Cranberry Sauce - MAKE THIS

I'm not a huge fan of cranberry sauce canned cranberry sauce.  I feel like it tastes like tin and I've never been able to get over the way it slides out of the can into that strange mold with lines around its' waist.

I made some fresh cranberry sauce today. I got the cranberries from Trader Joes and did the following:

Combine
1 cup orange juice
half cup brown sugar
half cup white sugar

Stir in medium heat until sugar disolves

Add 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries
Add 1/4 teaspoon (or to your taste) cinnamon

Let boil for about 10 minutes, stirring occassionally

The cranberries will pop apart as they cook.

After I finished with this, I took a potato masher and mashed the cranberries pretty good, for a smooth consistency, then had to put them in a jar and seal it, because I wanted to eat the entire jar.

SOOOOO GOOD and highly recommended.

1st Annual Halloween Party

I invited the kids over for a little Halloween Party. Katie has a Fall List and she needed to get some things on it completed, so we had to GET CRACKIN'!

I decotated just a bit with some stuff I had from last year. I wasn't sure if the kids would be able to make it so I didn't want to invest too much.

 Some silly TP ghosts :)

 Eyeballs made from ping pong balls

 Each of the kids had their own Pumpkin, even Pip

We played "bobbing for apples" by tying the apples on a string and having the kids try to take a bite of it. Katie called it "bogging for apples" and tried to correct me when I said "bob".

 Madison was just there to pose. LOL. She kept stopping to smile for the camera

Heart Rock

Heather and I took Katie and Emma out for a  hike today, to Heart Rock, in Crestline.

To get there, take Highway 138 past the second stop sign. In approximately one-half mile, you will see the entrance to Camp Seeley. Turn left on the camp road and stay to the left, not going into the camp. Drive one-half mile to a small turnout before a locked gate. In the turnout you will see a sign for the Seeley Creek Trail and Heart Rock.  There are several markers on the trail, which are blue arrows, spray painted on rocks, to show you the way.

 Katie loves her baby sister.

 

Look for these markers throughout the trail to guide you

 The trail isn't that long, about a mile and a half, but it's a good trail for kids. Lots of little things to see, fallen tree trunks to crawl under, and just enough to keep the walk interesting for them.

Pretty flowers on the trail

 Katie built a rock tower

When you get to this tree, it's time to start heading to the right. 

 

If you find yourself on the left, climbing uphill, you are going the wrong way.   You should see a cliff off to the right. Walk towards that, and look down when you get to a safe place.  That is the heart rock.

The heart is bigger than it looks. 20 people could sit in there, comfortably, although there is some dirty water in there, so I don't recommend it. When we went, that waterfall had stopped. It was October and we hadn't had any rain in a long time.

 Katie was proud of finishing the trail. Emma didn't care.

 Don't forget to pack a lunch and take some time to find some nature treasures.

 

Lemon Grass Tea

A client of mine's grandmother, who lives in Quartz Hill, gave me some Lemon Grass from her backyard garden. She told me to boil it in a pan and then let it simmer for a bit, and drink it as a tea. She had a great backyard, reminded me of the old days. She had a clothesline in the backyard, and all sorts of herbs and edible plants in the corner, under a grapevine covered trellis. She also gave me some mint. I added a sprig of the mint to this.

I googled the benefits of Lemongrass and found this at healthrus.org:

 

Lemongrass has been reported to have innumerable therapeutic and other health benefits. Widely used to alleviate certain respiratory conditions including laryngitis and sore throats, lemongrass has earned a reputation for its anti-pyretic property which reduces high fevers. Called fevergrass in some cultures the vapor is inhaled, leading to increased perspiration and eventually the complete removal of fever.
Lemongrass has powerful pain relieving properties. It helps to alleviate muscle spasms by relaxing the muscles thereby leading to the reduction of pain-related symptoms. It is thus useful for all types of pain including abdominal pain, headaches, joint pains, muscle pains, digestive tract spasms, muscle cramps, stomachache and others. This remedy has also been linked to increasing the body’s ability to repair damaged connective tissue such as cartilage, ligaments and tendons and is thus recommended for these types of injuries. Another related benefit is for improvements in blood circulation.
As an antifungal and antibacterial, lemongrass inhibits bacteria and yeast growth. For this it is useful for gastrointestinal infections and may also be applied externally to wounds as it fights germs. As an antioxidant lemongrass, contributes to liver and pancreatic health by helping the body to more quickly remove toxins. It has also being linked to lowered or normalized cholesterol levels. It also treat digestive issues including gastro-enteritis and may be helpful in relieving constipation.
Some sources suggest that lemongrass has antidepressant properties and is thus beneficial for nervous and stress-related conditions. It is said to be helpful in alleviating anxiety and depressive symptoms. It helps to strengthen the nervous system and may thus be useful for conditions such as Parkinson’s disease.
The presence of Vitamin A in lemongrass makes it helpful for skin issues such as acne pimples. It helps to brighten the skin and eyes and clear up oily skin thus improving acne. Its antibacterial property is also valuable for skin infections. Lemongrass may improve poor body odor by controlling excessive sweating.

