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Thursday, September 29, 2011

Potato Leek Soup

Now that it's getting a little colder out I'm thinking soup so last night I decided to use the leeks I bought over the weekend and make soup.  At first I was thinking of using chicken because the lady that sold me the leeks said her husband was going to make Chicken with leek soup.  I've never had that but looked up some recipes for it.  Nothing sounded all that interesting to me so I went with my standard creamy potato soup recipe but substituted the leeks for the onions.  A hurdle in the recipe came when I discovered I was out of carrots  -  no problem, I substituted a half sweet potato.  Really what I wanted to do was make it look like I put them in because my hubby, number 1 would want them in there and number 2 he really only likes candied sweet potatoes.  Problem solved  -  you'd never know the difference!  My recipe also has the option to add cheese so I threw in a couple handfuls of cheddar cheese.  It was better for lunch today than dinner last night and when I freeze some, I'll have it for another time.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

My Road Trip

Well, I finally did the Goodwill road trip with a friend and we had a great time.  It started off a little rocky when, the night before, my hubby noticed an outside light on in my car.  He tried everything to turn it off but it stayed on until he pulled the cable on the battery.  He said I could still take it but would have to pull the battery cable whenever it was idle for any length of time.  There were too many ifs in that option so I decided to take his car.  That worked out ok with just a few minor adjustments like attaching the gps to the windshield instead of my dashboard and moving some other stuff around.  He also volunteered to clean it before I left.  I had a ton of places we could stop, both Goodwills and Quilt Shops, but the first snag came when the quilt shop in Hermitage wasn't open on Monday.  We made up for it with a nice size Goodwill and a Salvation Army Thrift Store where I found a quilt rack.  The car was filling up quick at that point. We stopped at a Goodwill in Grove City and then back on 80 to the next stop in Knox.  Unfortunately, we were about a half hour too late for the quilt store but manged to go to the Sharp Shopper for dinner and dessert.  My friend came very well prepared for our trip with some material squares to show me a neat trick in making a bowtie pattern.   Tuesday proved to be our best day all around.  First we hit DuBois Goodwills and took advantage of the yellow half off  and .29 sales.  I think we really hit the jackpot at those stores!  From there we went to Brookville where we went to our first quilt shop of the trip and another Goodwill.  The weather was perfect both days, Mandy was very helpful, we both found great bargains, ate some tasty food, and enjoyed wonderful company along the way.  We both feel the same way about saving money  -  what a rush!

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Morning Fix

I have been feeling a little off for awhile now and haven't been able to pin down the reason.  I'm more stressed than I have been, tightly wound, might be more how to describe it.  I was going over it in my mind today and came up with a few reasons for this.  A couple weeks ago when my daughter was home she asked how much coffee I had that morning  -  dah!!  For so long I've only had one cup in the morning and drank more water throughout the day.  Then about a month ago when I drove out to help with my grandson, I stopped and had that second cup to get me through the drive.  Once I started having that second cup there was no stopping me.  I'm sure it's not all that but combined with more sweets, less sleep with the new tv shows starting and being stuck inside canning, I'm feeling sluggish to say the least.  I haven't been exercising as regular as usual also, especially when I want to get started on the canning or travelling somewhere, but just having that second cup of coffee sets my whole game off.  I'm not even sure I need that extra caffeine when I'm driving somewhere, just sipping on the coffee might give me the right boost, so I decided I'll start having decaf and see what happens.  Maybe it'll be just the adjustment I need.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

