Looks like today is going to be a fantastic day!

Sunny this morning and just enough breeze to make for a beautiful morning. I am expecting our youngest grand daughter to stop by for a visit.that's always fun when some one stops by it gives me a break and I don't feel like I have to be doing some sort of project..I painted the railings on the back and front decks this week. they turned out pretty good the back one really needed it especially where the willow hung over it now that that's gone hopefully it wont need it for a long time..

Today is garbage pick up and while I was out their putting out the trash containers I couldn't resist taking a fantastic picture of the morning sun rise.

Yesterday while I was watering the flowers in the front I just had to take a picture of a grass hopper trying to get away from me while I was watering my flowers in the front

Here is a snap shot of my neighbor across the road doing her morning power walk.

That's all from me for today

I have to get ready the girls are coming over and were going to lunch.

Thanks For Looking

Hugs

Diane Louise

Here is a great verse I wanted to share this morning.

Give Lavishly, Live Abundantly

By

 Helen Steiner Rice

The more you give

the more you get

The more you laugh

the less you fret -

The more you do

unselfishly

The more you live

abundantly

The more of everything

you share

The more you'll always

have to spare -

The more you love

the more you'll find

That life is good

and friends are kind...

For only what

we give away,

Enriches us

from day to day

Ive been busy as usual I always try to keep busy.

 I gave my sun flower a fresh coat of paint yesterday.

 

I am a lover of Sun Flowers for years now and it was looking kind of faded.

 so I took a chance and freshened it up for the winter,

 I haven't decided to leave it out all winter of put it away until spring. 

 

I was out their cleaning up the garden and cutting back my Austrian sage for fall and they drove by..

Yep Maxine and Bob!!

I knew they would they were the original owners who built our house.

 they like to check on whats happening

We have made so many changes over the eight years. 

I know they noticed the tree was gone how could you help

 she loved the tree she told me Bob planted it for her.

Sorry Maxine but I agree it was beautiful!

 But I had to constantly maintain it.

They drive by often she misses the house.

 I seen the one she is in now and its a Doll house like all the houses she decorates.

She has a lot of talent and so does Bob.

He  amazed me all the houses he built almost totally by his self.

 

Like I said Bill and I are serving this Sunday

We have to go shopping for our treats

  I also have to make something to sell

For October Fest at our Church Sunday

 I keep changing my mind the latest is Apple Slices.

 some thing hope fully easy.

 

Sharing a little pot of Mums and Winter Pansies

Its a beautiful Sunny morning and I better get out their and enjoy it.

 As soon as the heavy dew is gone I have to paint the railings on the back deck.

 I gave  them a coat of primer  last week. 

 

Here's my pot of carnations that I baby!!

 I move them almost in the house at night, will not quite  :) so they wont freeze.

Its loaded with buds although you cant see it in this photo.

It looks so graceful in the pot. and smells heavenly.

The blue thingie has rollers to move it around just in case you wondered.

Thanks For Looking

Have a great day.

Hi Me Again

I started this Sunday and finished on Monday

Just to let you know Im not loosing it.

LOL

The big cool down has arrived!!

It was  in the upper 50s Sunday, today their calling for 60s
I think that's a definite sign of Fall.

I am not a fan of cold weather

I guess I will have to get used to it because it will be around now until March or April.

I haven't turned on the heat YET probably any day it will be going on.

Sorry turned on the heat this morning couldent hold off any longer

Oh we'll get some days that are warmer, ma by even hot but lets face it its on its way..

We are haveing our October Fest Sunday.
  I have to bake a few things to sell for our ladies group so I have been going crazy on what to bake.
 I found a couple of great recipes and thought I would share them with you they are not my recipes.
 I found them on the Internet.

I have a few bananas in the freezer so I will probably make something with them.

 that always makes a great muffin, bread, cookie or cup cake!

 now what to choose is my dilemma..

