Mountain Lane Homesteaders

We have been focusing lots of our time with my son. His visit home has been wonderful. He said it has been just what he needed. The girls and I have been keeping the meals and baking going almost non-stop since he came home. I am glad to see him enjoying home cooking so much. He still has a couple more weeks with us.

Today some of life needs to go back to normal. Emily starts work again (after a couple week holiday break) and I think I will have the youngest kids do a little school. Jacob may go out and about in town with Richard today so he may not start school yet. He is way ahead of schedule anyway so I am not too concerned about it.

On my to-do list today is laundry and housework. I need to get some floors mopped and some dusting done. Wood heat seems to create a lot of dust! I also need to get the kids back to my daily house cleaning chore list today. With all the fun times and off schedules my house is showing a bit of neglect. So that much of a normal schedule will start today!

Tobin and I will be having our weekly date so I need to get a pot of bean soup cooking before we leave. I was thinking Italian Pintos were sounding pretty good. Maybe I will find the time to get some French bread made before I leave too.. we will see how the days goes.

I will be back soon to more blogging and sharing but for now life seems very focused on my kids and family.

I wanted to leave with a pic of my grandbaby Elizabeth taken at Christmas time.. she is growing so quickly! …

Spiced Tea

Mulled Grape Juice

Spiced Warm Cider

My Baby's Birthday!

Yup! Today was my baby's birthday! She turned 24! Where on earth does time go? She and her husband and the 2 granddogs came out for dinner. She had requested lasagna, so that's what she got. Her brother made some awesome stuffed portabella mushrooms too! He's a total mushroom nut!

I decided to surprise her with something I made, some needle felted pinecone ornaments. With Correy passing away, I got to thinking about how she never sold anything she made. Countless baby hats, booties, doilies, mittens, socks, you name it. She'd never take a dime for any of it because then it just wouldn't be fun.

Back when I was younger (so much younger than today! LOL) I gave a lot of my hand-crafted things away. Then I started doing craft shows in order to earn a little extra money. I guess I've gotten in a rut of selling off everything I make and not passing some things on to the ones I love.

So there you go my wee one, who's not such a little wee one anymore! Enjoy your handmade gifts!

New England Boiled Dinner...I could eat this everyday!

New England Boiled Dinner
Early New Englanders brought this dish from Ireland, where boiled
beef, cabbage, and potatoes appear in numerous incarnations. I'm only
guessing at that, but I know from intimate personal experience that
this meal is as satisfying to body and soul as any dish on earth,
especially if there is a bit of a chill in the night air.

1-4 to 5 lb (approx. 2 kg) corned beef ( I have also used ham)
10 to 12 medium-sized beets, peeled
3 to 4 parsnips, peeled and cut into large pieces
6 to 8 large carrots, scrubbed and cut into large pieces
3 to 4 turnips, peeled and quartered
10 to 15 small onions, peeled
6 to 8 medium-sized potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
1 head cabbage, cut into wedges

Dijon style mustard and prepared horseradish as condiments.

Place the corned beef along with the pickling liquid and spices in a
large pot and add enough water to cover it. Simmer for about one hour
per pound, adding water as necessary to keep the beef covered. Remove
from the liquid, leaving the liquid in the pot, and place in a shallow
baking dish or other container. Place a cutting board or other baking
dish on top, and place several heavy weights (cans of food, cast iron
cookware, etc) on top to compress it. Boil the beets in a separate pot
for 30 to 45 minutes, until tender. Meanwhile add the parsnips,
carrots, and turnips to the beef cooking liquid and simmer for 30
minutes. Add the potatoes and simmer for an additional 15 minutes,
then add the cabbage wedges and simmer 15 minutes more. Slice the beef
and arrange with the vegetables on a large, deep platter, along with a
generous amount of the cooking liquid. Serve mustard and horseradish
on the side.

Serves 8 to 12

Windows and Curtains

She had started this quilt, but didn't get to finish it. Her good friend finished the quilt for her. Everyone wanted my aunt's last quilt, but her friend decided to give it to me! It's just lovely. It makes our new home look so homey.

I still have more windows to work on. There are some lace curtains over the living room door and around the kitchen. I want to put some pretty shades under the curtains since we live close to the road.

Like Eagles

Quote to Ponder This Coming Week

While surfing the net for various quotes on kindness, I found this one by Charles Kuralt. I find it very fitting for these times, but then it always amazes me that one quote or another that may have been written 100 years ago is fitting for today. The more things change............. the more they stay the same.

The everyday kindness of the back roads more than makes up for the acts of greed in the headlines.

I've been bothered lately with all of the supposed bankruptcies, bailouts and bad news in general. I just said to dh the other day, "Greed! It's all driven by greed!" No one is ever happy with what they have. They always want more. Oh how much happier we'd all be if we could be thankful for what we do have, set goals to better ourselves and then just let it be. Contentment. Where is it hiding these days?