Our Christmas was quite,....

although we all received such special gifts. Cortney has longed
for a metal detector for months and shared this with her Grandparents so....,
she was blessed with a wonderful detector, with all the bells, beeps and tones
guaranteed to assist you in finding a treasure. The ground is frozen, so outside
the searches are limited to simply marking the "spot", until Spring thaw arrives.
Inside she has come across many interesting finds, in walls under the wood floor,
of course which she'll just have to imagine what the treasure could possibly be...
because we aren't tearing apart walls or tearing up the wood floor, nope, sorry!

Mike was surprised with his gift from Cortney,an all wooden canteen, lined
with paraffin wax, so yes it is usable. He was glad she'd gotten it for him.

Here's a close up shot, it is really a work of art! Mike of course tried it out

and with exception for a small leak, it works great. We'll add some more

melted paraffin to catch the area that was leaking, as well as add

another good coating inside.

Jon, Bobbi and Jaymz arrived around 7:30pm on Christmas eve. Jaymz

already looked tired and was ready to unwrap presents, rather than eat.

Cortney got him two new sweats outfits. We picked up two of the blanket

sleepers( we called them woollies) with football stuff on them, Jaymz is

a big football fan. Then of course he had to have a toy, so we spied a

Magnadoodle, tough enough in design to withstand a 3-4 yr. old boy.

In the photo below he is learning how to erase the picture he drew.

Darn flash, didn't go off but it's still a cute picture of Jon and Jaymz

looking at his new PJ's.( you can click the photos to make larger)

Cortney's gift from us, an IPOD. I'm NOT technologically minded so....

I take her word for it that it can hold up to 2,000 songs, take videos,

can tune into radio stations, etc.... Hers isn't the fancy touch IPOD, it's

called "Nano" It's so small I'm afraid to even touch it! I am amazed at

how far we've come in inventing small items that do four times+ the job

the older versions. On Jan 7, 2010 we're going to DSL Internet,

breaking free of dial up Internet, YEAH! In our area this has just

become available and the introductory offer for 1 yr., is only $4 more

than we pay for dial up. My gift from Cortney was this beautiful necklace she made, using wire

wrap techniques she learned in beading class. It's beautiful and can be

worn with just about any color clothes, as it has multi colored beads

(see below)

She and Mike also pulled a sneaky, a year or so ago I lost one of my

small diamonds from my wedding ring, anyway they managed to sneak

it out the a jewelry store to be repaired as well as replace the missing

diamond. I'll be glad to have my ring back on my finger, it's still being

repaired, but should be finished by the New Year.

Added to all of this Cortney gifted us with a portfolio of her best drawings

and the most heart felt letter to her Dad and I. Needless to say it is

one of our cherished keepsakes.

There were also stocking stuffers and several DVD's as gifts, for

everyone to enjoy!

Now bring on 2010, I'm getting my Spring Cleaning list ready! One thing

about having a wood stove, the walls and ceilings NEED to be scrubbed!

We also have touch up painting, full room painting and other odds and ends

projects to focus on. Then the end of January we'll be butchering pigs,

rendering lard, making sausage( three types). Move ahead to beginning of

March it will be time to get seeds started! WOW! we don't have much

time to get it all finished, time truly does fly when you get older! Now

you see how we came up with our farm's name!*wink*

Blessings to you and yours, for this New Year coming at us like a freight

train! One things for sure it's bound to be an interesting year!

50% off Christmas treasures from Goodwill!

We decided to take a drive into the city, as a sort of get away on
Sunday.
We stopped at several used furniture stores, looking for a trunk or
chest. You see, Mike bought me a cedar hope chest when we were
dating, and as tradition goes I've handed it down to Cortney, although
she physically doesn't have it yet. This is because I need a trunk or chest
to put the treasures I have stored in the hope chest into. I gave the chest
to her this past Spring and she has been patient, but.... does have need
for it as well.

We didn't have much luck in our search, but did find a few other treasures
and at 50% off , who can turn it down?

Here is a group shot, of the treasures we found, all total the cost was $12
Cortney and I had been looking for a tea pot for winter usage and this
only cost us $1.25.

I found this, I think it's pewter, anyway it's heavy. We love candles and

this can be used without much worry if the electricity goes out.

Can you tell we like anything snowmen? This cute canning jar is painted

with a snowman scene and makes a cute center piece for our table. I

believe the final cost on this was $1

We also picked up a couple of patterns for winter theme/ Christmas

projects. This is a little patch I thought would work for one of the patterns

to make stockings( see below)

Remember you can click photo to see larger version. It looks as if both

patterns can make a variety of items.
This was taken one morning before heading out to slop the pigs,

(pink bucket has hot mash for the pigs). Callie is drawn to sneaking a

drink from the water buckets. I guess she likes FRESH water, LOL!

