So if you’re bored this summer, and it’s still on, give it a watch. Vanessa Redgrave is just lovely, there is an “older” man that is totally “hot” and Amanda Seyfried is one of my favorite young actresses. She’s so fresh faced, so wholesome looking, which is nice for a change, and she’s a great little actress, too.
It was a fun escape, give it a try. ~ jan
If you’re reading this today and you’re over fifty, I have a little poll for you. It’s about wearing sleeveless tops this summer.
Do you dare? Are you brave enough to let those bat wings flap in the breeze. Or maybe you’re one of the rare ones who doesn’t have them.
Personally, I just can’t do it. Oh, I would love to, though, on a hot summer day, but I just can’t bring myself to expose all that Jello. What about you? There is a little poll in the right sidebar underneath the BlogHer ad. Take a minute, tell us what you do. It’s totally anonymous, of course…
~ Jan
Earlier this week, I went with a neighbor to take her dog to the vet. We went to my vet, Dr. Wagner, who has her practice in a little red barn behind her house on a secluded wooded lot. It’s all very Norman Rockwell, no computers in your face you when you walk in, no receptionist, just her assistant, in this quaint little barn, and it’s totally charming.
She’s the most accessible woman, she takes time for you, cuddles the dogs, she’s just a really nurturing person.
As we were getting ready to leave, I’m sitting on this bench in her waiting room, she had come out of the examining room with us and was chatting, and out of the corner of my eye I see this white cat. Wait, it’s not a cat, it’s a rabbit!
This white bunny was hopping around her office. It was just the cutest thing, ever. Can’t you just picture going to visit the vet and seeing a rabbit peeking around the corner at you. Animals are just the best, aren’t they? They never fail to make me smile. It’s good to share your life with one, or two. They give you far more than they take from you, and always make you smile, every single day…
"May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly
where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities
that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that
you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May
you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge
settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance,
praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us."
I just posted a new featured recipe on Jan CAN Cook for Frozen Hawaiian Pie and several other cool summer desserts. Click thru and check them out ~ jan
Note: Also look at the Creamy Lemonade Pie in the archives. I made this last summer, everybody loved it. Lindsay made it for her mother last month, it’s a great recipe.
Hubby and I were out and about this morning. We went to breakfast, ran a lot of errands, he stood in a lot of lines. He was loading the car with groceries, I was standing behind him, and saw the tag on his shirt. Oh dear, he had it on wrong side out. And he went in many stores that way.
This is to be expected of me, I’ve done this kind of thing for years, but him, not so much. Oh well, he is going to be sixty-five this summer. He’s still far ahead of me though. I swear any sense I ever had has left the building.
Well, they were all trim and slim, all of them were really toned, but let’s face it, they, like the rest of us are getting older. I thought Samantha looked better than any of them, and she’s the oldest. Age showing around the eyes, the face is softer, but she looked amazing for a fifty something woman Her body is still killer. Carrie, however, didn’t fare so welll, in my opinion. She still wears clothes like a hangar, the woman oozes style, no doubt about it, but she is so thin that her face looks really haggard. Ouch, this sounds really catty, but I’m just being honest.
And Charlotte and Miranda. Well, Charlotte isn’t so fresh looking anymore, her dewy skin is long gone, Miranda had a great haircut, she was never a beauty, but she’s working what she has. They all looked like they were Botoxed to the hilt, but at least they didn’t have fish lips, no collagen, thank goodness. What I did notice was that they had great makeup, especially the blusher, all of them. Now that was good!
Sad to say, I think it’s either time for them to hang it up, or move on to something more age appropriate with their storyline. Awful movie, I would wait until it comes to Red Box to watch it, even the gorgeous clothes weren’t enough to make up for a non-existing plot line and all those pregnant pauses, it was actually uncomfortable sometimes, their lack of dialogue. They could have done so much better…
Rona Barrett, here, reviewing from Hollywood Heavensville…
Gary Coleman died this afternoon. Two of his sayings from Different Strokes have been in my vocabulary for years.
The first is his most famous, in my opinion, “whatchutalkinboutwillis” – loved that one.
And the second I’ve been known to do a few times in my life, “I’m gonna hit those milk and cookies ‘til the blues go away.”
He was only forty-two years old, so sad that he had to die so young…
I gathered onions from the garden this morning and as I was standing at the kitchen sink cleaning them I had a flashback to when I was a child, watching Mother doing the same thing.
