Manual Food Processor

Since my travels are dictated by where my work is, Younger Daughter wasn't sure when she'd see me next and gave me my Mothers Day gift early. I love it.

You see, my daughter sells Pampered Chef, and what she gave me is their Manual Food Processor. It's only got 3 pieces: bowl, blade, and top. Food goes in, lid goes on, you push the lever and the blades spin. No electricity required. Works in the motor home. Works in tent camp. Yes it will crush ice! Even my wonderful Magic Bullet To Go balks at ice.

Already it has mashed sweet potatoes, made homemade applesauce, scrambled my eggs... and I only just got it.

Thank you, Jocelyn!

Today's Yard, April 21 2011

The work week being over, I made a beeline for Ebenezer Park. You've seen pics from here before, because it's one of my favorites. Inexpensive, big lake, nice sites. No pool but this is April and I really don't care. Anyway - I figured it would be about half full, this being early in the season and a Thursday. Yeah, right. I got the next to last spot.




After I got hooked up and ate dinner, I took a walk. One of my neighbors has a big Holiday Rambler and a whole lot of 'passengers' in their front window - a bunch of plush Disney characters. The whole gang, looks like.



My other neighbor has something I've not seen before: a stained glass window in their door. Very nice. I've done stained glass, but I don't think I'll do a window - I think I'll call in a promise from Elder Daughter, who does glass etching.




It is nice to be in a calm peaceful campground for a few days and catch up with myself. Last weekend I spent with Younger Daughter and her family - hanging out, visiting, bowling - and I met them again Tuesday night for dinner. All you can eat crab legs at AmberJack in Gastonia NC. Very yummy. They only have the crab leg thing on Tuesday nights, but other nights you can eat other yummy food and still have room for dessert, like my SonInLaw did.

Instead of Blogging

"In the winter it's too cold to do much blog-worthy stuff. In the summer I'm too busy doing blog-worthy stuff to write about it." Excuses, excuses - the truth is I just haven't been blogging. I hadn't realized it had been so long. Anyway it's spring, so neither excuse applies.

Here are some pictures of what I've been doing instead of blogging.



At the beginning of October I went with my daughters and their families to catch Kathy Mattea in concert in Clover SC. It was, of course, wonderful. Work had me in Florida and Georgia at the time, and I am forever grateful to Dolly & Avery for the ride to and from SC.



When I returned north, I stayed at Ebenezer Park, in Rock Hill SC. This is one of my favorite parks - beautiful, quiet, inexpensive, large lake.





As usual, I attended the fall OVPR Rendezvous. Not as usual, we were visited by a group on horseback.





This year the Southeastern Primitive Rendezvous was held in November, in North Carolina - so I went to that one too. I got to see friends I hadn't seen in years. The site was really nice; I'm glad it will be there again this fall.



Then work sent me up to Pennsylvania. I got to see friends I hadn't seen in even longer. I also stopped by the Daniel Boone Homestead. This is where Daniel Boone was a tiny tot, where his family set off from, before they went to Yadkinville where the Southeastern was held, before he went off further west seeking elbow room...





While I was in Pennsylvania, winter arrived. And stayed. I celebrated the holidays with my kids, fought with ice in and out of my plumbing, camped in snow at the beach - but you saw THOSE pictures...

Work took me to Fayetteville, where I got to visit friends who will be soon moving to Florida. We went to the Airborne & Special Operations Museum in Fayetteville, where I took only lousy pictures.



During one of those visits, I salvaged some floating flooring Jon had removed from his office room and improved my motor home floor. It had been down to chipboard underfloor in the living area due to the interior rain before the new roof (thoroughly blogged), and in the bedroom due to the leak in the hot water heater this winter (thoroughly un-blogworthy). While I didn't have the resources available for a truly proper installation, it looks a lot better now.

Finally Spring came and with it the Spring OVPR. Had a wonderful time, checked the weather report, packed the van on Saturday, stayed for more Rendezvousing and left before the snow came. It wasn't much, but it made packing up less than pleasant for those who were packing on Sunday.



Which brings me up to date, back in Raleigh working, and enjoying my somewhat improved kitchen area.

RV Kitchen Improvement

The reason I bought the Holiday Rambler - which I'm STILL not moved into - is the Escaper is too small on the inside. There is no counter space at all, so I use the back of the stove and have long since exceeded its capacity. Yesterday I went to The Container Store in Raleigh NC and bought a bit of sanity.



Four wire shelves, on casters. Everything on the top shelf used to be on the stovetop along with everything that is still there. My spices used to be waaaay up over top of the microwave. Now they're on the lower shelves of the wire rack, where I can get at them. They are securely corralled in Clementine boxes, which fit perfectly. Their spot will be taken by the grilling stuff, which makes more sense.

The rack fits perfectly in the tiny space in the kitchen, and rolls out of the way when I want to be where it is. A couple of bungee cords keep it secure for traveling.