For those of us interested in all natural suppliment and medical treatments....

Look Out! The FDA, of course backed by big pharma, is at it again! It will pertain to anything within their realm, food items( raw milk and raw products, meats raised naturally, eggs,produce, etc...), herbal, homeopathic, vitamin, supplements, etc..... Day by day we are loosing our freedoms. Please read and take heed, if you grow your own herbs, make sure you have open pollinated seed, learn to identify wild herbs, stock up on herbs and other supplements you can't grow in your region, etc....

For what it's worth( obviously very little) send this to your state Senators, and Representatives, telling them you are tired of THEM making choices for us, under the guise that it's for our safety!


FDA's STORMTROOPERS


By Attorney Jonathan Emord
December 21, 2009
NewsWithViews.com

Over a year ago, the FDA adopted a 1,000 plus page final rule on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), mandating process controls from source to finished product for dietary supplements. It did so presumably to protect the American public from adulterated products but it is imposed on every company, not just those that cause harm. The rules impose substantial new compliance requirements and costs on every company in the industry. Under this new prior restraint, a product is deemed adulterated as a matter of law if a company fails to keep “adequate” records or to follow procedures in a manner that FDA deems “appropriate.” Some would consider it ironic that the major trade association for the dietary supplement industry, the Natural Products Association, first proposed the GMP rule to FDA. Others, including me, find nothing unusual about this because major players in virtually every maturing market favor imposition of “public interest” regulation to increase costs of entry and business for smaller competitors, thus driving them out of business and securing the larger firms’ market shares.

The GMP rules are particularly wicked because they give virtually unbridled discretion to FDA agents in determining the adequacy of compliance measures and any measure deemed inadequate is defined as an act of adulteration as a matter of law. The Final Rule does include a chilling admission that FDA enforcement of it will cull from the industry a quarter or more of all companies now in business, will exact a disproportionate penalty on small companies, will increase unemployment, will limit entry into the dietary supplement market, and will increase the costs of supplements. At the same time, because the dietary supplement market is already characterized by remarkable safety, it will yield no provable improvement in public safety.

Over a year ago my firm issued a notice to clients warning of the imminent implementation of the draconian rule. That notice included a doctored photo from the 1930s of stormtroopers invading Paris marching under the Arc de Triumph. It was entitled, “Here Come the Stormtroopers” and raised several eyebrows, including ones at the FDA. Through the magic of digital imaging, we had the Nazi soldiers images modified to include FDA tags on their shirts and standards bearing not the Nazi emblem but that of the FDA. The picture produced the effect we desired, alerting clients to a threat of abuse of power. We wanted to awaken an industry preoccupied with surviving a recession to the very real peril we saw coming from FDA enforcement of the new rules. Many in the industry presumed that if their products were safe to consume their government would not destroy them so long as they agreed to correct errors that were technical in nature. We advised to the contrary. We were right.

The proof is now in the offing. Within the last three months, the FDA has unleashed its agents across the United States, visiting company after company. Our phones ring daily with stories of new FDA investigations. The agency is conducting more inspections of dietary supplement companies than ever before in the same time span.


Advertisement

In 18th Century England, the right of a person to be safe in his person and effects against unreasonable search and seizure first arose in British law. At that time, radical Whigs who engaged in comments critical of the Crown and majority party (i.e., seditious libel) heard thereafter the unfriendly knock of the constable who would enter a house or place of business and ransack it, combing over the premises for any possible evidence of illegality. Upon finding that evidence, the party responsible would be arrested and tried.

General warrants, as they were called, were issued without probable cause of illegality and without proof of any imminent threat to the public safety. At a time when the rights of men were discussed seriously in the Age of Enlightenment, while the theories of individual rights against the state from John Locke, Cato (the nom de plume of Thomas Gordon and John Trenchard), Algernon Sidney, and Edmund Burke among many others circulated, the environment was ripe for taking down tyranny, and change came. In famous English cases that received applause in the American colonies the General Warrants were condemned, and the law came to respect the rights of citizens to be secure in their papers and effects against unreasonable search and seizure.

That basic right has been lost to the regulatory state. Under contemporary law, regulators enjoy great power to “investigate” without probable cause of illegality. Moreover, regulators can obtain warrants without notice to the regulatee, enabling them to seize and remove all manner of products, confidential papers, and materials on the strength of a mere affidavit alleging that there is, e.g., “adulteration.” Because mere record keeping omissions or mistakes under the GMP Final Rule constitute adulteration by operation of law, it is a simple affair for an investigator to execute an affidavit of a finding of adulteration, triggering a warrant ex parte (without notice to the regulatee) from a federal court.

