Sleep! Glorious Sleep! Thankfulness Day 4

I have never been SO appreciative of sleep until this year. Sleep was something that often eluded me so it was hard to appreciate what I never had.  I just took it for granted that I wasn't meant to sleep through the night.  Every creak, whimper, squeak, toss and turn, and SNORE - woke me up.  This summer, after three LONG years, our bedroom restoration project was finally complete. We happily moved into our newly restored bedroom and to celebrate the long struggle of waiting, we bought a brand new King Size Bed.  Up until then - for 24 years - Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I shared a full size bed. I might add that Mr. Yesteryear Acres is not a small man and my share of the bed was a tiny little slice on the edge. Mr. Yesteryear Acres would snore horribly and he also suffered from sleep apnea so there was not a restful night to be found.  Neither one of us realized just how little sleep we were getting. We were exhausted. When we put our brand new King Size bed into our new bedroom....Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I just stared at it.  What had we done?!  The bed was simply massive.  We instantly regretted our purchase as no one on earth could possibly need a bed that big! We wondered how we could return the monstrosity.  We reluctantly crawled into our huge bed for the evening and ................OH MY GOSH! HEAVEN! We woke up the next morning feeling like we had slept like royalty!  It was without a doubt the BEST night's sleep we had ever had.  Ever.  Since that night, every single evening when we crawl into bed, we both have the biggest smiles on our faces.  We are like little kids jumping into our big bed.  The novelty hasn't worn off one bit.  It is our big cloud of happiness.  We are seriously grateful every night.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres hardly snores anymore.  His sleep apnea is gone completely and he sleeps like a baby.  I have so much room that I am SO comfortable and without the tossing and turning and SNORING in my ear....I sleep like a baby too.  Our cloud of happiness has brought us so much restfulness and comfort, I will love that bed forever!  And to celebrate Thankfulness Day 4 - One More Hour of Sleep!!!!!!  Glorious Sleep!

Cooking from the Heart....Thankfulness Day 3

Today's Thankfulness comes straight from the kitchen.  I am SO thankful for good food! Mr. Yesteryear Acres is an AWESOME chef!  He makes the most delicious meals.  He loves cooking.  I have to say that I am also an awesome chef and I LOVE cooking too!  Between the two of us - there is ALWAYS something delicious on the table. Take last night for instance.  Last night was just a simple dinner night.  We had hamburgers. BUT it was Hamburger Night Yesteryear Acres style! Mr. Yesteryear Acres makes a special blend of lean pork and lean meats and makes the most killer delicious crispy salty yummy hamburgers.  He has a special cast iron skillet that is guaranteed to make your mouth water. I made homemade potato buns (from scratch) so his hamburgers would have the bun they so rightly deserved.  I also made homestyle potatoes that were just delicious.  AND to top that off, we had the very last of the fresh tomatoes from the garden.  That's right.  Our tomatoes made it all the way until November 2nd!  We unwrapped the last few tomatoes last night and oh my....  SO GOOD!  We also had Mr. Yesteryear Acres homemade "Fried" apples. So even hamburger night at Yesteryear Acres is special!  We have family dinner every single evening full of homecooked goodness.  Who can't be thankful for that! Every meal is special.  Every meal is delicious. And every meal is full of thanks.

Kindness - Thankfulness Day 2

Today I am so thankful for kind and thoughtful people.  Being thoughtful and kind really doesn't take too much effort.  Smile every day.  Think of how you would like to be treated in each situation you come across.  Be thankful.  Be grateful.  Be polite. For those people who are kind - thank you. You make the world a better place. I try to be sure to be kind and thoughtful to everyone I meet.  I always smile. I always say thank you.  For those people who work as waiters and waitresses, bank tellers, grocery store clerks, etc. I make sure I call them by their name and tell them I appreciate their service. I try never to be on the phone when I am checking out at a grocery store. I think the cashier deserves a little kindness and a "How are you?" and "thank you".  When people are kind to me - I appreciate it.  I never take kindness for granted and I always appreciate it when I am on the receiving end. In watching the tragic events of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy - even in the depths of despair - kindness still lives.  Kind people that put out extra electrical strips so others can charge their cell phones, kind people that open their doors and feed others that are hungry, kind people that go out of their way to help strangers by bringing food, diapers - anything and everything. It is evident that the world is filled with kind people. I would like to take a moment to extend our kindness here at Yesteryear Acres.  I am making a trip to Maryland next Friday. If any Yesteryear Acres Puppy Family or friends of Yesteryear Acres Puppy Families need supplies or food or bottled water- please let me know.  I have room in the Puppy Mobile. Let me know if we can help! The puppy mobile/emergency supply mobile is on the way!

