Do You Keep Christmas??

Please tell me I'm not alone.  I tend to buy presents that I would like to have.  Gift cards are high on my list because you can buy whatever you want.  I really only have about four people to surprise on Christmas, but gift cards are so impersonal ... like a box of socks.

When I saw this unique wine rack from the same guy as the Christmas tree, I thought it might work perfect as a gift.  I would LOVE to get this for Christmas.  So you know what I'm going to do?  I'm going to keep it!!  It fits perfectly into my cowboy kitchen.  Not that I drink a lot of wine, but I think it's Cowboy cute.  Besides, it would cost more than I paid just to get it shipped.  It weighs a ton!!

Of course NOW my problem is replacing it with something resembling a Christmas present.  That's a pretty tall order when the recipient has everything, or like me, just goes and buys whatever they want.  I never know what to get them, so it's really a struggle when I want to keep what I bought for them!!  Life is tough!!  The alternative is a quilt.   Quilt ... wine rack ... quilt .... wine rack.

To make matters worse, I did it again!!  I had a quilt I wasn't thrilled with when I dropped it off at the quilter.  This will be a Christmas present I announced.  Lo and behold, when she was finished, it was magnificent and I couldn't pry it from my fingers to get it in the mailing box.  Maybe if I had in mind to give it away in the beginning, it would have been easier.  Maybe I'm just being selfish.  I can always order another wine rack or make another quilt, although the fabrics are never available the second time around.

Back to zero on the present front, the Quilter gave me THIS great idea.  I was able to purchase all this Christmas fabric at half price.  In less than two hours, I had it cut and stitched together.  I ran back to the quilter who put it on her machine and VOILA!!  Instant Christmas gift.  Of course it took me another four hours to get the binding hand sewn, but quilt (Christmas present) in a day!!!  I wrapped it up and stuffed it in a box before I could change my mind.  

On to number three ... I ordered those gift cards to be shipped to my address.  No use taking any chances.  I thought it was a safe choice since I probably wouldn't keep those.  Actually, one will go in with the quilt.  

I don't buy gift cards often.  Little did I know, now you can walk in to almost any store and pick them up.  No mailing involved.  At Walgreens for Christmas cards .... by the way .... what happened to Christmas cards?  In a section 30 feet long, both sides, there was about two feet of cards for the holiday.  Half of those were in Spanish!!  

Anyway, I found an even bigger rack of GIFT cards.  Since I wanted to get the quilt in the mail as soon as possible, I bought one to send off.  I'll just keep the one coming in the mail.  There I go again .... keeping Christmas.

In the end, I still have one present to go and I have absolutely NO ideas.  These are all long distance presents with mailing involved, so I need to get my act together!!  Today is Magic Kingdom day, I still haven't made it to Modesto, nor have I even made it to the garage to look for that genealogy book.  Seems the faster I go, the behinder I get!!!

Super Simple!!

But NOT this quilt!!  I enjoy making easier quilts with big squares.  Give me something like this with 5,000 pieces, each of which has at least four seams, and I'm overwhelmed and bored in a flash.  This wasn't finished overnight ... it has taken me almost a year.  No, I'm not necessarily thrilled with the square placement, but it just wouldn't stay on my quilting wall long enough to design the perfect pattern.  Every morning I walked in my sewing room to find it in a big pile on the floor.  So I just stitched it up.  DONE!!

Wasn't I shocked when I put it on the bed for a picture and discovered it was a King size instead of a queen as marked on the package.  That certainly made a BIG difference!!  It will also have a BIG price when it comes to the 8 yards of backing material and the final quilting cost.  YIKES!!

While hunting in my cabinet for my next conquest, I quickly found out the glass door wouldn't shut.  What the heck?  Remember these on your grandmothers china cabinet?  Apparently when they get old enough, the rollers disintegrate.  Least I think that's the problem.  After trying to slam the door and almost breaking the glass, I found half of three rollers on the floor.  They shouldn't be hard to replace, super simple, if I can find eight of them.  

In the meantime, someone rang the doorbell ... a rarity at my house.  Outside there was a box that smelled wonderful ... like a pine tree.  Sure enough, when I opened it up, here was a beautiful centerpiece for my table, complete with a candle.  My outlaw sister (ex sister-in-law) sent me a piece of Idaho for Christmas.  Just add water.  

That part wasn't quite as simple as it sounds.  Nowhere could I get a finger in to see where the actual dish was or how much water it required.  I finally just stuck it under the faucet until water flowed everywhere.  Apparently I have to do that every day ... a nice reminder of the freezing cold snow I'm missing in Idaho.