With such extraordinary power at their disposal, rendering them no different from those who executed General Warrants against our forebears, FDA investigators can easily intimidate and humble regulatees. Uppermost in the mind of the regulatee is that if the investigator chooses to he or she can invariably find something arguably remiss, declare it proof of non-compliance, and endanger the future business of the company. It is often the case that a party investigated will turn over all manner of information, even beyond what is legally required of them, to satisfy FDA investigators.



Those investigator then return to their offices and comb over the materials for any potential basis for a law violation, alerting other government agencies federal and state if they find matters that might also offend those other agencies’ regulations. When violations are found (and invariably if an agent wants to find a violation he or she will), the agency may then refer the matter for civil and criminal prosecution to the United States Attorney. Prosecutions occur even when there is no evidence of any harm to the public. Indeed, the product may be health enhancing, but labeled improperly or made without requisite record proof of compliance with the GMPs, yet those technical infractions may be translated into a civil or criminal law violation carrying with it draconian penalties and even jail time.



The effective return of General Warrants through the regulatory agencies is a remarkable devolution in the history of liberty, one sadly among many. The scope of liberty available to Americans is shrinking day by day. We are increasingly becoming wards of an ever expanding state. With each new law and new agency mandate comes a greater intrusion into our affairs and a constriction of our free choices. There is a tipping point at which those intrusions will cause such hardship and such interference with the rights of a once free people that those people will demand in overwhelming numbers that the rights violation stop. We have yet to reach that tipping point, and it is anyone’s guess when we will.

A touching 1881 Pioneer boy's Christmas story...

Many may have already read this story, but for me, it represents the true meaning of this holiday. Enjoy and keep the Kleenex close!


It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted for Christmas.

We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible. After supper was over I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the fireplace and waited for Pa to get down the old Bible.

I was still feeling sorry for myself and, to be honest, I wasn't in much of a mood to read Scriptures. But Pa didn't get the Bible instead he bundled up again and went outside. I couldn't figure it out because we had already done all the chores. I didn't worry about it long though I was too busy wallowing in self-pity.

Soon Pa came back in. It was a cold clear night out and there was ice in his beard. "Come on, Matt," he said. "Bundle up good, it's cold out tonight." I was really upset then. Not only wasn't I getting the rifle for Christmas, now Pa was dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly reason that I could see. We'd already done all the chores, and I couldn't think of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night like this. But I knew Pa was not very patient at one dragging one's feet when he'd told them to do something, so I got up and put my boots back on and got my cap, coat, and mittens. Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something was up, but I didn't know what..

Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house was the work team, already hitched to the big sled.

Whatever it was we were going to do wasn't going to be a short, quick, little job. I could tell. We never hitched up this sled unless we were going to haul a big load. Pa was already up on the seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up beside him. The cold was already biting at me. I wasn't happy. When I was on, Pa pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed. He got off and I followed.

"I think we'll put on the high sideboards," he said. "Here, help me." The high sideboards! It had been a bigger job than I wanted to do with just the low sideboards on, but whatever it was we were going to do would be a lot bigger with the high side boards on.

After we had exchanged the sideboards, Pa went into the woodshed and came out with an armload of wood - the wood I'd spent all summer hauling down from the mountain, and then all Fall sawing into blocks and splitting. What was he doing? Finally I said something. "Pa," I asked, "what are you doing?" You been by the Widow Jensen's lately?" he asked. The Widow Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so before and left her with three children, the oldest being eight. Sure, I'd been by, but so what?

Yeah," I said, "Why?"

"I rode by just today," Pa said. "Little Jakey was out digging around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They're out of wood, Matt." That was all he said and then he turned and went back into the woodshed for another armload of wood. I followed him. We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be able to pull it.

Finally, Pa called a halt to our loading then we went to the smoke house and Pa took down a big ham and a side of bacon. He handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait. When he returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and a smaller sack of something in his left hand.

"What's in the little sack?" I asked. Shoes, they're out of shoes. Little Jakey just had gunny sacks wrapped around his feet when he was out in the woodpile this morning. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn't be Christmas without a little candy."

We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen's pretty much in silence. I tried to think through what Pa was doing. We didn't have much by worldly standards. Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most of what was left now was still in the form of logs that I would have to saw into blocks and split before we could use it. We also had meat and flour, so we could spare that, but I knew we didn't have any money, so why was Pa buying them shoes and candy? Really, why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us; it shouldn't have been our concern.

We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the wood as quietly as possible then we took the meat and flour and shoes to the door. We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid voice said, "Who is it?" "Lucas Miles, Ma'am, and my son, Matt, could we come in for a bit?"

Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The children were wrapped in another and were sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly gave off any heat at all. Widow Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp.

"We brought you a few things, Ma'am," Pa said and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat on the table. Then Pa handed her the sack that had the shoes in it. She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out one pair at a time. There was a pair for her and one for each of the children - sturdy shoes, the best, shoes that would last. I watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at Pa like she wanted to say something, but it wouldn't come out.

"We brought a load of wood too, Ma'am," Pa said.

He turned to me and said, "Matt, go bring in enough to last awhile. Let's get that fire up to size and heat this place up." I wasn't the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I had a big lump in my throat and as much as I hate to admit it, there were tears in my eyes too. In my mind I kept seeing those three kids huddled around the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks with so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn't speak.

My heart swelled within me and a joy that I'd never known before filled my soul. I had given at Christmas many times before, but never when it had made so much difference. I could see we were literally saving the lives of these people.

I soon had the fire blazing and every one's spirits soared. The kids started giggling when Pa handed them each a piece of candy and Widow Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn't crossed her face for a long time. She finally turned to us. "God bless you," she said.

"I know the Lord has sent you. The children and I have been praying that he would send one of his angels to spare us."

In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears welled up in my eyes again. I'd never thought of Pa in those exact terms before, but after Widow Jensen mentioned it I could see that it was probably true. I was sure that a better man than Pa had never walked the earth. I started remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Ma and me, and many others. The list seemed endless as I thought on it.

Pa insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was amazed when they all fit and I wondered how he had known what sizes to get. Then I guessed that if he was on an errand for the Lord that the Lord would make sure he got the right sizes.

Tears were running down Widow Jensen's face again when we stood up to leave. Pa took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug. They clung to him and didn't want us to go. I could see that they missed their Pa and I was glad that I still had mine.

At the door Pa turned to Widow Jensen and said, "The Mrs. wanted me to invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous if he has to eat turkey for too many meals. We'll be by to get you about eleven. It'll be nice to have some little ones around again. Matt, here, hasn't been little for quite a spell." I was the youngest. My two brothers and two sisters had all married and had moved away.

Widow Jensen nodded and said, "Thank you, Brother Miles. I don't have to say, May the Lord bless you, I know for certain that He will."

Out on the sled I felt a warmth that came from deep within and I didn't even notice the cold. When we had gone a ways, Pa turned to me and said, "Matt, I want you to know something. Your ma and me have been tucking a little money away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but we didn't have quite enough. Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money from years back came by to make things square. Your ma and me were real excited, thinking that now we could get you that rifle, and I started into town this morning to do just that, but on the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunny sacks and I knew what I had to do. Son, I spent the money for shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand."

I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very well, and I was so glad Pa had done it. Now the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities. Pa had given me a lot more.
He had given me the look on Widow Jensen's face and the radiant smiles of her three children. For the rest of my life, Whenever I saw any of the Jensens, or split a block of wood, I remembered, and remembering brought back that same joy I felt riding home beside Pa that night. Pa had given me much more than a rifle that night, he had given me the best Christmas of my life.

Brrrrr... it's cold outside, but not in the kitchen. Guess what we're doing?

If you said baking, you're correct! Our weather has been frigid for several days and looks to stay a few more so........ Cortney and I are making the best of it. Killing two birds with one stone, heating the house and baking an assortment of Christmas goodies.

This morning we got a load of laundry washed and hung on the drying racks in front of the stove, then got the load of whites washing. While waiting between wash and rinse water, I added the hot water to the pigs feed bucket, making them a nice warm mash. Then draining the whites wash water( remember we have a wringer washer, so it's done manually) and adding the rinse water and starting agitating again. We don on our winter gear; scarf, hat, gloves, heavy chore coats, insulated muck boots. Filling a 5 gallon bucket, with warm water for the pigs and their mash, we head out into the sub zero temps( windchill of -12 to -15 F) With the pigs fed and water troughs broke open, I send Cortney inside to warm up and wring out the whites. I then get the wheelbarrow and collected enough firewood for today, filling the wood box and then some. Now inside, and thawed out a bit we finish the Chocolate Caramel Thumbprints we baked last night. We had to melt the caramel and add 1/2 tsp. to each cookie, in the thumbprint( see photos below)

Closer view, hungry now aren't you*wink* The are very rich and a new recipe for us. This recipe is definitely going to be added to our collection. I'll share it here;
Chocolate Caramel Thumbprint Cookies
1/2 c. softened butter
2/3c. sugar
1 egg separated
2 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp vanilla
1c. unbleached flour
1/3c. baking cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
1c. finely chopped pecans( we added1/2 c, pecans and 1/2 c.
walnuts)
FILLING
12 to 14 caramels
3Tbsp. heavy cream

In a mixing bowl cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg yolk, milk and vanilla. Combine flour, cocoa and salt, add to creamed mixture, mixing well. Refrigerate for 1 hour, or until easily handled. Roll into 1" balls, beat egg white. Dip balls into egg white and then roll in nuts. Place 2" apart on the baking sheet. Use the handle of a wooden spoon and make an indentation( 3/8 to 1/2" deep) in the center of each ball. Bake at 350F for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on wire rack, completely.

