Happy Autumn!

I meant to do this several days ago but I hadn't gotten my pumpkins yet.  Earlier I decided today was the day to do my pumpkin shopping.  Since my "stoop" isn't very large I buy little bitty pumpkins just to add some color.  I really love those huge heirloom or fairytale pumpkins, and I think one would fit, but I don't want to make getting in and out of the door difficult  so I opt for little ones and call it "my minimalist decor".  The flowers in the pot are not real.  It is hard to keep anything watered on that little porch so I opted for some colorful, silk items just to bring some color in.  Of course, it doesn't feel like fall here but I like to go by the calendar rather than the weather when decorating.  If I waited for it to feel like fall there would probably be about five minutes between putting out fall decorations and Christmas decorations so I just do it when it is logical because our weather isn't logical.

So, on to make zucchini bread and cookies! Have a wonderful weekend.

"How To Make Yourself Miserable"  by Dan Greenburg

Recently, on Facebook, there was a challenge going around to name the ten books that impacted you the most. At the end of the challenge you were supposed to challenge others to join in.  This was one of the more thought provoking challenges around so I thought I would take part.  I thought I would just rattle off ten books that came off the top of my head -- that should do it -- but when I looked at the list I was quite surprised to see what I had written.  The first book was The Bible.  Now, you are probably saying "how stereotypical -- doesn't everybody put that on a list of this sort"?  Well, I don't know but I know why I put it on mine -- I am not a Bible scholar by any means, haven't read it all the way through, don't carry a well worn leather bound copy with me at all times but I do know that it contains all the answers I need to any problem that life can hand me and so I feel that is a huge impact on me.  The last book on the list was actually a set of books -- The World Book Encyclopedia.  I remember my mother purchasing the set of books from a door - to - door salesman.  He took the order and we had to wait for them to be delivered.  I remember the night they came -- it was a rainy evening, the sun had gone down and, since this was before FedEX and UPS, the postal service brought it.  I remember being so excited.  I remember arranging the books on the bookshelves in my room and I also remember systematically going through each book and pretty much reading through it.  I loved those books.

Just for the record, I remember learning how to spell "encyclopedia" from Jiminy Cricket on the Mickey Mouse Club.

There were various other books on the list that had lasting impact on me like "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl", "The Good Master" and the Jan Karon Mitford books.  Most of my offereings were children's books but then, isn't that when we are the most impressionable?

I digress.  I went on to challenge several other people and one person, Jim M., took the challenge to heart.  He gave it considerable thought and came up with a really good list -- quite varied, all interesting (although a lot of it over my head).  One book, "How to Make Yourself Miserable" was one that he recommended I read so I went on to Ebay, found a copy, bought it and read it.  As I told Jim -- it was hysterically funny and painfully relatable all at the same time!

A bit of a back story -- Jim M. and I knew each other in elementary and junior high school.  He was a member of the educational sub-group known as the "smart kids".  There was a whole group of these boys, and I remember all of them, that just reeked of intelligence.  I was on the edge of this group because I was very good in English and history -- not so much in math -- I would have trouble counting to 20 using my fingers and toes but wasn't that the expected norm for girls in the 50's-60's?  I think so.  Now, this sub-group of super smart children wasn't the same as the "A" group of the social elite -- you know, the "popular" ones.  I definitely wasn't a part of THAT group -- I was sort of a social group of my own -- so I floated around the periphery of the "smart kids" and the rest of the time I just lived in my own little world.  Now, Jim M. and I went to different high schools -- he went to the high school with the "smart kids" and I went to the one closest to my house.  Time marched on and lots of life happened and only with the advent of social media did I make contact with classmates from the past, including Jim M.  It was no surprise to me that Jim M. had grown up to be a professor -- of math -- and it was no surprise to me that he is well read and has a wide variety of interests.  It is no surprise to me that he has a well developed vocabulary as well.  What did surprise me is that he remembered me.  It was a pleasant surprise and we have gone on to have many conversations about our school days and our lives since, about what has happened to many of our friends and our current interests.  So, I was interested in his list of books and was anxious to read the one he recommended to me -- "How to Make Yourself Miserable".

