Jan. 2, 2014

It has been cold here all day- finally making it all the way up to 28*. I woke to a light snowfall, which was unexpected. So thankful to have today off.
For my 'create something' today, I went to Hobby Lobby and got items to make my friend Wanda a birthday gift. Wanda never fails to remember every possible occasion with at least a card, and frequently a gift as well.

This is a jar of candy, a bag of Gummi Bears and Hershey's Hugs. I wrote "Bear Hugs" on the top.

I am still working on an embellished photo frame. Wanda is a big OU fan. I will have it painted in OU colors (crimson and cream) and have some cutouts of her son Matthew (dressed in OU gear!) added to it. She can choose what picture she wants to display in it.

 

Tomorrow is my Granny's 99th birthday! I am thinking I will try to do a special tribute post to her.

 

Be blessed, Thank you for reading!

 

PS... I'm not doing so great at 'reading less'. Started a new David Baldacci last night- and I'm more than half through, even without picking it up today (yet).

January 1, 2014

When I had thought of resolutions, all the common ones came to mind right away: lose weight, eat healthier foods, exercise. Lacking real motivation, I figured I may as well not commit to things that I am really not greatly interested in following up on.
In lieu of resolutions, I thought I'd make myself a "Bucket List" of some ideas I'd like to accomplish this year.

Create something "every day". (Even God rested after creating for 6 days, so I'll be happy with 6:7!)
Things I could include:
Home made soap
Salves with essential oils
embellished picture frames
photo collages
letters of encouragement to friends
writing a book
put together a cookbook
'bedfast' helper (organizer to keep essential items nearby, but out of the way)
headboard
bulletin /message display board
flower garden/ cut flowers
new items in veggie garden
baby items
surprise boxes for family members (everyone loves surprise presents!)
stepping stones
'garden' path
yard sculptures
tree faces
gnome abode
Quilt
canning
drying food
wire sculptures
mosaics



**********
let go of so much "stuff" that I have treasured! (take pictures and let the objects GO!) (Some of them, anyway!)
Go through my clothes and purge. If I can't wear it, give it away.
Try to not read so much. (This will be a hard one!)
Aim for making my home a peaceful and relaxing abode
think of 30th anniversary celebration
*********

Be blessed! and may this year be heavy on blessings and joy, light on sorrows and disappointments! Thank you for reading.

Time with the Grands...

We have Connor and Alana here for a few days. Looking for ways to entertain them, Jennifer suggested Alana was wanting to make a Gingerbread house.
I thought, we can do this- some graham crackers, frosting, gumdrops, right?
My mommy and Mr C were horrified!
So we made real gingerbread houses, from scratch. First we had to make the gingerbread. Alana complained it was too tiring, as mixing the batter got stiffer and stiffer and she has these little arms! But we got it made. Sam drew out the patterns, which I cut out and we baked.
Then Connor (reluctantly... this was NOT his idea!) and Alana decorated the components with candies and royal icing. The components then had to 'set'. It was after supper, almost bedtime, when I assembled their houses. (Interest had been lost by both kids by then, and holding the pieces together  by hand as the frosting set was an act of more patience than they possess!)

 

Alana says when she grows up she is NOT going to be a baker, it is too much work. She will make her kids gingerbread houses from KITS!

almost 10:00 pm...

I know I should be in bed sleeping. But a nap overtook me at about 3:30 this afternoon, and I slept almost until 5:00.

In the morning, I get to go back to work after my long weekend. (I had Saturday off due to weather, and only put in two hours Friday before bugging out to home in heavy snow.)

So I have been warm and snug since mid-morning Friday.

I finally made two picture frames for my beach pictures, which I had been planning to make for over a year and a half.

I wrote a very short essay about grief, which my grieving friends took as poetry.

But mostly I have done nothing. Read some, baked some, scanned Pinterest. I found a better birthday gift for Becky, got that sent.

