Never Enough Time

A Walk Outside

2012-02-02T17:27:00.006-06:00

A walk outside today, found me searching for signs of spring. As usual the daffodils and snowdrops are the earliest flowers to break ground. I had forgotten that daffodils were on the corner of the front porch garden, when I planted the clematis last year. I guess they will be all right, because the clematis will start growing and will bloom later. Right near the daffs were some grape hyacinths. They always look kind of messy first thing in the spring. The stems are long and just lay in a mass where the flowers will start popping up. This is funny.....last year, I trimmed the clumps and made them look neat. Talk about wanting perfection. I'm not going to do that this year. The two rose bushes nearby have leaf buds on their stems. The sedums are showing new growth near the base. I stayed in the front yard, because it was wet and I didn't have the right shoes on. If it's nice tomorrow, I'll go out with a camera and walk around the house. I can spy a little green in front of St. Francis in the woods. I'll have to check there too. I was reading that we should start our garden cleanup when the daffs break ground. There are many little branches on the lawn...I might pick those up tomorrow though. I think it's a little early for starting a cleanup...we may still have a big snow.

I came back in the house and finished my project that I started yesterday. I was cleaning my closet.I went through the shoes. I have quite a few that aren't comfortable anymore. Why do we keep these shoes? Do we think that we just might wear them once more? I put several pair in the boxes and will give them to Goodwill. I have so many sweatshirts that take up so much room. I don't wear half of them, so I kept the ones I wear and stacked the others on the high shelf. I chuckled to myself...I seem to wear the same comfortable clothes each week. Does everyone do this...or is it a sign of old age? I have to be comfortable to do my housework. Then I took my Christmas clothing downstairs to my storage area and brought up some more springy things. No, I'm not jumping the season...just getting things ready.

Have a nice evening,

Balisha

February Thoughts

2012-02-01T08:36:00.005-06:00

What were we doing last year on February 1st...waiting for a big snowstorm. Here is a little of what I wrote:

Here we are just waiting. Started to snow a couple of hours ago. Just a few flurries at first...now a little more significant. The out doors was a different color this morning. A little bit of a yellow in the sky. The wind hasn't started here...yet. Watching the Chicago news this morning, we saw that the wind was actually starting there. All of this bad weather is supposed to start a little later in the day. Weather people are all revved up. Bringing cots and food to work and a change of clothes. As I'm writing, I can look out the window, and it's looking like just a typical winter day in No. Illinois. Now, I'm thinking about the homeless...do they have shelter and food? I understand that our food banks are down in donations this winter. I saw that little black cat again yesterday, back by the woods. How does that cat survive during this cold, cold winter?I will be posting off and on during the storm..to let everyone know what is going on. I probably wouldn't have to do this...the weather shows will be doing the same, but it will give me something to do. So, everyone in this storm's path...take care and be safe. Balisha

Well, this year is different...very different.The last of our very little snow is out by the mailbox and will be gone today. What a crazy winter this has been.....although I'm not complaining. Tomorrow is Groundhog's Day and the groundhog may or may not see his shadow. It doesn't really matter, because we can deal with a few more weeks of this weather. I wonder why our winter has been so strange? Maybe because of all the complaining we gardeners did during the past year :) Well, whatever the reason we gardeners are always looking ahead. This is a fast month and then March...the new beginning starts. Here's a poem for the day...Balisha

"In winter's cold and sparkling snow,
The garden in my mind does grow.
I look outside to blinding white,
And see my tulips blooming bright.
And over there a sweet carnation,
Softly scents my imagination.

On this cold and freezing day,
The Russian sage does gently sway,
And miniature roses perfume the air,
I can see them blooming there.
Though days are short, my vision's clear.
And through the snow, the buds appear.

In my mind, clematis climbs,
And morning glories do entwine.
Woodland phlox and scarlet pinks,
Replace the frost, if I just blink.
My inner eye sees past the snow.
And in my mind, my garden grows."

- Cynthia Adams, Winter Garden.
First published in Birds and Blooms magazine, Dec/Jan 2003

My Valentine Tree

2012-01-31T17:53:00.004-06:00

My little Christmas tree is now a Valentine tree. I made these doily and watercolor valentines a few years ago and saved them in a heart shaped candy box. My son, John, surprised me with the candy a few years ago. I couldn't throw the box away...so I stored my paper hearts in it. I found them last week while tidying up the Christmas bins. I thought I would use them on the little tree instead of the arrangement of bare branches that I usually have. I only wish that I had left the light strings on the tree. Next year I'll know. I think that it looks sweet in our living room and gives a touch of red to our decor. Red is my favorite color...it makes me happy. A red apple, red dress, red car, a child's rosy red cheeks, red barns etc. Anything to bring more color into our lives during this time of the year. Just think how pretty a red cardinal is against the snowy landscape. What do you do to decorate for Valentine's Day?

Balisha

My Turkish Delight

2012-01-28T08:33:00.006-06:00

Every year at Christmas time a package would arrive for our family from an uncle who lived far away. We always knew what was in the package, but never the less...we were excited to open it. It always contained a beautiful tray filled with dried, candied fruits and nuts. There was a little plastic pick like fork on top...to pick out our favorite fruit. It was much more filled with fruit than the ones you can order today.An assortment with dates, prunes, pineapple (Mom's favorite) figs, and my favorite...apricots. Dad mostly enjoyed the nuts of all kinds. Some of the fruits were stuffed with nuts. We didn't have many gifts under our tree in the years before and during the war, but this gift was the highlight of our Christmas gifts. My Mom always had dried fruit in the house. She and my Aunt Ruthie would make Christmas pudding, mince pies, and date cookies. They had special molds that held the precious pudding when it was steamed on top of the stove. I have one of those pudding molds still.Mom would stuff dates with a walnut and then roll it in granulated sugar. Fig newtons were and still are a favorite cookie. It has to be a Nabisco...not the off brands. A rolled pinwheel cookie with date filling was a favorite too. Date nut pudding and date nut bread were often on our table. Mom didn't do much with apricots, but they were eaten right out of the bag for a snack. Grandma cooked apricots and prunes together and added sugar to make a compote for breakfast. I still do that. I was at a dinner party and the dessert was a flaming compote of dried fruits warmed in a chafing dish....delish. I always go for the apricot danish. Mom and I made a trip to the loop in Chicago a couple of times a year. My favorite place to eat was in the basement of Walgreens. It was a cafeteria and had an array of salads to pick from. I always chose the fruit plate...lettuce, pineapple slices a peach half with a scoop of cottage cheese, maraschino cherry on top and dried prunes all around. I picked it because of the prunes. I remember when I had a kidney removed and the doctor told me to eat food high in iron. My neighbor, Ruth, got wind of that and when I got home she brought two bags of things, high in iron to my back door. Apricots were in the bags...cans and cans of them. She introduced me to Aldi's canned apricots. They have the best flavor of any I have had. My daughter loves dried apricots too. I buy them at Farm and Fleet. Turkish apricots...the best. Yesterday, I went to Farm and Fleet and bought a 1 lb. bag of them. They are so nutritious...full of vitamins and minerals, and fiber that our bodies need. Now, I use them as snacks right out of the bag, cut up and put on top of oatmeal with a little honey, cut up and put in nut breads, and my old standby...fruit compote. Sometimes I cook them and keep them in a jar in the fridge. I'm sure there are many ways to have these treats. Have you ever tasted a Turkish Apricot? Do you ever use dried fruits in your cooking or eat them right out of the bag?

Balisha

Orchids Require Patience

2012-01-27T11:14:00.003-06:00

I bought these orchids several months ago. I have 7 of them. I have kept a strict watering schedule, because I tend to water houseplants to death. Literally. I have researched them in my gardening books and in every article that I find in magazines. I feed them like I've been told and spray them with warm water most everyday. They have a grow light. They are sitting on humidity trays. Here is what I want to know....

I haven't seen much change in them. They are dark green and a couple of them have new leaves. Only one of them lost a leaf. They have terrific roots.....nice and green and plump. I can see that a couple of them bloomed before, from the stem that was cut off. I have patience with things that I know will succeed, but these orchids are something else. I don't think that the leaves are especially pretty. I hesitate to buy any ceramic or terra cotta orchid pots to display them in, because they may fail and I would be left with the orchid pots. Should I expect them to start growing soon? How about blooms? I am a patient woman, but I want some sign that they are going to grow. I also have a Clivia plant in the dining room. I've had it two years. It's growing by leaps and bounds, but hasn't bloomed. I'm looking forward to spring to see some blooms on that. Oh, patience...don't desert me now.

Balisha

More from me.

2012-01-26T11:13:00.003-06:00

I'm back to say that I moved the feeder from the low hanger right next to the window out to the tree in the middle of the yard. I'll keep watch to see if the possum meanders out there to get up to the feeder. If so, I'll just move it out to the very end of the branch. It will be a precarious situation for him to feed and balance at the same time. Just in the short time that the feeder has been in the trees...the purple finches have found it. I haven't seen them all winter. Right now...the finches are sharing the feeder with chickadees and a titmouse. I put the little red lantern feeder up next to the house. It's impossible for the possum to eat from it. Only the tiniest of birds come to it. It looks like snow today. I do wish that if it does snow...the roads will be cleared soon after. I have a couple of projects to work on today. I just can't get started and here it is almost 11:30. Do you ever have days like that?

Balisha

A Poem

2012-01-26T09:09:00.003-06:00

The Possum Has To Go by Balisha

One day a week or so ago a possum came to call..

He sat upon the feeder and sampled seeds and all.

He was just outside my window.. on a feeder hanging there.

The feeder hung so low to ground.. in mornings I would stare..

At all the pretty birdies...we really had our share.

This little creature then appeared and entertained me so..

His little nose pink like a pig...and teeth so sharp I know.

He ate and ate and took his time...it seemed he had no fear..

I started then to look for him each time I came so near.

And then I thought about the birds just waiting for their turn..

They really didn't have a chance.. to feed is what I learned.

Then stories about how pesty these possums really are..

I made a tough decision... one that was so very hard.

I'll take the feeder down, so he will go away..

But just before I do it...I really want to say.

Thank you, little one, for a couple days of fun..

I wish you well and safety until this winter's done.

Maybe I will see you some night when spring is here..

I'll feed you in the woods then...to me you are so dear.

Today...

2012-01-25T17:17:00.003-06:00

The Opossum is back again today. He was here the same time as yesterday and now he's here as it is getting dark outside. We know that they can be pests and do damage...I am just interested in watching animals that I haven't watched before. I may have to take my feeders down, so he doesn't make a habit of taking his meals here. I hate to do this, because of the birds that we love to watch. I think that living near wooded areas and our own woods in the back invite creatures like this to come up close to the house. We've seen groundhogs, deer, all kinds of small animals, snakes, fox, and before I moved here...Joe saw a Bobcat. We hear coyotes at night in the summer. I am a lover of nature and enjoy watching all these animals...but I like seeing them at a distance. They have their home and I have mine. It's now dark and I shone a flashlight out on him. He just looked up and kept on eating. Certainly a brave little fellow.

Joe feels better today. I guess he had food poisoning. Being Sicilian he loves olives. He buys cured olives packed in olive oil. He loves them and ate some the day before he got sick. They didn't taste just right. He got so sick during the night and had to stay in bed yesterday. Today he's still feeling kind of weak, but has been able to be up and about. I threw them out...needless to say.

Well, my friend is still here and I have to go to watch the news. Wonderful news this morning about the Navy Seals rescuing those two people.

Balisha

A Visitor At My Birdfeeder

2012-01-24T14:58:00.003-06:00

Today Joe has some kind of a stomach bug, so he's been in bed and I have been doing all kinds of things to busy myself and be quiet. I came into the computer room a few minutes ago, to check my emails, and looked at the feeder in the window. There he sat...as quiet as can be..an Opossum just enjoying a meal at my feeder. I had noticed that the feeder was crooked a couple of days ago and kept straightening it, when I filled it. He must have been here several times before. We had one of these furry creatures here once before. I went out at night, to make sure the hose was turned off...and reached my hand down in the dark corner and heard something that sounded like a cat. Pretty soon an Opossum crawled out and sauntered away. It really startled me. This time I can watch from the safety of my home to see how this creature behaves. I checked him out on the internet and found that they don't hibernate....but change their foraging from night to day, because it's warmer. Sometimes their hairless tail will get frost bitten. They aren't pests, because they have a range of about 50 acres and seldom congregate in big numbers. The can get as large as a house cat. This one is about that size. They seldom carry rabies. They will bite if provoked. They like to eat carrion, small rodents, seeds, fruits and grains, and pet food.
This guy has been here for a long time now. He doesn't seem to see me...when I go close to the window. He's very slow about eating. He takes his little paws and scratches the frozen seed up from the bottom of the feeder. I had put some of my homemade suet out there (it had chicken starter feed and lard mixed with different seeds) and it froze in a clump and I couldn't budge it from the bottom. He is helping me clean this feeder right now. His nose looks kind of like a pig. He takes a few bites and then sits up and looks around slowly...yawns...shakes his fur...turns to look at cars going by...and is most interesting to watch up close. His winter coat is very fluffy and soft looking. He's never moved from the corner where he is sitting in the picture.. until now. He slid down the bush and used his tail for balance as he slowly moved down to the ground. He's now cleaning up under the feeder. What an interesting animal and here I was with my camera ready for a change. I'll watch for him again tomorrow. You know me, I'll be putting a treat out there for him...I wonder does he like apples?

Balisha

What is Your Favorite Sandwich?

2012-01-23T08:20:00.002-06:00

Can you tell that I haven't had breakfast yet? My mind is on food....any kind of food, but a sandwich in particular. I saw this picture while looking for something on the internet and it set my stomach juices rumbling. I think this may be my favorite sandwich. Nice smoky bacon, juicy slice of a beefsteak tomato (one slice fills the sandwich) and crisp iceberg lettuce.....all smeared with Hellman's mayo and served between two slices of a good crusty bread toasted. Oh, there goes my tummy again. Once in a while I have a sandwich for breakfast. It has all the ingredients for a balanced breakfast...I think. I have another version of this that I make once in a while. You take bread and toast it about half way. Fry some bacon until a little crispy and then put together this open faced sandwich. First lightly toasted bread, then a slice of American cheese, then tomato, then bacon and topped with a half slice of cheese. I put these on a cookie sheet and run them under the broiler until the cheese melts. My Mom used to pour the bacon grease on top of the sandwich, but I don't. This is a BCT sandwich. Now, I want to know what kind of bacon do you use? We have tried turkey bacon and really like the Oscar Mayer brand. It doesn't compare to the real thing, but it will do most of the time, but when we want a BLT or a BCT we want the real thing. Joe prefers thick sliced and I prefer thin. Does that make us Jack Spratt and his wife? Please comment on what your favorite sandwich is...I have to go now and make breakfast...I wonder what I'll have?

Balisha :)

Tiny Little Hats

2012-01-20T08:05:00.002-06:00

This from Newborns in Need. http://www.newbornsinneed.org/

When a child is born to a needy family, and it comes time to leave the hospital, many times that tiny baby may be wearing just a disposable diaper.

Sometimes-too many times-there's not even a receiving blanket waiting for them at home-if they even have a home to go to. In winter, that means there is a good chance the baby will be back in the hospital with pneumonia, or worse, die from the cold.

Who will help? In many cases, if we don't help, no one will. These children can't help themselves. God has told us we are to help each other, and we are doing just that.

This is an ongoing need. Your donations of time, sewing notions, and money to help alleviate the suffering of tiny helpless babies is greatly needed and appreciated.

A few years ago I started knitting these tiny hats. I didn't know where there was a close chapter, so I contacted the website and sent them on to an address they gave me. I made quite a few in pastels...pink, blue, yellow, white. When I visited their website I noticed that people made hats in all colors. I'm making them again...this time using a more colorful yarn. I got the pattern from their website. The sizes go from the tiniest preemie to a regular child size. My family gets a kick out of these little hats. The kids can't imagine a baby that small. If you want to be a part of this charity...go to their website to see how you can help.
Today we are experiencing a winter storm warning. Snow should begin any time now. I'll be in for the day and I thought what a perfect day to knit. I can't knit very long because my eyes get tired, so I go at a slower pace. Knitting, and tidying, and cooking will be my projects today. I'm sitting here in front of the window to the street...watching the cars hurrying by on their way to work, school, or shopping. When they come back tonight the going will be a little slower. I like the way the world behaves when snow comes. It's like God sees us scurrying around and decides to slow things down for a while.

Balisha....keep warm.. I'm out to feed the birds now.

The Gleam in My Husband's Eye

2012-01-19T14:02:00.006-06:00

No, no...not that! He gets that glazed over look when we are out of produce and a trip to the grocery is warranted. We do this about once every two weeks. A visit to Valli Produce in Rockford is an outing for us. We both love this store. It's an ethnic market that specializes in hard to find foods and produce. Wonderful produce. We left on this below 0 day, to fill our crisper drawers with fruits and veggies. Yesterday, I went to make a salad and had slim pickins. When I mentioned this to Joe and talked of cabbages and carrots and bananas and so on...he leaped out of bed and got ready to go in record time. He had to wait GRUMBLE, GRUMBLE, for me to get ready. We left with no food in our stomachs. A bad thing for two hungry people visiting their favorite store.When you enter the store the beautiful produce is the first thing you see. Mounds and mounds of apples, oranges, pears....you get the picture. We just cruise through this dept...each hitting the things that we love. I'll look over and he'll be selecting tomatoes while I am squeezing the melons. We see old friends shopping and stop to visit and compare carts while we are visiting. The weather is going to be bad tomorrow, so many senior citizens were out doing their thing. Taking up parking places, blocking aisles, checking their lists, looking like they are lost, squeezing the melons, tapping their fingers, whistling a little tune to ourselves, asking questions, reading over head signs with bifocals, trying to see on the bottom shelf with trifocals.... you know all the complaints about us. We might have blocked the aisle while visiting with a friend, but it wasn't crowded and no one seemed in a hurry. You have to give us senior citizens some leeway....our brains are slowing down a little, many of us have problems with walking fast, and we live a more secluded life than before....so when we get out we like to visit with people.I would never block the aisle on purpose, but stuff happens :) Hey, we are retired and we live here too. If you're younger and reading this...you'll be here someday in our stage of life. It's no fun...growing old, so we take our pleasure when it comes. I didn't mean for this to sound like a rant, but once I start typing it just flows out of my brain to my finger tips. We had a nice experience at the store...We went at a time when the store wasn't busy, I helped a few people who were older than me, we got a lot of things to eat, and best of all...Joe took me to breakfast afterward. I had Swedish Pancakes. All in all a pleasant way to spend a morning...before the storm.

