Arboretum 2011

We went to the Arboretum this year for the first time in a long while.









We didn't stay very long but it was nice getting out.

PAPPAS STEAKHOUSE FOR 29TH ANNIVERSARY

Had our Anniversary Dinner at Pappas Steakhouse with good friends last night.  It was a good time.  

We sat in this room.  It's called the Wine Room.  It's supposed to be really quiet and intimate, but it was REALLY LOUD!

It was good, but I really have been to better restaurants for the price.
However,
There were a couple of really good and unexpected surprises.

Hubbie's Birthday Present

Finally bringing him into the real world, besides we are running out of space to store books.

EARLY VALENTINES FLOWERS

Just because he thought I could use them right now.  He's right and they are really pretty ones.  Yay husband!!!!!!!!

MAILBOX MOWDOWN

A guy knocked on my door this morning.  He had to tell me he had done this:

That used to be my mailbox and it used to be about ten foot to the left in the grass.  

So we called the police to get a report and then the policeman, tow truck driver and the guy that hit the box and his wife proceeded to try to move all the debris off the driveway.  I didn't help.

We have to have a temporary box until the insurance and the Brick Doctor can get this one replaced.  So DH and Daddy who by this time was here with Mother for tomorrow's Attorney's appointment had to make concrete, assembly the new temporary one and get it up for the next day's mail.

Actually all said and done I'm sort of excited that he did this because now I get a new one that is going to be a lot better and prettier :)

FROZEN, BUT VERY PRETTY

This is the fountain at an outdoor Shopping Mall around here.  I really think it is pretty.  Also, it's quite the testament to how cold it really has been around here for so long.

Not sure why they didn't turn it off, but I'm sort of glad they didn't.  I like it this way :)

PECAN PIE MUFFINS by Amy

OMG!!! Make these, eat them very warm, almost right out of the oven, (with butter, it's the South and Pecans, you must have butter)

This is when you add Butter to the hot muffin :)   YUM!

The Recipe: 
Ingredients

• 1 cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
• ½ cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 cup Chopped Pecans
• ⅔ cups Softened Butter
• 2 whole Eggs Beaten

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven 350 F.

Grease your muffin pan (whatever size) or use the silicone cups. I grease my silicone muffin cups with Crisco or lard.

In a medium bowl, stir together brown sugar, flour and pecans. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and eggs together until smooth. Stir into the dry ingredients just until combined. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Cups should be about 2/3 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on wire racks when done.

Option: when you take them out of the oven, place a slice of butter on top and eat warm. You may also use walnuts instead of pecans.

I HAVE BEEN OVER DOMESTIC THIS WEEK, COOKING LIKE I LIKE IT!

Earlier in the week it was Jambalaya, very good and from scratch with Chicken, Sausage and Shrimp, then yesterday I had to cook because I HAD TO MAKE BLACK EYED PEAS so I would have good luck this year.  Like it has made a difference every other year and then today homemade Beef Stew.

Wow it's been a very hardy cooking week.
Next week, Puffed Air and Fried Water all week.

STILL LOVING THAT COOKER

From this:

To This: in 25 minutes

With This:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

CUTE OVERLOAD

WELSOPHYLIA BRAIN CORAL-XMAS PRESENT FROM MY AQUARIUM MAINTENANCE PERSON

Care Level: Moderate Temperament: Semi-aggressive Lighting: Moderate Waterflow: Medium Placement: Bottom Water Conditions: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.023-1.025 Color Form: Green, Red Supplements: Calcium, Strontium, Trace Elements Origin: Indonesia Family: Trachyphylliidae The Trachyphyllia Brain Coral is a Large Polyp Stony (LPS) coral, often referred to as the Pacific Rose Coral, or an Open Brain Coral. It is easily collected from the reef because when mature, they are not attached to the substrate. Therefore, it is often found washed up in the shallow water lying on the sand bed. It is found in varying shades of green, metallic green and red and can be recognized by its irregular round shape, deep valleys, and fused walls with numerous folds. These characteristics originally identified Wellsophyllia corals as separate fromTrachyphyllia corals. This distinction is less commonly used now, and the Wellsophyllia Brain Coral is often referred to now as a Trachyphyllia radiata coral.It does best in a well established reef aquarium that incorporates moderate to strong lighting and a moderate water current within the aquarium, along with the addition of calcium, strontium, and other trace elements to the water. These corals prefer to be placed on a sandy substrate, with plenty of space between it and other corals, as it is sensitive to stings from its neighbors. It contains the symbiotic algae zooxanthellae from which it receives the majority of its nutrition through photosynthesis. They also benefit from occasional feedings of meaty items, like shrimp, clam and squid. They should only be offered food when the tentacles are fully expanded, which is typically during the night time hours.

YEAH I REALLY LIKE THE PRESSURE COOKER

Decided when I got the new electric pressure cooker and it was SO EASY to use that I would not only use it for beef roast.  If I did I wouldn't get much use out of it.  So tonight I made Mashed Potatoes and just at the last minute decided to pressure cook them to see if it worked.  

A total of twelve minutes after cutting the potatoes into quarters and putting them in the cooker I had totally cooked potatoes ready to be mashed.  No waiting for the water to boil for fifteen minutes and then waiting for the potatoes to cook for fifteen minutes.  Just twelve little minutes start to finish and they were perfect, ready for the butter and cream.


And since this cooker is SO EASY to clean since the pan just lifts out and everything can go into the dishwasher it was not any more trouble to do it this way.  Another thing I noticed was that the potatoes weren't waterlogged.


