July 12, 2019

Someone, I think might be from "Blogger" itself, asked why I hadn't posted to my blog in a while. Well since May anyway. The answer is both simple and complicated. I've been busy, I have a life that does not involve much computer time right now, and I have a few health  issues that have slowed me down a little bit. 

I live near one of our Children and I have been her Baby sitter since mid October. I'm loving keeping up with him and watching him grow.  But since it's at her house, I don't have access to my computer since my laptop died on me. I have been reminded by my hubby that I have a lot (to him) of card making stuff but haven't been making any cards. I've made 4 of those but forgot to take pictures of them as they were needed a soon as I finished them. I did use marker to dress up another pair of white canvas shoes, but I won't take a picture now because I have been wearing them and they are dirty. I've been trying to keep the camper clean, which is harder while Hubby is not working. he's semi retired so he's still job hunting but so far he's not found much work, Not that he's under foot the the camper is small enough during the day when it's just me and the dogs but when he's here it feels even smaller and He wants to be able to leave in a minute at will and so if I'm in the middle of anything I need to be able to just stop and we go. So the clutter has built up a bit. 

While school is out, We both have been spending our mornings at the Senior Center. Believe me I am totally enjoying this. I am talking to other adults, something I've not really done a whole lot of over the years.  Sadly though, with meeting older (new to me) people there is a chance of their not being around long and I've lost two friend I didn't know all that long. I Miss Renee and Thelma.  I have "Friends" there now and they miss me when I am sitting my grandson. 

I'm not getting younger, that's for sure and so some health isses have come up. Early enough I can work on them, but they are still there and still need tending. I had two Dr appointments yesterday, one went very well, outside of my not losing weight, the other one, not so great and surgery is in my future, to remove the rest of my Thyroid. It's not critical  yet, but it could be so in the not to distant future so I have to keep aware of it, and e don't have anyway to pay for that surgery, right now. 

Now, the weather has been too hot to walk outside, and when it's not too hot, the blood sucker mosquitos attack in droves, or at least it seems they are in droves.  Walking the dogs is now Jerry's job, and he does a lot of the cooking.  I do most of the cleaning, at least inside. 

My plants are doing well. I picked up two more but they are more dead than alive and I'm in hopes of reviving them. I wanted to get a few seeds this past Spring, but we just didn't have the money to do so. But I have hopes that, next year, I can at least grow some tomatos in a bucket outside the door.  

Billie C.

 Life is a journey not a destination

    @~`~~

Good Morning, Everyone

Good Morning, Everyone.

I seem to have caught a cold from one of the older grand kids and spent most of the weekend sleeping. I fet well enough to take care of Liam yesterday as well as doing the laundry since I needed some pants washed. Liam was not having a good day and was fussy all day long. He would play a little, fuss a litte, I would change his diaper, then offer a bottle which he really didn't want most of the time. He would then fuss some more before falling asleep. He had a change in his diet a little and that has given him a bit of diaper rash. I was keeping him as dry as I could and wipe him as gentle as I could and kept him covered in Rash Cream, after letting him dry in the open.  It was looking much better when I left his house.  I had the last load of laundry in the dryer when Jerry came in and said we  could leave right now.. and I didn't move, he repeated it a couple of times and I finally told him, We can leave after I get that last load out of the dryer.. Oh, he didn't realized I wasn't done yet... well with 5 loads of laundry to do, it takes all day long to get it done.  Washing doesn't take but about 30 minutes, but drying can take over an hour each load.  He had forgotten that we had brought the laundry to wash, yesterday morning.  He's not been feeling all that well either. We are both much better this morning and looking forward to a nice, warm day here in Tennessee. Our high is going to be in the lower 80's and sunny. A perfect day to spend a bit of time outside.

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Billie C.

 Life is a journey not a destination

challenging Weather

challenging Weather

Wow, what a difference  a week can make a well as what a difference a day can make.

Friday,  Started off cloudy, then foggy and rainy, then the sun came out for a little bit, then clouded over again and the rain started late in the evening.

Saturday was heavy rain at times, foggy and cloudy all day long and a high in the upper 50's. Just warm enough that the heater didn't not have to come on but about once an hour to keep us comfortable.  Saturday Evening the rain was heavy and we were having to look out at the creek at least every hour if not more often since our Expedition is parked much closer to the water than from our usual parking place. We were blocking a small trailer with a ladder on it that our landlord may have needed for the day. Anyway... We had to keep an eye on the creek as the rain was very heavy at times, and we were under a Tornado watch for about 45 minutes at 8 pm  last night. we had some wind as well. It finally stopped raining around 2 am and we were able to sleep the rest of the night. I woke up about 8 am, this morning to bright sunshine and blue skies. The birds were really singing and you could hear the joy they were taking in the mornings' change.  Every thing is still wet but it's much dryer than we have had in a few weeks. 

