Your ham might cook a bit faster if you turned the crockpot on…..

I write notes to myself all the time.  Sometimes it helps and sometimes it doesn’t, like yesterday when I left myself a note to put a big ham in the crockpot for dinner that night.

I know sometimes when I get up in the morning I have 50 things to get done so I leave a note on the kitchen bar to remind me to do things.  Sure enough when I got up I didn’t even get downstairs until 9 AM by the time I made the bed, picked up the bathroom and bedroom, sorted laundry, showered, did hair etc etc so when I came down and saw the note I scurried around getting the ham out, washing it, getting it in the Crock pot with some water etc etc

About 10:30 I thought to myself, I don’t smell the ham cooking yet.  Guess what?  I didn’t turn the crockpot on, just plugged it in!  Good grief.  Sooooooooo I turned it up on high and hoped for the best.  It did cook nicely the way I like it with the meat falling away from the bones but it would have been very disappointing to have the Hubs come in for dinner and the ham still cold in the crockpot.  Please tell me that you do things like that too!!!!

I did make custard and it came out fine.  It’s so easy to make and my family loves it.

Best Baked Custard

6 eggs slightly beaten

2/3 cup sugar

Dash of salt

2 teaspoons real vanilla

5 cups milk scalded (I do this in the microwave)

Nutmeg

Heat oven 350*. Blend eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla.  Gradually stir in scalded milk. Pour into 6 oz. custards cups and sprinkle with nutmeg. Place cups in a baking pan and pour very hot water into pan within 1/2 inch of top of cups.

Bake 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in center of custard comes out clean. Remove cups from hot water and serve either hot or cold.  (We like cold.)  You can find this recipe in the old red Betty Crocker cookbook on page 184.  YUMMY!

We went to Mr. D’s first basketball game Saturday morning.  That’s him in the green shorts making a shot!

We missed Miss T’s game, that’s her in the middle in the black uniform with her hands in the air.  She made that shot so was very happy.  Son takes pictures for us if we can’t be there which isn’t very often.  They won this game 26 to 10, it was their first win.

We lost a dear friend last week, he passed away at the age of 81.  His name is Lee Lamson and he was one of my most favorite people around.  His sense of humor was incredible and he could have us in tears laughing so hard over a good story or joke.  He was a kind man.  Many years ago when I was still doing hairdressing I got a call from the funeral home that a family had requested me to come in and do the woman’s hair that used to be one of my clients.  I was floored.  I had never done that before and wasn’t sure how I would react to being in the prep room with dead people being prepared for their funerals.  I was a wimp.

I called Lee who worked in the funeral business at times and said I just don’t think I can do this.  He said yes you can, I will go with you!  Get your stuff ready and I will pick you up so that you don’t even have to drive, I guess he could tell my voice was shaky.

So he did.  And it was fine.  He was cracking jokes with some of the other funeral staff and I began to relax and did the hair without keeling over!  I will never forget his kindness in taking his afternoon to help me through that job.  We joked about it many times through the years since but I sure needed someone that day!

I’m happy to know that I will see him again someday, it is comforting.  He loved the Lord with all his heart.  He is also Funsize’s Grampa so please keep her and the rest of the family in your thoughts and prayers.  We miss him.

Miss T is getting off the bus here after school as Mr. D has a follow up check up at the pediatrician’s office.  He is doing well since his bout with pneumonia.

Quite a few of you asked what a Sound Pipe is.  It is a speaker system that hooks onto your ATV so that while you are out in the woods on the trails you can listen to the music that you have on your Ipod.  The white parts are the speakers.  You can also use it working out in the woods on the trails by running it off the battery as long as you don’t use it that way too long and run the battery down.  It was a fun goofy gift that I knew he wouldn’t be expecting as he is hard to buy for. :o)