I Like Thursdays #170

Is everyone as excited as I am at the temperatures that we are assured by the weathermen will be coming in the next few days? Here in the Midwest we will be having our warm-up this weekend and into the next week. YIPPEE! Walking the dog in minus-double-digits wind chill is not nearly as enjoyable as in the Spring, for sure.

Since we last "spoke", Valentine's Day arrived. My honey knows what I like. Flowers are nice but chocolate is my passion!

Not sure if I shared these pictures of the grandkids with you but, if so, they are worth repeating. I think the looks on their faces are priceless! Goofy boys!

Have you ever heard of a sirloin cap roast? Also know as Coulotte and Picanha? Well, Mom & I ran into some at our local Fresh Thyme store. We didn't know what it was but thought we could give it a go. After checking internet resources, I decided that the way to go might be with my sous vide set-up. 

After seasoning it with a paste made from minced garlic & salt, I cooked it for about 4 hours at 133 degrees. It was WONDERFUL! Tender, juicy, delicious!

Here's a picture of someone else looking for dinner.

Taken through my kitchen window screen

I'm still reading The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lupton. It's another different kind of story by the same author of Afterwards. It's an interesting read and I'm trying to figure out the direction it is taking.

A glimpse at our weather. I really don't want to dwell on it.

Look at this face -- it's really cold, Mom, but you know I have to do "my business" out there.

And on that note, I'll sign off and check out what the others have shared today on our hostess's blog. There's sure to be some fun stuff HERE.

I Like Thurs #161

Happy Halloween! I like to see kids dressed up in costumes. I like the return of Fall. I like the changing colors of the leaves. I like tidying up the garden & yard for Winter. I like pumpkins and apples. I like Autumn!

Fred Carved Our Pumpkin

Jacob Picked Out a Pumpkin at the Farm 

Yes, we almost always have a carved out Jack o'Lantern or two at our house. The kids are carrying out the tradition with the Grands.

In the kitchen this week, I made Beef Barley with Vegetables Soup in the Instant Pot. Delicious except then the weather went all hot around here. Last night we got a cold front pass through so we'll have the leftover soup tomorrow night.

Sightings on our morning walks this week include beautiful sunrises. A little girl was getting dropped off at daycare and pointed to the sky, sharing the sight with her Daddy. Gracie & I appreciated the view up there too!

Pink Contrails!

The trees are looking lovely this time of year.

We even caught a rainbow earlier in the week. Very faint but you can see it!

I'm very happy about my orchid blooming again! Seems like it was quite awhile in between this time but I've got a lot of buds waiting to open too. It's going to be so pretty!

Wishing you all a great week. I hope you liked what I liked this past week! If you want more, go visit LeeAnna's blog HERE!

I Like Thursday #146

This week's list starts out with the yard. So many things have been happening there lately to share. Let's start with some critters in my front yard.

Woodpecker eating peanuts and various birds eating seed.
Look closely and see yellow finches eating the seeds from the spent flowers

In the backyard, Gracie found a turtle. This turtle had been digging in the yard with what I presume was an egg-laying activity!

Here she is leaving

This is what she left behind

Upon closer inspection ...

Can't have an "I Like Thursday" post without a mention of Mom. We hit up one of our favorite lunch spots for their daily special of fried chicken and mashed potatoes.

Happy Campers

It's been so very hot lately everywhere. My son sent this video to show us how the grandkids in MD stay cool. Bet you giggle too!

Jacob Had a Great Day at Day Care This Week!

Our prompt from our hostess this week: Does Summer bring about any changes in your life/routine? Nope! We're retired. Every day is Saturday! Lol!!!

Sharing with LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color and all the other Thursday Likers! Have yourselves a great finish to your week!

Week #2 of RSC Pink

Happy Mother's Day weekend! I hope you are able to enjoy it with your children and/or mother. We've been having beautiful weather here in southern IL and our trees and flowers have been putting on a show. I love this time of year.

First I would like to share with you a puzzle I started while my sister was visiting. I got it from my daughter and all 1000 pieces were challenging. So, thank you, dear daughter, it was a good one. And look, everyone, there's plenty of pink in it!

Looking at this puzzle is reminding me to share with you a picture of a hungry hawk. I caught him waiting for lunch by my bird feeder while sitting on the deck stair rail. Isn't he gorgeous??! (Pardon the fuzzy picture taken through the screen.)

And speaking of hungry, our little Jacob is very fond of ice cream. Turn up your volume to really appreciate how happy he is that his daddy is going to make some ice cream for him. This video just tickles me so much!!

Ok, back to the sewing room. I finished up two Red Threads blocks. I love the butterfly and it was a joy to stitch.

I've also been working away on Strips & Nachos by GEDesign. I think I may even get the top finished before Memorial Day! I managed to show a little pink off too!

"What Happened to the Bennetts?" is in the Already Read category now. Lisa Scottoline is a wonderful author and she did it again. This book is a real page-turner. If you're interested, you can get the GoodReads synopsis HERE.