Re Ordered some jammie pants for Connor... the store had two categories- boys 4 to 7, and boys 8 to 20. I needed a 14, so chose the second category. Then they broke down the available sizes in the category, " XS S M L " . I figured XS must be about an 8-10, S a 12-14, L a 16-18. Needing the 14, I ordered an "S". The pants arrived- clearly marked "size 8". Sheesh. If they had the numerical size, why not let me ORDER a numerical size?
No online exchanges... I have to drive to Fayetteville to exchange, or give them to someone else. Since they were ordered in a pattern that CONNOR likes, none of the kids they would fit are interested.
Maybe I will add them to Gavin's stuff, he can match his big brother. (I reordered the next larger size... maybe I should of gone up TWO sizes?) Trouble is, I haven't heard from Gavin's custodial parental unit since his birthday gift arrived back in September. Not sure if the address is even the same. :(

Making plans to have Connor and Alana here, the 21st to 24th. Trying to think of fun things to do with them. Becky, Paula, and kids are going to try to come before the end of the month. I  am trying to make menu plan generalizations, as we have some specific dietary "don'ts"  among the guests.

I am sort of leaning towards chicken and dumplings for the 23rd- or perhaps gumbo. (Something that can be kept simmering for later arrivals, doesn't contain pork, isn't spicy...) I've got a turkey in the freezer to cook sometime while I have guests. I can't have enchiladas with Connor and Alana, they find them too spicy. I would need to modify the recipe to have them with Becky and Paula, as my regular recipe contains pork.... Guess I need to think things over so I can have groceries laid in before we get folks here!

I made a terrific goulash tonight... Sam tasted the sauce and said it was good- but didn't taste like 'home cooking'. Tom said it was great, and didn't think it 'needed' anything. Dan agreed it didn't taste like my usual kitchen fare.  (Cooked ground beef with onions, celery, and bell pepper, Portobello mushrooms, and one chopped, de-seeded jalapeno. Seasoned with salt, smoked paprika, Hungarian paprika, a dash of cumin and a grind of black pepper. Added a jar of summer canned tomatoes from our garden, and a can of tomato paste from the store. Didn't have 'elbows', so the pasta was farfalle (bow ties).  Cooked sauce and pasta separately, then combined. There wasn't a smell left of it.
Thanks for reading. I will try to stay on top of things here!
~Tammy~

Thanksgiving

Ricky (Eric)

Rick, Dad, Robbie

Rick, Dad, Robbie

Rick, Dad, Robbie

Ricky, Dad, Tammy, Robbie

Ricky, Dad, Tammy, Robbie



Ricky, Dad, Tammy, Robbie



Ricky, Mom, Tammy, Robbie

Ricky, Mom, Tammy, Robbie

Rick and Jackie

Rick and Jackie

Ruby and Robbie

Dad



Dad

"The Four* of us"

Rose and Ralph



Rose and Ralph

Guns are ALWAYS LOADED

It's my blog, so pardon me if I have myself a rant here...

Guns are always loaded.
That is the first rule of Gun.

Guns are always loaded... never, never, never NEVER assume a gun is not loaded.
Even if someone you trust tells you a gun is not loaded.
GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED until you safely verify for yourself that the gun you have in hand is in fact not loaded. And when you hand that gun to another person... the gun is treated as if it is loaded. Because GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED!

Headline on the internet radio station Mr C streams: 15 year old accidentally shoots and kills his friend.
He thought the gun was unloaded.

I am a staunch believer that gun safety is every bit as important as swimming lessons are to children.
You may be one of those people who don't allow your child near a gun. Maybe you think your child will never come into contact with a firearm because you don't have one in your home.
Maybe you screen your children's friends for guns in their homes.... you think your child doesn't need to know about guns.

Let me tell you- you do your child a huge disservice by not teaching them the basics of gun safety.

The first rule... say it with me: GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED!
Treat every gun as if you know it is loaded. Always.
The following rules are what my Dad taught me, growing up.

Treat every gun as if it were loaded.
Never point a gun at anything you do not intend to kill.
Never kill anything you do not intend to eat.

(Of course, this precludes target practice and having to dispatch varmints, as far as the eating goes. But goofing off shooting at road signs... nope. I can imagine my dad requiring the eating of any sign we should be as idiotic as to shoot!)

Children need to know that guns are NOT toys. They need to know that guns are tools to be wielded properly. Children need to know that if they should happen upon a gun, they are to get an adult to secure the firearm. Not pick it up, not play with or examine. If they only memorize one rule... GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED.... maybe it will save their life.

