Ten Things

1. Things are better on the emotional front. I'm not sad or happy or stressed -- I'm neutral.
2. There are no work emergencies or crises so far today.
3. The wind is blowing at least 40mph, and it sounds like our roof is going to blow off. I can see a few shingles in the yard.
4. I have some kind of stomach bug and need to stay close to the bathroom, if you know what I mean.
5. And I have stomach cramps to boot.
6. I'm still in my pajamas at 12:45 in the afternoon.
7. I need to do business taxes and personal taxes, but I keep putting it off. I'm putting it off again today.
8. My printer/copier/fax is dead. I ordered a new one online this morning.
9. I am not hungry, which is weird.
10. I can't think of a number ten.

Ack!

Yesterday was the Day From Hell. Today is only a little better. I think I have a Day-From-Hell Hangover. I've already boo-hoo'd and got that out of my system. The stress got to me and I broke. It was mostly work-related stuff and Time Warner not being able to fix my lack of Internet situation. When you work from home, you MUST have the Internet. Hello?

I think I'm better now. Or at this point I'm just numb. Whatever. Go away.

Monday, Monday

This is what I saw when I opened my eyes Saturday morning. Sammi had it in her mouth just perfectly so that it was facing me and about 6 inches from my face. She was patiently waiting for me to wake up and play. It made me laugh out loud, and I was in a good mood all day. What would I do without my dogs to make me smile and laugh like that all the time?

The party went off without a hitch, and things couldn't have gone better. Everyone had a good time, including me. I really didn't have time to get all nervous since the first guests arrived nearly a half hour early! I didn't have my make-up on completely yet, my hair was sweaty, and my nails weren't done either. Whatever. It didn't matter.

Everyone left at 1:30 a.m. Barnaby and I were still so wound up we did dishes and had everything cleaned up before 2:30. I stayed up and read a magazine until 3:30 and finally went to sleep. The dogs let us sleep until 8:20 Sunday morning, and we had a lazy day just watching TV and messing around the house. Yesterday evening, we did two loads of laundry and watched 4 episodes of Desperate Housewives we had recorded. Two more and we'll be caught up on the season.

I feel like shopping today, but I need to resist the urge and not spend the money. I think I'll go in the living room and try to read a book.

Cherry Bombs

Cherry Bombs

Not a great picture, but you get the idea.

The candies turned out great. I had a major meltdown in the morning hours and wanted to cancel the party and go hide under the covers in my bed.

I called my mother, and she came over to help me make the candy. By the time she got here, I had the candy mixed up and we just had to wait for it to set up so we could roll the balls. In the meantime, the chocolate for dipping them was melting on the stove and I decided to have a sandwich since I hadn't eaten anything yet that day.

I discovered something miraculous about eating.

No sooner than I finished the sandwich, I was as calm as could be and promptly decided I needed a nap right that minute (crazy!). So we took the chocolate off the stove and left the candy in the refrigerator, my mother left, and I went to sleep on the couch. I woke up an hour later still feeling calm and completely over it. I made the candy, ate supper, and felt just fine the rest of the evening.

Some of you may remember that I had been having some blood sugar issues lately. Well, apparently when your blood sugar is wild because you haven't eaten, it can make you irritable and slightly crazy. Who knew eating a sandwich could make such a difference in the way you feel? Not me, but I do now! Now I just wish I had tested my blood glucose level before and after I ate.

I got up this morning and had my coffee as usual, and then ate a sandwich before I did anything else. I'm completely pleasant and ready to do what needs to be done for the party tomorrow. I just have two pretty simple recipes to make, and I need to go pick up a table, chairs, and a coffee caraf from my mom and sister. I may wait until tomorrow and pick those things up when I pick up the sandwich platter I ordered from the deli.

