Just got around to answering comments this morning. I was going on 4 hours of sleep yesterday and I didn’t have the energy to tackle them! I got a good night’s sleep so I’m much better today.
Yes. We bought a crockpot – the 4 quart size, which will be just fine for us. We don’t eat meat, remember. Besides, we had no room for a 6 quart! I spent the morning clearing out the shelves that are behind solid doors at the bottom of our white china cabinet. As often happens, it was a job I should have tackled a while ago. A lot of the spray bottles and cleaners were out of date. I grabbed a trash bag and started dumping. The result is a much more organized cabinet and room for a slow cooker.
Don made Crockpot Quinoa and Vegetables from the Moms with Crockpots website and boy, was it good! We added some garbanzo beans for protein, as well. And we have leftovers! It’s just nice to change things up a bit. Added bonus: the house certainly smelled yummy!
We had a very cold but sunny day yesterday and we have one again today. After months of rain – much more than normal – and gray skies, I’ll take cold weather if it gives me sun. My mood immediately elevates. I’ve said this before, but I seem to be much more prone to blue moods when the skies are gray than I was when I was younger. Today? The sun is streaming in the house and it’s beautiful.
This is where I left off with the mini tree. Ornaments had started falling. Flowers from the green vase started falling. Claudia started screaming.
I didn’t work on it yesterday because I was so exhausted and I knew it would end up being an exercise in frustration. Today, however, I will. It’s going to be pretty when I finish!
And I’m going to finish attaching all these egg cups with the Tacky Wax I use for the dollhouses. I’m nearly 3/4 of the way through. Then I can safely move the cabinet to get to my Christmas decorations.
Okay. Onward and upward!
Happy Wednesday.
love the egg cup display!
I am going to try that quinoa recipe.
It’s really good, Carolyn Marie! Thanks!
What I always liked about crock pot cooking is the leftovers. I’d add veggie broth to the leftovers and it would be hot soup the next day. My mood is affected by the weather too, Claudia. It’s been raining and/or overcast. Good thing I’ve had and will have some fun outings with friends this week despite the weather. I haven’t had time to be too blue.
We had leftovers for lunch!
I worked on my mini tree today (the sun disappeared rather quickly) and that kept me from feeling blue.
Last night the weather person said it had been 11 days since we had seen the sun. Today it is shining brightly, and certainly gives me some much needed energy. Even the birds and the squirrels seem happier today. “Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy”!
Don’t know if you have seen/ read what that waste of skin, soon to be EX gov of our state and his cronies are pulling. I want to say it is unbelievable, but it seems to just be the norm. I’m not quite sure why we even vote when the exiting admin can diminish the power of the incoming Gov and negate the vote of the citizens. Plenty of protestors back in the capital, which brings back so many memories of the Act 10 fiasco. They are determined to make the votes not count and discourage all but who they do want ~ to vote. First there was the gerrymandering, now trying to shorten the early voting to 14 days, and creating more and more roadblocks to vote, and then if it isn’t their way, just change the laws to whatever works for them. Scumbags, every single one of them.
OK, sorry to vent on this sunny day, but it is just beyond reproach. I will stop now, and I hope you have a wonderful day working on the dollhouses. Also glad to hear the crockpot was a success in its maiden voyage. Was Stella ok with it?? Gives her a well deserved rest every now and then. Hope you have a most productive day!
Stella baked the potatoes so she wasn’t totally out of the action!
I am so upset by what is happening in Wisconsin and in Michigan, my home state.
Isn’t this illegal? It’s an affront to democracy and shows just how depraved and power crazed the GOP has become.
Will someone take it to the courts?
Claudia, our new Gov and the AG say there is every reason to take it to the courts. But the costs are, of course, prohibitive. It is such a mess and this state looks ridiculous. As you say, MI is in the same place, and you KNOW many other states will follow course as they watch this play out. It is to the point of seriously wondering what our votes even mean anymore.
It must be taken to the courts.
I’m with you Chris. And I don’t think Fitzgerald and Vos had a clue what kind of a national stink this would be. Home page of the NY Times website 2 days in a row, late show comedians calling them out, etc…
Kay, and I don’t think they CARE about what anyone thinks about their repulsive antics or how embarrassing it is for this state. It is all about them. Never ever about “the people”. It makes me so sad that Trump, by the vote count, didn’t win the presidency and now this, and the votes were NOT for any of them. How is this democracy? How can we say our vote counts? When I vote now, I will only take the sticker that says “I voted”. Never will I take the one that says “My vote counts” as I don’t believe it does. Proof positive in these travesties.
We finally have blue skies and sunshine after over a week and a half without it. My mood has been lifted. Oh, happy day! It’s cold here…your crockpot recipe sounds good.
I spent yesterday getting the spare room ready for my visiting son. For a small room, it’s quite large without all the junk. I carted away 5 boxes of stuff for the thrift store. (Hopefully I don’t find anything there to bring back….because I have to look you know!)
Have fun Tacky Waxing! ;)
You must be very excited about your son visiting, Donnamae!
