Happiness is .. Corn

After the Inspector Weens had made sure the corn had passed their approval it was time to start shucking, cleaning, blanching, cutting or mini cobbing.  I honestly have new respect for the elder generations who did this not because they wanted to .. but because they had to.  It's a lot of work but well worth it.  

It's important to get your kids involved in the process ... 

they need to understand where their food comes from and how "lucky" they are that they can just go to the store and pick it up from a shelf or a bin. There is a process that has to happen prior to being able to just stuff it in your mouth after it's been cooked. 

Mine totally enjoyed shucking the ears from their cozy husks. 

I was prepared for full on resistance.  

They continue to surprise me daily.  ;) 

 

The aftermath ...  

My littlest one proudly perched above the "mess" as she called it.

The moment when I looked at the corn and thought.. 

what had I gotten myself into, all those silks had to be cleaned off as best as possible.. silks and I are not friends! 

Ready to be blanched..  

The end results.. some cut off freezing to be later placed in bags and some just turned into mini cobs.  I admit.. I cheated and did more mini cobs than cutting.  

Of course you never leave the garden out of things..  tossed into a pile to dry out and later be worked into the garden when we till it up later this fall.

 

Chief Ween Inspectors ... Got corn?

Yesterday we were gifted with 3 crates of corn.  

Yes 3 .. that equals approximately 100+ ears.  Oh my!

My excitement over this abundance is high I tell you.   I know that there will be a lot of blanching, cutting corn off the cob and even cutting the cobs into mini sizes for freezing but....

 I'm alright with that. 

Yeah I say that now as I procrastinate to share this posty.  

Later ... is a different story. Ha!

Of course the Chief Ween Inspectors had to make sure it passed their approval.  Molly & Shiloh could have cared less really. But Toby, BeBe and Mishka were intrigued. I should say ... they were tickled that Mommy would let them near enough to snif, lick and possibly steal a bite.  Thankfully only sniffing occurred and no cobs were harmed in the process.  Such happy little squealy campers they were once I set them loose. Did I video.. no that would be too easy.  Out of 30+ photos these 3 were the clearest and decent enough to be shared with the world.  ;)

Mile a minute wagging tails here ...  

what is this stuffs??

Toby .. was very curious about the corn.  
He actually had to "crawl in" to investigate this interesting "stuffs" 

Love

There is nothing better than love.  

 

BeBe & Molly sharing a smooch.  

It just doesn't get any better ( or cuter ) 

than that... 

Happiness ... in the form of a little brown box

Do you ever have days where it seems or feels like EVERYTHING that could go wrong is going wrong? I was having one of those days today. Just literally.. ahem .. a shit kinda day. Yes .. I said a shit kinda day. I wont be delicate when it comes to describing it with two words.. Just shitty! What I wont do is go into details because my drama is most likely not very interesting... What I will do is show you ... what made my day go from crummy to happiness in all the time it took to open a simple brown box. 

I might add .. this box was completely unexpected. 

 Sometimes.. pictures tell the story .. sometimes I embellish .. I'll embellish here and there if that's ok? 

Now .. isn't this just a delicious looking little box?  It was sitting on my front porch when I got home as if to say "HEY .. I am here for you .. just you .. you and you alone.."  my first smile after a long poopy day.. 

 

So .. I scooped this wee bit of possible happiness up and ran into the house with it as the kids and hubby were coming from the rig.. we had just been to town, chaos.. I tell you... chaos!!  
It was MINE .. mwahahahaha MINE MINE MINE .... I had no idea who it was from .. who it was too .. it was MINEEEE  ( it helps to pay attention to who a box is for before grabbing and running .... I did not!! ) 

and then ... I looked ... my heart went flutter.  I know of only person who frequently shares the cutest little updates from this wonderful little rescue and he knows who he is too... 

Suddenly... this little box of happiness took on all new meaning..  it was an extra special box of happiness .. one that wasn't to be obtained for a while but was bookmarked and on my list of "want badly" as life has it's way of having the needs vs wants currently.  But how I wanted this awesome bit of cookbookery!  You see ..  while I may be a Dachshund Momma ( aren't those cute side photos on the right kinda obvious?? )  My first love is and will always be .. Kitties..  I am owned by 8 kitties..  ( yes all spayed and neutered I am a good pet Mom!! ) I have to admit that I have a partially blind kitty, Macy.  She's my one eyed frita bandita so I have a special place in my heart for perfectly imperfect kitties and .. I have a cookbook addiction .. hey .. don't judge! 