November 11

Today is two years since my sweet little granddaughter Dakota Rose was born! Happy Birthday to her!

Two years ago, I was living in Ohio and working 60+ hours a week.
I didn't get to meet my Dakota until the end of December.

The past week has been a very busy one at O'Reilly's. Inventory is TODAY at my store, and we have done a lot to make sure it goes smoothly.

We finally had our first hard freeze of the year... and then rebounded into the pleasant mid-sixties. This evening, our first big winter cold front it supposed to come through, driving temperatures into the tees. Depending on whose forecast you hear, we might (or not) have snow and/or ice. But then the rest of the week, the temperatures go back to well above freezing.

Yesterday, I was looking for something to do with the remainder of our green tomatoes. There were way too many to rely on using them up as fried green tomatoes, and I have no place to keep them spread out to slowly ripen. Tom suggested maybe some sort of tomato/pepper relish. All the recipes I have seen were fro sweet relishes, and the guys just do NOT like sweet relish. So I Googled tomato pepper relish, and the very first one I found said "No Sugar" right in the headline. I gave it a try. It was great! (I took the time to read through comments, hints, and updates and modified the recipe a bit, according to suggestions made.
Personally, I do NOT like the flavor of green tomatoes one little bit- and I like cilantro even less. The guys sampled the salsa for me, and seemed quite pleased with the taste. I tried some.
Oh.
 my.
The rest of the green tomatoes went into a second batch!  For my own touches, I used very little red bell pepper, substituting the called for weight in bell peppers for jalapeño peppers. I added most of the  jalapeño at the beginning cook time of the recipe, but reserved about 1/2 cup to add at the end, when  the cilantro is added. I also used 1/2 cup apple cider and 1/2 cup cider vinegar, rather than the 1 cup of cider vinegar. I added 1/2 tsp. of cumin, and 1/2 tsp. of smoked paprika to the original recipe. I used the food processor at the end, instead of the blender, as I don't have a hand blender stick, and my blender carafe was broken. I pressure canned my jars, 10 minutes @ 10 lbs. for the 1/2 pint jars. (I am thinking I will repost the recipe with my modifications to my cooking blog. We really love this stuff!)
Today, I have fresh sage in the dehydrator... I bought a sprig of fresh sage at the grocery store, because dried sage was outrageous- over $4 for a small jar. I decided fresh would dry just fine for me, as I don't need much! (I don't need it YET, but like to have it when I need it, hence, drying it.)
I also am TRYING drying some sliced  jalapeño peppers- once they finish, I will grind them to pepper sprinkles.
Mr. C was commenting on how busy I have been staying at the preserving of our garden- I told him, I hate to see any good food go to waste simply because I was too lazy to deal with it. He worked hard all summer to grow the garden. We have been very blessed by the bounty from it.
That's about all from here! Have a blessed day, Thanks for reading!

Applesauced...

Yesterday, Daniel accidentally mentioned that our neighbor, who is out of town, had told he and Sam that we are welcome to pick apples from his small (4 tree) orchard. I'm sure he didn't MEAN to tell me, because I sent their happy little faces right over to pick apples today.
They brought back a bag of incredibly UGLY apples- but oh so tasty! I made 4 pints of applesauce- and it is SO good! They also got a sack of apples that had already fallen to the ground, and scattered them out in the field, hoping we can attract deer.
MMMM. Bambi.
Our poor neighbor is in for a terrible surprise/shock when he gets home. We forewarned him by phone that he has new neighbors immediately next door. He said he expected someone to move in, as he had seen them looking at the house. I'm sure he didn't expect to share a driveway with a car lot. Not a REAL car lot... but these folks have hauled in trailer after trailer of dead vehicles, including a 2.5 ton Army truck. I'm thinking these folks don't know they have encroached on the neighbors property, considerably. We counted at least 10 vehicles parked along the fence behind the new folks place... however, that strip of land belongs to our vacationing neighbor. We will see how this plays out when the neighbor returns later this week.
Mr C and the boys built a lean-to against the well house, using the porch left behind when another neighbor sold his trailer and moved away. The new owner blessed us with the materials of the old porch. So now some of our yard care things are more protected than with just a tarp. Not bad looking for being made of scrap/recycled junk.
That's about all for now.
(I dislike the time changes! My body is so confused!)

