Lights flashing, music playing, sirens winding, they pass out candy canes and goodwill in equal measure.
A bittersweet night, with thoughts of a fellow small town that is mourning and grieving beyond all comprehension.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
our town
I love our little town, never more so than nights like tonight when our volunteer firemen drive around the township, with Santa on board.
Lights flashing, music playing, sirens winding, they pass out candy canes and goodwill in equal measure.
A bittersweet night, with thoughts of a fellow small town that is mourning and grieving beyond all comprehension.
Lights flashing, music playing, sirens winding, they pass out candy canes and goodwill in equal measure.
A bittersweet night, with thoughts of a fellow small town that is mourning and grieving beyond all comprehension.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
quick holiday meal
The holiday crazies are upon us in earnest... only 12 shopping days until Christmas! I needed to make a serious dent in my list, and spent most of today whittling away at it. Meanwhile the boy activities don't quit—in fact, they are busier than ever—and tonight's dinner posed a particular challenge because I had to feed five people at three different times. I found this on the internet, revised it a little based on what I had in my pantry, and thought I would share it in case it could help you out as well.
Total prep time was about 15 minutes, baking time was 30 minutes. You could make it in the morning and throw it in the fridge, but you might need to bake it slightly longer as a result.
It's that time of year—no pictures with this one. Besides, my eldest son's review was "it really doesn't look that great, but it's delicious." So I figured pictures were superfluous. It's the perfect quick and somewhat nutritious holiday meal. OK, so not particularly nutritious, but at least they get some veggies in them.
Ingredients
stuffing (I used Pepperidge Farms, but whatever you have in your pantry should do)
1 can chicken broth
1 can cream of mushroom soup (or cream of chicken, or cheddar/broccoli...)
2 heads fresh broccoli (or 1 bag frozen)
1.5 lb chicken breasts
1/2 C milk (or whatever amount looks right; I just glugged it in)
4 T butter
1 T dried chopped onion
1/2 C chedder or mozzarella cheese (I used cheddar)
salt/pepper to taste
Start chicken breasts cooking. I put mine into a fry pan with water, white wine, a little chicken base and salt and pepper, but you could also grill them.
Clean broccoli (if fresh) and steam (I put mine into the microwave to cook).
Melt butter in separate saucepan, and then quickly fry dried onion in butter to hydrate (or if you have a better stocked kitchen, saute chopped onions and celery in the butter). Take pan off heat and add 4C stuffing and the can of chicken broth; cover and let sit while you finish up the rest. If you are using Stovetop, just follow the instructions on the box.
When chicken is fully cooked, cut into 1 in pieces and add to mixing bowl with broccoli, soup and milk; stir to combine. Spray casserole dish with cooking spray so you don't have an ungodly mess to clean up later and then pour this mixture in bottom. Top with stuffing and then sprinkle cheese on top.
Cook at 350 degrees F for about 30-40 minutes, until cheese is melted and chicken/broccoli mixture is bubbly.
Tell your kids to ignore how it looks and just try it. My littlest, pickiest eater had three helpings.
Total prep time was about 15 minutes, baking time was 30 minutes. You could make it in the morning and throw it in the fridge, but you might need to bake it slightly longer as a result.
It's that time of year—no pictures with this one. Besides, my eldest son's review was "it really doesn't look that great, but it's delicious." So I figured pictures were superfluous. It's the perfect quick and somewhat nutritious holiday meal. OK, so not particularly nutritious, but at least they get some veggies in them.
Ingredients
stuffing (I used Pepperidge Farms, but whatever you have in your pantry should do)
1 can chicken broth
1 can cream of mushroom soup (or cream of chicken, or cheddar/broccoli...)
2 heads fresh broccoli (or 1 bag frozen)
1.5 lb chicken breasts
1/2 C milk (or whatever amount looks right; I just glugged it in)
4 T butter
1 T dried chopped onion
1/2 C chedder or mozzarella cheese (I used cheddar)
salt/pepper to taste
Start chicken breasts cooking. I put mine into a fry pan with water, white wine, a little chicken base and salt and pepper, but you could also grill them.
Clean broccoli (if fresh) and steam (I put mine into the microwave to cook).
Melt butter in separate saucepan, and then quickly fry dried onion in butter to hydrate (or if you have a better stocked kitchen, saute chopped onions and celery in the butter). Take pan off heat and add 4C stuffing and the can of chicken broth; cover and let sit while you finish up the rest. If you are using Stovetop, just follow the instructions on the box.
When chicken is fully cooked, cut into 1 in pieces and add to mixing bowl with broccoli, soup and milk; stir to combine. Spray casserole dish with cooking spray so you don't have an ungodly mess to clean up later and then pour this mixture in bottom. Top with stuffing and then sprinkle cheese on top.
Cook at 350 degrees F for about 30-40 minutes, until cheese is melted and chicken/broccoli mixture is bubbly.
Tell your kids to ignore how it looks and just try it. My littlest, pickiest eater had three helpings.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
brotherly love
Haven't said too much about Christmas crafting this year, mostly because I am doing very little of it. I have one little surprise up my sleeve, and I am just waiting for a sunny day to get good pictures, but other than that, things are very quiet on that front. I also managed to get not one, but two photo books done for the boys: last year, as is the tradition, plus 2007, to catch up a little.
A little holiday prep is happening... No tree yet, because it hasn't stopped raining long enough for them to dry out. Plus the older two are working at a tree stand, and it is mighty difficult to get everyone together during daylight hours.
I am grateful that I have boys with such a good work ethic, but a bit melancholy that it is taking them away so much this season. My disappointment is nothing compared to Terzo's. In a taste of things to come, he is feeling quite abandoned.
I did grab all three long enough to get them interested in making cut-out cookies tonight, while waiting for my parents to come over for dinner. The dough had been sitting in the fridge for two days, since they lost interest in the project on Sunday, and I was afraid it was going to start growing undesirables.
Don't be fooled by the five seconds of harmony captured by the camera.
The middle one, amazingly enough given his rocky early years, is the only even keel these days. He patiently rolled and cut and decorated as the sturm and drang unfolded around him.
The picture was taken just after the littlest one cried (and tried to flounce off) because the older two were picking on him for his cookie cutting skills, and just before the big one took offense (and did flounce off for a while) because the little one smacked his hand for eating cookie dough.
I've learned to take five seconds of brotherly togetherness when it happens, because that's about all we get these days. Come next year, I will re-discover these pictures when I am putting together the album for 2012, and stick them in. Hopefully the flouncing will be forgotten by then, thanks to lack of documentation. Memories are a lot how you make them.
A little holiday prep is happening... No tree yet, because it hasn't stopped raining long enough for them to dry out. Plus the older two are working at a tree stand, and it is mighty difficult to get everyone together during daylight hours.
I am grateful that I have boys with such a good work ethic, but a bit melancholy that it is taking them away so much this season. My disappointment is nothing compared to Terzo's. In a taste of things to come, he is feeling quite abandoned.
I did grab all three long enough to get them interested in making cut-out cookies tonight, while waiting for my parents to come over for dinner. The dough had been sitting in the fridge for two days, since they lost interest in the project on Sunday, and I was afraid it was going to start growing undesirables.
Don't be fooled by the five seconds of harmony captured by the camera.
The middle one, amazingly enough given his rocky early years, is the only even keel these days. He patiently rolled and cut and decorated as the sturm and drang unfolded around him.
The picture was taken just after the littlest one cried (and tried to flounce off) because the older two were picking on him for his cookie cutting skills, and just before the big one took offense (and did flounce off for a while) because the little one smacked his hand for eating cookie dough.
I've learned to take five seconds of brotherly togetherness when it happens, because that's about all we get these days. Come next year, I will re-discover these pictures when I am putting together the album for 2012, and stick them in. Hopefully the flouncing will be forgotten by then, thanks to lack of documentation. Memories are a lot how you make them.
Monday, December 10, 2012
chicken saddle plans
For those of you who had questions about the details of a chicken saddle... Unfortunately I couldn't take better pictures of our saddles, because I loaned them out! I did find this excellent detailed pattern, however, and hopefully seeing the saddle off the chicken will be helpful.
I will note that the saddles we had were a denim fabric, did not have fusible interfacing, and were not folded in half like the pattern. If your problem is due to a rooster (ours was not), then I can see how a stronger fabric would be preferable.
Happy saddles!
I will note that the saddles we had were a denim fabric, did not have fusible interfacing, and were not folded in half like the pattern. If your problem is due to a rooster (ours was not), then I can see how a stronger fabric would be preferable.
Happy saddles!
Friday, December 7, 2012
chicken dressing
Being the leader of a 4-H livestock club means I get asked questions from time to time about various animal ailments. Sometimes I know the answer, sometimes I don't—but most of the time if I don't, I do at least know someone who may!
Such was the case with a problem that a new member mentioned yesterday. One of his chickens had lost the feathers on her back and was being pecked by the other hens as a result. The problem with chickens is once one of them has a red, bare spot, the others won't leave it alone. The term "hen-pecked" has a basis in truth, though it usually doesn't apply to their behavior towards roosters, but instead other hens!
We had the same problem last year, and we had tried all kinds of anti-peck ointments with little positive result. Luckily my friend Robin, who is a chicken expert, happened to see them one day and told me what I needed was chicken saddles.
Yes. That is quite an image that comes to mind. But they aren't what you think.
Chicken saddles are little shaped pieces of fabric, designed to cover the back of the chicken in between the wings. A little piece of elastic is attached to each side of the fabric. The elastic goes around the base of the wing (a surprisingly narrow attachment) and attaches with a snap to hold the fabric in place. They are also called chicken aprons, which I think they more closely resemble, except they sit on the chicken's back.
Very stylish, non?
The saddles worked like a charm. When we took them off a couple of months later, the back feathers had grown in nice and healthy. We haven't had the same problem since, knock on wood.
Unfortunately, the woman who made the beautiful saddles is no longer accepting new orders! If I had known that, I am not sure I would have lent them out. As you can see, they are works of art, and she chose the designs specifically with our farm in mind.
So now when you hear the words "chicken dressing," a whole new image will spring to mind!
Such was the case with a problem that a new member mentioned yesterday. One of his chickens had lost the feathers on her back and was being pecked by the other hens as a result. The problem with chickens is once one of them has a red, bare spot, the others won't leave it alone. The term "hen-pecked" has a basis in truth, though it usually doesn't apply to their behavior towards roosters, but instead other hens!
We had the same problem last year, and we had tried all kinds of anti-peck ointments with little positive result. Luckily my friend Robin, who is a chicken expert, happened to see them one day and told me what I needed was chicken saddles.
Yes. That is quite an image that comes to mind. But they aren't what you think.
Chicken saddles are little shaped pieces of fabric, designed to cover the back of the chicken in between the wings. A little piece of elastic is attached to each side of the fabric. The elastic goes around the base of the wing (a surprisingly narrow attachment) and attaches with a snap to hold the fabric in place. They are also called chicken aprons, which I think they more closely resemble, except they sit on the chicken's back.
Very stylish, non?
The saddles worked like a charm. When we took them off a couple of months later, the back feathers had grown in nice and healthy. We haven't had the same problem since, knock on wood.
Unfortunately, the woman who made the beautiful saddles is no longer accepting new orders! If I had known that, I am not sure I would have lent them out. As you can see, they are works of art, and she chose the designs specifically with our farm in mind.
So now when you hear the words "chicken dressing," a whole new image will spring to mind!
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
cousins
Going through photos from this year to put together the annual holiday letter and came across this gem from July.
Big cousins looking out for little cousins, and little cousins looking up to big cousins.
Big cousins looking out for little cousins, and little cousins looking up to big cousins.
Monday, December 3, 2012
car elf
A beautiful sunrise through thick fog this morning...
It called for a quick picture (quick! before the sun gets up too far and ruins it!) but I had one problem: my car was in the frame and I was in my pjs and bare feet.
Actually, no problem after all, because now I have a car elf, aka Primo, who was up and dressed for school. I dispatched my car elf to move the car out of the way, I got the shot, he put it back and even returned the keys to their rightful spot.
Ha ha ha! Just kidding about that last one.
I have discovered that a car elf is all kinds of useful. In addition to getting his own butt to work and girlfriend's house and cross country practice, a car elf can take his brothers to their piano lessons, stop at the store for milk, and pick up pizza for dinner.
The only problem is that a car elf doesn't limit himself to service of his mother's driving needs, and more's the pity. The car elf also decided he was driving himself to school today, for the first time, in that thick soupy fog.
That, plus the fact that the car elf has a girlfriend to drive around with unsupervised, is enough to make any mother rethink the advantages of the situation. The loss of sleep may outweigh any perceived benefits.
It called for a quick picture (quick! before the sun gets up too far and ruins it!) but I had one problem: my car was in the frame and I was in my pjs and bare feet.
Actually, no problem after all, because now I have a car elf, aka Primo, who was up and dressed for school. I dispatched my car elf to move the car out of the way, I got the shot, he put it back and even returned the keys to their rightful spot.
Ha ha ha! Just kidding about that last one.
I have discovered that a car elf is all kinds of useful. In addition to getting his own butt to work and girlfriend's house and cross country practice, a car elf can take his brothers to their piano lessons, stop at the store for milk, and pick up pizza for dinner.
The only problem is that a car elf doesn't limit himself to service of his mother's driving needs, and more's the pity. The car elf also decided he was driving himself to school today, for the first time, in that thick soupy fog.
That, plus the fact that the car elf has a girlfriend to drive around with unsupervised, is enough to make any mother rethink the advantages of the situation. The loss of sleep may outweigh any perceived benefits.
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