Weeping Willow Art, and me loved ones

Who Wouldn't Want These?

2012-02-10T12:37:00.000-07:00

My daughters know how much I love "vintage" stuff.

I am drawn to "vintage" things of all kinds.

I especially like crocheted and lace and frilly things. They scream "vintage" to me.

Years ago I did crocheting while my little kids were at piano lessons. I made several Pineapple patterned doilies. Ecru was the popular color back then. I used them for years under lamps, and potted plants. Now they are in drawers...waiting for me to remember them.

It is something in my blood. I love to do it.

I have crocheted leper bandages for our churches humanitarian needs.

At last count there were about 70 dish clothes in my hutch, that I have crocheted in the past few months. I can't sit and watch TV. It wastes my time, so I crochet. And when I need a quick gift for someone, I have plenty to choose from. I always do scrubbies out of Tulle to go with the dish clothes.

To me, a hand made gift is priceless. Someone took the time to create. To improve a talent or skill. I think hand made gifts are very special.

A few days ago, one of my daughters came to my house and brought a bag of hand crocheted doilies. They are so colorful and pretty. Some have stains. Some are a little unraveled in a place or two, but most of them are very special!

Someone, who was very foolish, threw these beautiful hand crocheted items away. She, being my daughter, and therefore, has my DNA when it comes to "vintage" things, couldn't let stay where they were. She rescued them! I am so proud of her.

I washed them, and layed them all over my kitchen and dining room to dry flat. I have loved looking at them. There are lots of pink ones, some red ones and some purple ones. Even a few plain white ones. Each one is different and very special.

There are hours and hours of someones work on my counter. The time to buy the crochet thread, to pick the colors, to study a pattern, to carefully count as the pattern was formed. Someone knotted off the threads and changed colors and continued making very special creations.

Although I don't decorate in pink..... I love these wonderful surprise gifts. I am going to find some place to use the ones with red. I have lots of red around my house. Even if it is to sit a candle on, I am going to have some of these gorgeous vintage creations around.

Come on over and see them. We love it if you would come over.

See you soon,

Love, Me

My Daughter Calls Her "Creepy"

2012-02-08T17:46:00.000-07:00

I have a very weird dog. I love her. I let her nap with me. She is is shy and weird, but, boy do I love her.

She is one of those dogs that seems to be the result of living a life of being bullied.
It is so sad.
It really breaks my heart sometimes, ......because.....

The other dog I love, who is so dang smart! She is too smart for her own good. She is the bully!

As a pet owner I don't know what to do.

This is Ivy. This is a typical profile of her. Her tail is down. Her head is watching, "where is the bully" all the time. She is never, I mean never, ever doing anything, except watching to see where her other canine house mate is. She lives in fear every day, every moment of her life.

The bully is over romping in the deeper snow and having a great time. While poor Ivy hangs near the fence, out of the deep snow, because she will get attacked it the bully thinks she might leave a footprint in the deep snow, which, in her mind, all the snow belongs to the bully and no one else!

She is such a sweet dog. I love her!

But here she is. Hiding on the deck. Always keeping one eye on the "white bully".

Her personality has developed into a deranged little dog. She acts like she is in fear of her life nearly every hour of every day. She acts like that, because she is! It breaks my heart. Because she doesn't deserve it. She is so sweet, so kind and has only one fault. She runs away if she get loose outside.

Her only safe place is when she sits on my lap. She knows she is safe there.
Even when the "white bully" gets next to us, little Ivy has faith and trust in me to keep her safe. But, if she gets "the look" she gets down off my lap. She has learned it just isn't worth it.

So, today, while they are outside, doing what dogs do outside, Ivy never quits looking at that other dog. She just can't risk it.

Suddenly, the "white bully" is finished doing what she was supposed to do outside and joined Ivy on the deck. Poor Ivy. She thought she was safe for just a moment or two.

The "white bully" gets into her mind that poor Ivy is to be malled, bitten, growled at, and terrified every single day. The usual actions start, again. Always the same thing.....the wrestling match.

It wasn't long until Ivy was trying to come up for air. She is hoping, that just this once, she won't be malled, bitten, growled at, or disfigured.

She is terrified of this dominating alpha dog. This small white bundle of fur is ruthless when it comes to being a "bully".

Ivy lives in a fearful state all day long. Just look at those ears. She is submissive and still gets the crap knocked out of her. She even lays on her back, in total submissive dog language, and it doesn't help.

I want to be one of those mommies who gets to blog about all the love! Seeing them lay next to each other on the sofa. Snuggling next to each other in front of the fireplace. Sharing toys. Licking each other. Showing love and concern for each other.

But, instead, our home is not a loving safe place for everyone.

Ivy lives in terror.

She goes crazy as she tries to be the winner of just one wrestling match!

My daughter may be correct. Ivy does look creepy.

Oh, come to me baby. Jump up into my arms and let me save you.........probably the exact opposite of what I should be doing.....but I sure do want to save her, and give her a happy well balanced life in our home.

What is a mother to do?

Love, Me

A Cellar Full Of Spuds

2012-02-07T14:54:00.003-07:00

A few weeks ago I told you about the spuds we grow in Idaho.

A week or so ago, we went on a ride out to Roberts (a rural town about 20 miles from here). We went with our friends Kenny and Paula. Their son lives in Roberts and works a farm. A farm where they grow spuds.

We went on our ride to see the spuds. And some swans. I already told you about the swans. But now I want to show you the spuds.

We walked into the "Tunnel of Spud Love". It was dark! It was humid! It smelled like "earth". I loved it! I love that smell, and that cold humid atmosphere! It feels like home to me.

At the end of the tunnel we had to break into the cellar part of the "potato cellar". The lock was getting a little rusty from the humidity. But, the men who lead the way were strong, and hit the lock with the firocity of their youth, and had the lock open in an instant.

Then we climbed a vertical staircase. Very vertical. It too, was dark, wet and smelled like earth.

Then we arrived to a sight I couldn't believe.

The "spuds"!

Oh, my!

The cellar is about 35 to 40 FEET deep of spuds.

You are looking at thousands of dollars of spuds.

The cellar is about 50 yards long.

I am going to guess at how wide it is....maybe..... 35 feet.

I was in "Spud Heaven". Literally!

It felt like I had climbed to heaven when I had to go back down the stairs. Yikes. Wet, dark...
Back out the dark tunnel.
Into another area where we could look at the pile of potatoes from the ground.

We filled a plastic grocery bag with some of these beauties.

We have been eating these beauties.
Oh, fresh spud-tatoes.

There are few things in life that taste so good.

Love, Me

Bambi Is All Grow'd Up

2012-02-04T01:02:00.000-07:00

I saw Bambi! He is all grown up now!

I also saw a whole bunch of his relatives.

I think someone who works at Disney just made up that story about Bambi's dad getting killed.
I think the Mom didn't get killed either.
I think there haven't been many Disney characters that really do get killed.
Especially if they are Elk.

Because I saw Bambi and all his relatives having a family reunion today.

It is true.

I will prove it to you.

Oh, and by the way, Bambi said to tell you all HI!

He looked great. He is living just South of Sugar City, Idaho. He has lots to eat and plenty of family to hang out with.

Bambi is a Dad now, too. He is really quite proud of himself.

He has a couple of really cool and handsome sons, and he is very proud of them. They are growing into fine stags. I think they are most handsome, and he should be proud of them. I could hear the girls, who were across the fence, giggling at them.

His relatives had rented this farm to have their reunion at. It came with dinners catered and a playground for the little ones. It wasn't very expensive and I think they plan on doing most of their reunions there from now on. The food looked bland to me, but they all seemed to enjoy it.

The food is good, and they have a great view of surrounding mountains, and they are safe from wolves and bears and cars and stuff like that. The farm has a fence for them. It doesn't look all that strong to me, but Bambi said it was good enough to keep them safe.

Bambi introduced me to quite a few of his relatives. They are a great herd. There are lots of strong tall guys in his family. They seem to have more boys than girls. Some families are just like that.

Since it was a special night for their reunion, I didn't want to take time away from them and all the family being together........and the fact that it was getting late and the sun would be setting soon, we kept our visit short.

Bambi wants you all to know that he is happy. He is healthy and loves his family very much.

He also said to tell "those yahoos at Disney to get their facts straight before they sell their next story". I don't think he cared much for the story they wrote about his life. Except, he did seem pleased when I asked him about the part of him finding a wife. I think he liked that part very much!

I just thought you would like to know.

Love, Me

Hot Bread

2012-02-03T11:56:00.000-07:00

I wish we had smellaputers. Then you could smell the bread I took out of the oven.

It is wheat. Fresh wheat. As in I Ground My Own Wheat And Made It Flour.

There are very few things in life that are as good as hot homemade wheat bread, fresh from the oven.

One of these days, when I have the ambition to type more than I do today, I will share the recipe with you.

But for now, I just want your mouth to water.

Yep, that is what it looks like on the inside.

The inside light bulbs just aren't good enough to take really good yummy pictures. I am learning how to correct that in a photgraphy class, but until then....... use your imagination.

That is a bowl of fresh honey, from my neice.....it is the best honey in the entire world.

I love how the bread looks like a heart with a square bottom. 'I Heart You"! It is true.

Yep, it smells good. It tastes good. It would only be better if you were here with me to eat some.

Love,
Me

Anxiety And The Food Fairy

2012-02-02T10:35:00.002-07:00

Sometimes I have trouble with anxiety. Well, most of the time I struggle with it. It starts with tingling in my tummy and arms and hands. My legs tingle, and my breathing increases. It isn't fun. Some stores I shop at really give me anxiety. I love to go into Fred Myers for..... less than a minute. Then I start to tingle. I want to shop there and I can't. I think the isles are too close, the lighting is poor, and it is a negative impact on me.

I also suffer with anxiety when I have to do something out of my comfort zone. Which, on Tuesday evening this week was one of those times. My DH had given me a Christmas gift which was a love/hate for me. He signed me up for a Photography class. I was thrilled. A new education for me on a subject that I love! I couldn't have been happier. I have looked forward to it since Christmas.

Well, this is the week that the class started.

Instant anxiety.

My DH knows how hard it is for me, so on Monday he put me in the car, in the drivers seat, and I drove us to where the class would be held. I saw it. I was fine. I got excited, in a good way. I was going to be in there and learning about my camera and how to take better photos! I was really looking forward to it. Until I got home from that ride. Then my imagination started, and so did the anxiety. My DH knew it would. He knows how this awful feeling is for me. He, being the best husband ever, also knew what to do to calm my thoughts. He suggested we do something with the pork loin we had purchased over the weekend. He knows, "get her mind on something else", and he did.

The reason he suggested it to me is because he knew I had an idea for the big 9 lb hunk of meat. He knew that was a good time to start the preparation. He stayed with me, and we had such fun in the kitchen making the marinate for the loin. My mind was on the 9 lb. pork loin.

A 9 lb pork loin is huge! We could feed an army with it, so we planned our strategy to get as much good out of it as we could. We cut it in half. We made two different marinates. We bagged the meat into big Ziploc bags and had so much fun together while we did it.

I slept peacefully for 3 hours that night. I remembered the photo class. It kept me awake.

Then, Tues morning arrived. I had to wait all day for the class. My arms tingled, my legs tingled..... I knew I had to stay busy that day so I didn't implode.

The best place for me to stay busy is in the kitchen. That is exactly what I did.

I had everything I needed. I was ready with the recipes. I cooked all day long. By the end of the day I realized I could feed an army. I knew a few "soldiers" who would appreciate this feast.

I prepared the food, and DH volunteered to deliver the meals. He is the best man in the world.

It was nearly time for me to make my final preparations to attend my class. I was really ready. I had gathered my camera equipment, the camera batteries were charged, and a pen and paper was with the camera. I just needed to freshen up and drive to the class.

But, first I had to send out an email. Do you want to know what the email said, and do you want to know who got the email. I knew you did, because I would want to know.

I sent it to my 4 off spring.

This is what it said:

Hello My darlings,

It really does pay to live in Idaho,and it is cheaper. Let me tell you why.

First course is biscuits made fromscratch, this morning. Cheddar Chive Biscuits.

Next: Rolled Stuffed Loin of Porkwith Rubied Gravy.

Yep, a 9 lb loin was lovinglypounded, butterflied and pounded some more to make it thinner. Not thin, butthinner.

Then it was marinated overnight in aWorcestershire sauce, olive oil, salt, and minced garlic marinate.

Then the marinate was removed and the pork was laid flat andcovered with a stuffing which consists

of: onions, garlic, fresh ground ginger,cinnamon, ground cloves, parsley, olive oil, and 2 cups of dried cranberries. Itwas all minced together in the food processor. Then spread onto the flattenedpork

The pork was rolled up and wrappedwith thick cut bacon. This was tied with cooking sting to keep the pork closedand the bacon in place, and roasted in the oven until done.

To go along with this pork, I made afresh cranberry rubied gravy, which is 12 oz of cooked fresh cranberries withsugar and cranberry pomegranate juice added. Cranberries have their own pectinso more juice was added to keep the cranberry sauce thin enough to drizzle overthe pork, when served. For those of you who are eating this tonight, you maywant to warm up the cranberry gravy sauce and add a little water if itthickens.

To accompany this I have preparedcubed Yukon potatoes. Drizzled with olive oil, Kosher salt, and dried basil(home grown). Coating all the cubed potatoes well, then placed in a flat cookiesheet pan and baked until crispy.

A vegetable is needed to I includedbaked Banana Squash with butter and brown sugar.

Because I have a photography classtonight, I was unable to get a dessert made. That will be left up to you. Ifyou have room enough in your tummies to want dessert.

I hope those who get to eat thisyummy meal tonight will know it was made with lots of love. Your father is inroute as I am typing to deliver this to an apartment nearby, and he is meetingour commuter near the freeway, so it will be hot still. It is covered withfoil, but may need to be popped into the oven to warm it up prior to eating.

Enjoy, and I love all of you!

See, it is cheaper to live in Idaho.Other people use their food and electricity and time on your behalf. And theylovingly do it!

My thanks to the delivery man.

I will think of all of you while Iam at my photography class.

Love, Mom

Then I hurried out the door to my class. I drove calmly to the class. Upon arriving I was greeted with a warm welcome and smiles. An empty seat was waiting for me, and we started the class promptly at 7:00. I was relaxed and enjoyed every minute of it!

The teacher and owner of Perfect Light is a fast talker and I had to really focus to stay up with him. I didn't have time to get anxious. It was a wonderful experience, and I learned tons. I learned about a triangle and its importance. Did you know you need a triangle to take good photographs?

I can hardly wait until next week and have the 2nd part of the class. I can hardly wait to get outside and take 50 pictures of the same thing.

I'll bet my off spring can hardly wait to see if next Tuesday I am in the kitchen again.

The reason I know they are looking forward to it is in my inbox of my emails and the text messages I have recived. They are glowing reports about the dinner they were given. Those kids know just the right thing to say to get me to repeat my actions. They fill my bucket, until it overflows, with prasies and kind words of gratitude. They are thoughtful and kind and don't forget to say "Thank You". Because they have learned how important "Thank You" is in this life. Not just to me, but to everyone who does nice things for us.

