Hodge-Podge Again!

Sitting listening to radio in the background…

just old songs… and music…

ENOUGH of TV and politics…

WHAT more can be said???

The criticism of each other has made me lose interest…

*********************************

I ordered a movie (actually bought it)…which is not like me unless I think I really want to see it…

It is called “Seconhand Lions”… 2003…

Stars Robert Duvall…

The brief part I saw on FACEBOOK grabbed me…

Traditional good acting with meaning…

My kind of movie…

I’ll let you know what I think when I watch it…

Coming in mail soon…

*********************************

My week has been a hodge-podge of things…

  

Hemming my husband’s new pants…

I HATE HEMMING!…

and usually take it to a lady I found…

BUT… he will need these sooner than she could get them done…

so… this was this mornings project!

  

Found these cutest Salt/Peppers at the thrift store…

Thinking Easter…

but, they seem to have an Alice in Wonderland look!…

 

Made it outside Sunday… FRESH air at last!… and warm sunshine on my shoulders…

Limbs and twigs covered our back yard due to heavy winds a few days…

I really like how “Mother Nature” cleans out the old… but, she always seems to leave the “heavy” work for me…

We will burn our collection when the winds have died down…

   

Cherry Cheescake (NO BAKING)…was made and I must have wanted it… because I ate a LOT of it…

It was really good!… and easy…

You know me… SIMPLE!

Going through photos… keeping and deleting …

I have a tendency to KEEP everything…

My Mom and me around 2006…

Miss her today for some reason… She lived to be 98 years old…

This year she would have been 107…

*********************************************

Thundering… and raining…

Love that sound!…

I might just read awhile… but, NO TV/politics!

 

 

Mundane???

Sometimes I think my life is Mundane…           

Dull and Ordinary…

Wake up…

have coffee or hot tea…

talk/play with cats…

cook Bobby’s breakfast…

watch the TV (NEWS)…

but, the more I think about it…

I’ll take that!…

no drama…

no heartache…

no sickness…

no tragedies…

Yes!… mundane can be fine!

My thoughts about just cleaning house…

cooking/baking…

going to store…

washing/drying clothes…

with a little added spice of phone calls…

short trips…

paying bills…

sleeping in when I want…

petting the cats…

I don’t HAVE to have an agenda…

excitement all of the time…

rushing around…

keeping up with everyone’s “stuff” on Facebook…

I can make baked cabbage…

 

and it was Yummy!…

I can put out a few St. Patrick decorations…

   

looking for Spring in between rain and snow showers…

Yes… Mundane is not as bad as it sounds!

 

Sunday Cooking!

A lazy day for me…

a busy day for Bobby…

He is finishing the electrical work for the washer/dryer he’s putting in for me…

I thank God for him every day!… with his many talents…

plumbing, electric, woodworking, painting, lawn care, roofing, cleaning house, auto repair, laying tile, furnace repair, concrete work…

He has touched everything in our home…

I can do many things too… since I have watched him and before that my Daddy and Mom…

You will find me today cleaning house and cooking…

Vegetable Soup was on the menu… I had found a sale on canned veggies… so SOUP they became…

Vegetables drained half way…

Small chopped onion…(had)

Beef stew mix (I already had)…

1-Pound Ground Beef cooked…(had)

3-cups water

Combine in crock pot and cook 4 hours… add salt/pepper to taste…

********************************************************************************

I also had been wanting to make some Bean Salad for myself…

I will be the ONLY one to eat it…

but, that’s OK… it will be my snack and lunch for a couple of days… and I will be happy!…

I used…

1- can Black Beans (drained and rinsed well)…( I had them… so used them!)

1- can Dark Red Kidney Beans (drained and rinsed well)…

1/4 of a medium sweet onion chopped…

4- 6″ pieces of celery sliced thin…

I sliced the sweet midget pickles I had left in a jar… about 12…

Mayonnaise to combine and give the taste you want…

I boiled 2- hard-boiled eggs, sliced and added after they had cooled…

********************************************************************************

And SIMPLE PEACH COBBLER!…

1/2- cup melted margarine (butter) in bottom of 8″ X 6-1/2″ glass baking dish…

Combine:

1-cup sugar

1-cup baking mix or  self-rising flour)…

1-cup milk

Pour in bottom buttered dish… and then pour a 15oz. can of peaches with juice over that…

I sprinkled a bit of cinnamon on the top…

and baked for about 40 minutes…

or until brown as you like…

Sister coming over to visit… so will taste soon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Improvised Cookies!

Sunday Morning…

Got up way too early… but, after having breakfast with husband … talking to the cats      …

and my sister … I was awake!…

I decided to go ahead and make the cookies I’m taking to BUNCO…

My sister and I have the food/drinks this time…

MENU

Chicken Salad/ crackers /rolls =  Carolyn

Pimento Cheese = Carolyn

Plates/Napkins/Forks = Carolyn

Dessert (Cookies) = Me!