Thankfulness begins now

November is the month of Thanksgiving.  I know you are thinking - Thanksgiving is just one solitary day in November  - but here at Yesteryear Acres, Thanksgiving lasts the entire month.  Every November 1st, I begin my month of thankfulness.  I like to take time each and every day of November to show gratitude and appreciation for something I am thankful for in my life. Thanksgiving is too big to be squished into one day.  Thanksgiving is every day. So for November 1st, I am thankful for my home. 

I love my home.  I loved my home from the very first day I saw it. I was standing in a checkout line at the grocery store and I was flipping through a realtor's brochure when I first saw Yesteryear Acres. The second I saw that picture - I was in love.  I knew that it was THE house where Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I were meant to live. I made an appointment to see the house and let the realtor know right up front, that the house was WAY out of our budget but I just had to see a house that beautiful.  He was very gracious and allowed us to come and see the place even though it was just a far off dream.  Of course we fell in love even more when we saw it and I wrote a very long letter to the owners of the house.  I let them know that if they ever wanted to sell their home to a family that would love and cherish their home, that would restore it back to its original 1823 beauty, that would keep the land intact and would have gardens and picnics and would treasure their home all the days of their lives - well then - we were that family.  I let them know that we couldn't afford their asking price but there wouldn't be one day that would go by that we didn't love our home with all our hearts.  We left my letter with the realtor and said goodbye to the most beautiful place we had ever seen. We never heard from the owners but thought of the house often. One year later, the realtor called us out of the blue and said that if we still loved the home, the owners agreed to sell it to us.  We could NOT believe it!!!  It was literally a dream come true. We named it Yesteryear Acres because it was built so long ago and had the acreage we had always dreamed of.  And so here we are, living our dream at Yesteryear Acres.   Our home is filled to the brim with love and happiness.  And true to our word - every day I am grateful. 

That Spells DELICIOUS!

Tonight I decided I would make a side dish of alphabet noodles to go with dinner.   I have been very dedicated to cooking whole grains and healthy foods since the beginning of August and my poor son was just dying for something "normal".  We no longer have plain white rice.  We have brown rice mixed in with the white rice.  We have added Quinoa as a staple for side dishes.  We have mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes. We have sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes. We have whole grain bread.......You get the drill.  He has been very good about the switch but every now and then, he just wants a regular ole "normal" food.  By "normal" he means white starchy foods.  He loves white rice, white bread, white potatoes and white noodles.  I mean who doesn't?  I love them too!!  I mean I really do - but the whole grain alternatives are SO much better for you and keep you satisfied so much longer.  White processed foods just add calories.  No nutrition. So tonight, I decided to forgo the Quinoa and make good ole white alphabet noodles. I have to say, everyone was quite excited.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres was so excited that he came to give me a hug as soon as he came inside.  From being out.  In the rain.  And in the cold. I was lifting up the colander of noodles and Mr. Yesteryear Acres FREEZING HANDS touched my stomach and ACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I dropped the noodles......all over the floor! There they were.  Poor alphabet noodles all over the kitchen floor. I guess I should have stuck to the healthy whole grains!!! Never fear......the doodle doggies came running in quickly to the rescue!  The lapped up every single alphabet.  Then they looked at Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I - and said..............
"That Spells DELICOUS!!!!!!"

POWER!

Against all predictions - Yesteryear Acres has electricity! WHAT?!  MIRACLE!  This is the first time, in I don't know how long that we did NOT lose power due to bad weather.  The last time we lost electricity was this past July when horrible storms ripped through our area.  We had no power for over a week and it was over 100* and just miserable.  We were prepared again to relive the Little House on the Prairie Days but happily - we are enjoying all the perks of a fully operational electrical system. All day long I had a smile on my face.  The water from the faucet works. The lights work. The refrigerator works. I learned long ago to never take those things for granted.  Despite the frigid winds, below freezing windchill factors, the ice, the snow, and the non-stop rain, everyone at Yesteryear Acres is happy, happy, happy.  Just ask the mud covered, drenching wet doodle doggies.  The way they wag their tails when they come inside - happiness is everywhere.