Nestled in that fun poppable pinkness .. is just that.. 

A cookbook .. with kitties inside and out.  

Heaven! 

Isn't it delish just to LOOK AT??

Common Substitutions, Roasting Chart & Perfect Pasta

That cool lil plastic bit isn't just for good looks folks. You can remove it from the cookbook and it will hold it upright.  

THAT is damn handy I must say!!   

 

Food Storage Guidelines, General Slow Cooker Tips & Equivalents

 

I have to say maybe the best part isn't the recipes.. but the little section dividers that come placed in the back.  You do have to take them out and place them in their proper spots within the book.  I felt them being shipped in the back was smart so that the little tabs wouldn't be bent out of shape from possible mishandling from certain mail carriers I will not name in this certain town where I live.   Anyhoo ... these little dividers.. wonderful!!!  The front of each one has a Blind Cat Rescue kitty picture with their story below.  

Even the back is adorable ... 

and .. just in case you couldn't see from the photo of the front cover.. why yes .. I had to edit these just so they would stand out on there own for you to see ..  

I love humor ... humor, cats and a cook book..  yes .. certainly heaven.  It has 335 pages of recipes ( 336 if you include the last page where you can jot down your own in the blank space provided.. handy! ) Everything from Appetizers and Beverages down to Pet Treats..  Being that I like to bake I will be trying something tomorrow from the desserts section.  Bourbon chocolate chip pecan pie sounds delish but I am afraid I might enjoy more Bourbon than pie if I brought any of that home to make it. 

If I was to make a review of this I would say I am in no way affiliated with the B.C.R. nor are they aware of my posting about their cookbook. The thoughts I write are my own.  ;)

I would say this cookbook is without a doubt .. worth every penny.  Not only does it have all the above..  it helps a wonderful rescue that sees the beauty and perfection in imperfect little furbabies.  What's not to love about that?   
If anyone happens to find this via a search I will tell you that the cookbook is well laid out, exceptionally sturdy, has loads of recipes for meat lovers, veggie lovers and naughty dessert lovers such as myself.  There are simple quick toss togethers and there are ones that are a bit more involved. Which to me is always nice.. sometimes I am in the mood to make something that takes a bit longer and other days I want quick and delish. 

For more information on BCR or to order one of these fantastic cookbooks just click the pic below! 

and .. last but never least ...
Thank you .. to the very special friend in my life that shared this awesomeness with me.   I had a good sniffity cry when I realized where it was from and who made it happen.  Love you lots!!! 

The Weens

Thoughtful moments ... Tobias is my bouncy trouncy playful Ween but he has his moments where he settles on my lap and just watches life go by ... he always looks so deep in thought during these times. I wonder what exactly he's thinking about. 

 

 Mishka .. . for those that haven't seen him in a while he's gotten BIG hasn't he?

He's not my largest in the "pack" Just a hair above Tweenie status.  

Am I not the most handsome? Shiloh always has the sweetest poses ...

 he's showing his Dapper Dan pose here

   

You have a treat for me? It's SO rare that I can get a decent face shot of princess squirmy mcgee.. 

 Score!

  

 BeBe ... He's got that delicate princess paw up as usual .. such a lil Diva ..  

 but wait... the diva was busted acting immensely silly.. 

 He will die when he finds out Momma posted this one.

Art Stuffs

There is something to be said for art stuffs ...  pencils, pens, papers of all different textures.. hell color crayons make me happy. 

The need to reach in, choose a color and let your imagination go wild on a blank sheet of paper.. Overwhelming.

Just might have to sit and doodle a dachshund today.   ;)

Suncatchers

When boredom strikes during Summer vacation the internet is a lovely tool to find something interesting to do when it's just a touch too warm outside to play.

Pony Bead Suncatchers.. I'd rate them as EASY .. my 6 & 11 year old girls loved putting the beads into the molds, time from start to finish for us was approx 1 hour.  My only suggestion is have a drill handy if you do not have a metal bead to create a hole or want to string them together as I did.  Oh and a couple fans to air the kitchen.  Plastic is stinky while it's melting.  This is an open window project for sure. 

Click here for Instructions


Before



After



Popped out of the molds



All strung together





The light showing through