You're going to hate me for this one ... but it's Super Simple!!  A perfect idea for quick neighborly gifts and more importantly, sugar your grandkids can take home to their house.  It's just cereal ... good for them, right?  

One five ounce package of pretzels, which I couldn't find.  

I just bought a bag and measured out about two cups.  

2-1/2 cups Cheerios (Honey Nut, but any kind will work)

2-1/2 cups Corn Chex

1 cup peanuts (or any kind of nuts)

1-12 oz pkg M & M's

1-12 oz pkg white chocolate chips

1-1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

I added marshmallows because I had a bag that needed to go away.  

Dump everything into a LARGE bowl.  Put the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl with the oil.  Heat for 30 seconds and stir, heat and stir, until completely melted.  Now the easy part ... just pour it over the cereal and stir like crazy.  It might help to do this in the sink.  Cereal kind of went everywhere, which the puppies thought was awesome!!  Dump it onto a sheet pan (I covered mine in foil so I wouldn't have to wash it) and let it cool.  DONE!!  And boy ... is it ever GOOD!!!  Might I say addictive?  This is actually half a recipe ... you can double it if you want.  

I was so sick of sweet stuff ... I really couldn't keep my hands off the crunch mix ... I brought out my best cast iron skillet to cook some pork loin.  I was on such a roll from the kids Christmas dinner, I was feeling really good about cooking some MEAT!!  

Here's the weird thing.  I found some of that Montreal Seasoning for chicken and decided to try it on the pork.  Once nice and brown on the stovetop, I stuck it in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes.  Another super simple idea.  I must say this is the best tasting pork I've had in awhile.  That seasoning is the bomb!!!  

Fat and sassy sitting on the couch, I received a text from Nick Russell that we were kissing cousins.  NO WAY!!!  Apparently HIS cousins have discovered their family came from the Isle of Man.  Well isn't that just interesting as all get out!!  It's a very small island that most people have never heard of, so chances are pretty good that he's correct. 

I have a book called "Our Grandmothers", researched and put together by my paternal side of the family, going back to the 1700's.  Who knows where it might be, but I'm going to be on the hunt for the next couple of days.  Having "family" in Florida is a perfect excuse to go visit and not feel bad about taking up their time, because, you know, they're FAMILY!!

TURKEY TIME!!

Up bright and early ... way too early for an old retired gal ... I headed off to the Elks to help prepare other turkey dinner for Challenged Children.  This time there were about 175 kids and caretaker adults.  Although at one time I fancied myself a caretaker, I quickly discovered I'm NOT.  Hats off to all of those wonderful people who work and teach at the schools for these kids.

Although I thought we were having ham, turkey got back on the menu because it was so darn good!!  About an hour before lunchtime, I realized no one was getting the water boiling for the "instants" or putting casseroles together.  You know me, I took charge!!  We carefully measured out all the water for the instant potatoes and stuffing and got it on the stove.  Trouble was, the guy in charge of the huge gas stove couldn't remember which pot was which, an important thing since each one had a different amount of water.

After I made four trips around the corner to point out each one, one of the guys got smart and whipped out a sharpie, whereupon he marked the pots.  "3-quart potatoes" will forever be tattooed on the side.

In the meantime, I threw together the typical green bean casserole and got it in the oven, along with the rolls.  With a pound of butter melted in each pot, we finally stirred everything together and voila!!  Potatoes and stuffing.  But where's the gravy?

Luckily, I was just in time to grab the foil from under the turkey, dump it into a pot and throw it on the stove with some water.  Best gravy ever, after ten minutes of whisking the mix into the now boiling water.  It's amazing what a little turkey juice can do.  Remember this part if you cook a turkey this way.

Amid screams, running, mumbling and broken plates, and that was just the kitchen crew, we got everyone fed.  There was lots of screaming and running from the kids too, which is why I admire their teachers so much.  That's a job I probably couldn't handle at all.

So here's the turkey recipe ... I haven't tried it personally, but will be doing so this week.  Vern used large turkey breasts only.  These particular ones were Norbest.

Cover a large cookie sheet with foil.  Unwrap the entire piece of meat and pat dry, placing it on the cookie sheet.  Brush with melted butter before sprinkling with Montreal Chicken spice.  I only have Montreal Steak, so that will be on my grocery list.  Place in a 350 degree oven UNCOVERED for 1-1/2 to 2 hours ... until it's nice and brown.  Cover with foil and press it down around the bottom to the cookie sheet.

