Looking Out My Living Room Window

Andy and I were having coffee this morning, discussing the events of the day to follow.  Watching the last of the storm outside my living room window.  There, I saw him, not only was there one but two!

Aren’t they beautiful!  I asked Andy to hold my coffee, ran and grabbed my camera and took as many as I could!

If you close enough, you can see the snow on this guy’s nose. They were truly the size of German Sheppard's! Look at the tail! 

These beauties have not missed ANY meals and they are on the way up to my chicken coop,
Run girls RUN!!! (would that be a chicken run?)  Look how beautiful his tail is……
Wow, what a site to see, another blessing of living up here, well, to be here IN the house and take photos out my window!
Just happy my windows were clean, ok, kind of clean!
Have a GREAT Sunday!

Really knowing the size of your turkey!

Let me start off by saying, “I didn’t think it was going to be a problem!

Andy and I decided to brine our turkey this year, which is simply putting your turkey in a large container and put about 2-3 cups of kosher salt in it and let it sit then cook it later so the turkey is really moist.

Now, we have been known to do that the night before, but honestly, forgot about it.  No big deal.  So Andy went outside to the garage to get the turkey out of the refrigerator while I pulled out a pot to put the kosher salt, water and turkey into.

He walks in and says “that pot is not going to fit our turkey”.  I said “sure it is it’s only 15 pounds”.  He get the turkey out of its package takes all the stuff out of it and puts it in the pot. 

I just stood there looking at it.  I started laughing and still am writing this post.  Well, as hard as it is to say it is even harder to write HE WAS RIGHT  OMG!  Write that down!

He went outside to my storage area and went and got a HUGE pot to put it in.  Much better!

I just had to share this with you!

OOPS!

Second pictures says it all!

Well that didn’t work well.  As I said in my title I need to really know the size of my turkey or pot!!

Let’s see how the rest of the day goes!  Happy turkey eating!

Happy Thanksgiving my family and friends

Just a special little note to say that I am thankful to have you and you and you too as my family and friends.  We are blessed in so many ways, I just wanted you to know how special you all are to us.

May your day be filled with love and happiness, and most of all, with full bellies.

From our home,

Andy and Jeanine Sturgeon

Make your own Firestarters!

 

For years I have complained, (yes, I do that from time to time) about this one thing over and over again.  It seems that when I go to make a fire in our fireplace we are ALWAYS out of firestarters.  I hate buying them, due to their cost but their convenience is worth its weight in gold. 

So,  off to the internet over the summer to see if I could make my own firestarters, nothing lost, nothing gained. 

This “recipe” is so simple I kick myself that I didn’t do it sooner.  Without further writing,or um, talking, here is the best firestarter recipe I know…..and did I say it is almost free except for the cupcake paper?

A package of small cupcake wrappers (I mean small, they will work great, you don’t need bigger, trust me, you will use way too much wax and the smaller one will do the trick just fine.

Wood shavings ( I gathered wood shavings from Bertha aka the HUGE tree Andy cut down.  You could even use wood shavings from any pet store.

Used candles (See, REUSE, how cool is this? Now I never throw away my candles anymore)

A vegetable can (rinsed out )

A pot (filled 1/3 way with water)

Mini muffin pan (convenient but not imperative)

Now, melt the candle wax in the can over medium heat, remember that candle wax is very flammable, so always use caution, pleeaassee!

I put about 1/3 of the shavings in the cups and when the was is melted I Andy  wrapped a thick cloth around it as to not burn me Andy and slowly pour each cup until they were 3/4 way filled.

Once it dried, I removed them from the muffin pan, that’s it!

To use, just add one to your fireplace and light the paper on top and VIOL A you have a GREAT firestarter!  They will burn for about 15 minutes, plenty of time to get your fire going good!

 

I was so excited about this that I just had to start it while I had my candles in the fireplace. 

Only in Big Bear

I loooove this town for many reasons, the small town mentality, the closeness of this community.  We have blessings of saying “only in Big Bear”.  It is not too many time that you can walk through the village and see a lady walking her ?horse?  Or a miniature horse pulling a lady on a cart, waiting at the light for it to change.  Makes me just laugh with the uniqueness of this town.Isn’t this guy so darn cute?  Check out the person looking outside the window of Chad’s Bar. 

 

This team is waiting for the light to change, awwww such good manners (do you see the person in the Suburban checking them out! 

LOOK WHO'S COMIN TO BREAKFAST!

