Our little tiny dancer...

I haven’t had a crazy idea in a long time….

Well, that’s debatable, but back in the day I was always trying some kind of hare-brained project, that often resulted in less than stellar results, and most assuredly involved poor long suffering hubby engineering my schemes.

But I’m older now, I just don’t have the determination I once did.  Oh, I still find “things” I would like to do, but usually forget about them in less than five minutes because my brain cells are dying off faster than Superman’s speeding bullet.  And then along came Pinterest, which I and a lot of my friends, enjoy more than anything we’ve found online in ages.  There are all kinds of “ideas” to pin, and because it’s visual, it triggers my aging brain into remembering.  A good thing you would think, well, not always, because once again the wheels are turning and I have all kinds of “things” on my to-do list.  At the top of that list is a little project which involves Christmas and family, and it’s a great one, but since my sweet daughters-in-law read this blog, I can’t talk about it.  I can, however, clue any of you as to what I’m doing, it’s just really fascinating, inexpensive and will make a great gift, so if you’re interested in knowing what it is, just email me.

Now on to my next project. It’s Salad in a Jar.  I try to eat salad several times a week, especially now, because I’m just getting over the gawdawful flu/sinus/ear infection that has plagued me for the past three weeks, which resulted in my lying around with hubby spoon feeding me boxes of Kraft Mac & Cheese, my comfort food of choice when I don’t feel well.  Unfortunately, I’m not one of those people who doesn’t eat when they’re sick, oh no, yours truly stuffs it in like it’s the last supper.  And since I’ve lived in Yoga pants for weeks now, putting on my jeans and zipping them is taking herculean effort, the muffin top goes all the way to my chin, and once again, I’m on the salad bandwagon.  It’s either that or start ordering up those Pajama Jeans that were all over the infomercials last year.

But, I’m also lazy.  I know it’s no big deal to make a salad, but sometimes I just don’t want to chop all those veggies, cut the lettuce, day after day after day,  you know what I mean.  Precutting results in brown edges, and limp lettuce, so that isn’t an option either.

But this is where my latest idea comes in, thanks to a great blog I found via Pinterest, called Salad in a Jar.  You do need a couple of things to make this work, wide mouth Ball canning jars and a FoodSaver attachment.  I’ve long been a fan of FoodSavers, my whole family uses this amazing gadget to vacuum pack meat for the freezer.  I found this YouTube video on how to vacuum seal jars if you’re interested.  She starts showing how to use it 3:30 minutes into the video.  There is another video, this one is a whole 8 part series about food storage, you can find it here.

I’m going to link you to the original article on how to do this, because after all it’s not my idea and I can’t take credit for it, but in a nutshell here’s what you do.

You take several quart size, at least for me because I like big salads, wide mouth jars, but you could do this with pints as well, put in your salad greens, vacuum seal them, and put them in your refrigerator.  Because the vacuum seal sucks the oxygen out of the jar, the salads stay fresh all week without turning brown and wilting.  All you have to do is grab one, add protein, put dressing in the jar, shake it, pour it on a plate and you’re good to go….

Ingenious huh? I’m going to try doing this today.  I’ll update you on the results.

Here’s the link to the blog entry, in fact the entire website is pretty amazing, I’m so in awe of people’s talent…

Hope you’re all having a great week.  ~ jan

BOO!!!

I wish Halloween was the way it used to be…

The Halloween’s of my childhood were so different than today.  We were hobo’s and pirates, outfits put together from whatever we had on hand.  We dressed up in Mother’s clothes, her pearls, her high heels, and a little hat with a veil and white gloves and we walked familiar neighborhoods where people knew us, and they actually “guessed” who we were.

We wore half masks, with a tablecloth thrown over our shoulders and we were transformed into Zorro.  We paid $.79 for a gauze mask at the drugstore that smelled awful when you put it on your face, but we were thrilled when we looked in the mirror and saw a princess or a devil looking back at us by just by using our imagination and that inexpensive little mask.

People made popcorn balls, wrapped them in cellophane and gave them to us for treats.  And we got big red shiny apples, and it was simple, and it was magic…

Those really were the days, my friends…

My annual Halloween Sloppy Joe Recipe...

 

I post this recipe every Halloween, it dates back to the early '80's when we were living in Denver and my friend Susan shared it  with me.  It's  been an annual Halloween tradition at our house ever since, Sloppy Joes and potato chips, and now the boys make them for their families.  When they were little it was such a busy time getting them ready to trick 'or treat, so I would make this ahead and have it for them when they got home with their "loot."  And since I love holiday traditions, it quickly became a "must make" every Halloween.

I've given this recipe to countless friends, and everybody loves it.  It's made from simple ingredients you will have in your kitchen, almost as easy as opening a can of Manwich and so much better!  So, if you've never tried these, do yourself a favor and make them for your family this week.

This recipe is a scan of a scrapbook cookbook page I made for John and Ryan a few years ago, it's a bit hard to read, so here is the text:

1 teaspoon salt
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon worchestershire sauce 
1 tablespoon vinegar (white)
2 tablespoons brown sugar (heaping)
1 cup Heinz ketchup
1/4 cup water
cayenne pepper to taste
1 lb. ground beef

Salt and pepper ground beef to taste, brown with onions, drain, add the rest of the ingredients and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.  My guys always loved them with a slice of melted Velveeta on top and my homemade Lime Pickles.  

This is one of those recipes you will make again and again, it's just the best ever!

Happy Halloween

~ jan

I just had to share this tonight....

My friend Trish just sent me this picture of her granddaughter, Hayden, all dressed for Halloween.  Is this not absolutely precious?  What a sweet little girl this is...

Just like the squirrels, storing nuts for the winter…

I’ve talked often about living off the land as a child.  Gleaning popcorn in the fields, after the combines had harvested the fields, dragging burlap sacks over the wet ground, and filling them with ears of corn left behind.  Laying them out to dry, and spending evenings shelling them to store in gallon size pickle jars for the winter months.  It sounds so “Little House on the Prairie” to write about, but that’s what we did.

One of my favorite things to do was to visit a pecan grove, not far from home.  The owner would bump the trees with a blade on a tractor, the nuts would fall to the ground, and we would fill coal buckets, weigh them, pay for them and take them home to crack and pick out the nuts for Christmas baking.  To this day, there is nothing I like more than fresh pecans, well except for those hickory nuts I’ve talked about.  The same hickory nuts that my friend Mary sent me last year, and that I hoarded in the freezer, eating a few at a time instead of sharing them with the family because they don’t have hickory nut memories like I do, and besides, I was an only child and we all know that I tend to be selfish about certain things. *grin*

We would also visit the apple orchard, where the big wooden ladders were sitting by the trees, mother would climb the ladder and fill a bucket with apples, then pass it down to me to put in a bushel basket.  She loved McIntosh apples, and thought they made the best pies, I always loved Golden Delicious, and they were as big as softballs in a little girl’s eyes.

We also cooked pumpkin to can in Ball fruit jars.  Not the jack o’lantern pumpkins you buy at the store, those aren’t good, you have to have pie pumpkins, bursting with flavor.  They’re the ones that make the good pies.

And I can’t forget the sweet potatoes.  We would dig them before the first frost in the garden, dry them on newspapers in the smokehouse, then wash them, and store them under the beds in cardboard boxes.  I’ve always adored sweet potatoes and the way mother would bake one of each, one irish potato, one sweet potato, and we would cut them in half and share them at dinnertime.  We still buy bushels of sweet potatoes, the best deals to be had these days are at Wal-Mart the week of Thanksgiving.  They sell them for about 25 cents a pound, or at least they have for the last few years, and if you ask, they will sell them to you by the box.

