Back To Normal

Thanksgiving went off very well. I was in such a hurry to get all the food out and served while it was hot that I didn't take any photos (sorry,Kymber). Most of the dishes were a success,though I was not fond of the green beans. Everyone else liked them,though. I also think I put too many cranberries in the stuffing,but again,everyone else liked it. I told Rick not to bother making my cake on Thanksgiving,and to wait until Friday,since the few days leading up to Turkey Day were so hectic. My pumpkin pie was delicious,if I do say so myself,and it was gone the next day.

How was your Thanksgiving?

 Friday morning I wound up taking Rick to the emergency room.He has a tick bite that is horribly red and has a hard bump under his skin. Since he has had a hole in his heart fixed,has two knee replacements,and an auto immune deficiency (Celiac Disease)   he has to be very very careful about infection.They did some blood work to test for Lyme disease,which we should hear about by Weds. They put him on some antibiotics that they give to Lyme disease patients,just in case.He is also taking a probiotic pill to help combat any stomach upset.Thankfully,we were not there very long.

This week we should be starting our kitchen. We need to get strapping,drywall,and mud today or tomorrow.

The Girls have pretty much stopped laying,at least for now. The sun does not get above our tall red pine trees in the back anymore,and the shadows are longer.The change in weather is also a factor,I think. In the last week they have only laid 6 eggs. The last three days they haven't laid any. We have some nice hay in their coop,and we keep the main door closed now because it's chilly. I hated to buy eggs at the supermarket last week. :(  It's always such a great feeling to be able to walk by something because we can make it or have an animal who can create it.

Rick finally cleaned up his half of the bedroom yesterday.Now I can walk on his side of the bed. I got sick of the closet in the bathroom,and organized it. We'll see how long it lasts. I am in the mode of tying loose ends-photos that should've been rehung long ago,Rick's flags,etc. He has a shadow box that  we bought last year for his military ribbons,etc. He doesn't have all of them. Somewhere in between the sands of time and moving he lost many of his military things (this was before I met him).We have a magazine where what he earned can be ordered,so I told him to circle whatever ribbons/awards he should have,and I will order them.

Most of the snow we got last Wednesday is gone,which is good,because I need to put the cornstalks and pumpkins that are outside into the compost pile,and on a good day I am going to go out back and gather my greenery for decoration. We should be getting our tree in a couple of weeks.

So far I am enjoying my Kindle Fire. It's great!! Yesterday I ordered a case for it and some screen protectors. That's the downside to touch screen-finger prints!!

Have a great day on this fabulous planet!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Besides Christmas,Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It's a wonderful day for spending with family and counting your blessings.

I have many blessings:
-A wonderful husband,who came back to me alive
-A fabulous son
-Wonderful family and friends
-A warm home
-Clothes on my back
-Food on my plate

That's the most that anyone could ask,isn't it? I am mindful that there are many right now who are not so fortunate. Yesterday we donated three turkeys and food baskets to local families who are having a real tough time. We have been there before,and it's not fun. We are keeping those folks and many more like them in our thoughts today,as well as our military who are far from home.Bless them all!

In a little bit I am going to make my stuffing,then put the bird in the oven.My Mom is coming up today for dinner.She is doing great,driving now and therapy is coming along real well.

                                                        Thanksgiving Menu

Citrus stuffed turkey with Herbs De Provence (homegrown turkey!)
Venison sausage stuffing (homemade sausage and gluten free bread)
Orange Honey Green Beans (homegrown green beans)
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Rolls
Cranberry Sauce
Olive and cream cheese stuffed celery
Gravy

Pumpkin pie (home made pumpkin and gluten free crust)

Tonight Rick and Zach are going to make me a birthday cake. This year,my birthday happens to fall on Thanksgiving. Great way to begin my 44th year......the Fierce and Forty decade continues!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends out there...where ever you may be!!!!!!!

Making Pumpkin Puree

Last year was my first year at making homemade pumpkin pie,by which I mean making the pie with pumpkin grown here and not from a can. :)

Pumpkin puree is pretty easy,though it can take a while to make,depending on how many pumpkins you are trying to process at once. I had two Sugar Pumpkins.