November

The weather has cooled off enough that we have started to shut the windows most of the way at night. It has reached the mid 30's. Here are a few pictures taken this past week.

Looking Southwest!

 

 

 To the East of our front porch. Tall grass marks the neighbor's land... though we have encroached.

This one is continuing from East towards South. You can see where I have the same green tree (in the foreground) of the above picture as well as in the picture to the right. 

This one is looking west, from behind the house. The shadow in the left corner is the mower, parked near the garden.

 

Below, you can glimpse the leaves raining from the trees across the garden. We are STILL getting peppers from the garden.

Oh my, Time slipped by!

Sorry, Aunt Lennie! (She frets if I don't post here regularly).

One day last week, I hit the mail jackpot! I got a package from my Aunt Lennie... Thank you Auntie! (She sent pot scrubbies she had made, pictures, and a gift card.) I got two real letters, a magazine, and a catalog. Over the next few days, the mail kept coming. Birthday greetings, and more letters.

Mr C went to Ohio, intending to help his brother refinish their Mom's deck. Weather didn't co-operate. So the deck refinishing is postponed to the better weather of spring. He did have a nice visit.

The Individuals and I stayed home and attended our respective jobs. I had a birthday. Sam said he "can see why nobody comes to my parties..." as we were deep cleaning on the house for several days. (meaning the "party" was the act of cleaning house.)

The boys and I drove down to the town of Lincoln, Arkansas. They have an Apple Festival there- which had happened the weekend of the reunion, but we still found plenty of apples for sale. I bought 3/4 bushel of combined Yellow Delicious and Jonathan. We peeled apples and made applesauce as well as apple butter. I have my second batch of apple butter cooking right now, using the last of those apples.
Yesterday, a neighbor stopped by and gave me a walmart bag of green beans. Seems another neighbor grew a field of beans for Allen Canning Co. . The field of beans developed 'rust' on some of the plants, so the entire field was rejected. The farmer said anyone who wanted beans was free to pick them and spread the word. However, we are expecting a hard freeze tonight, down into the lower 20*'s. So IF I get any more beans, it has to be today. Yesterday's bag yielded four quarts.
Earlier in the week, while Mr C was gone, I made some chowchow from a recipe my Mom said sounded like what her Mom used to make.
I learned a lesson.
"7 1/2 pints" is NOT seven half pints. Gotta read more carefully! I only planned to make six or seven half pints, until I know whether we LIKE this chowchow or not. I used thirteen half pint jars (all I had!) and two or three pint jars. Aunt Lennie's gift card for jars came at such a gracious time!
(And we all know ME! I cannot simply follow a recipe. I don't really like bell peppers, and this recipe used several. I didn't use as many as it called for. It did NOT call for jalapeño peppers, but I tossed a couple in for good measure.)
I just got the notion to take a picture of this years canning so far. Bear in mind I have given away at least three or four CASES of stuff, and we have been using it to eat as well.  And this doesn't count what is cooking right now.

The boxes you see... and the ones you can't see... are all FULL. All the height rises are jars full stacked upon full jars. What a bountiful blessing we have had!

Day Off!

Today is the start of my weekend... Hooray for Days Off!
I got to sleep in until 7:15!
Then the smell of food cooking awakened me. Mr C had done some whole grain pancakes- "grinding" Teff, Amaranth, and flax seed meal (which he added to a store bought baking mix). He had coffee made.
 I have to be up for awhile before I eat, though he did offer to cook me a pancake. (Tried one later, they were very good!)

Going over my list of things I need to accomplish this weekend, I realized I had not started (closed the lid on the washer) a load of white clothes I had put on to soak yesterday. So, got more clothes added and actually started the load.

Cleared off countertops... demanding the rotisserie oven be put back into the 'laundry room'. It takes up a lot of real estate, but cooks chicken wings better than any other method we have tried, with less effort. Put up all the little things that don't live on the countertop, but don't always get put away. Started the dishwasher- also forgotten last night!

Went to the garden and picked jalapeño  peppers for the jelly. Demanded the individuals perform such tasks as get out my big stainless steel pots- filling one with water for the jelly's hot water bath. Emptying the compost bucket before I started on the peppers. Getting out the slow cooker.

