Happy Thanksgiving!

In my own humble opinion, this pumpkin pie looks good enough to eat – but you might notice the hardware that’d make it a tad hard to swallow! That’s because this isn’t real pumpkin pie….they are charms made of polymer clay!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday - anyone who calls my house on TG gets a turkey greeting (I have a mean gobble, thank you very much)!

Anyhoo - I made a bunch of these for some of the ladies in my life that I not only adore, but get to see at Thanksgiving time. I love working with polymer clay – and being the food addict that I am, my favorite thing to make with the clay is…food ;-)

I made the tiny pies then made wire loops and inserted them into the back crust. Once they were baked, I attached a ring and strung the charms onto black cord necklaces.

Because I didn’t want the recipients to wear the necklace only a few days, I also made Christmas charms - not all food…

....and let each wonderful woman...
...pick the one they wanted most.

This first batch of charms were given this past weekend……then I went home and went kinda charm nutty and made……

…all of these! Somehow my hands worked liked the wind and I busted all of them out in a couple of hours.

I’m not sure which one is my fave…the hubs likes the presents the best. I really like the ‘Christmas Pudding’ though and the poinsettia ;-) I think my big sis will snag one of the Christmas Lights charms but what anyone else will pick is…well…anyone’s guess!

I had all the stuff on hand to make all of these charms, but should you choose to do some yourself, it doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. Watch for coupons to your local Michael’s, Joann’s or other craft store and you can save big!

With that I’ll wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving ;-) Here’s hoping you don’t get too full and that you make warm family memories to take you into this joyous holiday season!

By the way - to all my family and friends...I love all of you! I am so lucky to have you in my life. All of you are what I'm thankful for every day of the year.

Sweet 16 Cake and Super Fun Ice Cream Cups!

Have you ever loved someone so much it just about oozed from your pores? That’s how I feel about my daughter and this past weekend she reached that birthday that when she was a tiny baby, everyone talked about, “Wait till she turns 16!” Well - My one and only baby girl is 16 years old and I love her 16 times more today than I did when she was born – and I was totally nuts about her then!

I wanted to decorate her cake to celebrate her life and the person she’s become. So, after ordering a plain, white frosted ½ sheet cake from Costco (hellooooo…? $16.99 for a cake that will serve not only 22 party guests but leave a few servings of leftovers? Perfect!). I knew I wanted to get her pictures on the cake and assumed I’d have to make the wire curly-cues myself but found these too-perfect Sweet 16 photo holders at Party City where we’d bought a few other ‘16’ party items. Aren’t they just so cute!?

The fun – and hard part – was choosing the 5 pics to put into each holder. We only have about a million photos of her!

She’s always wanted one of those big, chunky ‘number’ candles too…only had to wait 16 years to get one ;-)

And – look what else I made for this super fun party….Ice Cream Cups! Don’t these just scream ‘Birthday Party’?!

They are totally edible, made of semi-sweet chocolate, then the edges were sipped into white chocolate then immediately dipped into hot pink sugar or tiny, colored balls.

I used my littlest scooper to form the ice cream balls, then set each on wax paper in a 9x13 pan and let them harden in the freezer overnight so all I had to do the day of the party was drop a ball in each cup…..

...and top each with a cherry! Now – I will admit…I took this picture in advance because I knew if I waited until party time, I’d totally forget to snap a photo. But what I ended up forgetting at they aprty – was putting on the cherries! :-( Oh well – they were still super cute and really yummy :-)

They tasted like an ice cream bar, ‘cept with more chocolate…never a bad thing! They, along with her very personalized cake helped make my babydoll’s very special birthday a little sweeter.

The ‘sweet’ for me was when she told me it was the best birthday she’d ever had. I love you Min! I'm so gald you had such a Happy Sweet 16!!!

Road Trippin' Lytle Style - The Curtain Call

The hubs, daughter, her BFF and I went camping for Spring Break this year (as we usually do). It turned out to be a ‘farewell trip’ as we decided upon our return home that we’ll be selling our trailer which we love because the economy still sucks at our house! :-( But that’s a whole other post - which, actually, I probably won’t be posting about! ;-)

Anyhoo – We had a great time on our trip – which should’ve been to Oregon’s high desert country (read: dry and mostly warm & sunny). However, we had to change plans at the last minute because the mountain pass we would’ve had to traverse became covered in several feet of snow thanks to the biggest storm of the whole last year, just two days prior to our vacation! Grrr… So – to the beach we went. The coastal weather in Oregon, in April, is sketchy at best – but over 4 days we donned coats for only two! That was a terrific surprise :-) All in all we had a super fun time, but life isn’t perfect - and as can happen, a few hick-ups popped up to challenge us.