I was sitting here playing on my computer and Andy was getting ready to cook breakfast. He went out to get a dozen eggs from the refrigerator outside. He walks in with it and opens the carton he let out a laugh that stopped me in my tracks! This is what he saw:


I got up and walked over to see what the hoopla was, good morning! I actually remember doing this a couple of months ago for a surprise and it worked. When Andy closed the carton to put it away, he let out another belly laugh. He walked over to me and showed me this!


I laughed so hard I had tears rolling down my face! What a happy little egg! Now for the third pictures, doesn't he look like he is looking a you and saying "I see you!" Or "Hey does this carton make my egg head look big"?



I crack myself up! Ha ha heee hee! I'm on a roll! Ha haaaaa!

I CAN'T believe I am posting my winning chili recipe! But for you...anything!

I have been hounded for my winning chili recipe. So after much thought, I have decided to post it. After all, I wanted to have this blog with recipes so what would be better than my chili?

I hope you love it as much as everyone else did! Let me know your thoughts!!!

1.5 lbs hamburger meat
1 large onion - chopped
1 can red kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can chili beans
2 cans tomato sauce
2 pkgs taco seasoning
1 can of Rotel tomatoes (regular)
1 can cut up tomatoes
1 pkg of dry ranch dressing (not fat free type)
corn chips or corn tortillas
(I added extra cumin and Cheyenne pepper) did I spell that right?

Fry up meat then add onions to soften
In crock pot or regular pot
Add the meat
Add the beans with the juices
Add tomato sauces, cut up tomatoes and Rotel
Add taco seasonings, ranch dressing
Medium heat for Crock pot and simmer for stove top.
After a while I added tortilla chips because I didn't have corn tortillas. That is one of my secrets, it makes the sauce velvety and smooth, it also thickens it up too. Don't know the amount, I just took a bunch and crushed them. With the corn tortillas, I cut them into strips and add a little at a time until I like the consistently. DON'T use flour tortillas, it puffs up like a blow fish and floats on top, it's an ugly thing!

Taste and add salt if needed, I don't. I add extra cumin and Cheyenne pepper. You can also put frozen corn in it, I do but didn't because I forgot to buy it at the store. Good thing, because someone else did at the cook off and people commented that chili should not have corn in it. But I like it.

That's it! Boy is it fun to make, when people hear that you use Dry Ranch Dressing, they go yuck!! But that is what makes the flavor so good! Trust me as I adjust my crown...

I wonder why they have them..Llamas

I had the funniest thing happen, actually I laughed so hard I fell down!

Remember what I had posted about being glad that I was not raising llamas?

See, I had a couple of friends over for the weekend as they were driving down my road, he sees a llama in one of my neighbors yard. (Actually, a lot of neighbors own these creatures). The wife asks her husband, I wonder why they have them? The husband replies "For their eggs?" She was still laughing when they drove up to my house and tears were rolling down her face! When she finally caught her breath and she told me what he had said, I really thought he was joking, but alas he was SERIOUS!

So to all my city friends, llamas are not kept for their eggs!!!!! I will never look at these animals the same again!!!!

Ode to a Chicken

My favorite chicken is gone! I went out today to give them water and food and there was always one that jumped up on the table so I could pet her back and rub her neck.

I noticed that she didn't jump up immediately and thinking "She is probably outside" then I tapped on the table she didn't run in. I counted seven girls and even walked out to the back to she if she was there, NO CHICKEN! She's gone! How did that happen? Who took my chicken?!!! I am very sad tonight and wanted to write some words for her.

Ode to a Chicken
Little girl I knew you when you were a pullet.
You grew as fast as a bullet.
Hunting and pecking through the goodies
I never thought of you as a foodie
Our time together was not enough
I just wish you were still here for me to fluff
I will always remember you attacking my pinks pajamas
I am just glad I wasn't raising llamas!
(Give me a little slack I am grieving over here)


God bless you little chicken!

RIP - March 15, 2009 to November 3, 2009

Look what I just ordered!

I am soo excited! I guess I should have waited for Christmas but I just couldn't! I kept looking at it and looking at it, my mouth watering Ok I just had to have it, what is it, you ask? Well its, its....OK here ya go!



Don't cha just love it! I bought 2 more for Christmas gifts, I told you I was addicted to her, I am even thinking of going to one of her books signing maybe in Arizona, ok maybe I can wait but HURRY up to come out to California!!!!

Now when will it get here????

They're blowin SNOW!

Well its that time of year, I was going into town yesterday and saw what I thought was smoke (I am still in high fire danger mode). Which it was NOT! It was snow!

We are not in Denver where they were thinking they were going to get 4 FEET of snow, but hey we'll take what we can get for now, because in a couple of days it will be constantly cold!

Boys we have SNOW! Where's Andy's Beanie?

I am the Chili Queen!!

Guess What?!!!! I won the Chili Cook Off at our church's Harvest Festival last night! Talk about a wonderful surprise and boy was I shocked!!!!

Our church does a harvest festival and this is the first one Andy and I had been to. They announced that they were going to hold a chili cook off, and I said to myself "I am definitely getting in on that".

If you have read my posts in the past, I have been in the professional Chili-Cook Off for the past couple of years, only doing Chili Verde myself and the team doing red. Losing all the way, but having a blast doing it.

So I took my favorite recipe and for the heck of it, I tried it, and WON!!!!! When they asked over the speaker who's Crock Pot is this (my mouth dropped as I saw them walking down the aisle with it) I screamed like a little school girl!!!! I even jumped up and down! YaHOOOOOOO! I won! What did I win, where's my trophy? No trophy, what I got was bragging rights for the year, so here is my winning trophy. listen very carefully, I WON THE CHILI COOK-OFF! Yea!!! Where's my crown?

It was a great time, a lot of fun and the newby took the prize, yeah!!!!!

Missions Trip to Tecate Mexico...working at Rancho De Sus Ninos!

WOW, is all I can say. Our church or should I say our Mission Team at church had made plans to go to this orphanage in Tecate this month to offer our services with the construction of the facility.

I had NO idea what to expect. A little nervous, yes. A little scared, not really, but apprehensive DEFINITELY! Just not knowing is what kills me. I am the type that just jumps in and has to experience everything then make the decision to or not to do it again, I hate the 'NOT KNOWING". What was the apprehension? I am not totally certain, the condition of the orphanage, the children, would my heart heart so much that I couldn't stand it? Would tears fall down like rain and I beat my chest with sorrow? That is probably it, but alas NONE OF THAT HAPPENED!!!

What a WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE with the orphanage, that is. The trip....well.. let's just say (as I am laughing under my breath) was something you just have to experience. Hopefully, through my writing you will understand, maybe.

The RDSN (Rancho De Sus Ninos) had the directions on their website, which we printed up and Sandi had the directions via Google for the hotel. All set...let's go, only four of us ended up going instead of the 12 that we had expected, they were dropping like flies! So we took off and away we went, thinking this trip would take us about 3.5 hours instead of 6.5 hours.

The Mexican Government had closed (yes I mean CLOSED the exit for the orphanage. How in the world do you get there??? In my infinite wisdom I didn't write any phone numbers for them at the ranch. So we drive slowly to a gate that is located on the side of the road with NO signs. To make a very long story not as long, it took us three times trough the toll booth back and forth(a total of $19.00) then finally back to the same spot as the first time and Andy jumped the fence and walked through the facility until he found someone to unlock the gate. Thank God that John and Ingred had been there a couple of years back or we would have NEVER found it!

We were back there the next morning to wire the two buildings and between the four of us, we had BOTH building wired in about 5 hours! These building have been sitting for over a year just waiting to have electricity wired. The overseer, Pedro, said he had NEVER had a crew work so fast EVER! We ROCK!!!



We stopped at 1PM to have lunch with the children, ohh they were so sweet! Sandwiches were a big deal considering they usually have rice and beans for lunch, we were lucky that day! Dead tired on Saturday evening but back on Sunday to their church, something I was looking so forward to. All I can say was WOW! The band ROCKED, I don't understand Spanish, but I LOVED their music, it was Beautiful. Kids running around, people praising, everyone singing, sounded like Angles! There were over 300 people at this service and to see God working in this church is beyond words.

The houses are clean, spotless actually, the children happy to definitely loved, the whole group working as one.

I cried a few times when I was there on Saturday and on Sunday, but not for sorrow but for the love this place had.

Well, I am home, glad to be back, glad I went and I am looking forward to going there again soon!

My new lens!

I have been putting off writing for the most part because I wanted to have pictures on my blog with my new lens....Well I got it last night! I almost knocked down my UPS driver, I think he is carrying pepper spray with him and has it on him when he gets to my house! Can't say I blame him! I have been known to have that effect on people.

