Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars–a 4 Star Recipe

If you’re knee deep in holiday baking and looking for something really special, this recipe for Cranberry Bliss Bars tastes just like Starbucks.

Lindsay’s favorite has now become a family tradition.  If you make them, cut them into squares and then each square into a diamond, makes them soooooo special.

~ jan

Here’s the recipe>>>

Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop, simply the BEST!!!!

Let’s take a little walk down memory lane this morning.  I adore Lamb Chop, she’s always been my favorite.  Shari Lewis was such a talent, sadly she’s no longer with us, but oh what wonderful videos she left us all to watch. 

Lamb Chop is going to be under Miss Abigail’s Christmas tree this year.  I think she’s the perfect age to really enjoy a puppet, and what better puppet to buy her than Lamb Chop. 

If you have a little one that would enjoy buying one of these for, here’s the Amazon link.  It talks, too ;o)

So take a minute this morning, and see if Lamb Chop doesn’t brighten your day.  This is actually the second part of a four part video, if you want to see more of this Christmas video, they are all on YouTube.

~ jan

I did a little research this morning, and Shari’s daughter, Mallory is carrying on the tradition – here is a clip of her and Lamb Chop. This is really cute…

I’m on a roll here, now her daughter has a nightclub routine with Lamb Chop – here’s the clips – *sigh* she’s growing up…

Your daily dose of cuteness....

Look who's off to do a little last minute Christmas shopping this cold Sunday morning...

Baby It’s Cold Outside…

Must see tv, mark your calendars...

Poor Cher, she got caught with her tape on...

I've always been a Cher fan, and think she looks pretty darn good for her age, despite her surgical enhancements.  But, now I just feel sad for her.  This picture is from the London premiere of Burlesque, and if you look closely at her chin line, next to her earring, you will see tape.

Apparently, she has taped her chin to try and make her jawline look firmer.  Okay, you might argue that this is no different than firming up the mid section with Spanx or body shapers, but somehow this just looks desperate. :(

Maybe she would have had better results with this method.  V, remember when we saw Katharine Chancellor do this on the Young and the Restless, we were horrified.

Sw-eet......

I've been checking out the Keurig Single Cup Coffee Makers, andI'm thinking this Cuisinart model looks even better!  I've had pod makers before, and haven't been impressed, however, they've come a long way, baby and this looks pretty awesome.  Do any of you have this yet?

Christmas baking, this is SO simple, why didn't I think of this before?

Last weekend at Ryan's we were baking gingerbread cookies.  I'm never a fan of rolling cookie dough, it always seems to give me problems.  First you chill the dough, then you try and roll it out, and it's so cold, it doesn't roll evenly, then you cut the cookies and they spread too much when you bake them.  It's a royal pain in the patootie.

That's what we did, and it was a pain, and they did spread, but they were wonderful cookies.  Not that heavy, biting bitter gingerbread taste, just a wonderfully mellow great taste, tender and moist, they were super, except for the procedure it took to cook them and their out of shape bodies once they were baked.

And since this isn't my first rodeo with formed cookies, I know that the key to having them bake without spreading is to have really cold dough, and thus the problem, that darned chilled dough and making the cookies quickly to bake.

So, in the middle of the night, when my brain seems to work best, I had a moment of clarity.  Forget chilling the dough, roll them immediately, when they are pliable and easy to work with, cut out the cookies, put them on the cookie sheet, and then chill them in the refrigerator before you bake them.  Why didn't I think of this years ago?  Maybe some of you already know to do this, yours truly had to have a senior moment to figure it out.

We haven't tried this yet, but it has to work better than the way we have done them in the past.

And the recipe for these great cookies - it's Betty Crocker, and she's tried 'n true for recipes that turn out.  Here's the link, the flavor of these cookies is vundebar>>> (We used milk instead of water in the recipe)

I picked up these cutters for Lindsay last weekend in Cincinnati at Williams Sonoma.  They are just adorable. Yeah, I know you want the link.  Here's the click>>>

I found the most AWESOME gift...

Okay, ladies, I found it, the elusive "great" gift, but since certain people read this blog who will be getting it, I can't tell you what it is until after Christmas.

But, if you're interested in a really super gift, for not a lot of money, just email me and I'll fill you in.

It's a winner.  Pinky swear it is. ;o)

~ jan

Guess where I've been?

We had a quick weekend trip to Lexington.  Lindsay had Abby all dressed up for Grammie, a bow in her hair, with her little tutu on, it was a fun time.

I have some new recipes on Jan Can Cook, including an eggnog quick bread that looks killer, and a yummy sounding cranberry pear, apple salad.  You might want to take a peek when you have a chance.

We went to Cincinnati shopping on Saturday, ate in this great burger joint that was featured on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives, check this video out, awesome burgers, seriously some of the best ones we've ever eaten.

These guys know how to have fun...

Jan & Friends Christmas Recipes

Like the Thanksgiving recipes, my friends gave me wonderful Christmas recipes to share.  I bring them back every year, so if you're new to the Dish or an old friend, look through this great recipe collection for Christmas ideas.

~ jan

Here's the link, then just click on the recipe title for the ingredients>>>

Pure bliss, it doesn't cost a lot...

What is your favorite lotion?  Not the newer ones, remember back to what you used as a teenager.  Mine was Jergen's, original scent, naturally.  I think that's the only scent Jergen's made when I was a teenager.  I love the cherry almond smell, and keep a pump bottle on the computer desk, it makes me smile every time I use it.  I keep Carmex on my computer desk, too, but that's a whole other blog...

