Bacon Saves the Day

Amazing fact #1: I dislike cabbage, the green kind that is typically boiled on St. Pat's.

Amazing fact #2: I love this noodle dish that is absolutely chucked full of the smelly, nasty tasting stuff.

It's a Polish creation that, in my opinion, gives the country a gold star in the menu of life. Imagine walking into the house after a tough day at work, battling traffic for the last hour and knowing that you will soon be running to your next meeting. You are at once embraced by the salty-smoky aroma of fried bacon that calms the mind and excites the taste buds. Couple this will thick, rich, real butter full of salt and everything else that makes dietitians cringe. Mix it all up with onions, noodles, cabbage and Parmesan then pop it into the oven until the flavors mingle together.

In the background roasting pork from our recently processed hog awaits. These are the pork pieces that we left intact rather than separate them into chops. It looks like a miniature version of Fred Flintstone's drive in ribs. They are tender and calling out for their noodles.

What do you need?

A deep, large pan with lid
Egg noodles, boiled-
1 lb bacon chopped and fried crispy (it will soften a bit later)
1 head cabbage chopped
1 stick of butter- real, salted
1 onion
1 Cup Parmesan cheese- the grated kind

Cook the desired amount of egg noodles-keeping in mind it makes a casserole dish 9 X 13
Fry the bacon in the deep pan and remove bacon pieces leaving the grease
Add the onions to the bacon grease and cook until onions are clear
Add the chopped cabbage to the grease with onions
Add the stick of butter
Cover until cabbage is tender but stir occasionally

Mix noodles and bacon into the cabbage mixture
Transfer it to a baking pan or casserole dish
Bake uncovered until heated through and noodles get ever so slightly crispy on top.

It's even better on day 2.

Enjoy.

Are You Sure That I'm Your Gal?

I am supposed to go to a craft night in a few minutes and I'm so hesitant to go and wishing there was a reason it would be called off. On the other hand I feel that I owe it to the church to be there, although it may very well backfire on them. These are items that people should want to buy, for a fundraiser, not practice for a novice.

Now, if you want to purchase some SAP instructions with pictures covering each and every key or icon to press, I'm your gal. If you want to know about suncare returns mitigation, I'm your gal. If you want to learn how to talk to a raccoon, I'm your gal. However, and there is always a "however" in life, if you want to buy a nicely crafted holiday decoration, I'm not your gal. I am so far outside of their league that I may as well be the parking attendant except my night vision is almost as bad as my crafting skills so they wouldn't tip me much either.

I guess I'll venture out and see what happens. If it doesn't work out I'll graciously back out and keep practicing on my own. Wish me luck!

I pieced my quilted table runner today! I used spray adhesive to attach the batting to the backing and then worked on a diagonal, sewing each strip at a 45 degree angle, one on top of the previous row, iron, repeat. I cut the batting incorrectly a few times but it worked out ok in the end. This is my first attempt at the quilting portion.

I started with the four colors, creating long strips that I sewed together in rows then cut them horizontally which made new rows with all the colors attached. A couple of rows had to be slightly reconfigured to piece the beginning squares to the end instead.

Then you attach the batting to the backing and sew away. You start out with backing that is 24 X 42 inches but it sizes down to what you see here. Due to the initial size, it was cumbersome to work with on my machine but worked out pretty well. Again, it may not be perfect but I learned how to do it and that was the goal.

Now I have to make and attach the binding. I'll have to do something about coordinating place mats too. The yellow is not available but I can still find the other colors.

I get a lot accomplished when it snows unexpectedly and our rooftop satellite is so packed with snow it can't get a signal!

A Light Dusting

I thought I would share photos of the 6 inches of "light dusting on the grassy surfaces" we received since only 10 AM this morning - it is now 5:30 PM - with more on the way tonight. Fortunately there may be only some sporadic slushy areas on the roadways. It makes me wonder why we simply couldn't drive up the hill in 2WD, in fact, why we stopped dead in our tracks until switching over to 4WD. I can't imagine.

I'm going to have a few words with the weatherman. He's 2 for 2- Wrong and Wrong.