Here's the candy recipe. I renamed them Cherry Bombs because the original name was Chocolate Covered Cherry Candies, and they are not what I think of as chocolate covered cherries. Chocolate covered cherries are whole cherries covered in chocolate, right? Anyway, here it is:

Cherry Bombs

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 stick of melted butter
2 boxes powdered sugar (2 lbs total)
2 cups chopped pecans
2 cups coconut
1 jar of marachino cherries, chopped (about 1/2-3/4 cups)

Coating:
24 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 stick Gulf wax
2 tsp vanilla

Combine first 6 ingredients well and refrigerate several hours until solid enough to easily roll into walnut-size balls. (I took out a little at a time and left the rest in the refrigerator because it gets sticky if you don't.) Store rolled balls of candy in the refrigerator until you're ready to dip them. Again, I took them out a few at a time to keep them cold.

Melt the chocolate and wax in a double-boiler on the stove. Turn heat to low to keep chocolate hot, add the vanilla, and mix well. Using a toothpick, dip each ball into chocolate and place on wax paper to cool. When completely set, store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.

Product Review: Chi Silk Infusion

That teeny-tiny little gray and red bottle of Chi Silk Infusion is magic for your hair. I have to be careful with it and only use a little bit because my hair is so baby-fine to start with. You pour a dime-size or less into your hand, smear it around with both hands, and rub it into your hair when it's still wet. Dry as usual, and you won't believe how soft and silky it feels. I'm sure if you have thick hair that tends to frizz, it would work even better for you. It smells good too -- it has kind of a musky scent to it.

One warning though...I thought this little bottle was $2.50 when I picked it up and put it in my basket. I found out after I got home that it was $12.50! Yikes! I got mine at CVS Drugstore. I've seen it other places, but they only had the big bottles that were $23 and up.

You can see the Vaseline Gel Oil in the background. It's still my favorite new product. If you didn't get any, go do it! You'll have the softest skin in town. No itchy skin, no dry patches, and no dry, cracked feet.

I made some great Chicken & Veggie Curry for supper last night. I couldn't find a recipe containing exactly what I like (I like chunks of cauliflower and carrots), so I winged it. It's a keeper.

Chicken & Veggie Curry

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed

2-3 tbsp olive oil 1-2 onions, chunked

1 (15oz) can chicken broth

Water

Cauliflower, carrots, and sweet potatoes, chunked (as much as you want)

1 tsp salt

2-3 tbsp curry powder

5-6 cloves of garlic, minced

Salt & pepper to taste

2 heaping tbsp flour

¼ cup milk

Fresh cilantro

Bring a can of chicken broth and a can of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add cauliflower, carrots, sweet potatoes, 1 tsp salt, and enough water to barely cover. Let the veggies boil while you complete the next step. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and brown chicken and onions well.

When chicken is done, the veggies should have been boiling approximately 10-15 minutes and be about done also. Poor off half of the liquid the veggies are boiling in and add the veggies and remaining broth to the chicken & onion in the skillet. Add the curry powder, red pepper, and garlic. Mix well and bring to a boil. Mix flour with milk in a small bowl and add to the skillet. When mixture has thickened, add salt & pepper to taste and remove from heat. Sprinkle lots of fresh cilantro on top (if you like it) and serve over rice.

**********************

I slept wrong or something, and my right shoulder and neck are killing me. I can't turn my head all the way to the right or I cringe in pain and nearly pee. Just thought I'd share my misery.

Today I'm making some chocolate covered cherry candies for our party on Saturday. I've had the recipe literally for years but have never made them. I'll take pictures and post the recipe later today. Wish me luck!

Grrrr!

I'm stomping around the house looking for the computer cord for my camera and fuming. Somebody didn't put it back where it belongs, even though he has a COW when a screwdriver is not back where it should be!

GAH!

Okay, calm down. It's not that big a deal.

GAH! I can't help it!

Simmer down and take a chill pill. It'll be okay. You can post your pictures later.

GAH! Pictures of his bloody nose!

Oh, please. You're overreacting. Go eat some of that "emergency" Dove chocolate you bought last night at the grocery store.