Balisha

Sorry if I offended anyone with this post...I just remember my Mom and Dad at my age. They used to go to the store almost everyday and it was usually the highlight of their day. They are gone now, but I find that we have taken their place in the grocery line. B

One of the Golden Girls

2012-01-17T08:18:00.003-06:00

We watched the Betty White 90th Birthday last night. I go way back with Betty White. I used to watch her husband, Alan Ludden's show...Password all the time, and followed their courtship on TV. Her shows have been my favorites through the years. I think that I especially like this lady, because of her love for animals. She has been an inspiration to so many people... by putting her love and care for them right out there for all to see. I'm sure she's responsible for saving many animals lives. What a perfect beginning for her show...Betty in a limo with her glass of champagne, riding to her 90th birthday bash...talking to Madonna, Lady Gaga, Tom and Julia. As the camera pans the limo...we see that she is talking to dogs, who are dressed in their party hats. This was the beginning of a fun night for all. Seeing many of her co- stars from years past was a little nostalgic for me. It's hard seeing people grow old. We want these people, who have entertained us for years, to stay the way we remember them. Carl Reiner and Mary Tyler Moore are examples of what I just said. They made me shed a tear or two. I've never heard any gossip about her...never heard her utter a harsh word. It seems she lived a joyous life always seeing the good in people. Maybe that's why she has aged so well....her positive nature. This lady brought me many hours of entertainment through the years. Her shows were so funny. I especially loved the Golden Girls. I think they are all gone now, except Betty. As they said last night...I have no doubt we'll be celebrating her 100th birthday together.

Balisha

No, It Isn't Jane Fonda

2012-01-16T09:17:00.005-06:00

I wrote about this a couple of years ago....I'm going to mention it again. There are quite a few Seniors reading this blog and when we find something that will help us live better lives...I think we should talk about it. Talking over the weekend to my daughter, I mentioned that I was exercising everyday...using a DVD. She kiddingly asked...Jane Fonda? I said, "No, old ladies on chairs." We were laughing so hard, but I was serious as a heart attack.I have a DVD with just that ....seniors on Chairs. I stopped using the DVD when Joe and I started going over to the school to use the gym. Then summer came and it was hot, so I quit going. I thought that I got enough exercise by gardening and housework. Joe hurt his leg at the gym and stopped going all together. I have thought about this DVD many times and only recently, when I strained my back, did I get it out to try again. I'm telling you...it helps. Don't be fooled by the cover.....with elderly people sitting on chairs. The first DVD is a stretching video. It is a wake up exercise program for older people. All of the exercises are done while you are sitting on a chair. This helps with balance and really gives you a workout . The 2nd video is one where we are introduced to light weights. You gradually work into this......and then we stand behind the chair for the rest of the DVD. I did this all week except Sunday and I can say that I felt better...more energy, worked out some aches, and just felt good about myself. I notice that my posture is better after doing these exercises. The gal that leads the program is so accommodating. She relates well to older people. I bought this in 2009. At that time I just felt that I needed something to limber up during the winter months. I ordered it on Amazon without even hearing anything about it. It turned out to be just perfect for me. Now, I think that I will use it year round. My gardening chores are getting a little hard and I'm having to cut down a bit, so I guess the next best thing is to grab my chair and sit in my nice house in front of the TV.... and join with the seniors on chairs. Maybe I'll limber up enough to help me garden more. No, it isn't Jane Fonda, but then I don't look too good in skimpy clothes. By the way, I saw Jane Fonda last night at the Golden Globes and she looks fabulous.

Balisha

Mom's Recipe for Bread Pudding

2012-01-15T08:36:00.003-06:00

Here is the recipe for my Mom's bread pudding. It's a little time consuming, but so worth it. I think it could be cut in half, easily, and put in a smaller pan. If you had some sweet bread like a Challah ...it could be used along with a raisin bread. I plan to try making a loaf of Challah bread. It's a wonderful loaf of sweet eggy bread that is so good for french toast. We surely don't need these fattening treats, but in the winter, I love to bake... and can always freeze half or share with a neighbor. I developed my love of baking when I was just a girl. My Mom did the cooking, but she always asked for my help in the baking department. She didn't do many cookies and cakes, but her pies and fudge were well known in our family and neighborhood. I guess the growing up years in the kitchen, with not having all the gadgets that we have today, started this love affair that I have with baking. Do you love to bake? Do you bake more in the winter? I always wonder about the young people today and all the things in the bakery dept. at the store. Do people even try complicated recipes anymore? I haven't had a homemade cake at a birthday party in a long time. With the popularity of the food channels and all the wonderful gadgets and appliances we can have in our kitchens, I would think that everyone would be baking.
Balisha

Bread Pudding
: 2 cups milk; 1/4 cup butter or margarine; 2 eggs, slightly beaten; 1/2 cup sugar; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 6 cups day old bread cubes (I gathered these bread cubes and put them in freezer bags and thent in the freezer until I had a mixture of different kinds of breads); 1/2 cup raisins

Heat oven to 350. In 2-quart saucepan, heat milk and butter over medium heat until butter is melted and milk is hot. In large bowl, mix eggs, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Stir in bread cubes and raisins. Stir in milk mixture. Pour into ungreased pan. Set pan into a larger pan filled to about 1-2 inches with hot water. Bake uncovered 40 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted 1 inch from edge comes out clean. Serve warm with whipping cream or sauce of your choice.

It called for an ungreased pan, but I sprayed a little pam on the stoneware pan that I had planned to use. The pudding does puff up a bit like a souffle, so if there is too much grease on the pan it might not do this. Maybe if you use a metal pan, you wouldn't need to spray it.

Lemon Curd

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 T grated lemon zest

3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

1/2 cup butter cubed

Mix these ingredients together and put in a 2 quart saucepan. Cook over med. heat stirring most of the time with a whisk. Keep cooking until it is thickened and you see the marks of the whisk and it starts to bubble on the side of the pan. This should take about 5 min. or a little more. It is a wonderful tart sauce that can be used on scones, tarts, or puddings. This isn't the recipe that was my Mom's. She never wrote her sauce recipe down. I found this and it is pretty much the same as hers.

Cold, Cold Day and Comfort Food

2012-01-14T09:06:00.003-06:00

I remember cold days in the past, when my Mom would be in the kitchen just about all day. She would prepare a hearty, hot, meal for us.We lived on the outskirts of town...a little development called Sunset Park... after the war. There was no bus service, when we first moved in. Dad had to walk to work...many miles each day. He worked at night and never missed a day of work. Mom was a stay at home Mom...she took care of the house and family while he was gone. Because he had this long walk, in all kinds of weather, Mom always catered to Dad in the meals she would prepare. She felt it was her job to take care of him and that lasted even into their old age. We had...stick to the ribs....meals. We usually ended the meal with some sort of dessert. She loved baking pies and cakes...and they often found their way to our table. Yesterday, I was thinking back to some of the"simple"recipes she made. The first one that came to mind was bread pudding. She was a frugal cook...using everything up. She once said that we could eat for a week... using the food that her sister threw away. She had a container with stale bread that she saved for stuffing, but once in a while she made a bread pudding with it. We favored lemon sauce on our bread pudding...not a hard sauce as some served. It was a favorite of mine and Dad's too. Over the holidays, I bought a nice loaf of raisin bread at Sam's. It was more than I wanted to spend, but I thought that it would be a treat for breakfast. As it turned out...it was a heavy bread and not as nice as I thought it would be. What would I do with the rest of the loaf? Remembering my Mom, I cut it into cubes and put it in a bag in the freezer. I added to this bag pieces of wheat bread and other nice breads from Christmas. I have never made bread pudding. I don't know why...I have had it in restaurants many times. It's just something that I never tried making. I had my Mom's recipe and yesterday decided to give it a try. This recipe took a lot of time...because I made a lemon curd to go on top.Do you see that little bite missing in the top left hand corner :)
Last night, while watching TV, I served my pudding with lemon curd. It was warm and filling. Memories flooded back from my childhood. I didn't realize what work had gone into this "simple" pudding. The preparation of the bread, the scalding of the milk, tempering the eggs, putting the pudding in a water bath....it all took time. Then on top of that making the lemon curd. Mom had made this look so simple. She cooked all her meals from scratch...no boxed or frozen food in those days. We had meals with a meat, potato or noodles, vegetable, bread, and a dessert. Many times we had casseroles and hashes using up all the leftovers. She was a magician in the kitchen.

I never gave her meals a thought in those days, but when I married and tried to do what she did...I did a miserable job at first. Hamburgers and chicken were as creative as I got. After reading countless cookbooks, using Mom's recipe box and my Grandma's, watching countless hours of the food channel, I'm a pretty good cook. My favorite thing to do is create meals and not use a recipe. My specialty is soup. I love to put things together and make a delicious soup out of almost nothing.

We have over a half a pan of bread pudding left. I think we'll have some today and then I'll see if I can freeze a couple of portions for later. I'm looking out the window at the smoke coming out of the neighbor's chimneys. The ground is blanketed with snow. Another cold day. I better get going to make, a stick to our ribs , meal. Neither of us needs that kind of meal today, but it's a comforting thought.

Balisha

The Little Tufted Titmouse

2012-01-13T08:54:00.003-06:00

Finally, snow! I can almost hear the little plants sighing as they were covered with a blanket of snow. Just enough to cover everything. The little birds must be hiding this morning. My feeders are full of snow...maybe the birds are waiting for me to come out and brush the snow away. Lazy little things. I should think it would be good exercise for them.A little Titmouse... sitting on the crook of the tall holder for the shelf feeder...looks at me through the glass...giving such a sad look...I can almost hear a little, "Can you help us?" I'm sitting here in my pajamas and robe, drinking from my cup, just typing away...while he sits there with no food visible. If he only dug down about 1 1/2 inches...he would find new food. Safflower seed, sunflower seeds, millet, corn, peanuts, another seed mixture, suet...a delight for any bird. I heard snow was coming the other day and made a special trip to get more seed for these little creatures. Well, I just can't take much more of this staring. I guess I'll go and get dressed and go out and brush the snow away. They will eat before Joe and I do this morning. Little Titmouse...you're so spoiled.

Balisha

A Snowy Day

2012-01-12T08:44:00.004-06:00

This first measurable snow of the season brought to mind the wonderful children's story book called The Snowy Day. When my kids were growing up, we loved going to the library and reading books. I think that I enjoyed it as much as they did. I loved and still do, the beautiful artwork in kids books. Sometimes I go into the kids section and just look around at what's new. My last little boy was 10 yrs. younger than the first two. He had many favorites...he almost memorized the Childcraft book with stories and poems. He would walk around, in his little pajamas, with this orange book tucked under his arm, waiting for me to read to him. The poem about the tiny cupboard was a favorite. He loved Dr. Seus. Sometimes our library would be out of Dr. Seus books....they were that popular. We had to put our name on a waiting list. The little book, Peter's Chair was a favorite too...written by Ezra Jack Keats. Here is another written by the same author. I copied the review from Amazon....The Snowy Day, a 1963 Caldecott Medal winner, is the simple tale of a boy waking up to discover that snow has fallen during the night. Keats's illustrations, using cut-outs, watercolors, and collage, are strikingly beautiful in their understated color and composition. The tranquil story mirrors the calm presence of the paintings, and both exude the silence of a freshly snow-covered landscape. The little boy celebrates the snow-draped city with a day of humble adventures--experimenting with footprints, knocking snow from a tree, creating snow angels, and trying to save a snowball for the next day. Awakening to a winter wonderland is an ageless, ever-magical experience, and one made nearly visceral by Keats's gentle tribute.

The book is notable not only for its lovely artwork and tone, but also for its importance as a trailblazer. According to Horn Book magazine, The Snowy Day was "the very first full-color picture book to feature a small black hero"--yet another reason to add this classic to your shelves. It's as unique and special as a snowflake.

I loved the artwork in this little book and also the fact that it was about a little black boy. I wanted my kids to grow up without the prejudices that many people had. I don't think that he ever mentioned that the little boy was black. Peter was just a boy to him...and I think to this day that John is colorblind.

This is the sweetest book. I think that it would be a perfect book to read on a snowy day like this. Do parents still read to their kids I wonder? Will actual books go out of fashion someday? I hope not. I was read to by my Dad. We sat in the big chair every night, before he left for work, and read exciting tales.....ones that he loved too. A memory that I have to this day.

Balisha

Old Man Winter or Mother Nature?

2012-01-11T08:49:00.002-06:00

Who's to blame...old man winter or mother nature, for this incredibly unusual winter? I think I'll blame the man. I heard callers on the radio yesterday, asking questions about their garden plants emerging. Some daffodils, snowdrops, and even iris are beginning to green up and pop through the hardly frozen soil. The Illinois extension authority said, the plants are being fooled into thinking that winter is about over and they should wake up. She said that as soon as we get a cold snap, they will stop growing and act in the usual way for winter. She then told everyone that with the coming cold snap here in the Midwest, maybe now would be a good time to mulch those plants. There are so many Christmas trees available...just cut the tree up and drape the long branches over what you want to cover. Otherwise, rake up a few leaves or use straw. Mine are covered loosely with pine needles. I got an email from my son, Tim, this morning. He loves his hens and chicks and has them in his unheated garage. He said they are showing new growth...should he be worried? Should he water them? My daughter, LA, has a garden of succulents in a pretty plastic garden container. Hers are in her garage in Wisconsin too. I have put mine in the garage every year, because most are in terra cotta containers or strawberry jars and I don't want the containers to break. I just leave them till Spring and simply toss them a little water off my finger tips once in a while during the winter. This year I experimented with a few pots that aren't valuable and left them outside.... lying on their sides...covered with leaves. I think that both ways should be fine. Should he trim off the dead tendrils? I told him no...just leave them alone till Spring. We are expecting a period of cold and snow starting tonight. Right now...it's sunny and beautiful out. Yesterday it hit the 50's again. Wonderful weather for us humans, but not so good for our gardens. I'll welcome old man winter tonight and all he brings...only please let the roads be clear.

Balisha

Two Ladies at Lunch

2012-01-09T19:03:00.005-06:00

I had lunch with a friend today. We met about half-way between our two houses at a newish restaurant. We both got there at 1pm and noticed a sign on the door. It said.....Closed to the public ...private party today. We were disappointed... to say the least. We must have looked like we were sad, because the manager came out and said that he could fit us in, they had a small booth near the back. We told him how far we had come and he said, "Oh, you should have told me right away." The restaurant was full of people...all ages. We wondered what this group could be celebrating on a Monday afternoon. We sat down and looked at the menu. Now, you have to know this about us, we love dessert. We planned very carefully... our strategy was to split a pulled pork sandwich and have a cup of tomato basil soup. Then we could order key lime cheesecake. We giggled when telling the waitress about our plan. She went right along with us and brought us the sandwich on two plates with sweet potato fries and onion strings for garnish. As we started eating, suddenly the music began to get louder. My friend looked around and said, "Is there a DJ here?" It was quite loud...Italian music from back in the 40's and 50's. I expected to see Frank and Dean walk in the door. We both chuckled again. People started walking up to the buffet and filling their plates. We hardly had a conversation between us while this was going on. So much to watch and listen to. An elderly woman was smiling and walking around hugging everybody. Men embraced in long embraces...one man rubbing the other man's bald head. It seemed like a joyous occasion. We wondered again what they were celebrating. The waitress said they were out of the key lime cheesecake, so we chose another. While we waited a little girl came down the aisle pushing a little car. She smiled at us. My friend said to her, "Are you having a party?" She nodded her head and got very friendly with us. Her daddy come over and scooped her up and started to take her back to her seat. I said, "What's the occasion...a celebration?" He said, "No, a funeral." I said, "Oh, I'm sorry." and was biting my lip to keep serious. When he was out of hearing distance...we both broke into laughter...a funeral, why didn't we guess? They were all dressed in black. So much hugging and kissing. ....You know how sometimes you get the giggles at the most serious time? We just couldn't stop. Here we were, two ladies in our 70's with the nonstop giggles. We stayed at the restaurant for a couple of hours, after all they were closed to the public. Talking about all the news in our families. How Christmas was, new baby news, grand kids, most everything else. We saw that the crowd was thinning and the last of the funeral party were going out the door. We decided to leave too. It was a lunch I'll never forget. The time we had lunch with the Italian funeral party.

Balisha

Coffee or Tea For Me?

2012-01-08T07:37:00.005-06:00

What do you drink first thing in the morning? My beverage of choice would be a glass of Ovaltine. Joe has to have coffee. I like coffee, but having to drink decaf, it's too much bother to make both kinds. I've tried using instant coffee, but I really don't like it. I take a swallow and think, "Why am I drinking this stuff that really doesn't taste good to me." Sometimes I have turned to tea. I have been trying to get used to green tea, but that flavor isn't much better....if I'm really honest with myself. I like other herb teas, however and I drink them later in the day. My old neighbor, Ruth, had parents who were born in England. They introduced her to tea at an early age. She developed the habit of drinking a big mug of hot tea with her meals. When I was invited for a meal, she would put a big steaming mug at my place too. I really enjoyed this. On cold mornings I would like a hot beverage. It seems that I just can't get into the habit of making myself a cup of tea. You'd think at my age, I'd have that habit formed, but without the caffeine urge, you wouldn't have that craving of addiction. So, I continue on searching for the answer. Making tea is quick and even quicker if you boil water in your cup in the microwave. I have burned myself doing this several times and feel that it isn't really safe for me to do it this way. So searching for the answer, I am always interested in what different people do for a good cup of morning brew.

I have been reading blogs where people set up coffee stations on their counter. Coffee cups, pots, cute utensils, different things to add to coffee...it all sounds so enticing. I have toyed with the idea of getting a Keurig coffee pot. We've had coffee pot after coffee pot....Bunns, Mr. Coffees a big one and a little one, Cuisinart, Chemex, percolators and on and on. I thought that finally I had the answer...a Keurig where we can have both tea and coffee at the same time and not fool around with two different appliances. Then I checked the price of the pot and the little K cups. Not worth it in my estimation. I don't even know if we would like this. Wish you could try one out without buying it :) Now, up in my cupboard I have a tea kettle that I'm not using. It's electric and plastic. It heats water in an instant and it pours safely. I used to use it all the time and it worked well for me. Then I started hearing about how it's not good to drink water that has boiled in plastic. BPA's are released in water. Maybe at my age, I shouldn't have to worry about this, but everytime I used that kettle, I was concerned and didn't really enjoy the drink or whatever I used the water for. So, I put it away a couple of years ago and went back to my old way of heating in the microwave. We seem to want everything in an instant these days. When I make Joe's coffee which we set up the night before, I want my drink done at the same time. No waiting for the tea kettle to boil. I bought my daughter an electric tea kettle a year or so ago. She loves it. I decided to buy one for myself and started researching them. They are all prices. We found one, that had all the features we wanted, at Walmart. $29.95...only one left. So Joe bought one and brought it home. It's made of stainless steel....and boils water so quickly. I think I'm going to like it. My first cup of tea, using the kettle,was one by Stash...cinnamon, apple, chamomile tea. Very good. Then I tried a licorice flavored one...yuck, and I love licorice! Thankfully, I only had two packets of these in the assortment.One of my favorites are the Bigelow teas. I used to love going to a restaurant in Geneva, Illinois...where they brought out a wooden box filled with different kinds of tea for me to select from. It seemed quite elegant.I'm a big believer in ginger tea for when I have a cold. I'm trying now to develop a habit of drinking tea first thing in the morning. I want to look forward to that first cup, like coffee drinkers do. I'm going on 74 years of age...it's about time I develop that habit I think.

Balisha

What in the World is a Cutie?

