Here is a website that has some good info. Her recipe is for “Bohemian Kraut”…(Cabbage, onions & Caraway seeds)

Have you ever made Sauerkraut?

We have but it was several years ago. It turned out really good and we canned several pints. I made more today…this is how I did it.  We have 2 crocks, a 5 gal one and a 3 gal one.

First, my DH (Dear Husband) planted cabbages, but you can buy them at the store…they may be at the Farmer’s market this time of year. He let them grow and grow…here is what he picked…

(In the blog I mentioned earlier…she said to let the cabbage sit for three days after you pick it, otherwise it will have too much water…well, I had hardly ANY water…so I will continue to use it on the day it’s picked).

Then we pulled the outer leaves (looks like grocery store cabbage now!)

Then we started cutting into thin strips…layering and salting…oh yeah, you need to “smash” each layer, I used a potato smasher.

When you are about 3-5″ from the top of the crock, salt and smash. Then you lay a Kitchen towel or some kind of cloth over it, then a plate (we bought a board with the crock) to keep it smashed and a jar of water (weight)or a rock or something to keep it under what water will be bubbling up.(See update..I changed the orderof plate, weight, cloth).

Check it every couple of days to make sure it isn’t bubbling over the top and if it has “scum” on it, just skim it off…IT’S STILL GOOD!!  Change to a clean towel if you need to.

Put in a dry, cool, dark place. They say to let ferment for a week to a month….depending on how crunchy, less stong (smaller amount of time)to softer, stronger taste, (longer amount of time)

I will post again when I can it in a few weeks. I plan to use some 1/2 pint jars for a quick sandwich or hot dog…pint jars for sauerkraut and weenies…

Let me know if you try it!!

How are your garden’s doing?  My husband’s is looking GREAT. We have eaten asparagus, snap peas, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, potatoes and cabbage & strawberries thus far. I say my HUSBAND’s garden, but really, I am working in it more this year than in the past. I’ve always said, he plants and takes care of it and then I can and freeze when it comes in the house…

Do you preserve stuff from your garden for the winter? I do. My sister does, but I don’t know many other people who do.  I have frozen Peas and Broccoli so far this year (in vacuum bags).  In a month or so I will be very busy canning tomatoes and green beans.  I will also be making Sauerkraut in a week or so. I’ll can it if I have enough.

I have even planted and revamped my flower gardens this year.  2 years ago I had tennis elbow in the spring and just couldn’t do anything and last year it got HOT really quickly so they were looking pretty awful. Well, since I had no GOOD excuse this year, I HAD to do something!  I am very pleased with the way they are looking.

Do you remember me talking about the Water Balloon fight we had last year on Father’s Day?  You can see some pics here. We’ve decided to do it again this year, we are calling it the “2nd Water Balloon Extravaganza”!  My birthday is June 19th and Father’s Day is always the Sunday before. We have invited our kids and grandkids.  We all had a lot of fun last year!

We used to have a big July 4th party, but it’s been so stinkin hot the last few years, we decided last year we would do something in June instead.  It ended up being about 105 degrees.  Oh well, it wast JUST RIGHT for a water balloon fight! One of my grandsons said, “It was the best party EVER”! I think that was because he got to throw water balloons at mom, dad, cousins and sister, aunt, uncles and grandma & grandpa.

Caleb and I are going to try out a new water park. It is called Andy’s Alligator.  We have plans to buy season passes to White Water Bay, but now we’re not sure.  Have you all been? The one in Norman, OK just opened this month.

Hope you are all safe from the storms last night in Oklahoma.  We barely got a thing, but the metro had very LARGE hail and VERY HIGH winds.  Lots of power outages. We need rain, but not the damage!

Are you all bored to tears now?? DID you get to the end? WHEW! Thanks for sticking with me.

Have a great WEEK!!

Here are a few things I’ve gotten off Facebook…I like them all.

Just thought I’d post some pretty spring pics. 

Bluebirds and Cactus flowers!

**(Pictures have wrong date, When I charge the battery, I have to change the date, sometimes I don’t have TIME, sometimes I FORGET.)