I also have Jergens in my purse, and this fall I was in the car with John and I put some on my hands.  He immediately wanted to know what that smell was, he remembered it as well.

So if you're out and about this weekend, pick up an old friend, a favorite lotion from long ago, and see if it won't give you a smile, too.  And while you're at it, pick up a glass pot of Carmex and some Luden's Cherry Cough Drops.  It's a cheap thrill..

Oh, I wish you were all here right now...

Some dog is barking to Jingle Bells on the radio and the M&M's are going bonkers.  Maggie is circling, growling and barking, Mollie even got up from her nap to chime in.

Silly little dogs, this is funny beyond words...

Ribbon Candy and other wonderous Christmas treats...

This was the Christmas candy of my childhood.  Syrupy sweet, lemon, peppermint, spearmint,  I loved all the flavors!  It's still around, I sometimes buy it at CVS or Walgreens.  Still tastes the same, too.

I'm also a huge fan of chocolate covered cherries.  Daddy bought them for me every Christmas, nobody else liked them, so I rationed myself one a day, and ate the whole box.  Mother was a fan of filled hard Christmas candy, but I was never cared for the jellied centers.

We always had bowls of Christmas candy sitting around, nuts and a nutcracker in a wooden bowl, orange peelings and cloves  simmering on the stove, and Andy Williams crooning Christmas carols on the stereo.   I have wonderful Christmas memories of life in the country, snow on the ground, and you would think a fresh cut tree, too.  But oh no, we had the aluminum tree with the color wheel that turned the tree colors.  We had all blue bulbs, and we would turn off the lights and sit and watch the tree change colors.

When I was really young we did have a real tree with bubble lights.  I adore bubble lights, John and Deanna do, too.  I wish I still had Mother's, but they're long gone now.  Do you know how expensive the old bubble lights from the 40's and 50's are now?  They sell on eBay from $500-$750 a set.  Amazing, huh.

I'm not decorating this year, we're going to be with John and Deanna at Christmas, and neither one of us wants to drag everything out of the attic.  But when Abby is a bit older, we will recreate the sock monkey tree, I think she will love it.

It's been a busy time here, no blogging going on, but things are settling down now and I'll be around more. Hope you are all making great progress with your shopping.  And if you buy some ribbon candy this year,  eat a piece or two for me.  {;o)

~ jan

Let's talk about something a lot better than that old microwave...

Okay, I needed this smile after the morning I've had.  This is Miss Abigail on her way home from visiting the relatives this morning.  She's talking on her cell phone, brushing her hair.

Oh, is this cute or what?   Nothing like a grandtoddler to make your day!!!  Thanks for sending this, Dilly, it kind of puts everything into perspective about what's important in life!!!

I still hate that damn microwave!!!!!

Oh, do I ever hate the thing.  Remember my post a few weeks ago about the new microwave and how I wasn't liking it?  Everybody said, "just hang on, you'll get used to it, it will be okay."  Oh yeah, right.  Well I've hung on and I'm not getting used to it and I still hate it.  It's hard to operate, it doesn't work worth crap and do you know what happened this morning????

Oh, I'm still fuming.  Okay, here's my rant.  I've cooked my morning poached egg in the wave for years now, years, and I've never had a problem, never.  Put hot water in a mug, add a spash of white vinegar, a pinch of salt, slide my egg into the water and nuke for a minute fifteen seconds.  Comes out perfect every time.

I even managed to make it in this new disaster of a wave and it worked okay.

So this morning, I'm nuking my egg, pouring coffee and all of a sudden I hear the blast from hell from the area of the microwave.  It blew up... my egg BLEW UP!  It spewed egg and water all over the interior of the gawdawful contraption, and when I opened the door, it dripped blobs of egg down on my stovetop.  Oh, I'm seeing red, can you tell???

I would like to get rid of the damn thing, but I just bought it.  If this doesn't improve in the next thirty days, it's going on eBay.  But whatever you do, if you see my auctions, don't bid on it!!!

Even hubby doesn't like it, his popcorn is not popping like the old one, so that's a major issue in itself around here.

And how is your day going?  Mine is spouting profanity, as you can tell, which doesn't help at all, and once again reminding yours truly that Grammie has to clean up her mouth.  Little pitchers, ya know....

ROARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Another year bites the dust...

It was a good Thanksgiving, and  great birthday.  I'm just grateful that I'm in good health, and able to enjoy my birthday with my family.  It's not so bad being sixty-one, after all, sixty-one is the new fifty-one, right?

This is Miss Abigail, fresh from her bath.  She has provided the entertainment all day.  We all are so amazed at how much she has changed this month.  She walks, and talks, and chases the M&M's around the house.  She's no longer a baby, definitely a toddler now.

We did a turkey bakeoff this year, the guys smoked theirs in the backyard, we baked Pioneer Woman's turkey, but with a twist.  We flipped the turkey upside down and baked it breast side down.

And the verdict?  We all liked the flavor of the smoked best, but we definitely liked the juiciness of the breast down bird.  That's a great technique, we'll do it again for sure.  We brined both turkeys, but Pioneer Woman's just didn't have enough flavor.

We also made her pecan pie instead of Dear Abby's.  But traditions die hard around here, and even though it was good, Dear Abby is still the fave.  However, the Lawry's Banana Coconut Cream Pie with Coconut Crust was a huge hit.  It was absolutely awesome!  I had forgotten what a great recipe this is, but we'll definitely make it again.

Hubby is in bed already, the rest of the family is watching Uncle Buck and laughing like they've never seen it before.  Yours truly is going to shut this machine down and waddle off to bed, too.

Happy Turkey Day everyone, and happy shopping tomorrow if you're brave enough to face the crowds.  I'm going to pass on it, I never shop the day after Thanksgiving.
~ Jan

Black Friday deals online on Thanksgiving day...

Check this article out, looks like we can beat the rush, avoid the crowds by shopping Thanksgiving day online and getting the Black Friday deals that are going to be in the stores Friday morning..  Works for me.


Here's the article>>>

Jan & Friends Thanksgiving Recipes

It's that time of year, I'm running a bit late posting this.  If you're new to my blog, this collection are my girlfriend's favorite recipes, I post them every Thanksgiving.  They are all tried 'n true.

Check them out here, and then just click on each individual recipe and you will link to them>>>

Happy cooking...

~ jan

Sarah Palin's Alaska, my take on the halibut episode...

I'm taking the politics out of this blog.  At this point, I don't really know whether I would support Sarah Palin in a run for President or not, however, after watching the last two episodes of this program, I did learn some things about the lady.

1. She's feisty, we all know that, but now we realize that she is extremely multi-faceted, as well.
2. Her physical stamina is amazing, her body is strong and she works extremely hard.
3. Gotta throw in the girl card, I'm thinking she has some kind of hair piece in the top of her hair, and she always has the makeup on.  Good for her.  The hottie husband doesn't hurt, either. ;o)
4. She obviously loves Alaska and actually lives in the environment, she's very comfortable in the wilderness.

And now to the halibut gutting, clubbing the fish over the head episode.  

I haven't read the reviews on this program today, but I would imagine that she is really taking a lot of flack for Bristol clubbing the fish and subsequently killing and gutting them.  A lot of people, especially women,  have evolved in this society to the point that they don't think about happens before that fish shows up at the local fish market.  They buy it, never thinking of the process it takes to get it there and not wanting to know.  And the same with our meat and poultry, people these animals have to be slaughtered and processed before they arrive at your local grocery store.  

I'm a country girl, I was raised with family butchering meat every winter.  We always butchered after Thanksgiving, because by then it was cold enough to salt the hams and bacon and leave them hanging in the smokehouse without spoiling.  Our weather has changed so much over the years that it would be unrealistic today.  It's approaching 70 degrees today in Heavensville, certainly not butchering weather at all.

So if you are one of the people who was totally turned off by this program, and squeal, "eeeew, that's icky," you are just sticking your head in the sand.  I thought it was such an accurate portrail of what actually takes place in the wild.

I've blogged before about my mother wringing chicken's necks when I was a child, and then hanging them on the clothesline to bleed, singeing the feathers, gutting the chicken and getting it ready for Sunday dinner.  We did this because it was necessary, we had to do this to survive.  It could happen to us again, we hope it never will, but we don't know with the way the world is what our future holds.  So those of you who are squeamish about this sort of thing, you need to put on your big girl panties and take note of programs like this that educate us in what needs to be done in order to feed your family should the need arise.

Good for you Sarah Palin, for telling it like it is and showing us your Alaska.  I admire your candid portrail of your life, most politicians would never be so bold as to do something like this.

Women of a certain age should NEVER wear ribbed sweaters...

Yes,  I'm guilty of wearing them, in fact I just bought another one last week,  but when I'm in the dressing room, and look at myself with one on, it's really pathetic.  Even though they're vertical ribs, all those ribs do is to manage somehow to lay in every fat roll in my midsection.  Cmon' ladies, let's be honest here, we all have the dreaded rolls, even if we pretend we don't,  we all have them!

We've borne babies, lived life, eaten out way too much and exercised way too little. And when we're in that dressing room, we curse every piece of chocolate, every Frito, every pint of Ben & Jerry's, yes the entire pint, every piece of pie and cake, not to mention cookies, oh and nuts, can't forget the nuts,  that's ever passed our lips!  But those dressing rooms and their glaring lighting make it even worse, but that's a whole other blog post.

But back to my rant.  A lot of us are post menopausal now and all that adds up to a sagging mid section, which those darned ribbed sweaters accentuate, even with a body shaper.  So why did I even buy yet another one?  Dunno, brain fart, I guess.  So I'll just cover it up with a wrap from Omar the Tent Maker, that will work.  Um hmm, sure thing, Jan.  Sure it will....

Now where is that toy department, It's around here somewhere

My mommy taught me how to shop, and I'm really good at it, too..

Date Night...

Since I was a teenager, I've always thought of Friday night as date night.  And with hubby's work schedule in recent years, they've been far and few between.  But that's all changed, and now we can go out again on Friday night.

Here we are last night, doesn't he look thrilled?  Do you think he even wants to date me??  I'm thinking by the looks of this picture, maybe not, he doesn't look very happy.   I,  however, was absolutely estatic to be  going out on Friday night!  We were supposed to double date with Rich and V, but they were grounded and couldn't go.