Although we went coatless for half of our stay, two other days (and clearly prior to our arrival), it was rainy…really rainy! Of course, the spot right outside out trailer door was a mud pit and out door mat’s size wasn’t quite sufficient to span the gloppy mass. Thank heaven for a plethora of pine cones and twigs!

Not only did this mat-extending project work like a dream – it was kind of a piece art too! I found I enjoyed seeing it every time I exited the trailer :-) Besides…I love pinecones and sticks…..oh and rocks too. ;-)

Another kink in our plan was that we had no running water in the trailer – long story short, the water pressure at the park first popped the water line to the toilet (which wasn’t a deal-breaker as we can shut off the water line to the pot and still be able to use it via cups of water in the bowl, and flushing to the holding tank). However…we found we can’t shut off the water to the shower faucet which was the next thing to blow! So – with all water shut off, we had no water save for the 5-gallon bucket now sitting in the tub for toilet usage, and for boiling so I could wash dishes. Um…..yeah….washing dishes with a pot of boiling hot water is a pain in the ass – not the mention the hands! So, we used as few dishes as possible and when it came time to cook something that normally would’ve required scrubbing a pot or pan, we either scrapped the idea or……I made disposable cookware

With a hearty flame lapping underneath, this triple layer foil ‘pan’ worked wonders! The bacon cooked to a perfect crispness and was as tasty as ever on our cheeseburgers. Scratch that….cooked on an impromptu foil pan….it was even better. And the hubs? He thought I was a marvel :-)

For us, camping means a fire gets sparked up every day by about 4 o’clock. While I don’t build or tend it, I do like to poke at it with a stick...get the end all aglow-n-such. Well, on day two a flat and clean cut of wood called to me.

So, my charcoaled poking stick became my pencil and I branded the log with the family name thus christening our fire as the official Lytle Evening Flame.

Later, as the hubs was about to once again stoke the fire, I shouted, “Wait!” I pointed to the burning wood, “Look...a heart!”

There it was in plain sight…a heart in our fire. We just stared at it for a moment, I snapped the pic and more wood was put on to keep us warm, thus pushing the heart further down into the embers. I was glad I’d taken the photo then…but even more so now. I didn’t know at that time that we were experiencing our last camping trip. That heart will forever represent the fun we always have when we take the trailer on the road for family fun. Camping is about togetherness, adventure and love. From the very first trip in our very first trailer (a pop-up. 7 years ago) when I made t-shirts emblazoned with the motto, “Road Trippin’ Lytle Style” to this latest outing that left us water-challenged, every trip has been unique and given us memories that will last a lifetime. There will be no ‘tent-camping’ trips in our future….we’ve done our time in tents…. It will be fun to take the next step and go on to other kinds of vacations. We’ve loved our trailer camping trips….but out there somewhere….new adventures await.

The new year is just about 30 hours away - this wil be my last post for the year. I wish everyone who peruses this little blog, a happy and safe New Years Eve...things can get so crazy out there, eh? I prefer staying home and actually, I don't care if I'm in bed before 12! Fireworks woke me up last year ;-)

I've got the usual resolution....get in shape, shed that weight - and I vow to be victorious! Come Hell or high water I'll look like a million bucks by summer!

I hope all of you dig right in to your resolutions if you set them and you succeed as well!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

The count-down is on...Christmas is in just a few days. I'm so excited! I love the time we get to share with family for days in a row. My sister's birthday in on the 23rd so the celebration for her always kicks off the gatherings for the rest of us! I love the laughter, the food, the feelings that are so spceial to this particular time of year.... everything has a magical sense to it - an extra happy, loving touch.

I sincerely hope your Christmas holiday is filled with love and smiles and hugs and warmth. Enjoy your family and your friends and every single minute that passes. Live in the moment and drink in every ounce of joy that this heavenly season provides.

Merry Chrsitmas to all of you!!

