Stacie's Ramblings

This is my first post of the new year; January is usually a pretty calm month for us. I have been savoring the quiet time after the hustle and bustle of December.  Here's some of my favorites from the week. #1 Favorite Pup  Conway had some sort of stomach issue going on the first week of January. I imagine he probably at something he should not have. He ate very minimal food for 3 - 4 days, which worried us giving him his insulin shots. Finally he turned a corner on day 5 and now he's back to his perky self. He's 13 this year! #2 Favorite Recipe  I made this really good cheesy hatch chile dip to take to a party we attended at some friends' house. I love a warm dip during the winter. This would be the perfect dip for Super Bowl.  #3 Gardening I started my pepper and tomato seeds in the greenhouse this week. I looked last night and already have 2 Roma Tomato seeds that have sprouted! I love starting my own seeds since the selection of seedlings at the big box stores ar...

The countdown to Christmas is only! Can you believe it is only 9 days away? It's exciting, but stressful at the same time.  This evening we're joining another couple for dinner at a new bistro that opened in town. Their menu looks absolutely fabulous, so I am looking forward to a great meal with even better company.   Here's some of my favorites from the week. Out and About Saturday, we went with our good friends to a town about an hour away that had a Mingle on Main event. Street vendors with wine at each little stop. It was only $20 for a glass and there were 16 vendors pouring tastings and selling all sorts of goodies from baked goods to Tupperware. A good time was had by all and we went to a steakhouse afterwards for dinner.  Meals One night this week I did not have a dinner plan. I did not have anything thawed we could grill. I told Matt I was craving pancakes. He's doing Keto currently, so he just went with traditional chorizo, bacon and eggs, but I had a full ...

Happy Friday! I'm looking forward to a fun weekend! We're going to a holiday festival in a neighboring small town where they have wine vendors set up for a wine tasting. Looking forward to going to that!  My favorite meal this week was this chicken and pear salad. I used pre-grilled frozen chicken breasts from Sam's, cut up a pear and grilled it on the indoor griddle and put it on top of buttercrunch lettuce with cranberries and sugared pecans. I used Brianna's Honey Ginger Vinaigrette dressing. Super easy to pull together!   Matt planted rye grass in the yard for the winter and it is so lush and green. I love it!! You can see the moon rising peeking out behind the tree just to the left of the roof.  Reading I finished A California Christmas by Brenda Novak this week!  I love reading seasonal themed books; any recommendations for what I should read next? Holiday Cheer All of the office girls where gifted poinsettia's at work this week. I chose this gorgeous whit...

How was your weekend? Mine was easy going, I've been trying to slow down and enjoy the season.  I am linking up today for Hello Monday with  Holly  and  Sarah . Friday afternoon, I dropped off some donations at a resale shop in town benefit the animal shelter. I did find a cute snowman painting I bought for only $8! I hung it in the guest bathroom for a little holiday cheer.  Friday night I finished up planting my lettuce seedlings out into the garden. I also made a BIG salad for dinner using the last of the leftover turkey. We didn't do Thanksgiving until last Saturday, so we have had leftovers a little later in the week than most.  Saturday I did some organizing in the storage closet and put a few things on eBay I'm no longer using.  I also put a dedicated recycling area in the closet for recycling. We're rural so we do not have curbside recycling, but I'd like to do better with plastics and paper. I will have to make an effort to drop these off at t...

Happy Friday! I'm looking forward to gorgeous weather this weekend. I'm in full Thanksgiving prep, so I'll be making sure I have everything I need for the big meal from appetizers to turkey frying oil and everything in between.  Sunrises This week has had some spectacular sunrises. Here's one I took on my walk early one morning. The air was crisp and fall was in the air.  Our flowers are also in full bloom. The flowerbeds are full of yellow mums. I overwintered these mums from last year and if I remember correctly the blooms were a little more orange last year. They're still festive though! Reading I have been sitting in my usual reading spot on the porch reading Four Thousand Weeks, Time Management for Mortals  (affiliate link). It's not a typical time management, productivity geek book, but more focused on enjoying what really matters in life. Perfect reminder for the holiday season.  Food My wonder mother-in-law made up some bacon wrapped shrimp with jalapeno...

  What’s Up Wednesday! I’m gonna link up with  Sheaffer  and  Shay  to answer a little  about what’s going on around here. 1. What we're eating this week: Monday - We had NY Strip Steaks, sautéed mushrooms and onions, and green beans from the garden.  Tuesday - We had take - out from our local Mexican food restaurant.  Wednesday - Tonight we'll have hamburger steak, zucchini and baked potatoes. Thursday - Smoked chicken I have in the freezer with sautéed zucchini and mushrooms on the side.  Friday - Homemade pepperoni pizza I have not thought as far ahead as Saturday and Sunday yet.  2. What I'm reminiscing about: The Formula 1 race in Austin just finished last weekend and while we did not attend in person this year, we did last year. It was a fun weekend and my dad even got to come down and go to the race with us. Formula 1 has recently become super popular since there is a Netflix series about it.  3. What I'm Lovin...

We just got back from being gone for a week to a horse show and I thought, this was the perfect time to share my top tips for preparing for a vacation. I have tips for preparing your home, packing, preparing  arrangements for pets, garden prep tips and more. This list changes seasonally as obviously a summer trip tends to take more preparation for me than a winter trip on the garden front. Over the years, these tips have helped make my return to home and routine much easier. Here's how I get it all done.  Home Cleaning - I clean my home periodically throughout the week, so it's usually not a huge mess before leaving town. I do make sure to wash the sheets the night before departure, so I come home to fresh-er linens and will not have to change the sheets immediately. I wipe down all of the counters, put out fresh towels, dust, vacuum and mop as needed. Staying on top of the cleaning on a regular basis greatly reduces my anxiety.  Laundry - The clothing I wear at work is...