"Preventing boiling over" was featured :-)

   One of my blogging friends named Jen, the one from "11th Heaven's Homemaking Heaven", chose our posting about "preventing pots from boiling over" as her featured "Yours" this week, for her Monday link-up party - "Homemaker Monday's - Yours, Mine, Ours".
    In the posting, Jen wrote - " Cheryl, a great friend I've met through the blogging world, ".    THANKS Jen! :-D
    Go HERE to see the other things people linked up this week.


                                            

   And Tammy,  thanks again for sharing the tip which our featured posting was about! :->

the epidemy of greed? ;-p

    Over the years, lots of our friends have made comments to the effect, "you guys life is never boring, is it?". Every time we have replied, "Nope. That's one thing it's not. Crazy? Yes. Boring? Nope."
     Well, it seems that even the catching of mice, in our mouse traps, fits in. Who would have thought? ;-b
     Back HERE, I told you about how we use chocolate chips as bait in our traps. And then in THIS one, I both told you about and showed you, how we'd caught two mice, in the same trap,  at  the  same  time!
     We now have another humorous mouse catching story to share with you. Both in word and in picture.
    Brian calls this one "a true example of greed".

    [Reminder - you can click on the picture itself to see it larger / clearer]

    Yup. The mouse was carrying a french fry (which was longer than it's own body size!!), but instead of circumventing the trap (which there was room for it to do), it just had to take a nibble of the chocolate.
     Busted! Literally!  (bad pun?  o;-p)

Home made Butterscotch Pudding (Pie)

    My maternal grand mother (aka: My mom's mom) was an absolutely wonderful cook!! I know I've written about her and that before, one example being THIS posting.  Today I am going to be sharing her recipe for homemade butterscotch pudding with you. (I'd previously mentioned it back in THIS posting.)
    This is one of those 'old style' puddings, which you cook on the stove top. You can then pour it into a pre-baked pie shell, let it cool, and serve. Or, you can spoon it into individual sized bowls and serve it that way. Warm or cooled. All of these serving methods, taste wonderful!! Trust me, I've tried each and every one. Multiple times. And plan on doing so again! o;-p  As do my sons.
     No matter which way you serve it, you'll either want to have a big glass of cold milk with it, or a cup of coffee. The choice is yours. I always choose the milk. ALWAYS. Yes, because I do not like coffee (even though I serve it often and posted tips about it back HERE). But also because the pudding is oh so wondrously rich. And smooth. And... I need to go buy some more cornstarch, so I can make some more of it!

    First step is to get out a big heavy sauce pan. Then dump your brown sugar into it.

     Pour the water in over the brown sugar.

    No need to stir yet. The brown sugar breaks down into the water all on it's own.
    Turn the burner on medium, and wait for it to come to a boil.

    While your waiting, mix together the flour, cornstarch and white sugar. Then add in 1/2 cup of cold water.

    The brown sugar mixture is now boiling.

    Remove it from the heat (or if you have a gas stove, turn the burner off) and add in the cornstarch mixture. Stir like crazy! ("Stir well constantly").

     Separate the yolks from the whites of eggs, and beat them (the yolks) while still in a bowl.
    (When using only the yolks or the whites of eggs, save the other part and add them to a couple of additional eggs, to make french toast the next morning! <--- Bonus Tip ;->)

    Add spoonfuls of the mixture in the pan, to the broken eggs, using a fork or whisk to blend smoothly. Keep adding it, till the mixture is a lot less yellow colored. Keep mixing, till it's smooth textured. (Doing so will help prevent lumps from forming when the mixtures are combined. If they still do, beat the mixture with your whisk!!  <-- Bonus Tip!)
    When those things are accomplished, add the mixture in the bowl, to the mixture in the pot.

 
    Keep stirring, till all is smooth!
    Cook for one more minute, stirring constantly, making sure your scrapping the bottom of the pan as you stir. The pudding should be thickening.

     Nope, no pictures of these steps. I was so busy stirring and mixing, I forgot all about taking pictures. Sorry!