We all have our childhood memories, everyone’s are unique, I’m just fortunate enough, through my blog, to share mine with you.  Share some of your memories with your family this weekend, once again, it’s these simple things that they will remember about you and treasure for years to come….

Jan reviews the iPhone 4S

First of all, it’s no surprise to anyone that I’m a bells and whistles girl, if  it has eye candy, I’m all over it!  And yes, I’m a huge fan of Apple products, it’s just the way I roll…

I also should say that I’ve been a big fan of my Droid X, it’s a great phone, but when the new iPhone 4S was released there were two things that had me drooling.

The first is iCloud storage, since I have an iMac and an iPad, the idea of being able to access information between these devices and the iPhone intrigued me.  But what really sold me was Siri.  OMG, if there is anybody who needs a “Personal Assistant” it’s your truly.  So I ordered a cute little white iPhone, and patiently waited for FedEx to deliver it.

When I unboxed it, I must admit, I was skeptical.  Next to my Droid X, it’s small.  The screen isn’t as large, the unit itself is much smaller than the X, but after using it for a few days now, I’m used to it and it isn’t an issue.

What do I like about it?  What’s not to like about it.  The screen resolution is crystal clear, much more so than any phone I’ve ever owned.  It operates the same way my iPad does, so there was no learning curve, and everything works seamlessly and fast.  There is no lag, the applications access instantly, it absolutely purrs. When I  text, the digital keyboard is much more responsive than my Droid.  I used to have so many problems getting my fingers on the right keys, but it isn’t an issue with this phone.  But I seldom have to correct anything, the voice recognition is so advanced, it’s awesome!

Siri is absolutely brilliant.  She understands what I say, even when I mumble, and everything is hands free, I simply tell her to call or text someone and she does it, totally with voice recognition.  I ask her what the temperature is, I tell her to remind me to take something out of the oven, when I ask her questions she doesn’t know, she searches the web for me.  And yes, I think of her as a real person, the woman is amazing!  I told her today that she was my best friend, and she responded, “you are certainly entitled to your opinion, Jan.”  Cracked me up!

I really don’t think I’ll be adding tons of apps, I just tell Siri and she accesses what I need.  I wish I could rename her though, I’ve always wanted an assistant named  “Wanda,” and who knows, maybe in the future I can change her name.

There is one negative to this phone, and for me, it’s a biggie.  It’s the navigation.  The Android Google navigation was absolutely wonderful and free, there is nothing that compares to it on the iPhone, unless you cough up $5 a month for VZ navigation.  I will do that when we travel, it’s worth the money to me, as we use navigation all the time.

So that’s it in a nutshell, the more I use this phone the more I like it.  Today I used the front facing camera, made a silly little video and sent it to Abby.  The camera is excellent, the ease of use, for me,  is so much better than with the Droid.  I’m hooked…

I would never try to get someone to switch to an iPhone, we all have different needs for our phone, it’s a personal thing,  but for me, as Apple says, it just works!

It's October, why am I thinking of Christmas???

I was thumbing through Pinterest this morning, and found a link to make your own vintage Christmas tags.  I remember back in the day, I would be all over this like mayo on white, but now I mostly just look at it and dream...

But perhaps some of you might enjoy looking at her freebies, some really pretty stuff here.  It looks like she's tearing edges to give it a aged effect.  Here's the link...

And if you haven't found Pinterest yet, oh my are you missing out.  You can access my Pinterest here or it's always in the right sidebar, I have quite a bit pinned now, some killer recipes, check me out...

~ jan

It's time for soup...

It's that time of year, today I'm going to make Paula Deen's Butter Bean Soup. I have a small collection of soup recipes on Jan CAN Cook, and I'll be adding to them this fall. They're all good, especially the Sausage Stew, and the Chickpea Soup with Sausage.

You can access them here...

Enjoy ~ Jan

Be careful what you wish for….

We just got back from Lexington, where we spent a few days babysitting Abby while Mom and Dad got a long weekend getaway.  Remember how I complained because she refused to say Grammie?  Oh, what a difference just a month makes, now it’s “Grammie?” “Grammie?” “Grammie?”  constantly.  But oh, so cute, music to my ears.