LM & I went to Grapevine Texas last week.  We had plans for 1 night at GREAT WOLF LODGE and 3 nights at another Marriott hotel.

Window from Lobby looking into the water park

We got to GWL on Monday afternoon and were able to check in immediately…although check in is at 4:00, you can go early and start playing in the water park @ 1:00.  Just so happened that our room was available about 1:30!  We played all afternoon and then got PH pizza in the hotel and took it to our room.  Our next plans were to go to the Northern Arcade or GR8 space.  We weren’t aware these were closed for renovations. So we decided to spend the $33.+ on the “MagiQuest” game.  You buy a “wand” and they activate it.

MagiQuest is like a treasure hunt with about 10 levels of things to achieve.  The rules are to take the stairwell and go from the 2nd story to the 3rd, back to the 6th, down to the 1st….(ALOT OF STAIRS)!!  But you have to look for a treasure chest, a picture on the wall or a star on the ceiling for instance, and then go back to collect your next “Quest”.  Top points for Gold, High Points and Ruins are listed on 2 tvs in the hotel. They activate the wand for 4 days.  Well, Caleb was at #1 in Gold and top Points and #2 after for Ruins after 4 hours of playing.  I had to do it with him, because I was not allowing him to go by himself from floor to floor in the stairwell and not knowing which floor he was on…so needless to say, we took ALOT of stairs.  (Not to mention all the stairs you climbed at the SUPER water park).

The water park has 2 VERY TALL slides, 3 lesser heights and then 2 smaller ones (in the tree house that are still a lot of fun). In the ”tree house”  they have a lot of water buckets to fill and spill on people…some of whom are floating the lazy river…a HUGE bucket that fills and spills on whoever is standing in the way.

A lily pad pond with basketball and floating things to climb on, a Lazy River and 2 hot tubs.  A children’s (toddlers) area, a wave pool.  A snack shop, showers, restrooms.

The hotel is BEAUTIFUL. The lobby is HUGE, open and lots of WOOD.  They have a souvenir shop, 2 restaurants, a snack shop, a Pizza Hut Express. They also have story time at night and some kind of walk thing for little kids in the morning.

Food is a little expensive, but you would expect that from a place like this.

I am so blessed to be able to homeschool. One reason is to be able to go on vacation at the less busy times of the year.  There were several times that I looked around the water park and realized there were only about 50 people there.  Only ONE time did we have to wait in line to go down a slide.

We also went to Sea Life Aquarium and Legoland.

This is at the Grapevine Mills Mall. It is a really nice.

We ate at the Rainforest Cafe. That is a cool place!

I thought these may take us the better part of a day (or 2).  Well, I was really wrong about that!!  Legoland was not what I had hoped…it was for kids, I’d say about 7 or under.  SeaLife was fun, just not very big. So after 1 night at the 2nd hotel, we were bored.  My DH told us to go back to GWL…and we did!  I cancelled the last night at the Marriott and scheduled it for GWL.  This time we got there about 12:30…and checked into our room and went to the Water Park!!

We stayed until about 1:00 the next day and headed home…it was a great time and LM and I really enjoyed it!!

ICE CREAM SANDWICH CAKE

23-24 Ice Cream sandwiches  (original, neopolitan or chocolate)

TIP: Buy a few extra in case your husband decides to eat 4-5 the night before….

2-8 oz) OR 1-16 OZ Cool Whip

Hot Fudge Topping (Caramel, strawberry…) I used about 1/2 jar.

Mini M&M’s  (or ANY topping–butterfingers, heath, oreos, Sprinkles…it’s endless!) I used about 1/2 lg bag.

Directions:

Put FOIL on bottom of 9 X 13 pan…be sure to put it up on the sides so you can get the cake out easily.

Let  IC sand set out a few minutes and lay side by side…kind of “squish” them together.

Spread Hot Fudge topping, (YOUR choice of thickness) and 1/2 Cool Whip.

Layer the same again ending with hot fudge.

Freeze for 1 hour

Take out of pan and put onto a flat pan or bottom of cookie sheet.

Sprinkle M&M’s on top.   You can use ANY candies or SPRINKLES

I also put candles on at this time.

