I Like Thursday #128

The first day of October, and my middle daughter's birthday!  How my children have aged into their 30's when I don't remember getting that much older is astounding to me.  I mean do you ever look at your kids and think how the heck did you get that old?  I don't remember aging that much!  It sneaks up on you.  Kind of like I Like Thursday posts.  We know it is inevitable, but it seems that Wednesday night I am scrambling to write a post and I have done it one hundred and twenty-eight times as of tonight!  Almost 2 1/2 years of I Like posts!  Thank you LeeAnna for encouraging us to find things we like and love throughout our week. 

My first I Like Thursday post was on October 18, 2017.  You can read it here.  In this post I shared about a quilt show I attended, some flowers, and introduced Bobbin!  

I must say I love that little face, and it is so hard to believe that she came into my life almost 3 years ago.  

Today while I was texting my daughter, and Bobbin was burrowing on the couch.  The day was windy, and had gotten cold and wet, and her favorite blanket is the jelly roll with minkee on the back and the photo blanket of Jeff that Dawn of Relaxing Robin sent me.  

It has been a crazy few weeks at work.  I am the only bakery clerk that is full time, and works days.  Also I am still the only one to make donuts.  When they closed down the showcase (Donuts were on a tray, and it was self serve) my hours changed from 3-11:30 to 5-1:30 pm.  The difference now though is,  I package a lot more donuts for the sales floor, and since COVID they have increased the types I package, they have also started a new type of showcase donut instead of on trays, I create assortments of 4 donuts and package and place in the showcase. While it sound easy, I get stifled with ideas on how to make assortments, I mean there are only so many combinations and of course there are rules, I cannot make anything which would resemble what is on the sales floor so I can't package 4 of one kind.  Doing this added another 20 packages of donuts to my day, over and above the normal 100 packages I do for the  floor.  Last week they came out with some "designer" donuts for me to make in packages of 2.  

First a chocolate peanut butter lovers.  A plain cake donut with fudge icing, peanut butter whipped icing, and topped off with a peanut butter cup.

Next is the chocolate lovers donut.  A chocolate cake donut with fudge icing, chocolate buttercream and white and dark chocolate curls. 

Finally is the kid's surprise donut which is a yeast donut with colored icing, sprinkles and a toy. 

What makes all of these so time consuming is that I have to fill pastry bags, and make colored icings.  I timed myself today, the 4 packages of kid's donuts took me 1/2 an hour to make 8 donuts because of mixing colors.  What I like though is that surprising to me, they sell out daily! I also like the decorating even though it is a huge time eater.  

As I was digging for toys to put on the kid's donuts I came across these farm animals and thought they were just too cute. 

I love the chicken it is so sweet!

But then the cow is truly swoon worthy.

But I think the happy little piggy is my favorite
 

While I was outside feeding my girl cat the other day this leaf landed on the table.  I thought the colors were fabulous!

While wandering the store (yes I really do work!) I spied this wine and had to take a picture of it.  I love the labels on some of the spirits.

I think they are always such great artwork.  

I saw this game and it made me chuckle.

Chickapig, but what is the best is the blurb which says--A game with chicken-pig hybrids, strategy and a pooping cow.  I may be getting a couple of these for Christmas gifts.  

Two more towels.  I thought the one with the dressed up pups was adorable.  Check out the ladybug!  

And the nerdy pumpkin with the tape on his glasses was too cute not to take a snap.

I thought this cake pan was fun.

 I don't know if I ever shared the story about one of the ladies I know that lives nearby.  She is a younger woman and always wanted to live on a farm.  When she married her husband bought a house and land, but he is a city boy through and through which is hilarious at times.  The downside is he travels a lot with work, likes to go to parties, golf, and she goes to farm auctions, takes care of her animals and kids. Enter the Americana chicks.  She called me panicking one day while I was at work. 

N:  Um, I went to an auction and kind of overbought.  

Me: How did you overbuy? 

N: Well you have been to an auction, and you know how it gets.  

