Ponderings

Have you ever noticed how Old Red Legs sometimes comes after you with a full frontal assault? You see it coming, you prepare a battle plan, and you meet him head-on. He learns, though...he also can attack you guerilla-style, sneaking up on you from behind so you don't know what hit you!
That happened to me this past week, and it took four full days before I could even raise my head off the ground - sounds melodramatic, I know, but if you asked my family they would agree. I'm not EVER going to let that happen again if I can. Next time, I'm going to ask for prayers, prayers and more prayers..and earlier than I did this time. I'm going to get on my knees and just cry out for help. I forgot to do that! DUH moment! I bet ORL was having a merry giggle at my expense, but he forgot that a mad Irish chick is not to be messed with. Lesson learned. Enough said.

Wedding photographs 6/13/2009

Zucchini surprise!

I have finally found a delicious dish that uses the baseball-bat-sized zucchini we all know and love - mock apple crisp! It's amazing and no one knows those aren't apple chunks in there. Just cut up the zucchini, being careful to cut around and omit the central seeded part. Simmer in lemon juice and sugar, then add sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg as you would for apple pie filling. Follow any recipe you want for the streusel/crisp topping and bake as directed. I even made enough to freeze for another day! Yippee - I love it when I don't waste!

Carrot Bread Recipe

Here 'tis...hot off the presses, Julia!

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 salad oil
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups finely shredded raw carrots

Beat eggs, then gradually add sugar, beating until thick. Gradually add oil and continue beating until thoroughly blended. In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients until thoroughly blended. Mix dry ingredients into egg mixture until smooth and well blended. Stir in the carrots. Spoon into 2 well-greased 9x5 loaf pans. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour until a wooden skewer/cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.

Enjoy! It's a great Christmas gift!

Anti-procrastination day begins!

OK, so I've not posted any pics yet...but I will. Be patient with me, as I've a new camera, new computer, and new software to work around. Today, I took a page out of my friend Wendy's book and decided to stop procrastinating. Of course, Fr. V at Confession helped move me along as well! So...off to the garden we went, to glean what was left of the veggies. I think I could still get a few bell peppers out of there or some tomatoes, but we let the chickens in after the fact to feast away while the feasting's good! Almost the whole family was out helping - it's amazing how fast things happen when you have a gang out doing things together..that's the way it's meant to be, I think. Families working together to help each other out.
I've got 2 loaves of carrot bread baking as we speak (from carrots taken out of said garden). Then, in with the leg of lamb and I think I'll have boiled spuds from the garden as a veg today. I still have some bathing of children to do, some laundry to do, a bill to pay, a test to finish giving. With God's help, I'll have more stuff checked off my to-do list and I'll feel like I've accomplished something!

And so it begins...

A friend of mine, who shall not remain nameless (*cough*...Wendy), helped me decide to start a new blog. I already have one, specifically having to do with homesteading, at www.homesteadblogger.com/OurLadysWindyAcres, but what the heck...I'm a homeschooler with nothing more to do than eat bon bons and play on the computer all day, just like Wendy, so I thought...why not? What's another blog between friends? Or strangers for that matter!

Therefore, a wee introduction. I'm Fiona, have one DH (one is hard enough to break in, I'm not likely to go for bigamy - too much work!), 7 blessings on earth, 1 in Heaven, 1 great son-in-law, and our first grandbaby on its way! We live in the Midwest on a small "hobby farm"...heck of an expensive hobby to start, let me tell you! We're trying to become more self-sufficient and in my dream world I'm off the grid and nobody knows I exist LOL!

I'm unapologetically Catholic, although I'm working on Apologetics (no, it doesn't mean having to say you're sorry!). Love genealogy, first gen American having immigrated in the late '60s, reading, learning to do crafts, cooking, gardening on some days not on others, blah blah blah. Enough about me. Comments????