Oh yes!! Haven’t seen him since last Christmas! ;)
xo
Just a perfect size crockpot. I need to start eating more veggie meals, If I can just get my Mom on board with it. I too feel so down with no sunshine. Maybe as we get older we don’t have as much serotonin so we need more sun? It’s lovely here today but I’m resting mostly. Watched George H.W. Bush’s funeral and it made me miss the dignity of so many previous presidents. The current one was there and while he has been nice about this he was so looking like he wished he were somewhere else. I tried not to look at him. I think I’ll work on the kitchen tree today, it’s the last one. It’s very small so takes no time at all to decorate.!
But people make a big deal about the fact that he ‘behaved’ for the day. I mean, really! He’s supposed to get points for doing what any sane person would do? He didn’t even try to follow along with the service. Yet, those Evangelicals love him!
I know Claudia. What does that say about what we expect from him. At one point all the former presidents and wives were following along with a liturgy and he and Melania just stood there staring, but like you say the Evangelicals love him. I am wondering who got him to ‘behave’?
I saw that. And he sat there with his arms crossed defensively across his chest. He knows how little respect any of those statesmen have for him.
OK, you’ll hate this, but I kind of like the ornaments on the floor. It reminds me of life here. (That happens with a cat! Same with the flowers, though Lizzie is far better behaved in the floral line than Gypsy was!) And it’s looking really good — and I know it drives you bonkers! But productive!
I like them on the floor for a photo op, but not every day. I keep the dollhouse neat, just like my house – though I’m not fanatical about either! Thanks, Jeanie!
We love crock pot meals here and hope you and Don love all yours too.
We haven’t had sunshine for a number of days now and really need it to melt all our beautiful hoar frost. It’s beautiful, but causes havoc with power lines. Most of the province lost power yesterday some for just an hour or two, but some for many, many hours.
Once your cabinet is filled with egg cups, will you switch to collecting eggs? I have lots of eggs from various countries with decorated Ukrainian Easter eggs being my favorite. I also have many eggs made from various woods … an olive wood one from Israel, but many from local woods like caragana, mountain ash, and manchurian elm.
No. I have a few eggs – two that Don brought back to me from Prague and one my mom gave me, but I really don’t have any interest in collecting them. I have other places to display any new egg cups!
That Crockpot meal sounded really good – we love both quinoa and veggies (and we both eat a lot of veggies, both cooked and salads) – so I looked it up and now have it bookmarked. I had everything on hand except the green beans so when I was grocery shopping today, I picked up some fresh ones. I’ll be making this meal sometime this weekend. I just can’t add chickpeas (or any other legumes) to this dish, as they make me very sick. Unfortunately, it runs in my family. A bunch of us have all the same intestinal/digestion issues. Phil was actually highly allergic to legumes. I love hummus though and sneak bits of it when we have Mediterranean food, though my tummy pays for it later. Anyway, I wasn’t familiar with this Crockpot web site either, so when I have time, I’ll have to look through more of it.
I’m the same as you with the weather. I need sunshine to make me cheery! It’s been gray and dreary for days on end here so I’ve been feeling pretty blah.
It was very good! I liked it a lot. The website has some good recipes, though I have to explore it more thoroughly. Thanks, Melanie!
I really love the cupboard! It is amazing – such a great score!
Thanks, Susan!
Your egg cup cabinet is such a stunning piece. I’ve been so depressed all week with the skies so dark I need the lights on during the day. Then we saw the sun here for oh, about 20 minutes. It was amazing how much those few minutes of sunlight changed my whole mood.
You mentioned what, for me, is the best part of slow cooking: smelling the food as the afternoon progresses. My kids expect crockpot mac and cheese every time they come home to visit. Oh, and you can make the best applesauce in it. Smells heavenly as it’s cooking.
Applesauce! Hmmm….
The dollshouse floor looks a little like my loungeroom floor at the moment, but much tidier! I am STILL decorating my tree when I get a spare moment or two and I really want to finish it. I also thought your dollshouse floor mess was intentional. It will look really pretty when finished.
We also had a crockpot (orange and brown) when first married in the early 70’s and would turn it on before going off to work so that we could have a hot, cooked meal to come home to. They seemed to go out of fashion for whatever reason, so after many slow cookerless years, we bought a new one about eight years ago but don’t t use it as often as we should. I use a pressure cooker a lot and couldn’t do without one.
I know what you mean about needing more sunshine when older and I do find grey days depressing. However, I can no longer tolerate really hot weather, either. Loved it as a kid. It was a scorcher here today (Melbourne) and I am totally dreading the hotter than usual (!!) summer we have been promised. I would like Christmas day to be grey and rainy. Cooking and serving up a traditional hot Christmas lunch isn’t always relaxing in really hot weather!
I love your egg cup display and cabinet, too!
Beverley
Having lived in California for 8 years, I can attest to the fact that hot weather interferes with the enjoyment of Christmas dinner, Beverley!
And yet, people from south of the equator, like my son-in-law, think of Christmas as a summer holiday. It’s all about perspective, huh?
I guess – but I could never think of it as a summer holiday! Not with all the images of Santa and snow and reindeer!