Since I finished that book and, per my CloudLibrary app, I had 20 more days until I can check out "The Frozen River" by Ariel Lawhon, I went back and picked up "Something to Hide" by Deborah Moggach. Let's just say that by the time I reached page 50 I was hooked. It's got interesting situations going on all over the world and I just know it's all going to get tied up together. I'll keep reading to find out how!

GoodReads synopsis HERE

That's what's been happening around here this past week. Time to get Gracie out for a walk. Have a great weekend!

Sharing with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilters through Angela's SoScrappy blog.

PS I'm covered in pink calamine lotion (Ivarest, actually, which is a blend of calamine lotion and benadryl) due to the horrible pink poison ivy rash I've got going on. UCK but at least it's consistent with this month's color! Also seemingly effective on poison ivy is this:

And now I think it's time for another benadyl tablet. Night, night!

I Like Thursday #131

Hope to make a quick I Like Thursday post. With Christmas around the corner I for sure wanted to share a "Grandsons with Santa" picture and this one just cracks me up. I LOVE IT!!!

At the risk of making Jacob look like he's on the "naughty list", here's a picture of Gracie "greeting" the Amazon driver. I'm surprised she's not pressed up hard against the glass! Of course she feels like she's doing her job of protecting us from danger. Definitely going on the "naughty list"! Hahaha!

I finished my two Twilight Stars blocks for this week. That definitely makes me very happy. I've got 6 weeks to make up to be entirely caught up. I'll get there one day! This has been a fun QAL with Primitive Gatherings.

I've tried a few new recipes. First one was this Cheddar Bacon Quiche with Spinach from What's Gaby Cooking. It was good and we would like  more spinach and I would definitely make sure to "finely chop" it even better next time.

Last night I made this Cheese and Sausage Quiche from Southern Living. Easy and delicious! Definitely on a quiche kick!

Another easy and delicious dinner was this Tuna Noodle Casserole from Mary Berg on Food Network. I made a half-batch and cooked it in an 8"x8" dish. It worked perfectly. I also only used potato chips on top, no extra cheese as Mr. H is not a big cheese-lover. Definitely would recommend it.

A hearty dinner another night was this One-Pot Florentine Pasta from our local grocery store, Schnucks. We loved it and would've loved it even more with more spinach! Two cups of fresh spinach was just not enough. Can hardly believe we would like it more healthier! Ha!

There you go! No excuses for not making a delicious, homemade dinner. Next week I may have a couple of dessert recipes. Stay tuned!

I'm linking up with LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color to share these good things and to see what others are also sharing. I hope you have a great week!

I Like Thursday #128

Well, it's been a while since I posted on I Like Thursday but there is always something happy to find. Some days you just have to look a little harder is all. One of the best ways to feel good is to read about what others have found "happy" and that's what I'll do too. Just hop on over to LeeAnna's blog where other happy-sharing folks link up too.

We recently took a trip to see family. Who could not be happy here?

Brody watching Wheel of Fortune with Grandpa
and eating gummi bears

I got love from Jacob

Brody likes his back rubbed. Grammy is good at that!

Brody went to the pumpkin patch and brought
home a Giant Pumpkin

Anniversary Date Night
(Grammy & Grandpa watched the kids)

Grammy got to play Monster Trucks with Brody

Grammy took Sadie & Jacob for a walk.
Jacob likes to stand in the wagon to
see where he's going

Brody & Jacob's Halloween Costumes
Brody - Ghost Buster
Jacob - Slime

Family Portrait
before we hit the road

We also visited my brother's family.

Mom, John, Fred, & me
checking out John & Karen's
future homesite

A Boy & His Mama

Jennifer & Chris

Kelli & Hunter
The girls had a wedding to attend

Picture of my Garden
Before we left on the trip

We did not get to see my brother's son but there was exciting news to be shared!

Will you marry me?

She said YES!!!

Lovely Rock!
Of course she said yes. Lol!

John III & Katharine - So Happy

I love Fall. I love being outdoors in the cool, sunny weather even if it means raking Mom's yard.

Lots of leaves

Filled the can with ground-up leaves

 

Looks good!

Right before our trip, my BFF came to visit for a week with a 5-day retreat scheduled in there. We went to Kinderhook Lodge with about 15 others and enjoyed our time together. Kinderhook is located in Illinois but very close to the river. On the other side of the river is Hannibal MO, home of Mark Twain. Vickie & I took a walk to see the Mark Twain statue on the water and check out this river cruise boat. We agreed to do this one day.

Mark Twain Statue
American River Cruise

Polly sort of liked Vickie - Lol!

I usually find something to admire while I walk Gracie. On this day I spied these lovely asters. Aren't they a beautiful shade of purple?

I'm sure LeeAnna gave us a prompt but, the renegade that I am at times, I won't follow today. This post has gone on long enough. Hopefully you can understand why I've been so neglectful of my I Like Thursday posts  now.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your week. We are looking forward to another nice weekend here IL!