Fruit Salad = Me!

Cups/ Drinks/ Ice = Me!

We are deciding on one more thing… but, haven’t decided…

but, we’ll pull it off…

We always do fine!…

We each take half of the items we need after deciding on the MENU!

I saw these cookies… OK!… ate them also!… at the Casino the other day on their Buffett…

So simple… remember that’s ME!…

Sugar Cookies ( a little almond flavoring )… bent in half… with a little Raspberry Jam and Lemon Frosting Filling…

I improvised on the Chocolate Chip… They didn’t have any… but, Why Not!…

We had to have something “chocolate!”…

So I made Chocolate Chip Cookies… bent them in half… filled with Chocolate Fudge Frosting ( a little ) and dipped in sprinkles… 

I placed them in some small red/pink flowered cupcake papers I found after Valentine’s Day for 75% OFF… Made approximately 80… we sometimes have 30 ladies playing…

 

Will freeze until I leave for BUNCO on Tuesday evening… Knowing they will be even better from experiences I have had in baking…

After getting home from work that afternoon I will make a Simple Fruit Salad of Oranges, Pineapple and Flaky Coconut …( a few red cherries for color ) …

Sounds GOOD to me!

Easy “Sweet” Breakfast

We are going to eat lunch today at my sister’s… so I figured a lite breakfast would be fine…

I had bought these turnovers to make sometime this week… so that’s what I was “tempted” to bake…

Just 6 in the package… so no indulging here…

They come in apple and cherry… but, really like cherry

Dough comes in a roll like canned biscuits…

a plastic packet of fruit filling and one of white frosting…

Got coffee started where it would be ready when turnovers came out of the oven…

“timing” here is essential… ha, ha!

Coffee mug ready!

After placing squares of dough on a cookie sheet ( in my case… a pizza pan )…

squirt out filling into center of dough…

Fold over dough into a triangle… pressing edges to seal with fingers…

Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes…

Come out golden brown and so flaky!

Cut corner of frosting glaze…

and zig zag it over the warm turnovers…

Kinda pretty aren’t they… and so yummy!

Oh, yes… my coffee with half/half… my way!

Related articles

• Pumpkin Pie Cinnamon Rolls (thecookingbug.wordpress.com)
• New habits: Day 2! Pancakes for breakfast! (missdreier.wordpress.com)

Cookies and “KABOOM”!

Yesterday… I baked cookies…

“Simply”… as always… because that’s the “word” I picked to follow throughout the year 2013… SIMPLE…

Just a word… but, has made my life a lot “simpler”…

I don’t know if I can find a better word for 2014… but, if not… I’ll stick to this one…

Because it worked!

Found Halloween Sugar Cookie Mix for 50% OFF…

It’s still Fall… so the Fall colored sprinkles in this
“Funfetti” Mix of orange and brown (Chocolate) is just fine…

Just an egg and 1 stick of soft margarine mixed together with mix…

Roll into balls and press down slightly…

I added additional “Autumn” Sprinkles I had bought for 50% too…

Orange, yellow, brown and green…

Baked for 10 minutes… and we have some sweet cookies to eat and maybe share…

then today… since I kind of goofed off yesterday… was cleaning day…

and “KABOOM” came to my rescue!

It sprays out in a foam that doesn’t drip all over… and is blue…

My bathroom sink…

the foam is slowly turning white…

when it has turned all of the way white..

the dirt has melted and it’s ready to wipe away…

just a little water and down the drain it goes…

leaving my sink sparkling clean…

As I said, “I love these “simple” things I have discovered and used this year!

Related articles

• Candy Corn Sugar Cookie Bars (bakingwithjunior.wordpress.com)
• Sugar Leaf Cookies (miersma.wordpress.com)

Sunday Grateful- November 3, 2013 : My Husband’s Family

I see people on FACEBOOK  writing a “Grateful”  every day for November…

Since I’ve been writing my “Sunday Gratefuls” for awhile… I will continue with that…

I went to the grocery today … Besides everyday food and supplies… I bought a few extras for making my Christmas Cookies… 

That’s my gift to my husband’s family in Georgia…

Whether they like them or not… ( They say they love them! ) …

I totally enjoy making them…

As I bake… I think of all of them… 

Only three sisters, their children and a few cousins of my husband are left from what once was a huge family when we married … which will be 45 years in February …

To have been introduced to this lovely family that came as a bonus with my husband… has been a blessing…

I am so grateful for the love they have shown me…

and in my humble way … that I’m able to show them I love them back at this time of year!

