The weather has been warmish up to now - most days in the 40s or even 50s. We did get a dusting of snow back on November 7th. 

I've been using my phone to take pictures as I keep it in my back jean's pocket and therefore, always have it. And I quickly took the snow picture before it melted!


In late October, I defrosted the freezer - a major task since it was desperately needed. Everything needed to be moved out of the freezer - which required weather that was moderate - not warm so stuff wouldn't melt but not so cold that I would freeze while working in the garage  I remember having a large chest type freezer back in our Somerdale house and again, in the Voorhees house. Both were in the garage for easy access. I had "areas" for different types of food - chicken, pork, veggies and such. It made locating things easier. Chest freezers are deep and stuff can easily get lost. At the Lake I had an upright freezer and stuff was organized by shelves rather than sections. This freezer didn't need defrosting! A nice luxury. When we bought this house I got a large chest freezer with sliding baskets. And again, organized by areas. And I finally got it defrosted and re-organized. 

Before with frost really building up!

And after all cleaned out!

Last year I purchased a Cricut cutting machine. And after a lot of reading, trial and error, reading FB group posts and watching lots of U-Tube posts, I ventured into paper crafting. And below are two of the projects.

These are candy huggers - little characters with long arms that wrap around a piece of candy. They are layered and I enjoyed making them!

Another thing I'm doing is making cards. This witch is three layers that are cut out on the machine and then glued. 

While I enjoy crafting, my creative ability is limited. However, this is an Internet based craft that enables files to be chosen, modified and made. I'm really enjoying playing with this - and am now working on some Christmas cards. 

It's gonna be cold!

Again a mass of Polar air is set to descend on us!  Temperatures should drop to the single digits and today we might get up to an inch of snow.

I've been working on a few things in addition to the regular stuff that gets done on a daily basis (laundry, food, cleaning..all that fun stuff).  The major thing is getting my iMac set up, again. I purchased it back in September 2012 - and played with it off an on for a while. It's different from a PC - that's why I got it. But several months ago I got really into it and was finally "getting it" when it started acting funky. Now Macs are rather stable but I had just upgraded to the new Mavericks OS X and so I thought it might be that. One thing I did do was BACK MY FILES UP! And boy, am I glad I did. After funky - it died. I took it back to Best Buy and they needed to send it out for repair. When it came back Mac had a new hard drive and audio card and just the basic system. Files and programs and upgrades were gone. However, the price was reasonable and that's what happens when you get a new hard drive. So, for the past two weeks I've been restoring files and programs. I also take notes and have gone back to my old notes (first time round). I've gotten iTunes done, figured out how to make changes in data on music and have more or less organized my music. Today I installed Neat Filing System software and got my files restored. So I feel good about my progress.

Outside it's gloomy and cold. We got about an inch of snow and again our snow is much less than friends in the South Jersey area got. Single digits are expected this week. And the cold is a good reason to stay inside and continue to do all things Mac :)  

Busy September So Far!

Labor Day is a wash out this year. But we are still enjoying the day even though it is raining off and on. Right now Honey and B are in the living room - B on the Ipad, Honey on the floor sleeping. I'm at the breakfast area table on the computer.

I've talked about canning, but I've also been dehydrating! I used to dehydrate back in the 80s when I also was canning. However, the dehydrator I had was rather basic - on or off with no ability to adjust temperature. So this time around I decided to get one that did have temperature adjustment and I've been experimenting. Saturday I decided to dry some of the herbs I'm growing in pots out on the deck. I did 3 racks of basil leaves, one of oregano stems and one of marjoram stems. The fact that it was rather humid probably extended the time. I kept the temperature low - 95 - as per instructions in one of my books. I started at 2 and at 7 the stuff was kinda dry but not brittle. Turned the temperature up to 105 and at 8 turned the thing off. Sunday I started it again with another temperature boost and finally the marjoram and oregano were dry. The basil took a bit longer. Below are some pictures:

This is the marjoram at the start. There is a liner on the tray since once dried it will be rather small!

And here it is done and you can see the plastic liner was really needed. I use an empty coffee filter for lots of things and here it was just the thing to drop the leaves in as I striped them off the stem. I was then able to use it like a funnel to pour into a small jar.

Didn't get a lot...but there is more in the pots and this was an experiment!