Except there was no sink, just a well in the back yard that you sank a bucket into to draw water. There was a bucket in the kitchen that you filled, and a dipper to pour the water into my favorite old stainless steel bowl to clean them. There was no air-conditioned kitchen to work in, or even a fan, so you did your work early in the morning before the heat of the day set in. It was always my job to throw the onion tops on the ditch bank for the chickens, and I would do it and run back into the house because those chickens and I did not get along.
There was no pretty little glass to put the cleaned onions in, either, just a Ball fruit jar, and then she would put them on her round oak table, no doubt covered with an oilcloth to protect it from stains. And yes, we would eat the onions for breakfast, with ham and eggs and fresh tomatoes later in the summer.
I say it was so simple then, but was it really? It was a hard life, but it was all we knew. The older I get, the more I admire my mother for her strengths. Her life was never easy, but she did the best she could. I wish I could sit on the porch swing with her this morning, sipping sweet tea out of one of those fruit jars, and tell her what a good woman she was and how much I appreciated all she did for me. I wish…
I tried reading the book when it came out, just couldn’t get into it. I’m so used to trash reading, that anything else seems boring to me. But I need to broaden my horizons badly, everything I read has the same story, the same ending, so I’m going to give this one another go. Tomorrow’s the day, I’m going to read, not skim, which I have a bad habit of doing, see if I can find my groove with this book. I tried several Jane Austen books last week, they didn’t do it for me. There has to be something of substance out there that I will enjoy. Surely, I’m not that shallow, surely…
I’m looking forward to the movie, the trailers looked really good. I still don’t like Oprah, though!
I’m one of those people, unfortunately, who doesn’t enjoy water. However, Nisha and I were talking yesterday, and she said when she was visiting her sister-in-law that she had a pitcher filled with water and a whole sprig of mint. Now doesn’t that sound interesting? I have a big pot of spearmint right outside on my patio, I do believe I’m going to give it a try…
UPDATE: I just filled the pitcher, put in the mint, hubby wanted to know why I put a bug infested weed in the water pitcher and sat it in the fridge. Men Schmen!!!!!
Darn these little annoying insects, I swear, every time I get a fly swatter, they disappear. Put it down, they come back. They’re smarter than I am.
Maggie has been napping on my computer desk, I don’t want to swat her, so I’ve been “trying” to smack this pesky fly without hitting her for the past few minutes. Now she’s awake and helping, she’s biting at it when it flies through the air. No doubt she will be more successful than me. She’s smarter than I am, too…
It was Ryan, Abby has her first tooth!!!!! I had this big, sappy grin on my face, I was just thrilled. She didn’t ever act like she was teething, Lindsay just looked in her mouth and it was there.
If I’m this excited over a tooth, what will I be like when she takes her first step???
Oh, this Grammie business is such a kick in the pants.
She has a TOOTH!!!!!
I downloaded this PDF file and it’s a great cookbook. Here’s the page to snag the download link, it’s a goodie. ~ jan
I was watching the news tonight and they were talking about this website, myshape.com – you put in all your personal information it finds the “perfect” clothes for your shape. Here’s part of what a review said about it -
What a great idea! MyShape.com is a website designed to help you find the best clothes for your body. Spend a few minutes taking your precise measurements, enter them into your profile along with your fashion and fit preferences and get great clothing suggestions that flatter your unique shape and match your style. Once you enter your measurements, the site determines which of 7 body types you are. You can then choose to shop the whole site, or narrow your search to the best clothes for your body type and personal style. MyShape offers the latest fashions for all age groups, shapes and sizes. Great finds and fits are on the way!
I’ve been busy today over at Jan CAN Cook. Lots of new content, yummy muffins, raspberry scones that are calling my name, and some great recipes from The Noble Pig, including Snickerdoodle Pie, a must try for Ryan, the Snickerdoodle king in our family…. ~ jan
When I posted the baby doll pajama blog earlier today, I thought it was familiar. Duh, it’s because I posted the same picture and a totally similar article last summer! I did a search on The Dish and it popped right up.
Jeez Louise, I’m really scraping the barrel for content these days. Nothing like recycling. Oh well, at least it was my own stuff, not somebody elses…
If you happen to be a child of the 50’s, or even the 60’s, you will no doubt smile at this picture. My mother made me pajamas just like these every summer. In fact, this could easily be the pattern she used.
