Monday, December 29, 2014

Happy Holiday's!

 I want to wish everyone happy holidays and also a healthy and happy New Year!  It was so nice to see family and friends on Christmas. We had delicious meals and hosted a  birthday dinner , and visited family.   To me that is what the Holidays are all about.

  I did not do much sewing or writing  but cooking and baking is up there on the top of my list!

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Decorating the Tree!

Today is supposed to rain and be warm
 Not the best weather a week before Christmas.  Hoping for a white Christmas..  Tonight we put up our tree ! After we eat our pork casserole( left over items from our party on Saturday)  we will watch Michael Buble  and decorate the tree.

  We got a new tree  because the old ones lights were not working! This one is beautiful! Will try to post a photo .

Friday, November 21, 2014

An easy dinner using leftovers

Last night we had  a great tasting dinner  and we cleaned out the fridge!  Bob had pork chops cut into strip and in his marinate ( a speciality)  He cut up peppers, broccoli, and mushrooms.   First he put the meat into the wok with some of the marinate and some stir fry sauce.  Then he added the vegetables . I was  heating up some left over rice.  when the meat was cooked- we threw in the rice and stirred until heated through.  Boy was it good! Only a little left over!  

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Its Snowing

 Here we go! It is snowing and sticking- Nov 13th!  Going to be VERY cold!  Bring out the hot coco and the flannel PJ!  We had baked potatoes topped with home made steak chili! and a green side salad!  Great use of leftovers.  

Friday, November 7, 2014

Snow? November 7th!

Yes it is true- we had our first snow today. I was coming home from work and the snow was crazy!  By the time I was home it had stopped but I saw on face book that it really had stuck to the ground in some places close to here!

  It was pretty busy today at the library- since it was such a lousy day- we had quite a few patrons!  Hopefully tonight will be a good one to snuggle in and read or watch a movie!

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Drying Herbs

 It is getting to the time of the year when I begin drying and preserving my herbs. I am trying  a different   method this year.  It is using the microwave to dry my herbs.  I can do a small batch  . You do have to be careful . I start with washing my herbs and letting them dry.

  Then what I do this is:  Depending on the size of the herb, I start with 5 to 10 seconds on high. You do have to be careful that the leaves do not burn.  If I get a few , then I just toss them out.

  When the leaves look mostly dry then I just set them out and let them air dry some.  I can tell when they are ready to be stored . For this year  so far I am  storing these in marked plastic bags in a large  mason jar.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Easy Magnets for your Refrigator

  While making pizza, Bob remembered making little magnets when he was a kid. So he quickly made a few.

  
Take a can with a decorative or plain edge.  Here Bob has an olive can!







Remove the top- use a can opener that does not leave rough edges.







Cut a small pierce of magnetic tape.


Put the tape on the back
Here it is on the Fridge!  Now be creative- take your favorite photo of your kid , your pet  ,or a favorite  vacation spot.   Make gifts for the aunts and uncles, and grandparents. Have Fun!

Saturday, June 7, 2014

New page-Book Reviews

A new page has been added and I hope I did it correctly. I will post book reviews of recent books that I think are worth reading!  So follow along and enjoy some summer reading with me.

 Of course , as a librarian, any season and time is a good time to read!

Friday, May 23, 2014

Easy Pizza

 Bob made Pizza last week.  We usually make it about the same way.  It is easy and quick.
We made 'French Bread Pizza"  but we do not use french bread.   On a trip to our local store we  got ciabatta bread.  This was $1.99 .( on mark down!)

 
We have found that ciabatta works really well!   The next step is the sauce!  And then he began to pile on the toppings. You could really do anything here.  Here he is doing mushrooms, green pepper, red onion, and  black olives.  He made each one a little different.
Sauce goes on first

Toppings are added











   He added the cheese and then some pepperoni and prosciutto.  Pop them in the oven  at 350 for about 15 to 20 minutes . Add a green salad and a glass of red wine  and you have a winner of a dinner!


Friday, May 9, 2014

Ham Fried Rice

  When you have leftovers of rice , a little meat, and some basic vegetables-  Make Fried Rice!  It is easy and filling and it cleans out your refrigerator. It works great for working  people because you can prep the night before . Then when you get home from work, dinner is just minutes away!

  We had leftover rice ( brown) but not a lot , so I made another half cup of rice.  Then I chopped up onions , carrots, celery, and garlic and put it in containers.  I chopped up ham and put that in another container.



      Recipe: Adapted from many cookbooks

  Heat  oil in a wok or large skillet.   Throw in onions and garlic and stir. Stir every-once in a while until softened.  Then add in  the rest of the vegetables: I used carrots and celery, but really you can use any raw or crisp cooked vegetable.  Saute and stir  until soft.  Then add the rice and also some soy sauce or stir fry sauce.  Also toss in your meat ( I used leftover ham) But you could also use pork , chicken, or beef.  

  I did not do this  but sometimes I scramble an egg or two before I put the onions in.   All will be done  when it is hot through.  If you have them you can add sprouts.

Sorry I can not show you a photo !!  We ate most of it and Bob took the rest for his lunch!

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Herbs- waiting to go outside!

  All winter I have been carefully tending my herb plants that I had from last summer.  Most of them I already had in containers. Some of them I pulled out of the ground and put in pots.

