HARVEST HAppY

CHOCOLATE BOMB from daughter-in-law.  She made the treat.  Enjoying a hot cup of chocolate.  

Unwrap CHOCOLATE BOMB, place in cup, pour hot milk over it and watch it open up.

TWAS GREAT!

TIS the last of the month.  HALLOWEEN tonight with a FULL MOON!  An opportunity to witness a gorgeous moon that GOD CREATED.  HANDIWORK for us to admire.  I'll take time to admire and enjoy.  

Down town merchants had treats for the tricksters on Friday evening.  Not sure there will be very many out tonight knocking on doors for candy.  We won't be participating.  It's been like 40 years since I did not hand out candy.  Forgive me.  

November knocks at our door in the morning.  We'll open up for NOVEMBER with gladness.  

Halloween sales to take advantage of, typical Monday for laundry, Election Day Tuesday, a Son's Birthday Wednesday, boxes in the new TV room gone through throughout the month, treadmill relocated in Cottage so I can walk indoors, etc. 

Next week will be exciting and interesting as we should know who our next duly elected President will be.  Either way, I predict our gasoline prices will sky rocket.  Riots will take place. Mischief will come forth.  Covid continues as the numbers climb.  I think it best to always have a full pantry if possible.  

NOVEMBER.  God, you know who prays.  You know who is righteous and loves you.  You know who hears your voice.  In Jesus name, I always pray.  Amen.

ON THE HOME FRONT:  Hubby continues screened in porch work.  Thanksgiving cards mailed out.  Striving to work on Christmas cards early.  Thankful thoughts.  Christmas decorating figured out.  Hopefully rearranging Living room will take place.  I think we'll put our tree up just with twinkle lights on it.  Will add ornaments throughout November so it's decked out by December.  Then the door decorations will appear and a Nativity scene displayed inside. It would be uplifting to have this ready to go.      

The Kitchen tidying is almost completed, but not finished.  This is ongoing and that's the way it is.  Fiddling along. 

OCTOBER has been a month for taking Kitchen inventory and rearranging everything in there. Watching a multitude of videos on organizing and decorating took place.  Toured houses, worked on rearranging my KITCHEN, making a HOME for exercising equipment,  Shuffled furniture for a new TV room.  Etc.  Was a busy month.

Grand with pumpkin.

Today, I have much to do.  Think I will pop in at the THRIFT STORE, buzz over to Menards to pick up a few supplies.  

Plumbing backed up in the basement.  Had to put off the laundry until this is fixed.  Meatloaf for supper?  Maybe so.

~NOVEMBER~

 PRAYING.

     d

GORGEOUS MOON

 THE OCTOBER MOON was gorgeous to see last night.  Absolutely gorgeous.  Full moon lighting up the sky.  Lovely.

  

Blessings to you,

d   

I VOTED!!!!!

✔️I VOTED!!!  

Check that off of the to do list.

Having a ballot mailed to me allowed time to check out what people on the ballot believe in before I voted.  This is the first time I was able to check out all the candidates for their beliefs before marking the ballot.  It was actually very convenient to be able to do this in the comfort of my HOME.

Personally delivered my ballot instead of mailing.  Nor did I have to stand in line to vote with so many other people waiting as well.  Took a lovely AUTUMN drive to the Court House in a different community and delivered my ballot.  

PAUSE.  Sigh of relief.  Tis done.  Mission accomplished.  Peaceful VOTE.  No riots.  No waiting.  No crowds.  No standing in line for hours.  Saved my back.

I did my homework on all the candidates.  This truly is the first year I put so much thought and research into all the candidates.  At 65, I feel like I did what I could and voted my conscious.

A pleasant drive back to our new HOME TOWN then continued on over to where we have a small cottage in a different community.  Stopped in at the ANTIQUE MALL to look around for fun.  I did purchase a $6 small Demitasse Blue Willow Tea cup and saucer.  Charmed.  Silly me... did not noticed it was OCCUPIED JAPAN until I was HOME unwrapping my purchase.  Got a super buy.  One cup with two saucers.  

I eye balled some antique china.  I just might have to go back and purchase what I eyeballed.  Tempting.  

We ordered out some Mexican Food for supper.  Ate at the Cottage before vacuuming and wiping down trim.

Hand delivered Halloween candy to daughter and family.  All the kids/grands have their Harvest treats.  We will not be handing out candy to the tricksters this year.  Made the decision to not do this due to covid.  We'll just light some candles, watch a movie and be at peace.  I think we have made the decision to not attend a November family Thanksgiving dinner this year.  The month of November will be spent cleaning the house and decorating for Christmas.  Playing Christmas music and writing out cards.  