    Again remove the pan from the stove, or turn the burner off on a gas stove.
    Add 1/2 stick butter, pinch of salt and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

    Mix them in WELL!

    You can now use the pudding as the filler for a pre-baked pie shell, like I did here,

    Or pour it into individual sized serving bowls.
   
    And now for the actual recipe -
        Butterscotch Pudding
             handed down to me, by my Grandma Mary Darling

   1 1/2 cups Brown Sugar
   1 1/2 cups water
   3 Tablespoons White Sugar
   1/2 cup Cold Water
    3 Egg Yolks
    1/2 stick Butter
    pinch (1/8 teaspoon) Salt (Table style)
    1/2 teaspoon Vanilla

   optional - pre-baked pie shell

   Put the 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar and water on to boil.
   Meanwhile, mix the flour, cornstarch and white sugar together thourally. Then add in the 1/2 cup of cold water, mixing well. Then add to the boiling sugar water. Boil till clear, stirring well constantly.
   Remove from heat.
   Beat 3 egg yolks in a bowl. Add spoonfuls of the mixture in the pan, to the broken eggs, using a fork or whisk to blend smoothly. Keep adding it, till the mixture is a lot less yellow colored. Keep mixing, till it's smooth textured. Then add the mixture in the bowl, to the mixture in the pot. Keep stirring, till all is smooth!
   Cook for one more minute, stirring constantly, making sure your scrapping the bottom of the pan as you stir. The pudding should be thickening.
    Again remove the pan from heat, and add the 1/2 stick of butter as well as the pinch of salt and the 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. Mix in WELL!

    Pour pudding into a pre-baked pie shell. Or serve as pudding.
    Serve with milk or coffee and ENJOY! ;->
   

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I 'plan' on linking this particular posting up to:

  ~ "Homemaker Mondays ... Yours, Mine & Ours", are hosted by Jen, at '11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven'  (http://rtheyallyours.blogspot.com/).
  ~ "Making Your Home Sing Monday('s)", are hosted by Nan, at 'Mom's the Word (I love to hear)'  (http://momstheword--livingforhim.blogspot.com/).
  ~  "Kitchen Tip Tuesday('s)", hosted by Tammy, at 'Tammy's Recipes'  (http://www.tammysrecipes.com/).
 ~ "Tuesday's Tasty Tidbits", hosted by Susan, at 'Permanent Posies / Creative Chaos' (http://permanentposies.com/)
 ~ "Totally Tasty Tuesdays", are hosted by Mandy, at 'Mandy's Recipe Box' (http://www.mandysrecipebox.blogspot.com/).
  ~ "Tempt My Tummy Tuesday('s)", are hosted by Lisa, at 'Blessed with Grace'  (http://www.blessedwithgrace.net/).
   ~ "Foodie Wednesday('s)", are hosted by Bibi, at 'Daily Organized Chaos' (http://www.dailyorganizedchaos.com/). 
   ~ "These Chicks Cooked Link Party", hosted by Katie L, at 'This Chick Cooks' (http://thischickcooks.blogspot.com)
 ~ "Full Plate Thursday('s)", are hosted by Miz Helen, at 'Miz Helen's Country Cottage' (http://mizhelenscountrycottage.blogspot.com/).  
  ~ "Foodie Friday('s)", are hosted by "Gollum" (aka: Michael), at 'Designs by Gollum' (http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/)  
 ~ "Simply Delish Sunday('s)", are hosted by KB and Whitesnakes, at 'KB and Whitesnakes Home' (http://kbandwhitesnakeshome.blogspot.com)

This 'Lucy' 'splains ...

