But the trip was something else. You know the old saying, ‘you can’t go home’… or something to that effect….well I can totally understand it. Having been born and raised in Houston, going back was a challenge tinged with sadness. It was amazing how much things had changed since we left – and I might add not necessarily for the better.    We did make a quick lunch stop at an old favorite – James Coney Island – it never changes! – but there were a lot of other businesses and restaurants that were gone and/or boarded up. Traffic was horrible, and from The Woodlands on in, it seemed that there were major road construction and repairs everywhere. The pouring rain didn’t help either. By the time we arrived at the hotel (thank goodness the rain had stopped) we were pretty well wired. I say that in defense of our parking garage experience.

We arrived at the hotel (in the Greenway Plaza business district for those familiar with Houston) but didn’t see any parking lots or garages. So we asked the valet parking attendant about parking. He instructed us to take a sharp left turn on leaving the hotel entrance and proceed DOWN into the parking garage. Down??? Knew this couldn’t be good. But, on we went. After passing under the headache bar that advised ‘tall’ vehicles - those over 6’1″ – that they couldn’t get through – we began our downward spiral.     Seemed like the further down we went… the closer the ceiling became. Felt like being encased in cement. At one point there was a sign directing ‘small cars’ to a special parking area – but cautioned that the ceiling was only 5′ 5″ !!! We’re not tall – but even at that we’d have had to crawl out of that area.

But, let me continue….other than the sign directing the ‘small cars’ we didn’t see any sign that would get us to the parking area on the other side of the barricades. Yes, we saw cars, but how to get over there??? After more levels than I can say, we figured we were pretty much reaching the bottom of the garage - and by this time we were both feeling claustrophobic since neither one of us likes tight places and you couldn’t get much tighter than where we were sandwiched inside the ‘spiral’… so David took the first turn he saw and we headed back . . . . UP! That’s right – we were on our way back out…..we scooted past the valet attendant again - know he had to be wondering what was going on with us – and headed back down ‘the hole’. This time David said – ‘we’re taking the first turn we see – no matter what’.

First sign we saw was the one directing ‘small cars’ to exit, so off we went. Just knew we were going to hear the sound of the car roof scraping on the concrete cross beams. But, surprisingly, there was another exit from there – one you couldn’t see unless you exited – that took us to the area we’d been trying to reach all along. We parked – and headed in to our meeting. The ceiling for the parking level was still low – about 6′ 1″ as advertised – but at least we were walking up right. After the meeting concluded, we were so glad to get out of there – didn’t even care that it was almost 5pm and start of rush hour – couldn’t wait to get home.

Now, our second trip this week was to Bryan-College Station. That was much more enjoyable trip and we always have fun there. Did notice a few things I want to pass along as compared to what we saw when shopping last year. You all know I’m a real bargain shopper and watch prices – but this time noticed other things that may – or may not – hinge on the state of the economy and the changes taking place starting this year. First, the Chinese restaurant where we like to eat only had half of the large restaurant dining area lighted – the area where the wait staff worked getting drinks, etc. was – in my opinion – dark – no extra lights, just light filtering in from the dining area. Also, the wait staff appeared to have been cut in half. To that, it was very strange (David pointed this out to me), all the female staff was gone – only the guys still working.

Next we went to Sam’s. Again, seemed that staff had been cut here too. Only one person working behind the snack counter – we’ve always see 2-3 people working there all the other times last year, and only one person checking at the exit . . . you know when they have to check your receipt against your purchases – usually at least two people there. Floor staff also seemed to be minimal. In the past we’ve seen lots of ‘stockers’ on the floor - usually visiting with each other – but not this time. In fact, it was our opinion that the amount and variety of inventory available was also less.

Our next stop at Wal-Mart was also the same in that we couldn’t find several common items that we typically go there to buy, i.e, powdered donuts in the little snack packages, and some common vitamins. Don’t know if this was an isolated experience or a sign of changing times – just know that I’m going to continue to beef-up my stash. Especially some of the more common items that I thought wouldn’t be a problem to find – but evidently are. (Note David’s crackers in the shot !)