2012-01-07T09:15:00.003-06:00

I just fell in love with something orange. I really don't like the color orange...never wear it and have a love hate relationship with the orange lilies in my yard, but........I found something orange that I love. California Clementines called Cuties. I first saw them on the Martha Stewart show...I think last year. I saw them in the grocery store and just went past them...thinking they were like a tangerine with seeds. Little did I know that this tiny handful of juiciness was so sweet, seedless, easy to peel, fits in the palm of my hand, and is good for me. They are the perfect snack for little kids. A perfect thing to pick up instead of a Christmas cookie. I can just imagine how many go into kids lunch bags at this time of year. I won't bore you with their statistics...you can google them, I just wanted to say to pick up a few now...they won't be here long. This is probably the last month for them. California Cuties...what a clever marketing idea.

Balisha

This and That Kind of Day

2012-01-06T08:02:00.004-06:00

The birds are faring well this winter. Lots of seeds for them to eat around our yards. I checked the woods and was glad that I left so many stalks with seed heads for my feathered friends.
This morning it is in the 30's. I went outside at 7 and picked up the remainder of the branches that had been blown down in the wind. (That darn River Birch...such a messy tree, but at the same time so beautiful.) I had a whole lawn cart full and took them back to the woods to dump. I was going to ask the kids next door to help me out, but I found that I could do it myself. I haven't had much exercise since hurting my back. I'm still going to the Dr. and asked if I could do a few more strenuous things...he said do what you can do...you'll know when to stop. I used to push myself and do more than I should have...now I have the sense to stop when I am tired. I was out for about 30 min. and it felt good. A little each day is my new saying.

I'm just about finished with organizing the Christmas decorations downstairs. We still have the tree in the living room, and it will be put away next week. I still can't say goodbye to Christmas. In between the Christmas project I have been making some changes in my craft area downstairs. Going through my paints and tossing those very old bottles. I have been doing some mixed media projects and I bought some beautiful papers at Michael's. My drawers are getting full of paper things. My storage area will be changed completely this week. I can't work in a mess. When I used to paint full time...I would have to clear any mess away before I could start working. I guess I'm an organization freak. My knitting is the same way. Everything for one project is in a basket. When that is finished a new one is started.

The plants that I brought inside to winter over are in the compost pile. After lugging them all downstairs and re potting them last fall.... something was on them that was making the leaves drop off...killing the stems, after turning brown. I don't know what it was, but spraying with soapy water didn't do the trick. I couldn't see a bug. This kept spreading to my other plants...so out they went. I didn't want my plants upstairs affected. My saved Amaryllis bulbs weren't affected....ivy, African violets, pothos, cactus...are fine. I'm watching them very carefully. I guess I'll just have to buy more dipladenia and geraniums.

I hope our gardens fare well with this, so far, snowless winter. I don't like to drive in snow, but this up and down in temp isn't good for our gardens. We need snow cover. I hope I don't live to regret these words, but please Mother Nature...just a little snow.

Balisha

Snowdrops...Tiny Nubs of Green

2012-01-04T08:09:00.003-06:00

Tiny Nub of Green by Balisha

Little nub of not quite green peaking up at me.

I planted you in fall so late, beneath the tall birch tree.

The statue of our Lady is standing just behind..

I wanted flowers there for her...and snowdrops came to mind.

Snowdrops nodding in the breeze.. flowers of white so pure..

A perfect flower, in a mass, right in front of her.

So wait my little nub of green.. for winter to be done..

Your blooming time will come in Spring, when the earth is warmed by sun.

Prayers for a Blogging Friend

2012-01-03T15:35:00.009-06:00

I didn't know what to do about this, so being a blogger, I thought I would write something about it. One of my faithful readers... Judy of http://judesmusings-miller.blogspot.com/ left a cheery comment here just the other day. Little did she know that her next post would be about her loving man's illness. The next day she posted that he had passed away....I believe on New Year's day. We bloggers happily go from blog to blog to read about other people's lives and never really expect this. We might expect all happy news, but that's not the real world. In the real world we have to accept the sadness too. I haven't followed Judy's blog very long, but long enough to know that she and Fred, had something special going on. They had been together for seven short years....finding each other late in life. Two wonderful friends joined together in love. It makes us realize that our time on earth may be short and we should make the best of what time we have. We always hear, after a death, about telling people how we feel about them... when they are still alive. Nobody gets through life without losing someone they love.I would like to let her know that I am keeping her in my prayers.
Balisha

The Bowl on the Shelf

2012-01-03T08:28:00.005-06:00

Cold but bright morning. I see smoke coming out of the chimney across the street. The kids were bundled at the school bus stop. Little birds are here first for some seed. I have to fill the feeders today. Joe has a project to do and I am thinking about making vegetable soup.

My daughter is on her way home to DC...always a little worrisome for me. She emails me along the way with little messages, so I can follow.

Years ago, I would have made bread on a day like this. It might have been a cold day, or a day when I had things on my mind. I loved the smell of yeast dough rising in a bowl on my counter. I have the bowl up on top of my cabinets now. I don't want to take a chance of breaking it. I bought it from an estate sale in the little town where I used to live. The family was having a sale to close up their Grandma's house. When I picked up the bowl, the grand daughter said that her grandma had used this to make bread. She used a starter and this bowl held the starter on her counter top. She said it gave the kitchen that yeasty smell that she loved so much. I kept turning the bowl in my hands...not a mark or chip anywhere. It was a bit pricey, so I put it down and went on looking. I went home without it, but something told me to go back later in the day. They were starting to close up for the day. The bowl was still there. Now, I'm not very good at haggling over prices, so I just stood there with the bowl in my hands. I would never ask someone to come down in price. The grand daughter came up to me and asked what I would pay for it. I told her what I had in my change purse and she said "SOLD" I was delighted. It came home with me and had a choice spot on my open shelves in the kitchen. I thought about what the grand daughter had told me...how it was used in the past. I decided that this bowl would only be used for bread making. And so it was...many, many times I have put warmed water, sugar, and yeast in this bowl to start my loaf of bread. It's only big enough for dough for one loaf. As I wash the bowl, I hold on carefully. I'm always afraid that it will slip out of my hands and chip. Do you have a favorite bowl in your kitchen? Is there something that you cherish and are afraid to use too much? I hope that in writing this post...that my kids will know what was precious to me and the story behind it. With Joe trying to lose weight, it wouldn't be nice to tempt him with homemade bread, so I'll just have to get the kitchen smelling good with homemade vegetable soup.

Balisha

Old Movies During the Holidays

2012-01-02T17:57:00.003-06:00

This was the week for old movies at our house. We watched a several in a few days. First was "Sophie's Choice" We watched the Kennedy center awards and saw one of our favorite actresses, Meryl Streep. They showed part of Sophie's Choice during this award program and we wanted to see it. It was a very good movie...she did a wonderful job with her German accent.It went back and forth from the days of WWll and the present time. We saw Sophie, as she lived in Germany, and then going to a concentration camp and having to choose between her two children...who to save. How cruel...they were like animals. How could a mother deal with this?

The next movie was"Rainmaker." This was a Frances Ford Coppola movie starring Matt Damon and Danny Devito. It was so good. We both enjoyed it. One of the stars was in the movie Little Women, which we watched today.

Next came Titanic. This starred Kate Winslet and Leonardo Di Caprio. We watched Titanic last night. We both had seen this a couple of times. It is right up there with one of the best movies ever. It was as good now as it was the first time. We both marveled at how real everything looked. How did they do all the sinking scenes? The music was so wonderful.

As the movie was ending, we saw an advertisement for An Affair to Remember. We came in when the movie had already started, but seeing it before...we were able to follow. Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr are known world wide for these roles. Such a romantic film. It holds up even today.

Now we come to today...as I said yesterday, I just can't let go of Christmas this year. I consider Little Women to be a Christmas movie. I watched, while Joe read his book. I sat there, with the tree lit and watched the March family dealing with a meager Christmas while their father was away during the war. The story told of their hardships and their triumphs. The family of women were very loving toward each other. My favorite character is always Jo. She was played by Winona Ryder...in this remake. I usually don't like the redos, but this one is really special.

So, now you know what we were doing this past weekend. Do you watch the same movie over again? Joe says the nice thing about being old is that you forget parts of the movie and can watch them again and still get something new out of it.

If you want a treat...go out and rent one of these movies. You'll be glad you did.

Balisha

Just Can't Let Christmas Go

2012-01-02T12:18:00.002-06:00

I have this basket of Christmas books on my coffee table. It still sits there...I hate to put these away. The basket if full of Christmas poetry, recipes, stories, and pictures. I have collected theese throughout the years. Friends have given me a couple of them...I love books for a gift. I love to give them and receive them. A favorite gift for me would be an Amazon gift card...to sit here and go through the many, many selections. I even love used books...and I always look to see if a used book is offered at a much cheaper price.
Here it is...after Christmas and I went to the library and picked up some reading material and movies. Wouldn't you know it...I picked out a Christmas book. I guess I just can't get enough Christmas.

Balisha

Happy New Year 2012

2012-01-01T09:49:00.004-06:00

It's mid morning on the first day of 2012. It was a very blustery night. I heard the wind start howling at 3AM...it continues into the morning. The sky was dark, when we got up, and now the clouds are moving fast and changing from sunny to dark and cloudy. The bird feeders are swinging in the wind. How do birds manage to fly in this weather?

We had a quiet New Year's Eve. We went to a very crowded Mass. Father said that most would be partying into the night and wouldn't want to come to Mass this morning. A few laughs from the congregation. He told us that the New Year started for Christians on Christmas Day. The day that Christ was born. After telling us to be careful and well...he ended the Mass. He was standing out in the wind...his vestments flying in the breeze...wishing all a Happy New Year.

We went to a nearby restaurant for dinner. The waitresses had tiaras with Happy New Year written on them...the restaurant was dimly lit and still decorated for Christmas. Lighted stars at the windows. Above the windows were decorated grapevines trailing across the bank of windows. Our food came and it was delicious. I didn't order a big meal, however, for I knew that we had snacks here at home.

We left the restaurant and came across the river to our neighborhood...still full of Christmas lights. We changed our clothes and decided to watch a movie. When the movie was over...we watched the New Year celebration in New York. Between Lady Gaga and Dick Clark, the ball dropped and it was the New Year. We wished each other a Happy New Year and shared a New Year kiss. We went to bed....me with all kinds of things going on in my head. I fell asleep quickly, however, but woke to hear fire crackers at midnight. I lay there for awhile , thinking about all the plans for the New Year. Maintaining a healthy diet, a bit more exercise, just keep on moving, taking care of my health, planning some art projects, keeping family close, my garden (what to do about those heavy garden chores) and most of all....keeping my faith. If I do all that...it will be a good year :)

I want to take this time to thank you all for following my blog. I know that many more read this than leave comments. I appreciate all of you who take the time to comment and to those of you who don't comment...I appreciate you too. Sometimes...most times actually, I sit here and pour my thoughts out on this computer and don't even think about people actually reading this. It comes from my heart and I just type. So, thank you again for reading and sharing a part of your lives with me. Our blogging world is huge, but very intimate at the same time. Love to you all...Happy 2012.

Balisha

Happy New Year's Eve

2011-12-31T08:36:00.004-06:00

This is my New Year's Eve picture...... my Cocker, Maggie a few years ago. It was the year that my first husband died and Mags and I were left on our own. It was the first New Year's Eve that I would celebrate alone in over 45 years. I bought one of those little 4 packs of tiny wine bottles and put the party hat on Maggie at midnight. We brought in the new year together. She was my faithful companion during that time. Our family had just experienced a year of heartache, but somehow we got through it. Maggie dealt with this in her own way. She had lost one of her loving companions, but still went on to cheer our family everyday. Little did I know, that happiness was just around the corner. Someone new would come into our lives and we would find some happiness again.

This year, Joe and I will celebrate New Year's Eve by going to Mass and then out to dinner. No big parties anymore, no wild celebrations...just a quiet welcome for 2012 in our living room. We might remember the old days, but not dwell on them. There is a saying on the wall in our breakfast nook....Remember yesterday, Ponder tomorrow, but Live for today. We see this every time we eat a meal and it reminds us of the important thing...today. It's time to say goodbye to another year...one that brought joy and sorrow to many of our family and friends. Looking ahead for just a minute...I hope that 2012 is wonderful.

Balisha

"You Are Old!"

2011-12-30T08:22:00.007-06:00

Here we are at the end of 2011. What do you do at the end of the year? Do you rush into the new year with reckless abandon or ease into it one step at a time? The first thing that I do is find a new calendar...or calendars. I made Joe one with pictures of his dog, Laddie, on it. I made it at Kodak and it turned out very nicely. It now hangs over his computer. We have a frame in the breakfast nook for a big calendar. We usually pick out a bird calendar, but this year I chose a Susan Branch one and a Springer Spaniel one for the entry into the kitchen. This year I have a free Pillsbury calendar hanging over my computer. I can look up and gaze at food! Joe received a calendar with Bible verses...that will go over his desk in the bedroom. With all these calendars you'd think we would be on top of it, but a couple of times in the last year...we forgot appts.

The next thing that I do is organize my desk here at my computer. I go through the file cabinet and toss things that are no longer needed. I might need a new file folder or two. I have a wire basket on my desk. I put mail there that I need to keep, and it stays there till I can deal with it. Anything that comes that is important goes in there. I have a small file with drawers on my left that is full of pens, pencils, erasers etc, computer paper, address labels, info on my computer. The window seat has a couple stacks of garden magazines, two dictionaries, a plastic box with cameras and their trappings, on top of that is a box with greeting cards. A spindle on my desk holds receipts for purchases until I can file them. I just ordered new printer ink...so I have to load that today. My "Dummie" books are on the little shelf under the printer. You know"Word for dummies, Blogging for dummies, and Windows XP for dummies." I have used these many times. Not ashamed to call myself a dummie if I don't know something.

I put the Christmas gifts away and make note of what clothing I might need for winter sales. This year I only need socks. I got so many lovely gifts this year and can't wait to start wearing some of them.

Yesterday, I took two gift cards to the Michael's store. I was like a kid in a candy store. I went through that store and picked up everything I could possibly need for this next year. Everything was on sale and many were 70% off. I had three bags full, when I got home. I'll show some of my purchases tomorrow or the next day.I woke at 3AM thinking about the next project that I will be working on...so I have to get downstairs today and organize the crafting area...so I can start out.

I always wonder when I will get old and not want to do all these things. I always tell people, "When I get old" Sometimes they say, "You are old!" I hope that I never get too old to look forward to the next year and all it brings. I have to get busy now.

Balisha

Drake's 2nd Christmas

2011-12-29T09:37:00.004-06:00

This was great grandson Drake's 2nd Christmas. Last year he was just a tiny baby, but this year he's a little toddler...walking, running, beginning to talk. His gift from us was a rocking horse. We left it in the box so Daddy could put it together. This little man entertained himself, and us, by playing with the strap that held the box together and saying, "Dog" We all tried to get him to say, "Pony" but he insisted that it was a dog. He then went on to the potato chip container...and brought them to us. He loved the clip that was keeping it closed, but when he found out that he could open it...we heard a very little, "Pweeze" with that winning smile of his. He tipped his little head, as if in a shrug, and said, "Pweeze"again. How could we resist? We had the stairway barricaded with chairs...he would go toward the stairway and shake his head and say, "No!" With all the trappings of Christmas, he was entertained with the most simple things. His needs are simple... dry pants, his food, a place to sleep and just the simplest of things to play with. I know that some who read this will say, "What's so unusual about what this baby does?" We simply love him and anything he does is a miracle to us.

Balisha

The Saddest Thing

2011-12-28T08:27:00.003-06:00

One of the saddest things to me is seeing a Christmas tree on the tree bank on the day after Christmas.Laying there, waiting for the trash collector. Something that brought such joy...just a few days ago, left for the garbage collector. We leave our tree up until after Epiphany.

“The Twelve Days of Christmas”… This puts Christmas into perspective as, not just a day, but season begun by Christmas Day and continuing for twelve days until the celebration of Epiphany on Jan 6th. According to St. Matthew, the wise men brought Jesus gifts, which started the tradition of gift giving during this season The Feast of Epiphany.

It's a lot of work...decorating for Christmas. I've heard some say, "It's over so quickly...all that work and it's over in one day." I'm thinking that maybe people would be happier...letting the feeling of Christmas last a little longer....not being in such a rush to get started on the New Year. One year I put the Christmas things away early, and then it snowed. I looked around my neighborhood and saw some Christmas lights on in people's homes. I wished for that feeling of Christmas ...and vowed that I would never do that again. Sitting in a cozy living room with just the Christmas lights on is one of our favorite things to do. The rush of Christmas is over and now we can just relax and enjoy what we have. Peaceful feelings come over me and I can enjoy the beauty of the season. We do the same at Church...the Altar is left as it was on Christmas. Poinsettias are removed as they start to fade. The Manger has the baby Jesus in his bed and the Wise Men are on top of the brick wall divider...following the star. It's a wonderful tradition.

Balisha

The New Hit....Ritz Sliders

2011-12-27T18:13:00.004-06:00

The above picture only shows part of the groaning board. The counters were full of ham, barbecued meatballs, little smokies, melted chocolate for fruit and many other things. I made a very simple appetizer to take along and share.

Take a Ritz cracker and top with half a warmed meatball. Top these with tiny squares of cheese. Put them on a paper plate and slide into the microwave. Nuke until the cheese is melty then top with a hamburger slice dill pickle. So simple and so good. We couldn't keep the plate full. These are so easy...even small kids could do it. I noticed some vegetarians eating them :)

Balisha

The 12 Days of Christmas

2011-12-27T09:02:00.005-06:00

1. Our holiday season began with Thanksgiving. We spent the day with my oldest son and his family. The weather was perfect for us to drive to their house and enjoy a delicious meal. Joe did the carving and Andrew did most of the dishes. Renee worked hard for two days making a wonderful meal for us. We were entertained by baby Jordan.

2. Next came the decorating at home and at Church. We weren't going to do as much decorating this year, but right now the house looks like we forgot about that...every corner has something Christmas in it. I guess you just can't change old ways....especially when you both have things that are special to you. This year we didn't buy anything new for decorating.

3. As the holiday approached, I had coffee with a friend... we had visits from neighbors bringing a tray of cookies and a beautiful floral arrangement. The cookies were delicious...this started us out in our search for the favorite cookie:) We had to sample many, many cookies from this day on.

4. Church events every week. Advent, Holy day, and then Christmas itself. The Advent decorating was the only thing I did at Church...as I hurt my back during the holidays. I did however, make lots of cookies for Father's open house at the Rectory. We sampled a few.

5. Christmas was getting closer. With our large combined family it was decided to draw names on Joe's side. This was not successful for us... many people bought gifts for those whose name they didn't draw. The drawing of names caused us to not get together as a whole family. Joe and I kept up with all the changes...I told him that we better write the schedule down, so we didn't forget anything. We wouldn't want to be caught in our PJs...when we were supposed to be hosting a meal. We made cookies...and more cookies. Oh, by the way, Joe bought a huge apple pie from Sam's. Half of that is in the freezer right now.

