summer 2011

summer 2011

Paul and I, all 16 kids and Ashley, Benjamin's wife...Christmas 2012

Paul and I, all 16 kids and Ashley, Benjamin's wife...Christmas 2012
family

Saturday, January 27, 2024

dark, damp, and chilly...with some fog

The weather here is absolutely fantastic.  I actually love it.  It's like fake movie scenery, driving along the country roads, with the dark outline of the naked trees shrouded in fog.  The bleakness is comforting.  It makes me long for coffee and a good book.  BTW, I picked up "A Patchwork Planet", Anne Tyler, from the thrift store recently, thought I had already read it...but nope.  I relished it.  Devoured, enjoyed, delighted in it.  

This fine morning, I vacuumed and cleaned up, because I'm quite obsessed with the new floors.  I like keeping them all clean and nice.  Then it was time to go out to the mentor's weekend and help Emily in the kitchen.  She had to plan and purchase food for 240 people, four meals and an afternoon snack.  I helped her do lunch, with some of the younger ones.  They are hilarious, so gung ho to do things.  

I only last a few hours on my feet and have to take a break, so I went to Kathryn's house for a visit.  Margaret was there with her little ones too. 

This is what happened when Kathryn asked Who wants to see Jamie's tooth?
They're all so cute.

Home...we're home...I made a roast with red skinned potatoes, carrots, and onions, in a nice gravy, then a keto-ish pumpkin bread with raisins.  (keto-ish because I used a teaspoon of molasses, and another one or two of honey, then a bit of golden monk fruit sweetener, for a total of  less than a quarter cup in all, for sweetener.  I also used almond flour.)  It's a recipe from chocolatecovderedkatie. 


I also added some raisins, hence "keto-ish".    It's pretty good.  The roast was in for half hour at 450, then to 325 for an hour with the potatoes and carrots in, with the lid on, which was perfect so I could bake the bread at the same time.   But shh, I overcooked the roast...it was still delicious, but it should have come out earlier.  Oh well. 


The triple batch of chocolate chip cookies I made yesterday...why?  I haven't the foggiest.  I just wanted something to do.  I have not even tasted one bite, not even the dough.  Before you admire my virtue, know this:  I am a Cookie Monster, and I love cookies.  I already know these are good.  I just do.  So I don't eat them.  Does that make sense?

Ah well...I'm tired enough.  That cat woke me up at dawn, on a Saturday!  He walks around MEOWING.  Over and over, meowing and meowing until someone, ME, gets up and lets him out.  Suri sees what's going on and runs out the door too, which means someone, ME, has to stand there and wait until she's done galavanting around the yard.  Wide awake, I stumble back to the warm bed, and wish, hope, dream...of falling back into that blissful sleep.  This fine morning though, it was 6:30...not too early for SOME of you, but I had teenaged girls here having laugh attacks at 2:15 am.  :), way too late to attempt to get back to sleep...ugh.

Ah well, there are worse things.  I'm tired now, and heading to bed...


5 comments:

Linda said...

Such lovely photos. smiles. Wishing you a beautiful day my friend.

Mari said...

You had a productive day! I am beyond impressed with your ability to make all those cookies and not taste even one!
I've now ordered that book. $5 is a pretty good price. It sounds like a good one!

Terri D said...

Cats... gotta love 'em. I don't know how you do all that you do, every day!! Blessings!

Marilyn said...

Hi Della!

Those pictures of the kidlets are adorable. What a cute little bunch they are 🥰 Those cookies look delicious Della and you have so much willpower not to eat even 1, but we all know what happens when we eat 1!!! Well speaking for myself 1 would lead to 6….or more!

I am going to the YMCA today and I’m pretty choofed it’s myself. I didn’t go at all in December and this is my first trip this month. I just couldn’t get there 🤣

You have a lovely day 😊

Marilyn from Canada 🇨🇦

16 blessings'mom said...

Marilyn, they are cute. Cookies: one cookie is not sufficient, and I find honestly when I eat sweet stuff, it just makes me want more sweet stuff, sometimes I can have a tiny taste, but that takes more willpower than total avoidance. So glad you're hitting the Y, how did it go? It's so hard after an absence, to get back to it!