1) Wash the pumpkins.Cut the pumpkin into quarters. If you cannot do this yourself(like me) you can enlist the help of a strong man (like me).Then,cut the quarters in half so the sections are smaller.

2)Scoop out the seeds and guts.

3)Fill a microwaveable bowl with about 2" of water,and place as many pumpkin slices as will fit into the bowl.The less you fill it,the quicker the pieces will soften up.

4)Cover the bowl,and put in the microwave on high for about 20 minutes or so.The rind should come off fairly easily. I peeled it off ,or you can use a fork to scrape the flesh away from the rind. Cut the pieces up so they will fit into a food processor.

My food processor suggested level 10,and in no time it was a puree.

It took me about an hour and half to nuke,peel,and puree all the pumpkin pieces I had. As each batch was pureeing,I would weigh out 15 oz batches,since 15 oz is the standard pumpkin pie can size. In all,I made 5 batches,each in their own freezer bag,which I immediately put in the freezer for future use.

Enjoy!

Super Easy Venison Sausage

Right now the Menfolk are in the middle of the turkey fest. Zach did the dirty deed ("Mumma,you are going to have to use Oxyclean on my clothes,I hit the jugular.")Two are hanging out back,and Rick is plucking one in the garage. I braved the masses and went grocery shopping today,thankfully I went a bit earlier than  normal so it wasn't so bad.I got a few small things ready today-cooked my cranberries for the stuffing (actually dressing,but we always call it stuffing),made my cream cheese/olive filling for celery sticks,and made my venison sausage.This was my first attempt at venison sausage,and I must say it came out AWESOME. It's very easy. I got the recipe from Cooks.com.

                                                    Deer Breakfast Sausage
1 lb ground venison (no suet)
1 lb ground pork
2 tsp ground sage
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Put venison and pork in a large bowl. Mix the spices together and pour sprinkle over meat. Using your hands,work the meat and spices together until thoroughly combined.Shape into roll,wrap in plastic or foil,and chill overnight in the fridge.Slice and fry as regular sausage.

The only thing I did not do was make the meat into a roll. I cooked some up right away and brought it outside so the Menfolk and The Boy could try it,and they all loved it.Our neighbor,Kelly,was chatting with Brother B,and he loved it as well.He told me to give his wife the recipe. I put the pound of sausage I need for the stuffing in the freezer in a separate freezer bag,and froze the rest together.I wasn't sure how long fresh venison lasts in the fridge,since it had been in our fridge since Saturday. I figured an overnight freeze wouldn't hurt,and tomorrow I will cook up what I need for the stuffing so it will be all set for Thanksgiving.

Tomorrow I will make pumpkin pie with homemade pumpkin puree,iron the tablecloth,wash the glasses and china,dry out the Gluten Free bread for the stuffing,and fill the celery sticks with the cream cheese and olive mixture. Less things to do on Thanksgiving!

Have a lovely day!!!

Let The Harvest Begin (GRAPHIC PHOTOS)

                       WARNING...GRAPHIC PHOTOS OF DEER BEING SKINNED

Like I mentioned in my earlier post,we got a deer that was hit by a car.He hung over night in our tree in the backyard. Saturday morning,The Menfolk,Zach,and nephew Brody went out hunting,but were not out long.They didn't see any deer,but they did see a mink.

This past weekend was mighty busy,as we planned on having Brody up to hunt,then harvest the turkey  that we had sold. Then we got the call about the deer,so that was added to the mix.Saturday-out early hunting,then home to harvest the deer. Some photos of the skinning:

                                                             *GRAPHIC PHOTOS*

He let Nephew Brody try his hand at skinning as well,under his guidance:

                                                       *END GRAPHIC PHOTOS*

After the deer had been skinned,then the real processing began. We have a food vacuum sealer and that keeps the meat nice and fresh.Thankfully,most of the meat was good and not ruined from the accident. The whole process of skinning,butchering,and processing took about four hours or so. We have medallions,roasts,and steaks. I have meat in the fridge that I am going to make into burger today.