I decided to sit outside the camper around 11 am this morning, just to enjoy the sun. Jerry brought out Barney, so he could run off some energy by chasing his ball around in the grass for a few minutes. I brought out Macon, who promptly made sure the grass was well watered near the Azealia bush that is at the front door. He also likes to "Ooph" (low bark) at anyone walking on the trail on the other side of the creek. After a few minutes, Rocky decided that he didn't like being in the house alone and came to the door to come outside and join us. We all spent about an hour outside. The only reason we came inside was the dogs were getting louder and we didn't want to encourage that with them.  We Were outside again about 4 pm, as much for the fresh air as to say Hey" to the neighbor's child who is about 3 years old. I gave him a rock I had painted over winter time and he was about to toss it into a water puddle. I showed him how to pick up the pea sized gravel to toss into the water puddle. He loved that. The land lord had told Jerry last week that some of the gravel piled up on the other side of the drive, was going to be spread and that out "Puddle" was going to be filled in. (believe it when I see it)  Now I really do need to paint more rocks since I think I'm out of "Spares" to hand out to people.

We were able to open the doors, and the vents today and let in the fresh air. WE only closed up every thing once the sun went down. I wish the rest of t his next week was going to be as nice as today has been. The forecast is for high's in the        60's and lows in the low 40's. I am in hopes that I can take Liam outside the door each afternoon this next week.

Billie C.

 Life is a journey not a destination

Update

Hello. I am writing from a sopping wet Tennessee.

We have had too much rain over the last couple of weeks and this weekend is also looking to be very wet. I just hope we don't have to move the camper again since the Fiber Optic line has been installed and we can not take it off line.

We had one camper leave  and one come in, on the same day. The new camper is on the lot that the one that left had been on.  We have been lucky in that no one has had any damage due to some flooding we had two weeks ago.   We have had a couple of days with sun shine.  And we have had a few colder than usual nights as well. But, the weather is improving and we may even get to 70 on Sunday. I'm looking forward to that so we can open the doors, windows and vents and air out the camper. Of course, it's only for one day and then it's to cool off again. But I'll take that one day and be happy we can open up for a bit.  The grass is very fresh and green and there is a lot of "green" along the creek banks, as well as along the road up to our daughters' home and the daffodils are all in bloom and the tulip poplars have blossomed and those are already falling off the trees. The cottonwoods are all filled in and it will soon be "Snowing" petals everywhere. I am still not walking as I should because of the rain and the cold but that will soon change and I will take advantage of better weather.

The Expedition is broken down (again) but we have made arrangements to have it looked at, and fixed if it's possible.  I'll be glad of when that is done so I don't have to rely on Daughter to come get me each morning.

Hubby has taken my advice and will go to the Senior Center at least once a week to get out of the camper for a little while and be with people that are not family.  H He can ride the local transportation bus there and back home.  He can also use that to go to Wal-mart or the local Save A Lot for any groceries we will be needing.  Everything else is within his walking abilities an if the weather will co-operate it would be great for him to get out and walk to cover those o couple of bills. 

Billie C.

 Life is a journey not a destination

Classic French Marrons Glacé - Candied Chestnuts

Classic French Marrons Glacé - Candied Chestnuts
https://www.thespruceeats.com/marrons-glace-candied-chestnuts-recipe-1375145

By Rebecca Franklin
Yield:   2 pounds (18 servings)
If chestnuts roasting over a crackling fire evokes happy times and holidays, then candied chestnuts are their luxurious cousins, served only as the most indulgent of treats. So beloved is the flavor in France, which the Berthillon Glacier in Paris usually sells out of their dreamy marron glacé within hours.

Bring the unique, warmly sweet flavor into your kitchen with this fabulous candied chestnuts recipe. Making the Marrons takes quite a  time and the commitment of time over a few days to get to the delicious finish, though the active cooking time is, in fact,  less than 30 minutes, in total. Do give it a go, it is worth the effort, and you will be so glad that you did.

Ingredients
2 pounds fresh chestnuts (shelled)
2 1/2 cups water
2 pounds granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Steps to Make It
Gather the ingredients.

Place the chestnuts in a large pan with just enough water to cover them. Bring the water to a boil and cook the chestnuts for 10 minutes.
Drain the chestnuts and discard the cooking liquid.
Using a clean dish towel (some people prefer to use their fingers), rub the thin skin off the cooked chestnuts. Be careful they will be a little warm, but that's how they need to be to remove the skin quickly.
In a separate pan, bring the 2 1/2 cups water, granulated sugar, and the vanilla to a boil stirring constantly.
Continue cooking the sugar mixture for 5 minutes, but this time stirring occasionally.
Add the prepared chestnuts to the boiling sugar syrup and stir the chestnuts until the whole mixture returns to a boil.
Continue cooking the chestnuts, frequently stirring, for 10 minutes.
Pour the candied chestnuts, along with the syrup into a large container, and loosely cover it.
Allow the chestnuts to soak in the syrup for 12 to 18 hours.
Add the chestnuts and syrup to a clean pan and repeat the process; this time boiling them for 2 minutes.
Then soaking the mixture, loosely covered, for 18 to 24 hours.
Repeat the entire process a total of 3 to 4 times, until the sugar syrup has been absorbed by the chestnuts.
Preheat an oven to 250 F.
Arrange the candied chestnuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Place the baking sheet into the oven and turn off the heat. Allow the chestnuts to dry in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour until they have firmed up and the surfaces of the nuts are dry.

