Lots-o-stuffs from baskets to scones, Random Acts of Kindess-3 and a home for a Kitty

Woooowee! What a ride the last few days have been !

Warning : this is a long article and there are a good number of photos so it might take a bit to load for you. Thank you for being patient.

By last night I was so physically and emotionally exhausted I went to bed at 9 and slept solidly till 9:15 this morning. I know I needed it because I normally don't sleep that much in on night. It is nice to have nothing but normal house hold chores to do today because I am spent!
So lets see if I can put some of all this in some fashion of a perspective ( for my self ) while I share the Good stuff ( and some not so good) with you!

Tuesday we went to see the Surgeon and he wants to do a but load more test between now and the 22 of this month. On that date he will be looking into my "innerds" and taking some biopsies of some "inflamed" and enlarged tissue areas of my stomach, duodenum, colon, and large and small intestines..

Of course that was after the strange day in the kitchen and was on the day i found out i won that wonderful wind chime in Mrs. B's Giveaway

My husband found out he is in line for a promotion to the position he has been working for for a long time ( he is so lucky to have his dream job!) Which comes with a pay raise and health benefits too!! among other perks !

We also learned that day, that a long time friend was tragically killed in a work place accident. He was reaching out to attach his safety harness when he fell through a snow covered sky light that apparently wasn't on the schematics/ blueprints to this place..he fell 45 feet! There is some comfort to know he died instantly and didn't have to suffer further. This came after he fought his way back from a massive heartache. I pray that God and Goddess cradle his family in love, strength, and healing so they can face all they must in the coming days .

and that was just Tuesday

Yesterday (Wednesday) , I started the day In the garden . I wasn't out long , but long enough to stain my nails with sweet Mother Earth by pulling early spring weeds and checking on all the little plants beginning to peek up. It was so quiet which was wonderful . The birds were singing, the sun shinning , the scent of Springs promise filled the gentle breezes that swirled around me. It was just the spiritual and physical energy boost I needed.

Shortly after, we were off to the hospital to begin all this testing, then over to the pharmacy to turn in my normal monthly 16 scripts plus 3 new ones!!! ( thank goodness they are only temporary ...I Hope!)

While we were waiting to get them filled, my Sweet Sweet Hubby took me to a local thrift shop (not something I physically am capable of often.. but as I said yesterday was a very good day physical ) and among the treasures I brought home were....





this Beautiful dish for $3.00 for our Ostara alter
I love the beautiful earthy tone swirls with the pink and green accents and its oval shape.




It's marked Cal tempo "fish fin" and what looks like AW??
If i remember right Cal temp is 1950's vintage but I am not 100% sure.. I just know I was rather smitten and quite happy with the price








I love this sweet little taper candle holder and snuffer set..

$1.00 ( candle wasn't included)



With the spring storm season fast encroaching upon us this will be a sweet little holder to keep in the kitchen encase of a power outage.


Of course it was perfect when I purchased it and some how we nicked it and another piece before we got them home ( they were in the same bag) But I still love it !






See the nick??





there at the bottom of the rim



it's on the bottom of this sweet little soup and rice bowel set

I love these sets, but don't normally find them locally so this was a real find at $3.00






( then we had to go an nick the thing dang it!)






at least these made it home safely

I love the pot-tea cup and sake set

$8.00 and in perfect condition

Then I found this little vase for $0.50

it's' motif doesn't match the pot-tea cup-sake set exactly but it really looks cute with it .










And I found a box of 2 of those little plant watering globes.. For $5.00


Maybe not the best deal on them but I have been wanting to try them to see if they really work so the price was right for me.







This is Random Act of Kindness Moments !As you know I have been taking part in Random act of kindness month over at the Domestic Witch.. sooo

Tuesday
I managed to arrange with my friend a time to meet at her Mother's house and have my husband deliver to her mom my "treat Box".








My Scones looked so pretty... My Friend's Mother is from Great Britten and Knows her Scones... So I had my fingers crossed that mine would pass her intense scrutiny.







I included 3 kinds of teas, some Girl Scout Short Bread Cookies ( mine were a bust and I didn't have time to make a fresh batch) , and some home made "false" Devonshire Cream, using one of my Gramas ol' recipes, some candied orange peel.. and a sweet little card just to let her know she is loved and always thought of!


The Scones where a HIT !!! My friend has been having a dicken's of a time lately trying to find thing her mom can/will eat.. I guess she Gobbled them Down. My Friend Said that this gift really went a long way to Lifting her moms spirits and making her feels special.. I am soo Happy for that .. because that also meant my friend had a wonderful day with her mother!


Wednessday
2nd : while I was at he thrift store I picked 5 random children's book off the shelf and stuck a $1.00 bill in each . ( Sorry, I just wasn't sneaky enough to to take a photo of the books with the dollar bills in them)

ALso Yesterday (Wednesday)
3rd: while I was in the thrift store, ( this is kind of why it was soo hard to get a photo of my effort) there was this adorable little boy , whom apparently thought I was a safe adult to ask questions of, who kept coming up to me and asking little Questions like, " can you tell me what size this is mommy said i have to have a 4, is that a 4? " and asking if i could help him reach things- which i would with a nod of approval from his mother. At one point became curious as to why i walked with the "that thing" ( my walker) . .so I just told him I had a "bad back" and my knees didn't work as well as his probably did.. that is a much easier explanation for a kid to understand... His Mother was so apologetic, and I assured her he was fine and that I was having a good time helping him and answering ALLLLL his little questions... Then I slipped a buck into the pocket of his hoody when he wasn't looking..