Back in the oven for another 1-1/2 to 2 hours until a meat thermometer reads 145 degrees.  That's when he takes the pan out and leaves it on the counter to sit (still covered) while it keeps cooking for about 15 minutes.  He said the final temp should read 160, but I know the "recommended" temperature of turkey is around 165-170.  That part is up to you.  When he took the foil off and sliced it up, it was the juiciest most tender I've ever eaten.

All the recipes I've ever tried say to tent the turkey with foil first.  That's the mistake he says, because when you take the foil off to brown and finish cooking the bird, that's when it dries out.  I'm giving it a shot this week.  I'll let you know how it works.  He did say he cooks whole turkeys the same way, but uses smaller ones ... 12 pounds and under.  I probably wouldn't want to try this recipe for the first time at your Thanksgiving dinner ... you know, just in case.

In other good news of the week, you'll be happy to know I found the tip of my spatula.  I bit down on something in the second to last glass of mousse that didn't quite feel right.  Sure enough, here was the piece I had been looking for, rather chewed up.  I'm guessing this particular spatula is about 30 years old.  Maybe it's time for a new one!!  At least the company didn't find it!!

Even though it's still sprinkling, I'm going to try and make it to the big city today for the last of my Christmas shopping.  I've tried this three times now and never made it.  Wish me luck!!

DOUBLE STICK!! I'm BACK!!

Unfortunately, I've got to run ... another Elks Challenged Children's lunch with over 200 kids.  It's a good thing lots of the food is INSTANT (Stove Top stuffing and canned yams)!!!!  I don't have too much trouble with that!!  Will come back and finish this blog in a couple of hours!!

That was a pretty long couple of hours.  Whew!!!  What a day!  To begin with, on Thursday, I headed off to the Doctor's office for blood tests.  Needles aren't my thing unless I'm on the giving end with my animals.  Good news was that I got right in at 8:00 ... first appointment of the day.  Bad news was it took her DOUBLE sticks to get the pint of blood they took, along with small talk about if it still hurts, there's a tendon there that I might have stuck the needle into, so we'll just stop and use the other arm.  Okay!!!

By then my blood pressure was so high the vein was highly visible, making for a quick extraction.  From there, I went into town to pick up my latest quilt.  Fall has finally come to Central California as the leaves on the trees are gorgeous.  We might have missed it altogether since it's now back to 60 degree nights and rain.

As usual, I was ready to pass this quilt off on to an unsuspecting individual until I saw the work my quilter did.  It's just amazing to me how a ho-hum quilt can become something fabulous after she has done her magic.  RATS!!  Now I have to come up with another Christmas present.  Lo and behold, sitting on her table was a beautiful quilt that looked like bubbles.  She told me her secret was simple, full length strips of fabric purchased at Joann's for 50% off, and sewn together.

I ran, drove actually, to the store, found most of the same fabric and raced home.  In two hours I had another quilt and my Christmas present problem solved.  She will work her magic in about a week, just in time for Christmas mail.  The good news is I have enough left over to make another one if it's one I just can't live without!!

For now, I'm going to go have a second cup of coffee and recover from the Challenged Children.  THAT was a hectic day to say the least!!  I also have the "perfect turkey" recipe to pass along.

We're Finally WET!

Yesterday was a day to remember Pearl Harbor.  I finally remembered about 9:00 am, after I had written the blog.  I hope everyone gave a little thought to the Veterans and civilians who fought so gallantly for our country on that day in 1941.

At long last, California is getting some of the wet stuff.  I just wish it wouldn't rain on my parade quite so much.  Every time I plan to hit the Game Refuge, it pours!!  The clouds came up and bowled us over as the rain began to fall.  I don't usually mind the rain much, but today it's blowing and going in all directions and sheets of the wet stuff are hitting my windows in waves.

Absolutely nothing else happened yesterday.  I became a little anxious when my phone started acting up, figuring I was going to have to buy ANOTHER $500 masterpiece of technology.  It seemed to be working, but there was no sound.  I finally discovered it thought the earphones were plugged in, which they were not.  

After a few minutes of looking, I finally found the REAL headphones and tried them out.  Sure enough, they worked fine.  I just don't want to be walking around with plugs in my ears all the time.  After following all the directions on the internet, as a last resort, I finally stuck it in a cup of rice.  

I'm pretty sure rice doesn't work quite that fast, but within 15 minutes, a recheck found the volume back to normal.  I did a little dance.  There will be NO new phone in this household.  At least it SEEMS to be working fine for the time being.  

