A Special Cake

For those of you who know me, you know I love the Walton's!

This year, I made Olivia Walton's Applesauce Raisin Cake with Bourbon Frosting (the 'Recipe').

It came out really good!!!

I'll post the recipe in the recipe section!

Life

I almost forgot how to post a blog, it has been that long! 

Life gets in the way, but I'm not complaining...

Thanksgiving was good, I ran my annual race but it was really freezing, really!!

I had a lot of gratitude, thankfulness, but just never got the time to post.  Working 60 hour weeks, is not conducive to blogging. 

I will slow down now for the next three weeks, and then, in January, I will be in over drive again!   But I am thankful for the reprieve of Advent and slowing down and enjoying the "Reason for the Season"

I went on a Journey to Bethlehem this past week.  A local Christian church follows Mary and Joseph on their way to Bethlehem.  We walk through the woods, meet up with other families on route to their respective towns for the census, come head to head with evil Roman soldiers, are offered food (curds) by some farmers, meet shepherds and angels who herald that the Messiah has been born and FINALLY see baby Jesus in a beautiful manger filled with animals.  This is a yearly tradition for me now.

I went to Center Stage in Shelton for a Christmas Play/Sing a long.  That got me into the Spirit! 

This week, I have a family Christmas Party and my annual Cookie swap, so I'll be busy with those things. 

My daughter is home from college for one month and everything else is ok! 

I hope my readers are well also and I will try to blog more often as the holidays approach. 

Leaves

The leaves are FINALLY all down now!  My son did a lot of blowing and raking these past two weeks and we had a friend come with one of those truck leave suckers (I honestly don't know what to call it).  And they are all GONE!

20.  Leaves are done on November 21st this year!!!   I am thankful! 

Now, I am really behind..

I can't keep up with my blog this month - Life just keeps getting in the way!!  Sometimes, good things get in the way and sometimes, not so good things.  We have to keep plugging along!  

Next week, I'll have pictures of Ravioli night - our annual tradition!  This weekend is the Festival of Trees at our Catholic Grammar School.  I won't be able to attend, but I get to set everything up tonight!  If you happen to attend, I made the snowman tree!  

14.  I am grateful to my boss for remembering my favorite drink at Starbucks - the gingerbread latte that only comes out once a year.  It is the ONLY thing that I get from Starbucks.  And he remembers EVERY year!

15.  I am grateful for the ability to help a friend with prayers when they are desperately needed.  I haven't said this many rosaries in a long time.  Glad to do it!

16.  I am thankful to have my jobs over this Christmas season and to cash flow another Christmas.  No debt!

17.  I am very grateful to my former partner, Lauren, who recommended me for a job teaching Zumba and I got it!  

18.  I know I said this one before....but only four more days now until I see my daughter.  It will be 100 days without her.......OMG!

19.  I am grateful for TWO days off next week!  Thanksgiving Day and the day I sleep in (Black Friday) - I don't shop, so I catch up on sleep on that day!!!!   I have no plans, except to have a drink with a friend in the evening! 

I am still a little behind on my gratitude!

11. I am thankful that today finally warmed up after three days of very cold temperatures!   And the entire weekend is going to be in the high 50's!  I'll take it for mid-November!

12. I am thankful that I got to see our good friends from Florida last night!  They just moved down there in June and we miss them!!  They came back up north for Thanksgiving (which is appropriate!).

13.  I am happy and thankful to be teaching three Zumba classes a week, again!  After quitting for a while, I realized how much I really did miss it!!!

Happy Veteran's Day

I'll combine this post with my 30 Days of Gratitude!

7.  I am thankful for all the Veteran's out there, who love our country enough to put their lives on line!

30 Days

8.  I am grateful to my sister who gave me a large bag full of pears.  We ate quite a lot and then I made some delicious pear sauce with the rest!  However, I never got a chance to can it, as my son ate it all!!   I'm still grateful!

9. I am grateful to my sister-in-law who gave me five beautiful eggplants!  I fried eggplant all morning on Sunday and made three trays!  One for dinner on Sunday, one to my son, and one for the freezer! 