She sometimes made them in gingham checks or seersucker, always out of cotton fabric, and when they were fresh off the clothesline, there was nothing better to sleep in.
So unlike today’s girls that sleep in tee shirts. I wonder when they are my age if they will remember back to their tee shirt days, for no doubt young girls will be sleeping in something else by then, and they will look as dated as these pajamas look now…
A good memory on this warm summer day in Heavensville. Sometimes I wish I would have kept a little chest full of my clothes when I was young. How fun it would be to look back at them now…
I’ve loved it since I was a child, sitting in the porch swing late evening, just breathing in the honeysuckle that grew profusely on our ditch bank.
And then when the boys were growing up, I remember sitting in the backyard with them, surrounded by wild honeysuckle, watching then play, and once again just breathing in the smell of it.
I’ve always been fortunate to live close to nature and the older I get, the more I enjoy the harmony of it. It’s a wonderful thing, honeysuckle, and if you haven’t experienced it, you’re missing out on one of life’s simple pleasures. Just go for a ride in the country some evening with your windows rolled down and breathe. It’s a beautiful thing. ~ jan
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tQZXGLo8h22E-9S87Bw2SZnQNjP2MWk4ZNWEBqR8515xqaIRm8Dy4SPqjMS6r4oEs51sAZMwFjihnJ8DK3_hEmPKepgUJ24pE_E3KibLw3ew6SUkhLUkpZweb8pdva_t6ja0JCXEoVL4OK9JzVOMo=s0-d)
I was driving down Vann Avenue, there was a new curb and a crook in the road I was gawking at the park, hit the curb, bent a rim, ruined a tire. Oh what a fun time that was!!!
If you’re looking for a good read, full of scenery, simple life, gardens, countryside, this is the book for you.
From the author of Under The Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany, Mayes picks up the story twenty years later.
I’m really enjoying it, thought some of you might enjoy it also. No, I didn’t buy it, I downloaded the ebook from the library. If you’re a reader and not accessing ebooks, you’re missing out. They’re wonderful, and free if you can access them online from your local library. And what else is in my Adobe Digital Reader? Raquel, Jenny Sanford’s Staying True, and Carol Burnett’s autobiography – just released books, all free, works for me
~ jan
Here’s the excerpt from Amazon -
"The Bard of Tuscany" (New York Times) is back and better than ever. Two decades have passed since the purchase of Bramasole, Frances Mayes’s first Italian adventure into the meaning of home, made famous in Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany. In Every Day in Tuscany, her third beautifully rendered memoir, Mayes generously serves up another delicious helping. She continues to contemplate the satisfaction of a life created by one’s own hard work, but also celebrates the joys of the piazza, reminisces on her South Georgia roots, reveals her love of architecture and painting, and is especially hungry to follow the trail (which she has generously mapped out for us) of Renaissance painter Luca Signorelli.
After transforming Bramasole, you’d think that Mayes would have had enough of repairs and renovations, but she expands the idea of belonging with the purchase of a mountainside cottage. One day, as she and husband, Ed, are picking blackberries on a rugged slope above Cortona, Mayes writes of being "fatally attracted" to a "lonesome beauty," a partially collapsed stone-roof cottage. This new home becomes a place of comfort, especially when something shifts, when "one glorious summer evening at Bramasole," Mayes writes, "something unexpected intruded on this paradise."
Enchanted by the simple life, a life lived in accordance with the cycles of the sun and moon, Mayes tells her story through the seasons of a country and those of the heart. Winter is about restoring privacy, summer for reading, moonlight swims, watermelon and plum crostata. Mostly, though, the seasons are made up of days meant for being. She admires the Italians for their ease and grace of pure existence. "How do Italian friends naturally keep the jouissance they were born with?" she wonders.
Since Mayes is a poet first, her prose is infused with startling and indelible moments, and she will always inspire you to cook something. Luckily, there are recipes for everything from Melva’s Peach Pie to Risotto with White Truffles, as well as mouthwatering menus, including Roasted Garlic with Walnuts and Guinea Hen with Pancetta. Of the choreography of the kitchen, she writes, "meat glistens, lettuces float, you sneeze, I sing oh, my love, my darling, and dough rises in soft moons the size of my cupped hand as planet earth tilts us toward dinner."
