Pot Bellied Stove / Water Cooler
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I love the wall!0
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Ivanek-- I love the wall too! It looks good and although it was a big expense and a pain to fix, the final product looks great
Hopefully this one won't rot out from the bottom!
I finished painting for the most part but still have touchups to do. I get going with the roller and then my arm jerks and I paint the ceiling or door frame
UGH! Wish I had a steadier hand to paint with. My body is stiff from all the up and down but hopefully I am now ready for the cabinet installation! Getting so excited but still have lots of little things to do before Thursday.
Hope everyone has a good night and wonderful week!0 -
Good Morning Jlhawki, do you have Harbor Freight near you? If so you can get the paint guard to protect your wall paint when you repaint the trim..
harborfreight.com/24-inch-multipurpose-trim-guard-96301.html
For the ceiling touchup you can use the trim guard too if you have someone to hold it while you do the painting. Sorry to hear you are having problems with arm jerks, I have injury so mine do the same thing.0 -
Oh my gosh I'm in heaven again. I love this pullout cutting board with drawers underneath and it looks like it slides under the regular counter when not in use. I love it!
img2-3.timeinc.net/toh/i/g/10/kitchens/11-grandmas/10-americas-kitchen.jpg0 -
Good afternoon, Norma and Simon just left to get back to Portland airport, return their rental car and catch their flight home. We had a wonderful visit, but I'm exhausted. I'll give you all the details of yesterday, tomorrow.0
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Hello, wow, you guys were a chatty group while I was gone. So fun to read it all when I got home. The weekend was good. I spent Friday morning getting us ready. After we ate, we loaded up and went to the DAV Bookstore. Saturday was their monthly sale but she gave us the sale price of three books for a dollar. We spent $36 so got quite a few books. We went and got the rental van and then to Lori's. Took awhile to get them ready and loaded up. And we put our three boxes of books in their garage.
We had hoped to leave at 5 but it was 5:30. Jeremiah rode with Ralph so we had a girl's car and a guy car. We made two short stops. One to switch Lori and Lucy so Lori could sit by Maggie and nurse while she was in her car seat and another for Ralph to tell my light weren't coming on automatically. We got there, unloaded and then ate yummy pizza. Alan and Katie planned the meals and brought everything (although we others brought bit and pieces). There were two lodges connected with a shop area which had a ping pong table, tables and chairs, etc. so a great play area (http://www.scatteredacresoutfitting.com/kansas-hunting-lodge/). Saturday some of the group went to a POW museum and also watched a parade cause they couldn't figure any way through a little town. I stayed and took care of Emily (she handled the weekend okay but you could tell she was glad to get home cause the room she was in all the time was not her home). When that group got back we ate and Ralph, Lori, Maggie and headed to a town about an hour away. Lori's husband was there with his volleyball team. We took Thomas and left Lori and Maggie and they drove back home for a part of her 20th high school reunion (they got back about midnight). Julie watched Emily while I was gone and I took over when we got back. That night we did tacos and roasted marshmallows and made smores.
Kids enjoyed playing together with different ones at different times. They got along well most of the time. The 8-9 year old girls made beds on our side. I had some pictures and markers most of the kids did. We played games, went on a hike, celebrated the two year old's birthday, held babies - just a nice relaxing time. We grilled hamburgers and hotdogs the last night. Lindsey brought two kinds of cookie dough and we had fresh baked cookies both afternoons. I found out the cinnamon raisin bread was more popular than the plain cinnamon. We had more food than needed but it was nice to not run out. The breakfast casseroles took extra long to get done the first morning so we worked on them the other mornings.
Monday morning we got up, ate and started packing up. We were loaded up about 11. Alan's and Lori's went home through Abilene to go to a museum so Ralph went with them and took Derek's oldest. Julie went straight home so she could get ready to be gone the rest of the week. And Jim, Emily and I headed home as soon as she was loaded. We took home the extra pizzas so I baked them when we got back while Jim settled Emily in and got her going on her oxygen again. When Ralph got back, we returned the van, got our books and came home.