The Men were exhausted by Saturday night.Sunday they harvested the turkey that we sold. We let Nephew Brody harvest the turkey,since it's not something he normally does. Zach,who is our turkey harvester,was fine with it because he knows that he will be helping with the rest this week (he has the whole week off from school).

We don't have any fancy scales,so our method of weighing turkeys is to stand on a regular scale,take note of the persons weight,then put the person on the scale with the turkey.The difference in weight is the weight of the turkey. The one we sold was 19 lbs and a Tom. We did sell it for incredibly cheap,on par with frozen at the supermarket.(a mere .75 cents per lb) We had not been keeping track of feed costs,so we really had nothing to gauge it on. Selling one was last minute decision. Our customer,Stephanie,told me she would like to get one from us next year,and I told her that the price would be much more. She seemed pretty pleased at any rate,which was a good thing.

The rest of the turkeys will be taken care of over the next couple of days. We have one for our neighbor,one for Rick's Dad,one for Brother Dale,one that we are trading for some pig meat,one for us,and three that we are donating with food baskets. We only sold the one.No money making venture this year,which is fine.Next year,we plan on keeping track of costs,buying more and selling some at what the price should be. I don't like the thought of charging people I know,though.It's just who I am.

Our neighbor,Kelly got a call about a hit deer.The Menfolk are going to help him harvest it,and he is going to give us some meat in exchange for the help.So we are going to get more venison!!

There won't be much hunting up until Thanksgiving Day. Everyone is going to be busy. 

Today: Menfolk-process Kelly's deer

            Me:make fresh pumpkin puree from two Sugar Pumpkins;finish shopping list and food basket             list. Make venison burger.Begin cleaning house.

Tuesday:Menfolk/Zach:some hunting in the AM.Begin turkey processing.Shop for food basket items.

              Me:Shop for week and Thanksgiving.Make venison sausage.

             Zach :Make up the food baskets

Wednesday: Menfolk/Zach:Process more turkeys. Deliver food baskets.Make my Birthday cake(Rick and Zach insist on it)

                    Me:Iron table cloth,wash china and special glasses/dishes,make gluten free pumpkin pie,stuff turkey with citrus,make venison sausage stuffing,and celery stuffed w/cream cheese and olives.

Plus,there always other goodies that pop up.How do you prepare for Thanksgiving,if you celebrate it?

It's 3:10 AM ....Do You Know Where Your Deer Is?

Very early this AM at 3:10 (or is it very late at night??)I woke to the sound of our phone ringing. Lately,we have been receiving "Private Caller" calls around 3:00 AM,which have been nothing but beeping noises,much to our annoyance. Usually,when a phone rings in the dead of night (or is it dead of morning??) one assumes it's not good news-something terrible has usually happened,which is why these annoying beeping calls are even more frustrating. I heard Rick answer it,and heard him say," Rt 16? Where?" When I heard this,I knew it wasn't bad news.None of our loved ones would be out and about up here,since none of them live near us.Especially that time of night ( or is it morning???)

A deer had been hit,and we are on a call list for any deer or moose. We have friends in the Middleton Police Dept who have let it be known to other Police Depts in the local area that they can call us any time of the day (or night) when they get a call about dead deer or moose,so we are on their call lists. We don't get them often,but we have a couple of times.

This deer was not far from the house-maybe about 10 minutes down the highway.It was a buck,weighing about 140 lbs.

When Zach woke up,Rick told him we got a deer,and he thought Rick had gone out and shot it. He wasn't fully awake yet,and didn't stop to think that it was still dark out. :)

At first,when Rick and I were first married and he got the same kind of call,I thought it was rather...well...weird getting roadkill. I won't lie. The thought of getting something from the side of the road conjured up images of  hillbillies scrounging for food,scraping up possums with a shovel (which I actually saw many years later on "My Big Redneck Wedding"-YUCK!) We weren't hillbillies,and we weren't starving. I mentioned this to Rick,and he replied that we weren't getting an animal that had been there for days.It was fresh,just like he had shot it. Better to get it,and at least not have it's death be in vain,than to just have it rot by the side of the road. Well,that made sense. When I saw the deer,it looked just like it would've looked if it had been hunted. It wasn't gross,and it was fresh. It took a bit,but I got over that mentality.

