in the kitchen where I belong...

 ...don't hate me, there are two pumpkin pies in the oven, with homemade butter crust.  One is sugar free, and the crust is thinner, it's for me, hope I don't eat the whole thing.  There are two more pie pans on the counter with crusts in them, the bowl of chicken pot pie filling is cooling in a large stainless steel bowl.  When the pumpkin pies are done, and our house if filled with that heavenly aroma, I'll put the pot pies together and put them in for their turn.  (I AM thankful that we have a home, and an oven that works, but shh, sometimes when I see those double ovens, or the rich people with TWO ovens, I'm like...wait, why don't I have that!?).  

The pot pie recipe is easy:  I search through the freezer and pull out some baggies of frozen chicken breast.  I always freeze a few in each bag, and always put some lime or lemon juice, or vinegar, salt and pepper, or jerk or some other kind of seasoning.  Sometimes I cube it right up before I freeze it, and yay, the baggies I pulled out today were like that.  (I like Target chicken breast, so well trimmed, and well priced...it did go up a dollar pound, but it's still affordable.  Once in a while, there are $3 coupons stuck to the packages, so of course I have to buy them and freeze them!).  

Anyway, I sauté that frozen chicken in my nonstick stock pot, with some olive oil, then add one quart of chicken stock, a bag of frozen mixed veggies, and today, some diced potatoes.  Sometimes I just chop fresh carrots and some celery, but we don't have carrots, so I just used the frozen veggies.  

When this is mostly done, veggies getting soft, thicken it up by putting flour in a cup (I always season up the flour with rosemary, salt, pepper, onion powder), and whisk in cold water, add it to the pot, stir it up, then let it all cool down before putting in the crust.  I don't always cool it, it still turns out fine and yummy.

Okay, this doesn't look yummy yet, it has to have a turn in the oven...I finished putting them together after taking the pumpkin pies out...(that's butter on the top, as if it needs more butter)(they're extra good with salt and pepper, and more rosemary on top)

Paul would rather stay away from pot pie, and I don't blame him. So, I panfried a steak, with lots of steak seasoning, butter, and rosemary...mmmm.   Pot pie crust is NOT how I want to eat, but sometimes I just eat it...I can stay away from cookies and cakes, and and and, but sometimes, I eat pot pie.  I also eat Hershey kisses, but I try to limit that to a few times a week.  The pumpkin pie is also not the greatest, but it could be worse...

Yesterday:  It was Grandma day.  I had Wulf and Tenny all day, then Sam came over with Ruth and Grant. Wulf and Tennyson "helped" me make waffles, oh they looked good.  They ate and ate, loved those waffles.  They don't eat syrup on them, they just eat them.  

Wulf...four years old, adorable, so smart and energetic, he can carry on some interesting conversations...I didn't tell him his shirt was on backwards...

Tennyson...oh my heart, I love him.  He just turned two, and is saying more words every time I see him.

Samuel was playing Jenga with Wulf and Grant, they were really enjoying it, when Ruth smashed the whole tower down, oops.

Tenny loves Sunny....Sunny is a good girls, she totally tolerates.  

Ten on the deck...

Ruth Eleanor

Yes, Sunny tolerates...they think she's a pillow...I do watch and make sure they're good to her, they are.

Grant and his daddy, Sam, getting the pizza!  We had a cozy evening watching Jeopardy, before Sam went home to put the kids to bed.

Phew.  When all the grandkids leave, wow.  I remember years ago, old people would say I like the grandkids because they go home at night!  Harrumph, I thought, when I have grandchildren, I'll want them overnight, I'll take them everywhere, I won't ever be ready for them to go home.  

ha.  ha. ha.  I do love them, I cannot even describe how much I love them, like a love so much it hurts.  I don't want them to fall and get hurt, I don't want them to get in trouble, I don't want them to have any trials in life, or suffer in any way.  I want to get them drinks and snacks and buy them all the toys and cute clothes.  Yes, this is eerily like it was/is with my own kids, ha.  Even more though, because now I know something that I didn't know before:  It flies by.  It speeds.  Time passes, slips through your fingers while you're looking the other way.   If you're ever too harsh with your children, those moments will come back and make the tears sting, they may have forgotten, but ouch, can I have a do-over?  The nights I shuffled them into bed, herded them, anxious for some peace and quiet...can I go back in time, and linger more over the stories in my chair,  listen intently to their bedtime prayers, without thinking of all the things I was going to accomplish once they settled in?  

But, I didn't know.  I just didn't know how fast it would all go by.  Now I do, so I hug those grandkids extra, and pat them on the head, rub their backs, and smile at them, and give them as much attention as I can...

The girls are home from camping, they had a really nice time.  Paul fixed the washing machine today, after mowing the lawn, after coming home after midnight from his trip to Hungary.  He's a keeper.  The best thing is that he maintains a good attitude, even when he thought it was fixed, and Camille put her bedding in, and water started pouring all over the floor...he had to go back in and hook up something he hadn't, he did it without swearing up a storm.  This is only by the grace of God, I think.  (Maybe it's because my own dear father, long ago when I was a child, would get SO mad, we stayed out of his way when he had to fix anything...I still tend to cower inside, even though Paul has never been like my dad)

Anyway...it was a good day:  swept and mopped the floors, church, then home, and cooking/baking,  now the pot pie is in, I'm having an afternoon coffee that got cold hours ago, but it's still good...hope I can still sleep tonight, ha....oh, and:  it smells so good in here!  First the pumpkin pie, now the pot pie...mmmm.