Thursday 10 March 2011

very {VERY} random blatherings..

OK so, here's how to determine if you are dog crazy:

1. You think every dog is a lap-dog.
     {uh, aren't they?}



2. You know every dog in your neighborhood on a first-name basis.
     { Hmmm..there's Clementine, Lola {the little black pug in the pink tutu who is Lulu's rival for Braxton's attention}  Big Bubba, and Thor..}

3. When your dog sits in the chair first - you find another place to sit.
      {yep..they were there first, right?}


4. You talk to your dog frequently...and always follow her advice.
      {Lulu's advice is usually more, uh, direct while Braxton's is a but more laid back}


Yep.  That would describe many of you I suppose..it does me and Mr. B for sure..

You know how I wanted to get a tattoo for my 60th?  Well..that didn't happen then..but this October I'll have the second anniversary of my 60-th, so I have decided {finally!} on what I want to get tattooed and where..

A blue-bird on my shoulder!  

You know, as in "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay, My oh My What a Wonderful Day"..??

OK sing along with me...



{yes, I know he's not blue..use you imagination..}

Mister Bluebird's on my shoulder

It's the truth, it's actual

Ev'rything is satisfactual

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay

Wonderful feeling, wonderful day, yes sir!

Yessirreebob..that's what it will be.  Oh, I feel so much better now..

OK, enough about me..how's things in your little corner of the world?

Have a great rest of the month and remember, March 17th's just about here!  Get  out your Irish soda bread recipes...the following is from http://www.sodabread.us/Recipes/sodabreadrecipes.htm {except the photos of my materhal grandmothers..}

All recipes for traditional soda bread contain flour, baking soda, sour milk (buttermilk) and salt. That's it!!!


This was a daily bread that didn't keep long and had to be baked every few days. It was not a festive "cake" and did not contain whisky, candied fruit, caraway seeds, raisins (add raisins and it becomes "spotted dog" not to be confused with the pudding made with suet of the same name), or any other ingredient.


There are recipes for those types of cakes but they are not the traditional soda bread eaten by the Irish daily since the mid 19th century.

Here are a basic recipe. Note that measurements below are in American standards. (An Irish teaspoon is not the same as an American teaspoon measurement.)

Note for New Bakers: a fluid cup contains 8 ounces of liquid. A dry ingredient cup contains around 4 ounces by weight. Don't use a liquid measuring cup for dry ingredients. Tsp means Teaspoon.

{my Great-Grandmother..Bridget Rice - Keane}


Of course our great grandmothers just grabbed a handful of this and a pinch of that to make their bread. We modern bakers need help since we don't do it every day.

{my Grandmother - Kathleen Maude Keane-Sullivan}



4 cups (16 oz) of all purpose flour.


1 Teaspoon baking soda

1 Teaspoon salt

14 oz of buttermilk

Method:

Preheat the oven to 425 F. degrees. Lightly crease and flour a cake pan.

In a large bowl sieve and combine all the dry ingredients.

Add the buttermilk to form a sticky dough. Place on floured surface and lightly knead (too much allows the gas to escape)

Shape into a round flat shape in a round cake pan and cut a cross in the top of the dough.

Cover the pan with another pan and bake for 30 minutes (this simulates the bastible pot). Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

The bottom of the bread will have a hollow sound when tapped so show it is done.

Cover the bread in a tea towel and lightly sprinkle water on the cloth to keep the bread moist.

Have fun!

-me







Monday 7 March 2011

Good Monday mornin'! **Edited: I think I got the pictures to work!!

Yep...good MONDAY morning.

Had a very very fast week-end.  Don't know why sometimes they just seem to fly-by even when we didn't do too much..?

Oh well..it's back to Monday and back to organization and routine and getting up waaaay too early.  Mr. B is now starting work at 5am..yikes!

So, here's what one finds to smile about on a Monday at 4:30 {a.m.}


haa haa..and here's another..


Me and Mr. B??


so..how many of you "get" this one??


I leave you with my thought for Monday..

"Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.."

Have a great one and be grateful we GET another  Monday..

-me

Thursday 3 March 2011

Where have I been???


I don't know...where?

Hmmm..busy.  Well, in the "running-around-not-sure-what-time-it-is-even.." busy.

Morning dog walk, Dentist's for Grandma Evelyn..pharmacy..phone calls..dealing with insurance..laundry..dealing with pharmacies..afternoon dog walking...and a special surprise...

A visit from my Canadian cousins :-)

Wilf and Janie..

Janie is Daddy's cousin's daughter..so we share a great-grandma..from Ireland.

And what's kinda amazing..we didn't even know we had Canadian Cousins!


{ Janie is such a great crafter/seamstress! She always brings lovely hand-knitted gift and this year a card with a photo that their son, Paul took...he calls himself  "an enthusiastic amateur"..."but I'd like to argue that amateur status ~ his work is amazing! Check out his photography:http://pbruch.com/ }


And, it all came from a trip to Ireland that Larry took some years ago..a chance encounter in a pub..leading to an elderly woman named MaryKate in a nursing home..( a distant cousin)and  her recollections of her family {our family}and my brother discovering a niece that had visited her Aunt MaryKate who told Larry about the "Canadian Connection"!

Whew!

So, we have lovely Canadian Cousins from  beautiful Victoria,  in wonderful Canada.. and..... we had our "3rd annual stop-over-on-the-way-back-to-Victoria-dinner-visit-catch-up-night".night...tonight..on their way back to Victoria after wintering in Arizona..

