it's almost Christmas!!!!

Hey, if you haven't checked the calendar recently, it is almost Christmas. Maybe you haven't seen all of the Christmas specials that come out this time of year, I can hardly wait for the 24 hour marathon of a Christmas Story. Then again we will be bombarded with 24 hours of The Santa Clause 2. Which is a nice change of pace. It could be worse, 24 hours of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Just remember the real meaning of the holiday. The Birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He didn't get a Zbox, or anything like that. We should just be kind to one another as our gift to Him.
Everyone have a Merry Christmas. It's still cold outside, but we shouldn't complain because we chose to live here. Until next time Stay Warm.

boy it's cold outside

Boy it's old outside today. It is supposed to get down to 50 below zero to night. We got our tree up today so we are ready for christmas. I don't do well when it gets this cold. Right now it is 6 below zero and my wheelchair freezes up when it is this cold. So I just stay in and watch the river which has ice chuncks coming down the river. The fish are still jumping though.

thanksgiving hangover

Hello again!! Sorry I've not written lately but I have a thanksgiving hang over, so to speak.
We had thanksgiving with our good friends, and their children and grandchildren. We even had time for a friendly game of basketball, the kids against the parents. the score was 30 for the parents and 13 for the kids. All-in-all it was a fun time and good food.

It was kind of nice coming home with no left overs though. That way my hubby and I couldn't "pork out " on left overs.

Now we can look forward to Christmas with all it's trimmings. ie: fudge and other assorted condiments. January first is looking better all the time. When everyone goes on their annual diet.

Grandma's Raisin Pie

Out of all of the recipes I've placed here, I forgot my favorite pie of all.

Description:
This pie brings back memories of Grandma. It"s also good for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups of raisins
a double crust pie shell
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons of corn starch
a dash of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of sugar (for sprinkling on top pie after it is baked)

Directions:

place the raisins in a pot and cover them enough water to cover them, add a dash of cinnamon and boil them for 5 minutes. Add 1 tsp of vanilla.
In 1/4 cup of water place 2 tablespoons of corn starch.

Thicken the raisin mixture, then pour into the pie shell and cover with the top crust. Cut a design into the top crust to vent. We use a wheat design.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until browned
After it comes out of the oven sprinkle with a tablespoon of sugar

Number of servings: 6-8 servings

Preparation Time: about an hour

ENJOY!

Christmas Morning Caramel Pull-Aparts

Description:
This is really easy to make and great to prepare the night before and they are ready to bake when you get up !! The ingredients are really flexible. Add more nuts or brown sugar if you like, or leave out the nuts completely (although I think that's the best part).

Ingredients:
3/4 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
12 to 16 frozen white Rhodes rolls
1 four ounce package of butterscotch instant pudding mix
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup melted margarine
2 teaspoons of cinnamon

Directions:
Sprinkle nuts into bottom of a greased Bundt pan (or any 8x8 or 8 " round cake pan will do.
Arrange frozen rolls evenly over the nuts
sprinkle dry pudding mix over the rolls.
Combine brown sugar, melted margarine and cinnamon in a small bowl and mix well.
spoon mixture over the rolls.
Loosely cover with Saran wrap sprayed with Pam cooking spray.
place pan in col oven for eight to ten hours to rise.
Remove rolls from oven.
preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 25 minutes.
Place a large plate face down on top and quickly invert pan and plate together, dumping rolls out. Careful, caramel will be very hot!!
Let cool a bit and enjoy! Best served warm.

My grandma's peanut butter fudge icing

Here is my grandma's peanut butter fudge icing to go on top of the boiled raisin cake.

2 cups sugar
2-3 tablespoons of cocoa
3/4 cup milk

cook it until it starts to thicken up, let it cool slightly and the peanut butter until it is spreadable. You can use smooth or chunky style of peanut butter.


Enjoy!

Grandma's Boiled Raisin Cake

Description: This is a glorified fruit cake with out the candied fruit which you can add if you want too.

Ingredients:
2 cups of raisins
2 cups water
1 cup Crisco shortening (white)
2 cups sugar
4 tsp cocoa

Bring all of the ingredients to a full rolling boil in a pot. Let it boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Sift together the following ingredients:
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp allspice
1 tsp cloves

Directions:

Combine the flour mixture with the raisin mixture making sure it is mixed well. Grease and flour a 9x13 baking dish . pour cake mixture into the pan and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until done

Daughter's Note: This cake traditionally is served with a Chocolate-Peanut Butter frosting, but I think the cake also lends itself well to a Cream-Cheese based frosting. I have a Cream-Cheese frosting recipe in mind, and I will try it this year. If it is good, I'll post that recipe later. My mom will also post the original Peanut Butter frosting too.