"How to Make Yourself Miserable" is a guide book, so to speak, on how to punish yourself for all your guilts, how to create, maintain and perpetuate all manner of anxiety and how to, bascially, undermine yourself until you completely alienate the entire world.  This book was written in 1966 and I have to say that it was geared to the young adults of the time, those who were raised in the late 40's and 50's with the mores of the era and all the guilt that went along with it.  As I read along, I could relate to so many of the hilarious scenarios that were presented.  Of course, not all those scenarios were from decades past -- the airplane bit was much more currently relative.   In any event, I must have mellowed out in my dotage because I found it all to be quite amusing whereas, if I had read the book when it was published, I would have recognized myself right off the bat and that would have created an anxiety of its own.

It was a fun read.  I would recommend if you can get a copy of it.  Out of print, I am sure.  Thanks, Jim M. for the suggestion.

Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand

This was a book that I had put on my Nook quite a while back.  I think I got it for free -- or almost free.  I was doing a bit of cleaning up on the Nook the other day, archiving and deleting and I started looking at what I had put on the thing and decided I should start reading some of the material that was there.  So, I started here.

I don't know what possessed me to ever buy this book to begin with.  It is about three young women -- two sisters and a best friend.  They are all going through their own private situations -- cheating husbands, surprise pregnancies, ruined careers, and cancer.  This was probably not a good choice for me since I am still living the cancer nightmare but the storyline was so compelling, I just couldn't put it down.

I would recommend this book unless you are in the throes of a serious illness.  It made me nervous.  Otherwise, it was a good read.

Quiche of Death -- M.C. Beaton

I seem to be back on a reading roll.  Having just finished "The Last Original Wife" by Dorothea Benton Frank I decided, instead of moving on to her newest offering "The Hurricane Sisters", to start the Agatha Raisin series by M. C. Beaton.

I have read several of her Hamish Macbeth series and found them to be very entertaining so I decided to check out Agatha Raisin.  Being the logical sort that I am I decided to start at the beginning.  So, I downloaded "The Quiche of Death" onto my Nook and started reading.  I couldn't put it down! It isn't a long book by any means and it is very readable.  I have to say that the entire time I was reading all I could see was Dawn French as Agatha Raisin. 

In any event, it was great fun and I recommend it.

The Last Original Wife -- Dorothea Benton Frank

Ok, it has been pretty well documented that I gave up on "Past Imperfect" by Julian Fellowes. It was a hard breakup but it was me, not the book.  Once I got over the disappointment of really not connecting I picked up a book that I had bought a couple of months ago that was just calling my name every time I walked past it.  It proved to be a much better relationship.

"The Last Original Wife" by Dorothea Benton Frank was just the latest in the string of her books that I have been enjoying over the last couple of years.  The first one I enjoyed was "Folly Beach" which I listened to as an audio book.  I have read several others and feel that while Frank follows a definite formula when writing these books, they are still good reads and very satisfying.

"The Last Original Wife" was no different.  It was about a disgruntled (and rightly so) wife, a louse of a husband, a gay brother, two ungrateful kids, an old flame, a lot of money, big houses, and fancy cars.  It moved along quickly and there was a lot of action -- especially when it came to "the Barbies".  It was a fun read -- I learned to really dislike Wes from the beginning and I think my favorite character of all was Harlan, the brother.  Oh, and the ghost -- can't forget the ghost -- and the dogs.  Gotta love the dogs. 

It was a great read and I was sorry to see it end.  On to the next one -- "The Hurricane Sisters".  Hopefully I can get to it before I pick up my copy of Jan Karon's new offering "Somewhere Safe With Somebody Good".  Hopefully my dry reading spell is over because there are a lot of really good things coming out.

And Then There Was ----Butter!


