Five Things Friday

Thanks for stopping in for a little Five Things Friday! This week has been one of my least productive EVER! It must be the change in weather coupled with the time change this month with a touch of laziness thrown in for good measure.

So, my Five Things on this Friday are...

• Last Sunday I picked all the bell peppers left in the garden, chopped them and put them in freezer bags--14 bags with 2 cups of chopped bell pepper in each bag! That should last me for a little while:)

Aren't they pretty?!!!

• I usually order Stampin' Up! products with the thought of how my stamping club ladies will like the products and resultant projects. Today I bought a stamp set I have been wanting and am so anxious to get it! I have no plans to use it for stamping club although I might. I got it just for me:) What do you think? Was it a good purchase??? The projects on Pinterest using this stamp set (Ornamental Pine) are AMAZING!

Sorry about the fuzzy picture...I took it from the Stampin' Up! website

• My darling son has a birthday on Saturday and will be 42 years old! WOW! Where have the years gone?!!! For at least the last 30 years, I have made him a Carrot Cake every year...his favorite! However, this year he asked for something different but didn't tell me what:( So, I am going to make a totally new-to-me recipe for Chocolate Cake and see how it turns out! Wish me luck! I am not a cake person so I would like anything but a cake! 
• I bought the yarn this week to make a beautiful scarf...

Isn't it beautiful?!!! I am so anxious to get started on it; just have two little projects ahead of it to finish. To purchase this pattern download for $5 go to Ravelry. You might need an account (free) but Ravelry is a great source for knit and crochet patterns, many of which are free. I thought this one was well worth paying a little bit for:) I am making it in Vanna's Glamour by Lion Brand in Topaz which has a gold thread running through it. So pretty for Christmas!

• I love a couple cups of Yerba Mate` every morning with a bit of raw honey. I purchase my Yerba Mate` from Oregon Yerba Mate in a 5 pound package although you can purchase much smaller packages. They also have several blends. I purchase the House Blend.

Well, with those tidbits, I am off to get my house cleaned, a birthday cake baked and a big pot of Bean and Bulgar Chili made for tomorrow!

Have a great day and a wonderful weekend! Thanks for stopping by and I will be back Sunday night for Carla's Sunday Night Chit-Chat!

Kat

Five Things Friday

It is time once again for Five Things Friday! Today I can throw an eclectic bunch of thoughts at you at once:) So, what do I have to share today???

• We are still eating (and yes, I'm bragging) tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, beets, strawberries, raspberries, eggplant, butternut squash and kohlrabi from the garden! We haven't had a frost yet though I know it's coming. We generally get the frost before November 15. Today I will be making my All You Can Eat Soup  with goodies from the garden for lunch...yummers!
• We will definitely be purchasing the Janome HD3000 sewing machine sometime before Christmas:) Yay and Woo Hoo! I decided I want a travel bag for it so I can take it to my daughter's and to crafting get-togethers. This is the one I am looking at although there is a nice rolling bag at Joann's that is tempting...

• My starter for the Artisan bread I have been itching to make died:( Or I think it died anyway. I am going to give it till Monday and if it doesn't really get going I will start over again. I might need to put a propagation mat under it (slightly heated for starting seeds) to keep the temperature consistent. Our house gets chilly at night because we let the fire go out so I'm thinking we need to try to keep the starter environment closer to 70 degrees (F).
• I am making a pair of boot toppers and they are so easy and fun! This will be a great gift idea for the ladies on my gift-giving list:) I am currently lusting over this beautiful Pink Elephant "Resilient" Superwash Merino Sock yarn from Expression Fiber Arts only I want to use it to use it for a beautiful lacy scarf. The drawback right now is the yarn is $24 and I am trying to only spend on Christmas gifts right now.
• I just started If I Stay last night and it is sooo good! The writing is incredible; the kind of book you don't want to put down! I checked it out from the online library so need to finish it soon. Speaking of books, I LOVE paper books that I can hold in my hand and turn the pages however, I have come to appreciate the Kindle App on my iPad. My brother-in-law introduced me to Book Bub. You set up your account and your preferences then you get an email every day with suggestions for you in your chosen categories! There are e-books on the list from FREE to $2.99; I don't think I have ever seen one for more than $2.99. If you have a Kindle, Nook or other reader, check out Book Bub!

Well, that's it for this week's Five Things Friday! I hope you have a great weekend and I will be back on Sunday for Carla's Sunday Night Chit-Chat over at My 1/2 Dozen Daily.

Thanks for stopping by:)

Kat

Five Things Friday

Here are my Five Things for this fine Friday...

