CIVIL WAR

We won! With a Hail Mary in the last seconds. It was good game if you like them close. Really the Beavers could have won if coach Riley had not allowed those extra few minutes. He could have slowed things down. But I am so glad it worked out the way it did. At least Josh Huff who is a senior finished off his last game at Autzen stadium with a superb game. Cannot say that for Mariota, seems he just was not himself, not comfortable or relaxed. But at least he pulled it off at the end with that great pass to Huff.
So now we see if a get a bowl game which we probably will. Then onto next season. Wears you out doesn't it?

I am looking forward to my lunch today. A half gooey turkey sandwich stuffed with mayo and my homemade cranberry sauce and dressing on wheat bread.
We had a repeat last night of our turkey meal. Tonight we are having spaghetti with my roasted tomato sauce, no meat but plenty of garlic and fresh parmesan cheese and sourdough toast. Then tomorrow night I will morph the turkey into turkey divan. I make every year as we really like it. You know the casserole with the broccoli and yummy creamy sauce?

I am not doing much today. I am going to be in the office for a little while this morning catching up on a few things. I need to make a small list of things I need at the grocery store. I will go early in the morning. Then I plan on watching a little college football this afternoon with my hubby and yes reading. I will be finishing a very good book, which I always dislike doing. I get so involved in the characters I hate to let them go. I tried to read some yesterday afternoon but I kept getting so sleepy I just wanted to drift off and I did not want to do that as I wanted to sleep well last night, which I did.

Well my son is now back home settled into his routine with his big dog for company and my daughter and her guy are at the coast, Lincoln City. I miss my children and grandchildren over the holidays. Would love to have them all here for days. But that is how it is. Truthfully I am almost ready to pass the baton as they say over to my daughter. Everyone lives in the Portland area and it would make sense to have Thanksgiving at her home. I would help her prepare and bring side dishes or deserts whatever she would like me to do. I could be in the presence of my entire family. But of course we will see if it makes sense to my daughter.

Well I must go slip into my jeans and get on with my day.
You all have a good weekend.

BAD PIE

I made one of the best most perfectly roasted turkeys ever. And I did not take a photo! What mistake as it could have won a prize. Crispy brown skin, juicy meat and I craved it to perfection,that was a first! 

The stuffing in the slow cooker worked out so well moist and tasty as if had been cooked inside the bird. All the side were good also. A feast!

The mixed berry pie made from frozen berries in the frozen state was a bust. I was hoping the pie would be tasty at least even though it looked bad. However when I dished my son a piece the bottom crust was soggy as well as the top crust and the berries were runny. So much for that pie. I trashed it! I trashed the recipe. I should have known better. I will go back to my old recipe where you thaw the berries first. I rarely have a disaster and I do not like it when I do. So I had no desert from my son but ice cream as he does not care for pumpkin pie. And that pumpkin pie was so good hubby and I both enjoyed a piece loaded with vanilla bean ice cream.

After my husband and I cleaned the kitchen we all settled onto the sofa's to watch a Jodie Foster movie. Then off to bed. We were all sleepy.

My son went home this morning early in order to avoid as much traffic as possible. It is always sad to see him go as he does not come that often. He is such a gentle caring man, so tender when it comes to animals of any kind. He has been that way his whole life. He never could be a hunter or hurt anything. That is a wonderful way to be I think, to respect all life. 

The OREGON/OREGON STATE game will be starting in a half hour. I just am not up for the game at this point. Could be I am just tired. But also the glitter and hype seems to have disappeared with OREGON. I remember times when we waited all season for the Civil War game. It was the BIG event of football season.

I suspect we will win but maybe not. It should be a good game regardless.

I am lacking energy and I need to perk up. Perhaps a glass of wine will do the trick.

So off I go in my game gear to cheer on our Ducks and hope for the best.

GO DUCKS!

BABY OLIVIA'S FIRST THANKSGIVING

I think this the cutest photo. Just look at that laughing little face. I think I mentioned she is just such a happy baby. It has been a month since I have seen her and she has changed so much.

Well the dressing is made and ready for the slow cooker, I hope this works out.
The turkey will go in the oven at eleven thirty. We are eating at five. That is the plan.

I will say I was tired from being in the kitchen most of the afternoon yesterday. But it is nice today having nothing to do but the turkey, dressing, and sides.

I just put an array of snacks and mini sandwiches on the bar. I am hoping that will suffice until dinner time.

My son arrived this morning. He said the traffic was horrid on I-5 and he left Portland early. It just gets worse every year it seems. I know I dislike that drive.

Well I just wanted to post this photo of my little great granddaughter and wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.

I am so thankful for my life and those that are in it and have been a part of my life.
Later.

Mixed Berry Pie(made with frozen berries)

I felt I had to review this recipe.
I made my good homemade crust, followed the recipe perfectly.
Put in the oven to bake as directed and before ten minutes had passed I turned the oven light on to peek and good grief all my pretty fluted edges on the crust had fallen off as snipped off with scissors. WHAT?
The only thing I can contribute this too is. You use the berries frozen mixed with cornstarch and sugar, that is fine. Goes into a pie shell that has been chilled covered with another crust that has been chilled. You wash the top of the crust with egg wash and here is where I feel the problem lies. As the edge of the crust bakes faster than the wet pie top maybe it causes a crack around the edge and the fluted edges falls off.

Other than that I do not know. My pies are always nicely crimped no fault there. Everything was chilled as directed. So what? Bad recipe? That is what I am thinking.
I may try it again at some point thawing the berries first.

In retrospect this will probably taste fine though it looks weird. I should have made my "Best in the West Mixed berry cobbler". It is always a winner and so tasty every time.

Pumpkin pie is in the oven now and when that is finished I will get my yeast rolls in. 
A fun busy day in the kitchen. I will just ignore the berry pie serve it up with lots of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream pretending it is a free style pie. Is there such a thing? Laugh!

MIXED BERRY PIE

Mixed berry pie today as well as a pumpkin pie and yeast rolls.

This morning off to Bi-Mart for a few things I need they have on sale. Then home to bake. I love this time of year and spending time in the kitchen, good smells emanating from the kitchen and filling the house with holiday spirit.

My sweet husband will be home today about four pm so a little earlier which makes me a happy wife.
We talked last night and we are having a vegetarian meal this evening, a light meal. So I will make a good size salad, homemade dressing(have not decided yet what kind) and a small baked potato to pile the salad over. 

Tomorrow on our bar for small bites while our dinner is cooking I will set out tuna salad, whole wheat bread triangles with the crusts trimmed, snack crackers, sliced fresh peppers, two kinds of chips and corn chips and hubby's salsa.
That should keep the men busy nibbling as I do my thing in the kitchen.

I have a load of wash whirling in the washer at the moment but still need to tidy the house. So I will leave you now as I need to take a quick shower, trim my bangs and be off to Bi-Mart.

You all have a GREAT THANKSGIVING. If you are like me you will be thankful to be here on this earth another year, grateful for your family and friends.
We never know what life will hand us each year. But we human beings seem to have the strength to weather the hard times and be so grateful for the good things in our lives.
Take each day as it comes and live it to the fullest.
Eat lots tomorrow!  

SUNRISE ON OUR STREET THIS MORNING

I took this shot a little before seven this morning from my front door. It is amazing to see something this spectacular to start your day. I feel blessed.

I am going to have a great day I already know that. I am going to start some prep work for the Thanksgiving meal and also set my table and add a few festive touches to the house. I plan on going for a long walk after it warms up.
It is still cold and so brittle outside. But soon the air will gradually take on some of the suns warmth making it tolerable for a nice comfortable walk.

 I will start my Thanksgiving meal prep today by making my sweet dill pickles. I should have made them a few days ago but somehow I forgot about doing so.  Along with making the pickles today I will get my cranberry/orange relish made. That will leave my pumpkin and berry pie and rolls for tomorrow.
I have decided to try something different this year. I looked on line as I was wondering if I could make my dressing in the slow cooker. I thought if this were possible it would free up the oven and would make my life simpler. And yes as a matter of fact there are numerous recipes on the internet and the majority of folks say the dressing is delicious. It is moist with lots of flavor and makes your home smell amazing for hours.
So I am making my own sausage, apple, nut dressing with a few adjustments. I let you know how it works out. I will get the bird in the oven and then the dressing into the Crockpot as they both take about the same amount of time.

My turkey will be prepared as always in my kitchen. I will place inside the cavity a small bundle of rosemary and thyme from my herb barrel and couple of wedges of lemon. On the outside of my bird I will soften butter and slide my hands up under the breast skin and rub in as much butter as possible. Then on the skin I will rub a very small amount of olive oil over the entire bird. I will then make a rub of kosher salt, black pepper, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, paprika and a small amount of allspice and apply it to the turkey.  Then into the oven to do it's thing. I have an instant read thermometer so I will check the bird toward the end of it's roasting time to make sure it is cooked properly. I start out with the bird lightly covered in foil then the last couple of hours I remove the foil so the bird can get a crunchy golden skin. My hubby just loves a crisp skin. Very important to let the turkey sit after removing it from the oven for at least 20 minutes. I usually let is sit under a cap of foil for the 30 minutes before craving. It is a nice grace period as it allows me to do last minute things while the rolls are baking.  Like make the gravy and mashing the potatoes etc. It all gets very busy at this point in the meal, doesn't it? Oh and I am going to pull out my vintage electric knife this year. As neither hubby nor myself do anything but hack up a turkey.  I am going back to what I did in the past. I do a much better job with the electric knife than my knife that I sharpen and hone to do the job, which does not! Also my husband is not going anywhere near that bird to saw on it like you would a piece of wood. Well I should not be to hard on him he is a carpenter after all.

Well I am now ready to throw on some clothes and get on with my day. I feel excited today, maybe it was that illuminating sunrise this morning that charged me up. Whatever it is , I feel good and like I want to accomplish a lot today.
Happy Tuesday!