Now, another item that I think is totally over priced is batteries – particularly specialty batteries. In our case, the kind you use in cordless phones. We have a cordless phone set with an intercom that has four stations which makes it really nice – one on the deck, one in the red barn, etc. keeping us in touch. But, the replacement batteries are so expensive, it was almost cheaper to buy a new phone set… until David found the batteries on Amazon selling for around $4.00 each.     They were the same batteries that were priced around $19.00 at other stores where we’d priced them. Buying them from Amazon – he also got free shipping!  Visit Amazon to see the list of cordless phone batteries available.

Over the years, we’ve found that doing a little comparison shopping on Amazon before buying something usually saves us money – and who doesn’t want to save money these days.

We had an Omaha lasagna for lunch this week. It came in one of those ‘special’ sale packages they offer where you get steaks, potatoes, dessert and something else – in this case it was a lasagna. Up until today, I’d not tried one of their lasagnas – but while searching in the freezer for bread the other night, found the lasagna hiding in the back corner and decided we better eat it before it got too old.

Read the directions for preparing and didn’t like any of them. I find that cooking by microwave makes casseroles tough on the edge, baking in the oven takes too long – so decided to split the difference and make things easy by microwaving for half the time as directed on the box ( 5 minutes on half power ) to get it started and then baking it for 30 minutes at 350 degrees (half the recommended baking time) to finish it off. Granted this was not a recommended method – but it worked very well. So, if I’m fixing either my own or a store-bought frozen casserole – I’ll microwave for half the time and then bake for half the time – resulting in a dish that doesn’t take quite so long to fix – but tastes like it’s been slow baked.

News Flash!   If you think every ‘alternate’ method to cooking and ‘fixing up’  I do works out . . . it doesn’t.  Just came from getting a bottle of HEB Sparkling Water Beverage.  They come in different flavors and are sweetened with Splenda . . . but the flavor I picked didn’t taste sweet to me . . . so thought I’d fix it by adding a partial packet of Sweet-n-Low. What I didn’t know was that when you add Sweet-n-Low to this particular bottled water – you get a volcano. Now while this might be entertaining to those that like seeing white foam shooting out of a bottle – it was definitely NOT what I expected. I trailed water everywhere as I carried it to the sink – the whole time foam boiling out of the bottle neck about 3 inches high. When everything settled down, over a third of the water had been been converted to foam and was gone!   So, if you’re looking for a good science project – this would make a great active volcano – just be ready to mop up the mess!

My yard is a disaster!!!! We’ve got gophers running amok everywhere. To that end I found a ‘recipe’ that is supposed to get rid of gophers. I’ll give it a try this coming weekend when the yard has dried out a little. Best thing about this recipe is that it only uses home products. The recipe is below for anyone that is having gopher problems.

Mix….

• 1-1/2 tablespoon Tabasco Sauce
• 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap
• 1 teaspoon of chili powder
• 1 quart of water…

pour this mixture in mole runways and they theoretically run away… we’ll see.

When we lived in Houston, there were lots of places close by we could frequent – with every manner of food. At that time, one of our favorite places – although it wasn’t technically a restaurant – was Luby’s. David liked the variety of food and one of his – and my – favorites was the carrot-raisin salad. We always considered it our ‘dessert’ because it was so very sweet. We liked it well enough that I bought the Luby’s 50th Anniversary Recipe Collection. Not only does the cookbook have the salad recipe but lots of other recipes that we enjoyed and have been dubbed ‘most requested’ – like Spaghetti Salad, Cheese Enchiladas with Chili Sauce, Coconut Meringue Pie, Chicken Fried Steak, Baked haddock Almondine, Baked White Fish, and many more.

Granted, David probably shouldn’t be eating that particular salad (too much sugar) – but sometimes you need a little treat – and we still have our little treat here at home. Surprisingly so – the salad I make tastes just like the one Luby’s serves. (Note- it’s always better the next day.)

For those that might like to try the carrot-raisin salad, I’m posting the recipe below and under the original Luby’s recipe I’m placing a ‘low-fat’ version for those that are on a more strict diet.

The low-fat recipe still uses some powdered sugar – however, if you want to really trim the calories you might try using Splenda powdered sugar.

Have to say, I’ve not tried making the low-cal salad using Splenda  because some things just taste better with real sugar – and I think this might be one of them.

Each recipe should give you 8 servings.