There won't be much of a blog this morning ... I'm rather cranky without my morning coffee.  My new doctor wants to drain some of my blood just to see where I stand.  That will probably lighten the load considerably and lower my blood pressure.  It's really not that high ... only when I'm stressed, like when I tried to chop my finger off or when I dropped my phone.

See you on the flip side!!  

The Magic Purple Apron

The mornings around here have been pretty spectacular.  Or at least they were until yesterday, when we were socked in with fog.  I guess that's something like pulling a sock over your head so you can't see.  Travel on those mornings is pretty iffy with crazy drivers trying to prove the fog doesn't bother them at all.  It's also been downright COLD!!  Every morning has been in the 30's ... brrrrrrrrrrr.

As much as I wanted to, I never got in that nap yesterday.  Gearing up for the night of adventure at the Magic Kingdom of Bingo takes all day.  There's laundry to do, puppy pressure to play the ball game and house cleaning to get done, not to mention trying to salvage those leftover ribs.

I put them in the oven at 325 for an hour, which resulted in warm ribs.  Still tough as leather.  What have I got to lose .. I left them in for ANOTHER hour before finally having lunch.  Still not done enough, but better.  Good grief ... I think those came off an old mastodon or maybe a T-Rex!!

In no time, the appointed hour arrived and I headed off to town with a handful of aspirin.  I yawned all the way, so upon arrival, I ordered a large coke.  I need all the caffein I can get!!  

The King's Men have taken to meeting up in the Sky Lounge pre-Bingo to gather enough strength to handle the peasants.  All this time I thought they had a drink of the mead variety, but come to find out, it's all been non-alcoholic beer.  Plied with bowls of peanuts, pretzels and popcorn, we all went downstairs, mumbling and grumbling, ready to meet the crowd.

My only mission for the night was to get a Magic Purple Apron from the Chief of the Storage Room.  Every time I help out at a dinner function, and there are MANY times, I'm given a filthy dirty apron from the "wash" bin.  Seems the Castle Chef hides the aforementioned magic pieces of material for his own pleasure.  All of the Mucky Mucks have their own, which I covet, so it's my duty to abscond with the first one I find.

It was a rather easy night, since most of the peasants are broke buying Christmas gifts.  That's a good thing ... at least their money is going for a good cause.  That's when I discovered our doors were missing.  Someone removed our last bastion of safety from the peasants, who now flood our area before we are set up.  

Come to find out, the Grand Marshal couldn't find doors to fit his chambers upstairs, so he stole ours.  Seriously??  I'm coming down in the middle of the night and putting them back!!  After much discussion, we all decided that wasn't going to happen, so we had a stomach churning hotdog instead.  

That's when I hit up the Chief of the Storage Room for a magic apron.  Of course once the part time help heard "I" was getting one, everyone ELSE wanted one too.  You know how that goes!!  Alas, there was only one in the Castle and it was awarded to me!!  YAY!!  I'm now one of the prestigious kitchen slaves!!  

I didn't tell anyone, but I'm going to wear it at home too.  I know it holds magical powers that will make my ribs cook faster, my chocolate not seize up and my gravy not lumpy.  I'm still playing Russian Roulette with the chocolate mousse dessert since I haven't found the missing tip of the spatula.  I have three more to go!!

As luck would have it, I wouldn't have ANY unless it was bad.  I lost my phone in the Sky Lounge ... it came out of my back pocket, but was luckily found by Prince Charming.  When I got home however, it promptly fell in the toilet.  I guess I do have SOME luck, because it happened BEFORE I sat down.  Note to self ... never put your phone in the back pocket of those pants again!!  It survived, thank goodness, both the dunking, the washing and the hair dryer, with no ill affects.  

Really, I think I should have that nap now!!

Raise Your Hand!!

Okay, how many people knew dinner wasn't going to go as planned?  Raise your hand!!  Don't feel bad, my hand is in the air too.  I just don't understand why I have such good luck at these endeavors.  With the ribs all seasoned and ready to go, I left them in the fridge to marinate for a few hours.  I had my timing down to a T.

Thirty minutes ahead of time, I went to plug in the smoker and what should I find?  No power in the normal patio socket.  I tried another outlet.  Still nothing.  I'm starting to panic now.  On the third try, I was lucky enough to hear the ding of success when the heating unit turned on.  I adjusted it to high and turned on the smoke to get things rolling.

That's when I remembered I was supposed to take the ribs out of the fridge to warm up a little.  I raced to the kitchen, snagged them from the cold box and even went to far as to place them on clean sheet pans which were room temperature.   The thought of using a hair dryer to warm them up crossed my mind, but they should be fine I said.  A few minutes later, I racked the ribs and placed them in the smoker.