Yesterday I served skirt steak for dinner. I never had that before and found a recipe in one of my 2 Weber grilling cook books I had gotten at BJ's a while back. The recipe suggested serving it with grilled red potatoes which sounded good but I had potato salad in the refrig so we went with that. The cooking time was fast! And it cooked using direct high heat. I first made a rub consisting of kosher salt, ground cumin, granulated garlic and black pepper. This was spread on the steaks and then they sat out a bit to come to room temperature. Heated the grill and in a flash...about 6 minutes... they were done! The steak was good but next time I would reduce the salt in the rub. Very tasty and I served it with the potato salad and a tomato and onion salad with Italian dressing. Picture of the steak before cooking follows....



And finally, an update on Honey! She has been going for short rides with B in the VW and just loving it! She loved riding in the SUV but she bounced all over the place and got very hyper. So, we are hoping that a little ride every day or so will get her used to riding and less hyper. Truth be told, I think they both really enjoy their little outing even though B insists that he is the one who will drive! The picture below is of their return from the little drive yesterday. As you can see, Honey makes a great navigator!



The New Grill

   The new grill that we purchased arrived and we spend Monday assembling it. The Weber people sure packed it well and we opened it up in the driveway and carried the pieces up to the deck that wraps around the house. It is now located at the corner by the sliders that are close to the kitchen. We read the directions and B assembled while I was assistant. Went together smoothly and as we worked we took pictures.

Gosh, so many pieces. As we worked, I unboxed stuff and took off the plastic.

Hummmm where did that last piece of plastic wrap go????

Honey got it!! She is such a help!!??

B did most of the putting together.

A guy has to have tools...and use them, which he did.

And Honey helped! Believe me, while the ratchet thing was really neat, her "help" made it more difficult!

And away Honey went to check out B taking pictures.

A side burner

The finished grill. While we have made sure it works by "firing" it up yesterday, we will save cooking on it until tomorrow or Friday.

Canning and such

Here are some pictures of the canning I did last week.

My first project was blueberry jam. It turned out VERY sweet! But VERY good!

Notice that green "thing" in the back. This is a new product - a small batch Ball canning rack. The nice thing is it fits into most stock pots so you don't need to buy a large canner to try caning out. 3 pints (or half pints) fit in it. The important thing is to use a stock pot that will allow the water to be 2 inches over the top of the jar. Anyway, I used that but since the blueberry jam made 6 jars I had to do it in three batches. Next time I'll use the canner.

And here the jars are, all lined up. When totally cooled I take the twist on part of the lid off, label them and store down stairs.

The next project was Onion Relish with thyme. I chose this because Vidalia Onions were available at the local WalMart for $2. for 4 pounds. This recipe took about 2 pounds along with thyme sprigs from my pots, apple cider vinegar and light corn syrup. After simmering on the stove about 45 minutes to cook the onions, I water bathed them in that handy green small batch canner rack. This made 3 jars.

And here it is in the stock pot being processed. Since we live at 1200 ft above sea level, I have to add 5 minutes to each water bathed batch so this went for 25 minutes.

I enjoyed canning and will be doing another type of blueberry jam today using the larger canner so that all the jars get processed at once.

The new Weber grill is going to be delivered today so depending on how many parts it comes in will depend on when we start to use it! B took the old grill apart and took it over to the Township's appliance dumpster. So we are all ready!!

What Goes Up Must Come Down

We knew once Honey mastered the stairs to the loft, she would figure out that going down to the lower level would be fun, also. She did! Yesterday she got a lot of exercise just running up and down the steps. The lower level is used as a family room on one side and storage on the other and is divided by the steps. I did a quick put away since Honey can get into anything – and we spent the day learning what was still available! First came books...we have book cases down there and so she was bringing first paperbacks and then a hardback up to play with. Ripped the cover off of one and just played with the others. I realized that if I gave her a treat she might think I was rewarding her...so I called her name and when she came she got a treat and I quickly got the item. After the books it was an assortment of things including dental floss. Now where did that come from??? Oh yes, put in a basket to put away along with the key holder she found. We laughed the most when she brought up a battery pack. The package held 20 AA batteries and she was really enjoying chewing on them. For some reason this really cracked us up...and we did get them off her. This morning she was at it again with another batter pack (different in a different location) and finally she fell asleep while eating a piece of paper. We have now closed off both the loft and the lower level with gates. While I intend to take her up or down when we are there, allowing her the run of the house is NOT working as there are too many things for her to get into. She is getting better...today I wore some fluffy bedroom slippers and she didn't try to eat them which she did do several weeks ago. I guess it's all about growing up. She is now 4½ months old. And still growing. Below are some new pictures.

