A Precious Gem

A ruby is a precious gemstone which is a symbol of pure love and loyalty. The name comes from the Latin word ruber, which means red. 

When you think of a ruby, I'm sure a beautiful red stone comes to your mind. To us, it means a beautiful red Boston terrier.

Nine years ago, we were able to adopt this sweet little girl. When we first met her, we found her red coat to be not only beautiful, but exceptionally soft. Although she was four years old, she'd spent her entire life in a puppy mill with little human interaction. Valued only for producing babies, she slept outside and did not know her assigned name. We had the privilege of not only giving her a forever home, but also her forever name. After much consideration, we decided that calling her Rubie (unconventional spelling) would be just right. Almost immediately, we all fell in love. She bonded with us and her new Boston "sister" who was already a part of our family. Always timid, our little cutie preferred the security of her home and family. In fact, she was our shadow. Never more than a step behind us at home, she kept track of our every move. It's the way she liked it and so did we. She was happiest snoozing while being held or snuggled tightly next to us.

Equally connected to her sibling, she loved cuddling with her, too! 

I always enjoyed sharing the pictures I took of the girls each holiday and many people have come to expect to see them. You could tell Rubie was often bored by my silly ideas! 😉

Our Rubie was perfectly mannered, sweet, quiet, petite and loving.  We adored her. If you have ever had a pet as part of your family, you understand why we were heartbroken when she passed away two weeks ago. She had recently undergone eye surgery and, in fact, you saw her recuperating with her little Elizabethan collar in their Halloween picture. Ironically, that day was the last time I had worked on my blog. Many of you are aware that this year has been filled with trials for my family and, despite my best efforts,  I don't have the opportunity to work on posts with regularity. If you had told me that would be the last time for me to show one of the girls' holiday pictures, I would not have believed it. She was healing nicely from her operation when she suddenly got sick and grew weak. We rushed her to the emergency clinic in the wee hours of the morning, but she was septic and passed away that evening. She had wonderful care from compassionate and competent vets and techs. We miss her terribly and are very thankful that we were able to have her as part of our family. She was a blessing to us. 

Do you know what? As it turns out, the name we gave her was absolutely ideal because she was a precious GEM of a girl who was, indeed, a symbol of pure love and loyalty. ❤

Happy HOWL-ween!

Even though our little trick-or-treaters didn't dress up this year (you can see one is recovering from surgery), they still wanted to boo-st your spirits this Howl-ween day! 🎃

A Bit of Randomness

I have a bit of a mishmash to share today! For starters, here is my new friend. Although the hummingbirds have migrated, their feeder is enjoyed each afternoon by this sweet little butterfly. 

This Eastern Comma butterfly prevented my taking apart, cleaning and storing the hummingbird station. It's worth it to enjoy this winged beauty.

I love having cut flowers in the house from early spring until fall's hard frost. These most recent cuttings were snatched before a frost warning a few nights ago. Someone forgot to tell them that it's time for the annuals to begin fading!

Completely unrelated to the nature shots is a product endorsement. I'm likely the last person around to have tried Bar Keepers Friend Foam cleaner. I've used regular Bar Keepers Friend over the years with good results, but never used the foam version. I found it on sale and, on a whim, decided to buy it. I used it on a stubborn sink stain I'd been attacking for quite a while. I used every cleaner I had in the house and many natural concoctions without success. Hurredly, I sprayed Bar Keepers Friend Foam on the troublesome spot and couldn't believe my eyes when it eradicated every bit of it! I highly recommend it...if you aren't already hooked!

How's that for a bit of randomness? 🙂

Tuesday's Tablescape

On such a lovely autumn day, our patio is the perfect place for today's tablescape. 

I'm not a fan of Halloween, but my happy jack-o-lantern and cute candy corn fabric napkins are fun to use.

I hope you're having a nice fall day! 

Zucchini Cakes

If you have a few of the season's last zucchini, I have just the idea for you. This is my mother's recipe and she got it from her mother. I have always loved these zucchini cakes and they are easy-peasy to prepare. Serve them piping hot with a dab of melted butter on top. These flavorful pancake-like creations are sure to round-out your meal of grilled meat and fruit salad, for example.

Zucchini Cakes

1.5 cups grated zucchini (use a hand grater)

1/2 tsp. salt

a few dashes onion powder

1 egg, slightly beaten

Combine all ingredients and allow to sit for a few minutes. Add enough Bisquick mix to create a batter thicker than what you'd make for pancakes. Brown on a hot griddle until cooked through and both sides are golden. Serve hot. Enjoy!

I hope you're having an excellent day!

A Little Fall Decor

I am very behind schedule, but managed to get out a little more fall décor. I have been doing a tiny bit some days before I go to bed. Until last night, it still looked like summertime on our mantel. This looks much more appropriate for this time of year! 

My cousin made this pumpkin for me years ago! I have used it in a variety of ways, but decided to fill it with a fall arrangement for this application.

These stems came from Dollar Tree. The faux cotton, pinecones and cattails aren't too bad for a buck! I wrapped a piece of bark from our birch tree around the vase for a little more rustic look.

This vignette on the kitchen counter shows the walnut treenware I bought this summer at craft camp.

I like to unwind by playing with décor. Maybe I will try to get a little bit more done soon!

Blessings!

National Cookbook Month

I didn't know about National Cookbook Month until several months ago when it was mentioned in something I was reading. No history or background was provided as it was just referenced, so I decided to do a little research. Cookbooks, also known as "cookery books", gained popularity with the arrival of the printing press in the 16th and 17th centuries. American Cookery, the first American collection, was published in 1796. There are books which proceeded that date, of course, and people have always shared their own favorites with family and friends. Like most of you, I have acquired cookbooks over the years. I keep my collection in this cabinet above my planning center where they are easily accessible. The top shelf also contains some yellow envelopes of organized overflow and you will note my recipe box on the second shelf. It was a gift from my cousin while she and I were in high school. It was handmade and she has a matching one! 

I consider one of the best varieties of cookbooks to be those from churches. Typically spiral bound, I have several of those. This is my very first one and was a childhood gift from my sister when I was ten years old.

This one is from my childhood and was published the year I was born. It has so many good recipes and such a variety.

These are oldies, but goodies I received right before I was married. My cousins gave me this one.

While this one was a shower gift from my mother.

My aunt picked-up these little antique cookbooks at their church sale and are so much fun to read.

This is the newest to my collection and was a retirement gift from a friend. It's a beautiful book of Amish recipes.

All of my "cookery books" are special to me. Most were gifts, all have meaning and each and every single one gets used. How about you? Do you have special cookbooks that you use and enjoy? 

Happy National Cookbook Month!