Happy Anniversary to us…

Hubby and I were married 41 years ago today.  He brought me roses, a nice surprise, and yes, there are a dozen, I know you’re counting them, or I would be if I were reading this post.

I know, I don’t have a filter, I ‘m just out there with it.  But I bet you’re giggling.

So far our day is turning out much better than the people celebrating their anniversary on the video I’m posting.

We went to dinner last night to Angelo’s, our favorite Italian restaurant, where my low carbing bit the dust and I managed to inhale almost an entire basket of warm, yeasty, buttery, garlic knot rolls.  Oh, you can only imagine how good these were.

Then I went on to devour half a plate of this spaghetti and meatballs.  I know, I know, I had spaghetti and meatballs.  I almost had scampi with white wine and lemon sauce, but every time I go there and order something different, I’m always sorry I didn’t get spaghetti.  It’s always been my favorite and theirs is always amazing!

LC always gets the same thing, too, chicken cordon bleu in a creamy wine sauce.  Meh, it’s not my thing, I’m a red sauce kinda girl.  I love to post pictures of what I eat, can you tell???  This is kinda blurry, but he’s patiently sitting there while I’m snapping pictures of our food while people are staring at us, and I was trying to hurry!  You have no idea how bright the flash was on my iPhone in that dimly lit restaurant.  Geesh!

Now back to that video.  Carlene sent me this, and it’s hilarious, subtitles and all.  The poor old guy really steps in it, this is so funny…

My Pinterest boards…

I don’t know how many of you check my Pinterest boards, but I have some really neat stuff pinned.  I especially like the craft section, with the techniques for painting and aging wood.  And of course I have a badzillion food pins, and my low carb board is pretty darn awesome, if I do say so myself, and the homes and gardens, oh my...

My friend Jean sent me a link this morning to Martha Stewart’s 10 Top Pins.  Heck, I have her beat, I have lots better pins than hers!

Look at Jan’s 10 Top Pins and see if you don’t agree…

First of all, this is just a snippet of my Pinterest boards.  I have a total of 90 boards, so obviously I can’t show a picture of the entire menu.

And now for my top 10, well how can you really choose, I have so many pins, but these are some I really like.  Each caption under the picture is a hyperlink that will take you to  the specific board.

Favorite Places and Spaces

Things That Make Me Smile

I’m Such an Animal Lover

Snips ‘n Snails & Puppy Dog Tails

Sweets for my Sweet: Pie

Kitchens

Cottages

Libraries and Offices (had to showcase my own bulletin board ;o))

Gardens & Outdoor Spaces

Sugar & Spice & Everything Nice

And there you have it, 10 of my favorite pins.

I would love it if you would follow me on Pinterest.  Here’s a click to get you to my boards.  Spend some time this cloudy, hot Sunday, browse around my different areas, you will be inspired.  Pinky swear you will ;o)

~ Happy Pinning, Jan

Katharine Hepburn, she was the BEST!!!

Now this was a woman, who didn’t admire feisty Kate, she was an 100% American original.

I was going through pictures this morning and came across this one of myself from a couple of years ago.  Notice the resemblance???  Of course you don’t, I don’t have chiseled cheeks, I’m not thin, I look nothing like her, but we both do have on a white turtleneck.  Oh well, a girl can dream can’t she……

Maybe if I make the picture greyscale.  Oh for pete’s sake Jan, give it up!  There is no way that you will ever look like Katharine Hepburn.  Not even a little bit. 

Actually I’m more of a Sally Struthers kinda girl, but with straight hair.  Damn!

Abby’s art class, Grammie just had to share ;o)

A Beach House on the Cornish Coast, heart be STILL!!!!!

I not only want to be here right now, I want to take all of you with me.

I saw this blog post on Hooked on Houses this morning.  You have to click on this link and see the wonderful pictures.  It will transport you to another world and soothe your summer weary soul.

Thanks for posting this, Julia, and now for the fantastic pictures.  Here’s the click…

Pioneer Woman’s Easy Dinner Idea

                                                                 photo reprinted from The Pioneer Woman website

You all know I’m a huge fan of The Pioneer Woman and I shamelessly promote her whenever I can. 

I just found another video in her  Land O’ Lakes Series, and posted it to Jan CAN Cook.  I hope this lady makes a boatload of money from Land O’ Lakes, I love to see corporate America giving money to (extra)ordinary people.

Here’s a quick link to her latest video, and mark your calendars for Saturday August 4th, 9:30 am Central, when her new season premieres on Food Network.

I just finished The Color of Heaven

It’s now 8pm, I sat down at 4pm and started reading this book, and didn’t quit until I finished it.  Yes, I know, I’m a really fast reader, well I am!

Was it good, oh yeah, it was.  It was sad and uplifting, disappointing and hopeful, it was just spectacular, and it was above all else, a tear jerker.

So get out the Kleenex if you decide to read it ladies, it’s a great book!

The Color of Heaven

Once in awhile, a book comes along that takes your breath away and stays with you long after you've finished reading it. THE COLOR OF HEAVEN by E.V.Mitchell is such a book. This is a one-of-a-kind story that will take you back to the thrill and heartache of your first love... to the fears and challenges we all face as we go through life. Mitchell weaves a tale with characters so real that you'll feel their tragedies and victories as if they were your own. You won't want this book to end, but when it does, you'll feel as if you've just spent an unforgettable evening talking with an old friend.

