My dog is squirrely, and it's making me nuts...

Yes, Uncle Wigglebutt...one of the many names he goes by.  This photo cracks me up with that blur of tail.  It is in constant motion; hence, the Wigglebutt.  The uncle comes because I call him my childrens' brother, which makes him my grandchildrens' uncle.  One of them actually calls him that.  :)

What is driving me crazy is the house training.  He spends all his outdoor time hunting...and eating...acorns.  Totally uninterested in potty time...perfectly happy doing that inside...and he's getting lots of fiber from the acorns, so...

Here's another favorite pastime of his...deer stalking.  These low windows must have been made with him in mind.  He loves watching the deer...and barking, barking, barking till I give him a time out.

And then there's this:

Oh, hell no!

In my mailbox today...

This was a nice surprise!  I was not expecting to receive a physical copy.  What is it you ask?

My name in print!  

The top photo shows the article with photos...the bookcase on the right is in our 'playroom' (actually a guest room, but it's the one the girls play in)...the other photo I took at Kasey's house.

Thanks Rachael for sending me the copies!  So sweet of you to know it would make my day!

Calendar snob revisited...

After suffering with my much-hated 2016 calendar for eight long months, I will be starting a new 16-month calendar on September 1.  You have no idea how excited I am to be done with the old one at the end of this month!

Things that I thought I could ignore last year proved too much for me.  I didn't like the semi-glossy paper.  I didn't like the pictures. I didn't like that it hung over the bottom of my bulletin board making it hard to write on the last week of each month.  I hated the handwritten changes I had to make so it was even usable for me.  And I hate that I still feel angry with myself every single time I look at it, because I settled for something I didn't want just because time was short and I hate shopping.  I did that with a car once...talk about buyer's regret!

The other day as I was adding an appointment to the old calendar, it came over me to suck it up and make one that suits me.  I figured I could start right now and be happily using it next week!  And a major plus...I wouldn't have to give calendar shopping any thought at all this year.  

I wasn't starting from scratch.  I used to make my own every year, so I had the basic layout saved in Microsoft Publisher.  I just had to bring it current and make sure the holidays got added correctly.  Really not as bad as I remembered, and I was done pretty quickly.  The part I dreaded was the printing, as it had been a trial in the past.  But my current printer proved much easier to print it out on since it handles cardstock better than its predecessor, and it does two-sided printing like a dream (no having to turn the sheets over and try to figure what end goes in first and which side is up!)

Is my new calendar plain vanilla?  You betcha!  I seem to need the wide open space and unadorned format to keep the focus on the events I write in rather than the page design.

All this and frugal too...I had everything on hand!

Frugal Friday File, week 34...

Successes:
1.  Ahhh...a new 16-month calendar is ready to start using next week.  Homemade means it has everything I want, nothing I don't want, and no money spent.  :)

2.  Wanted to eat lunch out yesterday while running errands...came oh so close...but then came home and ate leftovers.

3.  Called to confirm my work days for next week, and tentatively picked up an extra day the week after as well.

4.  Received confirmation that an article and photographs I submitted has been accepted for publication and payment will be forthcoming.  Not a fortune, but equal to about one day's take-home at my day job; and was offered another article for the holiday edition.  :)

5.  Planning a garage sale with Kasey next month.  Gathering up stuff to sell...an exercise that really takes away the desire to spend money on more bric-a-brac.

Keep Tryings:
I planned a trip to WalMart specifically to return a pet carrier and get a pet bed.  As I was checking out, I was truly irritated to realize I had completely forgotten to bring the pet carrier.  Aargh...another trip required!

Frugal From the Kitchen This Week:
Saturday:  liver & onions, garlic mashed potatoes
Sunday:  Sunday family dinner at Kasey's
Monday:  Chili Frito Pie
Tuesday:  *late lunch out, skipped supper
Wednesday:  pork chops, hot potato salad, broccoli
Thursday:  *sushi
Friday:  *pizza

(*not-frugal takeout or dinner out)

August 25, Rudolph Day...

Oh my goodness, the days are flying by now.  I am getting almost nothing done these days, as Rudy (the puppy, not the reindeer!) is keeping us hopping.  I had to think of a small job I could complete for this month's Rudolph Day.

I decided to go in search of these crocheted snowflakes.  I've always kept them in a separate box to keep them stored flat.  I would hate to have to re-block them, though I'm sure it could be done.

I made them about 25 years ago.  At the time our living room had a wall of windows, and I would hang a snowflake in each of the upper window panes.  Our formal living room at the time was decorated in pastels, hence the non-traditional pink ribbons.

Today I cut all of the ribbons off.  My plan is to hang them in the big window in our dining room this year by putting a tiny dot of hot glue on the glass and imbed monofilament, attached to the snowflakes, in the dot.  When it's time to take them down, the hot glue will pop right off of the glass.    

I rounded up the perler bead snowflakes Caitlyn and Chloe made with me last year , and will hang those as well.  I'm excited!  They look pretty just laid out on the table like this.  I think they will look awesome in the window.

So now they are all packed together back in the box to keep them flat.  The pink ribbons have been discarded.

One more job to tick off the list.

What I'm reading Wednesday...

Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman

This is by the same author as A Man Called Ove which I read recently and loved.  When I saw my library had this one as an ebook, I had to get on the list for it.

Sunday dessert, Orange Cake...

I browsed Pinterest last night looking for a dessert recipe for which I had the ingredients on hand.  I followed this recipe for the cake...super easy.  I was going to bake round layers, but at the last minute I opted for an oblong...so much easier to transport when still in the pan.

I didn't have all the frosting ingredients on hand, so I improvised.

My frosting included:
1 stick butter (1/2 cup), softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 Tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate (do not reconstitute)
4 cups powdered sugar
1 to 2 Tablespoons milk or cream (optional)
zest from one orange (reserve 1 tsp)

• Blend the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until smooth.  
• Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing well between each addition. 
• Add orange juice concentrate 1 Tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition and tasting...stop adding oj when the flavor is to your liking.
• You may add 1 or 2 Tablespoons of milk or cream to make a less stiff consistency if you wish.
• Beat at medium high speed until smooth. 
• Remove from mixer, and add the orange zest to the frosting (reserving a teaspoon or so to garnish the top later), and gently stir by hand to incorporate the zest throughout the frosting.

Once the cake is cooled completely, spread the frosting over it evenly.  Press the reserved orange zest between two layers of paper towels to remove any excess moisture.  With your fingertips, sprinkle the reserved zest over the frosted cake.

My frosting turned out very tart...hence the advice about tasting between adding more orange juice concentrate.  Carey and I really liked it, but it had mixed reviews with the rest of the family.  More yeas than nays, though, which is a success with that bunch.  :)