BOO!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!

My daughter sent me these this morning...

I added some fun in PicMonkey!

Have a great day!!

Don't eat too much candy!

              BOO!
                  linda :o)

Some Still Out....Some Already In...

As most of you know...

I love bringing some annuals inside for the long cold Winter...

Geraniums are usually my best bet...

Some I have had for 4 years...

And they just get better and better...

The Begonias don't always do as well...

But...it is still fun to try...

These 2 beauties here are still outside...

My Dragon Wing Begonia is HUGE...I have brought them in before...but they always die...so I am afraid that this beauty will have to go with the frost...if and when we get any...

The plants below...are already inside...but I have quite a few more to gather...
I think this weekend may just be their last stint outdoors...at least I can get them into the garage...I also brought my 2 fabulous Ferns from the cottage...
They are hanging out the front...still lovely and lush...but they are too messy for me to bring in...and I don't have that kind of space...so sad...:o(
 

Beautiful Peachy Blush Geranium...

Frog Buddies...with Ivy that I had out all Summer...

There is my giant JADE plant...still outside...he needs to come in this afternoon...

 

 

 

 

Here is darling Miss V last week at the park...with her bike of course!

We have her today...she is sawing logs right now...

Had a great lunch...talking a blue streak...and singing like mad!♥️
 

Hope you are all having a great day...

Weather is the same...huge clouds...look like snow clouds to me...:o(

What is happening in your neck of the woods??

Fish & Chips tonight....the sole filets are bathing in some creamy buttermilk...

And will be covered in crunchy Panko crumbs...

Baked to a golden deliciousness...

What is in your oven tonight????

Enjoy the rest of your Thursday...

Think I'll grab my camera...and capture some of the beautiful yellow going on in my yard...

Love the Fall colours!

                 Cheers!   :o)
                    linda

You Asked......And I Delivered!

As requested by my millions of faithful readers...

Here is the recipe for "Skinny Beef & Barley Soup"...

Found this on Pinterest... 

Hands up...

Who loves...

PINTEREST

I sure do...

Once I got the hang of it...

Anyway...

Off we go...

Skinny Beef & Barley Soup...

* 2 containers of low-sodium beef broth
* 1 lb lean ground beef
* 2 carrots  {sliced}
* 2 celery stocks {sliced}
* 1 zucchini {diced}
* 1 small onion chopped
* 1 small can diced tomatoes
* 1 cup barley
* 3 cups raw spinach
* freshly cracked pepper
* sea salt
* tsp thyme 
* 1 bay leaf
* tsp ground sage
***********
Brown the ground beef and drain excess fat...
Add to the beef broth and barley...
Bring to a boil...simmer for 15 minutes...
Add everything except the spinach...

Simmer uncovered for a couple of hours...stirring occasionally...
I let it go all day...covering for a while, and then uncovering...
I also added a cup of water and an Aurora beef cube...
Couple of pinches of sea salt...
Plenty of cracked pepper...
Spinach at the very end...
I also added some lentils and beans...dry...not next time, as they did not cook all the way through...
I also added a small bit of tiny macaroni...

Apparently it freezes well....I don't have enough to freeze!!!!
It is also recognized by Weight Watchers and has about 100 calories/cup...

If you make it...let me know...it is one of those soups that you can really clean out your fridge...bok choy would be good!!

SO...there you go...hope you enjoy it!!!

Hope you all had a great day...

Still having some questionable weather here...some sun...mostly cloud...
And that relentless wind....geesh!!

We got a new car today...very happy...very snappy...Infiniti Q60S coupe!
Replaces our G37S...sad...but happy...beautiful car♥️

I have a ham bone in the slow cooker...
Pea soup is up next!!
I really do prefer cold weather comfort food...don't you??

Having crispy pork chops...roasted potatoes and carrots...bok choy...


Enjoy the rest of your day...

Cheers!  :o)
linda

The Amazing Milkweed....Asclepias Syriaca!

This past weekend at the cottage was pretty cloudy and windy most of the time...

But...

The Native Milkweed was in its Fall glory...

Most of them popped up on the beach this year...

I never know where I will see them sprouting in the Spring...

The Simmer flower is glorious...

And it a necessity for the Monarch Butterfly...