Enjoy

Melt in your mouth Caramel

Melt In Your Mouth Caramel
Description:
This is not on any weight watcher's diet.
Ingredients:
1 stick of Unsalted butter or margarine
1 Cup granulated sugar
1 Cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
1 Cup clear Karo corn syrup
1 can of Borden's Sweetened Condensed Milk

Directions:

Place the ingredients into a heavy non-stick pan beginning with the butter.
Slowly bring all ingredients to a rolling boil. About 15 minutes on low heat until it reaches the soft ball stage.
Place caramel into a 9x13 pan sprayed with butter flavored crisco

This recipe can also be used for Caramel apples

More holiday recipes

Hello again I'm back with more holiday recipes for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The first recipe comes from my mother. She had left over apple pie filling and pumpkin pie filling and decided to make a new pie that is a family favorite not only for Thanksgiving but for Christmas as well. It is always the firsat pie to go at Thanksgiving.
PUMPPLE PIE
Description: A nice change from your average pumpkin pie
Ingredients:
1 deep dish unbaked pie shell
1 can of apple pie filling
1 can of LIBBY'S pumpkin pie filling (I use the one that has the pumpkin spices alread in it)
evaporated milk as per the instructions on the can of pumpkin.

Directions:
Place thje apple pie filling into the pie shell. prepare pumpkin as per instructions on can.
Pour the pumpkin pie filling over the apple pie filling and bake as it instructed on the can.

There will be left over pumpkin to make a small pumpkin pie.

Make sure you have plenty of Cool Whip on hand.

Number of servings: don't know family eats it to fast

ENJOY!!

Grandmother's Marshmallow Fudge

It works. Sorry for not writing in this as I should forgive me. I will try to do better.
I haven't done anything dumb lately. I thought I would put some family recipes in this for your holiday cooking. The first is my Grandmother's Marshmallow fudge
A smooth and fudgy treat perfect for the Christmas Holiday
Ingredients:
1 cup margarine (2 sticks)
4 cups of sugar
1 can of evaporated milk
1 (12 ounce) package milk chocolate chips
1 (12 ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

Melt margarine in a large sauce pan. Add sugar and evaporated milk. Bring to a boil;stir constantly for 9 minutes. Remove from heat; add milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips, marshmallow creme, vanilla and nuts, if desired. Stir well. until mixed. Pour into a buttered 9" x 12" pan. cool completely.

Number of servings: A LOT

Preparation time: about 30 minutes

ENJOY

Sorry, It's been awhile

Hey gang I'm back!!! I almost forgot how to do this but I got it now.
My sweetheart and I went to Idaho Falls to visit our grandchildren and our son too. We took them to the zoo there in Idaho Falls where we got rained on and hailed on. All in all it was fun. My sweety bought our grandchildren some new clothes and our son a new hoody with a skeleton on it when you zip up the hood. At the zoo we were standing outside the lions cage, my son zipped up his hoody and the lion started to charge the fence , then he turned and went on top of the rocks and just stared at us. We thought we were going to be dinner. (ha ha)
The weather here has started to turn cold. Which is something I couldn't wait for. So now I'm a happy camper now.
My sweety has to take my wheelchair in to be fixed. So I have to walk more instead of "riding" It's okay I need the exercise. So to speak.
As soon as I figure out how to put pictures on this web page I will put my grandchildren in my blog.
No new "dumb" things lately.
until next time.

new adventures i've had

Two weeks ago my husband forgot to put my booster seat on the toilet, when I went into the bathroom to do my business, I stumbled and fell onto the toilet. I was there for five long hours and couldn't get off the pot so to speak. While I was there I was counting the ceiling tiles and then the floor tiles until my sweetheart came home and helped me off. Needless to say we had the cleanest toilet in town. If I needed to use the bathroom, I was already there. (daughter's note: What she neglegts to tell you is that she normally keeps a phone in her apron that she wears all day long, just for this same situation... When this happened, she had taken her apron off prior to going into the bathroom, leaving the phone where it was... But, I guess that gives her something to talk about on her blog, and gives us a new christmas gift idea...)

Needless to say we never lack for entertainment at my place with me in the house.

My other adventure happened two days ago. I thought I was doing well and was putting the washed clothes away, and as I was leaving my bedroom, I missed my wheel chair and fell again. I called my son who I thought was at work only he was in his room sleeping. He answered and I asked him if he could help me. He started to drag me into his room. While he was doing that he kept saying "right cheek, left cheek" strying to make me "walk with my butt". We were laughing so much at the time trying to get me onto his bed that while doing so I fell on him hurting not only his back but mine also To make a long story even longer he called one of his friends to come over and help me get verticle again and in my wheel chair. When I was in my wheel chair he told me to STAY AND NOT GO ANY WHERE. Which I did.