And how was my evening?  Well, we went to Deerhead, where I had a catfish sandwich that I "thought" I wanted, but I was drooling at everybody else scarfing down ooey gooey pizza.  So I decided right then and there that I want pizza for my birthday dinner next week.  Got that family, pizza, preferably John's homemade, which is the best pizza in the world, seriously, it is!

Then we went to the movies, saw Wall Street, Money Never Sleeps, which I thought hubby would enjoy, and he did.  However, yours truly thought it was the most gawdawful movie I've ever seen in my life.  All that Wall Street lingo, I was lost from the beginning.  But he's sat through enough chick flicks with me, that it didn't hurt me to watch this.  Compromise, remember.

And it was fun to get out, and he did tell me I looked nice and opened my car door for me, so all in all, it was an "okay" date.  I think I'll go out with him again, if he asks...

Retirement...

Hubby is retired now, yesterday was his last day working.  It sounds strange even saying it, and we're both still trying to absorb it all.  He says he doesn't feel retired, and I've been preparing for this for months now, but now that it's actually here, it's ummmm, interesting?

I've had a lot of advice from girlfriends.  My friend Mary said it best when she said "when they first retire, it's a dance, with you both trying to figure out the steps."  

Another friend suggested that we each have our own room and that the other doesn't enter without permission.  I mentioned this to LC, so he has been standing at the sunroom door, waving at me.  Somehow I don't think that's going to work.  But I've always been a pretty good dancer, I think I'll give that a try first.

I think our biggest challenge will be the difference in schedules and energy levels.  He gets up before dawn, goes like a bat outta hell until noon, eats lunch, then collapses in his recliner watching the Western Channel and napping.

I prefer to get up between seven and eight, be quiet for the next half hour or so, have my coffee and begin my day.  This morning he was cleaning out the dishwasher at 7am with the television blaring.  And although it was great that he did that, I would have rather him done it a bit later.  And so it begins. 

Retirement means compromising for both of us, kind of like when we were first married.  Well, not exactly, but you get my drift.  It will be interesting for awhile, then we will settle into a routine, I'm sure and get on with it.  The kids are thrilled that we can visit on weekends now, we're so happy that he doesn't have to work holidays, which means I don't have to cook that darned turkey anymore, we will go to their houses.

I was an only child, I made every holiday dinner all these years, so I'm more than ready to let the younger generation take over.  We're going to John and Deanna's next week.  They are happily planning it all out,  and I'm happily letting them.  I will just play with Abby and let them go for it.  And hubby, will he be relaxing? Of course not, he will be up before dawn, doing a major reorganization in John's garage.  He's absolutely thrilled to have a project.  And me, I'll be sleeping, hopfully until eight...

Yep, I'm looking forward to this rainy night, FINALLY, rain!!!!

Check out the threads…

Can you guess who bought her this outfit??? Of course you can, yep it was me, Grammie!

A girl is never to young to wear a bit of leopard you know.

Look at how long her hair is getting.  Is there going to be another redhead in our family, or is it the lighting.  I’m thinking red curls may be in our future…

Looking forward to Thanksgiving…

Especially this year, since hubby is retiring next week and won’t have to work thru the holidays. 

Like most of you, we stick to our family traditions, but we’ve decided to shake it up just a little bit this year and abandon Dear Abby’s Pecan Pie, which we have been making for the past thirty something years in favor of trying Pioneer Woman’s Pecan Pie.  That Pioneer Woman is totally awesome, so her pie must be good.

And we’re going to make the recipe I got from the LA Food Times for Banana Coconut Cream Pie with Coconut Crust, which is nectar of the gods, and has more calories than you want to think about.  It’s the crust that takes it to the next level, butter and coconut, why wouldn’t it be good.  But damn those calories, it’s Thanksgiving, I’m gonna eat it alllllll, girlfriends…

If you’re interested, here are the links -

Lawry’s Coconut Banana Cream Pie>>>

Pioneer Woman’s Pecan Pie, the pie that’ll make you cry>>>

Gobble, gobble Waddle, waddle… ~ jan

Wouldn't you kill for this closet!!!

Source:  Julie Mihaly

If I were brave…

This is so awesome, women living life to the fullest.  My friend, Martha Bowman is one of those women.  See her at 3:00 into the video.

Marie Osmond talking about her son’s death on Oprah…

If you missed seeing Marie Osmond on Oprah yesterday, you  missed the most moving, tragic, heartfelt television show I’ve ever seen.  She was talking about the death of her son, she was so honest and open and she’s  still so brokenhearted, it was really difficult to watch her talk about this and experience her pain, but it was so touching that she would open up and talk so honestly about this.  I hope that it was a healing experience for her.

I’ve been a fan of hers, always.  In the early 90’s, we were at the annual Toy Show in New York, it’s a big deal, all of big guns are there.  We had a booth just a few aisles away from the booth that was selling Marie’s dolls.  And one afternoon she came and worked in her booth, meeting people, talking about her dolls.  I stood in front of her booth and watched her all afternoon, so close to her that I could almost reach out and touch her.

She looked beautiful that day, I’ll never forget what she was wearing.  A  brown velvet blazer, a long brown paisley skirt and tall brown suede boots.  She was gracious and kind to all of the people, and her trademark laugh just rang through the building.

I’m including a link to parts of this show from Oprah’s site in case you missed it.  I had no idea that the quality of her voice was so good that she could sing opera flawlessly, but you will see what I mean when you hear her sing “Pie Jesu.”  And if you scroll down there are several video clips from the show that you can watch.

