Hey, Hey, Good Looking...

...What ya got cooking?  That's what I've been doing all week.  Seems like our life has revolved around food.  I love to cook and bake but I admit, I don't do it like I once did.  I need to get back into the habit of cooking food from scratch rather than grabbing one of those tasty rotisserie chickens from the grocery store or something from the freezer section at Walmart.  I tell you, it is hard to want to cook for just the two of us.  I like to cook a big bunch of food!  I'm going to try to make a conscience effort to cook healthy, fresh, foods.  TRY being the key word!  UGH!

Do you remember that tiny egg that was barely bigger than a quarter?  Well, Silver & Goldie (the girls), presented me with two more tiny eggs.  See how much smaller than large eggs from the grocery store?  So cute!  Well, I've been teaching myself how to decorate cakes and cookies, so I baked cupcakes to use for practice.  I always use a couple more eggs than what is called for.  Do you do that?  It makes the cakes so rich...so does the two sticks of real butter, but I digress!  Those three itty bitty eggs made up for one egg in my eyes but when I broke them to put in the batter, I realized something!

Imagine my surprise when I realized the yolks were only a bit smaller than the ones from the large eggs!  SCORE!  I love the yolks but could do without all that icky white stuff!  So anyway...the yolk is what makes foods rich so this batch of cupcakes was extra yummy!  Maybe it was just my imagination because I love egg yolks so much but that is my story and I'm sticking to it!  

The lighting is horrible but those are fudgy chocolate cupcakes and I couldn't be prouder!  HeHe...doesn't take much to make me happy!

And here is my attempt at making swirly bakery pretty cupcakes.  I need to practice more but by the time I had gotten to the last two or three, I finally got into a groove and they turned out pretty well.  Remember, I have Valentine's cupcakes to make, pretty soon, so I better get to practicing!  My granddaughter has every bit of faith in my abilities and I will not disappoint her!  LoL...She is my biggest fan.  She always says, "Granny can do it" or "Just take it to Granny.  If she can't fix it then it can't be fixed!".  Good Lord, that child sure knows how to put pressure on her Granny!  That's what keeps me young!

I told you I've been cooking all week.  I wasn't exaggerating!  It all started with a chili cook off at our church.  The Granddaughter, of course, had to snap a picture of me serving up samples.  She's a toot!  Anyhow, I didn't win but it was a lot of fun and she sure enjoyed sampling all the different chili.

Well...I guess I better go deliver those cupcakes to my grandbabies.  One has the flu and the other has a cold.  I bet chocolate cupcakes will fix them right up!

Grace & Peace,
Pam  

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Fun Stuff and We're going to need more than that...

Back in late summer, my Mister and Granddaughter brought home two Bantam pullet chicks.  I wasn't happy about that since I was looking forward to finally having a winter that didn't require multiple trips, out in the cold, to haul warm water to chickens and goats.  So far, though, I haven't had to do that much because these little girls are so small their little coop can stay in my Mister's shop for the winter.  Did I mention how small these gals are?  Well, they wouldn't make a chicken tender baskets between 'em.  Ok, I know that was bad but that's just how little they are.  If you don't believe me, just take a look at the egg one of them gifted me.  

Not much bigger than a quarter!  I had to laugh because our last chickens laid eggs that could have been considered jumbo!  I picked this little thing up and patted the girls on the head, said, "Thank you but we're going to need more than this to make a cake!".  Seeing as how I got pecked by both, I suppose I should have kept my comments to myself.  Little Snots!

Last weekend the Grandbabies spent the night with us.  I had everything ready to get down to some serious craft time with my granddaughter.

I should have known she wouldn't be interested since PawPaw was home!  Oh, she loves me and she loves to do crafts, but when her PawPaw is anywhere around, me and the crafts are quickly passed over for rough-housing.  I am not jealous, really I'm not, but I have thought about banishing my Mister to his shop until I get my Grandbaby fix!  Oh well...

I would just have all the fun by myself!  I cut out letters and hearts, glued and drew, until I had two cute banners made.

This one is what I had planned for her to make.  Simple and cute!  

I had some small Valentine's gift bags so I decided to make another banner using the example I saw on another blog.  Sorry, but for the life of me, I can't remember which blog it was.  My apologies but thanks for the idea, whoever you are!  I love it and so did my granddaughter.  She took the one she was supposed to make, home with her.  Turkey!

So mentioning, Valentine's and my granddaughter...

She sent a note to me.  I love getting these little surprises but I do believe she has an agenda!  I know you probably can't see her writing very well but this is a list of supplies I am supposed to purchase.  Apparently, I am making cupcakes and cookies for her school Valentine's party!  LoL  And I will surely be glad to do so!  She knew I would!

Well, it is time for me to put the furbabies to bed and head that way, myself.  Thanks for stopping by!

