I Won’t Be a Survivor

First off, it’s Tuesday, and on Tuesday my friend Karaboo calls me.  She drives from one work location to another and if she times it right, I’m at lunch.  Plus, I work from home, of all of us, I’m the only one that doesn’t have someone looking over my shoulder frequently!

I look forward to our Tuesday chats, but today, today shows why we are friends.

She called and I told her that I was catching up on blog reading, and that there are some things that I just shouldn’t read.  This is a blog that I just recently started following, so I wasn’t that familiar with it, but I was reading and they had mentioned Doomsday Preppers and a year’s worth of food on hand.

That was all I had to say and Karaboo goes “I think I follow that blog, too!”

Great minds people great minds!

I was kinda freaking out because now I think I need a years supply of food – and as we discussed previously, my dad really does think that hoarding food is a good thing right now because our President is sending our country into a downward spiral.  So, between my dad, and now this blog… I was seriously wondering where to put this extra food!

Karaboo and I were talking, and I figured if the Zombie Apocalypse happened, well, Mr. T and I would head over to mom and dad’s (because of the aforementioned fact that dad is hoarding food).  So, maybe I don’t need my own stockpile.  Maybe.

Who am I kidding? I want this stockpile!

Then Karaboo mentioned that her kids have brought this subject up and asked what they would do and Karaboo told them honestly that she wasn’t worried because odds are, they won’t survive.

Here is another reason why we are good friends:  I was silent, I didn’t quite have a response for that, but Karaboo knew that inside my head I was going

WHAT?!?!  What do you mean?!? And why would you say that out loud?  What?!?

She let me know that if she’s learned anything from The Walking Dead, it’s that out of the billions on Earth, only about 3 dozen survived.  Odds are, we won’t be part of that 3 dozen.

Okay, when you put it that way… She’s right.  I won’t be a survivor.

I’ve officially decided that I don’t need that food stockpile.

But I won’t turn this down if you want to get me a gift!

Food, Shelter and Wi-fi

Hey everyone this is Mr.T, I have come to find out I am pretty popular on this whole blog thing, so I thought i would try it out, and give you some insight on what it is like to live with the dreaded Kate. For those who do not know and for those that do know, Kate is my mother, a pretty good one at that also. As all of you have probably experienced you know that she thinks that she is super funny in the things that she blogs about and can’t wait to tell me about  it when i get home from school.

How about we make a list of the benefits of living with Kate:

Food, Shelter, Wifi

Alright know let us a list of the down sides of living with Kate;

For starters she makes me clean my room, also you wont believe this part she makes me do the dishes every night after we eat supper. Now if you thought that was bad you are not going to believe this one, she makes me shower. I mean come on really, what teenage boy wants to waste his time showering when he can go and roll around in the middle of a highway.

All on all she is a pretty cool person, unless I am driving, then she is crazy, and i want to take the time to thank all of you who are reading this because you all have made her spend less time with me, and i mean what teenage boy does not want that? Am i right? Cmon if you do not laugh it just seems mean…

Tata

Taking Selfies before Selfies were Cool!

Okay, in a blatant disregard for my son’s privacy, I have to share these with you.

But first, the back story.

When we moved 4 or 5 years ago, I found several disposable cameras and a roll of film.  Back in the day, disposable camera’s were the way to go and Mr. T got one each time he went camping, or for field day at school – for tons of reasons.  Anyway, I just tossed these next to the photo albums for Future Kate to deal with.

Apparently Future Kate just became Today Kate.  Earlier this week I took them in and had photo CD’s made which I transferred to my computer so I could just make a photo book and be done with it.

Here is what I found on several rolls:

These are all when he was in elementary school – but don’t ask me to tell you what grade or age.  I’m so not that parent! But, I have to give Mr. T kudos – taking a selfie was a lot harder when you couldn’t see what you were actually taking a picture of!

Yes, this is my life!

Happy Friday everyone!

Things are Leeking Around Here

I have been getting the Bountiful Baskets the past several weeks. The premise is $50 worth of fruit and veggies for $15. I was originally skeptical, but Erica at Graced by Emilie talked me into it and I’m so glad she did! This is a volunteer food co-op and I highly recommend you check it out and see if they operate in your area.  I’ve loved this because it is supporting local and it is a great value. The program has also has forced me to make sure we have a fruit and veggie in every single meal!

In the last basket, I got leeks.

Thanks to Organic Gardening News for the image.

Now, I’ve cooked with leeks before, once… years ago.

Yes, I could have gone with the standard potato leek soup.  But really, I’m better than that.

My first use of them was bacon and leek macaroni and cheese.  Oh. My. Goodness.

But that was probably the bacon.

I found several recipes for leek and goat cheese bruschetta.  Yes please! (OrtsofSorts, it’s better late than never! This is what you commented on the other day on D.C.)

Hello little cast iron skillet.  I just don’t get to use you as often as I like!