I say, "Thank You" to my kids, who show appreciation for the things done for them. I love my kids.

Love, Me

ps. Anxiety prevents me from taking photos....sorry. That is for another day. You can bet I will repeat this meal and share it with you, along with the recipes. They are great.

Simple Chili

2012-01-31T00:15:00.002-07:00

If you know me at all you know that I stalk certain cooking shows, blogs, facebook people, and my husband .....just saying.

But, back to the "if you know me" thing. I do enjoy The Pioneer Woman's blog. I find her humor is "real". She is living out in the middle of no where and she has an unlimited budget, so she does fun stuff. I like her photography and her cooking most of all. I should have changed that last sentence to read, "I like her cooking and photography"...but I didn't say it that way, but that is how I meant it. I do follow her recipes a bit. I also watch her cooking show on Saturday morning.

Recently on her cooking show she did a Simple Chili. I have tried it. But, as usual, I tweak things to fit me, and to fit what is in my pantry, and just to change it up a bit, so I don't plagiarize all her stuff. I make it mine! Yes, I own it. I own Simple Chili. And I can say that because I changed it.

I used Elk Burger!

Yeah, The Pioneer Woman is a rancher, and they raise and sell and butcher beef. She does lots of beef, for free. The rest of us don't get to have beef for free. Instead, we send our husbands to roam the mountains of Idaho to kill wild game to feed our families. The Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond) has her husband make a phone call and they have beef delivered to their house. Well, I don't know that for sure, but I bet I make a good guess.

Back to the Simple Chili Recipe:

Here is the cast of players I used, except for the Elk burger, which I forgot to take it's picture, because I cooked it first.... sorry, I was in a hurry.

I added one secret ingredient. You will love it if you like spicy and a little hot flavor to your chili or burritos, or eggs or soups or whatever. Trust me, you will love it. The people in Alaska love it. They are the ones who taught me about it. Do you want to know the secret ingredient? I thought so.

It is.......*drum roll********************

This stuff is magical! Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce.
My family loves this stuff.
I season with it, but for me, I don't like really hot stuff, so I don't usually add it directly to my plate.

Okay, Lets Cook!

Brown 2 lbs of elk burger (or your preferred meat), and also brown the 1/2 chopped onion, and 2 or 3 chopped cloves of garlic, with the meat.

Try to take several photos of this step because only one photo of this step could be blurry so you need to have several to choose from. Just saying..............

It is nice to showcase your cast iron pot, and the wooden spoon your DH hand carved for you, but it would be nice if I would show the meat in focus, since that is what I am talking about. But this way you get a "twofer". Two shots in one!

When you meat is browned and the onions are soft, add the seasonings, which are:
1 tsp. ground oregano
1 Tbs ground cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 Tbs. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
and some pepper.....adjust the amounts to fit your taste buds.

This is the amounts suggested by PW but I fudged on a few of them as I liked. Since I was using Elk Burger I felt I needed to bump up nearly everything to add more flavor.

Add one 8 oz can of tomato sauce.

I also added one can of diced green chilies at this point. I didn't take it's picture either, as it was an after thought.

This is where I added the secret ingredient, Sriracha! Just add it to your liking. I think I used about a .....maybe...........well..........might have been....... 1 or 2 Tablespoons. I am not sure. I just shook up the bottle and squirted some in. You can do that, too, if you want.

Then it is time to add a few cans of beans.
I chose Chili Beans and Kidney beans. You can use Pinto if you want.

At this point you could be done.

I was.

But, I don't want you to not know the end of PW's recipe.
She added a can of diced tomatoes and 1 seeded and diced jalapeno.

With the diced tomatoes and the liquid from them, she had a watery chili so she mixed 1/4 cup of Masa (corn flour) with a little water and made a paste and added it to the pot.

We both agree that it should simmer, covered for a little while. If it becomes thick add water. If it is too thin add more flour paste. If you are too hungry to wait, don't! Just dig in, or get a bowl and serve yourself like a human. Maybe get a linen napkin and a big glass of water. Or some crackers. You can do what ever you want, because you have been cooking for all of 10 minutes and you are probably exhausted.

Serve with some grated cheese on top. Add some sour cream if you want.
It is good with Fritos on the bottom of the bowl and then add the chili.
It is great on a baked potato.

Fill a red pepper with the chili and bake it until the pepper is soft.

Add a salad and some bread, and there's dinner.

I made a double batch of chili and froze some of it. I put 2 cups in a quart freezer bag. Just flatten out the bag and place it flat in the freezer. Be sure to label the bag with the contents and date it.

The next time you need a quick dinner.....you have one.

Hope you enjoy it.

I have to give my Oscar speech now and thank The Pioneer Woman for the inspiration of this and many other meals I fix. I love my kitchen and all the little things that are in it, and my cookbooks. I could not be the cook I am today with out them. Thank You!

Love, Me

We Have A Bunny

2012-01-30T15:22:00.000-07:00

I have two dogs. Two dogs who spend the largest part of a day looking out the front window or sleeping.

If these two dogs see something outside they let us know. THEY BARK. loudly!

They are great watch dogs. But if the trespasser comes inside they will be licked to death.
These dogs can be useless for protection.
The trespasser will be deaf in no time, but they can still rob us!

But, on a recent day, they were sleeping and missed a great opportunity to bark, loudly.

Their daddy saw something and the dogs missed it.

Right out our front door there was a furry little visitor.

We have an asphalt driveway that runs in front of our house, which leads to the 4 extra garages. That is a story for another time. I want to tell you about the fence which separates our property/park/driveway/etc from a farmers field.

The bunny came out of the field. I have never seen a bunny out there before.

I have seen lots of other critters, ducks, geese, pheasants, quail, dogs, cats, cars, school kids, grubby teenagers, etc. But never a bunny.

The furry little thing just sat there. I stood at my front door and took his picture. He didn't seem to mind a bit.

He nibbled at the dry weeds. I am sure he was dreaming of a field of flowers and wishing that smokers butt wasn't there. In fact, I wishing that smokers butt wasn't there.

There!

That's better!

So, cheers to you little bunny. Winter won't stay forever. We will have flowers before you know it. So, until then, continue on in safety eating a winters feast of dried weeds and whatever I can smuggle to you.

Come back soon.

You brightened my day.

Love, Me

Baked Banana Squash From Our Garden

2012-01-27T01:16:00.000-07:00

In order for you to have some fresh squash in January, you have to plan for it the April before you want to eat it.

You have to plant the seeds in little tiny, seedling, starter, plastic, things you buy at the nursery, in April.

You water them and put them in the sunshine, inside your house.

You transplant them into larger container things when they grow too big for the little starter things.

You plant the tiny seedlings, which now have roots and green stems and leaves, outside in the garden.

You water the garden.

You weed the garden.

You cover the little seedlings if it is going to freeze or you surround them with hot pot things.

You water them often.

You pick off a few of the runners when the plant starts to grow too big.

You pick off some of the blossoms if the plant has too many.

You water the plant often.

You watch the plant grow.

You wait until the plant is so big is crawls through the fence and has big squash growing on it.

You wait until the first frost comes so the skin of the squash is set.

Then: You pick the squash and take downstairs to the basement and store it in a cool dark place.

In January you can carry the big squash upstairs and cut it in half and share it with your family.

The half that you keep you can now cook.

Before you cook it, you must stand back and take a picture of the miracle that was grown in your garden. You must have a moment of silence. You must give thanks for the blessing of having this special specimen and for not going hungry in January.

Now, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. And get busy, and work fast, because you are loosing your light and you won't be able to take good photos of this marvelous wonder. Besides, your husband is getting hungry. That always is an important thing to remember, especially in January.

Rotate the squash onto its side.

Cut slices, about 3 inches wide.

Remove all the fibers and seeds from the slices of the squash.

Cut smaller sections of the squash. This is very important. The squash needs to cook fast because the sun is setting and your DH is getting very hungry. So cut the pieces smaller, this one time, so it will bake faster.

Put the pieces of squash into a 9 x 13 glass pan. Because that is the size that you got out of the cabinet. If you would have gotten another size, you could use that if you want.

As bad as you want to stand and look at your pretty fall colored squash, don't. Keep going and get this dish in the oven.

Slather (don't you just love that word?) some soft butter on each piece. I used about 3 tablespoons for the entire dish of cut up squash. Do what you want. Use olive oil if you want. I don't care.

You aren't done yet. Even if the sun is setting.
Sprinkle some brown sugar on each piece. Don't get carried away and over do it. The squash is sweet enough, it just needs a little boost, not drenched in the sugar.

Add a little salt and pepper, as well.
Then put a little water in the bottom of the dish. Just enough water to cover the bottom. It helps the squash and sugars from sticking and making the dish hard to wash later. And it keeps the skin on the squash softer to eat.

Now, get this baby into the oven.
Bake it for 30 minutes, or until fork tender.

Too bad the sun had set and your picture is blurry !

Too bad you put a little too much water in the pan. You knew you had when you did it.

I can assure you that this is the best squash you will ever eat.

Enjjoooyyyyyy!

Love,
Me.

PS. It would be nice if you would take some of this to your daughter who is sick. Just saying it would be the right thing to do. Next time do it!

Wind In Idaho

2012-01-26T15:56:00.001-07:00

Some days in Idaho are gray and cloudy. The sky literally touches the earth. The clouds hang low on the foothills and everything is quiet. The clouds absorb the sound from the traffic on the busy streets.

Some days are bright and sunny. Even in January. This year we have had a very warm January. Nearly every day has been 40 degrees or higher. The nights get chilly, sometimes in single digits and other nights it is still in the 30's.

And some days the wind blows.

It can blow very hard. Hard enough that your make up flys off your face.
It can blow very hard. Hard enough that your hair goes up and down faster than you can jump.

It can even blow over the little houses the pigs built.

Do you remember that childhood poem?

Do you remember the second little pig, who built his house out of sticks?

"The second little pig met a man with a bundle of sticks, and said, "Please, man, give me that bundle of sticks to build a house." Which the man did, and the pig built his house.

Then along came the wolf, and said, "Little pig, little pig, let me come in."

"No, no, not by the hair of my chiny chin chin."

"Then I'll puff, and I'll huff, and I'll blow your house in." So he huffed, and he puffed, and he puffed, and he huffed, and at last he blew the house down, and he ate up the little pig."

In Idaho, we don't need a wolf to blow our little houses made of sticks over. Our little houses have to fight the brave fight of the wind.

Some little houses made of sticks don't do so well.

Love, Me

Do You Read My Blog?

2012-01-24T10:19:00.002-07:00

It is a frosty wintry morning and I want to spend the day doing something outside.

But, I found this picture and I just had to share it with you.

I cracked up when I saw it. I lifted it off an ad online.

So, go live your life today, and then hurry home and blog about it.

Love, Me

Kim Klassen

2012-01-20T09:32:00.001-07:00

I follow a very talented gal. Her name is Kim Klassen. She has the most gorgeousooooo photos and quotes. I recently found one that fits Idaho this time of year.

I want to share it with you, but you have to know I have nothing to do with this photo or the quote. It all belongs to Kim Klassen. I want to be her daughter and have her teach me everything she knows.

You need to go to her website and get to know her, too. Go to kimklassen.com

So: here is one of Kims "thing"............................................

Yep, this is Idaho. And where Kim lives looks a lot like Idaho. And I love it!

Love, Me

Swans In Dirt

2012-01-18T11:02:00.000-07:00

Whenever I think of swans, I picture them in water. Surrounded by beautiful trees, flowing water, swans should be in water.

But in Idaho, they aren't always in water. I didn't really know this until recently.

We took a drive through the dry farm land with some dear friends. We were going to see a potato cellar, full of potatoes. That might sound weird to some of you, but for me, it sounds wonderful. Especially, since farming potatoes is the backbone of this region in our country. And the fact that I worked many years in the potato harvest.

But, today I want to tell you about the swans.

It is dry and dusty these days, as winter has forgotten to come and visit us this year. With the temperature in the low 40's it seems more like March, but it is still January. I looked at the calendar to be sure.

We were driving on the country gravel road. Headed north to a potato cellar. When we saw a flock of swans flying across the road. I was stunned to see swans flying this time of year, and out in the farm land, the rural country side. Where in the heck were those swans going? We had to find out.

These magical, stately birds were wondering in a field. I don't know what they were looking for. It is well past harvest time, so the fields are bare. The swans strutted about as if they owned the place.

I see these beauties on the Snake River. They belong in the water in the Snake River. They have a better food source there. But, maybe the river is crowded these days with geese and ducks....I don't know.

Maybe swans aren't very sociable and they don't want to be seen with the lower birds species, like geese and ducks. Maybe the swans are a proud sort. Too good for "those others".

Well, whatever their personalities are, they didn't mind me at all. They didn't fly away. They just sat there. Doing whatever they were doing.

I think they better go get a drink......as that meal looks dry and boring.

Oh, one last thing before I go. I have to tell you about the gray looking swans. That is last years goslings. The babies from last year. My, how they have grown.

OK, I can let you go now. I just had to tell you about that, the gray thing, the babies, the little important facts that clutter my mind.

Love, Me

Family.....forever.

2012-01-17T16:15:00.000-07:00

After living away from extended family for nearly 30 years, I vowed I would have a closer relationship with my loved ones, now that we live closer. I cherish my in-laws. They are the quietest, dearest people. They have welcomed me into the family since the early days I was dating my, then soon to be, DH.

So, DH and I have begun a new tradition. We have a dinner party for his family, all the siblings and their partners during the Christmas season. I find the first Monday of the month the best. That makes me get my house decorated early, and there are fewer conflicts that early in the month.

I serve easy to fix, eat and clean up meals. I could go all out and do the "hostess with the mostest" thing but I choose to sit back and relax and enjoy the company. So I keep that night very simple. That is because I don't have "expectations" from my dear in-laws. We all just want to be together.

Things have changed over the past year, since our first dinner party. My DH lost a brother. There is a hole in our hearts since then. He was a quiet man, quiet, tender, shy, and one of my favorite people in the world. And everyone depended on him. He was a mentor for my DH most of his life. When we were first married Errol and Myrna would have us over for dinner. Errol always took DH fishing, deer hunting, duck hunting, goose hunting, elk hunting, and even Christmas Tree hunting.

This year Myrna came, alone. We all love her. She is one of us. Did I tell you how much we love her? We do. She is always happy, and jokes. She tells the best stories, and pulls the funniest faces. She is one of those people who always makes you feel better, just from being with her.

One year we went to the lava's to get our Christmas tree with Errol and Myrna. We got a Cedar tree. It was beautiful and fragrant. We took it home and decorated it. It was even more fragrant when we got the lights on the tree. The heat from the lights made the scent stronger. We only had one or two kids back then. It was a very very very long time ago.

We went to bed.....and my eyes were burning......I couldn't breathe........the tree smelled so good, so very good. Then my eyes started to water, and I really couldn't breathe.........

