A LITTLE OF EVERYTHING

Happy Saturday!  I hope all of you are having some good weather.  We are in the mid 70's and the sun is shining.  There has been absolutely no humidity so it's the perfect weather to get out and enjoy this last month of summer!  My flowers that I showed you in my last post pooped out and I plucked out the ones that were still doing well and here you have them.  I feel like I have summer inside and out.

I had an incredibly busy week, but I will admit that last weekend was the most boring weekend in the history of weekends.  Although it's long been a habit of mine to not do much on those two days after a busy week,  sometimes I look forward to Monday when I can hit the ground running...I know, that seems weird.  Monday morning found me working on making my own roasted red peppers.  If you've ever had them, you'll know why I have become obsessed in making my own.  It's very simple.  Really.

Broil or grill clean red peppers, turning with tongs so they char on all sides.  Once they are pretty much blackened, drop them in a plastic ziplock bag and let them steam for about 15 minutes.  Remove, let cool and then remove the blacked skin, stem and seed.  Slice the peppers into long thin strips (try to refrain from licking the fragrant juice from your fingers!).

Then just pop them into a 16 oz. canning jar and pour olive oil over them until they are covered.  I used two peppers here. Now from here on, it's all up to your imagination.  They are delicious on sandwiches, in pasta, added to salads and  to any vegetable side dish.  Get your peppers when they are on sale and buy a case of jars at the Dollar Tree.  The money you will save is fantastic!

Now, on to some fun stuff!  Don't you love this dress?  Don't you love this model?  She is definitely not one of your skinny mini's and I love that.  Anyway, I order a lot of clothes from websites that have sizes that range from  10 to 6X.  And the added plus is that these clothes have been designed to enhance your curves and downplay your trouble spots.  As you can see, this dress is an empire style that flairs out and down in pleats and for me, my trouble spot is my tummy.  The color here is charcoal so I'm giving up the basic black I usually wear.  So, it has shipped and I'm so excited to see it.  Emily and I went shopping for shoes the other day.  Have you ever been to DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse)?  I just love it.  The prices are exceptional.  I found shoes for this dress that I think I like, but I also found a pair on Shoedazzle,  So I'll have to choose between the two.  I'll let you know how that goes...maybe we can have a vote!

Now, I do want your opinion on panty hose.  I am aware that the younger generation abhors wearing them, even during the cold Chicago winters.  Just by chance, I haven't had to wear much more than a sundress and sandals for many recent summers.  In the winter I almost always wear black pantyhose with my usual black dress.  So, I'm wondering, are you the type to go au natural in a dress like this, or would you wear, say, nude pantyhose as I am thinking?  I have no tan...zero color on my legs, and these legs of mine have been around for a long while so other than shorts once in awhile or capris, I really don't go around flashing them. 

Let me have your thoughts.

Another day, Emily and I hit the mall as she had some gift cards.  Then we just couldn't hold back on stopping in Old Navy to see what was new and cheap.  I saw these flats and fell in love.  Emily declared that pointed toe shoes are back in vogue big time.  I never really cared for the rounded, ballerina style flats.  I think they belong on someone tall and thin.  Angelina Jolie could pull them off.  I remember having something like these back in the early eighties, sans the ankle strap.  Well, I love them and had to have two pairs!

Mornings, afternoons and early evening are spent on the patio while the dogs laze and doze in the grass, sometimes jumping up to chase the squirrels in our yard.  And there are many as the Black Walnut trees that surround the border of our backyard are dropping their nuts.  They come down in a lime green casing, a little larger than a golf ball.  They even smell a bit like lime.  Then they start to deteriorate (or the squirrels gnaw them open) and  you can see the brown walnut inside.  

My point in telling you this as they have been found to be toxic.  A few years ago Milo started having seizures.  He'd have a few lasting about 3 minutes, over the course of a few weeks.  We Googled "dogs-seizures-causes", and we were amazed when black walnuts popped up as a culprit.  The connection was first made when bedding for horses was made up of 5% black walnut shells, and the horses began having convulsions and seizures.  Further investigation showed this happened with dogs as well, but not cats.  To make a long story short, my vet had never heard of this connection and told us the only thing we could do would be to medicate Milo and this would cause him  lethargic and tired.  We decided against that.  A few nights ago Milo had about three seizures in a row.  It was so sad.  All we can do is hold him tight and stroke him.  Since the walnuts are everywhere, in all states of deterioration and their mold and oils everywhere, there is not much we can do as far as clean up.  And they will fall from August to October.  Cutting down the trees is not an option due to the cost.  At this point we have been keeping disposable cleaning cloths at the back door and we wipe his feet and underside really well.  We are sure he is getting these toxins into his system by cleaning and grooming himself.  So...please say a prayer for our sweet little guy.

My rosemary plant is huge and has more leaves on it then I could ever use.  So, like my adventure in making Red Pepper Oil, I am making Rosemary Salt next week.  I'll show you how I do it in my next post. 

So, the long, slow, easy days of summer seem to be winding down.  End of summer usually hits home after Labor Day.  At the lake, homes that are not built to be year round are closed up and it becomes less crowded and very quiet.  I love fall up there, the changing colors, sitting by the outdoor fire with a blanket over my shoulders and a cup of hot coffee (maybe with a shot of Bailey's in it!) in my hands.  If weather permits, we may take a few last boat rides before we put all the summer toys away for the winter.  It's been awhile since we've been there, The Husband has had some complications from his surgery and still has a lifting restriction and he would be bored silly if he couldn't do more than tinker around his work bench.  At least here we have constant company...in fact he and Jeff and Abby just went out for frozen yogurt and brought me back some so I'd better run before it melts!  Then my exciting Saturday night plans are to take a long shower and  hop into bed with my book and the latest Lifetime movie on in the background.  One of them always wins out!  :)

XO,

Jane