10.  I am grateful to my hens who have been consistently giving me four eggs a day!  I know with the cold weather and the shortened days coming up, that I will be getting fewer eggs.  But for now, I'll take what I can get! 

I love fresh, organic veggies and fruits!!

Grateful

6. I am grateful that it is FINALLY Friday and I get to watch my nephew in a play tonight!  SING!

More Gratitude

3. I am thankful for my husband, I can't say it enough, but he is my rock!

4. I am thankful for my neighbor who brings me "chicken" food (all his scraps and leftovers - and for some reason, he has a LOT).  It saves on chicken feed and I now owe him a dozen eggs!!

5. My daughter comes home in 19 days....it has been WAY too long since I've seen her and I will be thankful to see her for Thanksgiving!

P.S.A. For Today.....

.............GO VOTE!!!


2.  Today I am grateful that I live in a country, where I can walk up the street and vote for whomever I want to!

30 Days of Gratitude

It's November and on some blogs that I read and on Facebook (which I do NOT read), they are offering the 30 days of Gratitude.

So, I'm going to try to start this for November and although I am a couple of days late, I will catch up!!!

1.  I am grateful for my children.  Three separate people, three separate personalities, three different faces.  I don't know what I would do without them!

Halloween Party

My son through a Halloween party right before Halloween.  People were really, really creative with their costumes.

 Roman princess and Soldier

 Some kind of crazy monster (my brother)

 A Softball Umpire (hubby)

 Barbie and Ken (most creative!)

 My future daughter in law's side of the family

 My son and his fiance Sam

 Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall

 My mother in law!!!!!

 Colin Kaepernick and his coach (brother and sister in laws)

 Duck Dynasty and his wife Miss Kay (she was he and he was she)

 My two nephews (Superman and the ghost)

Trunk or Treating

The school that my nieces and nephews attend do a Trunk or Treat right before Halloween each year.  I didn't get many pictures. (Bad!)

About 15 cars were decorated (their trunks were decorated) and they give out Halloween candy to all the kids.  There were probably about 100 kids that participated and the cars are parked in a semi-circle and the kids go to each trunk to collect candy!    It really was fun and the costumes were great!

Pumpkin Picking with the Trips

We took the trips to Plasko's Farm in Trumbull.  It is a small place, perfect for three five year olds.  They had donkey petting and a hay ride and a corn maze.  We didn't do the corn maze, but maybe next year they will be ready for that!  Apple cider donuts (a must here in CT in the fall) and apple cider.  We got a bunch of pumpkins too.  My niece (a school teacher) got 25 small pumpkins for her class to decorate.   I forgot to take a picture of the wagon all loaded up with her pumpkins!!!  

PS - No chickens on this farm!  What's a farm without a chicken :O)

New Fridge/New Fridge

That is not an error in the title!

Right before we left for our vacation, our refrigerator died.  It was old, it had a good life, so it was time for a new one!  We went looking and I actually couldn't get what I wanted without taking down cabinets, due to height requirements, so I got something similar to what I had and it got delivered in two days and we were happy!

Fast forward one month....The entire refrigerator portion freezes.  We lose a lot of veggies (very angry about this) and other food.  So we lowered the temperature, but after three days, we realize there is a big problem, no water on the door either!  It took Sears three days to come out and to tell us it is the damper that is broken.  The damper is not closing, so cold air just flows into the refrigerator portion like the freezer!  Because it is such a new model, there are no parts out for it yet....no parts.  They have to get them from the manufacturer.....8 days more!  Yet, every day, we lose food!!   So, hubby is fuming after spending a LOT of money on this new one.  So, he calls Sears and is very worried that the water holding tank is totally frozen and worried about cracked components inside, so they are going to send out a new one on Tuesday (today).  We have already NOT gone shopping because we don't want to lose more things, but I realized this past weekend, we lost milk, onions, and iced tea!  I guess we didn't actually lose the iced tea.....it's just a frozen pitcher full....

We will see what happens today when the new one gets delivered!  

Remember, we plan......

As I have said before, I know that when we plan, God laughs.....

