I Made Cheese! I hate cheese!

The two things I've hated eating since I was a baby, are cheese and potatoes. I know, my mom has always told me that's un-American to not like potatoes, but hey I like apple pie. My poor hubby is of Irish descent and he really, really likes his potatoes. Poor guy I think we were married for about 8 years before I cooked potatoes more often then his Birthday and holidays. The Army actually got me eating potatoes, not much choice to not eat them in Boot camp:) But cheese is another thing. Yuck! What really gets me is that cheese looks so good. Every time I look at cheese I think it looks delicious. It really looks like something I should love. Then I taste it, and well, we don't want to even go there. Lets just say I still hate cheese! I have learned to tolerate mozzarella cheese, well if its on a pizza, and just a light coating. That's a big step for me, I went all they way into my 30's ordering my Pizza's without cheese, and getting a lot of weird looks at Pizza Hut for ordering that too. But now I'm 50, I can't believe I just told you my age, and  I can eat my Potatoes and Mozzarella like a grown up.
I bought this Mozzarella cheese making kit for a fun activity that my daughter and I could do with my mom on her birthday. We followed the directions, or so we thought we followed the directions, laughed a lot and ended up with nothing that looked like mozzarella cheese, but we sure had fun trying. So today I was determined to try it again. First I watched this video.

Boy we didn't do nothing like this the first time.

Separating the curds and whey   

Adding Citric Acid to milk

Checking the temp after the rennet was added

Kneading and stretching

Walla, I made cheese



And it only cost me;    $35.32 
Cheesemaking Kit  $23.75, Shipping  $5.49, 2 Gallons milk (1 gallon for each attempt) $6.00

But everybody sure loved it on the home made Pizza we had for dinner tonight ☻                                                          





A rushed move and kids car playmat

Things have been so hectic. Apparently my daughters landlord decided to never tell us that he lost the house she was renting to foreclosure. We had no idea until a bank official showed up and told her we had 72 hours to be out. After a very frantic packing job, with a 110 degree heat index (we even packed dirty dishes, no time to wash them) we ended up with her all her worldly belongings spread out between my mom's, my son's and our house. The kids sleeping in the spare room upstairs and my daughter sleeping in my sons camper in our backyard, for the last few weeks. We just got them moved into a lovely house yesterday.

I did get my DGS's Car Mat finished for his 2nd birthday.

Next project up on the list of things to do is a helmet skin for my son and a dollhouse play mat for my daughter inlaw's future niece.

Hello 2011

December and the beginning of this new year have been so hectic for me, now that things have settled down I've spent the last few days just reading books. This Christmas I decided to make all of our gifts, I crocheted, canned, wove, baked and sewed my fingers off. In between all of that my daughter found the perfect 3 bedroom fenced in yard house to rent. That's not an easy task when your a single mother raising 2 kids on a disability income. We snapped up the house with a 2 year lease then began moving them in before Christmas. The house was only 1 house away from her apartment building which you would think would make it easier but it didn't. Most of the stuff we just carried to the house so it probably took us 4 times as long as it would have to just load up a truck and move her. Each time I'd come home then go straight to the craft room and work on Christmas presents. My husband says I'm a procrastinator, but I really had a schedule for the presents I just hadn't planned on opening up my own moving company in the middle of it. All the presents got made, the Christmas tree got put up with the lights but I never got to the ornaments :( no energy left. We had a lovely Christmas with all our family together, my son almost missed it because he had to plow the highways due to a major snow Christmas Eve, but they got the roads cleaned up so fast that he got to come home for the day with us. So we didn't get to miss his big announcement that he was moving in with his girlfriend and her son the next week. Our next door neighbors have a small house on their property that her mother had lived in, they now rent it so the kids moved in next door. So as you can guess I spent New Year's Eve helping my son move a couch and all his belongings. Things are finely getting settled in, My daughter's piano is out of my dining room, YAY, I have a guestroom all set up for when the grand kids spend the night, which has been slept in and approved by our granddaughter. Every body's all cosy and snug in their homes and I now can get back to my blogging. I missed everyone.

Do you know this Thanksgiving song?

Happy Thanksgiving

Every Thanksgiving I can remember my Grandmother and my Mother sang this Thanksgiving song. Mom says it's probably from the 1800 or 1900's. We have no idea where this song came from, who sung it or how my grandmother came by it. I've done many Internet searches trying to find the title, who sung it or any snippet of info about it and come up empty every search. My Grandma's long passed and I would love to know any info about this song for my mother. If you know anything please email me at pacycrochetsatsbcglobaldotnet.

♫

I just took a peak in the pantry,

And spied on the lower shelf.

A long row of pies,

That would be a surprise.

To the mince, pie prince, himself.

♫

And up on the next shelf above them,

Were cakes so round and white.

And ready to roast,

Big enough for a host.

Was the turkey a wonderful site.

♫

On the floor were nuts in a basket,

A jar full of cookies too.

And up very high,

I could certainly spy,

The fruits and the candies too.

♫

My grandma is here and my Grandpa,

My cousins and Auntie Mae.

What is it about?

Can you not find it out?

For tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day.

♫

I guess I took a sabbatical, but it didn’t feel like one...

Things have been pretty hectic around here. My Hubby has been undergoing lots of medical tests and then 4 weeks of physical therapy. Of course just when he was getting steadier on his feet we hit the max on his insurance for physical therapy. Never fails, it sucked seeing my pts. loose PT when I was working as a head injury nurse, and it sucks more when it’s your hubby loosing out. At least the testing is all done till we take the results in to the specialist in late October.

We apparently had that Animal sucker sign hanging on our foreheads again. Courtesy of my DD, we now have a horse dog that takes up more of a king size bed than my hubby and I can. His name is Ukie and how she ever thought that big beast could live in her little apartment with her, the grandkids and a little miniscule yard is beyond me.

Three of the five girls are laying steady now. We now have had a grand total of 61 adorable, tasty, medium brown eggs with the thickest shells I’ve ever cracked. I’m not kidding, I dropped one on the counter and it bounced without a crack.

I won a book! I'm so excited, I never won anything until this week! I love Heather’s Homemaking Blog. Well she had a drawing for a copy of Sharon Astyk’s book A Nation of Farmers that she wrote with Aaron Newton. Yay, I won it and I can’t wait to read it. Thank you so much Heather. Please visit her blog here.

A Lovely Summer Evening

About 15 miles down this road

Past the Big Chair

Is the Starlite Drive In Theater

(Not our Drive In's Sign, It disappeared years ago)

A big summer attraction for my family for the past 18 years. Last year after the owner passed away it closed. We were so afraid it would never be reopened again, then my husband and I drove by it last weekend and found it again reopened, ☻

Last night my DD, DGS, and I went to the drive in and saw

By the time the screen went from this

to this...

DGS looked like this

and his Mommy and I were well into our 1st bag of popcorn ♥

Birthday's, What's Up and a Tutorial for Mod Podge Lanterns

Well my husband earned the first quarter of the year for spotting the first lightening bug. Things have been really hectic around here, Yesterday was the Grand Daughters 6th birthday and today is our Son's birthday. I've been sewing like crazy for my DGD's summer wardrobe for her Birthday present. Will post pictures soon. Tonight it's out to dinner to celebrate the birthdays. Last night was my first Master Gardner Class and boy do I feel out of my league, but that's another post. My Nephew is getting married next month and I'm crocheting my Birdseed Wedding Roses like a mad women.

I did want to post the links for this fantastic tutorial that I found over at Gingerbread Snowflakes. With some Outdoor Mod Podge, Food Coloring and some old bottles she'll show you how to make some beautiful hanging outdoor lanterns.

Click here for the How To

and here for her Tutorial for hanging your Mod Podge Lanterns

I've been Un- Hermited

I think my parents think I've turned into a hermit. And my Mom has decided to un-hermit me. Since I've taken a sabbatical from working and my husbands disability retirement we've been staying close to home. Well Mom figured out a way to un-hermit me, Mom and I were talking about the garden when she mentioned a neighbor who had taken a lot of gardening classes, I had mentioned that the University of Missouri had a Master Gardener Certification program starting in mid April, thinking her friend might be interested. Guess what I start April 14th? Thank you again Mom and Dad. I'm actually very excited. The course is a 30 hour classroom Core Course training. Covering, Insects and pesticides, Lawn Care, Rain Gardens, Worm Farming, Weed Control, Plant growth and Anatomy, Trees and Shrubs, Plant Disease, Landscaping, Vegetable Gardening, Flowering Plants, Soil Anatomy, Tree Identification, and Bee Keeping.

After the training we are then required to give 30 hours of volunteer service back to the community in approved activities such as extension hot lines or answer services, workshops, speaker’s bureaus, garden show booths, demonstration projects, assisting with grounds maintenance at local Garden Preserves, volunteering at Missouri State Parks, etc... OK I guess I can now say I've been officially un-hermited.

Get Together in the Dark, 2010 Earth Hour

Earth Hour is here again and time to show our efforts in helping planet Earth save on energy!