One Winner - One Redo

I made the canned pears with the white grape juice yesterday and it was awesome.  It's a lot of work peeling those pears, then coring and taking out any bad spots but it was worth it.  That juice smelled like grapes right off the vine.  I only got 6 pints but they look beautiful and taste great.  We're slowly taking care of those Bartlett pears which in my opinion are the hardest because when they start to ripen, you gotta move fast.  The other pears have a much longer standing time where they don't get too ripe too fast.  That canning was the winner, my redo wasn't something that turned out bad but rather not what I expected.  I made a batch of hot salsa or what was supposed to be hot based on the peppers I used, and it ended up being mild.  I had been asking my hubby to try it and make sure it was what he wanted and he finally did that yesterday.  Mind you not much is hot enough for this guy so when he said it wasn't hot I simply disregarded it.  Then it bothered me so much I thought I better bite the bullet and get a taste myself.  I tasted, then waited and waited for the heat to arrive and it didn't.  By golly he was right!  I used what he thought were the hottest peppers he had out there  -  hot Portugals  - but the jalapenos I used in my medium salsa were hotter.  I had to change the label to mild and I'm making a hot batch with the jalapenos today.  Even he was amazed that they weren't hotter.  So today will be that batch of hot salsa and whatever peppers are left I'll do the hot pepper rings.  That'll pretty much take care of the tomatoes for now and with some nice weather, maybe I'll have more ripe ones to do another batch of juice.  Wish me happy canning!

Monday, September 19, 2011

Time Saving Technology

I thought I better get this down now while I'm thinking about it.  I got my Whole Living magazine in the mail today and as I was leafing through it while we went out shopping, I found something quite interesting.  It was a survey asking which technology you thought was the most time saving.  The gps got 12%. online calendar got 9%, dishwasher/washing machine got 9% and smartphones got 70%.  Come on, people!!!  Maybe we've had dishwashers and washing machines so long now we've forgotten what it would be like without them.  I realize phones can be helpful but I'd rather find stuff the old-fashioned way than go back to washing dishes and doing laundry by hand any day.  I might be one of the few people who actually remembers using a wringer washer to do my clothes.  Before my mom got her new Maytag, we did our clothes in one and then hung them on the line to dry.   As I recall in the past when I bought a new washer, they even had models where you put your own water in (not automatically).  When we moved into our house we had a washer and dryer but the washer broke down soon after as it was a used one.  I borrowed my mother-in-law's wringer to do our clothes.  I had to fill the tub with water, let it agitate for awhile, put each piece of laundry through the wringer, drain the tub, fill with rinse water, let the clothes agitate for awhile to rinse, then put them through the wringer again.  As you can imagine it took a good part of the day to get a load of clothes done.  Do we really think that dishwashers and washing machines don't save us time?  Try it for a day and then let me know.

Back on the Canning Train

I've been supplied with more canning jars so I'm back on the train, despite not wanting to be.  Yesterday it was another day of salsa and preparations for pickled jalapenos and canned pears.  I have to admit the weather has been beautiful for canning.  There was a slight chance of a frost at the cabin but here, we're in for another great week.  So the last batch of salsa was a hot one but not the hubby's usual hot.  This time I made it by my recipe with sweet peppers and just an extra dose of hots.  My pears will also be a different recipe, one I found somewhere using white grape juice.  Normally I would make a thin syrup and can them with that but, for the past couple of years it's been difficult finding sugar at a reasonable price.  I realize that everything is going up but really!  The cheapest we found was Aldi's for $2.39 a 5# bag and we got 3.  Mind you I go through a lot of this when I make my candy, which I will be starting soon.  So I found the juice at Sharp Shopper for a little over a dollar for a good size bottle.  Anyway, that's the plan for this week.  One other thing that I found kind of humorous this week.  You can always tell who has extra produce to get rid of when you offer them some pears and they respond with "Do you want some apples?"  That's what I got from a friend I talked to yesterday.  It seems she is in the same place we are with the pears.  We've picked our Honeycrisp apples but that's it so far, and they are absolutely delicious!  There aren't many and because of the water going in last year, we don't have our second tree producing this year.  I have a feeling it will be an exceptionally good year for cider!!