He had a good laugh this weekend!

Hubby went away with friends to Pittsburgh to watch the Steelers.  I had to work this weekend and take care of the dog - that is usually his job (I take care of the hens!).  For those who know me, you know I'm not a dog  person...NOT!

On Saturday, I found three ticks on the dogs!  Three!   Cyrus has not had a tick all summer....literally!   So my son helped me get all three off of Cyrus.  On Sunday morning at six am, Cyrus wakes me up to go outside.  My PLAN for this Sunday was to get up with the dog, take care of the chickens and then go back to bed and get some much needed sleep!   I let the dog outside and of course, what did he decide to run into, but a skunk!   And I have none of the necessary supplies on hand to wash him.  (And my son is conveniently working the night shift and going straight to play golf!)  So I had to wait until seven o'clock AM, when ShopRite opens to go get more baking soda and Dawn and more hydrogen peroxide.  I just didn't have enough!  I got all my other shopping for the week done also (which will be the subject of my next blog!).

I got back home around eight and had to give the dog a bath outside.  It isn't that cold here yet, so I'm thankful for that.

But I'm laughing with you, God!  I have to remember, I can't plan......

Final CSA

It was our last week of the CSA for 2013.  I have opted not to do the fall CSA, even though I love it.  The commute is just too long now that I've moved my job.  It takes me at least 1/2 hour to get to the farm and then another 1/2 hour back to work.  Which is my whole lunch hour!

Next year, I am thinking about doing a CSA a little closer to home.  Even though I will really miss this one!

Week 20:
2 Dandelion Greens (traded for yellow squash and broccoli)
Broccoli
Radishes
Salad turnips
Salanova lettuce
another head of lettuce
one bag of asian mix
2 bunches of carrots
1 huge zucchini
1 bag of wax beans
four tomatoes
2 bunches of kale
1 bok choy

My sister and I split the whole thing, but we got a free watermelon, so I gave it to her.  I know how much she likes it!  

I have to order my turkey next from the farm.  It is time!

CSA Week 19

Full Share:2 lbs. of yellow squash and zucchini

3 lbs. of tomatoes

1 pint of small tomatoes

1 large head of broccoli

1 lb. of leeks OR 1 large cauliflower (could be colored orange, purple, white, or green)

1/4 lb. of hot peppers

3 large sweet peppers

1 lb. of mixed colors beets

1/2 lb. bag of Asian salad mix

1/2 lb. bag of salanova leaf lettuce mix

1 bunch of hakurei salad turnips

2 bunches of Kale (curly Winterbor or flat leaf Toscano)

  

Hump Day Commercial

Have  you seen the Geico Hump Day commercial?

It has a camel going through the offices asking everyone to guess what day it is?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWBhP0EQ1lA At my daughter's college, the school loves the commercial because their mascot is a camel!   However, at some school's in our home state, the commercial is being banned because the kids keep repeating it....MIke, Mike, Mike, MIke, Mike..... 'Hump Day' commercial: Connecticut students banned from quoting Geico ad I am hysterical because I LOVE that commercial!!

Leaving on a jet (blue) plane

Two weeks goes by fast.   Way too fast!

Back to life and work and reality!  

CSA Week 18 already and I got the whole share last week!

Plus a watermelon!

Full Share:1/4 lb. of garlic 1 lb. of green and yellow beans 2 lbs. of yellow squash and zucchini 1 lb. of cucumbers 1 large eggplant 2 large sweet peppers 2 lbs. of tomatoes 1 pint of small tomatoes 1 large cauliflower or 2 small (could be colored orange, purple, white, or green) 1/2 lb. bag of Asian salad mix 1 bunch of both radishes and carrots 1 head of lettuce 1 bunch of dandelion greens 2 bunches of Kale (curly Winterbor or flat leaf Toscano)

Naples

Random pictures of one of the most beautiful cities in America.

Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney

This guy was awesome.  Totally red, totally still.....until someone went up next to the statue to get their picture taken...then he would move just a little bit.  Eyes were closed so I am not sure how he knew what was going on...