The temperature wasn't quite what I thought it should be, so I turned it up as high as it would go.  In another thirty minutes, I checked the box temp, but it still wasn't up to par.  I know it's cold outside, in the 40's, but I didn't think it would make that much difference.  Well let me tell you, it did.  Finally I grabbed my laundry room rug and wrapped the smoker to help hold the heat and set up a wind break.  It worked ... but by now, I'm a little behind schedule.

Time to make dessert.  How could such a simple thing turn into a disaster?  I've made this so many times I have the recipe memorized!!  Apparently, it was also too cold INSIDE my house.  I do tend to keep the temperature in the mid 60's.  The chocolate mixed with the hot cream immediately seized up before I could fold in the whipped cream.  I had no choice but to WHIP the cream into the chocolate to get it to dissolve, in which case it became so thick, it was difficult to get into the glasses.

It's okay, I said, I'll just cover the messy top with whipped cream from a can ... Redi-Whip.  I put all the glasses in the fridge and proceeded to wash the utensils.  That's when I noticed THIS!!  WHAT???  The tip is missing!!  I'm SURE it wasn't missing when I folded in the cream ... or was it?  Oh good grief!  I really didn't relish telling the company to watch out for something chewy in the dessert, but I had no choice.  Luckily, he didn't get it.  Neither did I.  Something to look forward to in the next few days as I eat the remaining four glasses.  

Speaking of knives (more on that below), I handed him the wine bottle opener to pull the cork on the wine, whereupon he promptly picked up my favorite, sharpest, brand new knife and went to cutting on the glass and metal to get the label off.  I about had a heart attack.  I'm sure I looked distressed, but you'll be happy to know I kept quiet.  Be nice I told myself!!

Back to the ribs, I decided to forego the smoker for the last hour and stuck them all in the oven.  Too bad I didn't turn the heat up just a little more.  They were done, but definitely NOT fall off the bone.  I think they could have used at LEAST another hour.  Four just wasn't enough.  I didn't think they were TOO bad, but then again, I had two glasses of wine before dinner (he brought two bottles) and honestly, didn't care WHAT they tasted like.  

I was a good hostess, I cut off all the smaller ends and gave him those ... slightly thinner and more well done.  I think I need to practice my rib skills more often ... and NOT try to cook them in cold weather.  It really did make a HUGE difference!!  Who knew??

The best part of dinner was the baked potatoes.  I was a little concerned over those, not having baked potatoes in probably five or six years.  I thought the usual time was one hour, so I made sure they went in 90 minutes ahead of time.  Wrapped in foil, I kept turning them over and over.  It worked ... they were done to perfection!!  

Lastly, the cole slaw tried to throw me for a loop.  I wanted to put a little pineapple in .... just because. You know those little pull tabs to open the can?  It popped right off.  RATS!!  I tried a can opener, but the lid was too low and it wouldn't cut.  Company got out his handy dandy knife and opened it for me.  Of course no telling where that knife has been, but I CAN tell you it was inside a can of pineapple.  

I don't think I'll be having more company any time soon!!  If I do, Applebees sounds pretty good to me.

It's Magic Kingdom night, so I'm heading to the couch for a nap.  Yes it is only 7:39 am, but I need all the rest I can get when it comes to that group!!

NOT The Welder ....

I'm having a dinner guest.  It's not as exciting as it sounds however, since it's NOT the welder.  He had a wife that came out two seconds after I entered their carport.  Nor is it someone I've met (sigh).  Prince Charming doesn't seem to hang out in this part of the country.  Truthfully, I can't blame him.

When I'm gone, I have an old high school friend, a retired Police Officer, check on my house.  Every so often he has to drive all the way out when the alarm goes off, to find absolutely nothing wrong.  For this, I owe him SOMETHING.  His choice, smoked baby back ribs for dinner.

You and I both know he's taking his life in his hands to come and eat at my house.  Hopefully, if everything works out, he will be none the wiser.

Up early this morning, I was finally ... for the first time ever ... able to get that piece of whatever it is off the back of the ribs.  I read somewhere to use a spoon handle to get it started, then use a piece of paper towel to pull it free.  It worked like a charm!!

Next, I slathered them with plain old yellow mustard.  Slathered might be an exaggeration ... I covered them with enough so the dry rub would stick.    glb 34 yd ly snpt.  Sorry, I have one puppy on my lap and one on the chair behind me.  It's always cozy in the morning when I'm at the computer.  Back to the mustard ... it doesn't impart any flavor at all, but the vinegar does help just a tad in the tenderizing department.