6. Christmas Eve Eve...a visit to Joe's oldest son's house. We took a plate of cookies and had dessert and coffee with them. Grandson Brandon manned the Keurig coffee maker and gave a tour of his very decorated bedroom. He was full of Christmas spirit. We ate cookies.

7. Christmas Eve morning....Joe's grandson and his family were here for breakfast. Drake, their baby, was a delight. He entertained us all morning. I'll write a post about him tomorrow. We ate cookies.

8. Christmas Eve afternoon...we went in to celebrate with my family. No name swapping here...it seemed more like Christmas with all the laughter and paper flying. My daughter was here from DC and she told about her plans to go to the Bears, Green Bay game on Christmas. We ate cookies.

9. Christmas Day...We went to Mass, where our Church was decorated so beautifully this year. Then home to put a prime rib in the oven and get the meal around, because Joe's youngest son and girlfriend were coming for dinner and gift exchange. We ate cookies.

10. We watched a Michael Jackson concert, a gift to Joe, in the afternoon. We watched the Bear game at night...looking to see if we could see my daughter in the crowd. We had coffee and cookies.

11. Phone calls to and from family and friends who we didn't see during the holiday went on into the night. So much laughter and joy talking about our memories. My brother andI talked about food...and the food channel. He's laid up with a broken leg and he made hundred's of cookies for gifts this year...being at home. I was feeling sick from all the cookies.

12. Yesterday...we collapsed. The presents were still under the tree, serving dishes not put away, leftovers for dinner, naps on the couch, early to bed...that was our day yesterday. Joe discussed his new diet. I ate so much I felt like I could be sick. We threw out the cookies that were left.

12. This morning....I never felt so tired. Slept late...really still don't want to do anything. Gifts still under tree, serving dishes not put away, soup for dinner, maybe a nap on the couch, maybe early to bed.

Well, that's our 12 days of Christmas. Today we have to get busy and get back into our routine. The rest of the prime rib is in the freezer, the cookies are trashed, the cinnamon rolls are gone, we are going back to our healthy routine of mostly vegetables, fruits, small amount of meat. Yogurt smoothie for breakfast and soup for dinner. I don't like this lethargic feeling. Oh, dear, New Year's Eve is coming...what diet food can you eat on New Year's Eve? Please pass the carrot sticks.

Balisha

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T12:17:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas from Our House to Yours.

Aunt Ruthie Made the Gravy

2011-12-23T08:44:00.003-06:00

Picture from the internet

In the 50's our whole family would gather at our house for Christmas dinner. It was our family tradition. One Christmas in the 1950's, my brother had a bad cold...just in time for Christmas. Mom always took a piece of flannel... hung it on the oven door and let it get warm. Camphorated oil would be heated in a small pan on the stove...then Mom would put the oil on his chest and pin the warmed flannel to his pajama top with big safety pins. Tuck him into bed with covers up to his nose and let him sleep. This and Vicks always seemed to help him breath, when he had colds. Well, it was Christmas morning and the ladies were busy in the kitchen. The men were in the living room reading the paper and visiting. The table was all set with our best dishes and silver. Someone went to get Grandma, and we were almost ready to eat. The last thing to be made was the gravy. Aunt Ruthie offered to make it while Mom carved the bird. My Aunt always made the best gravy. The huge roaster was on two burners. This was before we had a whisk, so she was stirring furiously so that the gravy would be lump free. She saw a tiny pan with yellowish liquid in it and mistaking it for melted butter...she added it to the gravy... to make it richer. A couple of tastes told her that something was wrong....something was very wrong. The gravy tasted like camphorated oil. She told Mom that she had used some of the melted butter in the gravy and Mom looked startled. After she told Aunt Ruthie what was in the pan....they broke into fits of laughter...bending over and grabbing their aprons to wipe their eyes. The rest of us in the kitchen were told what happened and we began to howl. Hearing this raucous sound coming from the kitchen...the men came to the door and looked in. They saw a sight that they had never seen before. All the women of the family were standing there with tears in their eyes not being able to speak. The tears were mostly from laughing, but some tears were from the camphorated oil that was perfuming the room. Needless to say...we didn't have gravy that year. It is a story that has gone down in our family history. After that, when Aunt Ruthie made the gravy...a big laugh came from the kitchen.

Balisha

My Christmas Stocking

2011-12-22T18:11:00.003-06:00

Some of my Christmas memories come from the 1940's. My parents didn't have very much money at that time. Our Christmases were pretty sparse. One of my favorite things was my stocking. It was made of felt and had some felt figures glued on. I was an only child at that time...so there wasn't a name on it. We didn't have a fireplace, so my stocking hung on the closet door knob. I can remember waking up early and running in to see if Santa had come. My stocking was bulging. I knew that he had been there. I took my stocking into my bedroom and just sat there with it on my bed. I wouldn't have dreamed of opening it up. I wanted Mom and Dad to wake up so badly. I remember making noises, so they would awaken. When I heard them, I rushed into their room and showed them my sock. Mom would say that I had to wait for them to get up and get dressed. Then they had to make coffee and then we could proceed. It seemed that they took forever. Why did grownups need coffee anyway? My Dad worked nights and he always brought home the leftovers of a 5 lb box of Fannie Mae Candy that had been on his desk for the office workers to share. It was a treat for us...even if they were leftovers. I ate some candy....waiting for Mom and Dad. When we went into the living room...at last...I noticed an envelope on the tree. Dad always gave Mom his Christmas bonus and that was in the envelope.Those were the good years...some years there wasn't a bonus. At last I could open my sock. At the top was usually a stuffed animal, or a pair of mittens...something squishy. There was always a rolled up book in there. My favorite was one that you could paint with water...colors would magically appear when water was applied with a brush. Follow the dots was another favorite. A new toothbrush was next....I suppose that had to do with all the candy the stocking held. Maybe a little plastic puzzle where the ball bearing would scoot around and make points. One year...play makeup was found. As I went further into my sock I found nuts in shells....why Santa always gave me these I'll never know....and then hard Christmas candies...with no wrapping...stuck to the felt. I had to pick pieces of fuzzy felt off before I could eat them. They were all stuck together. The last thing in the toe would be an apple and an orange. I was thrilled with my haul...and really didn't need anything else, but there usually were some paper dolls and some clothes wrapped under the tree. I guess you could have called us poor, but I didn't know it. All my friends had the same kind of Christmas. Mom and Dad always made my Christmas special. I remember them watching me, but not opening very many gifts themselves. I think that's the way is has always been. Mom and Dad get so much joy out of giving gifts to their kids...they think of themselves last. As I sit here typing, I have a smile on my face. My Mom and Dad gave me a wonderful childhood with so many memories.

Balisha

Christmas Preparations

2011-12-22T07:49:00.005-06:00

This is what I'll be looking at off and on for the next few days. It's a tiny shelf that is on the wall in front of the kitchen sink. The plate was a gift from my grand kids. I miss a window over the sink...but the big sliding glass doors are just to the side, so I can watch my little birdies. Speaking of birdies...I switched the bird feeders around the other day. The hanging lantern is in my view as I type this post. The birds don't like it...only two can eat at the same time...actually only one...as they seldom sit that close to each other when they eat. I used to have a hanging shelf feeder there, so many birds could eat at the same time. The lantern was a gift and I want to make the person who gave it feel good, by thinking that we use it all the time. I hate to hurt feelings. Is that dishonest?? The feeders on the back deck were moved very close to the house...to be more convenient and safe for me. We were eating lunch the other day and a dove was on the railing, where the feeder used to hang, giving me, what I thought was, a dirty look. She didn't want to come so close to the house to eat...so she just sat there and stared at me. I am going to move things around again today...the birds win.

I am going to tidy up the house today...to get ready for the coming holiday. Tomorrow I have to start with the food preparations. Breakfast things, appetizers, and then Christmas dinner. We are having prime rib for Christmas dinner. I won't even tell the obscene price we paid for that meat. That will be Joe's contribution to the meal....he knows how to season meat and cook it to perfection. I'm using the Pioneer Woman's recipe for make ahead mashed potatoes and also her mini cheeseburger appetizers for Christmas eve. I watched her two shows this week on the food channel and loved them. You see a little of her life on the ranch as well as the cooking.

Our menu for Christmas dinner is prime rib, mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, relishes, marinated peppers, Christmas slaw, rolls and for dessert a tray of cookies and ice cream sundaes with hot fudge. I have to get the pans and casseroles out that I want to use and make sure they fit in the micro waves and oven. Nothing like having things to go in the oven and finding that you don't have room at the last minute. I actually have to measure the space I have in the oven to see if my roasting pan and casseroles will fit.

Well, I had better get going...the work is not going to get done this way. Have a great day and relax.

Balisha

Huntley's Ready for His Road Trip

2011-12-20T14:43:00.003-06:00

Huntley's ready for his road trip. He climbed into my daughter's bag last night and decided that he was coming along on her trip from DC to Illinois and Wisconsin. They leave early on the 23rd and get here that night. Hope you have a safe trip precious cargo..

Love you, Mom

The Liebster Award

2011-12-20T08:48:00.011-06:00

Imagine my surprise this morning, when I checked my comments and found that I had been given an award. I haven't heard of many awards being given lately...thought that people stopped recognizing blogs. I want to thank Jan of http://slowlivinginafastlife.blogspot.com/%20called Stand and Stare. I was so surprised and want to thank Jan for her lovely comments and interest in my blog. I have just recently started reading her posts. I love reading about people who live in other countries and hearing about their lives and customs. Jan is new to blogging and I know that she was excited to accept this award. I remember how I felt, when I got my first one. I know many people don't accept these awards, but I do think that there are many who appreciate being recognized. The Liebster award is awarded to blogs with less than one hundred followers, and comes with a few of rules.( I didn't check to see if they had more than 100 followers. I came back to edit this...It took me quite a bit of time to do this, so being Christmas time, I hope that I will be forgiven for breaking the rules.) The rules are very simple...

1. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
2. Thank the giver(s) and link back to them.
3. Choose the five blogs which you would like to pass the award on to and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.

So now is the hard part...finding those five blogs...I didn't check to see if they had more than 100 followers....I read many blogs every week. Some I read everyday. I have so much time, being retired, more time than a working woman...a busy Mom. Here goes...

1. http://www.cozylittlehouse.com/ This blog is about a woman who just had a major change in her life and lets us in on the most amazing journey she has had in the past year.

2. http://lonadawn.blogspot.com/ This blog is about a woman who writes a beautiful post most everyday...about all things growing. She let's us have a glimpse of her life through her love of flowers.

3. http://flowerladysmusings.blogspot.com/ This blog is about a woman living in Florida...her flowers and her needlework....a truly talented lady in every way.

4. http://wsprsweetlyofcottages.blogspot.com/ This blog is written by a woman of my age who shows us her beautiful home and the treasures she holds dear. She makes life fun.

5. http://myjourneytomindfulness.blogspot.com/ This blog is written by a woman who moved to the woods in her later years. We get to follow her life through her amazing words.

These blogs are all a bit different from each other. I do hope that you will visit them to see for yourself what I see in each of them.

Again, thank you, Jan for this award. It gave me a chance to tell these bloggers what they mean to me. I wish you so much luck with your blog...and hope that through sharing our lives in our blogs...we can become "friends" across the pond.

Balisha

My Day

2011-12-17T09:36:00.001-06:00

It snowed over night...maybe two inches. When we got up..Bryce and Audra from next door were shoveling us out. It's so nice to have neighbor kids like that. They are so helpful and would do anything for us. I gave them each their envelope for Christmas and a couple of homemade cookies....the ones with a Hershey kiss on top.

Yesterday, before the snow, I went out and cleaned up the bird feeders. I hung the new lantern shaped one just outside the computer room. Then I put the feeder on the deck close to the house, so I wouldn't have to slide around on the deck...trying to fill it everyday. This way I can just reach around the corner and fill it. I decided to go back to the woods to dump the old seed from the feeders. While I was back there, I checked on a few plants. The Lamb's Ear is still really nice. I picked a few leaves to stamp with paint on a project I am working on. When I put my hand down to pick, I felt a nice warmth coming from the center of the plant. I put my hand down into the leaves and thought to myself, "How cozy and warm this place would be for a little animal." I noticed the brush pile and thought, "I wonder who is living in there this winter?" Moving on, I checked on the plants that I had transplanted in the fall. A scurrying sound caught my attention and my friend the squirrel ran up the tree and sat on the branch to watch. He had his new winter coat on. He sat there watching and wondering if I had anything to give him. He must remember when I had a few peanuts in my pocket for him...but not this time. I wondered if he would find the pile of old seed that I had just dumped. As I looked up the tree...I noticed a Cooper's Hawk at the very tip top. "Run away squirrel, someone has you in mind for lunch!" The Hawk stayed for just a minute and then took off. Maybe I saved the squirrel's life by being there just at the right moment. I turned and started for the house. I have one more Christmas present to make...and then the cookies need to be finished. Joe is gone today...so I have the whole day without interruption...maybe I'll get done...or maybe I'll just make myself a nice lunch and watch a cooking show....one of my favorite things to do.

Balisha

Should We Be Worried About Santa?

2011-12-16T12:23:00.004-06:00

This was taken from the internet.

Yes, Virginia, there really is a Santa Claus. And he's a public health menace.according to this from internet.

Public health expert says the beloved Christmas icon should ditch his sleigh and start biking or walking to lose his jelly belly.

This light-hearted research was published online Thursday in the annual Christmas issue of the British medical journal BMJ.

After conducting a literature review, there was found... a "very high Santa awareness" among children.it was determined that Santa made a reckless role model, noting his frequent cookie snacks, occasional cigars and refusal to don a helmet during "extreme sports such as roof surfing and chimney jumping."

Santa is a late adopter of evidence-based behavior change and continues to sport a rotund, sedentary image,

There was also found a correlation between countries that celebrate Santa and large numbers of fat children.

Santa promotes a message that obesity is synonymous with cheerfulness and joviality. It was suggested that jolly old Saint Nick should swap his traditional snacks of cookies and milk in favor of sharing carrots with Rudolph.

More disturbingly, Santa's close-up contact with sniffling, coughing kids made him a one-man outbreak waiting to happen, with swine flu the biggest seasonal concern.

Unsuspecting little Johnny gets to sit on Santa's lap, but as well as his present, he gets H1N1 influenza.

The man who wrote the article donned a Santa suit himself - and deemed the experience a public health nightmare. "I was kissed and hugged by snotty-nosed kids at each performance and was never offered alcohol swabs to wipe my rosy cheeks between clients," he wrote.

I read this bit of Christmas humor this morning after driving into town for Christmas coffee with a friend. I was listening to the radio and heard all about "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" being a Christmas song about bullying. Also, Dean Martin's, "Baby It's Cold Outside" being the first song about date rape. Where do they come up with these ideas? I guess it takes all kinds to make up this sometimes crazy world. No matter what some think...Christmas will go on from year to year with little kids singing the Rudolph song and grownups humming along with Dean about a cold night....and our beloved chubby Santa will continue on in his jolly way...kids will continue to tell him what they want for Christmas and then leave him a snack of cookies and some carrots for Rudolph. It's one of our favorite traditions of Christmas...without his belly it wouldn't be the same.

Balisha

Busy, Busy, Christmas Time

2011-12-14T07:44:00.005-06:00

Two special little guys from our past. It wouldn't be Christmas without these two little men appearing someplace in our house. The elf on the top belongs to Joe and the one below is mine. They are very old and special care is taken when they are put away for the year. I remember last year searching and searching for Joe's elf. He always hangs on the lamp beside his chair and my little guy sits under the tree.

My cookies are almost done. I was going to cut back this year, but they called from the Church and asked if I would make some for Father's open house on Sunday....a couple of batches. So on Friday I am going to finish up by frosting and decorating the ones in the freezer. I made butter cookies, cutouts, chocolate drops, thumbprints, peanut butter kiss cookies, and pecan bars. I need to frost the cutouts and thumbprints. I found an easy way to frost some of my cookies. I mix up some white, red and green frosting ...put the cookies on a rack, then drizzle some of each color across the cookies and sprinkle with candy sugar. They really look pretty and it is not much work.

Our plans this year are starting to get complicated. I need to write them down on the calendar. Christmas eve eve...we go to Joe's son's house for dessert and coffee. I am taking the dessert. Christmas eve morning... Joe's grandson and family come here for breakfast...Christmas eve at 2 pm we go to my son's house for gift exchange and food.. most of my family will be there...Christmas morning we go to early Mass and then at noon Joe's other son and girl friend come here for dinner. So, I have had to really check the cookbooks to find some recipes that will work for each of these parties. I'll tell you tomorrow what recipes I have come up with.

This morning it is raining. It has rained all through the night. Last year at this time we were covered with snow. We have a lot on our plate today. We have to run into Rockford after some appointments here in town. Our car needs the oil changed and I have to have a blood test. I hope that we have time to have a nice lunch and just stop by the mall to see the Christmas decorations. Well, that's about it for today. I noticed that many bloggers aren't posting as often or leaving comments. Everyone must be busy getting ready for the big holiday weekend. Take time to enjoy it all...

Balisha

Look What's Blooming

2011-12-12T07:21:00.003-06:00

Look what's blooming at my house. This is the famous Red Lion Amaryllis. What a vibrant color...just in time for holiday decorating. I put this bright bit of color on the window seat in the computer room, so I can enjoy it when I am writing a post. This is the easiest flower to grow in the house. If you get a large bulb from a greenhouse...you will have success. I've had them from the big box stores and some flower and some don't. I love to have flowers all during the winter, so I save my Amaryllis from year to year. This is a new one, but I have several waiting to come up from the basement.

Balisha

The Christmas Village

2011-12-11T09:04:00.003-06:00

Years ago, at Christmas time...my favorite decoration was the little village that was set up under our live tree. A snow white sheet was spread around the base of the tree and mounded with things under it to resemble hills and valleys. The very old little village was taken out of it's dusty, crumpled, box and the fun began. There were eight buildings...to match the strand of eight lights. The houses had colored cellophane windows...so that by putting a light bulb in the little hole in the back, it would seem to be coming from inside the little house. I always placed the Church on the very top of the mound of sheets. It just seemed to me the best spot. The other houses were placed here and there around the bottom. We had some bottle brush trees to put here and there and a little family made out of felt and pipe cleaners. There were animals too...little sheep made out of wee clothespins wrapped with yarn. Some little cars made there way down the pretend road. A vintage Santa and his sleigh made out of cardboard was held together with scotch tape. The very last thing to go under the tree was some cotton. It was pulled apart and spread around to resemble snow. Each year the rough tops of the houses, that had glitter snow on the roofs, had to have strands of cotton removed. My little brother hadn't been born yet, so there weren't many presents to put under the tree. In those days we got maybe one toy, a stocking, and the rest of our gifts were clothes. This little village was probably my favorite thing. Maybe that's why I love my village today. It isn't made of paper...it's made of ceramic. I got the Church on the far left first. It was a gift from my husband. This was way before villages became so popular. I have other buildings that were gifts from my daughter and a dear friend. Mine is a mixture of brands...not all are Dickens buildings. I have my village broken up into two spots this year. One on my dry sink in the dining room and the other on top of the bookcase in the breakfast nook. We enjoy looking at these while we eat and in years past the Grand kids would move the little people and trees around to suit them. I always checked to see what my kids did to this village after they left. Do any of you have a Christmas village? Do you remember the old, old, ones in the past? Do you still have them? I wish now that we had saved them, but, we were anxious to get all the new shiny things for our decorating and these old things were just tossed. Lucky people with attics might have them still and we see them in antique shops and now on Ebay. Another thing from the good old days gone from most of our lives.

