What a stupid question

Two Buck Chuck is a love of my life. No kidding. During my, approximately 16 months of living in the Land of Port, we became good friends. And I have to give props to Pautz as the person whom introduced us. After all of her fond stories tasty glass fulls I was thrilled to finally live in a location where there was a Trader Joe's. Which brings me to a point: the nearest Trader Joe's is in Nashville. A glass of wine at the end of the day is one life's most delightful pleasures.

Cheap wine isn't like cheap liquor. It won't make you sick from cheap production or products. If the bottle of Two Buck Chuck didn't flip my bic I could have always used it in cooking, but that was never the case, and I've never felt bad from purchasing the low price wines. I can taste the difference in the good stuff but my wallet doesn't allow for that anymore. I drank a lot of wine in Hawaii, a lot more than I should have, a lot more liquor than we should have but I digress. Costco was allowed to sell liquor in the stores in that state therefore liquor and wine was ridiculously cheap and we could afford to buy really nice wines for sunsets on the lanai.

But the point of this blog is in response to this article on Slashfood. Most wines have the same alcohol content so that can't really be a factor. One can judge wine on the label or the vineyard reputation, which are noteworthy, but it really leaves the taste, and everyone's taste buds are different. Everyone interprets the smell and taste from wine differently despite an attempt to add smokiness, berries, wood, etc in the wine during production. I can't wait to visit a local Whole Foods and try a bottle from Three Wishes Vineyards.

What are your thoughts? Can a $3 bottle of wine taste good?

Cheers!

Just like Martha

Over the past few days as we were putting up our Christmas decorations, the Captain came across an older issue of Martha Stewart Living that had cups of hot cocoa with homemade marshmallow snowflakes on the cover. He made a comment and I took notice and yesterday Callie and I made him heart marshmallows for our hot cocoa. Snowflakes were not an option among my cookie cutters and since all I have is love...well..gag.

Upon his arrival home today, he was greeted with a delicious cup of hot cocoa with heart marshmallows. I think he was surprised. I was surprised. Why don't you be surprised also! They are surprisingly easy to make-check out this recipe!





Items needed:
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
3/4 cups of sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
Dash of salt
Lots of Pam cooking spray
1/3 cup of water
Cornstarch

Spray a 12x17 inch pan generously with cooking spray, line with parchment paper, spray with cooking spray again. Set aside.

Pour half of 1/3 cup of water in mixing bowl, sprinkle gelatin on top, let set while you prepare the rest.

Combine sugar, corn syrup, salt, vanilla, and rest of the water in medium saucepan. Stir well. Cover and bring to a boil. Remove lid, stirring occasionally until syrup reaches 238 degrees, apparently this is the "soft ball stage" of candy making.

Pour syrup mixture into gelatin mixture and start mixer on low. Slowly increase to high. Mix on high for about 12 minutes. Product should at least double in size.

Pour mixture on to slippery pan. Smooth down with a spatula which you have also generously sprayed with cooking spray. Trust me, this marshmallow mixture is sticky. After you have spread the mixture out to your depth preference, set aside for at least 2 hours. I let mine set nearly 24. My life gets busy peoples.

Coat your preferred cookie cutter shape with plenty of, yep you guessed it, cooking spray and cut out as many individual marshmallows as possible. After each marshmallow is cut, lightly dust it with cornstarch. This will prevent it from sticking with the others in the container. Sidenote: the cornstarch doesn't prevent perfect melting in the beverage nor does it affect taste. Storing these in an airtight container for a week will lead to many yummy cups of hot cocoa, and it's the perfect season for that!

Cheers

Not a picnic for me with the skunks

Late summer I had a dream where to put it without great detail, a skunk had sprayed our area at the docks and I was about to throw up. If you didn't know, I dream in great detail. Extreme detail. The Captain made the mistake of once asking me about my dream and I spent an hour, no kidding might have been longer, telling him about my dream that I'm sure only last 15 minutes in real time. Everything from what people were wearing, to where things were on a counter, to what the post its on the fridge said. It's ridiculous. I've wanted to have my dreams analyzed because I think I'm special. Or just because it might be fun.

