Chilly and Chili...

April temperatures roller coaster and this year is no different.  One day its 70+ degrees and then it’s in the 40’s.  I don’t mind – if it’s warm I might be out fixing things for the sale in the pole barn and if its cooler I have enough inside sewing projects to keep me busy forever!!

I’m on a break right now from sewing – making chili for supper.  It just seems like that kind of day.  I never make anything too complicated so I here’s my recipe!

Upnorth Chili

1# ground sirloin

1 can black beans - rinsed
1 can kidney beans – undrained
1 can Rotel (mild or whatever strength you prefer)
1 sm. can tomato paste
1 sm. can tomato sauce
2 cups water
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp. Chili powder
1 clove garlic – minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown sirloin, add all other ingredients.  Simmer.  Garnish with sour cream, shredded cheese and raw onion.  Serve with corn bread – I used Jiffy brand -  easy and good.

It was really good if I do say so myself!!!

My daughter in law served chili with corn bread at Christmas.  It was very delicious and so non-traditional for this Swede, Norwegian, German!!!

Back to my sewing room so I can report back to you on my ruffled tote bags on my other blog - Farmgirl Musings...

Take care,

Bonnie

Staying creative...



from the blog Urban Comfort

Wandering around blogland I found this wonderful list at Urban Comfort.  There are days when even with all the helpful hints on Pinterest and in my many magazines and books, I still need help.  Maybe I need focus.  Well - anyway, I thought this list was interesting and helpful.  Hope you do too!

Take care and stay/get creative!!!  It's good for the soul.

Bonnie

Life is Good...

“Life is good” reads my Dove almond dark chocolate wrapper.  How did they know? “Take advantage of every free moment you have” is my second wrapper.  I try to do that most days.  These fortunes or day brighteners are always positive and uplifting.  Not only does Dove make the best affordable chocolate and the only dark chocolate I like, but this extra touch is kind of a nice touch.

We received some rain today - not really very much but every bit helps.  Yesterday I found and bought my first annuals….Pansies and two hardy Primroses!!!  Finally I can look out my kitchen window and see some pretty colorful faces smiling back at me!

Last week on another windy day, I spotted something in the grass.  When I walked over to see what it was, I discovered a Baltimore Oriole nest had blown down.  I had to show you how interesting it was to see up close.

It is woven so tight that I had a difficult time making a hole in the top
 so I could put the stick through so I could hang it back in the tree.
 I think part of it is made from Honey's hair and some of it is pine needles.
  It is an amazing structure.

According to Stan Tekiela, Birds of Minnesota Field Guide, Orioles are one of the last to arrive in spring (May) and first to leave in fall (September).  They often come back to the same area but it didn’t say if they use the sock-like nest again that the female builds.  She builds them on the end of a branch in a tall tree.



Here's the Dad sitting in the nest that Mom built!

Here's Mom looking kinda mad about having to build her own home,,,

I do feed them grape jelly in a bright red bowl that I’ve featured before that sits on the deck post directly in my line of sight when I'm at my computer.  Their songs are very distinctive and seeing them each year is a day brightener!!!

Life is good here in the country where I try to take advantage of every free moment!

Take care,

Bonnie

Funny Shoes and Spaghetti Pie

I don’t know about you but I just don’t sleep very many hours in a row anymore.  So when a nap seems inevitable, I just go with it.  After a two hour nap when I came home from shopping today, I needed to think of what to make for supper…fast!
 
I had a little bit of spaghetti sauce leftover – not enough for a regular two plate supper.  Some time this week, I read about a spaghetti pie.  I’ve made these before but its been a while and the recipe was in a magazine my daughter brought with her this weekend.  So I googled spaghetti pie.  I liked the looks of the Cooks.com Spaghetti pie so I chose the one they listed and pictured.  I actually had all the ingredients without skipping or substituting anything.  Now that’s a good day for me!!!  

It was so good…and now instead of hardly enough for one meal, I squeezed two meals out of a cup or so of leftover sauce and some noodles!!!

I didn't remember the picture until after supper!

While I was baking the pie, I was on Facebook and saw PatSloan’s picture of her new shoes.  Someone commented that she should have a shoe show and she invited her viewers to send in pictures of their shoes. 
 
Being a shoe freak, I sent in this picture of my Birki's that I love so much.  I have a bazillion shoes and hardly any of them are comfortable for any amount of time.  These are one of my comfortable pairs.

I tell my grand kids that now I know what shoe goes on the right foot!
Kind of like the old Garanimals!

 Well – that’s about all I’ve accomplished today.  I did get a couple of boxes in the mail.  That always makes a good day better!  I got my copy of Rachel Maddow’s new book from Amazon, Drift and some Mod Podge to use on the wig heads I got in the same box.  I don’t have any wigs but I do have some vintage hats that I want to embellish for the sale so I thought I’d use some sewing patterns or book pages or song sheets to Mod Podge onto the wig heads for display.  Love my Mod Podge!!!

I’m off to my sewing room to start or finish or plan another project!  Now that I’ve had some good midday sleep!  Yay!

Take care,

Bonnie

Spring Fever!



My little daisy-like purple door prize plant
 from our WOW weekend!

Oh my – spring fever!  I played around in the yard a bit – transplanted some hen and chicks into a clay saucer, carried some water out to the hen and chicks in my railroad tie, pulled some of last year’s foliage off my Autumn Joy sedums when I saw the new sprouts coming up, put up a different decorative flag, watered my dianthus in my old wheelbarrow and just enjoyed the warm, sunny breezes. 

Here's my Autumn Joy sedum
 poking their little heads up!

Hearty little dianthus reappear each year!

My baby chicks!!!

Of course, now I can hardly breathe because of the dust and pollen and whatever else affects my asthma/allergies!  But it’s all worth it after so many months of winter…even though it was a mild one here in MN.



Hubby is sick with another cold but he came out and sat in the nice, warm sun for a few minutes.  He never got over the cough from the last cold a couple months ago and now has a dilly of a head cold deepening his already very deep voice.

 

My rhubarb unfurling its leaves!

I walked around to my other raised beds and found things popping up through the ground.  The rhubarb is unfurling its leaves – I love to watch them turn from the red buds that first come through, to the deepest, darkest green to their regular green when its ready to pick and bake something wonderful like rhubarb cake…yum.

My girls and I had a great time at the Women Only Weekend (WOW).  I hope we can go again next year – it’s our chance to spend quality Mother/Daughter time together.  We eat, drink, shop and have some really good laughs – the kind that leaves us out of breath.  Last year we all brought our computers but this year we spent time playing cards.  It was so much fun.

Time to walk around my sewing room and see what might inspire me!

Take care,

Bonnie