Carrot-Raisin Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds carrots, peeled and trimmed
• 1 cup raisins*
• 1 cup canned crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 cup ‘good quality’ mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Shred carrots using large holes of grater
2. In a large bowl, combine carrots, raisins and pineapple
3. In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise and powdered sugar until well blended
4. Pour mayo/sugar mixture over carrot mixture and gently toss making sure to coat evenly.
5. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours

* I soak my raisins in water for about an hour before I make this salad. This helps plump them – just be sure to pour off all the excess water before using.

Low-Cal Carrot-Raisin Salad

Ingredients:

• 4 cups carrots, peeled, trimmed
• 1 cup canned crushed pineapple (in own juice) well drained
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated orange peel

Directions:

• Shred carrots using large holes of grater
• In a large bowl, combine carrots, raisins and pineapple
• In a small bowl, using a wire whisk mix together the yogurt, sugar and orange peel
• Pour mayo/sugar mixture over carrot mixture and fold over making sure to coat evenly.
• Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Enjoy!

First thing I want to tell you about is a WOW!  David got an email from a friend with pictures attached.  Seems Texas might have a Bigfoot running around.  At least you might come to that conclusion from looking at the size of that footprint. 

The photos were taken on their property in central Texas (after a rain) and not only is the print HUGE – yes, that is a yard stick being used for measuring – but would seem that whoever or whatever might also have  six toes.  After looking at those pictures did a search on the Net to see what other information I could find about Texas having a  Bigfoot and was surprised to find a website dedicated to sightings and other ‘pertinent’ information www.texasbigfoot.com – just copy and paste in the address bar if you want to read more.    I’ll be curious to hear if they have more sightings on their property.  If so, I’ll be sure to pass along the details.

Haven’t been outside much – but have been watching with astonishment the gopher or mole that has been wrecking my flower bed.  Seems he has decided to make himself a home right under one of my Nandina plants.   That pesky rascal has almost covered the plant with dirt – not once but three times this week!  I have no idea where all the dirt is coming from or why the ground hasn’t collapsed underneath the plant.  During the past week David has gone out and stomped the dirt back down twice but the gopher?  just keeps coming back.  Guess I’ll  have to get my garden book out and see if there is anything I can do to make him go away – something using household agents.

You’ve heard me say that on Sunday mornings we like a quick breakfast of coffee cake or muffins.  On occasion we’ve had the cinnamon rolls ‘in the can’ – the ones you buy in the dairy section -  and while we’ve enjoy them to a certain degree, they don’t have a home-baked flavor.  So I set out to see what I could do to make them taste better.   Tried cutting them up in pieces then baking them in a pan so they would be similar to ‘monkey bread’ – adding brown sugar and butter to the pieces.  Didn’t really care for that – bottom pieces were too brown (almost burnt) and the center pieces  weren’t cooked enough.   On hindsight – probably should have used a tube pan to help even out the heat …. but  don’t think I’ll try fixing them like that again because my second try was much better.

Took the dough and placed it in a well buttered glass pie plate with the cinnamon side up.  I then cut an ‘ X ‘ across the top of  each cinnamon bun about 1/4 inch deep.  Next placed a thin slice of butter in the middle of each ‘ X ‘.  Next finely chopped  about 1/8 cup pecans and sprinkled them over the tops.  Next sprinkled streusel (recipe below)  over the chopped pecans and baked according to directions.  When the rolls come out I have some frosting ready (optional)  – but don’t put it on the hot cinnamon rolls until we’re ready to eat.  If you put the frosting on as soon as they come out of the oven,  the frosting  will melt and disappear into the roll never to be seen  . . . meaning we’ll have to smear more on when we sit down to eat them . . .  and that is just too much sugar for us.   

Streusel is  a crumbly mixture of regular flour, granulated sugar and butter.  I don’t have a recipe for this but just mix the ingredients in a bowl with a fork until it is the texture and has the taste I like.  We prefer our streusel a little more sweet and buttery.   Typically I use about  1 tablespoon of butter, 2-3 tablespoons of flour and 3-4 tablespoons of sugar.  Adjusting butter as needed.  You want enough butter so that the mixture is pea-sized crumbles.  