People are always eating in Mayes’s world, and eating well. But good food is essential for a good life, which includes travel and the private discovery of something no less significant than a new star. On watching a couple from Milan eat a midday meal consisting of a full antipasto platter, risotto, then steaks, she writes, "Those are delicious moments for the traveler--a fine lunch with someone you love, poring over the The Blue Guide and Gambero Rosso, a weekend to explore a new place and each other."
More than anything, Every Day in Tuscany is a book for all travelers, those hungry hearts craving a lesson in living life to the fullest, whether at home or on the road. "It is paradoxical but true," she tells us, "that something that takes you out of yourself also restores you to yourself with a greater freedom.... The excitement of exploration sprang me from a life I knew how to live into a challenging space where I was forced--and overjoyed--to invent each new day."
With Mayes as our luminous North Star, we can navigate our way to a place where--if we are lucky--we will choose the road less-traveled, find our own rugged mountainside, and become part of the landscape, perhaps even find a sense of self, if not a place to call home.
Betty White is hosting Saturday Night Live tonight. Can’t miss this, it’s a once in a lifetime must see….
Welcome
To get started, create a new entry by clicking on “New Entry” in the toolbar or choosing “New Entry” from the File menu. You can also drag files from the Finder in to the Sidebar or the Entries list to import them as an entry. Show the Inspector from the View menu to see settings for the current entry, journal, and document.
What's new in version 5?
I remember when I was in my forties, and my co-workers and I made fun of this lady who is the age I am now, that ate a tuna fish sandwich every single day for lunch. We thought it was absurd.
I was showering yesterday morning, sitting on my shower bench, using my handheld sprayer, and Mollie, as always, was sitting right in front of me. I looked at her, she looked pretty scruffy, so I just scooped her up, plopped her in my lap and gave her a bath with me.
She’s so easy going, she could care less that she was in the shower with me, she just laid in my lap and let me drown her.
It wasn’t like I was sitting in bathwater with her, it was actually pretty efficient. But when you repeat it, it does sound rather strange. I told Marti about it today, and she got this really odd look on her face and then started laughing. Hubby just thinks I’m demented, but hey it worked for Mollie, it worked for me, we both got clean. And Maggie, she was off snoozing in LC'’s chair, or I would have put her in there, too.
Like John always says, “Mom’s the crazy cat woman…. with dogs!!! “
We’re in Nashville for a few days visiting John and Deanna.
You’re looking at a plate of country soul food, catfish, white beans, onions, hush puppies and coleslaw. Oh yeah, it was my lunch at a place called Uncle Buck’s yesterday.
They have a big landscaping project going, 100+ plants to dig holes for today. I’m just going to grab a chair and watch. Works for me…
Hubby had to work last weekend, so Maggie and I went to visit Ryan, Lindsay and Abby. Lindsay dressed her up in her Easter clothes, and we took photos. I know I’m her Grammie, so I’m a little bit biased, but she is just the cutest baby!!!! Click on her pictures for a close up view…
I’ve had the 24 hour ick. It was bad, but I’ll spare you the details. I spent the entire day in bed yesterday with Maggie taking care of me. Well, she did!
She was either laying on top of me or pressed into my side, often getting up, walking around me, and laying back down again. At one point, she got up, put her paw on my cheek and rubbed it, then licked my chin and laid beside me just watching me.
Veronica nailed it when she said once that some dogs are more human than dog. That’s Maggie. Molly was in bed with me, too, she totally ignored me, but not Maggie. And people wonder why I love her so much? It’s not rocket science, people. She’s pretty precious…
Oh, those Designing Women were absolutely delicious. Dixie Carter was the quintessential southern belle, I always enjoyed watching her so much…
Here’s a clip from an interview she did on Bonnie Hunt’s show in December ‘08.
Rest in Peace, classy lady, you left us too soon….
I just couldn’t resist showing this to you. That little devil is sitting on my shoulder this morning… Actually, I’m doing anything to avoid switching out my closet. I have this huge mess in my bedroom, and it’s just not calling my name right now. Know what I mean, Vern?
I was talking to my friend, Trish, this morning. She’s a talented lady, but she doesn’t cook a lot and she doesn’t understand why I do what I do. I’ve always cooked, my mother cooked, my aunts, my grandmothers, it’s totally ingrained into me. I don’t do as much as I once did, John and Deanna are coming this afternoon, we’ll eat out this evening, and tomorrow, so all I’ll cook is Easter brunch, but I did make dessert.
