Bacon 2012

We butchered in January but just now finished processing our bacon. 

This is just one side of side meat, now bacon.  We have another side to cure later.  But the winter has been so warm that we haven't cured hams yet.  It's just been to warm in the garage to not worry about the meat spoiling before it was completely cured. 

We cured the bacon in a small apartment fridge that Kev uses for beer.  It works well for small projects like bacon, but is not big enough to hold hams.  I think we need a full sized fridge to use just for curing meat, or better yet, a walk in cooler.  No idea where we'd put it, but I salivate over the thought of all that cool storage space!

When we packaged the bacon all up, we had 12 lbs. of bacon at a price far less than what you pay in the stores these days, and much better tasting. (We paid $150 for a 300 lb pig.  I don't have any idea how many pounds of meat we ended up with, but if we got 150 lbs of meat, we would have paid...well, you do the math...)

A few weeks ago, my Uncle Dale and Aunt Jo invited Kev and I along with my folks to dinner.  I, of course, quizzed Uncle Dale about things that Grandma and Grandad Woodruff did during the 20's and 30's, as they were raising their family.  Uncle Dale is now my Dad's oldest surviving sibling, so I didn't want to waste any time getting stories.  Besides, by the time Dad was born, my Grandparents were better off financially and were well established, so Uncle Dale's childhood memories are very different than Dad's.

We were talking about butchering, and Uncle Dale mentioned that Grandad would butcher 4 hogs every winter just for their family.  In the end, there were 7 children, but Dad wasn't born until 1943, so 4 hogs fed a family of 5-10 people.  (Just thinking, they never just fed their family.  They had school teachers board with them, they had Eileen, Grandma's niece living with them, and Grandad Cook lived with them for a while, and my Grandad Woodruff's dad for a time too.)  The number of pigs butchered didn't throw me for a loop as much as the pounds of potatoes they consumed.  Besides what Grandma grew in the garden, (my Dad swears her potato patch was an at least an acre) they always bought 700 lbs of potatoes. 

700 lbs of potatoes!  Holy cow!  That, on top of what they grew!  Obviously, they ate a lot of potatoes.

And here, I was thrilled with the 25 lbs we grew last year!

Uncle Dale shared that Grandad dry cured his bacon and hams in the basement.  He had a box and wooden shelf that he used.  He'd go down and rub the meat every day with cure and after "a while" they'd wrap it up and hang it up and there it would stay until needed.

Our conversation about butchering was just one of many we had that Sunday.  I learned so much listening to Uncle Dale and Dad remember.  It was a bittersweet day, because I love hearing the stories, but it did make me miss Grandma and Grandad that much more.  I'll share more stories because they are just too special to not share.

Anyway, bacon is finished--for now, and we're enjoying every bite!

The stair project--January update

I thought I'd best give an update on the stair project. 

No pictures because:  1.  There's nothing to show, and 2.  The batteries in the camera were dead and I couldn't find the cord (because it wasn't where it belongs...dang kids.)

But, there's really nothing to show.

Kev did make the hole bigger.  Longer.  He had to to make his math work for the stringers.  He then spent time re-wiring some outlets and moving others.  He also had to cap a water line because the bigger hole meant that the water line couldn't be re-routed.

He had talked to the guy who is supposed to cut our steps.  He was supposed to have them cut Saturday.  He didn't have them cut. 

So, we're at a stand still until we have our wood.

While Kev was working on his project, I rendered lard.

Why?  Cuz I could.  I just wanted to try it.  I grew up reading the "Little House" books by Laura I. Wilder.  I bought the cook book where the author attempted to re-create the cooking described in the "Little House" books.  One of the things she did was to render lard.

I was curious about how hard it really was and what cracklings were.

So, when we butchered pigs last weekend, I asked the guys to get me the fat from around the organs (if they would take the time to do so) and to give me some of the fat trimmings so I could play.  Kev brought home about 2 gallons of fat.  I rendered it yesterday.