Next up, a generous application of your favorite rub.  I make my own, adding a little more brown sugar than the recipe calls for.  There are dozens of recipes on-line, you just have to find one that sounds good and try it out.  Honestly, I've purchased lots of pre-made ones and have yet to like any of them.

After sitting in the fridge for six hours, they will go into the smoker for two.  Unlike pork roasts, ribs require a lot more attention.  Every so often I'll spray them with apple juice.  Like the mustard, it's not for flavor, but for moisture.  Then they come out, get wrapped in foil for another hour in the cooker ... or your oven if you wish.  

I hope my security guy appreciates all this work, because then they come out one more time, are unwrapped, sprayed and placed back with NO foil for one more hour, depending on the doneness at the time.  It's pretty close to rocket science, which is not my forte!!

Keep all your fingers and toes crossed that this all turns out well.  Baked potatoes and cole slaw will round out the meal.  If disaster happens, Kentucky Fried Chicken is about two miles away.  

Just a reminder ... it's the holidays.  That means single people all over are sitting home wondering where all their "friends" went.  Invite your single friends to lunch ... or to dinner ... or just to go shopping.  Maybe even stop by for absolutely no reason whatsoever.  You might actually invite them to Christmas dinner at your house.  It's hard enough being alone the rest of the year ... the holidays make everything MUCH more difficult.  

Next up, chocolate mousse ... the easiest recipe ever with amazing results!!  Twelve ounces of semi sweet chocolate chips in a food processor with one teaspoon vanilla and a pinch of salt.  Heat up one cup of whipping cream just to a boil and pour in the processor while it is running.  It's terribly loud, so cover your ears.  Let it cool.  Mix another two cups of cream with 1/4 cup sugar and beat into stiff peaks.  Fold in to the chocolate.  Done!!  

I drop it by spoonfuls into champagne glasses and refrigerate.  I've topped it off with cherry pie filling, whipped cream, raspberries ... just about anything you want.  I promise if you like chocolate, you'll be licking the glass.  Not exactly heart healthy, but champagne glasses don't hold very much.

Now to drag out the smoker and find a suitable replacement for the pan of water in the bottom.  I mistakenly thought the last one was an old rusty dog food bowl, which I promptly threw away.  AARRRHHHHH!!!

I'm A Quilter And A Zoodler

Being a quilter is kind of a misnomer.  I don't actually QUILT these myself, I take them to a wonderful lady who does that part for me.  I just sew all of the 5,000 pieces together.  I promise I won't make that mistake again.  Good heavens ... this quilt has gone on FOREVER!  Every single one of those white pieces is a separately cut and sewed piece.  Some of the colored ones have two pieces each!

I think I've been sewing on this for a total of two months, my usual time being maybe a week.  And I'm not done yet!!  I still have to spend a few hours moving squares around until I get the color combinations right, before I can finally stitch it all together.  By then, I'll hate it!!

The good news is that when the quilter is done with it, she does such an amazing job of adding dimension and design, that I will love it again.  At least if it ever gets that far!!

And now, thanks to the magic of Amazon.com, I've become a Zoodler.  I know this sounds crazy, but I've switched out a lot of the pasta I eat for zucchini noodles.  It's weird that this works and even more weird that I actually like them.  So far I've mixed them up (both raw and cooked) with parmesan cheese, with marinara sauce and with salad dressing.  They twirl on your fork just like pasta and trick your brain into thinking you're eating something delicious!!  It's really all in the sauce.

The magic machine even cores the squash, which is the weird thing sitting on the counter in front.  I've tried to cut out most of the carbs I eat ... which has been a lot ... and not only do I feel better, I'm full longer and I think I may have lost a couple of pounds.  Here's to zoodling, not to be confused with canoodling.  Unfortunately, I haven't figured out how to make mac 'n cheese with them yet.

I'm sure you're aware it's the time of year for returns.  Just for kicks, I googled those boots I've had for almost three years and what to my wondering eyes should appear?  They are still making them.  I ordered a pair post haste.  Now I have to go through all the trouble of returning them.  Yes, I should have known better.  They have the same problem, too tight in the arch.  At least I could get my foot in this pair, but then they were WAY too big!!  That's what I get for ordering boots on the internet.

