Snow Day!

The phone rang at 5:30 this morning, telling us that school had been cancled due to the weather. The school system has phone recording that calls for all announcements. It was nice not having to wait and see when our district flashes across the screen. The down side to that is the phone rang at 5:30 this morning. You guessed it..... Now I'm wide awake! I'm sitting here in long john's and my robe, drinking a hot cup of Yogi Chia Tea with just a touch of honey.

I didn't get a chance to tell you yesterday, I burned my first batch of cookies. I've done it before years ago. But this is the first time in recent history that it has happened. I had the timer on the stove set for the canner and I used a hand held timer for the cookies. Well, the little hand held didn't work. So the cookies were in the oven for like 22 minutes before I realized it. At least it wasn't the canner that got screwed up.

Speaking of the canner I was able to get 5 quarts of beef stock and 2 quarts of water canned up yesterday. I will be doing more turkey stock after Christmas.

 It is days like today that I am very thankful that I have a house full of food. If we decided not to go anywhere for a couple of days we would be perfectly fine. With the temps dipping into the teens for the day time highs, I'm thinking that we will be doing just what needs to be done. Grim has therapy in a couple of hours and we need to go to the gym since we will already be out.

I didn't get a call for bingo again. But this time I am going to call and see what is going on. Two weeks ago they didn't call and I missed. Then last week the woman called, my phone rang once, no message. And now again no call. I'm starting to think they don't like me. Oh, well! No bingo for me.... The only reason I work the bingos is to add money into the monsters account. It helps with expenses like band camp. I think we are going to go back to selling candy bars and pretzels. Just so I can get out from under this bingo thing. Blah!

I will have pictures in another post but I wanted to let you know..... I got my package from Jenna at Cold Antler Farm. I was lucky enough to be one of the first participants in her fiber csa. It is so much different feeling working with natural fibers vs acrylic fibers. The first being that it isn't as think and the second is that it isn't as soft. I'm not complaining, just saying as this is the first time for natural fiber. I think the differences is neat. As soon as I read the information packet that Jenna included, I balled up the wool. Then last night I got started knitting a scarf. The pattern is very simple. I adapted it from a Lions Brand Yarn pattern, which you can find here. I am making mine wider.

The clock is playing Christmas music and I notice that the sun has finally broken the horizon. The dull gray of early morning has now been replaced with the pink and blue hues of daytime! So with that I must awaken sleepy monsters and a grumpy Grim......LOL!

Gotta Run,

Yart

Snowy Day

The monsters are home today.... Yeah! Snow day!!! But they are very antsy today.... I remember when I had snow days I was always busy doing something...... Because it was better then being in school... But not these monsters, they want to be up our butts..... LOL! I guess that is the curse of being cool parents! LOL! They are in watching some movie with Grim. Earlier they were out playing in shoveling the snow. Then they went over to my mom's and shoveled for her. I was so happy as I think I am coming down with a cold.... You know how you can just feel it looming just at the edge of your body. Well, that is where I am now. If the monsters have school tomorrow that is fine because then they have mid winter break. They won't go back to school until Tuesday! So I will have a ton of time to rest up and get feeling better.

I worked bingo last night. We had 29 people.... What a waste of time and money.... I feel we should have canceled. But I am just a band parent with no say. Really, I'm alright with that as I don't have the time nor the patience to be a chairperson. So I grumble a bit and do what they ask of me. Once I was out of there, Grim and I went up to the one posts to meet up with my brother and my buddy. They were up there playing Euchre. They won 1st and 2nd. Not bad for a couple of hours. Then we hung out with them and headed home. I was so tired when my head hit the pillow I was sound asleep.

I am going to tell you all about a recipe that I make. For those of your that are new to cooking please turn away now, as the following will not make much sense. And for those of you that do cook, please don't judge me to harshly..... LOL! This is what I use:
Ham Goodness
Leftover ham
Leftover pineapple juice & (any leftover pineapple)
2 - 3 tablespoons of butter
3 - 4 tablespoons of brown sugar
pepper (to taste)
a little bit of cornstarch mixed with pineapple juice to thicken ( not a lot as it shouldn't be a gravy just not juice runny)

First add the juice to the pan, heat, add the ham, butter, pepper and brown sugar. Heat to a boil, turn down the heat to a simmer. Simmer until hot then add the cornstarch mixture bring back up to a boil. As soon as it thickens turn off heat. I serve this with rice.

Last night I added to mine steamed broccoli. Oh, my was it good. Every time I make it I seem to try and add something new to it. It is a very forgiving recipe. You can use more or less brown sugar for your taste. I came up with this recipe a couple of years ago after Easter when I had all this ham but not enough for another meal. I chopped it up and used everything I had used to bake the ham originally.

Well, I'm off to make mini-burgers called sliders for dinner tonight!

Gotta Run,
Yart

Secrets

Last night I got out a journal and started practicing the power of 3. I wrote down 3 things that I was grateful for, 3 things that I want and 3 things that I see in my future. I also added an affirmation. And low and behold my luck has already started to change!

I got a comment from Mrs. B from over at Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom
I am a winner of the 31 days of Halloween Giveaway! I am the winner of the ebook, Me and My Ghoulfriends by Rose Pressey. The book looks really interesting. I can't wait to get to read it!!!! Thank you Rose for donating this prize! If you haven't gone over and checked out the prizes for today its not to late! Get those entries in! Dreams really do come true!

Bingo tonight! The jackpot for the progressive is around 15K. I think that they are going to have me sell the cards and call the numbers again tonight. Surprisingly, I'm bothered by it. I really don't like being up in front of people. Things are changing all over!!

Gotta Run,
Yart

Monday Chores

That seemed to be all I got done today. I love feeling better. But I hate looking around at all that has been neglected. Got a ton of laundry done, dishes and washed down the bathroom (still needs more work), garbage ready to go out. Tomorrow I need to make more bread, shred the cabbage for sauerkraut & finish up the applesauce.

I took the easy way out tonight, I made hamburger helper for dinner. It was fast and filling. I cheated like that because I had to work bingo tonight also. I figured I would sell the tickets like I usually do. Nope they had me sell one of the specials and then I had to call it. I have a phobia about people, (now Grim would say that is bull - He would say I just don't like them enough). I don't like being the center of attention at all. I am fine to stand in the background. Everyone said I did good. I just looked at the numbers and didn't look at the crowd. It worked, good thing to since they want me to do this more. They eventually want me to be a regular caller. That is because I have a freshman and I will be stuck doing this for the next 3 1/2 years.

I have been diligently working on my slipper. I had it done once and had to rip out all the stitches because the pattern was for pixies. And I don't have pixie feet. But I think I am about 3 inches from being done with the first one. I can't wait to have a pair done. I even already bought the yarn to make Grim a pair. Oh, when I was at the yarn store the other day I got the pretties variegated purple and orange skein & a solid orange skein. I don't know what I am going to make yet but they sure are pretty.

I got the other day at the farmers market a cinnamon broom. It is in a bag, on the bag it says not to hang on painted surfaces. So now I have a dilemma as to whether or not to hang it up in the bag. Or do I just prop it up near on of the registers to send the scent through out the house.