Happy Thanksgiving 2009!

Wow, what a fast year this has been! I appreciate the quickness if only because it's been a pretty tough, lean year. Money's been tight & work has been slow so I'm looking forward to a new year with a brighter future for everyone.

Bleaker times aside, I'm as thankful as ever. As long as I have my family, good health for all of us, the home that we love and my pupper Maisy, what elese could I need? Well...food - but in all honesty, I could use less ;-)

I wish anyone and everyone who reads this blog nothing but happiness and full tummies tomorrow! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

20 and counting...

Every one of the 28 spaces in the frame shown above is filled with a fun and treasured memory spanning the hubs and my 20 years of marriage - November 4th was our 20th wedding anniversary!

The hair styles change - so do our wasitlines and the shape of our faces - but one thing that's constant...our commitment and love for each other and our life together.

Has it all been roses? Let me answer that with another question......is anyone's marriage all roses?! Everyone has a rough patch now and then - but I'm so proud that we've weathered every storm and come out laughing - and still loving. Besides, any dark cloud that has ever passed over has been surrounded by far many more blue skies.
So - here's to a terrific 20 years and everything that made us what we are, who we are and put us where we are. I love my husband, I love my daughter, our dog, our home and our life.

Let's dig in to number 21 :-)

Happy - Spooky - Fun!

I have to admit it - we tried...we tried not to carve pumpklins this year. Why? I have no idea. The subject came up between my daughter and me while in the car last weekend and we just kinda of sluffed it off. She said she didn't really feel like it and I likened it to getting the lights strung on the Christmas tree. Now, I really don't mind doing either one - and actually, carving pumpkins is fast and we all love the roasted seeds. Fall is even my daughter's and my favorite time of year - so why would we shun the innocent pumpkin?

Turns out - we didn't! Wednesday night we were getting more and more Halloweeny feeling. We'd rented two movies for my daughter and her friend to watch after a few holiday festivites on Saturday/Halloween night. I pretty much picked the flicks - see, my daughter only recently started getting the itch to watch any sort of scary movie. She was never interested as she is home alone several times a week and I never encouraged her to put all that crap in her head (fyi, I see Linda Blair's Regan from the 'Exorcist' every dang day of my life - so I know of what I speak!). But with the fall season, the Halloween holiday and her ever-blooming 'teenagery', some horror has been sparking her interest. Now she just needs to stay clear of the crap and watch what's good.

I shun the stupid scary movies like 'The Leprechaun' (I've never seen it - I just know it's dumb!) and the way too scary like 'The Exorcist' or 'The Evil Dead'. Over the last few weeks, she's seen 'Halloween', 'Friday teh 13th', 'The Amityville Horror' (the 3rd remake with Ryan Reynolds - cuz...welll...he's shirtless in it - a lot) and together we watched 'The Stepfather' (the original - that remake is crap for sure - avoid it!) and 'An American Werewolf in London' (she thought it was dumb).

Now, Minners (my daughter), doesn't like a lot of blood or nasty killing so I helped her choose two great flicks for Halloween night (who am I kidding - I totally chose them!....but for her own good ;-)). We got 'Poltergiest' - a Spileberg classic....Great story, a few laughs, some scary here and there but mostly, lots of "awesome!" kinds of stuff. Movie two...'The Blair Witch Project'. I know this movie scared lots of people - the Hubs thinks it's the scariest ever. However...everyone is wrong ;-) I mean, no killing (that you see anyway...just disappearing), no blood, no monsters.... It IS creepy and freaky, I'll give it that - but it won't leave horrible images in a teenagers head and that's the goal. So - SCORE one for mom!

K...I'm getting way off track... So - When we drove through the neighborhood to the movie store, we saw several houses had stepped up their spooky decor and the air was so crisp and cool....we knew we had to get pumpkins. So on Thursday, we got three pumpkins - two for her, one for me and as soon as dinner was over, we plunged our knives in. The pumpkin above is mine - I like his teeth!
And these two are my daughter's creations. That big one....he just makes me smile! Doesn't he look jolly? I can just imagine he has a big ol' belly 'guffaw' ready to roll out. If memory serves, she's never carved a mean or scary pumpkin in her life!

Just goes to show...Halloween doesn't have to be about scary...it can just be about fun. I'm sure I picked the right movies. :-)

Happy Halloween!

