Often when I'm driving in my neighborhood, I've been eying up the flowers and foliage.  So yesterday morningon my way out running errands I stopped and snapped a couple of shots.

Then it started to rain.  I opened my patio door (minus the patio) and snapped a few more shots.  

The colors are starting to change on the tree by the Duplex.  

It wasn't raining quite hard enough to get any great shots of the rain drops on the patio table.  But, you can see the water sitting and a couple of drops.

I'm off to enjoy my day.  It's 30 years for us today.  I'm not sure what's on the agenda.  But, you all have a wonderful day.

Judy 

For lunch after Church yesterday I made what I thought was a new dish.  Only to find out that I had made it before.  I kept telling my family "I know I've made this".  They kept telling me "no you haven't".  So I checked the Recipe Box in my categories, and low and behold there it was.  October 9, 2007 was when I made this exact same dish.  They liked it then, and they liked it yesterday.

Over the weekend we bought Sadie a new bed.  So, off we went to PetSmart.  We were too funny, Jim and I.  Do you know it took us a lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng time to pick out a dog bed.  You wouldn't think listening to us that Sadie was a DOG.   Only, you know she is because we were in a dog store.  But, she is our baby after all, and we want her to be comfortable.  Sadie sleeps in her crate, she loves it.  To her that's her home.  I don't want to get rid of it quite yet.  We do crate her when we have company.  Some of the grandchildren are not yet used to her.

It's Monday, and a new week.  I've been knitting some more and can't wait to make a new pattern that I've had for a while now.  It's going to be sooooooo cute.

Well the day must start for me.

You all have a beautiful Monday.

Judy

I re-did our downstairs bathroom.  I'm not totally finished with it yet, so no pictures yet.  I have to either get a new vanity or redo the old one.  I might try to redo the old one into something like I did with this shelf.  Sorry, I didn't take a before picture of what the shelf looked like before I started, the bare wood.

I found this kit at Michaels.

I started out with the base coat. 

After it dried, I sanded it all down in preparation for the top coat.

After painting the top coat on I had to wipe it off right away, and not let it dry.

This was how it looked as I was still wiping the top coat off.

Now, I'm always too critical of what I make.  But, I think it turned out pretty nice.  I even found a few things at the re-sale shop to put on my shelf.  I'll only show you one item as the other item is sitting on a cabinet that I found.  That's for another post.

This cup I have been eying up.  After doing the self I thought of this rose cup to put on the self.  Whew, it was still there when I went to go back to get it.  

There she is.  I'm not sure yet what to put in the vase.  I thought it would look good up there too.  I have no window in this bathroom, so my pictures won't come out the greatest.

I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday.

Judy

I hope you don't mind.  I have been thinking about changing my URL address.  But, it seems like it's going to be more of a headache than I thought.  So I'll still stick with midlifebliss.tyeppad.com, only now my blog's name is "daily yarns n' more".  I just may make the switch only if I can figure it out, and too if I really want to pay for a domain name.  I'm not sure I want to do that just yet. 

For now, WELCOME to "daily yarns n' more".

Judy

My shop The Sewing Corner.   

As you can see, I've cleaned up my blog a bit.  It was getting a bit cluttered up.  I rearranged things around (sorry) and took things out or moved things to a different spot.  I took the photos from my side bar and added them to a new photo album.  I'm thinking of changing my layout too, but I haven't quite gotten to that yet.

I did some knitting yesterday and I can't wait to show you.  I ran yesterday not to the fabric store but to a cute yarn shop that a lady has in her home in a neighboring town.  The sad thing is her house is for sale :(  She plans to sell and move to Oregon.  She has some really fine fibers.  I'll be sad to see her go.

I have wanted to post this picture but totally forgot.  The weekend of the wedding it rained and rained and rained.  I looked out our patio door and in the tree I spied at least 6 birds sitting there.  But, by the time I got my camera there were only 2 left.  It looked like they were trying to get out of the rain.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Hugs to you all,

Judy 

Yesterday morning while letting Sadie out.  I spied a cobweb and it's occupant.  It wasn't the prettiest looking thing, but I thought it would be a great picture.

