A Challenge

What ya doin' Nanni?

Cryin', sweetie, cryin'.......

What have I done?

Believe it or not this is our washer.
Look past the grungy grime that was hidden under the console.....oh, how gross...yuck,

and see a water pump that needs to be taken off and replaced.
It had been leaking a long time, and was frozen on.
OK, pump.....we can do this the easy way....
or the hard way.......

No cooperation to be had.....
time to bring in the big guns....

an angle grinder.



Yay! it's off!

This rusty motor shaft has to be cleaned completely up, using a file and sandpaper.

The new pump has to be able to slide easily on and off.....can't believe the old one EVER slid anywhere!






Got the new pump on and everything back in place!

Did a trial run, only to have to take it all apart again....

No...no more leaks, but the spin cycle had brake lock-up.

After lubricating the brake,

and

putting it all back together....

again.....

It's good as new!

Jim and I started to do some repairs and changes in the laundry room on Monday, but before we could even get the dryer moved out of the way, he got very sick. I was really concerned about him, and monitored him all day, not sure if we were going to be heading to the Dr. or E.R. or not. **Update: (He's better now)***
In the meantime; I started trying to problem solve the leaky clothes washer. It's been leaking for a long time and I've just kept a towel down. The Internet is such a great resource! I used several different sites to assist me in this little adventure, but the main one was Dave's. He advised about the brake lube, before putting it back together, but I didn't have the stuff, so risked it. I was a wee sad lassie. The luck of the Irish wasn't with me yesterday, I guess. This morning I picked up a little tiny packet of the sil-glide and it did the trick nicely.

I'm not going to kid ya, this could've been much easier, had it not been leaking so long and rusted til it froze on. It took about 2 hours of hard work, just to get the old pump off. If I had to do one again, it wouldn't take as long, because I would know more how it was supposed to look, and what was safe to do, and not be afraid of breaking something I shouldn't.

Having been a military wife, and then after we moved here, the wife of a commuter (dark when he left in the morning and dark when he got home, + he worked Saturdays), I've learned to take on some "UN-girlie" tasks. We live in a house that is more than a century old, and things need done/repaired... often. I believe strongly in men being men, and ladies being ladies, but I don't adhere to the belief that a man is incapapable of loading a dishwasher, and that a woman needs to wait 'til hubby gets home to hang a picture. God gave us all brains, and abilities, and the ability to continually learn new things, right? I will say, I have been blessed beyond measure with a husband who has given me a wonderful gift.....the freedom to fail. I know that not everyone has a spouse who will do that.

We used to pay dearly for maintainance agreements and repairmen, but through the years, we have been in the process of learning how to do things for ourselves. I would like to encourage you to be safe for safety's sake; but don't give in to "gender" helplessness, and do try to venture into new areas of expertise...

ha ha..listen to me... Jill of all trades...MASTER of none.

I'm wanting some comments here.....

What is something at your house that needs done, that you are intimidated by? Are you willing to "go for it"?

The Whole Enchilada

When I saw Anna pulling her leftover enchiladas out of the fridge and putting them in her lunch bag.....I got the craving. She is known at work for these, and when girls are leaving or having a birthday lunch, they request them. The recipe is on the can, but I'll put it here too.

Creamy Chicken and Chile Enchiladas

1 lb. uncooked chicken breast strips

1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese, cut into cubes (I only had about 5-6 oz...was fine)

1 can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso chopped green chiles

12 Old El Paso flour tortillas for soft tacos (I used Archer Farms multigrain)

2 cans (10 oz) Old El Paso green chile enchilada sauce

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used more...so does Anna, I think)

1. Heat oven to 400F. Spray a glass 13x9-inch with cooking spray.
2. In 10" nonstick skillet, cook chicken over med-high heat, stirring occasionally, til no longer pink in center. Stir in cream cheese and chiles; reduce to medium heat. Cook and stir until
blended and cream cheese is melted.
3. Spoon chicken filling onto tortillas; roll up and place seam sides down in pan. Pour enchilada sauce over top; sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or til hot and cheese is melted. Makes 12 enchiladas

oh my.

Praise the Lord!

This morning there was a guest speaker at church. He talked about prayer, and it was so heart felt and Spirit led. One of the analogies he used was :
Imagine driving on Hwy 84. You see lots of cars at the side of the road. You pull off of the road and see people flocked around a snack bar. You park and get lunch at the snack bar, happily satisfied with food and drink, get back in the car, and leave..... Completely unaware of the amazing beauty that is up the hill behind the snack bar.

He likened that to praying for needs to be met, and prayers of thanksgiving for what God has done FOR us, but missing out on the beauty of spending time in prayer, praising God for WHO He is. (He did a much better job of conveying the message.....sorry, but I just needed to share)
It wasn't that I hadn't heard the difference between the two before, but having been to Multnomah Falls , and experiencing it's beauty....I couldn't even fathom going there and only partaking of it's snack bar! And even soooo much more is the awesome beauty of the Lord! Praise, praise, praise, the Lord!

