missing the snow and Happy New Year!

I have a myspace account only so that I can see my neice’s, sister’s and son’s websites.

This first making of a snow angle was from my middle son’s website. 

Hunter 2007 from starting to ending…

spring/winter cleaning…

Right now is a break from doing some winter cleaning. Dusting, mopping, windows, vacuuming furniture, etc….some DEEP cleaning going on here. To start the New Year on a clean start! My diet is also getting cleaned up! And I am feeling excited about it all.

Usually I don’t make any resolutions at this time of year. During the rest of the year I make enough changes! The important thing is keep at your changes. And not to just make changes at one time of the year but throughout the whole year long.

I went to a very small High School that had a graduating class of about 60-70 students. Having this kind of experience in my early teen years has had a huge effect on my choices for the rest of my life. There were small cliques like the jocks and cheerleaders…but that was about it. Really everyone was accepting of everyone else and included everyone. So at our 30th (yes, 30th!) year class reunion the organizers where super personal with everyone. And sent out cds with pictures and emailed the updates on classmates! It was the coolest thing! I wasn’t able to go however I felt as if in a way I was there. That is how included I felt thanks to these thoughtful peers of my olden school days! So today I received an email (addressed to all my fellow co-students) that a former teacher died on Christmas Eve. I didn’t have him for a class but of course remembered him. It is touching that we were informed of his passing and that most of us find it important to stay connected in some way. It gives a sense of belonging.

Ok, the floors are dry and time for the kitchen work and then…done with the deep cleaning!

Listening to Reverend Billy from the Church of Stop Shopping via podcast…the church of stop shopping compels you!!!

Cheers and good things always!

Closing in on 2007

I hope y’all had a great Christmas!

My Christmas was spent at home resting a tired body that had traveled 5 states on Christmas eve.  My sister and I went to see my 91 year old grandma and my daddy. We went through GA,  Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.  About 12-13 hours of travel!   They sure do grow people up different there!  While going to the local Wal-Mart for some things for dinner, there was a group of home grown teenage boys wearing cowboy hats, boots and western wear…and they were BIG Boys!  When we went to a distant relatives home she was making dinner rolls in advance for Christmas and the bowl she was using was as big as a wash basin!  This is NO exaggeration!  And she had bigger hair than the lady (what was her name?…) on PeeWee’s Playhouse.  At that moment, I said to myself everything really IS bigger in Texas!

So I’m home sweet home and my sweetie is due home from his trip later this afternoon.  Unfortunately we were not together during this holiday.  And I hope it is the last time that happens.

So I’m back to the healthy eating and exercise.  I lapsed pretty badly between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

It’s raw/vegan foods for me.  I do have one concern about yogurt though…and an occasional egg.  I am trying yogurt and it reacts just like milk with me.  I get stuffy right away and my joints become stiff…I just can not tolerate dairy at all.  But I need to get the acidophilus into my body.  I have found some dairy free acidophilus.  However it is expensive.

Time to walk Mattie…I think I will start using the path I was using about 2 years ago.  Just down the busy street to a dead end street that is not busy at all.

This is the day!

More baking

My hands are barely dry from kneading bread dough.  There is spiced rum and eggnog in my favorite tea cup.  And I am pondering making peanut brittle without the peanuts and with pecans instead.  How does that sound?  The replacement nuts I mean.  Hopefully I will later be reporting that the brittle turned out great.  A recipe for chocolate fudge is in the making also.

Baking, baking, baking

Richie made our brunch of sauteed potatoes with onion, scrambled eggs and baking soda biscuits (frozen).

I’ts already after 4pm and I am just finishing up in the kitchen! And a batch of snicker-doodles. Washing dishes as I went.

 

Some pumpkin bread is finished also…I’m done in the kitchen for the day!

we had just a tiny sprinkling of snow this afternoon…for about 2 minutes. With the Christmas music playing it kind of feels like the season of Christmas…but I miss the children hanging around me as I bake! I need my grandson!

JOY and Love….

 

Runn’n on empty

I’m home feeling kind of under the weather…some black-eyed peas are soaking in a bowl of water.  Today is a slow cooking soup, tea sipping and Internet surfing kind of day.

I’ve been taking apple cider vinegar in water in the morning.  There are many health claims out there for doing it.  And folk lore medicine claims many benefits for taking apple cider vinegar.

More later…

Photoshop newbee…

Arggg…I am trying to design a Christmas card using photoshop. Why is it so complicated? Is it just me or is this a hard application to get comfortable with…there are plenty of “how to’s” on the subject and I am trying to follow the directions. However I don’t know the basics and so am lost and just clicking here and there to see what will and won’t work. This system does not work! So I guess I’ll just wait till Richie gets home and use his computer (Windows system) which has a Print Master program installed. I love my Mac! Maybe a class on Photoshop would help…I’m sure that will help. Is there on online Photoshop beginners class somewhere? Hmmm…

I should go and put up some decorations…should but will I?

 

 

Up early for once…

Good morning…sometimes it kills me when Richie can wake up so chipper and full of energy. Today I woke (almost) that way! By nature, I am NOT a morning person…I like to stay up late and sleep in. However this morning I am tyring to change that habit so that I can get a few more things accomplished during the day. (And get to work on time!)

Last night we met a couple for dinner in Atlanta at Rathbun’s. It is an upscale restaurant with white linen table cloths and napkins. We have not ever been to such a nice restaurant since being together…well yes, on second thought on our 2nd year anniversary we went somewhere very nice. But this place is hip, young and sophisticated! I had the:

Chestnut-Local Apple Risotto, Arugula

Parmesan Reggiano

And it was wonderful! The company was great. We laughed a lot and the food was par excellent. Champagne was had before we even got to the place because Richie is building a house for the couple and they wanted to celebrate their happiness about the construction progress. It was great to be included! And it makes me very proud of my husband for all his building skills. AWWW….

So today I will go into work for a couple of hours then home and work on some Christmas cards and baking! I have been singing Christmas songs to myself all morning. We are not planning on getting a tree this year. I’m not sure or not if I will even put up wreaths (my usual holiday tradition) or not. We both will be gone for this Christmas. Him going his way (up north to see his kiddies) and me South to see my 91 year old Grandma who has been begging me to come and see her. But we will be together on New Years!

Oh…I must go to Petsmart and get Mattie a dogie mat. She has been getting up on the furniture and being in need of a good grooming, she smells bad!

I listen to Dr. Majid Ali on WBAI new york radio station as a podcast and he always ends his shows saying….

May you be graceful

May you be gracious

May you be giving.

It’s late…

It is 11pm already.  Whenever we sit and watch TV the time flies and nothing gets done!  I hate that I get so easily sucked into the tube.  When I was living alone I lived without a TV and seemed to do way more with my time and life.  However when living with another person you have to compromise and I end up zombieing out in front of the tube just so that I can be next to him.  What is an effective way to restrict TV time?  How ludicrous does that sound…I was a parent of children who I regularly regulated TV viewing for!  AAARRRGGG..I know what to do!

I didn’t know what to get my 5 year old grandson for Christmas.  And yesterday I found it…these amazing figures of American Indians.  The figures are strong and durable and painted life like.

 So I couldn’t resistist gettting him some cowboys, Indians and even a Tipi.  All made by a German Company named Schleich.  So now my Christmas shopping is mostly done, save for Richie.

Good night…

Natural weight training

We lifted, moved and laid some big ass stone today.  And it felt so great to get a work out in the beautiful sunshine.  The temps were in the low 70’s most all day long!  It was glorious…

This is a cuff beaded bracelet in progress.