18 Comments

A Gift Guide Just For You

  By Maria Zannini • November 2, 2016

 

gift-guides

Who says you can’t give yourself a present once in a while? It doesn’t have to be for Christmas, but I’ve found the best deals can usually be found around this time of year.

While I’m the worst for buying myself anything, I’ve gotten better at pampering myself–especially if I can get it on sale.

I’ve found it’s easier just to let Greg choose for himself and the same goes for me. He wouldn’t have a clue which oil paint I need, or what kind of pressure cooker I wanted.

Gifts for yourself can be anything from a tool to a new sweater. They’re the things you want, but feel too guilty to buy for yourself. Give yourself permission to splurge once in a while. It’s a lesson I learned too late in life, but I’m making up for it now.

Here are some kick-starter ideas.

• Blood pressure machine  Weird? Not really. It could save your life.
• Elite Pressure Cooker  Faithful readers already know I love this machine. Good price for it now too!
• Keurig Coffeemaker  I’m not a coffee drinker, but I’ve bought this twice for the people I love. I am now their favorite person. 🙂
• Apple iPad Air 2  I probably shouldn’t be listing this since Greg has been hinting that his needs to be replaced soon. But if you’re an Apple fan, these are great. I steal Greg’s every chance I get.
• Downton Abbey, how do I love thee? Best damn series ever.

• Gaiam Ball Chair  It doesn’t look like much, but I swear by this if you have nerve or back pain. It’s the only chair I use.
• Simon  I’m not much of a toy person, but I love this game. Good for strengthening your memory too.
• Wireless Security Camera  Easy to set up and gives a lot of peace of mind. We use it to watch the dogs while we’re gone, but it’s also a baby monitor. Includes night vision, motion alert, and two-way audio.
• Weather Station  This is one of those things that gardeners and outdoorsy people can’t live without. I can get more precise information on how to protect my garden and animals than what I get from the weather service.

• Jawa Candy & Card Holder  I have to admit, I was thinking of Sandra Ulbrich Almazan when I saw this. I thought it was adorable.
• Roomba 880  I still love my Roomba. I have not gone back to my old vacuum since. It was the perfect gift to myself.
• Rtic Tumbler  I recommended this to a friend recently. It keeps liquids cold or hot for a very long time and best of all, no condensation.
• Z Zoned Memory Foam Pillow  One of the best things I ever bought for myself. I sleep so much better now.
• White Noise Machine  I am very tempted to get this. It’s had rave reviews. Even with the better bed (and pillow) falling asleep is still hard for me.

• Fitbit  These Fitbits seem to be all the rage. I was shocked at the great reviews and the sheer number of reviews. Maybe I should give this a second look.
• Doctor Who Sonic Screwdriver  If you don’t know what this is, you’re not embracing your inner geek. I happened to be married to a diehard fan. This is one of the things I bought him. Silly, but hey, you only live once.
• Godiva Chocolates  If you’re going to have chocolate, go for the good stuff.
• Business Card Holder  Très chic, y’all.
• Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial  If you haven’t tried the free trial, do it over the holidays. We actually use it a lot more than I thought we would.

 

 

So eat the last doughnut, get a massage, and buy yourself something nice. From experience, this is the best time to buy most items. Sometimes there are windows when something drops down even further, but you can at least feel assured that retailers will do most anything to get your business.

Attention Authors: On Thursday, December 1st I want to showcase authors (especially indie authors). If you have a book on Amazon, send me the link and genre, and I will include you in a post dedicated to books as gifts. One book per author please. All genres welcome, but no overtly sexy stuff.

If you know me, use my private email address, if you don’t, email me through my contact page. Be sure to put ‘Christmas’ in the subject line and tell me if you’d like to showcase a paperback or the ebook. Feel free to share this post with your author friends too.

 

 

See my other Gift Guides.

 

23 Comments

Accidents, Laziness, Healthy Eating, and Garage Sales

  By Maria Zannini • October 31, 2016 ,

painting1Saturday night as I was frying something, grease splattered and hit me in the face. I have several burns on my face and arm now. It still smarts!

I did what I could, cooling the burns right away then dabbing the welts with burn ointment. The older I get the more I realize every scar is a testament to me surviving another accident. Ha! I’m a mess.

I’ve been thinking of my health (and Greg’s health) a lot lately. My chronic nerve pain is back due to my own laziness. I simply don’t stretch enough or as deeply as when I attended yoga faithfully. Why is it something has to smack me before I’m willing to fix the problem?

I spent years trying to find a treatment for this chronic pain. I finally found the answer in yoga and as soon as I stopped going, I went back to my old ways. There’s always a good reason. Too busy. Too tired. Too absorbed in something else. It takes serious pain to knock the sense back in.

