Sausage Smoking Party!

Ever since Janell, my friend from work, got a smoker for Christmas, we've been planning a Sausage Smoking day. Finally, on the 20th, I packed up my smoker and spices and hauled everything to Stayton where we made sausages all morning, then partied in the afternoon!
Here's the Kitchen Aid mixer with it's grinding attachment...

The spices all weighed out and ready...

Janell pre-grinding the meat...

Me mixing away on a batch of English Bangers..

Here we are finally stuffing the meat into pork casings...

The finished links. We definitely got better as we went along.

And here are the finished sausages after about three hours of smoking! They were smoky, juicy, and delicious! After the word got out at work that the party was a success, there were many requests for a second sausage party day!

C'mon a My House!

My new house! Yes, I finally found one that suited me and took the leap over Christmas. It's the biggest present I've ever bought myself!
Here is the living room. This is before I had new cadet heaters installed and the walls painted....

My bedroom...I've since had the closet rebuilt and the room painted green (of course).


The tiny bathroom that needs updating...

Bedroom #2, commonly referred to as "Mom's Bedroom", which is also now boasting a new closet and color- blue!


The kitchen which also desperately needs a facelift. Not to worry, I'm already scheming!


A very awkward space containing a water heater that's not up to code and a washer/dryer that doesn't really fit. More scheming...

Here is the narrowest staircase I've ever seen going up to the partially finished attic space...

Heads up!

Perfect hideaway for any little boys that might come over and visit...(hint, hint Adrienne)...

Here is an outdoor shot of the back of the house, the most common entrance. The front door is more of a formality.

Here is the spacious side yard, just waiting for fruit trees and an espalier fence!

Here is the front of the house and more yard, just bursting with potential!

The detached garage..stay tuned for pictures of demolition! My friend Bill is coming up today and we're ripping out an office that was built inside. I have modest plans to turn into a beautiful workspace and seed starting station!

And, finally, the backyard which needs a new fence. All this un-utilized space makes me so excited to start from scratch and really make something spectacular. I can't wait to get started!

Pike's Market (or) My Vision of Heaven

Andersen Trip to Seattle!

Jeez, where have I been???

Shit, I'm behind on posting! Naturally, I have lots of pictures to share, dating way back to Jan's Christmas gift exchange party!

Here's Cynthia showing off her wonderful White Elephant gift of dried lamb scrotum (that was Jan's idea) and creepy sheep puppet!

Next, we have Jan sipping wine and trying to remember the "rules" of gift-picking and stealing...Neil had to be consulted throughout...

Here we are all very festive with our paper crowns, reading the jokes from the Christmas crackers...Cynthia still with creepy sheep puppet...

Sean, after grabbing said creepy sheep puppet off chair, proceeded to kill, kill, KILL!!

Ginger on the couch while Elizabeth knits and talks (she so talented...I can't do both...)

Now, ZOOOOOM forward to the Andersen/ Lulay arduous journey into the high, high hills of Sweet Home Christmas Tree Hunt. The higher we drove, the more snow started to appear on the roadside and we finally had to turn around (after I had a major melt down after feeling the truck slip).



Finally, after...ahem...getting my tree in a lot...we decided to head home. I got all my presents wrapped in brown paper packaging, tied up in string just in time for a trip to St. Helens.