A little Thanksgiving children's project

I wanted something to keep the children busy for a bit on Thanksgiving afternoon, so I had them make turkey placemats.  Can you see them there?

I traced a luncheon plate on a piece of construction paper and a saucer on another, then filled in with turkey feathers.  I gathered stickers, buttons, and cut up bits of ribbon, yarn, and lace, putting them in pie pans on the table.  We used white glue, a glue stick, and hot glue to attach the various decorations.

The children were busy for at least half and hour and we had cute decorations for the table!

Meal Plan

Monday: Potato sausage, potatoes, stir-fried cabbage

Tuesday: One-pot Mexican spaghetti, avocado slices

Wednesday:  Vegetable soup with veggies from Bountiful Basket that need to be used up

Thursday:  Wyatt & Afie's sesame chicken from the frozen dinner club

Friday:  Pizza

Another canning first

Ever since buying my handy dandy pressure cooker last year, I've been looking for opportunities to can things I never could before.  I'd seen a company called Zaycon that sells bulk meat and finally the price was good enough to make me trek across town to pick up an order, so I ordered a 40 pound box of chicken breasts.  I knew I wanted to freeze some of it, but 1) I don't have lots of room in my freezer, although it is a second freezer kept outside, and 2) I wanted some chicken cooked and ready to go, and 3) I wanted to try pressure canning meat.  So I froze about half the chicken and canned the rest.

So easy!

Here are the last three jars of nineteen I canned and . . . why can with a partly-empty canner?  So I did five jars of pinto beans as well to fill the canner.  I love that thing!

Avon home party?

It has been years since I went to a home shopping party, such as a Tupperware party.  Years.  When a friend recently asked me to an Avon home party I decided to go.

First of all, I've never known an "Avon lady" to hold a party, but it was fine.  There were lots of expected items such as the ones on display.  The catalog held a lot more items I hadn't seen, such as toys, clothing, and even underwear.  Kind of one-stop shopping for the busy woman, I guess.  Second, I needed a couple of Avon items anyway, so it was a good opportunity to do a little shopping.  The hostess had delicious cookies and ice cream sundaes too, so it was very good use of my time. :-)

I'm feeling my German roots today

I haven't participated in Bountiful Baskets for six months or so.  Found out my regular location has been discontinued, so I found one near our church that is pretty convenient.  I also like the later pick up time, so even though I arrived the usual hour early to help unload boxes and distribute baskets, it was already light when I got there.

Look at what I got and see if you can tell why I'm feeling German today:

Lotsa root vegetables there: onions, potatoes, and beets, plus a cabbage for good measure.  I think I see a soup or stew coming next week.  Anyway, when I lived in Germany I was struck by how common cabbages and root vegetables were on restaurant plates.

It was fun to go back for more vegetables and I plan to not wait nearly as long next time.