The tea was tasty and refreshing to say the least. I made a large quart of it and will enjoy it throughout the day. I may plant some in the backyard come Spring.

First time babysitting Emma

Heather took Katie to see Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs today, with a friend from school. I babysat Emma for the first time. She is 12 days old, and enjoys her naps. I fed her a little, changed her, and then she slept for the next 3 hours.

 I snuggled her up nice and warm while I made stew for dinner. She was a happy camper.

Sister Katie, Meeting Emma for the 1st time

Here's a video of Katie meeting Emma for the first time. She was so super proud.

Emma Riley

Emma Riley was born today. Heather went in to labor in the middle of the night, about 2:30 a.m.  By 4:00 a.m., Emma made an appearance.

 Emma looks a lot like Katie when she was small, but also looks a lot like her mommy. She has a lot of hair, more than Katie had.

 

If your baby is beautiful and perfect, never cries or fusses, sleeps on schedule and burps on demand, an angel all the time, you’re the grandma.
- Theresa Bloomingdale

Tracy Lawrence - Pioneer Event Center, Lancaster

I went to the Pioneer Event Center in Lancaster for the first time, to see Tracy Lawernce in concert. My sister, Becky, won some tickets from a breakfast at Crazy Ottos.

 

The venue is incredibly small. It probably holds about 300 people in fold up chairs.  They serve alcohol and some ocal minor league ballpark foods, chili nachos, nachos, chips, etc.

 

The concert itself was very good. I liked the music, but the venue was hot, and the chairs were so close together, you couldn't turn to the left or the right of you. I sat next to an old man who had arms so hairy, everytime I turend, it felt like I was snuggling up to a shag carpet.

 

Before the concert, we took selfies. They were hilarious.  One lady behind us decided to help us out, when she saw that one or two of us kept getting cut out of the photo.

She didn't do us any favors. Here is her photo. I think she was driniking:

 

We met Big D & Bubba, from KTPI and took some pictures with them:

 It was so hot in the venue that I was greasy and sweaty

 Becky with Big D & Bubba

 Tracy Lawrence performing with his band 

 

 The preshow was Jacob Nelson and the Tone Wranglers.  They are a local band, and were pretty good. They sang covers from other bands.

Fun night, overall, but I had a bad back for 4 days afterwards, from sitting so close to people there, and trying to squeeze in. I literally could hardly drive or sit at my desk.

His eye is on the Sparrow

Katie and I found a little birdie today, that fell from a tree and died. It was very sad. We buried him and gave him a funeral. Katie did the sermon, and it was very good. We made a cross and made a stone marker for Mr. Birdie.

Katie Learned To Swim This Summer

Katie learned to swim this Summer. She did lessons at the gym but mostly, she learned on her own. She also learned to Boogie Board and she's completely awesome at it. She's getting over her fear of getting waves on her head. She got swallowed by a wave, but got right back up and out there. For her birthday, she got her own boogie board. So proud of her :)

I love Seal Beach for boogie boarding. The water and sand works for it. There are no hard or sharp rocks on the ground and the sea weed is limited as well. Laguna  has become my favorite beach for hanging out, but the waves there are so huge. I get scared for smaller kids to be alone in those waves, but Seal Beach is a great place to learn.

Kayaking Belmont Shore

My sister Debbie, and I, went kayaking for the first time at Belmont Shore in Long Beach. We went with a group from Meetup.com. It was pretty fun. I felt like Belmont Shore was sort of dirty. I wouldn't want to swim there, but for kayaking, it was a good experience.

Afterwards, we walked around through Long Beach, went over by the Pike and went on a waterbus. Overall, it was a lot of fun. I want to try paddleboarding next.