Last week, Greg and I watched Hungry For Change. It’s free to watch if you have Amazon Prime. The beginning was a little tedious because they kept repeating sound bites but it got better as it went along. What I took away from it was that the way to healthier eating is to eat whole foods.

Processed foods are the killers and we’re surrounded by them in things we simply take for granted. Although we eat more whole foods now that I cook from scratch, we could do better. That’s one reason I decided to include more fish in my weekly menus.

We had talked about getting a juicer but I’m at a loss on which is the right one to buy. The good ones are kind of expensive, and I’m still not sure if I’ll be good about juicing.

Yes, I’ll admit, juicing is way healthier and a more concentrated form of nutrients, but will I like it? Other than V-8 juice and fruit juice, I’ve never really juiced. It sounds like it will be a lot of trial and error until I find the right combination of veggies and fruits that I’ll like. (I’m sure Greg will be easier to please than me.)

Can anyone shed their experience? Have you ever juiced? Can you recommend a dependable juicer? I kind of like the Breville JE98XL juicer. It seems to have some excellent reviews anyway.

I’ve heard  a lot about the Magic Bullet NutriBullet. It’s cheaper, but it has a much smaller motor so I worry about how long it would last.

From the research I’ve done, you want something with a powerful motor that will masticate the fruits and vegetables slower so it can juice more thoroughly.

I keep hoping I’d find one at a garage sale, but nothing yet. Despite being an avid garage saler, it seems remarkable I’ve yet to find one.

Speaking of garage sales, I hit upon a good one for artwork. They’re reproductions, but I found three oil paintings with great ornate frames. I’m still looking for more landscapes, but those are usually priced dear. Good paintings are few and far between.

painting-trio

I’ve had the good fortune to decorate nearly my whole house with garage sale finds. I’m willing to bet I haven’t even spent $100 on all the art in my house. Off the top of my head that’s for a dozen paintings that are hanging right now, four I’ve grown tired of, and another dozen pieces of sculpture and ceramics.

I’m patient when it comes to decorating. I only buy stuff I truly love–and then only if it’s cheap. I’ve only ever spent serious money on two dog figurines, but they were exceptional.

Thoughts on juicers or healthier eating? Do you ever go to garage sales? What kind of stuff do you look for?

7 Comments

This Week’s Menu, October 30, 2016

  By Maria Zannini • October 30, 2016

Modern studio background, sepia look

Menu for the week of October 30, 2016

Sunday
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Sausage on a roll
Dinner: Lobster Tails

Monday
Breakfast: Homemade egg McMuffin
Lunch: Grilled veggies on pita
Dinner:  Pork fajitas

Tuesday
Breakfast: Bacon and eggs
Lunch: Pork stir fry
Dinner: Fish with sauteed spinach

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Cheese quesadilla
Lunch: Ravioli
Dinner: Baked chicken

Thursday
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Mushroom soup
Dinner: Angel hair pasta with grilled shrimp

Friday
Breakfast: Breakfast kolaches
Lunch: Tuna salad sandwiches
Dinner: Baked salmon

Saturday
Breakfast: Breakfast out since we’ll be hitting garage sales this week
Lunch: Orzo Salad
Dinner:  Rib eye steak

We’re having a special treat this week. A grocery store near us had a grand opening. One of the things on sale were lobster tails. We haven’t had lobster in years, so I’m looking forward to it tonight.

I’ve decided to increase our fish consumption to twice a week. Fish is a little inconvenient to get where we live. We can get salmon and trout, but few other fishes.

Not long ago there was a study that says you can’t even trust grocery stores to sell you a specific type of fish. Once they’re filleted you can’t always tell what kind of fish it was without a DNA test. That’s why I prefer to buy the whole fish.

There’s a Korean grocery store about an hour away with a vast fish variety that are sold whole. I was thinking we might make a pilgrimage every couple of months and stock up on fish.

I like pan-fried and baked fish, but I’m not keen on breaded, deep fried fish. How do you like to eat your fish? Do you eat fish often?

14 Comments

Gift Guide for the Animal Lover

  By Maria Zannini • October 26, 2016 ,

 

gift-guides This week let’s talk about the pet lovers in your life. This gift guide is near and dear to me because I love animal-related gifts.

I try not to buy too many chochkies for my friends because like any decor, it’s very personal. My tastes might not coincide with how they decorate their home, so I go easy on decorative items, but I found lots of other ideas.

