The Tractor Story (part 2)

Christmas week. Jonathan came to Iowa to spend a week. A whole week! Sounds absolutely wonderful! Then reality hits and... wait... what do you do you do for a whole week when all you know is weekends?

Allow me to state something from a completely biased opinion. Jonathan is good at tractors. Very good. The little girl in me who thinks her dad could fix anything, and still thinks that, sees the same thing in her man. This tractor was about to get a good dose of tender (or not so tender) loving care.

Before Jonathan arrived, Grandpa was working hot and heavy to get it to a place they could do the heavy work. Power washing, cleaning and rolling it back into the shop. Until... umm... problem.

The tires, after sitting 20+ years are shot. Off they must come. The radiator cap too.

Back in the shop Grandpa gave it a coat of beautiful green paint.

Jonathan came and in went the engine block. I love watching Jonathan and Grandpa working together. I was pretty excited to be able to help put the pistons in.

The guys worked several days on the tractor. Doing many things. So many I'm not even sure what all they were. But there was one thing they did that I do know about. And that was removing the wheels.

Sounds easy enough. I crawled up on a shelf. To stay out of the way.

It wasn't easy.

Frozen onto the axle with 60 years of use, they had no desire to go anywhere. The first wheel came off decent enough. Lots of elbow grease, the help of a impact wrench and suicide jack and it came off.

The other side, not so much. The simplest way to say it is, it was so stuck they quit for the night and tried again the next day. But not before breaking the "ears" off the hub. Those are kinda important for putting the tire back on.

So we made progress. And some set backs. It's getting closer to running! Maybe...

We have a house!

On Friday, December 29, 2017, Jonathan and I walked into a bank (bigger than this small town Iowa girl had ever been in) and signed the papers for a house. Our house. Our very own house.

Now let me make something very clear. This is exciting! I am enjoying this "stage" of life. But it also is scary. Frightening. And sometimes overwhelming. To walk out of the office, through those big front doors, climb in the car and look at the one that you know you will spend the rest of your life with. In addition to the sheer giddy excitement that rushes through your body, I feel our brother Andrew summed it up very well.
"You start to see just what it will take. How every penny you earn will go to living. Freedom flys out the window and adulthood slaps you in the face."
 We went to see the house.
I love it! I can't wait to make it home. We quickly made it ours. With a Christmas gift.

It is a nice house. A 3 bed room, 1.5 bath setting on a corner lot in the town of Montpelier, Ohio. Away from any major highways. It was nicely kept up by an older couple and so only needs a few minor changes. Really, it's mostly cosmetic. That's the part I love anyhow.
Stick around to see the changes to our new home!

Iowa Fall

 The days are growing dismal and gray. While there may be a few more beautiful days, I'm afraid we are in for the long haul. As the colors are fading around my house, I was glad to be able to get out and photograph my last fall in Iowa. Enjoy the sights of fall!

The Tractor Story (Part 1)

I was reminded by Facebook that 3 years ago I found a old John Deere B sitting in our barn.

Covered in a thick layer of dust from 25+ years of sitting it did not run.

I tried to get it ton run. Around and around the yard we pulled it trying in vain to get it to turn over. Nothing.
That's when the idea struck. Let's fix it up! I love tractors! How hard could it be?
*insert nervous laugh from future self... If I ever say those words, RUN!
We gave it a high powered bath.

Isn't she a beauty? :D
Then we drug it into the shop, tore it down till all that was left was the frame and tires. The engine was froze up. Time got in the way. And there it sat propped up on blocks, snuggled under its plastic tarp, surrounded by... things ...

If patience is gained by practice, that tractor is a saint.
Fast forward 3 years. With the promptings of a certain young man I stated work on the tractor once more. The parts are now in the shop. I have no clue what I am doing. But Jonathan and Grandpa do. All I know is we need it running but the wedding. How cool it would be to ride away on a tractor!

A Fudge kind of Day

This past Saturday was a fudge kind of day. Not to eat it, (although it was delicious!) but to make. I love making candy. Fudge happens to be my favorite. And when it's threatening to rain all day, make fudge. :)

I used my Grandma's fudge recipe from her new cookbook we published.
"Servings from Grandma's Table" Lots of yummy dishes in there!

*Warning: the following process contains boiling sugar. This is very hot and can result in burns to skin. I got away with just one bandaid. I feel accomplished. ;) That being said, Let's get started! Here is what you will need.
*Heavy weight sause pan. (With a light weight pan the sugar is more likely to burn.)
*Spatula
*Wooden spoon
*9x13 pan
*Parchment paper
*Candy thermometer

"Mrs. See's Chocolate Fudge"
4 1/2 c. Sugar
13 oz. Evaporated Milk
2 sticks Butter
3 c. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 pt. Marshmallow Cream
1 T. Vanilla

Line 9x13 pan with Parchment paper. Set aside. In separate bowl place the butter, chocolate chips, marshmallow cream, and Vanilla. It is important to have it set together so you do not have to rush for ingredients. The sugar cools off very fast.

Combine sugar and evaporated milk and boil until a little more than "softball" on thermometer. Stir to prevent burning. Small circles, and slow side to side rotations help to keep the splatters to a minimum.

When the temperature hits 100* C the liquid starts to boil. Keeping the heat at a low medium helps to reduce the chance of it boiling over.

When "softball" is reached remove from heat. Pour combined ingredients into the hot mixture.

Beat the mixture until completely smooth.

Pour into prepared pan. Allow to cool, flip out of pan, peal paper off and cut into bite sized pieces.

I decided to experiment with the flavors a bit.

I made mint fudge by replacing the chocolate chips with white chocolate chips and the vanilla with 1/2 T. Mint flavoring.

I even swirled the chocolate and mint together.

Peanut butter fudge was made by substituting  the chocolate chips with:

2 c. Peanut Butter and Milk chocolate chips

1 c. Creamy Peanut butter

Chocolate chips swirled on top for the looks

This fudge can be cut, wrapped in saran wrap, placed in zip-lock baggies and frozen. Thaw before eating. :)