So yesterday was back to the norm. I worked on stuff at home. I had a meeting in the evening. Ralph went along and we planned to eat out afterwards. Alan had a meeting that started at 7 and he left Katie and the kids at Walmart. So we went there first and hung with her and helped with the kids. I was also able to pay for her stuff since she found out her debit card was still not activated. We finally ate around 9.
Today I got to be home again (after walking) - still didn't get done all I wanted so progress is slow and the next two days will have more running in them so that's why I wanted to chat with you guys tonight.
Sheryl, it's true that cruise control is not great in town. We always have a 20-30 minute drive to any town so that's why I use it a lot. I enjoyed it on the weekend trip too. I don't have to look at the speedometer as much and going up I had to keep an eye on Ralph cause he knew the way.
Glad your friend go to hike part of the trail. I have a friend who is planning to hike the Appalachia Trail - she's taking 6 months to do it. But she has breaks built in and stuff. I like doing virtual hiking better. So maybe that's about the same distance as the trail your friend is doing.
The color selector is interesting. I could see Katie enjoying it.
Marcie, how's the finger doing? I guess we'll know when you post. Hope it heals quickly. I like having you around. I always enjoy your pictures. 20 minutes was worth the wait.
Julie was telling me about her first official date - they went to the restaurant at 4:30 and only two other people were there. They ordered and it came quickly and they had to laugh when they walked outside cause they hadn't been there much over a half hour. So they had some time to kill before going to the rodeo.
Anew, you are a creative cook too.
Sheryl, how fun to have your sister and friend come visit. Sounds like it was a good time. Yay on your blood numbers staying good.
Isabella, so nice that you didn't feel rushed in the restaurant and could enjoy the time there with friends. You always find fun things to do. Glad the wall is done. It looks good. Your home looks really nice too. I see why it was such a huge project.
Jannie, I like the walls. The project is moving right along now.
Ralph has been working on packing up boxes of books. We need to take them to KC next week. He has 8 boxes so far - 4 of Bibles and 4 of other books. I don't know how many more boxes there will be. I think we could maybe haul up 12. He'll have one box of stuff I bought for the girls. I'll get the make-up tomorrow. I don't wear any so hope I do okay.
Well, I've rattled on long enough. I need to do my shopping list and line up things for tomorrow. Thanks for hanging in there with me.
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Good early morning all, I am wide awake and wanting to make some noise but hubby is snoring in there and I don't think he would be too happy with me if I did that, lol. Perusing the net and trying to stay mentally busy cause I'm so bored out of my mind.
So the paint samples I bought are no voc/low voc's and it's perfect because I can use it indoors and I won't get sick from it so drying isn't a problem in the a/c. When I opened one of the little jars I was happy to not detect any chemical smells to make me sick to my stomach or to cause a headache so I was happy to mix up a tiny batch of chalk paint for practicing with. I have used a scrap board from the door we are using and painted one end of the board with the regular paint and the other end with the chalk paint. I am on my third and final coat but I do believe the chalk paint only took two coats to totally cover the white paint that was already on the board and I can see that it makes the satin paint flat and a bit darker while the regular paint stays a satin with a teeny bit of shine and the color is lighter. Both colors are great but I do think I like the chalk paint better because it just helps the board to look like the paint has been there for a while, not so new.
It did take three coats of the regular satin paint to cover and to look right on the scrap board so I think I will definitely save on paint for the project but I am not sure if my little samples are enough or not, only time will tell when I actually get into doing the painting. I have a feeling I will need another little sample of each of the greys to do both the island and the little coffee bar but the cost of them is only 3.13 each so it isn't a problem and the overall price for paint is still exceptionally low considering the cost if I purchased already made chalk paint.
Sannferris-I am so glad you had a great visit and can't wait to hear/read the details. I hope you got some rest too!
Arobed-I am glad you had a great trip, it sounds like your family gets along pretty well which makes for traveling a lot easier.
Have a great day everyone!
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Good morning.