I'd read that it's easier to render it in the oven, so I got out my Grandma's big double burner lard rendering cast iron pot.  While a little rusty, I thought this might be a great way to re-season it and get it back into working shape.

Unfortunately, it was too big for my oven.  Instead, I got out 2 of my cast iron bean pots and used them.  I didn't cut the fat up much (and if I was a serious lard render-er, I would do this next time.) I turned the oven on to 300 degrees initially and then when the fat started to melt, turned it down to 200.  By the end of the day, I had lots of melted fat and cracklins.

Kev thougth the cracklins smelled like pork rinds.  They taste like greasy pork rinds, but weren't as light. 

I wound up with 3 quarts of lard.  I went ahead and canned it.  It's not as creamy white as I thought it would be...maybe I let it get too hot.  It smells ok, but who knows.  I'll hang on to it for a while.  Maybe use some when I make pies, maybe not.  If nothing else, I'll feed it to the chickens and wild birds.  Who knows if it's a skill I'll ever need, but it did satisfy my curiosity and it kept me busy while Kev was puttering with the stair project.

The first and final harvest of 2011

We've been expecting a freeze any day now, so on Sunday, Kev and I decided we'd better put the garden to bed...what garden there was.  With the excessive heat and the drought this summer, our garden lacked a lot.  We got a few potatoes, a very few onions and once the heat ended, we hoped we'd get to harvest something...anything!  So, we ventured out Sunday afternoon and harvested. 

I planted pole beans this year and bought a variety that grows purple beans.  They turn green when you cook them.  I chose these because I hoped they would be easier to pick than green beans.  However, the leaves have enough of a purple cast that the beans weren't any easier to find on the vines.  We picked over a 5 gallon bucket full of beans.  They are now sitting in the freezer, waiting for me to have time to can them.

This is a shot of most of our tomato crop.  We finally got a few tomatoes to eat, and quite a few cherry tomatoes, but not enough to can.  However, we have gotten enough to enjoy a few BLT sandwiches!

A new crop for us this year was peanuts.  Kev loves to snack on roasted peanuts throughout the winter, so I wanted to see if we could grow some.  Grandma B. grew them one year, so I was pretty sure we could.  Unfortunately, we have a resident mole.  Who ate most of my seed.  I had two plants left.  And we got a very few peanuts.  Not sure if we got enough to roast.  If not, we'll save them and plant them again next spring...if it rains...

 Mr. Mole also harvested most of my carrots for me.

 This one was a prime example of his work.  He ate from the bottom up and left the tops.  So, when we pulled the carrots, we'd find these...

Crazy, isn't it!

So, this year, we didn't grow enough food to live on for the next year.  Fortunately, I still have plenty of  products that I canned last year.  I'm saving  seeds for next year and we'll try again... 

If it rains...and if Mr. Mole moves away.

One of those days...

Yesterday was one of those very productive days for me.  I love days like yesterday, when I spend most of it in the kitchen, making various food items for my family.  I didn't have anything else that had to be done, so I could just enjoy myself and putter all day long in the kitchen.

I made jelly from our first ever picking of grapes from our 2 vines!  I had 5.5 cups of jelly, but somehow, only got 3 half-pint jars of jelly out of it.  I used a "low sugar" pectin and it took f.o.r.e.v.e.r to jell!  So, I guess some boiled away.  However, there are more grapes out there to ripen, so maybe I'll get more grapes for another and larger batch.  (Early taste tests say that the jelly is just scrumptious!)

We were running low on bread, so I made a batch of bread.  Not sure if I'll break open a jar of jelly now, or if I'll wait for a later date.  I really like this wheat flour I've been using, and I love this bread recipe.  It uses honey instead of sugar.  I've always loved baking bread and having a recipe for whole wheat bread that has never failed me yet makes bread making more enjoyable.    Someday soon, I'm going to try sourdough and a wholegrain bread and a rye.  I've got the recipes, just haven't taking the time to try them out.