WEDNESDAY was a productive day for me.  It was chilly, but there was no snow, ice, wind or rain.  Able to drive over to RETIREMENT COTTAGE and work some on the clean-up preparing for making an exercise room so I can walk on the treadmill on a regular basis inside away from the elements.

More vacuuming and wiping down the walls and trim.  Making headway.  A few days ago a huge sectional sofa was taken apart and relocated to a different room.  This was a work out for two old people to do.  We did it!!!  

The area where the treadmill is going to sit is now ready for the big shuffle.  Preparing for an exercise space has taken thought and now muscle.  Sweat and time.  The treadmill has to come out of storage and be maneuvered to its new spot.  This will take some doing as it is a extremely heavy piece of equipment.

Hubby is arranging for the muscle power.  The space it's going to go in is clean and ready for the equipment.  Praise the LORD and thank you, Honey.  I will be walking on a schedule come the first part of November.  

My exercise bicycle needs cleaned and transported over to the cottage as well.  This will be easier to move than the treadmill for sure.  

I will have a radio and stereo to listen to music as I walk.  Hopefully a small tv will be located with rabbit ears to where I can watch some tv at the cottage later.  Sometime this WINTER the small cottage bathroom will have a remake.  

REMODELING THE COTTAGE BATHROOM: Tearing out the old fixtures in the bathroom, removing the old melamine wall board, laying a new floor (possibly tile), replacing the fixtures with different ones.  We have already rearranged the plumbing spots where the new fixtures will go.  It will be an old fashioned bathroom when we get completely finished remodeling the room.  

An old clawfoot tub that we bought umpteen years ago waits to be placed in the bathroom.  What is in there at the present is an old oversized Jacuzzi tub in the wrong spot under a window.  The tub will be taken out and the clawfoot tub will run along the side wall instead of under the window.  The toilet will be removed from behind the door and relocated across the room.  Where the toilet is now, a pedestal sink will replace it and the door will be reworked to where it swings out of the room inside of into the room so it won't be hitting the new sink.  

Then after I exercise I can bathe and freshen up before returning HOME.  I have hopes that by next Spring the bathroom will be completed.

MAIN HOUSE KITCHEN:  I continue working on organizing the KITCHEN in the main house.  Today I hope to make more progress on it.  The Pantry is up and going.  The countertops aren't.  I have to deal with the vintage BOOPIE GLASS as well.  The glasses will carry over into November because there are so many to deal with.  With all that aside, I will hopefully have the rest of the Kitchen looking good.    

NEW TV ROOM: We figured out how to get our recliners upstairs into the new TV room.  Two recliners are up there as of today!!!   This is a thrill for me as I have waited a year.  A YEAR.  It does my heart good to have this taken place.  Hallelujah and a half.    

DAILY CHORES: Laundry will be running this afternoon.  Paperwork will be worked on.  Bills written out ready to go for the month of NOVEMBER.  Supper fixed.  Clean up.  Time out to rest and relax.  

SPIRITUAL: I have had TIME to give more thought into simplifying my HOME and how to decorate, downsize some more and clean more efficiently.

I voted.  Next week will be interesting as November 3rd arrives.  Seriously, I think this election will be very different from others as I do not believe we will know who was elected President for a few days after the 3rd.  

I think Gasoline prices will shoot up in price and some shenanigans happen involving rioting.  Food supplies run short this Winter.  A Winter like I have never seen due to who is elected.  

Even if President Trump is re-elected, I believe there will be things he does to draw us closer to a communistic country.  With the debt he has, I believe he will do what he can to be excused from the debt.  He's like that.  Over 400 MILLION dollars he was released from paying which means many he owed money to he did not honor his debt and he left them holding the bag.  Not a hero to me.  Dishonesty has a price that goes with it.  

Coming due soon is $1BILLION of personal debt for President Trump.  How he gets out of this will be interesting.  Very interesting.  

That's a wrap for today,

d

PUMPKIN PATCH PEPPERS

 

HARVEST HappY.

THOUGHT THESE WERE SO CUTE!  Couldn't help myself.  Snagged them and don't recall where from.  

For the record, I wanted to have these on file for future references.  HALLOWEEN FUN. 