March Wind.....chimes

At a craft fair in recent months, my friend Bonny saw some teapot wind chimes, she really liked. She loves tea and gardening, and has a cute little garden shed with an adjoining herb tea garden, complete with a charming little picket fence. It's a lovely little spot for tea parties.

For her birthday, I decided to make her a teapot wind chimes to put out there.

I had an extra teapot, a drill, wire, beads........ (ooooo, this reflection makes me look skinny...yay!)

finer wire, more beads, and thrifted silver spoons that just needed polished.....

I'm not an artiste'

but it was fun!

linked to Twice Remembered Make Your Monday

Sedum Joy

In these times of economic woes......

I feel so blessed to have plants that produce diamonds!

Let them eat cake...or not...

The big burly airport TSA official and Jen and I shared the glowing attributes of baking with mayo as he scanned our allowed ziploc baggies of liquids, gels and pastes.
We were on a secret mission.....
final destination: Kansas
mission objective: bake a mayo birthday cake for Dot

(It was HER birthday, but look at these fabulous napkins Dot gave to "M" of the Dandelion!)
This mayonnaise Cake recipe is from our Nana, and is our Mom's favorite birthday cake too.

Mayonnaise Cake

2 cups flour
1 cup mayo
1 cup sugar
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup chopped nuts
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. vanilla

4 Tbs. cocoa

Dissolve soda in 1 cup boiling water, pour over nuts and dates, in a small bowl. Let cool.

Mix mayo and sugar together. Add all ingredients together, stir til well mixed.

Spread batter in a greased and floured 9x13 pan.

Bake at 350F til set...Don't overbake.

It's good with a 7 minute icing, or a cooked one we like, which Alicia calls "Cloudburst", which is much more colorful a name than "the cooked flour/milk one". It's a lovely light airy frosting.

Cloudburst Frosting

4Tbs. flour

1 cup milk

1 cup butter

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

In a small pan, whisk together flour and milk. Simmer til thick over med-low. Stir constantly.

Remove from heat and let cool completely. Cream together butter and vanilla; add powdered sugar and beat until fluffy. Add flour mixture and beat until fluffy. The frosting may appear to separate, but continue beating on high until it's light and fluffy.

This mayo cake with it's dates and nuts, may be just about as close as Dot will get to eating fruit cake. Remember her comment back in December about fruit cake only being good for a kitchy doorstop? Look what she received in the mail! I decided to make one for her for her birthday. (Sorry the picture is so blurry...bad lighting)

Door stop fruit cake recipe

1 brick
Premixed concrete patch

pea gravel

gem stone marbles

polyshades stain/polyurethane in 1

Butter the brick sides and top with concrete patch.

Add pea gravel, press in, to resemble nuts.

Press gemstones in to mimic candied cherries

Let dry thoroughly.

Paint with polyshades (the one I had on hand... American Chestnut, was too dark, and turned out too chocolate looking to suit me. Mahogany would've been better, I think.)

Rub off of the stones immediately.

Goofy, I know; but it was fun.

Pretty PB Easter Inspiration

When I received my latest Pottery Barn Spring catalog.....it was like a breath of fresh air.
They had these lovely cherry blossom branches, which were only.....$64......
for ONE branch

image from Pottery Barn

And these cute vintage Easter postcards which were only.....$10 for 3......

image from Pottery Barn

And they used them in this oh-so enticing display of an Easter bonnet parade


We had the glass urn on hand, (a 5 yr ago or so, Ross purchase) and a favorite resident ceramic bunny, so the wheels started turning. This was the outcome:

(Sorry for the blue painter's tape distraction...been on the "to do" list for a while now.....but you know, I've got important things going on....... like re-creating tablescapes!) ;)
I know a lot of you are spending the time and making some very cute painted speckled eggs, but I was in a hurry this time. So my littlest helper girlie, sorted out all of the white and blue "decorator" eggs from the pink, lavender, and yellow "for eating" ones for me.


Walmart goodies

moss from the craft stash was placed as a soft nest in the bottom of the glass urn.
In went the eggs.





rogue branches from an aspen tree in the yard were brought in






and placed in a $ store straight glass cylinder vase we had on hand. It was centered inside the urn.
(Actually this happened first...then the moss and eggs went in around it, to stabilize it)





A cluster of silk hydrangea blossoms from my stash

little blossoms were cut gently apart and hot glued into random places on the branches

I actually like the airy, simple, delicacy of them better than the spendy PB ones



I downloaded free vintage postcards from the net, printed them on cardstock, glued them to a layer of recycled cereal box, and a fresh layer of white cardstock on the back. Then, used mod podge on them and crystal glitter while they were still wet. Punched holes and put in $ store twine we had in our gardening stash. The "wheatgrass" was from a garage sale last fall.

