The Fishin' Mama

I'm taking a hiatus ~~

2009-01-09T13:39:00.000-08:00

I am making a career change...and part of this change involves studying...so excuse me while I try to do some studying.
Hopefully I will be back among the living soon.

Happy New Year!!

2008-12-31T22:34:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year Everyone!!
I hope that 2009 brings everyone health and happiness. I hope that the economy can turnaround brefore more people lose their jobs. I hope the President Obama stays safe, focused and is able to do his job. I hope that California repeals the passage of Prop 8, we have all come so far to take a giant step backwards.

For myself 2008 brought many things....I became unemployed for the first time in nearly 25 years. Which wasn't really a bad thing...I was able to focus on the more important things in life, which always took a backseat to my career. I was able to re-establish an old friendship with a friend who now needs me as she handles a terminal illness. I started a blog...which a year ago I had no idea what one was. And my daughter won on the Price is Right...which was an awesome, once in a lifetime event. I attended a few weddings, some beautiful babies were born and there were some losses of friends and family.

So here is to 2009!! I am getting ready to embark on a new career! And I know that this year will also bring happiness and sadness....but I know it will also bring change for our Country and I hope that this is the year that all of our service men and women in the Middle East get to come home safely. God Bless.

Benjamin Button....A MUST SEE!

2008-12-28T23:34:00.000-08:00

This afternoon we decided to watch The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, what an awesome movie! I had read the reviews and some had described it as slow moving...but I found that the movie moved along at the just the right pace, enough to keep your interest (and the Hubby didn't fall asleep...that's means alot..believe me!).

I admit...I have always had a thing for Brad Pitt (if you remember an earlier post of mine..). Ever since Thelma and Louise...his incredible dimpled smile and boyish good looks....ummm yummy. And again I have always been Team Aniston...but Brad, Brad, Brad....oh, excuse me...

This movie had the simularities of Forest Gump (as so many reviewers have said) with the romance of A River Runs Through It and Legends of the Fall. It is well worth the nearly 3 hours of cienamatic viewing. The makeup and special effects are stunning and left me wondering many times how the heck they did it.

If you have the time and the opportunity to see this movie, definately go see it....I think there will be alot of talk about this one come Oscar time.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night !

2008-12-25T21:34:00.000-08:00

Well another one bites the dust and before we know it the next one will be here.

I hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas and has a very Happy New Year.

Now excuse me....I still have some homemade candy that has my name on it.

I'm alive and well.....

2008-12-11T21:42:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry...for those of you who have steadily read my blog, I took a little hiatus. I really didn't plan on it, I just seemed to have one project after another to finish or accomplish. I kept thinking about my blog, but it just kinda got put to the side with other priorities.
The last couple of weeks I have been crocheting like a mad woman, putting together some items for a holiday boutique. So I have been creating scarves, hats and even a blanket or two. And I made cakepops which turned out wonderful and should be a big seller, hopefully. Proceeds from the boutique help my grandkids day care provider for more toys and craft goods.

Also, because my granddaughter suffered a horrible asthma attack on Thanksgiving Day which almost landed her an admittance into the hospital (triggered by a stay at our house....she is allergic to pet hair and dander), I have been sweeping and vacuuming my house daily to try to minimize the situation, otherwise I may have to find a new home for my beloved pets. I have been a woman on a mission... washing, cleaning, dusting and using my lint remover on everything. Who knew that short haired dogs created so darn much hair!

Our family decided this year that we are not buying any presents for each other (only presents for the kids), so our family present is that we are all going to Disneyland for a few days. It will be the first visit for our grandchildren and I can't wait to see the looks on their little faces. It will be truly magical and I look forward to a fun and exciting trip for everyone.

So....don't worry, I'm fine...just a little sidetracked for now.
But I will return soon.....but I gotta run...I have a date with two rodents...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!!

Ooooo baby baby

2008-11-20T00:56:00.000-08:00

Did anyone catch Oprah today?
Brad was on there and well....he is just adorable.
I was certainly team Aniston....but he seems truly in love with Angelina and with family.
He is definately a cutie patootie!

Heck no...I won't go!!

2008-11-18T18:04:00.000-08:00

I am a self proclaimed animal lover. If I could keep two of every animal like Noah's Ark I would, but I don't think the neighbors would go for it..and well my Hubby...that might just push him over the edge.
But I love my dogs like they are my kids. I don't go to the extreme like others to dress them, not that I wouldn't like to, but when I used to put a ribbon in my Shih Tzu's hair my hubby used to insist that it be removed.."A dog should not have a ribbon in their damn hair"!!
Anyway, my two dogs are Bodey, the Beagle who is afraid of his shadow and would spend the day under the covers of my bed hiding from the noises of the world if I let him. And there is Lola, the dauschund, a bossy little girl who follows me everywhere and will even squeeze between the railings of our stairs if I go up without her. She is very protective and thinks she rules the roost around here.
Then we have our daughter's boyfriend's bulldog Adonis staying with us. His owner lived in an apartment where they don't allow dogs and I agreed to take care of him until he can find a house that allows pets.
Adonis is the most loving dog and there isn't a mean bone in his body. But Lola growls at him and bites his face when he comes near her. He has never bit her back, but he just can't stay away from her. And he likes Bodey....in a Brokeback Mountain kinda way...if you know what I mean. Bodey is scared of him, and just lets him assault him. But when Adonis is laying down, Bodey will lovingly lick his face, neck and paws.
I have always wondered if Adonis likes it here, or if he is homesick for his Dad and wonders why he is here. And if my dogs like him.
As I have said before I listen to Sirius Satellite Radio during the day while doing stuff and on Tuesdays the show I listen to is Sonya Fitzpatrick, the animal psychic...who has been seen on Animal Planet. So one day, I figured...hey, why not...let's call Sonya and see what she has to say...so I did and I got thru!
I told her that my daughter's boyfriend's bull dog is staying with us, and before I could say anything else she said I know...and he is telling me that he is not going anywhere! I was caught a little off guard...and she said is that what you were going to ask? Because he was telling me before you talked that he loves it there and he is not leaving! I said yes that is exactly why I was calling. She said that he says you are around him all the time and he likes that (I am home most of the time), that where he was before he was left alone alot (true, his owner worked at night and he had to stay home). I told her I didn't know if he liked it because one of my dogs is mean to him (Lola). She said he says he doesn't mind much, but he trys to stay out of her way. She then asked me what her name was...I said Lola...she said let me talk to Lola (moment of silence here...) she said Lola is saying that the bulldog has an ugly face and he needs to go home (if you knew Lola you would agree that this is probably exactly what she is saying). She said Lola keeps telling him that he doesn't belong here and that he needs to go home. But the bulldog is telling her no I am staying. Sonya then asked me....and what is the problem that you have with the boyfriend?? This one caught me off guard...because I don't have a problem, I like him very much...I said maybe that we have had the bulldog a little longer than we expected....she said oh, honey you better get used to it, because he is staying!
After it was over, of course I had to call both of my daughters to tell them (they both thought I was a little off my rocker..) and my daughter (who has the boyfriend Adonis belongs to) says...and how am I suppose to tell my boyfriend that his dog told an animal psychic that he wants to stay with you? Uhhhh....I dunno...I really figured that the bulldog would say I don't like the wiener dog she's mean to me and I wanna go home....I didn't expect him to say...heck no, I won't go!!
So as I sit here typing this with the bulldog resting his head on my knee, I know he loves us and I love him.....I just wish he didn't have poop the size of an elephant, it would make our relationship so much better!

Is it hot here...or is it just me...

2008-11-17T23:55:00.000-08:00

Wow....I hesitate to tell everyone this, becuase some parts of the country are already experiencing snow....but we have been having a heat wave in our part of California (actually I think pretty much all of the state is). The last two days we have had temperatures in the 90's which is very unusual. Last night at 6:00 is was still 80 degrees...crazy....here we are a little over a week from Thanksgiving.
Hmmmm...pool party for turkey day anyone?
On Saturday the hubby and I had an absolutely perfect day of fishing at a local lake. This particular lake does not allow any recreational boating, such as water skiing or jet ski's, so it is very low key and quiet.
We took our boat and temps were in the high 80's...but what made it so awesome was the fishing was incredible. Within the first hour we had caught 2 and lost 3. We each have a two pole license so I usually fish with two poles...but he usually sticks to one. Several times during the day at least two poles had fish on them.
And these were big trout..that as soon as they took the bait they jumped and fought like crazy. We both had our limits by early afternoon and even called our daughter who lived nearby to come out with us, and she caught two and lost three within the first half hour or so.
It was incredible fishing conditions....and we have never had a day of fishing quite like it. And having perfect weather with it...well that was the topping on the cake!
Here's a picture of the hubby with our catch for the day....thank goodness I don't have to clean them!!

The Price is Right........C'mon down!!!! Part Two

2008-11-14T20:26:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay everyone....I finally got my computer back this evening....I was so happy to finally see it, I wanted to kiss the monitor!! But thank you for checking in to hear the rest of the story........

Anyway back to the story...........

When we were led back into the studio I noticed a young man on the stage with a clip board who looked at our group and wrote something down (I now realize that his job is probably to locate where the contestants are for the camera).
We had the audience warm up and everything....then the show began...and the first contestant called.....was my daughter Cassie (her name tag has her birth name Cassandra). WOO HOO!!
Now you have to bear with me here because from here on things get a little sketchy for me. I think my brain kinda shut down a little, so some particulars I don't remember too well.......
She ran down to contestants row and the item up for bid was a pair of Roomba remote control vacuums.....I don't remember what she bid, or what anyone else bid....BUT SHE WON!!
So she hopped up on stage with Drew and gave him a big bear hug (she was gonna "spider monkey" him, but I think she chickened out at the last minute...she is nearly six feet tall, all arms and legs and it would have been hilarious, but she might have taken Drew down). Then she had the chance to win a beautiful big sailboat. At this point I whispered to my sister...I need help on this one, I have no idea what the price is.....
The game she played (I don't remember the name...again brain freeze) was to push some number on blocks until the price appears. Now I need to clarify something......between where she was on stage with Drew and where we were in the audience there are about 5 cameras and people running all over the stage, so it is very hard to see everything...and again it is so loud with the audience...so in our defense (and you will know why)....we saw the numbers 81 and my sister said that it should be about eighty one hundred dollars and the guy behind me was yelling the same thing....so we yelled 81, 81, 81 !!! And she listened to us......well, what we didn't see, know or hear was that the price was a five digit number, not a four like we thought....so she bid EIGHTY ONE THOUSAND ON THE SAILBOAT....errrr wrong!!
At the commercial break Drew teased her saying..."and how many eighty-one thousand dollar sailboats have you been on"? He asked her "did anyone help you with this"? She said "yeah, my mom", so he came into the audience to ask me how many eighty one thousand dollar sailboats I had been on. I explained that we thought it was a four digit number, and could we have a do over...then I had to tell him how adorable he is. And he really is...he is so cute, nice and the kinda guy you would want to have a beer with.
So, the show continued....then the time came to spin the wheel....Cassie spun the wheel (again...can't remember the numbers..) but she tied with another guy and they had a spin off......AND SHE WON.....SHE WAS HEADED TO THE SHOWCASE SHOWDOWN!!
We were all shaking....poor Cassie was chewing off her fingers while the show continued. It was nerve racking and exciting all at the same time.
So the second half of the show continued and the guy right behind me (yeah, the one that agreed that the sailboat was 81) ended up winning the wheel spin and was going to the showcase showdown with Cassie.
Whooo....deep breath.......so he (I think his name was Daniel) gets to decide whether to bid or pass on the first showcase. The showcase comes up and it is some arcade games, a spa and I don't remember what the rest of it was (my mother warned me that the 70's were gonna catch up with me....brain cells burned), but it wasn't anything big. And Daniel decides to BID...we couldn't believe it...he's gonna BID..YIKES, HOLY SMOKE....WOWZA! We knew that the next showcase had to have something big...like a car, a trip..something exciting. So he bid...I think $16,000.00...which by our estimates was pretty darn close.
So...time for Cassie's showcase.....it starts out with a Nintendo Wii with 12 games, then a 40 inch plasma tv.....then....a trip to PARIS, FRANCE....6 days, roundtrip for two....OH MY GOSH.....BUT THAT'S NOT ALL.......A NEW CAR!! A 2008 CHEVROLET EQUINOX.......it was all so incredible and surreal....
So we told her to bid $33,000.00 and she bid $31,000.00..............
Time for another commercial break....then Drew tells them who the winner is...first he goes to Cassie and the actual price was 39 thousand and something....so a difference of 8 thousand....then he goes to Daniel....AND DANIEL WAS OVER!! HOLY MOLY SHE WON!! SHE WON THE SHOWCASE SHOWDOWN!! She ended up winning over $40,000.00 in prizes! We all ran up on stage...and a warning here for everyone....again, they have like 5 cameras on stage and the cameras add like 10 pounds....so my ass will look huge.....but I don't care....my baby won...and I think I peed my pants when I was up there anyway.
So that's our story!! What an exciting day...what an experience!! The show will air on January 14th.
Here is a picture of my baby with the card that they held up on stage when her name was called.