• Christmas ornament
• Dog shaped cookie cutter
• Socks! I love getting designer socks. The quirkier, the better.
• Cat Socks
• Cat Butt Magnets. Yes, cat butts.
• Coloring Book.
• Don’t forget to include the gel crayons.
• Leash rack with dog butts.
• Leash rack with dog silhouette.
• Lassie movie collection. Love the one with Roddy McDowell and Elizabeth Taylor!
• Dog Pillow Sham
• Cat Pillow Sham
• UV Flashlight. Great for finding pet stains, scorpions, and dribbles left behind by little boys.
• Pit Bull Cup.  Other breeds available. I love Dean Russo’s art.
• Cat Cup. Design also by Dean Russo
• Door Mat: Dog
• Door Mat: Cat
• Sleeping Pants
• Sleeping Shirt. Yup. That’s my shirt.
• Dog Tarot Cards. I can’t make this up!
• Pet Tote Bags. Over 200 Different Breeds.
• Kitchen Towel. These are a hoot!
• Kitten Door Stop. I think it would make a good paperweight too.
• Cats Welcome
• Chicken Soup for the Dog and Cat Lover’s Soul
• It’s Raining Cats and Dogs: Paper-Pieced Quilts
• The Crazy Cat Lover’s Handbook
• Mark Twain for Cat Lovers (I never knew Twain was such a cat lover.)
• How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You
• The Silence of the Library (I love this cover too)

I’d like a couple of these things myself.


 

 

Finally…

A dear friend gave me this frame when my Tanky passed away two years ago. Although it’s not a Christmas gift per se, if you know someone who’s lost someone precious to them around the holidays, you can’t go wrong giving them this.

Not a day goes by that this frame doesn’t make me smile. It’s one of my most favorite gifts.tank-frame

 

If you’re an animal lover, what kind of gifts would you like?


18 Comments

State Fair of Texas, 2016

  By Maria Zannini • October 24, 2016 ,

 

fair27

Big Tex

We came. We saw. We ate our way through the Fair.

The State Fair of Texas is tremendously huge. It spans 277 acres and we spent five hours going from one end to the other. We used to attend the smaller South Texas State Fair when we lived in east Texas. In many ways I liked it better. It was smaller, but that made it intimate and friendly.

The State Fair of Texas is a massive complex of checks and balances to make sure everyone stays safe and has a good time. There is a lot of police presence. There was a sunscreen station that gave you squirts of sunscreen and plenty of waterless hand sanitizer stations for when you finish petting the animals. There are entire buildings set aside for lost kids, baby care, and first aid.

There’s a car show in Dallas every year, but you can see the new rides here too.  They were awfully pretty! Greg kept sitting in all these different cars and trucks to see how they felt. I tried a few too. Very tempting.

There’s a building set aside for arts and crafts. Although they have their own building, it seems like a token tribute, a nod to how fairs used to be in the old days.

Nowadays, it’s the vendors who get center stage and they hawk their wares as loudly as carnies hawk their games. They tried to sell us everything from mattresses, to hot tubs, to insoles.

We don’t do rides anymore. Most rides give me whiplash, so I gave it up. I’d rather walk around and see the animals anyway.

The most impressive animals are definitely the Budweiser Clydesdales. I barely come up to their thighs. It’s hard to imagine such a gigantic beast unless you see them in the flesh. Pictures don’t do them justice. This year they were in their own private stalls. The last time I saw them they had a community stall. They’re put into harness and driven once a day, but we missed that. Darn!

There’s also Big Tex, the Fair’s mascot. He talks and moves his head and arms, welcoming visitors all day long and making announcements. Big Tex is 55 feet tall and weighs 25,000 pounds. He’s pretty awesome to see in real life, but a little creepy looking in my opinion. People love him out of sense of nostalgia.

I think the only reason Greg agrees to go to the fair is for the food. I’m not a fair food connoisseur like Greg. I’m happy with corn on the cob, though this year they had a fantastic Greek salad. It was delicious! Greg went for the giant turkey leg.

Prices were astronomical for everything: parking, entrance, food, and rides. Luckily a friend gave us free tickets to enter the fair grounds. I don’t see how families can afford to go. You could easily spend a couple of hundred dollars for food and rides.

We were worn out by the end, but it was a good time. Once a year it’s good to walk around, eat Fair food, and look at animals I don’t have to feed, and pens I don’t have to clean.

If you’ve been to a fair, what was yours like? I’ve only ever been to the ones in Texas. Someday I’d like to try others.

You can click on each thumbnail for a larger view. Some of the shots are a little overexposed because of the time of day, but I did the best I could. Unfortunately, I wasn’t fast enough to take a picture of Greg’s turkey leg. By the time I thought of it, he’d already finished! Never get between a man and his turkey leg.

