Blackberry Dumplins

This is a recipe passed down through the generations in my family. At least that's what my mom told me. Anyway I finally tried to make this yummy dessert and I still got to tweak a little.  I grew up eating this and when I got pregnant with both of my kids my mom had to make it for me. Anyway enough gabbing about it, here's how my mom wrote the recipe to me. In parentheses will be notations my Aunt Connie gave me.

Blackberry Dumplins

1 pkg Blackberries
Sugar to taste (Approx. 2 cups)
Put to chili pot size
Cook down to good sweet taste
make dumplins out of bisquick & milk (or roll 2 cans biscuits, cut and drop) Drop by teaspoonfuls into blackberries. Cook until dumplins are done and juice is thick. 
Serve hot or cold.  ( can add a slight amount of cinnamon)

A Surprise At the Door

At 1:00 am eastern time we heard a scratch and meow at the door. Now I thought maybe the neighbors cat got out somehow but it wasn't. At the door was a beautiful kitten. She's black and white and full of personality, super friendly and lovable. Now what makes this so funny to us is we live on the 2nd floor of an apartment building. and she found our door. Anyway my daughter has wanted a cat again since we moved ( had to give up other cats since we couldnt travel with them )

 So I texted the landlord and he approved us to keep her  YEAH!!! We decided to name her Bella.  Here's her picture.

One More Problem Solved and more

We managed to solve one more issue, at least for me to be able to find a job easier. We got a second car. My hubby got him a 2001 Mustang.  I am so excited to be able to get some sleep now and I open up more to find a job. Here is are a couple of pictures of his new baby.

On another note my son got suspended from school for 8 days for having a cigarette in his jacket pocket.  Now I know he doesn't smoke and we figured out the source, it was an ex-girlfriend of his that had used his jacket when they dated. She was caught giving a cigarette to another boy at the school and somewhere several students got searched and my son was one of them. When he returns to school, He also has to take a class (I think 3 to 6 total) for this incident. I am pissed off. He has done so much better in school since we came here and now his reputation is marked because of this girl. He hasn't had near the trouble here as he did in Indiana.  I truly think 8 days suspension is riduculous. I mean what are they learning from being that severly punished? I understand the point of the principal but that doesn't mean I have to agree with it. 

Since the weather is going to be a bit warmer this week I'll try to get some pictures from our new hometown to share. Until then Live~Laugh~Love.

New Beginnings

We have been through a lot this year, as the scenario for several families around the country. My whole family as well as my hubby’s whole family were born and raised in Indiana and because of job loss we had to go where he found a job, Pennsylvania. All our friends and family are still back home and we are still adjusting to the new environment and wage loss. I am slowly finding us help via the Red Cross, and I can not thank any of them enough for the help we have received so far. I’m looking for a job but with my lack of skills (only retail) and my availability for now is making it difficult. I wish I could try to make money part time at least from home but not sure what I could do. So in the meantime between running everyone around, doing errands and job searching; I’m trying to learn new recipes (which I will share later) and learning to shop thrifty. I’m learning more about myself everyday and trying to learn our new location.

Let me back up a few month’s, in July my hubby lost his job of sixteen years. There was no real warning this was coming, but we should have seen it coming, considering his dad lost his job from the same place a year or a little more before my hubby as well as other company men that has had years in the company. My hubby got ahold of an old supervisor he used to work with and he helped get him a job in our new location. So we had very little time to get things in order and move here pulling a 4 x 8 trailer with our small car.

On the plus side we have seen the Gettysburg battlefield. That was such a wonderful and awesome experience. The vastness and the statues are breathtaking. You can really imagine how things were after seeing and walking the battlefield and the town. Still seeing the cannonball holes and bullet holes in buildings is amazing to see. Here are three photo's that I took of one spot in town iand is one of my favorites.

I printed most of the photos I took and only had a very small amount on my sim card. When the weather warms up I will take some new photos to show. Well I’ll wind this one up here and continue the new journey later on.

Keep the faith!

My Mom’s Chili

My mom was famous for her chili. My cousin Cathy and I both had her teach us this recipe. As we have gotten older we have adjusted it to our way but this is as close to my mom’s version as I can remember.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 small onion, chopped small

2 cans V-8 juice

2 cans chili beans

2 cans diced stewed tomatoes

1 to 1-1/2 cups elbow macaroni (or spaghetti)

1 tsp A-1 steak sauce, or to taste

1 TBLS Mexene Chili Powder or to taste

Directions:

Brown ground beef with the onion; drain. Combine in a large pot the V-8 juice, chili beans, tomatoes, A-1 steak sauce and chili powder, heat to boiling reduce to medium heat. In a seperate pot cook elbow macaroni to al-dente ; drain. Add ground beef and macaroni to chili pot when cooked. Stir occasionally; simmer for 1/2 to 1 hour.

Enjoy!