Making Pies today and getting ready!

 Heading up to Sissies in a while to make pies.  I got the Prime Rib, and it was very pricey but will be worth it!

Made eight pie crusts yesterday and four gluten free crusts.

Of course, the entire kitchen had to be deep cleaned after the first batch of crust as I did not want to cross contaminate regular flour with gluten free, so it was a longer process than normal, but it is done.

I will say that the gluten free crust went together very well for the first time.  I am getting the hang of working with this flour as well as almond flour, which is also gluten free, but has a somewhat nutty flavor.

I will spend the night at Sissies and then start prepping in the morning.  So prime rib, mashed potatoes, Brussel sprouts with bacon, Aus jus gravy and popovers!  Will make both regular and gluten free.

Sissie will make pumpkin pie, and I am making apple.  Will do two small gluten free crusts for our friend so she can have both pies!

I have found if I make my popover batter early and let it come to room temperature; they cook up so much fluffier.

I also bought olives and will have my famous smoked salmon dip for appetizer with toasted gluten free baguette and gluten free crackers.  Bought some sparkling apple and cranberry cider for most and of course I will be drinking wine!

Should be a great time with Family and friends.

Now I am going to run to the store and get flowers for the table!

Here is wishing everyone the happiest of Thanksgivings!

Gobble, gobble, but no turkey for us!

Kay

Home again!

Oh, it is so good to be home!  Sissy and I pulled into town about 3:30 yesterday afternoon after a seven-hour drive.

We were not needed at her late Mother in laws house as the granddaughters had finished it, so we went on to Twin Falls to see Sissies eldest. Before we left the Boise area we stopped at Talbot's and Lulu Lemon for several Christmas gifts.

Sissy really got to relax, and we did a lot of shopping which was great as there is no shopping in Lewiston.  Sissy also made herself useful and altered eleven garments for her eldest and two for her eldest MIL

Sissies cold finally has been abolished which is wonderful!

On our way back home, we stopped in Nampa to see Heidi after checking to see if she would take visitors, and it was so good to see her, but oh so sad. She looked like a concentration camp victim.  All teeth and eyes, but her spirit was there.  It was a very brief visit as she sleeps a lot and when we left, we just sat in the car for abought 30 minutes and cried our eyes out. I do not think she will make it to Thanksgiving. Cancer is damn cruel!

I unpacked everything last night and today I have done four loads of laundry and planned my menu for the next three days.

I made my list for Thanksgiving, and I know where I am going to buy my Prime Rib.

Tomorrow I will make my pie crusts, eight regular and four gluten free.

Sissy and I have decided on the menu with the exception of vegetable which will be either Brussel sprouts with bacon, or green beans almondine.

Sissy will make the Pumpkin pie, and I will make apple.

I am waiting for my last load of laundry to dry and then will do a small grocery shop and then up to Sissies to drop some things off and retrieve some packages that came for me while we were gone.

Then home to get my ironing done and make dinner.  Tonight, it will be chicken pesto with linguini!

The dryer just beeped so downstairs I go to finish my chore.

Blessings to everyone this Sabbath!

Kay

 

So much to do to get out of Dodge!

 

Oh, it has been a busy time since I last blogged, and it just getting crazier.

Sissy has been really sick with a bad cold, and I have been running interference.

She is on the mend but still has a wicked cough.  Her immune system is just horrible.

We are leaving tomorrow to go to Nampa and help Joels family finish the clean out of His Mother's house and then onto Twin Falls to see Kim's oldest for a day or two.

We will also pack funeral clothes, as Joel's sister is now on Hospice and it could be any day now.  The thought just terrifies me, as I so love this woman.

She has been battling ovarian cancer for four years. She is Sissy and my age, and we graduated from high school the same year. Such a lovely woman and I am just sick for the family.

I need to pack and get so many little things done before I leave town.  I will spend the night at Sissy's tonight, so we can get on the road early and I will drive the five hours to Nampa.

I am such a planner, and this has thrown me for a loop as I want days and days to plan.  I wanted to get some Thanksgiving baking done this week and I will have to push that to next week, but it can be done.

Now grab a suitcase and get to packing that is my goal.