Balisha

Candles on the Tree...or Bubble Lights?

2011-12-10T06:58:00.005-06:00

I was reminded of something the other day. A friend and I were talking at the Dr. office, and she told of her Swiss tradition of having lit candles on the Christmas tree. She said that her family always had candles on the tree as far back as she can remember. Her sister does to this day. My friend puts them on the tree, but she doesn't light them. I had another friend who put their tree up on Christmas Eve and lit the candles for just a few minutes. I can remember, back when I was growing up, Dad made a tree stand out of two pieces of wood nailed in a cross like fashion and the trunk of the tree was nailed to that. At that time, we didn't leave the tree up long and it wasn't watered. The only thing that flickered on our tree was the string of bubble lights. I believe that we got these in the 50's. It was my job to get them working. They all had to stand straight up and down and had to be tapped to coax them to bubble. This string of lights was one of my favorite things on the tree. We used the old fashioned tinsel...put on one strand at a time. That tinsel was so much better than the plastic tinsel today. As I was loading a branch with tinsel, if I started getting sloppy. Mom said, and I can still hear her, "If you can't do a good job...don't do it at all!" She spent hours putting the tinsel on. When it was finished, we had such a pretty tree...with the tinsel shimmering from the bubble lights. There was only one string of these lights and I don't think that they were ever replaced...

Imagine my surprise, when I married Joe and that first Christmas together, he went down to the basement and brought up his candelabra with 5 bubble lights. He placed it on the old fashioned radio in the living room. These are his favorite decorations for the house. He checks each year for replacements for this old decoration. This year he ordered one...an off white plastic one, to have when this one wears out. The candle holders are getting loose and the lights have to be tapped to work. So, the bubble lights have gone from my tree to this candelabra. It's a piece of the past in our living room.

Balisha

A Holy Day

2011-12-09T07:45:00.003-06:00

Yesterday morning I went to Mass. It was a Holy Day. On the Roman Catholic Church calendar of Holy days, December 8th is celebrated as a Holy day of obligation, commemorating the Immaculate Conception of Mary. It was a small group of mostly older people that morning. There were 2 other times when parishioners could come...those 2 Masses were very busy. I liked the early morning drive across the bridge into town...as our sleepy town was waking up. There were Canadian Geese hovering over the cold river. I could see my breath in the cold morning air. As I approached the Church, I saw the Manger scene below. I was there just as the Priest arrived. He held the door for me.. as we wished each other good morning. There was no music accompaniment at this early service...only the voices of the 35 or so people attending. To me it was such a simple Mass...just the 35 of us listening to our Priest tell the story of Mary. As he prepared the Communion, he said to us, "As you come forward with the palm of your hand outstretched...think of that cupped palm as your own little Manger making a place in your heart for the Lord Jesus." I had never heard it described that way. Such a sweet description...I thought. From now on when I look at a Manger scene...either at home or away, I will remember his words. Balisha

A Cup of Coffee With Friends

2011-12-08T08:38:00.002-06:00

My Little Santa with a bird wreath...stands near the window where the birdfeeders are. Years ago at the time President Kennedy was running for the presidency, I lived in a small town. In a neighborhood full of young people just starting out. We were all in the same boat...husbands worked and women stayed home taking care of the family and house. During the Christmas season, many of our husbands worked overtime or took on an extra job to bring in more money for Christmas shopping. We Moms were home for many hours with our kids...many hours. We were there to wipe noses, rock a sick baby, play at a child's level, go for walks (even on the coldest day) break up little squabbles, read stories...walks to the library, give baths with Mr. Bubble, change diapers, and potty train. These were just a few things that come to mind. Once the seemingly endless work was done and the kids were in bed...we still had a couple of hours to call our own. I remember doing the ironing at night, paying bills, picking up clutter...etc. We girls decided to have one night a month to get out and leave our kids behind...either with husbands or a baby sitter. Many of us would share a sitter. This night was when we could get together and drink coffee and have a baked treat. One of our neighbors husband worked at night, so we descended on her house. Her Mom always came over and made the coffee. It was strong Swedish coffee, made in a huge enamel coffee pot on the stove. It was the best coffee I had ever had. So smooth and delicious...I drank it black. This time of year we brought cookies to share...we even had a little Christmas cookie exchange a couple of years. This was the time when home parties were just starting. Tupperware, Queensway clothing, Sarah Coventry, and toy parties. Once in a while we worked one of those parties in our one evening a month. The camaraderie of those women got us through those lonely days, when we were pretty much fizzled out. It gave us something to look forward to. It was what kept us sane in those childbearing years. We got together and discussed everything but children. Politics and religion were huge subjects...as we were all pulling for John Kennedy. We even hosted a coffee for him at that time. I got to thinking about this memory, when I posted the recipe for the Swedish nurse's cookies. Here's how that Swedish coffee was made.

Many who grew up in Northern Minnesota or in other Swedish communities remember the smooth, rich flavor of the coffee served at the Lutheran church after services on Sunday. While many folks tout egg shells in the coffee grounds for helping to clarify the coffee, this is the only recipe I’ve found that calls for using an entire egg in the coffee.

According to chemists, the egg is the reason that Swedish egg coffee is so smooth – the proteins in the egg bind with the acid in the coffee to neutralize it. That could make Swedish egg coffee ideal for someone who loves coffee but can’t drink it because they have a sensitive stomach. Here’s one recipe for Swedish coffee that you can try for yourself and see if it doesn’t make the smoothest cup of coffee you’ve ever tasted.

Swedish Egg Coffee Recipe

You need:

1 egg, beaten

1 crushed eggshell

1 cup ground coffee

1/2 cup cold water

8 cups boiling water

In a small bowl, mix the ground coffee with the beaten egg until the coffee grounds are well coated. Stir in the crushed eggshell, then add in the cold water. Meanwhile, bring 8 cups of water to boil in a large saucepan. Add coffee mixture to the boiling water and stir for about four minutes, or until the foam subsides. Remove from the heat and cover the pan. Let stand for 7-10 minutes, until the grounds and eggshell have settled to the bottom of the pot. Strain the coffee through a wire or cloth strainer into coffee cups or into a serving carafe. Add sugar and milk to taste if desired.

This coffee was made in a big blue speckled enamel coffee pot. I remember at Christmas she added a cinnamon stick to the pot. She was a bread baker extraordinaire...her Swedish coffee cakes were to die for. She was the Grandma and a wonderful friend to all of us who came for coffee.

Balisha

Christmas Ambiance

2011-12-07T11:14:00.005-06:00

A little tiff started out our evening last night. Joe had worked hard all day on business things and I had worked hard on household chores....we were both tired. As I came into the living room, I turned on the light next to where I was going to sit. I got a "look" from Joe. I busied myself with my Christmas lists...letters to write, grocery lists for today's shopping. I planned to do these things while watching TV. I just started to write and I heard..."Balisha, do you have to do that right now?" He went on to say that we needed a "little Christmas ambiance" The tree was lit, the lights had been turned off, his bubble lights were bubbling, and Michael Buble was just starting his Christmas special on TV. I had been trying all week to get the letters done and last night seemed like a perfect night to finish my cards. I've been doctoring for a muscle pull in my back and I haven't been up to speed on my Christmas plans. The housework has been let go for a few days. I was feeling pressured and just wanted to get it all done, while I felt good. I went into the breakfast nook and finished my jobs...I could still hear the Christmas music from the adjoining living room. When I was finished, I came in and sat for the rest of the evening, in the living room. We left the lights off and enjoyed the pretty house and some music shows.
This morning I thought a little more about last night. It's Christmas time...it isn't here for long. We put our tree up so it would make the house pretty. Who knows if we will be here next year to enjoy all these things? I have to say that I was wrong. I was being stubborn and just thought about my point of view.Sometimes I think that I get so wrapped up in the busyness of it all that I forget to enjoy what I have accomplished. Today, I'll get things done early...maybe put off a few things until tomorrow...tonight we'll have some "Christmas ambiance."

Balisha

The Swedish Nurse and Her Cookies

2011-12-06T18:00:00.004-06:00

Years ago, I worked the PM shift in the hospital in our little town. There were 3 of us working on that floor at night. My favorite time of the year to work there...was Christmas. Everyone was especially nice during the holidays. We were scurrying to try to get patients home for the holidays. In those days, some people stayed in the hospital for weeks at a time. The patients went home if they could. Some of the remaining patients felt sorry for the nursing staff that had to work the holiday and they were in good spirits. I felt sorry for the patients left behind and often did special things for them. I remember getting a few little gifts from patients who had been there a long time and after caring for them for such a long time...were like family to me. One of the nurses that I worked with was from Sweden. A pretty older woman, with snow white hair. She was a task master and wanted things done just so. We could take a break after patients were in bed for the night. Hot, Swedish, coffee and delicious cookies were the treat one night. The Swedish nurse had brought in the most delicate coconut cookies to share. They were buttery and like a delicate shortbread. I asked her for the recipe and she said, "It's an old family recipe....I can't share it, but if you ever want them, I will make them for you."Of course I never asked. This was way before Google. I have searched for a recipe to match hers. I think this is as close as I will get. We all have favorite cookies for Christmas and this is one of mine. I tend to like the simpler cookie...without frosting, buttery, crispy and a fine crumb. I put the recipe here...try it... Enjoy!

The recipe and picture was taken from Land O Lakes butter website.

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

2 cups butter, softened

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Directions

Combine all ingredients except coconut in large bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed (5 to 8 minutes). Stir in coconut by hand.

Divide dough in half; shape each half into 12x2-inch log. Wrap each log in plastic food wrap; refrigerate until firm (at least 2 hours).

Heat oven to 350°F. Cut logs into 1/4-inch slices. Place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let stand 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets.

The First Snowfall

2011-12-04T09:05:00.003-06:00

Picture taken last year just when winter started. A winter that I'll never forget full of snow that lasted so long... from that very first snowfall. When will it come this year? How much will we get? How long will it last? Questions that have no answers. We just have to be patient and wait. First Snow by Balisha

I'm standing in my little house, beside a window small..

I see the day that lies ahead..a day when snow might fall.

The clouds that gather in the sky, are telling me this day..

My comfy house will be so warm...a cozy place to stay.

Looking out I see the first of many flakes to fall..

Big and puffy come at first and then they change to small.

The wind blows fierce and little birds are trying to take flight..

If this keeps up my world of green will turn a snowy white.

I'll stand here by my window and work throughout the day..

And go to bed tonight and dream of yesterday.

When morning comes and I awake and come to window small..

I'll look and see a world so white from that very first snowfall.

Speaking of Windows....

2011-12-01T08:44:00.002-06:00

Thought I'd share a project that I have just finished. My neighbor Kelly, had a lot of old peeling storm windows. She has an antique shop and goes to auctions often. She found these and thought that maybe an idea would pop in her head...about what she could do creatively with these things. We got together last winter and fiddled around with them and then they were put aside like so many projects that we start and never finish. She called and said that she was giving them up and wondered if I was interested in any of them. I told her that if she would give me 3...I would paint one for her and she would have it by Christmas. Giving her this date would assure that I would get to work on them and maybe finish one of them. Here is the process that I followed to complete just one. The picture below shows what they looked like when I got them.

I started by chipping away some of the old paint. I wanted it to look shabby and not polished. Talking to my daughter, I realized that this old paint could be lead based. That changed my approach to painting it. I work in a closed area in the basement with not much ventilation and didn't want to have to work with a mask on.I took it outside and sanded the loose paint.
I made a sketch of what I thought would look nice on the window. My mind was still working on what I would paint as I started out. I had trouble with the paint sticking...I didn't want to have to buy any special paint to use. So my attack changed again. I coated the glass with a medium that would stick. Then a thought came...black...I would paint the background black. Truth be told, I had a big bottle of green paint, so that's what I used on the frame.
What a bright green!!! I decided that I would antique the frame after it was dry...to tone it down. I painted it the long way, because I didn't know where she would hang it...or how much room she would have. The painting went beautifully after I put the black on. I did the border first, not knowing what would be the focal point for sure. I decided on big daisy like flowers...as you see here.
After they were completely dry, I put a coat of protective varnish on. The picture below is how it looked when Joe took it over to her.
I have two more to do. I learned a lot from this one. I would like one on my front porch...only painted the horizontal way. I can visualize big blousy geraniums. I have the whole winter to do these.

Balisha

The Windows of My Mind

2011-11-30T16:56:00.003-06:00

I hurt my back last week, and I have been resting off and on in bed. I started to write a funny poem about the day I washed the windows and hurt my back. As I was thinking about how to write it...I went in a new direction entirely. So, now that I'm on the mend...here is what I wrote the other day..MeThe Windows Of My Mind by Balisha

As time goes by and I grow old, I find I have the time ..

To gaze upon the world outside through windows in my mind.

I see the natural world so green outside my open door..

I watch as winter comes again as it did the year before.

I see people of all colors just struggling to survive..

As I look a little closer their stories come alive.

They walk so fast, it seems to me, they really do not see..

The person walking next to them...they only think of me.

With heads bent down in weather cold they never even glance..

To see the person next to them.. to give themselves a chance..

To really get to know them and see the life they lead.

They miss so much, it seems to me, going at this speed..

The world can be so lonely if you never even see..

The person walking next to you or care about his needs.

As Christmas comes once again and knocks upon our door..

I hope the world slows down a bit so we can see some more,

Of those people walking next to us in a world as it could be.

If we only pay attention to see what we can see..

A friendly place where we can live.. where people take the time..

To sit and see the real world through windows in their minds.

Refrigerator Dough Recipe

2011-11-27T06:21:00.003-06:00

I had a request for more information on my rolls in my post yesterday. I got this recipe from a dear friend...years ago. I have made them countless times and never had a failure. When I had more to cook for...they came in handy. Now with just the two of us, I seldom make them. I've baked them off and put them in the freezer too. I would probably frost them after they thawed.

So here's the recipe... Balisha

Recipe for refrigerator dough.

2 pkg yeast

2 1/2 c water (warm)

3/4 c shortening

3/4 c sugar

2 eggs well beaten

8-8 1/2 c flour

2 1/2 tsp salt

Soften yeast in water. Add shortening, sugar, eggs, 4 c flour, and salt. Mix (I used elec. mixer) until smooth. Stir in remaining flour to make a soft dough. (You may not need all of it.)

Cover tightly and store in big bowl in fridge. this will rise up so punch it down occasionally. When ready to bake, shape into sweet rolls, dinner rolls, or 2 loaves of bread. Let them rise till double (about 1 hr) Bake at 400 deg. 15-20 min. for rolls, 35-45 for bread. This mixture keeps for several days in the fridge. No kneading is necessary. Just make a pan of rolls whenever you want some. Very easy and fool proof.

Cinnamon rolls

2011-11-26T13:02:00.001-06:00

I made some refrigerator rolls for Thanksgiving dinner. I hadn't made these in maybe 10 yrs. I still had some dough left in the refrigerator, so this morning I decided to make some cinnamon rolls. My Mom made these so many times when I was a girl. She had a sweet tooth and passed that on to me. We were going to finish up the decorating today, so I decided to make these, so they could bake while we were working,

First I rolled out what I had left from Thanksgiving. I made up a mixture of cinnamon, brown sugar, raisins, and chopped nuts. I brushed the dough with melted butter and sprinkled the cinnamon mixture on top.

I rolled the filled dough into a tight roll...trying to judge how thick they should be to fill two pans.Then I baked them at 375 for about 20 min. I don't like these dark pans, because they make things too brown, so I had to watch them carefully.

When the timer went off...they were done and then I mixed a powdered sugar frosting and frosted them. I had two pans...called a neighbor to give one pan away, but couldn't find anyone at home. I wrapped one for Christmas morning...It went promptly into the freezer. I won't show you the pan after Joe and I ate our portions. All I can say is....we aren't hungry for lunch before Mass today :) They came out of the oven just as we were finishing up. Our house is decorated...all but one tree that I bought yesterday. I'll put a picture here of that tree when it comes. We didn't do two trees this year...the one that is coming doesn't need decorating. Our outside decorating is not the same as last year, but no matter how people decorate it always looks so pretty.All I have to do now is bring up the Christmas candles and place them around the house. That's it for today...I hope that our down scaling will allow more time for baking, cooking special meals, watching Christmas TV, reading and maybe doing a few projects that I have had on the back burner.
Balisha

Thanksgiving Day

2011-11-25T11:19:00.001-06:00

Our Thanksgiving was really nice. We went to my son's house in Bartlett. He is married to a gal named Renee..He got a bonus when they married...a couple of grandsons. This little guy, Jordan, was the center of attention on this holiday.He is walking and starting to talk. He was so entertaining at the table. A very neat eater, who was more interested in what was going on around him, that the delicious food that his Grandma had prepared. I got a series of photos...not thinking about writing my Thanksgiving post about him. He has such intense eyes. He is like a sponge...picking up words and repeating them. He learned to say Grandma on Thanksgiving day. Called his Grandma on the phone to show her how he could say it.

Who's that lady with the camera?

I guess she's OK...guess I'll have a drink.

I want to get down...now!

Ahhhh....cupcakes, my favorite. This chocolate frosting is great.

Are you going to keep taking pictures of me? Why don't you eat a cupcake?

We had a wonderful day with them. I wish that our whole family could have been there, but times change and we have to go with the flow. I was thinking about what to have for breakfast...wish I had taken them up on bringing home some turkey...a turkey sandwich sure would have tasted great.
Do you know where Joe is? Black Friday shopping!!! He's a glutton for punishment.
Balisha

Thanksgiving Message

2011-11-23T07:19:00.000-06:00

For each new morning with its light,

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food, for love and friends,

For everything Thy goodness sends.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

The 109 Year Old Fruitcake

2011-11-22T09:45:00.004-06:00

Yum...fruitcake one of my favorite things about the holidays. Years ago, right about now, I would be collecting containers of candied fruit...raisins, currants, cherries, pineapple, citron and nuts. I bought these items over a couple of months, so it didn't add too much to my grocery bill at one time. Just before Thanksgiving, I would have all my ingredients gathered and I would take the huge soup kettle down from the shelf and start adding the ingredients for my fruitcakes. My son John, loved to help me mix this mixture. He would sit on the table and try to stir it with a long wooden spoon. He wouldn't taste it, however, because he didn't like it. I had pans lined up on the counter lined with greased brown paper. The house smelled heavenly while they were baking.....like when you bake ginger cookies. I sometimes tripled the recipe, so I could have some for gifts. I only gave it to people who I know loved fruitcake. Mine would have brandy in them and were wrapped with cheesecloth soaked in brandy. When they came out of the oven, they were cooled and removed from the pans....wrapped in cheesecloth soaked in brandy and put away in the basement until Christmas.

