Littlesister

Joyfilled, you made the right move with that stove. I don't have any way of putting something like that in my kitchen and the one I got was to be a fireplace insert but ended up being free standing which worked out better. But if I could get something like yours it would have to be set up outside on back patio and I don't know how that would work as it would need to be protected from weather.

I'm thinking at that price if you get both the small mouth and the wide mouth it might come to the $50 needed for free shipping. I will be looking into this as I do want to get them. will look at what else they have that I could use that might push it over the $50 amount to get the free shipping but not sure what else they sell yet. Will look around at the sight to see best way to go.

euphrasgne, keep after your DH. Hopefully he will give in and get one. Mine is not what Joyfilled has, and I would love to have one of those. But this is in my den. And was mostly for heating the house. It is doing great for heating house so hopefully. I cooked chicken on it today. And it turned out great. The top is flat so using my cast iron pans is working great. When it is just the embers in stove, I think I can set a pot inside the stove and cook something up, but not sure on that yet. Don't know what made me decide to try chicken on it as there are other things that might have been easier to do for doing it the first time. But it worked out great. Chicken was done and very tender. Need to go out to shed and get the rest of my cast iron pots. I put them in there for safe keeping during construction. Or to hide from SIL Yes, he loves cast iron pots and will one day he and GS will inherit them. Plenty for both of them. I need to find a place to store them when I bring them in. No room in kitchen for them as they are a huge roasting pan, to small Dutch oven to a large Dutch oven. I think I have about 4 different sizes. I will be using the smallest one the most. I do have a lot of cast iron of all types. Other than cooking chicken on wood stove. I have had the CD player going and just relaxing. For some reason it just feels like an Eary day. Just to quiet even with the CD player going. Did some Bible reading and just relaxed for most of the day. Tomorrow it's back to work. DD and SIL left for home later last night and got home around 9pm. Need to get ready to leave for DD's house Thursday morning. Won't be back till sometime Sat. evening. This will be my first time driving there so hope I don't get lost. But think I will do ok. Been a long time since I drove any distance but is only 2 and a half hours away. Not the 5 or 6 hours I used to drive to grandparents' house years ago.

Mine is not a stove like that but just a flat top wood stove to heat house. But I did cook chicken on top of it. It has no burners or an oven. But I think when it is just hot embers, I could cook on that. But for the flat top of the stove, I decided to try cooking chicken. Figured if it didn't work out, I could finish off in oven. But the chicken cooked through and was very tender. Great flavor. Can't bake in it but might think about stove pipe oven. would have to have chimney guy come and install it but would be worth it. The stove is at fireplace in den on far side of kitchen. It is heating the whole house. The furnace has not come on all day. it is comfortable 72*in house right now. Joyfilled, that meal looks great. I love the wood cooking stove. Maybe I might have one like that in my future. But at my age and lack of funds for one like that I will settle for my regular wood stove. And yes, thinking the Lord every day for being able to have one. Will try to get pictures on here when I get the problem fixed with that. Computer keeps saying my pictures are full. Don't think that is the problem.

Mt. Rider, glad you were able to get some sleep. Becca Anne, it's good to be able to get someone over there to get those things taken care of. Plexiglass is a great idea. And yes, it does insulate well. Fired up the new wood stove today. SIL couldn't stand it. He had to check it out and he wants one. They have a natural gas fireplace, and he wants to change it out for a free-standing wood stove. Seems he and DD has finally woken up to reality and stocking food and thinking about ways to keep warm without current of any kind. So that is a start. We are working on getting GS set up with everything he needs to be on his own. That fireplace will run you out if not careful. Still have to get fans situated and such. But being the first time using it and getting the feel for how it is going to do was the main part. And Mother is right. I will be able to cook on it and put a cast iron pot inside when it gets down to embers to cook something inside the stove. Wondering how bread in a cast iron pan would work in there. SIL thinks I should get that oven that goes onto the pipe going up into chimney also. He said he has cooked on one before. I might think about that. House is now up to 70*. And that is in back of house which is usually a bit colder than front of house. So, working good for keeping whole house warm. They saw my bedroom pantry for first time finished up and they love it. SIL has his brain going on what they need to do now. He has known for a long time that they need to start prepping but DD was never on board. It was always it will be fine. This won't last. Now they see it will last and no end in sight. She went to store and got sticker shock. I think that got her on board. She still won't do canning, so I am introducing her to dehydrating. I think she will be on board for that.

