Cleaning your keyboard

I've been meaning to thoroughly clean the keyboard lately, because it disgusts me. So today, that was one of my projects. Yeah, I knew the keys were sticky from various substances, but I was not expecting what I found after I got going.
Tools used:

• Microfiber cloth
• Toothbrush
• "Bottle brush"
• Home made disinfectant
• Digital camera
• Butter knife

To start, I took clear pictures of the keys to make putting it back together easier. Next, I used the butter knife to carefully pop the keys off, one section at a time. When I popped off the ones in the center, this is what I found:

Eew!!!!!!!! Now that's just gross! So, then using the tooth brush and mini bottle brush, I brushed out all the dirt, fuzzies and hair. Next, I sprayed the disinfectant on the cloth and wiped it down, in all the crevasses and in between where each key goes. Then came the ultimate tedious part; wiping each and every key, on all sides and putting them back where they belonged. I kid you not, this whole process took me and hour and a half to complete. But as you can see from the pictures, it was clearly time to do so. I would also like to say, that this lovely chore is one I am only going to do during "spring cleaning", as it is not high on my priority list. 

A couple notes:*It would be helpful and make the job a little easier if you use some compressed air to aid in the dirt and hair removal.

*A couple times a month, during your cleaning routine, would be a good time to wipe down the surface of the keys and blast with compressed air to keep it clean and prevent build up like in the above photo.

*Once a week, or even more often, you will want to disinfect the keyboard, as well as the mouse, speaker knobs, etc. Basically all your points of contact where germs collect. I read online somewhere that your keyboard contains more germs than the handle on your toilet, yikes!

*Home made disinfectant: 50/50 water and rubbing alcohol. Shake gently to mix, pour into a clean spray bottle and you're good to go!

   What's in your keyboard???

~Autumn is here~

Well, o.k., so not according to the calendar. But the weather sure has made a turn in that direction it seems. I can't wait to decorate! We have our first smudge of the season going in the good ol' cook stove. There is just something about this time of year that I love so much. The crisp air, the slight chill in the mornings, colored leaves, the smell of a wood stove going and warm, hearty food. Not to mention pumpkin everything, and hot coffee. Apple cider. And canning all the garden goodies. The smell of fresh hay put up. Cozy blankets and slippers. Autumn to me is like the Earth's last big celebration before it takes a long nap under the freezing cold of Winter.

Irish Boiled Dinner

No, there's no alcohol. It is just like your normal boiled dinner, but with a corned beef brisket instead of a ham. Delicious! Really good, I loved the flavor the meat had; salty, sweet and melt-in-your-mouth texture. Recipe to follow soon.

Happenings of the day:

Darlin put a new battery in the truck.

Laundry.

The cooking and eating of chicken lasagna.

Dishes.

Cups of tea and cuddling with Darlin.

Went for a walk with June.

Darlin staked out the cows on fresh grass.

Laughed watching reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond.

Clutter control in the kitchen.

Bug the goat visited in the house for a couple minutes. She loves the stairs!

Darlin played a round of golf with his Dad and a buddy from work.

Listened to some Dwight Yoakham while cleaning.

Frogs, goats and things

Starting the day with pancakes, coffee and eggs

Darling found the smallest frog I have ever seen! 

 Of course, we let him go after making of him. He is only a little bigger than my pinky nail!

June let Bug in and she headed right for the stairs. Here she is walking along a 4" wide edge above the stairs! Talk about sure-footed!

 Coming down the stairs

Rising yeast dough 

 Made into rolls and loaves

 Banana muffins!

 *Yummy!*

Shrimp and scallops sauteing in olive oil, seasonings and chives

White sauce with the seafood to pour onto pasta

Darling loading the bull to do some trading 

 Darlings buddy Stroker

25 Weeks and counting!

This is a couple days late, but here is my update...
      I can't believe it's been 25 weeks already, and yet at the same time I wonder if December will ever get here!

• 3 Weeks to third trimester, woo hoo!
• Prepregnancy weight-125lbs
• Weight gained so far-18lbs
• Current symptoms: Backache, leg cramps at night, stretch marks*yikes!*
• I have a good appetite lol

About baby:

• Kicking a lot! and also stronger than a few weeks ago, he really packs a little punch!
• Name: Definitely Jackson Roy
• Baby weighs about 1-1/2lbs this week
• Baby is starting to "pack on some fat"

Belly shot:

Good Tunes

Who doesn't like this song?? Ever been to the Haynesville woods?

Baby Goat Discovers Mirror

Got a couple minutes of "Bug" the goat checking out a mirror I put out on the porch. Also, this may be a explanation as to why I can never keep the glass door clean! (As I'm sure you will notice at the end of the video!) I didn't realize how dirty it was until I zoomed in!

What I ate today

Thought I'd post what I ate throughout the day...
Breakfast: I had a slice of french toast with honey, vanilla Greek yogurt, two slices of turkey bacon, a kiwi and 2 strawberries. To drink, I had a cup of coffee(of course!) and 8oz of unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

 For my mid morning snack I munched on celery and carrots with 2 TBSP of garlic hummus and a low fat string cheese stick.

Lunch was my usual: Green salad with chicken and sharp cheddar and a glass of water.

 Afternoon snack: A peach and 1/4 c of roasted cashews with sea salt. Later on in the afternoon I also had a toasted english muffin, but I ate it before I remembered to get a picture lol.