Soggy, Windy, Blustery and Wet

We are ready for the storm. We spent all day yesterday and today preparing for the worst.  Officials are already predicting power outages for our area - and with our past history - we should be without power before the morning.  For everyone in Sandy's path, please be safe.
Here are a few Monday Puppy Pictures from wet Yesteryear Acres.  They aren't the greatest as the lighting is a bit gloomy but you can still see the adorableness!

We had to take the pictures from our porch today

It was a rather Blustery Day!

Rain Rain Go Away!

And please leave us with electricity!

Our little babies like it nice and warm

It makes for peaceful restful days.

Stay safe everyone!

COFFEEEEEEEEEEE! NO!

Tragedy.  Total and utter tragedy.  We have had the same coffee maker since......well forever.  It is our very first coffee maker. We got it shortly after we were married - so it has been our faithful companion for over 25 years. It has been with us every single morning bringing complete happiness to our hearts. It is one of those coffee makers that mounts under the cabinet. It has no timer. No bells, no whistles, no bean grinder.  Just a simple coffee maker. Today the glass carafe of our dear devoted coffee maker shattered. NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!  No coffee!  No morning cup of Joe! No kickstart to the day!  TRAGIC! So of course now I am in desperate search for a replacement glass carafe! The coffee maker is no longer produced and it could be quite the task to find a replacement carafe.  I have to find one.  We have tried fancy coffee makers but nothing makes a cup of coffee like our dear faithful old coffee maker.  There is something about it that just makes the perfect cup. I am fairly certain Mr. Yesteryear Acres has something to do with the perfection of our morning coffee. He buys the very best coffee beans (Mahogany is his favorite) and grinds them fresh each morning. He never brews flavored coffee. EGAD!  Mr. Yesteryear Acres would perish! Just rich deep dark lovely coffee.  Whenever I ask him his secret - he says it is his good ole coffee maker.  Dear coffee maker - I am on the hunt! I will find a new carafe for you!  Hang in there!

OH LOOK HERE!

This morning I put on my warm long-sleeved shirt, warm pants, sweatshirt, hat, rain coat, rain pants and rain boots and headed outside into the wet cold dreary day.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres looked like he could use a little help with the farm chores today and I was happy to oblige.  Let me start by saying that cold and wet and rainy and soggy does not make puppy poop and doodle doggie poop clean up any fun. It is a wet, soggy, drippy mess.  The bucket becomes quite heavy quickly with all the wet decayed leaves and doodle droppings and it is a bonafide workout by the time all the chores are done. It might lead you to think it is just a miserable job but in reality it isn't.  You ALWAYS have company here at Yesteryear Acres.  Even when you have to do cold dreary soggy chores.  The doodle doggies never think a day is gloomy!  The doodle doggies never think a job is yucky!  Doodle Doggies like to help!  "OH LOOK HERE!"  "Did you miss this one!?"  "Did you see this one?"  "This one here is impressive isn't it?"  They are all very willing to help point out all the doodle doggie piles and wag their tails with enthusiasm and pride.  I have a parade of doodle doggies following me with every step. They are so happy to help me and the appreciative audience is very nice company.  The Doodle Doggies like to help feed the horses and go to the pond to feed the fish.  Watching the symphony of fish rising to the surface for the fish chow is probably their favorite pastime.  As I finished all the farm chores, I thought - I am lucky that no matter what job I have to do - I am surrounded by grateful happy creatures!

43 Minutes to Go!

My son is all set to run in the Regional Cross Country meet tomorrow.  I have been making the ultimate carb dinner for him tonight so he can perform at his maximum capability.  I am telling you that feeding him - is like feeding a never ending pit.  That boy can really eat! Yesterday as soon as he walked in the door he asked, "When is dinner?"  I told him it would be ready in 45 minutes. I was making General Tso Chicken for dinner (from scratch of course) which is one of his favorites.  The groan and complete horror that erupted on his face would lead one to believe that he no longer liked General Tso chicken.  But no - it is still one of his favorite meals.  The groan was because as he said, "WHY IS DINNER SO FAR AWAY?!"  He immediately ran to the pantry and started eating a snack. I mean he might actually perish in a mere 45 minutes without food.  His snacks would be my total caloric intake ......for the day! As he was devouring his snack with break neck speeds, he then asked, "Now how much longer until dinner?"  My answer - oh dinner is SO close now. 43 minutes to go! "ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH.....need.....more......food!"  Poor boy. 6'4" and still growing.