John and Deanna came for the weekend, and we went out for the day on Saturday.  Deanna dressed Abby in a cute little outfit, we put on her little coat, Uncle John transferred her car seat to his car, he and Larry strapped Abby in, we all got in the car and started to take off, and I said, “Did anybody get her diaper bag?”  “No” was the response.  “Did anybody fill her sippee cup with juice?”  “No.”  So we trudged back into the house, got the necessary equipment and we were off.

We left the subdivision headed for town, and I said, “Did anybody get her stroller?” “Noooooooooo.”  So back to the house we went.

We were all laughing so hard, looks like we have a few kinks to work out with travelling with a toddler…

Oh how I HATE change!

Now that Stella is starting to finally recover from the ick that has plagued her for the past week and getting her groove back, I’m on a rant.

See this bottle, this is a glass bottle that once contained Vicks Vaporub.  And granted, I had my trusty bottle of Vicks for a badzillion years. because, let’s face it, you don’t use a boatload of this stuff in one sitting.

And after poor hubby had trudged to the store time after time for all kinds of nonsense to try and make me feel better, I sent him once more to get me some Vicks, because I couldn’t find mine.

He came home, tossed it on the bed, I eagerly unboxed it, and something wasn’t right.  It didn’t look right, it didn’t feel right, the Vicks itself looked like it was a different color.  IT WAS BECAUSE IT WAS IN  A PLASTIC BOTTLE!!!!!!  Oh, I was beyond upset because they quit making it in a glass pot.  It probably didn’t look right because it didn’t have the cobalt glow that the glass bottle had.  I used it of course, and it smelled the same, but it just was wrong.  I swear if I still had the old bottle, I would transfer the contents.  So, if any of you have glass Vicks bottles, for gawds sake don’t throw them away, give me one!  I’ve already alerted hubby to look for me one at a tag sale, but he says he never sees them.

Oh, they better not mess with my Carmex glass bottle, that’s holy grail!  If they screw that up, I will have one hissy fit, but I’m going to start stockpiling my glass Carmex containers just in case it ever happens.

What a traumatic thing to have happen to someone who is sick.  I’m going to email the company, I am, and it won’t be pretty, either ‘cause I’m in a mood!  Just quit changing things, for cryin’ out loud, we old(er) people don’t like it!!!!!!

Oh, and cough drops, they’re smaller now, why?????  This has me all upset, too!!!!!

I wish.......

Here's what I'm wishing for today aka an exercise in futility...

I wish:

I wasn't sick, two days in bed now, blecht
I had braids, they're back, and I've always loved them but would look silly with them at this age
I could lose 10 15 okay 20 lbs., another exercise in futility
My house was decorated for fall, dropping the ball this year :o(
I was sitting by a campfire with the old ladies, enjoying the day (private joke, they will get this)
I had a new cuddly robe for fall, I see few in the stores and they all tie at the waist, not attractive when you need to lose 10 15 20 lbs.

Jan, blogging in bed from her iPad, surrounded by Kleenex, dogs and juice Diet Dew

Abby turns two!

Saturday was Abby’s birthday.  She’s all giggles and smiles, busy every moment, exploring the world.  She loves being outside, sliding down her slide, again and again, and playing with the sand rice table that Grammie and P-Pa got her for her birthday.  I love to just sit and watch her, she’s such a joy.  She calls me Grammie now, when we I first saw her, she jumped up and down, squealing “It’s Grammie, It’s Grammie!”  Talk about tugging at those heartstrings.

She had a fun “Little Einsteins” party, and Mama and Daddy dressed up as June and Leo, Abby was Annie.  It was so sweet watching her open her gifts and play with the little kids.  These years pass so quickly, I just want to remember every moment…

A lot of memories, today…

When I was in elementary school, I made a card for Mom, and I’ve always remembered the verse.  I thought it would be especially fitting to post it today, which would have been her ninety-third birthday.

