A Very Busy Kitchen Day

I have a very busy week ahead of me with company arriving this weekend, a day away, and company arriving thereafter for a week.  All of this plus my every day "normal" stuff, whatever I consider what part of my life is normal at any given moment.

A couple updates first:

The 52 Week Money Challenge:  Week 23 ~ Deposit $23.00 ~ Balance $276.00

The 30 Day Squat Challenge:  Completed 21 Days

I am still on board with the Money, however once I had pulled a muscle last week in my lower back that was the end of the Squat Challenge for me, putting me back to doing "diddly Squat" again.

How is everyone else doing on the Money Challenge, and how did everyone who participated do on the Squats?

Yes it was a very busy kitchen day .... as I had been cooking and baking up a storm.

A most favourable stew as you can see.  Ha, no I did not serve this up to Rob.  The Everything 8 had their very first Solid meal today.  Check all about that by going HERE.

The morning flew by me by the time I had taken care of all the adult Aussies, then attended to feeding and cleaning up the puppies.  Not only that was done, it was month end and I had to get the Crabby Cabbie billing down this morning too.

Finally I got down to the other things I had planned on doing today, and housework didn't make the list.

A double batch of Hamburger Soup was put together to simmer on the stove top.  Lots of chopping was going on.

While the soup was simmering, I began a "new to me" brownie recipe.

The recipe I tried was Chatelaine's Best Ever Brownie Recipe.  Not only rich in flavour, also rich in cost considering a double batch takes 12 squares of chocolate & 6 eggs !  YIKES !!! good thing I had the chocolate squares in the freezer and had gotten them very cheap after Christmas, or otherwise I think I would have been trying another recipe.

Rich chocolate flavour, moist and a delight to put in ones mouth.  I was far from disappointed with these Brownies.

Recipe Shared at Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo

Recipe please?  just *click* HERE.

Just before the brownies had came out of the oven, I got going on mixing up a Grandma's Cinnamon Apple Cake.

This will be the second time I have every made this Cake.  We really had loved it the first time I had made it, and it was made a "keeper" in my recipes at that time.

Recipe please?  PRINTABLE RECIPE *CLICK* HERE.

NOTE:  For Brownies and Apple Cinnamon Cake I used the Convection setting on my Oven increasing the time by 10 minutes (oven temperatures do vary).

The Apple Cinnamon Cake I made for a function I am attending to at the end of the week.  I am hoping this cake freezes well, as I am trying to get a jump start on everything I need to get done this week, as well as taking advantage of the cheaper hydro rates today.

I did have a Chicken out thawing for our Dinner.  Needless to say it never made it into the oven as I was otherwise occupied as you can tell.  Thank goodness I had the soup made, as Rob and I both enjoyed a bowl of soup along with a grilled cheese sandwich.  Thank goodness for good old stand-by products like cheese and bread.

In-between all of this, the puppies did get a second feeding this afternoon.  Thank goodness Rob was home, as he took over the taking of everyone else out and about for me.

I still have to make our bed, as I will not be getting back into it this evening until it has been made, "Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard".

A Ho Hum Day

When one is woken out of what they thought was a not too bad sleep just after 4 am, and before that around midnight with a wrong number, it makes for a very long day ahead.  Lexus needed out and was very vocal about it.  Lexus, since a puppy, has had a very small bladder and with any amount of water after dinner time she just can not make it through a night.  Poor girl, and she isn't even close to being my age yet in doggie years !

It was freezing in here at that time of the morning, as the wood stove was coals and ashes, even colder outside it was.  I tried going back to sleep but could not even begin to drift off, with getting back up to start the wood stove and have a coffee.  Let me "tell the World" not too much got accomplished around here today other then me going through the motions.  For those who know me well, my bed got made if nothing else !

I had a couple of errands downtown to run first thing, so off to Foodland, the Post Office, and the South Bruce Peninsula Town Hall.  Jeez errands are time consuming.  More then half my morning was gone by the time I got back home.

By the time everyone was let out, about and back in it was Lunch time, then I had to put the few things I had bought away.  This morning it was -12*C so Buddy, nor Mercedes were going into the outside run, however by lunch time it wasn't too bad so I had put Mercedes out for a couple of hours.  The part I miss about there being a late litter of puppies is them also being outside in the kennel run; more room for them, easier cleanup and it gets them socialized to a different environment.  Oh well should Mercedes breeding have "taken", it will be nice enough hopefully for her puppies to be outside by that time.

Since it was so cold I thought it the perfect day to put together a big pot of Hamburg Soup.

"This soup has been added to my "favourites" as it is full of colour, easy to make and makes a big batch so there is lots leftover to freeze for at least 4 more lunches for the two of us another day.  I LOVE A "COLOUR Me Soup" choice."

I switched up the recipe just a "wee" bit today, as I usually don't make them the same every time after I have followed the recipe to a "tee" the very first time in making it.  Today I used fresh mushrooms, less celery and more carrot as my pantry afforded me.  A savoy cabbage was used as it was on the discount rack for 49 cents, as were the fresh steak mushrooms for 99 cents the package.  Can not go wrong on those "steal of a deals" on savings.

Recipe please?  PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE.

This afternoon I had a friend stop in to see the Fabulous Four.  Angie took some photos of them, had some cuddles, then had a cuppa tea with me before having to leave.  Drop in if you need yourself a "cuteness fix" by *clicking* HERE.

The mailbox held some more HAPPY MAIL for me today !!!  Hooray !!!

"I loved when I seen the envelope addressed to "Aunt Cindy".  Very cute Joanne!  A card from my niece, and my Auntie Gladys.  Love them both. xx, oh and the cards too *smile*."

