Pancake Ingenuity

Sunday Jon and I went to a sugar shack for pancakes in the woods at some dear friends of ours Mark and Mari~Belle, they make maple syrup on their farm. Let me tell you I have a couple weeks of blog fodder to use!! It was heaven on earth for me, but I'll expound on that in the next post(s). The making of the pancakes deserves a post all its own and when you see this I'm sure you will be as impressed as we were. It is a homemade pancake making machine!!!

They mix the batter up in 5 gallon buckets and then pour about 1/2 of it into the hopper. Then it's rolled down to the other end. The hopper is on little train wheels and the griddle has little tracks on each side. The griddle is scrubbed with a rag between fry's that has about 2 cups of salt tied into it and then it soaks in oil between scrubs. The workers told me it keeps the griddle from smoking, it must work, there was none of that smokey griddle smell, just the aroma of the pancakes frying away.

As the hopper is pushed down the track a lever is pushed...or pulled(?) to release batter onto the griddle, 4 pancakes at a time...

...and another 4 pancakes...
...and on and on...
...until the whole griddle is full of 40 pancakes. How impressive is that. Mari~Belle told me that when they first started doing the pancakes in the woods they just did it on household griddles, what an undertaking that had to be!There you have it sweet pancake ingenuity! Josh enjoying his pancakes...
...Blessing enjoying hers...
...there is nothing sweeter than sharing the experience with family!

In the Parlor with the Candlestick

Everyone has their own signal that spring is here and summer is on its way. For me it is Zion Lutheran in town having their annual thrift sale that supports their youth group. It was held last Saturday. Grace and I go every year, when Randi lived around here she went. Some years Jon goes with. We usually find a treasure or two. Jon found a 1966 Schwinn bike, the handle bars have been changed so he will be on the look out for some that are original.

This was one of my finds, and to be honest when I saw it I thought "uffda just how much ugly can I put up with?...$3 for the lamp and 50 cents for the shade...alot of ugly...I guess." I had a flash back of Jon on occasion sitting the recliner that is not "his" chair reaching up and turning on a pretend lamp so he could see his laptop. Then he says something like "I forgot we don't have lamp here". I know the guy is just plain fun...never a dull moment. Anywho the ugly was even more bearable when they threw in the shade for free. I was home less than 10 minuets and Avery took the tin snips after the leaves before I could get the before picture, just trust me we all agreed they had to go along with the 4 inch plastic tube . Once we had it all stripped down Ave said it looked like a life size game piece from "Clue".

Jon bought a new finial and spray painted both pieces ivory. It was a bit to bright so I antiqued it with some deft oil that had a finish in it. I started off rubbing it on with a rag but went to just pouring some in my gloved hand, smeared, and when it was almost tacky then I rubbed some off with the rag.

The kids say it still looks like a pineapple, I say not bad for 3 bucks and some parts.
Now Jon can see things in a whole new light;)

Touch O' The Green!?!

Are you so impressed with my Burgundy Shamrock?!? I am for three reasons. First off this was a starter from a plant that my sister in law had, I would much rather have a plant that I nurtured as a starter or a cutting. Second it was all a bloom for St. Patrick's Day. Third it is a live...I may have taken some liberties when when I said I nurtured it. I do enjoy plants, I just forget them at times. My brother Rock says I do well with plants that thrive on abuse, and such is the case with this Shamrock. I also have a green Shamrock(a gift from Barb) that thrives on the same amount of neglect...it is what it is...

Irish tradition says that St. Patrick used the Shamrock to explain The Holy Trinity of The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to druid priests. The light bulb went on and the rest is history...Irish history. One St. Patrick's day tradition for us is making pistachio bread , not because its Irish, but because its green...lime green...pale lime green. A little disclaimer, any recipe that has a cake mix as its base is just that...a cake. Maybe by putting it in loaf pans it then becomes a bread, who knows!?!

Pistachio Bread

1 box yellow cake mix
1 pkg. instant pistachio pudding
4 eggs
1/8 cup water
1/4 cup oil
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven 350* (325* for glass) Gently mix all ingredients together.
Grease 2 loaf pans and coat with mixture of:
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
Divide batter equally between pans. Sprinkle remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture on top of batter. Bake 350* for 45 min (maybe?) use butter knife around edges and tip out of pans. Cool...or not and enjoy!