Grace & Peace,
Pam

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It's All I Got

I've tried all week to come up with something to post.  Honestly, there just isn't much that I find inspiring, right now.  It's all this gray, gloomy, wet weather.  Really, I'm not complaining because the amount of rain we have received, so far this year, will come in handy when our temps reach the triple digits.  It's just...well...it is a mood killer.  Blah, Blah, and more Blah!  I seriously need to find something that will keep me busy enough that I won't notice what the weather is doing.  But what on earth could that be?  Every volunteer opportunity, that piques my interest, is outside!  Hobbies/Crafts just aren't what I want to do these days.  What do y'all do - besides housework and crafts - to keep your sanity?  That is inexpensive???  Something that might hold my interest for more than a minute!!!

So...this is how I dry my clothing.  I can't stand to put my clothes in the dryer.  Why would you want to "cook" you garments?  HeHeHe...That's what I've always thought even though I do use the dryer, for most of the laundry, during the winter months.  Some things like my Mister's clothes and the towels/linens, would never get dry.  Why, I would have these racks all over the house trying to get it all done.  How two people can have so much laundry is beyond me!  My Mister has more than I do and the amount of towels and wash rags we go through is crazy!  Anyways...I got side tracked and have no idea where I was going with all of that!  By the way, ignore the dirty floor.  As you can see, it is very dark and my dog is very white!  And she is a sloppy eater!  Oh well.  I'm not going to scold her for it.  After all she is 16 years old!  I suppose she has earned the right to be messy.

I've been burning the oil lamps to help chase away the gloom, lately.  I normally don't use them unless the lights go out.  They tend to give me a headache from the odor they give off, but they do help a bit to make things cozy.  

And of course, I light candles all the time.  Isn't candle light the most delightful type of light?  I think I would have done very well back when people only had candles for lighting.  What do you think?  I love reading a book and sipping a cup of tea or coffee, while listening to soft instrumentals, and doing it by candle light is so soothing.

I need to finish this lapghan!!!  I've been working on it since before Thanksgiving and I only have about eight more rows and the trim left to do but dad-gum it, I just can't focus long enough!  I know I will eventually get it done but I hate having projects unfinished!  I really need to put away my phone and tablet!  I think those two things keep me from accomplishing a whole bunch of stuff!  Maybe I will do just that.  Nah...probably not since they are my link to the outside world and keep me from going stark raving mad!

There have been a lot of birds hanging out lately!  Several Cardinal pairs, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, Blue Jays, Downy Woodpeckers, little wrens and sparrows, and of course those noisy Orange-Winged Blackbirds.  Oh and those pesky winter birds that are the bullies of the bird world in my opinion.  I don't know what they are called but I would rather they didn't run off my sweet little friends.  

Well...that's all I have.  If you're still reading, thank you!  I'm pretty sure I have bored you to death!

Grace & Peace,
Pam

Follow By Email

I just added the "Follow By Email" gadget so you can receive my posts right there in your inbox.  Of course,I love when y'all actually stop by but I understand email is sometimes easier.  I don't personally use email, for anything other than bills, but if you do, the gadget is over there in the right hand column.  I do hope you will still come in here and leave a comment...just 'cause!  

Grace & Peace,
Pam

Mail, Messes, Hearts, and a New Do.

Guess what was in my mailbox yesterday!  Just guess...go ahead, take a guess!

Yes!  The first gardening catalog of the year!  I probably won't plant anything but it is so fun to look at and dream of a yard like in the magazines.  My sister in law has the most beautiful yard!  Of course, she is always working in it and I just don't have that kind of patience.  Our ground is so bad.  Everything I plant dies or gets some kind of funky fungus and no matter what we do, we just can't get it under control.  I think it probably has something to do with the oil fields around us but there isn't anything I can do about that.  One day we may decide to move into town and have a nice yard but until then I won't plant anything else,  I need to dig up all of my rose bushes and make a proper bed for them I guess but that is going to require a lot of work and I simply can't do it anymore.  Maybe, I will get that greenhouse and grow something in there.

I had to go to Walmart to pick up a few things.  I found this cute set of Valentine cookie cutters.  Something I am trying to learn is cake and cookie decorating.  I'm not doing well with it but practice makes perfect, right?  The guys my Mister works with are usually the beneficiaries of my efforts.  I've figured out that men don't care what they look like.  They will eat anything!  So...These were just so cute.  I may go back and get a few more sets to use for decorating for Valentine's Day.  Wouldn't it be fun to make a garland or maybe some dangling hearts for the windows.  Oh!  I think I will get more!

