Geocaching As One of Our Hobbies

Hopefully this will be the last big snowstorm of the winter or not nearly as bad as predicted earlier.  We do need the moisture desperately but enough is enough.  We didn't have much rain the entire summer and nature has a way of making things even.  I could go on about Global Warming at this point, but I won't.  With Spring brings the thought of one of our favorite hobbies.  We like to Geocache.  Geocaching is an outdoor activity using a GPS device.  There is a website called geocaching.com.  If you go to the site, you can sign up for free and then put in the address, town or area you would like to search in.  Listed will be all the spots where some type of container is hidden.  These are called geocaches and the object is to find the cache, retrieve it, sign a log sheet with your username and date and then return it to the exact spot so others can also find it.  We have found caches as small as a watch battery and as large as a 5 quart ice cream bucket.  It has shown us places we would never have known about on our own.  They can be in busy downtown areas, along bike trails or in the forest, in cemeteries and any number of other places.  Sometimes you have to solve puzzles to get the coordinates.  Whenever we travel, we try to find a couple of caches.  We even geocached in London.  There are geocaches placed all around the world.

It is particularly fun to go with our grandchildren.  It is a way to be active and have fun at the same time.  We have done over 750 but many people have searched and logged in 15,000 or more.  The last couple years we haven't done many, but hopefully this year we will be able to do more.  I will probably blog about some interesting places we find in the future.

Here is grandpa stomping through the woods with some of the grand kids last fall.

There was a cache hidden near this bridge.

 and near a quarry

 a covered bridge and

 in cemeteries and millions of other place throughout the world. 

Log Dollhouse

A while ago I blogged about my husband making a circus train (Circus Train Memory) for our grandson.  That same year he also made a dollhouse for our granddaughter.  The kids find it hard to believe that our house is made out of logs.  Here is the house he made.  Although she never really had an interest in playing with it, I think he did a great job.

Kitchen Remodel

Even though I have posted photos of our new kitchen on Facebook, I thought I would do it again on my blog.  When we first bought our house the kitchen was horrible.  It was so bad that we should have walked away from the deal.  The layout wasted a lot of space, the oven didn't even work and the cabinets were made out of carsiding.  The first thing we did was buy a new stovetop and built-in oven.  Then we removed the orange countertops.  We put in a new sink and got by for a few years.  The original owners were too lazy to tape the ceiling seams so they nailed up slabwood beams to cover the seams. 

 The oven was built into the corner so at least four feet of corner space was wasted.

 We replaced the orange Formica with porcelain tile.

 The little pantry cabinet doors didn't close properly and didn't even match.

We needed to remodel but wanted to keep the style of the log cabin.  We learned a lot about wood types and construction.  We got estimates at all the lumber companies but the sizes were off and none of them could redesign the kitchen properly.  One day we saw an offer for an open house at a privately owned kitchen design store.  It was a located in Green Lake (a nearby community).  We went in just to look and we were really impressed with the quality and expertise of the owner.  We decided to go for it.  The business owner redesigned the kitchen adding only two more feet but therefore adding a lot more cabinets.  We took out the corner oven and the stovetop and put in a regular stove. The resulting kitchen is much more efficient.

 The old kitchen is being demolished.  My husband did all the prep work which saved money and because the cabinets were being built, he had time.

 He put new drywall on the ceiling and two of the walls and we had a new hardwood floor put in.

We also hired an electrician to put in outlets and a plumber to bring in the gas line and of course hook up the ice maker and sink.  The installation of the cabinets was difficult because the walls in our kind of home are very uneven.  The installer was a perfectionist and he did a great job.

The countertop went in next.  It is Silestone which is a quartz product.  It is antibacterial and doesn't scratch.  In fact, they told us not to use a knife on it because it would dull the knife.

Lastly the appliances.  I really am happy we did it even though it didn't make me a better cook.

