Ackk, Save Me...er Won't You Save My Sanity and Buy My House AS IS?

Hey y'all. (she says in a li'l shaky voice) It's been a long, long summer. I'm sure it feels that way because every time we've started a new face lift project on this old farmhouse it grewwwww into two or three times what we thought it would be. Argh, and so we trudge onward. Ha, one good thing - downsizing - feels pretty good. I've sold two spinning wheels that I haven't touched in nearly ten years, among other things. Squee.... I can actually walk to the bookcase in my bedroom now. Smiles. Uh, no, I didn't sell any yarn. I'm not that insane; just a little less encumbered of things I don't need. That part is really heartening.

Now, on to fun stuff. Our garden is still producing nicely.

Woohoo, Peach croustade. You can get the recipe for a strawberry/blueberry one here. I've made this with just plain strawberries, too, and it's delicious. But the best part is it's tasty without a lot of sugar. ;)

I've dabbled a little in the dye pot/bowl lately just to clear the rotted-wood cobwebs out of my head.
I love this super soft yarn, but I wanted these skeins to be a deeper, bluer purple.
So I first over-dyed it with a heaping teaspoonful of Wilton’s Royal icing color in the microwave. Alas, it came out too blue.
Then I over dyed again with 1/4 teaspoon Wilton’s Black and 1 teaspoon of Violet. The true color is actually darker than the picture, and I’m really happy with it now. Destined to soon become Fetching.
Oh, I can't wait till Fall, Y'all. Bring it on! :)

A Touch of Autumn

Between working in the garden and the everlasting slow progress in the home improvement department I took the time to make a set of new coasters.
The complete tutorial for this great little craft project is here.
I'm not a huge fan of jello salads, but this one is wonderful in my opinion.
It's fresh, fruity and delicious, really, I wouldn't trifle with you. ;)If you'd like to try it for yourself here's the recipe.

Best Jello Salad Ever
1 large package orange flavored jello
1 jar (1lb. 4 ozs.) grapefruit sections, drained - this is in the fruit & vegetable cooler at your store
1 can crushed pineapple, drained
Add the correct amount of water (or use the drained pineapple juice for part of it) according to directions on the package. Add fruit. Chill till set.


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BEST Squash Casserole Ever!

Poooh, poooh! Just blowing a lil dust off the keyboard. :)
We decided to put out a small garden just in case the house doesn't sell. Ha, it's not even ready to sell, yet, but this is a happy post so movin' on to another subject...we have squash comin' out our ears. Well, okay, just have a lot of squash. (It's no wonder the English language is difficult to learn for those with a different first language.) Anyhoo, I had the ingredients to throw this together so here's a new dish to share with you wonderful peeps.  And make no mistake, the sausage in this casserole is perfectly complimented by the other ingredients.  Enjoy.

Y'all-Come-Back-Now Squash Casserole



4-5 cups yellow squash, cooked and drained
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 lb. hot breakfast sausage, crumbled and cooked (I use Tennessee Pride, of course;)
1 can cream of chicken or mushroom soup (homemade "canned" soups are healthier)
1 med. onion, chopped
3 tbs. butter

Fry sausage just till done; drain, and set aside. Saute onions in butter. Boil cubed squash about five minutes, drain. Mix all ingredients together and pour into a casserole dish - add a few sprinkles of water if it tries to clump. Bake 20 minutes at 350 F.

Serves ... let's see now =  2 over eaters, 4-6 regular peeps, or 8 skinny minnies.
Seriously, it's very good. We had it for supper last night with green beans and other vegetables from the garden.

Hope your summer is cooler than mine. :( It's hot in the South, Y'all. Lookin' forward to fall.)

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