I just realized how dirty my stove top is.  Don’t judge.

As soon as I had everything out and ready to use, I realize that I was out of bacon.  I had used the last of it in the aforementioned mac n’ cheese dish.  I still consider it a worthy sacrifice.  So, with no bacon to add to the bruschetta, I improvised.  Instead of butter or oil to saute the leeks, I used bacon grease.

And I’d do it again!

In the bountiful basket, mom and I split an add-on of artisan bread, and it came with a rosemary herb baguette.  You bet your buns I couldn’t wait to slice into that!

Nice sized slices, spread generously with butter and then tossed under the broiler for just a few minutes.  When I pulled them out I spread them with goat cheese and topped with the sauteed leeks.

It was ambrosia.  That’s right, I’m claiming that I made the nector of the gods.  And I’m standing by that claim!

I’m also so very excited to tell you that the outdoor grill was finally lit up last week.

This may not seem like much to you, but it’s just been too cold to go outside and BBQ… and I live in a state (both mentally and physically) where it is never too cold to BBQ!

So, in a manner that hopefully makes the Patrons of the Pit proud, I bring you my grilled stuffed turkey burgers!

I took my turkey meat with the shredded carrots, diced onion and bell peppers and added an egg and some turkey stuffing mix.  I’ve found stuffing mix to be so much more flavorful than bread crumbs, and well, that package had been sitting open for weeks and it was time to use it up.  Then I stuffed the burgers with some feta cheese that was left over.  Needless to say, the burgers were huge, so I cut my patty in half and had one for supper and one for lunch the next day.

Yes, you are seeing grill marks on the pineapple.  If you’ve never grilled fruit – do it now! You don’t know what you are missing!

Don’t judge my use of ketchup.

Yes, I’ve had more food posts than normal lately, but I can’t help that I’ve made such good food.  🙂  Enjoy and we’ll be back to my regular madness soon enough!

And, find a little bit of glee in the fact that I just typed all of this up and then realized that I have nothing planned for dinner tonight…

Adventures in Canning

I crossed an item off my bucket list this weekend! You all know how I love my Bucket List – and if you don’t well, it’s not for lack of trying to educate you about it!  If you don’t have a bucket list, get one.  If you have one, get on it! (I think this was originally said by Catherine Ryan Hyde, but can’t seem to find it right now!)

I canned my own jam! And it was awesome!  I’ve always wanted to learn and finally had the opportunity this weekend.  Mom bought extra blackberries and we dug the supplies out of the barn and got to it!

That is what happens when you dump blackberries into a pan and turn the heat up!

There is all of the sugar that goes into it.  Not as bad as it looks once you consider how many it makes.

That’s me concentrating really hard!

And there I am being really cute!  You’ll notice that you don’t stop stirring when you are making jam, so while I could pose, I couldn’t stop stirring! And yes, I pulled all my hair back so there weren’t any surprises in the jam.  I’m just very thoughtful that way.  Plus, we had spent a few hours working outside previously and my hair was a mess.  🙂

Here is my work space as I am canning.  Funnels are a great thing, funnels are our friend!

Look!  I did that!  I made that! And let me tell you, there is such satisfaction in hearing the jars “pop” as they seal.  Every time I heard one go pop, I would yell “pop!”.

Even more magical than that was sitting around with my parents and my son and hearing them tell stories.  Dad grew up canning and was sharing stories of how the garage floor would be covered with cans and all evening long all you heard was pop-pop-pop.

While I was busy making jam, the rest of the family, in between telling stories, were prepping 25 lbs of rainbow carrots for canning.

Dad and Mr. T prepping the carrots.

Here is another picture because it warms my heart!

Here is mom and her super sonic speed chopping the carrots that dad and Mr. T prepped.

Aren’t rainbow carrots beautiful! Raise your hand if you didn’t know rainbow carrots existed.

As we were canning the carrots, dad mentioned that my grandmother used to can carrots with potatoes and onions, and then when it was time to make a stew, she would grab a jar and add it to the browned meat.  Mom looks around and goes “We have the carrots, we have the potatoes and onions – do you want to can some like that?”

Of course we did!

We even had two pressure cookers going at once!

Mom and I had fun taking pictures of some of our work.  We still had two pressure cookers full of product!

Dad loves the idea of canning, it does remind him of his childhood, but also, he really thinks that Obama is going to kill the country and he wants a stockpile!

Mom posted on FB “We had a great time. Nothing feels more like connecting to Mother Earth than to take good care of the products she provides us. Kate did a great job on the jam. We had to go ahead and try some!”

Mr. T doesn’t like blackberries, but he loves the jam.

