You, My Friends...

Good morning, friends...Have I told you how grateful I am to have found you all?  Your kind words...prayers that you pray for a virtual friend?  Your advice about everyday living?  Ideas to help make my life a little easier.  How you allow me to try to be helpful when I read your post and you've had a hard time or you're just sad?

I just want to say Thank you!  You brighten my otherwise sad world, at times, with so many smiles!

I call you, my friend. <3 

And then ...there's the few in my life that I'd love to...lolol

I'm sure there are people that have or would do something this awful to someone else who they feel has "wronged" them...I never in a million years, could!

Lolol...too funny and Too True!

Potato soup fully loaded.

Our Sloane is preparing her outfit for Easter...

My Larry has been sick for a week now...Started out with stomach pain...gassy (flatulence), then congestion...fever...fatigue.  He's just now feeling better (I treated the symptoms because he refused to go to urgent care!!!)  Thank God it worked because he really had me worried for a hot minute while watching his breathing!  I was worried about pneumonia.  I told him if he wasn't better by the morning, and he was still refusing to go to the doctor, I would call for an ambulance!  He was better by morning...and is now 98% his old self.  In fact, he has his annual Labs this morning and if there's a high white cell count, it should show up.

Tuff looking at his offspring...Candy.

Our little Candy is getting bigger!  I'll bring her home in two more weeks.  I also purchased Pet Insurance from Nationwide.  If it is a good deal, I'll put my older pups on the coverage, as well.

Well...guess that's about it for me this week.  Hope your worlds are safe and peaceful...until next time...

Illness, Cake and Candy...

Good morning!  Not a whole lot to report here...Ruth Ann (my sister with colon cancer) will be heading into her third chemo treatment on Monday.  She's not experiencing illness yet.  Hopefully, she won't...time is just barely crawling by for me lately...

Our sweet Sloane was sick Thursday and couldn't attend daycare, so I got to keep her.  I got her temp down and the rest of the day for her was spent drinking her bottle and napping.  You know I wanted her to feel better, but it was wonderful holding her while she slept...She is feeling better today.

I've been trying to lose some weight (20lbs) for over a month!  I'll lose a few pounds then gain half of it back!!  Then, Larry wants something sweet made... (he can lose weight just by rolling over in bed...)  and of course, I have to taste test!  Vicious circle.  I'm also not walking enough...How do you stay in shape?

Hope you are enjoying a happy and peaceful weekend!

Sloane...

SO TRUE!!

BECAUSE OF THIS...lol

Texas Sheet Cake that I made yesterday.  

I have some plants I need to put outside but sure enough...if I do, we will get slammed again with cold weather.  There's always one last cold snap here before Easter.

Larry and I have agreed on the name Candy for our newest member of the family.  I did like Lucy and Lemon...who knows, maybe I'll change it to Lemon before she finally arrives?!  I'm awful with naming our furrbabies!

Our sick Sloane (greatgrandaughter) 6 months old now.   

AND yes, I made Cherry Ice Cream...bad Donna!

I ONLY had one spoonful...ok, maybe two...lolol

Can you believe some of these???  I feel so old!  I'll be 72 in August...and I remember all, except Pearl Harbor.  My Dad was there...and I remember his stories.  And maybe not the beginnings of the Corvette...but I got to ride in one with my old boyfriend...a 1964 model...blue.  They rode hard!  I wouldn't have one...but back then, we had fun.

Okay, I'll quit rambling...

Have a great weekend!

Fish and Chips? And a Scarlet Letter?

Good morning!  Larry and I went to meet friends for dinner at a place, in town, named Fish City Grill yesterday evening.  They were packed.  As in super busy.  When we were finally seated (45-minute wait), the waitress asked if this was our first time there...Larry replied for all of us, yes.  A few minutes later the head "chef" brought out a small plate of different samples of the restaurants fare.  Four soups and a hardy gumbo.  They were really good.  That's why I'm confused about the entrees we ordered...Fish and Chips.  Can't go wrong with that, can you?  Well, I saw that you can...go wrong, that is.  A few cold chips and mushy fish.  Not a "crunch" in the bunch.  Okay, they're new but, even I know...as a somewhat experienced cook, that egg added to flour and milk, and deep fried, doesn't stay crisp...as it cools, it becomes...chewy, doughy.  You need a tempura batter for crispness... So as our orders waited for the server to unite us, they, alas...began to cool. 

 $20.00 a plate times four...equals $80.00+tax plus drinks at $3.49 for one coke and three glasses of lemon and iced water equals $86.60 or 71.96 Pound Sterling.

  See where I'm going with this?   

We will certainly wait for the restaurant to become well established before going back.  The gumbo was really good as was the jalapeño potato soup samples.  We will return for those but as hubby Larry noticed..."I never saw any rice being served with the gumbo...sacrilege ".Lol

Oh well...it felt good to get out and see our friends, have a beer and coffee next door at our friends son's establishment, Lounge93...(a classy meeting place, not a lizard lounge...lol) and allow our minds to "take a break".

Say hello to our new addition to the family!  We don't have her yet...maybe another month...  My sister's pug "accidentally was allowed to breed with Tuff...the French bulldog.  Throughout all of Ruth Ann's illness, we didn't realize the dogs had "mingled" which led to an unsanctioned union...lolol...The couple that are feeding Ruth Ann's dogs (she raises pugs or did before the cancer happened), came up to the house and told her they heard squealing coming from inside the enclosed kennel.  Upon investigation, three tiny babies were found with their loving momma, Mitzi.  So, up to the house came the momma and sweet babies!  