Me:  I laughed, yeah I do which is why Jeff owned part of a windmill.  They sold it in 2 parts the tower and the head.  He bought the tower, no one even bid against him, but when it came to the head a lady kept bidding him up until he quit after she she made quite a huge bid.  When they were loading up after the auction he was loading up the tower and she came and got quite indignant, what are you doing?  Jeff showed her the bill of sale, and told her taking my windmill tower.  She argued that she had bought the windmill.  The auctioneer came over and explained that she was obviously not paying attention because the tower was purchased by Jeff, and she had purchased the head.  She had no idea what she bought.  She actually expected Jeff just to give her the tower.  By that time Jeff had became a little aggravated and told her he would sell her the tower for 3 X what he purchased it for just because of the headache she caused.  Well she went off in a snit with her head and I still own a windmill tower.....

N:  Well I purchased a bunch of chicks and DH already told me I bring one more animal home and X number of animals will have to leave.  There is just no more room.  

Me:  Can't you just kind of mix them in with the others?

N:  I kind of have already done that with some turkeys and ducks.  

Me:  You think he will notice the increase in the numbers sooner or later, and that they gobble and quack?

N:  Eventually....I can get away with a couple of chicks, but I bought a lot and didn't realize there was 30 in the lot.  My sister bought 20 from me, would you buy 5?  I think I can sneak in 5 unnoticed.  

Me:  Sure bring them by when I get off work.

Well she had 2nd thoughts and decided she wouldn't chance even the 5 so the 10 came to live at my house.  The kids took them and they lived in a water trough in their house until the chicks got feathers.  They are now residing in the brooder house with my 4 we hatched from the incubator.  The thing is they have crazy feather heads.  

These are just juveniles.  They have a ways to go until they are adults.  Juvenile chicks are not very cute. 

The Jerusalem Artichoke has taken off and exploded in a riot of yellow in the yard.  I really should dig all of these up and put them in the field.  They spread like crazy. 

What started out as a shovel width is about 10 feet x 20 feet now.  

With all my wandering at the store I had to add some Halloween decor to my house.  My choices?

A coaster.  While I love mug rugs, I drink a lot of water and the jar sweats and soaks through the mug rug.  So a coaster is the way to go for me. 

A coffee cup.  This one is huge and says something wicked this way comes.  I remember reading the book by Ray Bradbury when I was a kid. 

And a towel, I love the Calaveras and their bright colors.  

My book pick for the week is One Bad Apple by Sheila Connolly.  Meg Corey has moved to Granford, Massachusetts after being downsized out of her banking job.  Meg's mom comes up with the idea that Meg should move into the Warren house, a home that Meg's mother inherited from 2 spinster aunts in the 80's.  If Meg fixes it up and sells it she can have half the proceeds.  What Meg thinks is going to be a slap some paint on and get er' sold has turned into some major work.  Tearing out 80's decor, fixing some electrical, windows, a furnace that is limping along and a plumbing system that is backing up.  Meg calls the local plumber Seth Chapin, only to be told that she needs a new septic system.  While Seth works on that, Meg discovers an apple orchard on her property, and that a land development deal is endangering that orchard.  Imagine Meg's dismay at discovering her former boyfriend is the lead banker in the development deal, and somehow he ends up dead, in Meg's brand new septic tank! 

 

Thanks for reading through, now head over to LeeAnna's at Not Afraid of Color to see what the others have to share that they like/love for the week.

I Like Thursday #127

 Welcome to my 127th installment of I Like Thursday.  A group of bloggers, hosted by LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color challenge each other to come up with a group of things we like each week and share.  

I took a few moments to snap some pictures of the hand towels at work.  I love hand towels, you can change them out quickly as per your mood, the closest holiday, or just because, they are relatively inexpensive and in reality you should be changing out your hand towel in the kitchen daily.  I usually have 3-4 hanging around, not including those old fashioned flour sack type dishtowels.  So if you look it at that way I should have approximately 35 towels per week.  

We all know I love chickens.  Lately we have been having conversations about Roosters, my kids call then Roos....

Aqua with big sunflowers while this gorgeous guy struts the fence top. 

Or perhaps you prefer this gentleman with the floral arrangement with sunflowers, mums and something white.  Love the dark teal background.  

If chickens aren't to your liking how about some skulls?