When I was frosting this cake this morning, I pulled out my cake spatula, and had another one of those reality checks. I’ve frosted cakes with this spatula for forty years 
man woman. Some day my family will have a lot of gadgets to sift through, a lot of memories attached to them, also. But since I come from a family of cooks, I’m sure the traditions will live on. It’s a warm fuzzy thought on this gorgeous sunny day.
And Sunday brunch? It’s going to be an adapted recipe of my friend Linda’s recipe from Eating Well, Living Thin, Crustless Asparagus Quiche, Stuffed Banana French Toast from the Neely’s on FoodTV, fresh fruit, strawberries and pineapple, and for John, Orange Julius’s. Yep, it’s the same recipe that they’ve served at the mall all of these years.
I was also thinking about the younger women who read this blog, and I will give you a few suggestions. This old cook has been around the block many times, and I’ve picked up a few good tips.
And now about those recipes. Here they are, enjoy ~ jan
Robert Redford Dessert/Better than Sex/Lemon Lush>>>
Note: I make this in a 8x12 pan, because I like a thicker filling. I also squeeze half of a lemon into the pudding/milk mixture and grate lemon zest on top. Add extra pecans, too – you can never have too many nuts!
Crustless Asparagus Quiche>>>
Note: I changed this just a bit. I cook my bacon, then saute green onions, mushrooms and red peppers in the drippings, drain really well, blot with paper towel. I don’t use nutmeg or onion powder or veggie bacon, I use real bacon, and I bake this in a large Au Gratin dish. Oh, I top this with quite a bit of parmesan cheese, maybe 1/3 cup or so, before it goes into the oven. It’s a great recipe! And so easy!
Stuffed Banana French Toast>>>
Orange Julius
* 6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate, use it right out of the can
* 1 cup milk
* 1 cup water
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 tsp. vanilla extract
* 8-9 ice cubes
1. Combine all ingredients except ice cubes in blender.
2. Blend for about 1-2 minutes, adding ice cubes one at a time.
In the video I posted yesterday, the lady was talking about grieving for what you used to be, and wouldn't you know, something happened just after I watched that video that gave me a total reality check!
I haven't had hair long enough to pull back for years, but it is now, and I was working in the garden and needed a clip to hold it back. I told hubby that I had saved all my hair stuff, it was on the top shelf of my closet. Of course he had to go through every single box, I thought they weren't there, but tucked into the corner were three Victoria Secret boxes stacked on top of each other, I opened them, and there they were, all the cute hair "thingies" that I used to wear. Here is one of the boxes, they were all filled with things I had long forgotten.
It was a sudden rush of memories, to those so called glory years that we’ve all had, and will never have again. All the cute hair stuff that I had then, but could never wear now. Well, first of all nobody wears any kind of scrungie anymore, but even if they did, a sixty year old woman would look pretty silly in most of this stuff. Can’t you just see me in a leather barrette or a leopard scrungie?
I think I have a few boxes of my clothes from my past stored away, but you can darn betcha I'm not going to be looking in those boxes any time soon. I could have just sat and cried! Don't know why it hit me like that, I guess it was that woman talking about grieving for the past. I don't care what anybody says, how enriched our lives are now that we're older, how much smarter we are, blah, blah, blah - looking in the mirror and getting older is a real bitch!
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Daddy cooked Abby’s first meal today. Was it a hit? Ummmmm, not so much. It will be interesting to see what kind of food he will cook for her.
Ryan loves to cook, he’s totally passionate about food, so no doubt, when she’s old enough, bebe Abby will be introduced to all kinds of food flavored wih herbs and spices.
Wonder how that will work out?
I found a recipe for him today, salmon (Lindsay’s favorite, by the way) steamed in the Babycook with new potatoes and asparagus, then pureed. She’s not old enough for this yet, but it won’t be long…
It will be an adventure, feeding this child. I’ll keep you posted…
I’ve harvested a couple of crops of chives, perennials are poking their heads through the ground, Mollie basked in the sun on the patio this afternoon, and then I caught her eating something gawdawful, who knows what it was. She always eats bugs and dirt, Maggie never does that, but Mollie doesn’t have a discriminating palate.