We had our Great Grand Daughter here for a few hours. Saturday her
Dad dropped her off on his way to work. Her Mom our grand daughter came to pick her up a few hours later they had a very sick cat who unfortunately they lost.
Poor pumpkin he is in kitty heaven with his Mom.

Getting back to Julie.. 

We always enjoy watching Julie its so much fun to see how she has developed over the years and she brings a lot of fun for us when we get to watch her for a while. She keeps us hop pin its so funny she wants it her way and of course she gets it with in reason of course..:)

Banana Coconut Cream Cakes

Mini-Bundt Cake Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter at room temp

2 cups sugar

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs, preferably at room temp

~4 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1.5-1.75 cups)

1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

Coconut Pastry Cream Ingredients: *

1 can (14 fluid ounces) unsweetened coconut milk

3/4 cup sugar

1 vanilla bean

pinch kosher salt

3 large egg yolks

2 tablespoons corn starch

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup sweetened coconut flakes

1/2 cup whipping cream

Pineapple Glaze Ingredients:

2 cups powdered sugar

4 tablespoons pineapple juice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Generously butter a mini-bundt cake pan or cupcake pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together. In a separate, large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, then add the eggs, one at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each egg goes in. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the bananas.

Mix in half the dry ingredients (the mixture may look curdled — just keep mixing), followed by all the sour cream and finally, the rest of the flour mixture. Fill each well of your prepared pan about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way full and rap the pan on the counter to remove bubbles from the batter and smooth the top.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted deep into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before unmolding on the rack. Let cool to room temperature before adding cream filling and glaze.

While cakes are baking and cooling, make coconut pastry cream. Heat the coconut milk, sugar, salt and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan over medium heat. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and corn starch. Once the cream is hot, remove the vanilla bean, scraping out any remaining seeds and returning them to the cream. Add 1/2 cup of the hot cream slowly to the yolks, whisking as you add. Then pour the yolk mixture into the pot of hot cream and whisk. Continue to whisk with heat on medium-high for 3 more minutes. The mixture will turn thick and bubble. You need to continue to whisk for the full 3 minutes or the pastry cream will separate once it is cool. After the 3 minutes, whisk in the butter. Add the coconut flakes. Pour into a shallow dish to cool.

Cover with plastic wrap pressed right against the pastry cream. This will prevent a thick skin from forming on the surface. Refrigerate for at least an hour or freeze for 30 minutes. Once it is cold, stir the pastry cream to loosen. Whip the 1/2 cup cream to medium peaks. Stir in 1/3 to the pastry cream to lighten. Fold in the remaining cream until the pastry cream is nice and light.

When cakes are cool, hollow out the center of each mini-bundt cake (or, for cupcakes, you can use the cone method). Pipe in as much of the coconut pastry cream as will fit.

Whisk confectioners’ sugar and pineapple juice together to form glaze. Drizzle over filled mini-bundt or cupcakes. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.

This is another one I'm considering

Spiced Cake with Peanut Butter Cream

2 large eggs

160ml buttermilk (2/3 cups)

1.5 tsp vanilla extract

200g of cake flour (or 170g plain flour with 30g cornflour)

200g caster sugar

1.5 tsps Dutch processed cocoa powder

3 tsps baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsps ground cloves

 (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

Method

Preheat oven to 175°C and grease and line a 20-21cm round cake tin.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, 3 tablespoons of the buttermilk and vanilla extract until lightly combined.

In a mixing bowl, mis the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, salt and ground spices until combined. Add the butter and remaining buttermilk and cream together on low speed until dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the speed and beat for 1.5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.

Gradually add the egg mixture in two parts, mixing well after each addition by beating for at least 30 seconds, making sure to scrape down the bowl. Pour batter into cake tin, level the surface and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean and the middle of the cake springs back when lightly pressed.

Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes and turn out to cool down completely on a wire rack.

Peanut Buttercream

1/2 cup  smooth peanut butter

115g cream cheese, softened

55g unsalted butter, softened

2 tsps sour cream

50g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

In a food processor, combine all the ingredients and process until buttercream is smooth making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally.

