Chicken Surprise

A couple go for a meal at a Chinese restaurant and

order the "Chicken Surprise."

The waiter brings out their order, served in a lidded cast iron pot.

 

Just as the wife is about to serve herself, the lid of the pot rises slightly and she spots two beady little eyes looking around before the lid slams back down.

 

Startled, she asks her husband, "Did you see that?"

 

He didn't so she had him look in the pot.

He reaches for the lid and again it rises and two beady little eyes peak out before the lid slams down.

 

Rather perturbed, he calls the waiter over and tells him what is happening and demands an explanation.

 

"Please sir, says the waiter, what you order?"

 

The husband replies, "Chicken Surprise."

 

"Ah, so sorry, says the waiter, I bring you Peeking Duck."

 

 

I knew you needed a good laugh today.

Pioneer Days

Have you ever thought about what it was like to be a woman in the pioneer days?  

She was up before dawn, gathering wood and lighting the fire,

possibly taking care of the animals, and getting water from the well. 

All of this before breakfast, which she made from scratch for everyone. 

Then she had to clean all of that up by hand which probably meant

drawing more water from the well or going to the creek. 

After everyone had left for the day, she would start working

on the bread and food for the rest of the day,

the washing (she made the soap by hand as well),

 the sewing (she made everything by hand) and mending. 

Don't forget there were probably little ones to keep up with as well and

if there wasn't a school she acted as teacher too.  

Her world revolved around her family.

There wasn't such things as convenience foods, sick days or even vacations.

 



Do you still think you have it hard?



Boys and Their Toys

What's that saying...
"The only difference between men and boys is the cost of their toys."

Well...
My husband absolutely LOVES to grill. 
We had a little gas grill for several years and then it broke. 
He had to go without one for a while.  Suffering through the loss and making do on my little indoor grill.  This was such a hardship for him.
 So, a while back we were able to find a very large, half smoker/half gas grill for a really good deal.

Believe it or not, I allowed him to store the thing in my house during the winter.  Now, it was brand new and we didn't have a cover for it.  However, we just bought the special cover that it takes for the size and those smoke stacks, and moved it to the deck last weekend before all of our company arrived.

(I apologize,  I am not a photographer and I am only using a little point and shoot camera through the glass door.  I leave the professional photography to my husband and his expensive camera equipment...more toys, but that's for another day.)

Tonight, my husband was able to "play" with his new toy. 
He told me that he had been thinking about it all day at work.

Another thing he loves is steak, although when it comes to grilling, he will fix anything.
So, I went to the store and bought some steaks.  When he got home this evening, he loaded the smoker with charcoal and mesquite wood chips and fired it up. 
Wow, the aroma that was wafting through the house was mesmerizing.   I would not have been surprised to look out and see the yard full with neighbors drawn to our place by the wonderful smell.

As he prepped the grill, I cut up the potatoes and onions and made little foil packets for him to put on there with the steaks.

There will be a lot more about these things in the weeks to come.  They are great.  Tonight, I simply cut up my potatoes and onions.  Put them, some seasonings, and some butter in the middle of the foil and wrapped them up into pockets.

Before long, he was telling me it was time to eat, as he came in carrying the food.

The taste was out of this world!  You will just have to take my word for it. 

I knew all along that he was great but tonight I started calling him

the Grill Master.

 

 And remember those little foil packets.  Well this is what was in them.

Yummm...everything was so good. 

My tummy was saying stop but my taste buds were saying more.

 

After dinner, he went back out to clean and pamper his precious new toy. 

Meanwhile, I cleaned up the very few dishes that we had in side. 

 

I am going to take advantage of this new toy,

especially on those really hot summer days.

He'll come home from work and I'll be like, "you're grilling tonight."

Of course, I know he will not mind...

Playing with his toy.

Napkin Folding

There are many different ways to fold a napkin.  You can simply do a search on the Internet to find them.  That is how I came across this one.  Do not be intimidated.  This one is simple and does not require starch.  After doing one or two of them, it actually became fun.  

 

1.  Lay napkin out in a diamond shape and smooth it out.

2.  Fold diamond in half towards you.

 3.  Fold left side down.

 4.  Then right side.  Match up the corners as best as you can.

 5.  Holding the top and bottom corners, carefully flip the napkin over. 

The open edges should now be facing away from you. 

Make sure all corners are together.

 6.  Fold diamond in half again.  This time away from you.

 7.  Take the left and right corners and lift napkin up and towards you. 

Simply adjust the distance to stabilize the napkin.

 This is the front view.

Now if the material in your napkin is flimsy, you may need to use some starch. 

This was a simple fold to do and added an elegant touch to the table.

Family Dinner

Did you eat too many chocolate Easter bunnies?
Have you recovered from the Easter weekend?
I was so tired yesterday and had tons of laundry to get caught up on. 

Our dinner on Saturday went very well.  Every one made it except for two who were dealing with illness.  Sorry they had to miss it.  We had a good time visiting and there was plenty to eat. 
Having leftovers to eat after church on Sunday made it really nice and easy.
Here are some pictures of the tables before everyone arrived.  One thing that Mom taught us was how to set a table.

It took more than one table and several chairs.

 Don't forget the bread baskets.

 Some simple florals and candles.

 Yes, cloth napkins.  Mom would be proud.

I will do another post later with step by step directions on folding the cloth napkin.

 

April Fools

Today is April Fool's day, also known as All Fool's Day.
It is a day filled with pranks and jokes of all kinds.

The exact origins are unknown however it is widely recognized in many western countries.
 
Now I personally do not go for pranks but I know some who do.

What are some of the best pranks you have pulled off?

What pranks have been pulled on you?