When I tried to get a closer shot, it would curl up, almost like it was trying to hide.  I think it knew I was there.

Then I spied these guys.  Please ignore the cobwebs and such.  I don't climb up to the outside eaves of my house to dust :0  I couldn't believe how many wasps were up there.  It was a cool night and they all were home, so right away I got Jim who got out the wasp spray.  I haven't checked yet this morning to see if they are gone.

Well, I tried sewing again.  After doing some cleaning up in my sewing room I went looking for something to sew. 

Yeah! Right?

NO!

What a joke. 

It took me all day to,

find a pattern that I wanted to sew,

to find some fabric, 

trace the pattern,

cut out the pattern,

cut out the pattern on the fabric,

found out that what I thought would work didn't,

so..................

I had to find some more fabric,

I cut out the fabric,

only to find out that I didn't have enough bias tape to finish off what I was making,

only to realize that,

I didn't have the right color thread to even start.

Whew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I guess taking the summer off from sewing was NOT a good idea.  I have totally lost track of what I have and don't have in my sewing room.  But, I have to say this.  It felt GOOD to ALMOST sew again. :)

So, today I'm going to head to the fabric store after I do a bit of office work.

I hope you all have a wonderful day today.

Hugs,

Judy 

I went looking yesterday for a new meat loaf recipe.  I was looking for something different from the recipe I always use.  I went on the Food Network website and found this recipe for meat loaf.  Looking through all the meat loaf recipes and seeing that this one was a Paula Deen one. I just knew it would be good.  I have tried a few of her recipes and everyone so far is great and easy to make.  They look hard, as the photos in her cookbooks and magazines are so beautiful, you get to thinking that there is no way you could make that.  But, you can.  Mine doesn't look like her picture, but I bet it tastes the same :)

eta: everyone loved the meat loaf.

I also found Paula Deen's holiday baking issue.  Looking through it yesterday, I already have a few recipes in mind that I plan on making in the near future.  When I do I will post them.

I did make a cake, it's called 14 Carrot Cake.  I got the recipe from Kathi over at Feathering My Nest.  I just love her blog and I visit her everyday.

This is the best carrot cake I have ever eaten, and it's not because I made it either.  The recipe is out of this world.

Once I started eating a piece I couldn't stop.  

The last bite....  

Sorry, I just had to tease you.  I'm telling you, I love carrot cake.  I used to think that this place had the best carrot cake.  But, not anymore.

Yesterday I babysat for our two granddaughters.  Cassidy had to go to pre-school, so I packed both her and Hannah up in the minivan and off we went.  I forgot what that was like, it's been a long time since I've buckled a child up in a car seat.

Cassidy is all smiles after having a fun day at pre-school.

Having lunch, peanut butter and jelly, yogurt and apple cider....yum!

Don't you just love happy smiles?  Smiles are contagious.

Life here in our house is starting to settle down.  The fall weather still hasn't really kicked in yet.  Yesterday was pretty warm and I felt pretty drained, and I don't think it was from the grandchildren either.

Lauren has officially started to learn how to drive.  She has driven 3 times since getting her permit and last night Jim took her driving before her drivers class.  Lauren can take Drivers Ed in school but for the last 3 years kids we have enrolled them in a private school.  I think they learn so much more and I learn so much more.  Now, new drivers have to have 50 hours of driving time with 10 of those hours being night driving.  They also need to have their permit for 9 months before they can get their drivers license.  I think it's a good idea, make the kids drive a bit before letting them go by themselves.

I'm off to start my day.

You all have a wonderful one.

Judy 

I have to show you my Halloween "Welcome" sign.

My dad gave me this sign a few years ago.  I forgot about hanging it up last year, and I told myself that I would not forget this year.  I almost did, but then I remembered.  I think it is so cute.  I think it's old and knowing my dad, it is.

I hung it over the chair on my front porch.  I still don't know what to do with my side porch.  Sadie has taken and chewed up everything that I put there.  Maybe I need to find another bench.  She seems to not bother anything that is up on something.

This is Sadie helping Jim shuck the corn the other day.  Anything we do she has to get her nose right in there.

You all have a wonderful day today.

Judy