Xmas Shopping......

Since moving to the high country......CityBoy and i have given friends and co-workers handmade gifts from the kitchen for Christmas......

In the past years we've made flavored vinegars and oils...but...this year...we went for something new and different....

Bread and Butter Pickles..

CityBoy sliced and diced......soaked them in the brine......packed the jars and helped with the clean-up.........I made the pickle juice.....poured the hot juice into the jars and watched over the canning process.......plus clean-up

A Team Effort!!

Well....we can cross all those names off the list.....

Enjoy


ps........for those that asked........Turkey roaster is a "GE Roasting Oven"...found it at Wal*Mart (where else) for $29.00 plus tax.......shipping and handling was done by me....

Problem Solved......

......it ain't pretty.....but.....it was goooooooodddddd!!

No....it's not road kill....that's what was left after the carving of the bird!!

Turkey Roaster is a keeper!!

Bird came out nice and brown...juicey.....falling off the bones.......and delicious....
another plus!!.....it takes less time for the bird to cook because the space inside the roaster is so confined!!

12 pounds of bird, with the stuffing inside......done in 4.5 hours......not bad!!

No more getting up before the sun to put the bird in the oven!!

No more wishing for double ovens!!

Hummmmm......what's next on my wish list??

Enjoy

Well......it's time.....!!

....to get this "Butter Dawg and Turkey"show on the road...!!

Both CityBoy and i had to work on Thursday...so....the family is having Thanksgiving Dinner today.....

Time to see if this electric turkey roaster will do the trick....just in case....we're having Ham, too!

That little 12 lb bird fit in there nicely with plenty of room for the giblets......leaving my oven for the sweet potatoes...squash casserole.....roasted carrots and hot bread.....

It's a beautiful day up here in the high country....think i'll go have coffee on the front porch .......let the roaster do it's thing and let the fur babies bark at the birds....

Enjoy

7:00 AM....Today

Do these look like "Snow" clouds to you...!!???

Happy Turkey Day......

Well....here it is....

The Mac-Daddy of all crock-pots....

The electric turkey roaster..!!

Hope this solves my double oven problem....

I'll let you know...

Enjoy your Turkey Day!!

The Pink Couch.......

....when CityBoy and i got married....each of us brought one special something to the relationship....

I brought a blond,blue-eyed, four year old female child and he brought the pink couch.....

Now....it was a good couch...i think it was Ethan Allen's brand made of some type of super-duper vinyl.........but!........it was PINK!!

Not a lovely little baby girl pink.......a shocking bright almost neon PINK!!

It served us well for many years......it with stood the female child....the jumping.....the naps.....the many dogs.....the birth of the male child.....and even the pony that tryed to sit on it.....

Then came the day the pink couch was carried out to the road side (check out the garbage can side-table) for the garbage truck......

A sad....sad...day for our little family...(check smiles on faces).....and much to our surprise the garbage men strapped it to the top of the truck, instead of throwing it in the back......!!

One of the men yelled ....."Thanks....my grandmom will love a pink couch" and off they drove!!

For many years i've called this our "Official Family Portrait" and it has been displayed somewhere in the house....

Wonder if that old pink couch is still in someones living room....??!!

Enjoy

Also.......

......down the road to the south-west....around the corner....past the goat barn......past Timmy's house.....past the rock quarry....but...before you get to US221...

You come to this delightful little spot!!

Late at night ...when everything is real still....we can hear the sound of rushing water..

Nature is soooo cool!!

Whoaaa....."soooo Cool"....the 1960's are coming out!!?

Enjoy

Different View.......

.......of the little mountain cabin.....

View from the road south-west of us.......the one that runs around the corner....past the goat barn......past Timmy's house.....past the old rock quarry......past the New River.....and finally out to US221......

Look at that Carolina blue sky.....!!

Wish it looked like that today.....another misty, rainy, cold....nasty day.....

Enjoy

Are you........

.......the new neighbors.....??

these two appeared in the yard Friday afternoon.......have no idea where they came from or where they went.......

.....they sniffed around the yard .........went up to visit the parental units....then disappeared back into the trees......haven't seen them since.......

Hummmmmm....were they really there or a figment of my imagination......

Something new to ponder.......??!!

Enjoy

Another one........

.....beautiful sunrise.....

The beginning of another beautiful Saturday!!

Well.......i think i've solved the problem of not having double ovens......

What would we do without the Wal*Marts!!??........
Turkey size portable roaster ovens on sale......just before Thanksgiving......how 'bout that!!??

Can't believe i've had this double oven problem every major holiday for the last 25-30 years and finally found an answer!!

Enjoy

Blah........!!

The male child caught Miss Kitty in the beginnings of a jaw popping yawn.....

Had to share ....... it's a good one!!

Enjoy

Harvest Time........

(click on pictures to enlarge)

First......i must apologize for the pictures.......it was an overcast day and my little Canon SureShot does not have the best zoom lens.......