THEN I found these beauties.  As I'm sure you already suspected, I'm not only addicted to quilting material, but cowboy boots.  These have to be very close to being my all time favorite fancy boots.  It just goes to show that sometimes, once in a blue moon, you CAN get boots on the internet ... and they fit!!  And they are taller.  And they are sparkly, which I swore I would never wear in a million years.  And they are MINE!!  My name is Nancy .... yada yada yada  ..... and I'm wearing them as I type.

To finish out the day, I made ... you guessed it ... peanut butter cookies.  I'm curious ... does anyone know why we mark the top with a fork?  These pretty much offset the zoodles, but it's better than having BOTH carbs.  

I'm contemplating where I can go today with my new fancy pants boots.  It's been VERY cold ... down to 32 degrees the last couple of nights, but I'll be toasty warm with my new boots on.  Hmmmm  maybe I should have bought a coat instead.

Spreading Good Cheer!!

Want to have the best day of the week?  Want to spread cheer among the masses?  Want to see some smiling faces?  Do I ever have a deal for you!!  You're going to be amazed, happy, surprised, gladdened and smiling from ear to ear.

No, it's not a free Starbucks card, and I understand completely if you don't want to participate because, you know, Starbucks is a big company that overcharges for coffee.  I do actually like that they take care of their employees trying to get through college however, at least around here.  But here's the thing ... you can pick another location.  Maybe another coffee shop or your local AM-PM.

Here's the plan.  You go into Starbucks and buy a $40 gift card (or however much your wallet can spare) and give it to the Drive-Up Window Cashier ... or just to the cashier, if there is no drive-up.  Tell them to pay for everyone's order until the money is gone.

The look of surprise and the big smile you will get from the cashier alone, is worth every penny.  In no time, the entire Starbucks crew will be involved.  They will be laughing, smiling and best of all, having a really good day at work when maybe it didn't start out that way.

It's all a secret though ... don't tell anyone who did the deed.  I stood just around the corner so I could watch the fun.  I think ten or twelve cars drove through, so depending on what they ordered, Starbucks wasn't that expensive after all.  

The smiles of the crew were nothing compared to the looks of shock and dismay on the faces at the drive-up window.  The cashier said she never had so much fun as when she was telling people their entire order was free.  Some crazy lady was paying for everything.  From the rattled mom with four kids screaming in the back seat to the older gentleman who said thank you and Merry Christmas six times, it made their day.  

Maybe that smile on their face will stay for awhile and infect ten more people.  Maybe when they get home they won't kick the dog.  MAYBE they will even pass along the gesture to other happy recipients.

Try it ... I promise it will put a big smile on YOUR face and a good feeling in your heart!!!  Spread a little good cheer this Christmas!!

My Name Was Trouble

Even from the time I was a tiny little munchkin, my first thought always went to eating!!  That's my shoe I'm having a taste of in the picture below, while parked on a blanket in the front yard.  You would think they wouldn't let me eat the soles, right?  As you can see, we did NOT have a picket fence ... we only had a picket GATE.  It and the fence were built high enough to keep most of the chickens (and me) in and the chicken-eating critters OUT.

When you pulled in our driveway, you drove across a dry creek bridge, then into our yard across from the gate where most of the farm equipment was kept ... a parking lot of sorts.  That's where I got into trouble.

Farm help was few and far between, but there were a couple of really nice old Indians who worked between the two ranches.  Since I have no recall of our number one employee's name, we'll call him Joe.  Joe had a penchant for the devil alcohol.  Sometimes we wouldn't see him for days.

On one such occasion, my dad finally got worried and set out to find him.  He didn't have to go far.  There at the bottom of the dry creek sat Joe's car.  Joe had apparently missed the bridge.  Dad got the biggest truck we had and pulled the car out, leaving it in our parking lot of sorts.  Joe was nowhere to be found.  Three days later, my Dad located him.  Apparently he had walked all the way back to his cabin to sleep off his affliction and the concussion when his head hit the steering wheel.  My name quickly became Trouble.

Being the inquisitive person I was at three years old, I wandered out to the car, opened the door and screamed bloody murder when I saw blood on the front seat.  For that, I got the biggest spanking ever!!  NEVER leave the yard, NEVER open a car door and NEVER scream like you just got bit by a snake!!  My parents put a lock on the gate.

That wasn't the first and certainly not the last swat on the butt!!  See the mountains in the back of the picture below?  They meander along right behind our little house, making for a great place to explore.  Cousin Billy ... six years older than me ... and friends Jimmy and George Nagle along with my brother, were always exploring the mountainside along the trails left by the cattle.   