It was truly a once in a lifetime experience, by far the best hour I’ve ever spent watching Oprah.

Here’s the link>>>

I wish they had included more of the interview, so I went to YouTube and sure enough, there is lots more on their site than on the Oprah link.

Here’s the YouTube link>>>

If you watch this, ladies, get out your kleenex, this will tug at every mother’s heartstrings.

Call your children today, hug them if you can and tell them how much you love them.  Keep them close to your heart and be so grateful that you have them, I know I am.

~ jan

A giggle for you tonight….

My friend Marti sent this to me, it’s too good not so share.  Those of you who share my wicked sense of humor will love this… ~ jan

The Cat

Last Saturday night we were  dressed and ready to  go out to a Party . We turned on a night light, turned the answering machine on, covered our pet parakeet and put the cat in the backyard.

Because we knew we would be having a few drinks we phoned  a cab  company and requested a taxi. The taxi arrived and we opened the front door to leave the house.

As we walked out the door, the cat we had put out in the yard, scoots back into the house. We didn't want the cat shut in the house because she always tries to eat the bird.

My wife  goes on out to the taxi, while I went back inside to get the cat. The cat runs upstairs, with me in hot pursuit. Waiting in the cab, my wife doesn't want the driver to know that the house will be empty for the night. So, she explains to the taxi driver that I will be out soon, 'He's just going upstairs to say Goodbye to my mother.'

A few minutes later, I get into the cab. 'Sorry I took so long,' I said, as we drove away. 'That stupid bitch was hiding under the bed. I had to poke her ass with a coat hanger to get her to come out! She tried to take off, so I grabbed her by the neck. Then, I had to wrap her in a blanket to keep her from scratching me. But it worked! I hauled her fat ass downstairs and threw her out into the back yard! She better not shit in the vegetable garden again!'

The silence in the cab was deafening.

Wow, this was a long time coming…

Nisha and I have been friends forever it seems, since we were our twenties.  We both waited a long time for grandchildren, but now she has her Gabby, who is almost three months old and I have my Abby who is thirteen months today.  And no, we can’t keep their names straight, we both call them by the wrong names.

We met them for lunch, Lindsay and Abby came, too.  It’s so special when your friends are grammies too. It was such a good time…

Does anybody remember McDonald’s Cheddar Melt?

I saw a commercial today that McDonald’s is bringing back that icky McRib, yet again. That is the nastiest sandwich known to man, why they resurrect the tired old thing every few years is beyond me.

Back in the 90’s, they did have an awesome sandwich, the Cheddar Melt.  Remember that one?  It was a quarter beef patty with melted cheese and grilled onions on a rye bun, and it was awesome.  But do they ever bring it back? Nooooooooo.  And would I eat it if they did??? Yesssssssss.

I never eat fast food anymore, but you betcha I would hotfoot it over to Mickey D’s faster than a New York minute if it ever reappeared on their menu. 

Just in time for the holidays, a Cherpumple pie cake….

Yes, dear hearts, it’s a Cherpumple, it’s the dessert version of a turdurken (chicken stuffed into a duck, stuffed into a turkey) which we tried, at Ryan’s insisence, a few Thanksgivings ago.  I was not a fan.

The Cherpumple consists of a cherry, pumpkin and apple pie, all stacked on top of each other, baked into a three layer cake batter and frosted.  Sounds just horrid, doesn’t it, but it’s for real.  Here’s the video…

Can she really be this big?

Cuppycake walked all the way thru Costco yesterday holding onto Daddy’s hand.  Doesn’t seem possible that she’s old enough to do this…

I have a new camera, and I LOVE it!!!!

If any of you are in the market for a new camera this fall, this one is wonderful.  It’s the Canon SX30 IS – not a little camera, this one has substance, but still not so big that you can’t put it in a larger purse.  It has a brownie finder, as well as a LED screen, which is a must for me.  Hey I’m a product of the 50’s, I love view finders, and a grab bar on the side – the pictures I’m taking are so good, it’s the best camera I’ve ever owned.  It takes HD movies, too.

It’s 14.1 megapixels with a 35X zoom.  That’s not a typo, the zoom is 35X.  Amazing for a point and shoot.

Hooterville has been helping me set it up, I’m actually taking pictures, programming the settings, instead of putting it on automatic thanks to her help.  I’m not a photographer, but this camera makes it easy for anyone to take good pictures.  Click on the camera, it will link you to Amazon and you can read all about it. 

My friend, Trish, bought it first, and now my buddy Carlene has purchased it.  What a great camera this is…

Here’s the link to an online photo album of pictures I took at Ryan’s.  If you like horses, you might enjoy this.

~ jan

Williams-Sonoma Fall Forest Piecrust Cutters, Set of 4

 

Don’t you just love this set of piecrust cutters for Thanksgiving.  My mother always used a leaf from the yard and cut her own leaves for the top of pumpkin pies.  It’s such a nice memory.  These are just a bit more refined…

If you’re interested – here’s the link>>>

Donna Reed Show Theme Song

How about a blast from the past this morning...

Donna Reed Show Theme Song

So, I think I’ll fix a bit of breakfast…

I have a blueberry muffin in the freezer, I’ll just defrost it, oops, no microwave.

Okay, I’ll quickly poach an egg, nope, can’t do that either, no microwave.

But I did manage to brew more coffee without the pot overflowing.  But why didn’t all of the beans grind?  Some are still whole???