Saturday, September 17, 2011

McKean's 150th Anniversary

Well, we made it home just in time to see the parade right outside our house.  This brought back many memories for me and I'm sure for the kids, too.  They used to have this parade every year and the kids would park their chairs on the lawn and wait for the candy to be thrown.  Then we would head up to the Parish Center for rides, food, and bingo.  They also had a big tent set up for gambling games.  That was how the fire dept made most of their money but we contributed more with the food, bingo and rides.  Allison and I, and maybe Les, were in the parade for Girl Scouts, as I recall.  I mentioned to my hubby that I didn't recognize anyone in the parade this time, probably because our kids are all graduated.  How things have changed over the years.  It was nice to have something for the new people in town so they could make their own memories just like we have.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Fall Gardens and Produce

I've already informed my hubby that things will change next year with our garden as I don't want to can anymore.  I can safely say that now that I've put up 3 batches of crabapple jelly, 7 qts. of tomato juice, 7 qts. of tomato soup and 8 pts. of salsa,but what happens next summer.  It's not that I don't like canning, it's that we aren't using what I put up, therefore a shortage of jars.  Right now I'm faced with pears out the wazoo, and hating to let them go to waste, struggling with who to give them to but wanting some for myself, too.  I have been trying to cook more with the fresh produce such as a triple batch of chili, tomato basil soup and spaghetti sauce with basil.  I'm sure a big batch of Unstuffed Pepper Soup will be in the works soon and will use some.  It wasn't long ago that I made that batch of Stuffed Peppers which were oh so good.  I think what is so different with  the garden issue is that my time is dependent on when everything ripens.  I'm excited to work on stuff at first, then comes the deluge and a time frame is issued and that upsets me.  If I could do it at my leisure it would be fine.  These pears are tricky as they are hard now on the trees but as soon as 1 drops, they are ready to be picked.  They will ripen on their own but it's not good to let them do that on the tree.  So I've decided to can a few qts. of pears but use the white grape juice method this time.  It won't be long before all those apples are ripe, too.  I remember last year without any and how at first I was lost and longing for them but we were so busy last fall, I don't know how we would have managed with them all.  This year I'd like to do the cider, which may be our last time to make it (probably not).  Some of you are asking  "Why doesn't she donate them (tomatoes, pears, etc) and help others".  It's not that I don't want to but home-grown items are far from perfect and I hesitate to give others, that I don't know, stuff like that.  We work around the imperfections and are aware that it's best to cut into the fruit instead of taking a big bite.  Don't get me wrong though. My hubby takes very good care of our trees and garden and I still think we have some of the best home-grown stuff around.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Last Day of Challenge

This is the last blog challenge post and I'm so ready for it.  There will be no picture though only some good things that happened.  It certainly wasn't the most exciting of days for me but a collection of little things that, in the end, made for a nice day.
  1. One of the first things that happened this morning was getting on the internet and finding a series of quilting shows that Eleanor Burns made.  I just love to watch her and see her little tricks for quilting.  She really is a remarkable person and she made me feel excited about quilting again.  I'm going to look for a beginner's book to buy sometime.  I also bookmarked the site so I could watch more.
  2. Sometimes finishing things, whatever they might be, gives me such a good feeling.  I've been canning tomatoes all week and putting those tomatoes to good use was satisfying to me.  I even made a big batch of chili to use some of the old tomatoes I had and some peppers from the garden. 
  3. Today, both of our orders from Amazon came in  -  a new winter cover for the pool and an inflatable for it.  I was getting a little worried about when it would come and hoped we would be here.  The neighbors are usually pretty good about keeping an eye out for stuff like that.
  4. I was very excited to hear that my daughter-in-law is going to be in an exercise group with Denise Austin.  Wow, I couldn't believe it.  My first thought was to tell someone else who could appreciate the scope of this news so I texted Juanita the girl I used to exercise with.  She was just as excited as I was.  My hubby even knew who she was from TV.  That was the most fantastic news of the day!
  5. The last thing I felt good about today was what I made for supper, not that it turned out all that well or that I'll ever make it again, but that it was new, different and I used up a lot of stuff.  It was called Lazy Lasagna and instead of noodles, you layer ravioli and sauce.  I had pulled what I thought was chili for my hubby out of the freezer, only to find it was meatballs and sauce.  So this was my attempt to use it anyway and as an added bonus, I used the ravioli. 
Well there you have it  -  my final blog challenge post.  I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I'm ready to move on.  I have learned things along the way such as putting pictures on my posts that don't come from the camera.  That was really major for me.  At times the memories were a bit much for me and it almost made me sad but I recovered quickly.  Some were good memories and I even got some pictures sorted through for scrapbooking.  In the end I'm glad I did it and glad it's over. 

