My last post for a while

Good morning!
This will be my last post for a while and thought I would share with you a recipe for Popovers!

Popovers (Yorkshire Pudding)

1 cup of flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt
mix together then add 1 teaspoon of melted butter
Beat 2 eggs until foamy and add to the mixture
Beat for 2 minutes.
Fill smoking hot greased muffin tins
Bake 450 degrees for 15 minutes in a preheated oven
then reduce the heat to 350 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes until browned.
 This recipe is a favorite of ours and one my parents could never make enough of when we had a roast beef dinner!
I hope you enjoy and will  be back in a few weeks time.
Be well my friends<3

The Night Before

Good morning!
Well it is the night before Halloween!
I have been roasting pumpkin seeds and have my pumpkin ready for lighting!
I hope to share with you, pictures of my granddaughter in her Yoda costume my daughter in law is making for her.
What a talented lady she is!
Please share your Halloween costume pictures !
I may not be sharing those Halloween costume pictures for a few weeks as I will be away from the computer!
Please check back friends I promise to share them as soon as I come back on line!

Friday's Favorites

Good morning!

Today I would like to share with you my recipe for Kahaluah.
This recipe I have made over the years for Christmas gifts.
Kahaluah

3 cups of brown sugar
2 cups of water
Boil for 8 minutes and cool.
Add a 26 ounce bottle of alcohol (alcool)
5 tablespoons of camp coffee
1 teaspoon of vanilla and just over 1/2 cup of dark rum.
add 1 cup of chocolate syrup (recipe below)
mix together and ready to bottle!
This recipe makes 1.5 litres of Kahaluah  this recipe can be doubled,tripled or quadrupled as you need.
It is a recipe that I enjoy making and people love to receive a bottle at Christmastime.
Enjoy!

Chocolate Syrup

1 1/2 cups of boiling water
1/2 cup of sugar
6 tablespoons of shaved chocolate or 1/3 of a cup of cocoa
1 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch
a few grains of salt (a pinch will do)
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Boil hot water and sugar for 5 minutes mix chocolate with cornstarch and cold water(just enough to dissolve cornstarch)
Combine mixture and add salt boil 3 minutes and add vanilla.

Do you have a recipe your friends ask you to make often?

Thursday's Thoughts

Good morning!

Today I plan on finishing up my downsizing project.
I donated my old nursing uniforms to a young woman I know will appreciate having some new uniforms for work.

I went through the kitchen cupboards and got rid of anything that I haven't used in the past year or two, those things are just taking up space.

I had files of activities for seniors that I had compiled over the years I worked with them and donated them to the senior's day centre, I know that the staff there will appreciate new ideas for programming as well as the seniors for something new and enjoyable to do.

What do you plan on doing with things that are no longer of use to you?

Wednesday's Wish

Good morning!

My wish for this Wednesday is that everyone take the time to go through their cupboards and gather up a few canned goods and donate them to a foodbank or someone that could use it.

I did this last year I donated a blanket I had made and a few canned goods to a homeless person, this not only brought a smile to their face but mine as well.

I don't have alot but what I do have I share.
Do you share with those in need?

Boxes!

Good morning!

Well I was right the only place I could locate boxes was at the No Frills store in Campbellford.

I now have enough boxes to store away a few things I have put aside for my granddaughter when she will be old enough to enjoy and appreciate them.
Things I have had for many years and others I have purchased since she has been born.

I don't own alot of things but each thing I have will be owned by either my sons or their families once I have passed on.

There are certain things I want to go to certain people.
I plan on making a list of what is to go to whom so that each person in my life has something of mine that I want them to have and enjoy.

Do you have certain treasures you want to pass on to certain people in your life?

Busy Monday!

Good morning!

Today I am looking for boxes to store a few things away and they seem to be hard to come by.
Each store I have approached today to get boxes has told me that they don't keep boxes anymore they are torn-up right away and put into the recycling.

I guess I will be going to Campbellford to get boxes, the No Frills store is the only place I know for sure that still keeps their boxes.

Do you have a difficult time finding boxes where you live?

A Week Away From Halloween

Good morning!

Halloween is a week today!
I love to see the children all dressed-up going door to door trick or treating!

I purchased a cute decoration this year, I had to share photos of it with you.
I am sure that this decoration will be displayed in my home for many Halloweens to come.

Did you purchase anything to display this Halloween?

Grandparenting On A Friday Night

Good morning!
I was suppose to grandparent my little earth angel last evening but did not due to her Mommy having a cold.
Feel better Desiree`.
I can't believe that Gretchen is almost 2!
In another 6 days she will be 21 months old!
It seems like the past 2 years have flown by and I have enjoyed being a grandparent almost as much as being a parent.