 Supper: Brown rice, thin cut eye round, caramelized carrots and onions and par boiled asparagus with olive oil and parmesan cheese.

I'm working on cooking and eating healthier meals, it is fun to try new recipes like the asparagus one!
Have a good night folks and take care.

Off the Deep End

So here it is, 6:30 A.M. I have been up since 5:00 A.M. What has been on my mind since I woke up?(and the last few days?) SCALLOPS!!!!! For real, I was just looking at recipes for "healthy scallops" and the more I searched the more obvious it was- I simply just have to have them, today!! It's a good thing I'm getting groceries today lol. Can a pregnant woman have more than one craving at a time? Or maybe I finally lost my last marble? Because I still want my salad too, of course.
   Thing is, I want to cook them with out batter and frying them, which is the only way I remember ever having them. I will have to post about when I make it! I can taste them already, mmmm.

(Google Images)

I am most certain I shall perish if I don't get some soon, I mean, just look at them!!

 It will be a crazy day today, so I will post as soon as I can. I hope you all have a great day, and be sure to eat your scallops-or I will lol!

The great hunter...

June has been pretty busy lately. Last week she went out to the raspberry patch with me and caught mice while I picked berries. One day she caught three of them in a half an hour! And then a couple weeks ago, a weasel got into our chicken pen and killed two meat birds. Then next evening, thanks to June, the weasel was laid out by the front steps! She is quick!
   I was lucky enough to get her latest catch on camera.
Yup, it's a loooong green snake. She saw me on the steps then brought it over for me to see. It was a little bigger than I prefer to handle *eew* but I told her she did a good job:)

Here she has the snake in the grass in front of her. She looks proud:)

Country Style Breakfast: Utilizing leftovers

Last night for supper we had steak, new potatoes and salad. This morning for breakfast I cooked eggs, sausage gravy, seasoned potato cakes and leftover steak...

And, of course, hot coffee!

Today: 

• laundry
• dishes
• clean the bathroom
• sweep, dust, declutter living room
• vacuum carpet 
• give June a bath
• wash the kitchen floor
• organize kitchen cupboards
• wash windows, doorknobs

And whatever else I can get done. But if I get all this done, I will be quite happy :)

My new craving is...

Green salad with chicken and sharp cheddar. It is the same salad I posted about before, that I seem to want EVERY day! I had it for lunch yesterday and around 3 o'clock I was thinking about it again! (But I refrained myself lol) I just love all the flavors and textures, the crispy veggies and snappy cheese and hot grilled chicken! I cook the chicken right before I eat the salad so that it is nice and hot, even melting the cheese a little. And on top of it all, I like to lightly drizzle Italian dressing *MMMM!* I'm totally having this for lunch today! Probably with a yogurt, yeah, that sounds good!
     Well, I better get to work if I'm going to get my list done today. Have a good day everyone!

One of those Days

Today it is cloudy, rainy, and chilly. It is a good day for hot tea, homemade soup, book reading, blanket cuddling and blogging. And building a little smudge in the stove wouldn't be such a bad idea either.
    I tried to post last night but the internet wasn't working. I think the storm had a bad effect on it :)
Darling and I went to the city of Bangor Friday and got animal food and two weeks worth of groceries. I haven't been sleeping well at night, uncomfortable, achy, and such. While I grabbed a cart and started on the groceries, Darling got his own cart and said "I'll be right back, there's some things I need to get too." And so he disappeared. When he returned, he had picked up some toiletries and such and also a big, fluffy body pillow, for me! Awwah, isn't he so sweet? I can tell you, it makes sleeping much more comfy while pregnant. I can wrap myself around it and not loose it in the middle of the night because it is bigger than a standard pillow.
We had a good day that day. We had lunch at Pizza Hut. Onion and sausage pizza, cheesy bread sticks and buffalo wings yummy! The wings were a little spicy for me though.
     I've been picking things out online and putting it on my "wish list" for the nursery! I love looking at all the baby stuff, I can't wait for Jackson to get here! There is one more ultrasound appointment left. The radiologist said that during the appointment he will be looking at different structures of the baby that he couldn't quite see last time and also, he said he will check to see if "it's still a boy" lol. I hope so because I love the name Jackson Roy, Darling does too, of course.
That's all for now folks, I hope you have a chance to relax and cuddle with a blanket and cup of tea today!

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

I absolutely *love* this pizza! The crust recipe came from my Aunt Rhonda, and the toppings I added what I thought would be good. Here goes...

The crust:
1pkg dry yeast*
dissolve in 1 cup warm water. Add:
1tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp oil(I use 3 Tbsp)
2 1/2 cups flour

Mix till nicely blended. The more you handle your pizza dough, the tougher it will be. Let rise 5 minutes. Makes 1 lg pizza or two small.
*when using bulk yeast, 1 pkg is equal to 2-1/4 tsp, I use 2-1/2 tsp.

The pizza:
Roll out your crust and place on a greased pan. Preheat oven to 425*.
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced and cooked.
1/4-1/2 cup Alfredo sauce
1 diced tomato
1/2 chopped red onion
1 big handful of spinach leaves, roughly chopped
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

Spread on your Alfredo sauce, mozzarella, spinach, onion, tomato, chicken, and sprinkle on Parmesan.
Bake for 8-14 minutes until crust is crisping on the edges and turning a gold color on bottom. Pizza will cook faster on metal pans, longer on stones. Enjoy! I hope you like it!