The Price is Right!!! Come on down!!

2008-11-12T14:28:00.000-08:00

First, I don't have my computer back, so I can't post any images yet....but hopefully tomorrow I should have it.
So, have I got a story to share with you....
My oldest daughter Jona decided that to celebrate her birthday she wanted to go to a taping of The Price is Right. We had tickets for November 4th for the 1:00 and the 4:00 taping. I stayed in Las Vegas and drove to LA with my youngest daughter Cassie, while my oldest daughter drove to LA with my sister DeeDee.
We arrived in LA in the afternoon and had booked a room at the Farmer's Daughter Hotel which is located right across from the CBS studios. We knew from previous experience that you had to be in line early in the morning for a number for the best seating in the audience, also they overbook the shows so in the event it is way overbooked then you want one of the first numbers so that you can attend the taping. All large groups have priority and get first seating.
So we all had an early dinner and went to bed early and asked for a 3:45 a.m. wakeup call. (Let me tell you there are only three times in my life when I will get up before the sun.....fishing, a good sale and ok...The Price is Right)
So after a very restless night and very little sleep (it's kinda like the night before Christmas as a kid....you look at the alarm clock about 50 times to make sure that you don't oversleep) we all got up before the wakeup call and were surprised to find that it was raining outside. So we went to the Hotel lobby and asked if they had any umbrellas...knowing that we would be standing outside...the gentleman at the desk asked what the heck we were doing so early in the morning and we told him we were headed to the line for the Price is Right numbers....he then led us to the front of the hotel and pointed across the street..."See those people standing there? That is the line....you don't need to be out here this early. I will watch the line for you...go back to your room, go back to sleep or have coffee and I will call you when you need to get back in line". So keeping the umbrellas he loaned us we went back to our room and waited. I don't think any of us went back to sleep but we had coffee, read or watched tv. Then at 5:30 he called and said "it's time".
So we headed across the street to get into line. It was hard to tell but I think there were about 20 people in line. The rain had let up so we didn't need the umbrellas, but it was still pitch dark. While we were waiting in line a transformer blew out across the street which caused a little excitement with everyone.
After about an hour they started handing out the numbers and we were instructed to return to the studio at 10:00.
We walked across the street and had breakfast at a local restaurant then headed back to the hotel to check out of our room and have the front desk hold our luggage.
We headed back to the studio for a long day of waiting.
Taping for the show was to begin at 1:00...and from 10:00 to 1:00 you go thru a series of providing your identification, filling out release forms, having your picture taken....then the all important question from the show's producter, Stan.
Stan usually takes a group of 6 or so, before they enter the studio and asks a question or two and this how they choose the contestants for the audience. He asked us "Where are you from and what do you do for a living"? Although they don't tell you anything...you know they are looking for personality and enthusiasm.
After answering the question they then lead everyone into the studio.
First the studio is much smaller than what you expect. And it seems very "old school" and rather drab (that is until they turn on the studio lights). Once everyone is seated then they play music and encourage everyone to dance and get ready for the show. Rich Fields (the annoucer)then comes out answers any questions anyone has, explains a little bit about the show (like where to enter the stage in the event you are called) and they explain that because the show and audience are so loud, if your name is called you may not hear it, so there will be a young man standing on stage with large cue cards that will show the contestants names as they are called.
So the show got going....everyone is excited and dancing around (some of us more than other....) then they began the show with Drew Carey coming out.
I have previouly posted in my blog before about attending a taping of the show back in April, and I have attended two tapings of the Ellen DeGeneres show.....but Drew Carey is the nicest host and he mingles and talks to the audience members during the commercial breaks. He truly wants everyone to win and they encourage you before the show that if you are called on stage, you can hug and kiss Drew and if you win a prize, to play with the prize, sit in it.....they want you to be EXCITED!!
The show was awesome....I don't remember much from the first taping, because the second taping is so much more memorable (more to follow on that). But they asked if you are staying for the second taping you need to exit the studio, you are given another number, name tag and then directly to Stan (the producer) for another question....then the show is to begin taping at 4:00.
So we went thru the process....but before we did...my daughter Cassie who had to work that night at midnight in Vegas, thought that she wouldn't attend the last taping since she had a long drive...but her sister talked her into staying, since it was her birthday.
Stan's question this time was.....What do you like to do for fun? My sister said" I like to bake goodies for my son's who are in the service". Cassie said "I love to play my guitar hero...I am addicted to it". Jona said: "I like to chase my two little monkeys around...ages 4 and 2". And I said...I like to take her 2 monkeys feed them lots of candy and chocolate and send them home".
Then we were led into the studo for the taping...........
OOPS, WOULDN'T YOU KNOW...I AM RUNNING OUT OF ROOM HERE.......HEE HEE
STAY TUNED FOR PART 2 OF THE STORY TOMORROW!!!!

Elton John and Vegas...it just doesn't get much better!!

2008-11-08T12:05:00.001-08:00

Whew!! I am still tired! And just don't even know where to begin.
First I am still without my laptop (I mistakenly left it at my daughter's house in Las Vegas and am waiting for it to be shipped back), so I am making this post from the Public library.
First, we had an awesome weekend in Las Vegas. Didn't win any money, but that's okay and to be expected.
But we did get to see Sir Elton John and his show The Red Piano at Caesar's Palace.
What an awesome show!! When I picked up our tickets we were told that the show was for mature audiences only....which seemed a little weird...a concert for adults only? But once the show began it was completely understandable....it was boobs, boobs and more boobs everywhere. Pictures of boobs behind him on the stage, even growing out of one wall on the side of the stage.
He performed one song while Pamela Anderson danced on a stripper pole dressed in a g-string and pasties in the backdrop. (Obviously I think my husband liked that song the most)
It was visually and musically stunning. And he played the piano from the moment the show began until the end. It was the show of a lifetime to see and I would gladly go see it again and again.
After the show, of course I had to go to the Red Piano shop and bought myself a black t-shirt and rhinestones that said...the bitch is back....I had to do it, and wore it that night to the casino. We had one dealer, who was very opinionated and openly gay, and as people strutted through the casino in costumes (it was the night after Halloween) that were incredible (as in.....see through, or very little clothing) he had some very choice comments...and we kept teasing him that he was gonna be wearing my shirt before the night was over.
We had an awesome visit in Vegas, as always. But Halloween is an interesting time to be there. People start dressing up the week before and continue through the weekend, it gives them the opportunity to literally wear anything or nothing at all.
My favorite costume was a young man with a swim cap on, a blue speedo, several medals around his neck and in an open white bathrobe, and introducing himself to young women as Michael Phelps....it was too funny!
I have so much more to share.....our trip to see The Price is Right was a blast...and just a little hint....there was a winner among us!!
Talk to you all soon!!!

Some great news to share...

2008-11-05T14:12:00.001-08:00

Hi all ~~
We have returned from Las Vegas and our appearance on the Price is Right...and I have some great stories to share and some awesome news....but my computer is out of commission for a few days.
Hate to keep you hanging there....but when I am up and running again...I have so much to share.
Tammy~~~~

I'm leavin on a jet plane...

2008-10-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's right...I will be out of commission for a few days!
Tomorrow me and the hubby fly out to Las Vegas, to see one of my all time favorite performers....

The one and only.....Sir Elton John performing his show The Red Piano at Caesars Place. Woop woop!! I can't wait...he is one of the performers that is on my list of people to see before I die. My hubby isn't as excited as I am..so I am kinda dragging him with me...unless my daughter can get off of work that night and go with me. She would love to see him also, but she has to work on weekends, that is when she makes the most money.
Then my hubby is flying back home on Sunday (yeah..yeah...someone has to work) and I will stay there with our daughter (who lives there) and she and I are driving to LA on Monday to meet my oldest daughter and my sister...where we have tickets on Tuesday for.....

You got it.....The Price is Right with Drew Carey!
My oldest daughter's birthday is on Tuesday and this is how she wanted to celebrate. We are going to have a great time and hopefully one of us will be picked to go on stage. We went back in April, but my eldest daughter didn't get to go...so she is really excited.
I will be taking my laptop and camera with me...so maybe I can keep you posted. If not...we will have some catching up to do when I get home!!

Can't you take NO for an answer!!??!

2008-10-29T14:30:00.001-07:00

The other night when I was enjoying the peace and quiet of my home, my phone rang and caller ID showed that it was an unknown number. Of course I should have known better, this is the time when telemarketers are on the prowl.

Let me share the jest of the conversation with you ~~

Me: Hello?
Caller: Hi, I am just calling to confirm that you will be voting yes on Proposition 8?
Me: Uh, no...I am voting NO on it...(how dare he make an assumption!)
Caller: You're voting no?? (with that "are you sure about that" tone)
Me: Yes...I am voting no...I believe in equality for everyone, same sex or not.
Caller: Are you aware that they can then teach your children in school that same sex marriage is okay?
Me: We live in California....hello??? Why would anyone want to shelter their children from the fact that two loving adult human beings can now be married to each other and give each other the same legal rights that us "heterosexual" couples enjoy?
(I am sure about this time he was thinking...wow, I didn't expect this..)
Caller: But do you want your children or grandchildren to be taught that in school?
Me: My children were taught that...by me in my home. And I know that my grandchildren will be taught the same. We have friends who are gay, even family members that are....for heaven sakes if the kids are hearing this for the first time in school, then the parents need some education.
Caller: But, but, but....
Me: Goodbye!

I know that alot of people are not facing Proposition 8 on their ballots. But in California we are....and unfortunately is has become a heated debate with viscous commercials being shown on television.

Just to set a few facts straight...here are some of the declarations and the facts:

Fiction: Prop 8 doesn’t discriminate against gay people.

Fact: Prop 8 is simple: it eliminates the rights for same-sex couples to marry. Prop 8 would deny equal protections and write discrimination against one group of people—lesbian and gay people—into our state constitution.

Fiction: Teaching children about same-sex marriage will happen here unless we pass Prop 8.

Fact: Not one word in Prop 8 mentions education. And no child can be forced, against the will of their parents, to be taught anything about health and family issues at school. California law prohibits it.

California’s top educators including Superintendent of Schools Jack O’Connell and California Teachers all agree: Prop 8 has nothing to do with education.

Proposition 8 would eliminate fundamental rights for a group of Californians. It’s unfair and it’s wrong.

I'm sorry but I am a true believer in love and happiness. Life is too short to rob that gift from so many. And I cannot believe that my God or any God would take that away from anyone. Here in California we have come so much further than other places in allowing gay couples rights. As goofy as we might be to everyone else in the country...I am proud to live in California and that we have been at the forefront of equal rights for same sex couples. Thankfully now people can come out and live their lives without fear (hopefully) of any reprocussions based on their sexuality. AMEN
Ok...now I will step down from my soap box ~~
peacenluv, peacenluv

Ok...I caved in, I admit I'm weak!!

2008-10-27T23:56:00.000-07:00

So a couple of days ago I was at Costco, one of my favorito hangouts...and I love to peruse the book area. I love to take my time.....glance thru books...read a little here and there.....and before I knew it one was screaming at me... BUY ME...BUY ME....TAMMY, BUY ME!!!
And guess which book it was.....

Yep, the same book that I had written a post about.......Marcia Brady, whom I wanted to be most like as a young girl, the one with the perfect parents, perfect clothes, perfect hair...she got to date Davy Jones and Desi Arnaz Jr. Now she is airing her dirty laundry for all to see....and I was sucked up, enticed, entralled...needed to know the scoop and I couldn't help it!! I glanced thru the book and just couldn't put it down.
Ok, so if you wanna know...she was addicted to cocaine, would have sex for drugs (oh, Marcia) and she didn't have sex with Greg (thank goodness....I think that might have scarred me for life!)
So Marcia wasn't so perfect after all...how disappointing.

We have a winner.....

2008-10-26T22:35:00.000-07:00

And wouldn't you know....it's the new girl on the block....Mistress Meeyee...congratulations!!
Thank you everyone for visiting...Twisted Fenceposts, Grandma J, and Noble Pig thank you for being avid readers.....I appreciate your blogs daily! And Mistree Meeyee, I will be a follower of your as well.....you must tell us about Nick Simmons, I have been a fan of his father's for years and never miss an episode of Family Jewels!

Time for another giveaway!! Boo!!