I feel like I’m emerging from a cocoon, I was at Burdette this morning, watching the ducks, visited with Trisher and baby Hayden. Even new babes remind me of springtime.
I have clusters of finches on my feeders, saw my first red winged blackbird of the season, life is good here…
Hooterville sent me the best critter cam, you need to check this out. We saw a groundhog on here yesterday, he fell in the water, climbed out and kept right on eating. Keep a window open, check it thru the day, you will be surprised at what you see. Sometimes the guy that set it up will be on here live, responding to people asking questions, it’s really interesting if you’re a nature lover.
Ang and I have so far resisted making Pioneer Woman’s Murphy’s Hot Hamburgers. Oh my, this is white trash food at it’s finest, and both of us just think it sounds diner perfect. I ran it past Ry, he wasn’t a fan, but his momma sure would like this.
How bad for you can this be – oh, just horrendous, so I haven’t made it, but I will, you know I will.
You want the recipe, sure you do. If anybody gives this a try, would you please fess up and tell me about it.
Here’s the recipe with step-by-step how to, enjoy ladies…>>>
~ jan
Uncle John and Abby are best buddies. Ryan and Lindsay are in Nashville this week, John sent me this picture tonight, I just had to share…
We’ve had a tease for the past few days. I planted onions and chives, then today it was 40 degrees.
So I just switched gears, went out and picked up goodies for Miss Abby’s easter basket. Oh how much fun this is, I remember last year, wondering what this grandchild was going to be.
It’s so much fun having a little one again. I’ve never experienced buying girl stuff, so I’m really enjoying this. Okay, I’ll share, one of the things I bought her were flip-flops. I did, pink flip-flops. Can you imagine that, for a six month old. She may never wear them for more than a picture, but won’t she be the cutest thing with them on her feet.
My mother was big on spring cleaning. Turn the mattresses, drag the braided area rugs out to the clothesline and beat them with some kind of ancient wire rug beater contraption, air the feather pillows, wash windows with vinegar, dry with crumpled newspapers, wash the curtains, starch and iron them, to name just a few things. The woman would get wound up and there was no stopping her. No wonder I’ve never been a fan.
Hubby has built several homes over the years, so that was always a great solution to spring cleaning, just move to a new house. But now that we’ve settled into the condo, it’s been seven years now, and it’s pretty easy breezy to take care of, except for the grout in my stone floors. There’s always “something” to make life a bitch, isn’t there? And those floors that I just had to have because they were made of tumbled limestone with uneven edges and wide grout that looked so wonderful when they were installed have turned into a nightmare. Not everywhere, just in the kitchen and the utility room where they get a lot of traffic. Oh, and under my computer desk in the sunroom. You can imagine how they look underneath where I live my life most days.
The grout is almond color, so that makes the upkeep harder, and it was sealed a couple of times when it was installed, but over the years those areas have turned darker, and because the edges are uneven, we have much wider grout lines than regular installed tile, and it’s a royal pain in the patootie. The solution has been for poor LC to get down on his hands and knees with some nasty smelling caustic cleaner and scrub it with a brush. Not a fun job, trust me.
But back to my story. The cleaner arrives, hubby fires it up this morning, it has a long handle, no stooping over, a scrub brush on the end, it runs for up to 30 minutes before you have to refill the tank, and let me tell you, this thing will rock your world! OMG, the dark tile turned immediately back to almond, with practically no effort. None!!! All you do is stand there and hold the thing and it does the work. Wow, the possibilities are endless. It will blast dirt from the corners of your woodwork that you can’t get to, I’m going to clean my stainless faucet with it, I’m absolutely estatic. Of course he’s the one using the thing, so that makes me even happier! ;0)
Sad, isn’t it, that at this age all you get worked up about is a steam cleaner….
But if you want to part with $100, give it a try, you will be so impressed. It’s not that expensive, and it’s is a goodie! Definitely money well spent, pinkie swear.
~ Jan
My mother loved anything sweet, and she was always baking a cake, angel food, german chocolate, coconut, banana, there was always a cake in her big white tupperware container. And in the 60’s when bundt pans came along, she took it to a new level. Oh, she loved that bundt pan. It was harvest gold, teflon coated, and she thought that thing was awesome.