Last week a friend send me a Facebook link about 50 things that a person can make instead of buying.  I have seen sites like this before and, upon reading, find that I do a lot of these things already.  However, this particular site listed something that I remember doing as a child but never thought of revisiting -- making butter.  I am sorry I didn't take photos so you will just have to use your imagination.

The site said to use a stand mixer, add a quart of heavy whipping cream and 3/4 teaspoon of salt.  They also gave directions for grating a carrot and straining the juice into milk to add for color but I omitted this step.  They also heartily advised covering the mixer with a towel to deal with the splashing and they weren't exaggerating. 

So, in went the cream and salt, mixer on high (although I don't think it needed to be quite so high) and off we went to make butter.  I can't tell you how long it actually took because I stopped the machine at the whipped cream stage to look at that beautiful whipped cream.  Then I continued on until I heard the bumping noise made by the clump of butter in the bottom of the bowl.

I then followed the instructions to put the lump of butter in a colander or a strainer over a bowl and pour off the buttermilk to save for baking in the next day or two.  I then pressed the butter under cold, running water to get rid of any remaining buttermilk and then placed it in a covered pyrex dish.

It was beautiful!  And, a quart of cream makes about a pound of butter.  I was thrilled.  I still am, actually.

The next morning I used the buttermilk to make biscuits with White Lily self rising flour.  They were so fluffy -- I couldn't believe the difference. 

So, now in addition to making our bread, I am now making our butter.  Will I do it again? Yes, probably so.  I looked at the various packages of butter in our refrigerator and while most of them said "cream and salt", all of them said "coloring".  They were specific about what that mean so I think that my home-grown butter is probably a better choice.

Next time I will take photos.

It is Tuesday (I think) so it must be time for Teaser Tuesdays!  My teaser is from "Past Imperfect" by Julian Fellows of "Downton Abbey" fame. 

"Of course you want so much to say that.  Or at the very least to tell them to grow up or drop dead, or to open their eyes to the fact that the Fifties are over."


I have been reading this book for an eternity.  I am intrigued by the premise of the book.  The storyline is catchy.  The setting is lovely and the narrative just goes on and on and on.  It is a good read but I am not enjoying it -- it is draggy -- but I can't just drop it.  I am over half done and would feel terrible if I didn't discover the information that Damien Baxter is looking for but.....gosh I wish it would hurry up!

I Wonder


I regularly read a lovely blog -- Penhallowstreet.blogspot.com -- authored by Bonnie.  Bonnie is a wonderful artist both with a pencil and a needle.  She has a strong faith, a wonderful outlook, and writes very thought provoking posts.

In her latest post she wrote about Sundays and how they have changed from her childhood.  Her post caused me to pause and think -- go back in time mentally to those Sundays of my childhood.  I remember those days being very long and sometimes boring.  Once I could read, I remember those days being filled with beautiful words which wove beautiful stories. I remember my mother cooking a large meal -- it was always roast -- and it was all so good.  I remember liking Sundays more as I got older.  I enjoyed the quiet of it all, the change of pace, I even enjoyed the boredom of it.
Then things changed.  Somehow -- I think it was when stores started opening on Sundays -- things got busy.  Sunday wasn't any different than Monday or Tuesday.  It was just another day.  It seems we never got a break from the busyness of life.  No wonder everybody is so tired!

I think we should go back to having Sunday.  No, I am not talking about time travel -- push a few buttons and whoosh -- we are back in the 50's.  We can, however, edit ourselves.  How about if we plan our time so that we clear our calendars for Sunday except for church.  How about if we plan our Sunday meal so that it can be mostly cooked on Saturday.  How about if pretend the stores are closed, shop accordingly prior to Sunday and just take a shopping break.  How about -- get ready, here it comes -- if we take a break from technology.  What if we turn off the computers and phones.  What if we sit down with the Sunday paper (we don't even take the paper anymore).  What if we listen to the radio, have the family over, read a book, just do something different than we do on a day to day basis.