Rob left the house this morning with no breakfast, lunch, or supper ... AGAIN !  He was on a run into Owen Sound this afternoon, so I made him up a hot thermos of Hamburg Soup and met him half way with it.  Jeez where is that man's head some days !  please do not attempt to answer this for me, as I am certain I have long list of answers to that question already.

But really truly, not only do I love him every day, I like him most days, and pretty proud of him some days ...

"The local Saugeen Shores newspaper, the Shoreline Beacon, covered my "Crabby Cabbie's" support of Grey Bruce VON (a Canadian non-profit organization).  I am truly proud of him, with us both being grateful of his patron's contributions, and continuing support in doing so since the VON Piggy & Crabby Cabbie are to remain partnered !!! "

Yeah, Rob !!!  aka MY "Crabby Cabbie" !  We would LOVE your support by giving Rob his Facebook "Crabby Cabbie" Page a "LIKE" if you are able to, by *clicking* HERE !  Thanks in advance to all who can and do.

I really don't know what is going on weather wise in anyone else's "neck of the woods", but I do know our Weatherman has pretty much told us we are going to have a big dump of the white fluffy stuff beginning tonight, right up to Sunday.  Booooooooo !!!!

Jeez I almost forgot about the newest email SCAM I received in the Checkerboard Aussie's INBOX this morning ...

You know what I have to say to that .....

Beware people.  We know Canada Revenue does not contact us through our email accounts, and especially email accounts that belong to our Pets !!!  Oh man do these SCAMMERS ever get tired of putting this garbage together and sending it?  I really do wonder about this.

Tomorrow is Friday already !  with today having been a "ho hum day" with not too much accomplished.  I can not believe how another week has flown by me once again, "Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard".

I Want To Accomplish Today

Please do NOT ask me my name today, as I might not be able to tell you.  I thought I had slept well last night, however I still am feeling "bone tired".  What else can a typical Canadian do but blame it on the weather, eh?

I had a phone call from my Son, Paul, at 6:30 am.  Our Aiden was taken to the hospital as he needed an "emergency" circumcision.  All is fine;, he is home safe and sound now, with everything now hopefully corrected.  When I heard Hospital, I felt my heart fall to the floor ... it is times like these I hate being 2 1/2 hours away.  Regardless when he had been born, it had not stopped me from driving down there at 3 am in the morning.  Ha ! but then again, I was 8 years younger, and it had not been Winter.  No matter if I was needed I would be gone like a "shot" !

Today I had my mind set on making the Hamburg Soup I had at the Church Luncheon on Friday, since my Auntie had emailed me the recipe, and knowing how much my Rob would love it.  Once I had taken care of four "Checkerboard Aussies" by the names of Bandit, Lexus, Buddy and Missy Mercedes, I got to it .... as it had been first on my "I want to accomplish today" list.

"Really, how can you go wrong on a full-bodied hearty soup which contains so much colour?  How was it you might ask? as good as it looks in the picture."

Recipe pleases?  PRINTABLE recipe *click* HERE.

"Once I had a bowl for Lunch, and Rob two bowls, there was still this left.  Some for the fridge for Rob's lunches this week, and two containers yet for the Freezer."

Once lunch had been cleaned up from, I took some "time out" to make out a couple Post Cards to send off through the Postcrossing I enjoy doing.  I also took a minute to send off a note and deposit receipt to the young man from Windsor who is going give one of our 2013 "Checkerboard Aussie" a Forever Home.  There have been three excellent Forever Homes found already for the upcoming 2013 Litter, which greatly pleases me ... all have been told that it is a MUST they keep us posted on their life progress.  *Smile* I am pretty stringent on that requirement.

Other then the soup, the next thing on my "I want to accomplish today" list was to complete part of the January "Declutter" challenge (before it is too late...have you noticed the end of January is almost upon us?).  I got down into the "dreaded spider infested basement" and got the shop vac sucking the life up from those Daddy Long Legs (who are not spider) and those hairy legged things ranging in all different sizes, which are spiders.  Once the required corner was *void* of most 4 legged creatures, the big guns moved in ....

"The Whelping Box had to be updated a bit.  With some discontinued flooring samples we had been given from a local store, Rob lined the box with them.  This will be more sanitary and easier for me to clean up after lots of any mess the little ones might leave behind."

"Lexus knew the routine oh so well, as in she went with a "jump up" for kisses on my nose."

Half of the portion of the "Declutter" challenge completed ... OH NO !  I can almost hear the whip all the way from Carla's, as I only have FOUR MORE DAYS to complete the other half !!!  Please send lots of luck and prayers over my way, will you. as I just know I am going to need all the help I can get and then some !!!!

The third thing on my "I want to accomplish today" list was something that made my hubby's eyes open wide and drool run down his chin.

"A Lemon Meringue Pie which just happens to be my Rob's most favourite Pie."

When asked what his most favourite part of the few hours we had together this day, of course his answer had been the "Lemon Pie" !  Jeez, put on the back burner again over a Pie, what's up with that?

There is tons more stuff to be done, like floors needing washed (although the kitchen/bathroom floors did get done this week), cobwebs to be swept from every nook and cranny, cupboards to be sorted ... thank  goodness I was able to find some new House Cleaning Tips by dropping over to Gill's this morning to find out about a whole new "twist" on house cleaning.  Thanks Gill.

Need some new Tips on getting housework done?  Drop on over to find out how, by *clicking* HERE.

A big welcome goes out to Tonya at Momma's Sunshine for joining me as my newest follower.  Thanks for being here Tonya for my daily journal, and sometime opinions and ramblings.

I am pretty pleased with myself that I got three things off my "I want to accomplish today" list, as well as having the bonus of spending some rare "time out" with my hubby, who is "sawing some logs" for us at the moment, "Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard".