Christmas Treasures; More Than Just Decorations

I know, I know.....it's not even Thanksgiving and here I  am putting Christmas decorations out. But I just couldn't wait any longer! I LOVE decorating for fall, but, even more, I LOVE decorating for Christmas.
I love fall weather, I love the leaves and the promise of the holiday season. It's such a wonderful time of year. But, all of my fall decorations are things that I've purchased. Ones that have been accumulated over the last few years. There's nothing "sentimental" in my fall decorating. And that's the thing that's missing.
I have so many sentimental Christmas decorations. They not only make my home beautiful, they make me smile, they remind me of people that I love and miss, they are a sweet memory. And that's so much more than just a decoration.
My maternal grandmother bought me the two little elves about 45 years ago. And my paternal grandmother gave me the Santa mugs around the same time. They've moved with me to every house I've ever lived in. And, after Christmas, I pack them away very carefully.
The snow globe was a gift from my mother. After I was an adult and had my own home, each year she would buy me a new Christmas decoration. This is the last one that she bought for me. The following Christmas she was very ill and it was her last Christmas with us. I've had the snow globe for 20 years.

RoxAnne's Casserole

Be sure and check out my newest YouTube video showing you how to make this super easy casserole that also freezes well!
Farm Wife Burton YouTube

Fried Okra and the Food Saver

I will be the first to admit, when my husband bought our food saver, I was skeptical. My mother had a  machine called a Seal-A-Meal (or something like that) when I was a kid. I don't remember her using it. She and my dad raised a big garden and she canned vegetables all summer long. I remember jars everywhere. I remember that her pressure cooker (which I still have, but never learned to use) had belonged to her mother. And I remember a couple of times when we sprinted out of our house because the pressure had gotten too high and she thought it was gonna blow up!! It never did.
But, I digress.....
So this food saver machine that my husband brought home is amazing. It is a fast and easy way to preserve all kinds of foods, not just vegetables. For example, when chicken breasts are on sale, I buy a large package and then re-package them individually or in packages of two. The food saver machine removes all of the air so they freeze really well.
This past summer, my aunt and uncle gave me a huge grocery sack full of fresh okra from their garden. I washed it, sliced it, and breaded it with a mixture of cornmeal, salt and pepper. I then spread it out on baking sheets and covered it with plastic wrap and let it freeze overnight. The next day, I sealed portions in food saver bags and refroze it. It's easier to get a good seal on something soft, like the breaded okra, if you freeze it overnight first. And the best part, when you're ready to fry your okra, just pull it out of the freezer, cut open the bag, and pop your frozen breaded okra into the hot oil. It tastes like it just came out of the garden!      http://www.foodsaver.com/

Update on the Piggies

If you've been following my blog, you know that a little over 6 weeks ago we had a big surprise here on the farm.....baby mini pot-belly pigs were born! We are now down to just one baby, his name is Bumpy, and he's the keeper. Oh we still have the parents, Fred and Ethel, but the other three babies are gone. We sold them to Russell Feed Store in Saginaw. www.russellfeedandsupply.com
It was a sad drive home after we left Owen, Elmer and LuLu. But I know they will be well taken care of there and they will be sold to good homes. I'm just thankful my husband let me keep one!!
We built Bumpy a special pen in the yard instead of at the barn with Fred and Ethel. He's got his own little house with a heat lamp, his own little yard, and he gets A LOT of attention.
I see a lot of Bumpy blogs in the future........