Day 175 of 365

Finally. Finally I get to have a day off. Not today, but tomorrow.

How did I celebrate when I got off work today? Grocery shopping at Walmart.

It was time for that stock up we do every year. Unfortunately, I was much too tired to stock up like I thought I should ( I bought no soup, no chili, no tomato sauce, no meats). It wound up being staples - milk, chili powder, cat food, A1 - things that we've run out of and can't do without. And super tired = going out for dinner before shopping.

So after leaving the house after 5:00, going out to dinner, then going grocery shopping at Walmart, by the time I got back into the car to go home I was pooped. Thank goodness my husband was with me. He's good about letting me sit in the car while he loads the groceries in the back.

If it wasn't for him loading the groceries, I would never have seen what was tucked away in the "L" of the Walmart sign. Why I happened to look up at the sign on that particular part of the building, I'll never know - except to think maybe the universe knew I still needed a picture for the day.

You'll have to look closely. (It's a bird's nest.)

Don't forget to vote in my poll! Which sugar cookies should I do a video for next - fishbowls or glue bottles?

Corn on the Cob Decorated Sugar Cookies - Day 174 of 365, Tutorial Tuesday

Change is in the air. On the blog, that is.

I've indexed all my posts. When you visit you can see the most recent posts as usual, but now you have the option to choose a category. So those visiting who are looking for sewing and crafts pictures don't have to wade through my food pictures.

And the second change? On Tuesdays I'm posting my tutorials first thing in the morning.

Why? You talked and I listened.Your response was overwhelming for me continuing with Tutorial Tuesdays.

To manage it with my new work schedule, I'm filming on the weekends now. It gives me plenty of time to film, edit, upload onto YouTube, then upload here. It also gives me the opportunity to post in the morning (as opposed to when I get home from work at 6:00).

So today's early morning post is Corn on the Cob cookies. Yummy sugar cookies decorated to look like Corn on the Cob.

So now that the tutorials are continuing, vote in my poll. I'd like to do another batch of sugar cookies. Which ones should I do - glue bottles or fish bowls?

Click here for the how-to video:

Day 173 of 365

I'm a shopping slacker.

I haven't made a Target run for what seems like months. Maybe the end of May was my last one? (And that was only because it was my daughter's birthday.) I haven't been to Walgreens for any Register Reward items and haven't used any Albertsons double coupons.

And I haven't been doing so hot at keeping groceries in the house. The pickings from the pantry shelves are getting slim. Even the deep freeze is completely empty. We defrosted it last week and have yet to buy anything to refill it. No meats, no frozen vegetables, no frozen blueberries, no bread.

I'm going to have to get a move on. Usually at this time of year, we're stocking up for winter. I'm not sure exactly why we do it - it's not like we've gotten snowed in for more than a day or so. With only two of us in the house now I imagine we could not stock up, but that would put us into unfamiliar territory. We like "shopping" in our own pantry when we need something.

Today I did stop at the local grocery store in the town where I work and picked up a few meats. Just enough to get us by for a few more days. I know a big trip is going to have to come soon.

I may be slacking in the grocery shopping department, but I'm not slacking in the charity sewing department. I received a nice letter from The Painted Turtle Camp, thanking me for my work on the 24 turtle pillows I sent their way. (Day 154)

Then I finished a new baby quilt top with the fabric and pattern sent to me from the Quilts for Kids organization. I love the colors. Next stop- quilting it.

Day 172 of 365

Today was a day of meals from the garden.

Yesterday's harvest has left us with an abundance of fresh veggies, just ready for cooking.

Breakfast - BLT for hubby. Bright, red, beefsteak tomatoes. We don't have lettuce, so he substituted kale. For me, a breakfast burrito. Eggs full of onions (from the school secretary), hot peppers, and fresh homemade salsa all wrapped up in a tortilla.

Dinner - Spaghetti with homemade spaghetti sauce. Onions again, some garlic, and from our garden - beefsteak and Oregon Spring tomatoes, green bell peppers, oregano, and basil. Cooked it down all day on the stove.

Then, I followed people's advice and decided to film my tutorial today and post it on Tuesday. While it wasn't from the garden, it was garden inspired. Corn on the Cob cookies. Not cookies made from corn, but sugar cookies decorated to look like our Corn on the Cob. Look for the picture and the how-to tutorial on Tuesday.

Last but not least, after dinner I shredded our zucchinis and made some oh-so-delicious zucchini bread. Is there anything better in the world?