The Wonderful Electric Egg Cooker

Today I have a couple of things to recommend that work for me.  One is a small appliance called an electric egg cooker.  Now most of you will say that you don't need an another appliance just to cook eggs.  That's true, a saucepan and water works fine.  However, it's a guessing game for cooking time and if the eggs sit in the refrigerator for a while after they are boiled, the outside of the yolk turns a yucky green.  The egg cooker never fails.  You put in the number of eggs you want to boil (up to 6 or 7), add the recommended amount of water and press start.  The cooker buzzes when the eggs are cooked and it shuts itself off if you forget what your doing.  I admit, I get distracted at times trying to multitask.  You can hard boil them, soft boil them or poach them.  We like egg salad sandwiches or hard cooked eggs on salads.  In a few minutes you can accomplish this.  They are inexpensive too, even if you buy them new.  In a thrift store they are $2.00.

The next thing I have for today is how to store the lids to plastic containers.  Unless you have all the same sized containers with matching lids,  it's hard to organize them.  I store the plastic in a drawer that only holds so many.  It forces me to throw away (recycle) anything extra that I don't need.  I use a CD storage rack.  I put it in the drawer with the containers and I can always see what goes together. 

Dad's Photoshoot

More snow in Wisconsin brings me back to a year ago.  There is nothing to report today except Snow, Snow and more Snow.  Spring had already arrived by early March last year.  My dad had been asked to do a photoshoot for the local hospital in January 2012.  He is not the kind of person who is a show off and never draws attention to himself.  Imagine our surprise when he agreed to do this.  My mom was still living, so I stayed with her and my husband took him.  They had to take several changes in clothing and make sure he had clean finger nails and a haircut.  Mom and I wondered what was going on because it took quite a long time.  Finally they returned.  Dad had a good time and was pleased that they liked the clothing he was wearing and he didn't even require hair and makeup.  The resulting photos were great.  Mom died at the end of January and never saw the finished product. 

 This one is 4 x 7 feet and hanging in one of the main hallways of the hospital for all to see.  I would  never have thought in a million years that we would have this memory.

They also hung two colored banners outside the nursing home which is run by the hospital.  I didn't have the camera and only a flip phone so this is as good a photo as I could get.  They are still hanging there so I will go back for a better photo.  See how nice the weather was last year at this time.

101 Cookies

Today for my Tuesday recipe I'm just posting one of our favorite cookies.  It makes a big batch and that is why it is called 101 cookies.  I make them bigger by using the scoop that makes round balls that are about a heaping tablespoon of dough.

 I only get 64 cookies using this method.  The larger the cookie the longer they take to bake.

101 Cookies

 Ingredients

1. 1 cup Rice Krispies
2. 1 cup rolled oats
3. 1 cup flaked coconut 
4. 2/3 cup chocolate chips ( optional)
5. 1 cup white sugar
6. 1 cup brown sugar
7. 1 cup butter
8. 2 eggs
9. 1 cup oil
10. 1 teaspoon vanilla
11. 3 1/2 cups flour
12. 1 teaspoon baking soda
13. 1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine rice krispies, oats, coconut and chocolate chips; set aside.
3. In a large bowl cream both sugars with butter, add eggs then add oil and vanilla.
4. Combine flour, baking soda and cream of tarter and stir into rice kripies mixture. Add to creamed mixture and mix until ingredients are blended.
5. Drop or form into balls and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet, flattening with a fork. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Genealogy Research

One thing I love doing is genealogy.  It all started many years ago.  I wish I would have known how important it was to ask family members certain questions about where they came from and details of their lives.  Even my mother didn't really understand why I wanted to know these details.   My dad knows nothing of his family history.  They must have been so busy working and surviving that where they came from wasn't important.  Fortunately when my great grandmother on my Dad's side passed away, we found all of her important papers like birth records, marriage record and immigration papers.  That helped a lot. 

