It's Almost Here! Merry Christmas!!

I may not make it back for a couple days.  I am trying to finish up Christmas preparations and I won't be able to take much time for the computer tomorrow.  We have houseguests coming tomorrow and then the family will be here for Christmas day and for dinner.  This is unusual for me; but, I have no idea what the menu will be.  My daughter will be making something vegetable and my daughter in law will bring a vegetable side and whatever else they all have planned.  We are doing the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy.  I think I may bake banana bread tomorrow and need to bake something with pumpkin as our son in law really likes pies and I won't have any here.  Wouldn't want him to starve, now, would I?  He's a decent chap, so we'll feed him.  LOL.  I think Heather, our daughter, will bring a Honey Baked Ham, she usually does and I love them.  They are a good break from turkey one evening.  We won't have much turkey left after some goes home with our son and daughter in law.  We'll see.  Sometimes our son smokes a turkey breast for them to have at home. 
Christmas will be fun.  I really enjoy seeing some or all of our adult children interact.  Don't you, if you have adult kiddos?  And; of course, the grandchildren are wonderful to have around.  They just returned from a trip to TN and went to the aquarium and Pigeon Forge where they got cowboy and cowgirl boots and hats.  They will have lots to share with us, so looking forward to that.  Our older son is coming down after Christmas for a few days.  The OH grandchildren are a bit older than the NC grands.  Just enough that it is always interesting to see what their  interests are.  The older grandson is now 13, and the twins are 11.  So fun to spend time with them.  I love them at every stage; but, am looking forward to the next stages and I am actually looking forward to seeing them as adults.  Not wishing their years away, just looking forward to the future.
Well, my friends, I am hoping that you, your family unit, and extended family a very Merry Christmas.  May you see hope in the future and feel the Peace that the gift of the birth of Jesus brought to us. 
Peace, Hope, Love to all y'all,
Brenda

Time Marches On

Too, too fast right now.  I am beginning to become stressed with the things still to be done before next week.  The living room is painted; but, the carpet is still in there.  We just don't have enough time to rip it up and then install the wood flooring.  I've resigned myself to that and  really don't want Mr. Blue Eyes to start it and try to hurry to get it done.  You know how that goes, things always go wrong under pressure.  It's just not worth it to try. 

I want to do a little baking this week.  Not a lot, as last year we threw too many cookies away, after awhile. after the holidays.  They were frozen and just became too soft and stale.  We don't eat them as much as we did when younger.  Our family that was here didn't want to take as much home as usual due to not wanting to eat much and avoid the "holiday bulge".  Their parents monitored the grandchildren to make sure there wasn't too much sugar consumed.  Are you baking as much, the same, or more this year?  Leave a comment and let me know, I am curious.  And what are you baking this Christmas?

We still have collards, kale, carrots, parsnips, cabbage, and Pok Choi in the ground in grow tunnels.  We pulled some carrots and parsnips for dinner one day last week.  They were good and were sweet.  There is escarole and arugula in the greenhouse that we've been cutting to add to kale salads for quite awhile.  So nice to have fresh greens.  It might be a tad too chilly to reseed some of those in the greenhouse.  I guess I will ponder that for a day or so.  Would you believe we have tomatoes and blossoms on the one tomato plant in the greenhouse?  Cool isn't it?  Took some cuttings from several tomato plants in mid fall and stuck them in jars of water in the greenhouse and they have good roots now and are about ready to put into dirt.  Our greenhouse isn't heated with a greenhouse heater, we use an oil filled radiator type electric heater and need to go out and adjust the temperature settings according to outside temps, the sun, and greenhouse temps.  It's only 10' by 12', but we do pack a lot of seedlings and transplants in there for the spring garden. 

Made a pie with one of our larger Butternut squash today.  I made it like a pumpkin pie, using 1 cup brown sugar, 3/4 cup of evaporated milk, with all the same spices, and added 1 T melted butter along with 2 T flour.  I was concerned that it might be too runny with the just baked and pureed squash; but, it was perfect consistency and the taste was just like pumpkin pie.  We had baked squash for dinner last night and there was just enough left to make a pic today.  Cool, huh?  Try it, you may like it, if you like pumpkin pie.  And, of course there was whipped cream (not that frozen in a tub stuff).  Real whipped cream.

I'm writing my to do list for tomorrow and I think I need to go to bed early tonight.  It's a bit early to hit the sack; but, I'm saying goodnight now, anyway.  Need to do a few things before bed.  Hope you accomplish whatever your goals are for tomorrow.