Browsing with Sheila

 5C and a light rain was falling when we walked. I think it was Catherine that asked if it was still dark when we walked at 7. Yes, it is getting darker every morning and  I think we will have to carry a flashlight soon. 
Daughter Sheila is on holidays and yesterday she picked me up and we went browsing in our local stores. The stores that have all the pretties💗.  Here are some pictures. We had a friendly sales person take a picture of both of us then Sheila took a few of yours truly.

 

 

 

I found some old fashioned Advent Calendars at the thrift store. The kind that are almost impossible to find.... not with chocolate, coffee samples or any other such. The ones I used to get for my children, the ones that have either a picture of the nativity or a Bible verse behind each little door. Mine has both. 
Sorry for the awful picture :(   but you get the picture (pun intended).

 Because of our gallivanting yesterday I got nothing done in the way of housework. Luckily there were even leftovers in the fridge for supper. Today I will be doing useful things which I better start doing soon!!

Thanks for visiting.

 

 

 

 

 

Monday Chit Chat

 

  The past few days have been busy with various things like daughter Sheila's birthday on Friday and our wedding anniversary on Sunday.  We have been married for 62 years.  All 3 sons came by ( well, one lives right here so he technically just came through the connecting door).  The weather was cold but clear with the morning starting out at just 1C. 
Granddaughter Kate came by too. She came to visit and also to cut my hair which was getting just too long. 

It's Monday and for those of us who do our laundry on this day I have some information that I gleaned from the internet....It answers a question that I've wondered about, and that is whether it's better to wash clothes inside out or does it even matter?

• You can extend the life of your clothes, preserve colors, and prevent damage to delicate fabrics by washing clothes inside out.
• Most clothes benefit from being washed inside out. This includes activewear, jeans, shirts, and pieces with embellishments or special detailing.
• If you have stains on your clothes, you’ll need to pre-treat the stains and clean the items right side out for the most effective stain removal.

.   Thanks for visiting.

 

 

 

Cherry Pie

 

 

Good  Friday morning!!  The sun is shining but there's a bitterly cold wind. In my kitchen it's lovely and warm because I'm baking.  Today it's a Cherry Pie. Before you think I worked very hard to make it I must confess that I used a bought crust which I thawed, then added a can of Cherry Pie Filling to which I added some of our frozen cherries to make the pie a little fuller. I topped it with a crumb topping. 

 While the oven was on I thought of using some bread that was languishing in the freezer. I wanted to refill my container of  Veiled Farmer's Daughter. This is a recipe that I got from  Darren McGrady's site on You Tube.  (He was the Queen's cook for many years and now posts his recipes ( and a bit of gossip about the Queen).  This particular recipe became one of her favourites although initially she was suspicious of the title.  No doubt you can look it up but it's so simple I can tell you in 2 minutes.

You need fine bread crumbs ( prefer WW), Brown sugar ( prefer the dark kind but regular will do), and cinnamon.  Mix all together and spread on a cookie sheet. Bake about 8 minutes,I think he said,  but keep an eye on it.  I like this kind of recipe that isn't complicated and I can't remember if he specifies quantities but really, what can go wrong?  DH enjoys this on ice cream.

Have you heard of Crust Dust?   From King Arthur's Baking site....

 Crust dust is a 1:1 mix of flour and sugar. Flour creates a barrier, and sugar prevents clumping and holds liquid, preventing a soggy bottom.

Well, since I was making this pie I wanted to see how sprinkling this Crust Dust lightly on the bottom before adding the filling would work. I'll let you know.

 

If yesterday you celebrated Thanksgiving you might be busy decorating for Christmas today. Here's the little wild ones doing just that.

 

Thanks for visiting!