Great grandma's House

One of my first challenges was with my husbands family.  His dad changed his last name when he was 18 years old to his step fathers last name.  All we knew was the last name of my husbands grandfather but we didn't even know his first name.  We had some bits and pieces but we didn't have the whole picture.  Well, we did have a photo but no name.  I started my search in Indiana because that is where my father in law graduated from high school.  This was before you could get so many records over the internet.  I remember the day I located the marriage license.  I called the Register of Deeds office and there it was, the information we needed.  From the first and last names we were able to track both sides of the family.  I had a woman who volunteered to go to a cemetery in Evansville, Indiana and take photos of all the headstones related to the family.   We found the grandfather had died at a very young age from an accident.  He had been in a hospital for almost a year before he died and was buried in a cemetery in Texas in an unmarked grave.  The grandmother remarried and that solved the mystery of the name.  We also found out that the grandfather had been married before and my father in law had a half brother that no one had any knowledge of.  I won't bore you with anymore details, but it is very interesting to follow our ancestors through history.  You get a better understanding of where you came from and why you have certain traits.  I hope my husband and our children didn't inherit any from the following.  I know that this is a charcoal drawing but these people look pretty scary.

Homemade De-icer

A while back I saw a posting with a helpful hint about preventing ice from forming on sidewalks.  It said if you mix one tablespoon of rubbing alcohol, one teaspoon of Dawn dish soap and a half gallon of water, you could get a great de-icer.  I thought I would try.  So before one of our big snow and ice events, I mixed some up.  I poured the solution on a small part of our sidewalk.  To my amazement, the ice on the treated area was easily shoveled off and the rest of the sidewalk will need to melt in the spring.  I guess it works, even after repeated snowfalls.  I only treated a small part of the sidewalk once just to experiment.  I will treat the whole sidewalk next year, if I remember.  I did apply before the snow fell, so I don't know if it removes existing ice.  I heard that it does.  I guess a spray bottle with rubbing alcohol works on the windshield ice also.  I have never tried it because we have a garage, but it might make sense and worth a try.  It may be easier than scraping. 

 No ice on the treated section.

Here is how much ice is on the remaining part of the sidewalk.

Our Beaver Lodge

We live on a marsh or floodway that borders the Fox River.  We never know what nature will bring to us.  Some years we are so flooded that the entire marsh is under water.

We can even see fish through the water from our deck.

These are just Carp.

Some years everything dries up except for a small stream that leads to the river.   You can even see a snapping turtle walking across the grass.

 Usually the animals adapt to whatever conditions they are presented with.  The last time an animal misjudged the situation was during a normal year.  We had a pair of Beaver build a lodge under a fallen tree at the bottom of our hill.  They deepened the channel that lead to their lodge and created an escape route.  We could easily see them as they gathered small willow branches to provide food for themselves for the winter.  We were amazed at the size of their collection of willow branches.  Then the pond froze, but the waterways that the beaver dug out remained open for a long time.  Slowly the willow branches disappeared.  We were sure that we would see beaver babies at some point.  It didn't happen.  The spring floods arrived and flooded the beaver out of their lodge.  For a long time they had to lay on top of the lodge because they were flooded out.  Eventually they just left.  Many people think that we should be glad because beavers are so destructive.  They are in most situations but when we consulted an expert, he said they won't climb our hill because of the large supply of willows, so we wouldn't have to worry about trees around our house. The willow trees they used will grow back quickly.  I can see if you have large beautiful trees, that would be very disturbing but we were sad to see them leave.  They haven't returned.  I guess they learned their lesson.

Antique Coffee Grinders

Recently I blogged about planned obsolescence and the fact that things are not made to last.  I talked about buying a microwave less than two years ago and after the warranty expired, it wouldn't heat anymore.  We bought a new unit because it cost less than having the old one repaired.  I am mentioning this again because I have a friend who is missing her coffee grinder.  I am assuming it is an electric grinder because she tried to use a blender as a substitute but it didn't work very well.  I happened to have a couple very old grinders and these were meant to last.  The green one with the antique dirt left on it also serves as a toy because every kid that comes to our house is compelled to turn the crank and grind a few coffee beans. 