Okay, I’ll live with it…

Note to self:  Never again attempt to defrost a blueberry muffin in a paper cupcake liner in the toaster oven.  Without going into details, because dear hubby reads this blog, let’s just say that it wasn’t pretty, ladies….

Why me?

Life can be going along just fine, everything is smooth, no worries and then kaboom, it all goes to hell in a hand basket.  Here’s a recap of my last twenty-four hours -

• The microwave died, just totally blacked out.  Since it’s over the range, it’s pricey – $250 to fix a seven year old microwave or $400 to buy a new one.  Grrrrrr
  
• The fireplace quit working.  Hubby got it going, now it quit again this morning.
  
• The washer isn’t spinning clothes out, I pulled out a load this morning and they were soggy.
  
• Maggie upchucked in the floor, she’s fine now, who knows what that was about.
  

My can opener decided to quit opening cans, it’s in the trash.

My coffeepot overflowed for no apparent reason.

And that’s what’s going on in Heavensville this morning.  If bad things happen in three’s, then I’ve had more than my share.  Hope your Friday is better than mine!

Grammie’s thoughts about my one year old granddaughter….

I’m writing this blog for myself, more than others, because Abby is changing so quickly now and I want to always remember what she was doing when she was almost thirteen months old, and when I put the entries here, I will always have a record. So if you’re tired of baby posts, I totally understand, just skip over this.  It’s just me, being a sentimental grammie today...

She’s talking now, not just babbling or repeating words, she actually understands what she is saying.  I always say it’s like a light bulb has switched on and she comprehends now.

She presses her little hands to her chest and says, “baby.”  And sometimes when you say “Abby” she presses her hands to her chest.  She tries really hard to say “Abigail” and she’s getting better at it.

She points to the M&M’s and squeals “Puppy.”  She claps her little hands in time with music and she dances to the songs on the Disney Channel.

She’s toddling around, still likes to hold Mommy and Daddy’s hand as she walks around the room, but she does take a lot of steps on her own.  Sometimes you can see intense concentration, and other times she forgets she’s not holding on and just walks.

She shoves toys under the couch, and then lays down with her little bottom in the air and peers underneath the couch to see what’s there.

She pretends to talk on her little cellphone – she talks to it and then listens, hoping it will say something.

She prefers her books to her toys this month, turning pages endlessly and putting them in your lap for you to read to her.

When you put her in the crib and walk away, she waves and says, “bye, bye” “bye, bye”. 

She says “hi” to you whenever she sees you and get this huge grin on her face.  When I talk to her on the phone she yells “hi” to me over and over again.  Then she babbles a long string of words, which, unfortunately, I can’t understand.

She loves to roll her red ball, and gets so excited she wiggles all over and squeals at the top of her lungs.  Lindsay plays ball with her the best, she can really get her wound up.

She laid her little head on Uncle John’s shoulder and hugged him when he kissed her goodbye last weekend, and yes, I cried when I saw it.

Auntie Dee-Dee dresses her up in the most girly outfits she can find and then we both ooh and aah about how adorable she looks.

She’s Daddy’s girl, goes to find him when he’s in another room and loves visiting him in his office.  As soon as she hears his voice, she stops what she’s doing and goes to him.  He’s such a good father, he spends so much time with her, and is always focusing in on her and what she is doing.

And she thinks Grandpa is wonderful, tool.  She reaches for him and loves riding around his arms.  They go outside and look at the cows, he buckles her in her car seat and pushes her stroller, he’s totally besotted with her.

She sits in her high chair and when you offer her food that she doesn’t want, or when she gets full she shakes that little head back and forth and goes, “no, no, no, no, no.”

She’s really an independent little girl, she definitely wants to do things “her way.”

She loves it when her Mama sings to her and dances with her.  Her little eyes just shine when Lindsay comes into the room.  Lindsay sings and dances “Boom, Shakalka Boom Boom” with her in her arms, and Abby shimmies her little shoulders and laughs. Linds has repeated this little nursery rhyme to her since she was tiny and she loves it, jumping up and down on her lap when she says it -

Five little monkeys jumping on the bed,
One fell off and bumped his doodle head.
Mama called the Doctor and the Doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

And how does she react to me?  Oh, she reaches for me to take her, and of course I just melt.  She loves playing with me, and always gives me huge smiles.  We play peek-a-boo and patty-cake and itsy bitsy spider and sing silly little songs.  She bends her little head down for me to kiss her and snuggles on my lap with her blanket.  We’re quite a pair, Abby and I…

My pal Violet, a must have!

Abby has this toy and she adores it.  It comes with software so you program Violet with your computer, and you can program in your child's name, favorite color, favorite animal, and favorite food. You can also select five songs for it to play and five different lullabies (for a total of ten personalized songs).  You push on the paws to choose what you want Violet to say.

Lindsay keeps this in the car, and Abby sits in her car seat, clutching Violet and listening to the songs and verses.  Last weekend I heard her softly saying “woof, woof” and then oh-oh – just like Violet was saying.  It says her name, “Abigail” and it also spells it.  It won’t be long until she starts repeating that, too, she’s picking up words really fast now.  She’ll be looking out the window, or smiling at us, but all the time she’s doing that, her little fingers are pressing on Violet’s paws. It’s just the cutest toy I’ve seen in a long time.

If you have a baby or toddler in your life, trust me on this one, this is inexpensive and it’s a fantastic gift.  Just read the reviews, people love this.