2008-10-24T23:23:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite all time authors is Stephen King. He has kept me awake many a night unable to put down a scary book. I remember one occasion camping and reading Misery by flashlight in the tent and I had to finish the darn thing. And every sound I heard outside...yikes...I jumped out of my skin!!
And who could forget Cujo....and Thinner and of course Firestarter! The list goes on and on.
So tell me your favorite scary movie, story, poem...anything that has made you feel the hair stand up on the back of your neck! Are you like me and still have to have the shower curtain open an inch or two thanks to the movie Psycho? Oh, how I was traumatized by it.......and the movie The Bad Seed...I still love to watch it at late night. Or are you more of a current move genre like Saw or Final Destination.....wooooo I loved those too!!
I will use my random number picker on Sunday night....and you will win the above Firestarter Movie Collection, which contains the original Firestarter and Firestater 2, Rekindled....just in time for fright night!!!

2008-10-23T22:56:00.000-07:00

Wow!! I won another award from my friend Lorie at rice, beans and other fine things (this is where I should link her blog....but I can't figure out how to do that...sorry Lorie) her blog is one of the first that I discovered when I entered the blogging world and I have always admired her writing skills, recipes and photography. Thank you Lorie!!
So now I get to talk about me which I always feel really uncomfortable about...so I will try to not embarrass myself or other family members. So here we go....

Seven things I did before...

1. I used to be a licensed hairdresser for a couple of years...and quit when I had my oldest daughter (who will soon be 28...yikes!)
2. I used to work at a flight training school.

3. I used to work for a medical doctor who believed that he could cure arthritis with cocaine. I think he might have eventually lost his license.

4. I sold photo packages on the phone for Olin Mills.

5. I used to work for a County Recorders officer processing birth and death certificates.

6. I worked as a maid for a large Hotel when I met my husband.

7. And most recently I was the manager for a title and escrow company for 24 years, and was laid off when the real estate market here sank...and my office was closed.

Seven things I do now...

1. Please don't hate me..but I listen to Howard Stern on the radio every day. Of course he is shocking, if it gets too bad I change it....but I love that he is outspoken and he does great celebrity interviews.

2. I adore my grandchildren. They are the greatest little human beings, they are hilarious and they have the best manners better than most adults.

3. I talk to my daughters every single day...several times a day. I can honestly say that they both are my best friends. We do everything together.

4. I cook everyday and love it. I sometimes wish I had more people to cook for, it's kinda boring just cooking for 2 (that's why I love the holidays!).

5. I start alot of projects, but have problems finishing them. there still just aren't enough hours in the day.

6. I don't sleep much...typically 5-6 hours a night. I am a night owl by nature and you will find that most of the posts on my blog are at night. But as a creature of habit, I am typically out of bed by 7.

7. I never turn on the tv during the day. It only comes on at night after the hubby gets home...and at 8:00 he automatically hands the remote to me.

Seven things I would like to do...

1. Learn to paint. I had hoped to take some classes when I had some free time...but so far haven't been able to work it into my "busy" schedule.

2. Sew more...I have never been much of a seamstress, but would like to maybe sew some doll clothes for my granddaughter or a sock monkey or two.

3. Find a way to make money, yet stay home and like...not really work.

4. Be a better photographer and figure out how to use Photoshop Elements.

5. Be motivated to lose weight....but deep inside I think there is nothing wrong with being fat and happy.

6. Be better organized. I am afraid that if (heaven forbid) something happened to my husband and I, and my daughters had to go thru our belongings....there would be a whole lotta cussing going on.

7. Learn how to crochet and knit. I kinda have the crochet thing down a little...but can't follow a pattern. And I have bought many books and even a dvd on how to knit...but still can't figure it out.

Seven things that attracted me to the opposite sex/my husband...

1. His good looks....after 30 years the man still takes my breath away.

2. His close relationship with his family, especially his mom.

3. He is all man....he is stronger than anyone I know. He loves to hunt and fish and when he works in the dirt....he used to make his tractor look sexy ~

4. He is not afraid to show his emotions.

5. I know that he loves me just as much as I love him.

6. He loves to surprise me with a bouquet of flowers nearly every Sunday morning. And he buys the absolutely best cards for my birthday, anniversary and valentines day. He really puts alot of thought into it and he never forgets a holiday.

7. He's a great father and an awesome Grandfather.

Seven favorite foods...

1. Pasta, Pasta, Pasta.

2. Pies or anything pie-like...i.e. cobblers, fruit tarts...etc.

3. Sushi...yum, my favorite dinner out

4. Seafood of any kind...kinda goes with #3 I guess.

5. Cakes and cookies.

6. Polenta...one of my favorite side dishes.

7. Ice Cream....but I am a snob about it...must be good quality (in other words most fattening) like Ben and Jerry's or Hagen Das

Seven things I say most often...

1. Will you dogs knock it off (they fight like kids).

2. I need to turn my computer off and get some stuff done.

3. I hope I don't see anyone I know...I don't have any makeup on.

4. Please don't ask me what I did today.

5. Do I really have to go back to work eventually?

6. What the heck did I walk in this room for?

7. Now I know I saw that somewhere.....where did I put it?

Now I am supposed to tag seven people. But this is always the hard part for me. First, I am fairly new to blogging and probably only have about 7 followers. Second, it is kinda like picking your favorite child....I just can't do it!!!!
So here is what I am gonna do...you are all winners to me....I want everyone that reads my blog to pick this award up...take it, grab it...it's yours. You deserve it!!

Wordless Wednesday.....

2008-10-22T21:01:00.000-07:00

To stop the bleeding.....put a bandaid on it!!

2008-10-21T22:53:00.000-07:00

I don't know if anyone else saw this article that was on the internet http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27311840/
but these are words that I have preaching for sometime now.
I saw first hand how the mortgage mess happened...I was there, saw it happening and saw it fall.
I think that the only way for the mortgage mess to stop bleeding is for all lenders to reduce the interest rate on every one's loans to a low fixed rate...say 4 or 5 per cent. I know that this is going to cause them to lose alot of money in interest, but it will stop the massive amounts of foreclosures across the board.
I don't think that this reduction should only be made to those borrowers in trouble, I think it should be made on ALL loans, across the board...with every one's values dropping it is too easy for alot of people to walk away from their homes, this would give everyone a more affordable payment and the incentive to stay in their homes.
When values come up again, and they will...then everyone will begin to refinance again to pull money out. Unfortunately that is the American way now, since it is the only tax deduction for most of us. Most people will never accomplish paying their mortgage off, and never really work towards that.
It always reminds me of the bumper sticker...he who dies with the most toys wins...that pretty much sums up our society, we want what everyone else has only newer, bigger and nicer. And we have all learned the last few years that all you have to do is tap into the gold mine that you live in...your home.

Ahhh....back to reality and a day making jam

2008-10-20T16:15:00.000-07:00

We got back last night from a weekend of fishing....ahhhh there is nothing like it!! No phones, no mail, no tv, no cooking, no cleaning...heck you don't even have to shower if you don't want too!!
Just me, my hubby, my dog (only the wienie dog got to go), my fishing equipment and my satellite radio....nothing else needed....oh and food, drink and my self contained 30 foot travel trailer.....I wasn't gonna rough it now, was I?
At this particular trout derby...they plant 500 fish, 50 of which have tags on them...3 of them have big money tags...one is worth $3000.00 and the other two are worth $1000.00..the remaining tagged fish split the remaining pot of money.
A couple of years ago I caught a tagged fish and walked away with almost $200.00.
But this weekend, no one caught any of the big money fish....and only 2 tagged fish were caught the entire weekend. So the two people that caught the fish split the entire pot....my guess is that they probably walked away with at least $2000.00 each! Not bad for a weekend of fishing!!!
It was a beautiful weekend with weather in the 80's and a low of 50 at night...purrrfect!! We stayed up Saturday night and did some night fishing until about 1:30...when we couldn't hold our eyes open any longer. I think this is the last tournament of the year, until spring.
So....when I got back I had forgotten that I had picked a bucket of figs at a friends house, that were waiting for me in the garage. And today I made a batch of fig jam.
It is absolutely delicious to serve on crackers, over cheese...maybe drizzled over your morning oatmeal or even ice cream. Here is the recipe...courtesy of Ball Blue Book of Preserving
Fig Jam
5 lbs. figs
6 c. sugar
3/4 water
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
Rinse figs and trim stem off. Place figs in a large roasting pan and cover with boiling water and let stand 10 minutes. Drain and finely chop.
Combine figs, sugar and water in large heavy pot over medium heat bring to a slow boil, stirring constantly. Cook to gelling point. Add lemon juice and cook 1 minute longer.Ladle into hot prepared jars leaving 1/4 inch head space. Process 15 minutes in a water bath.
Enjoy!!!

I'm pooped!!

2008-10-17T07:21:00.000-07:00

I'm pooped, I'm tired...and I am so glad it is FRIDAY!!

We are packing the travel trailer, loading up the boat and heading to the lake for a fishing tournament. Wish me luck!!

Everyone have a great weekend....and I leave you with this....

I hope it reminds everyone how important good dental health is!!!

We have our winners!!

2008-10-15T22:24:00.000-07:00

Actually my personal random number picker (in case you haven't been here before it's my hubby) fell asleep before I could catch him...so I had to use a random number generator that I found via Google

And the winners are.................drum roll.......

The winner of the tote is Grandma J

The winner of the measuring cups is Mommyhood is thankless

Thank you everyone for stopping by and leaving such touching stories of your encounters with breast cancer. It is sad that this disease has touched so many people. Unfortunately mostly women.

Thank you everyone.....and check back...I have another giveaway planned for next week!!

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!!

2008-10-14T15:26:00.000-07:00

As a kid growing up during the 60's and 70's, I adored the Brady Bunch and in particular Marcia Brady. Like so many other girls...I wanted to look like her and dress like her. But I particularly wanted her hair...smooth, straight, parted in the middle..long flowing hair. But I was born with curly hair that I could never get past my shoulder. And her clothes...we all wanted to dress just like her. Bold colors, stripes..the perfect bell bottoms, go go boots...she was adorable. And who didn't want to secretly live in the Brady house. You have Alice who had cookies waiting for you when you came home from school...three cute brothers...a bedroom that you lovingly share with your two sisters that looked like a princess castle. And their parents....geez, they just talked things out...never raised a hand to their kids, never made them get up and change the tv channel (heck, I thought our parents had us just to change the tv, before the birth of a remote), never yelled at them for grades....
But this week...once again....another idol bites the dust...or snorts the dust in her case. Marcia (real name Maureen, but will always be Marcia in my book) has decided to tell all in a new book...including drug abuse, sex capades....blah, blah, blah.....Did you really have to come clean and tell all? Doesn't anyone keep their skeletons in the closet anymore?
Darn....there goes my number one hair idol.

Don't forget to enter my contest on yesterday's post...tomorrow night we will pick a winner..before the random number picker goes to sleep.

Time for another Giveaway!! This one is for MOM

2008-10-13T09:55:00.001-07:00

October is National Breast Cancer awareness month...so in honor of my Mom, who I lost in 2000 after a long battle with breast cancer....I am giving away 2 gifts...

One ~~ A bag promoted by Safeway to Support the Cause

Two ~~ A set of Good Cook pink measuring cups

So my sistas (or brothas)....just leave me a comment and let me know if you have been affected by breast cancer in your family (I certainly hope that you haven't, but unfortunately most of us have been been affected directly or indirectly). My random number picker will pick TWO winners on Wednesday evening.

Only one comment per person....but if you blog about this giveaway....I will give you not one, not two...not even three or four....but 5 extra entries.

Let's have fun.....and CHECK YOUR TATAS...IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE!!

Please excuse my absence...my head exploded!!

2008-10-12T22:03:00.000-07:00

Yep, it happened....my head exploded on Friday.

I guess I should explain....in an effort to try to help my daughter and her husband with child care expenses, I decided that since I was off of work that I would watch the grandkids 3 days a week.
Sounds easy enough....right?? WRONG!!!
With a 4 year old and 2 year old, 3 dogs (who are fighting all the time) and a cat who must stay in the garage or risk being eaten by the visiting bulldog....my household was absolutely crazy!!
Although I successfully raised two daughters to adulthood....wholly-moly...what a difference 20+ years makes in the patience level. This is the reason our eggs dry up at this age....GOD is very, very wise.
My granddaughter bonked my grandson in the head with a sucker (which caused him to cry like a mad man) and my grandson has a fascination with electrical outlets and removing batteries from all remote controls located in the house. Of course all of these things happen as soon as I get a somewhat important phone call that I have to try to talk though.
After that I had a total melt down, and tearfully called my daughter and said I just couldn't do it any more. I love my grandchildren more than anything in the world and I don't want them to think of me as the lunatic grandmother who is constantly yelling at them and putting them on time out. I want to go back to the way it was....they stay over on the weekends...we go to fun places, do crafts, go swimming, camping, fishing..... and grandpa is here to help!!!
I tried, I really did....I hoped to be the grandma that baked cookies while they napped...my home always spotless...gee thoughts of June Cleaver come to mind....oh that's right..she wasn't REAL!
I hand it to all of you that stay at home, home school, nurse babies and still finding time to sew, cook and maintain a blog. YOU ARE AWESOME!!! I wish I knew how you could do it all....