1 ringy dingy...2 ringy dingy...

Since the local Piggly Wiggly no longer has an UPS pick up this place is now the local drop off, it saves driving 25 miles just to rid one's self of the 2nd xbox 360 that needed to be returned due being afflicted with the red ring of death. When I took the first one in to be sent off I thought "oh next time I have to send off a package I'm bringing my camera"...little did I know it would be sooner than later....and with my camera this time.

Phoneco is located in Galesville WI
They have so many phones and a museum of sorts, the phone guy told me every thing is for sale. I was hoping to see a Lily Tomlin switch board but there was so much fun stuff to look at I forgot to take notice...the red ring of death may strike again, if so I'll be on the look out.

He told me that these can be made into working phones with a dial out installed inside the box.

Pretty creative way to dress up the stair well.

I wonder if that red phone is a direct line to a local super hero!

My Aunt Ruth and Uncle Fred had a phone similar to this one in thier big farm house, as a kid I thought it was so cool...the phone and the farm house:)

Some of the first colored plastic phones.Now these bring back memories of being a kid, and that of our kids, our grandson has a toy cell phone.

I really like the look of the black desk phones.

Had I seen these as a teenager I would have wanted one I'm sure.

I can just see George Baily(Its a Wonderful Life) talking on one of these.My Mom had the a phone exactly like this one in her bedroom.

Not only do they have alot of phones, but also old phone signs, advertisements, and every phone innard you could think of and some you would never even think to think of.

...all these phones remind me...
I need to call my sister;)

Grace Under Foot

At the end of last summer I rescued cotton skirts from Grace's give-away pile, 4 skirts to be exact. I started at the bottom and cut up and around making one continuous strand to crochet. I threw this one on the floor so it could start practicing. It would go from a life of Sunday morning Church...out to lunch and hanging out(or on) with young women, college bound, with hopes and dreams and enough energy to chase them, to a life of utility. To be tread upon, feet wiped on, laid on by critters, egg shells dropped upon...

...and yet there is beauty and grace in the staying put and providing comfort.
This is my first successful oval rug, I recently finished it to gift my friend Barb for her birthday. Barb has graced my life in so many ways I thought it a fitting gift, a little grace under foot...literally and figuratively:)

THIS n THAT

THIS continues to thrill me. It was about -8* THAT is kinda cold. I love the beaded effect of the frost on the window. THIS sweet heart is one of my nieces who came over for a crocheting lesson. I'm sure I've mentioned how much I love to do handwork with kids, THAT is something that brings great joy to my heart. I can't get enough of THIS...by now you've guessed THAT!

THIS is the decorations from a Valentines Dinner that Jon and I went to at our Church. THAT AmAzING cake was made by my sister in law Kaye!! While there I met up with my very dear friend Barb who I've mentioned before, we exchanged birthday gifts, THIS-click here-its a must see, was one of the things that she gifted me...I love THAT lady.

THIS is frost on Willy's window at -15* ...THAT's cold!!

Jack was here...

...and here......here...

...here again...
...here also!

Old windows make the prettiest frost.
The best windows for frost in our old home are the upstairs outside storm windows. The combination windows don't make nice frost, its the storms that Jon puts on every fall and takes off every spring that really put on a show when the thermometer takes a dive. A & W's bedrooms are the best frost viewing rooms. When I rattle their cages for school on frosty morns I check out the frost on the windows. My favorite kind is when it looks like feathers with beads down the shaft and fills up the entire window. I will be sure to keep you posted if Jack Frost's anything of exceptional beauty! I do love winter!!

Frosting

I have been experiencing technical difficulty...figuratively and literally. Figuratively~back injury issues and I don't like living with restrictions. Literally~the shop vac gave up(not that I am up to utilizing it), and my camera is starting to hiccup as well as my computer. No need to call...

I'm not wallowing in the woe is me. Its just life, (comedian Mark Lorwy) life more abundant!

In the mean time...I love, lOvE, LoVe,LOVE winter. So a day like we have had this week is the frosting of life, no cake needed here, besides cake was invented to hold up the frosting. Click on each picture to get a close up.

Frosting