THE SPIRITUAL PATH

Ah the spiritual path how beautiful it is.
Yesterday I listened to some tapes I have that reminded me of who I truly am. 
Sometimes it is good to take ourselves out of the rut, dust ourselves off and step back and take a look.
We get so locked up in this earthly world we lose sight of the big picture. As I always say. " We are souls with a body." Not the other way around. But our earthly human bodies certainly do tend to take us over don't they?
When I turn inward like I did yesterday it makes me a better soul and a human being for it makes me aware. Aware of how I must attend to the body to get the most of this life. Taking care of oneself is our daily job. The be healthy in body and mind is a way of life we should all adhere to. If we do not we pay the consequences.
The keep our minds open and remember we are all one sharing this earth, walking our own path that we have created by the choices we have made or that have been set down for us.
There is a popular country song now it is called, "It takes all kinds of kinds". Well that is certainly true.
It seems every few years I need to clean myself up and shake myself out. To clarify that what I need to do is take care of myself. Think positive thoughts, be helpful to others, open my mind to new opportunities, purge my mind of narrow minded thinking and being critical of others.
To not over indulge in any manner, to nurture my body and my soul. 
There is so much to life that we do not understand but when we sit silent and close our eyes to the world we can feel something so much larger than what we have here in this earth life. There is a longing, a love, a deep ache that comes from somewhere, someplace in the past. We do not know  the origin of these feelings only that they do exist.  So accept them and let them wash through you and cleanse you. We are all part of something that is bigger and more amazing than we could ever imagine.
On those thoughts I will leave you until tomorrow.

CONFUSED

OK. So what went wrong with the DUCKS?
Good grief, Stanford all over again only worse. Arizona had us from the get-go.
I really do not care anymore, burned out I suppose. We get so into it and watch the college shows on the weekend etc. Too much media hype, too much pressure, maybe not enough of the right kind of coaching? Who knows? Anyhow what will be, will be this next Friday. The Civil War is up for grabs as far as I see it.

I was just outdoors brrrr. Still cold but is warming up. By Thanksgiving day it will be ugly gray clouds once again, but we will be warmer which will be nice and better for our power bill.

So our slow cooker hot dogs and buns were a success. Nicely cooked wieners and warm soft buns. I will do that again sometime when we have a few folks over. Good way to grab a dog when you want one without the mess or effort.

Tonight we are having pork schnitzel. I have made this recipe a few times and we always enjoy it. It is a little time consuming and messy as it is a breaded affair, then fried, then you make a sauce out of the pan drippings. The sauce is very tasty with dill, chicken stock, sour cream, paprika etc. I am going to serve it with long grain rice so we can drizzle some of that sauce over the rice as well as the cutlets.
I have posted the recipe as well as a photo on this blog before, so will not repeat myself.

Only four days now and my son will be with us. Mike has a voice with lots of volume and he and my hubby talk over one another when they get animated. I just chuckle and do my thing in the kitchen, too much testosterone for me. Later after they have caught up I will be able to say something once in a while...... 

After the bird is hanging out in the oven for a while and the house starts smelling like Thanksgiving my heart gets so happy. It reminds me of Thanksgiving's past when my family would go to my parents house for the meal. My mother was a wonderful cook. Everything was always so delicious and presented so beautifully. There was always an array of various bake goods and yeast buns or sometimes biscuits. Her pretty green holiday dishes would be on the table, the same ones I use now. White linen napkins in triangles to the side holding her best silver. Crystal glassware and candles. All just so lovely.
I have always done the same. No matter how many folks I have it is a sit down dinner, not buffet. Extra tables yes but everyone sitting at a table that is decorated and festive. It means a lot to me to keep my Mother's tradition going.
When I was a child it was the same. No matter how many folks came to our humble home we sat down at some sort of table. If our dining table was not large enough plywood would be set over it and several table clothes would adorn it and all would sit down on an arrangement of chairs, stools, boxes or what have you.
Ah good memories and it makes me miss all those that have passed which is everyone in my immediate family except for my older brother. Such is life here today and gone tomorrow.
As I held my great granddaughter a couple of weeks ago those were the thoughts going through my head. Her life beginning and mine on it's slow exit(I hope).
I remember my grandson Tyson saying when he and Lindsey were here last year for Thanksgiving that he would continue to come year after year with his family. I know he would have loved to keep that promise this year but he could not get off work. He is young man who loves tradition. We will surely miss him and Lindsey(I adore that girl) and little Olivia on her first Thanksgiving. But they will be in our hearts as we sit to enjoy our meal.

I have written too much today, for that I am sorry. Sometimes I just go on. Even though I share this blog with a few others it is a journal more than anything. It brings me comfort and contentment when I read through past posts. In fact I think I will do that after I post this. I am curious as to what I wrote this time of year last year.

Have a lovely Sunday. 

DUCKS AND DOGS

The fare today is DUCKS and hot dogs stuffed with sauerkraut, chopped onions, sliced pepperchino's and mustard sauce. Yummy. Junk food game fare. Just what I am hungry for today.
I am going make the dogs in the slow cooker. Looks good and folks online say they taste like event hot dogs cooked this way. You put them in without any water and cook on high for about an hour. They will start turning brown wherever their sides touch the slow cooker. When they are as you like them, brown and plump toss the buns in on top of them for a few minutes until heated. I will let you know how all that turns out.
I have had nothing to eat today yet so maybe that is why my mouth is watering thinking of these dogs.
I will munch on popcorn during the game and sip my ice cold white wine. We will probably eat after the game is over. Popcorn is such a good filler I love it for that reason. I like it slightly salted with a little real butter. Sometimes I use a season salt or Mrs. Dash which is healthier. Hubby likes his with some heat, cayenne, red pepper, Tabasco well you get the picture.

It is such a grand day once again. I am getting used to waking every morning to a cold house and rushing to open the blinds to let the sun flood in.
This morning I turned on the furnace and jumped back into our warm cozy bed. Hubby turned on our bedroom telly and we cuddled in bed watching college football games until the house warmed to our liking. This was at seven this morning. We are college football crazy I suppose. Say I bet that could be a country song. "College football crazy". I will see what I can do with that idea.

I just came in from our little trailer. I wanted to make sure all was good out there. We have a small oil filled radiator heater in there keeping the chill off. When I get in that little thing it makes me want to go somewhere. The coast would have been clear and cold this past week but we felt we must stay home to go on bids and take care of what business may occur. The phone is not exactly ringing off the hook so it needs to be "hubby on the spot' when we do get calls for bids.

I ran a few errands yesterday afternoon. I needed quite a few items at Office Max. I had a coupon for ten dollars if fifty was spent. That was not hard to do. I was out of quite a few office staples(no pun intended) but I did buy staples for the stapler.......laugh.
I also made a quick stop at Albertson's. See I told you I would need to go again. Well actually I made the stop for my husband as he decided to make some salsa and did not have peppers. So of course I found a few other things to throw in the cart. I am definitely through now.

Have you noticed how the stores are all at once so busy? Well get used to it. I hate to shop this time of year. I am sure happy I am not a Christmas consumer like so many others. We do our little thoughtful gifts, decorate the house, have an nice meal, a decent bottle of champagne and enjoy the season. 

There are a couple things I must do before the game starts in 45 minutes so I best be at it.

If you are college football crazy hope you enjoy the games today. There are some good ones!
GO DUCKS!

LASAGNA

This is the best lasagna I have ever made. It is rich and creamy and the meat sauce is amazing as I used my roasted tomato sauce and pasta was cooked perfectly.  We will have a repeat of this meal this evening. Sad to say we barely put a dent in this huge casserole but after this evening I will put what is left into a freezer container and we will take it along on our next trip with the travel trailer. 
You can find the recipe on pioneerwoman.com It is called Best Lasagna ever. I know a lot of folks have a fave lasagna recipe they have used for years. Well I do too but it is too simple and I felt I could make a more complex one so I am very happy I tried this one.
The recipe calls for canned tomatoes and tomato paste but as I had made sauce from our tomatoes this past summer that is what I used.  Do give this recipe a try. It has a lot of good seasonings in it and the creamy sauce is delicious along with lots of mozzarella.

It is an incredible day out. We woke to a very cold house and it was hard to leave the cloud of body heat in our covers behind.  I put my feet on the cold hardwood flooring and raced to find my furry slippers.  I turned my coffee pot on and opened the front door to retrieve the paper from the box by the door. My breathe billowed out and hung in the air like smoke. The frosty rooftops sparkled in the morning sun. I love that we have a eastern exposure in the front of the house and of course the west at the back where our hot tub and deck are. Our south side is where our garden space is so all works very nicely. We get a sunrise and sunset view and lots of heat and sun for our garden.

I was going to run a couple of errands this morning but may do that later as I do not feel like going out in the cold. What a baby I am.

I heard from my daughter this morning via the email also my dear friend Judy. I was happy to hear from them. Judy has been having some health issues as well as her hubby he is in a nursing home striving to get stronger so he can be home once again. They are always on my mind so it is good when I get an update every so often.

I am off now to get dressed. Yes I am still in my sweat bottoms and hoodie and it is after eleven! I am so outta of here.

THE BIRD

A bird like this will soon be sitting on our dining room table. There will be a multitude of food for three people. I learned yesterday that my son will be the only one sitting with us at our Thanksgiving table. My grandson Tyson, Lindsey and their baby girl Olivia will not be joining us. Tyson is working over the weekend. We will certainly miss their company.

My son and I chatted yesterday for an hour or so. He will arrive here early Thanksgiving morning as to squeeze as much time as possible. He will go home on Friday. He has no one to tend to his big bear of a dog. It will be fun to have him for even a short while, we have missed him. I will send him home with some leftovers to eat on for a couple of days.

It is COLD! The temps dropped last night into the very low twenties. We tended to our new RV by blowing the water lines out and draining the water tank. We kept the heat on in there last night and opened the cupboard doors. All was fine this morning. This cold spell is going to continue for quite a few days.

We took a hot tub last night after an early dinner. It would have been lovely but the wind was whipping and felt like ice crystals. I wore my little ball cap which helped the top of my head but my ears were freezing. The wind chimes were crazily making music. I stayed in the steaming 104 degree water for about a half hour, hubby stayed longer. 
I wish I could say I slept well last night but I really did not. I was up walking out leg cramps a few times. Well I know I did not drink enough water after getting out of the spa. My own fault.

