Relish

The weekend before Thanksgiving the kids and I were watching The Kitchen on Food Network. The chefs were making various dishes for Thanksgiving and we noted a few.  One chef did a dry brine which I will try next year because the turkey looked delicious.  Another recipe was for a cranberry relish. I love cranberries so I went to the computer and found the recipe.  We made it for Thanksgiving and it is now in our Tried & Approved recipe collection.  I ate this with dinner, after dinner, with lunch.  It was so good that I ate it for dessert.  I’ll be making this for Christmas dinner too!

Apple-Orange-Cranberry Relish

1 orange
1 medium apple (a sweeter variety such as Gala or Fuji)
3 cups fresh cranberries
1 celery stalk, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup shelled walnuts
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon orange liqueur *I did not use this!

Grate the zest from the whole orange and set aside. Cut off any remaining pith from the orange. Cut the orange into chunks. Peel the apple and remove the core; cut into large pieces.

In a food processor, combine the orange zest and chunks, apples, cranberries and celery and process until finely chopped; be careful not to process too long because the mixture will become mushy. Add the walnuts and pulse until chopped. Stir in the sugar and orange liqueur. Refrigerate until serving time, at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Yield: 3 cups.

Yum-Yum

Get Togethers

Olivia has a small group of friends that hang out together in and out of school. They get together before school dances, during holidays and summer vacation.  I just found pictures of the cake Olivia made for their Halloween get together.  She made this wonderful dessert and took it to their sleepover. 

Scary and cute at the same time but ever so delicious!

New Rooms

We have been busy with home projects.  Even though we are making progress, why does the list grow longer when I finish a project?

These projects have taken much longer than planned but we are near the finish mark.  Earlier this year, I tore the old carpet up in Elliott’s bedroom.  I did that on a hot day in July, just before we went on vacation.  Then John replaced the window in the room and worked on the walls some. I painted like a mad woman before the flooring was installed.  I painted more after the installation.  I also painted Olivia’s room over a weekend.  Some projects you just have to do and not put off any longer.  It took Olivia a long time to make a decision on the paint color but she did a great job. Her room is welcoming and warm.  She picked out a beautiful fabric for her curtains and I sewed those up yesterday.  Two projects are nearing completion.  We still have some items to hang, closet doors to buy and install, but we are making progress.  More important is they like their new rooms and that makes me feel good. All the late nights, hard work and time, made them happy and in return, makes me happy. 

Here are some photos of Elliott's room:

I still have to hang his curtains and his trophy shelf.

We did not paint his bed as we hope to build a loft bed and we'll paint that gray.  We'll see if we get that project completed over the Christmas break.

And Olivia's room:

 Olivia has to decide where she wants to hang her items.  She wants a platform bed that her and her father plan to make over Christmas break.  Once that is made, painted and installed, I'll post updates.

Cool fabric and the curtains turned out beautiful!

Season of Growth

The season has come and gone. Football started on July 28 and the last game was played on October 11. I went to most of the practices. I saw how practice went for Elliott and the team as a whole. These young boys, 9 and 10 year olds, had a great season. They played seven regular games and one consolation game. They ended the season with a 5-2 record, 6-2 if you include the consolation game. They did not make it to the Super Bowl playoffs which would have been wonderful since our school is hosting the playoffs this year. However, they are still champions to me. I’ll be there to support the teams that are playing as I’ll be working concessions and Elliott will be watching all three games (weather dependent). I will brave anything Mother Nature sends us when my son is playing but it’s a different story when he is not on the field.

So they aren’t in the playoffs but it was a year of development for Elliott. He knows the game, drills, and plays inside and out. This year I saw growth on the field for him. He worked harder in his positions. He showed an interest in kicking and he worked on that. His father spent hours working on drills with him and coaching his kicking. It all paid off. Elliott’s confidence grew and finally, he said he was ready for John to tell the coaches he would try to kick a field goal. We had one boy that was punting and kicking field goals. He ended up injuring his knee although he still punted. Elliott’s first field goal kick was….good! He was thrilled. He didn’t even talk about losing the game as he was pumped about kicking those extra points. I was so excited, I forgot to tape it; however, I will always remember it sailing over the goal post and hearing the crowd erupt. What a moment!

Now…I wait for next year to start. Love the football season!

I've been meaning too

Finally I have made the time to sit and write about what we have been busy doing. I’ll be honest, I had to look at my last post because I could not remember it. It has been two months since I posted anything. Life is busy – life is good.

Football camp started the week after we returned from Canada. My commute to work and home was fun as I transported three boys to and from camp. During the day I walked to the stadium to see what they were doing. They enjoyed camp even though the days were hot. Four hot and humid days! I treated them to ice cream and cold drinks on the way home. Elliott said he would like to be a resident camper next year so I have started saving my pennies so he can attend.