1. OH! I have good news!!! It has been over a week since our 6 month old puppy had an accident in the house!!! Do I dare hope?!!! It didn't take long AFTER we took the puppy pad away. It seemed to remind him that "hey, I need to pee here!" I am so proud of him and he is so adorable! I love him to pieces:)))
2. I have my starter working for my new No Knead Artisan Bread that I am going to bake in my new stoneware covered baker:) I was hoping the starter would be ready by Monday but it has been cool in the house and the starter isn't working as good as it should; will likely be later in the week. If you are interested in bread baking, especially the no knead variety, check out Breadtopia! Trust me, everything you ever wanted to know about baking bread...by experts!
3. I just received an order I placed to Springfield Dolls for clothes/shoes for my granddaughter's American Girl doll. I was beyond pleased with the order! I plan to make a few more clothes for her doll plus her uncle is going to make a bunk bed for her dolls. Of course I will be making the mattresses, pillows and bedding. It will be an American Doll Christmas...minus the doll (got that for her last year).
4. We are loving our Tempur-Pedic mattress! We have been sleeping on it for two months now. My favorite part is I can't feel when hubby rolls over or gets up. I used to wake up every time he moved but now don't feel him move at all:) It took me a couple weeks to get used to it but I am so happy with it now!
5. The busiest two months of the year are coming up and I'm starting to panic:( I need to just sit down and make a list of what needs to be done and when. November includes my darling son's birthday, monthly Happy Stampers Club, Thanksgiving complete with overnight company! December includes Happy Stampers Club (early), trip to the coast for 3 days, Christmas, trip to visit daughter and granddaughter for 3 or 4 days, New Year's Eve party (not at my house). Add to that making/buying Christmas gifts which I should have done months ago and sending Christmas cards. Am I the only one who panics this time of year?!!! Any suggestions? 

Thank you for stopping by today! I am so thankful for each and every one of you who stop by to see what's going on. I will be back on Sunday for my version of the Sunday Night Chit-Chat! Carla at My 1/2 Dozen Daily is feeling a bit overwhelmed so is taking a week off! At least she's not taking 2 1/2 months off like I did!!! Carla is amazing...she has 4 kids, homeschools, creates custom sewing items as a business (I am fortunate enough to have a few of those amazing items) all in addition to being a wife, cleaning, cooking, etc! Did I say she is amazing! No wonder she needs a week off!!!

Tootles for now! Have a great weekend:)

Kat

Five Things Friday

It's time once again for Five Things Friday! I haven't had one for awhile but love to use Fridays to catch you up on a lot of little things!

1. Our five month old puppy is still not housebroken. In fact, whereas he used to at least use the piddle pad, he now chooses anywhere but! Any ideas?!!! Hubby says to take the piddle pad away and scold him for not going outside. He is really good about going outside but wants to do his business inside as well:(
2. While I was visiting my darling daughter a couple weeks ago, I fell (missed one of the steps off the porch) and twisted my ankle. Thankfully, I didn't break anything but it has really been bruised and swollen. Finally, the swelling is going down so I may be able to get a real shoe on soon. That will be a day to celebrate! It will soon be too cold to wear flip flops but right now the only shoes that fit are my flip flops, slippers and red Mickey Mouse Crocs.
3. About a month ago I started playing Words with Friends for the first time ever! I have so much fun!!! Some of the random people (so far I am not playing with anyone I know) are willing to chat with me:) One person helps me by telling me where some letters would have made more points and another has a super extensive vocabulary; the dictionary is helpful! Do you or have you played Words with Friends? What was your highest scoring word? 
4. We are scheduled for the Mount Hood Railroad Polar Express train ride on May 7! I am so excited! We did the Parkdale Excursion Train in September and it was amazing! The train meandered through the countryside from Hood River to Parkdale, OR. The really interesting thing about the trip was that Oregon Public Broadcasting was on the trail filming for an upcoming presentation on rural trains in America. 
5. My adorable nine year old granddaughter was recently elected to the Associated Student Body (ASB) at her school. She decided to run for Secretary and she got it! Now, I don't need to tell you she was the only one running but I feel confident she would have been elected anyway:) She had to write a speech and give it over the intercom at school! Oh my! Am I a proud Gramma or what?!!!

Well, that's it for this Five Things Friday! I will be back again on Sunday for the Sunday Night Chit-Chat. If Carla is too busy, I will make up my own:) Have a great day and a wonderful weekend!

***Don't forget to leave a comment on Wednesday's post HERE for a chance to win a set of 4 Fall cards handmade by Moi! Drawing is at noon on Sunday!

Kat

Five Things Friday

Well, it I guess I needed a break yesterday because I didn't make it back yesterday:( Whew! The A to Z Blogging Challenge took a lot out of me...too much thinking! 

So, on to my 5 Things...

• Our strawberry patch died or mostly anyway. But the other day while hubby and I were cleaning out one of the Square Foot Gardening beds to plant some strawberry plants he purchased, we found several plants that had volunteered in some of the squares! Woo Hoo! 

Oops! It looks like I made a shadow in my photo. Aren't these little plants cute? I love baby plants! I will share again when they get bigger!

• I am participating in Carla's 21 Day Financial Fast at My 1/2 Dozen Daily. She is using the book The 21 Day Financial Fast by Michelle Singletary. I already blew it:( Well, only kinda! It just so happened that May 1 was the first day I could order new catalogs and pre-order items from Stampin' Up! I didn't think my customers would be very happy with having to wait almost a month to have the new catalog in their hot little hands. I did spend the very minimum but still spent $72. So for the rest of the 21 days I will have to be a good girl--no unnecessary spending!
• I am probably going on a road trip via motorhome from Washington to Missouri the first two weeks of June! Some long-time family friends invited me to go with them on this trip and then I will fly home from Missouri! Another good reason for a financial fast!
• Our dogs were enjoying the sunshine yesterday and actually allowed me to take pictures...

Our sweet little Rockstar, Rocky

Of course, our Big Boy, Beau!

• Today is my 700th post!!! Woo Hoo! Who knew back in July of 2010 that I would have enough to show and tell to fill 700 posts?!!! 

Thank you for visiting today and sharing my 700th post with me! Have a great weekend!

Kat