Thankful Thursday

Thankfully I was able to sleep until 9 am Of course Thankfully the alarm went off at 6 am to go put the turkey in the oven. Thankfully I had it all ready to put in the oven yesterday. Bagged in the oven bake bag and all softened butter covered.

Thankfully When I awoke I had enough wits about me to make Dash the "Top Hat" he so desired.

Thankfully a wonderfully full and abundant package from Dee...From the apron exchange greeted me as I entered into the kitchen. Graciously it was so full of so many good things. In it were the most beautiful hand embroidered table cover "Give thanks" so cute! Now I have been pining over "Gracious Hospitality's" needle work and here ...What a thoughtful and gracious gift from Dee...How did you know I love needle work? Also a great hand crochet wash cloth a little bird must of told her how much I love these things( Jaye is that so amazing? Dee I told Jaye I wish I had some of these... A wonderfully penned note too. Your work is beautiful Dear Lady and your heart so kind. Thank you Thank you Thank you! Mary Englebright notepad that is so me with a Victorian porch, bird feeder and gardening tools and a sweet little frame of Mary Englebright design. A girl putting a heart into a box labeled life. Now this is amazing I had these in my hands a few weeks ago and was going to purchase them as Christmas gifts, but in my diligence and respect to budget replaced them on the shelf at the store with a little "God these are so cute ...but I let them go..." Hear they are Dee right back in my hand! too perfect. Oh Oh and on the envelope... a SUNFLOWER!

Oh The Apron! Wow it is so beautiful. I wore a matching dress! I have a beautiful purple apron! Just beautiful! Sweet little buttons adorn the bib, and sweet green buttons the straps and ties. It is so vibrant and I felt so good in it today! It looks like part of my dress. I had the picture in my jammies.


What a beautiful apron she sent me made with the loving kindness that rang out form her hands.
"Daddy Man" let Beauty use an old camera to capture the day

Thankfully the potatoes all got pealed and the yams slices The stove cooked an steamed out the joy of abundance. Thankfully at 10:45 I had a hot shower to go and bask in, while my guest who were due at 11 am were delayed. When I got out of the shower One of the prettiest Turkeys I have ever done awaited me in the oven!

My MILove, FILove and BILove all arrived as I pulled it out of the oven. Everything was ready! See the beautiful "Round of Rolls BILove brought. He brings these from a bakery down in Tucson every year. Everyone is so excited about the rolls.
Kailani I opened the Macadamia Nuts they are wonderful and everyone found joy in this delightful Hawaiian treat!

I had the extra gravy that I had made on Saturday ready to heat.

Last Saturday I made the gallon of this delight, I had more time this morning

MILove brought two pumpkin pies made with soy milk just for Dash and I to be able to have them. And lemon merang (two of them) Oh man YUM! She also made cole slaw (so good and fresh and crunchy! Whole Cranberry Sauce too!
Beauty and her did their traditional whipping of the cream, a wonderful grand mother grand daughter time. While the young men (including Dash) went to test drive BILove's new car (it replaced the car that was totaled when he was painfully rear ended at a stop light).


Dash read his TWO books he wrote yesterday and illustrated (Attack of the Evil Pants Part one and two) with top hat, dress shirt and pants oh! he was cute!

Beauty and Grandma had a knitting lesson.
We had a very relaxed afternoon.
I dare say it was one of the nicest Thanksgivings I recall.
We had a great time.
Daddy Man and the kids are playing a computer game and I sit and relax a bit.
In my apron
Thank you Dee, I am thankful to your for you loving kindness and generosity.

Wordless Wedensday *blessed*

Happy Thanks Giving to all of you Dear Readers

Works for me...Turkey soup stock (continued)

this post is continued from here "rendering your Turkey Carcass"
Remember last night with the veggies cooking and then it resting overnight out in the refrigerator out in the garage. Well I cooked them 2 more hours this morning.

Using my trusty masher ( love this old tool) I mash them part way. Just to break them up a bit.

This is an antique ricer. I love this old tool. It was discovered in an antique shop many a moon ago. Placing my Huge pop corn bowl (that was what it was always used for before Beauty got her retainer) from years pass. I will ladle in the vegetable laden broth to be riced. A blender can be used but you do not get the same broth. It would need to be strained in cheese cloth.

It removes all the fibers yet the nutrients are sustained in the base or broth. Toss all the fibers or give them to farm animals if you have them. Do not put them in your compost for there is meat mixed into it you know.

Liquid Gold!

Now if you can it or put it up then wash your jars in the dishwasher.

Some of these are recycled from a popular tomato sauce I got on clearance ( I have so many jars all sizes they are great for all sorts of uses) . There was a day, and will be again, I'm sure when I made my own spaghetti sauce. For now I am doing this:) Drinking China Green Tea with Acai (ah-sigh-EE) Berries Yum!

I use my funnel and over fill just above shoulder (I will be skimming off the fat) it will be lowered after the skim.

For example this is my yield. Do you remember the 6 cups of meat? Fill it up with broth and use a chop stick to poke it into the meat the broth will settle and then fill with a little head room . This will be frozen for use later. I use a wax china marker to label date and what is in it. the 6 cup took 1/2 QT or a pint

Now for soup. Dash requested this so I'll add His favorite things to it. My Herbes de Provence=rosemary,marjoram, thyme and savory Secrete ingredient CURRY Perfect with turkey! I also added some "Hiziki" , it is a sea Vegetable hand harvested wild (it is good for the thyroid. Green beens add the water ,but use a bowl to pour the beans in first to check that the can is pure. Many things can get in a combine. It is important if you are not canning your own to watch out for others mistakes. It would be a bad thing to pollute your soup pot. Carrots I accidentally made mine shredded (the blade was upside down on my processor) so I just went with the flow. sea salt (iodine) Later I will add the abc pasta

Remember the 5 cups of meat I trimmed from the carcass...? Well I used up the bits that are not fitting for a sandwich

Boil this a while and hour or so then add in the Pealed and diced Sweet potatoes

Just a note. I taught Beauty to stabilize her "to be" diced to items first. Saves the fingers.

You will need to skim off the top of the pot. This is the foam from the carrots and the oils.

This is the rest of the sliced meat, I poured a pint of stock over. It will mull in the refer and then... The best , most moist Lunch meat ever!

I have only 1 and 1/2 QT of stock left.
It will be used on the mashed potatoes and the gravy rendering.
Happy Thanks Giving!

Care and keeping of Leaded Crystal stemware

My Crystal stemware has a little secrete... They were seconds. That means many years ago when I purchased them I got them for .99 cents a glass. We had a wonderful old store that has many years ago gone out of business. They had a lot of seconds or imperfects.
Many people have wedding registries and such. Well for us it was a different day. Only the very wealthy did such things and weddings were more about the marriage than the wedding day. I digress...
This is leaded stem ware. Very beautiful, but if you were to look very carefully they are not perfect. Much like me and each one of us. A little slanted or misshapen. Yet to me I think they are beautiful for nothing is really perfect. For even the flawless stem ware comes with a very hefty price tag, the stress of using it for it might get broken and so there you have it.
Anyway... I wash them by hand, one at a time . Do not put them in a sink unless you have a cloth in the base of your sink. I dry them by hand over a folded bath towel . If one should happen to slip your grip the doubly folded towel will preserve it should it fall.
Never place Leaded Crystal Stem ware in the dishwasher. If they tap one another they can shatter.

Tails from the scales Weel #8 Oh the shame!

193 starting

191 week one

191 week two (at 189 on Friday) First Synvisk Injestion

193 week three Second injection

190 week four (189 peeked at me) Third Injection

192 week five

188 week six

189 week seven

192 week eight (most of it lining my colon)

Well... Wheat! Stick to the colon WHEAT! Candy! Sweet to the tooth and oh well I screwed up anyway what the heck... Candy.
Gravy(made with wheat), russets, yams, Corn bread more wheat and corn too all avoids. No walking just working here on the house and the meetings Stress. The kids had the MET for the IEP that is special needs kids educational intervention stuff. Oh! the stress and emotional roller coaster.
Shame! I just fell into the reward myself I worked so hard (with stuff that are allergy things) and the candy too. I am sad about it and posting this was no fun either!
Hubby said it is good for me. He can not have chocolate due to migraines... he thinks this a good lesson to see how the wheat makes me feel too. I have been very stiff and achy. I think he is right but it feels so familiar to beet myself up then I will have paid for my mistake. Hubby thinks the lesson is well learned so why say with being mean. Old ways die hard. I m doing better today with caring for myself. It is such a pain to have to eat stuff that no one else has too. whine~~~~~~~~~~

The care and keeping of flat ware.

This is a full set of 24 Gold toned flat ware. Looks pricey but it too has a little secrete. It also has a story for those of you who are enjoying getting to know more about me. When I was a girl like my sister before me, our Mother kept a "Hope Chest" for us. Our Mother had an "old school" heart. From many years back in the hills of Tennessee it was the way for every girl to have a trunk or hope chest to fill and dream of marriage and of her wedding day. To pretend of having her own home. It helped a girl to transition from her parents home to her own. This tradition was passed to us. My Mother often took in trade for food at the Cafe in those very early years (I was infant -5 years of age) , and then during my youth the gas stations were the prime place for barter. Could you imagine being able to trade something for fuel. Momma was raised during the Great Depression. She was beloved by her customers. So Often the things in our hope chest were barter. She had a good eye too. Once her and my Step Dad Had a fellow trading a set of flat ware much like these. My step dad got them for me. It was one of the nicest things he had ever done for me. I was a young teen ager at the time 16 maybe. They were busy about filling my hope chest for they were old and tired of being parents and looked forward to the empty nest.(it was bitter sweet for me). Well that set was gone after a thief took them long story.

So once many years ago remembering my step Dad's rare kindness I has asked God if there was a way someday if I could have them again. Well I found the two sets at a close out sale for under $20 each and had to have them. They are a treasured gift from both my real Dad (God) and the memory of what my step Dad might of been like if he had lived without such a wounded heart.

I NEVER wash them in the dishwasher they will ruin. I lost one serving spoon this way (it slipped through). They must be rinsed too because acidic foods will ruin the finish. I then place them out to drain a bit and then towel dry them. They are counted as they are put away. Folks are often accustomed to plastic and they have been thrown away. I had one fork missing so I knew to watch out for it and found it today as I was loading the dishwasher. Keeping an eye out for it it was preserved from the dishwasher.

If yours are silver there are some wonderful anti tarnish papers made by 3M

Turkey Carcass Rendering

Did you know most folks trow away the carcass of the thanks giving turkey. Well after I carve mine and set it out on the platter, I refrigerate the carcass for the next day to get the rest of the meat off of it. You will be surprised how much meat is still on there. Your hard earned dollars down the trash. A birds short lived life thrown out without the full appreciation of all that it has to give to sustain you and your family.

After the carcass is well cooled I begin my work.
Begin by removing the thighs, and slicing the meat off of it.
then remove all the waste (skin and marble of fat)
Now as you remove the easy to get to meats put the bones that have all the meat adhering to them in a big pot.
Fill your pot with good water. Boil it for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The meat will just fall off easy. Save the liquid this is a soup makers gold.

At this point I have around 5 cups of good meat for stove top meals and sliced for sandwiches as well. Put this meat up in the refer for now. (later at the end of the stock process it is a good idea to cover the meat in broth before freezing. Great soup starters or enchiladas etc.

While this is cooking cut up any left over root veggies you have. The butt from the celery (wash it) These veggies are just for flavoring and supplementing your stock. They will be tossed at the end of process. This is a basic soup stock starter. No need to peal the carrots. I have a very large white onion, 1 leek, some left over raw broccoli, the celery butt from my stuffing and an entire head of garlic heads. I take the skin off my garlic just because it makes it easier for me later.

Now I bag all this washed and coarse cut roots and such.

Put it in the ice box for later.

Cover with water as needed for it will evaporate.

See how rich it is already!

Next process. Using a slotted spoon if you have one or a tongs first for the big bones remove the bones, pull of the meat as you go if it comes easy. Set meaty bones aside. Now strain out all the meat from the broth, set aside to cool a little . (or a lot if you have tender hands). Clean off all the meat from your bones. Toss the bones in the baggie that the veggies were in. This is good practice and recycling too. As I put the meat into a plastic storage container I remove any skin, bone or blood form the meat. (I do not eat blood).

All the while now the veggies are boiling. Tomorrow I will strain out all the veggies. I will then have a very rich soup stock to use as a base for the soup that Dash requested for supper tomorrow night. I will continue the lesson then.

I rendered about 6 cups meat off the boil
and about another 5 cups meat off the slice
That is 11 cups ladies, that was not tossed out as so many do. Yes, It is a bit of work but so is driving to the office each day earning the money no one wants to throw away.
The 24 (apx) pound bird fed 23 and that is with seconds and thirds for a few. We had another 8 plates off of it too. We also made turkey enchiladas tonight with left overs. I paid $12. I think for the bird @ .49cent a pound

Oh The things we do for love...
I feel honored to have the foods set before me to prepare. When I was a child we were not so fortunate. Taken for granted are the things before us. It is often in desperation that folks stop to realize what they can do with what they have.
Why wait, stave off desperation with being a grateful partaker of all that is good. Even if it might require a little more effort. I'll tell you what, The food scientist have devised ways to offer these flavors to restaurant customers.Taste great but it is like eating poison. This is how we old school girls do it. Generation to generation.

It smells so good in here!

Tagged by Tiff

Tiff form "three peas in a pod" tagged me yesterday for seven random things about me.


1. My favorite color is purple. It is the color of the robes that were used in the old testament tabernacle. I think of it with the pomegranates on the fringe and it is so royal but in the form of worship and service. I think those two character traits are royal. My Mothers favorite color was purple too. The children often make note of it. Just this week I led the Purple group at the field trip I went on with Beauty.

2. I love Silver on me rather than gold. It really stands out on my olive completion. Copper is pretty to. I have studied color extensively. I know how to do color analysis for wardrobe and make-up. In the color pallet seasons I am a Summer with the need for mid range tones.

3. I ware very little make up. Mascara and skin tone eye shadow with a vanilla color at the brow. A little gel blush and powder foundation compact. Thats it. A little gloss with a neutral lip liner.

4. I do not like perfume because I have asthma and allergies. I can not use hairspray either for the same reason. All my products are unscented. I do however enjoy some natural essence oils.

5. For breakfast I either have a bowl of flax and whet free grains or 1 egg and green tea or ginger tea.

6. I really enjoy the quiet. I almost lost my hearing many years ago. At Mayo Clinic i was one of the first patients to under go a procedure where they took my ear off surgically and built a ear drum out of my own tissue. I had the hearing restored to my right ear. It is not real good but I am able to hear out of it. I look sign language (ASL) because I thought I might become deaf. I was left however with nerve damage and so the volume of my children physically hurts me. I will sometimes use an ear plug to stop the pain of the noise. I really enjoy how it feels in the quiet. Sometimes I cry about it a little because I really love the sounds of life they echo.

7. I really love being organized but I have to let others in my home be who they are. It is so frustrating to fix up a room only to see it undone. I have to just walk away. It takes a lot for me to face these places in my home when I know it will be so short lived for such hard work. Kids bedrooms :)

So Tiff there you have it a few more tidd-bits about me. Thanks for asking. Feel free to inquire any time.

I need to tag others... I will get back to this.

Tackle It Tuesday

Finished it! wahoo!

I got the lunch fo my beloved made the dogs fed and now it is time to wake the kids up to begin the day. I have therapy for my knee this morning for 2 hours or so. I do a good exercise work out.(The office was very slow so I was able to do my work there quickly. I had the good news that my knee ,though fatigued handled the stress well. The swelling was down and I proved I can work it and recover well. This is good news!) Lord help me I need to find a little energy today. :) (I promised a fellow knee patient that I would just stop at the store to get the only things I needed and go home and nap. Well I laid down and fell asleep hard, 10 minutes later the phone rang and no one left a message by then I was up in the kichen trying to find a hand set. I was awake... So I crafted and sewed)

First things first. I have been indulging in Avoids and so I have worked myself into a b=very bad allergic headache. That and I hit my head so hard on the bus yesterday that the teacher heard my neck crack. (I gave myself whiplash says the therapist they treated my neck with a heat pack and told me to ice at the base of my skull, can you believe it!) I have been up in pain most the night. So I got the antihistamine the immunologist gave me on board too.

Christmas is fast approching so I have aprons and many other projects in the cue.

Clothing and Christmas jammies are on the list.

for fun this little tree for table top It is a soft sculpture.

I was able to cut out and search out several projects to work on this week and next.
I will post some of them.

I have to clear this up (DONE)and redo the dining table linens. To wash ,Iron and reset the table.(Done)

I'll do a different display I think

I traded out some of the other decerations

I wanted to do it differently and with a smaller party I was able to use a larger center piece.
The pumpkin soft sculpture I made some years ago. It was a fund raiser where you meet with a group and everyone makes two and keeps one. We then sold the others to fund raise for a local adoption agency.

Not having a big buffet this arrangement fills this space with much enjoyed color!

Yet to do.

My fine flat ware is suffering too I need to tend to it.