She was really going to town on the batteries

And below, this morning she got a piece of paper and while playing, fell asleep..one piece in her mouth, the other on the floor..

tired little girl!

Honey Ventures Up to the Loft

We knew this day would come. Honey, along with many puppies, does not (or rather did not) so stairs. She does go up and down the stairs on the deck to get to the great out doors. However, she has been very reluctant to even approach the steps to the loft and the lower level. In some ways that was good as we didn't have to worry about her getting into things (and thus I didn't put stuff away). The bad part was when I would go upstairs to work in the loft or down to the lower level, she would lay at the bottom or top of the steps and cry. She has, on several occasions, gone up several steps to the loft. It was almost like she got a few steps up, said OMG, and went back down. Yesterday she got up to the landing....and there were only 4 more steps to the loft. But, down she went without attempting the rest. I continued to do my work and then...Honey was up all the steps! And into everything! The teddy bears I had on the sofa, the trash, the plant I had moved up there to get away from her.... well, you get the idea. So the kiddie gate is up at the bottom of the steps and I have mostly dogie proofed the room. We will let her up when we go up but otherwise, the gate stays. I'm anticipating that her next thing will be the lower level. So this weekend, that's where I have to work puppy proofing that area. We also need to purchase a second gate...

Honey Gets a Bath

We just gave Honey a bath…. We knew she needed one and we had purchased dog shampoo a while ago. Today was the day!!



We have 2 bathing options. Our main bathroom has a jetted tub which is deep. Difficult to lift a 30 pound dog out of and we knew she would be growing. Our master bath has a tiled shower with a short step up to get in – so that seemed like the ideal location. The shower head is detachable so getting her wet and rinsed SHOULD work. We had towels and I removed my jeans and socks and got in the shower with her (ahh the things we mom’s do). It took us a bit to figure out how to do this and Honey was not really happy about the entire thing. B poured shampoo into my hand after we wet her down and I lathered. Then I rinsed while he rubbed her to remove the soap. And we rinsed and rinsed. She was dirty! And after the first rinse she was OK with the bath but not really happy. I then gave her a squeeze up and down her body to get as much water off as I could and we both got towels and rubbed. And she wiggled and we rubbed and then she jumped out and shook. As she ran around the bedroom I wiped the floor and rinsed and cleaned the shower. All in all, it worked out. We then fed her (it was time) and took her out for a bathroom break (well worth the trip) and now she is chewing on one of her toys. We are pooped!

Wednesday at the Lake

   Yesterday we took Honey to the vets. This was her second trip and I think we handled it better. We took the SUV and put a sheet down on the back seat and then one of her blankets. I sat in the back with her and had my seat belt on. She was on my right and part of the trip in my lap. She was nervous. So were we! You try to do everything the books say when you are with your dog but I found myself petting her and saying it's OK all the time. Well, I'm sure she picked up on our anxiety level. The visit went well. Some shots and her nails clipped. She is now 30.3 pounds and not overweight. She was good and the ride home was easier. She then slept after we got home - we all kinda had a bit of down time.

   It's a nice day out but cold. Sun is shining and we had one or two snowflakes fall this morning but nothing now. B is in his chair looking at TV and I'm at the breakfast area table with Honey on the floor at my feet. Relaxing day!!

Raising a Puppy is hard work!

     Boy, Honey is growing. When we look at the pictures we took in the beginning of the month we are amazed at her rapid growth. Of course, she is eating - 4 times a day as the directions on the food suggest. She sleeps a lot too which then gives us a break.
    She really likes the snow. B has been making snowballs for her, throwing them and she eats them. Because of this we found out she likes ice cubes too. She enjoys going all over the yard and back in the woods by our driveway smelling all the smells and checking everything out. Of course that means we do too as she is on her leash. She often brings a stone or a twig back into the house with her. She attempts to pick up rather large branches and I'm sure shortly she will be carrying them around but they won't be brought in. She still has her puppy teeth and bites but that's usually just when she wants to eat or go out. She really is a good girl!

    We got her this bed the other day as she was falling off the pillows. She also was biting on the pillow's zipper and has pulled them off (they are in the loft on my list of repairs). So the bed was our next try and since it has no zippers it's working. As you can see, she is growing.
   But taking care of and training a puppy is hard work. My rule - no up on the furniture at all. However, we are still following "don't ask, don't tell" as B tends to let her up in his lap on his chair. She is getting better about getting down. A piece of kibble and the word DOWN as she moves off what ever she is on is an ongoing lesson. And then, as you can see below, my efforts don't always work out but the results are very cute!!!