Traditions

 Brenda from Coffee Tea Books and Me, recently reposted her thoughts on traditions (http://coffeeteabooksandme.blogspot.com/2021/05/sunday-afternoon-tea-for-love-of.html).  The Ohio branch was here a few weeks ago and their visits always include so many traditions.

Littlest Big, who is 10 now, was especially into the Traditions!  And reminded us often, "It's Tradition!"

The foods we eat, the places we go, the things we do.

Bale jumping/running.

Tractor rides

Checking out the other farm, "The 80."

Eating at Runza.

Grammie making chocolate chip cookies &/or Scotcharoos.

The only thing we didn't do, was play games.  With #3 going to UNL's volleyball camp on Friday, we "lost" a day.  But not really.  While she was at camp, we walked around the campus between the Coliseum and Memorial Stadium. We got to see the Trophy Room on the north side of the stadium as it had recently reopened.  There was a (very) short self-guided tour inside the stadium where we could take photos of the field.  More photos with all the famous statues and areas where we could see inside the new exterior to the original exterior with all the famous quotes.  Let's just say DS1 was VERY happy.  (It's hard being a Nebraska fan in Ohio.)

Menu Time again. Finding my fragments

 Menu 1/16/22

First, HAPPY 6th Anniversary to DS2 & DDIL, the parents of our Littles.  

I made a menu using the multitude of fragments I have.  I'm am only pantry buying to fill what I've used and buying some fresh produce.  We are eating out of our pantry and freezers for as long as I can make it happen. 

Now on to the menu. 

Sunday:

B: Coffee and whatever we each could find

L: Leftover pizza (FMF) and home-made cinnamon rolls  (Because who doesn't like a treat on Sunday.)

D: Quesadillas (FMF, beans & rice (FMF)

Monday

B: Cinnamon roll & fruit

D: Leftover steak (FMF), sheet-pan veggies (FMF) and garlic bread (FMF)

Tuesday

B: Cinnamon rolls & fruit

D: Taco Salads (plus any bean or rice leftovers - FMF)

Wednesday

B: Cinnamon rolls & fruit

D: Omelets, (ham & cheese or spinach, onion & peppers FMF), toast and fruit

Thursday

B: Oatmeal & fruit

D: Soup & grilled cheese.  Probably tomato and chicken noodle (homemade out of F)

Friday

B: Oatmeal & fruit

D: Tater tot casserole, mixed vegetable (FMF)

Saturday

B: Oatmeal & fruit

L: Deli turkey sandwiches, chips and carrots (FMF)

D: Cheesy potatoes with either smoked sausage or ham, green beans (FMF)

Nothing else going on around here.  It's winter and we're enjoying the quiet farm months.  Cattle are being fed daily.  We took our bull to the sale barn and will be getting a new one.  I'm working on farm bookwork.  As soon as I get that finished, I hope to get back to quilting.

Hope everyone is staying well.

Until next time,

Kay

A quick trip away - Mt Rushmore

 

Mt Rushmore at night

Happy Sunday everyone.  

I hope you all had a joy-filled past week.  Mine was the normal getting back into the late summer groove.

The last week of July we left for vacation with our best friends to South Dakota and Mt Rushmore.  They had not been there since they were children.

We left on Wednesday morning from our house, Farmer driving our pickup.  We back-tracked a little going back to the out-skirts of the city to eat breakfast at the truckstop and planning our route.  Since we have not done the southern part of Nebraska much, we chose to take the long way around.   We stopped in Red Cloud to see the Willa Cather Center (our culture for the trip) and toured the town a bit.  I may not bring much to the group but I try to bring some educational bits.  Like so many, "O Pioneers" and "My Antonia" are my favorite of her books.

From there we drove by Harlan Co Dam and in to Kansas before turning northward and heading to Broken Bow.  We have stayed at the Arrow Inn in the past and love that hotel & pub.  So friendly. CLEAN.  Great food.  I could have easily stayed there the whole 5 days.  Only thing lacking was a pool (not that I'm much of a pool person.)

We toured slowly north the next day and ended in Chadron.  Another nice small town in NW Nebraska. Our desk clerk suggested a down-town bar & grill for dinner  It was ok.  More of a young college student place.  Chadron is a college town.  Similar to our small hometown in feel.

Back to our motel which had a nice central courtyard. 3 of us sat and enjoyed a beverage and the space with a group of wedding guests/family.  Beautiful cool, not humid evening.