GAH! I'd like to -- wait, WHAT? I bought chocolate? There's chocolate in the house?

Yes. Now please just calm down and go eat a few pieces. The world will look different afterwards.

Well, okay, if you insist.

:(

I had heard that a certain blog was good, but hadn't gone there until today. I didn't know what I read there was going to be so disturbing to me or I wouldn't have done it. I don't like to watch sad movies or read sad stories or have anything to do with anything sad if I can help it. My brain and heart get too tangled up in it. Sadness takes a death grip on me and it's hard to get free again. I won't be reading any more of it.

This is a link to the entry I read.

Carrot Cake

I made this carrot cake Friday. The recipe was good , but I have another one I like better. This one used grated carrots, and the other one uses baby food carrots. The baby food is much easier and less messy, and the cake tastes better too.

Less than a week until our poker party and I'm not freaked out yet! Go me.

Old Cripple Feet from Cripple Creek

Here are my dog, Phoebe's, crippled feet. They don't look normal, do they? Poor thing. she lays on the couch like that all the time. It must be comfortable for her. I've taken to calling her Ol' Cripple Feet from Cripple Creek. It makes me laugh. That's probably only funny to me, but she likes it. It's kind of a tongue-twister, and it's fun to say.

Lookie here. I'm fixin' to start working out. No, really, I am. I actually got on and accidentally started it yesterday. I walked for 13 seconds. Does that count?

I also put Sammi on it to try and get her used to it. She needs to walk off some energy. I've seen Cesar do it on his show on the National Geographic Channel. What's that show called? I can't think of it right now because I'm old and a scatterbrain. Dog Whisperer! That's it. Whew. None of my dogs have ever walked on a treadmill before without freaking out, and it was no different this time with Sammi. I figured I'd start really slow and make her get on there for a couple of minutes every day. Eventually she'll get used to it, you'd think. Right now I have to put on her collar and leash, tie her to the front, hold her backside with both hands, and force her to walk, otherwise she just slides right off the back or jumps off to the side.

The end.

Sorry for the abrupt ending, but I gotta go.

Product Review: Vaseline Gel Oil

Blogger is being a Bee-Atch and won't let me upload anymore pictures. I'll try again later to finish this entry.

Vaseline Cocoa Butter Vitalizing Gel Body Oil

Great stuff. It makes your skin super-soft and it smells great. Slather it on after your shower or bath. You'll find it next to the lotions and it costs $3-$4.

Snacks Anyone?

You've heard of a crack ho, right? Well, I'm a cracker ho. I love me some crackers. And here are two new varieties I'm enjoying.

And here are some nearly-gone Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies I made a couple of days ago. I only baked half the dough and froze the rest. Here's the recipe:

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped peanuts (optional)
1 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, cream together shortening, margarine, brown sugar, white sugar, and peanut butter until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well blended. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in the oats and nuts until just combined. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Press with a sugared glass.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until just light brown. Cool and store in an airtight container.

It's really cold today (for Texas) and I'm fixin' to go light a fire in the fireplace and take a nap. I've been all about the nappin' lately. I'm living the life of luxury since work has been slow, and it can stay slow as far as I'm concerned. I could totally be retired and never get bored! At least not bored enough to want to work.

I need to rummage up something for supper tonight. I'm sure I can find something to throw together at the last minute. I think I have some canned chicken, flour tortillas, and other stuff to throw together some chicken enchiladas. Sounds good enough to me.

Don't look now, but the NASCAR season starts in a month. I can't wait! Sundays are just not the same without a race, even if we do sleep through at least a third of them. I'm curious to see how well Dale Jr. does now that he's with Hendrick Motor Sports instead of DEI. I hope he kicks ass. He got a raw deal at DEI. I'm sure his late father meant for him to have ownership of that company. He just didn't think he was going to take a permanent dirt nap so soon. Junior's step mom did not do the right thing by refusing to give it to him. What a hag.

Speaking of naps, that's where I'm headed. Bye.