Hens of a Feather Sew Together

I whipped up a chick pincushion that I saw on a sewing blog a few days ago. I sort of guessed at the dimensions and I am not terribly good at hand sewing the last bit of seam after stuffing it with rice as they suggested but it's on the bottom so you don't see it. It's a chicken butt after all and they are rarely pretty. This chick is a big one but there are smaller ones that use about a three inch square, some with plain fabric as I used and some that are log cabin pattern pieced.

I am getting ready to work on my table runner but wanted to get something quick in first.

Preparedness - Are you ready, What's your plan?

Are you ready? What's your plan? If you are sitting there shrugging your shoulders thinking, "I don't know," it's time for a plan. Disasters can strike anywhere at any moment be it flood, tornado, earthquake or man made events causing our world to change, all in a heart beat.

I work for a company that specializes in disaster preparedness, setting up processes to have emergency products ready to distribute across the world at a moment's notice including a continuity plan in the event the offices are affected. Yesterday they distributed some very good information- a three step plan to deal with emergencies so you minimize the chances of being caught off guard or if you are away from your home.

Our plan is always head home, assuming home is the safe place. In our plan, you don't let the school keep the kids- even if you have to break the law to get them out. We have a duffel ready and waiting in the event of a disaster. Even so, I neglected a few items that I need to add.

1. An abbreviated car kit: personal water purifier, a first aid kit, emergency food
2. A roll of plastic sheeting
3. Copies of important documents
4. Extra pair of glasses
5. List of phone numbers- mine are all stored in my phone
6. Extra shoes, even if only flip flops - how did I forget this?

Now that the kids are no longer home, how do we make contact if phones or internet is not operational? Do we know anyone with a ham radio? Get a CB radio- everyone can use these. What arrangements will you make for pets if you can't stay in your home?

Are you well stocked with canned and dried food? Watch what happens to the grocery stores when there is even a slight chance of snow accumulation.

What if there is a disruption in the transportation system? To reduce costs warehouses are often on a "just in time" basis, stocking only a few weeks of product, assuming the vendor will supply them on a regular basis. If you only knew how difficult it was to get trucks in after Katrina you would appreciate my advice to stock up so much more.

Dried beans
Dried milk
Dehydrated Potatoes
Rice
Canned vegetables (you can use the juice to cook the beans/rice)
Raman noodles- how many college kids survived for 4 years on this?
Dehydrated tomatoes or canned paste at minimum - supplies your vitamin C (avoid scurvy LOL)
Noodles

The average tornado warning sounds 13 minutes before touchdown (wunderground.com)

Yellowstone National Park's supervolcano just took a deep "breath," causing miles of ground to rise dramatically, scientists report. (nationalgeographic.com)

The upper Midwest, the Deep South, the Northern Plains, the Ohio Valley and parts of southern New England are experiencing flooding now or are highly vulnerable to flooding this spring. (USGS CoreCast)

• What if you are in your car? How will you reach your home?
• Is there a route you can take that avoids bridges that may have sustained damage?
• Can you survive a few days while you make your way home?
• Where will you find safe water?

Things you might not think about:
Sunscreen- very important. We make this too and I can assure you that you need to reapply every two hours regardless of what anyone says.
Trash Bags- store items, keep dry
A manual can opener- ever go camping and forget the can opener?
Purchase a Leatherman multi tool- or a Swiss Army knife. Lots of tools! Get a good one- don't go cheap on this.

Do you know how to cook, the old ways? Or, do you purchase ready made dinners, fast food, microwave entrees? This may not work for you in an emergency situation. Learn to cook like my grandparents did- we're doing that now (see prior posts)

Depression Cooking Tutorials

Make sure you have STRIKE ANYWHERE matches,coat them in wax to waterproof them. (remember your float trip days)

I added one more thing- my Pieta Prayer Book. If disaster comes, I'll need it.

None of this will hurt to have in place. If you avoid disaster, you just have a bunch of food and some good plans. Hopefully we won't need to use this.

Frog Songs

Frog Songs.  This is completely out of focus and for some reason in black and white; however, the objective was to capture the sound.  You are probably not interested in our brush pile or gravel road!  Sometimes the sound is deafening.  I find it beautiful, relaxing.  I've learned to mimic the frogs that call out during summer nights.  I can get them all excited chirping and tweeting  their little hearts out.


Take a listen. We'll be sliding in to Slumberland to this tonight.

