling, and then tucked it all inside my favorite pie crust recipe. Love it when something thrown together comes out so well!

Anyways, pie crust can be such a bear, and I thought I would share this recipe ~which I stumbled across somewhere. It has always turned out perfectly for me.........unlike so many others;)

You will need:

4 cups of flour

3~1/2 sticks of butter

4 Tbs. sugar

2 tsp. salt

1 egg

1 Tbs. vinegar

1/2 cup of very cold water

Whisk together the egg, vinegar, and water. Set aside.

In a large bowl stir together the flour, sugar, and salt 'til blended. Cut in the butter, 'til mixture resembles coarse crumbs. ( Or, if you have a heavy duty mixer you can put the flour, sugar, salt, and butter together in a bowl and beat 'til mixture resembles coarse crumbs........it's much easier, and what I always do!) Add remaining ingredients and blend (again, with the mixer, if you like) until it just forms into a ball.

Chill for fifteen minutes or so, to ensure that it will roll out easily! Then roll out and use as needed.

~Makes the top and bottom of a pie, or two individual pie shells.

~Don't forget to brush with an egg wash to make it extra pretty.........but only if you have time, which I didn't last night! ;)

On Cooking

"Mere facility, of course, is no more a guarantee of good taste in cooking than it is in music; but without it, nothing good is possible at all. Technique must be acquired, and, with technique, a love of the very process of cooking. No artist can work simply for results; he must also like the work of getting them. Not that there isn't a lot of drudgery in any art ~and more in cooking than in most~ but that if a man has never been pleasantly surprised at the way custard sets or flour thickens, there is not much hope of making a good cook of him."

~Father Capon

Homemade Biscuits and Gravy...

.....are hands~down my husband's favorite breakfast.

Dish them up with some fried eggs and a mug of hot coffee ~Mmmmm!!!

A perfect breakfast for a chilly morning;)

Monday Mode

This is the very first morning of the week that has not felt like Monday morning to me! So, even though it is Thursday, not Tuesday, I had to make up a batch of pancakes....

Have you ever tried substituting coconut milk for regular milk in your pancake recipe? I tried it months back on a whim, and found that it really adds a delicious twist.

~And the kids agree;)

A Favorite Quote

"Do not wish to be anything but what you are.......and try to be that perfectly."



~St. Francis de Sales

Thinking Spring

....at our new house.

Won't it be lovely to have these beauties blooming as we prepare to move in?

Sea shells

My dear husband surprised me with this lovely book when he arrived home last night.

The kids and I have spent most the morning enjoying the gorgeous photos it contains!

It is great to be able to identify the shells I have in my meager collection............and dream of what I may discover next time I am able to do some beach combing.......

Caterpillars to Cocoons

Amazing! Mom found these in her garden and brought them down for the children's and my viewing pleasure. In the picture you can see how one of the caterpillars climbed up a twig and attached himself with a bit of silk. (Under him is the chrysalis of another just like him.) After hanging like that for a few days, he split his skin and crawled out; a strange, green, worm-like creature. It was fascinating to watch! He re-attached himself to the branch, a bit above where he was hanging before, and slowly started turning brown all over. You can see how he looks now, as a chrysalis, in the picture below.

Once again, the days have just been flying by. Dear Husband has been gone for three days in San Diego for a business trip. He gets in tonight, and I can't wait to see him!