Anyhoo, back to the initial dream. I was about to throw up in my dream and I woke up. Our house stunk like a skunk had sprayed in our bedroom. It was gross and I was about to throw up in real life. Wouldn't that have been great! We slept with our windows open so I can see how smells can filter in but the potenice was extreme. The Captain of course was still sleeping. I woke him up, freaked out, shut the windows, lite some candles, turned on the fans, and got terribly upset. Our alarm was supposed to go off 15 minutes later as we were catching an early morning flight and had to be out the door by 5:30AM. I hate it when I get woke up. And now my house smelt like a skunk.

Fast forward, the house smelt fine when we returned and the animals seemed to not have been bothered by it. We never did find a skunk and since our neighborhood is somewhat surrounded by nature, we assumed they had wondered through. It has happened a couple of times since then and we no longer sleep with our windows open, it is nearly Thanksgiving after all, but it happened again last night. I woke to this rancid smell filtrating through my nostrils. The windows were shut and everyone else was asleep. There was no skunk in my dream.

Then we saw a fresh one on the side of the road on our way to church this morning, thinking that might have been him or her. However, tonight I smelt skunk in my office. The windows were closed and the smell was no where else in the house. The Captain couldn't smell anything and it wasn't Callie. I now think I'm paranoid.

Cheers!

Turn on the Oven

The Christmas music has started at our house. I couldn't wait any longer. Don't alert the authorities yet, there aren't any decorations out of their boxes, bags, or down from the attic yet and the Captain is defending the fall and Thanksgiving, laying on a slight guilt trip for me wanting to put out the Snow Village so we could enjoy it longer.

This past weekend I made perhaps the most delicious pumpkin chiffon pie for a dinner we had with some friends. Seriously delicious, and I am a pumpkin pie fan. It was light, flavorful, with every spice jumping out. It didn't require baking (huge plus) but does require refrigeration. It was however, super, super, terribly simple to make. And our house smelt festive afterwards. I'm making a couple for a church function next week and then one to take to my Grandparent's for Thanksgiving. Try the recipe out if you get a chance-I assure you there won't be disappointment!

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

Graham Cracker Crust

If you don't buy one from the store, finely crush 1 pkg of 9 whole crackers
Mix with 6 tbsp of melted butter and
1/4 cup sugar

Disperse evenly throughout the 9-inch pie pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Filling

In a small sauce pan combine the following:
1/2 cup of sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 nutmeg
1 envelope of plain gelatin
3/4 cups of milk
3 egg yolks (beaten)

Heat till it gets thick, stirring frequently, you don't want the gelatin to get lumpy. Using a whisk is wise.

Remove from heat and stir in:
1 1/4 cup canned pumpkin (do not use pumpkin pie filling as you are adding in spices separately)

Place in a bowl and put in the refrigerator to chill.

Meanwhile:

Mix the 3 egg whites with
1/4 cup sugar till tall peaks are formed

After pumpkin mixture is chilled, it doesn't take long, fold in the egg white mixture. Don't stir, fold. Then pour in the graham cracker crust. Refrigerator for at least an hour so it can firm up.

The Captain said it needed whip cream as it is apparently, always a requirement on pumpkin pies. I thought it was perfect without.

Because I don't take pictures of food, i.e. the afore mentioned pie, here is a picture of some friends with us during our tour of the Jack Daniels Distillery which is located in a dry county last Spring. Yes, they still have those, hence the Lynchburg Lemonade. Behind is the spring of which all the water is for the whiskey is acquired, aka the secret ingredient.

 For further clarification this was during Mustache March. Dirty Staches...ugh!

Cheers!

Resolutions Already

My New Year's resolution for 2011 should be a certain # of posts per 7-day week. I've been terrible and I spend overloads of time on the internet. Thank you Al Gore for my addiction.

A couple of months ago I drove up to North West-Tennessee to pick up my Dad. My Grandpa, Uncles and Father all participate in a fishing trip every fall, a get-away. 

 With our current location, it works out that I can drive a couple of hours to pick him up, he stays with us for and extended weekend, and then flies from MEM to HRO where my Mom picks him up to drive back home. It's not complicated in our minds I promise.

 Well, a perk this year were the cotton fields, they were gorgeous. Rows and rows of brown sticks and white balls. It's so Southern, or Mid-Southern in my case.

And the most wonderful thing was that when you picked a ball of cotton and smelt it, it was the most wonderful, most clean, fresh, scent your (or my nose in the case) had every experienced. Put a smile on my face.













Cheers!

Save the Beverage!

These bottle top savers sure have come in handy this summer! For those sodas that don't require a full can so when you don't feel like drinking all that carbonated goodness. My MIL picked up a 12 pack for the Captain and I from Wally World a while back since we all had such positive experiences from lake usage.

