Tanya's Birthday Dinner

Each Year I make the dinner of choice for the children who live here.  Well, I don't do Scott's as he and I share one and we've gotten lax on Bri's as it's so close to Thanksgiving, hum maybe I should amend that first sentence.  Anyway, today was the day we had Tanya's birthday dinner.  She requested Beef Stew and Biscuits-she always requests Beef Stew and Biscuits!  I did the meat in the CrockPot but did a bit of an oops on the potatoes and carrots-I should have put them in at the same time I did the meat.  I tried these new (to me anyway) Crockpot liners and I love them!  Made of the same material as the roasting bags I use for turkey, not quite plastic very crackly.  Anyway, when you've finished your meal you can simply lift out the mess and toss it away!  It's especially nice for things that stick to the sides or beans which stain the crock.  The biscuits were the best I've made in a great long while, very light and fluffy.  I've been using a combination of baking soda and cream of tartar in place of baking powder, as most baking powder has aluminum in it and I can't think that's good for you!  I recently found some made without the aluminum so I used it and really I think it made a difference.  Of course, it could be because I went back and re-read the original recipe and discovered it called for three times as much baking powder as I'd been using!  No wonder they came out flat-tasty but flat!  All the children but Steve and his family were here and we enjoyed visiting very much.  We've seen each other three times in three weeks but that doesn't seem to matter.  Altho the boys do have to do a furniture overhaul to make a table big enough for all eleven of us.

I did a tiny bit of sewing today.  Finally sandwiched one side of the Missouri Puzzle quilt I intend to use for practicing my hand quilting (and finish a UFO).  Then I had to rip out some of the cross-stitches in Kolby's stocking as I discovered while backstitching a tiny problem with words.  It's complicated.  Because of the way the other stockings toe points I've had to do several in reverse which sounds worse than it is once your eyes get used to it.  That said any words that you intend to read have to be put on the original way within the reversed part.  So, when I got to the banner that was to read I  (big red heart) Santa it was going to read -big red heart I Santa.  I'm pulling out what I must of the banner to correct that.  Also looking at future patterns in light of that little discovery!

I'm tired so it's off to bed for Quinn and I!  She's probably waiting not very patiently for me.