Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 2:55 am on June 26, 2013 Permalink  

  Thanks Goodness for Click and Ship 

  Time does get away from even those of us that are retired.  A trip to Fairfax is not that far away, but here I found myself looking into the last week of June’s schedule and the July wall hanging was still in my attic for the Fairfax Printing wall.  The next week’s schedule was filled with “must do” items and I felt the crunch.  In fact, the day that I lost my telephone and found it in the attic was the day I decided to get my act together.

  

  Pattern Pieces for Flying Eagle

  I do have several wall hangings to represent the 4th of July, but this year I chose the Flying Eagle I had done in the winter of 2010 when I had first retired.  I had had the pattern for some time but knew I would need some uninterrupted sewing room time. The pattern was done in the “paper pieced” technique.  It allows for the smallest of pattern pieces to be added onto to give great detail.

  I was very thankful to have several Click and Ship boxes on hand.  The Flying Eagle was put in the mail on the 21st of June (Friday) and Kevin emailed me on the evening of the 22nd (Saturday) that he had delivery of the wall hanging.  Talk about snail mail having been improved over the years.  Not that the price of gas is important when it comes to family, but for $5.15 I would not have gotten very far on my trip to Fairfax.

  

  Flying Eagle Flying Proud

  I do plan on doing more of the paper-pieced patterns – and why not?  Uninterrupted sewing room time is no longer at a premium.  No mater how many years or how many patterns are tried, it still takes a fair amount of concentration to get into the mood to see a project through.

  It surely does help that Dennis is on hand for consult whether it’s the color of the fabric I am trying to decide on or if it is time to have that blessed cup of coffee delivered when he thinks I have been at it long enough and I may need a break.  I do try and sneak in a suggestion that maybe he may want to try his hand at the fabric fun, but to no avail.

   
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  Noreen 3:18 am on June 25, 2013 Permalink  

  Sausage/Cheese Rolls 

  

  Bite Sized Sausage and Cheese Rolls

  •  1 lb. seasoned pork sausage
  •  10 oz. shredded cheese
  •  Three cups of Bisquick

  Mix ingredients and drop by teaspoon onto a baking sheet
  (about the size of a ping pong ball)

  Bake at 375 degrees for 25 – 30 minutes.

  Drizzled with pancake syrup while hot makes for a great breakfast treat!

  This was a recipe I picked up from the Pioneer Woman on the Food Channel.

   
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  Noreen 4:31 am on June 24, 2013 Permalink  

  Just a Fantastic Week 

  I have had a week like I have not had in years perhaps even decades.  In the span of this last week I have been able to visit with all three of my siblings and their spouses, my children and their spouses, my grandchildren and my grand puppies.  Life really is sweet and that is all I have to say about that.

   
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  Noreen 10:18 pm on June 22, 2013 Permalink  

  Humor is a Must 

  Today I am looking forward to having my Eden Prairie family come for a visit.  It is Rail Road Days here in St. James and a lot of things are added to the venue to attract as many people from out of town as possible. The All School Reunion is bringing daughter Carrie and her family here.  Megan and Nicholas will stay with Dennis and I while reunion activities take Carrie and Jeremy to the Hickory.

  I was flitting about the house with the every morning routines with I spied with my little eye an empty telephone port.  It is not like we have a multi-thousand square foot home.  How many places could a portable phone hid in a 720 square foot home?  My cell phone would surely be able to ring my home number and the lost would be found in a heart beat.  The last time one of the phones disappeared it had been wedged into the sofa pillows so naturally I stood in the middle of the living room and dialed our home number – nothing.    I went into the sewing room in the basement and redialed – nothing other than the phone in the basement telephone port ringing.  Shaking my head I did recall last Christmas when my cell phone went missing and it ended up in Eden Prairie. I had packed it up and sent it home along with the rest of Carrie’s Christmas goodies.  I still laugh when I think of the many times I dialed the cell phone number to find it in the house.  As the kids were driving home Megan told Carrie and Jeremy repeatedly that she could hear a lady talking.  It was the automated voice announcing no one was able to take the call and a message should be left.

  In my mind I retraced the events of Friday and I had not been anywhere but at home and no one had visited.  Out I went to the garage to see if the garbage bin would ring – nothing.   The potting shed offered no orphan ring.  This ole gal had to slow down and have a bit of cold morning coffee at the dining room table.  I looked around totally at a loss as I knew when Dennis came home this would be right up his alley to say “tables reversed — how does it feel?”

  I decided to let the hunt go for a bit and just keep busy with housework.  I had been working on some hand quilting and as I moved the project the light bulb went off.  Yesterday I had gone into the attic to retrieve a quilted wall hanging I wanted to send to Kevin for his 4th of July birthday.  I had taken a phone up to the attic so I wouldn’t be prone to scramble down the steps in the event a family member called.  The lost was found and I am still chuckling at myself.  The older I get I do know that finding humor in some of my doings is healthier than being upset.

