Day 275 of 2023

As I was searching this cookbook for an idea for dinner tomorrow, 

I came across this picture and it reminded me

 that I have been thinking about BLTs lately, 

and although that is not what is pictured here, 

I think I can make it work.

 

Day 274 of 2023

Looking up downtown.

 

Day 273 of 2023

I am inspired today. 

With birthday certificates to use before the end of the month, 

we visited several stores today 

and enjoyed looking at all the seasonal displays. 

I am always inspired by cute little houses and villages.

 

Day 272 of 2023

Fall sunset.

 

Day 271 of 2023

 

Do you remember the scene from Fiddler on the Roof 

when the the whole family is so excited to come see "the new arrival"? 

You expect it to be a baby but it turns out to be a sewing machine? 

This reminds me of that. 

Meet our new arrival. 

Our former refrigerator was purchased when we remodeled our kitchen

 twenty-three years ago. 

We've been waiting for this delivery for a month

 and could not be more excited.

 

Day 270 of 2023

I'm still working my way around the kitchen

 cleaning outsides, insides and contents of each cabinet. 

Today I finished this ten foot bank of floor to ceiling cabinets

 containing the dishes and pantry.

 

Day 269 of 2023

This rainbow made my day. 

Thanks to Fireball for pointing it out as usual. 

Day 268 of 2023

Sometimes I can't read the very fine print. 

I suppose I should have a magnifying glass on hand, 

but I don't, 

so I usually take a picture with my phone and then zoom in. 

Problem solved. 

The tiny print here to the right of the bar code in this photo

 has the issue number which I needed to know.

 

Day 267 of 2023

GB#2 is a climber.

 

Day 266 of 2023

Two beaters and one spatula

 make easy work of letting all three girls

 help with taste testing the buttercream.

 

Day 265 of 2023

I've been emptying and cleaning every cabinet in the kitchen this week. 

Yesterday I came to the shelf that holds the most used vases. 

I washed them all and will decide which are worthy of space in the kitchen 

once they are fully dry.

 

Day 264 of 2023

I've never ordered live plants online before, but here they are. 

They arrived two days early.

I opened them up and gave them a drink as instructed. 

They will go into the ground tomorrow or Saturday.

 

Day 263 of 2023

We're finally getting this cross stitch picture

 Little E made for Fireball in 2020 framed. 

It should be ready in time for Halloween, 

although I suspect it will become a permanent fixture 

on a wall in his home office.

 

Day 262 of 2023

I'm enjoying all the neighborhood gardens

 before they disappear until spring. 

I love the circle of tiny flowers in the center of this flower.

 

Day 261 of 2023

 

My new glasses and I were at the retina specialist's office again today. 

The new glasses helped one eye tremendously with the chart 

but did nothing for the other. 

Chart reading was harder than it's been for a long time. 

Treatment was necessary. 

Recovery was easier than usual though, so that's definitely a perk. 

Thank you to those of you who have shared your stories

 about similar issues with your eyes or those of a loved one. 

I appreciate your insight and support.

 

Day 260 of 2023

The hostas in the front yard got their transplants done today, 

and just as I got finished, 

a heavy rain shower took place. 

How timely was that?

 

Day 259 of 2023

Yard work.

The new transplants need some water. 

Tomorrow I'll divide some different hostas to fill the spaces these vacated. 

It's a long story, but it should work out better for all the plants.

 

Day 258 of 2023

I am making good progress on this project. 

 

Day 257 of 2023

It has begun.

 

Day 256 of 2023

It looked like rain to the north of us today, 

but then it started sprinkling, 

and I thought we would surely get it too, but it was not to be. 

The sprinkle stopped and I still had to water my flowers.

 

Day 255 of 2023

The day has come. 

My sunflowers cannot make it another day. 

I did salvage one little bloom that emerged from one of the buds 

and two other buds that have not opened. 

I put them in two of my tiny vases. 

I'm not sure they'll open, but I'm willing to wait and see.

 

Day 254 of 2023

It's looking more like fall on the walk to the grocery store.

 

Day 253 of 2023

What I hoped to focus on in this photo

 is the one thing that is not in focus. 

These little parachutes carrying t-shirts never deploy properly

 so they are plummeting at great speed as usual.

 

Day 252 of 2023

GB#3 learns how to make a bowl on a potter's wheel.

 

Day 251 of 2023

Today Fireball and I went downtown 

for a fabulous Kickoff Concert for my birthday. 

Our first regular season football game is Sunday.

 

Day 250 of 2023

Playtime

 

Day 249 of 2023

I leave my drinks on this counter 

when I work in an upstairs room that would not handle spills well. 

Evidently today I needed to color coordinate.

 

Day 248 of 2023

The sunflowers from Saturday are still looking wonderful

 and filling me with so much joy.

 

Day 247 of 2023

While sitting at the top of the stairs, 

taking a break from furniture rearrangement, 

I noticed several rainbows had come inside 

along with the dappled sunlight. 

This was one of my favorites.