Las Calaveras de az'ucar (sugar skulls) to celebrate Los Dios Muertos (The Day of the Dead).  

Or we could go more traditional with some skeletons.

Then for those faint of hear there is a sweet kitty in the pumpkin patch and a friendly owl. 

Nearby was a baking display with the prettiest pie carriers.

I don't go out often, mainly work, and home, but I had to run to the feed store and they had this awesome squirrel feeder.

You stick dried corn on the cob onto the screws for the squirrels to feed on.  

Girl cat meets me at the door, and if I am working on the pool, she is right there helping.  Right?  That is helping?  

I had a pot of Zinnias and they kind of died because of lack of a good watering one day when it was hot.  But look what is coming back.  Maybe in their more natural form.  

I have these tiny white flowers on bushes all over my yard, and field.  

I thought they kind of looked like Chamomile, but upon further research they are called Frost Asters.  They are tiny but there are so many, they do make you smile, even though they are a weed. 

I saw this selvage and thought it was pretty and a great saying. Where you tend a Rose, a Thistle cannot grow.  The fabric is from Harper's Garden by Moda. 

My books for the week were a little meh.

 

Strawberries and Creme' Murder by Susan Gillard.  Heather's former employee, who has stolen her recipes and opened a new gourmet donut shop across town has been murdered, and Heather is the number one suspect.  Being that I make donuts at work, I thought it would be a fun read.  It was an ok book, but I will say that it was a very quick read.  Would I read the next in the series?  Perhaps if I can get it from the library, but I probably wouldn't buy it.

 

Arsenic in the Azaleas by Dale Mayer was the 2nd book I read this past week.  Doreen Montgomery former socialite moves to live in her Nan's house.  She has been given everything, lock, stock and barrel including a huge cat, and an African' Gray Parrot named Thaddeus, and a body in the back garden. While Nan has moved into the nearby retirement home.  I tried to like this book, but there were some parts which felt like they were stating them way to many times, and I just couldn't conjure up much sympathy for Doreen, whose Barbie Doll life has ended because her husband has found a new younger model.  To add insult to injury the new younger model is Doreen's divorce attorney who has actually misrepresented her.  

Now head over to LeeAnna's at Not Afraid of Color to check out the other I Like Thursday posts. 

I Like Thursday #126

 Welcome to my 126th I Like Thursday post.  Thank you LeeAnna  of Not Afraid of Color, for encouraging us to find things that we like/love for the week and to share to help bring a little joy.  

I had 2 days off in a row and it was wonderful.  I enjoyed the time cleaning, sewing, and a little outside work.  It is hard to do outside work, the cooler temperatures make the bees crazy and they torment me almost constantly. 

I dug through my scraps of Bonnie and Camille and made this cute pillow top.

I am going to have to find a mono poly clear thread so that I can sew it down.  

I finally manage to get all the blocks made for the Flower Delivery quilt, some log cabin blocks, and the truck made.  Next is the applique'.  

I have several projects that need the applique' stitched down.  Guess it is time I buckle down.  

I bought a quilt kit from Intrepid Thread of Tilda's Tiny Farm Tractor Quilt.  The selvedge has chickens!  Isn't that too cute?

I saw these kisses called Monster Kisses.  They made me smile. 

I don't know if  you can see it, but my little hummingbird will actually slow down, and sit on the shepherd's hook where the hummingbird feeder sits near where I sit.  

I saw this pattern and had to have it.  Who can resist squirrels, pumpkins and acorns?  

My book selections this week had a theme.  

Summer Hours at the Robbers Library by Sue Halpern.  

This is one of those books with many different stories which come together.  

The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick.  Martha Storm works at the local library, and imagine her surprise when she discovers a book left on the library stoop which has a hand written dedication to her, signed by her grandmother, 3 years after her death.  

The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson.  Many other I Like Thursday bloggers have read this book, so I decided it was time for me to read it. 

I read this book also which I found very interesting.  The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia.

I will say that it is a long read, but I felt well worth it.  

Now head over to LeeAnna's at Not Afraid of Color to check out the other I Like Thursday posts. 