Frosting for cinnamon rolls -  1 tablespoon butter softened (or melted), 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, powdered sugar and water.  Again no recipe – just add everything together until I get the consistency and taste wanted.  You would probably not want to use over 1 cup powdered sugar and 1+ tablespoon of water or you’ll have too much frosting leftover.  You don’t want the rolls smothered in frosting – just a taste because the streusel already makes them sweet – just not sweet enough for David!

Read about the ‘other’ golds, i.e., how much gold is really in ‘rolled gold’, etc. and what you need to know before buying ‘other’ gold jewelry. Click here to read more.  And to follow the market value of gold and calculate how much gold is in your 14K, 18K other K jewelry – visit this link - for online tools and more.  And finally….. if you have checked out our new online antique store – please take a minute to see what we’ve been up to.  We’ve got over 600 items in dozens of categories – adding new items weekly – and of course, shipping is Free!

They’re Back!

That being said – it was pretty much a quiet Christmas and New Year’s for us. Weather has been mild – so far – but that doesn’t mean I haven’t had to cover up a couple of plants on nights when it got below freezing. Those being the garlic chives and my one azalea.   Have to tell you that when I went out to check on the azalea I noticed that the English ivy growing around the pond looked a little bare. On closer inspection, I was stunned to see that the leaves were gone! Now where have I’ve seen something like this before? Of course . . . on the black-eyed peas . . . completely stripped, remember?     Started looking around and would you believe it, there were those same pesky ants again – only this time they were hauling off my ivy. Just like before – two rows of ants, one line coming and one going – with a whole passel of them in the ivy vines harvesting the leaves. As curiously amazing as it was to see this happen the first time, it wasn’t quite so entertaining or amusing  the second time around. So out comes the can of Raid. Being careful not to get any spray into the pond, I sprayed the infested ivy vines and then along the 20 feet of walkway where they were traveling - ultimately disappearing  into the leaves by the front porch – that area got a liberal spraying as well. So far so good, haven’t seen any more of them. But you can bet, I’ll be on the lookout when I set out the garden this coming Spring.

Lemi-Who?

Dish pan hands – haven’t had those in many a year.  But since I have yet to find a product that performs in the dishwasher like the old detergents did BEFORE they took out the phosphates - I find myself  having to pre-wash the dishes before they go into the ‘washer’ resulting in dish-pan-hands. Did hear of a product called Lemi-shine that claims to give you spotless sparkling dishes – but after trying both  the detergent and rinse agent a few times, have to say it didn’t do any better than the phosphate free products. In fact, David thought it was worse because it left a kind of film on some of the items. I’m still on the hunt for a good product and will let you know if and when I find one that actually works.

Don’t you just love it !?   A special thanks to Jerry who gave me a most memorable Christmas gift in an effort to convert this ‘Country Girl’  from an old? ‘fuddy-duddy’ to a fashionista . . . well that may be over-stating it, but I do love my feather ring adorned with colorful gems …. and enjoy looking at it each day. Only wish I were as fashion savvy as my ‘City Girl’ counterpart.

And, I do have a true miracle story of my own I want to share with you this Christmas season, so please read all the way to the end of  ‘Sarah and Santa’ to read about my personal Christmas miracle.

Dec. 23, 2011 – Received the following comment from  Susan Leonard  and wanted to give credit where credit is due…

I found your blog via a Google search. I am Susan Leonard, the author of the story “The Christmas Miracle,” as told to me by my husband Mark Leonard aka Santa Mark. Yes, it IS a true story. Our story has been shared and republished all over the internet, and I would appreciate that you credited the source. Hope you have a very blessed Christmas!

“Sarah & Santa”

Three years ago, a little boy and his grandmother came to see Santa at the Mayfair Mall in Wisconsin.. The child climbed up on his lap, holding a picture of a little girl.

“Who is this?” asked Santa, smiling. “Your friend? Your sister?’”

“Yes, Santa,’ he replied. “My sister, Sarah, who is very sick,” he said sadly.

Santa glanced over at the grandmother who was waiting nearby, and saw her dabbing her eyes with a tissue. “She wanted to come with me to see you, oh, so very much,

Santa!” the child exclaimed. “She misses you,” he added softly. Santa tried to be cheerful and encouraged a smile to the boy’s face, asking him what he wanted Santa to bring him for Christmas.