Welcome Home Spring

Our forsythia bloomed, Spring has arrived! It was an absolutely beautiful Sunday afternoon, one of those no coat days where the kids ride bikes up and down the gravel road, shriek as they run from awakening wasps, and eat their sandwiches on the go rather than miss a moment of sunshine and warm breezes. Adults congregate by the road, keeping an eye on the kids and making small talk.

Later my husband and I sat on the porch discussing how nice it is to live out here, away from all the hustle and bustle, where we have everything we could want. A place where the serenade of the spring peepers and croaking frogs rises to a crescendo, overpowering the tunes on our outdoor speakers. The aroma of barbecued sausages fills the air, patties formed from our home processed pork. Where kids can still run from home to home, play in the woods or take a moonlight stroll without worry, with the exception of the occasional tick.

It is time to prepare the flower beds as the iris leaves are popping through the mulch. We've selected our seeds for the garden, all heirloom open pollinated varieties of tomato, beans, herbs and greens. Our little backyard pond suffered during the snow and ice, buckling so badly that its second tier split. I need to pull it out but I don't know what will happen to the frogs, and they are real frogs, not toads. We watch the transition from tadpole to frog, some as tiny as your little fingernail, some big, green and slick. Add to it the sticky footed tree frogs that hug your fingers and tweet into the evening. All contributing to the night sounds that are so pretty and relaxing. I wish you all the same peace we find out here.

frog image

Barbecue, Carnival and Cruise

Travel Channel Will Film in Pacific- click here

The Travel Channel is coming to town- Pacific, MO, that is. We live just outside Pacific and would consider that "town" if anyone were "going to town." While it's a small town there is a group of people that take it upon themselves to make sure life is good, charities and clubs have venues for fund raising, seniors are taken care of and visitors have something to talk about.

It started out with two organizations: The Pacific Partnership and the PCAC (Pacific Community Action Committee), a combination of civic leaders, a volunteer city administrator and general volunteers from several charitable organizations, clubs and groups. The PCAC was the group that planned events and I was honored to be the secretary for a few years, before we had a granddaughter to watch. I believe it may have been Bill McLaren's idea to bring all the charitable organizations together under one banner for large events where they would be certain to raise funds for their cause rather than independently hold small, unadvertised events on their own. The PCAC was non-profit, collecting only enough to pay for infrastructure requirements from sponsorship drives, donations and booth fees staggered to benefit local groups over outside commercial interests.

Great Pacific BBQ link here

There are events staged from Spring to Winter. Events include Pacific Pride Day in the park featuring turtle races, kiddie fishing tournaments, dog shows and parades, The Great Pacific Barbecue competition, part of the Kansas City BBQ Society, with 50 competitors and a tasting opportunity, shutting down city streets for Cruise Night with fireworks and over 500 registered vehicles with attendance up to 15,000, Railroad Days with train excursion, crafts and booths, Christmas on the Plaza featuring Santa in the old caboose, horse drawn carriage tours, marshmallow roasting compliments of the fire department, carols and hot chocolate. Yes, this is a town that still celebrates Christmas. Our bluff features an annual manger scene on old Route 66. No one complains that it violates their rights. I'm not sure how well that would be received out here.

Oh, before I forget, this is a town filled with churches. After each event, regardless of how late it is (and it's been very, very late) you clean the streets, and by the train tracks, and check people's yards to make sure every little bit of trash is picked up so the town looks nice for Sunday services. That's just how thoughtful the organizers are.

There are a few key people there that made this all happen. Bill McLaren, Sheila Steelman, Brian Knight, Loyd Harris, Tom Butcher, the Bandermann girls, Kay LeClaire, Ron Sansone, Helen Priess, the Mahlers, reporter Pauline Masson. There are many others, these just stick out in my mind as always putting the town's interests first. It takes a lot of time and effort to put on activities such as these. Sponsorships were offered and businesses would receive a star to display in their shop windows letting people know they supported the town. Donations were requested and received. These are not tax supported events. I haven't been involved the last few years but I would imagine that many of the same people are still volunteering- you know it is always a handful of really great people who always do the work. Thank goodness for people like this!