I have heard all kinds of funny things about fruitcake. Especially the one Johnny Carson talked about each year. Here is the story of the 109 Year Old Fruitcake...
The 109 Year Old Fruitcake
The Ford family's favorite heirloom is small, brown and hard as a rock. It smells funny—like moldy rum—and it wouldn't sell for much, if anything. "After you've seen it a couple times," admits Dorothy Ford, who dusts it periodically, "it isn't anything special." It is, however, almost surely one of a kind, and the Fords take pride in that. Their heirloom is a 109-year-old fruitcake.

Like many an ancient treasure, this one comes with a story. Late in 1878 Fidelia Ford, 66, a Berkey, Ohio, farmer's wife, baked her customary holiday fruitcake and set it aside to age until the following Thanksgiving. But Fidelia died before the big day rolled around, and her family hadn't the heart to consume her handiwork without her. They felt that way the next year too, and the next, until, instead of a mere dessert, the Fords had a legacy on their hands.

Today's custodians of the cake are Morgan Ford, 67, a retired mechanical engineer, and his wife, Dorothy, 59; they inherited the edible artifact 35 years ago from Morgan's dad, Lyman, Fidelia's grandson. The cake resides in a glass compote dish in a china cabinet in the Fords' Tecumseh, Mich., home, sometimes appearing as a dining-table centerpiece on holidays. Morgan and Dorothy's granddaughter, Sarah, 8, finds the cake totally "yucky," but older relatives show more respect. "We joke that we have a 100-year-old fruitcake in the family, and it's not my father," says Sarah's mother, Sue Durkee. "But it's a tie to the past, and it's neat to have." Says her brother, Jim, who is the fruitcake's heir apparent: "When I was growing up, I didn't even tell my best friend about it. Now I feel proud."

Only once in this century has the heirloom's peaceful existence been threatened. One day in 1966, Morgan's Uncle Amos, 86—two years younger than the fruitcake—came over with a peculiar look in his eye. Recalls Morgan: "He said, 'It's a dirty shame nobody ever tasted Grandma's cake—mind if'n I try it?' I thought he was kidding, because he was a joker. But he got out his jackknife and whittled off a piece. He chewed it a bit, and it sounded kinda crunchy. He never said a word."

Uncle Amos passed on two years later, still uncommunicative about the taste, but the Fords see no reason why the cake shouldn't go on forever. "Fidelia wasn't very good-looking—in fact, she was pretty homely," says Morgan. "But she sure knew how to bake a cake."

Balisha

Isn't This Cute?

2011-11-21T08:50:00.003-06:00

I found this while searching for Thanksgiving recipes this morning. It came from a National Geographic site. Wouldn't a little child just love his own pie like this one?

Balisha

YOU WILL NEED

3/4 cup (180 mL) sugar
1/2 (2.5 mL) teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon (5 mL) ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon (1.25 mL) ground cloves
2 eggs
15-ounce (420 oz) can pumpkin
12-ounce (336 oz) can evaporated milk
16 ready-made mini pie shells
small peanut-shaped or oval cookies
Pecans
Cake decorating gels

HERE'S HOW

With the help of an adult, preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius).
Combine sugar, salt, and spices in a small bowl.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs gently, then add in the pumpkin and spice mixture.
Mix in the evaporated milk a little at a time.
Distribute the mixture evenly into the pie shells.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Reduce heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
Cool completely.
Decorate with the cookies, pecans, and cake decorating gels as shown.

Will My Mums Bloom at Christmas?

2011-11-20T09:51:00.003-06:00

This picture is from last year. I have posted it before, but I thought I would do it again, because the mums look exactly like this right now. I am getting ready to decorate for Christmas after Thanksgiving. The first year we were married, I was surprised to find out that Joe had a little tree in the basement...all decorated....under a plastic sheet...that he brought up every year on Thanksgiving night. My tradition was to decorate the weekend after Thanksgiving...and the ornaments were carefully placed on my tree when it was set up. His decorating was what a typical man would do...or so I thought, for he went on to bring up his bubble lights, in a lighted candle holder, his Santa that hung on the fireplace, his stockings, his little elves, and his other little trinkets. I was married to a man who loved Christmas and decorating... his way. My previous house was decorated from top to bottom. How would we ever blend? It has taken 9 years and now finally this year, we are more laid back about the holiday. As we have aged in years and our marriage too...we have found that this isn't the real meaning of Christmas. Sure we need some of the things of our past lives...after all we were both married 46 years to someone else. We need some things that are ours alone...and this year we realize that we have our own traditions as well. We are older and the decorating is much simpler. We are both feeling much the same way. We love to drive around our neighborhood and "peak" in the windows to see how our much younger neighbors are decorating. They do such elaborate outdoor decorations in our neighborhood. So pretty on a snowy night...the world is still for a moment while we drive through our little part of the world. We won't be decorating much on the outside this year. A wreath on the front of the house and some lighted stars in each window, and my sled on the porch is about all we will do. Joe will have his little tree and the one we share will be put up again. The tree in our breakfast nook will have my Mom and Dad's crystal ornaments once again. I'm using fresh greens and Amaryllis here and there...the manger scene (a gift from the Priest who brought me into the Catholic Church) will be in our living room. My snow babies will be in the kitchen and my village will be spread out between two rooms this year. No more hauling bins upstairs. Joe fell, while taking some ornaments down last year and this year I have been dealing with a sore back after starting to get the bins out. It's just not worth it. The outside will be pretty with the lighted wreath and the stars in the windows...who knows maybe these mums will still be blooming :)

Balisha

Decorating for Thanksgiving at St. Mary's

2011-11-19T12:02:00.002-06:00

We decorated our Church for Thanksgiving this morning. Next weekend we will decorate for Advent. Several woman were there to help. We went right to work...knowing the procedure so well. Working well together and talking about the coming Christmas decorating while we are busy. I thought that I'd show a couple pictures of our little helpers. I can remember when they were just tiny boys running around the Sanctuary and us... trying to find things to keep them occupied.Now, here they are big boys and so willing to do whatever we want.They love to move things with this dolly. This morning they moved big rocks that have been on the Altar since Easter. They set up 6 trees and made one into a giving tree....with tags with names on for Christmas giving.
One of the gals did the arrangement in front of the Altar. The cornucopia was made by us years ago and is still in use. It's starting to look a little shabby, so it needed to be camouflaged with fall leaves.
The flowers on the Altar were left over from a Church event that took place during the week They were too pretty to toss, so the vases were changed to blend in.
The gals who are on the committee are much younger than I. I love the way they always include me in decision making. People don't realize what the Arts and Environment committee really does. The committee is involved in all aspects of decorating and changes in the whole Church. That means getting rid of clutter, buying new furniture, being in on changes in structure, paint colors, carpet buying, furniture arrangement...and many more things. I think that most Churches have a committee like this...If everyone pulls their weight..the job can be easy. The gals on this committee are busy moms who have jobs outside the home. I've always found that the busiest women are the hardest workers on committees. Moms have to be organized in this day and age...what with all the activities their families are involved in. They are the ones who volunteer to squeeze in an hour or so to help. What is that old saying, "Many hands make light work?

Balisha

A Whole Year Has Passed

2011-11-18T07:30:00.004-06:00

Here she is with her Grandpa.

I can't believe that a whole year has passed. I wrote this poem for my daughter last year and thought I would put it in a post again. It's wonderful having a daughter. We live far apart but keep in touch with our scrabble games. If a day goes by and she hasn't played a word...I start to worry. This online game gives us a way to write a few sentences in a chat line. It can be just a "Good Morning", but it is special to me. We talk on the phone and catch up on all the family news. Now that she has a house in Wisconsin...we see her more often. With her vacationing there...we exchange nature "notes" What are the fairy diddles up to, how to get rid of mice, will the wood ducks nest in her yard, what kind of fish are being caught, a beautiful sunset, and talk of gardens. We both have a love of nature and hers has grown so much in the last few years. It's wonderful to see one of your kids develop an interest in something that you love too. I got an email this morning and sent her one to "sing" happy birthday. Here's that poem again...

My Daughter's Birthday

It was a cold night in November.. in the air a hint of snow..
Our little girl was born so many years ago.
"This baby is so perfect, her skin is pink not red,
Her mouth is like a rosebud".. is what the doctor said.
They put her in my waiting arms, the tears were coming free..
She looked at me with loving eyes that said, " Take care of me."
Her childhood days were full of fun.. her favorite doll could talk,
Tiny kitchen furniture.. in her room before she walked.
A pogo stick I worried.. that she would bump her head..
At night we found her sleeping with her pogo stick in bed.
A frilly dress was not.. her favorite thing to wear..
Cowboy boots with dresses and a ribbon in her hair.
She always found a puddle with her little foot would stamp..
Her outfit was all dirty...what a little scamp!
I miss those days of yesterday, when she was very small..
I remember everything, when I look at pictures on the wall.
So happy birthday Peanut..is what I'm going to say..
I hope you have some fun and a very lovely day.
Happy Birthday...Love you,
Mom

Blue jay At My Feeder

2011-11-16T08:34:00.004-06:00

This picture is from National Geographic. My camera is downstairs, or I would have snapped a picture this morning.

Blue jays are a familiar and noisy presence in our yard. We didn't have many visits from them until this year, when I put a feeder in a secluded spot in front of the computer room window.The Blue Jay's "Jay! Jay!" calls each morning. He is a big bird and the little ones scramble when they hear this loud call. Jays are mostly vegetarian, but once in a while they eat a baby bird or an egg. They have a reputation of being a bully around the feeder. Sadly, I think that their reputation is wrong. They might be a bit bossy, but it seems that they little birds adapt to that. They are around here for most of the cold winter...I don't know if any of them migrate.

I'm sitting here at my computer and trying to concentrate on what I'm doing. It's very hard for me with all kinds of activity going on just outside my window. The very full feeder is teeming with birds this morning. All kinds of Sparrows, a couple of Chickadees and a small bird with a very red breast was just here. I watched him closely, to try to remember everything about him, when I go to my bird book later. The Gold Finches have their winter coats on. I don't hang a finch feeder in the winter, but mix their seed with the other mixture. Oh, here's mama Cardinal. She's out without her man....wonder how that happened? She just blends in with the Sparrows...you wouldn't even notice her if you just glanced. I hear a "Jay...Jay!" off in the distance. I know from other mornings that this is a good morning call from Mr. Blue. The "Jay...Jay!" gets a little closer. Some of the little birds scatter along with mama Cardinal. Soon a flash of blue swoops into the Ash tree. He's just a few feet from the feeder...balancing on a branch. The birds all scatter now...the boss is here. He swoops down and sits on the swinging feeder....grabs a few seeds and then he's off on his way, without cracking the seeds or taking the time to find more. The minute he's gone the feeder fills up with little birds. This goes on everyday. It is the small birds way of coexisting with the bigger ones. The Blue Jay doesn't take much food...plenty left for the others. As I look at the feeder, I see many different kinds of birds. All wearing their winter coats. They look similar, but I know there are at least six different kinds of birds there right now. My bird book has a worn binding and some loose pages. It is used almost everyday. I bought it one year, when the snow was deep. I developed this interest of birds out of boredom that year. Since then, I couldn't say that there's anything boring about my life. I can always find something of interest to look at. Especially if it has wings.

Balisha

Life is a Circle

2011-11-15T10:12:00.003-06:00

In 1985 I read a poem in a magazine...either Family Circle or Woman's Day, that I loved. I learned that the author lived on an island in the northwest. I sent a letter (this was before I had a computer) to the magazine and learned that she had just published a book called The Sacred Round. I found out who had published it and sent a check for the cost of the small book. When I received it, there was an inscription by the author. It read..."May the watercress grow lush and green up your creek. May your well overflow, and your roof never leak." Thelma Palmer. I still have this little treasure and read from it so many times during the year. Here is a sample of her work.

The Sacred Round by Thelma Palmer

This island is a garden

that circles, loops,and twines it's way through the summer:

winds, honeysuckle round the ancient fir,

sends tendrils spiraling into air,

and rundles bluest buds to hoods and bells.

In Autumn this garden makes

A sweeping curve toward winter:

with ruddy apple cheeks and yellow shapes

of juicy pear, it trims each orchard tree,

and decorates the fields in giant pumpkin globes,

in squashes, blue and gray, with beaded rims.

Next, curling tenderly upon itself,

the garden slows and draws within. It sleeps,

and then, a single rose of birdsong

rings within the winter woods,

the needling holly piques us with it's promise,

Awakening to April sun, this island garden

reaches out once more to close the circle of the year,

and tulip buds and crocus open into chalices

in celebration of the sacred round again.

This poem reminds us that life goes in a circle. We are moving into late fall and following the circle winter will be upon us soon. Wildlife knows this...that's why the birds know when to migrate.We know that winter is coming, so why do we grouse around about it? We know it's coming....why can't we enjoy each day knowing that we have just taken another step in the circle of life?

Balisha

A Healthier Pumpkin Bread

2011-11-14T08:30:00.006-06:00

This has always been a favorite of mine this time of year. I wanted to find a healthier recipe, seeing how I am watching my sugar and fat consumption.I found this recipe using olive oil and thought that I would try it. My daughter doesn't eat sugar, so I have to change the sugar amount and use a substitute. If you would like to reduce the amount of sugar in your pumpkin bread, substitute ½ cup of Splenda granular sweetener for ½ cup of the sugar. If you do, add an extra ½ teaspoon of baking soda to help your bread rise. I make a cranberry bread with all Splenda and that works out fine. It makes a more crumbly loaf, however. My very favorite quick bread is a lemon bread with a lemon glaze. It tastes so good with a cup of tea....almost a dessert. I love to have several loaves of these breads in the freezer during holiday time. If company comes I can pull one out and in a matter of a few minutes we can have a treat with coffee. I like to give loaves of all different kinds of breads for holiday gifts too. Sometimes I wrap a loaf in a pretty tea towel when I give it away. During the holidays you can find pretty aluminum pans to bake these in.

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup olive oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Method

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.

2 Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup of water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly. Stir in the nuts.(I don't chop these too fine so they get lost in the bread) I sometimes add raisins or chopped dates. Just mix these with a little flour, so they don't sink to the bottom of the loaf.

3 Pour into a well-buttered 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until a thin skewer poked in the very center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and let cool on a rack.

Can easily double the recipe.

Yield: Makes one loaf.

Balisha

A Thanksgiving to Remember

2011-11-13T09:04:00.004-06:00

I've spent my afternoons looking at cookbooks, trying to find something "new" for Thanksgiving and Christmas menus. I guess that we just shouldn't mess with those two holiday menus. If I change something...someone will be sure to say, "Where's my favorite what ever?" That old menu has something special for everyone. I got to thinking about memories of my Thanksgivings way back and this comes to mind first. It was a warm Thanksgiving, when I was just a girl of 8 or 9 in grade school. My favorite uncle would be coming to Grandma's and he was bringing a new wife. He'd been married a couple of times before, but hadn't met just the right one. The women of the family were whispering and tee heeing about this latest choice as they prepared dinner. I heard, what I thought, very favorable things about her. She was beautiful, young, flashy and had my uncle completely around her finger. I was all ears. Who was this glamorous woman that my uncle had married? The kitchen was bustling with preparations for the big meal. I heard a knock at the door. I ran to open the door first...to greet my favorite uncle and his new wife. He had a big grin on his face as he said, "I'd like you to meet Hilda." There she was, looking very glamorous in a tight red dress, cowgirl boots, lots of jewelry...dangly earrings, necklaces and bracelets. She had a rather full head of red hair. She said, "Hi darlin," to me. He proudly escorted her into the dining room. We were just about to sit down to eat. We were all introduced to Hilda. Grandma had a scowl on her face. She was a "church woman" a Methodist all her life. Very strict in her beliefs and she didn't believe that this "hussy" was good for my uncle. As the meal progressed I just fell in love with Hilda and kept asking her questions. I found out that she sang on the Barndance and that she could yodel. After dinner I kept asking her to yodel, which she did so eagerly. I was as happy as a lark...my favorite uncle had brought me a favorite aunt, who wasn't stuffy and old fashioned like the other aunts. I would say, "Hilda...yodel," and she would yodel a few tunes. I saw Grandma looking at me with a stern look on her face. I sensed that she wasn't very happy with me. The aunts had that same look on their faces. My Mom squeezed my hand, as she did when she wanted me to stop doing something. I was puzzled...why didn't they want to hear her yodel? I sensed that they didn't like her. When the day was over and Hilda and my uncle went home, a sigh of relief was heard in the room. The women left for the kitchen and went back to their whispering and snickering. I didn't catch on that day, but later on I found out that they were not happy with my uncle's latest choice. She and my uncle divorced the next year. She left me a memory of an interesting Thanksgiving years ago, when I saw my family through different eyes. They were only human and not very accepting of someone different. My uncle is gone now...he married five times in his lifetime, never finding the right one. He continued on being my favorite uncle...always fun and very interesting.

Balisha

Veterans Day 2011

2011-11-11T07:41:00.003-06:00

The holiday is often celebrated by having a ravioli meal. This tradition dates back to the ending days of World War I when President Woodrow Wilson aware that the returning soldiers would be longing for home cooked meals, invited 2,000 soldiers to the White House and helped his staff chefs cook them ravioli, which had just become a mainstay in mainstream American kitchens due to commercial canning. In his Armistice Day address to Congress, Wilson was sensitive to the psychological toll of the lean War years: "Hunger," he remarked, "breeds madness.

This is just a little bit of trivia that I found about this day. I remember it as Armistice Day years ago. I am proud of my family members who served our country...to keep it safe. A Dad, uncles, husband, son, daughter are all in my thoughts today. God Bless the women and men who are still serving.

Balisha

Balisha and the Bee

2011-11-08T06:58:00.003-06:00

Balisha and the Bee By Balisha

Tidying up the garden and putting plants to bed..

I heard a little buzzing going around my head.

I saw a big fat bumblebee all dressed in woolly gear..

All striped with yellow and with black from ear to tiny ear.

She looked so busy in the mums...I sat back just to watch..

This last little bee of summer...in my garden patch.

She moved both back and forth so slow.. on each and every mum..

The busy little sound from her just made me want to hum.

She stopped and sat on one bright flower and looked about to say..

"Thanks Balisha, for these mums...you saved my life today.

For flowers are so scarce.. this time of year it's true..

It's hard to find some nectar, and I was getting blue.

Then I spotted this purple mass just standing here so tall..

One last meal before I go..to hibernate this fall."

I turned to leave this bee alone, to sip the nectar sweet..

I went on about my business.. to make my garden neat.

I heard a buzz.. then saw a flash of black and yellow going by..

She waved a wing and then took flight...I hope she doesn't die.

When next year comes I'll watch for her.. I'll hear a buzzing sound..

She'll sample every flower and then she'll look around.

We'll see each other then and there..she'll tip her little wing..

And fly on to other pretty flowers after making my heart sing.

Some Sunday Thoughts in November

2011-11-06T09:30:00.008-06:00

, "November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.

With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.