   
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  Noreen 5:06 am on June 22, 2013 Permalink  

  Easy Crock Pot Pork Chops 

  

  Easy Crock Pot Pork Chops

  •  Spray crock pot with cooking spray
  •  Layer pork chops in crock pot
  •  Cover with 1 can of cream of chicken soup
  •  Sprinkle with 1 package of dry Ranch Style Dressing
  •  Cook on “Low” for 6-7 hours

  The gravy is great on instant mashed potatoes.

  The best part of a crock pot is the cooking time can be a bit more and the results are still great.

   
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  Noreen 5:03 am on June 22, 2013 Permalink  

  Easy Crock Pot Pork Chops 

  

  Spray crock pot with cooking spray

  Layer pork chops in crock pot

  Cover with one can of cream of chicken soup

  Sprinkle with I package of dry Ranch Dressing

  Cook on low for 6-7 hours

  (the beauty of a crock pot is that the time can be a bit longer and the results are still good)

   
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  Noreen 4:55 am on June 22, 2013 Permalink  

  Easy Crock Pot Pork Chops 

  Spray crock pot with cooking spray

  Layer thawed pork chops in crock pot
  gg-center ” alt=”crock-pot-pork-chops” src=”https://www.memyselfandmemories.com/wp-content/g

  Crock Pot Pork Chops

  gg-center ” alt=”crock-pot-pork-chops” src=”https://www.memyselfandmemories.com/wp-content/g

  Crock Pot Pork Chops

  
  cover with I can of cream of chicken soup

  Sprinkle with 1 package of dry Ranch Dressing

  Cook at the Low setting for six hours

  Gravy is great for instant mashed potatoes.

   

   
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  Noreen 2:49 am on June 21, 2013 Permalink  

  The Last of the Lilacs 

  I am going to miss the lilac season.  Nothing can inspire garden work more than being surrounded with plants that smell good.  Long gone are the blooms and fragrant grandma type lilacs.  Years ago our Pamida Store was weary of watering their garden hoop plants and of course I had to scope it out.  I brought home the Miss Kim Lilac that looked more like a cast off that had been sitting next to the Christmas Tree that Charlie Brown had chosen in times past.  One stem had some snap to it when I bent it over.  The remaining ones broke off right down into the root ball.

  

  The Miss Kim Lilac Tree

  I had been doing some reading and knew that with vigilant pruning of sucker sprouts that come from the base of a shrub a tree could be developed from what had been sold as a shrub.  The wonderful aspect of Miss Kim is that she blooms a bit later so the season of a great smelling yard can be expanded.  The blossoms are a delicate lavender that often passes as white.  The grandma lilacs that I have show bold blossoms and Miss Kim’s have a look of lace.

  This morning I was out splitting some of my hosta and Miss Kim kept me going with inspiration in spite of the big black flies that would bite.  I applied two different bug sprays, one complete with deet, and they just seemed to lick it off my legs before they feasted.

  As I was on the highway last weekend I did spy my next year greenhouse score: a late blooming lilac that had blossoms of red.  I do brake for plants — after I check my rear-view mirror.

   
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  Noreen 3:32 am on June 20, 2013 Permalink  

  A Fun Recovery Project Finished 

  In May I had posted a photo of what would be a portion of this project I was working on.  Today I can tell you it is finished.  Oh yes, it took me eight weeks of starting and stopping as the energy would allow.  I just wouldn’t have felt like there would be a successful recovery on the shoulder replacement if I could not have a bit of threads, batting and thimbles lying about.  I had the basic prep work of the front of the wall hanging layered onto the batting and the backing.  When I thought I could swing manhandling a quilting hoop propped on the dining room table the progress was slow but steady.   The hand quilting was very satisfying.  What I had not counted on was all of the additional binding that would be required with the four smaller banners hanging on the larger one that has the winter scene.  As I was putting the button holes onto the straps that would bring the four small banners in their rightful place it was with relief.  I knew that oh yes, I had bitten off more than was chewed comfortably.  There was no turning back and the thought of leaving a project unfinished is against all that my Mom had ever taught me.  In visiting with a few of the other gals that love to putz in crafty manners it always surprises me just how much time and the amount of resources that are tied up to be finished at a later time.  Not this cat.

  

  Too Many Men aka: Snowmen

  Now that I have the go ahead to be out in the yard and doing some hands on gardening, I needed to get the hanging sleeve sewn onto the back of the wall hanging.  Of course my garage wall off of the patio is the perfect spot for me check out the end result.  When Christmas is over and we still may have waist deep snow, the wall hanging entitled “Too Many Men” – referring to snowmen – can be put up and enjoyed.  My sewing area is tidy and neat until such time when the sun is too hot and the bugs are too many and I am driven back to it to start something else.  Actually, though nothing is physically laid out as I was mowing the yard this morning, I did have a few thoughts flit through the white hair of what may be the next latest and greatest project.  Thoughts such as those make me wonder how anyone can be bored.  My belief is that only boring people get bored.

   
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  Noreen 4:33 am on June 19, 2013 Permalink  

  Dinty Moore Commercial 

  Here’s a quick meal when there just isn’t any energy to get creative. It serves two.

  •  Hot mashed Potatoes for two
  •  Heat one can of stew
  •  Several slices of bread
  •  Potatoes on the plate

  The stew is spooned over the potatoes and the bread slices are used to soak up the extra gravy.