It has its issues, sometimes small town politics are interesting but it is a nice town. The economy has been hard on the area with so many in construction and our Chrysler plant closing. We see small businesses struggling to stay open, trying to compete with the big boys. So I hope the event is well attended and the town is promoted nicely during the segment. There are lots of nice places to live in this country and out here is definitely one of them.

This is some information from the Pacific link on Wikipedia. The Red Cedar still stands as is, but is now a car dealership. I was sad to hear this but renovations would have been much too expensive to meet current restaurant standards. I'm glad I had the opportunity to have eaten there.

"The Old Downtown Commerce Area is mostly located along First and St. Louis streets. The Historic downtown buildings, built in the late 1800s, have been fully or partially restored and new businesses have moved into the buildings.


Red Cedar Inn
Red Cedar Inn, on the east end of town, was a meeting place for people around the country seeking out one of the oldest restaurants still standing on Route 66. The restaurant closed in 2007."

The Cutest Animal in the World

Slow Loris video. Click here for tickle video.

This really does fill me with joy. This is the cutest animal in the world!

And they like to hold umbrellas.

A Great Daughter

I haven't had a professional haircut in 20 years and I thought it might be time to get one. Little did I know that my daughter had the hairdresser look up my appointment and prepaid it ,tip and all. What a nice unexpected surprise. I thought I would share the results, keeping in mind this is a hairdresser, not a magician! I hope I can recreate it tomorrow morning.

Granny Failure

I am stumped! I have watched countless YouTube videos on making Granny Squares and this is the best (worst?) I can do. The first became more of a cap- I got some Facebook advice-too many branches from the center. There should be only 4 sides.

OK, second attempt- well, sort of. . . but not really. In fact, it's a mess. One of my FB friends actually clicked on 'LIKE". . . really? Boy, she must have some low standards (LOL). She's really sweet so I know she was just being encouraging.

The third try was a bit better after another Facebook friend directed me to a tutorial that goes r. e .a. l. l. y. s .l .o. w. Right up my alley! Still, no cigar. I find I lose my place as I attempt to watch the video while I crochet.

My sister in law knows how to make these. She'll have to step in and give me a few lessons. Oh well, tomorrow is another day.

Our Snowy Day Bread

We're home today watching the enormous, wet flakes that continue to fall unexpectedly blanketing roadways with several inches of slushy, slippery snow. My husband baked his famous bread, soft and warm inside but with a nice, crunchy crust. We'll pair it perhaps with a bowl of hot soup or a tossed salad, maybe both! I wish I could share some with you all - Stay warm and safe! Bon Appetit.

This Weather is for the Birds

Well, it happened again. It was supposed to be just little wintry mix with snow accumulating only on the grassy areas. Today, as I began my pre-dawn commute, snowflakes the size of Ritz crackers were furiously falling, horizontally as if to create hyperspace flight. Headlights were useless, simply enhancing the dizzying effect, blinding me so I was unable to maneuver the country roadway which is lined by creeks or drainage ditches, both filled to the brim from the evening's rain.

The sloppy mixture blanketed the shoulderless roadways covering the small white line at its edge, my only hope of following the road. I found myself stopping dead in the road, unsure of where I was or which way the road was turning, even though I drive this road daily. In a few instances I discovered I was in the oncoming lane. I knew I would be approaching the horse farm's lake, the one with the drop off if I were to make my mistake there. I breathed a sign of relief when I passed it only to catch my breath as I hit the flooded roadway beyond. Fortunately it was only a couple of inches. It should be a quick rise and fall but something I would rather avoid.

When I was close enough to the main road I saw a line of at least 10 cars, stopped. One car at a time would proceed up the hill towards our only gas station. I knew that I didn't want to try the next 30+ miles in the dark so I cautiously turned around a bit at a time until I was facing the way back home. I thought to follow my tracks but they quickly disappeared leaving me again inching my way home.

By the time I entered the garage I had barely any headlight left, caked with about an inch of sloppy, thick snow. I e-mailed the office explaining that I would not attempt to come in until after the sun rose; however, I may just take that vacation day. Some people go on cruises, some take long vacations. I take snow days! Better safe than sorry and I have already been sorry. I would prefer to avoid another broken bone due to a car accident.

My two mile trip ended up being 1/2 hour, normally a five minute trip. We've got about 2 inches right now and the snow continues. They are predicting 2-4 in Franklin County. It's a big county so I don't know where that leaves us but it's 2-4 more than I like.