I feel like something the cat dragged in. Good news is my finger is almost healed now. Bad news is I woke up on Sunday with a sore throat and it's been down hill from there. Headache, terrible sore throat, insomnia, nausea, no appetite, etc. My poor Dad is doomed. I sure hope he doesn't catch this thing. I went to work today, but don't know if I'll last the day. We'll see.
Last week we had pretty fall-like weather, but this week the heat is back on. We are supposed to be up to 105 today and even warmer tomorrow.
We are having an algae problem in the pool right now. The pool guy is trying to battle it. He dumped some ammonia in it last week and ordered us to stay out of it for a couple weeks. I think one of the main problems is the pool's surface is really old and needs to be resurfaced. Right now we are pricing that as well as pool removal to check out our options.
Jannie, that wall color looks perfect to me. I can't wait to see the finished kitchen!
Isabella, that wall looks really good, and your home is beautiful.
Anew, I wished I liked to DIY like you. Your projects always sound so great.
Debora, sounds like a great time with family!
Sheryl, I'm glad you had a nice visit with Norma and Simon and hope you are rested up now.
I probably have other stuff I can write about, but my mind is mush right now. Have a great everyone.0 -
Sorry you are feeling so bad Mygnsac, I hope that turns around quickly. I didn't know a pool can get algae because the surface is old, can it be polished instead of resurfaced? I don't know anything about pools so I just wonder about those kinds of things, lol.
I like my projects too, they are fun and a distraction from mundane daily tasks so I like to keep my thoughts going on things. I got the glass canisters new seals ordered today from a company in California who makes them. It'll be nice to have new silicone seals to use on them for my coffees, sugar and other coffee bar items. The largest of them all is quite big considering so I am thinking of using it for a cookie jar and if there is room I'll put it on the bar next to the coffee pot. If there isn't enough room there then it will fit perfectly fine on one of the shelves we're building. It's all coming along well.
The other day I came across a marble top washstand dresser, it's probably 100 years old or more and it has a built in back splash with a shelf above the top. It is perfect for a kitchen island and it would take very minimal work. Some sanding and staining then a couple of coats of polyurethane to protect the finish or just paint it because I am not so sure that it's oak but it could be and if it were I personally would want to bring it back to it's original glory.
The reason I say it's perfect for a kitchen island is that the top is marble and it's perfect for rolling dough and if the marble is thick enough it's perfect for someone who makes candy. I don't make candy so I wouldn't know the actual thickness requirements of marble but I'd sure like a place to roll dough because I don't have one at this moment. Well, we're working on it, lol.
The backside of it is actually panels like the solid doors so the architectural detail is there and perfect for the backside to be seen in the kitchen. There are two drawers on the top side by side and then two full size drawers below the top ones. One of the drawers has an old key lock so it's perfect to lock up the knives and keep the kiddos out. The drawers should be great for storing all the little dough making tools, prep bowls and chopping tools needed. I would use an actual wood cutting board and not cut directly on the marble but that marble is so beautiful.
If only I had room for that to set in the middle of the kitchen without wheels, lol. The shelf on the back is perfect to set the bowls of items already chopped and for setting cooked dishes for serving. So perfect! My imagination kills me sometimes because there is so much I could do in the world but without the cash it's pretty much impossible, lol.
Here are some pictures of it
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Well, I should do my research a little better before I go off in a tangent about how I like something for something else. It has come to my attention that acids etch marble so vinegar, citrus or even wine will etch the surface and then it's ruined unless you have it resurfaced which could be costly. Water marks can be made by leaving a glass on it so seems to me a marble surface is more work than I would be interested in using for a kitchen island even if cutting will be done on a real butcher block since juices can run all over everything. It is still perfect for rolling dough so could be a sideboard in a kitchen to roll dough. Score! I have come to the conclusion that this piece is probably pine and not a harder wood like oak so it could stand to have a coat of paint on it.
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Good Morning, I trust that I'm finally here early enough to finish a whole comment. Wednesday, I slept in and John was up before me, and yesterday, John got up early and I never finished what I started.