Great deal, I don't think I will ever boil potatoes again :)

OKAY THE RUST HAS BEEN BANISHED-SO GO AWAY!!!!!!!!

Went out this morning and banished the rust on the bottom of the wrought iron fence.  Not a great job, in fact it pretty much sucks, and I would fire anybody that did it that way.  But, with a couple of weeks of weathering I think it will blend in enough to make it to Spring.

 I could barely reach the damn fence and the wind was blowing 25 miles an hour.  So all it got in the way of prep was a quick swipe with the steel brush.  Just enough for keep it from chipping back off tomorrow.

CHIM, CHIMNEY, CHIM, CHIMNEY CHIM CHIM CHIREY

Had a Chimney Sweep in today to fix the fireplace that wasn't drawing the way it was supposed to be.

He got the drawing problem fixed, but it still isn't burning right so we are having it overhauled with a new burner and sand and embers and stuff.  Then $260.00 later it will be all better.

I was going to show you the actual "Chimney Sweep", but I think he used to be a plumber and I have decided to "JUST SAY NO TO CRACK"

SIGNING UP

Spent two lovely hours in this line today trying to get signed up for Commercial Piano II.  I tried to register online, but the computer kept rejecting it because I hadn't had Commercial Piano I, which the instructor had said I didn't need to take.  I hate registration time.  It never ever goes totally smoothly.

Finally got in though.  Funny thing is five minutes after getting through this line I got an email that Carole in Fine Arts Dept. could have done it for me in two minutes :(

UPS -LET BROWN DELIVER YOUR TURKEY THE OLD FASHIONED WAY

Today I was playing my piano which is right in front of the window when I saw this.  After watching this guy for a few minutes trying to decide what he was doing I realized he was a UPS delivery man and he was delivering a Greenberg Smoked Turkey to the house across the street............................by bicycle and wagon.

If you look real close, you can see his little electronic scanner thingy that they always make you sign with a horrible pen on a crappy surface that you can't even read your name on.


Really?  OMG, is this UPS's new green program?  Wonder what the delivery guys think about it and do they always have to turn only right hand turns on those bikes??????????????????

OUT DAMN RUST!

I've been getting letters from my Homeowner's Association about my violations of the Community Covenants and Declarations to keep my painted stuff painted.  And I have TEN DAYS to correct the very very offensive offending wrought iron fence.

So..........here it is, the problem that is making our neighborhood look bad.

I agree, it could use some paint, but really we are talking over a thousand dollars of paint and labor here as this fence is 65 feet long and I think it needs to get a little, well actually a LOT worse before I spend that much money to paint it.  I mean you can't even see it from the street.  You can see it from the sidewalk if you really pay attention, and you can absolutely see it from a couple of inches away.  Really, give me a break.


So I am going to do a self repair until I feel it is bad enough to warrant the concern they have for it.  I am going out tomorrow, brush off the top layer of each rust spot and give it a squirt of SPRAY PAINT and voila, painted fence, no rust.  Probably won't exactly match, but YEP IT WILL BE PAINTED :) and they can shut the hell up!

THANKSGIVING 2010

My dinner table ready to dig in for Thanksgiving 2010.  Twelve of us and one Delanio. A very pleasant dinner and day.  But later went to bed with the Advil and heating pad for my legs and back :(

Tryptophan kicks in...................................

GETTING GORGEOUS AND THE CARNAGE LEFT BEHIND

This is the tragic aftermath of my trying to become gorgeous before the Expressions 2010 Fall Concert.  Sad huh?

It doesn't "take a village", but a team of makeup artists would have helped.

NO MORE SPANISH, AT LEAST NOT THIS CLASS!!!!!!!

Not a fun class and certainly not my favorite instructor.  So..................no more Command Spanish for me!

YOU CAN'T SEE IT ON A GALLOPING HORSE OR A LIMPING ONE EITHER

So yesterday we got a letter from our Homeowner's Association telling us that we were in violation of the architectural codes rules and must immediately remedy the situation.


They were talking about this:

Can you see the problem?  

Well, apparently if you get really close you can, but you have to be really really close. 

It's the rust on the fence at the bottom................

....................really????????????

CUISINART ELECTRIC PRESSURE COOKER

Used the new pressure cooker tonight for the first time.  Wow, what a difference from the old stove top one that has the round bottom and goes shshshshshshshshshs!!!!!!!.  This one will brown the meat, saute the veggies, simmer, have high pressure, low pressure, automatically keep warm and self time.  And it is very very very very quiet!


I think I'm going to like it and I think I will try to make more than just one recipe in it.

CROCHET LESSONS

Giving my cousin Crochet Lessons

Bailey thinks he's having lessons too :)
Well, he certainly thinks the yarn is for him anyway. 

ANEMONE'S DINNER?

Remember this guy?

Haven't seen him for about two weeks.  Think he finally may have become the Anemone's dinner........so sad :(

HOLA!

Started an 8 week Beginning Spanish class last night.  It's supposed to be conversational, I just wonder if I'm supposed to be conversational............in Spanish I mean :)

STAY DAMMIT!

NEWEST ADDITION TO MY FAMILY. GONNA MAKE SOME MUSIC!

THE POTATO SALAD PROJECT

Had to make Potato Salad for 25 people. Turns out this is plenty!

LEVEL 2 - MORE ANGRY BIRD PERFECTION ;)