Freeze 2 more hours.

Cut with serated knife.

PICTURES???  SURE ! I took Pictures!!

Have a good Month….(s)!

]]> http://ttgtmb.com/2012/05/05/wow/feed/ 2 Lynette Ice cream sandwich cake 4-12 (1) Ice cream sandwich cake 4-12 (2) Ice cream sandwich cake 4-12 (3) Ice cream sandwich cake 4-12 (6) Ice cream sandwich cake 4-12 (5) Ice cream sandwich cake 4-12 (1) http://ttgtmb.com/2012/03/13/in-memory-of-my-mom/ http://ttgtmb.com/2012/03/13/in-memory-of-my-mom/#comments Tue, 13 Mar 2012 16:20:21 +0000 Lynette http://thoughtsthatgothroughmybrain.wordpress.com/?p=67 ]]> I wanted to share this today, because Fridays are such busy days for me and I'm thinking of her today.  Maybe Friday will be a good day and I will think of the fun times, not the bad.  Like I always say, "So glad to have had the dance!"
Another year has passed, and I don't miss my mom any less.  Isn't it strange that you start re-living that time ?  I hate that, but I do like all the good times I remember with her...too many to remember at one time.  I guess as long as I have this blog, you will see these  things...remembering my mama & daddy.  The following was written in 2009...If you have any good memories of her, comment...let me know the fun times you might have had with her. 

Phyllis Elmore Dickerson Nelson 1938-1998

She was always “mom” to my sister’s & I’s friends. She was more like “one of the girls”. Which wasn’t always a good thing for her to be. But she was always fun for us to be around and loved our friends.

I loved the times I spent with her. We liked to do crafts. We cross stitched and sewed. At one time we worked for a lady that groomed dogs. Mom & I made Dog Bows…10 cents apiece. We created them and made some that were really cute and different.  If mom didn’t have 2-3 craft projects to work on, something was definitely wrong.  She also crocheted. She tried to teach me, but with her being left-handed and me being right-handed, I didn’t learn very much of it. Now I wish I had.

I used to (up until she died) hold hands with her. I loved her hands. They were strong, soft and loving. I miss her hands.

We would travel together. We had such good times. My grandparents lived in Nebraska and we’d take road trips. We always took Fried chicken and cheese and grapes, candy, chips ….I would drive and she would get our lunch ready and  feed it to me….not actually “feed” but make sure it was all at my fingertips.  We also took several trips to my sister, Lori’s, in Arkansas to visit her family.

I was in Nebraska with her when he father died. That was a hard trip. I was there for 2 weeks and got a ride home with my sisters, while she stayed for a while longer. I hated to leave her, but I was so homesick for my husband. She was such a strong, independent woman.

She was so organized. Boxes, containers and making sure everything had a place. It was funny because as organized as she was, she was always looking for something.

I like to think of what she may look like now, 12 14 years later. She would be 71 73 years old. I wonder what she would look like as an old lady.

My sister, Kim, just reminded me that she also had the best hugs & kisses and the softest lips.  She never cleaned her glasses. I also remember that she never dusted..her famous words, “Why should I? It will just get dusty again”. I would write in it.  I once gave her a plaque that I now have on my wall,…”you can touch the dust, but please, don’t write in it!” (I’m not as bad as she was about dusting, though!)

The last time I spent with her, I had planned a trip to Arkansas to see my sister. I was looking forward to some “alone” time driving the 6 hours by myself.  Mom just kind of invited herself and came with me. We had such a great time and I’m so glad she went with me, because about 1-1/2 weeks later she was gone.

Please take the time to LOVE your parents.  AND YOUR KIDS, you never know when they won’t be there. I had GREAT times with my mom, but I sure wish I had ALOT more!!

Caleb's Pirate Picture

See this cute pirate??  He is entered in a photo contest.  It is Sea Life Aquarium.  You have to go to the facebook page and “LIKE” this picture.  Would you PLEASE vote for him???  I think you can go to my FaceBook page  Over there—————>> to get to it or try this link.   PHOTO CONTEST WEBSITE

I have already planned a vacation, for his b-day, to this place and it would be great to get FREE tickets AND a “Goody Bag”.