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

3 Wishes

Now my idea of wishes is what kids do with their birthday cake.  I feel like I've had to come up with so much stuff for this challenge that has to do with what I want such as dream house, dream wedding.  It's made me realize that I'm happy with what I have.  So for this I'm acting like Miss America and my three wishes are
  1. World Peace
  2. A cure for cancer
  3. a big lottery win
Anything else I could ask for are things I can probably get myself.  Of course the lottery would be mostly for my family and charities.  Do you think that would get me a win?  Sorry for the attitude and I should have seen what the challenge was going to expect of me.  At first it was kind of fun looking at old pictures and reminiscing about my parents and places I've been, but now I want it to be over.  Maybe that was the point of it  -  to focus so much on yourself that you want to see others now.  Tomorrow is the last challenge and I will be relieved and ready to start anew.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Something That Stresses Me Out

This challenge really tries to make you dig deep, even if you don't want to.  I wrote before about how I don't like to merge in traffic and that also causes me some stress but I feel I need to come up with another one for the sake of the challenge.  I find since I retired that I don't have much stress and I even notice it in my hubby.  One thing I do get is a little anxious about  being around other people in conflict or a person that has said stuff to me that makes me uncomfortable.  I'm not going into details but sometimes I anticipate what a certain situation can bring and I feel that dirty sneaker effect.  More often than not I'm wrong and it's all good.  Too many times I've been in a situation where I never say what I feel because usually I'm too surprised to think of something.  So I spend time rehearsing what I would say if it happens so I don't feel like I've been walked on.  Age brings a lot of this stuff on and as I get older I don't want to have things over my head like that. 

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Town That I Live In

McKean is the town I live in, at least for now.  I've been thinking about this one for quite awhile and how a decision decades ago influences the lives of your children and grandchildren.  I will miss living here, I know that.  I remember as our house was being built, coming here and climbing in the basement window to get a look at things.  It was the first time I had ever been in this area and thought how far away it was.  I came to realize, especially with the mall so close to the north and Edinboro so close to the south, that it was positioned just perfectly.  Our neighborhood was small and not as elite as Georgetown Hts. was, and that's how we liked it.  Our kids would fill a whole bus going to school, at least when Andy started school.  After that the numbers dwindled.  I think it was so great for the kids growing up because when they were old enough they could walk to so many things, such as the school, rec park (the back way), Country Fair, Post Office and the ice cream store.  When the kids would have friends over, they would be so tickled to have that opportunity as they lived out in the country.  Halloween was great here because the kids could walk all around the neighborhood and even a little up on 99 for candy.  Of course the down side was that we would get so many trick or treaters come here.  But it was always nice to see the preschoolers that would come and say Hi to Mrs. Markievich.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

My Dream Wedding

If I had the chance, how would I have done my wedding differently, I guess that's how to think of it.  I've always loved the idea of a pig roast at a wedding.  The guy I used to work with on weekends had one at one of his weddings and I was impressed.  Not that I would want anything real casual like everyone in denim but an outdoor setting would be wonderful.  I'm a hands on, make your own, kind of girl and that's what it was like for my wedding.  I made my own dress and all the bridesmaid's dresses were handmade (I made one of those, too).  I wish now that I had made something a little fancier for my wedding but at the time, money and time were issues and I guess I didn't think I had the ability to do more.  I was probably wrong about that, looking back at all the clothes I used to make for myself and others.  I'm also a realist about this and although I would have loved to have some nicer pictures taken at the wedding, I wouldn't have wanted to pay for them.  Nowadays, there's so much more to do for weddings and I would be in my glory to make centerpieces, cookies, etc.for a wedding.  I'll have that chance with my daughter's wedding coming up and hope she gets her dream wedding.