Since my chickens are laying like crazy, I decided to make a couple of pies.  Mom is our expert baker, and I'd like to someday be as good of a pie maker as she is.  In addition, I also want to improve my pie dough skills.  Many years ago, when I was in 4-H, I could make an excellent pie dough...in recent years, it hasn't been good, and I've taken the easy road and used store-bought pie dough.  Well, yesterday, I tried it again, and came out with a couple of pretty good crusts.  Not quite where I want them to be, but definitely better than store-bought! 

I made a coconut cream pie for Kev and a butterscotch pie for Andy.  (Miss Kat doesn't like pie, so she didn't care what kind I made.)  Both recipes came from Mom.  The Butterscotch recipe came from my Great Grandma Woodruff.  Kev and I tried both pies...and both are just pretty tasty!

Now, I'd have taken pictures, but my allergies kicked in yesterday something fierce.  To be honest, I was afraid I'd sneeze all over my food, or sneeze while taking pictures.  Besides, you'd just get hungry from the photos!

Yesterday was one of my favorite kinds of days.  The best part was sitting down to enjoy the fruits of my labors.  Bon Appetite!

cookin

Once the weather turns cooler, one of my favorite things to do on the weekend is to make bread. I love baking bread. Some of my earliest memories are of Mom making Bread. When it would come out of the oven, she'd slice off the heel, and spread butter on it and then sprinkle it with sugar.

That was the best snack ever. I can still remember the feel of my teeth crunching through that layer of sugar down into that buttery warm bread. (Give me a minute to just enjoy that memory...I haven't eaten bread that way since I was little.)

Ok.

Kev loves home made bread, so I make lots of bread in the winter months. And now, with the new bay window, I found a new place to let my bread raise:

What? Doesn't everyone stick their bread dough in their living room window to raise? I read in lots of cooking blogs of different ways to cover bread dough, but we have always gotten a tea towel wet --with warm water, and used it to cover the bread dough. So, that's what is on my bowl of dough. It raises quite nicely in the window too.

This mess below is sauerkraut.

Last winter, a friend of ours, Deanna, gave us a jar of home made sauerkraut. Now, I greatly disliked sauerkraut until I tried Deanna's home made kraut. It is SO much better and flavorful than store bought kraut. Nothing at all like that nasty stuff they used to serve us at school. I never had kraut at home because it's one of those food items that Dad didn't like and refused to eat, so Mom didn't cook it or make it.

Kev and I really enjoyed our home made kraut on our home made brats. It was yummy. so, this year, we decided to make some ourselves. I didn't get much brine when I initially made the kraut, so someone told me to simply make a brine when it came time to can it. I did that, but think that the brine was too much. It's a wee bit salty. But, we've rinsed the brine off and that seems to remove that saltiness. I'm not sure my kraut is as good as Deanna's, but we're all set with 7 jars.

I have to admit, it was fun making Sauerkraut. How many times do you purposely let something ferment in a bowl, in your guest bedroom/office? Every day or so, I'd go peek at it and watch the mold grow on top of the brine (and, yes, I discarded the mold. Everything I've read said that was normal.)

Now, we've got Sauerkraut...all we're missing is home made brats. We've still got some ground pork in the freezer, so we'll get those whipped up in no time...and then, aah...good eatin!

Sunday dinner

Our meal yesterday:

Ham--processed, smoked and baked at home.
Potatoes--from our garden
Corn--from our garden
Bread--homemade
Tomatoes--from our garden

Cherry Pie: homemade. Cherries from a friends tree. Pie crust, courtesy of Pillsbury...
Pumpkin pie: Homemade by Mom...probably NOT from her garden since she didn't grow any pumpkins :)

It's very satisfying to know where your food comes from.