I would appreciate all votes and would gladly oblige if you ever need a vote!

THANK YOU!!!

  My Dad…

This post was originally written 1-31-11.  From now until eternity, if you read my blog, you will probably see this post.

My dad, Bill, died  8   9  years ago, Jan. 31, 2003. Needless to say, this is a very hard day for me and my sisters….nieces, nephews…bonus mom, daughters and sons, bonus Sons & Daughters…even my husband and brother-in-laws, nephew-in-laws, even some friends called him Dad……he was very loved.

I loved him dearly. In the later years of his life we became the best of friends. I talked to him EVERY day and he thought LM hung the moon. I lived 60 miles from him and went to see him almost weekly with LM.  Of course, LM doesn’t remember him, but I will never forget. He had severe heart trouble the last 25 years of his life and still was so close to his kids, grandkids and neighbors.

I know this will sound weird, but I listen to the recording of his funeral every now and then.  One of my “bonus” daughters sang at the funeral…I have posted about her here… and the other one read a poem he wanted read.

 One of his neighbors told a story at the funeral that Dad was always trying to make his yard look the best in the neighborhood.  Chris (the neighbor) visited one day and dad told him he wasn’t going to fertilize that year….Chris was like, “Really?…blah blah blah”… and as he walked off he felt the fertilizer crunching beneath his shoes. He turned around and dad gave him that sheepish little smile……

 Dad was a great person. I miss him so much.

But I can always smile because I have such great memories of him….

I’m so glad to have had the dance!!

My dad taught me good values and morals. 

We laughed a lot.

He had GREAT HUGS!

He was the best cook.

Go to this post if you want to hear more about my wonderful dad….and pictures!

The pictures below are of my dad and my mom on their wedding day in 1955,

  the other is of his wife (Carol, my ”Bonus” mom, who is still a VERY dear friend to me)

 at his 60th B-day party in 1998….

I am SOOO blessed to have had him for my Dad 40 years of my life!

Dad, we ALL miss you so much!

1. I helped my husband build our whole house from the ground up…and we still LIKE each other! 
2. I can do electrical work
3. I can tile a floor, wall and backplash.
4. My husband told me if I wanted a telephone when we started building the house that I would have to dig the trench for the cable and wire the house for the phones…so I did!
5. I used to be scared of a lot of things, ie: spiders, snakes, mice…. now I just deal with them…I don’t really LIKE them, but what’re you gonna do??
6. I would LOVE to be funny on my blog, but it just doesn’t come out right, makes me sound like a sarcastic smart***.
7. My parents are both gone..I was 35 when my mom died and 40 when my dad died….I miss them terribly.
8. I was 38 when my son was born.
9. Hobbies: Cross stitch, crafts, jigsaw puzzles, Games on my iphone…wanna play WORDS or HANGING with me??  Comment on here and we’ll get in touch!
10. I can vegetables and hang clothes on a clothesline.
11. I recycle cardboard, plastic, aluminum, tin cans and glass.
12. I like football…and dolphins.

This is making me sound like I am bragging….let me think of some not so good things…

1. I don’t like to clean house and do laundry, but I DO…my house is usually clean, but not always PICKED UP,
2. DUSTING…argh!!…I get this from my mom…her motto was, “why dust? it’s only going to get dusty AGAIN”.  I gave her a plaque that said “You can touch the dust, but please don’t WRITE in it”…it is now hanging on my wall.
3. I HATE cleaning the refrigerator..I guess this is why my husband is always taking things out of it…then leaving them on the counter for ME to deal with…ugh!
4. I don’t excersise like I should.
5. I have high cholesterol that I am always thinking about and trying to lower…but not always successful!  I like too many fattening foods!
6. I’m not a big DOG person, but LOVE cats.  I DO have dogs and I’m the one that gives them meds and takes them to the vet’s, make sure they have water…so it’s not like I hate them.
7. I’m on the computer/iPhone too much…but I don’t watch much TV.

Tell me something I may not know about YOU!!