Youth football practice started at the end of that week. I have been taking Elliott to practice three nights a week. While he practices, I have been walking/jogging on the track. Games started on August 24 and the last regular game takes place on October 4. So far, Elliott’s team is undefeated (4-0). They have three games to go. If they continue to win, they will go to playoffs. I won’t go there now though. We’ll see how each of these games go.

Here's my favorite player deep in thought

Mixed into the craziness of juggling practice and dinners, the kids had to get school supplies and clothes. They get excited shopping for supplies. It makes me smile to see their excitement and how they organize their supplies. Both Olivia and Elliott are attending new schools this year. Olivia is now a freshman in high school. Elliott is in 5th grade in the middle school. Elliott and I attended a BBQ at the middle school for the incoming 5th graders and their families. We met the 5th grade teachers, ate dinner with friends then toured the building. We then went to Elliott’s homeroom and his teacher talked to us. He changes classrooms this year and was a little nervous about learning his schedule and being on time but he had mastered the middle school life. With practice three times a week, it’s a challenge to complete homework but he has been good about tackling that when he arrives home.

So high school…let’s just say Olivia is loving it and we can’t believe it. Four more years and we’ll be taking her to college. In the meantime, we hope she has a blast and enjoys these years because they will go by so fast. She has a wonderful group of friends that she hangs out with. She is enjoying her classes and teachers. She is a great student. She comes home and gets right to work on her homework. Last night she started coming down with a cold and today I told her she could stay home (I could tell she wasn’t feeling well). Well, she had to check her schedule first then she asked if we could pick her up at 12:45 pm. Since John is home, he could have but she decided to stay home and rest. Olivia sent a folder with Elliott to give to her best friend on the bust so she could collect all assignments for Olivia. She is responsible and very committed to her studies.

Football game days are long for me because I have adopted Elliott’s team. I provide oranges and bananas for half-time. So I have to prepare for the games. There is more to do when we have home games since I bake treats for the concession stand, I volunteer at the concession stand for one of the other games and this year, I have started making welcome signs for the visiting team as I want to promote good sportsmanship.

By Saturday night we are all tired and we sleep really well. Sunday is another game day - in front of the tv if one of our football teams is playing.

John has started training Ruddie again as they have an upcoming trip to Maine in October. I am hoping the weather doesn’t get too cold before then as he won’t start the coal stove until he returns. We have been having some cold nights but fall is here and it is my favorite time of year.

Vacation and Update

Saturday we returned from our Canadian vacation! It is always so nice to go away for a while but even better to return. I love coming home because really, there is no place like home. The week was short and the weather was okay but we made the most of it. We arrived on a rainy, windy day and it is always hard coming across the lake to a new cottage in the boat but the guys made it. Good thing we bring our two-way radios. The cottage was clean and homey so we could move right in without me cleaning. I especially liked that. We enjoyed the location, the extras – bunk house and boat house. We did not swim much (I did not swim at all) because of the cooler temperatures and the water was cold. John and Olivia braved the water though. Elliott was banned since his right foot was hosting six stitches. However, he was enjoying all the dock and boat time fishing. He is very content to just fish, fish and fish. The Big Rideau is the place to fish too. Elliott kept a log of what fish were caught, how long they were and what was used (worms, minnows, etc.)

We took time to go to Westport as they have a fudge shop that has delicious, smooth fudge. We bought maple, vanilla and cookies and cream fudge. While in town, we also went to the small bakery, a furniture store, the rock shop and a little tourist shop. Then it was back to the cottage and boat. At night, we played games – Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble. Olivia and John went out for another game and came home with Clue. Olivia won every game we played. She’s quite the detective!

Our last night there we enjoyed a fish dinner brought to us by Olivia and Elliott. Look at their fish! Olivia’s bass was 19 inches long and Elliott’s lake trout (his first) was 23 inches long.

The beach that we like to go to was empty one day. It is a small beach that is located on Colonel By Island but the docks are always busy but one day there was space at a dock so we docked and walked to the beach. Elliott was bored, but John went to get the float that Olivia blew up and Elliott got to snorkel. He was happy and his foot stayed dry.

We arrived home on Saturday and all of us were looking forward to getting Ruddie home as well. After unpacking the truck, John mowed until it was time to go get him. Olivia and Elliott went with him. Ruddie was happy to be home again and we had a nice reunion! After dinner and dessert and some tv time, we went to bed.

Sunday I was up early and woke Elliott at 8:00 am as I wanted to be at the ER by 9:00 a.m. to get his stitches out. After checking in, we were taken to a room and after a brief wait, the doctor looked at his stitches and sent a nurse in to remove them. The wound opened a bit but Elliott is stitch free. He was relieved and yes, the removal hurt at times, but it was nothing compared to getting the stitches. By the end of the week, he will be able to swim and he is cleared to go to football camp next Sunday. The boy is happy!