I am excited about tonights dinner. We are having lasagna. I making the pioneer woman's recipe. It looks like a very tasty meat sauce and I will make it with a jar of my roasted tomato sauce which I have thawing out now.
We love lasagna and this one looks like a winner of a recipe. I will post photo's and a review of recipe tomorrow.

Hubby is off to Bi-Mart again today. Seems we are at this little store quite often. I do like the small venue, items are easy to find and the sales are good. And a plus it is not far from our home.

It is bright and clear today and once again there is a breeze. But I will take this sunshine any day over the gray dreary skies we have so often in winter.

Turkey day is one week from today so I must take the big turkey from the freezer today and put in the outside fridge to slowly thaw.

Enjoy this cold sunny day we surely will.

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY FIVE DOLLARS LATER AND I HAVE A FREE TURKEY!

Does anyone have any idea how hard it is to do your weekly shopping plus your next weeks shopping and everything for your Thanksgiving meal???? Well it is not easy. I must have looked like a plotting,list reading demented old woman as I maneuvered through the aisles of Fred Meyer this morning. Tossing items in the cart as if money mattered not. I needed to spend $150.00 in order to get my free turkey and I was determined to do that. To be on the safe side a threw in a bottle of makeup and an expensive lipstick. Oh well it's like money in bank I muttered to myself as I flew down the cosmetic aisle. I watched closely as the groceries added up on the register. I went over by $25.00 yahoo what a good little spender I am! I won my $25.00 turkey!

So I am exhausted after putting all those groceries away, I barely could get more items in my already overly full pantry. I needed to clean out the fridge in order cram in what I needed in there. And you know what I bet I have forgotten something, just wait and see I will have to return before turkey day and face the hoards at the grocery store once again, but my free bird is in the fridge!

Tonight my husband is making dinner. He just got back from the meat market he picked up some very delicious sausage that we love. So it will be a simple European style meal. A pot of boiled potatoes, sausage and steamed veggies. I am thankful that he will be cooking this evening as I am tired.

I am off now to tend to a few more chores that need doing today, then I will return a call to my son who called this morning while I was wildley wheeling down the grocery aisles. Then hubby and I are going to take a hot tub. It is very cold today and the wind is whipping intermediately. The hot steamy water will feel very good indeed.

Have a great hump day!

ROLLS

I made the sixty minute KitchenAid yeast rolls yesterday. A quick and simple method however my rolls did not raise like the ones in the recipe photo. It could be because I have had the yeast for a while though the date went to June 14. They did raise and taste good but now should I buy more yeast and make them for Thanksgiving.? I am thinking yes I will make them again as they are so so simple. I love using my KitchenAid mixer for breads. That dough hook just takes care of business in no time.
We are having a repeat dinner this evening as even though I try not to I always make too much soup.

I had planned to do some grocery shopping today and other errands but hubby wanted to take my rig(better mileage) as he had bid out in the country today and two in opposite areas of the city. So it is a lot of running for him and I did not want to take the truck. So it is no big deal I will go tomorrow and I thought I may as well shop for my Thanksgiving dinner also. I should easily hit the $150 mark for a getting my turkey free so it will work out better. So this afternoon I will revise my list. More than likely I will forget something and need to return to the store next week but the majority of items will be tucked into my pantry and fridge.

It is rainy and ugly out today. Tomorrow the sun will appear along with a few clouds the paper states and it will be freezing cold at night. We will see twenty something degree nights for a few nights so hubby and I are going to winterize our travel trailer tomorrow. We will leave a heater going on low also and open all the cabinet doors. Then all should stay safe from freezing.

I cannot believe I have nothing to chat about today but truly there is not thing. I may wait a day or two before writing again so I have something interesting to write about.

Have a good Tuesday. 

KITCHENAID SIXTY MINUTE YEAST DINNER ROLLS

I am anxious to make these rolls this afternoon. This is a practice run because if we like them I will make them next week for Thanksgiving. I have had trouble finding a recipe I like that is simple. The mixer is the way to go as I am not wanting to kneed the dough by hand. The older I become the simpler I like to bake and cook but of course with good results. If this recipe holds up to it's rave reviews I will share it with you tomorrow.
I thought today would be a good soup day(you know clean the fridge day?) I do this occasionally. I had a package of frozen chicken hind quarters that we never got around to grilling this summer so those will be my protein. There are carrots starting to sprout and celery that has seen better days hanging out in the veggie bin. I am also over loaded on potatoes so it is all meshing up to a pot of potato vegetable soup with good rolls(hopefully) to load with butter and dunk into in the soup if desired. I am pretty sure that will be desired.

I have a couple hours to myself this morning so I am writing this post while hubby is off on a bid and to a home improvement store. He is going to purchase paint and start painting the cabinets that are in the garage.
He has been home so much lately I have had no space. We manage to get along quite well but still I am a person that requires daily space so it has been a little difficult for me.

