Monday Musings

Oh Monday how I love you!  It's been such a nice day so far - weatherwise and otherwise.

I might be a bit slow at the switch, but I just discovered a perfect place to put my bread dough to rise.  In the microwave!  Not running of course.  The humidity of the dough stays put and the bread rises very quickly!

Speaking of microwaves, we use ours only to heat up leftovers mainly.  However, I just discovered popping corn in there!  Put 1/2 cup of unpopped kernels in a brown lunch-sized bag and fold over a few times and turn it on.  Voila!  Microwave popcorn without added chemicals or oil!  I may or may not enjoy adding a lot of butter and salt when it is done.

I just learned something at the advanced age that I am.  Pine cones make a soft popping/clicking sound when they are opening.  Yes, I never knew that before.

We here in the upper-midwest in the state of Dairyland have had wonderful weather for a few days.  It's amazing how chipper and happy everyone seems when I go out and about.  It's kind of like we're all having a collective sigh and looking at each other with the thought that says, 'we survived the winter of 15/16'!

I spent a good portion of the weekend trimming, weeding, and burning piles of stuff.  At one point as I was burning and it almost seemed to be getting too big of a fire, the neighbor man came out the front door and just looked my way.  I'm not sure if he was ready to call 9-1-1 or watch my eyebrows go up in flames.  But after a couple minutes he went inside.  So I figured the fire was under control.  Heh.

As I trimmed and trimmed and trimmed some of our bushes, I remember shortly after we planted everything some years back.  I kept urging them, 'Grow!  Grow!  Grow!'.  Then there were a few years that everything looked perfect size-wise.  Then 'Slow down!'.  It kind of reminded me of parenting.  It seems I was anxious for each new stage of their development.  I was anxious for them to roll over, sit up, take their first steps, and talk.  Then it happens and so much more and now I just want life to slow down a bit.  Time is that way too.  I checked the calendar anxiously for my next birthday when I was young.  Time moved so slow.  Then in my early-mid 20's life hummed along at a lovely pace.  And now time goes by quicker and quicker.  I just turned 50 a couple weeks ago and I just noticed my birthday is in two weeks.

Daughter #2 wants to make some edible cookie dough tonight.  I have no intentions of stopping her.  Yum.

Let me see what I have to throw your way for pictures.  I must sign off.  Two teenagers will be walking in the door in 20 minutes starving.  And another in another hour.  Happy week ahead!

took a full day, but the porch is clean and ready for some good company!

I like this note to himself.  Especially the encouragement at the end.  

So sweet...

this is so me...