Do You Believe?

Did y'all see or read THIS story in the news?

I found some fun video while poking around the Internet. I think I would have peed if I was shooting this video and it was real: UFO

I'm skeered.

Decorating & Reading

I bought this set of lamps at Home Depot this weekend. I think they look pretty there. Barnaby is going to hide the cords back behind the fireplace tonight when he gets home...probably with duct tape. Kidding. He has something else in mind.

This is the door to the master bedroom. It faces into the living room, and I've been wanting to put a drape up like this for a long time. My sister did something similar in her entryway over two big arches. Hers looks a little better than mine. It took us forever to get it to look like it does, so we left it for now. It looks better than it did just bare. You can't really see the burgandy and gold colors in this picture. It's prettier in person. I can see from this picture that I need to buy some new light switch plates.

Cap #4

I finished another cap this weekend to donate to the Cancer Center. I also went to Michael's and got some Fun Fur yarn to crochet my favoite one that looks like hair. I can't wait to see how it turns out and show y'all the picture. It looks like hair, and then you can crochet a headband to wear over it. It looks very modern and groovy. I can't believed I just used that word.

I have the Food Channel on in my office as I type this. I just heard Malto Mario use the non-word "quicklier." Ha! Dumb-ass. I guess he was dreaming up recipes instead of paying attention in English class.

I bought this book on Amazon and have been reading a few pages every night. I'm enjoying it. It's really entertaining to me. Now I have to get this one:

Have a great week! Back tomorrow.

Second Charity Cap

The second charity cap is finished. I couldn't get it to sit right on that dumb cookie jar or my head either. I think it's too big for both of us. I'm sure there are big-headed women who get cancer and lose their hair though.

I don't know who this model is with no make-up. Please look away. She's hideous.

I'm off to start the next pattern!

N/A

I know I've been totally boring lately with my entries, but I don't know what to do about it. You can't force it, ya know? So I apologize in advance for another boring entry.

I found this recipe in Health Magazine this month. I've had it cut out for several days, and I finally decided to make them yesterday. They're really good for cookies that are supposed to be good for you. I mean really good. I like them better than my regular oatmeal cookie recipe.

The Ultimate Heart-Smart Cookie:
Oatmeal-Date-Chocolate Cookies

6 tbsps butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups regular oats
1/2 tsp salt
1 lightly beaten egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup pitted chopped dates
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and add brown sugar, stirring until smooth. In a medium bowl, combine flours, baking soda, oats and salt. Combine the butter mixture with the dry ingredients and add the egg, vanilla and dates. Fold in chocolate chips. Mix well and spoon mixture by tablespoon-fulls out onto lightly greased baking sheets. Bake for 12 minutes until tops are dry to the touch. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

The recipe said it makes 32 cookies, but I only got 24. I used a melon-baller to scoop out the cookies so they weren't THAT big.

I was hoping to finish another hat today and have a picture, but it looks like I won't finish the trim until this evening. My arm needs a rest. I'm such a wimp, I get repetitive motion pain in my right bicept and forearm from crocheting. God, that's pathetic.

I've discovered Tylenol 8-hour Rapid Release capsules. They work really well. I usually buy generic acetaminophen and naproxen, but this Tylenol stuff seems to work better. I hate paying the money, but it's worth it for pain.

One of my Christmas presents from Barnaby was a fancy sign for my office door. He had it printed up at a print shop, and it says my business name and my name and "President and CEO." It makes me laugh every time I look at it.

I'm letting my hair grow out. I tell you this but you know it's very likely that I'll get fed up with it bugging the crap out of me and whack it all off again in a weak moment. And I have a lot of those. I'll try and get a decent picture so you can see how much longer it is. I really love it short because it's so comfortable and quick & easy. I just really miss having girl hair sometimes. Seems like I nearly always wore it up or pulled back when it was longer anyway.