Pray for us as we undertake this trip.  I do not want Sissy overdoing which you all know she tends to do.

Husb will take care of Roscoe and hold down the fort here.

Now I am heading downstairs to pull a suitcase and then shower and dress for the day.  Then run a myriad of errands.

Everyone take care.  We shall return.

Kay

Thursday the 6th of November!

 So, what has been happening at the Nichols Homestead.  A lot!  The weather has turned cold and rainy and with time change very dark by late afternoon.  By the time of the winter equinox, it will dark by four in the afternoon and not hit sunrise until 8:00 in the morning!  The winters are dark here and I feel like we are living in Alaska.

The rains are upon us, but we need it so not to complain.

One of our last outdoor projects was to pull these very heavy pavers and large stone, so our landscaper could come and dig 3.5 tons of topsoil out of the front boulevard and get it ready for hydroseed next spring.

As soon as this work gets done, we will lay the pavers for a larger path below grade.

These pavers were very heavy and the Husb and I had a workout.

Complete, and I have not retired my gardening clothes yet as I still have to process the cut garden which I will do after the first hard frost.

We have worked so hard in this yard and now we are really at impasse and need another project.

The jigsaw puzzles help! 

I went and got a Library card and stocked up on books and am making plans within plans.

Sissy is really down with a bad cold, and we so hope that we do not catch it.  I will go and check on her later today, Husb is steering clear, as when he gets a cold, it is weeks and weeks.

One of my goals this month was to stay out of the grocery store, but the loss leaders were just too good this week.

I was able to get six eighteen counts of large eggs for 1.97 each (Christmas Baking is soon upon us)!  Sissy will also pick up three more or I will do it for her, will find that out later today.  Her chickens are no longer laying; last Christmas we were paying six dollars a dozen!

I also got six pounds of beautiful center loin porkchops for 99 cents a pound, and they are gorgeous.

This is a roll back to the 1960's.  I will also ask Sissy if she wants me to pick some up for her.

My freezers are full!  Her chest freezer is not.  We shall see.  If I had more room, I would have bought more as there is no limit!

I also picked up 8 boxes of kraft macaroni and cheese for .49 cents a box (my Husb and I hate this) as Sissy's grands love it and it is a quick meal for them.   So, I spent all told $21.09!

Tonight, we are having flanken (beef short ribs cut across the grain) with mashed potatoes and green beans.  We finished homemade potato soup last night and it was even better the second day.  I ran some up to sick Sissy and cleaned her kitchen because that is what Sisters do.

I have finally made an appointment with an Investment Counselor who is one of Sissy's very good Clients, as Husb and I want our investments handled locally.  This has been on my list of things to do since we moved here.

I am waiting on an estimate for the front yard and boulevard, and I will fill you in when they arrive.

I want so badly to get out in the yard and blow leaves, but it is just too wet and will not dry out until the weekend.  I just do not want leaves piling up on our new grass and with the trees next door this is what is happening.

Now I must go and make myself beautiful (this is very difficult) and then head up the hill to check on Sissy.

Hope everyone is doing well!

God is good!

Kay

P.S. 

Second puzzle finished!

November 1st and a Halloween report!

This is me and I am one of the monkeys as I way over bought Halloween candy.  WE had about sixty kids and what was I thinking.  So, I have bagged up the leftovers and am taking them to the Neighbors across the street. 

I gave Sissy a large box of Fruit snacks for the kids at Choir tomorrow and a large bag of rice crispy treats for the adults. So, she does not have to bake today!  I call that a win! I want this stuff out of the House as Husb is diabetic and has no self-control, which he readily admits.

Sissy came for dinner last night (pizza)and we worked a jig saw puzzle which Husb and Sissy finished long after I went to bed.  I did a little as I was handing out candy.

Sissy then decided to spend the night, and I did not even hear her come to bed, I was that tired.

The finished puzzle and I cannot get this picture turned.  This was only 750 pieces!

It is that time of year again, just too cold to be outside, at least for me it is.

However today we have the last warm spell of the season, and it will climb to the high sixties.