On Saturday, March 27, 2010, at 8:30 p.m. local time, I am taking part in Earth Hour—an event led by World Wildlife Fund in which millions of people around the world will unite by turning out their lights for one hour to make a bold statement of concern about our planet and climate change.
Here is a link to the Earth Hour Website http://www.myearthhour.org/
Earth Hour started three years ago in Sydney, Australia and is now the largest event of its kind in the world. Nearly one billion people from 4,100 cities in 87 countries on seven continents participated last year and, with your help, Earth Hour 2010 can be even bigger.
During Earth Hour, international landmarks including the Golden Gate Bridge, Empire State Building, Eiffel Tower and Great Pyramids have gone dark alongside the city skylines of Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Tel Aviv and more. To see it for yourself, check out this video: www.myearthhour. org/earth- hour-video.
But Earth Hour isn't just for national landmarks and big cities—anyone can participate, whether it be individuals like you and me or schools, businesses, organizations, and our state and local governments. I hope you will join me for this amazing event and help send a message that the time for action on climate change is now. To sign up and start spreading the word, visit www. EarthHour.org.

Please help me spread the word. Let's switch off our lights and send a powerful message: by working together, each of us can make a positive impact in the fight against climate change.

Family Contest

As I was reading Brenda's post about their family contest on who sees the first robin of spring (Check out her blog Coffee Tea Books and Me) it reminded me of fairy fireflies. Our family contest is the first person that can prove they saw the first Lightning bug of the season gets a quarter. You see my children grew up in South Florida and never saw a lightning bug until we moved to Missouri when our oldest was in kindergarten. Florida's version of lightening bugs are No-see-ums. these tiny biting flies begin swarming together in a huge cloud every evening just before dusk. No pretty little fairy lights twinkling in the dusky sky for us, just keep your mouth shut or you might breathe some in or swallow them as you run for cover! Defiantly not something to catch in a jar and set on your nightstand to light your dreams to fairyland.

I Come By it Naturally

Every time my mother is feeling ill she calls me up and says "Your a nurse, what's wrong?" and then precedes to tell me her problem. After I answer her with this big long drawn out medical dissertation (come on I have to make it long winded so she'll be sure to know that all the money she spent on my education was so well worth the sacrifice,♥I love you Mom) Anyway after my explanation she always Say's "Oh that not what my problem is.I don't think that's right at all." She then goes to the Doctor who proceeds to tell her the exact thing I told her, in a less long winded way. She'll then call me back and tell me I may have been right after all.Sometimes when she call, I'll tell her I'm not going to answer her question because she never believes me anyway. She'll then state "But I don't do that!"

Well the point to that story is maybe I might occasionally do that to. Like when my husband, who doctored trees all his working life tells me I can't tap into the Maple tree to make syrup because the tree is old and sickly and it might kill it. And I then go on about how he just doesn't want to help me boil sap in the backyard☻ At least I can say I come by it naturally

Here's to Fun Springy Days

Today we went to my Granddaughters school art show and science Fair. She had a picture exhibited there. We think it's pretty spectacular for a Kindergartner.

After the Art Show my mom met me at the park. Today was the first Spring Fever day of the year. It reached 56°. Mom and Dad bought me a Bike for my birthday and today I finely got to ride it. It was the first bike ride for me in about 20 years, and my mother's first ride in 32 years. I remember her last ride she fell and severely sprained her ankle. We giggled so much when she got on we almost peed our pants. As she took off I was running behind her holding on to the back of the bike seat afraid to let go. She did get her wobbling under control but she didn't try turning yet. I love this bike. White walled tires and no hand brakes or different speeds, just my kinda speed.

Tonight in Cape Giradeau is the Monster Truck Winter Nationals and Bad Boys Arenacross Races and my son will be racing in it. This is one race mom doesn't attend. I'm exicited for him, but i'll be extra happy when he calls to tell me the race is over ☻

 

It's Almost Spring Peeper Season

Oh the Sweet Serenade! I turned 35 years old in Boot Camp at Fort Leonard Wood Army Base. On the evening of my Birthday we were out in a field shooting tracer rounds. Boot Camp started in January and this was the first spring fever day we had. Temperatures were in the high 50's and I was marveling at how neat the tracer rounds looked in the evening dusk, like glowing dashes across the field. Then the Spring Peepers started a serenade. It was at that moment I experienced the most intense feeling of home sickness that I have ever experienced in my life. A gut wrenching feeling of want, for a spring evening with my husband and kids as we pause in our back field and listen to the Spring Peepers, passed thru my brain that night. Soon after that night on our 15th Wedding Anniversary I would graduate boot camp and be reunited with my family. But I can honestly say that on that night of the Spring Peepers, If I had then heard a Whippoorwill, I'd have gown AWOL.

It's funny how sounds and smells can insistently transport you to a feeling or memory. A deep longing for something. Well anyhoo, Today's my birthday and I need some spring in the air, I really wish all this cold, mud, and snow would morph into a Spring Peeper evening.

I guess I've got Spring Feaver☺

I'm in the need for Spring!

 

Forever on Thanksgiving Day, The heart will find the pathway home - Wilbur D. Nesbit