But....anyway the tree harvest is in full swing....... the fur babies and i took a few minutes to watch the action........note the cut trees along side the service roads

Here comes one of many tractor pulled trailers loaded with Christmas Trees!!

there they go.......to the holding barn......where one of the hundreds of little pick-up trunks, will attach to the trailer and pull it to the distribution barn......where the trees are loaded on to refrigerated semi-trucks......and they're on the road again!!

To a Christmas Tree lot near you....or you.....or you.....maybe?

BIG BUSINESS......up here in the high country!!

Enjoy

Wordless Wednesday.....

....well....a few words....

Since the weather is sooooooo nasty here today....

I decided to post a picture of a sunnier day....

Enjoy

Bring on........

.....the Pilgrims....the Indians and the Turkey!!!

Made this wall hanging several years ago, in my "I love panels" phase .....and yesterday.......digging around in the quilt closet, i found it....poor brain had forgotten all about making it!!......

Quickly added a hanging sleeve and up it went on the quilt rack in the bedroom......


All went well with the trip to the Vet.....Max is as health as a horse.....all 16 pounds of him!

Where did the phrase...."health as a horse" come from....??

Something to ponder ...on this overcast Tuesday.....

Enjoy

Hi Ho....Hi Ho....again..........

Once again it's time!!

Time to load up the wagon and take a trip into town.....

Except in this case it's a trip to the Vet for Max's yearly wellness check-up.....

Which means........they both go......since the day Max came to live with us.....he and Mia have never been separated........

We tried one day just putting one outside and leaving one inside.....

Whoa....Baby.....what a mistake......i thought Mia was going to chew the door off!!

Sooooooo.........since the male child has a class and City Boy has to work......

Grandma is walking down the mountain to our house for the ceremonial harnessing and loading up of the truck...which around our house involves alot of....."Come Here....Mia and/or Max" and "Hold still so i can buckle this!!"

Flipping over on the backs....tail wagging.....doggie kisses....and doggie yapping.....which i'm sure means "Shot Gun" in people talk.......

Enjoy

Why.....?

...did the powers that be...decide to fool with the time, during the season when the deer go into "Rut" and the hunters go into the "Crazies"....??

Yesterday the drive to and from work was a lesson in defensive driving......dodging the deer.....the females seem to wait on the shoulders of the road until your within hitting distance and then bound across......followed shortly by the hormone driven bucks!!

On a usual commute this "deer in the road" activity doesn't bother me ..'cause i've learned to slow down.....but....now that "they've" fooled with the time......the early morning commute has "sun in the eyes" issues and the commute home has "it's dark" issues!!!

And Hunting season.......OMG......don't get me wrong ....i have nothing against hunting.....i enjoy a good deer stew.......But guys!!....be careful out there!!

Yesterdays radio calls were filled with EMS call-outs to remote place in the woods with "possible" hunting accidents........hunting season last more than one day......take your time.....be safe!!

Enjoy

Note......"The Paws".......

....Yep!!......that's my baby girl, getting the most out of her Saturday morning......

Flat of her back ....paws up....snuggled under the covers of the male child's bed......

Is she a Diva ...or what!!??

But...Hey!!....she's got the right idea.....if this was not the last weekend of the season for me to work.....she'd probably be snuggling with me ....

Enjoy

Tis' the Season.........

Tis' the deer.....you know what .......season!!

And as a result this young man has appeared in our yard......checking out our little herd of five does.

The does have been sticking close to the cabin for the last few days......i thought it might be because of the rain.........then "he" showed up......

We caught glimpses of him on the fringes of the 12 Acre Woods......but....now he's gotten brave and just comes on up to the smorgasbord on the front lawn....

He seems to be a young gentleman....

However.....the jury is still out....

I'm gonn'a call him Dasher.........

Enjoy

Front Porch.......

.....another front porch....

this is the view from the parental units front porch.....

there's the back of our little cabin in the mountains.......

Same view as mine.......just a little higher!!

Enjoy

Wordless Wednesday........

Go Navy!!

Couldn't wait......

......it is a well known fact that Day-Light Savings Time and i are not the best of friends....i really dislike that within 10 minutes of my arriving home .... it's DARK!!

We're talking.....dark.....as in pitch black.....as in the clock striking midnight in a horror film.....as in "Why am i still awake and functioning?"

What does that have to do with my not being able to wait?........

....i was going to wait and post these pictures on Wordless Wednesday....

but.....i couldn't wait to share this.....

After all.....when this sort of sunrise is waiting for you almost every morning...

DL Savings Time can't be all bad.....

Enjoy

Mommy's little helper......

.....yesterday...before i took the pictures of my stash......i was cutting 2.5 inch strips of muslin for a project......Miss Kitty (sorry about the picture, tilt your heads to the right) was being "Moms Little Helper" by removing the left overs for me......ever try to rotary cut with a cat in the way!!
Plus....she decided to sit on my yardage!!!

Silly Cat!!

She disappeared when i started with the unphotographed stash!