Friday, September 9, 2011

No iPod

Ok, I don't have an iPod and don't really know what it is except I might have bought one for my daughter for Christmas one year.  So I assume this is about songs I'm listening to right now if I had one.  For a technology-impaired person such as me, I'll tell you what cd I am listening to in the car right now  -  Rod Stewart and his best.  I looked around a long time to find a cd with just the right songs on it.  So many were remakes but I wanted ones he recorded ,especially Forever Young.  This is one we used to listen to at the beginning of every dance show my daughter was in until Patty changed it and things weren't the same.  Now as I listen to this cd, I find myself enjoying all the songs, some more mushy than others.  I sing and move with the Some guys have all the luck and also enjoy When I was younger.  Of course, my hubby likes Maggie May as I do but that might be the only one for him.  That raspy voice of his makes it easy to sing along with  -  I even sound pretty good!  On our trips to the cabin when I start driving, we'll listen to this, maybe zip through a couple of them and then put the radio on.  At least it gives me a little fix.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Something I've Learned

I've learned many things over the course of these 60 years but I think the most important is that I am responsible and solely responsible for my happiness.  No one else can do that for me or make me feel any way I don't want to.  I've seen too much of how other people blame others, be it parents, spouse or children, for their own choices in life and I realize that no one else can force me to do what I don't want to do.  This kind of philosophy is liberating in a way, and you don't have those bad feelings toward anyone else.  I reminds me when the kids were little and would talk of being bored or they had nothing to do.  I told them they had to make their own fun.  We did that as kids down by the creek that ran behind our house.  We would spend all day creating rooms across the water.  I know everyone isn't lucky enough to have that sort of childhood memory but even my kids could make their forts and go treasure hunting at the creek near us.  I might be simplifying things a bit but my point is to start each day with a clean slate and if you need to set someone straight about something, go ahead and do it, then let it go. 

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Board Games I Love

Once again I'm unable to just name one board game that I like  -  I have several.  One of my first favorites was the Barbie Prom game.  I know it's a kid's game but I like it so much that I bought one at a thrift store as an adult to play with my granddaughter someday.  I remember playing this at some one's house for a sleepover and then requesting they bring it to my house at a later time.  The first one had cards for Ken, Pointdexter and a couple other guys and also the dresses you could choose.  Another game I first played at a friend's house was Mille Borne (1000 miles in French) and I later asked for one for myself.  I remember my mom and I playing it and saying the french words for everything including essence for gas.  We had a ball.  Then with my own kids I recall us all playing Mall Madness.  It was kind of a hassle setting up but we each had a credit card to put through a slot and it went "ch-ching".  There were sales and clearances all over and the object was to buy a certain amount and then leave the mall.  I wish now we hadn't gotten rid of that one  -  I think even my grandson would have enjoyed that one.  Ch-ching!!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

What's in my Purse

I've had to think creatively since I made my new purse.  The Travelon purses had a place for everything especially cards.  I've managed to fit it all in my new grab bag thankfully.  I have just about what everyone else has as far as the basics and then a few other things we seem to need from time to time.  I carry some Shout wipes for drips, Tide-to-go for extra protection, a small pair of fold-up scissors for coupons, a page of return address labels for any raffle tickets we might buy, a few packaged towelletes for a quick clean-up, a small bundle of my calling cards, in addition to the usual wallet, cards, cellphone, comb, mirror, chapstick, pens, and gum that most others stuff into their purses. That pretty much handles it for me and there's still a little room if my hubby wants me to hold his cigs or camera.
P.S.  Hope nothing is misspelled in here.  I let one thing go that I knew was wrong thinking the spellcheck would get it and it didn't.  What's up with that?  So much for the new format.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Crocheting

OK, this one will put me back on track  -  thank goodness!  What would I never get tired of?  For this one I'd have to say crocheting.  I sometimes like to knit but I grow tired of that and need to put it away for awhile, but with crocheting that doesn't happen.  I've been very busy lately with sewing but at times I need a break from that, too.  I guess I considered my tv addiction as something I don't get tired of but sitting in front of the tv gets boring too.  This past week I broke down and bought some more yarn for an afghan at Ollies.  I swore I wouldn't buy any more after I finished a couple baby blankets but I was itching to crochet.  I had a calendar full of afghans to crochet that my sister had given me and there were a couple that I really wanted to make, so I started one over the weekend.  It felt good to be crocheting again!  I'll keep you posted on my progress and possibly a picture when it's done.