Sunday, Norma and Simon drove around Salem to see all the places Norma remembered...she went to college in Salem and lived there a year or two after graduation. She said that the city sure has changed over time, she couldn't find one of her apartments. The college has changed dramatically, really grew much bigger and a gorgeous campus. They arrived at our house about 3 pm and I had swiss steak simmering, so it could be ready to serve at any time, just cook the potatoes for mashing. They weren't hungry yet, so we visited and Norma asked me about my sleep number bed. She needs a new bed and since I raved about mine, and Mom and Dad got one just like mine and raved about it also, she was interested. So, we left the guys at home and Norma and I went to the Sleep Number Bed Store. Bottom line, she bought a bed and because I'm an owner, I got her a discount and it will be delivered to her house on Saturday, October 3rd. She really upgraded from what I have, super nice, she got an adjustable bed since she reads a lot in bed. Got back home and fixed the potatoes and asparagus. I also had roasted beets and green onions and sour dough toast. The dinner turned out good, I love meals that can simmer and improve and be ready whenever we are.
Monday, we went out to breakfast to start out our scenic drive. Kitchen Table Café and I got my favorite eggs benedict with avocado. You probably remember that John and I RARELY go out on holidays, we don't like the crowds, but, this had to be an exception because it was the only time Norma had off from work. Well, it was definitely crowded...drove up to Crown Point but couldn't stop and look around, no parking space available. We drove on and as we neared Multnomah Falls, the line of cars on the narrow two lane road got longer and longer. We sat bumper to bumper for what seemed like an eternity, (actually about 20 minutes), and as we inched up to see the line of cars, where the road narrows even more, closer to the falls, we saw two huge motorhomes trying to pass each other and didn't look like they could possibly make it. They did finally make it and the big motorhome going in the opposite direction passed us, but we didn't move forward at all. The smaller cars in line started to turn around, which made room for us to turn around also. We drove back about 2 miles and got onto the Interstate that, at that portion of the gorge, parallels the old highway. As we passed the Falls, from a greater distance, we saw lights flashing and lots of emergency vehicles. Simon got a glimpse of the falls, although not nearly as impressive as if we could have walked up to the viewing bridge. (Later, at night, the news said that a man had slipped and fell at the falls, I haven't been able to find any further news on that and I don't know how far he fell or if he survived.) We continued on the Interstate and stopped at Bonneville Dam and took the tour there. Headed for home and then stopped at our favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner, it was a great day even though it wasn't exactly as planned.
It is so exciting for me to see my sister so happy again. She and Simon seem to make the perfect couple, BUT, taking the relationship very slow to make sure. My sister is very wise and doing things right. Simon is a perfect gentleman and not pressuring her into something she is not ready for. They are now planning a trip for Norma to meet his family, he has 2 daughters and 1 son and several grandchildren, I forgot how many, but one grand-daughter that is entering college and Norma met her when Simon brought her to pick up some furniture from Mom and Dad's house a couple months ago.
Wow, I got long-winded...better post this before I lose it. And, of course, refill my mug.0 -
Had another mug of coffee and I'm back. Just a note about algae in the pool, yes, the roughness of the surface can cause more algae to form quicker, at least in plastic pools. Every few years, I need to replace the plastic pools for the birds because I can't keep it clean any longer. The more I need to scrub it clean, the more roughness I create. It's a vicious circle.
It's forecast to be hot today, 94 degrees. I'll do chores this morning, but will probably take it easy, in front of the fan, this afternoon.
I forgot to share with you the email that I got from Granny last week. Changing apartments was a wonderful move for her, she sounds like she is doing so much better now. Here's an excerpt:
Things have been busy around here as usual. I haven't had much time with the kids now that school has started and all of them are in school all day. Mike usually takes care of them on weekends, so we don't get to babysit them. I miss them, but my new friends here at the apartment complex keep me plenty busy. Our little bus goes to Walmart 3 times a week, and several other places once a week. He takes a group out to eat a few times a week, sometimes for dinner and sometimes for breakfast. It just costs a dollar to ride it, so I go a lot instead of driving myself.