Well, my head has returned to normal....and tomorrow we are gonna have ourselves a giveaway!! Come back tomorrow...ya hear?!!

Taco Pizza

2008-10-09T20:23:00.000-07:00

Homemade tacos are a favorite at my house. Taco Bell is just a few blocks from our house, but nothing beats a homemade taco. Now I'm not going to give a recipe for homemade tacos, I think everyone pretty much knows how to make them...but what make them really different from Taco Bell is that I fry the corn tortillas until they are just a little crisp around the edges and chewy inside....yummmm. I have also on occasion made my own corn tortillas which are delish also....but too much work for tacos...just too time consuming.

But what I want to share with you is what I do with my leftovers...I make a taco pizza!!

Unfortunately I don't have a picture to show you...but the taco pizza is even better that the tacos. And kids love it....

Here's what I do....

I use a Pillsbury pizza crust (usually found in the section where biscuits are sold, if you can't find it you can use a Boboli or even crescent rolls), prepare according to the instructions in a large cookie sheet/jelly roll pan. Bake it for about half of the time shown. Remove from oven and spread your leftover seasoned meat (and beans if you use them) and top with shredded cheese, return to oven until crust is brown and cheese is melted.

Top pizza with diced tomatoes, sliced olives, diced onion, and shredded lettuce.

We then like to drizzle the top with Ranch Dressing....cut into squares and serve.

Hey everyone come back soon......there is a giveaway a brewin'!!

Wordless Wednesday...

2008-10-08T00:09:00.001-07:00

Ok.....maybe just two words......ED BUNDY????
(Layne, please forgive me when you're older.....k?)

A Day in the Park....

2008-10-07T17:16:00.000-07:00

I know that in most places fall is already settling in...I have been reading every one's blogs with their Halloween pictures and fall decorations.
But here in central California, we are in the middle of a typical indian summer....temperatures have been in the mid to high 80's. Although the leaves are changing colors...it is still tank top, shorts and flip flops weather.

(she gives me this look because I am a stalker with a camera)

Recently I was able to take the grand kids to spend some time in a neighborhood park...they had a blast...
After we played...we went to McDonald's (shhhhh....don't tell their Mom and Dad) and came back to have a picnic.
It was a purrrfect day!!

I have a pet peeve....

2008-10-06T16:20:00.000-07:00

And doesn't everyone? And of course I have more than one.....but recently one really came to mind.....PAJAMAS!
Don't get me wrong...I love pajamas. But what bugs me is that I see more and more people wearing them like they are everyday clothes. And I am talking about ADULTS doing this.
Example....on Saturday night my husband and I went out to dinner at a local sushi restaurant. It's not a fancy restaurant, it has kind of a sports bar atmosphere...but it's not a fast food joint either.
In comes a couple to be seated...I would say they were in their 30's or so...the man is carrying a car seat with a child maybe a couple of months old. And the woman was wearing pajamas and I am talking hot pink fleece pajamas with lady bugs on them...and to top it off..fuchia colored fluffy slippers. They weren't there to pick up and order to go.....they were there to sit down and have dinner in a restaurant!
Call me old fashioned if you want....but is that really appropriate? And didn't the boyfriend/husband/brother...whatever he was say, "YOUR NOT GOING OUT TO DINNER DRESSED LIKE THAT ARE YOU"?? I know that my husband, kids, even my 4 year old granddaughter would say...EXXXCUSSSEE MEEE...I am not going with you unless you change.
I remember on occasion my daughters trying to slip off to high school wearing pajamas with flip flops or their Uggs on and it was like...NO..unless I see a paper saying it is wear your pajamas to school day, you are not going to school like that...if i can't wear that to work, you certainly can't wear that to school.
But...I do have one exception to the wearing pajamas in public.....if you are like me and hit the day after Thanksgiving sales at 4 am., then you are certainly entitled to wear them....but...if you are out after say 9 am., then you need to go home and change. That's my sermon for the day...AMEN sistas!!

The Wise and Mighty Random Number Picker has spoken....

2008-10-05T19:33:00.000-07:00

I caught the Random Number Picker before he went to sleep and he has chosen number 7......woohoo....quitecontrary1977 you are the winner! (For those of you that are new here the Random Number Picker is my hubby....I just ask "Hey Honey, pick a number between 1 and 8") I haven't figured out how to use the computerized version, but believe me...he is totally random.
Thank you all for stopping in....check back in often..you never know when I might have a giveaway!
I spent the day fishing and I am pooped!!

Time for another giveaway!! Karma baby...I love it!!

2008-10-04T16:27:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned yesterday I received an email stating that I won another contest. Woo hoo, yippy skippy!! I love winning stuff and more than that I love giving things away. So this weekend I am giving away a Mary Engelbreit collection of items, these include a magnetic note pad, post-its, a magnet and two sets of raised stickers.
I love Mary Engelbreit items...and these are some cute little goodies!
Again....nothing fancy required. Just leave me a comment...anything...just to let me know you're there!!
No buttons, no links....just honestly...I haven't figured that out yet. And I am not advertising this contest...so let's just see how many show up.
The contest will end tomorrow...Sunday at 6:00 pm.
And I will catch my randon number generator before he falls asleep to pick me a number.
Make sure leave me your email address if you don't have a blog, so that I can contact you.
Everyone have a great weekend....it's rainy here today (finally...we haven't had any rain since March..we need it!!)

Winner, Winner....once again!!

2008-10-03T15:50:00.000-07:00

I just got word that I won another contest!! Yahooooo
You know what that means......Karma baby...yep, time for another contest.
Please check back and we will have a contest this weekend!!
I gotta go round something up to giveaway. Woo Hoo !!

Please don't judge me by my garage...

2008-10-01T18:03:00.001-07:00

First, let me say that the above picture is NOT MY GARAGE....it is just a Google image that may be similar to my garage. I would never have the nerve to post a picture of my garage. And, my husband would never forgive me on that one! (I could just hear him......HONEY, YOU DID WHAT!!??!!)

But, once upon a time, long ago..a very wise real estate agent told me something that I have never forgotten....you can always tell how clean someone keeps their house, by looking at the inside of their car. And because of those words (which as any good mother would...I have ingrained into the minds of my children) I keep my car spotless inside and out, even though I may have unfolded laundry on my bed or ring around the toilet bowl.

Although cleaning the garage is suppose to be left to my husband...it's one of those jobs that I rely on him to do without asking....kinda like taking the garbage cans to the curb on garbage day...but I have always secretly hoped that we would win like a....free organization contest, or maybe even the kids said...hey mom and dad we cleaned your garage while you were vacationing in the Bahamas (wow, now that is really dreaming!!)...but please, please, PLEASE...whatever you do...do not enroll me for the Oprah Show or heaven forbid Martha, makeover....you may as well just show my underwear drawer to the world! But then....that is why front doors have peep holes.....you would find me hiding in my somewhat cluttered entry way closet!!

Girlfriends........

2008-09-30T16:21:00.001-07:00

Today I had to attend a funeral.......I hate funerals!!!

It was celebrating the life of a friend of ours, John, I had worked with his wife for over 20 years. We all became friends attending the obligatory Christmas parties and assorted company events. When I first began working at "the office" they invited my husband and I to their home for dinner, and were wonderful and gracious. It was the beginning of a long and true friendship.

It was a typical Catholic Mass celebration at the church where he was baptized and where he and his wife had married in 1976. As difficult as it was to celebrate his life and the end of his life, and seeing his wife, children and other family members in pain. As funerals do often times, it brings people together. In this case it was a group of us girls who worked together in the same office on and off for more than 20 years.

We all were able to sit together for lunch after the service and enjoys some laughs together like old times. We all had been together for so long we experienced pregnancies, raising our children, the birth of a few grandchildren and even some losses together.

We had worked in an office that at the most at one time had about 16 employees. It was a high stress, long hours kind of business. And the most men we ever had in the office at one time was 3...typically they couldn't hang around for long. But us women did, and we bonded....sure we all had ups and downs...mood swings, jealousy issues...it wasn't all rainbows and kisses. At times there were some not speaking to others. But the one thing we all knew and still know to this day is that we got each others back. I could call anyone of these ladies for anything and without a doubt they would come thru. And I would do the same for them...anytime...anywhere.

I have never really been part of the "girlfriends" thing. There is no one that I talk to everyday other than my husband and daughters. I don't really share private moments with anyone other than family.

But today I learned that I have "girlfriends" if that is what you want to call them.....but to me it is much more....they are my support system, and I hope that they consider me a part of theirs.

Today was a sad day, but it was also a very special day.

How about a Friday fill in....sounds fun!

2008-09-25T21:46:00.000-07:00

1. Halloween decorations are some of the things I'm most looking forward to in October.

2. Sometimes I take a bubble bath with my granddaughter.

3. I never thought I would have the time to take care of my grandchildren while their mama works, but now that I am not working....I get to and that's why there is a saying, "never say never"!

4. When I'm down, I like to go shopping.

5. Home is where you'll find me most often.

6. A rainy day is good for baking cookies and making soup.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to watching The Dog Whisperer (the bulldog sits in front of the tv, intently watching the entire time), tomorrow my plans include not sure yet, but hope to go fishing and Sunday, I want to definitely take the boat out and go fishing!

And if I don't get to go fishing I might do this.....

Time for a recipe! Carrot Cake with cream cheese/mascarpone frosting

2008-09-24T23:47:00.000-07:00

Ok...this has been a terrible week....and I have been ranting a little this week, just to let off some steam.
But forget all that...it is time for a recipe!
This is absolutely, without a doubt, indisputably the very best Carrot Cake and it has an incredible cream cheese/mascarpone frosting.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese/Mascarpone Frosting

2 c. all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 c. finely grated carrots
1 10 oz. can crushed pineapple (undrained)
1 c. chopped nuts (I used pecans, but walnuts or macadamia would be good also)

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Stir in the sugar, then the oil, slightly beat the eggs and add to mixture. Stir in carrots, then the pineapple, then the nuts. Stir each item until mixed, but do not over beat. This is an easy cake to mix by hand...it actually turns out better.
Place in two greased and floured cake pans and bake at 350* for 35 to 40 minutes until just done, do not overbake.
Remove cake from pans and cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese/Marscapone Frosting
2 8-oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter
1 8-oz. contained of marscapone cheese, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla
2 3/4 c. powdered sugar

Beat butter and cheeses together until fluffy. Add vanilla and slowly add powdered sugar. Beat until creamy and fluffy. This recipe makes alot of frosting, so don't skimp between the layers.

ENJOY!

Oh, and for the record....I really do plan on posting recipes other than desserts...it's just that desserts really do rock my boat.

The Top 10 reasons that Menopause rocks!

2008-09-23T22:41:00.000-07:00

Warning......it you are a man and just got to my page you may just want to keep on movin'...

I have decided that going thru an early menopause does have it's benefits. Of course getting thru it took a lot of time (like 5 years for me) and I never thought I would stop sweating.

And sure there were some other symptoms.....but sheez, they didn't bother me...

But now that it is done...wooo hooooo!!

Here are my top 10 reasons Menopause is awesome....

10. Duh, no more periods, aunt flo paying a visit, on the rag, having the curse...etc.

9. Second duh....no pregnancy worries

8. No more having to hide walking to the bathroom with a tampon in your hand.

7. No long worry about pulling my wallet out of my purse with a tampon tail attached.

6. No more Midol, Aleve or painkillers that may ease the pain of my uterus falling out.

5. No more planning vacations or special events around the "period".

4. No more cautiously getting out of bed in the morning and running to the bathroom with the legs tightly squeezed.

3. No more secret codes written on the family calendar.

2. I can go swimming whenever I want.

AND THE NUMBER 1 REASON IS......(DRUM ROLL...)

I CAN WEAR WHITE.....WHITE PANTS, WHITE DRESSES, WHITE UNDERWEAR...YIPPEE!