Socked Feet

Elliott has a habit, a boy habit, of running around with socks on his feet. I feel like I tell him not to go outside with socks on all the time. Yesterday, he was in the basement in his socks. He was playing around the elliptical and his foot slipped and he got pinched. Although his father was in the basement, Elliott went upstairs to check out his foot since it hurt, a little. He went back down to show his father. PANIC. They came back up, washed the large, open wound and bandaged it. I got a call and luckily, I was two minutes from home. Once I arrived, we went to the emergency room. It was there, that I saw the wound for the first time. I huge hole, about the size of a dime, between is fourth toe and baby toe. And the waiting room was packed. However, because of the nature of his emergency, he was fast-tracked. He was called in, then sent to x-ray to make sure no tendons or bones were damaged. Good news - clear x-rays. Then the numbing cream. It stung but Elliott was brave. He said it didn't hurt much. His pain was in not knowing what to expect. Then came the hard part. The novacaine. The doctor we had was great. He said he was going to be honest, the needle would hurt. I told Elliott to look at the ceiling and talk. So he talked about fishing and talked more. He is never talkative but he talked our ears off. He did great. He wanted me by his side (there was no other place I wanted to me) and he held my hand. He squeezed it a little when he had too. He also rubbed his forehead during the novacaine shots. The stitching was the easy part. So Elliott has had his first visit to the emergency room, his first stitches (hopefully last) and he is handling all this with a positive attitude. This morning I took two pictures of his FrankenFoot. It looks pretty good considering.

This injury means no swimming until this heals completely so the next few weeks will be long and hot! Glad he had his socks on - this injury would have been worse. Praising our Lord for protecting Elliott and for the good doctor that took care of him.

Life at home

We are experiencing wonderful warm weather. Yesterday it was 85˚!  I was showered by sunshine and warmth. It made me feel fabulous. 

Sunday my men planted the potatoes and onions. They got a little too much sun.  The little big guy was smart and wore his corn-cob hat and a white t-shirt.  My Big Guy well, he had some red arms later that night. 

Olivia and I spent a lot of time running around this weekend.  She has her 8^th grade trip to Washington, D.C. this week.

She is so excited!                I am not!

She is looking forward to spending time with her friends. Sightseeing and having fun!  Oh the life of a carefree teenager.  I will have sleepless nights and my days will be filled with worry. The other night, she asked me what I was going to do when she went off to college.  I told her I was thinking of getting another degree and we could be roommates.  She said no so I’ll have 4 years of sleepless nights ahead of me. I just worry so much. I want my children to have these wonderful experiences and travel, as well as be safe. Sometimes I think they are too naïve and will get hurt, lost or worse.  Yes, I let my mind take me places it shouldn’t but we live in a harsh, cruel world. There is a lot of good in our world but it lies in the shadow of darkness.

We’ll both survive the trip and we can’t wait to hear about it.

Friday is “shadow day” for Elliott. He will be in fifth grade next year, middle school, and will be attending a new school.  So on “shadow day”, the fourth graders are paired up with a current fifth grader and they spend half the day at the middle school following – “shadowing” - that student from class to class.  It is a cool day for them as they get to see what part of the school their classrooms are in and they meet the fifth grade teachers.  Elliott’s shadow day is special because he was paired with a friend, who is a football teammate. He wanted to be paired with one of two football buddies but said it was a one-in-a-million shot. This proves he is one lucky boy!

And if the day could not be busy enough, shadow day is followed by track and field events at the high school.  I can’t wait to hear about his fun-filled day.  He tells me he is on a fast relay team so I hope they do really well and have fun!

 

Earlier this month, they went fishing on Lake Ontario. Elliott had a blast as he caught so many fish. He earned bragging rights as he caught the largest, a 25" brown trout!  John caught the fattest brown trout.

 

 

Look at this fat trout.

This is my favorite picture of my fisherman.

Last month, Olivia and I took a course – the first cake decorating class. Classes meet on Sundays so that was nice. No rushing home and back to the class.  I made a lot of frosting and washed so many decorating tips, I was happy to put them up for a while.  We had fun and had the instructor to ourselves.  The other two women never came back after the first class.  We think the work involved – basically baking – was too much for them.  I say this because at the end of the first class, one of the women asked if the instructor had cake recipes.  Olivia and I enjoyed the one-on-one instruction and getting to know the instructor. We learned a lot and had fun spending time together.  The cakes below were our final project for the first class. We’re signing up for the second course in June!

 

Both of our finished cakes.

Olivia's finished cake - just beautiful!

 

Mother’s Day was very nice. I worked on the yard some and then started digging up sod around my new bird feeder pole. I love it!  The guys put this up for me on Saturday and I washed the new hummingbird feeders out that night and filled them.  Fill your feeders and those little beauties will come.  Not a lot of time passed before we spotted a hummingbird!  I am so happy.  When Olivia and I went out on Sunday, I bought a purple clematis and planted it at the base of my feeder pole. I also cleared the area of sod as I will plant more flowers at the end of the month.  When I think the fear of frost has passed.

So things are warming up, more work is being done outside (last Friday was the first time we mowed this season) and we are all sleeping soundly. Well, I was until Olivia leaves us.