My Messy Life - Journal

[fuzzi]

We got our first snow last night. I love Christmas and pretty snow but I don't like to be cold. Breaking ice in the animal's water and making sure I have enough pairs of socks on is something I don't want to worry about yet.
One thing I'm looking forward to this Christmas season is I've joined a Christmas choir group for the first time. Not anyone one church in our area has enough singers with the talent or desire to have their own group so this group is comprised of several different churches. I've been to 4 practices so far. It's been so enjoyable. I sing the alto part.

I think I'll listen to that as I work tomorrow. Thanks!

We have a tiny church choir, 8 people on a good day. I sing contralto.

 

[Baymule]

I finished cutting up lamb for ground meat. I made a grilled cheese sandwich and iced coffee. I listened to the beautiful voices, enchanted. I had tears in my eyes, my heart was touched and I listened all the way through. Thank you for posting the songs for our listening pleasure. Spectacular.

Now back to work.

 

[fuzzi]

I enjoyed it as well. Some of the sections sounded familiar.

 

[SteepedInSheep]

I finished cutting up lamb for ground meat. I made a grilled cheese sandwich and iced coffee. I listened to the beautiful voices, enchanted. I had tears in my eyes, my heart was touched and I listened all the way through. Thank you for posting the songs for our listening pleasure. Spectacular.

Now back to work.

I enjoyed it as well. Some of the sections sounded familiar.

I'm so glad you both enjoyed it. I posted the link kinda assuming no one would listen! It's a beautiful production!
I think I will have to miss next Sunday's choir practice. We have a Thanksgiving church dinner to attend that day and I'm on the hook to cook and bring the turkey. I think the choir practice time will interfere with the turkey prep.
I picked up the turkey today, .39 per lb! I got one just under 14 lbs. My daughter told me that I should go to practice anyway and her and daddy will keep an eye on the turkey. somehow I don't think that's a viable option!
I took her on the outing today and we met my friend at Walmart. She tagged along with us to a few different stores. I know some people enjoy solitude but I'm not one of them.

 

[Baymule]

My sister has a big roasting pan. It is a stand alone unit, plug it in set the temperature and let it be. Perfect every time. Maybe you should have one too, then you could go to practice and not worry about the cooking helpers!

 

[fuzzi]

My sister has a big roasting pan. It is a stand alone unit, plug it in set the temperature and let it be. Perfect every time. Maybe you should have one too, then you could go to practice and not worry about the cooking helpers!

I have one, a plug in roaster. It is truly a "set it and forget it" item, worth $30 even if I only use it a couple times a year. It doesn't heat up the kitchen, either.

 

[SteepedInSheep]

My sister has a big roasting pan. It is a stand alone unit, plug it in set the temperature and let it be. Perfect every time. Maybe you should have one too, then you could go to practice and not worry about the cooking helpers!

I have one, a plug in roaster. It is truly a "set it and forget it" item, worth $30 even if I only use it a couple times a year. It doesn't heat up the kitchen, either.

Every time I see one of those counter top roasters at the thrift store, I debate it. I always end up leaving it because I have enough stuff and it's hard to justify the space for something I'll use once per year. Of course, I wish I had one now.
Today has been busy and will remain busy. We're having coming over for dinner, a family at church we met recently. My husband has part of the kitchen pulled apart because he's redoing some drywall but oh, well! We're going to be hospitable anyway. I'm making chicken breast, green beans, potatoes, applesauce, Mac n cheese (she told me her kids are picky, lol), sourdough bread, and probably rice.
I'm also making a chocolate cake since it's my husband's birthday.
I had a thought about the cake I made for my daughter's birthday and why it was dry. When I use fresh ground flour while making bread, I let it set for an hour to autolyze and absorb all the water. Maybe I need to do that with cake, too.
I'll test my theory with the cake today. I mixed all the wet ingredients with the flour and let it sit for an hour, then added the baking soda and powder and put it in to bake. I'm anxious to see if it works!