 

 

Birds and Yams

 Tuesday morning, the last Tuesday of the month. Only 4C but no wind made for a lovely walk. Hardly anyone out at 7 A.M.  After we came back DH went to Gleaners and I poured myself a second cup of coffee and went to sit and watch the birds at the feeders in our back yard. Yesterday we had a Downy Woodpecker at the suet that hangs close to the window in the sunroom. He seemed not to care that we were so close by. Did he realize that the glass kept him safe from us? 

from the internet

 

 

 

 

 Gretchen Joanna over at Gladsome Lights posted something about orange Yams and that sent me on a search to see what exactly an Orange Yam was and would I find it around here.  So I'm going to post a bit of what I discovered. Feel free to skip if you are not interested.

 Do you ever find yourself loitering in the produce aisle, internally debating the merits of yams versus sweet potatoes? At many grocery stores, they often look identical, but I’ve found that “yams” can be as low as 79 cents per pound, while “sweet potatoes” cost $2.49 per pound. So, what’s the difference between a sweet potato and a yam? At most markets: absolutely nothing. It’s all a facade! 

 The reason for the name mix-up is because Louisiana sweet potato growers in the 1930s marketed a new breed of orange-fleshed sweet potatoes as “yams” to distinguish their crop from other states’ produce—and it stuck.

 True yams are part of an entirely different genus (Dioscorea; sweet potatoes belong to Ipomoea in the morning glory family) and are more akin to yuca in texture and flavor. Yams are commonly used in Caribbean and West African cooking and can grow as long and thick as an adult arm. They have bumpy, tough gray-brown skin (that looks almost like the bark of a tree and must be peeled away with a knife as it’s far too tough for a vegetable peeler). 

 

I wonder what exactly we get at the grocery store. Whatever they are we really enjoy them and find them at the reasonable price around this time of the year.

That's it for today. Thanks for coming by.

 

 

Latest News

 Before I tell you the latest news I want to wish each one of you who celebrate Thanksgiving this week a Blessed one.

 Now this.......The latest member of Middle Son's family is this adorable kitten which he rescued from the underground parking where he is manager. Poor baby was obviously abandoned and frightened. Also very hungry which meant that he couldn't resist going right into a convenient cat carrier where
  J had put a handful of cat kibble. J made a rather halfhearted effort to find a home for the kitten but was quite happy to bring him home. So far he has not been introduced to his 2 big sisters.  Oh yes, his name is Glen.  All our animals have names like Meadow & Marsh. Our dog was called Bracken and Miss Kitty's real name is Teasel ( but no one calls her that).

 

Thanks for visiting.

 

 

 

 

Swans, Cinnamon Buns, and Flowers

We had a good walk at Willband again this morning. There were swans on the water and also flying overhead.  Do you know that a group of swans on the water are called a bevy?  In the air they are called a wedge ( probably because they fly in a V but really so do geese!)   We were surprised that so few people were out walking but maybe they were put off by the forecast which was for rain and wind. That didn't start until nearly noon by which time we were back home.

DH cut down a large  rug that was given to us (5X8'). We replaced the one inside the side door.  this new one needed cutting down to size and he removed the baseboards so he could tuck the carpet underneath. It looks so nice now.  While he was doing that I made cinnamon buns. They are not nearly as uniform in size as the ones below but they are good anyway.  I always have trouble rolling out my dough. I roll and it springs back again. Any tips?

 

 A new bouquet of flowers for the table.  I was planning on making strawberry/rhubarb jam and had taken out the jars that you can see in the background. ( Of course I was using fruit from the freezer.)

 That was my day.  Thanks for coming by.

 

 

 

Baking

 I have two sisters both much younger than I.  Both are talented women ( I'm tempted to call them girls because that's how I think of them).  My youngest sister has begun her Christmas baking and shared her pictures of some of the results.  With her permission I'll share those.  

The first picture is a pretty arrangement  she made from thrift store finds.  

 

 ...and her lovely cookies!!!

 

 

 This sister has 8 young grandchildren for whom she bakes several times a week.  Bread, buns and cookies are quickly eaten and much enjoyed.

 

Thanks for visiting