too quiet...

 This fine morning, Paul went out hunting, then the girls went to brunch at a friend's house. I was going to go with them, drop them off, and get some Christmas shopping done, but...the day before Thanksgiving?  Would it be just mobbed? I was hemming and hawing, then they said two of their friends were coming here to park and ride with them...I didn't want to squish in, so that decided it for me...and I'm glad I stayed home.   I swept, vacuumed, mopped, did two loads of laundry, washed dishes, cleaned up the counters, put up two strings of solar lights outside for Christmas...with Suri as company.  It sounds easy, just string up those lights, but I got hopelessly tangled up, the strings had 200 lights, and some I wrapped around the bannisters, oh dear.  No one was here to "grab the other end", and Suri just put her head on her paws and went to sleep.  

I made an apple pie.  I made the pie crusts yesterday, so I just had to cut the apples, mix in the sugar/brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, ect., and put it together.

(the girls said this little one tasted like McDonalds apple pie...)

There were apples left over, so I rolled the top crust out thin and used some of  it to make a small, crust for the leftover apples...mmm.

I also made a lemon meringue, Camille squeezed the lemons and made the meringue while I made the filling and pre baked the crust I made yesterday...

Yesterday, Sonja let Rhys drive!  not really.

Christmas cactus from Aldi...

Sunny saw a reflection and was going to go get it!

Yeah, so I got a lot done today, but it was so quiet!  I am not a t.v. person, I'd rather listen to the dryer run than have that blaring in the background. I read my news online, don't like t.v. news at all.  I don't turn on music either, because quiet is rare here, gives me a chance to think.  Today, I found myself thinking that if I lived all alone, I'd be pretty lonely. I admit talking to the dogs.  :)

The kids are going to a meeting tonight, so Paul and I will be here all alone...oh, poor us!  I'm kind of excited, as yesterday I picked up a two pack of strip steaks, marked down to $9-something.  Kids leave, we eat steak, you see how it is.  

Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, in no particular order:

1.  My comfy chair

2.  That my kids are my friends

3. Coffee

4.  God's mercy over me, that I can live peacefully with friends and family.

5.  That when my feelings are hurt, I don't have to just stay in that feel sorry for myself spirit.

6. My hips have been doing better.

7.  All the appliances work right now!

8.  Target.  Love going to Target.

9.  The internet, my blog friends, and that  I'm a reformed skeptic, used to totally diss online friends.

10.Paul...he's such a good guy.  He has been really enjoying going out hunting, getting up at 4:30 so he can be in the woods when the sun comes up...

There are so many things to be thankful for, but I've found that when something gets in my craw, the thought to be thankful comes, and it's not always easy.  I've been working on really holding my tongue, waiting for better thoughts instead of just reacting and saying things that aren't always the best things to say.  The truth is, I can be a real piss-pot, as my mother used to say.  A brat.  I'm very quick to think of a snarky response, to be witchy with a capital B.  I don't want to fight or to argue, or even to be right. Not in theory, but when life happens, if I'm not awake, if I'm not careful, oh dear!  And that's NOT good!  

So I'm thankful for that...that God works with me, teaches me, and there is hope for me.  Things don't always go how I would like them to go, but there is always so much to learn in our days!

We had a fantastic dinner tonight.   It has taken me half the day to write this post...life happens, I close the laptop, and forget all about it.  Anyway, those strip steaks, why did I even buy them?  I'll tell you the problem: they were too good.  I dredged them in coarse pepper, a dash of rosemary, a smidgen of garlic, some salt....and let them reach room temperature...then I pan fried them, really scorched them up, made a nice crust, flipped...Paul's came out first, he likes it rare...mine, more medium-to-more, but not actually well done.  Medium-well.  I shared with the girls because they hadn't left yet....it was SO GOOD.  I also had shredded cabbage with olive oil and lime juice, yes, I'm weird. 

Ah well....Paul's gone to bed, as he's hunting tomorrow...the girls aren't home yet...so it's quiet again...hmmm.

what I SHOULD be doing...

 ...instead of sitting here in my comfy chair listening to the dogs snore, and sipping the first morning's cup of freshly ground, locally roasted last week, coffee.  