Victoria’s not so Secret text

You guys have me so busy reading your blogs that I haven’t had time to update mine – so here is an oldie from Dec ’12. Just so you don’t forget me! Enjoy! 🙂

Did That Just Happen Blog

So, even though Mr. T is 14, I believe it’s never too late to try something new and maybe start a new tradition.  I saw on Pinterest the Christmas Eve present box – it’s filled with new pajama’s, hot chocolate and Christmas movies.  The purpose is to let your kid open the box on Christmas eve and then have a night cuddling and watching movies in your new PJ’s and drinking hot chocolate.  Well, we always open presents on Christmas Eve (and Christmas morning, too), and since the entire family is together, not sure that this gift would be appropriate to give at that time.  BUT, I could take the spirit of that gift and modify it to fit my life.  So, I bought new PJ’s for me and T.  Holy cow, do you know how expensive  pajama’s have gotten???  Anyway, I have a Keurig, so I have easy hot…

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I Love Jesus, but I Drink a Little

Okay, this has been on my Facebook, and I finally watched it and, Oh.  My.  Goodness.

If you haven’t watched it yet, stop and watch it now!

Tell me that you didn’t almost pee your pants laughing over all of that!  Sadly, Gladys has passed away, but she sure did represent the Lone Star State!

You’re Welcome!

You can follow The Ellen Show on YouTube here.  That’s who owns the video I shared! 

Where Does the Time Go?

To all of you who blog every day, who have a blogging schedule and stick to it, and actually create worthwhile posts: You are such an inspiration!

I wish I could. I would love to entertain you with my life in a daily basis; however, my life really isn’t that entertaining and guys, I just don’t have time! I don’t know how you do it!

I got this idea from Not A Punk Rocker (and I hope that really links up) where she cleaned out her cell phone photos. I enjoyed her post and thought it was cool, so I decided to try it, too! Plus, it means I can post content that I don’t have to give a lot of thought to. Yup, sometimes I’m just lazy!

So, here is my cheat post!

Happy Valentines Day! I actually just saw this on Facebook a few minutes ago and took a screen shot. I’m not sure who it is for, but figured if better make a copy just in case. And look, now I got to share it all with you!

I saw this the other day and was like “what the what?!?” And “why?!?”

Here is everything that came in my Bountiful Basket! $15 for all of those fruits and veggies, and supporting a local co-op! I’m super happy and will be doing it again this week! 🙂

Here is my sons current hair cut. Yup. That happened. But you should know all of the haircuts I vetoed! And yes, the front half is missing, too. He is bald only on one side.

This is my bruise. I like to take picture and share how hurt I am! 🙂 Now I’m wishing I had more of these so I could show you the progression!

Now, these are my types of conversation hearts!!

Okay, there is a stroll through my phone pictures from the past week. I hope you enjoyed them and that this post bought me some time before I have to come up with a “real” post!

There Must Always be Balance

There must always be balance in my life.  This lesson is taught to me over and over again.

Do you remember my new baby?

My purple Keurig that I just love?  Well, it was defective.  At first I thought it was my imagination, then I realized it wasn’t my imagination and it really was defective, but it was so cute – maybe I could just live with it.  Even though it bothered me greatly several times a day, I thought that those “quirks” were something I could work around, I could handle.

Yes, I was in an unhealthy relationship with my coffee maker.

I have no defense.  I can’t tell you why I stayed with it as long as I did, but yesterday, I finally extracted myself from the unhealthy relationship.  I knew it might not end well, but I had to do it.

I called Kohl’s.  I explained that I thought it was my imagination, then I thought I could live with it, but I couldn’t… but I was so committed to the relationship that I had already recycled the packaging.  The box was gone.

This is an example of how I now live my life – I just jump in with both feet!

Yes, this frequently comes back to haunt me.

The nice guy on the other end of the line told me that all would be okay.  He reassured me that even though I was fully committed to my machine, they understood that things happen and they could help me out of this dysfunctional relationship.  They would be happy to help me get out of the relationship and thought they could help me find a replacement. And, even though I found my guy on-line, I could take him back to the store.  Kohl’s didn’t want me to be without for any longer than necessary.  Of course, the replacement might not be as cool, as pretty or as purple.

It was a chance I had to take.

I unplugged it myself.  My heart broke a little.

Mr. T and I headed to town, stopped at the service desk and presented our documentation.

Now it was the moment of truth.  The long walk across the store to see what options I had.  Could I find the love of my life a second time?

I did!  They had purple in stock!  I did a happy dance in the aisles!

On the way back to the customer service desk, we saw a clearance rack.  Athletic wear, 70-80% off.  Mr. T and I both need jackets to work out in.  He found the sweatshirt he wanted, I found one I could use… both were normally $45, on sale for $13.  Then I found a lightweight rain jacket, that is perfect for the camping box, again, at a ridiculous price.

We gathered all our loot and headed to check out.

Of course, in my life, there must always be balance.

We got home and discovered that Mr. T didn’t have his original hoodie.  I had him call Kohl’s, and they went and checked… naturally his hoodie wasn’t there anymore.

Yeah, that just happened, I did get the love of my life back – and we lost T’s hoodie at the same time.