It's funny that this happened this morning (or is it last night??)because Nephew Brody is coming up after school to spend the night and go hunting with Rick,Brother B,and Zach tomorrow. After Brody gets here,then the deer cutting process will begin. We will vacuum seal the portions. I will actually get to try out my my meat grinder on My Precious (aka the Cuisinart),as well as my sausage maker. They have been lying in their virginal state in a drawer since I got them last year. We are fortunate that they The Menfolk can process and cut up their own deer,and we don't have to bring it to a butcher. I'm not sure if they will cure the pelt or not (another thing that they know how to do).

It's a good thing we invested in a new freezer this past week.

An Early Birthday Present

Yesterday did not begin well. I woke up and the whole house smelled like cat pee. I knew that the litter box needed to be changed,but I couldn't remember if Rick had bought litter on Tuesday.There wasn't any in the house.If he had,no one had changed the box. Rick was snoozing in the living room,but woke when I came in.My first words were,"Phew! The house stinks from the litter box!" To which my not yet awake hubby replied,"Well,why didn't you change it yesterday?"  Of course, my mind (which wasn't awake it's self yet) immediately goes on the defensive and my imaginary hackles go up. "Do we have litter? Where is it?" "It's on the porch," he replies. "Fine," I grumble.Now I am completely annoyed.Why didn't he just change the damn litter yesterday? What am I,a mind reader? I look out on the porch,and it's the 35 lb container,which yes, I can lift,but it's still heavy and awkward. So of course, I make a great show of carrying this monstrosity into the house,and I drop it rather loudly on the bathroom floor. "I'll get it,"Rick calls,just as annoyed. "Oh, no,it's apparently my job," I said,snidely. And I so I proceeded to  change the litter. I was completely annoyed with Rick for a while afterwards,and he he apologized later. I guess he felt I was blaming him,but I wasn't,I was just commented on what I smelled.I guess it wasn't the best thing to come out of my mouth first thing in the morning. Even we can get snotty with each other once in a while,though it doesn't happen very often.Especially before our first cup of coffee!

That seemed to set the tone for the day-I wound up with a headache,which made me feel real tired and just down in general.

Rick and Brother B went to their Dad's yesterday,then went to do some Christmas shopping in Newington,then went grocery shopping.They were gone quite awhile,which I knew they would be,but they didn't get back until almost 3:00,having left before 9:00. After they unloaded the groceries,Rick told me to put down my crocheting,close my eyes,and hold out my hands. He had Zach put something in my hands,which,I discovered was a Kindle $50 gift card.Rick then gave me something wrapped in his coat."This is an early birthday present,because if you don't like it,it would have to be returned the weekend after Thanksgiving,and since your birthday is on Thanksgiving,it wouldn't give you much time to use it and decide." I took it out of the coat wrapper,and this is what it was:

 I had discussed  e-readers with Rick on several occasions,and whether or not I would like one. I love reading,always have.I am not as voracious of a reader as I used to be,since life gets in the way,but I still love books.There is nothing like curling up with a good book. E readers would certainly save on storage space,and since we only have so much space,I don't have room for a lot of books.However,I was not sure if I would like the "feel"of an e-reader.

Rick had been thinking about buying one for me for a while,and stopped into Barnes and Noble to check them out. He picked the day that the Kindle Fire came out,(which he had no clue about) so there was a line at the bookstore when they showed up. Rick liked the look of the Fire,and it's capability (music,books,magazines,web browsing) and he liked the touch screen as opposed to the older models. Barnes and Noble had just received the shipment,and they said they were the first store to get them in the state. It came with a free $50 card,which is cool. The only thing was,they were told that we could download books through a USB cord connected to the computer,which we can't.We need WI FI. So they are now down at Staples,getting a WI FI router. In all honesty,we needed one,anyway. Our old computer is in Zach's room,and since we now have high speed and no longer have dial up,we would need a router for him to use his computer. We can also now use Rick's old lap top.

So I have now entered the 21st century regarding reading. I am anxious to begin my e-library! It was a nice early present.

Many Thanks

I want to send a heartfelt thank you to all my friends who posted such wonderful comments on my Veterans Day post,especially Kymber,who posted a link to my post from hers.(Hope you feel better soon!) I had tears in my eyes as I read them....

One thing that was very exciting was that on Friday our local TV station,WMUR out of Manchester,had a special episode honoring our veterans on their "Chronicle" show. (It's a show all about NH,events,people,history,etc).I entered a photo,and out of the 1,300 + photos they received, one of the ones they chose to air was mine:

Those who have been following me for a while may recognize this photo.It's one of my favorites. This was taken when Rick came home for good. At this point,Rick had been gone a year,and had only been able to come home twice,once in August 2005,and in Dec 2005. This photo was taken in April 2006. Zach insisted on wearing his little desert camo uniform to honor his Dad. I tried to link the Chronicle episode,but for some reason,it wouldn't work. If anyone is so inclined to check it out,it's at WMUR.com,under "Chronicle". It's the Veterans Day Tribute. Rick and Zach are at the 4:04 mark in the second part. The whole episode was nothing but photos...it was very moving,and of course,I cried.

I am still under the weather (going on two weeks,now). My main compliant is a cough,heavy chest,and my head feels fuzzy. Saturday, I had no temp,yesterday it was 99.6,today it's back to normal,go figure! At any rate,it makes me not feel like doing much of anything,and this time of year,it's not a good thing. I have soap to make for gifts,crocheting to do,and laundry soap to make. And I don't feel like doing any of them,but I still try. Yesterday I did cut up my soap that I made last month,did the dishes,and swept. I did do some crocheting,and while I crocheted I watched "The Tudors" marathon on BBC America. Nothing like a little sex and court intrigue when one is not up to snuff!

The Menfolk are out on the mountain,still not having any luck at getting deer. It's amazing,considering the time and effort they put into scouting,etc. The deer are out there,but any time they see one,the trees are too dense to get a good shot off.I'm just glad to see that Rick enjoys the woods again. It took a long while before he could do anything but check to see where snipers might be hiding,and his anxiety would make it impossible for him to enjoy himself. Same with fishing.He would come home frustrated and angry that he could no longer enjoy what he loves to do the most. Now,he still gets some anxiety,but he has the tools to talk himself out of it so he is aware that he is not in danger,and no insurgents are hiding to try and take him out. It took a few years,though.

Our kitchen has not moved forward because of hunting season and because I haven't been up to snuff to keep bugging Rick :) I need to make a decision on appliances,and I haven't been up to deciding. Sigh.

Zach is doing great in school,made the Honor Roll again.He just finished participating in an anti-bullying film in school.

I suppose I should go try and do something. Laundry is calling. I hope you all have a fabulous day on this fabulous Planet!

Happy Veterans Day

Today we honor those who have protected our freedom. Where Memorial Day honors those who gave the ultimate sacrifice,Veterans Day honors all those who were willing to put their life on the line for us.

As for my family,I have had many who have served: My Dad ( Army, New Guinea,WWII),my brother Valmore (Army, Vietnam),my brother in law,Tom ( Air Force,Vietnam),my brother Dennis ( Sea Bees,Gulf War),my niece Tara (Air Force,OIF),and her hubby Scott (Air Force,OIF), my Uncle Bobby (Army,Korea),and my Uncle Valmore (Army,WW II-killed in Hawaii by someone in his tent cleaning his rifle).Brother B was in the Army National Guard. My father in law,Dick,was in the Coast Guard during the Bay of Pigs. Rick's uncle was a POW in Vietnam.

                            

While my family has had many serve,Rick's family has a long line of military service.His family has been here in the US since the 1620's. They came over from England with the wave of Puritans fleeing for their religious freedom.In fact,he has family members that arrived in Plymouth,MA in the boat after the Mayflower,which was called the Anne.He has had family members who fought in every war since the French and Indian Wars.Some died in war,one at Valley Forge,and a  great great grandfather who died in the Civil war at Fredricksburg and is buried in Virginia.

A down time moment at Camp Shelby,MS

                                             
When I met Rick,he was already a veteran.He had been in Airborne in the 1980's,stationed in Italy and had been in many "quick" combat missions (which of course,he can't tell me about). I refer to them as "Reagan's Secret Little Wars." He did serve in Nicaragua,which is not a place he remembers with great fondness.

In 2000,he wanted to get back into service,so he joined the National Guard. Then of course, 9/11 happened,and he went to Iraq after doing two tours on Homeland Security at the Air National Guard base down in Newington(Former Pease Air Force Base,now the Pease International Tradeport)

Ready to meet whatever comes his way

                                   Rick was sent to Ramadi,which at the time was the worst place in Iraq. It is located in the Sunni Triangle,or,"The Triangle of Death." It is on a main highway from Syria,where many of the insurgents came from. To quote one solider, "In 2004-2005,Ramadi was the shit." Reporters were rarely allowed into the city because it was so dangerous. Rick became a Scout,which meant he could sneak around gathering intel,or kick in doors and take prisoners. He also called in air support,and was a "long distance problem solver." They were attacked daily,several times a day.He saw combat each day.He took lives. He also helped train the Iraqis,which on more than one occasion, fled when they were attacked,leaving Rick by himself. When they went on patrol in town,he was either on point or in the rear. He did not have the luxury of staying at Forward Operating Base (FOB).He stayed in Outposts in outside of town.They were wooden shacks,no shower,etc. There were those who were at the base who never left it. They were referred to as FOBBITS by those who actually engaged in combat,and it was not a compliment. When there would be hot water at the FOB,it would be gone by the time Rick and his fellow Scouts went to shower,because the officers used it all (who never left the base).

One of the outposts 

                                             

One of my favorite phots

                                                       
Before Rick was in the Scouts,he was in a squad that patrolled in Bradleys. He was in the turret quite often.

                                                               

He was wounded on July 28,2005 in an RPG attack. He spent two weeks at Landstahl in Germany,before being sent to Fort Gordon,GA ( Walter Reed was full) where he was in medhold until April 2006.

Rick home for good!

                                       

Of course,that is where our struggle as a family really began-living with PTSD and TBI and dealing with it. It has made us stronger,but it took a toll on our marriage for a few years. His emotional walls were up so high,I could tell as soon as I held him for the first time since he was wounded that he wasn't the same.I could feel it. It took a few years for those walls to come down,thanks to medication and therapy (which he still does) and he is more like his old self. Our connection finally returned three years ago,and it still took a while to get back to where we were even then.

So,while this day is about Veterans and their sacrifices,I want to give a shout out to the families of veterans as well. They cried tears of sorrow,tears of joy,and tears of frustration. There are some whose loved ones are no longer here,and there are those who lost their loved ones due to mental issues and who have seen their marriages crumble. There are those who are caregivers to the physically and mentally disabled,and there are those who are blessed with no issues.Whatever their circumstances,they also deserve to be thought of today.

A couple years ago,we went to Malone,NY to visit the boyhood home of Almanzo Wilder(Laura Ingalls Wilder's hubby). Our tour group consisted of the three of us and a couple from Ontario. The gentleman was a retired member of the Canadian Air Force. Rick thanked him for his service to his country and shook his hand. The gentleman looked taken aback at first,thanked Rick as well,then commented,"It took me 19 years and to have to come to the US before anyone ever thanked me." So...thank you. Thank you to our wonderful Canadian friends up North (hello,Kymber),thank you to all those countries who have sacrificed for the greater good and who have supported the US with your blood,sweat,and tears throughout our history,and of course,thank you to My Fellow Americans. You continue to keep us free. I am humbled and grateful.

Where's My Deer?

The Menfolk had no luck yesterday,though Brother B did get a shot off at one.However,there were some trees in the way,so the deer was unharmed.They came back to the house a couple of times,and each time I heard them come in the door,I would call out,"Where's my deer?" "Out in the woods,"they would reply. So far, NH has had one hunter killed,and another wounded. We don't have many hunting accidents here in NH,thankfully. What causes these accidents are hunters who shoot at movement.They hear something,get a glimpse of what they think is a deer and they shoot.They don't make sure that it IS a deer.