Friday's Favorites

Good morning!
Today I would like to share my recipe for funnel cake with you.

Funnel Cake

Sift together:
2 cups  flour
1-2 tablespoons  sugar ( depending on your taste I use 1)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Make a well in the center of the mixture.
Pour into the well in the center of dry ingredients 2 eggs llightly beaten and 1 to 1 1/4 cups of milk
Stir until smooth and ladle into a funnel into hot oil (aprox. 350 degrees)
fry until golden and drain on paper towel.
Dust with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar and enjoy!

Downsizing Update

Good morning!

Well the downsizing is really not as easy as I thought it was going to be.
I thought I would be farther ahead than I am now.
I have managed to clean out my bedroom closet,my linen closet, and my youngest son has got dibs on my brass bed, it is an extra long Queen size bed.
I am going back to using a double bed as it will give me more room to move around in my room.
My storage closet will be next on my agenda!
What are you doing this fine Thursday?

Wednesday's Wish

Good morning!

Today I wish for everyone reading this post to spend their day ensuring they touch the life of someone you don't know, with a kind word or deed.
Leave me a comment and let me know if you touched a life today.
Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Downsizing

Good morning!
This past weekend I decided that I have accumulate way too much "stuff" over the last 11 or 12 years.
I am determined I am  going to live in a clutter-free zone.
If I haven't used,wore or displayed it in over a year and I don't plan on displaying it or wear it or use it in the near future it will soon belong to someone who will use, wear or display it.
I will be spending  my time over the next few weeks making this my mission.
I will keep you updated on the progress!

Monday Morning Chuckle

Good morning!
This morning I thought I would share with you how I woke-up today.
I awoke about 4am to the sound of my 14 year old cat trying to get on my bed.
This past summer Smokey-Joe has given up jumping onto the bed to wake me each morning.
He is getting up in years and I have noticed he doesn't jump up on anything anymore these days.

This morning I heard him beside the bed climbing up on top of a box I store gifts in that I have purchased for birthdays and Christmas etc.
I didn't have the lid on quite tight enough and it fell into the box with Smokey-Joe sliding in side it tipped off the top of the opening for the stairwell and took  Smokey-Joe for a ride down the stairs.

I bolted out of bed when I realized what happened and as I looked down the stairwell I could see a pair of eyes staring  up wide-eyed.
I ran down the stairs to make sure Smokey-Joe was alright and he was fine just not to sure how he got downstairs!
I had to laugh once I saw that he was alright only because it scared me much more than him.

I brought the box back upstairs took Smokey-Joe out of it and closed the lid properly.
I think that will probably be his last attempt at getting on the bed!

Do any of you have any stories about your pets that you would like to share?

Was It Vitamins I Was Lacking?

Good morning!

If you have been reading my blog for the last while you know that I have been suffering for 18 months with a severe pain in my side and have been for every test known to man as well as every specialist my doctor could think to send me to.
Well, they did find a few things that were wrong but nothing that should cause me such severe constant pain.

I eat well and do watch what I eat as I have IBS and something called Acute Epiploic Appendigitis which also comes in attacks and should last no longer than 2 weeks at a time.

After a blood test revealed I was lacking in vitamin B and Iron I decided that I should be taking vitamins and started on One A Day vitamins, B vitamins with Folic acid and COEnzyme-Q10, that was about 3 months ago and I find the pain is not near what it has been (severe enough that if I owned a gun I would have put myself out of my misery).
I am still undergoing testing and am able to deal with the pain with medication and light exercise.

Was I lacking in vitamins?
Well that is questionable as joking around one evening my significant other pulled on my leg as he walked past me and we heard a huge popping noise, followed by my weeping from the pain it caused, I was quite sore the next few days but my pain was not constant anymore it was off and on throughout the day/night.
That has me questioning whether my hip was out of joint or was it the vitamins or both.
What ever it was I am thankful that the pain has been less and I am able to increase my activity levels.

I plan on going for the rest of the testing as the pain is still there but as I said much more tolerable than before, hopefully I whatever this is will be diagnosed soon and will be pain-free!

Have you had a condition that took a long time to diagnose?
How did you deal with the pain?

Sunny Saturday

Good morning!
 I hope you are all going to do something outside today  in the beautiful fall weather, I have checked the long range forecast and it appears that we will be experiencing much cooler, wet weather for the next two weeks.

 I plan on finishing the outside preparations for the winter, things like taking down the birdbath, bringing in the hose, taking down the canopy and putting it away along with the patio set.

What have you planned on for this beautiful Saturday?

Friday's Favorites

Good morning!
I hope this post finds you well.
Today I decided to share with you my oatmeal bread recipe.

