Drat, Foiled Again !

Really now, after all of these Years of making plans to not having them turned out "as planned" at times, you would think I would have learned by now.

I had it in my head to get up and out of the house by the time 9:00 am rolled around to get my errands all done and be back before 10:00 to hopefully get some "stuff" done around here.  I almost made it out the door when I heard this voice ... "what are you doing?".  After explaining what I was out to do, I then made the comment, "would you like to come along".  The answer being "yes" of course.  Drat, foiled again !

Well first I had to wait until my most wonderful husband had himself a coffee.  It didn't stop there, as then he had to make a phone call which took how long??? to make arrangements to stop around to see someone just on the outskirts of Wiarton.  These arrangements were all going to be happening on "my time".

We finally got ourselves out the door "phew" !

First stop was to the Wiarton Hospital where my friend, Diane, works.  I had a little something Diane had been wanting.  You can not imagine the surprise when I gave her what I had picked up for her in Port Elgin on Monday.  What had I gotten her, you might wonder? it was three ceramic pie plates.  She had some once belonging to her Mother, who has now passed, but had given them away .... since being inspired to bake since she joined "Cindy's Recipe Exchange" on Facebook, Diane had regretted not keeping them.  Shame on me I had left my camera in the Van, and the look on Diane's face had been priceless, she had been that surprised when I had handed her the pie plates !

"The Pie Plates were similar to those of my Quiche Dishes, but with the recipes for Cherry and Apple Pies.  I forget what the third had been.  I had picked all three up for her for $5.00, that was even more pleasing to her."

Do you not absolutely LOVE surprising someone????  I do ... it makes me feel all warm, mushy and happy inside.

Onward we went after leaving Diane.  Rob went to where he had arranged to go, with really not being too long at all.  I am certain he had been on the phone with this person much longer just trying to arrange the meeting.

Next stops, Drug Store, Dollar Store, Post Office, Bank and the Foodland Store.  Not necessarily in that order.  Needles to say, the Bank stop was to pay our Good Ole' Taxman as when Quarter end rolls around this is usually the case.

"The gal I had received the card from The Netherlands yesterday, I sat down to mail her off a note.  I used to love writing letters to people when I was younger.  I still love writing, but my neck doesn't permit extended bending for long letters as much anymore.  But I still do enjoy hand writing off a few lines.   Maybe this is one of the reasons I put off doing the "Crabby Cabbie" book work so long (nice excuse, eh?)."

" I found all of these mushrooms for 49 cents each package on the discount rack at the grocery store.  I am going to try my hand at dehydrating these babies tonight."

"One of my stops was picking up some cards as well as a few gift bags."

"Dang, I had gotten 2 gift bags but had forgotten one for Aiden's Birthday gift.  His I had to wrap in a lovely brown bag and tie with green ribbon.  Thinking it won't bother him any, as he will be too excited with what is in the bag.  The "purple" bag is for my girlfriend, Colleen's birthday next week.  She reads my blog sometimes, so I couldn't show what I had gotten her.  Purple is her favourite colour, not mine ... hence the "purple" gift bag."

"While our Dinner was cooking in the Slow Cooker, I made us a little snack of Scoops and my homemade Black Bean & Corn Salsa.  Yummy ... thinking Rob loved it."

My rice disaster matched how I was feeling today, "out of it and in pain" .... truly the mess I had made was painful from me being out of it !

"Really now, the way I have been feeling today I could have screwed up the Lord's Prayer, but fortunately it was only the rice.  I never do it in the mircowave, why did I attempt to do so today is beyond me !"

Regardless of my major rice screw-up we were far from going hungry....

"Italian Turkey Sausage smothered in onions and green peppers done in the Slow Cooker for 3 hours on HIGH.  No fear of ever going hungry around here."

Let's see after all the running around downtown, the rice screw-up, a couple cards made ready to post, two gifts ready to go ... what else did I manage to accomplish this day?  My bed is made (always, if nothing else), the dining room is dusted and the floor there vacuumed.  Oh yes and I had to run back out to meet some one at the top of Wiarton's North Hill to pickup a .....

"Stainless Steel Food Mill I had purchased from them.  Watch out Tomato and Apple Sauce ; I am going to have it all mastered in no time !!!   It also came with 3 discs.  These usually retail for $43.99 plus taxes .. this cost me $30.00 cash.  I am once again pleased with my purchase."

How would you use a Food Mill, check out the following Video:



I am hoping I will be as pleased using the Food Mill as I was with the purchase price.  Shhhh... I still have almost 2 bushels of tomatoes beginning to ripen down in our basement, so I am counting on this.

I almost thought for awhile there my foot had begun to feel better, until yesterday.  Again it started acting up with more pain again then usual.  Might as well have a "pain in the foot" at the same time I have the "pain in my neck" (really though Rob has left for work now with his "Crabby Cabbie" hat in place).  Hoping nobody will be dropping around to see me tonight, as I wouldn't want them to be stealing any fashion statement ideas from me ....

"Presently wrapped around my neck (not Rob's hands this time, hahaha) is this beautiful flowered heated bag freshened up by the Microwave to give off a wonderful "bean" aroma."

Later this evening I will be modeling this lovely little number in black ....

"Thanks to my friend, Jessica, who so kindly gifted this to me.  Possible photos to follow showing how glamorous this little number looks on."

My "high light" of my day thus far?  that would be the fact "Cindy's Recipe Exchange" on Facebook is only shy 18 members away from 300 !!!!

"Cindy's Recipe Exchange is open to anyone to join.  You wouldn't be disappointed as really we truly are a lovely bunch."

Even my friend, Toni with an "i"  She has already made claim to the "blue" guy, so sorry he is already taken.

Really all the goings on with the Beef recalls have been horrendous the past couple of weeks, right across Canada !!!

"I was just wondering if this has affected anyone's plans for Thanksgiving Dinner this Weekend?"

It is most difficult to keep my humor under control at times ... really truly it is.  Ha ! I am certain some do not believe that for one minute.

I have mushrooms to "brush" off, slice and layer onto the dehydrator, "Checkerboard Aussies" wanting my undivided attention, and some pretty fancy little black number to slip into before I call it a night, "Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard".