Tag Questions

Grandma answered these questions in her blog, so I thought it would be fun to answer them too.

1. What is your biggest pet peeve?

Neighbors who burn trash, allow their dogs to drag trash into my yard and chase my cats, and who allow garbage and junk to gather all over their lawn like they live in a landfill.


2. Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out?

I sleep with my sheets tucked out. I like to slip my feet out from under the covers sometimes.

3. Do you think it's OK for guys to wear pink?

Most men I know wouldn’t dare. As for me, I don’t mind.


4. Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some?

It wouldn’t be hidden for long if I shared where I put it.


5. Do you have any magazine subscriptions?

Yes, and some are good until 2015. Not sure how that happened.

6. What is your song of the week?

“Danny Boy” has been in my head all week. I heard it in a movie and it hasn’t gone away yet.

7. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?

One day last week. I mailed some recipes to my sister with a note. She refuses to buy a computer.

8. What country would you like to visit?

I’d like to go to Prince Edward Island in Canada. I’d like to visit the home of my favorite author, Lucy Maude Montgomery.

Love that Scent!

I had bought a bag of yellow delicious apples awhile back. They have all had time to ripen and so I decided today that I best do something with them before they spoil. Apple butter in the crock pot sounded like a quick and easy solution. Here's my recipe for it:

CROCK POT APPLE BUTTER

7 apples
1 1/2 cups sugar (You can use 1 cup or less if you don't like it as sweet.)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 cup water or fresh apple cider

Fill crock pot with peeled, cored and sliced apples. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until evenly mixed. Cover and cook on low setting overnight or until the butter is of a thick, spreadable consistency. (4 hours on the HI setting works well too.)
If the apple butter has too much liquid, remove lid and cook on high until thickened. Stir often as butter thickens to prevent scorching.
Store in refrigerator for up to 6 weeks. Freeze for longer storage.
To can the apple butter, pack into hot jars leaving 1/4-inch headspace and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

This recipe makes just a little over a pint.

The house will smell awesome during that cooking time too.

Family and Fun

My sister and her family went to the zoo and a local park over the weekend. She took some pics of Hunter with his mother Megan along with a few others.

Hunter and his mom, Megan.




Hunter with his grandparents.

I spent the day cutting out blocks and batting for the next rag quilt. I hope to start sewing it tomorrow.

These cold fronts keep coming and each morning I'm so stiff, I walk like Frankenstein. I guess this is a good time of year for it.
Hunter is going to be Dracula for Halloween this year. I can't wait to get pics of him in that costume. lol

Chilly Mornings

The mornings have been chilly with autumn now in full swing.


We've yet to have that first killing frost, but the temps have dropped dangerously close.




We weren't able to find homes for Penny's kittens. One disappeared but the two red tabby males and the tortoise shell female is still here. We've named the red males "Boo Boo" and "Sammy". "Molly" seemed to fit the little female for some reason.

Boo Boo has bonded with me now and it's as though he was never afraid of people at all.


Sammy is still a little nervous but lets me pet him. Molly, on the other hand, is still terrified. I found out yesterday that a neighbor's child has been chasing her. I've put a stop to that so hopefully, she too will now calm down and trust me eventually.

I've made them a nice warm bed on the deck with blankets inside a large cage and with sheets and blankets covering it to keep the wind out. They all crawl inside at night and cuddle until morning. They will be fine there on those cold winter nights.

I've been pouring over my cookbooks to find some welcoming comfort foods to surprise Ray with after a long day at work. I want his home to be warm and inviting like my mother made ours.

I can remember as a child coming home from school to a warm house with misty windows.


I could smell her chili simmering on the stove from the other end of the house and could hardly wait until dinner time.

I've found recipes for chicken pot pies, chicken and dumplings and tempting beef stews too. It's going to be a tasty fall and winter. :)

Autumn in Hitchins

Here are a few pics I managed to take this morning.

Finished the Candle Mat

Finally finished the candle mat today.

I was going to hand quilt it but couldn't find my frame so I used the sewing machine instead. I don't think it's too bad for a first try at English Paper Piecing.

Been Busy

I've been working on a new project, and I must say, I'm rather pleased with it so far. It's a candle mat hand-worked with English Paper pieces. English Paper piecing is a traditional quilting method dating back to at least 1813.
My great-grandmother, Ophelia, left my grandmother a beautiful quilt she had made using that method. I believe the pattern was called "grandmother's flower garden. Each hexagon was the same size and pieced perfectly together. I just knew I could never come close to anything as beautiful as her quilt. That method requires loads of patience, but the results are stunning. I've got the top together and made a pattern for the rest of it, now all that's left is cutting the batting, the back and quilting it. I'll post a pic when it's finished.

Last night, around 9:00pm, I checked on the cats out on the deck before getting ready for bed. I found it odd that they were all sitting on the railing and looking up toward the woods. Then, I saw what they were watching.
I grabbed my camera so you could see them too.



It was funny watching both curious creatures checking out one another.



We watched them for a good half hour before they wandered back into the forest.

They Don't Speak for the Rest of Us

Watch us kick these communists to the curb on Nov. 2, 2010.