The meal was for Mom and Dad's 48th Anniversary which will be Tomorrow, November 2.

Good times, Good food, Good Company.

It doesn't get better than that.

And, Dad's hearing aids must be working, I didn't hear him say "what's that" all day!

As the egg "turns"

Only one short week, Andy and I candled all the eggs from the refrigerator. All were nice and clear, no baby chicks.

This morning, Kev made me a bacon, egg and cheese bagel for breakfast. I was happily munching away on it when Andy came upstairs ready to make his own breakfast. He decided that my bagel looked good and decided to make his own. I was in the living room, when I heard him say "ick". (Or something to that effect.)

I asked if he had a bloody egg, and he said "yes." He carried the egg out to the cats and I suggested that he break the next egg in a bowl first. The next thing I heard was, "Mom, don't look under this paper towel. You won't like what's there."

"What?" I asked.

"There was a baby chick in that egg."

Of course I looked. And sure enough, I saw a mostly developed chick. Suddenly, that egg I had just eaten wasn't sitting as snuggly in my stomach. I have seen chick embryos before--in pictures. They didn't bother me much. I can now say that seeing a picture of an embryo is much less disturbing than seeing a "live" one resting in a cereal bowl. (But, I can tell you that I did take time to mentally note that chicks really do develop from the white, not the yolk. Yes, I'm weird that way.)

I carried the bowl outside and shut my eyes as I set it in the grass for the cats. Of course there were no cats to be found, so I actually had to holler "kitty, kitty." Mama cat made a beeline for the bowl. I didn't watch.

Once back in the house, I candled the rest of the eggs in that carton and threw away 3 more eggs. Two were dark and cloudy, the third definitely had a little chick shape floating in it.

Tonight, I'm going to candle every stinking egg in the fridge and then I'm going to go out to the chicken house and talk to the girls. Someone needs to stay on her nest better. Then, I'm going to figure out a way to mark the nesting boxes so I can better track which one has had a broody girl sitting on it. Either that, or make sure that only one of us gathers eggs so we'll know which boxes to avoid...

Oh, Andy didn't have eggs for breakfast. He had bacon and pop tarts. He said that eggs just didn't sound good right now. I have to say, that I completely understand and agree with him. Eggs just don't sound good right now.

The garden

The garden is winding down.

Kev and I went out last night and picked the last of the green beans and all the cantaloupe. Kev found 2 final cucumbers for us to enjoy. There are still some peppers, and the carrots are still in the ground.

And then there are the tomatoes.

The vines are beautiful. But, it's the first of September, and we have yet to get to eat a tomato. There's fruit there, it's just greener than green. With the cool weather we've been having, I'm not sure we'll get to eat any tomatoes from our garden.

I was so looking forward to a Bacon Tomato Sandwich made with home-cured bacon and a home grown tomato.

Maybe I can have one...next summer.

my dehydrator

Remember this? It was on one of my "I want that Wednesdays" list.

I finally ordered it last night. We got a flyer from Cabela's over the weekend, and these were on sale! So, I ordered it along with 3 meat tubs and a new vacuum sealer, which was also on sale...like 1/2 price! Oh, and, with our awards points, I got a great deal. Very little money out of my pocket! That's even better!

Hunting season is right around the corner, so we'll need these to process venison.

My garden produce is producing and I want to try dehydrating some potatoes and onions and garlic and mint and maybe even a few tomatoes. (If they ever turn red, and if the chickens stay out of them!)

So, now, I'm eagerly awaiting delivery so I can start playing with my new toys!

picking beans

Early yesterday morning, I went out to the garden to pick beans. It was a nice cool morning and I enjoyed being outside.

The cats followed me out, and as I was squatting there in the garden, minding my own business, picking beans, one of the cats decided that he needed a change of view.

I was busily searching for beans to pick when I felt claws climbing up my back. I didn't want to jump up, because then those claws would dig in deeper, so I hunched lower, thinking if it was an easier climb, there wouldn't be a need for claws. And, I hoped that I was simply an obstacle, or something fun to climb across and then the cat would jump back down.

I was mistaken.

Once up the back, he laid down across my shoulders. He laid down, stuck his head in my ear, licked it and purred like a motorboat. I'm squatting there in the beans, wondering how in the world I got to be so blessed to have this cat on my back. I still thought about standing up and dumping the cat, but his claws were still too close to my flesh for me to want to do that.

So I kept on picking beans.

With a 10 lb. cat wrapped around my neck. Who was not napping, but kept licking my ear, eating my hair, playing with my hair, purring in my ear, patting the back of my neck, occasionally wrapping his leg around my neck, thoroughly enjoying himself.

By now, I needed to move down the row, so I carefully straightened my back, hoping he'd take the hint and jump off.

He didn't, he just wrapped himself more tightly around the neck.

So, I reached up and dislodged him. He jumped down--without using the claws and decided to just roll in the dirt, quite proud of himself.

I finished picking beans without any further mishaps, instead of climbing back up my body, he decided it was more fun to hide in the beans and scare me.

Stupid cat.

Gardens, Green Beans, and the women I love most

It's Green Bean season. Beans are ripe, and need to be picked and either canned or frozen, or even eaten fresh. I love home canned Green Beans. They are so much better than those you can get at the store. Much much better. Well, except the French cut beans...I like those from the store...

We had gardens at various times when I was a kid, and Green Beans were always a staple. I hated picking beans. They are (duh) green, and so are the leaves. They hide among the leaves. You have to bend over when you pick them. Rows are long. Your back hurts. You have to pick every few days....

I hated helping Mom pick beans. But, I liked snapping beans.

Mom, and Grandma B. snapped beans. Meaning, they used fingers and snapped the blossom end and the tip off the bean, then snapped the bean into 3 or 4 pieces. Grandma Woodruff cut her beans. Where we snap, she used an old paring knife to make those same cuts. I think she cut because she raised 7 kids and had a much bigger garden than Grandma Berends did or even my Mom. My Aunt Ruby also had a huge garden, and I remember seeing her 6 or 7 rows of beans and felt sorry for my cousins who had to help pick all those rows of beans. (And, I felt grateful that I didn't have to help!)

I can remember helping Grandma W. snap beans sitting on the front porch. The time I helped, they still lived on the farm, so I was younger than 10. I remember sitting there with her, bowls on our laps, beans between us, just cutting our beans and talking. I felt very grown up, helping my grandma and getting to use a knife! I can still see her sitting there, in her dress and sensible shoes, her beautiful white hair shining in the sunlight, snapping beans. I have the feeling that she was enjoying herself, sitting outside, enjoying the weather, watching the cattle out in the pasture and watching Steve and I play. I don't think I helped very long, I probably lasted a few minutes, but Grandma let me help, and when I was done, she let me run off and play. Just an ordinary day, but for some reason, that memory has stuck with me.

I spent more time helping Grandma B., because I stayed with her more often than I did Grandma W. So bean picking and snapping memories are more common and more of a chore. After all, you do get tired of doing beans long before the season is over. Grandma B. usually put a newspaper down on the kitchen table for the ends and bad beans. Then, when we were done, I took that newspaper outside and shook it off so the chickens could eat the parts we didn't use. Mom did it the same way, except we didn't have chickens, so we just tossed the tips and bad pieces.

None of my "womenfolk" let me help with the pressure canning. I could wash the beans, and help pack the jars, but working with the pressure cooker and hot water was something that the adults did. I was scared of the pressure cooker.

Now, I grow my own beans. I like to snap them in the kitchen, or sometimes in the living room, in front of the TV. We didn't plant enough rows that I get enough each time to can, so I'm freezing my beans this year. But, just doing this activity that I did with my Mom and with my Grandma's gives me a sense of belonging and tradition. It's a tie from my present to my past and to them; the women I love most.

the perfect popcorn ball

At times like this, I wish that Miss Kat could find my digital camera. It was last seen in her bedroom. It is probably laying next to my new tube of mascara and with my eyeliner. The three will probably never be seen again.

But, IF I had my digital camera, I would take a picture of my box of goodies that our friend, Sharon brought us. (And, by us I really mean me.)

Sharon brought us (me) 45-ish popcorn balls.

The day before she arrived, she and her parents had made 175. I'm not sure just why exactly I didn't get all 175. She said something about sharing them with her co-workers, but I think she really didn't want to make me look like a pig.

I know her parents were making several hundred more for trick-or-treaters, so there's no reason I couldn't have been the recipient of the first 175 popcorn balls.

You are probably wondering just what could be so special about these popcorn balls.

I'll tell you.

They are the world's best. Not to sticky, not to sweet, they melt in your mouth, they are chewy but not too chewy, firm, but not hard.

The ingredients include:

• popcorn--air popped
• butter--real butter, not margarine
• dark Corn Syrup
• sugar
• sour cream

Sour Cream is the secret ingredient. It cuts that super sticky sweetness and gives a hint of creaminess to the popcorn balls. I'm not positive, but I've been told that the Sour Cream also cancels out all the calories...

Being the nice person I am, I gave my Mom--who loves popcorn balls--13 of them. I've let my son, Andy, eat 2 or 3. That leaves 30 or so for me (cause Kev knows better than to eat one, and Miss Kat hates them.) If I ration myself, they'll last till Christmas. Who am I kidding. I'll be lucky if they last till Thanksgiving.

I have the recipe. Sharon's mom wrote it out once for me--on the back of a deposit slip, when we were both standing in line at the grocery store. I could make more for myself, but Sharon and her parents are professionals. They are popcorn ball artists. Masters of Popcorn ball college.

Besides, I don't own an air popper...

Thanks Sharon, Fritz and Denny...they are wonderful as usual and I'm enjoying every single one!

Supper? I don't think so scooter!

I have not cooked supper all week. I've cooked supper only a few times in the past two weeks. But this week, I haven't cooked once since Sunday night and all I made that night was potato salad.

Let see,

Monday I went to the college board meeting and was there until 9 p.m. Andy worked, Kev and Kat fended for themselves.

Tuesday, Kev shot trap and I stayed home and baked his pie and my banana bars. Andy worked, Kat wasn't hungry, neither was I, so so supper.

Wednesday night, Andy, the neighbor kids, and I took a flying trip to Stockton, 2 hours away, to get 4-H goats. We got 4 more, two wethers and 2 does to breed. But, we stopped at a convenience store, grabbed some chips and a drink, so once again, I didn't cook supper.

Last night, was Weigh In night for all the 4-H critters. So, from 3:30 until 7, we were busy wranglin' and wrestlin' pigs and goats. I picked up some frozen pizzas and Bailey put them in the oven, so I got out of cooking again.

Tonight, Kev and I usually eat Chinese with Lynn. So, once again, I don't have to cook.

But tomorrow, I'll have to cook. I'll even have to cook lunch, simply because there aren't any leftovers! So, tomorrow, I have to cook.

Hummm, wonder where we can go tomorrow. I hate ruining a good thing. Hummm

Fruits of Labor Day

For many, Labor Day is a day of celebration, a day of BBQ's and picnics, or maybe the last trip to the lake. For me, it was a productive day. I actually labored! We had spent the weekend with my folks, taking care of necessary chores that needed doing. And I even managed to can 8 pints of green beans while at Moms. We ate fresh beans for dinner as well. Grandpa said, while eating his second helping, "These are a dang sight better than anything you dump from a can." Amen! Before we left on Sunday, I discovered, in my mother's freezer, 3 bags of sandhill plums. She's had them for a couple of years, she's been going to make jelly, but hadn't gotten around to it yet. So, I brought them home and yesterday, I made jelly.