As I read Bonnie's post I realized she is a very wise woman.  She mentioned the feeling of guilt if we aren't busy all the time.  She reminds us that we are given Sunday as a day of rest because we NEED the rest.  Our bodies and our minds can't function properly without rest.  So, if society isn't going to allow us to rest, we are going to have to take it upon ourselves to create our own rest.

So, I am suggesting that we take Sunday back and live it as it was intended.  I think the first thing I am going to do is give my electronics a rest as well.  The second thing I am going to do is plan my Sunday meal so that it is mostly done on Saturday and I can enjoy the day and a good meal without slaving away in the kitchen.  When those two things are done I am going to set aside time to do something that I want to do that I can't find the time for during the week.  It might be reading, it might be sewing or needlework but it will be something that brings me joy and gives me relaxation.

So, does anybody want to join me in a technology free Sunday?  Sounds like a challenge to me.

Family Reunion


The morning was unusually cool for August in Texas. We rose early in preparation for the drive ahead.  The day had come for the biennial Bordovsky/Hudec family reunion.  I was ambivalent about it, as was my husband if I am to speak honestly.  However, his mother is 93 so who knows how many more of these get-togethers she will be able to attend so we dressed, grabbed up our contribution to the table -- traditional Czech kolaches -- picked up Granny and off we went.

After about an hour and half drive and a Starbucks stop, we arrived at the small, central Texas community of Elk.

Countryside around Elk, Texas behind St. Joseph's Catholic Church

 Elk is situated outside of Waco and is primarily a farming/cotton growing community.  It's only claim to fame, to my knowledge, is that the Elk store was the ATF headquarters during the seige at the David Koresh Branch Davidian community, Mount Carmel,  back in 1993.

Memorial to the ATF agents who were lost in the Branch Davidian conflict in 1993

My husband's grandfather immigrated from Moravia in about 1884 as did the Kubitza family--his grandmother's family.  Little did they know that the families would come together again years later in a marriage which combined Grandfather's family from another marriage, Grandma's family from another marriage and grew with a number of children from their own union.  It was a big family and these families continued to grow which meant these reunions were large, loud, rambuctious affairs!  When I started going to these reunions I was amazed at the number of people who attended.  We would take family group photos that were as large as classroom group photos.

Over time, however, the family inevitably began to shrink.  Many family members have been lost -- from the youngest to the oldest -- and now only three of the original "children" remain.  The extended families have grown up and been scattered all over.  There doesn't seem to be a really good time of the year for everybody to get together but the cousins that do the planning do the best they can to be accommodating. This year there were only two children, my grandchildren, so there was a sharp contrast to past reunions.

These reunions take place at the Catholic church -- St. Joseph's -- that the family has been involved with for generations.  It is a small church with a small cemetery and a really nice parish hall.  The food is outstanding -- and there is always so much.  The desserts are mouthwatering -- pecan pies, fruit cobblers, German chocolate cake and, of course, kolaches.

St. Joseph's Catholic Church, El, TX

The concession stand!

We socialized, caught up, missed the three that were lost since the last reunion, looked at beautiful, old photos scattered on the tables, ate our fill and said our goodbyes, promising to see each other again in two years.  It was a quiet time this year -- we all commented on the unusually cool weather as the breeze blew through the doors at either end of the parish hall.  As that breeze blew I could almost feel the spirits of those who were no longer with us, passing through that hall.

Natural Cosmetic Update


If you have read my previous posts on this subject, you will know that I have been on a quest for natural cosmetics and have found some wonderful brands with great products.  However, I have also discovered that most of them have lousy lipsticks, at least for me.  Unfortunately, I am the sort of person that needs some sort of lipstick so I don't look like a cadaver.  So, I went looking for a nice, neutral lipstick -- not shiny, just creamy with enough color so I look a little perkier.

I happened upon this --

NARS Cosmetics sheer lipstick in Dolce Vita.  Cult favorite, they say.  Beautiful color, a tad pricey.  Bought it, used it, was happy in my lipstick find until I started researching the product and found it to be very toxic.  So.....I went on a quest to find something a little more acceptable.