One day my mother made the boys take me with them when they went out to play, which didn't make them very happy at all.  As we went on the great expedition to the top of the mountain, I was paying close attention to the trail so I wouldn't fall down.  Almost immediately, the boys did what boys will do ... they ran off and left me.  

Every square inch of mountain and land was used for grazing cattle, including the entire area behind the house.  Imagine my horror when I discovered the boys had disappeared!  I turned around to head back to the house and came face to face with a HUGE bull.  I immediately took refuge under a bush and was quiet as a mouse as I watched the bull nibble at the grass.  In a short while, he laid down and went to sleep.  OH NO!!!!  I'll NEVER get home again!!

Several hours later someone finally discovered I was missing.  They called out my name and woke me up ... like the bull, I had taken a quick nap!!  I suppose they were glad to see I was alive, but what the heck!!!  I was the one who got a BIG swat on the butt!!  What about the BOYS??  They're the ones who left me high and dry on the mountain!!  I tried to explain about the scary bull, to no avail.  It didn't pay to be a girl back in the day.

There were lots of adventures on the ranch, most of which resulted in a spanking for me.  My name was Trouble from day one and continued on for several years until I finally figured out how to get myself out of scrapes before I got caught.  It's amazing I survived!!

It's finally winter in California.  There's frost on the pumpkin this morning and it's a chilly 34 degrees.    Time to spread some Christmas cheer!!

I'm In-Between!!

I'm always stuck in between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Getting ready to cook that big Thanksgiving turkey dinner is always fun and exciting, but once that's over and done with, I get stuck.  This probably says it all.

I seem to have a hard time getting into the swing of Christmas trees and decorations.  Not that I don't LIKE putting up all the decorations, because that's really fun, especially if you have people to help and to enjoy them.    

If I could leave the decorations up for a couple of months and someone would actually see them, I would probably feel a little better about the whole project.  Since I always leave the first of January to head down south, they all have to disappear right after Christmas when I'm trying to pack the rig.  Leaving all those decorations inside where someone might see them through the windows is definitely an invitation to break in.  The horseshoe Christmas tree will have to suffice.  

Always being on the road makes it difficult for other things too ... like eye appointments.  Last year when I called there was a three month wait, so I passed.  By now, I figured I needed glasses like you see on this puppy, so on my way back from Oregon, I made an appointment .... for 8:00 in the morning on Cyber Monday.  I didn't want to deal with a lot of sick people.  

I have to interject here that I finally went to the doctor to have my blood pressure checked.  SO MANY SICK PEOPLE!!  I went outside to fill out the paperwork.  When I was done, I took a seat inside in the farthest corner and kept my mouth and nose covered with my hands ... not that it would really help, but I did it anyway.  In ten short minutes, four other people had their mouths covered with their hands.  I had to laugh!!

Really, if you have a cold or the flue and are coughing and sneezing all over, PLEASE cancel that eye appointment and DON'T go to the grocery store.  I DON'T WANT TO GET SICK!!!  I come very close to locking myself in the house every winter so I don't catch the crud.  

At any rate, I got in early and lo and behold ... no change in prescription.  "But Doc, sometimes I can't see the guide on the television".  "You will never be able to see that distance clearly ... be happy you can see up close and far away".  Well okay then!!  I got another pair of glasses anyway, just because I have insurance that I never use.

Sadly, I returned the boots.  Seems they had been returned before for the same reason.  No biggie, I found an even BETTER pair that still had a 25% off Cyber Monday discount attached.  My Christmas present to myself.

With all my errands out of the way, I whipped up five dinners.  It didn't take me any longer than if I cooked one dinner, except for the rice.  I figured to take a shortcut and not use the big rice cooker.  The small pan should work just fine.  And it did!!  It worked it's magic and overflowed all over my stove before I knew what was happening.  I guess I was a little distracted cutting up the meat.  What a mess!!!

Never give up is my motto, so I added more water and threw it back on the stove.  I had no idea how long to cook it and suspected I'd have a gooey lump, but I pressed on.  In the end, the rice came out reasonably well, but it took me 30 minutes of scrubbing to get the pot clean.  I haven't even started on the stove.

I browned the meat quickly in a cast iron skillet, added lots of spices and spooned it over the rice along with some black beans.  Just for good measure, I parboiled some brussels sprouts to make me think I was getting more to eat.  I ate one dinner and put the rest in the freezer.  Yummy!!!

Next up ..... turkey meatballs and zucchini noodles .... if I can figure out how to use the new handy dandy magic Zoodle machine I got for $9.99.  I have 911 on speed dial.