I am hoping that after I get back from my small grocery shop the Husb will help me trim the trees along the side path.  We shall see.  I also want to pull the large pavers and large rock from the boulevard path, so our lawn guy can come and level and get rid of a lot of the dirt to bring this area below grade.

I will then relay the path (below grade) and cover the earth with yard cloth until next spring.

This area will then be hydroseeded when it gets warm enough.

So, plans within plans.  I did manage to get to Home Creepo yesterday and get more ground cloth pins and laid another layer at an area on the back driveway area that kept blowing up.  We do occasionally get some high winds.

I am making a ham, bacon and cheese quiche for dinner as that is what Husb wants along with a small side salad.  This will feed us for three meals.

My goal this month, and I mean it is to stay out of the grocery store and whittle down the freezers.

Wish me luck as I have been bad.  I have done a full inventory of the upstairs freezer, but not the downstairs and that I will do tomorrow and then report.

My problem is I cannot stop buying loss leaders as groceries have become so expensive, but I am past the point of being ridiculous.  I just cannot pass up a bargain.

I think I will have to challenge Ann to do the same.  Go Ann, go! Oh, wait she is still working on the room of horrors, but is making progress, and all progress is good!

Talked with both Sluggy and Ann yesterday and Sluggy is struggling.  The surgery really took it out of her, but she is strong and will bounce back, it is just going to take time.

Both Sissy and I think she will not be ready for Company by the end of November so we will make plans for next spring, but things could change.

Now I must get to the store, deliver candy across the street, put gas in my car, and then home to vacuum the basement and make a quiche!

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

God is good.

Kay

 

Tuesday the 28th of October!

Thank you all for the positive comments on the yard, I so needed them.

This is a picture I forgot to post yesterday of an area on the other side of the yard that we filled with pavers to the fence.  The sidewalk is in bad shape, but then the house is 100 years old.  This area was weed city with old wood laying in the area, just awful, now filled in with pavers.

Another taken from back gate.  Looks so much better.

The plan for today was to cut back trees, but it is just too cold and will be warmer tomorrow.  I also have errands to run for Sissy and myself so might as well get that done.

I spent the night at Sissy's last night and we had leftover beef stew, and my popovers were different but good.  I forgot to take a picture.

They did have a nutty flavor from the almond flour and were a bit eggy?  Also did not rise as much which I was forewarned, but they were dense and good.

One of our Friends stopped by while they were coming from the oven and she is seriously gluten intolerant and she loved them.

Said Friend is spending thanksgiving with us so I will make gluten free and almond flour popovers for Thanksgiving as we are having Prime Rib and not turkey.  The combination of almond flour and gluten free flour will give me a higher rise. While not as low in carbs, better than regular flour.

So, I am dressed and ready to head out the door.  I must put gas in Sissy's car, head to URM to check the price of sugar (stocking up for Christmas baking) then to the North Forty for a 10-gallon food bucket as one of Sissy's bit the dust yesterday when filling it with flour.  I then need to go to Petco to try and find a Halloween bandana for Roscoe, and if that fails, I will go to Hobby Lobby and buy a small piece of yard goods to make him one.

Then I will head back up to Sissy's to work on a project and then sauté up the 3 pounds of mushrooms in here fridge that need to be frozen before they go bad.  So good in spaghetti sauce.  then home to make my famous smoked salmon dip (freezes beautifully).  I have the cream cheese on the counter to come to room temperature.

I will serve this as appetizer for Thanksgiving with gluten free homemade pita bread.  So easy to make and you cannot tell the difference!

We are having brats and coleslaw for dinner, and I am so determined to eat the freezers down.  Like Anne, I have duplicates of everything and no room at the INN. 

There is a loss leader tomorrow for 80/20 ground beef for 3.77 a pound which in this day and age is fantastic, so I will buy nine pounds and put it in Sissy's freezer, and this will be made into spaghetti sauce and chili, when there is finally room.  Between Sissy and I we have nine pounds already, so this should get us through the winter months.  I have all the beans and sauce already! Go Kay!

Now I am off, like a Prom dress!

God is good!

Kay

 

Another busy week and so glad to be home!

It is now Monday the 27th of October!