Well, I took pictures of everything last night! So without further a due, here are my first photos with my new lens. But wait! What lens do I have? Oh that is my favorite part to share with you, it is a Nikon 55-200VR lens! I love it! I took it out today and went to the lake for some shots, I new better to think that I would get the perfect shots, considering I was there at 12:30 WRONG TIME to take pictures, but I just had to take them!

So enjoy and let me know what you think!

Picture One: I took this off my patio and zoomed the lens to the max at 200. Doesn't it look like a New England Picture? I love this one!


Picture Two is the eggs on the back of my chicken cookie jar, aren't the colors b-e-a-u-ti-ful! See, I had to take pictures of something last night!


Picture Three is some rocks at the lake, don't you just LUUUVVVVE the bokeh?


Picture Four is straight out of the camera, the browns really have depth and again the bokeh, I am so impressed with myself, almost looked like I did a sepia on it, but Nay Nay!


Picture Five is just some leaves before they drop, what pretty colors again, straight out of the camera.

How about a "Just Because"

Well sometimes you have to something for the heck of it. I would like you to meet Jessipe. He is our mascot at our home. I have brought him to friends homes for the evening, he had a sleep-over and they have dressed him up and put him in some strange predicaments (shall we say?). They have photos, too!

You will see him throughout my blog from time to time. We bought this rocking horse for our grand nephew and have it here. I have named him "Bucky" I came out of the bedroom yesterday and found Jessipe on him. It is his new best friend! See how simple things mean so much?



Ye ha!

Halloween Decorations!

I have to share the cutest thing I found and just had to have it. I luuuuve way that vinyl lettering looks as though it is hand painted on your walls, windows or even doors.

I had seen on someone's website how they had the vinyl lettering on their door for Christmas. So, I thought, what about Halloween? I used to REALLY decorate the house for Halloween, a holiday that I didn't like until I had the boys.

So, now a fourth of the decorations are out and I just wanted a cute subtle way to say Happy Halloween. Here it is:

Now, here is the GREAT news.....I went on the internet and looked and looked. I wanted something neat, but didn't want to spend a small fortune on something I was going to have only a month or so. I found a company called:
E.A.D. Designs
Contact: Emily Nelson
(435) 723-7152
www.eaddesigns.com

I found this site and went through their Halloween stuff. Cute as heck. But what I wanted was nowhere to be found. Emailed the company and told them what I was looking for. Immediately I received a response back and together we went back and forth regarding the design. The picture is what we came up with. Isn't the hat on the end of "n" just adorable?

She worked with me on Happy Thanksgiving, for Thanksgiving of course. For Chistmas I have the saying "Wise men still seek Him".

How much was each of these you ask? Ok they are 4" High and 24" Long. $8.00 each! Can you believe how cheap for such a wonderful product? The shipping was a little over a dollar each. WOW!!!!

Easy to apply and I am sure, easy to remove, so take my advise, go on to the website above and look at their site, GREAT, GREAT GREAT!! Let me know what you think! For that price, how can you not put a little "personalization" on your door!

Love it!!! (Does it show I am very proud of me?)

Wow, fall is already here, or is it winter!

Hi Everybody....
Well it is October 2nd! Can you believe it, I have had the best summer and as always, things should be slowin down...I have been traveling, of course, canning, yes, I said canning, and just trying to get as much out of life as I can.

With fall being here, I couldn't wait to get to the Apple Orchards....so a couple of weeks ago my sister Stephanie and I went to Julian and toured the apple orchards, had to stop at the local winery and sample their wines, then toured the little shops and had a great lunch. I had for the first time cinnamon ice cream, YUM!

Then last Sunday Andy and I went to Oak Glen to their apple orchards. Wonderful! I made a great picnic basket and off we went! Pumpkins, apples, corn and of course wonderful apple cider! What a wonderful afternoon!

Here are a few pictures of the scenery, and if you have a chance in the next few weeks I encourage you to enjoy this beauty all it will cost you is gas but a whole lot of memories!



Julian apple crate


Apples

I tried Picassa with the B/W really don't like the way it came out, I definately like Photoshop better!

Yum! Loved the wine tasting!

Thrifty Decor Chick: All I know about blogging

Thrifty Decor Chick: All I know about blogging
Hey take a look at her website, she is fabulous! Congrats on your first million!

The true meaning of life and love I WANT THAT!

I just got news from one of my girlfriend's that her mom had passed away over the weekend. Hurt my heart, cried for her, her mom and for her dad.