I have my apartment looking pretty nice now. Picked up some place mats for the table that match my chair cushions and curtains. Found several cardinals to sit around the house and outside the door. I have made so many new friends. This place has pretty much brought me out of the depression I have been in since NM quit. Now if they would just get my teeth to fit right. They re-lined them last Wednesday, and I had several really painful days. Then on Tuesday they adjusted them and the pain is almost all gone now. I sure wish I had chosen a different dentist.
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Hi all.
Still feeling like death warmed over. Just popping in to wish you all a wonderful weekend.0 -
Hope you get recharged over the weekend. Rest and energize!0
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Hi everyone,
Thanks for all the lovely compliments on our wall and our home. Dan did a great job on the paint and is very proud of himself - and rightfully so! Hope you are all having a great weekend! It is still hot and humid here today - has been all week. It is supposed to get gradually cooler starting tomorrow. I hope they are correct. We get SO spoiled here but it has felt like FL this week! We are just being lazy today. I ordered myself to at least clean my sinks today but I ignored me. 
Dan has been working on putting the landscape back in place this week. Part of that is a "river rock" pathway on the edge of our zero lot line which touches the neighbor's house. He is getting rid of some of the bigger rocks and rearranging it so if we ever get more heavy rains there won't be a risk of flooding their home. It is hard work but it keeps him busy! Kinda like keeping John busy with his copper fittings.
Marcie, bummer on the cold! Your resistance has been really low this year. Hope you are feeling tip top soon. At least your finger is healing.
Debora, sounds like your weekend family trip was wonderful! The lodge looks great and has lots of amenities. Great planning too.
Anew, the pull out cutting board looks interesting. Looks like it would be low enough for a short person like me. That washstand dresser looks great too. I think it will look nice painted. Look forward to seeing what you do with it.
Sheryl, so happy to hear that your visit with Norma and Simon went so well. Bummer about not getting up to the falls but you all made the best of it anyway. The swiss steak was a great idea! Can we please have your recipe? I know what you mean about how wonderful it is to see Norma happy again. I hope their relationship just blossoms more and more! I could tell that Granny was really coming out of her depression at this new place. Thank you so much Lord for leading her there! What a wonderful blessing to have so many new friends and activities. Thanks for sharing the update.
Dan and I started watching the Downton Abbey DVDs yesterday and were hooked immediately! We were impressed with the quality of the acting, the photography, the writing, in short - everything! What a snake that Thomas is!! We have watched the first 2 discs of season 1 and are planning to go and watch more episodes in a few minutes. Thanks so much for sharing them with us.
I am going to re-heat a kitchen sink rice dish skillet meal I made earlier in the week for dinner and keep it simple. It has ground beef, rice, diced tomatoes, onion, celery, bell peppers, Fresno chiles and Mexican spices. When I serve it I'll put some sliced avocado on top.
Talk to you all soon. Love ya!0 -
Hi everyone, I've been busy doing about nothing, lol. Sleep has been a real problem and the mild headache is back so I am battling that. Hubby brought my little island in the kitchen this morning for me, it has the bottom support shelf and wheels on it but will still need the tongue and groove board put on the bottom support board to finish that section. It sits about 1/2" above the floor with the wheels hidden and I love that about it because it saved height and it looks like it sits on the floor.
He set one of the extra door pieces we'll be using for the little coffee bar on the top and a piece of plywood to raise it up then I added my actual cutting board to it. I want to use it for a week or two to see how the height works for me and so far tonight is very good. If I need to raise it up some I still have the option to do it, it seems to be a great height without having to lift my shoulders for food prep and I think the size will be great too. The total height right now with all the extras on it is 34.5" and the next step is to build the drawer that goes across the top. Once that is done I will need to order those baskets for the onions, potatoes and garlic so we can decide how low the upper shelf needs to go.
To build the drawer I need to contact the cabinet company to order the drawer boards with the dados already cut into it and the boards are sanded with a rounded edge on top which is perfect for reaching into without getting scratched on a rough cut square edge like plywood would leave. We used the same boards to build our kitchen drawers so they should work perfectly for this project. I also need to do some painting before we go any further on the build but at least I can try it out for now and make some critical space decisions.
Mygnsac, kick that colds butt, I know you can do it! Seriously though, I hope you are feeling better now.
Sannferris, it's good to hear about granny and her happier side coming back. I also hope you stayed out of the heat like I do.
Isyvanek, Ick on the heat and humidity lingering because I am still not used to this Texas weather so I know exactly what you are feeling. A/C is the only way out of that but it sure gets expensive. I didn't buy the marble top dresser, I was just in heaven about dreaming what I could do with it. I do realize that I probably could have purchased it and fixed it up then sold it but I have a lot of projects already going and I wouldn't have any safe place to put it while waiting to get to it. It sure is perfect for someone who rolls dough and makes bread because of the marble so it would sit perfectly in someones dining room or kitchen.
Oh and the pullout cutting board is awesome, it's amazing looking at old 1940's and 50's kitchens with all their innovation. Here's a link to some 50's kitchens
housebeautiful.com/room-decorating/kitchens/g393/kitchens-1950s-0609/?
I made salisbury steak for dinner with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus bundles wrapped in proscuitto. Hubby was happy, lol. Have a great night everyone.
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Hi, have about a half hour to chat and you better hope I don't take the whole time. Thursday was Ralph's appointment in the morning. Every two weeks rolls around quickly. Afterwards I went to Walmart while he went to the used bookstore. We ate, went home. I got the stuff I needed and headed for another town. I got the State Fair entries checked in and then did my grocery shopping and got the make-up for our friends in Kenya. I don't wear makeup so was glad the clerk helped. It was on sale, the clerk gave me 5 coupons and I used the Walgreen points I could and it still seemed like a lot of money. I got home, unloaded everything (no 1 sack at a time this time) and we headed for Lori's. I watched Emily while they all went to the play. Afterwards we went to Home Depot and got more boxes and Ralph has already filled them up. I think we have like 16 boxes of books so we'll take what we can and then make another trip soon.
Friday I walked. Then my sister, Ralph and I went to Grandparent's day. Just the walking we did during that time ended up being around 2000 steps and Ralph was tired. We parked and walked to the classrooms, then we walked to the chapel (close to where we parked). We sat with the 4th and 5th graders during chapel. After it, we went with the kindgartner and walked to the church way across the street and had a tea. Tablecloths, servers for each table, name tags, decorations which were also a take home for each household represented. There were breads and cookies to eat and several kinds of hot tea and pretty cups to have it in. Then the kids had some songs they sang for us and then there was a slide show where each child said something about their grandparents. Paige said she loves me because I make supper. We had the afternoon at home and then we went to our Pastor's house for the evening. There were 14 of us there - lots of good finger food and a fun evening of getting to know each other better.
Today I spent the morning making sure the house is straightened, doing dinner stuff - chicken out of the freezer, cut a watermelon, got the rice cooker and crockpot out and stuff like that. We went to a memorial service this afternoon. And in a little while my sister and I will head off to watch the melodrama. Tomorrow's Sunday and a full day too. We'll see when things slow down or if they do.
Anew, glad the paint is working out so well.
Marcie, sorry you are feeling so lousy. This is when I'm glad germs can't sneak through the computer. Hope you're better today and your dad doesn't get it. Yuck on the algae. We warmed up, cooled down and now it's supposed to warm up again. Keeps you guessing on what to wear.
Anew, the dresser does look cool. Glad you're so thorough in your research so you eventually know the best thing to do.
Sheryl, your meal sounds yummy. Cool that your sister got a bed with your help and that you got out of Multnomah Falls okay. The day still had more good than bad in it. So smart of Norma to take the relationship slow. But it sounds like it's going well and a nice good thing with all the work she's had going on with the stuff to take care of with your dad's passing and the house.
Glad you heard from Granny and she's going a lot better. She told me that the bus driver is like 92. It's not as convenient for G-ma to see her but it's a good place for her.