Junctober

Why Hello Junctober! You know - Junctober? The little known month that seems to be the month of October but feels like June.  Junctober occurs once all your winter clothes have come out of storage and all your summer clothes are put away.  Junctober occurs after all the airconditioners have been removed and stored up in the attic.  Junctober occurs when the calendar says it is time for Trick or Treat but instead of candy, the kids ask for popsicles. Junctober occurs when Mr. Yesteryear Acres has to mow........the sledding hill.
This is what Junctober looks like at Yesteryear Acres

Junctober is when it feels like the hillside should be carpeted in blossoms.....

But instead it is carpeted in leaves

Junctober is when the cornfield clearly says "I AM READY FOR HARVEST"

yet the grass says "LOOK IT IS SUMMER!"

Junctober is when the corn is dry but the grass is vibrant green

Junctober looks like this - but you need to apply sunscreen before going out

Junctober is when the picnic area looks like summer

But you feel like you need to wear a swimsuit so you won't roast at the cookout

Junctober is when you realize the swimming ladder has already been stored for the winter......so even though you want to swim......swimming season is over

Junctober looks like this but

The horses still have a springlike pasture to graze

OH Junctober - you can't fool us!  Mr. Yesteryear Acres has the wood stacked and ready for when it becomes Janvember!

WALDO!!!!!!!!!

My daughter has been at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia since early July.  She is training at TBS and she will be there at least through the end of January. The training at TBS is very difficult.  It is a full onslaught of physical and mental exhaustive training.  I don't get to hear from her very often as she has precious little free time.  When I do get to talk to her - I stop EVERYTHING and spend every second being grateful for the time we do have. When she was at the Naval Academy, parents often would post pictures of parades and other events, and I would spend hours combing through the many photos in the hopes of finding "My Waldo".  It is a pastime that most Naval Academy parents share.  We can't be there with our children so we derive our pleasure from a tiny little glimpse of our loved one in a group photo.  I know that some of my Marine Mom friends have been lucky enough to find their Waldo in the TBS Marine Corps photos but so far, I have not seen her.....
Until today! I FOUND MY WALDO!

I never knew a picture of the back of her head could bring me such joy.

My Waldo.  I love her so!

Sibling Trip

This evening I listened to my son as he talked on the phone with his older sister.  He has decided that he is going to visit her at college for an entire weekend.  My son has never seen her campus yet as he has had sport and school commitments that interfered with visiting.  His cross country schedule is coming to a close and so on his very first weekend off he will be driving all by himself to go visit his sister. All by himself.  Alone.  On a long drive. Without me.  Or anyone else.  To visit a college campus. ACK!  How can he be old enough to do this already?! I will be a nervous wreck until he arrives safely.  That is a long drive! Despite my worry, I am super excited for the two of them.  My daughter is so excited that her brother is coming.  They have already made plans to go to two hockey games and a football game.  She is going to show him all around campus and give him the full tour.  My son is so excited for......the food.  Yes that is right. He wants the college food.  He can't wait to go to the buffets for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  ALL YOU CAN EAT!  I am fairly certain that my daughter's college dining staff will have to go grocery shopping after my son leaves.  He is a growing boy after all.  The weekend should be a great time for the both of them.  I can't wait to hear all about it!

Pumpkin Puppy Picture Perfection

The weather today could not have been any more perfect for taking puppy pictures.  The sun was out, the blue sky was brilliant and our hillside is the most lovely vibrant shade of gold. Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I were surrounded by beauty all day long.  The puppies loved the weather too.  Here are this week's adorable puppy pictures straight from the pumpkin patch!

Can I carve this one?

I want this pumpkin!

Can you  help us pick our pumpkin up?

Try using the pumpkin handle!

Oh I like this pumpkin pillow the best!

Mr. Yesteryear Acres says....All these pumpkins make him want some

Pumpkin Pie!

I say - Pumpkins are perfect for snuggling

And introducing....our newest little apricot and caramel Double Doodle Babies

So Sweet!

