Gone Huntin'

Deer hunting season is over...phew. Unfortunately those dastardly hunters always leave a few bits and pieces scattered around the property. An arrow here, a few other things there...and legs...Bergie always seems to think that she needs to bring legs back to the cabin to show me what a good little hunter she is.
I tell her what a good girl she is, and then I encourage her to bury it...
wish those hunters were as neat and tidy as my dog.
Oh well...

Dear Tami

Just a little note to my dear friend Tami.

Hey girl,
Garden party was a-ma-zinnggg.
This is the only picture I have of my table.
Ya, remnants of a yummy appetizer course if I do say so myself.
Will you share your photos?
Cuz I got nothin'...

Love,
S~

Rhubarb Dream Bars

The last few years I've been on the lookout for a good rhubarb recipe, and I've tried out a whole lot of them. Goofy concoctions with cake mixes and packages of jello....not exactly my cup of tea.
When I saw this recipe on Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen website I figured what the heck, I thought it was just too easy to be good, but goodness gracious was I ever wrong!
In a word, yum.
Ya, the kind of yum that makes a girl sorry she ever tried the recipe because when she's out in the garden she wants to sneak into the kitchen and grab a fork. Not such a great idea with summer approaching, that whole short sleeve, bare arms, why didn't she go on a diet, can't she just stay home in her baggy clothes issue....
It happens, I'll admit it.
But right now I need to pass this on to anybody else out there that has a big patch of rhubarb...you gotta make these.

Rhubarb Dream Bars

For the crust:
2 cups flour
3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter

For the filling:
4 whole eggs
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups diced rhubarb

Preparation instructions:

Crust:
1. Whisk 2 cups of all-purpose white flour together with 3/4 cup powdered sugar.
2. Cut in 1 cup of butter, until crumbles form.
3. Press into 15 x 10 pan (I used 9 x 13).
4. Bake 15 minutes at 325.

While the crust is baking, prepare the filling.
1. Blend 4 eggs, 2 cups of sugar, 1/2 cup of all-purpose white flour, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
2. Fold in 4 cups of diced rhubarb.
3. Spread over hot crust and bake 45-50 minutes (or until light brown) at 325.

Cool, cut into bars, and enjoy!

So, since we're being all naughty here with white flour and processed sugar...let's just nuke these little goodies for about 25 seconds in the microwave and serve them with a dollop of cool whip.
Just an idea...to really ramp up the yummy factor.

I'm off to the store to buy more cool whip.

Next up on the rhubarb list?
Rhubarb Cosmos!
Hmmm...I wonder if Rhubarb Dream Bars and Rhubarb Cosmos go together,
we'll soon find out.

"You need to blog"

"You need to blog".
That's what a longtime friend told me yesterday, but the old Bloggie Buzzard seems to have landed here at this old farm. Nearly every day I think of a topic to blog about but they get dismissed as too negative, too close to ranting, or dull... then something pretty pops into my line of sight and I think I should turn into a little post about the pretty thing but it gets dismissed. Blogland is overflowing with people who do pretty so very well, there is truly a plethora of pretty out there in the Bloggerville.
So, I'll just carry on here with my projects...none of which seem blog-worthy. I'm truly loving my new kitchen, even though there is still a fair amount of finish work to do. The old cabinets will get a fresh coat of paint and we'll install them in the party barn, that will be like another kitchen remodel!
The weeds are growing, the seeds are purchased for the veggie garden...of course this year will once again be "the year" where we truly get a handle on the yard...but of course we all know how that goes - the garden fantasy vs. the gardeners reality...the garden wins - or shall we say the weeds win. When the weeds win we'll smile... again, and once again we'll say "next year"!

Of course it's not all work and no play around here...the photo is one I took at Twin Rocks in Oregon on a great trip with "the girls"...thanks for letting me tag along ladies!

In a couple of days I'll be getting my passport stamped, maybe I'll come back home with a photo or two and a story that's "blog worthy".
Ya just never know.

Happy Valentines Day!

Heart Rock
On the beach at St. Vincent last spring,
makes me want to charter a boat and sail away
with my sweetheart.