Baking Supplies - Check!

The last few things I’ve cooked or baked were made from ingredients I had on hand (save for the almond flour in the Macarons a couple of weeks ago), but that’s not always the case, especially with ‘baking season’ nearly here!. When I find a recipe I want to make, I go through my cupboards to see which ingredients I have on hand. While I am sometimes surprised that I have as much as I do, it’s no fun to find have you heart set on a dish only to find you need to buy over half the items necessary to make it.

So – instead of actually making anything this weekend, I got ready to make anything – and everything! I cleaned out what I call my ‘baking cupboard’. It’s a two-shelf cupboard that’s inconveniently high and deep requiring a step stool for any item that isn’t darn close to the front. Needless to say, when I have to stretch and reach for something now and again, when it’s time to put the item back, it pretty much just gets lobbed back up there. Hence – the clean-out. I didn’t think about taking a picture of said cluttered baking cupboard pre clean-out ‘cuz, dude, you do not need to see that first thing on a Monday morning but I did snap a few pics of what I came across…

Who has this much corn syrup and molasses?! I had 5 partial bottles of Karo (well, one bottle was ‘Jim’s Brand’) in various flavors and two bottles/jars of molasses. I DO like making caramel corn – that explains the Karo but I must not have inventoried my molasses before I made Shoo-Fly cupcakes several months ago because there’s no reason to have more than one bottle of molasses in my kitchen. I just don’t use it very often. And dang that stuff is strong, eh?!

What a find! I whole, unopened jar of Macadamia nuts! That’s practically like gold! Macs are spendy so to have them on hand for an upcoming holiday treat is super fun. The Quaker corn meal was a bit of a surprise as well. I never woulda known this corn meal was in my house as I have a box of corn meal. It’s the cornmeal I always use when I make homemade pizzas. I didn’t even know Quaker made corn meal, I wouldn’t have bought a brand new corn meal ‘cuz I have corn meal and I know I have corn meal! Can you tell I’m a bit bothered by this corn meal?!? How in the heck did it get there?! I know it’s not a huge deal….but it freaks me out a little. See behind the corn meal (that I didn’t buy)…Hooters wing breading. Musta been the Hubs’ way to get SOME fraction of Hooters into our house. It’s unopened and like 5 years old. No, I didn’t toss it – I’ve seen it every time I’ve cleaned out the cupboard since we bought it – it’s like an old friend now.

Here’s my corn meal! In the pic at 10:00!! And that’s just one of three partial bags of powdered sugar that I was able to consolidate into one container. I love my big box full of Jell-o! I keep all my Jell-o pudding and gelatin mixes in one big box so I can pull the whole thing down and choose exactly what I want. Oh and look…..Craisins! And what you cant’ see in the pic is that there are TWO, brand new, unopened bags full! I remember buying them to make white chocolate bark with pecans last Christmas but I never got around to making it. So now, I have them to make into a scrumptious treat this season! SOMEthing tells me they just might end up in some white chocolate macadamia oatmeal cookies! Y-U-M! Don’t know how long those dry-roasted peanuts had been I the cupboard, but they took a dive into the trash and their container into the recycling. How a giant Hershey bar was left partially eaten is beyond me – and even further beyond me is how it managed to get back in the cupboard after the cleaning, rather than in my belly!

I was able to empty two half bags of sugar into my tried and true, one-thumb-closeable, Tupperware, sugar canister and I did the same for a half bag of flour. I found two empty boxes in my arts-n-crafts closet and, like my ‘Jell-o box’, filled one with cupcake liners, birthday candles and my Pampered chef flour & sugar shakers etc. The other box held things that make cookies chunky! The mac nuts, two bags of coconut and the two bags of craisins, various chocolate chips and the like. I put items I don’t use very often in the back of the cupboards then slid in the more frequently used items in front so I can take them down and inventory them easily before shopping trips.

Now I know off the top of my head what I have and what I don’t. Not only does that make it way more fun to pick which recipe to make but it gives me ideas for my own creations as well! Most of all, I feel organized, and ready for a fun fall baking season and nothing is better than that!

I hear caramel corn calling! Let’s get cookin’!

Author, Author!

These are my grandparents. While their names are technically Hank and Velma, to me they are Gram and Gramps.