I've perused the news, and don't like what I'm reading.  There's not much we can do about the times that are coming upon us, namely the digital vax passports, digital currency.  The noose is tightening for ordinary citizens.  The suppression of free speech...ugh.  

But that is not what we're going to talk about here, today.  No, today we'll be thankful.  "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water, He turns it wherever He wishes." (prov. 21, v1). Isn't that comforting?    "Many seek the ruler's favor, but justice for man comes from the Lord." (29:26).

Yes, the world is upside down, but there is peace and rest to be found in seeking God's will for us in our days.

And, here are a few of my favorite things:

Jonathan Robert, one of my favorite children...you know I love all of them, but this Jonny was absolutely special from the minute he was born. He arrived a mere ten months after baby Robert was born sleeping.  So honestly, all the months I was pregnant with Jonathan, I didn't believe it.  I didn't let myself hope.  The image and the feeling and the weight of baby Robert, the floppiness and the stillness and the bottomless sadness, the feeling of NO, PLEASE, JUST BREATHE!!! were simply burned into my mind, the grief not yet dealt with as I just went on with life...Robert was our 14th child, "born" on the day Margaret graduated from kindergarten (always thankful that my sister Cheryl went with her to that ceremony for me!)...it was a week before our oldest, Emily, graduated from high school...life didn't stop, and neither did I.  So when Jonathan was born, born breathing, born crying, kicking his little legs...I cannot put into words the joy, the relief, the love...we had had Emily, Abigail, Benjamin, Mariel, Joseph, Aaron, Molly Rose, Samuel, (four each!), then tie-breaker Margaret, followed by four more girls, Kathryn, Evelyn, Suzanne, Sonja...then baby boy Robert, born sleeping...then Jonathan! (then Charlotte Claire and Camille, we are so blessed!). Our whole family just rejoiced over Jonathan...he's never ever given me the slightest trouble, such a good kid.

Jonathan is spending a year in Germany.  I miss him, but he does keep in touch. We text and face time.

He's Mr. Handsome, a good boy.

I made waffles yesterday for Achilles and Rhys...we watched them for a while so their parents could go to the department of motor vehicles, to get things changed over from Oregon to New York.

Achilles, Mr. Cuddles.

The dum-dums, Suri and Sunny.

Charlotte Claire playing with Rhys, and kitty...is that someone's cereal bowl?  hmmm.

Kathryn and Darius stopped for donuts on the way back from the DMV.  Rhys approves!

Tennyson in the snow!

Yesterday at the Target Starbucks...we're trying to cut back, so Sonja K. and Camille shared...

Me with baby Declan...I love being a grandma!

In Target...Sonja is not too bad at the hula hoop...

Random cozy pic...

But Camille surprised us all, she's good!

I'm trying to get our Christmas shopping started AND finished without spending a boatload.  There are 36 people on my list, I've gotten a few done. Oh, and I can't forget Grandma...then we pick names for the little ones at church...  The stores get more crowded and somehow hotter, after Thanksgiving.  I like to have the lion's share done before then, but...ugh. Most of the grandkids are done...I've bought them some books, and one gift each. I could go crazy, but their parents don't want tons of toys, and they don't need them.  So I'll behave.

Kathryn is coming over today with Rhys to make some pie dough.  The girls are going to a brunch tomorrow, then an Israel planning trip meeting in the evening, so if they help me with pies, it'll be in the middle of the day.  Friday Pie Day's pies will have to be made on Friday .On Friday we're also having appetizers...I bought frozen meatballs and Stubbs bbq sauce, for crockpot bbq meatballs...homemade are better, but that's not happening this time, ha.  

Ah well, I have washed some dishes and put some away and straightened a few things, but I need to vacuum and mop and do a load of laundry....bye for now!  Have a really good day!  From Anne H.'s blog: 

in which the wind swirled around...

 ...and the ominous threat of white-out conditions kept them safely inside.

We have green grass here outside, but it's twenty-something degrees, and the wind is WHIPPING.  Brrr.  The snow is to the north of us, ten miles up the road, blizzard!  It should have kept us home...but it didn't.

What did we, who live in Lake Effect territory, do before RADAR weather and the internet?  Well I guess I remember: we went out and then drove through snow storms.  Today, here at my house, no snow yet.  We drove to the small city south of here because the radar showed snow to the east. 