Store the marrons glace in an airtight tin or if making for gifts, put into paper cases and box, or wrap in cellophane.

What to Do With Your Marrons Glace
The best thing is to give to friends and family (tempting as it is to keep them) they will love them. The Marrons make a perfect gift or even wedding favor though many will know the time and effort it took to make them, you will.

Billie C.

 Life is a journey not a destination

December 22, 2018

Hello.

I hope your doing well.  

Not much to write about this week. I watched Liam all week. Hubby ended up with four days off, three were scheduled for him to be off, one was not. He was off because he still didn't have a car that was working well enough to trust getting from here to at least half way to work. He risked it this morning and made it to the half way point, where he had a ride waiting to take hi t the rest of the way. 

The kids last day of school for this week was Friday. B took the day off since High school may do that as one of their 6 excused days. C had to go though and he wasn't took happy about that.  But he was more grumpy because he wasn't able to play his game while she was at home that because he had to go to school. B took care of L for about 3 hours outside of changing his diaper (which  I took care of) and brought him to me about 10 minutes before Mom was due to come in through the door. He was starting to get fussy.  

I started a Gingerbread house by putting the sides together and the roof on top. I am in hopes that Heather and the kids will want to finish it up.  

That is about all the "Christmas" I did this past week.

I brought back home my airplane plant in hopes to save it from lack of sunlight. H's house is too dark for it and even a sunny room does not get enough light for it.

Billie C.

 Life is a journey not a destination

December 15, 2018

Hello

Just a quick update.

I really do want to keep up my blog much better. So many plans but I'm not very good about following a plan of any sort.

Hubby has been helping me "decorate" for Christmas this year. First off, we are playing our own version of Elf On the Shelf only our "Elf" is a snowman and a Santa. It took him a a few days to find Santa hiding above the window in the bathroom. He's now hiding in a stoking by the bathroom door.  He found the Snowman, where else but in the freezer. He's now Hiding in plain sight in a canvas shoe I intend to color with some Sharpies, soon. We've hung a few ornaments in the windows of the open area of the camper Santa's by the couch Angels in the dining room area. An assortment of things in the windows where i think they look good.  The kitchen has a red bow and the red pot holders are hung up. The stocking are on each side of the bathroom door. with a few things hung in that window as well. I didn't do anything "Holiday" at Daughters this week.  Just taking care of that grand son is enough, for now. He's such a happy baby when he's not hungry or wet/dirty. And once those two needs are taken care of, is happy again. So unlike how our own three kids where at his age. He's awake more, and you can just see his mind working out things, becoming more aware and in control of his body. He has more control of his head now. and he's aware that his hands are doing something. Even aware of his feet more. If he's laying beside me on the couch,on a boppy, he's wiggling down to where his feet touch me. Not to kick off but just to touch. He loves to listen to any one's heart beat. He is getting more and more 'tummy' time and lifting his head and looking around more. He is fascinated with the tree lights. He likes music and is trying to keep time with almost everything he hears.  I am so happy to be there with him, watching him become a "Person".  He has had colic and that is hard on his momma.  I am doing my best to keep him awake in the late afternoon so he will sleep better for her late at night.

Hubby got the car temporarily fixed. We now don't have heat in it, but it isn't losing water or leaking so he can drive it at least half way to work.  The "Computer" is suppose to be back tomorrow. It shouldn't take long to re-install it. We are in hopes that this is all that needs to be done to finally Fix the Expedition and put it back on the road again. 

Daughter has offered for us to bring the PT to her house and between her and her father, fix it. Its not going to be a quick job since the wheel has to be removed out of the way to replace the alternator then, of course, everything has to be put back in place again. But, at least for now, he's getting back and forth to work again and so there is much less stress around us.

Today is just puttering around the camper, cleaning it up. Over the week I made a list (rather long) of things I would like to get done in the two days I'm home. Some baking (Maybe) some candy making or deserts for this week at Heather's. We are missing our after meal sweets a bit.  A few things I want to print out. A "Lights Scavenger Hunt" list. or a "Christmas Bucket List".  I might want to Seal them so they can be used over and over.

Dishes MUST be done and that's what I'm working on as soon as I send this out, which will be in a just a few more minutes.

If I don't write anything next week. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Billie C.

 Life is a journey not a destination