They passed away within months of each other nearly 16 years ago. Gram passed away first, then, shortly after I found out I was pregnant with my first (and only) baby, Gramps passed on himself. I loved them so much……they were not only awesome grandparents, but just really wonderful people all-around. They had great (and many) friends, were very active in their church and were loving and generous. They were always there for my mom, brother and sister and me. We were a tiny family (my mom was an only child) who spent every holiday together – and that includes Mothers' & Father’s Day as well as birthdays and most Sunday dinners. Mmmmm…I still remember the smell of Gram’s fried chicken. And her fruit salad with mini-marshmallows and Miracle Whip in the dressing, yum, yum, yum!

Every summer starting when I was two years old (till I was 17), they took my brother, sister and me to Paulina Lake, a rustic resort of sorts, outside Bend, Oregon. Gramps taught us to fish while Gram kept the home fires burning (literally). Gramps had big hands and huge thumbs…I always wondered how the heck he tied on fish hooks with those things! Gramma taught me how to play Solitaire and my sister to play cribbage. They both let all three of us run around and hike the trails around the lake…..we had freedom that the times allowed back then – freedom that unfortunately, isn’t as ample nowadays what with abductions and such all over the news. Don’t get me wrong, they didn’t let us run rampant….they kept a firm thumb over us. But they let us grow as children need to, all the while teaching us to be good people.

Gram and Gramps may have demanded respect….I don’t actually know about the 'demand' part since I’d have given it willingly anyway. They were the be-all, end-all….the towering patriarch and matriarch of our family. I know I would not be the person I am today without having had them in my life. They were a huge, key part of my life till they passed away when I was 29 and they still influence me today.

I was lucky to have them in my life as long as I did. My second greatest sorrow in losing Gram and Gramps (my first is that I don’t have them here for me anymore – selfish? Yes, quite possibly, but oh well!), is that my daughter never got to meet them. She’s had to get to know them via family photographs and my memories and stories which are plentiful. What is so awesome about that is that I can tell she totally understands that they were two of the best people to have ever lived – and I can tell that she respects their memory and has solid understanding that they were and still are are the single greatest influence on our entire family.

Gram and Gramps….I know you’re out there. If you’re reading this today, I still miss you every day and love you more than ever. I want you to know that I wrote a poem in honor of you shortly after Grampa passed away. I thought I’d like to share my tribute to you with lots of other people, so, I turned the poem into a book and illustrated it myself. It took me a long time to complete - sadly, almost 16 years. I always knew I’d finish it though and never lost sight of my goal to get it published. So….today, finally, I am sending it off to a publisher in hopes turning it into a real book so all people can enjoy the love of wonderful grandparents like you.

To everyone who is reading this – wish me luck! I want this so badly….for my Gram and Gramps :-)

Fun 21.....

There’s really just one type of gift for someone turning 21 – alcohol – for those celebrants who choose to imbibe, that is.

This past weekend was one of my niece’s 21st birthday – well, she’s not really my niece – she’s the daughter of my husband’s aunt (after 20+ years of marriage she’s my aunt too!) – but because she was born rather late in my aunt’s life, she’s very close in age/the same generation of all the other nieces in my family, so, I think of her as a niece. Besides...I really don’t know what she is...one of those cousin kind of relations… Second cousin or something? I dunno – to me she’s my niece – so there! Anyway… My husband and I knew we wanted to get her a bottle of something fun to celebrate her ‘legality’ and since slamming tequila shots has it’s own little, fun ‘process’ we decided on that.

Now, times are kinda tight so we wanted to watch our dollars – but I was able to put together a really fun gift for a nominal fee and got to get creative at the same time – which helped make the gift a little more fun and personal too. I like to make a gift complete – so we put together a whole straight shot ‘kit’. We got a fifth of Jose Cuervo and got a classic, heavy-weight, plain shot glass at the liquor store as well. A lime at the grocery store rounded out the items we purchased and I already had the arts-n-crafts portion of the gift at home. I’d previously bought a plain glass salt-n-pepper shaker so I could use my glass paints on them for a fun art project on some random rainy day. Well…although we’ve had plenty of rain since the time I bought the set, I’d never gotten around to painting them – so this gift gave me the perfect opportunity! I used just one shaker and used some puff paints to decorate it. I woulda used actual glass paint, but I’d taken them on a summer camping trip and inadvertently left them in our trailer. We don’t keep the trailer at our house so….no glass paints. Improvisation makes you test and push yourself to make do with what you have and I gotta tell ya…I think this shaker turned out better with the puff paints than it woulda with the ‘right’ paint! It had dimension and the colors were great – it had a little personality! I wrote ‘Tequila’ on one side, ‘Salt’ on another and painted little lime wedges accented with tiny yellow and orange dots on two other sides. The colors are ‘citrusy’ and seem kinda juicy and fun.