My DH and I got out of bed and carried the fully decorated tree outside and sat it in the front yard.

I was allergic!

Anyway, back to the dinner party.....and the wonderful people we fed....
We laughed, we sighed, we reminisced, we ate, and laughed, and ate, and told stories of long ago.

This is Dennis. He is the brother younger than DH. He is quiet, tender, shy, and one of my favorite people in the world. So is his wife, Freen.

They have built a cabin, all by themselves, in Island Park. They have paid for it as they built it! It is one I covet. The inside is all wood and they have done a remarkable job on their cabin!

This is Bowen. He is the brother that is just older than my DH. He is quiet, tender, shy, and one of my favorite people in the world. So is his wife, Merlynn.

Bowen has been a bishop, TWICE. I don't know why the camera didn't pick up his wings or his halo, because he has them. He is very special to all of his siblings. He had polio as a 2 year old. He had to stay in an iron lung (they don't have them anymore). He has always taken very good care of his body, kept his weight down, exercised, and eats properly. He doesn't take for granted a healthy body.

He was still pretty sick when my DH was born. My mother in law had her hands full.....because they lived on a farm, and had a bunch of kids. They ended up having 10 children....DH is number 6 of 10.

Bowen is married to Merlynn......the one who is always happy and laughs, and is a joy to be around.

Bowen and Merlynn got married 2 weeks before we did! Can you imagine how hard that was on my in laws. What were we thinking????? Merlynn had broken her ankle just before they were married. She was in a cast at their wedding..... Sad huh!!!

They have 5 wonderful kids. Their son Shilo came to stay with us for a week when we lived in Arizona. I will always have fond memories of him coming to see us.

All through the dinner party I watched my DH. He was in 7th Heaven. He loves his siblings. They all love each other. There is never a cross word said between each other. They don't judge, quarrel, compete, or anything like unto it. They show respect, love, and concern at all times for each other.

DH doesn't have his beard anymore. I like seeing it here.....because......now .... it is gone!

DH loves his siblings enough that he carved wooden spoons for each one of them for Christmas. You have to be really high on his list to get a wooden spoon from him. He saves them for his favorite people in the whole world.

Kaye is the oldest sister of the 10 children. There is a brother, Terry, who was the first born, but he wasn't able to come to our party this year. Kaye is always so quiet, tender, shy, and one of my favorite people in the world. She and David lived in our neighborhood when we were married, and she would come over and help me with my new baby. I remember when she came and tended me and my baby when I was suffering with a breast infection. She was my angel! Boy, did I need her help!

I wish I had a better picture of Kaye, on this fun night. She is so happy all the time. I have never heard her say an unkind word about someone. What an example she is to me.

My photographer was trying to be hidden and taking pictures when the subject didn't know they were in the cameras eye. So some pictures are dark, or blurry, but they are priceless anyway, because of the person they show me/you.

Kaye lost her husband, David in 1999. He had a fishing accident. They had just retired. He was 65 years young! It wasn't supposed to be like that. But, not many years later we lost the father of these 10 wonderful children, and we were glad then, that David was "up there" waiting for the rest of us. He had gone ahead to prepare a place for each of us. Since that time, 2 more members of the extended family have passed this life, as well as their brother.

DH has a sister, Rochelle. She is older than Bowen. Are you confused yet, as who is who, and where they all fit...me too. It has taken a few years to get it straight. Rochelle is married to Garth. Rochelle is quiet, tender, shy, and one of my favorite people in the world. She is also one of the best cooks on this planet! She has written a cookbook. It is just for the family and not everyone got a copy of it. She should have it published! She would give The Pioneer Woman a run for her money.

I wish this photo wasn't so blurry. Then you could see that she doesn't have any wrinkles. I try to love her anyway. She is a wonderful seamstress! She makes quilts, and clothes and everything in between. She even made each one of us a gift for Christmas and delivered them to us the night of our party.

Rochelle is a nurse. She was smart and went to school in her youth. It came in very handy for her as she raised her children. Rochelle and Garth have 5 children. Unfortunately, 2 of them were born with Cystic Fibrosis. Rochelle used her nursing knowledge and skills and cared for her sick children and gave a good life to them. They both lived much longer than the doctors ever said they would.

Perrin, the son, came to see us in Arizona. He took our daughter Kattie to a football game at ASU. Perrin had connections to the players, and one in particular. That great big football player took care of Perrin and Kattie and they had a wonderful time. That is a special memory for all of us who saw Perrin then. He was quiet, tender, shy, and one of my favorite people in the world. He is missed.

So is his sister, Becky. She was a "spit fire". She had so much energy and determination. Every time we came back to Idaho, Becky made sure we saw her. We generally went to lunch at her favorite, and our favorite Mexican restaurant. She was sometimes on oxygen, and sometimes she didn't feel very good, but she wouldn't miss out date. Every time we eat there now, we feel her with us.

Becky did cross stitch. We have one of her framed pieces. It is priceless to us.

The dinner party was a relaxed and wonderful evening for us. We don't get to spend very much time together, as we all have grown children and our own busy lives, but we sure enjoyed being together.

We may not look like we were having fun all the time, but we were.

We ate Hors oeuvre's and then two kinds of soup, salad, rolls, and wonderful desserts. The menu was good, but it isn't always about the food. It isn't always about the paper bowls that I used for dessert, because I was out of clean glass bowls. It is about the love we partook of. It wasn't about the rolls, that weren't the prettiest I have ever made. It was about the unconditional love in this family. It was about the "missing" those who weren't able to make it this year. We missed three younger sisters who live too far away to come. We missed an older brother who couldn't make it. We missed a brother in law who was away with his work, and couldn't make it back in time. It was about the family. The memories. The way they are so different, but so much a like. The way each one has carried burdens, and do today, and how we all support one another through the hard times. How we all cherish our time together. It is all about being a family. They are quiet, tender, shy, and some of my favorite people in the world.

I have to say, "Thank you to this wonderful family. They love me. They accept me. They have influenced my life in so many good and wonderful ways. I will love them forever. Thank you for letting me share in your lives. Thank you for sharing your brother with me. I love him with all my heart. He is my Darling Husband everyday, because of the family he came from. Thank You!"

A family forever. That is what it is all about.

January Means: Clean It Out

2012-01-09T19:11:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I have been gone a little bit lately. I have found a few things that scream for my attention.

#1. I can't seem to get better at "cleaning out my nose."
I have been sick for 2 weeks. I feel good for a day and then I over do and then I am sick again for 3 days. I have not had a voice for days, (DH is missing me, I am sure). I am not really really sick, just kind'a sick. Like, I have no energy, a stuffy and runny nose, coughing until I think I am going to spew a lung out, incredible thirst, stuffy nose, can't breathe at night, coughing, heaviness in my chest, stuffy nose, runny nose, drippy nose, coughing, etc. Everyday I manage to take a nap on the sofa. Then I can't sleep at night. So, while I am up wiping my runny nose, I play Solitaire on my phone, or Words With Friends, and "Clean Out My Nose".

I won't post any pictures of me during this time. It isn't pretty. It isn't pretty at all!

#2. We "Cleaned Out Our Garage"!
First, I have to tell you that we have incredibly anal neighbors. The kind who have spotless garages. They even paint the garage floor. They have dinners in their garages in the summer time. Yep, they are totally anal. They don't have clutter. They don't have drying onions, camping gear, 34 boxes of Christmas decorations, 6 coolers, some of their children's belongs, 3 mops, 2 brooms, a snow shovel, 6 card table chairs, 2 banquet tables, one picnic table with attached seating, cast iron pots, dog food in a 50 lb. sack, .....well.....I better stop there. Because, I do have all those things. But now it is all organized and in see through plastic totes and are labeled! They are tidy. They are off the floor. And DH and I did it when it was 27 degrees outside. (That could be why I can't seem to get better!)

I won't post any pictures of the garage because I don't have a before or after.

#3. I have found a new hobby.
Besides sleeping on the sofa and wiping my nose, I have gone to the Internet and have been seeking help with organization. I need to Clean Out My Hall Closet. It has table linen, computer stuff, frames, easels, baby toys, vacuum, gifts to give, booster seats, wrapping paper, lots of linen napkins, more table linen, pillow cases, dish towels, and some other stuff in it. So, I have gone on line and found this wonderful place called PINTEREST. It is a viral infection sweeping the country. There is no known cure for this infection. But, I don't want any of you to be left out and not get it so this is what you have to do..........
www.pinterest.com
You will be asked a question like....."do you need an invite?" Why they ask that is beyond any common reason I can think of....but you have to be invited.....I know it is dumb.....but do it! You will be a member of the Pinterest Community before you know it. Then your life will never again be the same. You will have a dirty hall closet just like mine. You will have folders and files galore of wonderful ideas to help you "Clean Out" the hall closet, but you won't get off your buttocks and go do it.... Because you will continue to look at ideas....and then you will check out the blogger who posted the idea, and then that will lead you to learn how to build a vacuum and that will lead you to know how to make your own pottery and then you will sew new upholstery for you boat that you are going to buy with all the money you saved from building vacuums and hair clips and ............... well,

I will just show you some of the things. Hang on to your seat. You are going to love the ride!

If you were planning a wedding and need ideas:

If you want to redecorate and need some ideas:

Pinterest is a virtual pinboard to organize and share the things you love.

You can steal ideas from someone and save it on your own board.

Do want to see a new way to set the table...
and will only need 42 sets of dishes to do it.......

Or do you need help in doing your hair?.......
Are you getting the idea of what can be found there?

You can even leave notes for your siblings....I found one today.....From Ty to Kattie
The note was below this picture......and Ty is right.

I have a board of quotes....you can find the best, funniest, inspirational stuff...

I happen to love this!

And then you are going to want to make so much stuff! The ideas are endless:

And you will see some incredible photography!
Incredible I tell you.

so..... Now you know where I have been....and you know I have cleaned out the garage, and I still need to clean out the hall closet.....

And then I can Clean Out some files of crafts and recipes I have and will convert myself into a Pinterest girl.

Love, Me

Happy New Year

2012-01-02T14:41:00.000-07:00

New Year......2012.

Some people I love are calling it "Twenty Dozen".

Other people are doom and gloom and waiting for December of 2012 to bring the end of the world.

But me, I am grateful for so many things, and have so many plans for the new year, and have started new projects that I don't have time to rename the year, or worry about it ending.

DH and I have been issued a most exciting challenge. We have been given the opportunity to serve in the Idaho Falls Temple as Ordinance Workers. Last week, on Thursday was our first time. It was a very spiritual, challenging, and thrilling time for us.

The Idaho Falls Temple is along the Snake River.

Last fall we spent many hours near this area. The fall colors were beautiful, the water level was very high, and we had family in town that we took to the river to feed geese and see the colors.

So, at the beginning of this new year, my resolution is to be more worthy to serve here.

I hope my loved ones will join me as we strive to improve our lives and be worthy of our blessings.

Love, Me

Christmas Specials Fill The Air Waves

2011-12-13T11:55:00.002-07:00

I am so grateful for DVR!

DH and I have spent every evening in the month of December watching at least one Christmas special and sometimes we stay up late and watch more than one.

Hallmark Channel is full of cheesy, gooey, sappy, wonderful Christmas Specials. So, I recorded about 4 dozen of them and we are watching them. When our day is finished and we finally settle down in front of the fire with a cup of cocoa, and have a couple of dogs curled up next to us is now a tradition. Even if we get company, we just invite them to get comfortable because that is what we are doing.

I have a few favorites.

"The Christmas Card". The story comes to life as a daughter of a wood mill sends letters and Christmas cards to soldiers for Christmas. Of course, one card falls into the hands of a handsome, single, and lonely guy who finds the girl who wrote the letter. Yes, it is sappy. But the wood lodge (house) they live in is beautiful. The snow scenes are spectacular. The love of a family is charming.

"The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" is one we liked. I mostly liked it because the male star in the movie is the most handsome dude EVER! I don't think I will delete this movie, EVER. He is one that has the twinkle in his eyes, messy hair, and a great sense of humor and adventure. He isn't afraid to 'bend' a few laws to impress the girl. I loved it! I loved all of it's sappiness, gooeyness and him!

This guy reminds me of dentist I used to work with. His name is Nate Yetter. He is 'this kind of handsome'. He has the same twinkle in his eyes, and smiles and teases and is a great dentist. He is married to a beautiful gal, and they have a ton of the cutest kids in the world. Watching this movie brought back some good memories of when Nat worked at Arrowhead Lakes Dentistry. He brightened each day, gave us all nick names..... I was "Sist'a T". He nailed that one. I knew, and he knew, what the "Sist'a" stood for.

So, you need to set your DVR for "The Most Wonderful Time Of the Year" and watch Henry Winkler play a conniving uncle who helps this handsome guy meet his niece and help them fall in love. It is a cute show.

And Christmas would be complete until we watch "The Miracle on 34th Street". I love it!

This heart warming favorite has been around since 1947. That was before I was born, sheesh! But, back then love meant something. It was tender and strong. Today, the soap operas have ruined what the true meaning of love is. (Cheating and lying and being unfaithful in many ways isn't love. It is trash. Now you know how I feel about the time wasting, mind polluting, twisted family values of soap operas.)

Doris Walker and Fred Gailey will always be a favorite love story. They are the reason I shop at Macy's!

And then there is "Charlie Brown Christmas". My favorite childhood Christmas Special. I remember when it would come on once a year, on a Sunday night. We would schedule our family around this special. I still love the original voices. The original music.

And best of all I love the Christmas message. The real Christmas message. The message that includes Christ. We see signs that say "the reason for the season" and still that doesn't include what it should. Children know the reason. Children teach us. They know it means more than a Christmas tree. It means more than Santa coming down the chimney. They know.......Luke 2:1-20.

My children have grown up listening to the account of the birth of Jesus Christ. They hear it read by their father every Christmas Eve. I suppose most families do the exact same thing. That is when we quit worrying about the trees, and the commercial side of Christmas.

Charlie Brown teaches us in such a simple way, the true meaning of Christmas.

With just a few pictures of that timeless show, you can hear the voices of the children. You can hear the singing of the choir.

You can fill the love of the True Meaning of Christmas.

This is what I believe!

May you enjoy the wonderful Christmas Specials on TV. But, I pray each of us will find to read in

Luke 2: 1-20 the account of the birth of Jesus Christ. Read it throughout the Christmas season, several times. We might try to read it every day between now and Christmas Eve. Ponder the importance of this scriptural record. Because IT tells The Reason For The Season. We have 12 days......12 days to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas.

Love, Me

Festival of Trees

2011-12-09T09:47:00.001-07:00

One crisp morning I said to DH, "I would love to go to the Festival of Trees".

He said, "OK".

And we went.

I saw some very wonderful, imaginative, gorgeous trees.

You see, the reason we went is so I could get some ideas to do the top of our tree. I couldn't bring myself to place an angel on top of the tree one more year. It isn't that I don't like angels, because I do. But, I am tired of our angel. Instead, she is a decoration on the counter in our powder room. She lights up, and is a great night light. That is where she is staying this year.