On that note, I saw these beer savers while surfing, the internet of course, this past weekend. We haven't tried them, and I honestly doubt we will but I thought I would pass them along for review. Granted, everything tastes better out of a bottle, however, we/I 95% of the time buy the Captains beer in cans. They are cheaper, chill quicker, can be crushed to take up less space in the trash, and are easier to transport.

Thoughts, concerns, questions, comments?

Grab a pack of the bottle top savers the next time you are at the store and share with friends and family. I don't know why anyone household would need a dozen. Maybe the Duggers but does their religion allow the partaking of carbonated beverages if the females have to wear long skirts? Perhaps that is an ignorant statement but they do have a lot of people in their every growing family and might have a lot of open soda cans. Yes, I say soda.

Cheers!

Hot then Cold

This fabulous cherry red coat belongs in my closet. It has taken great restraint not to have it there, given the fabulous price. And how cute I would look in it.

That and despite the fact it's the first day of fall, it's still 100 degrees here. Ugh.

I need to quit looking at that website. It's killing me.

Cheers!

Design from the sky

With the Captain having a career as he does, I've developed a fondness for guess what....aviation! We have drawings of planes done by a previous colleague of mine framed and on our walls. We have pictures of various planes the Captain has flown framed in our house and in his office. We have a wooden model of the Pilatus PC-12 on our mantel and one of the Wright Brother's first plane flying (with the assistance of some fishing wire) above it. So why not add this awesome looking chair to our home?

This sharp Aviator Chair has such an 'old time romantic era of flying' feel I can only imagine how it would look in a living room setting. Add a similarly colored rug, bookcase with tasteful books, a lamp, oh and me enjoy a double shot while relaxing and it looks picture perfect. Besides, it was recently marking down $200. Mere pennies I say. Shiny and industrial, the leather looks super soft and terribly sexy.



Glancing through the other options offered on the website with the aviator theme resulted in some drawers, trunks and a chest that while all made with the shiny aluminum and industrial feel, they just don't seem as unique. They seem like something that could be picked up elsewhere with a much lower price tag. I expect something more specific to aviation than just sheet metal.

None the less, the idea and theme is totally fetch. Yes, I'm trying to bring that back. It will succeed.

Cheers!

Fall Cooking

It's almost that time of the year for pie-making once again! I'm talking about fruit pies, pumpkin, apple, berry and the like. Not cow pies. Those are made year round. And I don't make them. In fact I don't want anything to do with them.

Williams-Sonoma always has such chic, useful, hip items. Not only limited to the kitchen and more often than not, the items I find there are things I of course do not need but would make 'such and such' fun, in this case making pies. Check out these Lattice and Apple Pie Molds. How fun! Simple? I think so! They seem to be the perfect size for one person and have endless possibilities on filings. I'm thinking broccoli-cheese-chicken for a pie instead of a wrap (my usual creation). Think of the gooey cheese or the juice from tasty berries....hum...I do believe this will be added to my Christmas List.



Side note: My Christmas List is continued year 'round and is available to anyone needing inspiration on lighting up my life for any occasion. It's also used to remind myself of what I want or to remind myself that there was a reason it wasn't purchased immediately.

These shoes however would stay on my list. How chic! I'm not into the short boot style, if that is what you want to call these but I love the leather. I love sole and heal height. I also love the buckles. Seriously LOVE the buckles. These Times Three Booties are from Anthropologie and unfortunately are out of my price range. Doesn't mean I can't drool!










This weekend Callie and I are headed to the 'Ville for some family and friends time and travel is always exhausting. I of course rest my pretty little head on a tempurpedic pillow (I should be a spokesperson I love their stuff sooo much!) but Callie enjoys the carpet. She honestly doesn't seem to mind. At our house she has a dog pillow bed that she snores away on. The floors are all wood laminate and while she enjoys the coolness during the warm months, I have to imagine it's not that comfy for dreaming of lake swimming and bone chewing. I'm sure that's what she dreams of. That or dog treats. Or licking, she loves to lick everything.

While this luxury dog bed may have a sugar cookie theme and be soft, I can imagine the comments, facial expressions, and grunts that would occur should my Callie be able to voice her opinion after being told to go to bed in this. It's kind of excessive. I've read that dogs are a mirror of their owners and this isn't my cup of tea. I think we'll stick with her pillow.