Now….had I known before the birthday party that my niece doesn’t ‘do’ shots, we’da bought some other kind of liquor! However…maybe she can entertain with this fun, little set. With the way some people started downing shots the night of her celebration, I don’t think this kit will sit idol for long. Anyone recognizing themselves here??? ;-)

Thanks for a great evening AD!!! And happy 21st SRS!!!

The Hubs Can Cook!

Ya gotta give props when props are due..the platter shown above is what my family of three dug into last night for dinner... it was super good!

The Hubs has been out of work for several weeks (this economy sucks!) and besides keeping our lawn looking pristine in these early fall days and folding daily loads of laundry, he's started what might very well be called a TV affair with Ina Garten (above is her spaghetti and meatballs).

When I imagine him watching her show and backing up the DVR as needed to make sure he gets the recipe written down completely, it reminds me of the movie Mr. Mom and the scene where Michael Keaton and other gentlemen waiting for the same job interview begin exchanging recipes amongst each other.

Actually, I love that he's taking the bull by the horns. He dons an apron and guards what he's simmering.... I DO have to admit it's hard for me to give up the reins in the kitchen because not only do I usuakky do about 90% of the cooking, but I totally enjoy it too. I'm a bit of a control freak - I think I've admitted that here before.

Anyway... it's been fun to have him whip up dishes he has taken a liking to and not having to lift a finger once I get home from work is pretty fun! I get to come home, change clothes, get in a workout and sit down to a tasty meal. Having him off work is certainly not the ideal, but a shining dish at dinner time helps to put a positive spin on a less fortunate situation.

Thanks for cookin' Poppy!

My Remembrance....

When a major event takes place I often wonder if posting my take on the issue will matter to a hill of beans. Then I remember……that although I do hope this blog brings at least a little speck of entertainment to a few close family and friends, it’s really an outlet for me to express myself whenever I feel the need, in the manner I choose. So…I wanna talk about Michael Jackson.

I’ve always been a fan. I’ve never been a screaming, crying, wanna be his girlfriend/marry him/fantasize about him fan…but a solid fan all the same. I've loved almost every hit he had and made sure I saw the ‘World Premiere’ of each accompanying video on MTV. I knew he was a ground-breaker, knew he had something that no one else had or could even come close to and I knew that he was far and away the pinacle of talent in many forms.

Like many people, I thought he was super cute when he was young and handsome up through the Thriller era – and for me, still good looking a while after that. I always kinda liked the ‘glove thing’ – if anyone could pull off a style like that, Michael could. I thought his jackets – the red one, the military ones with the gold-fringed shoulder thingies, were cool and even though his pants turned super high-water, he had those awesome glittery socks to make them work! However, also like many people, I didn’t understand the chimp thing, the gradual & continuous skin lightening and the changes in so many facial features. I never ‘bought’ the sleep chamber story, never really believed he tried to buy the Elephant Man’s bones although I guess he coulda and I never, for even one second thought he ever laid even one finger upon a child in an unacceptable manner.

See, it was always clear to me that he was more or less robbed of a childhood – that although he always seemed to project love and happiness, that a part of him was at least a little sad inside because of that fact. So it was also no surprise that he loved to laugh and have fun in more childlike ways than other adults – and certainly no surprise that he wanted to make sure that all children, everywhere, felt love and were taken care of. He was just so very full of love and kindness.