Before we got to Chadron, as we do, we stopped in the small village of Cody NE.  One reason was to see the high school student ran grocery store made of straw bales.  Read more here.

Yes, the students run it.  It was a cute little store.  A bit pricy but then they are way off the beaten path.  We spoke to the young man running the cash register and supported them by buying fruit to eat.  It was nice to see they had a steady stream of folks stopping in while we were there.

The next morning, Friday, it was terribly smoky from the Utah and Canadian fires.  We thought it was fog at first.  Our visibility was a couple of miles at best.  That was disappointing as I love the sandhill vistas.  We ate breakfast at a lovely family-owned cafe.  So good.  Then it was on up to Rapid City SD.

We stopped in Hot Springs and waded in the "river" (more like a creek to me) in the city park. We toured Custer State Park and observed the Buffalo, Pronghorns and Prarie dogs. We wanted to go through Cave of the Winds but we found we had to get advanced tickets.  Next time.

We had our moment of panic when we called to confirm our booked rooms and they couldn't find us!  Thankfully it was just a matter of being "lost in translation" as our last name starts with an "F" which can sound like an "S" on the phone when you are spelling it.  We did say "'F' as in 'Frank'" but the clerk was an "English, second language" person and didn't quite make the connection.  It was all sorted out and we sighed a big sigh of relief.  (This was the weekend before the big Sturgis SD motorcycle rally and rooms were not easy to find.)

We got settled in and usually we eat local/Mom&Pop places on our trips but this was a city and we didn't know where to go.  Plus, we saw Texas Roadhouse on our way to the motel!  It's one of our favorite places to eat, so we went for a good meal.  

Back to the motel and we utilized the lobby's commons area to play cards. 

Saturday we ate breakfast at the Colonial House where Farmer and I have eaten before.  Again, locally owned and good food.  Stopped by the Candy House.  The old sticks-in-the-mud wouldn't participate in my idea of trying the weird flavors of soda.  I didn't even expect them to try the gross ones just the weird flavors.  Such party poopers.  

Then on to Keystone to see tourist stuff.  So. Many. People.  We walked around but none of us wanted souvenirs.  We ate at the Historic Ruby's Place.  Good food even if the place is touristy.  We enjoyed watching the chainsaw artists at work.  And the taffy pulling.  (We have simple tastes.)

Mid-afternoon we headed to the mountain.  We hiked the presidents path (those 250 steps at one point, were harder than a few years ago), took in the rangers' talks in the artist studio, took photos and absorbed the grandeur of the monument.  It never gets old.  

While Farmer and BF went back to the truck to get jackets and snacks and water.  BF's dh and I stayed to people watch.  I was that kind, older lady who took family photos so everyone could be in the shot.  And watch a couple from another country (Bosnia?  Russia?  Ukraine?) get their wedding photos taken.  Everyone around applauded.

We ate the famous Mt Rushmore ice cream for dinner and found our seats for the Lighting Ceremony.  So patriotic and heart-warming.  If you've never stayed for it at sundown, you really should. 

Back to the motel and the next was our last day of vacation, on the road home.   Sunday, Colonial House again for breakfast.  We had 8 hours of driving so we were up and on the road by 9 a.m.  We took a different route home but stopped in Broken Bow again for lunch.  Dairy Queen this time.  Home to our sweet Farmhouse by 7:30 p.m.  Farmer was off to check cattle as soon as our friends were headed to their home and I was sorting and washing 5 days of laundry!  It was all done by Monday bedtime. 

It was a nice get-away and the last time-off except for Husker Harvest Days in September.  Now it's back to the usual.  It's hot and humid here.  The county fair ends tonight.  We chose to not go since it's so hot.  We stopped by the Littles' yesterday to see them and hold Little #4.  He's growing chubbier.  I soaked in baby snuggles, Toddler Hugs and Big Brother play.  They have all grown in the past 2-3 weeks.  #dontblink   We are so blessed these babies live close to us.

I'll pop a few photos below.  If you've made it this far, these shouldn't bore you too much.  :D  And excuse the hair.  My stylist had to cancel my appointment I had for the day before we left.  I'm a bit shaggy.  Also, there are rare sightings of the Farmer in case you wondered if he's real.

Have a great week.  Stay hydrated.  Be safe.   I'll be back soon with a new menu and food talk.

Until next time,

Kay

Willa Cather center in Red Cloud NE

I love Windmills.

C Market in Cody NE

Hot Springs SD (Best Friends enjoying the water.)

Stinky Bull Buffalo

Canadian wildfire smoke

My favorite Farmer and me at Mt Rushmore

Awe-inspiring

Menu July 18-25, 2021

 It's been a a little while since I've posted a menu.  Or found my fragments.  Let's do that, shall we?

First the fragments.  The Ohio kids were here and with 4 pre & teen-aged kids, we made plenty of food.  For supper on the last full day they were here, we brought out all the leftovers and everyone heated up what they wanted.  There wasn't much left over.  

What is left:

BREAD

Buns (hot dog and hamburger)

1/2 loaf of bread

1/2 loaf of banana bread

1-1/2 bags of flour tortillas

2 slices of garlic bread

7 dinner rolls

DAIRY

1/2 large container Sour Cream

1/2 large container Vanilla Yogurt

Cheddar, Mozzerella, Parm block cheeses

Provolone. Co-Jack and American sliced cheeses

Almond Milk

MEAT

Deli Ham

Small portion of beef steak

Small portion of ham steak

Leftover sloppy joes

PRODUCE

Cucumbers

Summer Squash

Small amount of bag romaine

Tomatoes (med-sized and cherry)

Carrots & Celery

Kiwis

Apples

FREEZER

Spaghetti sauce

Bananas

Other frozen fruits

MENU  7/18-25/21

Sunday:  AF meal (Shrimp & Corn Dogs)

Monday: Spaghetti (FMF) with rolls (FMF)

Tuesday: Chicken Nachos (FMF)

Wednesday: Waffles & Bacon, smoothies (FMF)

Thursday: Chef Salads (FMF)

Friday: Fish sticks &/or Shrimp (AF), FF or Rice, Cole Slaw, Rye Bread

Saturday:  L- Tuna Sandwiches & Chips   S- Hot Dogs on Grill, Baked Beans, Chips, Carrots & Celery

Sunday:  My Birthday!  No cooking!

Grandbaby #9

 Little #4 AKA Grandbaby #9 is here.  Healthy, beautiful, much loved.  He weighed in at 6lbs11oz & 19inches long.  Everyone is adjusting well and we can't wait to see what he becomes. 

Not the best photo but I'm keeping him as concealed as possible for safety. 
PS Notice the socks from Pappo Farmer.

Grandchildren are the crown of the elderly, and the pride of sons is their fathers.  Proverbs 17:6 

Week in Review July 18, 2021

 Sunday:  Spent the day quietly as we are wont to do.  Church/quiet time.  Coffee and blueberry muffins.  There is always dishes and laundry, so I did those up as quickly as possible.  Farmer really overdid it Saturday in the heat and humidity so I was glad he spent the day quietly watching tv and napping until late afternoon.

Lunch was whatever we found ourselves.  I had a deli ham sandwich, cucumbers and carrots.  I have no idea what he had.

I spent the majority of the day reading blogs and making lists.  I also napped in the afternoon.  

Later we did chores.  It had cooled off and was not as humid.  A really nice evening.  He opened up the small pasture for the beef calves as the flies were so bad.  They were happy to move out of the pen. He mowed the lawn and I picked a few cucumbers and harvested some herbs.

Clockwise upper right: Basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano and dill

I made some Pasta Salad using Amy Marion's method of chopped veggies (tomato, cucumber, summer squash, onion & herbs in my case), pasta (I used shells) and a lot of Miracle Whip.  That was what my last attempt needed.  That tanginess. 

I made our Air Fryer meal of Butterfly Shrimp and Farmer had 2 Corndogs while I had the pasta salad.

It was good to have a quiet, restful day before the craziness of the workweek starts again. 

AND Then Life Happened....

I had every intention of writing down what I did each day to make this easier to post.  Well, this past week just done did me in.  It's late July in Nebraska.  It's hot, it's humid, it's Hay time.

We both worked all week.  And came home to do the outside things in the heat & humidity.  And then ate supper at 9:30-10 p.m.  Which meant I was going to bed around midnight and then not sleeping well most nights due to leg cramps and hot flashes.  But we don't need to talk about my aches and old lady stuff.  Let's move on...

