Day 214 of 2026

I made tacos tonight

 and found I needed to start the most basic of grocery lists.

 

Day 194 of 2026

My main accomplishment for the day 

was assembling these four chairs. 

I am sure to have some sore hands tomorrow

 as some of the bolts were extremely stubborn. 

I was determined to get them done today though, 

so I did not have to begin the process again tomorrow.

 

Day 170 of 2026

I'm making some pudding to keep in the fridge for emergencies.

 

Day 149 of 2026

I made a copy of a favorite salad 

from a restaurant we sometimes go to. 

It was really good 

and definitely needs to be on the menu again soon.

 

Day 145 of 2026

This is one of the two fruit boards my DIL and I collaborated on 

for our Memorial Day and Indy 500 family gathering. 

They were a big hit.

 

Day 109 of 2026

Today we ate the last of the Easter eggs.

 

Day 62 of 2026

Last night we used the shells for chicken tacos. 

Tonight we are putting the chicken on salads 

with taco toppings. 

 

Day 61 of 2026

Eight taco shells nest nicely in a full circle

 but four is trickier. 

To avoid letting the last shell collapse

 making it nearly impossible to fill, 

I've arranged these like a Girl Scout friendship knot 

or cardboard box flaps.

The configuration was successful.

 

Day 44 of 2026

I'm steeping my evening tea in one of my Valentine mugs.

 

Day 40 of 2026

White popcorn in my blue bowl.

I also fixed my Crock-Pot lid with a new handle 

which makes it better than new, 

but that picture wasn't as colorful as this one.

 

Day 33 of 2026

Oops! 

I was just trying to put my crock pot away 

and the lid handle shattered. 

Now I am charged with research and phone calls 

to see what my replacement options are. 

Hopefully it will involve a new handle, 

but I suspect a new lid might be my only option.

 

Day 22 of 2026

My candy canes from Christmas are almost gone

 so I am savoring my peppermint hot chocolates while I can.

 

Day 20 of 2026

I have changed the dishes. 

I've skipped right by my preferred winter colors

 to make sure I didn't get busy or distracted

 and forget to change them for Valentine's Day. 

Colors used: 

Peony, Flamingo, Linen, Sky, Scarlet, White

 

Day 6 of 2026

I can always count on my trusty Betty Crocker's Cookbook

 (©1969, 1974 reprint) to quickly give me the right proportions 

for the medium white sauce for tonight's casserole. 

Oh, in case you needed to know, 

Cheez-it crackers now come in a gluten free version in the US. 

Yes, they are also in my casserole.

 

Day 363 of 2025

I'm not great at just winging it when I make food, 

but tonight I took one leftover soup, 

another leftover from Big Christmas 

and two new ingredients to make a new soup. 

It turned out pretty well. 

Fireball intends to take the leftovers to work for lunch.

 

Day 345 of 2025

While I had all the dishes out the china cabinet

 to move furniture around, 

it seemed like a good time to change the dishes. 

Even though we will be hosting a crowd in a couple weeks, 

this seems like way too many dishes to be out at once. 

I may put a few of them away until they are absolutely necessary.

 

Day 344 of 2025

This is what you find when you move the china cabinet

 that has been in the same place for a million years.

 

Day 330 of 2025

The new light has been successfully installed. 

It feels kind of magical.

 

Day 329 of 2025

Fireball and I are replacing the light in our kitchen 

which will no longer include the formal dining room. 

As is common with this type of project, 

we ran into a snag and had to wait another day to get it finished. 

I can't tell you how many times

 I tried to turn this (nonexistent) light on today.

 

Day 323 of 2025

We have talked over the years about changing our living room

 into our dining room. 

When we have a crowd and the table is extended all the way, 

it is very crowded. 

Some guests cannot move once seated

 and need to ask for help getting needed items. 

Well, we've decided this year it's really going to happen. 

Last week I did the big furniture swap involving four rooms. 

This is now our much smaller, very cozy, 

everyday eating area in the kitchen.