Blahhhhhh Tuesday - RANT ALERT

2008-09-23T12:38:00.000-07:00

Today I woke up feeling just kinda blahhhhh. Nothing physical, I feel great...but more emotionally. I just feel blahhhh, just so I can get this all off my chest this is what I feel blah about:
. Financial crisis woes...is it gonna get better or worse?
. I have been unemployed exactly 6 months, should I look for a job or just continue to ride it out?
. In the six months I have been off of work, I haven't accomplished much...the spare room is still a mess, I still haven't finished painting the guest room....what about the painting, quilting, art classes I was gonna take?
. I have a friend who has a terminal illness and I wish she didn't....she lived a healthy life and is smart, intelligent and doesn't deserve this fate.
. I have another friend who husband has been for a month or so, only to find out in the last couple of days that it is a terminal illness and he is quickly turning for the worse....they just gave him last rites.....she is way to young to be a widow...they just raised their children to adulthood have two beautiful grandchildren and now this.
. I wish my daughter would find her niche in life and be truly happy with a partner who adores her.
. I hate this week in September...24 years ago I received the phone call that my father had a massive heart attack and died on the way to the hospital (he was only 48 and had just had dinner with us the night before). And my mom's birthday is this week, she died in 2000 from the dreaded disease....CANCER.....I HATE CANCER...IT SUCKS AND RUINS EVERYONE'S LIFE.
Ok....I'm feeling better now that I have all of that off my chest. I have a great life, I have a wonderful husband who loves me, children that I raised to be independent, responsible adults, everyone in my family is healthy. I have two grandchildren that are absolutely perfect in everyway and I am lucky now to spend alot of time with them. We are not losing our home like so many others are.
Thank you for letting me get all of that out.
Now I am gonna grab my camera and go take some pictures...peace out~~

All together now... (to the tune of "I left my heart in San Francisco".......

2008-09-22T10:25:00.000-07:00

I left my ass in Reno.........
Was it fun? Not really....I really didn't have any business spending money, since I am UNEMPLOYED!! But we stayed in a beautiful room (which was free, courtesy of the hotel)....but there was a reason they wanted us back and paid for our room....it was to get some of their money back that we won a few months ago....and they did. Darn it...

But I have some EXCITING NEWS.....I won my very first blog award!! WOO HOO!!!
This came from my friend over at The Hunter's Wife. Ok, so with it comes questions and answers....here we go ~~
1. Where is your cell phone? On the charger
2. Where is your significant other? at work (somebody has to pay our gambling debt)
3. Your hair color? dishwater blonde (as my mother used to say)
4. Your mother? sadly I lost her in 2000 due to breast cancer
5. Your father? double sadly, I lost him in 1984 due to a heart attack (age 48)
6. Your favorite thing? I love my computer and camera
7. Your dream last night? I don't think I had one
8. Your dream/goal? To be able to stay home and take care of my grandkids
9. The room you’re in? Living room
10. Your hobby? Starting many projects and finishing very few
11. Your fear? Of being poor and living in a van down by the river
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Retired and living comfortably
13. Where were you last night? Just got home after a 5 hour drive
14. What you’re not? Organized
15. One of your wish-list items? New flooring for my entire house
16. Where you grew up? Lake County, California
17. The last thing you did? Cleaned my kitchen
18. What are you wearing? T-shirt and capris
19. Your TV? Big
20. Your pet? Lola, Bodey, Kitters and foster child...Adonis
21. Your computer? HP
22. Your mood? Happy, but can change to depressed if I think about Reno
23. Missing someone? Cassie....very much
24. Your car? Ford Explorer
25. Something you’re not wearing? Sweats
26. Favorite store? Target....they have everything, even groceries!
27. Your summer? Not long enough
28. Love someone? My hubby, my girls and my grandkids...mucho
29. Your favorite color? Yellow
30. When is the last time you laughed? Today..Allie is here, she always cracks me up
31. Last time you cried? Hmmmm....this is silly but I shed a few tears a couple of weeks ago when Ellen showed her wedding pictures on her show...a wedding gets me everytime.

I’m suppose to tag 7 others....here we go....
Davis-Lucas blogspot
The Real Working Women
Ask Grandma J
Evil Chef Mom
Twisted Fence Post
Your Impact Matters
The Southern Family

(if I had computer sense I would link these to their sites...but I don't know how...sorry)

Thank you Hunter's Wife for the award...and the questions...it was fun!!

National Talk Like a Pirate Day.....who knew??

2008-09-18T19:12:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, September 19th is National "Talk Like a Pirate Day".
I never even knew this day existed....how do I miss so much??
For those that may be interested....here is some basic Pirate lingo...
(courtesy of some article I found on what else...the internet)
Pirate lingo is rich and complicated, sort of like a good stew. Here are the five basic words that you cannot live without. Master them, and you can face Talk Like a Pirate Day with a smile on your face and a parrot on your shoulder, if that's your thing.

Ahoy! -- "Hello!"

Avast! -- Stop and give attention. It can be used in a sense of surprise, "Whoa! Get a load of that!" which today makes it more of a "Check it out" or "No way!" or "Get off!"

Aye! -- "Why yes, I agree most heartily with everything you just said or did."

Aye aye! -- "I'll get right on that sir, as soon as my break is over."

Arrr! -- This one is often confused with arrrgh, which is of course the sound you make when you sit on a belaying pin. "Arrr!" can mean, variously, "yes," "I agree," "I'm happy," "I'm enjoying this beer," "My team is going to win it all," "I saw that television show, it sucked!" and "That was a clever remark you or I just made." And those are just a few of the myriad possibilities of Arrr!

Advanced Pirate Lingo

Once you've mastered the basics, you're ready to start expanding your pirate vocabulary. Try these for starters:

Beauty -- The best possible pirate address for a woman. Always preceded by "me," as in, "C’mere, me beauty," or even, "me buxom beauty," to one particularly well endowed. You'll be surprised how effective this is.

Bilge rat -- The bilge is the lowest level of the ship. It's loaded with ballast and slimy, reeking water. A bilge rat, then, is a rat that lives in the worst place on the ship. On TLAP Day: A lot of guy humor involves insulting your buddies to prove your friendship. It's important that everyone understand you are smarter, more powerful and much luckier with the wenches than they are. Since bilge rat is a pretty dirty thing to call someone, by all means use it on your friends.

Bung hole -- Victuals on a ship were stored in wooden casks. The stopper in the barrel is called the bung, and the hole is called the bung hole. That's all. It sounds a lot worse, doesn't it? On TLAP Day: When dinner is served you'll make quite an impression when you say, "Well, me hearties, let's see what crawled out of the bung hole." That statement will be instantly followed by the sound of people putting down their utensils and pushing themselves away from the table. Great! More for you!

ON THE HOMEFRONT....
I'm pooped...I have been watching my grandchildren during the day, as my daughter's babysitter has had a family emergency and is unavailable this week.
It is tough to keep up with a 4 year old and 2 year old (who is newly potty trained).
I may not be able to keep up with posting....heck I can barely go to the bathroom (and certainly not alone).
But this weekend we are headed to Reno...so I think I can hang on for another day....I THINK I CAN, I THINK I CAN,.....

Layne got his first "boy" haircut

2008-09-16T21:55:00.000-07:00

Our grandson Layne got his first boy "haircut" . He went from this.....

To this.....

Wait a minute,.....you send his grandfather to take him to the bathroom and he comes back like this....

This is really what he looks like....

Our handsome little boy!! Love you Laynie!!!

Excuse me....I think I am losing my mind...let me know if you find it!

2008-09-15T14:39:00.001-07:00

I think that I am slowly losing my mind. I don't know if it is age (my kids would say that it is...), but geez I am only 40 something. Or maybe it has something to do with all that reckless behavior in the 70's.....my mother warned me!!! I didn't think I burned that many brain cells but I guess it is catching up with me.
I just can't seem to accomplish anything. Nope, nothing, nada......I get side tracked so easily and can never concentrate long enough to complete something.
And then there is this darn computer and blog. I love this blog...I really do. Heck 6 months ago I didn't even know what a blog was, then I was looking up a recipe and BAM...I ran into the Pioneer Woman blog and my life has never been the same. But I am really envious by everyone's photos, layouts, creativity, whoop dee woos....and I can't figure out how they do it.
When I had my little giveaway someone asked me why they couldn't link to my recipes....DUH...I have no idea how to do that. I have no idea how people can write something with a line through it...
I bought a top of the line camera...I can't seem to make sense of the book that came with it.
I bought Photoshop elements....I know it can do some pretty fancy things...but I can't figure it out......
I just don't have the patience anymore either....
I used to close multi-million dollar real estate transactions.....why can't I figure any of this out?
Please send help.......please....thank you

2008-09-14T19:30:00.001-07:00

The random number generator was falling asleep, but before he was officially out I asked him to pick the number and the number he chose is....53
Congrats Jacqueline in Atlanta! You are the winner of the Brighton business card holder.
Thanks again everyone.....thanks for visiting my blog!

Please check in often....you never know when we could have another giveaway!!

A recipe and another Brighton Giveaway!!

2008-09-12T17:08:00.000-07:00

I absolutely loved my Mother-in-law, Donna. She was a wonderful person, great cook and a very devoted mother, sister and grandmother. Our family will never be the same since losing her. I was lucky that she and I got along very well and she considered me another one of her daughters. She and I had alot of common interests...cooking, gambling, and of course her baby boy. This is one of her recipes...and a very unusual one, this cake does not contain any flavoring, flour, baking powder or baking soda. I have never seen a recipe like this...

Walnut Cake

2 c. walnuts, chopped very fine
1 c. sugar
6 eggs separated
pinch of salt
sweetened whipping cream
raspberry jam

Beat the 6 eggs whites until stiff (but not like meringue)
In a separate bowl beat the egg yolks with the sugar until fluffy.
Add the nuts and salt.
Fold in the beaten eggs whites.
Divide the batter among 3 cake pans (spring form pans work the best), which have been generously greased and floured (this cake sticks to the pan very easily).
Bake at 350* for 30 to 40 minutes, until cake springs back when touched.
Cool the layers on cake racks.
Beat the whipping cream until desired consistency. Layer the cake with the whipped cream, and spread raspberry jam. Frost entire top and sides, spreading with jam as desired.
ENJOY!!

*****NOW A GIVEAWAY!!! HOW ABOUT A BRIGHTON BUSINESS CARD HOLDER??

Yesterday I mentioned that I had recently won a contest...again!! Woo hoo! I won the new header and background for my blog....which I absolutely love!

So....I believe in Karma...and I believe in paying it forward.

So I want to give this Brighton Business Card Holder away....

Now, I want to make a disclaimer here....this was not donated by Brighton, who I would wish would be a sponsor of mine.....geez, I have given two of their items away already! But I bought this for myself and well......have no need for it now.

So all I want you to do is to make a comment and make sure you leave your email address. Please only one comment person. A winner will be chosen at random (the way I pick the number is..."Hey honey pick a number between --- and ---", so I guess you could call my hubby the random number generator. (He's been called worse things!!)

Everyone have a great weekend!!

Notice something new???

2008-09-11T22:09:00.000-07:00

How could anyone miss it!!! Don't you just love my new header and background??
I won another contest.....whoop, whoop!! Really, I am surprised because I don't enter many contests and really don't visit many blogs during the day. But I must be lucky....first the knives and now this......courtesy of http://www.thesouthernfamily.blogspot.com/
Aubree....thank you for the layout and design...I love it!!!!

So....what this means is KARMA baby....I have to pay this forward. So time for another giveaway!! I will go thru my box of goodies and come up with something to giveaway this weekend. Stay tuned.....it's gonna be another fun one :)

It's the most wonderful time of the year

2008-09-10T22:18:00.000-07:00

Don't you love that Staples commercial where they are dancing around buying school supplies? Cracks me up every time. Now that my kids are grown the first day of school doesn't have the same effect...and I admit I miss it...kinda.

I miss school clothes shopping, buying supplies and the excitement of the first week. But as a working mom (I'm not getting on that soap box again), it was a relief to get them back in school to get some structure back in our lives. Especially when they were in middle school..they got very bored, and weren't old enough to drive yet....but too young to go to day care. There was a whole lotta bickering in those days.....that I don't miss!

But this week our granddaughter Allie started preschool. She attends the same preschool that her Mama, Daddy and Aunties did.

Our baby.....born at 3 pounds 6 ounces....who has surprised us all from the moment we knew of her existence. Our beautiful little girl.....now is in school.....we love you honey...may you continue to love to learn, make lots of friends, enjoy the fun and wonder in life and love your Mama and Daddy...before too long you will think they are as dumb as rocks.....it's a guarantee!

Good Mom vs Bad Mom

2008-09-09T22:37:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I had read an article that asked the question, "how can a working mother can be a good mother?. I guess that this age-old topic is being brought up because of the recent Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin. I don't remember looking to see who wrote it...but I would guess it was a man. But I think for any mother this is an ongoing internal battle that we all deal with or have dealt with.

After I read the title of the article I first thought, what exactly is a "good mother"? We all certainly know what a "bad mother" is. Heck we read about them in the newspapers. My personal opinion is that a good mother is one that nurtures the emotional growth and well being of a child. One that provides the ground work for raising a successful, strong, well-balanced, moral human being. But that is just my take on things.