Oatmeal Bread
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 3/4 cups rolled oats
2 1/2 cups hot water
1/4 cup of butter softened
Stir together in a large bowl
Sprinkle 2 packages of active dry yeast on top of the hot water and let stand for 5 minutes or foamy and pour into mixture of oats, molasses, butter and brown sugar
Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and 4 cups to 5 1/2 cups flour gradually adding only enough flour  to make a soft dough
Turn onto floured board and knead for 10 minutes.
Add flour if needed to make dough smooth and elastic like.
Cover with clean towel and let it rest for 15 minutes
make 2 loaves and put into 2 greased loaf pans let rise for 1-2 hours
Brush the tops of the loaves with egg and sprinkle oats overtop.
Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the tops are browned and the bread sounds hollow when you knock on it.
This recipe goes well with your homemade baked beans.
Enjoy!

Taking The Day For Myself

Good morning!
Today is Thursday and I for some odd reason always have appointments booked for Thursdays.
Not this Thursday, today I will be taking the day for myself.
I plan on puttering around the house and watch old movies on Turner Classic Movies as it is raining out there today.
As I gaze out the window I see the trees losing the last of their leaves and it makes me sad knowing that another long winter is on its way.
I don't seem to tolerate the cold as well as I use to and I have never been a great fan of the winter as it is much too long.
I love the snow for a month or two then I start wishing I was living somewhere warm for the  rest of the winter months.
Are you a fan of the winter?

Wednesday's Wish

Good morning!
My wish this week is for you all to be able to find the time to learn something about someone in your life that you didn't know.
Share with eachother...I noticed many young people these days know very little or nothing about their family history.
Families spend very little time together, and if they are together they all are busy texting or talking on their cell phones or have their faces in their computers or televisions.
I would like to see everyone turn off their electronics and spend time together face to face and talk.
How hard would it be to designate one night a week for family time?
People are interacting less and less face to face and getting lost in the world of computers and electronics!
Lets make sure our family history is passed down to our children, make sure that you share yourself with your family and bring your family closer by ensuring you are spending quality time together.
That is my wish for this Wednesday, what is yours?

Lovely Weekend

Good morning!
I hope you all had a lovely weekend and enjoyed the beautiful weather we were blessed with.
I had a busy weekend but enjoyed every minute of it.
Friday evening my eldest son arrived from St. Catherines and we had a great visit then he went next door to stay the night with my parents and have a visit with them.
Saturday we went to Peterborough to pick-up my youngest son and his family and went to the Pumpkin Festival in Buckhorn.
We spent the afternoon at the Pumpkin Festival,of course I took tons of pictures as usual.
I posted a few of those pictures yesterday for you to see.
We had a blast and by the time we got home again we all were tired and Dewey was wonderful, he had made supper for us for when we arrived back home.
Blair, my eldest son had lasagna that Dewey froze for him last week when he made it as he knew he would enjoy it and the rest of us had some salad and pigs in a blanket.
It was off to bed early as I wanted to get up early enough to spend the day with Blair before he had to head back to St. Catherines to go to work at 3am.
We got up Sunday morning and spent the day with my parents to celebrate their 51st wedding anniversary.
I made peach upside down cake and Dewey made homemade honey and garlic spareribs and vegetable fried rice for our anniversary dinner with my parents.
We all ate together and spent as much time together as we could before Blair had to head back home.
We spent the evening cleaning up and getting things ready to go to my mother in laws for Thanksgiving dinner the next day.
We had a great day full of lots of family, baked goods and of course a barbequed turkey.
Actually I am still full this morning!
My Mother took a photo of Dewey and I before we left yesterday outside under the canopy on the patio, note the light pole that the wind blew over on Thursday, it was crazy windy here.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Good morning!
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
Today is the day we have our Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings.
Family gets together and catches up, we take photos and enjoy eachother's company.

This weekend is usually one of our busiest as the weather is still nice enough to be outside and the last fairs and festivals of the season are visited.
Family visits, anniversaries and preparing the house for the coming winter months.
What did you do this lovely Thanksgiving weekend?

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend!

Good morning!
First off I would like to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving weekend and wish my parents a very Happy 51st Wedding anniversary!
Yesterday, I went with my eldest son to Peterborough to pick-up my youngest son and his family and spent the afternoon at the Buckhorn Pumpkin Festival at McLean's Berry Farm.
We had a wonderful day together.
As promised here are a few photos of our outing!

Pumpkin Patch Day!

Good morning!
This is the day I have been waiting for... Buckhorn Pumpkin Festival Day!
1 mile south of Buckhorn off Peterborough County Road 23 at McLean's Berry Farm for those interested in attending.
I will post lots of pictures of our outing.
This is one of the few weekends I remember the Norwood Fair without rain in the weather forecast so if you are in the area, take advantage of it!

Have a wonderful day!