When the cake has completely cooled, frost the top and sides.

Thats all from me!

Enjoy your Day Today and Everyday.

 

Windy today!!

The sun is in and out and so windy, our big heat wave is gone for the season. We had a fantastic very hot Summer and I thoroughly enjoyed it. All my flowers did amazing of course with a few exceptions my roses took a beating all of them except the knock out roses they held up pretty well.

Pretty isn't it, that's some of my mums behind the Rose.

 All of the rest had a disease all summer but now that its cooler they are getting their last breath.

My Hydrangea it got so tall its up to the window

  this was taken from inside the house.

We added a couple of coach lights on the storage shed 

 I painted the railings on the back deck this week so all in all its been a productive week.

Look at that amazing sky behind the shed

Here's another one of the sky this week.

Last night we went to our monthly book club it is always fun to get together with our Church friends we always enjoy that.

The Guys are out their cutting the grass, is it ever noisy!! all summer we had the windows closed and couldn't hear it but today is a beautiful day in the upper 60s and have them open. I'm thinking of closing them until their gone.. WHOW :)

My White Mums they are so amazing

I thought I would share another great recipe of my Moms

She was the all time Cookie Lover and most of the time she made her own.

These she made ALL the time.

Sour Cream Cookies

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup butter

1/2 tesp baking soda

1/2 tesp baking powder

1/2 tesp vanilla

1 - egg

1/4 tesp salt

1/2 tesp nutmeg

Lightly grease cookie sheets

Sift together dry ingredients flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg

Cream together butter, vanilla, brown sugar

until light and fluffy

Beat together egg and sour cream

slowly combine all ingredients until all are combined together.

Drop by tesp full on prepares cookie sheet

Place in preheated oven

bake 350 degrees 12 minutes

until lightly browned

remove to wire rack to cool

Enjoy!

Ma's Apple Slices

I  thought I would share an old recipe I got from my mother years ago.

Its one of our all time favorites.

 especially since its apple season at least here in Illinois it is.

 I know you will love them as much as we do.

Its kind of a gloomy rainy day and I have a lot of paint scraping to do on the railings on the back deck. I don't know why they didn't put vinyl ones!! so here we are stuck scraping and painting them every year now that the tree is gone I hopefully wont have to be doing that as often.

Moms Old Fashioned Apple Slices

3 lbs tart apples like granny smith

1 1/4 cup of sugar

1/4 tesp salt

1/4 cup water

2 Talb corn starch

1 tesp cinnamon

1 cup water

Crust

2 cups flour

1/2 tesp salt

1 tesp lemon juice

1/2 tesp baking powder

3/4 cup crisco solid

2 egg yolks beaten

Glaze

powdered sugar just enough milk to make it  heavy creamy

Prepare Apples

Par and core apples cut into eights.

Bring water, sugar, cinnamon and salt to boil in medium sauce pan

  cook slowly 10 minutes. 

Add apples cook slowly another 5 minutes stirring gently.

For Crust

Cut shortening into flour

add to mix, egg yolks, lemon juice and water 3/to 4 Tablespoons full

mix lightly.

divide dough in half roll out on flowered board.

 place bottom layer of dough in 9/by 13 pan

add cooked apples

 place second layer of rolled out dough on top seal edges.

pierce top with fork to make air vents.

Bake 450 degrees for 20 minutes

than reduce heat to 350 for 30 minutes longer.

After removing from over allow to cool befor drizzling on glaze.  

What have we been up to this past weekend!

A lot as always. :)

Saturday Megan and Julie came over in the morning they went to the farmers market and picked up Chocolate covered Bacon and chocolate cover toffee my very favorite.

 Thanks again it was awesome. Bill also went the same morning and picked up the very same thing I don't know how they missed each other, so all in all we had a lot to share. Everyone seemed to enjoy it.