I have had a busy time since I last blogged.

Got Home from Lil Sis's last Tuesday and Sissy got Home late Tuesday night.

I was so glad to be back in my own home, and it needed me.

On Wednesday I did a boat load of laundry and washed kitchen and bathroom rugs to dry outside.

Husb and I worked on put and take with yard tools and did more organizing in the garage.

Lil Sis came over and had brought me my favorite hazelnut chocolate bars from Aldi in St Louis!  I was thrilled.

On Thursday I spent four hours playing with pavers on the side yard and could just not make anything work to my liking.  It is a strange space and very shady, so I started to feel very discouraged.

I just went down into a depression which is rare for me?  We have worked so hard in this darn yard, and I just felt like it was not enough!  Not enough done and the weather is really changing. I have hauled those damn pavers into twenty different locations, and nothing was working in my brain. Sissy came over and looked at the pattern I had had designed and agreed with me.  Well sort of as I am a perfectionist and so is Husb.  This is why he kept putting the project off.  I now understood.  

So, I moved the 54 pavers back onto the patio and sulked.

 Here are the 111 (yes that many) that I have hauled all over the place for the last 5 months.  Here they will stay for the winter until the driveway is completed and I can build paths to the garage door and to the deck so we do not walk too much on the lawn.

I also want to build a pad where my gas grill will go.

What we don't use will go on Facebook Market place!

So, no more moving this stuff for a season.

The side path with I think the dead hostas (we shall see next spring). This area was completely overgrown and Sissy and Dan worked on it for several weekends.

Our plan was to put down a paver path and then mulch around them and then were told (after I bought 20 bags of mulch (most stored in the garage except for what you see at the end of the picture) that we should not put mulch up against the foundation.  Lewiston is very buggy, and these critters can enter the home. The first thing I did when we bought this house was to get a monthly contract with a pest company as I had learned this the hard way at sissy's various homes, she has lived in.  I would clean the garage of all the spiders and webs, and it would be beautiful and turn around the little bastards were standing at the door of the garage with their suitcases ready to move back in!

Now look at the trees overhanging the fence form the abandoned house property.  This is part of the problem as this area is very shady. The concrete pad the A/C unit sits on is part of the problem laying a path as it is crooked to the rear gate. Just not what we want, we are striving for balance. Or we are just too particular.  I was just so damn down on Thursday!

Now onto Friday...Husb and I got up and donned our ragged work clothes and headed to the other side of the house and finished putting in the pavers there and it turned out nice, or as nice as we could get it.

I also cut back all the rose bushed and the large hydrangea out front.  WE spent five hours outside and were spent.

I felt a little better about things.  We decided to go to alate lunch/early dinner and went to Ace hardware and bought a very expensive tree saw.  Our plan is to go onto the abandoned house property and trim everything back before the snow flies.  I will have to fill the yard containers at least four to six times to get all the crap out of there, but this will give the area lighter, and I hope help with the damn bugs that were eating the hostas.

Our new plan is to use driveway gravel that we will have to haul in in fifty-pound bags and place pavers willy nilly to create a steppingstone path.  This will happen next spring.  We can easily blow the leaves that do get into this area with our blower out to street in front.  Why we did not see this sooner is beyond me, but when we started this past spring, it was so cold, and nothing had blossomed yet.

Live and learn.

Saturday Sissy and I spent three hours shopping together and stocked up on flour and sugar for Christmas baking.  We had a lot of fun and a lot of laughs just tooling around Costco looking at everything.

Sunday, I pulled everything from my upper freezer and reorganized and set my menu for the week.

There is so much food in this house, and I must stop buying and start using.  Last night we finished the last of the spaghetti sauce and I will not make more until I finish other things.

It is now Monday morning and tonight, I will take beef stew up to Sissy's and have dinner there and will make almond flour popovers. Almond flour has a very low glycemic index which we be good for Husb.  Never tried this before and I will keep you posted.

I also swapped my summer and winter wardrobe as it is time and culled another bag of donations for Salvation Army.

I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon and this morning I plan on getting all of my ironing done.  Oh joy!

Saga to be continued...

God is good!

Kay