Speaking of me being boring...you want to know how boring I am? I'm making Hamburger Helper tonight for dinner. Ha! You can't get much more boring than that. I'm making it with all-white ground turkey instead of hamburger. I told you I'm being healthier this year, and I meant it. I'm really having fun with it and making new things I wouldn't normally make. We've had several different kinds of whole wheat tortilla pizzas made with leftover roasted chicken, whole wheat pasta dishes, brown rice stir-fry dishes, and stuff like that. We both like tofu, but it never tastes as good at home as it does in restaurants.

Okay, that's all I can think of to ramble about today. Maybe something exciting will happen that I can share by t o morrow. See ya.

Help the Wacko, Won't You?

I want this dress, and I can't find it anywhere online. Anybody?

It can't be any shorter than the one she's wearing, must have long or 3/4 sleeves, and a scoop neck. It looks like it would be so easy to make if I knew how to sew. I believe that's jersey knit material, and sometimes that style is called a bubble dress with an empire waist. Scarlett can keep her hat.

This morning I started my bath water running and then came back here to my office for something. MISTAKE!!

Oh, about an HOUR LATER I realized it, and went running through the house like a maniac to turn the water off. Unbelievably, the overflow valve was working top-notch and not a drop of water overflowed! It was at the very tippy-top of the tub, though, and one more cup would have made it overflow. I was prepared for my floors in the bathroom and bedroom to be under water, but I guess I'm just lucky.

And then I only burned my lunch a little bit.

I seriously need to go to the doctor and find out what the deal is with my lack of short-term memory. I'm not kidding, y'all. It's bad. I'm a danger to myself and others. I believe that's the definition of LOCK HER UP, SHE'S WACKO!

Maybe I'm wacko, but I want to be a fashionable wacko in that dress so find it for me!

Cancer Cap

Cancer Cap w/Ruffle

I need to think of a better name than Cancer Cap. That sounds so blunt and negative.

I made this hat yesterday, and I think it turned out really cute. I'm going to make several different styles of this cap and take them to the McKinney Regional Cancer Center. I found lots of really cute patterns on the Internet. Making these is a nice break from making afghans.

If anyone is interested to making one (or more) and sending it to me to donate, contact me HERE and I'll send you the link for all the patterns and address info.

More later. My brain isn't awake yet this morning.

Feels Like Monday

I made this chicken quesadilla for lunch today. The recipe is HERE in the December 31st entry. Sorry there's no link directly to that entry. It's really yummy. I have enough filling left over for lunch all week. I had it plain, but you could have it with sour cream or picante sauce. I added mushrooms to mine and just used two diced tomatoes instead of Rotel because I didn't have any.
I bought this plastic wrap for $1 at the Family Dollar Tree awhile back, and besides not being able to tear off the sheet, it works better than the expensive kind. It has great cling. I'll just use my sissors to cut it off the roll.

I thought this Cherry Chocolate Dr. Pepper might be really good, but not so much. Don't waste your money. It's really fake-tasting. Nice try, Dr. Pepper. I'll stick to the regular flavor, thanks.

I just love having a shiney new, clean calendar on my desk. I use my desk calendar for everything, personal and business, and it gets kind of ratty after a whole year. And for some reason, I keep all my old calendars. They are kind of like a diary to go back and look at, especially when you write everything on them like I do.

Well, it's too late to turn back now. I sent out the email invitations to our poker party on January 26th. So far I'm not at all freaked out or panicky. I'm going to try really hard to just relax and let it all happen. What's the worst thing that could happen? Don't answer that.

Day One, 2008

Happy New Year, Bitches!

Party Girl was asleep at 10:15 last night. Yes, I'm a wild child.

And I don't even have to make an entry today because Holidailies is over at last, but I love you so I'm doing one anyway. I'm such a giver.

I'm extremely sleepy, and it's only 7:30. I think I'm going to take L.B. and go try to read a magazine. Don't know how far I'll get because I can feel my eyes crossing as I type.

This is not much of an entry, but at least I gave it a go. Y'all take care now. Nightie-night.