It was more than chilly this AM when we crawled out of our warm nest. The wind is bitter the sky is grim. It certainly looks like a winter day in the valley. The bare tree branches look so forlorn against that gun metal sky.

It is Monday so I do have a busy day today. There are house chores to be attended to and also office work. I must get some bills out this morning and do an audit for our business insurance provider and more filing as always and I also need to make two return calls to our advertisers. Why they start calling six months before they need to is beyond me. But none the less these things need attending to today as well as a mound of laundry.
So sitting here at this computer is not accomplishing any of those things.
So until tomorrow.

SILLY STORIES

I am inspired to write this morning. My inspiration was a post of Ree Drummonds called the doughnut story. I posted it on FB if you are interested in reading it.

Here is one of my favorites. A true story that happened to me.

The panty hose story.
This amusing event took place back in the late seventies. A friend and amateur artist like myself decided to make a trip to Eugene(where I actually live now)from Central Oregon where we lived. There was an art show at one of the major hotels. We thought it good inspiration to take in this show as the style of painting displayed was what we were interested in.

We walked into the event and strolled around a bit to get the feel of the place. We helped ourselves to flute of champagne and had a small plate of appetizers as we were a little hungry. The event was huge and encompassed two large areas. We had been strolling and looking and admiring the different artists work when I noticed that every once in a while someone would stare at me when I walked past them. I was liking the attention as I thought I looked quite nifty in a cream colored polyester pants suit with a black blouse under and black clogs and purse. The more I walked around the more attention I received. Finally after more than a couple of hours spent enjoying the show(and the attention) we decided we needed to go have a late lunch and head back over the mountain home.
We wanted to find a particular restaurant and we got lost many times it seemed we were always on a freeway heading the wrong direction. This went on for over an hour and our patience was growing thin. As if we were directed we finally found ourselves on the right street. We were starved and surely needed a glass of wine after all that stress.
My friend was driving and she parked and we got out of the car. She was walking behind me a short distance as we departed the parking lot to the eatery when she started laughing so hard. I looked back and she was doubled over having a conniption fit. I walked back to her and asked what on earth was she laughing at. All she could do is point. She was pointing at my right foot. I looked down and did not see anything unusual, then I spotted at the back of my slacks this long brown piece of nasty looking fabric hanging out of the bottom of my pant leg. It was long and it was filthy and it was one entire leg of a pair of panty hose.  
OMG I was horrified! How could this happen? Then I remembered I had worn these slacks just a week before and I had panty hose on under them as it was cold. So I surmised when I removed my slacks the panty hose stayed inside lining my slacks. So slipping them on that morning the panty hose were still riding along inside the slacks. So the more I walked about the more they slipped out. As I came to this conclusion I soon realized why I was getting so many looks.
This realization put me into hysteric's. I was laughing so hard at myself and stumbling around the parking lot with this appendage still attached like an extra thin dirty leg that I fell into a bush in the parking lot. My friend at this time had not quit her laughter. As tears rolled down both of our cheeks we heard applause and looked to where it was coming from and there on a hotel balcony were several folks enjoying the show. At this point I had to go the potty so bad I was ready to wet my pants, the more I laughed the harder it was to control my bladder. I jumped behind the bush and pulled and pulled at the dirty panty hose until I felt it release and come loose. I threw it into the bushes and raced to the restaurant madly looking for the bathroom. I am so thankful I made it just in the nick of time.
Later as my friend and I were seated in a cozy booth across from one another every time our eyes met we would start up again. We tried to hold our laughter until our eyes watered and our noses snorted. It took quite a while for us to finally settle down.

So that is my panty hose story. Oh I have plenty more stories believe me. My daughter said to me not to long ago. Mom why do these things happen to you? The only answer I have been able to come up with is. I am a dork!

PATTY MELTS TONIGHT

I cannot wait, yummy gooey patty melts tonight with tomato soup made from last years tomatoes. Jack cheese will be used for the soup topper as it melts so wonderfully and in the sandwich there will be a combination of jack and cheddar cheese along with generously seasoned ground chuck on sourdough bread.

So Oregon won the game as well as USC beat Stanford. So that is what we were hoping for. We watched the two games back to back a lot of football. We ate all but two pieces of a large pizza throughout the afternoon the evening. The pizza was easy(no mess) and good so it fit the day.
Now the DUCKS have a very good chance of smelling the roses at the Rose Bowl.

Friday afternoon I watched a few cooking episodes of Ree Drummonds Pioneer Woman. I love the way she cooks and talks along so comfortably. She is amusing and seems so real. Truth be known her cooking style is very much like my own. I chuckle when I watch as she uses so many ingredients I use and the way she puts things together are so me! I never claimed to cook healthy. I do enjoy my casseroles and comfort food with fattening ingredients just like Ree. But I always contend it is not what you eat but how much you eat. If one keeps in mind portion control a fat laden meal once a week will not hurt you. My feelings anyway.
You should go to her sight either via the Food Network for her recipes or to her blog which is Pioneerwoman.com

I found a tasty sounding recipe for yeast rolls using my kitchenaid stand mixer. So I will try it this coming week so there will be no surprises on Thanksgiving day.