If you have a little boy, there is Scout, you can see him on the link I’m sending you.

Barb, are you reading this – put this one on your list, girlfriend, Gia would love it!

Here’s the link, Violet is only $14.99 on Amazon – what a deal!

Felt Playhouse

If Abby were older, this would be an adorable gift for her.  It’s a felt playhouse that fits over a card table.

I first heard about these last year, I “think” Carlene was the one who sent me a picture.  I found this on Facebook this morning, with details about how to buy one, or design and make your own.

Maybe some of you have a little one in your life and might be interested, if so, here’s the link>>>

And here are Google Images of lots of these, tons of ideas of different designs.  Soooo cute!

Inspired Ideas

My friend, Amy, over at Inspireco has put together an amazing online Christmas magazine.  It's 170 pages, chocked full of things you can make for your holiday season.

Here's the link to the magazine.  Click on her magazine, and when it loads, flip through the pages, and look for the little dots at the bottom of the page, it will take you to all of her additional pages.

You will enjoy this, pinkie swear.

~ jan

Another one of those simple things…

I’ve been looking for a small basket for my tea and Splenda, so I can sit in on the counter instead of digging through the cabinet every time I want to brew a cup.  I found the perfect one last weekend and was just thrilled.

It doesn’t take a lot to make me happy at this age, a little thing like this is such a kick in the pants.

~ jan

Men Schmen!

---

40 years of marriage..

A married couple in their early 60s was celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary in a quiet, romantic little restaurant.

Suddenly, a tiny yet beautiful fairy appeared on their table. She said, 'For being such an exemplary married couple and for being loving to each other for all this time, I will grant you each a wish.'

The wife answered, 'Oh, I want to travel around the world with my darling husband The fairy waved her magic wand and - poof! - two tickets for the Queen Mary II appeared in her hands.

The husband thought for a moment: 'Well, this is all very romantic,
but an opportunity like this will never come again. I'm sorry my love, but my wish is to have a wife 30 years younger than me.

The wife, and the fairy, were deeply disappointed, but a wish is a
wish.

So the fairy waved her magic wand and poof!...the husband became 92 years old.

The moral of this story:

Men who are ungrateful bastards should remember fairies are female.....

Twick or Tweet…

A vintage Andy and Barney commercial….

Senior citizens should NOT ride around in a Corvette…

When I was in my late 30’s and early 40’s I drove a Corvette and loved tooling around in it.  But that was then and this is now, and now I just feel silly.  Nothing worse than old people driving around in a Vette, they don’t look cool, they look like they are trying to recapture their youth and can’t face growing older.  Fast, low slung cars are for the young, not for old geezers who can barely get in and out of them, which was exactly what we are!  Everybody stares at you, some guy was checking me out, he saw that blonde hair from the back, and then when he saw my face, you could just see his eyes bulge.  He was probably thinking, “what is that old woman doing in a car like this?”  Poor feller.

We had car problems when we visited John and Deanna, so they kept our car to take to the shop and John sent us home in his Corvette.  Not only is it bright Tweety Bird yellow, which just screams, “look at me, look at me” but it’s also a convertible and the most gawdawful, uncomfortable car imaginable when you have a three hour drive with two dogs sitting on your lap.  Even John is tired of it, he seldom drives it and is getting ready to sell it and buy a “sedan.”

Maggie was terrified.  All of the wind noise, coupled with her dislike of interstates anyway, just drove her over the edge.  She kept clawing me, trying to climb to the back seat, but of course there was no back seat. She was cowering on LC’s lap, just trembling, and we finally stopped and got her carrier out of the trunk and put it in on the console between us  in an effort for her to find a hidey hole so that she would feel safe,  and then poor hubby was trying to move it enough to shift the gears, and Mollie was totally befuddled by all that was going on, it was just the trip from hell!

And now we are headed to Lexington, so we have to drive the damn thing again.  How did I ever think these cars were so wonderful?  Well, okay, it was nice this afternoon before the clouds rolled in.  Hubby took the top down and we went for a ride in the country, but that was a half hour ride, with no dogs.   Oh, I do love convertibles, just one more age appropriate. 

It’s a wonderful fall day…

Don’t you just love fall?  It’s clouds and sunshine today, windy, and cool.  I have the windows open and can hear the wind blowing and the falling leaves skimming across the walk.  The birds are on the feeder, the house is quiet, it’s just perfect.  One of those days that you just want to last forever…

Yoplait Delights Parfait, SERIOUSLY delicious…

Okay ladies, I never steer you wrong, do I?  Nope, I never do.   Law-dee, let me tell you, these things are pure heaven, nectar of the gods, bone tingling delicious. The kind of thing you take a bite, roll your eyes and go, OMG, OMG, this is delicious!  For real they are.

I picked up a pack of Caramel Creme.  One taste and and you won’t miss dessert, pinkie swear.  The taste is unbelievably good.  Reminiscent of a tart, tangy creme brulee. 

Next I’m trying the Lemon Torte,  then the Chocolate Raspberry.  The Triple Berry Creme doesn’t do it for me as much, but I’ll eventually get around to those as well.

Check them out here, all are 100 calories of pure decadence.  Trust me on this one, they are to-die-for.

~ jan

Look who our lunch date was today….

I had to go back to Louisville today to the dentist, so LC and I met Lindsay and Abby at Cracker Barrel.  She has on tennies!  And she walks in them really well…..  Oh, she’s growing up so fast..