I Like Thursday #125

 I made it to my 125th post for I Like/Thankful Thursday, and I remembered that it is Wednesday so I can write a post.    Thanks to LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color for encouraging us to share things we have found during the week that we like/love.  

During the long quarantine Finn has decided that clothes were no longer necessary.  I think in the past several months I have seen Finn actually wear actual clothes maybe a handful of times.  Most of the time he just sports underwear. Lucky for us we live in the country on a farm.   In fact he refuses to go anywhere because it would mean he has to get dressed.  🙄sigh!  School started Tuesday, but with the COVID numbers still climbing my daughter has opted for online learning for the kids.  This means Zoom learning for all 4 kids.  I joke that this will now be Finn.

I bought a cake for the kids to celebrate the fact that Finn must now wear clothes.  

At home learning looks like this for them.  Depending on what class, the kids flow from room to room, or to the garage, the porch, the Girl's she shed which was her birthday gift request, probably eventually my house too. 

School starts at about 7:30 and goes until about 3:00.  They are expected to interact, answer questions, Xander was pointedly told by a couple teachers no doodling.  LOL  

About 10 am their first day I received a text at work.  "We are experiencing 1st day of school pain, please bring home something yummy!" I obliged by bringing them home a package of Oreo's, the Halloween type.  

What is to like you wonder?  I like the options for the kids for remote learning.  I like how resilient they are and how they just learn to adapt to the changes yet still thrive!

I saw these at the store and they made me laugh.  Of course the most disgusting kid needed a box!

I never did ask Finn what they tasted like. 

I love wandering down the pet aisle at work.  Look a new costume.  I wonder what Bobbin would like like as a triceratops?

We joked that we could have Jurassic Park.  The kittens would be Compys, the chickens raptors, and the bigger cats would be T-Rex....sure to terrorize the mousie and other rodent populations.   

I made a purchase from Patchwork Plus and received this cute little charm along with my purchase. 

Looking at the tag if you buy at least $50 worth product from them each month you would receive a new charm.  

I liked this card I saw recently.

I thought it was so very appropriate for our current time.  Find things to be thankful every day.

A friend recently shared this quilt from Reddit.  Go check it out!  It is gorgeous.  

https://www.reddit.com/r/sewing/comments/inge9j/i_make_seaglass_art_quilts_using_leftover_fabric/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

I had a great week of books.  

Death in the English Countryside by Sara Rosett.  

Kate Sharp is sent to Woodsmoor to search for her boss who has disappeared scouting locations for a new Pride and Prejudice movie.  Kate meets Alex, the local location scout and they stumble upon her bosses rental car in a nearby river.  Who would have thought all the locals vying for their home/land to be used as the location could be murder?  

Dog Catcher in the Rye by Ellen Riggs.  

Ivy Galloway has returned to her hometown and acquired an animal sanctuary farm. With a handful of interesting animals and her rescue Border Collie Keats, Ivy is preparing to open an Inn until the local dogcatcher, who has recently been harassing Ivy about Keats, and her miscreant animals is found dead in Ivy's Rye field.  Jilly Ivy's best friend joins her, and who should the local sheriff be but Ivy's old flame from high school.  Ivy has  great set of supporting characters in friends, family and locals.

Dark Side of the Moo the 2nd book in the Bought The Farm Series by Ellen Riggs.  

Ivy has opened her farm and Inn to a group of her former colleagues from Flordale Corporation, they have arrived for a team building retreat.  When Ivy's former boss is found dead in her cow paddock, the boss that so unceremoniously fired her with a less than stellar buyout after 10 years of her building up the company, guess who is the number one suspect other than the heifers?  

On the downside keep Oregon, Washington, California and the west in our prayers with the terrible fires raging.  My brother had to evacuate his house outside of Portland this evening. My oldest daughter is at a level 2 and sitting ready with their Go Bags.  Her husband has been stuck at work keeping the water treatment plants running for the past 72 hours.  My extended family have lost homes in Northern California, two of the reservations have been evacuated and I am waiting to hear from someone about the state of my family cemetery where Jeff is buried.  

Now head over to LeeAnna's at Not Afraid of Color  and check out the other I like Thursday posts.