When they finished their visit, the Grandmother came over to help the child off his lap, and started to say something to Santa, but halted.

“What is it?” Santa asked warmly.

“Well, I know it’s really too much to ask you, Santa, but …” the old woman began, shooing her grandson over to one of Santa’s elves to collect the little gift which Santa gave all his young visitors. “The girl in the photograph …. my granddaughter well, you see … she has leukemia and isn’t expected to make it even through the holidays,” she said through tear-filled eyes.

“Is there any way, Santa, any possible way that you could come see Sarah?

That’s all she’s asked for, Christmas, is to see Santa.”

Santa blinked and swallowed hard and told the woman to leave information with his elves as to where Sarah was, and he would see what he could do. Santa thought

of little else the rest of that afternoon. He knew what he had to do. “What if it were MY child lying in that hospital bed, dying,” he thought with a sinking heart, “This is the least I can do.”

When Santa finished visiting with all the boys and girls that evening, he retrieved from his helper the name of the hospital where Sarah was staying. He asked the assistant location manager how to get to Children’s Hospital.

“Why?” Rick asked, with a puzzled look on his face.

Santa relayed to him the conversation with Sarah’s grandmother earlier that day.

“C’mon … I’ll take you there.” Rick said softly. Rick drove them to the hospital and came inside with Santa. They found out which room Sarah was in. A pale Rick said he would wait out in the hall. Santa quietly peeked into the room through the half-closed door and saw little Sarah on the bed. The room was full of what appeared to be her family; there was the Grandmother and the girl’s brother he had met earlier that day. A woman whom he guessed was Sarah’s mother stood by the bed, gently pushing Sarah’s thin hair off her forehead. And another woman who he discovered later was Sarah’s aunt, sat in a chair near the bed with a weary, sad look on her face. They were talking quietly, and Santa could sense the warmth and closeness of the family, and their love and concern for Sarah. Taking a deep breath, and forcing a smile on his face,

Santa entered the room, bellowing a hearty, “Ho, ho, ho!”

“Santa!” shrieked little Sarah weakly, as she tried to escape her bed to run to him, IV tubes intact. Santa rushed to her side and gave her a warm hug. A child the tender age of his own son — 9 years old — gazed up at him with wonder and excitement. Her skin was pale and her short tresses bore telltale bald patches from the effects of chemotherapy. But all he saw when he looked at her was a pair of huge, blue eyes. His heart melted, and he had to force himself to choke back tears… Though his eyes were riveted upon Sarah’s face, he could hear the gasps and quiet sobbing of the women in the room. As he and Sarah began talking, the family crept quietly to the bedside one by one, squeezing Santa’s shoulder or his hand gratefully, whispering “Thank you” as they gazed sincerely at him with shining eyes. Santa and Sarah talked and talked, and she told him excitedly all the toys she wanted for Christmas, assuring him she’d been a very good girl that year. As their time together dwindled, Santa felt led in his spirit to pray for Sarah, and asked for permission from the girl’s mother. She nodded in agreement and the entire family circled around Sarah’s

bed, holding hands.. Santa looked intensely at Sarah and asked her if she believed in angels.

“Oh, yes, Santa … I do!” she exclaimed.

“Well, I’m going to ask that angels watch over you.” he said. Laying one hand on the child’s head, Santa closed his eyes and prayed. He asked that God touch little Sarah, and heal her body from this disease. He asked that angels minister to her, watch and keep her. And when he finished praying, still with eyes closed, he started singing, softly, “Silent Night, Holy Night … all is calm, all is bright ….”  “The family joined in, still holding hands, smiling at Sarah, and crying tears of hope, tears of joy for this moment, as Sarah beamed at them all.

When the song ended, Santa sat on the side of the bed again and held Sarah’s frail, small hands in his own. “Now, Sarah,” he said authoritatively, “you have a job to do, and that is to concentrate on getting well. I want you to have fun playing with your friends this summer, and I expect to see you at my house at Mayfair Mall this time next year!”

He knew it was risky proclaiming that to this little girl who had terminal cancer, but he ‘had’ to. He had to give her the greatest gift he could — not dolls or games or toys — but the gift of HOPE.