Conversation, talk of their trip to Egypt , laughter, playing with Braxton & Lulu..visiting with Grandma Evelyn..dinner out..laughter..tea at home, kiss kiss hug hug..safe travels..see you next year..


What a great, busy, fun, exciting, exhausting and happy day!

How was your Wednesday?

-me

Sunday 27 February 2011

I can never stop at ..."enough.."

I seem to always go just a brushstroke too many...one piece of lace too much..one piece of ribbon, one scrap..

You know..too fussy..too many..blah blah blah and yadda yadda yadda..

....see?

I can't even tell you what I am talking about because I'm going on and on and on...

OK..to get what I'm getting to..

When I was telling you about the whole "white T-shirt' thingy..you know..simple simple..

And because I seem to dribble dribble when I have coffee..or Crystal Light..or spaghetti..Aunt Amelia from Aunt Amelia's Attic asked how I bleach the stains out.

I don't.  But I don't really want to wear them after they are "broken in"..stained..ruined.

So I saw a video on YouTube..{somewhere} about making Sharpie designs by marking and then dripping alcohol on the fabric..

Brilliant!

So I did..and I did too much.  But I thought I'd show it here..not to fish for compliment, but to show you maybe a new idea..


 good start...

..getting a little busy and big..

"I think it needs...more..stems??"

"Add swirlys!!"

 ..nah..too much..
See? ..oh well...it's a learning experience..

So, in a few weeks {or moments.} when I spill on yet another T-shirt,..I 'll have a new "canvas" ... to try again..

And I'll let you know how that one turns out...

If I can stop...while I'm ahead..

-me

Saturday 26 February 2011

It's snowing ....again :-)

..and my first thought, as I'm sipping my coffee this very early Saturday morning {thanks Lulu..but you know, I don't need to get up at 5am on Saturdays..just a reminder..) was "Not more snow...I'm ready for Spring."


{"Snow Day" by Ezra Jack Keates}

But as I sit here with my coffee this morning, while the rest of the house is fast asleep..{even my little alarm-clock-pup-Lulu has gone back to bed} I marvel at the beauty outside my front window..snow softly falling..the street light capturing the sparkles as they come down..

{this is not me...but sadly I do envy those eyebrows..}

And I am reminded to stop my whining and enjoy every moment.not to "wish" away the time by rushing spring to come and winter to be over and time to slip away from me, unnoticed, unappreciated.

{there, that's more like it..}

We rush our weeks on Mondays by wishing it were Friday..until that mournful Sunday night when we start the week over again..at our jobs..which, we forget, we are so blessed to have in this economy ..

The whole time we spend wishing our lives..our time..away.

I think I'll make a conscious decision to, if not enjoy, at least appreciate every single moment..every long day and every long season..

Aren't we lucky to start a new day, every day, with a chance to make it better?


{ I wish I had that cuddly-warm-red suit..}

Now, go out there and have a wondrous, long, beautiful Saturday.


And I'll go back to watching  loving Lulu  and the snow fall down in sparkly-diamonds on my world..

-me

Wednesday 23 February 2011

Old old me..new new illness..

I have fibromyalgia.

Crummy, painful, silly, unnecessary, pain-in-the-bum dumb illness.



Hyper-sensitivity to stuff..seams in clothing,...wrinkles..ribs in material..upholstery....pillows...jewelry..socks..everything hurts..like my skin is sunburned..or raw..

{hey, I never typed UPHOLSTERY..weird spelling..I had to look it up...thanks Google!}

Yeah, crummy.  But not all the time.


Wish I could figure when it will hit..what I have done differently that causes it to start.  Sometimes I feel like every hair on my head is parted the wrong way... ya know?



Guess is a nerve-thingy.  With  Tylenol a few times a day..I can pretty much fake it..until someone tries to give me a hug..



Then I sort of cringe..but I love hugs.  So I don't stop them.

Life is waaaay too short to stop hugs.

Anyway...just wanted to let you know....let you know we can overcome  deal with it..if we set our minds to it..

"This too shall pass"

So, if you have this, know you are not alone.  And if you have anything that works for you..let us know. 

And if you know someone that has it, be patient, be kind and be gentle....


Just a PSA {public service announcement.. from me..}

Have less fibro-days and more huggable days  {{    }}

-me

Oh..and can we work on seamless underwear?

Tuesday 22 February 2011

So I'm driving to work this morning..

..and I notice my stomach growling..um..more like roaring.

Decide to drive thru McDonald's and get an oatmeal {have you tried these??? Seriously yummified!} and a black coffee (flavor and drinkability to be added at my desk..)



I have stopped by a few times since they added the oatmeal-lushiness..and the same probably 20+ something young man with nerd-like tendencies has been the  "drive up to the first window and pay" person..and seemed a little grumpy/shy/disenchanted/bored and or inconvenienced by my first-thing-in-the-morning-crazy-grinning-old-lady-well-hello! demeanor ..




So when I saw him still there this morning (what? no promotion?) I smiled and handed him my exact amount of $3.22 (the amount I know by heart now) and asked him if he's having a good start to the day...he says..

"Yes..yes I am. 'Cause I have a lovely young lady at my window this morning.."

and then he..SMILED!



A real true heart-felt smile.

Of course I knew he was not flirting..after all, I could be his grandmother mother big sister's....uh...elderly friend.

But the fact that we made a connection, shared a smile, and maybe, just maybe, he will go on to have a better day just made me have a way better day than I thought it could be.

Way to go McDonald's.

Thanks for the awesome-kick-butt-oatmeal ..and a brighter day.



And thank you "twenty-something-sometimes-grumpy-because-nobody-SEES -you-drive-thru-guy"

-me