As you can probably not see, she blends in well. All curled up. I just wanna love that dog. Her birthday is tomorrow you know.

 

Dogs being a mirror of their owners is whole other post, if I remember. Remind me sometime.

 

Cheers!

Parking Cars

Tonight our garage got organized. Organized enough to park both cars within. 


I do however, still have to unpack my office, my records, and 1 box for the kitchen. Not too shabby for having the keys 13 days. 


Tonight I made Mac and Cheese using an abbreviated recipe from The Pioneer Woman. This is her recipe with the changes I made for our meal. 

• 2 cups Dried Macaroni
• 1 whole Egg Beaten
• ¼ cups (1/2 Stick Or 4 Tablespoons) Butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 1/4 cup Milk
• Grated: 6 oz Sharp Cheddar Cheese, 6 oz Colby Cheese
• Salt to taste
• Black Pepper to taste

Preparation Instructions

Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.

In a small bowl, beat egg.

In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.

Pour in milk, whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.

Take 2 tbsp of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.

Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.

Add in cheese and stir to melt.

Add salt and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.

Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
Pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top at 375.

It's currently in the over cooking with the Captain takes a shower so fingers crossed, it's a tasty end to this day. 

On another note, yesterday I went to get my hair cut and my highlights updated. I left with a head of hair that was yellow, copper and red. Not to count that 6, yes I counted, pimples showed up over my face, the bruise on my leg was blue, the ones on my bicep area looked to be a result of abuse, the cut on my foot from dropping a bookshelf prevented me from wearing certain shoes because of location and rubbing, along with the cut on my knee...I was feeling real positive about physical appearance. I went to Zumba and the Captain had a glass of wine for me when I got home. It was red so it was healthy. And my attitude was acceptance. Today I spent another 4 hours at the salon fixing yesterdays work. My hair looks better, a richer, deeper brown with highlights and the world is starting to turn around. My shoulders immediately sank in exhaustion from all the weight being lifted as I left the salon. I was so relieved and happy to have my hair look well. 

Hair matters. 

Cheers!

New Address

We have officially moved and I'm beyond exhausted. The Captain is with our 'movers' enjoying some sun and brews. I couldn't lock myself in, take a shower and pour a glass of wine quick enough. I kept thinking how thankful and blessed we were for all the items that were causing me to gripe.

I really like our new place. I like the simplicity of it. The compactness. The all wood and tile floors. It's like a condo house on a zero-sized lot with not what we refer to as a backyard but a garden.  I'll post pics in the next month.

Cheers!

The E-Man

r 

This is quite possibly one of my favorite pictures of our nephew. He, along with his older sister spent a week with us in July, no, I actually think it was June, can you believe it's almost September? We had a blast with them here and spent one day at the zoo where he found this egg in the petting zoo section.

Baby Ethan ready to hatch!

You can't be sad when you see his sweet smile. When he doesn't want to do something, he responds with "But I don't know how!" and then shrugs his shoulders and smiles at you. When he grows up he wants to be an elephant trainer. When I was younger I want to be a ballerina. I believe that was mainly due to the fact that all my gal pals were taking ballet and I wasn't. I then wanted to be the first woman Supreme Court Justice, I don't remember when I realized that had been accomplished the year I was born. Now when asked I respond with "Aren't I already grown up enough?"

Cheers!

All Eyes on You

Hopefully everyone has seen Minority Report. If you haven't-go rent it this weekend. It's a good film about what could be, about big brother, about what our world is coming to. Mind reading and prediction. Before Tommy went completely psycho. Earlier this week we watched Mission Impossible, another good movie before he started jumping on couches. It's dated in 1996 technology I realize but anyhoo......

Yesterday the Captain brought up this light-hearted topic as influenced by an article he read about the creation of the most secure city in the world. Baffling. If you don't care to read it, iris scanners are in the process of being implemented in Leon, Mexico in partnership with Global Rainmakers, Inc. (GRI). Criminals with have their irises scanned, regular citizens (which amount to over a million) will have the option. These scanners will be implemented at every possible location: banks, ATMs, train and bus stops, restaurants, etc. where participants will have the option of using their unique eyes like bank cards. Police will be able to monitor criminals and security at traffic stops, airports, etc. The optimists predict that there will be iris scanners throughout the world within 10 years and it will become the primary transaction. Think about scanning your eyes when you want to start your car - how easy is it going to be to lend your truck to your friend when you are moving. Scanning your eyes to open your house and turn off the alarm.

