Running here, there, and everywhere!

Good morning, everyone!  (Or afternoon or evening, depending when you are visiting!)

First of all, a bread update for everyone.  This week's loaf is he best yet.  It rose wayyy up and filled the whole pan and is delicious!  Huzzah!  Now I need to work on texture.  It's not quite as deliciously chewy as I would like.  Perhaps I'm not doing something quite right, or perhaps this recipe simply does not make chewy bread . I thought the problem might be that I didn't knead it long enough, so I set a timer for 10 minutes.  After about 5 I was thinking "Oh!  This is never going to end!"  lol  I managed to knead the dough for about 8 minutes and figured that my arms falling off would be a worse consequence than having not-quite-as-chewy-as-I'd-like bread.  It makes excellent toast.

Anywhoo...


In addition to bread making, we've had quite a lot going on.

We went camping this past weekend, along with my in-laws.  My husband's twin brother, wife, and daughter came on Saturday afternoon and stayed Saturday night.  The weather was less than perfect, but we managed to have a good time, anyway.


We arrived Friday afternoon around 4:00 and quickly set up camp, as it appeared that it might start raining at any time.  Sure enough, 15 minutes after we had the tent up, along came the rain!  It continued to rain all night.

When we woke up on Saturday, we noticed the rain seemed to have slowed down a bit.  Hubby and I took a relaxing walk around the lake (there is a lovely paved path that encircles the lake) and came back to see if anyone else had woken up.  Nope!  We decided to go back in the tent and rest awhile longer since neither of us had slept very well and it was early. (I think we got back to the site around 6:45 am) We awoke about an hour later, and once again it was raining pretty hard.

 It rained until about 2:30 and then started to get nice.  Hurray! 

       Check out the blue sky view from the tent! 

The rest of Saturday, we went on a short hike, enjoyed spending time with our niece, Abigail, and had a campfire/weenie roast.  

Sunday dawned warm and sunny...


                            Good morning! 

  We started tearing down camp and in between eating meals and taking breaks/chatting with one another, we made it out of the campgrounds right at 3:00.  The nice think about camping in a PA State Park is that they offer such a late checkout.  You can stay and enjoy lunch on your last day and still have plenty of time to tear down and pack up. 

It was a nice weekend, all in all, despite the unfavorable weather conditions Friday and Saturday.

On a sadder note, Scott's grandmother, Beverly, has taken a turn for the worse and has been admitted into Hospice care.  She has cancer in several organs and does not wish to pursue treatment.  Please keep my hubby and his family in your prayers as this is a difficult time.

Give us this day our daily bread

I love homemade bread.  Who doesn't? 

I've been wanting to make my own bread for some time now, but a number of problems arise.  Namely, I don't have a lot of spare time on my hands since I work full time, and also I can tend to be rather lazy. 

My grandma used to make homemade bread every other day.  Then, in the 90's, she bought a bread machine.  My grandma thinks her bread machine is the bees knees.  She's gone through 3 of them since she uses them so much.  The only thing I'm not crazy about in the realm of bread machines is the shape of the loaf.  Who wants a loaf with a big hole in the middle of it?   My mom solves that problem by letting the bread machine work its magic by making the dough, then taking it out and baking it in her own pan in the oven.  Does anyone else do that? 

I happen to own a bread machine, but I really wanted to make bread the old fashioned way.  So, last Monday I found a relatively easy recipe that didn't seem too difficult and I set out to make my own bread.  I was pretty disappointed.  My bread did not rise well and I was left with a thick, heavy, and brick-like loaf. 

Yesterday, I decided I would try again, with one change- I used spring water in the place of tap water.  I read online that most town water nowadays has chlorine in it.  Chlorine kills yeast...which is (I believe) why my bread failed. 

So, I dug out the same recipe and tried over again- and success was my reward!  Woohoo!  I had a nice golden loaf of crusty bread.  Even though it wasn't perfect (my loaf pan appears to be a bit too large for this particular loaf of bread), it tasted wonderful, it puffed up like it should have, and it had a really nice texture.  I made toast out of a couple slices and it was heavenly. 