 

2 Comments

This Week’s Menu, October 23, 2016

  By Maria Zannini • October 23, 2016

Modern studio background, sepia look

Menu for the week of October 23, 2016

Sunday
Breakfast: Pancakes
Lunch: Eggrolls
Dinner: Smoked beef ribs with homemade coleslaw and mashed taters

Monday
Breakfast: Toasted bagels
Lunch: Lunch out
Dinner: Meatball sandwiches

Tuesday
Breakfast: Leftover pancakes
Lunch: Leftover ribs
Dinner: Fish and wild rice

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Corned beef hash with eggs
Lunch: Barley salad: Jenny Schwartz gave me the idea from her post.
Dinner: Fried rabbit

Thursday
Breakfast: French toast
Lunch: Barley soup
Dinner: Shrimp stir fry

Friday
Breakfast: Breakfast burritos
Lunch: Antipasti: I haven’t made this in ages. It will be nice to make a little cold spread.
Dinner: Nacho plate (We didn’t have it last time due to a scheduling conflict.)

Saturday
Breakfast: Breakfast out since we’ll be hitting garage sales this week
Lunch: Salad
Dinner:  Lasagna

 

I’m hoping we’ll be able to go to the Dallas Arboretum this week. It’s the last week before our membership expires.

It all depends on Goodwill. I’m waiting for them to call me back. I’ve contacted several charities but not a single one wants to drive out to our location because they say it’s too far. Goodwill is our last hope.

You would think donating a lot of furniture and household items would be enough incentive, but no. I guess that proves we live in the middle of nowhere.

 

 

6 Comments

Dinner Fork Door Lock

  By Maria Zannini • October 21, 2016

I would use more substantial anti-break-in devices in my own home, but this might be useful if you’re in a not-so-safe motel. I generally put a chair up against the door when I travel alone and have to spend the night somewhere.

Do you ever take extra precautions when you’re in a motel/hotel?

10 Comments

Gift Guide: Gardeners

  By Maria Zannini • October 19, 2016 ,

 

gift-guides

 

Every week, I’ll target a different interest. Today, let’s do gardeners. Whether they live in the city or country, if you know someone who loves to putter in the dirt, you can’t go wrong with any of these gifts.

 

Anyone who’s been gardening for a while will have a lot of the basic tools, so your choice will be either to get them a better quality tool, or something they wouldn’t buy for themselves. And if you still can’t decide, you can’t go wrong with buying them bulbs, or seeds. Trust me. Gardeners always find room for one more plant.

Click on the picture or the link to take you to the actual page.

Ohuhu Garden Kneeler and Seat with Bonus Tool Pouch
Perfect for older gardeners and those who have trouble getting up and down.

 

 

Heirloom Vegetable Garden Seeds. It’s a cheap gift and will be warmly welcomed by any vegetable gardener.

 

 

Mixed Dutch Iris Bulbs.
Irises are deer resistant too!

 

                                                              Garden Gnome Statue

Hummingbird Feeder

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bronze Resin Birdbath

 

If you want to buy the gardener in your life an extra special gift this year, I’ll bet he doesn’t have an indoor herb garden. Pricey, but nice.

 

 

Finally, I’m adding this for the most avid gardener in your life. I’ve always wanted one of these worm factories, but I’m making my own this year. (If it doesn’t work, it’ll be back on my wish list next year.) This one is actually a pretty good price. They were more expensive last year.

 

There you have it. Regardless whether your recipient loves practical or fanciful things, there’s something on this list for everyone.

Think beyond the trowel and poinsettias. Look for the beautiful and unique. You’re bound to find the perfect gift.

Are there any other gardening gifts you can suggest?

 


14 Comments

Homestead and Blog Updatery

  By Maria Zannini • October 17, 2016

7-month-old

On the Homestead: We sold our two bachelor bucks last week. They went pretty fast, but people hammer you for the first few hours after the ad comes out, asking the very same questions I already answered inside the ad.

We had intended on holding back “Freezer Meat” for the freezer, but Greg might go deer hunting this year and I want to make sure there’s enough room in the freezer. With my luck, he’ll change his mind at the last minute. At least I’ll have clean freezers.

A few of my neighbors are deer hunters. I hope they nab the gang of thugs that have been eating my garden.

 

prison-veggies

 

I’ve resorted to barricading each individual raised bed. The lettuces and chards are prisoners in their own garden.

The deer leave the tomatoes and peppers alone, but greens are like cocaine to them. This is my third time replanting. The fencing seems to be working so I hope that will be the end of their rampage. It’s expensive and inconvenient to put up individual fenced beds, but I think a big fence all around the garden would be an eyesore.

My chickens have all but stopped laying. I get a few eggs a week, barely enough for all the baking I foresee next month. I’ve been coveting what few eggs I get.

Ironically, I should be drowning in eggs next summer. I’ve got a lot of future layers waiting in the wings (pun intended).

The Blog: Starting this week, I’m going to take one day a week and do a gift guide by interests. I’ll tag those posts “Gift Guides” so you can see them all in one group.

I’d like to think I’m pretty good at choosing gifts so I hope I can give you some ideas to kick start your Christmas shopping. The nice thing about gift guides is that they’re like fuel. If the item you see isn’t exactly what you want, it might be the catalyst to finding the right gift.

I’ve already started my shopping because, well, I have a border collie mentality. I never do tomorrow what I can get done yesterday. 🙂 That and I hate trying to figure out what to buy at the last minute.

Speaking of blogging, there has been a tremendous jump in visits for a couple of my posts. My post about Dog Alley at Canton Trade Days was (the last time I checked) at the top of Google’s search page under Dog Alley. I’ve never been at the top of any search. I actually thought it was a mistake!

If you have a blog, do you know which post brings you the most visitors?

Has the weather cooled down for you yet? Or warmed up if you’re down under? It’s still pretty hot but they say we might get some relief later in the week.

 

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This Week’s Menu, October 16, 2016

  By Maria Zannini • October 16, 2016

Modern studio background, sepia look

Menu for the week of October 16, 2016

Sunday
Breakfast: Bacon and eggs
Lunch: Chicken sandwiches
Dinner: Salmon

Monday
Breakfast: Skipping breakfast
Lunch: Lunch out
Dinner: Pot roast

Tuesday
Breakfast: Toasted bagels
Lunch: Fair food! Hopefully, we’ll make it this time.
Dinner: Potluck with whatever’s in the fridge

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Spicy ground beef scrambled with eggs
Lunch: Salad
Dinner: Leftover pot roast sandwiches

Thursday
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Soup
Dinner: Skillet lasagna with bow tie pasta

Friday
Breakfast: Homemade egg McMuffin
Lunch: Last of the pot roast
Dinner: Nacho plate

Saturday
Breakfast: Breakfast out since we’ll be hitting garage sales this week
Lunch: Corn dogs
Dinner:  Pork chops

 

We didn’t make it to the Fair last Thursday. The weatherman predicted rain, but it hardly sprinkled. I’m a little hesitant to go to the fair. My knees have been killing me of late, and the fair requires a lot of walking.

I’m hoping if I take it easy for the next couple of days it’ll give my joints some time to recuperate. I’ve been up and down ladders, cleaning every nook and cranny, and weeding gardens, but I see a little bit of respite in my future.

11 Comments

Cheap Trick: Magic Eraser Substitute

  By Maria Zannini • October 14, 2016 ,

I have to admit, Magic Eraser works. When I read what it was, I dug deeper and discovered it was nothing more than melamine foam. This is the stuff they use in big sheets for insulation and sound proofing. Here the Wiki link on melamine.

cheap-tricks-chick-magic-eraser

It didn’t take long for other vendors to undersell Magic Eraser by a huge margin.

As of this posting, Magic Eraser sells for $10.75 for a box of eight.

Yet a generic brand of the same material sells for $7.95 for a box of One Hundred.

Obviously, I know which one I’ll be buying next. And this includes FREE shipping.

To buy, click any of the pictures or product links on my blog.

 

It took me a long time to try Magic Eraser, but I’m hooked on it now. Although they wear out quickly, they do the job of cleaning beautifully without any odor or residue. Have you ever tried it?

 

 

 

16 Comments

The Year of the Deer

  By Maria Zannini • October 12, 2016 ,

 

We’re in the middle of a deer population explosion. Worse yet, they’re so used to seeing people, they don’t even have the decency to run when they see humans. They know we can’t catch them.

They’ve decimated my garden. I tried netting and that thwarted them for a couple of nights, but they still managed to pull my lettuces and chards out by the roots. I had tried another stand of sunflowers just to feed the stalks to the goats, but the deer wouldn’t let them get bigger than a foot before they gorged themselves.

Hunting season will be here in a few weeks. It’ll probably be too late to save my garden, but maybe it’ll thin the herds.

When friends visit, they’re awestruck when they see deer watching them from the woods, thinking it’s so noble and all Mother Nature-y, but deer are bullies. Gluttonous bullies.

The coyotes used to keep them in check but I think too many of the neighbors have killed them out of fear. I’ve seen fox, but very few coyotes this year. Deer bring ticks too, something I despise more than their hosts because ticks can kill or seriously threaten your immune system.

It’s all about balance.

I like seeing wild animals on my property. I don’t even mind losing some of my plants, but deer graze in packs. They’re thugs, deer gangs with brown leather coats and big brown eyes.

