De-Clutter Project (Part III)

So...de-clutter project number II from earlier this year didn't go as well as I had hoped, but number III went well. I have a ton of stuff to take to DI and I feel happy that I'm going to give it away. Now I need to do the follow through and actually drive it over to DI. I will give myself till this Saturday to take it over.

A majority of the items I'm getting rid of are clothes. As I was making a list of the items (okay, so I will be turning it in for a tax deduction) I noticed that the clothes all started with the letter "S". For entertainment purposes, I will list out those items: shirts, shoes, sweaters, skirts, socks, suits, silk shirts, scarves and jackets. Well, jackets doesn't start with an "S" but it does end with one. LOL!!!

Another thing I got rid of were shoe boxes. Those went in the trash. I bought four pairs of shoes about a month ago and threw away eight pairs. I'd worn them down pretty good, so they weren't worth giving away. I ended up with more shoe boxes and always think that I'll be able to use them for some purpose and save them. Well, I tossed about eight shoe boxes. Afterwords I realized they were taking up quite a bit of space.

This has been perfect timing for de-cluttering. Since the holidays are coming I can go shopping and fill up the space with some more fun stuff. :-)

Pie Crust

I really liked this pie crust recipe. It was easy to make and turned out very nice. One reason why it was so easy is because I finally bought a pastry cutter. I love that utensil!

Pie Crust

2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
5 oz Crisco
5 Tbsp water

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in the Crisco with pastry cutter until mixture is crumbly. Add water and mix till all has been moistened. Form and divide into two balls. Roll out and place in pie dish. Add filling. Bake 350° for 50 to 60 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

The pie pictured above is an apple pie. The filling was home canned. I served this warm with ice cream.

Taco Soup

I really like making taco soup when the weather starts getting cold. This is half the recipe of Rynell's version of the soup.

Taco Soup

garlic (to taste)
onion (to taste)
1 lb ground beef
1 can corn
1 can beans (black or pinto)
1 can stewed or diced tomatoes
1 pkg or 1/4 cup taco seasoning

Saute garlic and onion. Add ground beef and brown. Once browned add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer 15-20 minutes.

Serve with toppings: frito or corn chips, cheese, sour cream, black olives or any of your favorite toppings.

Jedi Family

Andy and Rynell usually bring the kids by every Halloween so I can see the kids costumes and give them treats. Well this year, since I was at the murder mystery party, they came by to see me. Rynell did an amazing job with the costumes.

How to Host a Murder Party

Here's the gang from Kelly's murder mystery party. The last time I played one of these things I ended up being the murderer. However, this time I may have done quite a bit of plotting, but was not the murderer. Heehee!!!