What I’ve never really understood is some people’s intense dislike and/or hate for Michael Jackson. For a man who always showed such vulnerability, how could someone have so much hate toward him? I heard a gal call in on a radio show after he’d died. She said, “I despised the man” with such hate and cruelty in her voice I got scary goosebumps. Hate is such an ugly thing. Why can’t people be more accepting – are they jealous of those who are so successful? Are they so repulsed by an image that they can’t see past it? How can you not give someone their dues for the brass rings they’ve attained? I never cared for James Brown, but I 100% knew and respected that he was the Godfather of Soul! Didn’t really like Chuck Berry but he had a couple of tunes that rocked my socks off! Folks need to get past the hate and see others for who they really are and what they’ve contibuted to all of our lives!

Seeing the live rehersal clips from the day before Michael died….I can’t help but think he woulda totally rocked this ‘comeback’ (I prefer to maybe call it a reappearance – I mean, he never left...he was just inactive, right?)! I thought he sounded awesome, looked good and moved as magically as he always had. I do believe he had such bad insomnia that he felt he really needed drugs to help him sleep (even if he didn’t really need them and had just actually become dependent) and that the shit-for-brain doctors who should've known better than to administer the sort of drugs they did, broke every ethical doctor’s code and should not only lose their licenses but be prosecuted for having done so.

I feel Michael’s death was a stupid, tragic and very preventable loss. I think the admiration the world is expressing toward him in his death would’ve surged just the same as soon as he reemerged on stage in his “This Is It’ tour and all could've been so wonderfully awesome instead of horribly sad.

He impacted my life from age 4 to 44. My daughter doesn’t ‘get him’ or even much like him. My husband, while he doesn’t really care for him, does like some of his music and certainly respects him for who he was and what he did. I can’t beat the way I feel about Michael Jackson into them and I don’t want to (well…I DO want to, but forcing people into a ‘feeling’ is very unsatifying, really). So, I’ll just treasure, remember and miss him on my own.

I thought you were super awesome, Michael. It's stil hard to believe you're really, really gone. Rest In Peace

Better late than never....

So….it’s been a while since my last post. I find myself feeling guilty for it but then that guilt makes me feel as if this blog, that I started for fun, is more of a ‘have to’ rather than a ‘want to’ type of activity. That’s no good! ;-) Then again…sometimes I just forget to post a new or tasty dish and other times I forget that a post doesn't HAVE to be about food at all! It certainly didn’t start out that way! So, over the next few days, I’ll be making several posts…of all kinds. Because this IS fun – and when it comes down to it, that’s the reason for doing just about anything.

Happy, Happy Birthday Baby!

My baby-doll turns 15 today!!

Every age has it’s trials and tribulations… first they can’t tell you where they hurt, then the teeth come in and the drool fountains begin, then of course there’s graduating from toddling to walking, the first day of school, losing the teeth, riding a bike, their age hitting the double digits, then the teen years, first day of jr. high, then high school, the first ‘big’ school dance – and the latest we’ve experienced in our house: the first kiss, and first love…wow – so many awesome as well as heartbreaking events!

And now my Minners is 15. It seems so much older than 14 – maybe because it’s right before 16 with the driving and the new freedom she’ll have.

I hate to use the old cliché ‘how time flies’, but man…it really does, ya know? Seems like yesterday that she’d want to sleep at the foot of our bed every night and now – we’re lucky if she comes out of her room at all...ever! I can actually miss her when she’s home!

Anyway – I love her more than life itself, she makes every day better than the last and even though she has a TON of her dads traits and habits I love her to the world’s end ;-)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MINNY!!!!!!

Robin's Egg Blue Paradise......

Is this dish to die for or what? It doesn't match anything I have yet I love it more than almost anything else I have! My mom, my sister and I went to the 'Rain of Glass Show'