GS is off for Thanksgiving Day. So we are leaving on Thanksgiving Day at around 8 am on Thursday. Since this is my first time driving there and I have no idea where I am going, I figure we should get there by 11 am at the earliest. Google maps better not fail me. Friday will now be a shopping day for us girls. Should be back sometime Sat. night as GS is working on Sunday night and wants to come home on Sat. instead of Sun. This will be my first outing in a long, long while. Might just do me some good to get away for a few days. Got house cleaned up today. Mopped floors and dusted. Went through a few more things also and got that put away. My CD player must have gotten that cement dust in it even though it was covered and in living room during construction. It is a Bose, and I can't afford to replace it. So took a chance and took it apart to clean it. It was full of dust. But it is now working again. So been playing CD's most of the day. I have been being as quiet as possible with GS sleeping during the day. But it is just too quiet. So, the CD player played all day, and he didn't wake up. Can't handle that much quiet. Have always had the CD player a radio or the TV on during the day. Guess I got used to DH having the TV on all day watching his cowboys and Indians all day. Just got used to the noise, I guess.

Never been to a cookie exchange before either. But we have done cake walks at our church.

We just had a change of plans for Thanksgiving. GS said he found out tonight he will be off for Thanksgiving Day. So, we are leaving for DD's house on Thanksgiving Day. Hoping all plans go well. So now DD and I can go do a little shopping on Friday instead of having Thanksgiving on the day after Thanksgiving. When the grandchildren were younger, we used to get together and leave house at 6 am and head to the Williamsburg outlet mall. We would be gone all day and not get back sometimes till around 11 pm. Would stop at Patrick Henry Mall in Hampton on way back from Williamsburg. So maybe we can do some shopping like that again Friday next week. But not as late. Don't think at my age now I could handle all day like that again. But it sure was fun. Maybe this will be the start of a new tradition moving forward. Seems my life has changed so much now that it will be another hard time over the holidays, but I really need to start moving forward now. Not as easy as it sounds but working on it.

My traditions are changing for the second time. But we used to use the fine China and things as well. Used to have 25 to 30 family members here for Thanksgiving. Cooked Turkey, dressing outside of the bird, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potato casserole, green beans but not the casserole as grandkids are picky. Cranberry sauce, butter beans, corn, and rolls. We had, lemon meringue pie, both sweet potato and pumpkin pie for dessert. With picky eaters I always had to keep it simple. Then over the years as family members passed on and grandchildren grew up, got married and moved away to other states, The amount of people here got smaller and then DD decided that she would do Thanksgiving at her house, and I do Christmas at my house. That has worked out well for us for a few years. Now that another GD has gotten married and moved to SC and the only one here now is GS. We are figuring out new plans. GD and her DH will be heading to DD's house sometime late on Thanksgiving Day. It is about a 4-hour drive to DD house. For me and GS it will be a 2-and-a-half-hour drive. And with GS working on Thanksgiving and not get home till around 3 am on Friday morning. We will be leaving around 8 am on Friday morning. Not sure yet if this will be a tradition yet or not as we are using this year to work out new traditions again. DD, GD and I will be all in kitchen cooking up a great Thanksgiving meal.