To add even more goodness, I spread on some pecan pumpkin butter (like apple butter, not the milk/cream kind of butter).  A-maz-ing!   You can buy the butter at a number of different Amish shops in the area.  However, if you are desperate to try a fruit butter but don't have a supplier nearby, you can buy online from this site. 

I would add a photo, but my bread is already about half gone...hubby seems to like it just as much as I did.  lol 

So, are you intimidated by the whole concept of bread making?  You really don't need to be. 

My bread called for minimal ingredients.  I only needed water, yeast, salt, sugar, crisco, milk, and flour.  The only thing that required a real quantity of anything was flour.  Here is the recipe I used.  Honestly, if you have considered making bread, but weren't sure, why not dive in and give it a try.  I think you'll enjoy the results and realize it's not so difficult or scary as you may think. 

If you have a bread machine, dig it out and re-read those instructions.  Fire it up and enjoy a warm, crusty loaf of deliciousness! 

God bless you, dear reader.  I pray that you are happy, healthy, and having an enjoyable day.  :) 

Finally Friday

Well, as I predicted last night, I'm feeling perfectly chipper and happy today.

Please ignore the ramblings of a sad, tired woman from my last post.

We don't really have any big plans for the weekend.  I think we'll head up to Wilkes-Barre because my husband is hankering to eat at Chili's and that is the closest one.  Maybe we'll do a little shopping while we are up there.  Who knows? 


Today is bright and sunny.  It is this morning, at any rate.  I hope it warms up a bit soon.  It's been an unusually chilly spring so far.  It will make it up to the 50's today and maybe 60 by Sunday.  I feel bad for my poor daffodils who have been enduring lots of cold weather, dipping into the 20's at night. 

I'd like to clean off the porches and sweep them down and make them look nice this weekend.  I think that'll be a nice project.  It won't be long till we will be able to use them! 

We have a little trip coming up in three weeks.  We're staying at Prince Gallitzin State Park with my sister and her hubby and son.  I think it will be a fun time- especially if the weather is nice! 

I'm looking for a way to get set in grease spots out of my clothes.  Any suggestions? 

Sadness tonight

I'm sure I'll be feeling like my chipper self by tomorrow, but I need a place to vent and since it appears that absolutely no one reads this blog, I figure I may as well pour it out here.

I hope you don't mind, but I need to vent.  I'm not eloquent.  I don't necessarily have a talent for putting my thoughts down, but I do feel like if I don't express myself somewhat, I'll go to sleep crying, which isn't really how I want the day to end.  So, you know, bear with me.  It's not the end of the world.  It might feel like it, but I'm certain I'll survive.

Tonight I am lonely.  Not the kind of "I live in a lighthouse at the edge of the sea with no one in a 20 miles radius lonely."  It's a 21st Century kind of lonely. 

It's spending a lot of time on facebook, trying to connect with people who are busy with their own lives.  It's spending every weeknight alone because your husband works 2nd shift and you work 1st.  It's living 4 hours away from your family kind of lonely. 

It's also my own fault I don't have many friends.  Now, that's not to say that I'm not friendly with people.  I'm merely hard to be friends with.  I like space.  I like routines and switching things up makes me really uncomfortable.  Hence the not too many friends thing.  Most people want to get together and do stuff whereas most of the time, I'd prefer to be at home.  I've got nothing against them.  What I do have is a serious problem with my routine being messed up.  (Cause I am a toddler like that, I suppose.) 

I get sad because I don't know how to do my hair.  No one really ever taught me and I have this frizzy fine hair that just blows wherever it wants and it's not like I can just let it be.  If I end up doing something with it, it dang well better be absolutely perfect, or it is going to get ripped right back down and I'll just do it the way I always do.  

I'm sad because I wish my husband understood a few things about me.  I wish he knew I need to be supported sometimes.  He always comes off as if I am hassling him when I am sad or upset.  It's like he doesn't have time to listen to me.  Then, he'll end up sad too and I need to comfort him.  I love helping him and comforting him, but I want him to comfort me, too.  Isn't that how it is supposed to work?  I feel mean for saying this, but I feel like I get ripped off in the emotions department.  My feelings don't seem to count.
I know.  Boo-hoo, right?  Everyone's got problems.  