Nicknames

I've never really had any nicknames that I would care to share.  My dad had one for me but I choose to forget that one.  The others, such as Mary Mouse, were not used around me in a nice way.  People close to me frequently call me Mare but that's about it.  Of course, I've been called many things such as rule follower and dork but those were dependent on the moment.  Sorry this wasn't a very interesting blog.  I'm playing catch-up again and to tell you the truth, this challenge is kind of dragging on a little more than I thought it would.  I'm anxiously awaiting the day when I can get back to my regular stuff.

Someone I Miss

I've been thinking about this challenge very thoughtfully and trying to come up with something I miss.  Being retired lets me do whatever I want so I shouldn't miss anything.  I do miss playing cards and board games with someone else.  The hubby has never been a game player so it's solitaire for me.  What I came up with is someone that likes to do the things I like, to play with and bounce ideas off of. I realized it was my mom that I miss.  I mentioned before that we were  a lot alike that way.  She was always ready to try something new, also.  As I have been sorting through pictures, I've noticed her wearing dresses that she made.  She could really help around here with the sewing.  She'd also be making a lot of goodies, especially pies which might not be as good for us.  She'd probably make them and donate them as I remember her and my dad volunteering for Meals on Wheels.  One thing I used to hate is when I went shopping with my mom how she would always find someone she knew and have to stop and talk.  That should sound familiar to my kids because they've accused me of the same thing.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Food I Like

This is another challenge that depends on many factors.  There's not one single favorite place I like to eat.  I pride myself on being able to find something I like anywhere we go.  The one thing I don't like much is seafood however I do like a good deep-fried fish every now and then.  So as far as Chinese, any place will do, as far as pizza, Pizza Hut takes top honors, as far as Italian, I'm partial to Serafini's, as far as wings, I still love Buffalo Wild Wings (Copper Coin is under new management and therefore the decision is still out on that one), as far as Mexican, none are really my choice (either too spicy or too bland) and as far as the rest, I just go with the flow. Usually what happens is we go somewhere fairly often and then for one reason or another, we get tired of it and find another.  My philosophy is that if someone else is cooking, I'm in!

Turning 60

This will probably sounds pretty strange but I'm looking forward to turning 60 this week.  I know  -  who wants to get older  -  but think of the discounts I can get.  Up to now the only ones I got were those handed out to 55 yr. olds and those were few and far between.  Of course some people hesitate to ask your age so they automatically give it to you if you look old.  Who cares as long as you get it!  Some places still wait until you're 65 and I'll have to rely on my hubby to provide that one in a couple years.  Until then I'll look forward to the day when I can get my own and feel proud of it.  I've written before about the benefits of getting older and how we can get away with murder, almost.  When I cut someone off, I'm old and can't be held responsible, if I can't read signs, my eyesight is failing, it gets harder and harder standing for a long time, offer me your seat (believe it or not, women offer more), and I don't move as fast so stop and let me cross in peace. 

Dream House

This one is relevant -  relevant to what period in my life we're talking about.  If I were being asked this 30 years ago I would have wanted lots of bedrooms and space for everyone in the family besides a fully loaded kitchen.  Now that the kids are gone and life is being simplified, my dream house has also changed.  In fact, I probably already have my dream house in our cabin.  When we were planning the cabin the items of concern for me were an outside space (aka front porch and deck)  main floor laundry room and eating area/bar in the kitchen.  All of those were met when we built it and since then, with the renovation of the basement giving us a half bath, family room and bedroom, my dream of a craft room has also been accomplished.  I didn't even realize how much I wanted a craft room until I had one here and then I knew I would miss not having it.  Having a huge house with all the bells and whistles is not what appeals to me now.  I'd rather have it ample but easy to clean.