    Somewhat recently, Brian and I attended a wedding. The ceremony itself went off fine. Near the beginning of the reception, our friend Steve B. walked up and commented about how he had noticed that we seemed to be really enjoying ourselves during the ceremony. He commented about how while our shoulders had really been bouncing, we'd done a good job of staying silent.
   Brian and I exchanged a look, and started giggling, which turned other people's heads, which made us decide it was probably best to not tell the whole story right then and there.
   This then is that story.
    My hair was just hanging down straight when we had arrived at the wedding. But then just a little ways into the ceremony, it had really started bothering my eyes. This happens sometimes. I don't always wear it up, because that can often start or increase my headaches. But sometimes when I wear it down, it seems to drive my eyes batty. Just another example of how my body parts don't always work together. 8-/
    During the ceremony, my eyes started REALLY being bugged by my hair. The kind of bugged that sets my vertigo off worse. So as low key as possible, I had reached up and using only my fingers, pulled a section from the front on both sides, so that they met at the back of my head. I was going to slip a barrette on it - no big deal.
    I knew that I had a barrette in my purse. I remembered having dropped it down into my purse the other day. I remembered that when I had done so, my mind had questioned if it was wise to drop it in open like that. But I had left it as such. The only reason I can come up with now is, I must have also had other things in my hand that I was taking care of, and thus not wanted to set everything down so I could retrieve the barrette and close it.
    So any-ways, we're sitting along side the main aisle at this wedding, about the third row from the back on our side (the other side had more rows), and I am attempting to nonchalantly pull some of my hair back and secure it with a barrette.
    I reach down into my purse and feel around for the barrette. Got it instantly. Good. But then as I start to pull it up, it wouldn't come. It would start to, then feel like it was caught on something. I eased it back down and tried again. And again. By then Brian shoots me this look like "what's the problem?". With a perplexed expression, I shrugged my shoulders. And tried again. "What in the world?!" my brain questioned.
    Then I had to decide, do I let go off the hair I'm holding behind my head with one hand, so that I can use both hands to empty my purse? Do I ask Brian for help? Or do I just tug harder at it, hoping I don't dump everything all over the floor?
     I went with the last option. After all, it's not like I keep that much in my purse in the first place.
    As I tugged harder, the problem gave way, and up came my barrette, with the tines of a fork stuck in it. Yes, a fork.
    "What in the world?!!?" 
    Brian's eyes were silently asking me that, while my own brain was past asking it and trying to come up with an answer as to how and where that thing had gotten into my purse!
    But then the humor of the whole thing struck both of us. I mean, here I am, sitting in a wedding ceremony, trying to nonchalantly get a barrette out of my purse, and instead I pull out a fork entwined in my barrette.
    I leaned over and asked Brian if I was on 'Candid Camera'. Probably shouldn't have asked that. o;-p
    I did get the barrette free and the hair into it on the back of my head. But there in my lap sat that fork.
    Brian leaned close and asked if I was hungry much. He ought to have waited. o;-p
    As I started to slip the fork back into my purse, it caught on the edge of my wallet. (insert eye roll)
    I tried again.
    Brian asked where it had come from. I hadn't a clue. So I looked at the pattern on it. None of the ones we have at home.
     As I'm sitting there holding it in one hand and puzzling over where it came from, Brian started chuckling again. Which set me to doing like wise.
     Goodness, there we were, two grown adults, trying to contain our laughter, during a wedding ceremony of all things! (shakes head)
     The more we tried not to laugh, the funnier the whole thing became!
     We never did laugh out loud, which we were very proud of ourselves for achieving, because it was not an easy achievement!
     We pretty much had regained full composure before the end of the ceremony, so none of the people being dismissed from in front of us had a clue anything had been amiss. We thought we'd pulled it off fine. Then Steve questioned us at the beginning of the reception. Oops! ;-p

    So, where had the fork come from?  The only possible scenario we have come up with, is that the day before had been when we'd gone out to eat, which I'd told you about in THIS posting. The waitress had already taken away Brian's empty plate, when I decided that I was full and passed my plate to him. He'd reached for his fork, but there hadn't been one. I'd proposed that maybe she'd taken it with his plate. He'd replied that he hadn't used it yet (he'd ordered a sandwich and onion rings). So just m-a-y-b-e, when we had scooted things around so that I could hold Elliot on the edge of the table to feed him his bottle, m-a-y-b-e his fork had slid off of the table and landed in my purse, which was sitting on the bench next to Brian (so that I had room on my side to lay Elliot down once he fell asleep).

    If that's not the case, I have no idea where that fork came from!!! ;-p
    Here's what it looks like.  Is it yours?  ;-b !!!