Denial Never Works

One thing I know is that no matter how much you are in denial....reality ALWAYS wins.  I have been vainly clinging on to the last remains of warm weather days.  Did the fact we had to turn on our furnace give me some sort of clue that cold weather is here to stay? Of course not.  Did the fact I have to put on my robe as soon as I wake up in order to stay warm give me a clue? Nope.  Did the fact that Yesteryear Acres is covered in falling leaves and we have quite a few bare trees on our hillside give me a clue? Nope. Did the fact that all week long I have been searching for something to wear only to be confronted by drawers full of short-sleeved T-shirts give me the clue that denying the cold weather would not in fact bring warm weather days back.  Well......actually yes.  As the dreary cold days have continued, I finally came to the realization that I wanted long sleeves.  I wanted my long sleeved pajamas, my long sleeved turtlenecks and my long sleeve sweaters and sweatshirts.  I was cold!  The summer pajamas just weren't cutting it any longer.  My layered T-shirt look was not helping keep me warm. And so yesterday I spent several hours packing away all my summer things.  Goodbye swimsuits.  Goodbye shorts.  Goodbye T-shirts, sundresses, capris, sandals and coverups.  I shall miss you ever so much!  Sniff sniff.  I think a tear escaped as the last of my sundresses were neatly packed away.  My closet and drawers are now all full of winter gear.  I have my scarves and gloves and coats and sweaters all ready for action. And in case you were wondering - for all of you that live near Yesteryear Acres - you can personally thank me for tomorrow's forecast. Now that all my summer gear is gone.....the forecast for tomorrow.....
77* and sunny
You are welcome.

The Magic of Cookies

Today's dreary rainy kind of morning was just perfect for having a delicious cup of coffee with a side of Molasses Oatmeal cookies. Mmmmmm.  The deep rich flavor of coffee coupled with the chewy molasses ginger oatmeal cookie is a combo flavor of heavenly deliciousness. I told Mr. Yesteryear Acres that I felt guilty eating a cookie so early in the morning and he told me 2 important things
1) The cookies will never be as good tomorrow as they are today - so I should definitely enjoy one of my awesome cookies
and
2) He said that I look amazing so I should definitely enjoy one of my awesome cookies.
That Mr. Yesteryear Acres.  He always knows just what to say.  My son brought some of the cookies with him to his cross-country meet.  Today was the big District meet and........my son's team qualified for Regionals!  That is big exciting news.  I am sure my son is thinking he is going to Regionals because all summer long, he ran.  He ran in hot weather.  He ran in rainy weather.  When Cross Country season started he ran even harder.  He ran on vacation. I am SURE he thinks his dedication to the sport is the reason he qualified for Regionals but we all know the real reason..........................
My Molasses Oatmeal Cookies!!!!!!!
Here is the recipe if you want to whip up a batch or two (or nine) of your own!

MOLASSES OATMEAL COOKIES

3/4 cup Margarine

1 Egg

1/4 Cup Molasses

1 Cup Sugar

1/2 tsp Ginger

1/2 tsp Cloves

1/2 tsp Salt

1 Tsp Baking Soda

1 1/2 Cups Flour

3/4 cup Rolled Oats

Bake at *375 for 8-10 minutes. If you remove the cookies right after they puff up and then fall - they will stay moist and chewy. If you bake them too long - they will be crisp but not chewy.  We love them chewy. SO GOOD!

AND you might want to double or triple the recipe - these cookies disappear quickly!!! Mmmmm.  So good.  Great with a cup of coffee too!

The Human Mixer

This afternoon I decided to make a batch of my son's favorite cookies.  He has a cross country meet tomorrow so I thought he might like to bring some fresh baked cookies with him.  He loves my Molasses Oatmeal Cookies. In fact he loves them so much that one batch is never enough.  I have to at least double the recipe if I would like the cookies to last more than 24 hours.  If I triple the recipe - the cookies might last a whole 2 days.  I have handwritten notes on my original recipe for 2x and 3x batches so I can whip up the cookies with no delays. So I thought - cross country meet - lots of hungry runners - triple batch it is!  First up - 2 1/2 cups of molasses.  Wow. That is really a lot of molasses.  That is an entire jar and then some.  Wow. I am all out of molasses. I better write that down on my grocery list.  Next 3 Eggs.  Easy enough. Next.......OH MY GOODNESS! Who does NOT have on their glasses?  ME!  Who NEEDS to wear reading glasses? ME! Who put WAY WAY WAY too much molasses in the recipe?  Yes, again that would be me.  I now have a mixing bowl full of eggs and molasses. I can't very well throw that out so......time for recalculations...WITH GLASSES.  Looks like I will be making NINE TIMES the recipe amount! Yes. NINE.  As in I almost used TEN POUNDS OF FLOUR. My mixer bowl couldn't hold the liquid ingredients.  I had to split that between 2 mixer bowls and then when it was time to add the 14 cups of flour and 8 cups of oats...there was NO ROOM!  I had to get out one of my huge stockpots and call Mr. Yesteryear Acres to the rescue.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres is now, "The Human Mixer".  That is the only way to get my triple triple batch of Molasses Oatmeal cookies mixed!