HARVEST HOME,

d

PUMPKIN PATCH PEPPERS

Makes 4 stuffed peppers
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• Salt, to taste
• 6 orange bell peppers, rinsed
• 2 tablespoons butter or oil
• ½ cup diced onion
• ¾ cup uncooked long grain white rice
• ½ pound ground turkey or chicken
• 2 tablespoons taco seasoning, store bought or homemade
• ⅓ cup canned diced tomatoes
• 1 ¼ cups water
• 1 – 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup shredded jack or cheddar cheese

TACO SEASONING

• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius). Line a sheet tray with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
2. While waiting for the pot of salted water to boil, prepare the bell peppers. Use a small paring knife to cut around the top ½ inch of the bell peppers in a full circle, leaving the stem attached. Twist the tops of the peppers and remove along with the seeds that are attached. Trim off the seeds, again leaving the stem attached, and set aside to serve as the lids later. Cut or tear out the white ribs of the bell peppers and remove any seeds left inside. Using a small paring knife, cut out a jack-o-lantern face on each pepper.
3. When the water reaches a boil and all of the peppers are prepared, put the peppers and their tops into the water. Allow to cook for about 4 to 5 minutes, until the peppers are tender. Remove the peppers and their tops from the water and set aside to cool.
4. In a sauté pan over medium heat, heat the butter or oil. Add the onion and season with salt. Cook for a few minutes, until translucent.
5. Add the rice and cook, stirring often, until the rice smells and turns a light golden color and the onions are slightly caramelized.
6. Add the ground chicken and the taco seasoning, and cook until the chicken is no longer pink.
7. Add the tomatoes, a pinch of salt, and 1 ¼ cups of water, and bring to a boil​.​ Cover and reduce the heat to low, maintaining a gentle simmer, and cook for 10 minutes, or until the rice is mostly cooked through and there is no longer excess water in the bottom of the pan. Allow the rice to sit for 5 minutes.
8. Fluff the rice with a fork and mix in the rinsed black beans. Allow the rice mixture to cool completely, then mix in the shredded cheese. Taste the filling for salt and adjust to your palate.
9. Fill each pepper with the rice mixture and place on your lined baking sheet. Top the peppers with the lids.
   
   TipHero
10. Bake the peppers in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the pepper is done to desired tenderness.

TUREENS ON TUESDAY

STILL ICY COLD OUTSIDE.  Waiting for more snow with rain tomorrow.  Undergoing inside tasks.  With the cold weather Hubby is helping me with some of the rearranging plus other tasks.  He's a keeper.

 

ONE DAY this corner cabinet will have a back to it.  Just not today.  I completed relocating all the crystal glassware that was in the Dining room corner cabinet to the Kitchen cabinet, dusted the corner cabinet shelves and relocated my antique vegetable dishes with lids or sometimes called TUREENS.  Aren't they purdee???

From corner cabinet to Kitchen shelves.  Not sure how many pieces of glass I have handled.  Will count later.

THE TUREENS have such a lovely shape with delicate patterns.  I love them.  Makes me wonder what meals these were apart of as a piece of a beautiful china set.  Hmmm.  Each one is an individual charmer.  Like them.  I won't be separating the pieces, but I have seen lids used to display on walls. 

Continuing to tweak the Kitchen has become a huge ordeal when getting it rearranged and organized.  I have made headway, but am not done YET.  October isn't over YET.  I still have a few days until November arrives.  Time will tell if I get this completed.  Amen and amen.

For now, I am surprised how long it has taken to work the Kitchen over and how much labor was required to pull this off.  The month has been fruitful and productive.  Just keep on keeping on and one day it will sparkle.

Making PROGRESS ON THE HOME FRONT.  PTL.

TUESDAY PLANS for the day:                                       

✔️All crystal wine glasses relocated to Kitchen cabinet.

✔️Tureens relocated to corner cabinet.

✔️Inventory.

✔️Laundry sorted.

✔️Towels washed.

✔️Shirts washed.

✔️Blog.

✔️Research.

✔️Trip to Post Office.  

✔️Halloween Candy mailed.

✔️Paperwork gone through.

✔️Weekly Newspaper read.

✔️Dust some.

✔️Kitchen worked on.

✔️Lawn Sprinkler System blown out for WINTER.

✔️What not.

PLANS FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK:

Get laundry caught up.

Kitchen back to being civilized and in order.

Halloween will come and go.

November bills written out.

Menus planned.

Two recliners relocated up flights of chair and resting in new TV room.

Cottage exercise room created.

Storage shelves purchased and set up ready for storage.

NOVEMBER day timer looked at.

Son's Birthday gift in mail.

Blessings to you.

HOME LIFE is for me,

d 

~Titus 2:5~

[To be] discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.