I Say We Party

Anyone who knows me, knows I love a good party ...a theme party...big parties, small parties, garden parties, dinner parties, drinks parties, tea parties...who the heck cares people - let's gather and celebrate!
My parents threw great parties when I was a kid, we weren't always a part of the action but I always paid close attention to all of the planning my mom was doing, the food she was making and such, filing that info away in my "someday" file. Since dad passed away mom has created her own style of party, a neighborhood Christmas coffee gathering,a cousin get-together, last summer she even hosted a block party!
Tuesday night she played hostess again, and it was lovely...if I do say so myself.
My nephew got married in a civil ceremony and my mom, my sister and I couldn't let such a memorable occasion pass without a celebration. Mom ordered a cake and made finger sandwiches, I made a couple of appie trays ...we all bought a couple (or several) bottles of champagne and presto-partio!
I forgot my camera so I don't have a single photo of the bride and groom, the cake...nothin'...silly me. I found this one of me, mom, my niece, sissy and her hubby. It was taken this past June at my niece's graduation from college...


from the left, moi, mom, darling niece, sissy, sissy's hubby
the party peeps - my sissy isn't so much into party planning but she's my go-to girl for recipe taste testing...her hubby too...they're so much fun to cook for because they're enthusiastic with their appreciation - what's not to love about that after a long stint in the kitchen?
Now that I don't have a single party on the calendar until May it's time for the Jan-Feb pantry, fridge, freezer clean-out. I do it every January, go through the cupboards etc and get creative making odd meals out of odds and ends. We've taken to calling these meals "freezer surprise", I must admit they're not always a hit, but the good Dutch girl in me believes in the whole "waste not want not" quote so on we go.
Now about those 8 bottles of champagne leftover from the wedding reception Tuesday evening...I think I should call my sissy and niece for a little taste testing.

Garden Dreams and Water Features

Gorgeous no?
This is the fountain at my friend Saundra's house.
The fountain is situated on the front walk to her home.
I covet it.
I pretty much covet Saundra's whole house and garden...except for her property taxes and maintenance costs...she can keep those.

January is when I start thinking about gardening, when I itch to get my fingers into the soil - but I can't because every square inch of soil here at this old farm is a muddy mucky mess...
so I dream.
Lately I've been dreaming of water features...especially fountains like Saundra's.
Except today, when my dreams of water fountains came true.
In my kitchen.
My kitchen sink became a lovely water feature, shooting water straight up into the air, onto the window and all over me and the counters and floors.
I bet that doesn't happen at Saundra's house, Saundra's faucets wouldn't dream of exploding all over her kitchen - Saundra runs a tight ship.

On a happy note, Moen is sending me a replacement faucet.
Thank You Moen, for not making me jump through a lot of hoops and standing behind your warranty.
Disclaimer* The nice guy that I talked to from Moen didn't ask me to say nice things about them, he doesn't even know that I have a blog that nobody reads.
I can't say that he doesn't know who I am except he does, cuz he's sending me a new faucet. I doubt he knows that when you blog and say nice things about faucet makers that you also have to say that they aren't paying you to say those nice things.
I wonder how much we paid our elected officials to make up those silly rules, oops...I think that's another post - for another day.


I shall resume my dreams of water features..but I shall be more specific, all water features must be outdoors.

Back on the Ladder...Again

In keeping with the age old remodeler mantra "as long as we're at it", I decided to get rid of the heavily textured walls by applying several coats of drywall mud.
I've been craving flat walls for years, this is my chance, before the new floors go down and we wrap up this silly little project.
It's a lot of work...but it's pretty good exercise, what the heck - I have the time since finding a "real job" doesn't seem to be in the cards.
It seems like I've been at it forever - I sorta have...five skim coats takes a lot of time.
Of course there have been interruptions, many in fact.
It goes like this, mud - party, mud - party, mud - party...
Sling mud, put all mud stuff away and wipe the house down for a party.
Host the extended family Christmas party.
Sling mud, put all mud stuff away and wipe down the house for a party.
Have all the neighbors over for dinner since our closest neighbor and renter is moving away (insert sad face).
Sling mud, put all mud stuff away and wipe down the house for a party.
Have the "Seattle Girls" over for a ladies luncheon.

The ladder is back in the house, the mud stuff is out and I don't have a party on my calender...
I offered to have a wedding reception at my house last night but my mom stepped in and had it at her home.
Looks like I just might finish this monster before the first day of spring...

Unless of course I can think of another reason for a party.