Bambi, my Aunt Fannie. Don’t let their soft expression fool you. They’re vegetarian desperadoes.

 

29 Comments

41st Wedding Anniversary and a Poll

  By Maria Zannini • October 10, 2016 ,

 

I still can’t wrap my head around that number. It doesn’t seem possible that that many years have passed. When we passed 30 years I felt like we were part of the old timers’ club, the kind where we give knowing looks to one another because we survived being married to one person without an injunction.

After we hit the 40 year mark, we were not quite part of the noble gang of the 50+ marrieds, but we had a good chance of getting there, so they cut us some slack.

This year is number 41. I sometimes wonder why Greg hasn’t traded me in for a younger model, but I have a sneaking suspicion it’s because he enjoys comfortable and familiar surroundings. A younger woman wouldn’t understand half his jokes. Besides, she could never keep up with what I do all day. 🙂

That brings me to the bone I have to pick with Greg. Please tell me if you recognize this scenario or if it only happens to me.

Why is it I can empty the garbage a hundred times and not expect one iota of recognition, but Greg does it ONE time and he has to make sure to mention it so I can commend him on it?

 

Why? Why, I ask you?

It’s like that scene in the movie, Kate & Leopold where Kate’s brother gives Leopold stellar advice. He shows him how to load the dishwasher, but tells him to wait to turn it on, so that she SEES him doing it.

Men! I think it’s just men anyway. I’ve never heard of a woman doing this.

Anyway, I love my shadow. He might not anticipate my every need, but he’s there when I need him most. And he even made dinner last night!

Happy anniversary, hubby. Here’s to 41 more.

rings

This is a picture of our wedding bands. We haven’t worn them in a long time. We did at first, but then Greg nearly ripped his finger off when it caught as he jumped off a metal platform at work. I kept taking my rings off (and constantly misplacing them) because I painted in oils. Finally, we stopped wearing them all together.

As it happens they no longer fit anyway. Between arthritis and weight gain, my fingers are no longer that tiny size of 4 ½. We still have them though along with both engagement rings. (Yes. I gave Greg an engagement ring too.) I’d like to trade them in for something else, but Greg’s sentimental, so back in the box they go.

If you’re married, do you still wear your wedding band? Are we atypical for not wearing ours?

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This Week’s Menu, October 9, 2016

  By Maria Zannini • October 9, 2016

Modern studio background, sepia look

Menu for the week of October 9, 2016

Sunday
Breakfast: Bacon and eggs
Lunch: Chili
Dinner: Grilled chicken

Monday
Breakfast: Toasted bagels
Lunch: Kielbasa sandwiches
Dinner: Roast beef and baked potatoes (anniversary dinner)

Tuesday
Breakfast: Leftover steak and eggs
Lunch: Leftover chicken
Dinner: Anniversary dinner at our favorite seafood restaurant!

Wednesday:
Breakfast: French toast
Lunch: Sausage on a bun
Dinner: Leftovers from restaurant meal. We never finish everything so I expect we’ll have enough for a second meal.

Thursday
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: FAIR food!
Dinner:  Potluck from whatever is leftover in the fridge. I doubt we’ll want to eat much after the fair.

Friday
Breakfast: Bagels
Lunch: Chicken salad sandwiches
Dinner: Beef short ribs

Saturday
Breakfast: Breakfast out since we’ll be hitting garage sales this week
Lunch: Leftover short rib sandwiches
Dinner: Spaghetti with homemade sauce

 

This is a special week! Monday is our 41st wedding anniversary. Thursday, if the weather is good, we’ll be going to the State Fair of Texas.

About Monday and why we’re staying home on our anniversary: Did you know that Sunday and Monday are the worst days to have seafood out? I heard this once and looked it up. Apparently, the last fish delivery for the week at most restaurants is Friday. Unless it makes a brisk business everyday, you run the risk of not getting the freshest fish until after the Monday deliveries.

Since we spend big $$$ on birthdays and anniversaries we want the best, so we’ll eat at home on Monday and celebrate at a restaurant on Tuesday.

Thursday, weather permitting, we’ll go to the fair. I try not to eat a lot of fair foods because that stuff is a heart attack on a stick, but one day of living dangerously shouldn’t hurt.

Do you have a yearly fair where you live? Do you ever go? Do you indulge in ‘fair food’?

In Monday’s post I plan to pick on Greg but I’m also running an informal poll about husbands in general.

10 Comments

Ode to the Compost Bin

  By Maria Zannini • October 7, 2016

 

We cleared the woods and put you upcompost-bins-clearing-land-sm.
From rotting leaves you gave us good earth.
But now your sides are gray and worn.
And chickens scratch the dirt.