But, I wanted to do something, well, out of the ordinary. Something with ribbon, sparkles, maybe silk flowers. I just needed some inspiration. Feathers seemed like a good idea. You know what I mean?

I hadn't thought of using a lantern. Hummmmmm!

My tree isn't flocked, but some of the ones I saw makes me want to get one. But where would I put it? I have several trees, and manage to put up several every year......but I don't think I am going to buy another one. Although, I have a bunch of brown and gold ornaments, that don't show well on green trees.....Oh, maybe I will get another one after all..... DON'T TELL DH!

There was one tree that was completely Dr. Seuss. I loved it!

A nursery would love this. A Preschool. A Daycare. Me.
I would love to have it downstairs in the family room. It wouldn't match anything, but wouldn't the little kids love to play around and with it! Oh, I would if I were a small child. That is one tree that a mama could say...."Yes, go ahead and touch!".

And the little ones could rearrange the stuff at the bottom and think they had the best grandma in the whole world. Well, they do, so I guess I don't need to give them the tree (this year) after all.

And there were lots of ideas for doors, and wreaths, and oh, so much to see.

And the ideas to decorate the mantel were spectacular. Nearly everyone in my new town has a fireplace, whether it is wood burning or gas, the mantels need some attention at Christmas time. There were so many beautiful ones.

So, we got in the Christmas spirit and got our house decorated. I have enjoyed every minute of it.

Now, I will confess, we had the Festival of Trees in November. And yes, I had my house completely decorated for Thanksgiving, in Christmas decorations. I felt a little guilty about doing it so early. I felt just a tiny bit guilty not decorating for Fall, or Thanksgiving, but I AM SO GLAD NOW THAT I DID IT. We have been able to invite friends and family to our home, and it looks so nice and cozy. We have watched a Christmas special nearly every night in December and with the Christmas decorations all around us, it has been magical. Romantic. Spiritual. Comforting. Peaceful. I have felt the spirit of Christmas, the real meaning of Christmas more this year then I have in many years. I love having the decorations done early.

I hope you get inspired to change a few of your decorations, and feel the spirit of Christmas in doing so.

Merry Christmas....Happy Holidays......

Love, Me

Lemon Pie, Idaho Style

2011-12-07T17:13:00.000-07:00

I love playing and playing and playing and searching and searching and ..
on the computer. And I will give credit where credit is due.

Today, I found a new recipe: It came from Meridian Healthy Living Examiner.

Sour cream lemon pie offers a creamy alternative to traditional lemon pie recipes. For those busy Idaho cooks who aren't fond of, or would rather not fuss with meringues, just spoon this filling into a baked pastry shell and chill. It's a fast, easy, and delicious dessert!
Sour Cream Lemon Pie

1 ½ C sugar
3 Tbs cornstarch
3 Tbs flour
Dash of salt
1 ½ C water
3 egg yolks – slightly beaten
2 Tbs butter or margarine
1/3 C lemon juice
1 C sour cream
1 baked pastry shell

Combine sugar, cornstarch, flour, and salt. Gradually stir in water. Cook in saucepan over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Reduce heat and cook two more minutes – stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir about one cup of hot mixture into beaten yolks. Combine this with mixture in saucepan and return to a gentle boil. Cook and stir for two more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Gradually stir in lemon juice. Divide filling and pour one half into pastry shell. Allow remaining filling to cool for a few minutes. Then add the sour cream and beat until combined and smooth. Spread sour cream mixture over bottom layer of filling. Allow to cool and then chill in refrigerator prior to serving.

Continue reading on Examiner.com Lemon pie with sour cream Idaho style - Meridian healthy living | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/healthy-living-in-meridian/lemon-pie-with-sour-cream-idaho-style#ixzz1fthMqALq

Love, Me

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-25T17:22:00.000-07:00

Let's just say it is one of those years that you won't EVER forget.

I am going to share with you a couple of stories. It is very important that we keep this just between you and me, as I have a reputation that would be ruined if it got out how things went down this year. There were so many things that I can't share them all with you. This blog has to end at some point, so I am going to tell you just a couple. I wish I had pictures of them. At the time, taking a picture was the last thing on my mind.

1. I wanted a new dessert this year. Pumpkin Mousse Cheesecake. My daughters love cheesecake. I found a perfect recipe (from the Food Network).

First, make a Graham Cracker Crust. Sounds easy, but finding enough counter space for 3 cooks in the same kitchen makes it more difficult that it should have been. But we got that part done.

Second, make the cheesecake layer. That would mean using Cream Cheese that is at room temperature. However, we forgot to get it out of the fridge. So, let's just say we thought we could thaw it quickly in the microwave. That didn't work. We tried, but failed. We whisked it in the kitchen-aid for about 7 minutes and it never got fluffy. It was runny, as in, would have worked for a glaze on a cake runny. Yep. Failed.

So, we got out a second brick of cream cheese from the refrigerator. The foil was removed so it would thaw at room temperature more quickly. An hour passed. Finally it was ready.

Again, the kitchen-aid mixer whisked the cream cheese for about 7 minutes (in spite of the noise and the two other chefs in the kitchen and the noise they were making). Perfect results. The mixture was placed on the Graham Cracker Crust and baked the appropriate amount of time. (Wish I had a picture for you. It was beautiful....)

Knowing counter space was a premium need, the dish was placed in the garage, where it was much cooler, to cool down. The dish was lovingly placed on the steps in the garage, where there wouldn't be any traffic, in cool surroundings, and could peacefully decline in temperature, so the third layer could be added. The beautiful Pumpkin Mousse layer was the third layer to this dessert.

This is the stairs. This is where the dish was cooling.

In the meantime, our neighbors, Connie and Norman were tending their daughters beautiful, long haired, aging Collie Dog named Gus. Gus is a regular in the neighborhood. He is always tied up to their flagpole on a long leash. He can walk into several front yards and relieve himself and then walk home. Gus is old. He can hardly walk so he just lays on their front lawn. He is mostly blind, and can't hear very well. I would have thought he couldn't smell either. But I was wrong.

Gus could smell this special Thanksgiving dessert. It smelled wonderful. We all commented on the wonderful, delicious, mouth watering smell.

By now you know where I am going with this story, don't you?

Yep, Gus was put out to go potty, without having the leash attached to him. Gus can still smell. Gut found our garage door open. Gus found the dish cooling on the steps. When he was full, and had eaten all the cheesecake (cream cheese) layer he wanted he wandered home. He was licking his chops all the way as he sundered home at the slow speed of his aging body. I am sure he was grinning.

Just as Gus arrived home, Connie opened her door to check on him. She noticed he was licking his chops. Ahem. She wondered where Gus had been. She walked out to see where he might have gone, and saw our garage door up. She also, saw my darling husband driving towards our garage.

DH is a good neighbor and he stopped to wish Connie a Happy Thanksgiving. That is when Connie asked if we had anything edible in our garage.......DH said, "Why, yes. Our beautifully talented youngest daughter has been working all morning to make a special, world renown recipe for our Thanksgiving Dinner".

He didn't really say that, he just said, "Ya, I think so". He doesn't talk much.

Connie, then said, "Gus just came out of your garage licking his lips". She walked down to our house as DH pulled into the garage. Together they came upon what was left of the dessert sitting on the steps. It was only a portion of the crust, and no cheesecake layer.................

Our daughter had made a smaller dish for her to take to her home. She had let the smaller dish cool inside the house.

Once the "Dog Dish" was discovered she make a second Graham Cracker Crust.....to make the second attempt at the Pumpkin Mousse Cheesecake.

The garbage already had two other episodes in it!

On the bottom layer of the garbage is a broken cereal bowl. Under normal conditions I wouldn't care, except it is from my Stoneware Set. The one DH bought me 30 years ago. The one with the Wheat Motif on it. The one we only use on special occasions.

Also, in the garbage is the empty plastic container of a mystery item that fell out of the freezer and broke on the floor. It had in it something jelly like in consistency and green in color.

It was determined that it was Jalapeno Jelly in the mystery container. We tasted it and it was very good so we put it in another container, and found room in the freezer for it, in a safer location, and saved it for another day.

As the third attempt to make our Pumpkin Mousse

I have a new set of red glass canisters for this house. There are three sizes. It is the kink with the decorative glass ornate top and it has the plastic part that snuggles inside the jar part, so it keeps the contents of the canister fresh. I keep sugar in one of the three glass canisters. The recipe calls for sugar.

The lid of the sugar canister wasn't up to the task One More Time to make this d___ dessert.

By now, all of us were laughing hysterically. What more could go wrong!!!!! The lid is not repairable. In unison we all said, "It is what it is"! And broke out laughing even more.

At this point DH suggested we just make an Apple Pie. That is his favorite and I have a box of apples in the garage. (Looking back on it now, I wonder why Gus doesn't like apples?) So, we brought in the apples and DH jumped in to help. He started peeling apples and Beautiful Youngest daughter rolled out the pie dough.

We thought, "DH is so incredibly intelligent"! You see, I had purchased a Pie Bird last September when we went to the Eastern Idaho State Fair. It is a black pie bird, like the ladies in the olden days used to use. I was excited to get out the Pie Bird and use it in the Apple Pie for Thanksgiving!

The crust was perfect, except for the part that tore. But that is easily fixed and no one would know. Except, I took a picture. Somehow, it seemed appropriate to document the event. One never knows where it might lead.

The pie was filled to the top with fresh apples. The filling was cinnamon sugar fabulous. The Pie Bird was singing praises for the beautiful pie he/she was a part of. We were cheering with delight knowing we were going to have a dessert for Thanksgiving!

Into the oven the Apple Pie went. Dessert was going to be just fine, in spite of it not being anything Pumpkin. Who cares...... no one eating at this house.

As the last of the foods were cooking some of us could finally enjoy ourselves and relax.

The only things still to do was bake the rolls, mash the potatoes, take out the turkey, make the gravy, set the table, put the cranberry sauce in a dish, put the olives in a dish, wash up a few of the cooking pots and pans and dishes, .............. you know............just a few things..............oh, and carve the turkey.

Everyone was tired by now. We all had been struggling in the kitchen, for what seemed like hours.

Everyone needed a rest and a love. Even the dogs were wore out from watching the kitchen floor for something to be dropped.....and me telling them "OUT" of the kitchen.

Finally, the 20 lb. turkey was out of the oven. I now had drippings to make the gravy. I love turkey gravy on my potatoes and the turkey. Especially, really good gravy. And this year I made Really Good Gravy! I added the thickening and Kitchen Bouquet and salt and pepper and a little water from the potatoes and stirred away. I really got into the stirring, as it was a very big pan. It had been roasting the 20 lb. turkey. It was big, so I had to stir kind of hard.

I love left over gravy to put on stuffing and turkey. The gravy is the backbone of the Turkey Meal. So I stirred and stirred to assure myself there wasn't a single lump, and there wasn't.

However, (yep, there is more) the rolls were next to the stove rising. They were close to the stove to get heat to help them rise. They were really close. They were too close!

Oh well. It just looks bad, and doesn't affect the taste of the rolls. Oh, and by the way. I make really good rolls, too. Really good. Just add butter. They are great to sop up gravy, whether it is after they are baked, or before they are baked. Just saying.....

The sweet potato souffle came out of the oven. Even though it was covered by it's second topping. I got a little confused earlier in the day and added the topping before I was supposed to. The topping should be added the last 5 minutes of baking. Oops. I added them too soon. To fix that mistake I stirred the topping into the souffle and baked it anyway. Then, 5 minutes before it was done, I added another topping. They are really "sweet" sweet potatoes.

Well, I was quite finished with the whole Thanksgiving thing by now. I was tired of being in the kitchen since 7:30 a.m. and I was tired of the mess, and I made an executive decision.

I announced, "There will be NO table setting. Come and get yourself a paper plate and find somewhere to eat"!

I was surprised by the reactions of the family....

Yep, Way!

I heard words like.........................."lost her mind",.......................................... "must have a ...fever"......................................... "has forgotten all about presentation", ......."where is our real mother"..............." she's kidding, right"..........................

And then there was loud laughter.... really loud laughter.

Really loud laughter, and dancing, and singing, and clapping......

Sometimes I know just the right thing to say to make my family happy.....

And as they were laughing the Apple Pie was baking.

And, as the "Little Red Hen" had ordered, paper plates were had by all the they all served themselves and then we gathered at the dinning room table and blessed the food. We all talked about the things we are grateful for. We all discussed how the last year had so many changes in it for each one of us. We shared our love for one another.

We got a phone call that someone else was coming over.

We smelled something burning.....

The apple pie was leaking its juicy juices all over the bottom of the oven and smoke was coming out of the oven.

We turned on fans, opened doors and windows.

We put the pie on a cookie sheet and put it back in the oven and smelled the burning until the pie was done.

We let the pie cool.

We bagged up leftovers for the girls to take home with them. We filled lots of containers.

We skyped with our California kids and couldn't get over the fat lip our little grandson had. Another lesson learned while mastering the art of walking. We liked seeing our kids, but we LOVED seeing our grandson. He can just sit there and stare into the computer and make us fall all the more madly in love with him.

And then we had some hot apple pie with ice cream.

We played Pinochle and laughed about what a fun day we had.

NEXT YEAR I AM NOT HAVING THANKSGIVING AT MY HOUSE.

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and were able to be with, or talk to your loved ones.

I am so blessed with all the things of this world and love my life. Every minute of my life.

Love, me

ps. did you have any exciting events happen at your house this year?

I would love to hear about them.

Did you order Thanksgiving Dinner, and found it frozen when you wanted to eat?

Anything like that?

Please leave a comment, I would love to hear about your Thanksgiving.

Love, Me

Again..

Gratitude

2011-11-23T12:50:00.000-07:00

With Thanksgiving only a few hours away, my mind and heart are pondering the blessings in my life and the things I am grateful for.

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of all virtues, but the parent of all others." --Cicero

This quote is partially true. I have been taught by prophets and apostles to know there are other virtues just as important. I don't believe one is necessarily the parent of all. However, it is very important.

A random list of a few things I am grateful for:

Freedom of religion
The Gospel of Jesus Christ
My beloved and cherished Husband
My precious children
Our cherished, and longing to be with, grandchildren
Loving and supportive parents
Extended family of mine and the ones I married
Never knowing hunger
A warm comfortable home
Neighbors who are just like me
Friends, past and present
Modern technology
Small iPods, instead of big boom boxes
Cast iron
Gas range
A soft bed
A reliable car
Computers
Telephones
Employment
Clean sheets
Laundry soap
Sunshine and rain
Four seasons

Oh, I could go on forever. I typed this list as fast as I could and I have hundreds of things in my head that I could share.

I hope you can take minute during this Thanksgiving holiday and count your blessings and make a list of things you are grateful for. Share them with your loved ones as you eat your Thanksgiving dinner.

Happy Thanksgiving! We are all blowing kisses to you!

Love, Me

New Craft Site! Hurry and check it out.

