Discipline!

I decided to try to discipline myself recently, I do not know why I think this might work for me when it never worked for my mom and she is much tougher than I am!  I am going to try anyway.  The impetus for this was me trying to find my sewing machine under the stack of 'current' projects.  I realized I am sort of ADD about my projects, I start something and then I see something else and think ooh, I want to see if I can do that, so I start it to see if I can and voila(!), another 'current' project is born!  For the next few weeks then I am not allowed to start anything new, I can only make lists, when I have finished all the projects currently underway, I can then start something new if I want.  (this does not include the long term stuff like the quilt - but it does include all the currently begun crocheting and sewing)  I hope I am slightly more successful at this than the weight loss or exercise programs.  (sigh)  If nothing else at least it got me to inventory the 'in progress' works and making a list of them automatically made it more organized...yes?

It has been beautiful here this week and we have been out in the yard enjoying the weather, I know it could freeze still, but it sure feels like this may be the real thing and winter may actually be over!  (knock on wood)
So here is a little of the recent week activities.

 The cherry tree is loaded with blossoms and you could hear the bees going to town on the pollinating, the hum was just a little unnerving for those of us even mildly allergic to them.

 This is my new best friend taking a break from tilling the front planter, I can't help it I just am thrilled at the ease of getting the ground ready with this guy - Hubby is almost jealous!

 Rhubarb, Columbines, Lavender, and Salvia enjoying the sun and the mulching.

Today the apple tree started humming as well and the blossoms are about 3/4's open, the pink undersides and the while petals are so pretty!






Happy Easter to all!   Wishing you all a blessed day!

Checking Things off the Lists

I love lists, I love checking things off the lists, I love checking the lists and enjoying the check marks! I have been known to leave the list at home, or forget to look at it but it doesn't diminish my love of lists!  (I am blaming my mother who is an inveterate list maker for this little OCD in my personality!) At any one point in time I could have multiple lists going - currently I have a list for Christmas gifts to make, housekeeping chores and projects for church and clubs.  One of the lists has gone missing - oddly enough the one with the housekeeping chores on it - making me wonder whether if I had completed more tasks on the list I would now know where the list was!  :)  Yes I really do think about this sort of thing.  I should probably talk to a professional about this but it just doesn't bother me enough!  

The reason 'lists' are on my mind today is that I was able to check off TWO things on my lists.  THE DRATTED CURTAINS ARE FINALLY DONE AND HANGING!  Pardon the shouting but I really was on the verge of hating them if they hadn't gotten finished fairly soon!  Seemed like I kept running into problems and then the sewing machine would need work and I really was a little frustrated!  I started them in September!

The set over the laundry window

The ones over the kitchen sink 









I am fairly pleased with them - if you look up close you can see mistakes but I am the only one who really gets that close and I am not telling!  The batting that I used was one I had on hand and was a 'high loft', frugality said to just use it as I already had it, doing it again I probably would have spent the extra money for the stuff that would have been a little easier to work with and might have hung a little more even but this will definitely keep out the cold, and it is getting cold, it was 27 degrees a couple of nights ago (about minus 3 C)!  Doing it again I might not have used a pattern with so many obvious lines that should match up and I am pleased that it seems to match up fairly well.  I bought extra of the dark print so maybe placemats or toaster covers are in the future!  When I get over the curtains that is!  :)

The second thing to come off the list is the Apples - it took me two weeks but I finally put up the last of the apples and have applesauce and pie filling and slices for the near future.  Final tally - 21 jars of apples are now in the cupboard and I celebrated by mopping the floor 2 times!  (I really have made a mess the last couple of times and had spots of sticky all over the place that I couldn't seem to find until I stepped in them!)  

Curtains are up, apples are down and the floor no longer makes those awful noises when I walk on it!!  Feet are up, coffee is hot, chocolate chip cookies (only two) in hand and the new novel from Anne Hillerman.  (I loved her dads work and her first foray is very good so far.)  

Life is good!!

Apples!

So my friend Ginger says "Hey you want to go and pick up windfall apples?"  She lives out near some orchards and they let people go through after the picking is done and get the ones that fell on the ground. We were a little concerned as there had been a couple of frosts already and we might have waited too long.  It was a beautiful day with huge storm clouds over the mountains and rain in the forecast.  When we got to the orchard we were surprised to find that there were a lot of apples still on the tree and we got very few off the ground.  Some were small and they were not very pretty but they were free!  It is much easier to see the apples when the leaves have fallen off already!  :)  We picked 15 bags, each bag between 10 and 15 lbs of apples.  Ginger was sharing with neighbors so she had 9 bags and I had 6.  The rain chased me home!  Here is my 'haul' washed and ready

Some are uglier than others - but they were free!

I made apple crisp that night.  Then I started on the applesauce and pie apples.  I boiled the apples with the peels on and then pureed them in the blender and it tastes awesome and you get to keep the vitamins in the skin, this was so easy!  (I hate peeling things!)  Think I will try for apple butter as well

Love the sound of those lids popping!

And of course it was my day for treats at Sunday School so...you guessed it Spiced Apple Bread!  I took a chance on a recipe from the internet and wow was it good!  Click here for the recipe - it was moist and chock full of flavor.  I have learned to always read the reviews on these recipes and the reviews on this were good!  Now I agree with them!

A little butter and - heaven!

I am a little over a third of the way through my apples and already have 9 pints of applesauce and one and a half quarts of sliced apples in medium syrup.  Hubby and I will be eating applesauce with our pork chops this year.  What is traditional with applesauce at your house?

And the best part of course, for my frugal soul (cheap may be more accurate) all this bounty for the price of a half a gallon of gas and an hour and a half of my time spent with a good friend in beautiful country!  Can't beat that with a stick!!