SPAGHETTI!

I made lots and lots of spaghetti sauce today and canned it.  18 jars of my yummy spaghetti sauce. I may have enough for 3 months (just kidding, maybe 5 or 6 if I don't give any jars away).  It's so good I've converted 2 non-spaghetti liking people into liking spaghetti.  Well, at least my spaghetti.

I have a picture too - and I as going to upload pictures, but Robert said Trek Nemesis is about to start and (Patrick Stewart, mmmmm) I  haven't seen that one so Toodles :)

I owe you 2 pictures now...

Movie Time

Not much of a post today - watching movies.

Watched The Princess Bride with Carus, now off to watch sumpin with Robert... I'm thinking Knight and Day.


I'll post my 365 pic tomorrow.

Have you seen my new haircut?

I cut off about 4 inches a little over a week ago and I'm loving it.

Mmmm yummy

Dinner tonight - Homemade BBQ pork fried rice

Also, I just made two batches of granola bars - chocolate chip and coconut chocolate chip (last batch I made 4 days ago was raisin).

Recipe?

Granola bars

2 cups oats
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 wheat germ or ground flax seed (or additional 1/2 cup flour)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup (or maybe a bit more) your choice of one or more 'flavors' (raisins, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, almonds, pecans, dried cherries, coconut)

In bowl put all dry ingrediants. Add wet ingrediants.  Mix together.  Add flavor (a little goes a long way).  Mix again.  Spray 9x13 glass baking dish with cooking spray and then spread granola bar mix into pan evenly.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes for chewy and 20-25 minutes for chrunchy.  Sides will start to brown when it is done.  Let cool completely then cut into bars.  Wrap in wax paper.


I have a couple alterations I do - I don't use whole-wheat flour cause I don't have any, but I'm gonna pick me up some.  And I use just ground flax seed.  Also, I never remember the salt and I don't miss it.  For flavors, I don't measure it but I don't think I use 1/2 cup worth, especially when using more than one.  Robert's favorite is rasins by themselves, the kids love chocolate chip, I loved dried cherry/chocolate chip/almonds.  I made coconut-chocolate chip for the first time tonight; verdict - mmmm

Let me know if you try it and like it.

Wordless Wednesday - Breakfast

This is also my 365 today (5_365).

Yeah, I know we spoil that cat.

Usually we save him some cereal milk, but the kids were eating a chocolate-y cereal (yea yea, bad mom) and chocolate is bad for kitties.

Participating in Wordless Wednesday.  Be sure to check out the other participants.

Post holiday syndrome

My 365 for today. Frosty grass and leaf from our backyard.

Have you noticed that post holidays everyone seems to be in a funk of sorts?  Where you don't have motivation to do much.  Everyone seems to be moving in slow-mo or half-hearted.  It's got to be a way for our minds to slow down after the stress we put it under trying to get everything we need to get done done for the holidays.

And then one day it breaks and EVERYTHING MUST GET DONE NOW!  It seems to be breaking all over, I think it broke for me tonight when I started taking down the Christmas decorations.  This is the longest I've had decorations up before, another benefit for the fake tree.  Although I am feeling a little Christmas'd out.

Has your post holiday syndrome broke yet?

We are NOT freezing, I promise

365 - Simba in fish eye.



Kitties are difficult to get pictures of, I got several pictures of him looking away, and a few that were just blurry.  It was satisfying though when Robert took the camera for a couple shots acting like he'd be able to get it in one click and HAHA! not so easy is it?!

In regards to the title. 

Our furnace hasn't been working and the heat pump does not work well when outside temps are below 40 ('cause they're not supposed to) and, well, temps have been in the 20s at night.  We noticed that the furnace was blowing cold air on Friday and after Robert wasn't able to fix it, we decided to have it fixed or, if unable to fix, and the more expensive option, have it replaced.  SINCE we were in a holiday weekend we decided to put off calling the repairman until today so we wouldn't have to pay an emergency fee and weekend fee. Now, it's been cold, but don't worry.  It's not that cold. We won't freeze and we definitely aren't letting the kids freeze. We have warm socks, blankets, and sweaters - AND the heat pump does work, just not that well.  When we run the dryer, since it vents onto the heat pump, it helps keep the heat pump not frozen and working.  Bonus there - I don't have any dirty laundry right now.
The repairman came by today and tested everything and we just need to replace a board.  Pretty simple fix.  Robert found it cheaper online than the repair guy could've gotten it and then he went over which wires go where to make sure it gets put in correctly.  We should have it in 2 days...maybe 3.

The joys of home ownership, eh?