The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring." - Elizabeth Coatsworth

I have planned to go out and finish up the gardens, cutting asters and mums down, covering my side garden with pine needles, and finally putting away the last of the lawn ornaments...bird baths etc. Here I sit at my computer, watching time fly by on the clock and no movement in the direction of the garden. Why is is so hard to finish up? Is it that we are tired and don't want to do the work, or is it that we don't want to say goodbye? The weather is nice today, I have the time, it won't take more than a couple of hours, but here I sit. I think that, for me, it is the latter...I just don't want the gardening year to end. I could get maudlin and say that maybe I won't be able to do what I did this year....next year. Every year I have done a little less. This year was no exception. I didn't plant anything in the ground...just containers and a few seeds around the mailbox. Joe did the tomatoes. I decided to end my volunteer work at the Church garden at the end of this year. I know what I can handle and I really don't like to volunteer and not be able to do my share. I hate to have a gardening project come up, for the Church, and not have the energy to participate that morning...after I've made a promise to help out. I'm going to continue to do the decorating on the Arts and Environment committee and the funeral lunch committee, however. Making this decision was hard for me, a gardener. I'm thinking that maybe ending that... I can keep up a little better here at home. This is the work that I have always loved, and I would like to continue doing a little only not having such a rigid schedule. We loved the taste of our own tomatoes this year. We are still enjoying them...after bringing in the green ones to ripen in the basement. That's something that I hope we can continue. My herbs were a success. I have parsley,thyme and sage to bring in to dry. I love using my own sage for turkey and pork chops. I'm keeping all my Dipladenia plants in the house...They are already in pots and hanging baskets. Maybe I'll just freshen the soil and put them out as is....or add a few annuals to fill the containers out. I saved my Zinnia seeds...they are easy to plant. So, with the good Lord's help, I will probably be back in the garden next year. I wish he'd give me the boot out the back door about now...to get my work done :)

Balisha

Addition...

Here I am, back in the house. It took me about an hour and a half. I'm finished except for the front garden. It still looks so pretty...I'll leave it a while longer. Snow is predicted this week...I may change my mind. After all the procrastinating I did this morning...just a little push from Mother Nature. She said, "Get out there Balisha, I'm about to send you snow!!!"

Are You a Morning Lark or a Night Owl?

2011-11-05T08:19:00.004-05:00

Are you a lark or night owl or one who adapts to each lifestyle...a hummingbird? There have been times in my life, when I've had to be that hummingbird. Early on in my child bearing years...I had to rise early. Oh, how I longed for just another hour of sleep. I was afraid to nap, when feeding my babies, for fear I'd smother them. They were up with the birds...all except one...my oldest. He was the sleepiest baby and people thought I had it made with this little one. He would sleep so late in the morning. I would have to check on him over and over, to see if he was OK. It was hard getting him off to school in later years. His baby brother, would go into his room and put a cold pickle jar on his back to get him up. The other two kids were larks. Up early, good moods, although they still used every excuse in the world to stay up later.Giving in to this wish made for crabby kids in the morning. When they were all grown and the last was in school, I started working from my home.That's when I took on the traits of a night owl. I would get my things done during the day and be up all hours getting orders ready for some holiday or another. I still had to get up early...so I was sleep deprived most of the time.There were times when I didn't handle it well. My holidays were a wreck, as I look back on it. I was so busy doing projects...that when the holidays came around, I really didn't enjoy them. Now, Joe and I have regular hours. In bed by 10 then up at 7.There are times, (Sat. nights for example) that he wants to stay up later.We never make it...and when we get to bed later...we are crabby the next day. (If you're reading this, Joe...yes you are too) Sometimes I'm awake far earlier than 7. I guess that I don't require as much sleep. It is a myth that you require less sleep as you age. I found this when searching around the internet for articles about sleep.I wanted to know more about the characteristics of larks, owls and the in betweens...hummingbirds. I thought it was clever:

If you are right-handed, you may be able to learn to use your left hand. A Type A personality may learn to relax. An overweight person can slim down. In the same way, most larks and owls can manage most schedules as their jobs, families, or social lives demand. Some will feel more mental conflict than others when they try to follow clocks at variance with their natural tendency to choose. Extreme larks and owls report the most problems. They may find it difficult, if not impossible, to function in some situations. They are not sick. They are not lazy. They are not lacking in motivation. Happily, in our increasingly twenty-four-hour world, there are plenty of spots where most larks, owls, and hummingbirds (who adapt to each)can find a secure perch.

So with the time change tonight...we set the clocks back an hour. It will be darker earlier tomorrow afternoon. With winter coming, I tend to like this change. For most people it's a time for relaxation... if we will let it be.Our outside chores are done, the doors to the world close earlier, the kids are in the house, meal time at home.. is a time for family once again, I think that bedtime is easier now. I'll use my favorite word now...it's a cozy time of year.So, if you're a lark, night owl, or the in between...a hummingbird, enjoy the extra hour.

Balisha

The Little House....a continuation

2011-11-04T08:35:00.004-05:00

I am continuing my post about the little house here today. As you must know, I have a vivid imagination. I love to take a drive and see beautiful homes and imagine how they are decorated inside. This is one thing that keeps me blogging...being able to take a peak inside your homes. I've gone on Christmas house walks in towns where I have lived. They are many times more elaborate than I like.My tastes are very simple. I tend to be attracted to smaller houses that have a cozy look. I sometimes wish that I had the courage to walk up to the front door and ask if I could come in and look at the inside. Don't you wish that sometimes? One time, while driving to an antique show, a friend and I saw a renovated barn. They worked on that barn for over a year...and it was finally finished. The family had moved in and it had just been landscaped. It was beautiful and looked so "country" I mentioned, as we drove by, that I would love to see the inside. My friend said, "I was in it a week ago." She surprised me with that...she went on to say that she had been driving by and curiosity just got the best of her and she walked up and asked for a tour. She said that the owner was so proud of the house, that she took her in and showed her around.Well, I was so surprised...I could never have the nerve to do that....so I will just have to keep imagining.

I mentioned house walks earlier...I'll tell a funny thing that happened on a house walk one time. We were in this house, in a subdivision, it was a two story house. We looked around on the first floor and then went to the stairs and started up to the second floor. The first door on the right was ajar and we proceeded to open the door. There was a man in the bathtub. It took us by surprise, but then we saw that it was a joke. He had a plastic shower cap on and the tub was filled with fake bubbles. There he was with a smile on his face, in his shower cap, scrubbing his back with a brush. Talk about almost giving someone a heart attack! We all laughed, including him and then continued on the tour. Everytime I see a house walk advertised, I think of this.

I mentioned in the post about enjoying a cup of tea with a slice of lemon studded with a clove. I learned this from a garden club member. She served a plate with lemon slices...each with a whole clove in it. She just pushed the clove into the slice and put them on a pretty plate. This gives the tea a little taste of clove with the lemon and it looks so pretty on the plate. I don't use sugar in my tea, but a little bowl with sugar lumps served along side is a nice touch.I have this lemon with hot tea, but in the picture above (from the internet) you can see that it looks pretty on a glass of iced tea too.

Today is bright and shiny outside. We have an icky task ahead of us. Today we clean the grill and put it away for the winter. That and cleaning up a couple of garden spots is all that we have left to do for winter. It was 27 deg. this morning and everything was frosty. The grass has stopped growing and the trees are getting bare. It's time to start doing cozy things indoors. I started knitting a scarf the other day, I got my Thanksgiving books out to reread, (tomorrow I'll tell you what I'm reading) the storm window is progressing with touches from my paintbrush, the recipe books are out, my Mom's recipe cards will be enjoyed again, and we are ready for what Mother Nature sends our way. Hope she's kind this year :)

Balisha

Pumpkins

2011-11-03T15:21:00.004-05:00

A hollowed out pumpkin makes a good vase. The color orange seems to go with almost anything at this time of year. Pumpkins aren't just for Halloween. We can use them right up till Christmas. I like to have a couple of uncarved ones here for table decorations. Native Americans dried strips of pumpkin and wove them into mats. They also roasted long strips of pumpkin on the open fire and ate them. The origin of pumpkin pie occurred when the colonists sliced off the pumpkin top, removed the seeds, and filled the insides with milk, spices and honey. The pumpkin was then baked in hot ashes. This is a far cry from the delicious pumpkin pies of today. I love to make different pumpkin dishes. I've used it to substitute for squash in some recipes. Here are a few that I've tried: pumpkin soup, pumpkin pound cake, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies and probably more that I can't think of. I read that 90-95% of processed pumpkins are grown in Illinois. Early colonists used pumpkin for a crust ingredient...not the filling. Can you imagine...a pumpkin pie crust? I've always wondered why we don't use pumpkin year round. Why not a pumpkin pie for Easter? I guess we better stick with tradition and save it for the fall months. Every year my pumpkin outside gets carved by the many critters that live in my yard. I had one in the woods last year. It sat there all through the winter and in the spring...the seeds germinated and I had pumpkin vines intermixed with the Honeysuckle. This year I didn't buy pumpkins for outside. No gooey, icky mess to clean up. I have a pie pumpkin on my kitchen table...maybe I'll make a pie from scratch or a pumpkin cake. I made a pumpkin cake for my son Tim's birthday one year. It looked delicious..with cream cheese frosting. When it was time to have the birthday cake...it seemed a little more moist that it should have been, when I cut into it. We sang happy birthday and Tim took the first bite of cake. His face told the story...yuck..it was awful. My Dad, who didn't want to hurt my feelings said, "Ah pumpkin cake...I'd like another piece." No one else took seconds, in fact no one finished theirs. Tim said later, " Stick with the old recipes, Mom.
Balisha
Balisha

The Little House

2011-11-02T08:05:00.003-05:00

This isn't my house, but doesn't it just say fall and comfort to you? I pass it everytime I go to Walmart. There it sits on the corner of a sleepy little town. What do you suppose is in that house? Let's use our imaginations. I would think that this little house is full of country. Wonderful cozy furniture that you just sink into. Worn slipcovers of a soft color. A well used rocker in the corner.Maybe a little fireplace in the den...books everywhere in baskets and on shelves. Candles with delicious scents would be burning....even if it's daytime. A knitting basket on the floor with hand knit socks just started.Candy dishes filled with a favorite candy....lemon drops. Braided rugs, worn but still usable on the floors. Maybe white cottage curtains at the windows. The kitchen might be full of old timey utensils. A tea kettle whistling to say that tea is ready. The table set for two...with quilted placemats and a bouquet of colorful fall flowers, dishes of blue and white. A tea caddy to hold teas of every kind. My favorite...chamomile. Wedges of lemon studded with whole cloves would be on a favorite old dish with a chip... in the center of the table. Molasses cookies sprinkled with sugar in a basket...warm from the oven. An apron, hanging on a hook with lots of pockets.Another hook holding a gardening jacket...of worn denim. On the counter is a big yellow ware bowl filled with a yeasty mixture for baking bread. The bread pans all greased and ready. A cat curled up in the corner near the stove. The windows would be bare except for a valance...so that bird watching is easy. An old wooden feeder hangs just outside the window, so you can watch the birds while you eat. The bird book...handy on the shelf...with binoculars. Window sills with cuttings from coleus to pot up and keep for next year's garden. I won't go any farther in the house....just the rooms that are open to company. As I leave, I open the front door and the wreath with dried corn... brushes my shoulder. I walk down the old stone steps and notice the cottage garden with it's roses and mums...just starting to fade. I get to my car and drive away. I hope that whoever lives in this house is as happy as the little house makes me when I pass.

Balisha

Garden Blogger's Muse Day November 1, 2011

2011-11-01T07:36:00.003-05:00

One of the prettiest sights around our town. Kennedy Hill Road just when the leaves were changing.

Something Told the Wild Geese by Rachel Field

Something told the wild geese
It was time to go.
Though the fields lay golden
Something whispered,--"Snow."

Leaves were green and stirring,
Berries, luster-glossed,
But beneath warm feathers
Something cautioned,--"Frost."

All the sagging orchards
Steamed with amber spice,
But each wild breast stiffened
At remembered ice.

Something told the wild geese
It was time to fly,--
Summer sun was on their wings,
Winter in their cry.

It's Not Just Halloween!

2011-10-31T06:57:00.002-05:00

It's one of my "Grand cat's" birthdays today. Daughter.. LA's cat named Huntley is 4 yrs. old today. He was anxious to open his present of 4 mice. He was only supposed to open 2, but he was a little greedy :) and wanted all four. Here he is showing his little mouse to the mouse on the ecard that I sent him. Are we crazy or what?

Happy Birthday Huntley!

Meow from Me

A Little Pumpkin Story

2011-10-30T09:16:00.003-05:00

When you are carving your pumpkin this weekend think about this little story that our Preschool class heard at Church this past week.

All of us are something like a pumpkin. God picks you from the patch, brings you in and washes all the dirt you may have gotten on you. The pumpkin is filled with yucky, gooey stuff and when we sin and do wrong, our soul can too look like the inside of a pumpkin. When we open our hearts to God...he opens the top of the pumpkin and scoops out the "yucky stuff." He removes the seeds of unkindness, doubt, hate, greed, and anything that would keep us from loving Him and others. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world." With his light inside of you, and a beautifully carved face, you can let the light of God shine through you for the whole world to see.

Balisha

Thankful Thoughts

2011-10-29T10:10:00.002-05:00

I thought that I would list some Friday thoughts and things I am thankful for.

1. I am so thankful for my wonderful family. They have always been there for me ...through thick and thin. My 3 kids...each of them special to me in different ways. My step kids, grand kids and everyone else.
2. A warm cozy house to live in. A neighborhood full of friendly neighbors. Little ones too.
3. Plenty of food to eat. A pot is always cooking on our stove. Plenty for anyone who wants to stop by.
4. Hobbies to keep me busy. Paints, plants, gardens, decorating, blogs.
5. My Church. I go each week to get a refill of Faith to help me make it through to next week.
6. My husband, Joe, who is my loving partner... late in life. We encourage each other to keep moving and trying new things.
7. My friends...I put this last because last night I lost a friend. The Lord called him home. He will be so missed by all who knew him. I loved his dry sense of humor. He was a wonderful Dad and a loving husband to my best friend, Nancy.
Balisha

A Spot of Red for the Holidays

2011-10-27T09:53:00.003-05:00

It's time to plant some beauty. Christmas will soon be here and the color red is so prevalent in our holiday decorating. I love the bright color...maybe it's my favorite "today" I have several bulbs that I keep from year to year, but each year I like to buy a new one. This year I selected my old "favorite" Red Lion. Some little critter ate a hole in the bulb that I have, when it was outside this summer, and I'm not sure if it will bloom again. I ordered from American Meadows, and it arrived just this week. I potted it up right away, so it will bloom during the holiday season. Just a little water at first and set it in a bright window and sit back and wait. When it starts growing start the watering. Couldn't be easier. I like to mix these blooms with Spanish moss and ivy. I leave it in the pot that came with it and then set it in a larger one for display. We don't do quite as much decorating as we once did...so these look so festive...especially the reds.

Balisha

The Color Pink

2011-10-26T05:33:00.003-05:00

Here it is...fall and my garden is still full of pinks. As I step out my door, I see my little garden on the right just bursting with pink blooms...with shades of purple here and there. For some reason, I am always drawn to the color pink in my garden.

With all the fall colors right now, my garden seems out of sync. The trees and shrubs around my house are the shades of fall. Reds, russet, a little orange, and different shades of brown.....but still, here is this garden just bloomin' away.

I don't bring this color into my home. There are no pinks in the house. I seldom wear the color of pink, but here it is in my garden. I don't use pink in my artwork. I'm not even crazy about cotton candy. When I go to a nursery...I invariably head for the pinks. Am I in a pink rut in my garden?

I guess I'll just let my love of pink take over my garden. It's the color I associate with joy.

This month was breast cancer awareness month.In honor of that I found this poem that I would like to share. It was written by Anne Silver

Persephone's Bloom

I buy myself pink tulips

to celebrate my long winter being over,
wear a pink ribbon on my lapel-
a stripe crossed, like my friends' fingers.
Pink is about luck, the softening of red
with a taste of white. Not aspirin white,
but white of vanilla, hand-milled oatmeal soap,
the white surrounding a yolk.
My young niece used to say,
"Auntie, there's something refreshing about pink,"
having discovered that pink is a sanctuary,
a clearing in the woods where flowers break hard ground.
Lovely uncut bouquets connected to each other at the root.

If you haven't already done this...please get your mammogram.

Balisha

My Heart's Not In It

2011-10-25T12:01:00.003-05:00

I went out this morning, seeing that there were clouds in the sky, hoping that I could get a little cleanup done. My heart wasn't in it though...my heart was in Elgin... with my dear friends. I've written about them before, they were the couple who introduced Joe and I and stood up for us at our wedding. He's been suffering from Parkinson's disease for a long time now. We visited a couple of Sundays ago and he was very bad. Nancy, his wife, has taken care of him for such a long time. Tending to his every need. It's so hard to see this when my life has been so carefree these past few years. I have felt guilty telling my friend the fun things that I do...when she has taken on this task that God gave her. I'm sure she goes through her day remembering her marriage vows..in sickness and in health...I've known them both for most of my life. We were in the same high school. They were school sweethearts...so fun loving and good together.We've raised our kids together. We've always had such fun with them. We've shared laughs and tears. So, today she is having to talk to hospice. They are coming tomorrow to evaluate him. I'm sitting here crying right now...as I write this post. It's so hard to go on with my everyday tasks when someone I love is struggling so. The rain clouds parted long enough for me to cleanup around the mailbox. It started up again just as I finished...so I left the cart and chair there and ran to the house. I check my emails often, in case she's written anything. Joe had written an email to her...he had me read it before sending it...there were tears in his eyes. Oh, Lord...we are both so broken up by this....I can only imagine how their family is feeling. I wish I knew what to do to make it better.
The sky tells my mood today. I decided to give it up and come in to stay. The yard will get done this fall. I have so many sad things on my mind. I need comfort food. Grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch today. It's something that my Mom always gave me when I was sick or unhappy. Balisha

Today...October 20, 2011

2011-10-20T08:19:00.005-05:00

Cold, drizzly, windy, dark...that would describe today. I was up before the birds, because I heard the trash collector and knew that our garbage can would be rolling down the road if I didn't get it in. Joe's old winter Bulls jacket was on the hook, so I put it on and rushed out the door. Sure enough, our can was beginning to roll. The paper was in the mailbox, so I got that and retrieved the can and came back, shivering, to the house. I decided to fill the feeders early, so those pesky little creatures wouldn't be hanging on my screen looking to me for a meal. Having the feeder right next to the computer room window, is wonderful for watching birds and their habits up close...but looking at them with an empty feeder is more than I can bear. I've noticed that the sparrows are here first in the morning. Then the rest of the birds come slowly...Cardinals, Jays, Nuthatches, Chickadees and so on. The last birds to feed are the Titmice and the Cardinal. Yesterday the female Cardinal was here after dusk. I saw my first Junco yesterday. Does this mean that winter is coming early? Joe also saw a hawk. He teased that the hawk probably got my little chipmunk friend. He hurried to the window with the camera, but the hawk was gone. I rushed in and the hawk was in our Ash tree. He wasn't eating anything...just patrolling our yard for food. The birds were suddenly gone and didn't return for about 20 min.

