Hot Mama Blanket Solution

I am definitely, DEFINITELY, enjoying the big M. Menopause. Which really means, MEN, O, you better PAUSE before you think you can snuggle with me.

That's because I am hot. All the time. The internal thermostat is up in the red zone and rarely drops to a comfortable level. Long has it been since the hubby has been able to snuggle his ice cold toes against me, let alone drape an arm around me while I sleep. Honestly, it takes less than 10 seconds, and I feel a heat rush arriving on the wings of the furnace fairy, and I am throwing off the covers, the husband, the cat, the pajamas...It's not pretty.

Hmmm. What to do for my freezing Popsicle husband? We do love the windows and screen door open at night. (If you are a bad guy and want to sneak in since now you know we have the door open at night, we ALSO have a giant attack trained dog. Beware.)

So I came up with a great solution. He can stay somewhat warm. I can have the fans on me and stick my legs and arms out of the covers at will. Which I do. Multiple times each night. The other night, he was laughing at me. He got up for a midnight nature call and came back to bed. It had to be in the 50's in our room. There I was, ON TOP of the covers, with barely enough covering me to be G rated.

Check out the BLANKET solution for HOT MAMA's. Kind of like the idea.

Just fold over which blankets spike your internal oven and tuck them all on his side of the bed. My side has only a sheet, thin cotton blanket, and sometimes the coverlet (which is removed for the photo).

Oh, yes. Problem solved. For now.

Spicy Pickled Green Beans

Can she really can?

I did it. It's been YEARS since I home canned anything. I've dehydrated and frozen many, many things, but canning has been non-existent. Totally lacking.

Lacking, so much so, that I had to purchase a new canning pot as well as basic tools and jars.

But, in spite of the lengthy process of gathering supplies and picking, cleaning, and prepping the green beans, I am pleased.

In 2 weeks, it's taste test time. Maybe I'll wait a bit longer, just to make sure. Then we will see if I should still be happy with the results.

It just occurred to me that the entire process is called canning. But no cans are involved. Just glass jars. I've actually never seen people at home do any type of canning (with real cans). Of course, we can buy canned produce at the store, but I don't think that's a home option.

So. I home jarred spicy pickled green beans.

What Boys Bring for Show and Tell

Enter the current class of kindergartners. All boys.

Today, first up for show and tell was a flat, dried out, and very dead frog.

Yummers.

Add a video game character card.

Plus a Luke Skywalker transformer.

That was it. No cute little somethings or live animals (there was a live Beta fish last week) or plants or nature things (except the dead frog).

This is going to be one interesting year.

What composes a traditional English breakfast?

Another exciting event at the Olympics is my favorite...eating.

Our home away from home, the High Leigh Conference Centre, supplied patrons with a traditional English breakfast every morning. Judging by photos and advertisements around London, the traditional breakfast is very, well, traditional.

For instance, meat is a permanent food group in breakfast.

Like huge pieces of ham (similar to bacon, but larger like sliced ham) and pork sausage. Very tasty. I would have loved some spicy mustard to dip the sausage in.

Also included, as in many British meals, is potato rounds. I would call them medallions. They do need ketchup, which was not available.

Scrambled eggs, hot tea (with milk and sugar, mmmm), coffee (yes!), and pastries are another menu item.

Surprises? Definitely.

Mushrooms. Whole, button type, cooked and in a light butter (?I think) sauce. I could only eat 2. Breakfast and mushrooms do not work for me.

Stewed tomatoes. Hmmm. I tried, really, I did. I gagged down one. Again, breakfast and stewed tomatoes do not go with me. Any other meal, serve me a big spoonful.

Beans. Like pork and beans, but I didn't see any pork (except the ham and sausage). I didn't even bother to try these. It was too 'dinner-like.'

All in all, a very filling, long-lasting meal. Odd, partially, but tasty.

I'd go back and have another go in a second.

Let There Be Light!

Hooray! Let there be light in the previously very dark Quantrell kitchen.

After previously mentioned blog topics (as in, the old, but very new and installed by former owner) where multiple ceiling lights in the kitchen and dining area fell from the ceiling, the Quantrell's have been living with a small table lamp perched atop the fridge, a can light over the sink, and one more way down the galley kitchen. Cooking and cleaning were a challenge at any time of day, particularly worse at night.

Ta-da. The man came through when he took on a Labor Day (haha, he labored) project to install four can lights.

Uh-huh. That's what I'm talking about.

Next would be fixing the ceiling holes from previous falling light fixtures and adding track lighting down the center.

Come on seasons. We are now ready for fall and winter low light.

Alas. Now we can also see how dirty things really are. Time to fess up and spring, I mean fall, clean.