I don't like the idea of Big Brother. 1984 scared me. A Brave New World, while one of my favorite books makes me cringe at the thought of the control of human creation and emotions. However, I am a realist. I use a debit card (don't we all think it's better than cash?) which means anyone can look at my history and find out where I buy my gas, prefer to eat, or find the best deals on groceries. I don't twitter but I'm addicted to facespace. Just this morning a new check-in feature was added to my 'friends' can better keep track of me. As if the majority of them really care. And of course I blog. I cringe at the thought of my personal liberties being taken away, slowly chipped away very quickly and without much objection minus some venting to the Captain or my close friends over drinks.

I'm very interested to see how this plays out. How everything is handled and implemented. If the costs far out weigh the benefits. If citizens truly realize what is happening or if everyone will be lining up to get scanned and put in the system. It's a scary thought.

Cheers!

Creativity

Apparently Julie and Julia inspired all sorts of creativity for 365 days!

Check out this blog: New Dress A Day! She buys thrifty dress finds that are past their hay-day and transforms them for $1 to something more modern for her own wardrobe.  Her creativity and dedication is amazing, and her dresses turn out rather impressively!

Anyone doing anything of this sort? I don't think I could do something every day for a year except facespace and gossip pages. It's pitiful.

Cheers!

Where the Heart is

In the 4 years, 7 months, and 2 days that the Captain and I have been married we have lived in 7 homes (actually changed our address with the PO, not counting the hotels stayed in for weeks trying to find the next abode), in 5 states, on 2 land masses, in 3 time zones. How aboot them apples?

Callie's been with us since the beginning.

We then lived in a place with a million dollar view that will be incomparable to anything we have had or will have since.

The next lanai was enjoyed during many dinner parties with our friends, by myself with a glass of wine and a book, and by many geckos which could always be found. We handled many neighborly complaints for excessive noise and escaped to the beach every possible evening to watch the sunset which was a mere 1 minute walk (even with 'traffic') across the street.

We then moved back across the ocean to a house owned by the owner of the company we worked for. It was on the National Registry of Historic places and creepy as creepy. We quickly moved...again...

....To a massive 4/3 with 2 living and dinning rooms. Considering the only furniture we brought from Hawaii was TVs and a wine rack, we filled that place up quickly. Cough.

The bestest neighbors were next, including Herbie the Love Pug who quickly became Callie's best friend despite their drastic opposites. I miss them terribly.

Christmas 2009 found us in a home where our Angel was no longer scrunched among the branches and our 9 ft Christmas tree was displayed in it's full glory for the first time.





The Captain and I submitted our application today for what will hopefully be our residence for the next year. The story that surrounds the foreclosure of our rental property, which required us to move, is for another day.

Cheers!

Patience

My anthurium bloomed!

2 years later, with patience, love, water, and plenty of sun, it's now gorgeous.

This antuerium was one of the few things we purchased right before we left Hawaii to bring back. Of course we brought the cats, hundreds of sea shells, took thousands of pictures of our time there, chocolate, mac nuts, coffee and a few other items, but this I picked up at the airport touristy stand as a root start barely over an inch.


While living in the 'Couve, our downstairs toilet room had a west facing window, getting the most sunlight which is where my plant lived during our stay there. It thrived. Unfortunately, Paige found her way in there one day (those who have visited our homes know I'm meticulous on keeping doors shut to prevent cats from venturing to where I don't want them) and enjoyed herself an afternoon delight. The leaves were eaten to the stems and the dirt strewn about the floor. It looked pitiful.

It was a strong soul and survived. Spitting in Paige's face. And now has bloomed. I'm happy.

Cheers!

Chocolate Goodness

Because it's Friday.

Because I had a trying day yesterday.

Because the Captain and I still looking for our next place of residence and the month is quickly ending.

I'm sharing a chocolate cookie recipe I made earlier this week. Actually I think it was last week. It came from a Hannah Swenson Mystery book that I've become quite a fan of. They are lighthearted, easy reads that come with recipes which I usually try, and if good, add to my recipe box. This one obviously made the cut.

Cocoa Crisps

3 sticks of butter (melted)
2 cups cocoa powder, unsweetened
2 cups brown sugar
3 large eggs
4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups of flour

Mix the melted butter and cocoa together. Add the brown sugar and then let it cool a bit. Mix in the eggs, salt, soda, and vanilla. Add flour and mix.