Can you believe I am still in my sweats? Talk about a sloth this morning. I took a hot tub after the games and I stayed in the hot water about a half hour is all. But that water takes the energy out of you, makes you feel drained. I slept well until early hours of the morning and then had difficulty sleeping. I should have just gotten up and read the paper and had coffee but I forced sleep and did manage to sleep another hour or so while having wild and crazy dreams.

Sunday today, my favorite day. I was going to take a long walk today but may house walk instead. It is gray and chilly out and there is a bit of a breeze also. So all those undesirable conditions are discouraging me. Hubby can close himself in the office and I will put some lively music on and tramp through house around and around I go on the hardwood.

So I am off now to do what needs doing on a Sunday which is not much........goody!
Have a nice day whatever it is you are up to.

FIRE TONIGHT ON THE DECK

We are thinking fire tonight on the deck as we soak in a hot tub.
Right now it is half time for the OREGON/UTAH game. Well OREGON is ahead but you know what, Mariota is not running the ball again and it shows. He must be saving his knee and the thinking is win the game and move on.
And we need to win this game as UTAH does have an organized defense and they are holding us. We must be diligent. 

So after this game we will have our pizza and then continue to watch the STANFORD/USC game. We are rooting for USC of course and how strange is that, more than likely the first time we have done that!

So I have had nothing to eat today but a thin slice of pizza after I picked it up today and a handful of nuts. Of course I have had a few glasses of wine just enough to enjoy the game and not go over my line as I call it. I have always been like that, love to get the grove on but no beyond. Should write a song using those words.

So all I can say is GO DUCKS!!!!!! We love ya and hope you do well.
Good bye for now.

CHANGING TABLESCAPE

I am changing my tablescape today. However there is little to do to change from Halloween to Thanksgiving. I take the little witch away with the big hat and replace here with a two pilgrims. That is pretty much it!
I love this time of year and the house is all cozy. Good smells emanating from the oven, fall sun sneaking through the blinds and making patterns on the floor in unexpected places. 

Last night we took a hot tub. It was foggy when we went out but soon the fog evaporated and a very soft rain came in. I was resting on my little shelf up out the hot water and continued to stay there while the rain fell. It felt so therapeutic having my reclined body tenderly touched by the rains patter.

We did not play scrabble yesterday afternoon we both decided we wanted to play WI golf. So we played three nine hole games which takes a good while. I won all three games but not by much we are very competitive in this golf game. 
The afternoon seemed to go by quickly soon it was dark and we went to the tub. We were going have a pork chop dinner but I was not hungry in the least and my husband said don't bother I will fix myself a little something, which he did. So we will have that dinner this evening.

Hubby's brother is here from Bend this weekend. He will sleep at our house but spend most of his time down the street at his sister's house visiting with his Mother. She will be there for the weekend instead of the memory care home where she lives.

I have nothing much on my agenda today. It will be a restful day. I do plan on taking a walk a little later and clearing the deck of leaves. So I will get some much needed exercise.

Tomorrow is game day. We will watch our OREGON/UTAH game first then watch the STANDFORD/USC game. So it will certainly be a day of football and pizza. We find we can eat pizza once a week on Saturday's. It is easier than trying to make something during the game. This time I am picking up a Little Caesars. We usually get the pepperoni and add ingredients. The pizza will be already baked when I pick it up tomorrow but we let it sit and then when we want to eat we add the extra ingredients put in a 350 oven for about ten minutes and it is brand new again. For five bucks you cannot go wrong. We learned this little trick a couple of years ago. I do have an air bake pizza pan that we use for all of our pizza's and also frozen fries. These pans are amazing as they are aerated and make for a crispy fries or pizza crust.

Did you know it is only 12 days until Thanksgiving. My husbands favorite holiday. He loves everything about Thanksgiving day from the time he gets up in the morning. I fix us a nice but simple little breakfast and then get on with the preparation of the cornbread, apple, sausage dressing and getting the turkey ready for the oven. It is not long before good smells are radiating from the kitchen.
I think I will make yeast rolls from scratch this year so I will do that the day before along with the pumpkin and mixed berry pie. I normally do my relish dish the day before also. My family loves the relish tray as it has many items. From pickled peppers, to three kinds of pickles,marinated veggies and on it goes. No need for an additional veggie. 
So my mind is readying for this special day.
At our table before dishing up each seated there says what they are thankful for in this past year. We like this ritual and have been doing it for years. Everyone tries to keep it short and to the point so the food does not get cold. Not a good idea for long winded folks to go on and on they could get an evil eye.

I must attend now to the rest of house chores and will then take that walk. The sky is breaking to blue now as I write and the sun is flickering through the office blinds.
Yeah!

FREID SHRIMP DINNER

First photo is the shrimp I butterflied and prepared for frying. Next photo my plate before digging in.
I must say it was a tasty dinner. The coleslaw was creamy with the right amount of tartness, the shoestring fries crispy with salt and pepper and the cocktail sauce which is ladled on my plate was yummy with the right amount of heat.

We played games for about two hours late yesterday afternoon before making dinner. A good day for being indoors and game playing as it was gray and chilly.