FUN STUFF

A friend met me for lunch on Thursday and treated me for my birthday.  We both used to work at the local paper until I didn't anymore.  She keeps me in the loop of what is going on there.  We contemplated margaritas but it was noon on Thursday.  Somehow we thought that would be frowned upon.  

Friday after work I stopped by a garage sale and found a pack & play for our house for Little #4 and some "new" toys for the others.  And bought some sourdough cinnamon rolls for Farmer.  I went up to deliver the goodies to the Littles and got some hugs & kisses.  

Saturday we went to pick up our new Amish-built Glider Rockers.  My old one had a bearing going out and with a new grandbaby to rock, I needed a quiet one.  They are so comfortable.  I napped in mine in the afternoon.

Before we picked them up we did errands:  Menards for farm shorts for Farmer & canning mixes for pasta sauce and chili base that I will be canning for DS2.  Rotated pickup tires.  Went up to a further away farm store to use a gift card Farmer had.  We bought him a new shirt, cat food, pickup additive, ratchet straps.  (so exciting, I know!)  Walked through a meat market in that town to see what they had.  Nothing we didn't already have in our freezer and the home-made buns were too expensive for me.  I can make them cheaper.

Home by 1:30 p.m.  We brought in the chairs, rearranged furniture and then rested for a bit.  Farmer went out to do farm stuff and I cleaned the farmhouse and did laundry.  It was nasty hot with no breeze so I only went out when I had to.  Couldn't even dry the sheets on the line.

Supper was grilled hot dogs, green beans (for him), chips, cole slaw and pasta salad for me.  Fresh berries for dessert.

And that ended our week.  

Today is my birthday.  I have been thanking Almighty God for all my blessings.  My readers are included.  I don't use this blog for income, just an outlet for all the stuff in my brain.  I appreciate that you all like to stop by and read my musings.

Now on to this week.  We are going on vacation Wednesday with our best friends.  I can't wait to just sit and relax for 5 days.  We are heading to South Dakota.  DS2 and our neighbors/friends will be checking the cattle and the farm house.  

I'll be back with another round up soon.

Until then,

Kay

Now that I am old and my hair is gray, don’t leave me, God. I must tell the next generation about your power and greatness. God, your goodness reaches far above the skies. You have done wonderful things. God, there is no one like you. Psalm 71:18-19

Finding my Fragments this week

 

Pot Roast Dinner
It's on the menu.

The last several weeks we've been sustaining on a whim and a prayer, meal-wise.  It's been HOT!  We've been busy (too busy)!  And we've started going to Sam's Club wayyyy tooo much!  (As in weekly! What in the world?!)

So it's time for a menu and to Find My Fragments.

First, The Fragments

Buns and bread (hamburger and hotdog; rye and wheat)

Fruit and Veg (thawed frozen strawberries and peaches, grapes, bing cherries, little bit of rhubarb, grapefruit sections and lemon sections; carrots, celery, romaine, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, russet potatoes, onions & garlic, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes)

Dairy (sour cream, yougurt, shredded cheddar, block cheddar and mozzarella, fresh mozzarella, Feta, cream cheese, milk.)

Leftovers: Homemade pizza, baked beans

That is pretty good.  Not a ton to use up.  

The only items I feel unsure about is the fruit.  If they are still good I will probably make smoothie packets for future breakfasts.  My fault for thawing them all instead of partially thawing and portioning them out.

The Feta has been in there a while; need to double-check it and use in salads or scrambled eggs this week.  

The fresh mozz I accidentally froze.  I have a feeling it will be grainy when thawed so will use it in a cooked pasta meal.

( And later, back at the Farm....)

It's a week later; how did I do?

This week on the grocery buying front... I did a walmart trip for other things and got the stuff I didn't get at Sam's.  A smaller pack of romaine; Brie cheese because I was hungry and I love it; Gala apples because they were a good price and I couldn't find any local strawberries; and the usual stuff for Farmer's lunch (single serve mashed potato cups and peaches.)  So that added to our monthly shopping bill.  

Fragment usage:  

The old hamburger buns got tossed.  No idea why I didn't use them up, even if just crumbs.  They must have been a good kind with less preservatives because the store brand last "forever."  So far the hot dog buns seem ok as does the bread.  Other than that there are a few blueberry muffins from this morning that he'll take in his lunch. 