2011-11-22T01:29:00.001-07:00

I am so excited!

I have a new place to shop, get items at a discounted price and can do it in my jammies.

i CAN share THE news WITH you NOW.

And if you join and tell your friends you can get $10.00.

http://blitzy.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/3817/

When you make a purchase I get $10.00
Then your freinds make a purchase and you get $10.00
And it continues.

i WANT all of you to buy your craft supplies and save money.

You must join this site....... IT IS FREE....

Remember: You Must Join

The first deals are going to be available at 10:00 am on Black Friday

. com

We are going to have so much fun:

shopping

saving

creating

Love, Me

Pinterest Philphering

2011-11-17T23:29:00.000-07:00

If you haven't spent at least 2 hours this week looking at Pinterest, you are falling behind.

Pinterest is the new way to dream about what you want, want to make, want to have, want to touch, want to see a bigger picture, want to know the person who thought of it, want ....want.....want.....

I have to set the timer on my phone to remind me to turn it off, and accomplish something.

All these pictures you are seeing come from Pinterest.

The pictures "speak" to me.......I should just go to my studio and make something.....

Or finish something I have already started.......

But here I sit.... Looking at Pinterest.

Thinking a lot about my "Craft Club" ladies.

Wondering if they know how much I miss them.

Wishing there was a way to rewind and have ALL of us back together again.

Remembering how hard we used to laugh.

The trips we took together.

Thinking about the amount of Chocolate and M&M's we ate.

Remembering a few of the secrets we shared.

Laughing to myself as I remember some of the stories we told.

Our husbands were so supportive. They would wait up for us to come home. We stayed out very late some nights. Wow. Those men were so patient, and..... supportive.

Diet Coke has a special place in my heart, because of Craft Club.

I remember lunch at "The Spicery" in Glendale, Az. Everyone at that restaurant wanted to be our friends and be a part of our gift exchange. It was Christmas, and I had made aprons for each one of them. I packaged them in take out picnic boxes. I remember how excited I was to give those precious friends the gift I had so lovingly made for each one of them.

We all knew presentation was 1/2 the gift! We had been taught by the best. Each one of us worried that we couldn't do "it" as good as the other one had.

Oh, my heart hurts as I remember those days. How I loved them. I loved the projects, the ladies, the time, the love. Oh, the love. And the gossip. And the tears. And the sharing. And the eating.
TGIF and mashed potatoes....@ 1:00 am.

And because I am not with those ladies, doing Craft Club now, I have to fill my time with Pinterest.

Man, back then we could have used Pinterest to help us come up with ideas each month.
But then we would have had to meet each week instead of once a month.
There are so many ideas out there now.
I won't live long enough to make them.

So, I will just sit here....... and DREAM, and REMEMBER, and WISH...........

Thank You my dear Craft Club.

For making my life richer,

just by knowing you.

For each one of you,

I am SO grateful!

Love, Me

The Wind

2011-11-16T00:12:00.000-07:00

I like to hear the wind when it blows through the fireplace. It just makes me grateful to be inside and warm.

I like to see the wind hustle all the leaves on the ground. It is like watching a leaf round-up.

I like to see the clean air when the wind quits blowing.

Do you remember me showing you a picture on the last post of the sun setting? Well, the tree in the picture had a few leaves on it.

Well, there is not one single leaf on that little tree or any trees on that side of my house.

I am feeling kinda sad about it. Those little trees have only been planted one year. They are trying so hard to grow big and tall. All summer they strutted their green leaves. As fall arrived they were changing colors and doing the wardrobe change for winter. I loved watching them. I was getting ready to take their picture. They were beautiful colors. Some were yellow, others were orange, and some were really dark brown.

But then the wind came. And when the wind came it came with gusto. 50 MPH gusto!

Today, there is not one single leaf left on any of the 5 trees on that side of the house.

When I look outside, all I see are little twigs, bare naked twigs.

Yep, I am feeling kinda sad about it.

They fought off the snow.

Remember the day of the garage sale? Friday was pretty good weather, but we had snow on Saturday.

Well, this is a picture I took on that Saturday morning. It is of a Burning Bush we planted this spring. The wind had beaten it to death. We put up stakes and attached burlap bags to the stakes to try and give the poor little bush a little help to break the wind from attacking the bush.

Today, there isn't one single leaf on that little burning bush. It is just empty sticks. It is bare naked, too.

Tomorrow, if it blows 50 mph again, I am not going outside. I would be held captive by the wind, and I am afraid it might remove the body coverings I carefully chose to cover myself with. In other words, I, too could be bare-naked.

So, I am going to just stay indoors and listen to the wind howl in the fireplace, and decorate for Christmas.

I am not decorating for Thanksgiving this year. I am tired of putting all the "stuff" up and taking it down, just to put up more "stuff". I am condensing the holidays this year.

Blame it on the wind.

Love, Me

PS: That is the Burning Bush on the right side of the house. It used to match the shutters. Oh, the pain in my chest is hardly bearable.....

PSS: This is the maple tree in the back yard. It didn't get a chance to be brilliant in color this year either. That dang wind nearly striped it! It has about 10 leaves dangling from the little branches. That tree was so brave and strong in the snow storm....but it must have lost its strength from that hard fight, and had to give up to the wind.

Yep, I am staying indoor tomorrow so I will remain modestly clad.

I will lay on the sofa and listen to the wind blow. And eat hot soup.

Bye, again.

Love, Me, again.

Potato and Corn Chowder: for my son's birthday :)

2011-11-13T16:06:00.002-07:00

Today is my sons birthday. I miss him..... I want to fix him dinner.....I want to see him sitting at my table......SON, where are you.....?

Happy Birthday my darling. Wanna come over and have a bowl of soup with us?

In the fall and winter months I love to fix soups. If it is cold outside and warm inside, soup makes being home magical. The house smells so good, and it is a meal that doesn't take much time. Usually, the soup can even be made a day before you may need it. It can simmer and the house smells delightful.

On this day I decided to use some of the potatoes I had bought from Scorsbys. The Idaho grown Russet potatoes are my favorite, and I have about 25 lbs of them to use up. So, sit back and relax and let me teach you one of the easiest soups to make.

It was this pound of bacon that gave me the inspiration to go with the potatoes and make soup. It had been in my fridge for a week or so and it needed to be used up. It is thick sliced from the deli at Win Co. It is my new favorite bacon. The flavor is rich and pungent. I really like it.

I don't fry bacon anymore. Baking Bacon is the Best Thing Ever. Just put it on a rack in a cookie sheet at 12 minutes at 375 or so. Check it at 10 minutes, but it may need to bake 15 minutes. It all depends on how crispy you want the bacon to be.

Baking the bacon makes clean up so much easier. No more splatters all over the stove top. It is great.

Put a pot of water on the stove to get hot. Add salt to the pot. Then it will be ready to add the potatoes/spuds.

Next, get your "spuds". That is what we, by we, I mean those of us in Idaho, call a potato. I love spuds. I have them hidden somewhere in nearly every meal.

Do you know you can buy soap made out of spuds? It smells good, too.

Just peel the spuds. You don't have to be perfect when peeling them for soup. The peelings have lots of nutrition in them, and I leave them on the spuds for lots of dishes.

Dice the spuds up into bite size pieces. Try to keep the size consistent. Then they will all cook in the same amount of time.

These spuds are locally grown. They were dug from a farmers field about 2 days before I bought them. On one of the ends of a spud there was still a little green. If you ever find the same thing when you buy spuds, just cut that part away, as it will taste bitter. I don't want bitter soup, so I whacked that end off.

Or if you find a little brown (rotten) part in the middle of the spud, cut that away. That is usually caused by too much watering while growing. Some times, in the fields the ends of rows will get too much water. Or it might be in the middle of the field that gets too much water, whatever. I was told by a high school classmate, Kenny Anderson, that it was the farmers way of making a place for the butter to go. Kenny now serves on the board of the Fish and Game. What does he know about farming?

Anyway, just whack that part out. The rest of the spud is still very good.

The water in the pot, that is on the stove should be hot by now. Go ahead and add the potatoes/spuds when the water is hot.

Now it is time to doing some onion dicing. I love onions in my soups. I always put in twice what most recipes call for. Since this is my recipe, and I am making it up as I go, I am adding lots of onions so you can see what I mean.

I use red onions, white onions or yellow onions. Just use what you have on hand. This is one whole red onion and a part of a yellow onion I had in the fridge. Just chop or dice them up.

You can add vegetables that you like to most soups, but for this chowder I am keeping it pretty plain.

I also add chopped celery. I like lots of celery, too. So, I add the whole bunch of celery.

I chop the whole bunch, tops and leaves, as well. I cut off the bottom white part of the celery about an inch. I don't like that "woody" part in the soup. Cut it all up and then.........

Add the onions and the celery to 1/2 cube of butter in a fry pan.

Saute the onions and celery until the onions are turning translucent. Add a little more butter if you want. That amount is up to you. Stir the onions and celery occasionally so they will cook evenly.

Check on the spudtatoes. ( I love that word. It says spuds and potatoes all at once) They should be at a low boil, just simmering away, and making foam.

The trick is to not put a lid on the pot. If you do, I promise you, the pot will boil over. It is a fact. I have proven it over and over. I used to think, "the water will heat faster and the spudtatoes will be cooked faster", and it is true. But in the process they always boiled over and made the biggest mess on my stove. I don't get a lid out of the drawer anymore!

While you stir the onions and celery, watch the pot of spudtatoes, be sure to check on the bacon in the oven..don't let it over cook. Turn down the oven heat if you think it is getting done.

Watch the spudtatoesspudtatoes.

Cook the spudtatoes until they are fork tender and then turn off the heat. Add the partially frozen corn. I say, partially frozen, but it can be completely frozen. Just add it to the water and the spudtatoes. The corn will cool down the water and stop cooking the taters. (Another word for the potatoes. You are learning so much today :)

I froze corn last September. It is what I got from my nieces in-laws corn field. It is so tasty and good. I take it out of the freezer and pop it on the edge of the counter to break it apart enough that I can get it out of the bag.

Add the corn to the potatoes and the water. Don't drain the potatoes, as the water needs to thaw the corn and start it cooking a little.

As the corn warms up, break it apart so it can cook through and stop the potatoes from cooking.

Check the bacon again. Oh, look, it is done. I am sure of it.

When the bacon is getting firm, so you can chop it up, it is done. Soft soggy bacon is my preference when I eat it for breakfast, but not for soups. It needs to hold up under the sauce and other ingredients so it needs to be a little crisp. Not much, just a little. When you see it is good, remove it from the oven.

Your mouth will be watering, you ears will hear the simmering of the cooking bacon, and it does that so you will remember that it is hot. I mean really hot. Hot enough to burn your fingers. So fight off the urge to snag a strip of bacon and toss it carelessly into your mouth. It is hot. I speak from experience. Believe me, it is hot, and simmering, just listen to it.

While it is cooling off it is time to make the White Sauce. I love white sauce. Love it.

In a heated sauce pan, (this one is a pan I inherited from my Aunt Erma after she died. It is part of a set of Guardian Cookware. I love it, and use it whenever I can) melt 5 Tablespoons of butter, or more or less if you want. I like white sauce so I tend to make a large pot of it.

To the melted butter add equal amounts of flour. If you used less butter, use less flour. I added 7 tablespoons of flour and 2 more tablespoons of butter. I could see I wanted more white sauce.

Stir it up. Or whisk it up. You want to have a Rue.

This is where you will sort of know that you can add more flour or butter. It needs to be like a paste.

Then add the milk. I started with a quart of milk....but added more as it started to thicken.

Keep whisking it as it heats up. It will fool you and thicken quickly. You must not stop whisking. Just whisk away, feel the underarm flab jiggle. Whisk, whisk, whisk. It will thicken on the bottom of the sauce pan, where all the heat is, so you must not stop whisking. Add a little salt and pepper to it.

Suddenly it will thicken, like magic and the white sauce is ready. It is magic, I tell you!

If it gets too thick, just add more milk, or half and half would be good.

Take it off the heat.

It is time to chop the bacon. It should be cooled by now. (Is your mouth watering still?)

Now, at this point the photos are going to change a bit.

Remember how I was making this for dinner....well, the sun was setting and I was losing my light.

It was a beautiful sunset. One I would have loved to go outside and watch. You would have loved it too. This is what it looked like from inside my house.

A typically cold winter sky. With the promise of a cold night. When we have clouds it stays warmer, but when the clouds go bye-bye, well, the fireplace is turned on and we cuddle.....and eat soup.

Get away from the window and chop the bacon. You have to have this dinner ready soon!

Mouth watering isn't it?

Stop yourself from chopping it all up. Save just one little piece for later. I will tell you when to use it.
No, my son, you can't eat this. I need it for later.....I said, No!

It is time now to drain the potatoes and corn. Just dump the pot into a strainer and drain most of the water off. I save a little of the water in the pot if the white sauce is too thick. It will help to make it a thinner consistency. Just use your best judgement.

The corn is warmed through, but not over cooked. We want a little crunch somewhere in this soup.

Now the fun starts. Just add the other stuff.

Add the bacon, the onions and celery.......

Add the white sauce. Doesn't that look wonderful?

Now stir it up.

Take a bite. That is an order. You must check to see if it needs salt and pepper. Although the bacon is salty I usually add both salt and pepper to bring out the flavors.

Sometimes I add a can or two of diced chili peppers. That always gives it another dimension.

Now it is time to put it in a bowl.

I sprinkled some Monterrey Jack Cheese on the soup. It is what I had. A Cheddar would be good for color, but make due with what you have. It isn't going to add much flavor, but it makes a girl feel good to make it "prudy".

Remember that one piece of bacon you saved?????
Now is when you use it. Chop/crumble it over the soup with the cheese.
Add a sprig of parsley for color. (From my herb garden, which I brought inside a week or so ago. It would freeze outside, so now all the little plants sit in front of a window and bask in the sunshine.)

I called my DH to come and eat. He came.... but my son didn't....where are you my son?????

Once DH started eating I didn't hear another word out of him until he was finished. I was afraid he had died and gone to food heaven. He was so quiet. If you want a man to love you, feed him good home made food.

I added a couple of slices of fresh home made wheat bread to accompany the soup. A little butter and honey and we were in food heaven.

Oliver, I will save a bowl for you, just in case you show up later....okay? I will put a candle in it for you. I love you, and Happy Birthday!

Love, Me

Carnival Squash

2011-11-08T13:18:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard of Carnival Squash?

I bought some this year at Scorsbys. My favorite produce market, with locally grown food.

I was assured I would love the flavor.

So, the serpent beguiled me and I did buy, even though I have about 10 giant banana squash in my garage and the community garden storage has about 8 spaghetti squash and a few acorn squash. I don't think we can have too many squash, as I love it, and could eat it everyday!

This is a Carnival Squash.

This is about 8 inches wide. It isn't very big.
They come in variegated colors of all kinds.
Ain't it purdy?

It has a very strong hard skin. It is like an acorn squash in that respect. It is a winter squash if it has a hard skin. Did you know that?