Let it chill in the refridgerator for at least 2 hours. I let mine chill 2 days....things just got busy.

Preheat oven to 350. Roll the dough into walnut size balls and roll in a bowl in which you have placed 1/2 cup of white sugar. Then place on a greased cookie sheet and flatten slightly with spoon, splatula, or your hand.

Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool on the sheet for 2 and then move to rack or waxed paper for further cooling. We've enjoyed these with ice cream, milk and by themselves. They are made with the unsweetened cocoa and can be biter or tart but are truly delicious.

Enjoy and have a delightful weekend!

Cheers!

This Housewife needs a break

So I'm not entirely a housewife. I have a job working from home and I bring in a paycheck. My Mother does however still consider me one. I have an office that occupies the 'bonus room' over the garage of our current home, of which, when I opened the door earlier this morning to 'head to work,' I was greeted with the pungent smell of cat. Ugh. Last night Paige was shut upstairs after an evening of house searching on the computer and assurance before bed that both cats were accounted for and downstairs. When I awoke around 1 AM, Duke was extremely vocal and while in the kitchen for some water I heard her meowing. She's hidden in closets for hours before but I guess this time was different. Totally different. I handled the poop very well, it's not runny after all, but the urine all over my new computer bag was beyond acceptable. Carpet cleaner, vinegar, and baking soda was found in the pantry. Scrubbing occurred. Fans were focused on the wet carpet. I was again reminded how much I prefer dogs to cats.

Yesterday, the Captain and I had lunch at Firehouse Subs, and it was delicious. Unfortunately I saw this:

Oh dear reader, it's a sign. 

*hint*The Captain and I were married there. After we got engaged there. After The Family K had vacationed there*hint*

I could really use some beach, somewhere.  I'd settle for a poolside escape with a bottomless beverage. How did June always keep the perfect smile, though her toes must have hurt in heels all day. 

Laundry and ironing is caught up. Animals are happy. The Captain is at work with a lunch I made with love this morning. House is swept. Beds made. Dishes done. Trash by the curb. Meat thawing for dinner. Deep breath. Life is good. 

Cheers!

Happy Hearts

This is Owen. He is the latest addition to the four-legged creatures of the Krause House Memphis. This delightful red-eared slider joined our family from Grand Lake when he was the size of a quarter. He now keeps me company in my office with his active personality and desire to bask under the heat lamp during the afternoons.

This is Daisy, the miniture goat, and Sassy, the donkey. They reside at the Senior Krause House and are delightfully opposite creatures. Daisy thinks she is a dog and follows you around talking at your feet. If you are sitting on the bench in the barn, she will jump up and sit next to you. If you ride the Ranger, she wants to sit in seat next to you.She a little over 2 feet tall, maybe, but she won't grow any bigger and loves to be petted or scratched behind her ears. She is adorable.

Daisy is anti-social, though she is becoming more friendly. She prefers to talk and run with the dogs next door up and down the fence row. It's quite unique. Sassy is working on accepting others and when you can get close enough to her, she realizes maybe you aren't that bad and wait, those ear scratches are oh so nice.

Lastly, an Oklahoma sunset.


It makes my heart happy.







Cheers!

Dragonflies Appear

Since the Captain and I have moved quite a bit in the past four years, it seems as if every year is brand new. After living in Hawaii for 2 years, we were captivated by the winter months in the Pacific Northwest.After living up North where there aren't any public pools and the ocean water isn't swim-able without a wet suit, we are in the Mid-South where everyone flocks to the water during the weekends and any day off. The wildlife in every location is different as are the sounds, smells, seasons. There isn't one location that I like better than the others and I for sure haven't found my paradise where my favorite parts are combined. Anyhoo...this past week the dragonflies have appeared. 

As I look at the window right...now...but not now, there were no less than two dozen flying around. They are everywhere. Buzzing around. Their long, rather big bodies gliding through the air as their wings flap so fast it looks as if they aren't moving.  I haven't seen dragonflies in years. And here they are, in great abundance. I try to take pictures but they move so fast and just look like black dots in the lens. Nonetheless, they aren't as annoying as the Junebugs. Apparently dogs consider them a treat and Callie was no exceptions. Ugh. And the Junebugs were much more talented in gaining entrance to the house. The dragonflies however assist in the mosquito population. As do the bats in our neighborhood. We have two bats that come out around dusk and are seriously fun to watch. When our sister the Nurse was visiting from Oklahoma she freaked out in a negative manner and had to go back inside. We still use OFF! though as I think that bug bites are just a parf of life in the Mid-South around the Mississippi.