Susie's mom was 94 years old. Passed away with her husband holding her hand, telling her how much he loved her. What a way to end this life. Susie's mom and dad had been together for 70 years! Just think of how much life is with 70 years together, the times, how they have changed, seeing pictures of her family in her house and the great stories that she has about them. She says, "That's us with our boat that my Daddy built in 1952 at the dock in Newport Beach", etc etc. Jealous? Maybe a little,for what reason? Still don't know, maybe because of their closeness, great memories for a family that have been together for so many decades. Many levels I feel.

Susie's dad played with his band at her high school reunion, her 50TH HIGH SCHOOL REUNION! She has a room set up in her house that she calls it her Mom and Daddy's room. Looking at a wall unit in that room I noticed she has a section that has Raggedy Ann doll on it and an old Raggedy Ann book next to it. But if you look real close you will notice a black spider (plastic of course) hanging halfway down. When I first saw it I said "Susie, there's a spider hanging down on your shelf!" She then told me that the spider is not real and did I want to her to tell me how that spider was there? Absolutely!

Her daddy used to read to her the Raggedy Ann story over and over again when she was a child. He thought that this story was just a little too sweet, so he always put in Mr. Spider into the story and play like it was crawling up her arm. How CUTE is that!! Now I always have to go into the room and look at the section with Raggedy Ann and the spider. What great memories to have from a child!

So today, I will reflect on Susie, her family and the true meaning of life and of love. This world may be ugly at times even harsh and mean, but when you hear of stories like this, it changes you just a little, for the good.

My prayers are with you and your dad, my friend....

Flies Begone!

I received an email from my sister regarding an email she had received about putting up a contraption to discourage flies and bees from entering your home.

The email stated that if you take a baggie fill it halfway with water and put four pennies in it, it was prevent flies from crossing over it.

I called her immediately as told her that there was a deli up here that had this on the top of their doors. I had asked the girl at the counter why it was there. She said it stops flies from coming into the deli. "Right" I thought. Well, when this email crossed my path, I said "what the heck" and tried it.

Does it work? Let's put it this way, before I would have A LOT of flies in my house, especially when I had horses, that was really bad. Now I may have one or two in my house and that may be from another door being open and they will come in that way.

People ask "What the...." I tell them I am trying something different and their response is why don't you get a screen door? That would be way too easy.

Here is a picture of it, I would recommend it especially if you have flies bad, at that point, I would of tried anything!

Well I ammmmmmm Back!!!!

I have been wanting to write to everyone and I am getting a lot of emails wagging their fingers at me due to the fact I am not taking time to update my blog.

Wow, all I can say, WOW!!!!

What the heck!!!!

OK OK OK let's start for where I left off, Bertha (the tree) is DOWN!!!!! I knew Andy would not let it alone. Called a friend of his and asked "Whanna go cut down a tree?" "Wow!" Sam said when he saw it, "let's do it!" I had to be there to watch this show. Well as you can see the pictures, no harm was done to humans, trucks or to the forest. The crack as it was coming down was incredible!!! Five and a half cords of wood that puppy gave us (not including five cords that was Sam's) Over 10 1/2 cords Bertha had! Can you believe it! So, that has occupied ALL of our time for the past week and a half, cutting up the tree, splitting and stacking the wood, FINALLY OVER! Good news, I didn't even break a nail! So, here are some pics of the HUGE undertaking, this is just one story of MANY I have but one post at a time!!!

Does this tree look big?

My husband....well all I have to say is "Nothing will never be too big or too tall or too dangerous for him to take on"......except for this one......

He came in last Saturday with eye WIDE open and asks me "wanna do something with me"? Uh oh, what now? He said there was this tree he wanted to cut down and the owners of the property gave him permission and he was going to do it NOW!!! Surely there is about 3 cords of wood in that bad boy!

Well, this I have to see, I tell myself, away we went, I swallowed my tongue when I saw this MONSTER! He said "nice and easy and this tree will come down", (I don't think so!) so with his chain saw in hand and another one in the truck for standby, he has me park my truck on one side of the road and his on the other, to make sure no one drove in that area, out comes my camera, you know I have to have pics of this stunt!

Away he goes! Well after about 10 minutes of sawing, he realizes that our chain saw, good as it is, is not long enough and he stops, I couldn't even find where he was sawing it at. Good enough, he walked away from it for now! Whew!!!! This will be for another time! Let me know what you think of this puppy, BTW, it is over 125 feet high!




Look real hard and you can see him aside the tree! Barely!