Went to store yesterday to pick up some drinks and a few other things for GS. They had frozen mixed veggies and butterbeans on sale 2lb bags at 2 for $5.00. Haven't seen them that cheap in a while. So bought 2 of each and came home and got them in dehydrator. Since it was rather late when I got them in there, I let it run all night. Got them jarred and sealed early this morning. Butterbeans did take a little longer, but they are all done. Cleaning house rest of day and going through more things. DD and SIL will be here early tomorrow morning as we are taking GS out to lunch for his birthday. Since GS is working on Thanksgiving, we are leaving early Friday morning heading to DD's house for Thanksgiving. We will come back I thought late Sat. night since GS is working Sunday but does not leave for work till 4 pm. DD wants us to stay and come home early Sunday morning. Then GS can sleep till almost time to leave for work. I have to think about that. But works for me. Will see how it goes.

Now I am hungry for something sweet. That looks really good. I haven't made cobbler or jelly in a long time but will be keeping all this in mind if it doesn't work out right.

Cricket, those all-nighters are rough. Went through a lot of those in 2020 and early2021. Don't think I have recuperated yet. My health went down because of it. But it was what it was. Started going through boxes in garage. Found the CD's and DVD's and brought those in house and got them put away. Working on getting my bedroom back together again. Got one picture hung up in there for now. It was in my way. All my CD's I would like to have in the den as that is where my CD player is. Got to get the racks for them cleaned up and bought back into house. Then I can sort through and get them back on rack. Right now, they are sitting in bedroom on top of the TV stand. That will work for now. More stuff for Good Will to go out. Box is getting full so might just take that box to Good will tomorrow and start a new one. Hoping tomorrow to start going through the rest of the OTC meds and organize those. Was hoping they would work out on the hall closet but not enough space. So, will get them set up in bedroom closet shelve. Got everything I need to get them organized. Plastic shoe box size containers to hold each one. Vit. D in one, Vit. C in another and so on. That way they won't be falling down, and I can label the boxes at the end so I can find what I need quickly. Daughter and SIL will be here Sat. Morning. We are taking GS out to dinner for his birthday. That little brat couldn't wait to try out being 21 years old. He stopped at 7 11 and bought a 6 pack of that Mikes hard lemonade. Yuk! He said he had fun doing it. Girl asked for ID, and he slowly pulled out his drivers lic. and slowly laid it on the counter for her. She said today is your birthday and he said yep and he's trying it out for fun. He said the girl said he made her day.

Thanks, Jeepers. I got the book 1929. It was really good. Started off funny and then got so sad. But was a really great book. And it does give an idea of how things can go south in a stock market crash. Lost jobs, etc. Worth the read.

Jeepers you sound like me. it's been go, go, go, for weeks trying to get house back together. Been slowing down for past few days now. And I don't think this is the time to be slowing down. Left to go get GS a sub from Subway earlier and I just had an oil change. Oil is on driveway. Put kitty litter down to soak it up. Going back to Harris Tire in morning. Never had an issue with them. But I think someone was in a hurry and didn't tighten oil filter like they should have. But I don't need to be sitting there waiting for them to check it out. I have to many things to do and will be leaving town Thanksgiving week. Today is GS's 21st Birthday. He was up early so he got to open his gifts this afternoon before going to work. His parents had stuff mailed to him also. They will be here this weekend and we will be taken him out to dinner. He's going to be on a sugar high as one of the gifts his parents got him was a big box of candy like they had in 2001 when he was born. The place is called the Birthday Times, I think. It even has a letter of fun facts of things that happened in the news, US history, music and a lot of other news type stuff. It's a huge box of candy. Yes, that boy loves his sweets. I see cavities in his future. Went through a few more things today and added to the box for good will. They are going to get tired of seeing me. But stuff just has to go. I can't stand clutter and this house has been full of it. DH didn't like to get rid of a lot of things as he always said might need it someday and he has been so right so many times. But there are some things that as I go through them that I know I will never use. He retired from Columbia Gas, and I still have all his pipe fitting tools. I am going to keep all of that as though I can't use them, in a SHTF situation they will have a use. And I was told by one of our friends that put our new boiler in not to get rid of any of that stuff. So, it is all boxed up and in garden shed in a corner for now.

Mt. Rider I have those jar openers you posted on page 49. And I also have all of the above openers as well. With my knuckles like they are, I can't even make a fist. So very hard to get a grip on things. I have also just tapped the edge of jars and they came off easier as I have had a couple of them that wouldn't budge with any gripper I have. Sometimes that works. Will have to try the icepack trick next time one wants to be really stubborn. Cleaned kitchen this morning and then went up in attic. Boy was it cold up there. Got blankets down but haven't unboxed them yet. Not sure how many are in there yet. Condensation was around the bottom of glass on patio door, so I guess the contractors managed to break the seal between the glass banging stuff against it as they were going in and out. So won't be using that door this winter as I put bubble wrap up over the whole door. Will see if that helps this winter. GS can go in and out of garage door this winter. I have 2 quarts of collards that DH cooked Christmas of 2019. Going to call his cousin and take one of them to him. They are still good because I had 3 quarts in freezer and ate one of them. They are the best. He used to cook them for the Bennett's Creek market. Was doing it for 20 years. Glad I helped him do it because next winter I will be planting collards and I have his secret.

I have been meaning to get a yeast starter going again for a while. But will keep that on hold for now till the house is fully done and GS is out on his own after first of year. That boy is all boy along with his messes that I have to clean up first thing every morning. It's getting old now. I know his working nights and sleeping days is rough, but he sleeps, eats and works and no time to do anything else. But he could learn to clean up behind himself. No wonder I'm so tired. He eats dinner in middle of night and just leaves the dishes in sink for me the next morning. Not to mention his bathroom. He's only cleaned it twice since he's been here. So that job is on me. He best find a wife that will put up with all that mess. Though he says he is never getting married nor having kids. Never say never it might backfire.

MidnightMom your crop is looking really good.

I have several of those jar gripper pads. They do work but my hands have gotten to a point that I just can't grip things anymore. They said I will have to have knuckle replacement and I am trying hard to hold off on that. But now my left hand is starting to act up. So, surgery is coming at some point.

Joyfield you are doing great with learning all the new things you are doing. All that will pay off in the end. I really need to get back to learning new things, but the past 3 years has been such a nightmare that I have put so much off I wanted to do and learn. But a new year is dawning, and GS will be out on his own and I can get back to all that. Minus chickens, goats, cows and all the nice animals I would love to have if I had a place to have them. But so much other things to do and learn.

I still have sweet potatoes growing but don't think they will do anything. Nothing but leaves and no blooms or anything yet. They have been out there now for 4 months and not really growing anymore. So, I think they are done. I bought a compost been and need to get GS to help me get it set up. have been wondering if the bagged soil has been some of my problem. Tomatoes did well. But the cherry tomatoes were in pots and did not fare well. Need to get the fencing to keep rabbits out of garden next year. I have a feeling there will be even more of them. Didn't use the bigger garden area this past summer and I had been thinking about not doing a garden next year and just taking a break and going to the farm markets instead. But with prices like they are, and I think will get much worse, I might need to rethink that idea. I really do need a break as the past 3 to 4 years have been nothing but a nightmare. Lack of sleep and DH getting so sick with trying to care for him and not being able to get him any help because of Covid. I am still just tired and have been forcing myself to get things done. So, my challenge is rather to bypass a garden next spring or to go the farm market route. It would give me more time to get the compost bin going good.

GS has lots of leftovers for dinner tonight. I'm not cooking anything tonight. Leftovers need to be used up. Just heat and eat. I cooked for past 3 days now. So today is a break. He's at work now and will be home around 3 or 3:30 in the morning. So, he can heat up what he wants for dinner or would you call that breakfast. I could never work like that. Today has been more of a rest day for me. Just tired today. Was going to Church this morning and I woke up; it was cold, and I don't remember rolling over and going back to sleep. This crazy up and down weather needs to stay one way or the other. It's playing on me right now. And the cold weather is killing my hands. I think I might have to do something about that sooner than later. Need to pull out my special gloves and start wearing them again. They are pressure gloves with no fingertips. So, I can wear them around house to work. And I have a pair I wear to church because when the guys want to shake your hand it hurts. Some of them have a hard grip. But when they see me with my glove on my right hand, they know the arthritis is acting up and are much lighter on the hand shaking. I have more ways to open jars than you could imanage. I have even gone to a neighbor's house and asked her to open a jar for me. That's getting bad. Tomorrow I will be back at getting more rooms cleaned up. Still lots to do and will be going back up into attic to look around at what is up there and getting those blankets down as well.