The empty bowls in this picture are 5 Quart Mixing bowls, which obviously are too small for MY cookies. 

We like to make our cookie dough in a 7 gallon stockpot!

Guess my son will definitely have enough cookies for tomorrow!!!!

Cookies anyone?

This Just Got Real

Today I booked my younger daughter's airline tickets to......EUROPE! She will be studying abroad all of Spring Semester and I won't see her for SIX months. We are both filled with excitement and anticipation for all her amazing adventures that are right around the corner and at the same time we are equally filled with sadness as we will miss each other SO much.  Neither one of us knows how we will make it being apart that long!  I know we will do it - but the thought of it is a bit overwhelmingly sad right now.  When I emailed my daughter a copy of the tickets she called me right away.  She was happy and sad.  Me too. We both said, "This just got real!" The happy part is really happy though.  My daughter's University has a sister University in Europe.  My daughter pays the same tuition as if she were spending the semester in-state but instead of studying Art 188 at her University here - she gets to study Art 188 in Europe.  She gets to take Field trips with her professor to Barcelona and to the Louvre in Paris. She will get to see all the masterpieces first hand. Her Rise and Fall of Hitler class will take her to Germany and Poland.  Her Economics and Sustainability class will take her to Norway and Sweden. Her Political Science class will be taught by an Ambassador to the United Nations.  All her classes will have so much more meaning, so much more depth, so much more excitement.  It is really an opportunity of a lifetime.  And so...the airline tickets are booked.  This Just Got Real!

Autumn at Yesteryear Acres

The weather was just BEAUTIFUL today.  It was the kind of Autumn day I just dream about.  Instead of letting the day pass us by, Mr. Yesteryear Acres and I decided to enjoy all the beauty Fall has to offer.

Mr. Yesteryear Acres - very happy for our afternoon together

Most of the trees are past their peak but.....

Still a beautiful sight!

The garden season is officially over. We will have to get out to the garden and pull up all the tomato stakes......But not today!

Our hillside is always alive with color

We still have Fall Flowers in Bloom!

My daughter's pumpkin is ready for the end of the month

The golden colored woods at Yesteryear Acres

You can always find a hiking buddy here!

Major contest as to who can find the best Fall Leaf!

The view out our back door

And more Fall flowers in bloom!!!

Contest winner! She was so proud to have found a huge leaf!

Happy Autumn Day!

Well at least the carpet is clean!

When I came home yesterday I thought the kitchen smelled a little.....um......dog like. I mean that is certainly a reasonable smell given that we have doodle puppies and doodle doggies in our kitchen ALL the time.  I told Mr. Yesteryear Acres that the kitchen didn't smell all that wonderful and of course he didn't notice.  I mean I WAS gone and no one was baking delicious goodies in the oven so there was a definite lapse of homebaked goodness coming from the kitchen and I could tell immediately.  This morning I figured out where the smell was coming from.  Our carpet! Yes - we have CARPET of all things in our kitchen.  We have been trying for years to remove the carpet and put down hardwood floors but we just haven't had a long enough break to make it a reasonable project.  So the carpet still remains.  It is ugly carpet too!  I can't wait for the day I say my fond goodbyes to my ugly kitchen carpet. I let Mr. Yesteryear Acres know that we need to clean the carpet this weekend and he agreed.  Well I guess the mysterious workings of electronic gadget gizmos thought differently. This afternoon as I was answering emails I heard Mr. Yesteryear Acres yell from the kitchen.  Mr. Yesteryear Acres is not one to yell over mundane matters so I ran to the kitchen to see what was wrong. Our dishwasher was literally pouring out GALLONS of water. Water was pouring from the bottom, the sides, EVERYWHERE.  It looked like a sinking ship!  Somehow the sensor that tells the dishwasher when it is full of water stopped working and water was gushing everywhere. So guess what I did today?  Yes, I got the good ole shop vacuum out and vacuumed up gallons of water while Mr. Yesteryear Acres repaired the dishwasher. We spent all afternoon getting everything cleaned up. Despite the fact this was not anywhere on either of our schedules........well....at least the carpet is clean! My kitchen smells better already!