It's hard to complain though. The worst that will happen is that I use one of my many generous vacation days (emphasis on many) and I'll stay warm and dry, we have power and water, unlike the victims of the quake and tsunami.

Cravendale - Cats with Thumbs

I love cats and I love funny commercials, especially ones with a little twist to them. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. It makes me want to try this milk but I believe it's sold in the UK. Not sure I can get it here.

For the Earthquake and Tsunami Victims

A terrible 8.9 earthquake hit Japan today, the largest in their history. The damage from the quake and resulting tsunami is devastating. Hawaii, which also experienced a 4.5 quake, is in the path of the tsunami with an expected 6 foot wave. It will progress to the West Coast of the US. I am sending prayers for all those that have been or will be affected as the day progresses.

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Our Priest on Spirit Daily

Fr. Mark, our priest, is pretty awesome. Today on Spirit Daily I saw his homily was posted so I thought I would share this with you. You can select the home page Spirit Daily then go to I Am Catholic, I Cannot Go To Hell or select that link to go directly to the post on In God's Company blog. It can also be found on Courageous Priest and on our church link below.

It recounts the experience of Gloria Polo-Ortiz and her near death experience. You can read about it here. I can't say with certainty that this is true, that it wasn't the injury that caused this; however, what if it is true? It's not easy to read her account, you see yourself. You also see how the smallest slight or neglect is damaging, things you might not even realize you are doing. I won't even go into the Big Ones.

Fr. Mark ends his article:

"The Gospel tells us that those who lived pagan lives, and call out, “Lord, Lord”, begging for help, will encounter his Divine Justice. Don’t wait until your deathbed to repent. Convert your lives while there is still time. Live God’s Mercy TODAY!"

Good thing there's Purgatory, hope I can at least make it there. Trying. Sending up extra prayers for everyone.

A link to our church and a photo of Fr. Mark: St James

:)

Patching Things Up

This is what I do when I give up Facebook games for Lent.

I took the day off so I could start my day with Mass. I attended St. Mary's, not my home parish but we share a priest so either is acceptable. After Mass I spent several hours cleaning shower stalls, sinks, floors, taking apart and washing the stove pieces plus organizing my spice cabinet so each bottle was back in its assigned bin. Yes, my spices are sorted by bins numbering 1-9, each bottle is labeled and I have a spreadsheet posted on the inside cupboard door. Two really, one by what is in each bin and the other alpha by spice name with the corresponding bin number after it.

Afterwards, I decided to make a table runner for the dining room using a pattern from my quilt shop. In this pattern you select four fat quarters and cut 4 inch strips that are 22 inches long. You piece these strips together, one of each kind in a special order making 2 wide strips. Then you cut them across their width making 10 rows of patches, 8 of which will be mixed with parts of the other two, and then some, to get this pattern. You then sew these together using a grid pattern. I am to that point now but stopped to do some embroidery before making dinner. When completed I will adhere the batting to the backing and do the quilting as the top and bottom are sewn together. That will be another day.

Before my husband arrived home I tried to watch a YouTube video and learn to make a Granny Square. I have the idea but not sure what they are doing at all times, probably because I don't know my crochet stitches, other than a single. I normally do much better with a live instructor so maybe I'll hop over to the yarn shop sometime this week.

To top off my nice day I got a phone call from my daughter, Becky. Normally a phone call around diner time isn't good news but today was the exception. She had just returned from getting her hair cut and knew I had an appointment there next Wednesday. This would be my first professional haircut in at least 20 years. I've never had much of a style so I could trim it myself. Even parting it differently and straightening it out was easy, but now it needs to be shaped, by a pro. Well, Becky called to say my upcoming appointment is all paid up, tip and all! What a considerate daughter!

To top it all off- the TV didn't go on until about 5 PM, unheard of for me! Now time to do a little reading.

0O<|=

How Eggsactly Do I Hard Boil Them?

My eggs came out of the chicken a day or two ago, sometimes it's only an hour or two ago, so they are very fresh with big orange, not yellow, yolks. That also means my eggs are full of the white stuff inside, not like store bought eggs that have been stored for several weeks which creates air space inside. The shells are stuck so tight to the membrane that they don't peel very well.