     In case your curious, yes, I'm still 'wondering' about myself. o;-p

Our "new" living room furniture

   This posting might not be of interest to many of you, and that's o-kay. The main reason I'm doing it, is so that the ones whom can't come around often, can still see the changes in our home.
   On the other hand, maybe you will find it inspiring - how to pull off a "new living room" with out bankrupting your bank account.

    Most all of our furniture had always been of the "early attic" variety. Then we had our house fire. Courtesy of our insurance company, Brian and I went out and picked out two new couches, as well as a wonderful, door closeable, entertainment center.
    The couches were supposedly two seater, tanish in color, sink into the comfort of them, couches.
     Here is a picture of one of our "part time sons", with his wife and one of their sons, taken years ago when they were here visiting. It was so-o long ago, that their second son is now at least this age. And this son is now in school. ;->   But it's the clearest picture of the couch I could find (at least one I was willing to put on the web. o;-p)

    The thing is, the couches weren't exactly designed to last forever. Especially enduring the life style we live. Right off the bat, they would often hold five (yes, 5 - three in the seat part and one on each end cushion) teenagers during our 'Sunday Night Movie Nights'.  (Good memories right there!)  And they'd hold multiple bodies and endured wrestling, etc. when all of our "part time kids" would come 'round. (Which was weekly for several years there.)  Let alone just our four sons, and a big strong dog, a-n-d life. As we know and live it. Which equals crazy!
     Over time, the seats started sinking further. And further. Till the springs totally gave out under one cushion of each of the couches. So Brent mended them. Then mended them again. And ...
    They needed replaced. But a couch was never allowed to even stay on the priority list, let alone climb to the top of it and get handled. More of that 'life' stuff.

    Sometime after the fire, we had also acquired what had been my parent's brown couch. I don't remember exactly when. I do know that we had all three couches the year that both Brandon and Brent had their tonsils out the same day. They were both in high school at the time.
    Any-ways, like I said, the big brown couch had come via my parents. I asked my dad if he remembered when they had gotten it, because we had had it as long as I could remember.  Here's the answer he sent me - "Sure do!!!! It was in 1957 - we got two end tables, two lamps and a coffee table to match it at the same time. Back then we paid $2,000.00 for it --- which was a lot of money then. They said it would last us for quite a while and it has!! We got it reupholstered 2 times I think!! Love you, Dad."   Yup, they had had it since before I could even possibly remember.  ;->
     It was one of the original 'futon' style couches. You rocked the bottom up and back, and it would flatten out into 3/4 of a sized bed. You could store the brace for when it was a bed, as well as sheets and blankets, in the base of it. It was built solid. And HEAVY (as any of the guys in my family will eagerly (and moan-fully) attest to. ;-p)
     Oh the memories I have connected to that couch over the many years it existed. From my parents living rooms. As well as my own. But I can't share them, because (my sister) Brenda and I, "know nothing!!!" ;-p!!!
     I know my brother Craig still had the end tables and coffee table up til the point that he married Stacy. Not sure where they went after that.  But this posting isn't about them.
     This is the best picture I could find that showed a lot of the couch. In most of the pictures I found, the majority of it was covered up either by people, or 'stuff'.

     Benson - in one of his long hair periods. (He has donated to 'Locks of Love' three (or is it four?) times.

    I'd say that couch lasted for more than "quite awhile"!!! The first part of the break in it's back, happened when my brother Craig and his son Andy were wrestling on it, in my living room. There was no denying the sound that it omitted. Then one time, as I was attmpting to scooch "the beast" myself, while cleaning and rearranging the room, the arm rest on one end broke off. Bother! And then the back broke more when my guys were... And then more ... Till we literally wedged it on an angle across one corner of the room, so that it was braced against the two walls. Then it got to the point, that if you leaned back against it's back, it kept going. Old fashion proper lady sitting, where your back is ram rod striaght and not touching the back of the chair, was pretty much the only way to sit on it. Or in the very last spot on either end.
     So I started having people take me on 'mission store therapy' trips, so that I could look for couches. We wanted one that made into a bed. With a thicker mattress. Not one of those 1/4 of an inch thick thingies. But my shopping turned up nothing. At least couch wise.

