Appreciation

I've been meaning to write this post... about appreciation.  Sometimes we just do things because it is the right thing to do and we really don't expect an "award".  And along the way, when we are doing the "right thing", we actually have fun. So - in a way, you are already getting 2 awards - doing the right thing and having fun.  I really believe that it is better to be busy than bored.
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One of my nephew's Boy Scout troops has an annual "Turkey Shoot and camp-out"... in November.  Remember what happened in November?  Hurricane Sandy.  Turns out that some of his leaders went down there to help out, but the kids had this big weekend all planned so some extra help was needed.
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Enter, my sister and myself - as cooks. 
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OK - so we didn't do it all by ourselves.  When we arrived, the guys had already made the "oven" (it is made out of old metal tent poles and plumbing pipes, chicken wire rolled in the corners to stack the charcoal, covered in tin foil and metal taped together (leaving the corners free for feeding the charcoal).  Here is a photo before the lid was taped down.  How else are you going to cook 3 huge turkeys, outside at a campground... in a few hours?  OK, so I had my doubts, but this thing really worked and it was the best turkey I have ever had!  Seriously.  But maybe that was because by then I had been cooking outside for several hours, in 40 degree weather and was starving!

Our outside kitchen.  To cook for over 50 people.

The "mega" stove.  This thing was a life-saver because it could hold 2 very large pots at a time and was much hotter than the other camp stove.  My sister and I were constantly switching pots back and forth depending how hot we wanted things to get.

This photo - I just love this photo, it is my sister... looking so much like our Mom with a big smile on her face and holding a bit pot of food!  We lost our Mom before my son was born - to cancer.  But she loved kids so I could just see her here - pitching in to make sure the boys had a good weekend!  Did I mention that it was cold and got colder as the evening went on?  We kept a big pot full of hot water just for the hot chocolate requests!

We made 8 boxes of Stove Top, peeled and chopped I think 20 pounds of potato for mashed potato, peeled and chopped I think 5 pounds of potato for scalloped potato loaded with whipping cream (yum!), I think we used 10 cans of gravy and should have used more!, we had butternut squash, several big bags of green beans that needed to be chopped and then we peeled and chopped lots of apples for jumbo apple pies - although one cute younger scout helped out with the apples.  We used store bought pie crust.

Once we fixed the scalloped potatoes and apple pies - we handed them off to the guys to look after.  See - they are in those big dutch ovens with coals underneath and on top.  Those things in the front are to get the coals hot.  And one of the guys is checking the turkeys!  They have yellow tape around our "oven" area to keep out the rough-housing boys!  Lots of boys!

The guys did a great job looking after our masterpieces!  See... (that's the apple pie - in progress).

About this time - they all figured out I liked to take lots of photos!  I told them that I posted photos on my blog and was being careful to take extra photos that would not show them or the boys for my blog because, well, because I am considerate that way.  Anyway, they told me I could take their photo and post it, so here is a photo of them lifting 2 of those yummy turkeys out of the "oven".  Pure perfection, I tell you!  And look - it is still daylight.  These things cooked just as quickly as if they were in a normal oven in a house!

My sister and I timed everything to finish at the same time.  And it worked, despite the different cooking temperatures on the stoves, phew!  We had lots of fun, joking and laughing all the while.  I think we almost talked the guys into hosting their own Pampered Chef party.  I have to say though - their camp kitchen was VERY well stocked, and organized.  I felt right at home!  Except I missed some of my "goofy" gadgets - like that Pampered Chef tube that you roll garlic in to get the peel off.  Yes, they were laughing at me!

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To serve all the hordes of hungry boys, the dishwashing stationed was emptied out, turned over and balanced on top of a long table.  This provided a stable holder for all the pots and pots of food.  The guys all lined up and got ready to serve.

As a special honor, my sister and I got to go first.  I was really touched.  I wasn't expecting that!  Everything was hot (an accomplishment considering the outside temperature) and delicious!  And for dessert, that special young scout that helped with the apple pies got to go first.  My sister and I left before the dishes had to be done, but everyone ate on paper plates with plastic utensils anyway.  We did NOT sleep in the tents (brrrr), but we helped cooked the food - and let me tell you, it was tons of work, but fun too.

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Not too long ago, my sister e-mailed me the photo of the turkey shoot patches.  The Boy Scout troop ordered my sister and me our very own patches as a special thank-you for all our help.  It is nice to be appreciated!  And we had fun.  And the boys had fun.  And I think that the guys were relieved when we showed up to take over "our" part of the kitchen.  And everyone was well fed.  And happy.  And did I mention - my sister and I got to eat first?  Yum.  

Sewing Inspiration

Don't you just love thumbing through the "resort wear" section of catalogs during the winter months?  Sneak previews are always available right after Christmas.  Let's look at the photo above (Nordstrom's).  Knit jacket (it does have princess seams on the front, no seams on the back) for 1038 Euros, Skinny pants for 397 Euros and a scoop neck tank top (ribbed knit) underneath for 236 Euros.  No mention of shoes, but truthfully, I wouldn't wear shoes like that anyway!  But the outfit - I like it.  So, let's see...