Meanwhile melt caramels with cream in a double boiler( or for those who use microwaves, a heavy bowl) Using 1/2 tsp, fill each cookie. Chill. Okay we drizzled white Choc. chips( 15-20 chips and 1tsp. lard) to give them a fancy look( see photo below)

Then Cortney decided she'd better get the doggie treats made, because we have a few we need to mail to her friend in CA, for her dog, along with a few goodies for her friend as well. *wink*

Here is our secret dog cookie recipe:
Molasses Peanut Butter Dog Treats
2Tbsp. oil ( we use Olive oil)
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2c. water
1/2c. molasses
2c. whole wheat flour
1c. unbleached flour
2Tbsp. kelp granules
2 tsp garlic powder( or 1 tsp. finely minced garlic)
Mix in given order. Knead on a lightly floured surface until firm. Roll
to 1/4" thickness and cut with cookie cutters. You may also roll into 1"
or smaller for small dogs. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until firm.
Makes approx. 2-1/2 dozen treats( depending on size of cookie
cutters) Photos below.

Best thing is, this is a healthy nutritious treat for our dogs, ours

absolutely LOVE them!

Well I need to rotate the drying racks and get some Fancy Ribbon

Fudge made. Enjoy your day :o)

Noodle making tutorial

Reminder, you can click on the photos to see full size version.

I remember how long I saved for this wonderful kitchen tool! Now as you'll see below it only cost $39.99, but that was a closeout price, if memory serves me regular price was $79.99. Back in 1994 that was a considerable purchase for the kitchen.
Yes, I keep receipts, it's fun to look back to see when you bought something and how much you paid for it.
It has attachments, such as this one that came with the machine. It makes egg noodles( on the left side) and spaghetti noodles( on the right). I also have an angel hair cutter, as lasagna noodle cutter, a ravioli attachment and all of these were purchased at a garage sale several years later, for $20 total. The ravioli maker is messy to use, so I make them by hand, but use the roller to roll the noodle dough thin enough.
This knob is on the roller unit and it is numbered from 1-7. This controls the thickness of the dough.

Here is what came in the box. This machine is NEVER to be washed, only wiped down with a damp cloth and dried right away. If pasta dough should get stuck in the cutter, let it dry and then brush out.
Now to share our noodle dough recipe;
Basic Pasta Dough

2-1/4 to 2-1/2 c. flour( we use half unbleached and half
whole wheat)
1/3c. water or broth
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1Tbsp. olive oil
1tsp. salt
Combine in given order, mix for 2 minutes.
with a wooden spoon mix in enough flour to make a soft
dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, kneading
about 10 minutes. Cover and let it for rest for 30 minutes.

Roll to desired thickness and cut( this is where you use
the pasta machine.)
Here is what it looks like after resting.
Pull off a ball, double the size of a golf ball and flatten
set your thickness dial on #1 and roll through. If dough is sticky, dust with flour and run through roller on setting #1.
Fold the ends toward the center and roll through again on setting #1( see
picture below)

This is what it looks like now. If sticky, rub with small amount of flour and.....
......fold the ends to the center again( opposite how it was folded the first time). Roll through on #1 setting, then move setting to #2, roll through and continue through to the #4 setting.
Dust with flour and rub in( see below), both sides of dough.
Now the dough is ready to run through the cutter, just move the handle.....
.... to the cutter position. Now gently feed the end into cutter as you crank the handle.
WOW! noodles, homemade from scratch! Gently guide the cut noodles with your free hand, so they stay nice, not in a heap.
Lay the noodles out, now decide the length noodle desired and cut with scissors. You will have to pull apart the noodles as you add them to your boiling soup, stirring occasionally to keep noodles from sticking together.
In approx. 1 hour from start to finish you can have homemade noodles. This happens to be Turkey Noodle Soup, from leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Mmmmm, Mmmmm.

