Clearing out "STUFF"

I love reading The Minimalist Blog.  This week I am going to give 10 things a day to Goodwilll.  I'll keep you updated on how it goes.

Brussel Sprouts

I love buying brussel sprouts from the farmers' market this time of the year.  Below is how I like to
prepare them. 

Hairdryers

My hair dyer went out with a spark and a bang last week and I mean that literally. I was doing my biweekly blowout, when there was a spark and a bang right near where the cord connects to the dryer.  This weekend, I started investigating new dryers and reminiscing about my old ones.  I used to love looking through my mom's beauty products.  She had some old hair dryers that must have been her mother's or grandmother's.  One was similar to this dryer, that actually had a lot of power-

Have a Nice Weekend!

Here is the picture of the pumpkin cheese bread I like to make.  I use a little less sugar than the recipe calls for.  If you want a thicker bread, just use 1 loaf pan instead of 2.

Favorite Fall Salad

This is my favorite fall salad, though I do make it in the summer and add strawberries instead of the fall fruit.

Lettuce- your choice

apples

pears

pecans or pralines

dried cranberries or raisins

blue cheese or gorgonzola

onion if you prefer

red or green bell pepper

For dressing:  I usually sprinkle a little brown sugar over the salad and then add balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  Newman's Own Lite Raspberry & Walnut would work for a store brand.

Family Book Club

I admit, I have trouble getting my teenage boys to read for the enjoyment of it.  My husband and I came up with a plan to form a book club with my 16 year old, Josh. He's the only one home now, so fortunately or unfortunately, he receives a lot of attention.  I feel like we are making up for when he was younger and always having to tag along with his older brothers.  Josh picked The Blind Side for our first book and after every two chapters we will sit down and discuss.

This story gave us the idea.

DIY Scarf

On Friday, my youngest son had a football game.  It was 45 degrees and light rain, so I decided to make a scarf that would show my school spirit, even though I had to wear a rain jacket.  This scarf is super easy and takes about 15 minutes to make.  Here are the steps........

Have a Great Weekend!

                                                           Sleeping Ute Mountain


Great article on  depression

My husband playing in his talented band (He's the banjo player)

This coat is on my wish list for winter.

A funny video

Making pumpkin bread this weekend.  (I've made this recipe for a couple of years, very good)

Quiz on how long you've been married.  It was pretty accurate when I took it.

Summer Memories

Today it's 48 degrees outside, so I thought I would post my favorite pictures from this summer.

Jeans

Here are the jeans I bought from J Crew last week.  (Sorry about the selfie picture)  I like the higher rise on the waist and I'm wearing a shorter sweatshirt with them.  The jeans are called Lookout High Rise Skinny.

Dry Shampoo

Dry shampoo works great on hair to extend the time between shampooing and blowouts.  Above are 3 dry......

Pancakes!

This weekend (and most weekends) I made my homemade pancakes.  It's the recipe my mom made when I was a kid and my children have been raised on this recipe.

Have a Great Weekend!

                                                   
                                                                            Lake Michigan

Natural Weed Control

We have a pretty big yard that drives me nuts every summer with the weeds.  I don't like spraying Roundup, because of the 2 dogs.  They seem to to have stomach problems after I spray, even though I try to keep them away from the area.  So, after reading about this combination online, I decided to give it a try.  The formula is 1 gallon vinegar, 2 cups epsom salt and 1/4 cup Dawn.  I mixed everything in a sprayer and went to work.

It works GREAT!  I used a little to try it out and the next day the weeds were dead.  So, I'm off to spray the rest of the yard.  (One of the nice things about winter in Wisconsin.......No Weeds!)
One thing I forgot to mention, don't use this on weeds in the grass, just on weeds in your berms.