did you eat

Photo credit {Old Souls and Introverts}

perfect roast turkey

It seems I try a new turkey recipe every year. 
This year will be Ina Garten’s Perfect Roast Turkey.

recipe

fabric scraps

Seriously? 

I bought this little pillow at the Rec Center 

to put behind my back in the car. It was a bit too full so 

I needed to remove some stuffing. 

Look what was inside!

Who stuffs a pillow with fabric scrapes?

last tango

We just finished all three seasons of

 'Last Tango in Halifax' on Netflix. 

If you are looking for something quirky to watch, this is it. 

senior moment

Senior moment: every morning I have iced coffee and tomato juice. 

Recently I put dill weed, lemon pepper, and celery salt in a glass
then poured in coffee instead of the tomato juice. 

I don't recommend it!

feeling lucky

looking forward to returning 

to our happy place this week

a tisket, a tasket, a taller basket

Thanks for your suggestions 

on filling my cute little bags. 

I changed their shape a bit and 

now know what to put in them!

little rock city

If you have never been to Little Rock City 

in Little Valley, NY then you should go. 

After a fun hike stop by the Ellicottville 

Brewing Company for a Blueberry Wheat Ale.

the shell seekers

One of my favorite books is

The Shell Seekers

{published 1987}

Back then I was the age of the adult children

Now I am older than the heroine 

A different perspective as I read it again.

I still LOVE this book . . . 

soup sundays

All summer we have been having Salad Sundays on our deck.
Well, this week the temperature was in the 60's so
it was time to switch - now we'll have Soup Sundays
First up . . .

Parmesan, Sausage and Spinach Soup

cook time: 6 hours in slow cooker

yield: 8 servings

{photo credit 365daysofcrockpot.com} 

Ingredients
1 lb ground Italian sausage (I used mild)
1 small onion, diced
32 oz chicken broth
1 cup water
3 celery ribs, sliced
1 carrot, finely diced
1 yellow potato finely diced
1 clove garlic diced
1/8 tsp ground thyme
1 Tbsp dried parsley flakes

6 Tbls butter
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 cups milk

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 oz spinach torn into small pieces stems removed
      (original recipe calls for kale)

Instructions
In a pan, brown the sausage for 3-4 minutes.  Add in the onion and continue cooking until
sausage is completely cooked through.  Drain off excess grease. Put sausage and onion in the slow cooker.

 Add broth, water, celery, carrot, potatoes, garlic powder, thyme and parsley to the slow cooker.
 Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours, or until potatoes are tender.

In a small bowl combine salt, pepper, and flour. In saucepan melt butter over medium low heat. Stir in flour mixture to form a roux. Whisk in milk, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth.

 Stir cream mixture into slow cooker and then let cook on high without the lid for 15 more minutes.
 Just prior to serving add Parmesan cheese and spinach.

{adapted from a recipe found on www.365daysofcrockpot.com}

hometown

Glassy smooth along the Erie Canal 

to begin the day in Brockport, NY. 

{1867 Custom House Building}

photo by John Kucko

jazzercise september

Every month at jazzercise one song
always "catches my ear".
September: Ed Sheeran - "Perfect"

Perfect Symphony Video

opal

Some views are worth the hike . . .

 {Raven Ridge Natural Area - Vermont}

jazzercise august

Every month at jazzercise one song 

always "catches my ear". 

in August it was : "Me"

But one of these things is not like the others
Like a rainbow with all of the colors
Baby doll, when it comes to a lover
I promise that you'll never find another like

Me Video

a tisket, a tasket

I made these baskets today and they are so cute but . . . 

I can’t think of what anyone would use them for. 

Before I make more I need some ideas.
What would you put in yours?

{each 6" high}

grandchildren update

 ragamuffins at the end of a 4 day safari 

exploring the okavango delta

the beach is always more fun

with little ones along

riding along in my automobile
my baby beside me at the wheel
{with no particular place to go}

rocket scientists

Our trivia team, The Rocket Scientists,  

just won a 7 week tournament so . . . 

we celebrated with Bloody Marys. 

The first place prize is two Buffalo Bills tickets. 

How do 8 people share those?!

jazzercise june

Every month at Jazzercise one song 

always "catches my ear". 

In June it was : "Might Not Like Me"

Well, if you don't like girls that are stronger than you

And if you don't like girls that are faster than you

And if you don't like girls that are smarter than you

Well, then you might not like me

Might Not Like Me Video

Language of Listening®

Some wisdom for the generation still raising “littles”.

"How to Tame Your Child’s Temper Tantrum 
With Two Simple Words"

Open here: themilitarywifeandmom.com

{photo credit: themilitarywifeandmom}

flipster

During a recent trip to the library to research toilets (!) 

the librarian showed me a great app that has become a favorite. 

All you need is a library card to access 

hundreds of magazines including Consumer Reports.

Give it a try: Flipster - Digital Magazines

Product description

Flipster is a free digital magazine service provided courtesy of your library. The Flipster app manages your magazines downloaded from the Flipster website for anytime, anywhere viewing. Visit your library’s website to see if your library has subscribed to Flipster. Get access to popular magazines and read many of your favorite titles. 

If your library doesn’t yet offer Flipster, encourage them to sign up today. Now it’s time to relax, put your feet up and read your favorite magazines with Flipster!

things i will miss

I just finished reading Nora Ephron's book

I Remember Nothing: And Other Reflections 

At the close of the book she wrote a list of things she won't and will miss.  It has inspired me to thoughtfully make my own list. I won't bore you with mine but I encourage you to think about what your list would look like.

Her is Nora's list . . .
What I Won't Miss

Dry skin
Bad dinners like the one we went to last night
E-mail
Technology in general
My closet
Washing my hair
Bras
Funerals
Illness everywhere
Polls that show that 32 percent of the American people believe in creationism
Polls
Fox TV
The collapse of the dollar
Bar mitzvahs
Mammograms
Dead flowers
The sound of the vacuum cleaner
Bills
E-mail. I know I already said it, but I want to emphasize it.
Small print
Panels on Women in Film
Taking off makeup every night

What I Will Miss

My kids
Nick
Spring
Fall
Waffles
The concept of waffles
Bacon
A walk in the park
The idea of a walk in the park
The park
Shakespeare in the Park
The bed
Reading in bed
Fireworks
Laughs
The view out the window
Twinkle lights
Butter
Dinner at home just the two of us
Dinner with friends
Dinner with friends in cities where none of us lives
Paris
Next year in Istanbul
Pride and Prejudice
The Christmas tree
Thanksgiving dinner
One for the table
The dogwood
Taking a bath
Coming over the bridge to Manhattan
Pie

The great Nora Ephron passed away on June 26th of 2012, aged 71, following a battle with leukemia that began in 2006. She had many strings to her bow, but most notably wrote the screenplays to some of the best loved films ever to grace the big screen, many of which she also directed and produced.

Julie & Julia 

You've Got Mail 

Sleepless in Seattle 

When Harry Met Sally

Mixed Nuts 

This Is My Life 

Heartburn

Silkwood

Hanging Up

Michael 

more joy with fewer things

Wish I had read this article in the 1980's.
Actually, it wasn't my kids who asked for more
it was I who gave them more.
My blog friends with young children should
definitely take a few minutes to read this.

{open article here}