You can also substitute in spinach puree, tomato puree, etc....(be creative!) for the 1/3c. water or broth. You may also freeze these noodles, just lay out, or hang( backs of kitchen chairs work well) and let dry, about 50% then bag and freeze. You may also dry completely and store in glass jars in a cool dry place.
You also don't have to have a pasta machine, simply roll dough out by hand to desired thickness, dust and rub well with flour, fold in half and cut into desied widths with a sharp knife( I did it this way for years before the machine)

For raviolis, roll to desired thickness, cut( I use a shot glass), place 1-2 tsp filling( meat of cheese) add another round dough piece on top of filling and seal with a fork around the edges. These freeze well. Enjoy!

More recipes and what's up with this wind!

I just couldn't turn down a picture of the beautiful sunrise, this morning! It's bad enough dealing with frigid cold, but why, oh why does the wind have to blow ? The water troughs were frozen about 4-5inches thick this morning and that wind, coming out of the south west doesn't feel any to warm either, Brrrr.... This old house has, of course old windows, and when the wind blows it's a challenge to keep our inside temp. above 65F. Even stoking the stove a couple of times last night, our inside temps fell from 72F to 63F. Now the challenge is to get that back up into the 70's before tonight or we'll just continue to regress in degrees and the real cold is coming Sunday night, Monday and Tues. Our fore casted highs are in the single digits(3-5F) and of course the evening lows are well below 0 and if the wind continues the the windchill temps. will be in the double digits( -15 to -20F) Mike is preparing to crawl under the house and check on the milk house heater( under the bathroom, which is close to an exterior foundation wall) to make sure it's clean and the cord is in good shape( you never know what mice will do*sigh*) . Then once that is all checked we'll get the natural gas furnace set at 55F, this way it will help to keep us from falling below that point. Last winter we had drain pipes freeze, because the natural gas furnace has a condensation pump, that only pumps small amounts of water every so often, this is why our drain line froze up, thus the heater underneath in the area of those pipes.
Here is a wreath we bought. It's much prettier than ones I've bought from the same people. I think it's the ribbon, it's not a cheap red plastic. We don't get to lavish in decorating outside, but do like to have a wreath of sorts by our door. We're thinking about placing the artificial wreath on the front door, wrapped with leftover bright white LED lights. We never use this door, so having the light cord in the way, won't be a bother and there is a plug in to the left of the front door, so it will be convenient to plug and unplug.

Well... I better get a move in it, we need to make whole wheat bread( a weekly batch) and two of the items from our goodies list. Here are a couple more recipes from those who want to try something new.

Peanut butter snowballs

1c. powdered sugar
1/2c. creamy peanut butter
3Tbsp. butter, softened
1lb of white almond bark or white choc. chips

In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, peanut butter and butter, mix well. Shape into 1" balls, placing on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. Chill( we freeze them) for 30 minutes. Meanwhile melt white choc. or almond bark in double boiler or microwave safe bowl. Dip balls via spoon or fork and place on wax paper, chill to coating. They are extra pretty if you drizzle them with melted milk choc. chips or white choc. split into two batches one with green food coloring added and one with red food coloring added and then drizzle one color in one direction, let harden, then drizzle the other in opposite direction. Some colored sugar added when the balls are original dipped, letting it cool for a few seconds, then sprinkle.

Best Ever Caramels

2c. sugar
1c. brown sugar
1c. light corn syrup
1c. heavy whipping cream
1c. milk
1c. butter
1-1/4 tsp vanilla( extract, not imitation)

Combine sugars, syrup, cream, milk and butter in a sauce pan. Mix well. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally over med. heat until it reaches firm ball stage( on candy thermometer), 248F. Remove from heat, add vanilla. Pour into a well greased 8x8x2" pan. Cool. When firm, turn out of pan onto a cutting board, cutting into 2" squares or smaller with a heavy knife( Mike gets this job, it can be tough to cut) Now wrap in each piece in wax paper, or separate layers in a storage container with wax paper. This recipe WILL add to your backside, LOL! Not good to eat if you have lots of dental work either.

Gingerbread cookies

1c. softened butter( no substitutes)
3/4c. sugar or 1/2 c. honey
1c. molasses
1/4 c. water
5c. flour( we use 2-1/2 c. whole wheat and 2c. unbleached, adding more if needed)
2-1/2tsp. ground ginger
1-1/ tsp. baking soda
1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. salt
Frosting:

3-3/4(1lb powdered sugar)
1/4c. water
1-1/2 tsp. light corn syrup( I'm going to substitute Agave syrup, to stay away from corn syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

In a mixing bowl cream butter and sugar. Beat in molasses and water. Combine the flour, spices, salt and baking soda, gradually add to creamed mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easily handled. On a lightly floured surface roll out dough to 1/4" thickness. Cot with cookie cutters dipped in flour. Place 2" apart on baking sheet and bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes. remove from baking sheets and cool on wire racks.