Boy am I glad summer is almost over!!!

Boy am I glad summer is almost over and school starts soon. There should be floaters on the river trying to get in that last float before school. It is starting to get cooler here in Montana if you count being in the 50's cooler. That's a start. I haven't had to turn my air conditioner on today. I really like it when it starts to get cool. That means Christmas is just around the corner.
I seem to be doing well when it snows. I still trying to figure out how to put skiis on my wheelchair. Maybe a snow plow on the front would be better. Until next time

diagnosed with 4 small children

Hello there again. When I was diagnosed I had four small children. Jared beinging the oldest was 8 years old, Jennifer was 7, Joseph was 3 and Joshua was 2. It was Joseph that gave me the most grief. He would take great pride and run off knowing that I couldn't chase him. He ran away and went to a neighboring restaurant and told them that he just fell out the back of his parents truck and that we drove off and left him. They fed him and then the pollice brought him home. Afew days later, he followed the Butte High Marching Band uptown Butte Montana. The police brought him home again. When we would go on rides in the car he would take great pride in pointing out all of the places he has been. He is going to be 25 this December. I have the grey hair tro prove that I have survived. Through it all the other kids didn't give me nearly the adventures as he did. My daughter will probably put her two cents in to this when she edits this for me. Needless to say we all survived. More stories to follow. Until next time

the heat is getting to me

I thought I would write a little on this blog. How do you all handle the heat?? The Yellowstone River runs by my apartment, I have been tempted to jump in the river but I'm an avanced non-swimmer so that's not happing I'll just sit in my recliner with an air conditioner blowing on me and a fan going. and drinking lots of water.
Here it is the first part of August already. Which means that Christmas is just around the corner.
I better go and get something done even if it's wrong. Until next time

Old dogs can be taught new tricks...

Boy this blog thing can be frustrating. My daughter set me up and I couldn't remember my sign on or any thing. But she talked me through AGAIN . I wrote down how to do it so I could remember.

Now I know that MS effects your memory and other stuff but we won't go into that now.

To continue my story or should I say my adventures.

I look at MS, not as a disese, but as a challenge. I don't dwell on the things that I used to do ,but on the things I CAN do.

I try and keep our place clean by doing the little things like dishes.

When I do fall, I don't call it falling I call it getting up close and personal. Then I just think this is an angle of the apartment I haven't seen before. I broke my right leg getting out of the tub, which is another story. More to follow

More about Msmom21

I didn't tell about how i'm dealing with my MS now. When I was diagnosed I was more excited about having the Handicap sticker hanging from our rearview mirrior than anything else. I went from walking without any "helper's" to using a walker. To make it easier I gave my frist walker the name of TONTO, MY FAITHFUL ALUMINUM COMPANION. I started using my children as helpers until they got bigger than me. Then I relied on Tonto more. Then I got worse and had to go to a Wheelchair which I named THE MS ENTERPRISE, I DON'T HAVE A SEATBELT EITHER.
My wheelchair is now the offical computer chair. I still use it when we go to church and to do the dishes. I have another walker with wheels on it. I use that one around the house. It's name is EEK, SHE HAS WHEELS GET OUT OF HER WAY.

I used to be a city bus driver in Salt Lake City, Utah. Since I lost my driving abilities, the roads thank me daily for not being out there. I keep offering but no one takes me up on it. Go figure.

Dianosed April 1986

I got married on December 6, 1982. My husband and I decided to move our little family to Butte Montana. Where my husband was from. We have 4 children, 3 hits and a Miss. They were born in Salt Lake City but raised them in Montana, where the air is clean.
My sweetheart wanted to go and "jam" with a band so I told him to go ahead and go. I stayed at home with the children. To make a long story even longer, when he returned home I was on the couch and couldn't move. It was then that we went to the hospital. I was having spasms so bad that I was clinching my fists and my fingernails were digging into to palms of my hand. It took both the doctor and my husband to unclinch my fists. Then came the round of tests. I had an MRI, and a spinal tap.
The doctor came into the emergency room and told me that I had Mulpule Sclorosis. I cried for about 10 minutes. Maybe longer give or take a minute. When I heard a voice saying that if I didn't change my attitude I would end up in a hospital. Right then and there I changed my attitude. So I had MS, big deal. I missed being one of "Jerry's kids" by this much - instead of having MD I had MS. I started looking for the humor in things. And having PMA. which stands for positive mental attitude. Intead of thinking about what I used to do, I focus on what I can do.
Like my chores around the house. I can wash the dishes. (no one else wants to).
More of my story to follow.