We put our compost bins up in 2009. We cleared a big swath of land near the garden. Today you can barely tell what we’d cleared. The trees have come back and next to the compost, the asparagus bed is in full foliage.

compost-bin-finished

 

We’re letting the chicks free range in the hopes they might be able to rid me of the little worms and crickets that have devastated my peas and beans. In the meantime, they thought they’d find good pickings over at the compost bin too.

compost-bins-2016

 

 

 

 

 

Life on the farm.

 

 

15 Comments

Do You Like Your Gifts Practical or Fanciful?

  By Maria Zannini • October 3, 2016

 

compost-metal-bin-sm

With Christmas coming up I’ve been in full radar mode trying to find the perfect gifts for the friends and family on my list. I generally divide people by whether they prefer practical or fanciful gifts. It helps to narrow down my choices for each person.

One of my all time favorite gifts was a kitchen compost bin. Yes. A compost bin. I was bowled over because I had never told anyone I wanted one. I used to eye them wistfully on my Amazon wish list.

I know. It doesn’t take much to excite me. 😀

No one believes me, but I really do prefer practical gifts, and for really practical reasons. If I can use it, it’ll never be a wasted gift.

Greg is my polar opposite. Give him toys any day of the week, especially expensive big boy toys. (Please note huge groan of aggravation.) At least it’s easy to buy for him–if I can afford it.

In true form, he in turn always bought me expensive gifts that he felt any woman of taste might like. It took a few years before he realized that jewelry and clothes were not my personal delights. Although he can never go wrong with a new dog! It’s my Achilles heel, though we both know that whatever pets we get now may be our last ones, so we’re more careful about choosing a candidate.

My mother used to load us down with decorative items that she loved, thinking I would love them too. We do not have the same tastes in decor. Far from it. Eventually I was able to convince her not to buy us gifts.

Taste is very subjective. I can only think of two good friends whose tastes are impeccable. I love going to their homes. Their decor is elegant without being ostentatious. My tastes run on the traditional side with a slight bend to the eclectic. If either of these two friends bought me something decorative I know it would be something I would love.

But on the flip side I would be hesitant to buy anything decorative for someone else. I would hate to buy something that would go unloved, or worse, regifted. I don’t mind spending money on gifts my friends and family would love, but I’d hate to think it was wasted on something that will end up in their closets.

Although Greg and I don’t exchange Christmas gifts anymore, we still give each other gifts for no reason at all. It’s kind of fun to give something when nothing is expected.

What about you? Do you prefer practical or fun gifts? What do you like to give to your significant other? Is there anything on your wish list this year?

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This Week’s Menu, October 2, 2016

  By Maria Zannini • October 2, 2016

Modern studio background, sepia look

Menu for the week of October 2, 2016

Sunday
Breakfast: Pancakes
Lunch: Salad
Dinner: Salmon with asparagus

Monday
Breakfast: Homemade egg McMuffin
Lunch: BLT
Dinner: Taco night

Tuesday
Breakfast: Leftover pancakes
Lunch: Asparagus soup
Dinner: Pork ribs with bbq beans

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Bacon and eggs
Lunch: Tuna fish sandwiches
Dinner: Pork stir fry with leftover meat from ribs

Thursday
Breakfast: Breakfast quesadillas
Lunch: Asparagus soup leftovers
Dinner:  Baked chicken

Friday
Breakfast: Bagels
Lunch: Chicken salad sandwiches
Dinner: Burgers

Saturday
Breakfast: Breakfast out since we’ll be hitting garage sales this week
Lunch: Sushi with egg rolls
Dinner: Steak and mashed potatoes, with garlic bread

 

We spent FIVE hours at Canton Trade Days Saturday. That’s five hours of walking. I think I’ve had my cardio for the week. This time we didn’t go to the animal side of Trade Days but to where they keep the crafts and antiques. This side of Trade Days is way bigger than Dog Alley.

There were only two things I liked. One was a bench made from real tree trunks and branches. The other was a dog print. It had more damage than I would’ve liked, otherwise I would’ve bought it. I’m on the hunt for dog paintings, preferably old paintings, but I’ll settle for prints if it has a vintage look to it.

My friend, Mel, who came with us, did the most shopping. That girl can always find bargains! She’s my shopping idol!

Today we plan to take it easy but we might hit a local antique shop since I’m in the mood to keep looking for paintings, and a bauble for my mother.

What’s your plan for Sunday? What’s the longest you’ve ever walked/shopped?