Yeah...so...my Grands are spending the night.  This is what happens when the come over.  LoL...nobody ...and I mean nobody...gets to mess up my living room except the Grands and one great-niece.  Yes, I do know there is a bike on my rug.  I wouldn't have it any other way.  It will take most of the day, Monday, to get everything back in order but I don't care.  Gives me something to do.  I haven't looked but I bet their rooms are the same or worse.  Granny goes love blind to Grandbaby messes!  

Y'all remember the post, just after Thanksgiving, where I mentioned letting my hair go gray?  Wellllll...I just couldn't wait so I had my Stylist Genius Daughter cut it all off!  I haven't had hair this short since I was a kid when my Grandmother got sick of hearing me holler and my Mama cuss about brushing my kinky curly, past my butt, hair.  We didn't have wonderful products like detangler and conditioner back then so it was a battle every morning.  My Granny came one day, when one such episode was in progress, and she marched me across the street to the beauty shop and snip-snip...I ended up with the ugliest pixie cut in history!  I hated it and vowed to not cut my hair that short ever again.  I've cut my hair short many times over the years but never that short...till now.  

It is very different and weird, in some respects, but I like it for now.  As soon as I get all the remaining color trimmed off, I will let it grow out because I am determined to have that long, gray, braid that I think is so beautiful.  This picture was taken with my cellphone.  Modern day technology is so kind to us old ladies!  Apparently, mine has an automatic filter that smooths out all those wrinkles!  I don't look nearly this good!  Not nowhere close but I'll take what I can get!  HeHeHe!

Grace & Peace,
Pam

Oh...So...Hey!

I was sitting here, mindlessly staring at the computer screen, and it suddenly dawned on me that I haven't posted since just after Thanksgiving.  I'm so sorry and if you happen to still read this blog, I'm so happy you do.  So let me try and catch up just a bit.  I don't really have any pictures to share, though.

Right after I posted last, I was attacked by S.A.D. (seasonal affective disorder) and it pretty much threw me into a tailspin.  I haven't had a problem with it in several years but I knew if it hit me, it would be a bad bout.  I was trying to put some Christmas decorations out and I just started bawling, for no reason at all.  I basically cried, on and off, for a couple of days.  I didn't get any decorating done.  I put it all back into the totes and told my Mister to take it all back out to the storage shed.  He looked at me like I'd lost my mind but did as I asked.  I always "over decorate".  This year, we had only the tree and the few things I put out on the mantle before I lost my mind.  I didn't even go back and redecorate the tree, like I usually do when the Grands decorate it.  I just left it alone.  Never even turned the lights on unless my grandson was here.  I was simply too overwhelmed with everything...even breathing.  I don't know why I suffer with this...or any of the things I do, but at least it only lasted for a couple of weeks.  I started feeling better but still didn't do anymore decorating.  Thank God I began feeling better because there probably wouldn't have been any gifts under that tree.  I'm praying I can get through the rest of winter without another bout with S.A.D. because to be honest, I don't even want to be around my grands or anyone else, when it hits me.  I don't know how people live in the areas that have so many days of no sunshine and gray, gloomy, days.  I don't think I could do it.  So...Hey...

We made another year!  Can you believe it is 2019?  Where are our hovering cars?  LoL  Does anyone remember those old magazine ads?  I was so excited about the possibility!  I could just see myself floating along in some tin foil looking hovercraft!  Of course, mine would be a VW Bus Hovercraft or something equally cool!  Well...I do drive a silver SUV so I guess that is as close as I will ever get to a hovercraft but it's still pretty cool!  After all, it does have wonderful seat warmers!  TeeHeeHee!

Anybody working on anything crafty?  I think I am going to go ahead and start next year's Christmas quilts for the grands.  If I can get those done reasonably soon, I might just make quilts for our kids and my Mister.  At least that will keep me busy for awhile...until the weather breaks, anyway.  

Do you make resolutions?  I decided, many years ago, to not make resolutions.  I always felt I was setting myself up for failure.  I guess you could say I made a one time resolution to never make resolutions.  It's worked out very well.  I haven't failed yet!  I have, however, set one goal for 2019...well, maybe two.  I am going to try and read books more.  It will be hard because like many now days, I sit down and pick up my phone to see what is happening on Facebook or Pinterest.  There are so many wonderful books I've been meaning to read for years.  I never thought I would be so addicted to a gadget or technology but here I am...just like everyone else.  My second goal is to build a small green house.  I would like to be able to grow a few tomatoes, cucumbers and such, without having the bugs come along and eat everything in one day.  We have a horrible problem with ants, grasshoppers, and squash bugs.  I don't like using pesticides so I thought if I had a small greenhouse, I could control that sort of thing a little better.  We'll see!  So that is what I want to accomplish this new year.

Well, I guess I better get ready to turn in.  I will read a little bit before going to sleep but I am tired and I'm not sure I will read more than a page or two!

Grace & Peace,
Pam

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