My "little brother turned 50 yesterday . Hard to believe that much time has gone by. It snowed the day he was born and my grandfather had to come to get my mom because Dad was working. Bad storm just like this year. Don't feel too bad Brian, the secret is to embrace your time of life and enjoy all the benefits ....all that knowledge and wisdom you gained, friends and family, senior discounts, and AARP will be sending you and invite soon!

Bread sticks

This was a fun night for all. We made bread again which is always a good thing to do with Macy. She always wants(demands) to be involved. Shell mentioned that she wanted to make some Italian bread .

So we made some starter yesterday and finished up today.

We made bread sticks and a boule shapes and Macy made some little balls too. (not the best thing but she was happy). We sprinkled sesame seeds and salt on the sticks and had them with cream cheese. Really good! I found that cinnamon was not too good on these. Kinda flat . I think we will have some breadsticks for breakfast with scrambled eggs too. I better go to bed so I can do that. Later. P.S We went for a walk after dark tonight...I'll post that later. We had fun.

This video is for Macy's mother from her.

Playing in the Snow

One thing thing that Macy loves is playing in the snow. She begged us to make a snowman and she didn't have to ask twice cus we were ready too.

We had to make one to represent every family member. Soon we had GG, Grandpa Tom, Macy and Ben. I think that she threw him in there because the last one was so small.

Then we had to make here family too. Mark ,Sarah and Sissy. I 'm glad that she didn't remember the dogs because that would have been a little harder to make.

She always has that bright smile. See what fun being a grand parent can be. When Ben gets old enough we can spoil him too. Hope he likes the snow.

This is great to listen to. Macy works hard at making a snowman...you can hear her grunting!

Firewood season

I burn wood. Lots of wood and my pile is getting low. I cut ahead at least a year or two so the wood is nice and dry. Burning wet wood is not good any way you look at it. It gives off creosote and doesn't give the heat that dry wood does. Too much energy is used just to drive out the moisture . I started cutting again in the fence row behind the house...my neighbors.
I like cutting on those nice sunny days of late winter. Cold ,but not too cold and still snow on the ground. It is a lot of work for sure but I need the exercise. I have been trying to do a tree a day and so far have four with many more to go. Here are some photos.

This is a nice oak. I wish I had ten more just like it. It seems like the logs are getting heavier every year! I had a heck of a time getting them on the trailer. I need a lift gate or something. Macy came out to where I was cutting and remarked how beautiful the rings are on this log. So sweet.

This is my setup for cutting wood. I have a rack for my saw and boxes all set with gas ,oil,tools and lunch.

The oak after the Stihl got hold of it. It is amazing how much work can be done in a few hours. On a side note...I got my saw pinched three times this year and had to get the axe and sometimes the wedges going to free my saw. So I started thinking that this was the year for a new saw. Having two saws has been on my mind for a long while but I finally sprung for a new Stihl 20 inch blade. Now I can opt for larger trees that my 16 inch couldn't handle and if I pinch a blade can use the other to free it. My old saw is 26 years old now. The new one just screams with power and I can't wait to cut a tree with it. It should be for the price I had to pay for it I could have gotten three or four full cords of wood!

I love having the time to be able to record cutting wood and working around the house. Enjoy.

Beef Bourguignon

After having such a great meal at Matt and Tammy's I decided to try to duplicate it if I can. Well after a long day I got a late start not knowing how long this takes,and here I am it's after twelve o'clock and I still have an hours wait! Am I crazy or what? The recipe says to make it the day before so the favors has time to develop. This better be good . I purchased a huge bottle of wine expecting to use it again for another meal(or two). One thing ,the french sure use a lot of pans! I am more of a one pot type guy . The less mess the better. I think the person who came up with this must have been a pot and pan seller.
It does smell good . If you are near tomorrow drop in for a taste.

Freezer inventory made easy.

We got another freezer this summer so we could use it just for meat and I finally got a good way to keep track of all of the different cuts. We tried a list but it just didn't work out. Now it is a snap. We mounted a cork board with these circles with all of the different names . We use push pins to keep track. This is working out this time. No more lost roasts! Just pull the pin when something is removed ,and add them when adding to the stores.

My tip for the month.

Desk making

My latest project is finally bout done. I didn't want to post anything on it in case I goofed up but now I feel pretty good about it. I used poplar ,oak trim and maple for the legs. Sarah and Mark were looking for a desk to fit into a nook for her to put a laptop and do bills etc.. I made this one to order using pocket hole joinery. I love using my Kreg pocket hole tool. It is SO easy now to join two pieces of wood. Check it out here. http//www.kregtool.com

Check out the pocket holes in the first two pictures.

I picked up a router and table at the auction this summer for a steal. I have a ton of bits with it ,6 hard cover woodworking books and a cabinet. And the router that came with it was a Sears Professional 2 hp.

I think that I paid 65 dollars for all. I couldn't have gotten the books for that! Now I am putting it to use. I have a lot to learn but am thinking of making a large cabinet for storing cooking utensils like all of our cast iron pans.

The price of wood is so bad right now I can't imagine what it will cost.

Later.

The Grandkids

We had all three of the grandkids over last week . It is a good time age wise . Macy is 4 1/2 ,Breeanna is 14 and Ben is about 3 months. Some day soon things will change . I kinda like it as it is.

Breanna is changing quickly too.

Can't wait until Ben gets walking and talking and develops his own personality.

Valentines Dinner

We started early. Yesterday we did a movie and then went out for dinner. Not usually my thing to eat out but this time it was worth it. We went to Dolce Vita in Monroe(one of the few good places left.) Great meal.
Today Gin made this meal for us. She found salmon on sale and we had sweet potatoes,greens and strawberries. I think that Julia Child would have been proud. I got her some chocolate covered strawberries and some chocolate cake instead of flowers. {:

A Visit to Our Niece

We had the good fortune to pay a visit to Matt and Tammy & Co. last weekend for a working dinner. Matt and I worked on a project and then they made us a great dinner.

Matt had me tasting some red wine that I found very enjoyable. The wine tasted just like Boonesfarm. (:

Matt knows his wine and tried to point me in the right direction. Very nice.

Being a cook the dinner was one of the best we have had in a long time. Thanks Matt and Tammy. By the way I am still waiting for the recipe!

Grady making his growling face. Cute

Julianne and Brooke took time from TV to let me take a photo.

The trio.

On the road one cold night I took this photo of the moon. I should have taken more time to get the proper exposure so the moon would have come out correctly. A little photoshop work would help.

That's all for now.

The girls doing their Klingon(sp) imitation