Getting Caught Up

Today after Mass I decided it was time to get caught up on a few things I have managed to put off for awhile. It is the perfect day for it. Harvey has gone to Regina to see the Roughriders play, and so I have the day to myself. It isn't very often that happens, so I am going to take full advantage of the time alone.

First off I pulled the frozen carcasses of a couple of chickens out of the freezer, as well as the turkey carcass from last weekend. Into two separate stock pots they went, along with some pepper corns, bay leaves, salt, celery that needed to be used up, an some onion.

While those stock pots were bubbling away on my stove, I went out to clean up the perennial beds. You know, get all of my flowers ready for their long sleep through the winter. I managed to get all the beds done and the cut off parts into the trash. It sure looks bare out there now.

I came in and the house smelled wonderful. After cooking down the stock and removing all the meat from the bones I ended up with 4 containers of chicken stock and 4 large containers of turkey stock. Mmmmm, homemade soup coming up.

I am just letting them cool a bit before I put them in the freezer.

After I get caught up on every ones news I will be working on my knitting. I really need to finish the baby afghan I am making for Kurt to give as a gift. Then I can start on Christmas gifts.

I am off to visit all of you.

Everybody have a wonderful day. God bless.

Not A Creature Was Stirring

Well the title of this post is not entirely true. The cat is madly running around the house trying to find Kurt and Kris. She is not having much luck as they have gone back to their respective homes, and I finally have the house and the computer to myself. Well I do have to share them with Harvey, but at least things are back to normal.

Don't get me wrong I love having the boys come home to visit, but they do take up a whole lot of my time and energy. You would think that once a child leaves home things get easier. Not true. They both need our attention when they come home, and heaven help you if you give more attention to one than the other.

The past week has seen me getting ready for their visit and our Thanksgiving holiday.

First off I finished off the wreath project that I have planned on doing for the past 7 months. I wanted something new to greet them as they came in the door.

It turned out quite nicely I think. Harvey asked if I could add some greenery to the outside edge and so I did that today. He will hang it later tonight, for now the wreath is sitting on the shelf in the hall as you come in. I can hardly wait to have it permenatly hung up.

Next it was on the pie baking. I managed to get 3 pumpkin and one cherry pie made.

I next moved on to Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. their favorites. I had two cookie jars full and now all I have left is this one jar. I had forgotten how fast these disappear. Thank heavens I had put some in the freezer for each of them to take home when they left.

Sunday morning I woke up to this. Heavy wet snow, that kept on falling for the entire day.

That was okay. The turkey and stuffing cooked to perfection, the mashed potatoes were light, and the gravy had no lumps. Who could ask for anymore.

Today, the boys left. My house is quiet, and I miss them dreadfully already.

Well off to visit all of you.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. God bless.

Lazy Sunday

Today I had a fairly lazy Sunday. After Mass I helped Harvey with a bit of dry walling in the basement, and then told him that I needed to do a few things upstairs.

First off I made these Bran Muffins. I hope that they will keep me in quick breakfasts for the next couple of weeks. I did make 24 of them, so as long as Harvey does not decide to gobble them up quickly (like as fast as I pull them out of the freezer) we should be okay.

I had gotten some apples from the farmers market and I was all out of my apple pie filling for the winter. So that was next on my list of jobs.

First peel and slice the apples, sprinkle with sugar and let the juices accumulate.

Bring the apples and sugar juice to a boil, boiling for 1 minute. Then add the cinnamon, lemon juice and tapioca. Boil another minute or so.......
Fill your containers. And look out of about 8 lbs of apples I have enough filling for 2 pies or 4 crisps. Guess I will have to go out and look for more apples next week.

Here is the recipe for the Apple Pie Filling

5 cups peeled sliced apples
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp minute tapioca
1/2 tsp cinnamon (I always use a tad more)
1 tsp lemon juice

Combine apples and sugar in large pot. Stir and let stand until juice starts to be released. Stir as you bring it to a boil over medium high heat. Boil hard for about 1 minute.
Mix in remaining ingredients. Boil hard for another minute or so. now you can put this into a quart jar and process it in a water bath for 20 minutes....or take the easier way and put it into containers leaving 1 inch head space and freeze after cooling. The 1 quart is enough for 1 9" pie.

This recipe can be doubled or tripled with no problem what so ever.

Off to visit all of you.

Have a wonderful evening. God bless.

Live, Laugh, Love

Today I don't have any pictures to post, and it was a fairly rough day at school. The parents of the boy I spend most of my time with are fiddling with his medications. The poor boy has been completely off kilter the past week. Great big highs and very low lows. My heart bleeds for him, as the other children sometimes pick on him. Today he made great strides he started talking to another boy who has problems as well (the boy he usually hangs around with was in the office for not doing his work). I am hoping that the tentative friendship started today develops more fully.

I am not physically tired but mentally tired. I always have to be upbeat and happy and that can be wearing at times. The boy who ended up in the office today was one I took out to do the test. He kept refusing to do it until finally I had no recourse but to go and get the acting principal. One of the other aides told me later how she was amazed that I could keep my cool after being called names, and been disrespected. I told her that in most cases a person losing their cool just becomes another child who bullies the other. It would have caused more problems than solved them.

I sure hope that tomorrow brings a better day. Off to visit you all, and then to bed to read my book club book The Time Travellers Wife.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. God bless.