Does anyone have tips for making a good hard boiled egg using fresh eggs?

The Threads that Bind our Family

My grandmother's treadle sewing machine sits next to our breakfast room window, serving as a perch so our cats could enjoy watching birds that fed at our various feeders hanging off the deck. We will be moving it up to the "girl cave" now that our indoor cats have sadly passed away.

We have pieces and accessories, all in their original box, tucked up in the attic, plus resources for replacement belts. It unfortunately has some damage on the top of the lid when at some time a hot iron was placed on it. The lid folds over the machine when closed so it is not visible when opened for sewing. I hope to practice using it in case I need a quick mend and the power is out.

We also have the next generation of machine (below), the link between treadle and modern electric, adding a motor to the treadle. They serve, folded up, as end tables in our living room on either side of the couch. This one was my husband's grandmother's, on his father's side, and she too has all the components, the service records and even spare needles purchased from Famous Barr. This one has a lever that drops down from beneath the machine you press with your knee rather than using a foot pedal.

We have the service record and instructions, all perfectly organized.

If you click on the photo you can read the clever slogan/jingle of the repair service.

The other machine was owned by my husband's great aunt Nana on his mother's side of the family. We were surprised to discover they were the same brand- must have been popular at the time. This is equipped with a foot pedal and she has sewn a piece of fabric around the body to hold her needles. A clever idea.

This beautiful model is called New Home, a gift from one of my former neighbors. It is all steel, a very heavy portable, sort of modernist industrial, probably from the 50s or 60s when things were made well, to last.

It uses the same technology, belt driven.

This is my current machine, a Pfaff, purchased at an extreme discount at $300, including cabinet, from a Singer dealer who took it as a trade in but does not service that brand. Price new ranges anywhere from $2,500 up based on what I see on line. This is the machine I am quilting on but it also does embroidery. I need to read the instruction manual because there are many beautiful patterns that are programmed, or you can design and program your own.

You would think that I knew how to sew having all these machines but truly, all I could do was sew a straight seam. Quilting uses straight seams so far- perfect!

My project cabinet starting to fill up. Drawers containing needles, notions, rulers and patterns. Shelves of yarns, pillow kits matching my quilt project, fat quarters and transfers. I also have a rolly cart with slide out basket drawers filled with remnants for future projects.

Will C Free sewing machine link: In 1895 the Illinois Sewing Machine Co was founded using assets from the former Royal Sewing Machine Co of Rockford, Illinois. Will C. Free became the president by 1910, and organized a parent company - the Free Sewing Machine Co. Production continued in Rockford until 1958, when it relocated to Los Angeles, California. Manufacture finally ceased about 1969.

The Bucket List

This bucket list is going around the blogs. If you want to participate, copy and paste to your blog, highlight the things you have done and add one or two more to the bottom

shot a gun
gone on a blind date
Skipped school
watched someone die
Visited Canada
Visited Hawaii
Visited Cuba
Visited Europe
Visited South America
Visited Las Vegas
Visited Mexico
Visited Florida
Seen the Grand Canyon
Flown on a plane
Served on a Jury
Been lost
Traveled to the opposite side of the country
Visited Washington, DC
Swam in the Ocean
Cried yourself to sleep.
Played Cops and Robbers
Played Cowboys and Indians
Recently colored with crayons
Sang Karaoke
Paid for a meal with coins only
Made prank phone calls
Laughed until some beverage came out of your nose
Caught a snowflake on your tongue
Had children
Had a pet
Been skinny-dipping outdoors
Been fishing
Been boating
Been Water Skiing
Been Downhill Skiing
Been Hiking
Been camping in a trailer/RV
Been camping in a tent
Flown in a small 4-seater airplane
Flown in a glider
Flown in a helicopter
Flown in a hot air balloon
Walked on a glacier
Driven a Motorcycle
Been bungee-jumping
Gone to a drive-in movie
Done something that could have killed you?
Done something that you will regret for the rest of your life.
Visited Africa
Rode an elephant
Eaten just cookies or cake for dinner
Been on T.V.
Steal any traffic signs
Been in a car accident
Donated blood
Bailed out of Helicopter/Plane
Ran in a Marathon
Went Curling
Broken a bone
Learned how to plow snow
Made maple syrup from tapping our trees
Swung from a trapeze