Our trees in the yard are almost bare. The wood's trees are hanging on to their leaves, however. It won't be long before a windy day comes.... and these trees are ready to drop their leaves....and it will look like falling snow back there. The leaves will come down constantly...all day long. The woods will be covered in their own "down comforter" I must get out and scatter some wildflower seeds today, before that happens. Those tiny seeds will be under the "comforter" embedding themselves into the soil and just sleeping until spring wakes them up. It's always a surprise what comes up. I feel that there are many weed seeds in these mixtures, but the flowers that do come from the mix are worth a few weeds. I get my mixture from American Meadows. They come in a muslin pouch...too cute to open, I sometimes think. I just go back and drop them where I want them. I take a rake along and just rake the soil a bit to loosen it. In the spring I have to be careful when cleaning up. One year I pulled up some plants that I thought were weeds. Later some of the ones that I missed...bloomed. Oh, how I wished that I had just been patient and left them alone. My daughter had a nursery come out and plant some of her wild areas at her home in Wisconsin. They told her to just leave it for a couple of years...she has so much more patience that her Mom. She has left it alone and we think that this next spring she will have many, many, wildflowers. We have identified some, but there will be some surprises too.

I ordered an art book about botanicals. I love the paintings with just a simple flower and a watercolor background. I've been thinking about making up some backgrounds and putting something from this book in the painting. Something to work on this winter. Those storm windows are waiting for Joe to take the loose putty out. Then I can redo the putty and start painting the windows. This is going to be quite a project...I have three to do. Kelly, my friend across the street, had them and gave me three. I told her that I would do one for her and she could expect it by Christmas. Let's see...Christmas is not far off...I'd better get busy.

Well, that's about it for today. We are going to Joe's grandson's wedding on Sat. I did the wedding sampler for them that is pictured above. We gave them their big gift already, but this is an extra that I wanted to do. The picture doesn't show up too well and I left the flash on for more light. I don't think they read my blog...and certainly won't in the next two days.

Have a great day...chasing trash cans or whatever.

Balisha :)

I Love the Color Purple in My Garden

2011-10-19T09:20:00.008-05:00

I wrote a poem about this gorgeous aster and thought that I would repeat it this year. Here is is again...taking up the corner of this tiny garden. I love the fact that it welcomes people as they go by and when friends stop by. I have another in the back garden...and I think that I will separate it and put it back along the woods...in the border. I would love to see this vibrant plant from my back windows. It is such a favorite of the bees. I think that it deserves all this space in the fall. I have bulbs planted in among the stems, so they come up in the spring...instead of having a bare spot. That spot isn't bare for long, however, because the aster starts growing right away making a thick green mat in my garden of color.
Asters in My Garden

I had a little aster plant given once to me..
It wasn't very big you know and very hard to see.
I put it in my garden and waited through the year..
For it to blossom purple and bring me lots of cheer.
I waited through the summer.. gently taking care..
I saw it's every leaf that formed and every bud so fair.
Just when September came, and it was soon to pop..
I saw the plant so huge that it made me holler stop!
It had grown to such proportions this little plant of mine..
The plant had grown so much that I wrote this little rhyme.
It took the whole darn corner of my little garden fair..
The people walking by began to really stare.
It's out there now a stunner in my garden very small..
It towers over everything it is so very tall.
The bees and I will love it this little corner treasure..
My garden is so pretty now it's beauty without measure.
Balisha

I have to go now...the birds are hanging on my screen, covering the top of the Cranberry Viburnum, and the feeder is full of them. They are looking in at me and wondering when I'm going to fill the feeders.....bossy little things. By the way...I just saw my first Junco...what will winter bring?

The Leaves are Falling Fast

2011-10-17T21:04:00.004-05:00

Leaves are coming down so fast. We have two bare trees in our yard already. We are able to look through the trees in the woods...to see the farm fields across the road now. The farmers are really having good weather for their harvest this year. I love the cooler weather...I feel so much more energetic. I thought that the old, old telephone pole in the woods looks especially pretty this year. The vine has grown just so far...last year it was red...this year orange and yellow. I made a wreath out of the old barbed wire fence that I found a few years ago in the woods. I hung two of them in different places in the woods. This one has the vine twining around half of it.The Blackberry Lily is just bursting with seeds. You can see why it's called Blackberry Lily...These are probably my favorite lilies. I love the tiny orange speckled flower and then the seeds pushing through that tissue papery covering is so interesting. I've had this plant for years. I brought it back from Mount Vernon on a plane. There I sat with a little paper cup with the tiny lily inside. I planted it in my garden at that time and it flourished. When I moved here...this is one of the few plants that I brought with me.
This is a little Maple tree that I planted a few years ago. At that time it was just a stick in a plastic pot. No name on it. Oh, I wish that I knew the kind of maple it is. I wanted it to stay small, so every year I have trimmed it back and shaped it like a little tree. Sort of like a Bonsai. It just wanted to grow so badly, so this year I decided to let it grow...if it was pretty with bright colors..I would let it grow. Well, what do you know..it is the most interesting tree. Leaves of all shades of burgundy, red, russet and yellow. The leaves have hung on for so long now. It was like the tree knew...it had to preform well or it would get a severe haircut. There was an obelisk just behind it. The obelisk was hidden behind the tree as it grew taller. I moved it and next year the maple will be allowed to take off.
I guess that I will have to get out and take some pictures around the neighborhood before the leaves are all lying on the ground. Winter is waiting in the wings. I heard a projection of the forecast for winter...about the same as last year only more severe. I have really just got over last winter and here it is about to come again. Maybe the predictions will be wrong. Until then...I am going to enjoy the weather this fall. Do some fun things in our town, like some craft sales and bazaars. First I have to do some cleanup in the yard. Take the Zinnias out from around the mailbox, cut the leaves of the Hostas, and rake some White Pine needles for mulch. My list is getting shorter.

Balisha

The Weekend Reunion

2011-10-17T07:29:00.003-05:00

The weekend was perfect. The weather couldn't have been better for my class reunion. We left Byron early on Sat. and checked into the hotel. We rested for about an hour and then got ready to go. The celebration was to take place at The Centre in Elgin, Illinois. This is such a wonderful building, housing an aquatic center and all kinds of places for sports activities for families. It was the first time Joe and I had been at this facility. Our event was to take place in the Grand Ballroom. We walked up to the double doors and a table was there with booklets rolled like diplomas with a gold string...for each of the class members. We were given name tags. This year they included our pictures from the yearbook. So much easier to look at the name tag and see the person's face, so you could put the two together. There was so much talking and reminiscing going on before we ever entered the room. We found one of my best friends from high school and her husband before we even entered the room. We had talked earlier and planned to sit together. The round tables were decorated with tablecloths and centerpieces of big glass vases filled with flowers in fall colors. Leaves were scattered on top of the table. Very pretty. We picked out our table and then started looking around the room. We "worked the room" as Joe says.....finding old friends at every table. We talked about our memories with so many classmates....recalling so many funny things from our high school years. My jaws hurt from smiling and talking and laughing, when the night was over. Joe and I were only two years apart in school, so we know many people from each of our classes. This makes it so much more enjoyable for us. Neither of us likes to sit at the table...we both like to move around and see everyone. Someone stuck a signal with their water glass and we all went to our tables and stood for a prayer before we began to eat. Then the food was served. Appetizers were passed...water chestnuts wrapped in bacon and mini quiches. We didn't eat too many and I'm glad, because the portions of food were so big. We picked between fish, chicken, or pork. Now, I must tell you that Joe ordered stuffed chicken breast, but when he looked across the table a plate with the most delicious looking pork was given to the fellow across..the guy across said "Whoa!" and Joe's eyes got big as dollars. I said to him, "Maybe you could ask the waitress if you could change your choice." He did and she brought him this delicious plate with a huge portion of pork. We had salad, our entree, and then the dessert. It was served on a big table at the end of the ballroom. Desserts of all kinds..cheese cakes, carrot cake, choc. cake, cakes with butter cream, pecan tarts, cakes with strawberries on top....so many luscious looking desserts. Most everyone had room for dessert :)

While we were drinking coffee, our witty class president gave a short funny talk...he said that he knew that we all wanted to visit, so he wouldn't keep us any longer. Our class sponsor was there. He is approaching his 90's and his talk was so precious...he said that he had enjoyed our class...he said there was no other class like it...1956 was the "good old days" and there will never be a class the same as ours. He said that he hadn't slept the night before...kids faces kept going through his mind and he was putting his memories with those people together. He is legally blind, but if you sit with him and just say your name...he remembers you and what you did in high school. He told us that this would be his last reunion with us...in five years he didn't think it would be possible to come. When he ended, he was given a huge round of applause and a standing ovation. Quite a few tears in the room after that speech. He was a most loved teacher back then and now. We visited some more...girls that I had for friends in school came over to our table and we talked about our lives since school.In our day, families didn't move around very much. These are girls that I went to grade school with..we grew up together in a little community called Sunset Park. One of our dear friends lived nearby, but was at our neighborhood all the time. We talked about old friends that had moved away...friends who we would love to see again. Our conversation was about what we are doing now...what our interests are. We talked a little about our kids and grandkids, but not very much. This was a night to talk about us... not like a few years ago, when kids were about all we talked about. No one is working anymore...no one trys to impress anyone. Just honest talk about our lives. When we left it was decided to have a 75th birthday party in two years. So many are on the deceased list. Over 100 from a class of 400, I think. We all wanted to get together for a "casual" reunion in two years, because who knows what is in the future for any of us. I hated to leave...we left with promises to meet again for dinner after the holidays. We left and went to our hotel. Lying in bed, Joe and I talked about our thoughts about the people we had just spent the evening with. It was so much fun. We were a great class.

Sunday morning and we had to find a Church with a convenient Mass time. We decided to go back to the Church where we were married. We were early, so we drove around Elgin and saw where we had lived and then my parents home. After Mass we went to a favorite restaurant for a late breakfast. My omelet was wonderful...it was filled with bits of smoked bacon and cheese, chipotle sauce and salsa on the side...with slices of avocado on top. We spent a lot of time there just relaxing, and then decided to do some visiting. The couple that stood up for Joe and I, when we married, live nearby...we always stop to see them when we are in Elgin. They are dear friends, going through some challenging struggles right now. They are basically home bound, so they love company. This friend of mine decorates their house so pretty this time of year...so it's always a treat to drive up their street and be greeted by all the orange fall decorations. Little Buddy greets us at the door with his cute puppy face. The living room is full of fall and Halloween pretties. The two of them graduated in Joe's class, so they know lots of people in my class too. We visited and told them all the news. When we left, we had one more stop to make. Joe's Aunt Christine lives across town and we try to visit her often too. She has had some heart problems, but she's able to keep her own house at 87. When we walked in, she was making beef barley soup from scratch. The house smelled so good. We visited with her...and she shared a recipe from Joe's grandma. She lives for visits like this. It seems that she and Joe try to outdo each other with talking about their family memories. He laughed and said that people have thought that they are mad at each other when they talk...it's just their old Italian way with hand gestures and non stop talking. It's really fun to watch...she has a memory like no one else. Sharp as a tack.

We felt so good, coming home. We approached Byron and Joe said, "Are we home yet?" It felt so good to come into the house and put on our "grubbies" and sit and relax. What a whirlwind weekend of non stop talking. We were tired and it felt good to just sit in the quiet.

If you're still with me, I have to say that I've never been one to enjoy getting together for reunions and remembering the old days. I have always liked to look forward and enjoy today, but I've changed in my older, wiser years. This reunion was so special. I didn't pay attention to who had changed, who was older looking, who had the most wrinkles, whose hair turned white... none of that. I looked at each person and thought how they had figured into my life and helped to make me the person I am today. I'm so glad that I decided to go.

Balisha

An Afternoon Playing With My Paints

2011-10-14T08:44:00.003-05:00

I used to think that when I was retired...I would have all the time in the world to do things that I enjoyed doing. The trouble is...I have too many things that I enjoy doing. Reading, knitting, painting, bird watching, gardening, and now blogging. After I do my household things I am usually tired.....so I sit on the couch and knit or read or watch TV. I do some gardening most every day. One of the things that I love most is painting. I have a place downstairs especially fixed up for this hobby. A painter needs to have someplace where she can just leave things the way they are and not have to put things away. This out of the way place fits the bill...but that's just it...it's out of the way. I have to make myself go there. Once I do and start painting...I can go on forever. Yesterday is a perfect example, Joe had an appointment and I was staying home. Here I was with my house pretty much cleaned...several hours to myself and what to do? I have been wanting a fallish painting to put in our entryway along with some others. So, I decided to go down and just play around with my paints and brushes and see what happens. As I was going down, I noticed the sewing machine was still out on the dining room table. So, I put that away. Then I remembered that the bird feeder in front needed filling. So, I did that. Then I decided to make a cup of tea to take with me...I did that. As I went through the door downstairs, I noticed that there were leaves on the floor by my plant table. I thought to myself...I better get the vacuum out. I did it. Then I thought that the table could use a dusting...I did this. Finally, I said to myself, "Balisha, STOP!! Don't do anything else...get to it and try to enjoy yourself. I sat in my chair with rollers and spun around like a kid on a soda shop stool. Yes...I would take the time to do something creative...something that I have put off for a long time...always finding something else to do. I got my paper and paints...brushes of all sizes and a tub of water. I was back to my old self...mixing the paints on the palette, and wetting the watercolor paper. All I could think of were leaves, sunflowers, and pumpkins. I started in and it was like I had never stopped. The radio, tuned in to my favorite station, kept me company. I was like a whirling dervish. I used a spray bottle to re wet some areas and added more colors. I got an idea to do a little stamping on the piece, so I made a trip to the woods. I almost sat on the bench to enjoy the fall day, but I just picked the leaves of a tiny maple and some lamb's ear and went on my way back to the house. When I was done with the brush painting...I painted the leaves and stamped them on the paper. I took a toothbrush and dipped it in black paint and spattered the painting. This was the final touch. It always scares me, when I do this part. I have dropped globs of paint occasionally and spoiled a painting, when I wasn't careful. There, it was finished. I painted a mat for the picture and left it on my table to dry. I sat back and looked at what I had done. As I studied it later I thought...too many similar colors....but I was happy with how my day turned out. I felt much better, when I left the room. I had taken some time for me and did just as I wanted. It's funny...the tea was never touched...I was having so much fun.

Balisha

My Class Reunion by Balisha

2011-10-12T17:47:00.007-05:00

My Class Reunion by Balisha

My class reunion will be here... very soon I know..
It's Saturday at 6 o'clock...my ducks are in a row.
Our problem was to drive at night..this I'll tell you true..
I really wanted to attend..Joe said, "This is what we'll do."
A hotel room is reserved, in my favorite old home town..
The next decision...what to wear, in colors black or brown?
I fretted over this, I know..for many, many days..
Will I look nice in bright clothes or shall I wear my gray?
Maybe buying something new will give me what I need..
To lift my spirits for this event...catalogs I'll read.
A three piece outfit in basic black..is what I finally bought..
A scarf that is a beauty was something else I sought.
Joe gave me jewelry to wear.. with roses all in gold..
I found the scarf with fringe and roses .. a beauty to behold.
A purse of rosy red...made of leather soft and fine..
The price was right.I bought it,and finally now it's mine.
Oh, dear I think I'm ready...the outfit hanging on the door..
I have to stop the shopping...I really don't need more.
I wonder if my classmates are stressing out like this..
My class reunion is an event that I really can not miss.
We'll arrive there at 6..and look for old friends that we know..
Why does everyone look so old...with hair as white as snow?
Who are these oldsters looking at my name tag.. oh so near?
Their trifocals on their noses, finding friends that were so dear.
"Where are all the younger ones"... I'll whisper quietly to Joe.
"Are we in the right room tonight?...I really don't think so."
When down the aisle will come friends.. that I have known forever..
We'll hug and kiss and talk..like we've always been together.
Pretty soon familiar faces are all that we will see..
My class reunion is the place that I really want to be.
So, when you get the notice for a reunion just for you..
Be sure to answer back that you'll go and have fun too.
Well, here we go to my 55th...I've given you a peak..
So, think of me on Saturday...I'll tell you more next week :)

Plants in the Basement

2011-10-12T08:47:00.004-05:00

This is where my plants are residing for the winter. I re potted some of them and cleaned them up by clipping off flowers and dead material. The first picture is kind of dark...I took it at the same time as the bottom one...go figure. Between taking care of these and my houseplants upstairs...I will be busy keeping them alive. Plus I have my amaryllis plants in the dark corner.
My orchids are thriving...I mark on the calendar, when they need watering and feeding and don't veer from that schedule. Remember, I am a nurturer and want to keep things nice and wet. I do spray them daily.....makes me feel good as little droplets go down into the woody planting medium. Now, I have to find out when I should repot them. Their roots are coming out of the pots and trailing all over the pebble trays that they are sitting on. I'm hoping one or two will bloom in the spring and don't want to repot if I will sacrifice that bloom. I guess I'll research a little more. (Just did some checking...I guess I'll leave them alone. Sounds like mine are healthy and it's natural for roots to climb all over out of the pots.)
An update from Madison:
Sam was released from the hospital on Sat. He has to stay in Madison for a while...to be near the hospital and doctors. What a miracle...heart transplant and out of the hospital in 6 days. Please continue prayers for him.
Balisha

An addition...Have any of you experienced having problems uploading pictures to blogger? It is taking me forever to upload them. I have changed browsers...from Internet Explorer to Mozilla Firefox, then Google Chrome...neither of these is any faster. Are any of you having uploading problems...or is it just me?

What Are You Doing With Your Tomatoes?

2011-10-11T09:16:00.004-05:00

These tomatoes were some of the last ones to ripen on the vines. Our tomatoes weren't as good as past years, but never the less... we had tomatoes to eat all summer. They didn't seem to have the flavor that they had...I've heard, as you age, your taste buds change. Joe is thinking that maybe next year he'll pick a couple of different varieties. I would like to try some heirloom tomatoes. But here we are with the green ones left on the vines. What to do with those green tomatoes. Joe picked them all and brought them in the house in a 5 gal. bucket. I carefully washed them and picked them over. We had fried green tomatoes and then I took the rest downstairs to our cool basement and laid them out on top of newspaper sheets. Then I covered them with another light layer.
When I checked them yesterday...this is what I found. Like magic...they are ripening. They say to only use tomatoes that have some pinkish color on them, but I used them all...even those little, hard, green ones. Now we will have tomatoes on our plates again.
If we can't eat them fast enough I will roast some of them. Simply toss them with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and a splash of balsamic vinegar, spread them on a heavy duty rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper... and roast at 450° for 30 or 40 minutes, or until you like how they look.This is a high temp. so keep an eye on them.

There are so many methods for ripening in the house. In paper bags, with a banana, cardboard boxes, kitchen drawers what ever you choose...they need darkness and a cool place. Tomatoes give off ethylene gas witch stimulates ripening.Keeping them in a closed place, in the dark, keeps the gas from escaping and encourages the tomato to ripen faster.We only had a few tomato plants, so there aren't many left over, but this will save me from having to buy them from the store for a time. I'm going to try to roast some of the store bought ones...to see if they will have more flavor.Back in the day, I canned them and made a delicious chili sauce that made the whole house smell wonderful.Spicy chili sauce sitting on the plate next to a slice of wonderful beef roast...now that's eating!

If you'd like my Mom's recipe for Chili Sauce...just ask..

Balisha