The flower..to me...resembles a Lilac... 

Here is a photo from this past summer...Beautiful!!

Future Milkweed...so dainty and fluffy!

Sooooo...

There you have the Native Milkweed...

Lovely to look at...

Lovely to photograph...

I have just begun the beach walk...

Tune in tomorrow...

Same time...

Same channel...













Hope you are all having a great day...

Started out sunny...but has become increasingly dark and blustery...20*c!!

Wonder what the evening has in store weather-wise...

Never a dull moment, eh??

Gonna have my fabulous soup...crusty toasted bread and spinach salad...

Will show you the soup...don't worry...and it was as easy as pie...

Hmmmmm...pie sounds delish? eh Martha? hahaha!

                      Enjoy your evening...

                             Cheers!
                                     linda :o)

Birds....Bugs & Blooms....Bliss

Hope your weekend was great...

Our weather was so/so...

Or..really...

More so...than so!

Seems like every bloom I focused on...

Was sporting a BUG!

My daughter gave me the moccasins below...

She said they were a bit snug on her...

THANKS!

They are perfect for the chillier weather at the cottage...although...I did wear my flip-flops while doing some gardening chores...When the sun came out, it was lovely...we would find a sheltered spot from the wind...but they were few and far between this past weekend...

 

At home...I was so glad to see these 2 guys the other day...

Well...I should say...1 guy and 1 very pretty lady!!

I had stopped feeding the birds, as Red was becoming a real nuisance...

We threw some peanuts to the Jays and Mrs Cardinal...

Hope they come back...

I will start filling the bird feeders soon...

Have you seen the Winter Birds in your yard yet?

I have been fighting some kind of cold the last week or so...

Not really sure what it is...scratchy throat...runny nose...achey...

I have nearly had enough of it...go away!! I don't want to play anymore...

I do believe a piece of scrumptious Apple Pie Bread is in order...

With a big cup of cinnamon apple tea...♥️ 

Now ...doesn't that look delicious??

Bliss.....

Recipe can be found in the post search...

If you make some...

Let me know...

You won't be sorry...

 

Hope you all had a great weekend...

Was Sunny most of the day today...chilly...clouds now moving in...

We are expecting a Thunderstorm overnite and tomorrow...

Going to be quite balmy tomorrow...20*c!!!

I have a pot of soup on the stove...first time making it...

Found it on Pinterest...I could just get lost over there! hahaha!

Will tell you more about it tomorrow...

We are having crispy baked chicken thighs...roasted yams and Zucchini

With a Ceasar Salad...yummy!

What's cookin' in your kitchen??

Enjoy the rest of your day..

             Cheers!  :o)
              linda

Seagulls.......On A Bright Clear Sunny Day

Ahhhhhh...

Remember these days?

Before the rain started?

Before the leaves started to fall?

Before the air turned chilly?

This was only 3 weeks ago...

And I sincerely...

Hope...

To...

See this again...

Tomorrow...

And Saturday...

Are you all with me on this??

I am sure all of you are horrified at what took place in our country's capital city yesterday...

Frightening to say the least...

Makes me very scared for our children and grandchildren...

This world needs to change...

FAST...

OR we will destroy ourselves...

Take a moment to think of  
young Corporal Nathan Cirillo...

Who was murdered senselessly...

While serving this great country of ours... 

We have always flown our Canadian flag with great pride...

And will continue to do so for as long as we are on this earth...

Thinking of the families and friends of Cpl. Cirillo...

May they find peace♥️

                                             ************

          Hope you all had a great day...

               Sunny...breezy...cool here...

                      Going out for dinner...and to the cottage tomorrow...

                             Have a great weekend...

                                     Cheers!  :o)
                                             linda

Finally...Out For A Garden Update...

I stole out to the garden yesterday...

Between rain drops...

Need to get my outdoor/indoor plants ready to come in...

Although...it is going to be warmer this weekend...

Sun is out today...but still pretty windy and nipply...

Miss V is napping , after a big lunch...

Guess where we are going after she wakes up???

Ha ha ha....she made me promise we would go out on her "bike"...

Oh........... the things we have to do, eh???

Hope you are all having a great day...

                     Cheers!  :o)
                       linda