12 Comments

I’m in a Throwing Away Mood

  By Maria Zannini • September 30, 2016

 

Emptying my entire kitchen and then restoring everything has put me in a serious throwing away mood. I can’t believe the things I’ve kept. In the “junk” drawers alone, this is what I tossed:

• Pens that don’t work.
• Obsolete USB cords
• Buttons
• Pins and other promotional paraphernalia from my old job
• Rubber fittings to who-knows-what
• Brass fittings to who-knows-what
• Keys for who-knows-what
• Credit cards I’ve never used
• Business cards for businesses that no longer exist
• Rabies tags and ID tags for fur babies no longer with us

Of all the things in the above list we still couldn’t bring ourselves to toss the ID tags. Greg is keeping one as a key fob, and the other as a bookmark.

We found money too! Hidden underneath a stack of envelopes and scratch pads was $200! I also collected almost $25 in coins that had been tossed in there for the past eight years. Obviously, I need to clean junk drawers more often.

My drawers are now perfectly clean and organized. I have a set of three on one side of the kitchen. One holds all my office supplies like my address book, a business card folder, stamps, writing tools, stapler, tape, magnifying glass and scissors. The second is for medical supplies like bandages, syringes (for goats and dogs), and more scissors. The third drawer is my emergency drawer. I keep matches, lighters, flashlights, folding knives, and trash bags. It’s nearest the pass way so if power goes out, I can find a flashlight in the dark.

junk-drawers

For the record, I keep a pair of scissors in almost every drawer in the kitchen. It drives me crazy if I need to cut something and can’t find them. I’m not naming name (Greg) but certain people sometimes don’t put things back after they’ve used them. This way bloodshed is kept to a minimum if I can find another pair quickly.

Despite the best intentions my cabinets didn’t get finished. Some of the doors were missing in the shipment. A couple were damaged, and one was too short. I have to wait for the manufacturer to build me new doors. I’ll post pictures once my kitchen is complete.

Still it’s finished enough to bring back all my supplies. The carpenter who redid my cabinets went above and beyond. I asked him if he could remove the built in microwave shelf and give me a full cabinet. He did, and then the company gave me the additional cabinet doors free. Then he gave me new shelving where there wasn’t any, and removed the wine glass racks that I never liked.

This gave me a HUGE amount of new cabinet space. There is so much space, I have entire cabinets with nothing in them! I went from bulging at the seams to light and airy space.

On top of this, Greg built me a pull out cabinet next to the refrigerator. I can’t wait to show you the pictures for that. This extra space is going to free up a big hunk of my pantry.

Whoever gets this house after us is going to think they died and went to cabinet heaven. It is that awesome.

It helps that I got rid of a lot of stuff. Aside from the things I tossed, we also hauled four big boxes of stuff that will either go to the next garage sale or got stored for the long term. Most of it is a mix of glassware, bowls, and duplicate pots and pans.

Emptying out the entire kitchen was not a pleasant task, but hey, I found $225, so I guess it was well worth it. As rarely as I clean out junk drawers, who knows when I would’ve found that money.

Have you ever found money by accident? Do you keep a coin jar for spare change? How often do you clean your junk drawers?

 

10 Comments

Good Money on Bad Food

  By Maria Zannini • September 28, 2016

 

Have you ever had a bad meal at a restaurant? Did you tough it out and eat it, or did you send it back?

We’ve been lucky in that most of our meals have been pretty good, though I have sent a few things back over the years. I have no qualms sending food back if it’s cold or off-tasting. My thinking is that we spent good money on this meal. Dining out is not cheap so why settle for mediocre?

I’m always very apologetic when I ask the waiter to bring me a new meal/drink/appetizer. It’s not his fault. Things move very fast in a professional kitchen. Sometimes orders get lost or instructions are unclear. I don’t blame anyone really. I just want my food to be worth the money.

It pays to speak up too. Sometimes to make up for the lapse in quality/service, I’ve been given free dessert, a bigger serving, or even a discount.

Once, and of all times it happened on my birthday dinner, the waiter was very new and he didn’t key in the order correctly on the computer. We waited for nearly an hour. Finally, the manager stepped in to see why we still didn’t have food and she discovered what the kid had done–or in this case, hadn’t done.

She got the order in and comped us for the entire thing. It was an expensive meal too since Greg never skimps on birthday dinners. 🙂

We left the young man a generous tip. You could see how upset he was when his manager explained what had happened. I’m willing to bet he never made that mistake again. Plus the restaurant didn’t lose our business by comping the meal.

Mistakes happen. If they keep happening at the same place, then it’s your own fault if you keep going back. But if it’s a fluke, just send the food back with no malice in your voice. A good restaurant will always treat you right if you ask politely.

Did you ever have a bad meal? Any snafus like the one I had? How did you handle it?