In a small bowl mix frosting ingredients, beat until smooth. Transfer to a plastic bag. Cot a small hole in corner of bag; pipe frosting onto cookies. Use your imagination and be creative.

Enjoy!

Weather update, our Christmas goodies list and a few recipes from the list!

Okay last night it wasn't as cold, 2F at 6am, there was cloud cover. Although the moon still lit up the night, so much so that it looked like twilight at 1am, when I was up stoking the stove. Mike took the 3:30/ 4am stoking. The cloud cover has moved off and we have crisp blue skies and sunshine. It's currently 6F with a windchill of most likely below 0. The animals were all snug in their beds last night and eagerly waiting for their breakfast at 6am. Cortney is keeping the chicken shut in, so their coop stays warm, besides they really don't want to venture out into the snow. The turkeys, well.... they have shelter but would rather stand out in the cold, shivering, standing on one foot. Honestly I don't feel very sorry for them, because it's of their own choosing. Here is our Christmas goody list, which we will begin working on getting two made each day. Especially since we have a few packages, of goodies, to mail by next week. Best Ever Caramels Chocolate Carmel Thumbprints( this is a new one we'll try) Choc. Peanut Clusters( easy) Seven Layer Cookies Peanut Brittle ( easy) Peppermint Fudge( easy) Ribbon Fancy Fudge Gingerbread Cookies Christmas Time Sugar cookies ( made with cream cheese) Applesauce Fruitcake ( not a traditional fruitcake at all) Russian Tea Cookies Candy Cane Cookies Peanut butter Snowballs( easy) Now we did inventory of ingredients and this is all we will need to buy, the rest we already have on hand( well stocked pantry in action) ; 6pkgs. of cream cheese peppermint candies/ candy canes peanut butter chips dry roasted peanuts 2 pints of heavy whipping cream( since we're dry until April *sigh*) possibly a few bags of semi sweet choc. chips( we still need to dig into the freezer and check on that) Now I don't think that's a bad list, considering the amount of goodies that will be made*wink* I will share any recipe, you might be interested in, but for now I'll post a few of our absolute favorites! Disclaimer: These are NOT low sugar recipes *wink* We do substitute Raw Cane Sugar for white sugar and add a Tbsp. or so of molasses to the cane sugar as a substitute for brown sugar. Christmas only comes once a year, just remember to take fewer goodies on your plate *wink* Peppermint Fudge 1-1/2 tsp. butter, softened( no substitutes) 2oz. cream cheese, softened 2c. powdered sugar 3 Tbsp. baking cocoa 1/2 tsp milk 1/2 tsp vanilla extract( no substitutes) 1/4c. chopped nuts( your choice) Peppermint layer: 2oz. cream cheese, softened 2c. powdered sugar 1/2 tsp milk 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract 1/4c. crushed peppermint candy Line the bottom and sides of an 8x4x2" pan with foil . Grease the foil with 1-1/2 tsp butter; set aside. In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, gradually add sugar, cocoa, milk and vanilla. Stir in nuts. Spread into prepared pan and chill for 1 hour For the peppermint layer, beat cream cheese, in small mixing bowl. gradually beat in sugar, milk and extract. Stir in peppermint candy. Spread evenly over choc. layer and chill for 1 hour. Using foil lift fudge from pan and gently peel off the foil. Cut into small squares( it's rich, to say the least) Yield: 1-1/2 lbs Ribbon Fancy Fudge 3c. sugar 3/4c. butter 2/3c.( 5-1/3 oz can) evaporated milk 6 oz. semi sweet choc. chips 7 oz. jar of marshmallow creme 1 tsp. vanilla 1/2 c. creamy peanut butter Combine 1-1/2 c. sugar, 6 tbsp butter and 1/3c. milk in a saucepan. Bring to a full boil, stirring constantly. Continue boiling for 4 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in choc. chips until melted. Add 1c. marshmallow creme( 1/2 a jar), 1/2 tsp vanilla and beat until well blended. Pour into a well greased 13x9" pan. Chill While chilling repeat the recipe with the remaining ingredients, substituting in peanut butter for choc. chips. Spread over choc. layer and chill. This is a very rich fudge, so cut the squares small. Makes 3lbs. Christmas Time Cookie Dough( extra rich sugar cookie) 2 pkgs. 8oz. cream cheese, softened 1c. butter( no substitutes), softened 1-1/3c. sugar 2tsp. vanilla 4c. flour( we sub. in 2c. whole wheat and 1-1/2 c. unbleached) 1/2tsp. salt Blend cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla at med. speed, until well blended Add flour and salt, mix well. Divide dough into 3 equal balls, wrap in wax paper and chill for 1-2 hours. Preheat oven to 375F Roll out dough to desired thickness, cut with cookie cutters. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until edges of cookies are golden brown. Makes 1-1/2 dozen( depending on size of cookie cutters) Glaze: 1-1/2c. powdered sugar 1Tbsp. butter, softened 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, (no substitutes) 1/8 tsp. salt 2-1/2 Tbsp. milk or sour cream 2-3 oz. cream cheese, softened Mix ingredients until smooth. This icing is semi hard, when dry. Applesauce Fruitcake 3c. unsweetened applesauce 1/2 lb(1c.) butter 2c. sugar 2 eggs 1tsp. ground cinnamon 1tsp ground nutmeg 1/2 tsp. ground allspice 1/2 tsp. ground cloves 1 tsp baking powder 2tsp. baking soda 4c. flour ( if you sub. in whole wheat, decrease the unbleached by 1/2c.) 1tsp. salt 1lb. chopped walnuts 1-8oz. jar of maraschino cherries( drained, saving the juice) Slice cherries in half and add 1/2c. flour to thoroughly coat them. Melt butter in hot applesauce, stirring to prevent scorching. Remove from heat and add sugar and eggs, mixing in well. Sift dry ingredients together and add gradually to hot applesauce mixture, mix thoroughly. Add nuts and floured cherries, stir well. Now add into batter mix the save cherry juice and blend well. Fill bread pans 1'2 full and bake at 350F for 1 hour, or until golden brown on top and toothpick comes out clean. That's all I can handle typing at this moment, the rest will be by request*wink* Blessing to each of you and may your day be filled with productivity and JOY!