This is the perpetrator, Tuff, the Frenchie.  I'm actually happy he chose to "jump the fence" to find love.  Otherwise, I wouldn't have little Lucy? Frankie? Candy? Cookie? Lemon? Apple? 

Help!  I need a name for a girl puglet/frenchie! lol

This is Miss Mitzi...I looked for the Scarlet Letter but gladly, didn't find one.  She is a wonderful mother to the babies.  And don't worry, I opened the door to her kennel after I took this photo because if I had done it before I took it, it wouldn't have gotten took! lolol 

She's a licker and a kisser...a sweetheart. 

The wee ones are about 2 weeks old.

This post wouldn't be complete without our baby Sloane in it!

A blueberry and peach tart I'd made a while back...seriously good.

I guess I'll be going to jail for keeping this bag of cornmeal in my freezer...You know, the "powers that be" totally eradicated Aunt Jamima's face from all products bearing her photo?  How dare "they"!!   She was a hard worker and deserves recognition for it!  I'm so tired of the PC police...

I know it was a brand-named photo but still...For all the Jamima's out there, they hold a special place in my Southern heart.

Hope you all have a sweet and peaceful weekend...

Celebrating Birthdays and my Week

 Good morning! Had a couple of birthdays to celebrate over the weekend.  Our Son In Love, married to our daughter, Crystal, mom to our granddaughter, Samantha...who is mom to baby Sloane...Lolol...got that?

Anyway...They enjoyed their special days, together, with Sloanes grandparents, Lolli & Pops, Sam's mom and Dad.

They don't live close so Larry and I had to forgo the celebration in person but there were photos sent to us.

Tim loves anything chocolate and Sam loves strawberry.

I made Banana Pudding cookies for Sam to carry with her to her Mom and Dad's home...

Our Sloaney Girl.  I kept her Friday for a few hours before Sam had to leave town and head to her folks house.  She ate 3/4ths of that jar of carrots!  And another 1/4th of blueberries and pears...Big girl!  I haven't given her anything she didn't like, so far.

Here's Larry, Great-Gampa, having a deep conversation with Sloane...lol

Nap time 

Here's a photo of my sister Ruth Ann, in her early 30's.  

Ruth Ann just about five years ago...perfect time to get that colonoscopy...and didn't.

Made toast for Saturday's breakfast.  I experimented by adding poblano chilis and cheddar cheese...Larry loved it!! 

Also made chili with homemade bread for Sunday's lunch.

This is our Libby (pug).  She's my constant companion.  She's now nine years old... and has my heart.  We've had other furrbabies over the years and also have, now, a Chihuahua, something else...lol...rescue pup we love, as well, named Buddy (12).   He's adorable but not very cuddly.  I think he's a man's man type of dog.  He's chose Larry as his Alpha.  I once sprayed him with after bath puppy sweet smelling spray and since then, if I'm anywhere near him with a spray bottle, I get the stink-eye...lolol...but he's our sweetie boy.

Well, I hope you have a sweet and peaceful week.  Ruth Ann begins her second chemo treatment this morning.  She's doing well, no ill effects showing up yet.  She's driving herself to the center...says she feels up to it now.  Sister Laura said she wants to visit with the doctor a bit and I'm not going because our Sloane can't attend daycare today because of illness...so...Laura will fill me in on the visit she has with the doctor, later today so, until next time, 

Nutrition = Enchiladas?

Good morning, friends.  Hope you are doing well...no sickness or troubles.  I know that may not be the case but know that God's Got This, and there's nothing He can't handle. 

 This is the way Ruth Ann, Laura and I, need to look at things.  Ruth Ann and I had another little argument yesterday...The insurance is giving her the run-around about going into a rehab for strength building and nutrition...I told her enchiladas didn't qualify as a nutritious meal...I think that started her engine...so when I asked her if she'd been using her treadmill for strength building in her legs, she blew up.  Yes, I'm a nurse...but no, I've never worked in phycology and very little in geriatrics.  I was in OB/GYN for years. I don't want her to get upset but then again, maybe a little "charge" once in a while might help motivate her?  I don't know...If any of you have any ideas, they'd be much appreciated.  I also know that it's hard to give advice when you're not in a situation so don't worry about it...we'll get things worked out.

Ruth Ann in younger days...helping now ex hubby work on his Porche.

This is how Laura, Ruth Ann and me, feel these days...lol

I made time to bake some banana bread.  Turned out really good...served hot with butter.

Breakfast...

Sam took our Sloane to her cousin's One Year birthday party the other day...Lolol...Sloane is at that "aware and reactive" stage.  Arlis (baby cousin) tried pinching Sloane...so she reacted by trying to grab his arm, rather aggressively, letting him know she wasn't putting up with any rough play. Lol...good girl!

Lordy, she has us wrapped around her little finger.

I was cleaning out my closet over the weekend when I came across my mother's, now vintage Squash Blossom jewelry.  A choker, necklace...rings.  She passed away in '96...you'd think I'd have already stowed things away...  All are now safely put away into our floor safe.  

This is my grandfather...(mom's Dad)  He was 1/2 Cherokee Indian.  As a little girl, I remember him and my great grandmother coming for a visit.  Full blooded Cherokee...beautiful black braids and some of the native dress on.  Funny how a five year old can remember these things... 

Here's a good rice pudding recipe, if you are so inclined...

And our lovely Samantha and hubby, Everett.  Excellent parents of our SloaneyGirl.  

Hope you enjoy a beautiful day...until next time...