One Year Anniversay

MOM

 

  Today is the one year anniversary of my mother's passing.  It is hard to believe it has been a whole year already.  It feels like it has been forever, but like it was just yesterday also.  I come from a very small family.  There is just me and my sister.  She has 3 kids-2 in college and I have one.  My mother has 2 sisters-one that lives in town, one that doesn't.  There has been many changes in the family dynamic since my mother's passing.  The crazy part about it all was it happen exactly like my mother said it would.  My mother would talk to me about a lot of things and she would talk to me about her death.  She died after having her 4th heart attack.  Mom knew exactly how her sisters would act and how my sister would behave and she kept telling me to just do things like she had told me to do, because they won't like it, but it is what she wants.  She was right on the money.
   The best thing to happen is my sister and I have gotten a lot closer.  We were never very close growing up, but now I think we are the closest we ever have been.  It almost feels like our two families against the world.  I know that isn't true, but sometimes the hurt is still very fresh. 
   We have had our first Thanksgiving without Mom and our first Christmas and our first Easter.  They weren't easy. but we got through them and we made them joyous for the kids in the family.  Each day gets easier.  I have stored all of the photos and scrap books for a year.  I think in the next couple of weeks it will be time to start going through them.  I know it is hard for my sister, so I will make copies of the photos I want and then pack them all up, take the boxes to her house, and the boxes will sit until she is strong enough or her kids go through them.  It is strange how two sisters can be so different.  Mom always told me I would have to be the strong one and I always have been and I always will be.  Someday the tears will come, but not today. 

Love to all,  Sara  

Boston

  To all of those affected by the events in Boston today, my heartfelt prayers are going out to you!

Love to all,   Sara

Happy Tax Day!

  This is what we woke up too!  Needless to say we had an April blizzard yesterday, with 19 inches of snow.  Today we won't worry to much about our taxes; we will just spend the day digging out.  The hubby spent 2 hours snow blowing the driveway last night, also helping neighbors.  Also, another hour this morning.   The worst part is IT IS STILL SNOWING! Have to love North Dakota weather!  NOT!

Snow next to our driveway.

Snow pile after plowing the driveway.

  Intersection that was clear two days ago.

Piles of snow from a side street being cleared downtown. 

A field of snow west of town.  We were starting to see the ground a few days ago. 

The city had to bring out the heavy equipment to remove snow downtown. 

The city pushes the snow to the center of the street to make it easier to clear with the pay loaders. 

 

The only good thing about a snow storm on tax day is that the IRS has given us an extra day to file out taxes because of the storm.  So for all those last minute filers, you have a little more time.  Yeah!

 

Love to all,   Sara

April 9th Snow Storm-A RANT

  I have come to a conclusion.  We are never going to have spring.  The groundhog lied and spring is just not going to come.  The above photo is what we woke up to this morning.  It is the view out my back window.  The spot that was completely bare.  Yes on April 9th, 2013 we had a snow storm in the middle of the night.  According to the weatherman, we are not done with the snow either.  We are in a WINTER STORM WATCH for at least another 7 hours.  I don't think winter is ever going to end!

 

This is the view out my back door.  Yesterday, I could actually see the ground.  It wasn't green but I saw the ground.  Can you tell I am a little upset by this snow?  If not, I AM.

 

This is the snow in my driveway.  My driveway that was completely clear.  To make matters worse, my husband is out of town for 3 days, so it is up to me to shovel all of the snow off the driveway and back steps, etc.  I have asked for 2 years for him to show me how to run the snow blower, but OH NO he couldn't do that!  So I am out shoveling.  Tonight I will be sleeping with a heating pad on my back, LOL.  

  Thanks for listening to me whine and rant. 

 

Love to all,    Sara 

Bug's Favorite Chili

Yum!  Chili!!

  The other night it was really chilly and I was trying to decide what to have for supper (yes, supper is a Midwest term.  It means dinner.). Well, Bug suggested chili, always a favorite in our family.  So that was what was on the menu; Bug's Favorite Chili.

Ingredients

Bug's Favorite Chili

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
2 (4 ounce) cans mushrooms
2 cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans chili beans, undrained
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
3 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce (or when using my homemade canned sauce, I use a quart)
1 tbsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. onion powder (my family doesn't like chunks of onion, so 1 small onion my be substituted)
1/2 cup chili powder
1 teaspoon smoked sea salt (if you can't find this, it can be left out)
1 teaspoon cumin

Directions:
Cook the ground beef until no longer pink.  Before the beef is completely done, add the mushrooms so they get a little of the beef flavor on them.  Add a little of the chili powder to the beef as it is cooking, maybe a teaspoon.  When beef is done, add the rest of your ingredients.  Let the chili simmer for 25-30 minutes for all the flavors to come together.

This chili is really good and not that spicy.  If you want yours a spicier, add more chili powder and some cayenne powder.  As much as you want.

I hope you enjoy it!  I know we all did!! :)

Love to all,   Sara


Talent Show #80

Waiting for Spring

  I am anxiously waiting for spring and summer!  All I want to do is get out in my garden and dig in the dirt!  With our winter that seems to be hanging on forever; we had wind chills of -2 this morning all I can think about is putting up a few quarts of pickles or tomato sauce.

 

This is about half of what I did last year.  I did pickles, tomatoes sauce, spaghetti sauce, peaches, green beans, cherries and zucchini relish.  Yes I was busy but I loved it.  I knew with every hour of back ache and smelling like a pickle that in the middle of winter; my family would have fresh produce to eat all winter long.

 

 

 

  I also want to get back to my flowers.  I love planting flowers.  Last year I was so happy with the way my clematis bloomed.  Isn't these blossoms beautiful?

I can only hope they bloom as nicely this year. 

 

Love to all,    Sara

 

Favorite Kitchen Tools

  I thought I would tell you about my two favorite kitchen tools.  One is a set, so ever though there are to of them I consider them as one.  I think I use them every day, if not every day as least every other.  It seems like whenever I am looking for them, I just have to look in the dishwasher and there they are.  I know, you are probably saying what could it be?  It must be some fancy do dad!  Well here they are!

 

 

This is my Mix & Chop from Pampered Chef.  I absolutely love it!!!!!  Do I have enough exclamation marks?  There is nothing this thing can't do.  I have even put a frozen pound of hamburger in a pan to brown and the Mix & Chop has been able to break it up!  It is wonderful for those of us who sometimes forget to take meat out of the freezer (or forget most of the time).  I have more than gotten my money out of it!  

 

 

 

These are my Chicago Cutlery Santoku Knife Set.  I bought these at Shopko a couple of years ago and now I can basically throw away every other knife I own, except for maybe the steak knifes.  I use them for everything.  I don't even use a paring knife anymore and I use to have one of those in my hand all the time.  I can do anything with these to knives, even cut bread. 

 

  Do you have some kitchen items that you can't live without?  Let me know!

 

Love to all,   Sara