It seems to be a case, from one extreme to another.

The last of the Indian Summer skies. A "Canadian Clipper" has hit here
and our temps. from daytime highs of 55-58F and evening lows into the
mid to low 20's to now fore casted daytime temps. into the 20's and
evening temps. into the single digits and sub zero range. This morning,
at 6am. our outside thermometer read; almost -1F, more like -1/2F.

The picture above and the one right below, Cortney took on Tuesday,
late afternoon. Unfortunately her camera isn't good at long distance
photos, but this is a Golden Eagle, that took a breather in one of our
cottonwood trees down along the river.(see picture below) It's simply
amazing just how large, these majestic birds really are. Typically we
we see them in pairs, so this is either a young bird or one who's lost it's
mate, because Cortney didn't see any other Golden Eagle.

Here is a picture of our Christmas tree, without the aid of a flash, it's a
a bit blurred I know. Last year we bought some of those LED light
strings, but this year they have all sorts of shapes and colors too! We
bought four colored strings to add to our white one purchased last yr.
I like these, for two reasons; they don't get hot, so less worry of fire and
they use less than half of the energy that regular strings of lights do. Now
what to do with the regular light strands?

Here it is with the flash working! It is a beautiful tree and Cortney did

much of the decorating while Mike and I did the evening chores. We do

have an artificial tree, but we do enjoy fresh trees better. They make the

whole house smell wonderful.

It is a challenge every Christmas season, making room in our small

living room, but this year Cortney had an idea and it seems to work

better with the couch in front of the bay windows. Instead of the tree by

the middle window of the bay windows and the couch crammed over

where our tree is this year( see above picture) Although when Cortney

is on the couch and Mike and I in our rockers( across from her) Mike

can't see Cortney, the tree hides her*wink*

We did manage a bit of shopping last weekend, now one final trip,

possibly on Sunday and we'll have the few gifts bought that we intended

to buy. Jaymes is getting some clothes, as he's outgrown most of his

4T pants and I picked up a couple cute football( he's crazy over football)

woollies( the pj's with the feet in them). We're looking for a game for him

and a few inexpensive stocking stuffers. Jon and Bobbie asked for a

bassinet. After shopping everywhere, the bassinets I knew of , seem to

be a thing of the past. Now the bassinets are a multi function item, they

look more like a small playpen and they have a place in the top as a

bed.

Some even have a portable changing area at one end, music and

vibration to sooth baby. When they've outgrown the bassinet and

moved to a crib, the unit converts into a small playpen, easily folded

down for travel. It's been 18yrs. since I had a baby and things sure

have changed, now I sound like someone OLD, LOL!! We still have

Cortney's big gift to purchase, but we already know who has the best

price, it's now just a matter of going to pick it up. Then a few stocking

stuffers for her as well( she loves card games, CD's or books) Yep,

one final trip and then we won't have to be caught up in the city during

the frenzy of holiday shopping( that's the hermit in me, speaking

now *wink*)