I got a roast beast on to cook.

Washed my canning jars, and then all the cast iron pots and accumulation of too-big-for- the- dishwasher items that have been begging to be taken care of since I cleaned the kitchen Thursday. (We take turns- the Individuals and I- as we all three work part time.)

Made the jelly.
Got clothes from washer on to dry.
And then it was 10:30.
Quite an auspicious beginning for the weekend.

Now Mr C and I are headed to Sleepy Hollow, we are out of a few products found most easily there.

The Reunion...

This past weekend was the annual Taylor Family Reunion in Broken Bow. I seized the opportunity to give my Mom a party.  Mom was one kid, five grandkids, and six great grands  short of all the progeny showing up. (Or that is MY count, I may of missed some!)

My brother Robbie and I were there. Four of my kids. Seven of my grands were there.


Kimber, Dakota, Alana, and Nickole
 

Connor, Tyrel, Kimber, Alana, Rose, Jasher, Dakota, Nickole

 

We had a really good time. I made all the little girls skirts, and the vests that Jasher and Tyrel are wearing. And if you can see them, I made little bead necklaces for the girls, and a stone necklace for Connor. Tyrel got a beaded key chain.

 

One funny thing- a family was having a birthday party in an adjacent park. Their guests didn't show up... and Nickole went right up and joined them. When called back, the adults throwing the party invited all the reunion kids to come!

 

Jennifer brought Connor and Alana down from Claremore. Glynna and her parents brought Nickole from Comanche. Laura Rose drove over from Duncan. Ben and Paula, Stephen and Becky, and their offspring all drove up from West Texas. Even my Dad, Kathie, Robbie and Ruby came up from East Texas. Ricky had planned to come, but ended up sick in bed.  (Jennifer took these pictures. I hope that others will soon have their photos shared!)

 

After the reunion, we went down and stayed the night at Dad and Kathie's house. We sure need to be getting down there more, and staying more than overnight, so we can help him get the house done. He has SOME stuff that could be done with supplies on hand.

 

Well, until next time, Thanks for reading.

 

 



AHctober

October the Twoth and the weather is nice, if a tiny bit warm. Still comfortable enough we aren't running the AC.
So far, our 40% chance of rain for the day has failed to put out.
My Auntie asked for an update... Yes, I am better. The "day off" was just that one day.
Last night though... seems I never learn. I had a frozen fruit bar after supper. In minutes, I was paying dearly. I suspect it has to be related to the hiatal hernia- but for whatever reason, there are foods that sometimes   often leave me feeling as if the food is lodged on my throat. Ice cream is one of those foods. Cottage cheese, orange juice, occasionally bread.
So I laid down early- by 7:00pm. Not sure when Tom came in, but he woke me... I was still in pain, so got up and had a drink of water. I was up for 10 minutes, maybe. Went back in and fell right back into an uneasy sleep. I don't know WHAT time it was, but Tom didn't know I had come back to bed, and whacked me with his arm in feeling around to see if I was there... That woke me up good, and I struggled to fall asleep... eventually getting up for another short while... but feeling much better.

I was 'done' with the shipping and receiving before 9:30 this morning. Wednesdays are usually blessedly light! Not that I got to go home. The long postponed planogram removing the AC supplies and putting out the warm gloves, ice melt, and car heaters had to be done. I was well under way when the boss-child remembered that ALL of the AC supplies had to have a new label attached to them. Each thumbnail sized sticker has to be precisely placed on every. single. can. bottle. jug. jar. instrument of the R134 variety, disclaiming the product is not for use in the Hybrid AC systems coming soon to a vehicle near you.
I used about 280 or so of the stickers, I estimate.
So... I didn't get clocked out until almost 2:00pm.
Got home and got started on my "Angry Birds" game for taking to the reunion for the kids to play.
I am recycling the cardboard tubes that my shipping labels, and my shrink wrap come on. Spraying them green. Sam will draw the eyes and such for me. Have to decide on beanbags or balls as the "birds".
I've been having a whole lot of fun preparing for this years Taylor reunion.

Went and bought a new skirt and blouse to wear to it yesterday. Sigh. when will I learn that I cannot CANNOT wear a medium sized shirt...?