I have never made cheese before. And don't remember if my grandmother made it or not. But would love to give it a try. I will have to try mother's recipe as I don't have any way of getting raw milk around here.

Jeepers, I didn't think about Michaels. I have bought shirts there before and I like them. And yes, I always get a size up because they do shrink. So, I always get a Large. You can never have enough tee shirts.

Those turnups look great Miki. Jeepers they are having a Jeep show in VA Beach. First one ever I think they said. Hope you figure out your jeep issue soon and it's not an expensive fix. Taking it a bit easy today. Did go through a few things in bedroom this morning. Thinking about just totally emptying my closet and starting over. Momo, I know where you are coming from. It will be 2 years next Valentine's Day since I lost my DH. I didn't want to do anything or go anywhere. I stayed home for almost a year in 2021. Only going out when I had to. Then the beginning of 2022 and construction started in March of 2022. That may be what started to get me going again. It's been a hard struggle, but I am slowly getting back to normal, I think. Grandkids have been in and out so much that I don't have a moment alone anymore. I still have my moments but don't last as long as they used to. I have lost all my aunts and uncles now and 4 cousins. Family getting smaller and smaller. Time for great grandkids and they are taken their sweet time on that. We used to have about 30 family members here for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. As time went by, we lost brothers and sisters, my mother also. Then grandkids grew up and some off to college and then one moved to CA, one that is married, and her DH in Navy moved to Washington state, one in the Army and now the last GD married a year ago and now living in SC. Now that it is just me and GS still living here. We are starting a new tradition. Thanksgiving at DD house which is a 2-and-a-half-hour drive and Christmas at my house. So, GS and I will be gone the weekend of Thanksgiving. Though we will be coming back home on Sat. evening as GS has to work on Sunday after Thanksgiving. But it will all work out. I need to get back to that room but thanks to Jeepers free Amazon book list, I got the book 2029. Couldn't put it down. So, before I knew it, it was 3 am. That is a good book and so funny at times. but at same time it tells of how things could happen here and around the world as well. That is a great read.

My DH and his dad raised beagles for rabbit hunting. They had about 20 of them. Those dogs were spoiled. DH's hunting days were over though by the time I met him. He got into fishing with his cousin after we got married. Lots of deep-sea fishing. Kept the freezer full of tuna and other fish back then. Those were the good old days. All just memories now. But good ones. Mt. Rider glad you are feeling better now. You have had a rough time of it past few months. Hope it's not your alternator going bad on your Jeep. I found out yesterday that I lost a classmate also. She was 80 years old. So will be having a funeral to go to but won't be until next week as she had a lot of out of state family that is still trying to get here. I have lost a lot of my Sunday school classmates and if it keeps up, we won't have a class anymore. It just gets smaller and smaller. DH's class had that happen and now there are only 3 left in his class. I think they are going to join our class as that is what they always did when the Sunday school teacher couldn't be there. Now that classes Teacher is home bound, so they don't even have a teacher any longer. Got a lot done today and even sewed the holes up in GS's old favorite blanket. And don't laugh, it's a crib blanket he has hung onto forever. He uses it like a throw when laying on couch to watch TV. That blanket is on its way to trash can. It is so worn out. But he loves it. Crazy kid. I got him a new one for Christmas. I have one on back of couch and he loves that one to. And NO, it's not a crib blanket. The owner of construction company came at around 3:30 and we went over the bill. I had some things that I had to add on as the job was progressing. But much better than I thought it would be. A few thousand less than I thought. Sigh of relief.