America's snowiest cities...see that? SYRACUSE, #1! Guess where we live?   Pretty darn close to Syracuse...

Kathryn and Achilles came and picked us up, Rhys stayed home with daddy, for a nap.  We went to a craft store which finally opened, Michaels.  A.C. Moore closed a few years ago, and I miss it sorely.  Well, Michaels was a HUGE disappointment.

This tree was $49.99.  

Sonja and Charlotte Claire...

Miss Camille...

The prices in this store are outrageous.  It was rather crowded,  not easy to navigate, but ouch, like $35 for a throw pillow?  Ribbon was 70% off, but regular price $14.99?  nope.  We weren't the only ones parking the empty cart and walking out of the store empty handed.  

Next stop: Aldi.  Bread, tomatoes (bruschetta, anyone?  the girls love to slice up the baguette and toast it a little in the air fryer, then chop tomatoes, onions, and garlic, and mmm!), little oranges (clementines), cheese, seltzer, a candle, rolls for Thanksgiving, and some 97 cent apple muffins (a four pack!)

Then, Walmart...phew.  We tried to hurry it up, but the superstore is huge, and everything begs to be looked at.  I was shopping for crafts for this week's activity club, and didn't find much...just some scented Christmas stickers, and some blank paper. I do have construction paper and glue and glitter and markers galore, but was hoping for some little Christmas trees they could decorate.   We'll just have to make some.  I did buy marshmallows and pretzel sticks so they can make snowmen.  

Home, ah home...we got a late start today, after a very cozy morning at home, so we got home at 2:30.  I started dinner right away...I cubed up 4 pounds of chicken breast, and added it to a mixture of cornstarch and flour, salt and pepper, and a few eggs whipped up in some cold water,...first dredged the chicken in the dry mixture, removed it, added the liquid, stirred it all up, added the chicken back in, and browned it all up in oil in small batches, two pans going at the same time.  Camille made the rice, I chopped up some small red peppers, a green pepper, and an onion...I microwaved a bag of frozen broccoli florets (95 cents at Aldi) for three minutes, then when the chicken was all done cooking, I added the veggies to the big wok, and stir fried them.  In a small sauce pan, I melted half a stick of butter, ground ginger, a scoop of orange marmalade (jam), some orange chicken sauce, some teriyaki sauce...

Oh my this was good!  I had mine without rice, but shh, I know it's not healthy, not with the flour and cornstarch and browned up in oil...but oh dear it's good!

Grant and Baby Sister, aka Ruth...a good start to the random photo dump of the day...

Grampa and Grant eating popsicles...

Sunny Dum-Dums...

The brownies I made last night out at the music weekend, at church...175 or so were there, due to snow in 

Buffalo, roads closed, some from Toronto didn't come...anyway, I made homemade buttercream frosting, but my mixer glitched...the beaters kept falling off! I couldn't get the frosting to the right consistency!  I finally just frosted them anyway...I didn't stay for dinner, but I think they were good.

Home last night after 4-5 hours working in the kitchen,ahhh...look at Orange Guy!

This coffee is delicious.   You can order it online, he will ship it, not sure how much shipping is, as I just pick mine up...

Random, but thought this about explains it.

Me with Rhys and Ruth...lucky girls to have each other, cousins two months apart.

Tomorrow Achilles and Rhys will be coming over for a few hours as their parents take on an ever challenging trip to the department of motor vehicles.  Moving to New York State is not for the faint hearted,  ha.  Later in the day, I plan to go pick up a new hand mixer I bought from Kohl's...(30% off, Kohl's cash, and $10 a home purchase of $50 or more...)...then a quick Target pick up...I got a fun game for Wulf for Christmas...

My Christmas shopping is going very slowly....ugh.    Oh well.

It was cold and windy today, the kind of wind that makes your face hurt, and has you crying UNCLE, yet no matter that you give up, it isn't going to change anything.  Winter is starting, and you have to acclimate and embrace it, or just be miserable.  You all probably know what I am choosing...have a good evening!!!

what was I thinking?!