We are wondering what to do with the day. My husband is not working and I am fairly well caught up with household chores. I was going to finish up my grocery shopping today but I have decided to do that Monday.
So the wintry looking day dangles before us. We are getting a bit of cabin fever. We cannot take off pulling the trailer as my husband needs to be here for calls and bids. 

My daughter Gina is flying home today from her visit with her daughter, my granddaughter Megan in Kansas. I know this is so hard for them both not living near one another. I am so thankful I live close to my daughter that we are in each others company quite a few times a year, not just once.
As for the rest of us we never get to see Megan. Maybe at some point they will move from Kansas back to Oregon. I can only hope at this point in time.

I just talked to my hubby and I this what we are going to do with part of the day. We are going for a short ride to check on a job that will be coming up toward the end of the month. The we are stopping at Taco Bell for a bag of taco's to bring home and nibble on while we play scrabble this afternoon. So we will be out and about for a short while which will be nice.

This evening I am making pork loin chops in cider sauce with orzo and fresh spinach. Sounds good to me.

Later.

THANKSGIVING ON IT'S WAY

It is a fact Thanksgiving will be here in fifteen days. The autumn has seemed to have flown like the leaves. The trees lost their leaves quickly to the winds that came through on several occasions in the past two weeks. Except for a few clinging or caught up in brittle branches all are gone leaving naked dormant trees until the breath of spring sparks them into action once again.

I do wonder who will sit at our Thanksgiving table this year. It is always a different scenario.
My son has said he is coming. He was not here last year as he was ill. My grandson Tyson is always with us however this year he is scheduled to work the whole weekend of Thanksgiving. So unless that changes he will not be here so of course no Lindsey or Olivia either. Ty is still holding out hope that the schedule will change at his work place. I invited my daughter and her man Doug but it will not work for them this year. So it may be just my son and hubby sharing a meal. This has been the scene before so it is nothing new. We love having Mike he is such a big presence it seems there are more people here. Truly though he loves my Thanksgiving dinners and looks so forward to a day of eating of good food. I love that he appreciates it so much.
My husband may actually be working half a day on turkey day. He is working that week on a floor and it needs to be completed at the weekends end.

My menu this year will be the same as always. I may change up the dessert a bit. But otherwise the same fare.

It is a dreary day in Eugene today. The sun did pop out though briefly and is now hiding once again.
I made a run to the meat market for sale specials today. Two packages of pork loin chops for the price of one, a beautiful pork shoulder roast @$1.99 a pound. Picked up my favorite burger on sale and I also purchased large white shrimp to butterfly this evening and fry crispy in fish fry with homemade cocktail sauce. I will add to the meal a small coleslaw with pineapple and shoestring fries.

Back home I divided all the meat products and wrapped them in portion sizes and put in ziplock freezer bags. My meat supplies were running low.
Tomorrow I will finish my grocery shopping at Freddie's and Walmart. I certainly would like to have a Safeway store nearby. But it is not worth the hassle of driving out of way on grocery shopping day.

I am now off to clean up our little lunch mess in the kitchen. This afternoon after a walk we may play some games to keep ourselves entertained.
Have a nice hump day!

MOIST CORN MUFFINS

These are very moist corn muffins. I cheat making these corn muffins as they are jiffy muffin mix, I add the one egg but instead of a 1/3 cup of milk I add sour cream in it's place with a small amount of shredded cheese(your choice) and then a splash of milk so moisten the dough to the right consistency. Doing this method makes for a very moist, soft tender muffin instead of a dried out tasteless one.

Our chili last evening was so wonderful with the roasted tomato sauce which also included peppers of several varieties and garlic and onions. All roasted together then put in the food processor to make sauce. I am so happy I took the time the end of summer to make all of the red yummy sauce in different varieties as we are enjoying the bounty now.

Our house is amazingly clean now. I methodically followed behind my hubby yesterday as he went room to room vacuuming everything in sight. I waxed all our furniture, cleaned glass and then cleaned the floors with Bona product floor cleaner. This morning walking on the floors barefooted was such a treat. Every wood floor so clean and fresh under my feet.
When we finished I was worn out from applying the cleaner as I pressed hard on the applicator to rid the floors of spots and soil. I flopped into my chair put my feet up on the ottoman and crashed. I picked up my book and did not move for an hour.
I then went to the kitchen as I had cookies to make. I made three dozen as I cut the recipe in half. I made the cookies a little smaller in size this time. After the cookies were made I then started on the chili. While I was doing this and enjoying my clean kitchen hubby was taking a soak in the hot tub. We could see each other through the kitchen window. It was a fun little flirt time. We get rather silly at times but that is what makes relationships fun.

Today it is wet out. It rained out last night when we woke to black windows I could hear it still pattering softly against them.
The leaves my hubby raked to the street the other day are now plastered like wallpaper to the pavement. It is a nasty looking time of year with debris littered about the streets, sidewalks and yards.



I must take my shower now and get presentable as the day is moving along. I do not have much planned but there are things that I want to accomplish.
Have a nice Tuesday whatever it is you are doing today.
Ciao.