Today it's foggy and there is a light mist coming down.It is suppose to rain this afternoon,so no hunting today.Rick has had a small fever for a couple of days,which he thanks me for (you're welcome,honey!).Rick will hunt even if he isn't feeling well...he tries to plod right through any illness. I,on the other hand,am down for the count when I am not up to snuff. I have a chest cold,and have been gacking and hacking. My head still feels weird,but my fever is pretty much non existent at 99 degrees.Apparently,this plague stays with folks for a while. People say the start to feel better,then they get set back. Lovely. Hopefully that won't happen to me.

Aside from the basic chores,there hasn't been much else going on. Zach is now the Assistant Patrol leader of his Boy Scout Patrol,so he had his first patrol leader meeting last night.Tonight,he has an Order of the Arrow meeting (OA is like the Honor Society for Boy Scouts). Saturday is our Scouting For Food pick up.

Since Zach has Veterans' Day off tomorrow,he is going hunting with the Menfolk. We would love it if Zach could get a deer.It would be his first one. He also needs to start brushing up on his Scout rank information,since Monday night he has his Scoutmaster Conference for his Star Rank.He will be quizzed on all info he has learned for his Scout,Tenderfoot,Second Class and First Class Ranks.If he passes that,then he will have his Board Of Review,which consists of members of the Troop Committee (Rick and I are not allowed to participate in that,of course).If he passes that, he will get his Star Rank.

 I suppose I should get motivated.I hope you all have a lovely day!

Hunting Season Is Nigh....and Those Forgotten Halloween Pics

Today my fever is down to 99.5,which is good,because tomorrow,come hell or high water,plagues,the sun falling out of the sky,the oceans drying up,or all the volcanoes in the world erupting at once,I am to get  up with Zach ,because Rick will not be around.He will be in the woods at O Dark Thirty for the first day of deer hunting season(rifle-muzzleloader season already started,as well as bow season) In our section of NH,it is the only day for either sex. I am hopeful that one of the Menfolk will get a deer. We want to make some sausage,and some venison burger. Brother B was the last to get a deer,three years ago. Last year, they found a great area with good signs,and told a good friend about it. This good friend in turn told his son,who went to this spot,and nabbed a deer.Needless to say,this angered my hubby just a wee bit :) This year,after much scouting and good signs,they are going to keep the info to themselves. Two tree stands are up,and 6 deer trails are visible from the stands. The problem is finding good trails without lots of heavy foliage. We have some areas where the forest is quite thick. The Menfolk have been very vigilant in scouting areas,looking at their their game camera footage,and have actually jumped a few deer. Hopefully they will have good luck this year.

I forgot to post our Halloween photos from out Troop party,so here they are:

I went as a worn out whoopie cushion

Zach went as the "Scream" villian

Rick was the hit of the party,with his gilly suit and glowing eyes...he made a great swamp monster

Hope you have a lovely day on this fabulous Planet!

The Plague Part 2

Thank you old friends (and new!) for wishing that I get better soon. Saturday I slept most of the day. Yesterday I slept half the day and I had a fever of 100.2. This AM it's down to 100,so I guess I am getting there.I still have aches,scratchy throat,cough,and my headbone feels like it's on another planet. I had a horrible time sleeping last night,and I think it was a combo of the caffeine in the Excedrin Migraine I took around 7:00 PM ( had a horrible,shooting pain from my neck to my temples) and  the body aches I was having.Finally, around 2:30 AM,I fell asleep,but it was a rather fitful sleep.

Today I am at trying to sit up for a while (hence,blogging). I am enjoying English muffins with homemade strawberry jam and a nice cup of coffee.(We have to drink 1/2 decaf because of Rick)Yesterday my appetite was not very good,so I wound up nibbling a few times throughout the day. Last night I did enjoy some fresh scrambled eggs and a couple pieces of toast with ginger ale. Needless to say, I did miss my Breakfast Date with My Dear Friend Michelle :(

Our cat Moxie kept me company for most of the day yesterday,and Little O enjoyed sleeping on the cable box because it's nice and warm. Sasha,our little chocolate lab,curled up with me for a while. Zach, bless his heart,came in last night to wish me good night,but he kept his distance "I would give you a hug and a kiss Mumma,but I don't want to get sick." So he gave the air a hug and blew me a good night kiss.