Another Winter Storm

Say it isn't so...not another snowstorm.  We were so spoiled last winter with hardly any snow and warmer temperatures.  Now don't get me wrong, I like winter.  At least when a person is stuck inside in the winter, it looks cold outside and cozy inside.  When a person is stuck inside in the heat of summer, it looks beautiful outside.   I do not like temperatures in the 90's any better all of these winter storms.  It could be that I'm just hard to please.

The storm we are having in the next day or two is called Winter Storm Q.  I certainly hope we don't get to "Z" before spring arrives.  I just hope everyone stays safe if they are traveling, doesn't overdo the shovelling and stays warm.  If they are confined to the house, I hope they have some beautiful birds to watch.

And not this!

Lattice Topped Chicken

Guess what, it's recipe Tuesday again.

We had a busy day so I decided to make something that I could assemble and then bake when we got home.  This is a family favorite.

Lattice Topped Chicken

1 can of Potato Soup

1 can of milk

1/2 teaspoon. Seasoned Salt

2 cups of cooked cubed chicken

1 bag of frozen California blend vegetables

(California Blend is a combination of cauliflower, broccoli and carrots)

1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 can (2.8 oz.) French Fried Onions

1 Pkg. Crescent Rolls

Combine the soup, milk, salt, chicken, vegetables, 1/2 cup of the cheese and 1/2 can of onions.

Bake covered at 375 degrees until the veggies are done.  It usually take about 45 minutes depending on how frozen the veggies are.  You could microwave the vegetables ahead of time and that would speed up the process.  I didn't have any frozen vegetables on hand but I had a head of cauliflower which needed to be used up, left over broccoli and carrots.  I just combined them and used them in the recipe.  I usually use the frozen because it is quick and easy.

When baked long enough, open the can of crescent rolls and lay out in a flat sheet.  Cut strips and arrange in a lattice pattern over the baked ingredients.  Bake uncovered for 15 minutes.  Then put remaining cheese and onions on top and bake 3-5 more minutes.

Egg Cartons and Berry Baskets to Give Away

The Fly Lady (www.flylady.net) says that you should set the timer for 15 minutes and declutter.  If you do that everyday, things get organized before you know it.  In an effort to declutter, and start Spring cleaning, I began with cleaning out the extra plastic bags, paper bags and egg cartons. 

Yes, I said egg cartons.  I save them and when I have a big stack, I find someone who has chickens and eggs to take them.  I think the Amish like to get them, and I have also seen them offered on Freecycle.  They are snapped up immediately.

I also have some berry baskets.  I keep them year after year, but I'm getting rid of them once and for all.  Every year we have tons of blackberry bushes with a lot of blossoms and then because of the sandy soil and where they are located, they dry up.  If the berry bushes actually produce some year, I can always use an ice cream bucket.

For those who don't know about Freecycle, it's a non profit group where you can give or get items free.  Many local communities have a yahoo group which is run by a local moderator.  You sign up with your local group and whenever someone has something to give away or if a person is in need of an item, you log in and it is posted.   It is a wonderful way to get rid of things and usually there is someone who wants it.  Believe it or not, almost everything is easy to give away.  To check and see if your area has a group, just go to http://freecycle.org

Circus Train Memory

Today I was looking through some old photos.  I came upon one of the Christmas projects my husband Mike made for one of our grandchildren.  Back in the mid to late 1940's,  Mike's Uncle Hank made a circus train.  He cut circus animal shapes out of wood and connected them together to form a train.  That means the train is really old, at least 65 years old (kind of like me).  It's fallen apart a little and some of the wheels have fallen off.  That is also kind of like me, except with me I've lost some of my marbles.  I believe it was a Christmas gift.  We kept it all these years and when our grandson was old enough,  Mike made a pattern from the original train and made one for our grandson Dylan. 

This is the old version made by Henry Depka.  Another grandson has Henry as his middle name in memory of this very special uncle.

This is the new version made by Mike Mullally, a very special grandpa.