I've been so restless and unhappy this week.  The thought of going and doing things after work both spring with possibility and also seem to make me angry, for some reason.  I have a hard time making peace with myself.  I wonder if anyone else is like that.  Maybe it's just me.  I'm not sure. 

What are you really supposed to do when you're upset or mad?  I usually don't do anything, although I have to admit I'm more like my dad than I want to be.  I don't say anything, because if I did, it wouldn't make much sense... Honestly, when I'm mad at people I want to smack them, usually as hard as I possibly can.  So ladylike and polite.  Ugh.  Why did I have to be born with the natural mannerisms of a boorish oaf?  If it makes you feel any better, I've never actually smacked someone.  I would like to someday, though.  There are a lot of people who need a good smacking, right? 

The other day I was thinking about the whole 3 wishes with a genie in a bottle thing.  I thought maybe there would be a stipulation that you had to wish for unusual things.  I'm not exactly sure what all three wishes would be, but I know I'd like one of them to be that I'll never be tailgated again.  I want some sort of invisible force field around my car that literally makes it impossible to get too close.  That would be divine. 

I'm sad that I'll probably not really ever try anything new.  I know myself and how I work.  I'm too afraid and too stubborn to really get out there and try for something.  I don't like doing something new unless I know I will succeed.  I hate looking like a fool. I am prideful like that.

I have to laugh that I hate looking like a fool and then post a blog like this.  Oy vey.  I'm an idiot.

Anyway, enough ranting for one night. 

Please understand that my frustration level on just about everything is super high right now.  I'm just having a crappy week and I am tired and hurting and sad and feeling very alone and bitter. 

I won't feel like this forever.  I just have to get over it and realize that not everything in the world sucks. 

If you took the time to read this, a pat on the back to you.  Thanks for listening.  It's nice to know that someone took the time to do that.  I apologize if you now hate me. It's okay.  On nights like this, I don't like myself much, either.  lol 

Have a good day/evening, reader.  I hope that you are well and I pray that you are happy. 

Mandy

Double duty cooking

This week I thought I'd post a little about double duty cooking.  You know, you cook once and then eat twice?  If you family can't stand the same thing twice in a row, or you don't do leftovers, then you might not like this idea.  Here's how it is going with my family this week:

Monday, I made a big pan full of meatballs.  We had meatball hoagies last night for supper, along with some chicken corn chowder. 

Tuesday (tonight) I am using the rest of the meatballs with spaghetti and sauce.  I'm rounding out the meal with green beans and a small salad.

Wednesday I am putting some chicken breasts in the crockpot.  When they are finished cooking, I'm taking two out and putting wing sauce on top with a few blue cheese crumbles.  I'll add a baked potato and some steamed broccoli and calling it a meal. 

Thursday I'm taking the two leftover chicken breasts, shredding them, adding BBQ sauce (actually I am doing this Wednesday in the crockpot and then spooning it into a dish to be reheated on Thursday) and making some BBQ chicken sandwiches.  I won't consider them finished until some cheese is added on top!  We'll probably have leftover soup or chips or something with these.

Friday, I'm just making a frozen pizza.  This is a hectic week, so I wanted to make sure I had some easy-peasy meals and I think these fit the bill nicely. 

Typically, I make meals a little more...oh, in depth, I guess, but these still taste great and they are very easy.

Do you ever cook once and eat twice?  Tell me about it! 

Bless you all! 


Mandy

A Change of Pace

There's no special reason I can give you for why I let my blog fall into neglect like I have.

Well, that's not entirely true.  I can give you a few reasons. 

I like to fancy myself a homemaker and a good wife.  I'm no Proverbs 31 woman, but I do try to live up to that standard.  Let's face it, though...that can be exhausting, both physically and mentally.  Knowing that I'll never be that good is discouraging some days, to say the least.  Other days, it is something that inspires me and I strive to be that woman.

