Happy 45th Birthday to our Sunbeam toaster! Well, okay, I might be just a bit off - my memory isn't THAT good, but I know it's got to be close, so we're celebrating. This is the toaster we used at the old home place and I inherited it. How we marvelled as we watched the bread automatically descend into the toaster, brown between the orange coils, and then slowly reappear. Pure magic. I know it's old, but I'm not giving up on it and I don't want a new one. Sometimes when I think Bob might be questioning my frugality, you know, like, counting shoes and eyeing all my coats in the closet, well, I just make him a nice piece of perfect toast, and remind him that this toaster and I have been together a lot longer than he and I have. Toast for all my friends!







It was a cold and rainy week - too cold to live in a house without windows. Bob was gone all week, and the only thing that separated me from wild critters and other dangers was paper. As I drifted off to sleep, I wondered if it would be possible for a deer to jump right through that Tyvek House Wrap and come bounding down the hall. And, of course, we could hear the outside sounds so much better, and every time Sage, the crusty old Rottweiler from down the road, barked, Maddie jumped right out of her skin. There was extra barking on her part this week, too. Here's a picture of the addition, as of this afternoon. You can't tell too much, but it's coming along.













Bob helped me make the pumpkin topiaries this week. It's kind of hard to decorate with all that's going on here.





It's also hard to cook anything since the stove is unhooked. I went over to Stormy and Nick's house this afternoon and boiled some eggs to make ham salad. I could have done that at a neighbor's, but when Bob and I were driving home from Fort Wayne Friday night, we noticed a basement light was on in their house, so I thought I could go take care of that and get my eggs boiled too. I put a chuck roast in the crockpot this morning. It turned out well, very tasty. Easy recipe is below but first:





From the Archives: Sugarplums - 1989









Recipe of the Week:

Delicious, Easy Chuck Roast
2-4 lb chuck roast
salt and pepper to taste
1 onion, sliced
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Season roast with salt and pepper. Put it in the crockpot. Add the onion and pour soup over all. Cook on low 8 - 10 hours or high for 6. How easy is that?