Cooking with the Man. .. . The Hubbs . . . .

The hubbs got a pellet grill for Christmas this year and he has driven me crazy about it.  This was one of those gifts that he wanted and researched and picked out what he thought would be the very best one.  He has done nothing but talk about it for two and half weeks prior to Christmas.  I do not begrudge my sweet hubby something that he wants, he works very hard and we have the cash to buy it and he does do his research on the best brand, type and what company has the best deal.  I am so thankful that the best deal on this grill was local, otherwise we would have been trecking all over to find one. 
It was delivered on Friday and he did the initial burn and then on Saturday he smoked a ham.  Neither of the boys like ham very much but they both raved over the one the hubbs smoked.  I must say it was a pretty good ham.  We went shopping today and I have fixed a meatloaf and it is currently resting with the smoker.   I will share with ya later how it was.  We also bought a pork butt to smoke this weekend.  Hanging out with the family tonight, very low key New Years in our house.  Spending some quality time with the boys. 
This smoker grill thing is pretty high tech, you can sync it with your wifi and your phone and it will send alerts when your food has reached optimal temperature.  I have to admit that is very cool. 
Here are a few pictures of this very tech savy pellet grill and my boys.

My Loves

The Hubbs new love 

The meatloaf  cooking  

I will share later how the loaf was.  I have had smoked meatloaf before at one of our local BBQ restaurants and it was really good.   I hope mine will be good too.  

Stay tuned as we prepare for 2020:  Sprat will have his first official college lacrosse season, Big T will start his junior year lacrosse season,  and I might get to go to Maine and see Sprat play.  

Merry Christmas to All. . .

Everyone home for Christmas.  I have struggled this holiday season, with Mom breaking her hip and having surgery at the day before Thanksgiving and all of the rehab she had to do, plus my insane work schedule.  I must give kudos to my manager she really worked with me over Thanksgiving so that I could be there for my Mom.  We have been short staffed for a year now and we now have two in training so I will be back to my regular part time schedule soon.  

With all that has been going on I have not really been in the Christmas/Holiday spirit, it has been a struggle for me.  I did get a little bit of it back when someone put out a plea for Christmas lights for a local nursing facility.  The hubbs and I went to the store and bought a bunch of lights to donate for their outdoor Winter Wonderland they were going to have for their residents.  They also had an angel tree for their residents and I decided to adopt two for Christmas.  The hubs and I shopped for them and delivered the lights and gifts not too long after Thanksgiving.  That really perked me up but I was not 100 % in that Christmas spirit just yet.  My very sweet hubby has worked so hard to get me in the spirit and on Christmas morning Santa had delivered a few very cool Christmas CDs.  Yes, I still listen to CD's on my drive to work.  Bing Crosby and Elvis Christmas albums,  the Eagles greatest hits,  ABBA greatest hits, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1, and Ray Stevens greatest hits.   Bing can really put you in the Christmas spirit.  

My fellas saw to it that I had a comfort Christmas this year:  Socks (big fluffy comfy), blankets,  gloves and scarves.  Big T, my little hypochondriac, gave me a first aid kit filled with an assortment of bandaids, neosporin, and gauze pads.  He said he was just getting me ready for lacrosse season.  

Photo upload:

 

Sprat Sporting his new ECD Lax Christmas Sweater

The Hubbs being goofy 

The Cousins 

Bad Luck and Thanksgiving. .. .

My family has decided to do away with the actual holiday of Thanksgiving, we have decided to for go the November stipulation of the holiday and just have it as a surprise every year.  Do not misunderstand we are extremely thankful for all things, it just seems over the last few years that the actual holiday of Thanksgiving has been a disaster. Two or three years ago Thanksgiving, the year escapes me at this point, my dad flipped over the recliner and broke his collar bone and he was in a terrible fix for almost a year.  This year the Wednesday before Thanksgiving Mom and Dad's power went out in the wee hours of the morning.  Mom jumped up and realized it was out and was going to get up and get a flash light so Dad did not get up and possibly trip in the dark.  Mom jumped up and she tripped and fell and broke her hip, this was at 0330 in the AM.  The ambulance came and took her to the hospital and she had hip replacement surgery before lunch that day.  She is at a rehab facility now to get her hip back in shape.  I will not divulge her age but we will say eighty ish, my mother and father both are very healthy and nobody can seem to wrap their heads around that.  If she was asked one time she was asked one million, "You only take one medication????"   It was almost like they thought she was telling a fib.  My mother is the strongest person you could ever meet and beautiful both inside and out.  I know in my heart of hearts mom will recover she will not be in softball shape but she will be back on her feet.  Yes, my mom played softball up till she was sixty-five, Dad made her quit because she broke her nose in a double header.  Mom  played second base and was awesome.  She also played  basketball in high school and played semi- pro basketball for a year or two after high school, she is an amazing woman. 
I feel very fortunate to still have my parents to talk with and to ask advice about things.  I also feel very fortunate that my kids have their grandparents to talk with and learn from.  I only knew my maternal grandmother and she passed away when I was very young.  I do remember going to her house for Thanksgiving and Christmas and getting to see our cousins, aunts, and uncles. 
We are very thankful but, next year we may celebrate our thankfulness in July and it will be a surprise to us all. 
Sprat was ushered back to school via a snow storm, he made it safely and it is still snowing.  Classes were canceled yesterday and he and a couple friends were out playing in the snow. I had been begging him to send me pictures of the snow and he finally did.  I love the snow, I do not like driving in it but I love to watch it fall and to see the snow covered landscape.  It seems so peaceful and calm and it reminds me of a cleansing of all the pollen and pollution out of the air.
Stay tuned for more winter updates from Massachusetts, and updates on Mom's rehab progress.