    Then one day, as we were headed out a nearby street, heading to pick Benson up from work, there, in these peoples driveway, sat a couch, a dresser, and some appliances. It was the same weekend that Brent was moving into what was to become his and Kayla's house. So at first, we were going to put it upstairs into the room that was going to become my sewing room. That way it could be a bed for when Byron and Cyndi (or Brent and Kayla) spent the night here. I would just keep looking for one (or more) for the living room.
     But then Byron and his kids moved home, due to him and Cyndi separating. Thus we started moving around who was in which bedroom, etc..
     The crazy thing is, that before any of the bedrooms got finished, the living room got "new" furniture. Both of the small couches, as well as the brown couch, got loaded up into the back of Brandon's pickup, and a couple of days later they were taken to Pitsch Wrecking (cheaper than putting city tags on all three, and less gas consumption than driving to the closest dump).
     The brown couch was so broken, yet still so heavy, that the guys had quite a time trying to get it out of the house. These pictures tell the tale best.

                              (the back is laying on the porch floor)

     Then the blue checkered couch we had picked up for $20.00 off of that small sale, got moved into the living room.

  (the difference in the color of the bottom and the rest, does not show up this much "live")

    And the tan couch out of the basement, got moved up to the living room. Brandon and Brent had gotten it from Byron, when they had moved out on their own. Byron had gotten it from Cyndi's mom, when she'd bought a new one. 

    And the wing chair (?) which I had gotten a few years ago for Brain (nabbed it for $35 at Goodwill), which had been in the corner of our room, joined the couches in the living room.

    My trunks, which we use to use as "coffee tables", are currently stacked in the front entry. That leaves a big open space in the middle of the room, which aids in navigating Elliot's bouncy seat, and dancing 2 1/2 year old Analyse, and Boo and Daisy when they are here, as well as the rest of us. "Traffic flow" can become ever so interesting!

   The blue couch didn't come with a mattress. For now, to help it sit more comfortably, we took the cushions off of the small couches before getting rid of them, and put them in where a mattress is suppose to be. MUCH better!

    Oh, the rocking chair is still in the living room as well. And gets used as "grandma's chair" quite often. ;->

[I'm filing this under 'projects we've done', cuz I'm really not sure where to put it. Besides, trust me when I say, that getting everything moved around, W-A-S quite a "project"!!!]

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I 'plan' on linking this particular posting up to:

  ~  "Frugal Friday('s)", (shall we say # 1 ?), are hosted by Wendy at 'Shabby Nest'  (http://shabbynest.blogspot.com).

  ~  "Frugal Friday('s)", (shall we say # 2 ?), are hosted by Jessica, at 'Life as Mom' (www.lifeasmom.com).
 ~ "Show and Tell Saturdays", are hosted by Lorie, at 'Be Different..Act Normal' (http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/).
 ~ "the simple things", are hosted by Rebecca, at 'simple as that' (http://rebeccacooper.blogspot.com/).
  ~ "nifty thrifty Sunday('s)", are hosted by Vanessa, at 'nifty thrifty Things' (http://niftythriftythings.blogspot.com/).
 ~ "The Penny Worthy Project", is hosted by Laura, at 'Hey What's For Dinner Mom?'(http://heywhatsfordinnermom.blogspot.com/)."
  ~ "Making Your Home Sing Monday('s)", are hosted by Nan, at 'Mom's the Word (I love to hear)'  (http://momstheword--livingforhim.blogspot.com/).
  ~ "Amaze Me Monday('s)", are hosted by Carrie, at 'Dittle Dattle' (http://dittledattle.blogspot.com/).
  ~ "Homemaker Mondays ... Yours, Mine & Ours", are hosted by Jen, at '11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven'  (http://rtheyallyours.blogspot.com/).
  ~ "Unwasted Homemaking Party('s)", are hosted by Marcie, at 'Don't Waste Your Homemaking' (http://www.dontwasteyourhomemaking.com/).