“Yes, Santa!” Sarah exclaimed, her eyes bright. He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead and left the room… Out in the hall, the minute Santa’s eyes met Rick’s,

a look passed between them and they wept unashamed. Sarah’s mother and grandmother slipped out of the room quickly and rushed to Santa’s side to thank him.

“My only child is the same age as Sarah,” he explained quietly. “This is the least I could do.” They nodded with understanding and hugged him.

One year later, Santa Mark was again back on the set in Milwaukee for his six-week, seasonal job which he so loves to do. Several weeks went by and then one day a child came up to sit on his lap. “Hi, Santa! Remember me?!”

“Of course, I do,” Santa proclaimed (as he always does), smiling down at her. After all, the secret to being a “good” Santa is to always make each child feel as if they are the “only” child in the world at that moment.

“You came to see me in the hospital last year!”

Santa’s jaw dropped…. Tears immediately sprang in his eyes, and he grabbed this little miracle and held her to his chest. “Sarah!” he exclaimed. He scarcely recognized her, for her hair was long and silky and her cheeks were rosy — much different from the little girl he had visited just a year before. He looked over and saw Sarah’s mother and grandmother in the sidelines smiling and waving and wiping their eyes. That was the best Christmas ever for Santa Claus.

He had witnessed –and been blessed to be instrumental in bringing about — this miracle of hope.. This precious little child was healed. Cancer-free. Alive and well. He silently looked up to Heaven and humbly whispered, “Thank you, Father. ‘This a very, Merry Christmas!”

My Christmas Miracle concerns my Dad who had been diagnosed with cancer. He had gone through surgery and the doctors told him that sadly there was nothing more they could do. As it was about a couple of weeks before Christmas, the doctors said they were going to release him from the hospital earlier than normal so he could get his affairs in order and spend Christmas at home – but they wanted him to come back to the hospital after the holidays.   We were all so happy to have this time together – even as it was.

There weren’t a lot of gifts that year but it is the one Christmas I remember most.   After the Christmas holiday, my Dad returned to MD Anderson as requested.  However, when the blood tests  came back, the doctors were baffled  - they could find no trace of his cancer. With that they were going to release him, but asked if he would mind coming in for additional tests so they could see if they could determine  what had ‘cured’  him – which of course he did. Did they find the answers they were looking for?   I don’t know – and call it what you will - but my Mom, my Dad and I all knew this was a Christmas Miracle and the best gift  we would ever receive. 

Now for a bit of Hope. It would seem that a treatment - cure – for cancer… any cancer… is on the horizon. My understanding of the treatment is that it takes nanoparticles of metal (gold) which attach themselves to the cancer cells and once this is done – radio waves are used to explode the metal particles destroying the cancer cells. It is an amazing process and if you would like to read more about it please visit this link….. http://www.glennbeck.com/2011/12/09/cure-for-cancer-near/

We’ve also been busy weather-proofing the house, deck kitchen and well house. It’s pretty chilly today – 38 degrees, windy and overcast – so, glad we’ve basically finished with that chore. David and I spent about an hour last weekend (while it was still warm) wrapping the pipes at the well house and hooking up the light we keep turned on to help keep the temperature up. (It is amazing that having that one light bulb burning down there makes a significant difference.) You may or may not remember a couple years back one of the pipes coming from the large tank holding the water burst and it was a mess. Still need to cover the faucets inside the well house with those styrofoam covers – but that part is easy.

Checked out the fish in the ‘gold fish’ pond on the way back to the house and could only see one of them (the big white one) – the other two (the Shubunkins) are hiding in the cinder block holes and haven’t seen them in days.

Had an unusual situation that had us going, so I wanted to pass along a bit of information in case any of you out there find yourself experiencing a similar occurrence. That being our Roku would not work the other day – after having been working perfectly the day before.