Related articles

• Sunday Grateful: October27, 2013… PEZ Candy (babyjill7.wordpress.com)
• Sunday Grateful: October 6, 2013 (babyjill7.wordpress.com)
• Sunday Grateful: September 15, 2013 (babyjill7.wordpress.com)
• My Sunday Grateful: October 20, 2013 (babyjill7.wordpress.com)
• Sunday Grateful- September 22, 2013 (babyjill7.wordpress.com)
• Sunday Grateful: Bardstown Festival – October 13, 2013 (babyjill7.wordpress.com)

I’ll Never Do It Again!… ha, ha!

I guess you would say my Yard Sale  was a bust!…

The weather HAD to turn the coldest it’s been!…

With one of the ladies being elderly and in poor health… she just gave up…

and then my other neighbor got sick…

She did try today… but, did nothing!… and gave up early… just feeling so bad!

I… at least sold around $30.00… but, not worth the setting up…

I am glad I cleaned out a little more…

I wasn’t bringing any of the items I took out of my house back in… So, I gave the kids in the neighborhood any toys I had… (whatever they wanted)… and two other neighbors anything they wanted for free…

Now… at least I don’t have much to take to the Goodwill Store…

I had put up signs to advertise… around the neighborhood…  My husband drove me around to put them out… and then again to pick them up…

Hate it when people leave signs up after the event is over!…

Now, that would be a good law to enforce!

Although … not selling much… it made me happy to see people get something for free… They were happy… and said “thanks”    many times!…

I was tired after these last two days… working harder than if I had a job…

I spent what little I made at the grocery store…

Why Not?…

one place is as good as another…

So I did get something out of my Yard Sale… and Yes! … I promised myself AGAIN!… that this was the last time… ha, ha!…

With hauling things in and out… and loading the truck     we just had sandwiches and soup for supper…

Fried bologna sandwiches and cold cuts…

Fry in skillet…

Has to be soft white bread…

With a little mayo!

Chicken Noodle soup…

Actually was quite yummy!… on a cold day… and as tired as I was… nothing better!

and I heard NO complaints!

Related articles

• Chicken Noodle Soup Anyone? (foodatcollege.wordpress.com)
• Following A Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe (elhakmiaziz.wordpress.com)
• Chicken noodle soup (myraandjimmycookandeat.wordpress.com)

Pumpkin Spice Egg McMuffins…

I get up with my arms wrapped tight around me…

I was cold!

Furnace needed a new filter… so I opted to turn on my gas range for a little while… to get the chill out of the air…

It worked!…

Later Bobby got the filter and replaced… and when furnace turned on…

(YES!… it was cool enough to want it on) …

it worked fine and got toasty warm…

I needed a few items at the store… but, when I returned… Breakfast was calling our names…

I had already decided I was borrowing McDonald’s idea of an Egg McMuffin! …

but, my version!

Pumpkin Spice English Muffins 

… egg if you want… thin sliced honey ham… and cheddar cheese…

Split muffins… grilled in skillet with a little butter…

fried egg and ham till hot…

Placed on muffin with added cheddar cheese…

 

I prefer mine with just ham and cheese…as does my son… who ate two…

Husband and son says they were better than McDonalds with a little sweetness of the Pumpkin Spice bringing it all together!

Will do this again…

as long as they have their special edition flavored muffins… for these Autumn days…

Related articles

• How McDonald’s Gets The Egg On Your McMuffin Perfect Every Time (businessinsider.com)
• English Muffin Variety (littlechefgreatfood.wordpress.com)

Daily Prompt: On the Edge

We all have things we need to do to keep an even keel — blogging, exercising, reading, cooking. What’s yours?

Photographers, artists, poets: show us ACTIVITY

Things that keep me having an even keel… “keeps me balanced”…

You mean, “Things that keep me from going crazy!”…

Blogging

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Best stress release I have found since I started in 2011…

Blogging friends to talk to… Just a few words to perk a person up… How neat is that!

Exercise

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

My swimming aerobic class at the YMCA…

Have met such nice people… even made a new friend… Will be doing for two years as of Jan. 2014… just keeps me moving… a good thing…

Reading

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I read more on the internet than books lately… but, a book once started… is wonderful…

Cooking

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

More like baking… I’m better at that… but, I love trying new recipes… and YES… keeps me busy and even…

Crafts

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

and redoing older items… a favorite thing of mine… When busy with a project I’m a happy camper…

Friends

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Hearing different conversation… Gives your mind some new things to ponder on…

Phone

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

with sister… friends… cousins… Leaving my worries behind… Concentrating on them for a while…

Grandkids

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Listening to them talk… playing with them… shopping with them… No better way to keep me happy!

Clubs   

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

BUNCO (2)… TOPS Group…

Talking… learning… preparation for programs… Definitely… a mind stimulator…

Thrift Store 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Actually looking and looking… for that special “treasure”… like a hunt… that makes you smile when you find it!…

I guess I have lots of things that keep me on keel…

so, maybe I won’t go too crazy!… or get too off-balance!