Dairy:  I ate up the frozen fresh mozzarella.  It was fine.  And I finished the Feta today on my salad. Brie was eaten one night as part of a cheese, crackers and grapes dinner.  The milk is all ok yet as well as the yougurt and sour cream and block cheeses.

Leftovers:  We still have that homemade pizza.  I'll probably have some tonight and Farmer will get some tomorrow for lunch or I'll freeze it for when I have nothing for his lunch.  The baked beans he will eat tonight.  We've added in some of the roast that I made and there is some cheesy potatoes left that MUST be used up.  He'll eat the roast in sandwiches but he's had that twice in the last few days.  I think I'd better freeze that as well.  And the potatoes.  They'll reheat ok.   

Fruit:  I haven't used the fruit and truth be told I'm a bit scared to look at it.  But I will later this afternoon and freeze it as smoothie packets with the almond milk that I think may be getting close to date.  Smoothies for this week's breakfast with raisin toast.

MENU(S)

Last week I didn't make one but let's see if I can remember. 

There was the Mississippi Pot Roast (IP) and Cheesy Potato Casserole (AF),  Chef Salads, Grilled Cheese Sandwich and Cheese-Crackers-Fruit, and we ate out twice.  I'm missing a day.  It must have not been very exciting of a meal.

Here is this week's menu:

Sunday:  AF night (Him-Corn Dogs with baked beans & chips; Me-Leftover Homemade Pizza with salad)

Monday: Spaghetti, meat sauce, salad, Butter Sticks

Tuesday: Taco Tuesday (which means anything Mexican related): AF Chicken Fajitas, onions & peppers, rice and beans

Wednesday: French Toast, Bacon & Fruit

Thursday: Sloppy Joes & FF for Him; Grape-Pecan-Chicken Salad on greens for me.

Friday: Date Night

Saturday: Shrimp &/or Fish Sticks, rye bread, cole slaw, fries or hash browns

Sunday: 4th of July - Grilled burgers or hot dogs, baked beans, pasta salad, chips, ice cream

This is all Pantry food.  I will only have to buy cabbage slaw this week.  We have everything else including snacks.

The Ohio kids are coming July 8th so we'll need to do a haul on the 5th.  I will be asking them what they want for meals.  Last year we ate only one meal out and it was wonderful.  Some of their favorite places are not open for inside dining yet so we'll cook here.  You know we have PLENTY of food here so we'll only need produce and milk, cereal and bread stuff.  I'll be sharing our menu later.

I'll be cleaning out the upper freezer to see what's lurking up there to be used but that's a Finding My Freezer Fragments for another day.

DISAPPOINTMENT

As you know, we butcher our own beef and I usually get local chickens & pork as well.  This year I'm eating up the chicken we have in the freezer and will get more next year.  We had gotten a hog in the spring and stored most of it in DS2's freezer.  We'd had a few meals of it, chops and sausage and all 3 times I've feel bad afterwards.  Not sick-sick but not right either.  Putting 2 & 2 and 3 together, we figured out the meat must have been tainted.  Not sure if it wasn't chilled fast enough (my guess) or what but it's not good.  Ds mentioned he felt sick also.  So, **big sigh** we decided to throw it out.  I absolutely HATE that but you can't mess around with food poisoning.  Since we have our own land, we took what we had here and after unwrapping it, tossed it in a gully up on our other farm (just fields and timber.)  I'm sure the coyotes had a feast.  We'll need to get the rest from Ds's and toss it in a few weeks too.  Farmer contacted the butcher we used to take our pork to and got a butcher date in 2022(!!) for another hog.  The person who processed this hog did such a great job in early 2020.  He does this on the side but has a nice facility.  I think he got too busy because all the bigger processing businesses were booked up and maybe pushed the envelope a bit too much in chilling/freezing.  I'll miss not having chops for the next 6-9 months.  We do have about 10# of bulk sausage from the previous hog that I'll save and use in sausage gravy.  We buy bacon and ham so we'll be ok with that.  Just such a disappointment to waste all that meat.

That my menu & fragments for this week.  We are on Grandbaby #9 watch this week into next.  Little #4.  And with the Ohio Bunch coming, it'll be a wild time around here for a few weeks.  I'll try to pop in and share what we do and what we eat and share a photo of the new one.

Prayers going up for the Pacific NW and the heat.  

Stay hydrated and have a wonderful & safe 4th of July!

Until next time,

Kay