It's fun to be doing some crafty stuff again.

linking to:

Twice Remembered Make your Monday

Check it out, a lot of cool projects out there!

Dandelion Yellow Curry

Dot sets a lovely table. We kept her out of the kitchen on her birthday, so she was delegated table setter.

Birthday dinner was a Chicken curry and rice.

Jim and I have a favorite local Thai restaurant that serves a wonderful chicken curry.

Since we love it, but have been trying to reduce our eating out budget,

I've worked at home trying to make as close a facsimile as possible.

Since Dot loves curry too, but has no local access,

I thought it would be good to make for her special day.

Dandelion Yellow Curry Chicken

2 potatoes, sliced

2 carrots, sliced

2 TBS. oil

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1/4 cup garlic, chopped

3 cups coconut milk

1 lb. boned chicken, sliced

3 TBS. yellow curry powder

1/4 cup fish sauce (nam pla)

2 TBS. sugar

sliced water chestnuts, julienned (optional)

crushed red pepper to taste (optional)

*cashews if desired*

Steam sliced potatoes and carrots to al dente. Drain.

Heat oil in large saucepan or wok Add onion and garlic. Add potatoes and carrots. Stir fry them until onion is almost golden brown. Remove and set aside.

Pour coconut milk into pan, heat to boiling and add the chicken. Reheat to to boiling and cook

for 5 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients, including the fried onion and garlic, and simmer for 1 minute. Place the mixture into serving bowl, garnish with scallions, and serve with steamed rice. Fresh lime wedges make a nice accompaniment.

(I like to make the potatoes and carrots special, by making grooves on their outer edges with a fork before slicing and then slicing on a slight diagonal)

I'm not a regular taste tester cook, but this is one I do taste and tweak, til it meets approval.

Enjoy!

Bread Bowls

You may have noticed them in the picture I took of the gang, sitting around the dinner table.
Our sister Jen is a caterer, and wonderful bread maker. When our menu called for clam chowder in bread bowls, she got busy mixing up some of her favorite bread recipe.

Jen's Bread Bowls

3 cups warm water

1 TBS. oil

1 TBS. sugar

2 TBS. yeast

4 tsp. salt

8 cups flour (more or less as needed)

(she used 2 cups all-purpose, and the rest wholewheat)

Mix ingredients, and knead till smooth.

Let rise til doubled.

Form into bread bowls on prepared baking sheets

(greased or parchment, and dusted with cornmeal)

Made 6 bread bowls

Let rise again.

Brush gently with wash of 1 eggwhite and 1 Tbs. water

Bake @ 375 F for 15 minutes

turn down heat to 350F

wash again with egg wash

bake 15 minutes more or til done

(it took longer)

Teamed up with Dot's chowder and yummiest salad ever, mmmm mmm good!

Rock house

Yesterday I gave you a glimpse of the old rock house. I've been enamored with it since my first visit to Kansas. It's made of limestone and my brother-in-law's dad lived in it as a young boy.
It is a bit rough around the edges, but has endured decades of blizzards and tornadoes.

the old front door

The wise man builds his house upon the Rock,

and the house on the Rock stands fast.

Room With a View

When I go to my sister's house, I have a lovely room with a view. I awake to the glow of the morning sun, and a view of this old abandoned stone house across the field.

I love to wake early to watch the sun rise

As I watched the sun crawling up out of it's sleepy bed,
I was surprised to see a coyote stealthily making his way across the snowy field
(he's hard to make out, but is pretty much central frame)
It's a new dawn,

It's a new day

It's a new life...

and I'm feelin' good.

Not in Kansas Anymore, Dorothy

Here are some scenes from North Central Kansas for my friend Katie at Radiance from ruins. [Blogger isn't wanting to link up this morning for some reason...but check her out!] :)

FONDER?

If Absence makes the heart grow fonder....you guys must be lovin' me!!
I went on a little secret sabbatical. "Mum" was the word, because my dear Sister in Kansas, who is also a faithful reader, was turning 50, and my other Sister and I flew out there to surprise her. It couldn't have gone better! She was completely blown away, hadn't a clue we were coming, and we had a wonderful week together.

The best time of each day was around the dinner table at night. We had simple, delicious, leisurely, candle-lit meals, and they were seasoned with wonderful stories and conversation.
We forgot to bring a candle for her cake, so a tea light was called into service.
One night we had pizza and watched Julie and Julia together. We had each seen it before with other friends, but wanted to see it together. Meryl....you were just delightful....again!

One day, we had a jewelry party. Dot brought out her drawers of bracelets, earrings, and necklaces, and had us select things we each wanted. She's so generous.

Little did she know that Jen would give her a beautiful necklace for her special day, and the next day, she received a Red Box birthday package from Kate, with these pretty, new bracelets in it!
Dot, I hope you enjoyed your birthday as much as we did! Miss you, already.