Simplicity 2136 looks very similar to the jacket (loose the bow!)  Or - there are lots of other similar ones - this is just the first one I came across in a search!  You have to love that it is an "It's so Easy" pattern!  I think I might even own this pattern - if not this one, then something similar that I bought with the idea that I might make a fleece blazer.  If it works for fleece, I bet it will work for a nice, thick double knit, you could even line it so it won't be clingy.

Skinny white jeans.  Old Navy?  Gap?  I take a long length which isn't always easy to find.  I made a pair of skinny pants 3 years ago from a German magazine and I still have that pattern - it would work perfectly.  Or, maybe Jalie stretch jeans pattern has many happy reviews over on patternreview.com.  You need just over 1.6 yards of 60" wide fabric to make these jeans (plus/minus depending on your size).  Stretch denim (60") is on sale right now at fashionfabricsclub.com for $5.25 per yard.  Order the 2 yards and use the scraps to make some cute coin pouches or whatever.  Add a zipper, jeans thread, jeans needle, grommets and top snap.

Black tank top?  I think I have that covered!  However..  there is always Simplicity 2599... another patternreview favorite.  1 1/2 yards of 60" wide knit should do it for most sizes.

Almost 1700 Euros for the outfit from Nordstrom's.  Not that I shop at Nordstrom's anyway - but I do like to look at their website because their fashions are very current.  If I am going to take the time to sew something, I don't want a mish-mash of bargain basement fabrics.  It is easy to get distracted when buying fabrics and then end up with something that you weren't envisioning in the first place!  If you line these 3 patterns up in a row, would you imagine the Nordstrom's outfit unless you already had that in mind?  I don't - that is why I like to have a plan in place before I go pattern/fabric shopping!
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So - that is part of what I did today.  Post-Christmas - spent putting together Lego's, a model with evil soak off decals that are fragile and easy for a boy to rip, drawing, hanging out, etc.  We were going to go ice skating, but it is raining.  Very warm for December.  A perfect day for thinking about some clothes that I would like to make!

Christmas Greetings

 For us, December is a month where we really enjoy our candles, starting with the first candle in the Advent wreath.  This photo is from right after we light the 4th Advent candle, plus the many others!  The white pillar candles we decorated with colored sheet wax during a craft activity at one of the churches.

 This is the first year we have had lights on our tree here and I have really enjoyed it!  Lights in the home for decoration are not typical here - candles are still preferred!  You will notice that the tree is cut in such a way to make room for the candles on the ends of each level.  The first few stores we looked at, lights were about 50 Euros so I was thinking that lights weren't going to happen, but then I tried a discount store from a big chain and they had these for a price I could bear.  This really is the nicest tree we have ever had - we have purple, red and gold decorations, lots of hanging chocolates, purple candles, a red topper and a few other odds and ends of special ornaments, and lots of goodies all wrapped up underneath!  

 My son and I - so very happy to be together on Christmas Eve!

 In the afternoon, we took a walk along the river.  The temperature today is fairly mild for December, which is good because my son has been running night fevers and the cold weather gets him coughing.  But today was a good day for a walk.  We like to look for ducks and usually see one or two.  Today we saw over 24 ducks... and a swan!  My son was most thrilled with the Christmas swan and took many photos - thank goodness for digital cameras or else, in the old days, that would be an entire roll of film!

In the early evening on Christmas Eve, we leave the house and Christkind brings presents.  In Austria, there is no Santa Claus, but rather an angel who brings the presents.  It is a bit of a challenge to get everyone out of the house at a certain time, so a neighbor can bring the presents from Christkind into the house!  Then all the presents are opened.  I love it that my son stopped mid-presents to try on his new house slippers that I knit for him.  He is really appreciative of every present.  A funny thing - one of my sisters sent him a fleece jacket that she smooshed into a zip lock bag so it would fit into my suitcase.  He even likes that zip lock bag!  Perfect for storing Lego bits in, you know?

Speaking of Legos - my lovely boy.  Here he is excited to get a box of Lego pieces from Christkind.  This year Christkind's paper was blue.
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In the evening we had DH's favorite Christmas Eve meal - meat fondu.  Steak, chicken and pork, plus salads, sides, and bread.  I also set out carrot sticks, pickles and sliced pears.  With lots of candles.  We wound down with watching Home Alone and then went to bed... because... well - even if Santa isn't traditional in Austria, he does make a special detour to our home! :)  

Personally, when I was growing up, my stocking was always a favorite gift, and I think the same goes for my son.  I love this photo - don't you love how kids wake up and run to see if Santa has come?  Santa always brings a stuffed animal, chocolate and one "big" gift, plus all those odd bits like toothbrush & paste, chapstick, flashlight, etc.  That stocking comes in useful!  See that Lindt chocolate bear - Gummi Bear sued and won the rights, so Lindt can't make the bear anymore but if I tell him that - he will never eat it.  So, shhhh.  He hardly eats candy anyway, so if it is still left by mid-January for our Snowman party, we will melt it (and all the other left-over Christmas chocolates) in the chocolate fondu pot for dessert with pound cake, bananas and strawberries!
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So, Christmas continues...  why rush it - my son is growing up so fast!  Today... Lego marathon (because that is what Santa brought, did you guess?), left-overs, the last day of Christmas music over the radio, and candles.  A peaceful, stress-free day.  Wishing all my family, friends and blog readers the same.