Tuesday Morning-Happy and Frugal Things

Talk about down time! Except for stopping at someone's house after church, and running out to get a last minute thing I needed to cook yesterday morning I have been mainly chillin' at home since I left happy hour on Friday.  I expect more of the same until tomorrow morning!

1.  I was gifted four bags of felted wool for free!! Obviously there is no way I can use this wool, so I have put out the words to friends and will give away and donate what I cannot use. I have visions of wool coasters and wool patchwork blankets and wool handwarmers. It may take me a little bit of work to learn how to use this stuff. 

Whether my first try will be as good as this is questionable

2.  Fall is here, in a manner of speaking. Today it got down to forty with a high in the mid sixties (which feels like seventies at this elevation and sun). This weekend it will go up to eighty again. My poor son with barometric migraine issues just wishes it would settle in one place. Warm or not, fall festivals are here (Oktoberfest, a fall bluegrass event at a local craft brewery) and the leaves are slowly falling and changing. I'm telling myself it is fall even if it is warm, I have put the slow cooker to work in full. Yesterday I made Italian beef stew, and Thursday I'll be making Tuscan Chicken Breasts using this crazy easy recipe with chicken breasts bought on sale as well as the presliced sun dried tomatoes.

Fall Fairy Garden

A tad early for the halloween portion I know

3. I have this weird workout thing that I do on the days that I am home (that my daughter says is a really good idea, so I'm sticking with it.  My house is in kind of a U shape-at least the traffic pattern is. I've started having my good friend Alexa set me a timer for ten minutes and am walking quickly back and forth for that time-and doing it about five times a day, every hour to two hours. It's giving me six thousand steps (ten thousand at a healthy pace might be pushing it) and it's almost like interval training. I add my half hour at home weights and strength training every other day and I have a cheap at home workout routine to alternate with those pool days and/or silver sneakers which is once or twice a week.

4. My brother-who is near-and I have birthdays about a month apart. For the last few years, he has cooked me whatever I want that he can cook (one year prime rib, one year deviled short ribs) and he takes the entire family out on his dime to a local, very expensive/very gourmet restaurant. This year, he called me and said that four years was long enough at the same place, and he was going to get out his fryer and a couple other appliances and cook somethings on his birthday he hasn't cooked in awhile, including fondue Parmesan. Because he doesn't cook fish much, he is taking me, my sister, he and his wife and any kids who can get away from college/work to McCormick's Seafood, Landry Seafood, or the Fresh Fish Company. I offered to just combine  somewhere in the middle, but he said no, this is what he wants to do. So I, of course, will let him. 

Some people have birthday cakes, I have lemon meringue pie

5. Between living in Denver and being retired, my lifestyle is mainly casual-color co-ordinated and fun, but absolutely casual. While I don't do so as such, I live in a town where I can wear shorts and sandals to almost any event year around. Add to that the fact that most of my social life happens at lunch, brunch, or early evening, and my fall "wardrobe fill in" shopping is completely different, both in cost and style. I mean, I don't know when I'll actually wear that wedding dress again (much as I loved it at the time), and as I knit all these lovely shawls I have to admit that I'm more likely to wear them scarf style hanging down around my neck. And I absolutely love all of the above. 

Since folks have asked about the tunic below, which is about as dressy as I get, I linked to it.  Or there is this one which is similar and has a higher number of stars but doesnt come in the bright colors I like.  And then there's this one. Just call me tunic girl this year. Yea, I know the first one and the last one look the same, but they have different labels and different ratings. But it's also a really good price and free returns with Prime, no questions asked!  Perhaps a post on my Amazon/online clothing habits is due, who knows?

On my Amazon list, and about as close I get to dressy in my world!