Cheers!

Back on Track?

It's been a terribly busy summer in our household and I've deeply neglected my desire to update this blog more often. I have the best of intentions but I get distracted easily. That is a positive feature of mine when it comes to entertainment but it doesn't have the same affect on the many projects I have lined up for myself. Anyhooo....I'm giving this another try.  Stay tuned.

Cheers!

Southern Living

As the thunder rolls and the rain gently falls outside, Callie stays diligently by my side. I am flattered. However, today she's not just a shadow but more often than not, a stumble or a tripper. She hates loud noises; including but not limited to thunder, hair dryers, vacuums, lawn mowers, power washers, etc. Kinda odd for a big dog but hey, we love her anyways and she does provide a chuckle when she hides with her head under the bed.

One of my favorite things about living in the south, or mid-south, are the magnolia trees. The blossoms are so fragrant and gorgeous and the trees vibrant and massive with the large leaves providing steady shade from the sun. Growing up our next door neighbor, Mrs. Heiney, (I know funny name but that lady was all class and oh so nice) had 2 massive magnolia trees, one on either side of her house. She of course had kept them well manicured and trimmed and they were the perfect height to have picnics underneath, bring the dolls out, or just use our imaginations.

At our current home, we have a small one out front which doesn't provide any shade and isn't tall enough for Callie and I to enjoy during a pleasant afternoon. It does however, have the glorious blooms.

The tree has had about half a dozen blooms so far this year and I always make a point of stopping by for a strong inhale of the fragrance every time I am outside. 

They bring back such happy memories of my childhood. 

For instance, these were used as  bombs which we would throw at the neighborhood boys. As I'm sure you can imagine, the big the tree, the bigger the blossom, which only equaled bigger bombs. 

I lead a simple, happy childhood. 

Now, off to protect my 4-legged, black, daughter from the horrendous thunder. 

Cheers!

What's cooking?

Yesterday Callie and I made the Captain a white cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing. It was delicious and the icing bowl was scraped clean before put in the sink. I'm a fan of cream cheese icings. I think they are more creamy and have more flavor than a regular icing. Besides, what else am I supposed to do with that 5 lb block of cream cheese from Costco?

The recipe I used:
8 oz of cream cheese
1/2 stick of butter
1 cup of coco
4 cups of powdered sugar

Tonight we are having Sour Cream and Dill Chicken.

2 Chicken Breast (cut in half)
1 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp fresh chopped dill
1 tsp onion powder
Pepper to taste

All of the above mixed together and poured over the chicken in a baking dish. Then baked uncovered in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or so, until the chicken is done. I think this will be served with rice because well, the Captain and I love rice.

Cheers!

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Buying stock in the soft tissue

I'm supposed to have this fabulous immune system. I rarely got sick when I was younger and it's the Captain who has twice yearly-knock-him-back-stay-in-bed-for-3-days kind of colds. However, for the past 32 hours I've been the one making best friends with:

chugging 

 at bedtime after working on my sniffing skills with 

.

I'm miserable.  I can't even taste chocolate and daytime medicine doesn't even start to dry up the river of snot flowing out of my nostrils. Pretty picture, eh? 

The Captain is trying. But he doesn't take care of me like I want to be taken care of. I'm stubborn and picky and when I don't feel good I'm worse than the Wicked Witch. God bless his soul. 

I will blame my pitiful immune system on the weather patterns lately and the amount of travel I've done. Honestly, I think the Mid-South springtime weather is worse than the Oklahoma plains. Storms just pop up and pressure changes so quickly. I spent a week in MCI and last weekend at the lake and home with our Mommas. I've eaten out quite a bit and haven't had time to catch up on house work or even the check-paying kinda work work. My tomatoes aren't planted, there are weeds in my flower beds, and my yard needs to be mowed again. Ugh! 

But I went to the library today (to return books way overdue) and pick up some new ones. If my eyes can focus I'm going to read A Brave New World.  It was one of my favorites in High School and introduced me to one of my top 2 favorite word: pining. An intense longing for someone. It's gorgeous, romantic, beautiful, rarely used and when I find the phrase where it is used in the book I'll share. 

And did I mention my face is breaking out?

Cheers!