And one of the best recipes to come out of her kitchen using that bundt pan was her Lemon Supreme Pound Cake. It was so good, and the longer it aged, the better it was. Lindsay loves anything lemon, so I decided to make one for her to see if she liked it, too. I Googled recipes for it online to compare with the one she always used, found an updated version, using more lemon juice, powdered milk, more eggs, and I gave it a try. It was even better than mom’s. *GASP* It really was, the extra lemon juice and the powdered milk gave it great texture and taste, and I grated lemon zest on top of the icing, so it was really puckery with lemon infused flavor. Linds loved it, of course I loved it, LC thought it was good, but just a bit too much lemon for his taste.
I posted the recipe on Jan CAN Cook. Check it out, and if you want a great spring cake, this is the recipe for you. Make it a day ahead, it’s better when it ages. And that Tupperware cake container, well I used a covered glass cake stand for mine, after all, it isn’t just mom’s cake anymore, and that cake stand was so much prettier than the Tupperware….
Yeah, I bought her the hat. No, she would never actually wear it, but it sure is cute for a picture…. Nothing like playing dress-up with your sweet little grandchild…
Grandpa and Grammie are enjoying her so much, and oh, how she's changed in a month. She's curious about everything, watches the M&M's, sits really still and watches you intently when you read her a book, and wants to stand on those little legs all the time. We were watching cartoons on YouTube earlier today, oh she liked that a lot, too! I know, all of you grandmother's are nodding and understanding.
I'm new at this, and I try not to gush, but she's just SO adorable!
Me: “I’ seem to be doing a lot better with my hot flashes.”
Hubby: “Really?”
Me: ‘Yeah, I don’t rip off my nightgown and throw it across the room anymore in the middle of the night, haven’t you noticed?”
Hubby: (after a lengthy pause) “Congratulations, you’re officially an old woman, now.”
I then whacked the old fart over the head with a pillow as hard as I could.
Men Schmen!!!
I’ve got a head cold. LC came home from work sick, and I didn’t dodge the bullet this time. I’ve been pretty miserable, but there is something positive that’s come from it all, so I’ve got to share it with you.
Earlier in the week I started having sinus headaches, really bad ones, nonstop and the further into the week I got, the more they intensified. I was taking all kinds of OTC meds, trying to make it better, and all it was accomplishing was giving me a cotton mouth and making my skin crawl.
By Wednesday I was getting desperate, and decided to put on my big girl panties and use the sinus irrigation that I’ve been talking about. Hubby was using it, yeah, he bellyached about it at first, sputtered and coughed, but if he could do it, surely I could.
So I sucked it up, literally, and took the plunge. And you know what, hubby must be a real wuss, because I didn’t think it was bad at all. If you hold your head over the sink, open your mouth, and exhale when you squirt the solution in your nose, it’s not a biggie at all. I used it Wednesday morning, it helped a little bit, but not much, but I tried it again Wednesday night.
I woke up Thursday morning, feeling gawdawful and thinking “well this is obviously a bunch of hooey, this isn’t working at all.” So I dragged myself out of bed, went online and started reading about sinus irrigation. I read several posts that told me that you had to use it repeatedly for it to work, if you were having severe symptoms, use it 4-6 times a day. It’s not addictive, it doesn’t irritate your membranes, people have done this for a thousand years, and people swear by it.
Okay, I could do this, I decided to do it every two hours. I started using it at 9am, and my headache at that point was a solid 10, it hurt that bad, but by 3pm, using that NeilMad bottle of saline solution every two hours, the headache was down to a 6, and I was starting to drain. I know, it’s a lot of info, but necessary.
By the time I went to bed Thursday night, I had no headache, and was able to sleep. The only medicine I had taken was two Excedrin early in the morning, too. I continue to use it, probably about 4 times a day now, and even though I feel horrible, I have no headache and my head isn’t congested, it’s sore, but I can breathe and I’m pain free. So bottom line is this – if you’re sick, this isn’t going to cure you, but it sure does make your symptoms much better, and you don’t have to fill your body full of synthetic medicine in an attempt to breathe normally and decongest.