as we do every year and this year, one of my neices came along as well. There's all sorts of collectable glassware...some gorgeous...some brings back memories as they are things my gramma owned, and some items are down right ugly! But most of all, it's fun to browse every stall and see what folks have for sale that particular year.
I usually walk away with some sort of treasure. Last year it was a square, pale yellow, refridgerator glass container that currently holds kosher salt next to my stove. I've also bought fun, glass toothpick holders, salt and peppers...whatever struck my fancy for the money I'd allowed myself to spend.
This year, I hadn't really allowed any budget for glassware. This year it would've been more of a luxury to make a purchase, but I always enjoy looking anyway :-) I did, though, happen along this beatiful robin's egg blue piece of bakeware - it's called Miramar of California. I salivated over it many times as we visited and passed by it's booth over and over again. I told my sister that it just screamed to have Macaroni-n-Cheese inside it! The contrast of colors would be so killer! The next thing I knew...my sister was telling me she was gonna buy it for me for my birthday and my mom immediately jumped in saying she wanted to go in halves! I coudn't believe it! The man selling the dish came down a few dollars and happily sold the gorgoues blue prize to my mom and sister, singing 'happy birthday' to me as he handed it over. I told him my birthday wasn't until September! Just then my sister stepped in telling me today was my birthday - and to have fun with the dish that I hadn't been able to take my eyes off of.
This isn't the first time my sister or my mom have done something so awesome out of the blue just to show their love and kindness - but it's the first time I've thanked them publicly. They deserve much more than this.....they deserve homemade mac-n-cheese! Suzanne and Mom...consider yourselves on the guest list......for life!!!

Today is THE day.....

Wow...how exciting is was to watch the inauguration today! It was inspiring and hopeful and true and real. My favorite part - word for word was:

"For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace."

I hope these words come to pass. I know the ecomnomy and education and a host of other issues are pressing. But for all of us to be equal is this country....for all of us to have the most basic of human rights.....that's my wish.

Peace, good will and a joyous year ahead to all of you!

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr.......!

Okay - venting time!

I'm a daily bus rider - and while the folks I ride with are all business commuters (which means clean, usually decent smelling and 'normal' as opposed to the freaks I used to have to ride the train with! Um, hi...bathe much?!?!), it doesn't mean there's not a clod or two in the bunch. This is what pisses me off.....people who sit in the aisle seat and leave the window seat 'available'. I put quotes around 'available' because the aisle-sitter means to advertise just the opposite. What this action really means is "I'm a big snot and I don't want to share my space and nobody's gonna sit next to me. So there!" You know what I wanna say to that? "Grow the hell up and move your fat ass over! Do you know how stupid and ass-hole-ish this one thing makes you look?!" This also goes for the dorks who take up a seat next to them with their purse/briefcase/computer. "Yeah...Umm....pick up your shit and hold it on your lap. I do it every freaking day and so can you, you rude snot""

Next up.....people in the mall. Ya know what walking is just like? It's just like driving. So, when you exit a store, how 'bout checking both directions before you bust right out into the mall traffic strolling by? It'll only take a sec and you won't look like such a hap-hazard jerk with the only intinerary that matters. If you were going to turn onto a road from a side street, you'd stop and look before barrelling into traffic, right? Pretty much the same thing here without the twisting, crushing metal. Along these same lines....if you walk at a snails pace, how about moving to the edge of the walkway (as you would the right-most lane) rather than making everybody and their brother halt and deviate around you? Same goes for those who just come to a dead stop in the middle of the walkway - How 'bout not doing that?! If you need to search your purse for a tissue for junior's nose or need to locate your gift card for the upcoming department store, veer off to the 'shoulder' or the 'center median' and do your business there. I actually amost tripped over someone once when they stopped right in the middle of the walkway and crounched down to tie their shoe. I understand them not wanting to trip on their shoelace...but, hey, shuffle on over to the side and tie-up there, Buddy! Oh...and rather than darting over to the side and cutting off someone walking right behind you...give a quick look back and make your way to the side/center - kinda like checking your side mirrors and signaling.

Number three bitchable matter..... Doors - specifically entry doors. Lots of stores, restaurants, office buildings etc. have two - or - double doors, if you will. So....How come if there are two doors - allowing for easy, two-way traffic, do people inevitably wait for someone to pass through a single door before passing through the very same door themselves?! Yeah, um, Ding-a-Ling? Open the other freaking door and go on through! Fer craps' sake! There are TWO doors! Feel free to use one of your very own!" My God!!! Wake up people!

Lastly (for today anyway) - umbrella etiquette..... If it's raining and you are using an umbrella....get the hell out from under the awning!!!!!! Here in Portland where we can get lots of rain, this is an issue - but should be a non-issue if you ask me! If you are carrying a 'cover' over your head , don't walk under another cover...leave it for someone else who doesn't have a cover/umbrella...get it? Puh-lease!

Okay - that's enough for today - negativaty bring on more negativaty and that leaves us nowhere but in a murky mess. So.....Venting done! Let's get on with the day and let's make it a good one!