 

The happy couple….

Look who the birthday girl is, today...

It's my buddy, V, also known as Auntie Caca to bebe granddaughter, Abby....

Oh dear, I’m afraid I’m turning into one of those gushy Grammies….

Ryan and Lindsay took Abby to Red Robin for lunch and Linds sent me this picture of her drinking out of a straw. I was soooo excited when I saw it!

Oh, grandchildren do this to you, don’t they, you get thrilled over the simplest little thing they do.  Every day now she learns something new, and it just makes my day to hear about  it.  Her parents are really good about sharing each milestone with me, I’m so lucky that they are so thoughtful.

Apparently this latest trick  was a huge hit. Sweet bebe loved the idea, and wanted to do it over and over again.

I hope I don’t bore all of you with this, it’s just such a kick in the pants for me every time I get a picture!!!

~ jan

Cuddling with an elephant seal….

I have a little magic for you this morning.  This is guaranteed to give you warm fuzzies and bring a tear to your eye.  What a lover this seal is.  Who would have thought they would do something like this.  A once in a lifetime experience, this is simply amazing.

Thanks for sending this, Carlene – you’re the best!

~ jan

Even when I try really hard, I somehow manage to screw it up…..

Last week I decided that, for once, I was going to get everything ready ahead of time, because we had to leave early (6:30am) last Saturday for Abby's birthday party.  Oh, I was organized, I pressed our clothes, had everything laid out the night before, the clothes, the jewelry, the socks, the shoes,  it was all waiting for me to just slip into and leave. 

I opened a  new pack of trouser socks, picked out the brown ones, tucked them into my shoes, ladies, I was so organized.

I’m up early, everything went like clockwork, and I was so proud of myself for having everything run so smoothly.

We pull into Ryan’s driveway, he and John were outside smoking the hams, John opens my car door for me, I get out, and he says, “Homer (he always calls me Homer, not mom, long story) why do you have on purple socks?”

I look down at my feet, and sure enough, I have screaming bright purple socks on.  Well, it was dark in my bedroom, they looked brown, pinkie swear they did.  You know how trouser socks always look different when you put them on and they stretch out, well they sure looked different, they looked hideous!

So had to borrow socks for Lindsay and change.  No way was I going to sit around at bebe Granddaughter’s first birthday party with those socks on.  And dear Dilly didn’t miss a beat as she went to her drawer to find me a pair.  She’s so used to me by now, she rolls with it pretty good.

Which brings me to my original point, I, once again screwed it up.  As I’ve said before, there i s no hope, there is NO hope….

Marie Osmond’s Birthday Cake

This was on her Twitter feed.  Just thought you would all enjoy a peek at how the rich and famous celebrate their birthday…

Maxine, she’s my hero…

Birthday Girl…

Abby is one year old today….

Happy Birthday To You,
Happy Birthday To you,
Happy Birthday  precious Grandbebe,
Happy Birthday To You.....

You're my Honeybunch, Sugarplum
Pumpy-umpy-umpkin, You're my Sweetie Pie
You're my Cuppycake, Gumdrop,
Snoogums-Boogums, You're the Apple of my Eye

XOXOXO ~ Grammie

Linda Evans Mountain Retreat

Ladies, this is a must see.  Oh, what a magical place she lives in…. Her home is wonderful, it’s just absolutely amazing, what she has created…..

Here’s the link>>>

I’ve been a busy bee this week, Abby’s party is Saturday

• Abby’s gifts bought and wrapped – check
• Clothes pressed and ready to go – check
• Fresh batteries in the camera – check
• The M&M’s bathed with haircuts - check
• Aunt Em’s cupcakes baked – unchecked
• Lose ten pounds – unchecked

Hey, four out of six is pretty good….

Giggle of the day…

UCLA STUDY

    A study conducted by UCLA's Department of Psychiatry has
revealed that the kind of face a woman finds attractive on a man can
differ depending on where she is in her menstrual cycle.

    For example: If she is ovulating, she is attracted to a man with
rugged and masculine features. However, if she is menstruating or
menopausal, she tends to be more attracted to a man with duct tape over
his mouth and a spear lodged in his chest while he is on fire.    

    No further studies are expected.

Why Seniors Break their Hips

Carlene sent me this, you can’t help but laugh, but oh my, some of these people must have really hurt themselves.  This proves that you can’t really be a kid again…

Betty White’s biggest fan…

Hooterville sent me this clip.  How about that, all these years and I thought I was Betty’s biggest fan.  This is so darned cute, thanks for sending it Jean…

Harry Loves Lisa, is anybody else going to watch this???

 

Any of you remember Tuckerville with Tanya Tucker?  Oh, I loved every cheesy, redneck moment of it.  Then along came It's Complicated, Denise Richard's totally awful reality show.  Loved that one, too.  And my favorite of all was the short lived chasing Farrah, but c'mon, who wouldn't be fascinated by a glimpse into Farrah Fawcett's personal life. It was worth watching just to see her house and her clothes.

Now along comes Harry Loves Lisa, looks like another really bad one that I can't wait to see!

I don't even like reality shows, but I do enjoy glimpses into star's trashy lives.  I know, I know, I have no taste, none, nada.  But I do have a few friends, who shall remain nameless, that enjoys these shows as much as I do.  Bad girls, bad girls.........