  I some time will investigate which ones I could really leave in the ground . Some of them will winter over I think.

  I am hoping that they will begin to expand and revive . My rosemary looks a little worse for wear with a few yellow spikes , 

 But they have been in the sun and I have  been using some of  them throughout the winter in recipes.  I have a spearmint,  a parsley, a rosemary, thyme, and oregano.

Monday, May 5, 2014

Cinco De Mayo

 Hola!  Happy Cinco de May

  Bob did a great little project for Cinco de Mayo ( a day early)  . We had a big aloe plant which I took to work and of course it grew a lot of little plants. So he pulled them out and brought them home.

  We got some miscellaneous containers ( yogurt, pringles) and he planted them in the cups. So now we will have some more to keep or to give!  They are so much fun. And so easy to grow!

  When he was done , he put some decorative stone  to hold in the water.  Actually , he got it from Salvation Army. It is  rocks for aquariums, but we thought it looked decorative !

  A little historical note :  Cinco  de Mayo celebrates the Battle of Puebla , at which the Mexican Army defeated a larger , better trained French Army.  Oddly enough , it is not celebrated all that much in Mexico itself.  Rather , it was brought to California by Mexican Settlers. Today Mexican Americans celebrate their heritage.

 Life's  always a holiday on  Shady Lane!

!

Friday, May 2, 2014

Bathroom mini job

  We put up a new mirror in our bathroom. We had an old ornate mirror with built in lights   and the light switch inside the mirror finally wore out.  So we were looking for a temporary solution.

 We got a light bar  to be installed at a later date when the electrician can come and do some other work we need doing.

  Until that time we really did not want to go without a mirror in which we can see to bush our hair, and also for me to apply my make up,

  So we went shopping for a mirror that we could put up to hide the hole. In fact we went to several thrift stores and  found a few likely candidates.  We did not plan it , but when we went we did not have a lot of cash with us .

  We measured , and found two items we thought might work.   We told the owner we might we back the following day with cash( they did not have the capacity o accept credit cards or debit.

  The next morning we headed back to the store to make our purchase.  But then we decided to stop at our favorite shop- Lisa's not Just Antiques.

  And we found just what we were looking for!!!

  Here is the mirror we bought   - put up in our bathroom. We think it looks nice . The best part of course  with Lisa-  she was having a sale , so we got it for a really good price!


Lisa's- Not Just Antiques

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Spring Decor/Spring

  Here is another Easter Decoration we did this year.  We have had Mr.Rabbit for many years. He is made of plaster / resin material. We always put him out in the spring.

  This year Bob went to put him out, his bottom half broke off . So here is what Bob did:  Took a large planter and filled it with kitty litter ( for the ice in the winter)  .Then he stuck  Mr. Rabbit into the planter.

 Later when we went to the dollar store we got some plastic Easter eggs. ( We needed a few more for our other decorations)   So we put the rest around Mr. Rabbit and put in on the front patio!

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Easter/Spring Decor!

 Go now and look for half price Easter Decor!  We got our egg wreath on sale before Easter but I bet if you check now , they are even further reduced!
  I have wanted one of these for years but at $30.00 I did not think it was worth it. This one was 10.00 and hopefully will last us a while. It is by our front door and looks really nice against our green siding.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

March madness

 Well  it is March- So today it is going to be in the high 40's.   And by thursday  it will be snowing and  sleeting and high in the teens!

  The sun is shinning now and it is not to cold out. I am still at home writing and doing  stuff around the house before I head off  to the library.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Today on Shady Lane

   Well today we are expecting rain ( or freezing rain) so that doesn't sound too good.  But so far there is no rain/freezing  rain or snow as of yet.  Yesterday there was snow  in the morning but thank goodness it finally stopped. 

   The school bus went past so I guess they  did not have a delay or anything .  We were not busy at the Library last night, but I did not expect we would be. 

 
 
 
This is a personalized wedding pillow that I made  for young friends  whom got married last  summer.  Let me know if  you are interested !  I do these to order with  names and colors to match  the couples  room colors. It makes a wonderful gift!

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Snowing Again!!

 Here on Shady Lane, It is snowing , again!  The birds and squirrels were out again this morning. The squirrel did not get much.

  Yesterday I made Minestrone Soup  which I had wanted to do for a while.  I followed a recipe but then of course , made a few changes.   I use our own tomatoes sauce which was free . We got the tomatoes at the end of the summer at a farm stand. The man said he could not sell them , But we found enough to make 5 jars of tomato sauce.

  The recipe was in in All You  magazine- I did not use kale or escarole ( that was the only item I did not have) I did use some cabbage that I cut up finely- It was the cheapest green I could find.
 So now we have soup for the week for lunches or light dinners, The recipe said it serves six . We got two containers  so I think it will be more like 8 servings.  And the cost was--  around $3.00 total.

Saturday, February 15, 2014

More Snow!

   It is the Saturday after the big storm- and it is snowing again!  Bob just went out for a walk in the snow-He said it was quite . We are expecting another 3 to 5 inches. Our front yard looks like the Arctic!
 We are going to church today to have our first of  our monthly luncheon   for anyone who wants to come.
  It will be from 12 to  1 at St. Francis Xavier. I will report on how it went.  
    In North East Pa where we live this has been a very snowy and cold winter- more so than many years !