I thought I'd make a blog specifically about homemaking, because I really feel as though it's becoming a lost art and, it seemed like a niche I could fit easily into.  I honestly cannot say that I am any better or worse than most women I know.  We all struggle with this and that.  I come home tired at the end of the day, just like anyone else who works a 40 hour week, and I don't always relish the thought of cooking dinner, cleaning up dishes, and keeping the house running smoothly.  I usually do these things because we can't just go out to eat every night, and often times I do enjoy cooking.  I rarely enjoy cleaning up.

So, at any rate, I thought I'd find enough things to discuss on the homemaking front to keep this blog running.  As it turns out, not only do I not have an endless source of material, I am more than just a homemaker.  I have opinions on plenty of other topics.  It's not even so much that I feel that these opinions are worthy of anyone else reading, but isn't the whole point of blogging to satisfy the need to write?

I enjoy writing although  I am no expert.  You are likely to find errors peppered throughout my posts.  I have what I would guess to be an average education.  I'm no super genius, nor do I claim to be.  I have many faults.

I am a Christian, and it is hard.  It is hard because I grew up in a secular household and I didn't grow up with religion.  Religion is a lot different than having a relationship with Jesus, IMO. People who claim to love and be all about Jesus put an awful lot of hurt on other people, I have noticed.   I could write a lot more about this.  I actually want to, but I don't have the time at the moment. 

I guess maybe what this blog will reflect, if I am able to keep up with it, will be a little of this and a little of that.  I'll post what is on my mind, if we are going anywhere or doing anything.  If I come up with some homemaking tips, I will post about those.  It'll depend on my mood.

This may or may not suit your taste.  It's okay if it doesn't.  I'm not looking to please everyone nor do I expect to.


I do want you to know that I am still the same Mandy.  Maybe I haven't really expressed anything like this so far, but it's just me.  :)

God bless you, reader.  Take care of yourself. 

Autumn Happenings

Greetings and howdy doo to all who stop by to read this!

Our autumn has been rather busy and fast paced, but I must say that I like it!  I've been as busy as a bee baking up all kinds of yummy casseroles, slow cooker meals, and hearty dishes to keep me and hubby cozy and full.  Have you caught the fall cooking and baking bug yet? 

I posted some time ago (quite a looong time ago, really) that we were going on a little weekend camping excursion up towards Wellsboro, PA.  It was a wonderful time!  In addition to that, September took us to the Bloomsburg Fair to see all the sights, as well as take in an Alan Jackson concert.  It was a wonderful month filled with fun! 

I thought I would share some of those photos with you--I hope you enjoy them!   

Our cute little camping cottage! 

A rainy day at Colton Point State Park or the Grand Canyon of PA.

Sunrise on Hills Creek Lake

Walking on the Pine Creek Rail Trail

Old railroad bridge that is on the rail trail

Old highway bridge that has been bypassed at RB Winter State park

Panoramic shot at RB Winter State Park--one of the most beautiful parks in the state!

In love with each other!  :o)

The one room schoolhouse exhibit at the Bloomsburg Fair

How would you feel about using one of these as your only heat source? 

Across from the school is the Barton House, which has lots of neat things to look at! 

Can't you just picture some pretty young gal getting ready for a party in this lovely dress?

I thought this lightweight bedspread was so beautiful!

And a cozy bed for the little one!

We caught a local act on the free stage at the fair- Chris Ruble- he was really good!

The highlight of the evening- we had tickets to see Alan Jackson!

He did a wonderful job- it was a great show!

I'll leave you with this photo of part of the Bloomsburg Fair lit up at night.

 As you can see, September was filled with lots of fun! 

October has been going by so quickly.  This weekend we are going on a bus trip to West Virginia.  Both hubby and I are really excited and are looking forward to the trip. 

I am trying very hard to get the house organized and ready for us to leave on Thursday so that I don't come home to a mess.  So far, so good!  :o) 

Well, though I haven't really posted anything substantial here, other than photos, I think this will be the end of this post.  I need some sort of reminder to blog more often than once per month...  I also need some topics.  lol 

I hope you are doing well, that your family is happy and healthy, and that you feel loved.  God loves you more than anything!  He wants you to trust him- so let go of the worry and let Him take care of your troubles. 

Have a wonderful day, and I hope to see you soon!

May God bless you!