Friday's Favorites

Good morning!
Well it is Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada and I decided to share with you a recipe we make on Thanksgiving.
        Barbeque Turkey Sauce

1/2 cup of melted butter
1/2 cup cooking oil
2 cups vinegar
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 medium onions grated
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons dry mustard
3 tablespoons chilli powder
2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 large cloves of garlic grated
Combine all ingredients in a pot and heat to boiling,stirring often.
Brush over turkey until covered.
Cover and bake in 350 degree oven basting often with barbeque sauce.
If you are using the barbeque to do your turkey ensure you baste often.
Reserve some sauce for dipping.

                                                      Enjoy!

Autumns of Days Gone By

Good morning!
I hope you are enjoying the sunshine today.
Yesterday I said I was going to share photos of Autumn from past years and here they are!

Fall Colours

Good morning!

Today I decided to share with you some photos of the fall  here in Ontario,this weekend I will take more photos to share with you as the colours should be at peak this weekend.
Tomorrow I will share with you a few photos from autumn over the years some with family and others without.
I hope you are enjoying your Wednesday morning and I will share with you again tomorrow.

Just In Case!

Good morning!        
Yesterday I gave you a wonderful recipe for sloppy joes using homemade chilli sauce.
Just in case you haven't made chilli sauce this fall yet here is my recipe for Sweet Chilli Sauce
30 firm tomatoes
6 sweet peppers or 3 sweet and 3 hot if you prefer a hot/sweet flavor
6peaches
6 pears
6 apples
1 bunch of celery

Peel and chop fruit and veggies, place into a large pot with 1 quart of vinegar
2 tablespoons of salt
1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon of cinnamon (I often break a cinnamon stick up and put it in my cheesecloth with my pickling spice)
2 ounces of whole mixed pickling spice in cheesecloth tied tightly.
Cook down fruit and spices before adding  4 cups of brown sugar then cook slowly until desired thickness.
Pour into sterilized jars and seal.
Enjoy!

Sloppy Joe recipe

This recipe is one that you will want to make on those days you really don't feel like cooking.
It will be one of your favorite go to recipes.

Sloppy Joes

1 pound of ground beef browned and fat drained off.
Add 1 jar of home made chilli sauce.
1 tablespoon (or more to taste) chilli powder
1 small tin of tomatoe paste
Mix together and simmer for about 1/2 hour

Serve on hamburger buns and a salad on the side.

I often double the recipe so that I can serve it for lunch the next day, it is one of those recipes that tastes even better when it has time to sit.

The last flowers of the season

Yesterday I went out and cleared the garden of the last few vegetables that were in it and any dead flowers that were in there.
Then I went to the market and picked-up my parents a fall mum, the last flowers of the season .
I decided it was a nice thing to get as they enjoy sitting outback and now have something to look at other than an almost bare garden.
Thanksgiving weekend is their 51st wedding anniversary and they really don't need anything so a potted mum was what I decided on for them to enjoy.

I hope they enjoy their 51st anniversary, I am sure that they will be enjoying a beautiful, sunny day as the weather man is calling for sunshine and warmer temperatures for next weekend...Happy 51st anniversary Mom and Dad <3

Sunny Saturday

Today I plan on pulling out all the plants in the garden that are dying off.
I will pick the fruit that is left on the vines then pull out the tomatoe plants as we are to be getting a heavy frost this evening according to the news reports.

I think we have had a great summer for the gardens this year.
The corn was wonderful tasting and plentiful as well as the grape crop this year, they keep telling us to check for wines made in Ontario this year and stash a few bottles away as this
year was one of the best years for grapes they remember.

The conditions were absolutely perfect for alot of crops this year.
I will be putting a couple of bottles of red wine away this year.

I unfortunately won't be making my own wine this year as I have alot of other things I must attend to that are far more important than making wine that I will only have to move with me before it is done and the idea of slopping wine all over the place trying to move a crock full of wine when it is suppose to sit undisturbed is not my idea of fun.

What have you got planned for this sunny Saturday?

Friday's Favorites

                                        Coconut Cake
1-3/4 cups of flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Combine these 3 ingredients in a small bowl and set aside
1/2 cup butter
1 cup of white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Cream together the butter,sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl until light
Blend in dry ingredients alternating with coconut milk 3/4 of a cup
Begin and end with dry ingredients.
Pour batter into greased baking pan(s)
Bake in 350 degree oven
2-pans 30 mins
1-pan 50-60 mins
Let cake cool and frost

             Icing

Beat 8 ounces of cold cream cheese with 6 tablespoons of butter and add 2 teaspoons of coconut extract or vanilla whichever you like
Add 2 cups of icing sugar (you can add more if you like) and mix well

Frost cake and decorate with shredded coconut.

Enjoy!