 

Day 246 of 2023

My knitting has been sporadic lately, 

but after I accidentally knit an extra inch of the ribbing, 

I have now arrived at a quick and easy part of this project. 

 

Day 245 of 2023

We went to a sunflower festival today. 

The lesson we learned today is that if you look long enough, 

the very unusual varieties (not pictured) can be found.

 

Day 244 of 2023

I think it's been a while since the ginkgo made an appearance here 

and it was such a beautiful afternoon

 I figured today would make a great day for it.

Where am I? from this post was indeed taken inside the car wash. 

I love the designs that the colors and bubbles make.

 

Day 243 of 2023

I've made a little mitten repair today. 

It's a little rough but it will do.

 I'm hoping I can improve on the second mitten tomorrow.

 

Day 242 of 2023

This is the second time I've been here this week. 

Where am I?

 

Day 241 of 2023

I was able to get a quick appointment at the eye doctor. 

This reminded me of one of the first blog pictures I ever took. 

Take a look.

 

Day 240 of 2023

I'm still enjoying the snapdragons I received from T-bone on Mother's Day. 

I walk by them every day to the car or mail box.

 

Day 239 of 2023

T-bone took GB#2 and GB#4 to see the Barbie movie today. 

I think they liked it. 

Sidewalk artwork by GB#2.

 

Day 238 of 2023

GB#2 asked me if I would braid her hair tonight.

 Of course, I said yes and did the best I could. 

I lost track of her part at the bottom, but otherwise it didn't turn out too bad 

considering the length of time it has been since I've done French braids 

on someone other than myself. 

It's really a whole different thing.

 

Day 237 of 2023

When putting in a new bed, it's usually a good idea to vacuum the floor

 where the old bed once stood. 

I was doing just that today when I made the move to work on the next side

 and smacked my face into this leg that was sticking out. 

Luckily (?) my glasses took the brunt of the smack. 

My face is fine but my glasses are now taped,

 and I will have to call next week

 to get an appointment with the optometrist.

 

Day 236 of 2023

My one job for the day - disassemble this daybed. 

Done.

 

Day 235 of 2023

I have more than a couple striped shirts. 

A few of them are getting pretty ratty and need to be replaced. 

The other day while thrifting, I found a "new to me" striped shirt. 

As always it went directly into the wash. 

Today I decided to wear that shirt but couldn't find it. 

It was not hanging up to dry 

and I couldn't find it in my drawer of folded shirts. 

I went upstairs and downstairs more times than I can count 

checking and rechecking all the usual and not so usual places for the shirt, 

but the shirt was not to be found. 

Finally, I found the shirt on the left, not the one I was looking for, 

in one of the unusual places and realized it was not in the drawer

 as I had originally thought. 

The folded shirt on the right is the one I thought was the one on the left, 

but was actually the one I was looking for all along. 

It was right there in the drawer, folded, where it belongs.

 

Day 234 of 2023

This can only mean one thing. 

We hired someone to cut up the rest of the tree that fell in April 2020. 

We had some other trees trimmed while he was here also. 

What a difference it has made to the yard.

 

Day 233 of 2023

I'm going to try this dresser from the Old House in the guest room, 

replacing the desk and hutch that are currently between the two beds. 

I hope it works.

 

Day 232 of 2023

RH Indianapolis: High-end home furnishings retailer 

(formerly Restoration Hardware)

I don't get out much and I just realized that Restoration Hardware 

has moved from inside the upscale mall

 to the former location of Bed Bath and Beyond, 

which is in a strip shopping center right across the street. 

This is the second store with the same description

 to have done or will be doing this. 

In another nearby shopping center a new West Elm is being built. 

I imagine the current one, which is in the same mall that RH vacated,

 will be moving when its new location is ready. 

I wonder if this is a trend with this type of store.

 

Day 231 of 2023

Today was the first day back downtown for a football game since last season. 

The view out the open window was gorgeous.

 

Day 230 of 2023

Another bargain makes its debut today. 

The placement of this tiny basket may change, 

but for now it will live on the hook on the chalk board.

 

Day 229 of 2023

This evening I'm wearing a pair of super soft pajama pants 

and doing the daily word search puzzle. 

I know it's only August but I am really ready for summer to be over. 

It's not my favorite season as I am too sensitive to heat, sunburn 

and mosquito bites, 

all three of which make me miserable. 

Bring on sweater weather.

 

Day 228 of 2023

After my semi-annual dentist appointments I usually stop at the Goodwill store 

that sits just a couple blocks away. 

I found a few goodies today but this is one of my favorites. 

Well, they are all my favorites, but this is the one I'm showing you today. 

The container said "80 piece set" but being a donation, 

I knew it would not be a complete set. 

When I opened it up at home I found that it was missing all the train cars

 and motor vehicles (we have plenty of these already), 

one green shrub, half of the train station's roof, one person, two traffic signs 

and only two actual train tracks. 

I'm calling this a huge win and quite a bargain for only $5.

 

Day 227 of 2023

The late summer hostas have decided to join the  party.

 

Day 226 of 2023

My weekly planning page tells me 

it's almost that time.