 Yesterday afternoon, Molly and her husband Josh came over with little Lydia and Ophelia, to play and visit and have dinner.  Paul shows his love and care by bringing out toys...dollhouses and bins of accessories and ride-ons.  The girls mostly liked jumping on the couch...we have one old leather couch that jumping is allowed on.  They liked playing "Life" with Molly and Charlotte Claire, although Ophelia, who is two years old, just liked stealing their cars.  I got out coloring stuff, she scribbled a few scribbles and was done.  

Dinner was a nice rich chicken stew, made with 4 and a half pounds of chicken breast (cubed and trimmed, rolled in flour, salt and pepper, browned in olive oil, simmered in two quarts of chicken broth...then some freshly chopped carrots and potatoes, and a bag of mixed veggies, for some green, thickened up with a bit of flour, salt and pepper, and lots of rosemary). 

I spend my afternoon in the kitchen. I wanted to make apple, as we had stopped at the little farm stand/store down by the river, for a huge bag of baking apples.  Mary, the owner, gives a good mixture of varieties, for only $12. 

Apple pies...there is something almost heavenly about a homemade one.  I made the dough first, whirred the flour and salt in the food processor, then added the sliced butter (butter is very dear right now, price keeps going up!  And for two double crust pies, that's a whole pound!).  I don't add water to the mixture until I pour it into a bowl, and then use ice water...a tiny bit at a time, tossing with a fork, not too much or the dough won't be flaky.  I cheated a little, because I really wanted to make a sugar free pumpkin pie tools I made five disks from the dough.

This one looks rather ugly...

...this one better, but not beautiful...but what it lacked in beauty, it made up for in taste...oh my!

The pumpkin:  A-OKAY! I made it like a regular pumpkin pie, but substituted a combination of monk-fruit white sugar, and some Swerve brown sugar...it doesn't taste all fake.  The consistency is really nice.

Kathryn and I went to Ollie's earlier in the day, with Achilles and Rhys. I had a 15% off coupon...

Rhys looking at Santa....she's such a darling, I love that I get to push her in the cart...

Kathryn with Achilles...

I got a few things for stockings, didn't buy any toys, or Christmas decorations except for two strings of solar lights for outside.  

Kathryn brought the kids in for a few hours to play, and ended up leaving before Molly and fam got here.  What I cannot believe is that I didn't take any pics of Lyd and Ophelia!  oops.  Suri wasn't feeling well when they were here, but has bounced back.   It was rather busy in here...but dang.

Here are some random pictures for you:

Aaron with Camille, from long ago...

Camille, in the snow, yes, those are bare feet!

Just joy though!  We still had our 15 passenger van then...

Camille with Duke, he was a good dog...Char, Jon, Suri...

Charlotte Claire, Jon, Cam...too much fun, time just slips right through your fingers...by the time I was homeschooling these three youngest, I had caught on to time's tricks.   But I still couldn't slow it down.  I could, however, enjoy their little-ness, extra more than I had with the older ones.

My mother-in-law is 93 years old, and lives on her own. She still cross-stitches, and the other day, a big box came in the mail...one cross stitch for Ben and Ashley's little Declan, and one for me:

I don't actually watch Christmas movies, although the kids have watched, "The Knight Before Christmas" like three times through the years...it's silly and funny and they get a kick out of it.  I love the cross-stitch though, the string bulbs around the edges!

Cozy...the very definition of cozy.

Margaret took this pic yesterday...her power went out, and she HAD to work, so she packed up her boys and brought them over to Evelyn's apartment...she works from home too...the boys got to go out and enjoy the snow though! 

Wulf and Tennyson....

Grant and Ruth live up there too, near the lake.

And...Miss Suri.  She's doing fine today, not sure what her issue was yesterday...sometimes she's just off, and we know she's a princess, her name MEANS princess...if only we could clone her...I'd take another one, please.

Kathryn had an appointment today, so she brought Achilles and Rhys here.  She's back now, and baking with Camille. I have a roast to put into the instant pot with carrots and potatoes.  It's the afternoon slump. It's been a busy day...Sonja had to drive to the small city to hand in paperwork from clinical, so I went along and picked up some coffee from the local roaster, oh so good!  We also went to Walmart for cornstarch and lemons (homemade lemon meringue pie!), flour, sugar, canned squirt whipped cream...and home...ahh,  home...Grace will be here any minute now with Grant and Ruth...

Ha, was there actually a time not too long ago when I wondered what I would do when my kids grew up?!