If you buy squash with soft skin it is a summer squash. Summer squash are zucchini and yellow crook neck squash.

If you can pierce the skin with your finger nail, it is a summer squash. If it is too hard to prick it with your finger nail, it is a winter squash.

Winter squash keep along time, if they are in a cool dark place. I have a storage room downstairs and I kept squash last year until March. By March we had eaten all of it. You should build a storage room like mine.....only with less crafts in it.....my storage room is a multipurpose room.

Anyway. . . . I want to tell you how to cook this kind of squash. (This recipe was shared with me by my friend JoyLynn. She is a fabulous cook). Also, Acorn, Monkey Butt, and other squash can be cooked just the same way. Yes, in Utah, they sell Monkey Butt squash. I haven't bought any of that, but I have eaten it, and it is delicious. I am going to grow some next year!!!!

Step 1. Take a strong knife and pierce about 3 or 4 holes into the top of the squash. (You know how you have to do that to a potato so it won't explode, well this is the same process).

Step 2. Place the squash in a dish or on a plate and put it in the microwave, on high, for about 15 minutes. You will need to adjust the time based on the size of the squash. Start out with a shorter time and check the squash. It just needs to be softened. Let it sit and rest for about 5 minutes.

Step 3. Cut the squash open with a sharp knife. It will have a soft skin after it cooks and it will cut open every easily.

Step 4. All those seeds and fibers must be removed. Use a large spoon and they will easily scrape out. Don't take the layer of the squash meat out. That is the dense part of the squash between the outer skin and the fibrous seed area. Just scrape out the seedy part. If you are like me you will discard the seeds. Some people save them ad bake them and salt them and eat them. I throw them away.

Step 5. Now scrape out all the squash meat. Be careful to only get the meat, not the skin. Use a big spoon to do this. Get it all, right close to the skin. Place it in a microwave safe bowl.

Oh, it is so so good.

Use a fork or a masher and mash all the squash meat. It is a little fibrous so it needs to be mashed.
Some squash are softer inside, and some are fibrous, and this little jewel needs a little help.

Just mash it like you would mashed potatoes if you want it really squishy. I happen to like the texture of squash and like to leave it a little fibrous. You choose how you like it.

Step 6. Put a few dabs of butter on the warm squash. It will melt pretty quick. Add some Salt and Pepper, as well.

Optional: I added a drizzle of maple syrup over the squash. You could use brown sugar, instead. What ever your taste buds like.

Just stir in the butter, syrup and salt and pepper and whatever you add and............

Last step: You are ready to eat.

I forgot to take a picture of it dished up, but I am sure your imagination can conger up that.

Actually, I think it was eaten by DH (it couldn't have been me) before I had time to focus the camera for a picture.

Anyway, check out the squash this season in you markets and enjoy it. Feed it to your babies and your teenagers. Your husbands and friends will love it. I promise.

With much love, Me

Garage Sale

2011-11-07T00:25:00.000-07:00

My garage is really quite big. It is big enough for our car and our truck. And it should be big enough for our car and our truck. But, the problem is....we also have had lots and lots of, as our neighbor says, "stuff". Yes, we have had many boxes that were still not unpacked from our move. They were boxes of the "stuff" we didn't know if we needed or not, so we moved those boxes 1,000 miles, piled them in the large garage and let them sit through 2 fall seasons, one winter season and one summer season. As the second winter season approaches we knew we HAD to do something about those boxes.

The problem has been we felt the need to purchase a couple of 4 wheelers and play ever so much this summer. We used our 5th wheel, and even talked our friends into buying a camp trailer. That meant time away from home and our garage. And then we planted this garden, which produced like little rabbits. That meant canning and freezing everything I could get harvested from the garden. But, having my own garden wasn't enough, because I have friends with apples and plums and ...... well, I thought it would never end....so the garage was the last thing on the list.

Reality hit us a week ago, when the temperatures started to drop and we knew fall was near the end. That reminded us about all the boxes in the garage. So, DH and I looked each other in the eye, and we had a conversation.

Me: "Honey, how do you feel about having that garage sale we have talked about having one for over a year now"?

DH: "Sweetheart, I think you are the smartest woman on earth, and you can read minds. I was thinking about that, too. You are amazing".

Me: "Dearest, I am what I am because of you. And so is that garage what it is because of you. How about a garage sale next weekend"?

DH: "Darling, let's see what the weather report is and then decide".

Me: "My love, the weather is going to be cold, windy, and possibly snow. However, the weather man has been wrong before. Let's get busy and get stuff out and priced. I bet it will be okay".

DH: "Sugar, you get everything priced and I will put up tables. You get the signs made and I will put them around the neighborhood. You write the ad for the paper and I will call them and have it put in the paper. You talk to the neighbors and see if they will help and I will help, too".

And that is just what the "little red hen did".

Fridays weather was predicted to be rain and possible snow.
Fridays weather was high 40's and low 50's and sunny and not bad, in fact, it was a wonderful fall day.

We had a good day, lots of people came and bought. We were happy to wave goodbye to so much of our "stuff". We had a tall heater in the garage and it was pleasant and many shoppers commented on our wonderful heater. We could have served refreshments and because so many nice people came and visited and we simply had FUN.

8:00 am to 2:00 pm went quickly. People continued to come as we were bringing things inside and closing up. By 3:00 pm we had closed up shop. Our neighbors joined us and we went out to dinner to celebrate the fact we finally had the garage sale. We spent a leisurely 2 hours at dinner. We laughed and ate till we would pop.....we love Mexican food, and the chips and salsa just keep coming so we keep eating..... that is how we do it here.

Then DH and I said we had to get groceries so we finally brought the celebration to an end. We spent the next 40 minutes in Win Co Grocery Store filling our grocery cart with fresh produce and cookies. When we opened the door to leave the market the sun had set and it was dark outside. A very cold wind hit us in the face and there was 1 inch of snow on the ground. And the snow was still coming down...and down and down, or rather, sideways...it was blowing and snowing sideways. That is known in these parts as a blizzard.

Now, remember, we were having a two day garage sale. So, when we saw the snow we immediately started placing bets in Vegas as to the likelihood of us having anyone attend our sale in the morning. Well, we really didn't place bets in Vegas, but you can imagine what our conversation was like.

When we woke up Saturday morning we had about 2 inches of snow on the ground, and a horizontal snow blowing blizzard in the air. It was 21 degrees. The driveway and sidewalk was a half inch of ice. Not exactly the best conditions for a garage sale.

We lite the heater in the garage, added a few more items to sell and in 20 minutes we had seen the whites of eyes of 3 shoppers. We had made $4.00. The clock ticked. And ticked. And tick tocked. An hour passed, and no one came. Tick Tock, Tick Tock.....Then we started boxing up our unsold treasures and we knew we would not be seeing enough people on this cold snowy day, to make it worth our time.

We had the truck bed loaded with a baby crib, and some larger items and we were freezing....really. A car pulled up just then and the driver was a lady, so lively and quick..... and she said, "I was here yesterday and saw a baby crib. Do you still have it? Oh, there in your truck, can I buy it"?

Why, of course madame. We loaded it into her car, and counted another $20.00 into our not so bulging pockets.

By now, you must be bored half to death. But, I just wanted to tell you that all the "stuff" is gone from our garage. The sale took place. The "leftovers" have been driven to our local Deseret Industries and we are done. We have a garage empty enough to park 2 vehicles in. It is swept clean and wonderful. I think I will wait for a warm day, maybe in 5 months or so, and invite our neighbors over to have dinner in our garage. Or on our deck, which is covered and way more fun. But it is nice to know that we could do it in our garage if we wanted to. Oh, what a wonderful feeling, oh, what a wonderful day!!!

*listen closely* You will hear me and DH having another conversation. Because now I can see the Christmas decorations and it is snowing outside, and another holiday is on its way. If we start now, we might be ready on time.......... and...................

Me: "Oh, Darling................"

DH: "Oh, Sweetheart, and the answer is, NO".

Oh, how I love that man!

Love, The Lady with the Clean Garage

ps. I was too busy to take any pictures. I regret that, very much. As it was quite a sight to behold.

Road Kill

2011-11-05T14:15:00.000-07:00

Living near rural areas, and near the foothills, and by farms, and ranches and stuff like that, gives me the opportunity to see lots of wild things.

Quail, pheasant, deer, moose, grouse, squirrels, chipmunks, lizards, elk, bear, buffalo, and other things that are wild. Skunks, stray cats and dogs, etc. The list can be long.

And I even get to see.......................................

I hope you are leaning back away from your computer. This could be a little scary but it isn't, because it is dead. You might have noticed that it is missing it's head and its rattle at the end of it's tail. And there is blood.

You might have noticed the tire marks where someone stopped very quickly. I am sure they saw the snake, sunning its self on the warm asphalt and the driver hit the brakes to see it better.

Then the driver cut off the head and the tail. And left the scene of the accident!

Prior to the "accident" I would guess this snake to be about 3 feet long. Which doesn't really matter because baby rattle snakes are just as poisonous as big ones....but if you like statistics, you would want to know the facts of this snake.

This snake is 2 miles from my house. Out near the potato and corn fields. Where I was!

Continue leaning back away from your computer, because I am going to show you a picture of the same kind of snake that still has it's head and tail.

*Cue Snake...

I hate hate hate hate snakes.

I live in fear of them.

I watch for them when we go on walks.

I watch for them when we are camping.

I watch for them when we go on the ATV's.

I watch for them on the road.

I am very happy when I see blood, no head and no tail.

Thanks for being dead Mr. Snake.

Yikes..... I have the creepy crawlers now...

Good bye...

Love, Me

Harvesting Dill

2011-11-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

My garden no longer exists.
It is barren.
It has been plumaged by DH.
Nearly everything is pulled up and roots and plants are no longer there.
All the tomato plants are gone, all the squash plants are gone, all the onions are gone, and all the other stuff is gone.
The only thing left was a few scraggly dill plants and some frozen marigolds.
And as of today, I plumaged them, too.

The dill has been laying on my patio table.

However, even that has changed.

I am harvesting the dill today out on my deck. And while on my deck I have enjoyed rain, breeze, sunshine, heat on my back, wind, clouds, and the temperature dropping.

I need to back up. I picked some of the dill several days ago. It has been drying on the patio table. It is ready to be harvested. But, I also got more from my garden today. As the weather is changing and today may be the last day I have to get it done.

So I was sitting outside, enjoying the quiet Halloween morning, and picking all of the dill seeds from the stems. Also, cutting the dill leaves from the stems.

It is tedious wonderful work. It smells heavenly dilly. Or dilly heaven.... or really good.

The dill seeds were collected on a quarter cookie sheet.
So were the dill leaves.

The aroma was so fragrant and fresh. I wish I could bottle that aroma to use as air freshener. Then people would think I was cooking....(and by people, I mean, DH....he is a people ). Then I would be a hero in his mind. Because he would think he would have something good to eat soon.

I collected all the little tiny dill seeds and put them in a spice jar and use them in soups and such all through the year. They are great in salad dressings, marinates, and dips. I just love dill.

The dill leaves are just as special. I use them in the same type of things as I do the dill seeds. I also use them when I cook fish. Oh, the aroma and the flavor is mouth watering. And in dips they add beautiful green flecks of flavor.

I just took my fingers and slid them down the stem and the leaves were gathered into my hand.

It is so easy and quick. All of the leaves were put on a cookie sheet, then I took my hands and rubbed the leaves to crumble them up, and put them in a spice bottle and labeled it "Dill Leaves".

Now, I have two more bottles of fresh herbs on my kitchen shelf. They are labeled and shinning and fit right into the neighborhood of spices. They are happy there.

So, if you have a spare 2 foot spot in your yard, may I suggest you turn it into an herb garden. You will love it! And they don't require any work, just water. It is so easy!

Happy Harvesting!

Love, Me.

Harvest What You Can On Halloween

2011-10-31T12:29:00.002-07:00

Happy Windy, Blustery, Rainy, Cloudy Halloween!

In our town we have a fresh produce store. It is Scorsbys. I love it. They grow lots of produce and sell it fresh from their house to ours.

The other day I was at Scorsbys to buy potatoes. They had 50 lb boxes of potatoes for $10.99. Yeah, what a deal! So, I asked if they could combine some Russet Potatoes and some Yukon Gold into one box. Yep, they could. And they did.

They are so willing to do just what you want.

And do you want to know what else I bought there?

Pumpkins. Good carving pumpkins. $.99 cents each!

Can you believe how much cheaper it is to live in Idaho!!!!???

Anyway, as I was checking out, the clerk told me about the peppers she was selling. They were red, yellow and green peppers. She said they were 5 for $1.00. However, she warned me, they might have a little spot on them, but they are perfectly good peppers.

Some had marks from laying in the dirt, some had soft spots, but it didn't affect the entire pepper.

So, I bought several of them.

I bought 2 yellow, 2 red, and 1 green pepper. I am not a fan of green peppers.

I brought them home and washed them, and chopped them.

And chopped and chopped.
It went quickly.
I only had 5 peppers to chop.

They smelled so good.
The soft spots were minimal, the dirt was minimal.
I had made a very good buy.

I just diced them.
Then layed the diced peppers on a cookie sheet and put them in the freezer.

Because there is quite a lot of moisture in peppers they freeze beautifully.

I left them to freeze about an hour, and then they were ready to be bagged.

I put them in freezer bags and labeled them.

When I need diced peppers for a cooking recipe I will grab them and use them.
They must be used in cooking. They won't thaw and be be good for fresh peppers for a salad or such.
They would be soft and mushy to use out of the freezer, but they are wonderful for cooking soups and things like that.

Yep, I love a good buy!

Thanks Scorsbys.

Love, Me

Snow Fell In Autumn

2011-10-24T18:10:00.000-07:00

Part of living in Idaho requires a flexible attitude.
I am not physically flexible any more, but my attitude sure is.
It is a good thing, too.

Because the other day my darling niece and her two children came over to hang out with us. By "us" I mean two of my daughters and one grandson and two extra dogs were already at my house. So, we wanted more to be here. And the fact that I was canning stewed tomatoes meant I wasn't going anywhere soon, so why not fill the house with more loved ones!

It was a cold day. Cloudy, windy, and yep, cold. Rain was in the forecast for later in the evening.

But, what does a weather man know? In Idaho? Very little!

By lunch we had the beginning of a promising accumulation of snow.

One snowflake at a time began, and then it grew into many snowflakes, and they were big and they were wet!

My darling nieces son, Hagen, wanted to go out in the snow. Of course he did! It is magical when it s the first snow fall of the season. I wanted to go out, too. So we did.

Hagen: "Look, Aunt Tawny, I can leave prints."

Me: "Yes, I see that. Are you getting cold? Do you want some gloves?"

Hagen: "Heck, no. This is fun. Look Aunt Tawny, I can catch snowflakes on my tongue."

Me: "You are so talented, Hagen. Are you sure you don't want to wear a sweat shirt I have?"

Hagen: "Heck, no. Look Aunt Tawny, the snow is getting on all the dogs!"