 

[SteepedInSheep]

The husband's cake came out much better!! It's not a foolproof test since it was a different recipe than what I used for my daughter but I'm encouraged.
We had our company over, kinda. She called and said her kids weren't feeling well so it was her and her husband.
Neither of them ate much food. I know the rice was crap because I forgot to set a timer since I was doing something else. Then the bottom cooked but not the top so it was randomly crunchy. Ugh. Usually I nail rice so that was disappointing.
I wonder if their kids take cues from the husband as far as pickiness. He ate less than his wife and only tried chicken and the veggies and one bite of cake. I felt kinda bad but at the same time, there were a lot of options.
It was a pleasant visit. It was nice to chat and get to know each other better. Theyte both very sweet people.
Today is the church Thanksgiving get together. We're leaving shortly. The turkey looks amazing.
I cooked it this morning before church so nothing had to be done while I was at choir practice.

 

[SteepedInSheep]

Thanksgiving dinner at the church was great last night. I got many compliments on the turkey. A few people thought it was one of our birds so I sheepishly had to admit it was store-bought. I would have brought our home grown but I didn't have a whole bird, only parts.
I realized recently that I've transitioned from a new mom. It should have been obvious but I hadn't really thought about it. I'm bringing this up because there was a young woman there last night with her one young son. My initial thought was, "Oh, another young mom", and I wasn't necessarily planning to go out of my way to talk with her since she was with her family. Then I realized I'm actually in a different stage now. I have several children and I'm in my mid 30s. Wouldn't it be a nice gesture to make sure I spoke with her so she felt seen and valued by other people? I talked with her while we waited in line for food and it was great. She was really sweet and it seemed like she appreciated being noticed. My husband told me later he was surprised to see me talking with someone I didn't know. I definitely need to work on my people skills. I enjoy talking with people I know but small talk is hard. But I'll never get better if I don't practice.
Another big part of my busy weekend was we hosted a potluck at our house day before yesterday. It fell in between having the couple over for supper and the church potluck. We unfortunately had a big split at our church recently and I thought it would be healing and provide some closure if we all took a meal together, sang some songs, and gave testimonies. I was (tongue in cheek) calling it "the rejects of _____ potluck". It was a fabulous time. I made a pan of Chipotle ranch chicken, a pan of creamy pasta, and brownies. Everyone else brought food and there was plenty: pasta salad, Mac n cheese, some kind of baked potato dish, salad, pie, ice cream, red velvet whoopie pies...
Everyone said they enjoyed it and encouraged me to host another one in the future.

 

[fuzzi]

Thanksgiving dinner at the church was great last night. I got many compliments on the turkey. A few people thought it was one of our birds so I sheepishly had to admit it was store-bought. I would have brought our home grown but I didn't have a whole bird, only parts.
I realized recently that I've transitioned from a new mom. It should have been obvious but I hadn't really thought about it. I'm bringing this up because there was a young woman there last night with her one young son. My initial thought was, "Oh, another young mom", and I wasn't necessarily planning to go out of my way to talk with her since she was with her family. Then I realized I'm actually in a different stage now. I have several children and I'm in my mid 30s. Wouldn't it be a nice gesture to make sure I spoke with her so she felt seen and valued by other people? I talked with her while we waited in line for food and it was great. She was really sweet and it seemed like she appreciated being noticed. My husband told me later he was surprised to see me talking with someone I didn't know. I definitely need to work on my people skills. I enjoy talking with people I know but small talk is hard. But I'll never get better if I don't practice.
Another big part of my busy weekend was we hosted a potluck at our house day before yesterday. It fell in between having the couple over for supper and the church potluck. We unfortunately had a big split at our church recently and I thought it would be healing and provide some closure if we all took a meal together, sang some songs, and gave testimonies. I was (tongue in cheek) calling it "the rejects of _____ potluck". It was a fabulous time. I made a pan of Chipotle ranch chicken, a pan of creamy pasta, and brownies. Everyone else brought food and there was plenty: pasta salad, Mac n cheese, some kind of baked potato dish, salad, pie, ice cream, red velvet whoopie pies...
Everyone said they enjoyed it and encouraged me to host another one in the future.

Glad you reached out to her, the older women are supposed to do that. It's scriptural, too.

It's not easy for some of us to be social. I've been at the same church for three years and still forget names. There are a good number or over 60s, but most of them are couples, makes me feel like a third wheel at times. A church I went to 20 years ago had a widow's group, it might be nice. Then again, the older ladies at church come across as knitting types, not chicken/dog/cat people. Oops.