Isabella, being our own boss makes it so easy to not listen. It will get done tomorrow. Next we'll need pictures of the river rock pathway. Your supper sounds good. I had more of the zucchini I roasted. It's good but I'd rather have a smaller one to do next time. I'm ready for the new season of Downton Abby to start.
Anew, cool that you can try out your new kitchen island. So smart. Tell that headache to disappear.
My sister got here before I finished this before. The melodrama was lots of fun and of course, Thomas did a good job. Julie was there with the guy she is now dating. And we went and bought more boxes before the play as Ralph filled the ones we got Thursday night. He did get the dining room table cleared off so we can use it tomorrow. For now I'd better close and head for bed. Have a good Sunday.
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Thought I'd drop in quick before church.
Anew, smart not to take on any extra projects when you have so many that you are working on right now. Also a wonderful idea to take the new island for a "test drive" before you complete it and get it all set up so you can make sure the height is perfect. I know I've mentioned this before but that is my biggest problem - my shoulders are always up when prepping food because my counters are too high for me.
Debora, Sounds like the grandparents day was fun. And the melodrama too. You are so blessed to have such a great family so close. Your church sounds wonderful too.
OK, gotta get going. I'll try to drop in later. Have an awesome day!0 -
Good Sunday Morning. This is my second try...computer froze up and I had to do a restart, therefore, I lost all I had written before.
Don't have any plans yet today, John's still in bed and I'm feeling very lazy. That's my usual these days, so many chores and not wanting to get started on any of them. Yesterday, college football was on tv all day, so I left it on and John would sit and watch a little, then go outside again, get hot and come in and cool down and watch a little more. Today is NFL football and the same scenario will probably play out, although it shouldn't be as hot outside.
My "swiss steak" came from my mom, no written recipe, just would throw it together over the years. I understand that traditional swiss steak is in a tomato base, ours is in brown gravy. When I met John's mom, she would cook up just about the same thing and called it "smothered steak". Anyway, I start with bottom round steak and cut into serving pieces, salt and pepper and then pound flour into it. I use a stiff pastry blender to pound, however, after this last trip to clean out the Pasadena house, I confiscated the tool that my mom has always used. I don't know how to describe it, but it has three blades on it that works the flour into the meat. This last batch, that I prepared last Sunday, knowing that it would be simmering on the stove for a long time, I wanted extra thick meat so it wouldn't just fall apart and be shredded meat in gravy. I discovered that London Broil is simply thick bottom round, worked out perfectly. (And, it was on sale, yay). I brown the meat in olive oil, used to use Crisco shortening, but NM taught me that olive oil is better for us. As the meat is browning, I slice up 2-3 brown onions, OK, I used 4 this time, can't have too many onions, and throw them in the pot to "sauté". After the meat is browned and the onions are limp, I cover the whole thing with part water and part chicken broth and let it simmer for hours (til the meat is tender). My mom would use only water, but I like the richness and flavor that the broth brings to the gravy. The flour that was pounded into the meat causes the gravy to thicken.
This coming week I need to make appointments that have been put on hold for awhile. I had cancelled a dentist appointment when my Dad died and I went down for the service and to move my Mom. Time to reschedule that. I need the car serviced and had planned to do that before our long road trip, but they couldn't fit me in before we left. It will be closer now to the appropriate mileage since we drove round trip to California. And, I need to get my eyes checked and new glasses. I was told to wait a year after chemo, because that treatment changes my vision, can you believe that it's been a year now? I am still on a daily pill, but that's different from the chemo that they put directly into my bloodstream. I'll make phone calls tomorrow and get all this scheduled...may be a busy week, but more likely, the appointments will be stretched out over a few weeks.
My mug is cold and empty...time for a refill.0 -
Sheryl, Sounds like you are going to have a busy week or two! Thanks so much for sharing your mom's recipe! Sounds yummy!
Gotta go watch more Downton Abbey.
BTW Debora, I checked on line and they said the 6th and final season of Downton Abbey will start on Jan. 3, 2016.
Have a great week everyone!0