When I was busy establishing a career and raising small children there were times that I felt that I was forsaking some of my parental responsibility for the all mighty career. And in many cases I think I did (heck, I had to return to work when my baby was 5 weeks old, not by choice but to keep our health insurance)....but was it wrong....did it make me a bad mother when I forgot to send lunch money, or I had to send public transportation to pick them up from school when I couldn't get out of the office? How about missing field trips, school programs or being late to a ball game?

My opinion is that although I certainly wasn't mother of the year (that award goes to the one and only Mrs. Cleaver), thru working I was able to provide material things and the emotional well being of knowing that there would always be a roof over our heads, decent healthcare would be provided and the fridge would always be full (for us as well as most of the neighborhood). Since I worked locally my children knew that in an emergency I was just a phone call away (that meant that when they were older we needed to clarify than an emergency is... unless there was blood, a protruding bone or the house was on fire....they were not to call me). Since I have daughters I wanted them to know that a woman can do it all, have a successful career, great marriage, nice home and juggle all of the balls at the same time. But is there a cost to be paid? Sure...everything has a cost doesn't it? Unfortunately it's just another burden we woman must bear....nobody faults a father for working...do they??

I think that all mothers certainly would love to stay home with their children, nurse their babies, have cookies ready when school is over and coach the soccer team. But to some that just isn't possible financially it also is not possible emotionally. Some, and I think I can count myself in on this one, need to stimulate their brain outside of the home. They need to have a "reason" to shower and get dressed in the morning. While others find that they can motivate themselves and stimulate their brain at home with their children (I would never be disciplined enough to do that.....too many distractions and good tv to watch).

So can Sarah Palin juggle it all? Sure she can, she has the means to hire help with her children and household. But will there be a price to pay? Sure.....there always is.....but alot of times you don't find out the price until it is too late.

Please know this is neither an endorsement for or against Sarah Palin but just an opinion by a mom who happened to work. If she gets the job...I wish her alot of luck, with 5 kids, one of which is a pregnant teenager and a baby with downs syndrom..she is going to need it.

It's my perogative!!!

2008-09-08T23:05:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day that it has felt like fall is just around the corner. We have had several days in a row of 100+ temperatures....then today it dropped about 20 degrees. It was a breezy day and as the sun went down it became downright chilly. Right now it is a brisk 60 degrees, so I have had to close all the windows, grab a blanket and snuggle up to get warm.

But I don't want to!!! I don't want summer to end!! I love the heat, the crowds, the sun, the smell of bar-b-que, wearing flip flops, tank tops and shorts. I like going out on our boat, watering flowers early in the morning, closing up the house during the day to cool off, and walking the dogs when the sun goes down. I don't want to put away my patio furniture, cover the bar-b-que and get my sweaters out....I don't, I won't.....waaa, waaaa

Ok, I feel like a spoiled brat now.....we live in California, in a area that has absolutely perfect weather. In less than an hour I can be at the ocean. We don't see snow, we don't have to dig out of ice, and we are in a drought....so we haven't seen much rain either. So who am I to complain.....now I feel better. So I must go get my fleece lined slippers because my feet are cold.

But I always have these to remind me of summer......

and you never know...it is pretty common to have an indian summer in these parts....so I may be complaining about the heat again.

I admit....I can never make up my mind!

The Price is Right........C'mon down!!!!

2008-09-05T23:12:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I told you the story of appearing on the Ellen DeGeneres Show twice. And when we went to the last Ellen show in April of this year, during the same trip we also went on The Price is Right. I told you that leading up to the taping of the Ellen Show is a long day....it doesn't even compare to The Price is Right. So this is how it goes....
We had 4 tickets for the show and myself and daughter were planning on going...I had mentioned to a friend of mine what we were doing on this vacation and that we had 2 extra tickets for The Price is Right. My friend said that she had always dreamt of being on the show and in her dreams she made it all the way to the showcase showdown, so she and her daughter (who lived in SoCal) were going to attend the taping with us.
So the morning of the show at 5:30 the 4 of us met at the CBS lot and were given a number...we were to return again at 8:00.....we got back at 8:00 and everyone was lined up on benches according to your number. This was definitely a wait, wait, and wait some more situation, but the people that are waiting in line for the The Price is Right are totally different than those that had waited for the Ellen Show. These people were crazy....excited...enthusiastic..., many had been there before and made their shirts bigger and better to get everyone's attention.
There were young people that worked for the show that went up and down the line and wrote everyone's name on a name tag with a corresponding number attached. The they came along with a polaroid camera and took your picture (I guess to see how you look on camera (?)
Something to keep in mind with both of these shows is that they always overbook the audience...so that there are no vacant seats....so you never know until you are seated in the studio that you are going to be on. So your in a state of anxiety all day wondering if you are gonna be booted at the last minute.
After you get your number you are moved to another area on the lot (closer to the studio) again...lined up on benches...and the producer of the show, along with an assistant takes everyone in groups of 6 and asks everyone just a couple of questions.....this is how they determine who they are picking for the show. So they want to see you enthusiastic, excited...etc. They ask basically where you are from, what you do for a living, just general questions like that.
After this you wait some more...(of course)...then everyone is lined up single file (just like elementary school) you go thru security, leave your cell phone (because you know there is always some idiot that can't follow instructions to turn it off), and they lead you into the studio.
The studio and set really surprised me...it was totally OLD SCHOOL...it was the same props, chairs, everything that they had been using for like 40 years. Contestants row seemed really cheap and made of cardboard, really as did everything there. And I have no idea where they kept the cars and prizes....you see absolutely nothing waiting for the show and inside of the studio. And, the studio is very small...maybe a hundred people or so.
Once everyone is in the studio they start playing some great dance music and everyone gets up, starts dancing and singing to get warmed up (we did that also at the Ellen Show...they actually have dance contests before the show and during commercials)...so everyone is getting excited.
Then the announcer comes out, introduces himself and tells us all a little bit about himself and how he got the job. Then he tells us if they call your name it is going to be so loud in there...you may not hear it....so there is a place on the stage where they will hold up a card with the name on it....just in case. Then they count down to the show and it starts just like you see on tv.
Another thing that is different about this show from Ellen is that Drew Carey stays on the stage during commercials and talks to the audience, tells jokes..answers questions. He was absolutely adorable and seemed so friendly and nice and he genuinely wanted everyone to win. Ellen does not mingle with her audience...what you see on tv is what happens...during the commercial break her set goes dark and they touch up her makeup, hair, clothing...etc.
When the show started 2 of the first contestants chosen where sitting right next to us....we were sitting about 4 rows directly behind contestants row.
Then on about the 3rd item up for bid....the next name called was...MY FRIEND...yep, just like her dreams!!! She didn't get up on the stage right away...but eventually won the bidding and got on stage. When she got on stage she had the opportunity to win a car...but ended up losing the car and winning money in a piggy bank...three hundred or so dollars....
Then when she spun the wheel to get into the showcase showdown.....yep....SHE HAD THE HIGHEST NUMBER AND WAS CHOSEN!!!!
When it came time for the showcase showdown...the first package contained a computer, some other things (don't really remember) and TWO CARS!!!! The first contestant passed on this package and my friend was to bid on it...
Now one very important note here.....my friend, although she always dreamed of being on the show had not watched it in many years...so she was unfamiliar with alot of the games and how the bidding works...and I in preparation for going to the show had tivo'd the show during the day to watch at night in preparation...just in case I was picked....so she was looking to me every time she had bid.....except this time......and she bid two thousand dollars more that I had told her.
When time came to reveal if anyone had won....she had overbid by fifteen hundred dollars!! So she lost not one, not two, but three cars that day!!! But, because she had not watched the show, she thought that she won because she was closer than the other bidder, but she went over. So poor thing, was still a little shocked when they shuffled her off the stage.
It was an awesome day...very long....when we walked out of the studio it was about 3:00. They told all of us that if we wanted to stay for a second taping there were some seats available...it was very tempting...but we were exhausted...we went out to an awesome lunch and cocktails....of course my friend picked up the tab!!
I know that pictures always make the story more exciting...but due to the size of this post...I'm gonna let you use your imagination.
P.S. We are planning to go again in April....woo hoo!!!!

Ellen DeGeneres Show....times two!!

2008-09-04T21:32:00.000-07:00

Last week when I had my Brighton Earring giveaway, I had a semi rant about some George Michael concert tickets that I had received on the Ellen Show...and actually one of the comments asked me to talk about being on the show.
Actually I have been on the Ellen Show twice!!
The first time was April 2007...my oldest daughter and I attended a taping and spent 3 days in LA/Beverly Hills for my birthday. We had a blast...had dinner at the Ivy, hot dogs at Pink's, cupcakes from Sprinkles...saw a few celebrities...saw Giada DeLaurentis in a furniture store...saw Leesa Gibbons at Target. I have run into a few celebrities in my life and never really know how to act. I want to tell them how much I like them, or their work....but I don't want to bother them...I understand that they are people too....just like the rest of us. But it is pretty cool when you see someone.
We were seated on a end of the aisle and Ellen came up and danced by us. And the guest on the show was Leah Remini...who we love from King of Queens.

She was hilarious....Ellen asked her is she was pregnant again and Leah said..."YOU BITCH!!
Corrine Rae Bailey was the musical guest and we all received her CD.

Then in April of this year, my youngest daughter and I went again to attend a taping (we have now decided that this is going to be an annual trip for my birthday) and Forrest Whittaker was the guest, who was very cool..

And the B-52's sang "Love Shack" which was so awesome. It totally rocked the house. When the show started George Michael called in and gave tickets to his concert in LA....way cool...but we couldn't attend since it was in the middle of the week and LA is a 4 hour drive away (which prompted me to want to give them away...)
At this show Ellen's mom sat right in front of me...at the end of the show I did ask her to tell Ellen thank you for such a great birthday present.Ellen's mom is adorable and seemed very nice.
During our trip we had dinner at the Chateau Marmont (saw Christopher Lloyd there, didn't realize who he was until we asked for directions). Did alot of shopping and spent alot of time on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.
Attending a taping of a tv show is a little surreal....there is alot of hurry up and wait. You typically wait several hours before even going into the studio and in the case of the Ellen Show, you don't even know if you will be in the audience until the last moment (you may end up in the riff raff room...which would be fine with me!).
So it is an all day thing....we were in line to pick up tickets at 6 am...back for taping at 1 pm, taping began at 4, and we were out of there around 6ish. Long day....but worth every moment of it...alot of the fun is who you get to know while you are waiting. My daughter and I became friendly with a lesbian couple who came from Australia....where they are HUGE fans...I think one of them had a crush on my daughter....
But the excitement of Ellen is quite different from the taping of THE PRICE IS RIGHT....yep we went on that show too.....I will tell you about that one tomorrow... stay tuned.....can you say....SHOWCASE SHOWDOWN????!!

Scammers and caramel

2008-09-03T22:33:00.000-07:00

I just want to share a story....last Friday I received my phone bill from AT&T...I normally don't really look at it, I have it set up on autopay..but I always open it just to make sure the balance is the same month after month (we have a separate long distance carrier). Anyway..there were two charges on there that were weird (for lack of a better word) one in the amount of $15.74 for Nationwide Voice 1X set up fee and the other in the amount of $14.95 for Voice Mail Professionals VM monthly fee.....EXCUSE ME...I DON'T NEED NO STINKIN VOICEMAIL...I AM UNEMPLOYED!!
Both of these were separate charges with 2 different companies and the number for each was listed on the statement. I called the VoiceMail Professionals VM first, the conversation went like this with a customer service rep:
Me: hello, I am calling in regards to an unauthorized charge that was placed on my AT&T bill
Him: Well, we will see about "unauthorized"
Me: Well, I know it is unauthorized because I do not need voicemail and don't want voicemail
Him: Did you on (such and such a date) click on a ad online for some coupons?
Me: Maybe, who knows....
Him: Is you address....., your mother's maiden name........, your home phone.....
HOLY MOLY ---THIS GUY KNEW ALL OF THIS INFO~~
Me: Ummmmm yeah...how did you know that?
Him: We received that info thru the internet. When you clicked on the ad for the coupons there was fine print in the ad to sign up for voicemail and we sent you an email to confirm this and on the email there was a place to click on a link if you wanted to opt out...and well you didn't opt out.
Me: I never received an email from you....it probably went into my spam....what right do you have to charge something to my phonebill without my authorization?
Ok...this conversation lasted over a half hour and to save you all the details...I will cut to the chase...
He hesitantly said that he would "meet me halfway on this" and charge me half of it. Of course...I said absolutely not, that if he couldn't waive it entirely then I would talk to his manager. Then I told him that this is how class action lawsuits get started (that seemed to get his attention). He waived the charge, they already got in on my next bill, said he would waive that and that I sould see a credit in 2 to 3 months. He ended his conversation by saying that if I ever respond to any type of ad on the internet to never give out my home phone number, that they can link to all kinds of information thru that. GEEZ!!
The second charge wasn't as difficult to resolve, but it apparantly was accessed on the internet also using my home phone number. Both of these calls had me on the phone for over an hour.
Then next I called AT&T...of course was on hold for nearly 40 minutes before I spoke to someone...told her what happened and asked what gives anyone the right to add charges to my bill? Is there some kind of block that I can put on to stop unauthorized charges? She said yes we could and I set one up with a code word that must be used. I have always been extremely cautious what I access on the internet, but on occasion my computer is used by my kids and who knows what is being accessed. Just a heads up to everyone ~~~

Ok.....breath in, breath out, cleansing breath.....ahhhhh
now for a sweetie...