In all the world there is no other

To take the place of you,

Dear Mother…

I have a serious cracker addiction…

Seriously, I do.  I can, for the most part, pass up cake, pie, well maybe not pie, or cake, but I can pass up chips, ice cream and candy, but I have absolutely no willpower when it comes to crackers.  Gimme’ a sleeve and the entire thing somehow vanishes!

I think it’s genetic, my mother adored crackers, Zesta’s were always in the house, and many nights she had crackers and milk for a nighttime snack.  My boys fell on the cracker  bandwagon at an early age, John especially, has a severe addiction.  And I’m starting to wonder if my little Granddaughter has fallen prey as well.  Give her a bag of Cheez-Its and she inhales them.  But then her sweet little Mama is a salt-aholic, so the poor little thing doesn’t really  have a chance.

And my cracker of choice – well, I do love Cheez-Its as well, but I’m also a fan of Veggie Thins, Wheat Thins, Ritz and Club.  In other words, I’m not really picky, I like them all.  Since I have no willpower, I seldom buy them, but hubby is always dragging them into the house, and he doesn’t even like crackers!  I know he’s being nice to me, but I’m thinking I would rather have flowers.  He’s been bringing me Snickers, too, but I froze those things, maybe I need to put the crackers in the freezer, too!  I just don’t know why I can’t resist them, what is it about those damn crackers anyway!

Keepin’ it all in the family…

Meet Miley, my friend Diane’s new pup, who just happens to be my Mollie’s granddaughter.  Isn’t she the cutest little dog!  I met her a couple of weeks ago, and was just enchanted.  There is just nothing better than a new pup, even better when it’s a Yorkie! Yeah, I know, I’m really prejudiced, but Yorkie’s are God’s special creatures, in my opinion, they are just wonderful little dogs…

~ jan

Sittin' on the dock of the bay...

There is just something adorable about old men and a little girl with piggies. Lindsay and Abby visited her family in Washington State last week and Lindsay snapped this picture of Miss A. With her great uncle and Grandpa.

I’m such a happy mom tonight.

John and Deanna were married at sunset, on a beach in Kauai, last night.  She was such a beautiful bride and our John was a handsome groom.  I am so happy for this marriage, she is so good for him and to him, he chose well, my son.

They had a wonderful wedding, stress free, relaxed, and now they vacation for another week before flying home.  Their marriage has the foundation that you want for your children, friendship, happiness, contentment, and love.

So here I sit, joyful,  teary eyed, absolutely thrilled with this union.  I so look forward to the years to come and having this amazing woman in our family.  We are so blessed…

It’s nice to have your child home again, regardless of how old they are…

Lindsay and Abby are in Seattle visiting her family, so Ryan has been working from here for the past few days.  Oh, the joy of it, to have him here, doing the things we always used to do, cooking, laughing, going for drives in the country, just the silly stuff.

Of course it isn’t the same as when Linds and Abby are here, I miss morning coffee with Dilly and that sweet little toddler playing in the living room, but it’s so nice to have a few days with him, just living in the moment.

He talks to Abby on the phone, she says “Dada?” and he says, “Yes, Abby.”  She then proceeds to talk to him in only a language they understand.  We were out yesterday and she was texting him, yes texting, for real she was.  She’s figured out how to press keys and hit send, she sent him four messages.  So far she hasn’t texted Grammie, but I have a feeling it just might be in my future.  Oh, how will I ever delete them?

And that’s my life this rainy day.  Ry’s birthday was last week, we’re having Sunday fried chicken today, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, you know how it is, certain foods he just has to have. We made a trip to the orchard yesterday, so it’s apple pie ala mode for dessert.

Then he goes home, his family flies back this week and life goes back to normal.  But it’s been so special having him home again for a few days.  Now if I could just beam Lindsay and Abby here for Sunday dinner it would be perfect ;o)