Rick does not like it when I am sick. He says he feels helpless,since there is nothing he can do. It stinks when loved ones are sick,because all you can is wait it out.

It looks like a beautiful day out there today.Hopefully in a few days I will be up to snuff and  will be able to get my Halloween decorations down,and I can make my pumpkin puree from our sugar pumpkins.

Enjoy your day!

The Plague

Well, after a week of my body fighting something,it has finally succumbed.  I just didn't feel right,but nothing full blown came out of it,until yesterday.

I have the plague.

Headache,sore throat,achy body,stomach feeling rather on the funky side,cough...yep,I have it.I am suppose to meet My Dear Friend Michelle for breakfast tomorrow. I hope I will feel better by then. I enjoy our girl time. She,like me,lives in a house of testosterone.The only difference is,where I have two adult males and one young'un,she has two young'uns and one adult male.

Today is the day for nighttime cold medicine and bed to try and shake it off. I don't like not feeling well.I always feel like I let my family down. The house is still in somewhat of a messy state from all the work this past week. I guess it will have to sit yet another day.


I will be a good dobee and wash the dishes,at least. Then I am going to guzzle some nighttime cold medicine and call it a day.

Enjoy your day on this lovely planet,where ever you may be!!!

Kitchen Redo-The Floor

It's been a few days since I have posted,and some of that is due to Zach using my camera for some Computer class thing he was doing,so he had to bring my camera to school. Yes,he does have his own $20 cheapy digital-but apparently it is missing in the mess of his room. I would forget to get it back from him,so....days have gone by. Also,the floor did take some time to prep. The floor leveler would take overnight to dry,then he had to lay down another layer of leveler,then some quick skim in areas.The day the floor was being laid,his helper was sick,so it took a bit longer. Then we decided to put this new flooring in our hallway as well,so there was more continuity,which meant a small area needed to be leveled yet again. At any rate,the project which was started on Saturday finally ended yesterday,Thursday.

Since I didn't have my camera during the day,I couldn't take photos of the actual floor laying,I could only take after photos. We did have to take up the mopboards,but we are going to replace them anyway.They are quite wide. We will put the same size as the ones we put in the living room.

To recap:

Our sad looking floor as she was

Scrape up those tiles!

Getting rid of the slope required two layers of leveler-still a bit of slope,but no where near as bad

Leveler drying and skim areas

Looks like a big piece of cement!

Little Smokey is lost and has no clue as to what it is going on

New floor! View from by the woodstove......

....and view from the sink area

Now we have the fun of putting our appliances back. You can see the stove is back.Rick does not want to move the fridge until we get our new one because he wants to keep moving heavy objects onto the floor at a minimum.(Our fridge is in the living room behind his recliner-convenient for him!)

 We are going to invest in stainless steel appliances. If you look to the photo above,you see our stove is not in the ideal position-right under the cabinets. There is nowhere for steam to go except on the under side of the cabinet,which then drips down. Yuck. We are going to put the stove on the wall where our coats are hung,and put a cabinet in the space where the stove is now. Our fridge will go in the spot across from that area,on the other side of the brick chimney (the spot we had it). We are going to build a small closet for our coats,etc next to the fridge,and when our mud room is done next year,we can keep our coats,etc our there,and the closet will be used for mops,ironing board,etc. One of my goals is to have the trash kept out of the way,maybe in an under the counter cabinet...you know,one of those pull out trash bins thingymabobbies. I would also like an over the stove microwave to help save counter space.Did I mention new countertops possibly?

This what needs to be done:
-Pull down ceiling tiles and put up dry wall
-Take down any remaining mopboards and replace
-Take down fake beadboard and replace with drywall
-Take out window where the stove is going? ( Depends on space)
-New appliances (stove,fridge,microwave)
-Possible new counter tops
-New sink with new hardware (pot filler faucet!)
-New closet
-New back splash
-New trim around the windows and doors ( we have some left over from our living room redo)
-New ceiling fan to help disperse the woodstove heat
-New light over the sink
-Paint the kitchen are the same color as the dining area

That's it. :)

Hope your day is going well!!!!!