I have a "random act" planed for today too . But I will post about that one tomorrow..


So the last of the new is double edged in a couple ways..

remember me saying that we had sent some groceries to a friend and his kitty-cat who's been a little down on his luck lately.. well , yesterday when we got home from all the days activities, he was here waiting for us. I knew something was very wrong by the way he was caring hims self. As soon as we made eye contact , his eyes welled up with HUGE tears, and he let us know that he came home from work to find his kitty had died ... Our friend lives alone and Tomas was his only constant companion .. I know the heartache of loosing long loved critters .. and it broke my heart.. I think my husband and I were sobbing almost as hard as he was.. He was kind enough to help us into the house with our packages. My hubby took him into the living room and I made coffee , and we all sat and talked about Tomas and our memories of him and Our friend Shared some funny stories with us about him. Ok to make a long story short....

I have had 4 kitties here i have been looking for homes for... and one of them .. my Lil' Star just would not leave him alone...
He has always been a bit smitten with her....









He took her home with him last night (photo is of him and her in his apartment )... So Lil'Star Has a New home and our friend has a new companion..

I hope they will have many long years of happiness together.



Many Happy and Loving Blessings every one !
Ma Fey

Old Fashioned Candied Orange Peels

Candied Orange Peels

This post is photo heavy.


There was a time ( and it's true some times even now sadly) when IF you were lucky enough to be able to afford Fresh fruit , you could only get them when they were in season. Fall apples from the north , winter citrus from the south , and so on. These were treasured and every bit and bi- product you could use was made and used. There are 3 bi-products that are created from the process of making candied orange peels. 1st is a orange water, 2nd is a flavored sugar and the third is a soft ball stage grainy mixture. I plan to post about thier uses in up coming posts -- aka: as I work with them over the next few s days.

Candied Orange Peel can be used is oh so many ways. You can snack on them as is, dip them in chocolate or a fudge mixture that complements the power punch of bitter/sweet orange flavor. They are beautiful to decorate spring cakes or cup cakes with or chop them and add to herbal teas , coffees, or use them to stir a warmed cup of coke-a-cola. They preform well baked in breads, cakes , muffins, cookies, oatmeal ..... yea the possibilities or so endless. They make interesting tasties to include in goody bags too.

When I want to make a new batch of Candied Orange Peels any one and every one who walks into the house is "offered" and orange , but I get to peel it...I can't eat more than 1/2 one now and then, so either I freeze the juice in cubes or I pawn the fruit - minus the flesh - off on all who come to visit. I immediately prep the peel and slice, then toss them into a self sealing freezer bag. till the bag is full. ( They stay frozen only about 5 days ,maybe 7, but I have never pushed them further than that, and I always taste a couple small once randomly to be sure that they haven't soured or suffered frost bite. )

Preparation isn't that hard. Basically you wash the orange under cold water with a clean terry cloth to be sure you get into the oranges skin grooves. Then you remove the fruit from the peel in nice slices.
Remove the pith( that white layer between the fruit and the orange skin) ... kids can achieve this with a heavy handled table spoon. Then slice them into strips approximately 1/4 inch or less in width.




See those little bubbles that's where all the flavor is ( the a lot of the oils) . Try not to pop them if you can.

This slice could still use a little more pith removed but it was a good shot of the "flavor bubbles" .

The recipe below is for 4 large unblemished Oranges . I tend to make about 3 to 4 time that amount , but I only double it and usually have enough liquid and sugar .



4 skin/peel of large unblemished Oranges pith removed and sliced 1/8th to 1/4 inch thick
4 cups of cold water ( more or less)
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup (fine) granulated sugar

Add your peels to a heavy 4 t0 6 quart sauce pan .
and cover them with 4 cups of cold water , or just enough allow them to "float" a bit. ( If using them from the freezer, don't defrost them.)

Bring them just to a boil then reduce heat to med-low and simmer them till they are tender
(15 to 35 min , keep an eye on them !!)








while the peels are cooking
sift together into a large container the 1 cup powdered sugar and the 1 cup (fine) granulated sugar and line your counter with waxed paper .











When the peels are tender, strain them reserving 1 cup of the liquid.

now there are recipes out there that tell you to strain- rinse- cook -repeat up to several times supposedly in an attempt to take out the bitterness....... Why would I want to wash all the nutrients and flavor away like that????

any way






In the sauce pot over medium heat add 2 cups of sugar and let it warm for 2 minutes then stir in the 1 cup of reserved orange liquid give this a good stir .. then add in the orange peels .











Give them a good tossing about in the syrup and keep them moving about till the sugar is dissolved.













simmer this stirring only 1 time at 225 degreas F.

keep simmering till it reaches 238 degrease F ( soft ball stage. ( keep an eye on it, but this can take a while to reach the temp needed)

















turn off the heat but leave the pot on the hot burner to buy you some time.

remove the orange peels from the syrup one or 2 at a time and lay them in the powdered sugar-sugar mixture and toss to coat well .










then lay them out on waxed paper in a single layer to dry














cover them with a clean white, light weight towel an let them dry for 24 hours .














The sugar you tossed them in is awesome in a cup of Earl Gray tea... but more about that later
















when the orange peels have dried for at least 24 hours place them in a container that can be sealed air tight.













OR .... Dip them in chocolate ( oh and roll them in finely chopped hazel or walnuts...mmmm-yummm!) .
Lay them on waxed paper to harden and enjoy... save some to share!

Store dipped peels in single layer between pieces of waxed or parchment paper in a container that seals air tight






Tasty Blessings !
Ma Fey