You just can't get good help anymore....

Enjoy......it's Monday!!

My stash.....

...it came to my attention that i've been posting about storing away fabric for the winter months....but.....bad me!!....i have not posted any pictures ....

So i dumped it all out on my sewing counter and tryed to create order and take a couple of photos.......thanks Miss Kitty for the help?!!

Look there is a jelly roll, a charm pack, some plaids, some prints, 2 packs of fat quarters.....which seem to be in a pastel and something with a wild orange, green and black print.....bright blue flowers....some sort'a fall print with lots of red, orange and yellow......and purple! when did i start to buy purple!!.......there is also 3.....count'm..... 3 kits and a pattern that i had been searching for ever since the trip to Atlanta....

What's with all the COLOR!!........i'm a "traditional" color-way quilter..........when i started to quilt.......100 years ago......you used "traditional" colors.....browns, greens, gold, sometimes a muted red or blue.......bright colors were "gaudy"...... maybe you could use a pastel for a baby quilt.....but, only a baby quilt!!

But......Wait!....what is this???....Have i come into the light and now use.....(gulp)....COLOR!!??

Wellllll...........there is this......

And this.........

Here's something to ponder........Are these wonderful bights....the new traditional??

Ohhhhh...after i took the pictures...i found 4 more pieces of fabric.....they are 2 greens, a tan and a reproduction print of tan and green.........

Maybe...there's still hope for me!!!

Enjoy

Jet Jockeys.......

......they are back and at it again!!

Haven't seen their vapor trails in quite some time.....missed you guys and gals....

....this is the view from the front porch at 7:45 am today......

I sincerely hope they're just out in the sky having fun!!

It's a great day for having fun..... 40*.....bright sun shine.....very little breeze.......

Wonder how much fun i can have on my weekly trip to Wally World???

Well.....i'll give it my best shot!.....

Rather be playing in the sky with the jet jockeys.......

Enjoy

Ohhhhhh........

.....thanks to all who send e-mails and comments enquiring if i was OK.......

yep......just caught some kind'a bug......and spent the last 48 hours either sleeping...like Miss Kitty ....or running to the bathroom......

City boy and i were discussing the fact that this has been a bad year for me health wise.......

I'm usually the last one standing....while the rest are fighting off some sort'a ailment...

Could this be old age sneaking up on me!!??

Wordless Wednesday......

Hello......

Ahhhh....is it....??!

......hummm....yahhhhh...took these pictures at 6:45 this am....

The view from the SE side of the front porch is the sun rising........

The view from the NW side of the front porch is the moon hanging over the horizon.....
........was it a sun rise or a moon set!!??

Don't ya just love this time of the year...... the time of the year when everything seems to slow down and prepare for the coming cold months....Even the clock seems slower....

A time when your winding down the summer/fall projects and storing up the winter projects......but.....no one seems to be in a hurry.....

Even Mother Nature seems to say...." yaaaa I'll get that sun up and that moon down......sometime today!.....what's the rush!"

Enjoy

Monday.....again!

I know....I know......Monday is my self-proclaimed favorite day of the week!!

However....this one was hard to get started.......

Maybe it was the time change......maybe it was all the squash i peeled yesterday or maybe it was cooking a last minute dinner for everyone on our mountain.....

Oh Well.........only four more Mondays to go and then the fur babies and i can sleep-in!!

Also....i must use this beautiful Monday morning to tell all my blogger friends....."I'm Sorry!"

I have been verrrrry lacks in leaving comments and returning e-mails...

I have no excuse!! :(

Unlike the hawk in the picture ...... i have not turned my back on you!!

You ....each and everyone....are a valuable member of my cyber-support system...

Thanks for being there....and i'll try to do better.... :)

Enjoy

Field Trip.......

.......even with the weather looking like this........the Field Trip must go on!!

Mom and I set out for Tayorsville yesterday to visit "The Cottage Quilt Shop".......to shop (i need some plaids)....to drool.....to ohhh & ahhhhh....and to stroke the HandiQuilter long-arm machine.........soon you'll be mine!!!

If you live in the area......please visit.....it's worth the trip!

Bill and Cynthia have a great variety....even 108" backing material......

Then on the way home we decided to visit a new shop we had heard about in North Wilkesboro.......Betty's This-N-That Fabrics.......

Well....i had Map Quested the shop ...but....of course i left the direction at home........

Did i remember the way....yes

Did we find the shop.....no

We drove around the area Map Quest had drawn out......if there was a shop there it must have been on the second of third floor....cause after an hour and a half we could not find even a hint of fabric!!

So either my memory has gone ....kaflooie.....or we were in the wrong place!

I do have a phone number on the directions...but remember the directions were at home.....and i'll call them next week for a detailed route to the shop......

Now...today City Boy brought a crate of yellow squash home on Friday....sooooo....i get to break-in that new pressure-canner that's been setting in the kitchen sticking it's tongue out at me.......


It's a cheeky little thing!!

Enjoy