Saturday evening Meg and Julie came back over and went with us to the family night out we went for pizza it took us two hours to get their. We made a mistake going Thur Orland right around dinner time and the traffic was heavy especially being Saturday. Of course we got a little lost thank god for cell phones what would we do with out them. We went by map quest directions and they were a little off or was it Bill who was a little off LOL. any way we finally made it.

Steve and Liz, The Palaszynski family and the Seban Family all beat us, but all in all it was an enjoyable evening Steve drove us home and Meg and Liz fallowed in Steve's car.

Meg left her car at our house and she wanted to pick it up and bring it home.

Sunday Cindy, Bill, Steve, and Liz came over for dinner befor Steve and Liz left to go back to their apartnment and school we all had a great visit. their not as often as they used to be have to get used to that.

I have been working on the grass and area where the tree was and I think I have it looking pretty good for the rest of the season befor winter comes rolling in and we all know what that means.

 I painted the trim white it needed it it was so dirty from the tree and I put a couple of pots in front of it so it would less BLAH I went out and bought two yellow mums of course their not opened up yet so hopefully they will last a little longer. I also bought  Ice Pansy's I know everything wont last long but it cheers it up for a while.

I know it doesn't look all that fancy but I'm happy with the results.

Thanks For Looking

Hugs From Me

Three Days Later.

I haven't been  on for a few days re designing the empty space  its looking good still working on the yard raking up, adding dirt and grass seed, fertilizer getting the grass in some what of a good shape the tree just about zapped the life out of it.
We put solar lights here and their and Bill put a new solar light in the lamp post it looks so charming at night. Next week I'll be painting the shed and planting in front of it so it doesnt look so blah.

OK your wondering why are they standing like that!

Their showing off their Moose Head.

Tues day we went to visit Steve and Liz at their apartment after we got the apartment tour Both Bills and I we went to one of their favorite townie restaurants call O Leary's we all really enjoyed it. good food!! I didn't take pictures of the restaurant but we got to see what the town of De Kalb looks like, quaint little town it reminded me of Clearing befor all the stores closed  due to the Mall taking away all the business  thats progress  it was a really long time ago.

I thought that was cute Bill and Steve

De Kalb

On the Left is the Restaurant

O'Leary's

Thats Liz walking in.

Bill checking out the town.

Back Of Aparnments For Students

Front View

Thats all have to go to a Family  Dinner Party Tonight.

Thanks For Looking

Had to share the picture on their living room wall.

Diane Louise

Tree Gone, Next Day!

Everything happened so fast!!

 Bill called the tree service and the next thing we knew (like a couple of hours later) they were out their with their equipment, a crew of five men.They were like machines and knew exactly what they were doing.
It is sort of sad to see it go I trimmed it up every year over the past 8 years.

I would have to trim at least twice a month to keep it looking beautiful and I had to rake up twigs and lots of leaves weekly into the month of December.
January February March were the only months their was no maintenance with the tree.    Bill and I although he isn't supposed to be on ladders would some times  have to clean out the gutters especially by the back door. Because when it thawed or rained it would flow over right out side the door and we would have a problem with ice on the deck in the winter and flooding rain during the rainy season. It wouldn't have mattered but with two dogs and their only way out to the yard we would not have to worry about all that.
 So as sorry as we are it was time to go we are to old to be climbing ladders over tree maintenance.

  From the house and deck it looked beautiful but from the back it looked terrible the tree trimmers were coming every year and whacking away at it, they didn't care, they pride their self in making a tree look ugly.
 They always said they would have to trim that much because they wouldn't be back for at least four years and they were always their the fallowing year with out fail.

Our next door neighbor always worried about the falling branches, although they never said anything until it was down, a couple of times branches did fall on their deck although they didn't cause any damage they were small enough.
I know it up set a lot of people, It up set me as well.
But we will move on to the next chapter in our life

Today we are going to work on fixing the area the best we can.

They already told us we wouldent be able to plant a tree to many roots underground.

 Hopefully we will love the area as much as the tree.

Thanks For Looking