Passing Time....

My great nephews and great nieces were sledding recently and when they came indoors cups of hot cocoa were enjoyed. The original photo grabbed my attention so I made my version of the enjoyment of the youngest one.

This angle of his big blue eyes looking up reminded me of a photo that was taken when he was a baby, soooooo.....

And the fun continued for the rest of my afternoon.

please click on image to view larger

I often get carried away! It is a very relaxing hobby for me. 

Blueberry Sauce

After making the blueberry upside down lemon cake the other day, I remembered that I had a recipe for sauce. This is easy to make and perfect for topping over ice cream or cake!

Yes! Wonderful stuff! I did change it a little as I didn't have orange juice on hand. I substituted lemon juice that I had in the freezer. A couple of months ago I bought a bag of lemons and juiced them all, poured the juice (pulp and all) into several little 4 oz. jars and froze it for future use. Why? A time saver, that's why. It came in handy and the sauce came out just right.

Here is the recipe:

See? Doesn't that look good? It is! The berries stayed whole.

click on image for larger view

Boy oh Boy

Twenty fingers, twenty toes,
Plenty of work, heaven knows!

One will laugh, the other will cry
One will be wet, the other will be dry
While one will yell, the other will sleep
These memories will be .....
Most precious to keep!

Welcome to the world boys!

AVERY LANE 4.12 lbs

GRAYSON JOSEPH 4.2 lbs.
b. 2/15/19

Good Stuff

Of course I'm referring to food, what else? Last night I put together a casserole with leftovers, and it was very tasty; especially delicious. There are no rules in my kitchen, except "waste not, want not."  This was a combination of potatoes, sliced thinly as scalloped dishes require. Then I had cut up a slice of ham into 1/2" square cubes and added. Left over string beans, milk, butter and pepper went in next with a dusting of flour. On the top I sprinkled a few of French's crispy onion pieces and a little shredded sharp cheese. Baked at 350° for an hour, rested for ten minutes and the one dish meal was served.

This morning I baked a lemon pudding cake in a flat pan and added a couple of cups of frozen blueberries. I do hope this treat will last a few days. Whipped cream coming up!

please click on image to view larger

A Little Reminiscing

Looking back I don't know how I did it! Since reconstructing the 66 year old photo album (1953—1956) I have been brought back to the past. Just today, I remembered something sweet that one of the little children of mine did and so I looked to see them all again as they came into my life one by one.

And then there were two in 1957
1958 picture

 There were three in 1958

1959 picture

 There were four in 1960

And two more! One in 1967 and another in 1968

No details here, just a few old and not in very good shape photos.

Warm and Cozy

Last night's quiche for supper was delicious! I must tell you that the crumbled stale Italian bread at the bottom, on top of a pat of melted butter in the very old glass pie dish held it together nicely. The next layer was cooked, drained spinach and raw chopped onions. Then I poured 1 cup of half and half mixed in with 5 large eggs and a few shakes of Parmesan/Romano cheese over the top and finished off with about a cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. It baked at 350° for about 45 minutes. We ate half the pie!!! This is a "once in a while" meal. I never do it the same way twice!

Today it is snowing. We expect it to turn to freezing rain and perhaps ice later. I love being in this warm and cozy old log cabin. Comfort rules today! 

please click on image to view larger

One Day at a Time

The forecast is for more snow and then some freezing icy conditions tomorrow. I cancelled two appointments. We don't travel anywhere when the roads are treacherous. So.....I just caught up on some dusting and general cleaning and then baked a batch of sugar cookies. I have been holding a jar of ground up brownies to use in the future for long enough. They are from a batch that I overbaked several months ago and for sure we didn't want the Mister's dentures to break. The food processor did a good job of making crumbles! The freezer kept them fresh. I just rolled the sugar cookie dough into balls and then rolled the balls into the crumbles. They baked fine and are very tasty. We have lived frugally all of our years and it is a rarity that I throw any food away. Have a cookie!

click on image to view larger

Spinach cheddar quiche for dinner. I also made my own bread crumbs to go on the bottom (no crust) from the ends of dried out Italian breads that I saved over the past few months. I just put them in a paper bag and roll them down with the marble rolling pin on the marble slab.  We love quiche!

Upward Trending

Yes, we both are feeling much improved. Doc took me off of meds and pneumonia is under control. The Mister is healing well and has very quick recovery powers.  All signs "GO!" I felt so good that I even made brownies today!

I even was able to finish the old photo album project except for eight little color prints I'm having made in Kansas. This company can take the old scratched 2.25" x 2.25" 1956 color negatives and print them ANY size I want and the cost is minimal. I just want them, after finding the envelope at the back of the old album. I was in search of help and our local "Then and Now" site members gave me so many good tips of where I could get this done. I plan to tell you more after they arrive. More on this project later. Here are a few images that I scanned - just because. 

Corey Lane, Chester NJ
 Up the hill to my first home after marriage in December 1955

 One room log cabin with stone fireplace and gas heater

 Sofa bed in living area

 Down the hill to landlord's home to do laundry

 Cut hair, too much work with new baby

 Moved to small 2 bedroom home 2nd baby on the way

January 1957 Cedar Knolls NJ

please click on image to view larger

Fantastic Movie (IMOO)

I recently watched an entire movie on one of our PBS TV stations Saturday night about trees.

The wonderful Britain's best loved actress (and by me too) Judi Dench, started off saying that there are more trees on the planet than stars in the galaxy. That really got my attention because I love nature, trees, fungi, flowers and critters. So I watched and learned. Ya know, we can NEVER stop learning!

"This film follows Judi's journey through the seasons and her mission to understand her woodland's vital role in our history and our future. With the help of some of the best tree scientists and historians in the world, Judi unlocks the remarkable secret lives of trees and the stories that they tell us."

Photo from the internet documentary film 2017

If you do a Google search you will find sites to download the entire movie or just some clips. Try it!

https://ihavenotv.com/judi-dench-my-passion-for-trees

Repeat

DANG!
He stepped on his own foot and fell AGAIN! New elbow skin break. Sore hip, sore knee. Head OK - I think!
Time for a run for more bandaging materials. Won't go to ER. Says he's OK.

Click on image to enlarge

I've finished 20 of the 30 pages in the rejuvenation of the vintage photo album. Very messy project. Running out of tape and patience. Time will tell. Trying very hard to keep it vintage style. Corners working well with additional double sticky tape. Reminiscing. Not for me but for firstborn. 

Role Playing

The Mister is now the taxi cab driver. I am now the nurse.
After splitting headaches and a constant cough I gave up and saw the doc. The Mister, a/k/a taxi cab driver, drove me there, waited until I was diagnosed, prescribed meds, had chest x-rays and patiently waited until I was finished with the visit. The taxi cab driver then became the errand boy and picked up my meds and turned back into the taxi cab driver and took me home.

Then I became the cook. It was dinnertime. Then he turned into the dishwasher.

That was after I became the nurse earlier in the morning, digging out all of the bandage, antibiotic ointment, gauze tape, sterile pads, scissors and stuff that I thought I needed to patch his elbow when he tripped and fell and needed the nurse.

End of story. We are on the way to recovery! Honestly, I do not like being the nurse but I think he likes being the cab driver!

Stop now if you have qualms seeing a bruised elbow. Home care is just not what it is cracked up to be.