I woke up this morning at 2:30 a.m. which is not unusual for me. I generally wake up because my darling cat has decided to curl up between my legs which causes pressure on my sacroiliac joints and that causes pain in my back and that wakes me up and then I have to pee.  I’m been told it’s really easy to stop this…just close my bedroom door. But, but, but…Baby Kitty needs me, (of course she does!) so I endure. (Read here, long-suffering sigh). The good thing about when I woke up this morning though, I realized it was okay because I didn’t have ANYTHING I had to do today! I definitely have things I should do, but nowhere I have to go and no deadlines I have to meet so if I feel like a nap, I can take one.

I feel like I’ve been running a marathon the last couple of weeks since the Great Hunter and I started rescreening our deck. It has definitely turned into a major job. To rescreen the deck, all the exterior rails and trim and posts have to be removed. If you’ve ever watched HGTV when they start demo-ing something, they always find extra stuff they hadn’t counted on that needs repair. That’s the same way it was with our deck. Once we started removing things, we found more and more repairs that needed to be made. Weather and wood are just not good companions.

In the middle of this repair process, the Great Hunter’s daughter asked me to go with her to her daughter’s graduation from Army National Guard Advanced Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. This was a two-day trip, but it was a great time and I got to spend valuable time with my step-daughter.

Add to this my grandson’s birthday party, my family reunion, volunteering at the school library, a pedicure (finally), Oktoberfest and Chihuly Nights at the Missouri Botanical Garden, a funeral and prep for hosting my book club, I’ve been really, really busy.

And speaking of hosting my book club, I spent several evenings on Pinterest looking for appetizers to make. These are the ones I decided on, some made the grade and some did not.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Crescent Bombs Crescent rolls are always great, however, the elongated triangles  did not make an easy to fit into cupcake pans. I thought the filling was rather bland and I should have included Rotel type tomatoes with green chilis, but I didn’t. I wish I had. I give this recipe a C+.

 

Fruit Salad Recipe Pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, grapes, honey and lime juice. What could be better. The Great Hunter loved it. I give this recipe an A.

 

 

Pineapple Poke Bundt Cake Recipe This cake is very moist and definitely not a slice you can eat with your fingers. I omitted the final glaze step. The Great Hunter loved this recipe. I give it an A.

 

 

Frito Snack Mix I combined two recipes to make this snack mix. I used corn chips, Rice Chex, pretzel twists, and peanuts. Instead of the salty/sweet glaze, I used the glaze from my Whiskey Pretzels, which is a mixture of sweet, garlicy and spicy hot. I omitted the whiskey and added a half cup of brown sugar. Delicious. This was a big hit and I loved it and I haven’t shared it with the Great Hunter. I’m selfish.  I give this a definite A.

Homemade Pimento Cheese This recipe says “Every good southern woman should have a homemade Pimento Cheese recipe in her back pocket!” I’ve never made homemade Pimento cheese but I love the store-bought. I thought this recipe was sort of bland, but that didn’t stop me from eating it, after all, it is cheese. It wasn’t bad but I wouldn’t use this recipe again. I give it a C.

This week, I’m determined to relax a little and enjoy some downtime. I haven’t been in my sewing room for over two weeks, so maybe that’s where I can spend a little time this week (after I get the painting done on the deck).