To refresh – the Roku is the wireless device we use to stream Netflix and other shows, i.e., via Hulu, etc. through our Internet connection enabling us to watch them on our television set. I’m not very knowledgeable about electronics, but my understanding was that the Roku couldn’t connect to the Internet via the wireless Netgear ‘modem’.   So, David re-booted both the Internet and the Netgear ‘modem’. Still nothing. Since we knew everything had been working the day before – we got to thinking . . . . has anything changed? Yes, it had! David had installed wireless security cameras and set up the monitors in the office – same room as where the Netgear ‘modem’ sits.   Wasn’t sure, but thought this might be the culprit, so he unplugged the security system and then tried the Roku again. Had to go through the whole ‘set-up’ program, but suffice it to say – everything started working. Apparently there was a conflict… you think …. between the two wireless systems. We now disconnect the security monitors and wireless receiver when we want to watch the Roku and re-connect them when we’re through. Catch is – you have to disconnect the security equipment before you turn on the Roku to avoid having to go through the set-up process every time. Lesson learned.

Now for the feathers. We went shopping in Bryan-College Station last week. This usually means a stop by the Harbor Freight store – can you say tools?   Anyway, I thought for a change I’d check out the Steinmart next door while David strolled the HF aisles. I hadn’t been in a Steinmart since we left Houston and thought it might be interesting to see what the ‘new’ styles were for the season. On entering, I was met at the door by tables over flowing with ‘recommended’ Christmas gifts – everything from jeweled picture frames to boxes of chocolate pretzels. Made my way through all of this to the ladies clothing department. Now, I don’t know if I’m becoming an old ‘fuddy-duddy’, or maybe I just don’t like change – but, for some reason, couldn’t see myself in any of the clothes there. Then a vest caught my eye. Let me first say – I like vests; they are so versatile – and, they had every kind of vest for sale you might imagine. However, one in particular held my attention. Normally, when you see a vest with a fancy trim – it is just along the collar, so it’s not so over powering. Right? Not this vest – it was totally made from feathers – you know the kind, those small little feathers you might find hiding under the bigger ones.  Pin feathers maybe???  And, for some reason, all I could think of was a turkey. Could have been the color – brownish-tan with a little black. I thought to myself, “so this is where all the feathers go”.   I’m sure on the right person it would be stunning but . . . how you would clean it . . . or what it would smell like if it got wet or damp. Have to confess I did not check the back of the vest – it may have been fabric . . . guess I’ll never know now.

Another thing, while there I went shopping for a new insulated tumbler we could use in the car. Found one I thought would be perfect . .. but on reading the instructions it cautioned ‘to let hot liquids cool before putting the cap on’. Couldn’t see the value in buying that one . . . so after striking out twice – just turned around and left.  Ended up spending the rest of the time with David in the Harbor Freight store where I found him inspecting  the items on the power saw aisle.  And for those that might wonder….. no he didn’t buy anything!

READ THIS VERY SLOWLY… IT’S PRETTY PROFOUND.

Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven’t thought about it, don’t have it on their schedule, didn’t know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.

I got to thinking one day about all those people on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I’ve tried to be a little more flexible.

How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn’t suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word ‘refrigeration’ mean nothing to you?

How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched on television?

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said , ‘How about going to lunch in a half hour?’ She would gas up and stammer, ‘I can’t. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain’ And my personal favorite: ‘It’s Monday.’ She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.

Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches.. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!

We’ll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Stevie toilet-trained. We’ll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We’ll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of ‘I’m going to,’ ‘I plan on,’ and ‘Someday, when things are settled down a bit.’

When anyone calls my ‘seize the moment’  friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you’re ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It’s just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.

Now…go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to…not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?

Make sure you read this to the end; you will understand why I sent this to you.

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask ‘How are you?’ Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, ‘We’ll do it tomorrow.’ And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say ‘Hi’?

When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift….Thrown away…. Life is not a race. Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over.

Show your friends how much you care. Send this to everyone you consider a FRIEND including me if you consider me a friend. If it comes back to you, then you’ll know you have a circle of friends.

To those I have sent this to… I cherish our friendship and appreciate all you do. We have some history together.

‘Life may not be the party we hoped for… but while we are here, we might as well dance.

Don’t forget – for those that are looking for sugar free cranberry sauce – you can get my recipe here … Sugar free Cranberry Sauce

And,  if you want a break from traditional pumpkin pie, try this recipe for Sugar free Pumpkin-Pecan-Cheesecake  or get the recipe for making it with sugar - Traditional Pumpkin-Pecan-Cheesecake here - both are delicious . . . you don’t even need a spring-form pan!!