I have nothing fun and/or exciting to share with you tonight. I decided that while Jim was doing more combine clean up work, I would start working on the trailer house since I had hot water and a sewer drain. When we get home, I generally unload everything and then clean the trailer house from ceiling to floor. You would be amazed at how dirty this can get with road dirt and cooking. So, I try to thoroughly clean it before it gets put away for the winter. Last year, I put the trailer on a RV site thinking maybe I could sell it. I’ve had a couple of bites on it this summer so maybe if I get it cleaned and someone really wants to look at it, it’ll be in good shape. After it’s completely unloaded and cleaned, we’ll winterize it and put it in a shed we rent for the winter. If there was any one thing I wish Jim had it would be his own shed – with cement floor and heat. He can’t do anything with the equipment in the spring until it warms up and quits raining so he can work in the yard.

I guess the ideal time to have built a shed would have been when we started this business. At one time, our dream was to have 10 acres in the country with a shed and a newer home. At the time, we couldn’t afford 10 acres and then life just happened and the dream didn’t materialize. Now, we’re both older and getting older every day. I sort of think the shed idea probably won’t happen. So, we’ll just continue to rent one and hope that lasts a few years longer.

The house we live in is the one we moved into while I was pregnant with Jamie twenty six years ago. At the time, we thought it really seemed like a lot of house since we were moving from a one bedroom apartment. Then, Jamie came and Jenna shortly after. Taylor and Callie, too. So, at one time there was six of us living in a three bedroom house with just barely 1,000 square ft. But, as the sign in my entryway says, “Love grows in little houses” and it certainly did. Our little beginner home will probably be our finisher home. That’s ok, though, because unless we built a home on the acre we have, I would really HATE leaving my yard. Everything in my yard has been done with my hands except for a couple of nice oak trees that are in the yard. And Jordan is under one of those oaks. I wouldn’t want to leave her.

I made my family’s favorite meatballs for supper tonight. It was a little weird not making the amount I usually do. Even the pan I did make will take Jim forever to eat. Lots of meatball sandwiches 🙂 A funny story to tell you about meatball sandwiches. One of our hired guys came from around home. He was a good kid and would eat just about anything you put in front of him. He also went along with us for two summers. Anyways, it wasn’t until years after he was with us I learned that all the meatball sandwiches I fed him (using leftover meatballs) were eaten but hated. Poor guy! I wish he would have told me how much he disliked them! Sorry Homer!!

MEATBALLS (this recipe can be cut in half for a smaller batch)

3 lbs. ground beef                                          1 – 13 oz. can evaporated milk

2 eggs                                                                             SAUCE

2 cups oatmeal                                               2 cups catsup

1 cup chopped onion                                     1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp. garlic powder                                   1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tsp. salt                                                          1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. pepper                                                    1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. chili powder                                          1 Tbsp. prepared mustard

Mix all ingredients together and form into balls. Place in 9 x 13 pan.  For sauce, combine all ingredients. Pour sauce over meatballs. For small meatballs, bake uncovered for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. For large meatballs, bake covered for 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees. Small meatballs are great as an appetizer.

Jim was disappointed that I didn’t use the picture of him with his head down by the food with a huge smile on his face. The pictures of the flowers were taken this spring before we left home.