Yesterday I made Peach Crisp for dessert along with caramel.
My Mother-in-law passed this on to me for "caramel". Ok, now don't get scared...I know I did at first....but what you do is take a can (in my case I did 3 cans) of sweetened condensed milk (like Eagle Brand Milk) place in a saucepan and cover with water, enough to go at least 2 inches over the can. Bring to a boil, turn heat to medium and let boil for 4 hours....yes, I said 4 hours....I have done this for over 30 years and have never had an explosion and my mother in law probably did it another 30 years before me. Not to say it can't happen....so don't hold me responsible. If the water level drops, just heat water in the microwave or tea kettle to add to the saucepan. When the 4 hours is up, remove the cans and place in the fridge until well chilled. Open both ends of the can and slice. This is very sweet and super rich. I was really too much for the peach crisp I made, but my husband who has a huge sweet tooth loves it that way. My mother in law used to serve it on a bed of graham cracker crumbs with a slice of pineapple on top (to cut the sweetness). I took a picture...but I have to warn you it looks a little like......well you know.....ok fine, here it is

Honest...it really is yummy ~~

Ahhhhh....what a great weekend

2008-09-02T09:52:00.000-07:00

Anyone that knows me, knows that I will only get up at 5:00 in the morning for two reasons...one would be a great sale, (like the one they have the day after Thanksgiving)...and the other would be to go FISHING!! And this weekend, on Sunday we spent the entire day fishing. Nothing lowers my blood pressure faster, relaxes my entire soul, more than fishing. I have a low patience level for alot of things,but I could sit and fish all day and night, not get a single bite and not care.
So we got the boat ready to go...

It was an absolutely beautiful day....it was about 90 degrees...not too hot, just right.....

I caught 3 fish....my hubby didn't catch any (he is used to that), and we lost quite a few....we hated to leave

But I am hoping to go again next weekend!!

Winner, Winner, chicken dinner!!

2008-09-01T16:50:00.000-07:00

First, thank you to everyone who stopped by and paid a visit to my blog this weekend. It was awesome to see so many responses and from so many different places.
We have a winner....and the winner is beccachristensen at hotmail dot com...she was chosen using a random number generator I found online (I would have taken a picture, but couldn't figure it out...ya just gotta trust me on this).
Congratulations to Becca.....Becca drop me an email with your address and I will get those earrings out to you.
Thank you to those that posted this contest on their blog, their myspace bulletin board and just plain got the word out. I appreciate it
Stay tuned we will have more drawings....I promise

Hope that everyone had a safe and happy weekend....I got to go fishing and it was awesome!!

It's TIME FOR A GIVEAWAY!! WOOP, WOOP...Brighton Earrings

2008-08-28T21:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been talking about it for some time....and the time has finally arrived. I am giving away a pair of Brighton Earrings. I am not asking you to link to my blog, or anything like that...because frankly I don't quite understand all of that yet. But just leave me a comment with your email or blog and I will randomly select a winner, and will announce on Monday. So let's say I will take your comments until noon on Monday and select someone Monday evening.
So....this is what they look like

I'm sorry I know this is not a very good picture....but it was the best my camera would do.....and I couldn't find any other pics on the internet.
They are pierced hoops with a beautiful design of hearts and scrolls.I will send them to the winner with the Brighton tin. The design is called Dream Token.
So....you might ask...why am I doing this?? I love to give things away....and because I believe in paying it forward....I won some awesome knives from the Pioneer Woman recently...so I can't think of a better way to pay it forward.
So....please only one entry per person. I will draw the winner at random. And please play nice....back in May before I started a blog I wanted to give away a pair of George Michael concert tickets that I received by attending a Ellen DeGeneres show...I created a post on CraigsList and on Ebay...at the end when I gave them away I had one person that threatened to sue me and several others that wrote me emailss asking why they didn't win....geez
And the one person I chose...I shipped the tickets overnight to and only asked that she send me pictures..I never heard from again....not even to confirm that she received them....I'm guessing she did...fed ex said she signed for them.
Oh well....didn't mean to go off on a tangent there.....sorry bout that...
So let's make this fun....I have alot of other stuff I want to give away so please stay tuned....WOO HOO

What's worse than a root canal??

2008-08-28T12:02:00.000-07:00

How about spending all day in small claims court? That is how I spent my day yesterday and I would rather have gotten a root canal.
I have never been to small claims court before...thank goodness and I never want to go there again. In this case I really didn't have a choice I had someone that installed new tires and rims on my car and didn't have the sufficient number of lug nuts on it and the tire flew off while I was driving (in less than 24 hours after I picked it up) which caused damage to the tire, new rim, and car. Thank goodness no one was hurt, but it was frightening (the car was a Volkswagen Bug which sits about 6 inches off the ground). The owner kept saying he would do something to make it right but never came thru on paying the bills. This incident happened back in October and I gave him ample time to take care of it....but he never did. So unfortunately I had to take him to court.
I don't know if our local court is anything like anyone else's, but it certainly nothing like you see on tv (that's what I expected). The judge heard about 20 cases, and people were fighting over everything from rent issues to a neighbor that was "stealing" electricity. Two women were even argueing about egging a car...jeez. It probably would have been entertaining if I didn't have to be a participant.
When the judge first calls you up about your case, he asks if the two of you have attempted to resolve it, if not you are to go outside the courtroom in the hallway and discuss it (kinda like being sent to your room with your sister until you two can get along). Then you come back in, your case is moved to the bottom of the list, and when he comes back to you he hears the case. In most instances he makes a decision then and there....but in our case he wanted to do more review and will notify us of the outcome by mail.
After spending 5 hours in court yesterday I came home with a throbbing headache. I gotta hand it to the judge though.....I could never spend day after day listening to people bicker over (at times) very trivial garbage.
I have always been a non-confrontational person, that is probably why I have never been to court.......and I intend to stay that way...thank you very much.
Now I need to go take 2 more Motrin and take a nap.

I have an addiction..........

2008-08-26T22:25:00.000-07:00

Yep, I have a new addiction....it's not one of the old ones like shopping on ebay, buying shoes, brighton jewelry...blah, blah, blah. Nope I had to stop those addictions when I lost my job. Kinda sorta...wink, wink.....shhhhh...nobody has to know....

My new addiction is this

I am absolutely addicted to this big guy....I can't stop taking pictures of him. He tries to get Bodey to play with him and that doesn't work...

and Lola....well this is the way she looks at him...poor guy

So someone has to play with him.....so he lets me do this

and this

I just want to put ribbons on his ears, a pink fluffy tutu on his belly, paint his toenails and paint big red lips on him.....darn it, if I could just figure out that darn Photoshop!
But he has these.....PREPARE YOURSELF THIS IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART....

So his Daddy said I can't.......hmmmmm but what he doesn't know won't hurt him. Right?? Adonis can you keep a secret??? Ehhh just kidding!!!! David ~~~

Is this a dirty dog or what??

2008-08-25T21:24:00.001-07:00

This evening we replaced some top soil in one of our flower beds and our new "foster child" Adonis decided that it would be fun to play in it.
He had a blast. But how the heck do you wash a 90 pound bull dog? He has so many wrinkles and creases I'm not sure what to do.
Oh well.....I think we are paying a visit to the groomer at Petco in the morning.

Yesterday I added a feeder to my blog to see if anyone is visiting other than my family and by golly....we have visitors!!! YIPPEEEEE
If you stopped by thank you....you are welcome to leave a comment if you like. Please keep checking in....I am going to have a drawing soon for a pair of Brighton Earrings......we all like Brighton, don't we???

I also want to give a shout out to my blogging friend Janeen at Blog http://yourimpactmatters.com/ she has been a tremendous help and inspiration in getting my blog going....thank you Janeen.

This is still a work in progress!!

I won, I won, I WON !!!!

2008-08-25T14:42:00.000-07:00

WooHoo!!!!!!
A couple of weeks ago Ree over at PioneerWoman.com had a contest and she gave away sets of knives.....and I cannot believe that I won. But I didn't really want to say too much until I received them.....just in case I was hallucinating or something.
But today....just about an hour ago......guess what was delivered.....YOU GOT IT...the knives....

Aren't they beautiful......It doesn't take much anymore to make my knees weak.

A work in progress

2008-08-25T10:32:00.000-07:00

I have been working to customize this blog and to add the little things that make it mine. So please be patient...it is a work in progress.......and if I didn't have so many distractions it would go faster (right now the bed upstairs is telling me it needs to be made...see what I mean!).
Please stay posted....as soon as I have it right we are gonna have ourselves a contest.....yippee!
Maybe this will lower my blood pressure

Our new foster child

2008-08-23T22:50:00.000-07:00

Yep, we have a new foster child in the house. And he traveled here all the way from Las Vegas....no he's not Wayne Newton.....he's Adonis, the adorable, charming and very well behaved bulldog.
You may have seen my previous post where I mentioned that he was kinda sorta my grandchild. I know to some of you that may seem a little weird....we know he is a dog. But that is how I see them...my pets are like my kids, we play together, sleep together, do just about everything together....so they aren't just pets...they really are a part of our family.
So welcome Adonis....we love you....and I know your Mama and Daddy miss you....but while you are here we are gonna have a great time.
Did I mention he loves the pool and looks like a polar bear....we are gonna get along just great!!

Family Photos

2008-08-23T22:41:00.001-07:00

Site under construction

2008-08-22T23:50:00.000-07:00

Sorry if you are checking in.,.,,.but I am working on adding a few items...and getting frustrated in the process...please check back in.....IM GOING CRAZY!!

2008-08-22T23:27:00.001-07:00

An engagement in the family

2008-08-18T16:11:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we attended a family party to announce the engagement of Mariah and Micah (Mariah is the eldest daughter of my husbands first cousin Ron). It was a great get together for the entire family.

We all wish them a long and happy marriage.

It was a great occasion for the family to get together. Although not all could attend, if was get to see those that did. The little kids especially had a great time swimming and getting to know their extended family. A special thank you to Micki and Don for hosting this at their home. Also Aunt Dixie for helping to coodinate the party. Here are some random pictures taken there:

Yep, we can be a crazy group...but I love each and every one of ya!

Tina...it was so good to see you.....we missed you so much!

The Olympics......yeah baby!!

2008-08-15T14:46:00.000-07:00

How cool are the Olympics? I just love it when they roll around....and I especially like the Summer Olympics. I have never been one to enjoy the snow and cold....maybe that's why...I think that's part of being a California girl too.
I find myself every night totally addicted to them and cannot turn off the television! I never have the television on during the day, it's too distracting (and that's the last thing I need....another distraction). But at night....I try to hang on to see the swimming results and then the gymnastic results.....and then see if I can catch a glimpse of the softball, or their results.

Speaking of softball......Monica Abbott who is one of the pitchers for the USA team grew up in Salinas, California and played ball with my youngest daughter. They played against each other in High School, and had quite a rivalry against each other (when they pitched against each other for the division championship......I am super duper proud to say that Cassie was the winning pitcher), even the local television stations and newspapers covered their game. They continued to play together on the same traveling team all through high school and we traveled throughout the state of California and went to the National Championships more than once near Chicago. They also had the same pitching coach....who I am sure is quite proud to have been a contributor to Monica's success. It's very exciting to have someone you know be a part of the Olympic team.....as a parent of an athlete...it's what everyone dreams for...and I know the time and money that is spent to accomplish that goal. GO MONICA and team USA !!

Oh and I have to say something about Michael Phelps.......isn't he just perfect?? What an athlete, what a body......whew.....ok....that's all I can say about that.....

How about a recipe??
Caramel Dumplings (a recipe from my Mom, who I miss dearly)
1 c. sugar (separated)
5 T. butter (separated)
1/ tsp. salt
2 c. hot water
1/2 c. milk
1 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla

In a medium hot iron skillet (or heavy skillet) carmelize 1/2 c, sugar (stir with wooden spoon while heating until light brown in color), then add 1 c. sugar, 3 T. butter, 1/2 tsp. salt, 2 c. hot water. Stir together, and cook stirring constantly ntil most of the sugar is dissolved. This is the sauce
Mix the dumpling....in bowl mix 1/2 c. sugar and 2 T. butter to a creamy texture, add 1/2 c. milk, 1 1/2 c. flour, 2 tsp. baking powder and 1 tsp. vanilla. Mix well. Drop by heaping teaspoons into the hot sauce....cover and cook for exactly 12 minutes over low heat (do not raise lid while cooking).
Serve warm or cold with a sprinkling of chopped pecans.
Careful.....this dessert is very rich! Enjoy!!