My first time making jelly. I made 3 batches. I was in the kitchen from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. It was great! Only downside is I have to share 1/2 of my 22 jars with my mother. I guess that's fair, since the fruit was hers. But I really like sandhill plum jelly and...I don't like to share, but I will.

There's nothing I love more than doing something "homey"; something that my Mother does/did, something my grandmothers did. I like canning food, and I enjoyed making jelly. I like knowing that my family will eat food that is healthy, doesn't have any dangerous additives or chemicals, and to be frank, home canned food simply tastes better than anything you can bring home from the store. Our favorite meals are those that came entirely from our home. We did pretty well last night--venison Swiss steak, new potatoes and frozen corn--from our corn! Good, healthy food.

So, I'd rate yesterday as one of my favorite days. I spent the day in the kitchen making something that my family will enjoy during the months to come. I have visible evidence of how I spent my labor day, and that's great!

Remarkably ordinary

This past weekend was one of those perfect weekends. The weather--perfect. Cool, temperatures in the 70's and 80's, cloudy all day, both days. No rain, but you could smell the ozone all day long. I picked beans on Saturday. My bean plants haven't done well this summer, but Kevin and I picked and then I drove to a neighbors and picked hers. (She's finished for the summer after canning 47 quarts, so now, they are mine.) Kim went with me, as she wants to learn how to can. Imagine, me teaching someone how to can...I taught myself from a book!

We picked all the beans before 9 and then gathered all 5 kids to help snap beans. We all sat on the floor in the living room, snapping beans and visiting. A couple of us watched TV as much as snapping beans, but all were snapped within half an hour. Then, Kim and I canned them, we canned 9 quarts of beans. At noon, we sent Kev to town for pizza and all had lunch together. After the H family went home, Kev and I were lazy, and just relaxed for a while, then ran to town to look at a patio set that Walmart had marked down to 1/2 price. Andy found 5 more eggs in the feed shed, but not knowing how old they were, we tossed them to the cats. We gathered 18 eggs today. Small in size, but large in numbers!

Supper was BLT's, with homemade tomatoes. We still aren't getting many, but have eaten enough to make us want more.

Spent a lazy evening, enjoying each other's company and an early night to bed.

Night time is my favorite time. We are both snugglers, so we snuggle down to sleep, sometimes visiting, sharing our day, our thoughts and dreams for our home and our kids, but we have to be touching each other before drifting off to sleep. I'm almost always the last one to sleep, which annoys the heck out of me, but...Then again, I like listening to Kev breath beside me. There's a security and comfort in having him there.

Sunday was just as ordinary, but wonderful. The weather was still perfect. We put together the patio set and put it on the porch. Looks good there too! Then Kev decided to tackle the leaky outside faucet while I decided to tackle the kid's laundry. Somehow, I wound up spending as much time outside with Kev as I did inside! I mopped the kitchen (much needed!) and did 3 loads of laundry. He spent quite a bit of time digging out that faucet. After lunch--leftovers, Kat and I ran to town to get her school supplies while our men went to shoot trap. Supper consisted of grilled deer steak, grilled potatoes and onions with roasting ears. The pullets gave us 20 eggs today! Oh, and Kev got the new outside faucet installed--nothing broke and it all went back together beautifully. Only shortcoming...well, when he measured the old one, he said it was 5'8", so he got a new one of 5'. However, the length is actually the buried length, so we should have gotten a 4' faucet. But, we decided that we just won't have to bend over as far to turn on the water! Good planning--right!

I managed to do a little cross stitching, and paid the bills before calling it a night. But, as I snuggled in bed, next to my best friend, I felt that it was just a perfect weekend. No demands other than those we wanted to make for ourselves, perfect weather, good company. A perfectly ordinary weekend. Perfect.