Me: "Oh, crap. The dogs are getting wet and they will track the snow into the house. The floors will be wet and Asher will crawl and walk in the melted snow in my house. Oh, crap. What ever should we do?"

Hagen: "Aunt Tawny, just let Asher come outside and get wet with us, now!"

Why didn't I think of that?

I was right. The dogs, all four of them, did bring snow inside the house. Lots of snow. It was wet and heavy and stuck to their fur....until it got warm and then it turned into water. .... dripping water.... and every foot on every dog left it's mark. 16 furry feet stepping, running, chasing, dripping all over the carpet and tile floors. Puddles were growing faster than I could mop them up. Although, I should add a little disclaimer about the little dog who was visiting us from California. She is a wimp and stayed on the deck most of the time, so her puddles were smaller than the big goof who was visiting.

Throughout the day the snow continued to fall. Sometimes it was really heavy, falling and falling. Other times the flakes just got really big, the kind that I call "Charlie Brown snow flakes". They are beautiful, and my favorite. Then other times.....well, all the other time, it just kept snowing. All day. It didn't stop falling.

I ran a couple of errands and was out in the public for a short time. Everywhere I went people were talking about the snow. #1.The fact that it hadn't stopped all day and #2 that our neighbors 10 miles to the north weren't getting snow and our neighbors to the south about 15 miles away weren't getting any snow. That is just plain unexplainable. Weird, some were saying.

I stayed in my kitchen and stirred the simmering tomatoes on my stove. It smelled wonderful. All the spices, the oregano, dill seed (from my garden) the onions, the jalapenos, yellow peppers and all the stuff that I added. By late afternoon bread was baking. I cant tell you how wonderful it smelled. Heaven can not smell this good. Because I don't think there are any gas ranges in heaven. And who would be growing gardens in clouds, anyway.....?

When I realized the snow was not going to stop any time soon, I started to fret about the tomatoes that were still on the plants..... so I bundled up, and my sweet middle daughter did, too, and we braved the cold and the wind and the snow to go and rescue some of the little darlings dangling on the vines in the snow.

We picked and picked. We filled bags, the clothish ones that you take to the grocery store. We filled a few boxes, and even our pockets. We picked green tomatoes and red tomatoes, and the ones in between. All the while our backs were getting soaked, our gloves were soaked, and we were tromping in mud.

The middle daughter, who now resides in Southern California thought it was a great adventure. She actually stayed outside and pulled the tomato plants from the ground. The plants found a new home in my garage and in DH's shop. They are still loaded with tomatoes and I can bottle them when they ripen a little more.

Even the strawberries were buried under snow.

I know this sounds bad, but it was fun. The strawberries didn't seem to mind. I could hear them talking about the soft blanket being laid on them. They loved it. It is true.

I took a picture of the strawberries. Can you find the little green one sticking up out of the snow. He is a young immature strawberry who wouldn't listen to his parents and stay down and cover up. (Youth, they always do the dumbest things.)

By night fall we had 5 inches of snow.

My grandson wanted to go outside and play in it. His mom wasn't watching as I went out the front door with him. I leaned over and let him put his hands in the snow. He didn't really like to touch it.

So we played "team snowball throwing". It is a great game. You should try it!

Be sure to have a good photographer to document the game. The mother of my grandson grabbed a camera and did! She didn't even care that her 15 month old son didn't have on a hat or gloves or a coat. I guess she knew that "Nana" would come in out of the cold soon enough. (She is still in her youth, too)

Step 1. Get a snowball.

Step #2. Throw a snowball.

Step #3. See where the snowball lands.

Step # 4. Don't drop the baby!!

Just give me a call if you want to come over for a snowball fight. I will arrange to have fresh snow just for you.

You bring the dinner, okay?

Love, Me

Eatable Gifts

2011-10-22T07:06:00.000-07:00

I had to deliver a little love to my girls a few days ago.

They are like the rest of us, and the best way to get someone to love you is through their tummy's.
It isn't just a man thing.

So, I made a basket full of goodies from the garden.

I think they loved it.

On the right side is a little green vase. It has a "frog" top, and I filled it with flowers and some dill.

I love my girls, and I owe one of them for tending my dogs while I was off playing.

So this is what they got for a thank you gift.

Hope your garden gives and gives to others, just like mine does.

Love, Me

#1: Things I Am Grateful For, My Grandson

2011-10-19T22:26:00.000-07:00

I have angel visiting me. I haven't touched his wings, but I know he has them. I haven't seen his wings, but I know he has them. Because I have seen in his eyes. I have looked into his soul. I can see that he is an angel when I look at his eyes, his face, his fingers, his toes, his belly button, his teeth, and I learn over and over what a miracle an angel is.

I could sit and watch him for hours......
What do I mean?
I DO sit and watch him for hours!

His giggle is contagious.
He is walking/running a mile a minute.
He even tiptoes and walks.

He smiles 23/7.
He doesn't smile if he is hungry or tired.
But that doesn't last long.

If I shove a little peanut butter and crackers at him, he "quickly turns it upside down and smiles that frown away"!

He loves to eat.
The only thing I found that he doesn't really like is asparagus.
But he will eat squash, corn, green beans, peas, mashed potatoes, chicken, and Dog Food.

Yep, he eats everything.

He loves to play outside.

He will stand at the door and say "A Dah".

He says, "A Dah" for everything.

Except when he says, "A Ball".
And that is 15 times a second.

If he sees something round, "A Ball".
If it is round it is named.

The past 15 months have gone by so fast! They have had wings, even if this little man doesn't.
Where does the time go?
He was just a little over 9 lbs. yesterday, or the day before.
And now he is 20 lbs. 20 lbs of angel, pure angel!

This little man doesn't care if the wind is blowing, and his hair is flying.....
He isn't like me when it comes to the wind........
He just looks straight into the wind and yells, "A Dah"!

He will grow up to be a Master Gardener!
He proves it to me when I have him help me in my garden.

Recently he helped me harvest some fresh dill.
He held on tight to the dill head and took such good care of it.
I never put it down.
He didn't let the dogs take it from him.
He protected it all afternoon.

Later that day we seeded the head of dill and saved it in a spice bottle.
It was used to make stewed tomatoes for his mama to take home.
Someday his mama will open up the jar of stewed tomatoes and tell him about his dill.

But for now, I am not thinking about the time when he is home with his mama.
I am enjoying every minute with this precious little man.

He runs to me with his arms open wide and laughing so hard.
And that is just enough to make me cry.

Why is it when you love so deeply you cry more easily?
It is a spiritual thing.
It is a Godly thing.

And for that I am so grateful.

Love, Nana

#2 : Things I Am Grateful For, My Son

2011-10-17T10:55:00.002-07:00

My 3rd girl was a surprise. I was sure she was a he.
But I love her, don't get me wrong.
But she was supposed to be a younger brother to my son.

After she was born, her father and I called our other children at home to tell them they had a sister.
My son hung up the phone.
He was not happy to have a third sister.

Since then I have realized he was traumatized in some way.
Not really, but if he was, he had good reason.
What boy needs 3 sisters?

He has overcome the handicap he was given in our home.
He is a wonderful man, who I love with all my heart.
As I have watched my son grow up, he is amazing to me.
He has a heart of gold.
He shows his love in quiet ways, EXCEPT when it comes to his nephew.

When my son is with his nephew, there is no holding back the emotion of love that he has.

My son turns into a clown, a mime, a bear, a Tarzan, a strong man........
And my grandson loves his Uncle, no matter what he is.

Especially when he is strong and throws him to his mama.

My son, my only son, melts my heart!
He is so loving and fun with children.
He has always played with little children who are in our home, or his home.
He just doesn't care if he is down on the floor, or in the dirt, or out in public.
He lets the fun begin and children love him.

In just a few years this little nephew will be joining his uncle and going camping.
He will learn to hike.
He will learn to build fires.
He will eat whatever he packs in his teeny tiny backpack.
He will learn to carry his own weight and not be a cry baby.

However, for now, Uncle Oliver is spoiling, throwing, teasing, tickling and loving being an uncle.

I love you, Oliver!

Love, Me

PS. Your nephew loves you a bazillion, too.

Halloween Is Coming

2011-10-16T02:36:00.000-07:00

I have loved Halloween for as long as I can remember.

I have decorated very elaborately some years, and other years I barely found time to buy candy for the trick or treaters.

In Arizona we would sit out on our driveways in lawn chairs. We would have a big bowl of candy, because we would typically have 150 kids come between 6:00 and 8:00 pm. All the neighbors did it. We would chat to each other during the evening. It was a great night. It was always warm. Some little girls would arrive in their dance recital costumes with spaghetti straps and bare legs. It was warm so they got to wear those outfits again.

I have dressed up for Halloween most years. It is a tradition. And some years my older kids would join me, all dressed up, and we gave out the candy.

One year we had a large cardboard box decorated like a table. The box was open on the bottom and my son in law sat inside of the big box. We had cut out a circle for him to put his head through. We had a hat sitting over the cut out circle. As the trick or treaters would come to the house they would have to stand near that big box while I gave out candy. And in the middle of filling the treat bags the hat would slowly start to raise up, and the scary painted face of my son in law would appear. The kids loved it!

Another year my son joined me on Halloween night. Both of us dressed up. He was one of the 3 Musketeers. His hair was long, very long, and curly. He was a great Musketeer. I was painted up and wore a black satin cape my Aunt Erma had made. We had a great time. We greeted the little kids and ushered them up to the house to get the candy.

Things are different here in Idaho now. It is turning fall, and will probably be chilly by Halloween night. I don't dress up now. We don't get many kids who come trick or treating. But, I still feel that excitement. This is the time of year I watch the full moon. I still think I will see the silhouette of a witch flying through the sky. The presence of bats and ghosts are a possibility. I hope I never lose the imagination of my childhood.

Yep, I still need to have something scary and mysterious around me during October. Orange lights, pumpkins, and fall leaves aren't enough. I need children.....who still believe.

I hope all of you are enjoying the season of mysterious things and creaks and thumps in the night.

Have a wonderful October and Halloween.

Love, Me

Vinegar

2011-10-13T23:32:00.000-07:00

I have a new best friend.

Want to see a picture of my new best friend?

Okay.

It's cheap, it's useful, and our grandparents have been using it for years. Vinegar kills 99% of bacteria and more than 80% of mold and germs. It's non-toxic, safe, and good for the environment. It's also extremely affordable compared to all the household cleaners on the market. Here are amazing things vinegar can do.

I got these ideas from "Daily Buzz Mom" website.

There are lots of other websites with tons more ideas.

1. Kill Weeds. Put vinegar in a spray bottle and squirt around the house to get rid of weeds.

2. Rinse Out Your Dishwasher. Put a whole cup of vinegar through an entire cycle, without dishes, to clean out soap residue and buildup.

3. Clean Your Coffee Maker. Mix vinegar and water and run it through a coffee brew cycle. Run an extra cycle of water just to make sure the vinegar gets rinsed out.

4. Counter Cleaner. Use vinegar to wipe down sour counters and get them sparkly clean.

5. Drain Deodorizer. Make vinegar ice cubes and grind them up in the garbage disposal to neutralize odors.

6. Degrease an Oven Door. Spray 100% vinegar solution on the door and let it soak before wiping away with a sponge.

7. Boiled Egg Trick. Add a few tablespoons vinegar to boiling water and cracked eggs won't leak while boiling.

8. Sparkling Glassware. Take cloudy glassware from the dishwasher and wrap them with paper towels soaked in vinegar. The cloudiness will be gone.

9. Extend Flower Life. Place a teaspoon vinegar in a vase of water and your stem cut flowers will last longer.

10. Window Cleaner. Use a pint of water mixed with a few tablespoons vinegar to wash windows.

11. Oven Vent Cleaner. Take 100% vinegar solution and soak the vent cover on top of your stove range. Then wipe it down for a grease-free vent.

12. Hair Rinse. Pour one cup vinegar and water solution over hair after washing. The vinegar reduces oil produced and lends highlights to brown hair.

13. Remove Fruit-Stained Hands. Rub vinegar on your hands to take away stubborn berry stains.

14. Cut Laundry Soap. Adding vinegar will reduce the amount of laundry soap you need to clean clothes.

15. Stain Remover. Gently rub into tough stains on clothes, then wash as usual.

16. Marinate Meat. Using vinegar as a marinade, not only softens the meat, but breaks down and kills bacteria. Soak it overnight before cooking for best results.

17. Wood Cutting Board Cleaner. Use full strength vinegar to clean and disinfect wood cutting boards.

18. Cut Out Cooking Smells. Hate the smell of fried fish lingering around your kitchen after you've cooked? Just set a pot of water and vinegar on the stove and let it slow boil for a while to get rid of lingering cooking smells.

19. Clean a Lunchbox. Got a funky lunchbox? Soak a piece of bread in vinegar and let it sit inside it overnight.

20. Stainless Steel Shiner. Clean stainless steel by spraying and wiping full strength vinegar on it.

21. Refrigerator Cleaner. Get rid of fridge smells and grime by using a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water to clean your fridge.

22. Make Buttermilk. Add a tablespoon vinegar to one cup milk and let it sit for 5 minutes.

23. Grout Cleaner. Let vinegar soak on the grout for 30 minutes, then brush away with a toothbrush.

24. Laundry Brightener. Add 1 cup vinegar to the rinse cycle to keep colors bright.

25. Fix Nighttime Mattress Accidents. Clean up the urine with a vinegar and water solution. Follow with a sprinkling of baking soda. Then vacuum it up when it dries.

There are so many wonderful uses for vinegar. My grandmother uses it to reduce water retention by drinking a teaspoon in a glass of water every morning. It also keeps things moving.

Who knew vinegar was so sweet?

You can "Bing" vinegar and get many more ideas. It is versitile and cheap! I just love the stuff.

And NO, my house doesn't smell like I am washing everything in vinegar....but things are starting to sparkle.

I did a "Bing" on Heinze Vinegar and this is what I got......

Around the House

Versatile Heinz^® Vinegar has an outdoor life, too. But that's no surprise. After all, that's where it all starts for us. With sun-ripened corn and apples and cool, clear water. So discover the Great Outdoors right in your own backyard.

A Burning Issue

Let Heinz^® Vinegar take the sting out of sunburn and soothe your minor skin irritations. Just sponge it on to cool down summer's sizzle.

A Dandelion Free Lawn

A natural alternative to using expensive and potentially toxic chemicals. Fill a spray bottle with undiluted Heinz^® White Vinegar. “When dandelions start to pop up, spray the center of each flower with the vinegar. Spray once directly on the plant and again near the ground so the vinegar can soak into the roots. This will kill the dandelions and keep them from growing back. It is best to do this on a sunny day when no rain is expected for a few days, because the rain will wash away the vinegar.

Better Fuel Mileage

Here's a bright idea. For longer-lasting and brighter-burning propane lanterns, soak new wicks for several hours in full-strength Heinz^® White Vinegar and let them dry before inserting. Now see how much brighter things are--on the same amount of fuel.

Cut The Grass

To kill unwanted grass and weeds growing in sidewalk cracks or on driveways, just pour on full-strength Heinz^® Vinegar. It's a natural alternative to using harsh lawn chemicals.

Don't Be A Pest

Ants may be on the march, invading your territory, but you can deter them without using strong, harsh insecticides. Spread a solution of equal parts Heinz^® Vinegar and water all around their points of entry- door jambs, windowsills, and foundation cracks. CAUTION: Be careful not to spill vinegar on your plants or shrubs.

Get Out Of Tough Scrapes

Scraping ice off your car's windshield--one winter chore you'd like to avoid. If you have to leave your car out overnight in the winter, coat the windows with a solution of three parts Heinz^® White Vinegar or Heinz^® Apple Cider Vinegar to one part water. And they'll be frost-free.

Renews Shoes

Rescue your shoes from the damaging effects of salt stains. To remove salt, pour undiluted Heinz^® White Vinegar on a damp cloth and wipe into the affected areas. Then polish with a soft cloth.

Rust-Buster

To loosen rusty bolts and stubborn spigots, soak them in full-strength Heinz^® White Vinegar.

Sticky Situations

When decals or bumper stickers have outlived their usefulness and you want to remove them, wipe them repeatedly with Heinz^® White Vinegar. Let the vinegar soak in. In a few minutes the decals should peel off easily.

The Lime Fighter

After working with garden lime, you can neutralize its harsh, drying effects on your hands by dousing them freely with Heinz^® Vinegar. Then follow with a cold water rinse. No more rough, flaking skin.

I am all into saving money and vinegar is cheap.

Good luck, and I hope you learned something new today. I did.
That is why this post was so long.
Thanks for hanging in with me.

Hello, are you still here?

Please, cover your mouth when you yawn.
Thank you.

Love, Me

Halloween Holiday

2011-10-10T07:23:00.000-07:00

I love Halloween.
I started decorating food and my house when my children were very young.
Every year we would get more and more into it.

We turned our front yard, which had lots of trees and bushes, into a grave yard.
We stuffed dummies and goblins to lay next to the head stones.

One year my junior high age kids stayed home just to scare the other trick or treaters.
They dressed up like the dummies and layed in front of head stones.
When the little kids would walk up the path to our front door, my kids would slowly sit up.
It scared everyone!

My kids love Halloween as much as I do.

So, I have been cruising on line and looking at what some other people are doing for Halloween.

I am sharing with you today.

These mummy cookies came from http://www.thedecoratedcookieblog.com/

Don't you want to run into your kitchen and make something fun for someone?

It makes me want to have a party. The Marshmallow Candy is from http://grinandbakeit.com/.
She has tons of ideas.

After I fill up on sweets at some of these fun blogs, I go to the house decorating places.
My friend, who I love, over at http://purplechocolathome.blogspot.com/
Jackie and I are BFF but she doesn't really know it, that it has gone to the BFF level.
However, she and I have corresponded on several occasions.
She calls me by my first name, so that sums up the BFF for me!

Jackie gets into Halloween and all holidays.
She has a ton of time on her hand, lots of money, and a huge house and more dishes than most department stores.

She is an amazing cook and does really elaborate things, and simple delicious things.

If you don't get into Halloween and just love fall.....which is the road I am taking this year....because....well, just because.....

You will love something else I have found.

You have to have candles to burn when fall arrives.
The smell of Candied Apples, or Autumn Wreath, or Cinnamon Vanilla.....

So, whatever your desire is this year, make the most of it.

Enjoy the crisp morning air, the warm sun, the cool shade, the sound of canning lids sealing, the crackle of the fireplace, the leaves changing colors, the garden giving up the last of its produce, and carmel apples and burning candles.

Happy Fall and the season of Halloween...!

Love, Me

Computer Fads, Interests and Time Wasted

2011-10-09T21:20:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, I don't spend much time on the Internet, well, not like I used to.

There was a time......a long time ago, when I found out about Chat Rooms....then there was....well, it all started because of a chat room in Australia. But, that was a very long time ago. Seems like a life time ago.

Now, there is another way to pass the time....it has a new name....which is just another name for addiction......Pintrest.

Yep, I have the fever.

It all started when I was following a blog from a lady in Utah. It is http://purplechocolathome.blogspot.com/
and she has the best ideas.

I love her tablescapes. Especially one from today, and making S'mores. For Halloween.... you must check it out. Kids and grownups would love it! I am going to do it. I have neighbors who will join me. Or I will do a romantic evening with DH, or by myself. I don't care. But I am going to do it.

So, anyway, back to Pintrest.

This is where I learned about it.

If you don't know what it is, find out!

I found out about quotes...which, as you know, I love. I would embroidery all of the quotes I ever hear, if, I had time...

But I really liked this one.
It would be great on a book cover.
On a wall in a kids room.
On a door as we leave our homes.

Hope you find time to find out about Pintrest......You can be lost there for days........

Love, Me

Shabby Chic Cards

2011-10-02T12:36:00.000-07:00

I truly love the look of Shabby Chic.
I want to redo my house.
It would mean a few trips to the junk yard, flea markets, thrift stores, sand paper, paint, wax....
Sounds like something DH wouldn't want to be a full time member in.

So, I find myself loving the look in cards.

I don't spend much time creating things like books and cards much these days.
I have a garden instead.

But, I "lifted" some ideas on the Internet.

Let me share with you:

So you see what I mean?

I think kids would love cutting up books and magazines and gathering pictures and making some of these.

If I could have all my wishes,I would do it with my grand kids, who are teenagers, while we watched conference this year,..... if I could have all my wishes.

Maybe you can think of some wonderful things to do this weekend, to get ready for the holidays.....

I apologize fiercely to the original person who did all this work. I would give all the credit to you, but I can't remember where I got these card ideas from. I am so sorry.
Love, Me

PS. I think the best thing about this style, is, there is no such thing as a mistake. I love them all.

DH Goes Fishing

2011-09-30T08:42:00.000-07:00

Some days our dreams come true, and other days, they don't.

It is especially true when DH goes fishing.

Some days he just dreams, and other days, he catches fish.

Some days he has hat hair.

Recently he took his pontoon boat and floated down the Teton River with his pals.
They had to put in at the top of the River and float for 8 to 9 hours to the place where they could get out.

They dawdled in some places when they found a good hole and there were fish hiding in the hole.
They dropped the worms on the hooks and teased those poor fish, without a thought of the result.
I am sure they didn't mean to catch them with those sharp poky hooks.
It was just an accident.

But, I am certainly glad it happened that way.

Boy have we had good eating!

Zoey wanted in on the action, as well, but we weren't about to share.

Zoey thought if she called in reinforcements it would be better chances for them to get some fish for dinner, too.

Wrong!
Thanks DH.
When are you going again?

Love, Me

Prolific Garden

2011-09-29T08:18:00.000-07:00

My garden has brought me so much joy and work this year.

The banana squash has pushed through the fence and now rests in our yard.

And then there are the tomatoes.

They just keep coming and coming and getting ripe.
So I have bottled pizza sauce, salsa, stewed tomatoes and chili sauce.

I am not complaining. In fact, it couldn't be more the opposite.
My dreams have been coming true every day for weeks and weeks.

I have pulled onions, radishes, beets and carrots.
I have pulled a few weeds, as well. I don't care. It gives my joy.

I have cut chard, spinach, and beet greens.

I am telling you, I am so happy.
This kind of work is pure fun!

We have enjoyed fresh dill, basil, thyme, oregano and rosemary.

We have put the fresh dill in some of the fish we have grilled.
And we have used lots of it in the pickles we made from the cucumbers.

I love fresh herbs!!!

I am going to let you in on a big secret. It is just between us though, okay?

Plant Marigolds!

Marigolds keep the bugs away.

I have not had a single worm in my tomatoes or a bite in a single leaf in my whole garden. It is because the marigolds do the organic thing and keep all the bugs away.

For the first time in my life I am growing strawberries. It is fun to see the blossom turn into a tiny little green hard berry, and watch it grow into a big bright red berry.

Then the berries find themselves on my cereal, in a smoothie, in jam, on ice cream, or, just picked and chewed up and swallowed!

Yep, I am in love with my garden.

Don't tell DH.

ps. Again, I have no time to edit phots. You get SOOC (straight out of camera shots). Hope you don't mind, and can feel the love anyway!

Heavy Fall Leaves

2011-09-27T15:21:00.002-07:00

I love crafting most anything.
I love learning new crafts to craft.
And recently I learned a new one.

I learned how to make really heavy leaves.

Mother nature just blows me away with the leisurely way she creates leaves, colors leaves, shapes leaves, and places leaves.

Have you ever tried to make a leaf?

Well, I am going to tell you that it can be done.

You just need to have a friend named JoyLynn.
Your friend named JoyLynn needs to have a sister Diane.
Your friend JoyLynn with the sister Diane needs to have Diane come to your town.

It is that easy.

Then you get JoyLynn, Diane, Connie and yourself and you go shopping.
You shop in The Home Depot, just like the man in your life does.
You get a big cart, the big flat cart, and you take turns maneuvering it through the store.
Try to pick up the displays you knock over with the big flat cart.

Then you buy stuff.

You buy some concrete, sand, a wheel barrow, shovel, water, rubber gloves, face mask, spatula, some talent, a big table, a room where it can be left for days and days, plastic, circulation, and some patience. Then you need some paint, like acrylic paint, and some sealant. And, I probably forgot something to tell you, but that will get you started.

When you get home, you find the closest testosterone filled male species to help you unload the car.
You tell said male species to quit asking so many questions.

Oh, I forgot to tell you to get some real leaves. The kind with different shapes and sizes and texture.

You pick leaves you like from your yard, your neighbors yard, and a yard that you like but don't know the people who live there, so you don't ask them.
I happen to love a rhubarb leaf. I happen to think the bigger the better. But that is just me.

Disclaimer: The previous photos are not edited. They are straight out of the camera, on a cloudy day.

Yes, the leaves are heavy. They are made out of CONCRETE.
And they are gorgeous in real life, and in the sunshine, and in person, and fresh.

Crazy Canning

2011-09-20T07:43:00.000-07:00

I am out of control. Someone get me some help. Call the Canning Control Hot line for me, okay.

It is this garden of ours, and the harvest, and autumn, and free corn from my niece, Ashley, and her cute baby Tenley (who I tended on Saturday for 6 hours and I fell completely in love with!) and having empty canning jars in the basement that need to be filled, and Anaheim peppers, and ............

You see, I am out of control.

I can't help myself.

It must be in my genes..... let's blame my Great Grandma Johnson, and her daughter, my Grandma Walters. And then there is my mom, and now me.... Yep, it is in our genes and then it is in my jeans.

I know I am rambling. It is a disease of canning that makes me do this.

*Deep breathe* let it out slowly * repeat* as many times as necessary.

Saturday DH and I went and picked corn with my niece, Ashley.

It is a huge field, and we had about 4 clothes baskets filled with corn on the cob in about 16 minutes.'

Then we hugged our Ashley and thanked her for sharing the corn.

We hurried home, and realized we were out of control. We had way too much corn.

But we have wonderful neighbors, who are willing to pitch in and help. And we are wonderful neighbors to live by, because we say things like, "If you help us husk the corn and cut the kernels off the cobs.....then the corn becomes your problem. You have to can it. Thanks for hanging out with us while we husk our corn and cut the kernels off the cobs".

Our neighbors were thrilled! They didn't have to go and get the corn, and the mess was at our place, so they knew they made out like bandits!

Now, I was busy working that day, and the camera didn't want to get slimmed by corn juice, so just imagine me, DH, Connie and Norman working so hard and cutting the corn off the cobs. While you are imagining this, imagine Norman sharpening his knives on DH's knife sharpener. Then you can imagine what Norman did to his finger when he was cutting the corn kernels off the cob. He left the party to play doctor to his finger. But it didn't take us long to have all the kernels cut off the cobs.

With 4 of us working it went very quickly.

I was in the kitchen preparing before I knew it.

I was chopping onions and stuff.

My life won't be complete unless I share the recipe with you.

So, here goes.

Corn Relish

16 to 20 fresh ears corn (8 cups)
2 cups water

1 1/2 cups dice celery (6 stalks)

1 1/2 cups dice red bell peppers (2 medium)

1 1/2 cups dice greed bell peppers (2 medium)

1 cup dice onion (1 large)

3 cups white vinegar
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 t. dry mustard
2 t. kosher salt
2 t. celery seed
1 t. ground turmeric

You will want to "dice" the veggies to be about the size of a large kernel of corn so that each bit will have all of the ingredients.

Measure 8 cups. In the 8-10 quart stainless steel pot combine corn, celery, sweet peppers, and onion. Stir in vinegar, sugar, mustard, kosher salt, celery seed, and turmeric. Bring to boiling, stirring until sugar dissolves, reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Note: The original recipe calls for cornstarch and water (3 Tablespoons each) to add as a thickener.

Remove from heat. Ladle hot relish into hot, sterilized pint canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids. Process for 15 minutes in the water bath, starting timing once the water has come to a rolling boil. Makes 5 pints.

So, I cut up all the onions, celery, peppers and put them in a bowl.

I added all the spices to the bowl.

In a sauce pan I measured out the corn, and added the veggies and seasonings.

I the corner of my kitchen I was sterilizing the bottles. I do this in an electric fry pan. It makes my life easier. It frees up all the burners on the stove top. I place a dish cloth in the bottom of the fry pan to help protect the tops of the bottles so they won't get chipped. I add the flat lids in there, too, so they are sterile and ready when I need them. Did I ever tell you I add a little bit of vinegar to this as well. It keeps the jars and lids clean and sparkling.

The big pot on the left is the "water bath", only it is a steam bath. That is processing the bottled corn. I have one batch going and I am filling bottles for another batch.

The steam coming out of the little hole on the front lets you know it is working. It is faster and not as messy as the water bath method where all the bottles are submerged in boiling water.

The bottles need to be sterilized about 5 minutes.

Then I put them on a small cookie sheet next to the cooked corn mixture and fill the bottles, leaving 1/2 inch head space.

Wipe off the rim of the bottles before you add the flat lid. If food or something is on the rim, it may interfere with the sealing of the jar.

When all the jars are filled, then put them in a water bath for the amount of time needed for your altitude.

I set the hot jars on a folded dish towel on my counter. Then I wait. Before long I hear the popping of the lids as the jars seal. That is my favorite sound when I am canning.

I always write what is in the jars on a label or on the lid.
I always date the jars or the lid.
Corn Relish 9/11
It makes my life much easier than trying to remember.

I hope you will try to make some Corn Relish. It is easy and tastes so good.
We eat it on fried eggs, tortilla chips, hot dogs, and pork roasts.
It works just like a salsa for a dip.

Mix it with cream cheese and serve with crackers and you will eat the whole thing.

I hope you get to do some Corn Relish soon.

At the end of the day I had filled 41 bottles of Corn Relish. So, we are set for the winter.

Love,
Me