Flowers and Food, what could be better??

2008-08-13T21:45:00.000-07:00

Thank you.....I had some responses on my pet posting yesterday. So glad that someone is reading it. I recently read a saying -- I can only hope to be the kind of person that my pet thinks I am. (I am not sure who it came from...or if I quoted it exactly) But isn't that the truth. I love it!

Ok so...like I said the other day I got a new camera and I love it so far....haven't quite figured it out...but I love it nonetheless (is that one word??)
I love flowers. I think my true love of flowers came from my Mother in Law, Donna...whose yard looked like a park every year. She could make anything grow and there are still plants in her yard that are like 50 years old and still living....to me that is amazing. I can't imagine keeping anything for that long, even a plant.... But here are some pictures...let me know what you think.

These are from my yard....I think they turned out pretty good. BTW...these are straight out of the camera no editing, no photoshop, nothing..

Ok, now for some food......

First, do any one's tomatoes look like this??? This is the only one we have that is starting to turn red. We have quite a few green ones.....but nothing ripe yet.....darn it...luckily this recipe doesn't need 'em.Today's recipe is.......Chinese Chicken Salad

2 c. cooked chicken, shredded (don't cook-use a rotisserie chicken from the store)

1 head cabbage

1 bunch of green onions

1/2 c. sliced almonds

2 package Top Ramen (any flavor will do)

3 T. butter

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

Chop the cabbage,thinly slice the green onions, and rough chop the cilantro - combine in bowl and set aside. In a small skillet, melt the butter, take the noodles and throw away the seasoning pack (or if you are the thrifty type save it for something else....) smash the noodles and add to the melted butter along with the almonds. Cook until brown then set aside. Prepare the dressing.

Dressing:

3/4 c. vegetable oil

4 1/2 T. seasoned rice vinegar

4 1/2 T sugar

2 T. soy sauce

2 T. sesame seed oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients really well. Pour over the cabbage mixture, add the noodles and chicken, toss well.

One last thing.....I found this on another blog, click the link below....it is amazing....enjoy!
http://www.slide.com/r/aDT5KuKX7D-n8nq8PWLk0R5lGccCQS9k?current_view=TICKER&previous_view=TICKER_MENU_SHARE&previous_action=SHARE&cid=576460752328128176

My pets.....I love em!!

2008-08-12T23:37:00.000-07:00

As most people know I love my animals. When my girls were younger, in that ugly teenage, talkin' back, Miss attitude age I used to say I should have had more animals and less kids. But of course I love my children and really wouldn't trade them for more pets........Cassie, I know what you're thinkin......honest I wouldn't!! And since I am now a Grandmother....or Ammie as I am called by the little monkeys......I am blessed everyday to be a mom.

But I do love my pets......let me introduce you to them...

This is Kitters - Isn't she beautiful? But don't let that beautiful face fool you.....she will bite your ankle when you walk by. She will dip her paw in your bowl of cereal if you aren't watching. And she keeps the two dogs on their toes at all times.....NOBODY messes with her. She is 15 years old, we almost lost her about 12 years ago when a large dog attacked her...if it wasn't for Dr. Wilson, she would have died. Thank you doc....
Our lives would not have been the same without her. And Allie and Layne thank you....they have been taught a thing or two by her also.

Next up is Lola, my slightly compulsive dachshund. She has an obsession with socks and rubber bands. If she finds one, she will drive you crazy wanting you to throw if for her. She will also spend endless hours balancing it on the end of her nose......throwing it up in the air and catching it......she can do it for hours. And if it ends up in the swimming pool, she will patiently wait by the side of the pool until she can reach it and start all over again. Lola is 3 and my little shadow....she follows me everywhere.

And last but certainly not least.....Bodey the Beagle. He is 2 years old, a totally kick back, don't bug me I'm sleepin' kind of guy. He is very skittish about noises...any little noise throughout the day will send him running upstairs into my bedroom to hide under the covers! I'm not kidding......he makes several trips a day up there to see if he can get under the covers (if I haven't made the bed yet). He would never ever, ever, I repeat EVER be a hunting dog. You could probably never pry him out of the truck if you tried. He has a weird compulsion with socks also......he eats them. Yep, swallows them whole.....and he throws them up whole. Very strange! And have you heard....he's a runner! If he happens to get out of the front door for any reason, or out of the back gate....he's a goner....he will run for days. A few months ago he was missing for 2 full days and was found a few miles from our house.....his feet were so sore that he cried for 2 days every time he walked up the stairs.....but did that stop him from running?? Duh....NO Here is the little bugger is

He lifted his head long enough off the pillow for me to snap this shot.....BRAT

These three boogers are the reason I am usually sleeped deprived.....Kitters insists on sleeping on my head. Lola is under the covers at my feet. And Bodey is under the covers at my side and he circles and circles and then collapses as close to me as possible. If he gets up in the middle of the night and wants to get back under the covers he runs his nose along the small of my back....HELLLOOOOO, that will wake you up everytime! And everytime I move he groans........and my hubby is way over on the other side of the bed. Ahhhhh my pets...I love em

A funny story to share......a few months ago my hubby and I decided to go fishing and had taken both of the dogs with us. I got out by the boat ramp and waited while my husband backed the boat down getting ready to launch it....I had the rope and was ready to do my job....he jumped out of the truck to unlatch the front of the boat......with the truck running.....and both dogs still in the truck.......and YEP....they stepped on the automatic door lock. Of course we didn't have another key with us.....so we had to direct all the other people waiting to launch their boat around us. While a kind Ranger helped us break into our truck.....after about an hour we finally got in and got our boat on the water. Needless to say....we have a hide a key now....and we never leave the truck running with the dogs in there.

Back to reality

2008-08-10T21:53:00.000-07:00

Whew....what a crazy couple of weeks I have had. So sorry I haven't posted in a while, but I went to Vegas for a few days, came home then my daughter came to visit....my granddaughter stayed for a few days (and nights).....ok enough with the excuses!!

Had a great time in Vegas and even won some money....woo hoo!!! I love the penny slots....my husband just cannot believe how I can win money on them (sometimes!). I won over $500.00 the first night and hit a $1,000.00 jackpot the next night. It was awesome...paid for my trip and then some....yippee!!!

When I got home I got to buy the camera I have been dreaming of......the Nikon d80. So far I love it....but haven't been able to completely read thru the manual yet.......I haven't been able to figure out how I got pictures like this picture of Layne with owl eyes....does anyone have any ideas??

But I have taken some awesome pictures like these pictures of flowers in my yard....which are straight out of the camera.....awesome. I love it, but have alot to learn about it.

Over the weekend my granddaughter Allie broke her arm.....poor baby is in a temporary cast and will see the doctor tomorrow to see if they want to put her in a hard cast. She is taking it pretty well for now, but next weekend we are visiting family and she was looking forward to swimming with her cousins.....hopefully the doctor can give her a waterproof cast. Darn kids!

Well I don't have room for a recipe today, but I promise one tomorrow. I have alot of catching up to do.

And if anyone is reading out there.......let me know (is there an echo in here??)

Mud Pie

2008-07-29T23:43:00.000-07:00

3 - 1oz squares of semi-sweet chocolate
1/4 c. sweetened condensed milk
1 prepared chocolate crumb crust
1/2 c. chopped pecans
2 c. cold milk
2 pkgs. (3.9 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix
1 carton (8 oz) cool whip

In microwave melt chocolate, stir in condensed milk until smooth. Pour in crust, sprinkle with pecans. In a small bowl whisk milk and pudding and let stand 2 minutes until slightly set. Spread 1 1/2 c. of the mixture over the pecans. Fold 1/2 c. of the cool whip into the remaining pudding mixture and spoon over pie. Top with the remaining cool whip. Refridgerate and enjoy!

Vegas Baby!!

2008-07-29T23:30:00.001-07:00

You know just when I decided to start this blog and thought writing everyday...no problem....wrong!!

All of a sudden I have alot of distractions and can't post everyday as I planned. So if you are reading daily...I'm sorry...but will try to post as often as possible.

Last weekend the grand kids were here and swimming....here are some cute pictures of my rug rats....they are learning to swim like little polliwogs!!

Tomorrow I am leaving for Las Vegas for a few days to visit my youngest daughter Cassie. I am taking my niece Vanessa with me, since she has never seen Vegas and keeps asking to see Cassie. I am looking forward to the visit...and Cassie has asked me to bake some chocolate goodies for her while I am there...so I am going with my best chocolate recipes in my suitcase (my kitchen aid mixer won't fit)!

One of the recipes I am taking is Mud Pie......enjoy!!! I will see you when I get back and I promise more pictures ~~

Donna's Rum Cake

2008-07-24T16:48:00.001-07:00

Speaking of family.....here is my Mother-in-laws Rum Cake recipe, she was one of the best cooks I know....

Donna's Rum Cake

1 c. chopped pecans
1 pkg. yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1/2 c. cold water
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. rum
Grease and flour a bundt pan. Sprinkle the pecans in the bottom of the pan. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over pecans. Bake 1 hour or until done. Cool, leaving the cake in the pan. With the cake still in the pan, using a skewer...poke holes in the cake.
Glaze:
1/4 c. water
1 cube butter
1/2 c. rum
1 c. sugar
Combine all ingredients except the rum in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until boiling for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in rum. Drizzle over the cake. When the glaze is thoroughly absorbed, remove cake from pan.
Delicious.....but be careful breathing around an open flame...

Family Reunion in Oregon

2008-07-24T16:18:00.001-07:00

(Hubby Tom, Mandy, Judy, Dixie and Cindy)

(Cindy, Dixie, Nancy and Sandra)

Last weekend my hubby and I met his sister Cindy and Aunt Dixie in Colusa for a trip to Malin, Oregon. It was one heck of a drive!! But with good company it seemed to make the time fly by.

The family reunion was for the Wilson family....which is (bear with me here..) my hubby's grandmother's (known as Hattie, Nana or Big Nanny) family. She was one of 6 children, and although sadly none of them are no longer with us...this reunion was all of their children, grandchildren, etc. etc. approximately 120 people attended. It was a great turnout and lots of fun to see people we hadn't seen in a long time and for me to meet alot of people I had never met before.

It was a great time....but my tail end is still recovering from the drive!

Happy Hump Day!

2008-07-23T16:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday to all....... today I spent the day with my good friend Ann. It is always a wonderful day just spending time with her.
This is the second day of my blog.......yipppeeee......... check out the picture I posted today of my daughter and "grandson".....his name is Adonis and I think he is probably the closest I will get to a grandchild from her. He is adorable....isn't he.....
Another recipe that I would like to share is:
Mountain Dew Apple Dumplings (COURTESY OF PIONEER WOMAN.COM)
It is one of my favorite recipes.....I know it sounds a little weird and really sweet...but give it a try....they are great with ice cream.

Mountain Dew Apple Dumplings

2008-07-22T19:24:00.000-07:00

Mountain Dew Apple Dumplings

2 Granny Smith apples
2 cans crescent rolls
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla
cinnamon
1 small can Mountain Dew
Peel and core apples. Cut apples into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan. Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edge of the pan. Bake at 350* until puffed, brown and bubbly, approximately 40 minutes.

Today is the first day of my blog!!

2008-07-22T19:14:00.000-07:00

Woohoo....today is the first day of my blog....and who knows how many readers I get.....but I know at least my kids will read...to see if I say anything about them!!
I love to cook alot so I plan on sharing alot of recipes on this site. Tonight for dinner I made pork tenderloin with an apricot preserve glaze and zucchini and corn fritters. I am one of those cooks who doesn't normally follow a recipe (unless it is baking a cake, cookies, etc.)....it's usually a cup of this, add an egg..maybe two, a dash of this and a shake of that. But I am going to TRY to put the food that I share into a recipe that everyone can make. Also I am a Paula Deen meets Sandra Lee kinda cook....quick, easy and to heck with the calories (that is why you will rarely if at all see pictures of me on this site) The first recipe that I am sharing is for the zucchini and corn fritters.....I hope that everyone enjoys.
And....if I get the camera that I am hoping to get (when my husband gives me the greenlight to buy....and to clarify..I don't normally ask for him to approve anything I do, but since I am unemployed, I would kinda feel guilty about buying it without hin knowing.....it's not like the shoes I can sneak into my closet!!) I will start posting more pictures on here to share.