Will I use it again? You betcha I will, I’ll use it daily. Especially with spring coming, this will flush all the pollen out of my nose. So, if you have problems with sinus, run, don’t walk to your nearest drugstore and buy this! It’s awesome, pinky swear… ~ jan
Okay, enough of that, now I’m gonna bitch about the Food Network. Ryan and I discuss this all the time, how good it used to be, and how bad it is now. I was watching Paula Deen just now, O-M-G, they’ve tried to turn her into a sex siren, and it just doesn’t work. She’s got on the big wigs, she’s throwing all kinds of sexual innuendoes to her younger male guests, and she looks absolutely silly. And then they trot out her long suffering hubby, Michael, who looks like he would rather be having a tooth pulled than be on that show, and she’s coming on to him, and he’s so uncomfortable he can barely talk. Sheesh!!!! I saw a rerun this week of one of her earlier shows, she was still annoying as hell, but she was at least acting her age…
And then there is Rachel Ray, who is also annoying beyond belief, and ever since the tabloids were full of her husband’s infidelities, they’re doing major damage contorl and have had her talk about him nonstop, like he was the greatest thing since sliced bread, trying to convince all of us what a great husband he is. She used to talk about her pitbull, Izzy, too, but ever since he bit off another dog’s ear in the dog park, she hasn’t mentioned him.
And The Neelys. Oh, baby, baby, baby, they make me just want to barf! That man is no more of a cook than any other ordinary guy, he’s just trotting around in that kitchen, kissing up to her and thinking about all the money they’re raking in. Well, they better save what they make, because I just don’t see them going on to greater things.
Oh, I can’t leave out Giada De Laurentis out of this either. The way she rolls her tongue around all the italian phrases just annoys the beejusus out of me. That girl is such a pain, and I’ve seen her talk down to her mother and her aunt on that show, too. She is so full of herself, I can’t stand to watch her.
Sandra Lee, meh, she’s cute, she’s entertaining, colorful, I can handle her. Not my favorite, but she’s done a lot with what she has to work with.
But I saved the best to last, and it’s not even a rant. I love the Barefoot Contessa, I adore this woman, she’s the only one on that is a true cook, in my opinion. Sure, she talks about her husband, too, but they’ve been married for forty years, so I think she’s entitled. Ina Garten, you’re a rock star, keep up the good work…
And that’s it from here today. I’m going to take my blankie and go back to bed now. Later ‘gators…
I told hubby yesterday that I might get some radish seeds and plant on the patio in my stone planters. His reply was, “Isn’t it too early?”
And I told him that Mother used to throw radish seeds in the garden on top of the snow. Well, guess what, it snowed last night!
So do I, or don’t I plant those seeds? Somehow I’m just not quite in the mood was much today as I was yesterday. I think I’m just rushing the season. Will it really be warm in just a few weeks? It seems so unlikely this morning, with snow on the ground, but it is almost March. So here’s to hopin’…
Now let’s see, what kind of radishes do I want to plant? French? Icicle? So many decisions on such a winter’s day…
She’s a ruffles girl, loves everything girly, so I got her this funky apron. She loved it, took a picture right away and sent it to me. She had a great day, John made her Perfectly Perfect Chocolate Cake from Jan Can Cook archives. Ohhhh, lucky girl, that cake is killer!!!
Happy Birthday, sweet girl. You’re positively adorable!!!
I watched Dr. Rosenthal this morning on FOX. A couple of interesting things he said that I want to share.
Chamomile tea, a great mood enhancer, and muscle relaxer. Drink 3 cups a day instead of taking anxiety drugs.
Breast cancer – if you have had breast cancer, take an aspirin a day, it will greatly diminish your chance of getting it again. If you’ve never had breast cancer, take an aspirin every day, it will reduce your chances of getting it by 50%.
I know this is a lot of detailed information, but the point is, this thing is pretty awesome and you might not know about it either. I always share the good stuff with you, and this is really great! Oh, one other thing, don’t tip your head backwards, the solution will go down your throat, you just hold your head straight, and the solution goes in one nostril and comes out the other. Weird, huh… Quit wrinkling your nose and going, ewwwww, just suck it up, (no pun intended) and do it twice a day! Hey, if you’re congested, you’re miserable, and this will really help, pinkie swear it will…
Buy it, totally inexpensive, just $12, put it in your medicine cabinet, and you’ll have it the next time you get a cold. It comes with a box of the saline solution packets, and you can buy refills of these. And they tell you to use distilled water with it, pick up a jug of it to store, also.
~ jan
NeilMed
© all the latest from Nashville ya'll, AllRightsReserved.
Designed by ScreenWritersArena