I spent a good portion of Friday talking to the people at Clinique and reading reviews at EWG.org and goodguide.com.  I finally went to the mall and discussed my plight with one of the lovely ladies at the Clinique counter.  We found an exact match -- Nearly Violet - in the High Impact line.  Now, not all of Clinique's products are rated really well, but these lipsticks seemed to be acceptable.

I also did some research on the L'oreal line and found an almost perfect match there, as well.  It is called Eva's Nude and is close enough for me to consider it a duplicate.  Across the board, L'oreal's line seemed to be acceptable in the toxicity department as well.  I was really glad to find a couple of replacements for this really nice, go with everything color.

In the process of trying all this makeup and taking a long look at the "mature" me, I have decided that this is one area where the saying "less is more" has a great deal of meaning.  So, for a couple of days, I have used a neutral eye makeup -- I have to use eye makeup or my eyes disappear -- and I have used the lipstick -- no foundation or blush -- just some nice moisturizer and I have to say that I was pleased.  I had enough junk on to feel "finished" but not smothered.  I will continue on this path for a while because I think it looks better, feels better, costs less and a lot less in my makeup bag if I feel the need to carry it with me.

The Little Bookcase Gussied Up



In a previous post I shared with you our latest DIY project -- an old chest of drawers reincarnated into a bookcase.  Thirty years ago we were using the chest of drawers, painted white, as extra storage in the hallway.  I thought we needed a small lamp to go on it, something unusual and something we could DIY so I sent my husband out to look for something.  He came back with an item quite similar to this --

Since our house was primarily Early American at the time, it went just fine so he drilled a hole in the top, wired it, filled it full of gravel and voila! lamp!

It has gone through a couple of incarnations over the years but I decided to pull it out, repaint it and put it back in it's rightful home on top of the chest of drawers/bookcase.

Here was the process and the finished product.

I had previously painted the coffee pot with green/gold/white creating sort of a patina look

First coat of Folk Art Raw Umber

Adding copper highlights after three coats of the raw umber

New lampshade and sitting on top of a vintage hanky

And here is the finished product

I haven't finished merchandising the top yet -- don't know what to put on it -- I have options -- or maybe nothing.  I don't like clutter so maybe nothing. 

Anyway, I am now in the process of sorting through my books and trying to organize them is like trying to herd cats for me.   The new, smaller bookcase is dedicated to books I have read.  The shelves are deep enough for me to have two rows on each shelf.  The shelf you see here has books stacked in the back of the ones you see so there is a lot of storage here.  The large bookcase is housing the books that I need to read.  Ok, so far, so good. Now comes the difficult part.  How do you choose which books to become a permanent part of your personal library?  It stands to reason that you will keep any books that were gifted to you and any that you might have that are signed copies.  The next category would be, I suppose, those that you really liked -- that touched you in some way.  But, then, what about the books that don't fit into any of those categories?  What about the piles of books bought off sale tables, some years ago, that have never been picked up?

For instance, I bought a copy of "Marjorie Morningstar" off ebay a number of years ago.  I had seen the movie when I was a young teen and read the book back then and always liked it.  So, I went out on ebay and found a copy and bid on it, ultimately winning the auction.  The book wasn't in great shape and smelled a bit funky but on the shelf it went, never to be picked up again.  Do I really need to keep that?  I can't decide.  It still smells funky.  I have childhood books that I won't part with but what about other childrens books I have bought, randomly, online or in used bookstores.  Did I really want them or was I just in a mood to collect.  I am just not sure.  Then there is the question of hardbacks vs paperbacks -- are paperbacks collectible?  Is there any point?  I wish I knew.

So, how do you deal with books?  How do you decide what goes into a personal library that you want to keep?  I guess I will just keep shifting them around until I get tired of it and chuck all of them.  Well, not ALL of them.