Mitchell is a gifted writer who puts her heart on the page, and in turn, touches the hearts of her readers. THE COLOR OF HEAVEN is one of the best books you will read this year.

Sounds good, doesn’t it.  I’m going to give this a read tonight.  We’ll see if it lives up to the hype…

I wish I had a porch swing…

Doesn’t this picture just invite you to sit awhile, drink some iced tea, do a little bird watching…

We had a front porch with a swing when I was growing up.  There is nothing better in the summertime.  Breakfast on the swing, or a place to read a good book on a lazy afternoon,  but those days are long gone, and I have no where to put one now.  And my memory has grown a bit fuzzy over the years, actually the movement of the swing did make me a bit nauseous, and I never could rock and read, and I didn’t like breakfast as a child either, actually just thinking about eating breakfast on a swing is enough to turn me green, even now. Ugh!  And the one above needs a nice, soft pad, preferably in blue and yellow, a nice french provincial print would be nice, or even better, a cute little retro print of cherries, all done up in red and yellow, oh and it must have a ruffle, I do like ruffles on porch swing pads, they’re so inviting.

But I’m ruining the moment.  Just look at this beauty made from an old door and an old table.  People are so inventive.  I would have done something similar a few years ago, maybe I still would, if I had a place for a swing.  Well, actually poor hubby would be the one making it, I’m sure he’s delighted we have no place to put one. And I would still get nauseous and he wouldn’t be a happy camper, taking the time to make it, and me not being able to sit on it.  So maybe it’s for the best to just dream a little bit…

And I need to give proper credit to the clever person that thought of this idea.  You can read all about this clever beauty at Huckleberry Lane.  Here’s the link…

Oh, when I read about the swing on their website and clicked thru to a duplicate that they are selling, the cost is $975.  NINE HUNDRED SEVENTY FIVE DOLLARS!  Holy Schmoly, that’s a pricey swing!  It is an original though, and I hope they sell it, making it was a lot of work and somebody had a great imagination…

Food and childhood memories…

When I was a little girl, mother’s best friend was a lady named Helen McGuire.  This woman was amazing, I’ve never known anyone else like Helen in my entire life.  There wasn’t a lot of money in her house, but the woman was a genius with stretching a dollar.

We ate at her house often, she served the most wonderful food, things I’ve never forgotten, like her small cubes of fried potatoes, loaded with pepper and fried in bacon drippings.  And her hamburgers, oh I thought she made the most wonderful hamburgers in the world, never knowing that she made them the way she did to stretch the meat, and I adored them.

Why it’s taken me sixty-two years to make mine like hers, I’ll never know, but last night hubby was grilling, I took out probably a generous half pound of ground sirloin to make the burgers, I put them in a bowl, added salt, pepper and Worchestershire sauce, onion and a bit of green pepper, and on a whim, I broke an egg into the mixture.

Well, since I only had used a half a pound of meat, I had a gloppy mess.  So I decided to do what Helen did, I used my Bullet Blender to make crumbs of one large slice of 12 grain bread, I added it to the meat mixture, formed it into two patties and onto the grill it went.

Meanwhile I sauteed mushrooms in butter for the top, and when DH came into the house with those burgers, oh did they bring back memories.  They were brown and crispy from the egg mixture, and the taste was just like Helens.  I’m sure she never used ground sirloin, but the egg gave it moisture so the burgers weren’t dry.

I gave up 10 carbs for that bread in my burger, and it was so worth it.  I’ll be making these again and again. 

I snapped a picture with my phone, oh wow, they tasted just like wonderful childhood memories…

Pioneer Woman, Season 3 is coming…

Saturday, August 4th, at 9:30 am Central, Pioneer Woman’s new season begins on FoodTV.  I know I’ll be watching and recording every show, how about you? 

I have recorded every episode she’s ever done and dear hubby has strict instructions to not delete any of them.  Oh, if he did, it would be World War III around here…

Remember when you went to Grandma’s for Sunday dinner…

No, this isn’t a picture of my family, but it’s the way life is “supposed” to be.  Sunday dinner at Grandmas, with the family gathered ‘round, but life isn’t like that anymore.  Families are scattered to the wind, Grandma is living down at Shady Acres Assisted Living, Sunday family dinners only happen a few times a year if we’re lucky,  and I don’t like it one bit!

I was raised going to Grandma’s for Sunday dinner.  It was wonderful, too.  Roast beef, fried chicken, homemade noodles, tomatoes and string beans fresh from the garden, pies and cakes and a big crock of fresh peaches, cousins to play with, kittens and puppies, all the things that kids love.  And the older I get, the more I long for the simpler times when Sundays like the picture above was a regular occurrence.  I miss screen doors banging, pitchers of sweet tea, the sound of children’s laughter, sitting under shade trees, porch swings, I even miss dusty country roads

I think this weather is just getting to me.  It’s so isolating, I don’t go outside and sit on the patio, evening rides on Milly are not enjoyable, the lawns are dead, the landscaping stressed, and once again we’re going to 104 degrees by Wednesday.

And, I had a fun day planned tomorrow, but that went to hell in a handbasket, too, because of a “commitment”  that I totally forgot about. I don’t like those either.  I’m not liking a lot this Sunday afternoon, Little Miss Merry Sunshine is not in a good mood!  So there, I vented, I feel better!  Well, not really, but a girl’s gotta try…

Fantastic Broccoli Salad

I just posted this recipe on Jan CAN Cook and didn’t want you to miss it.  This one’s a keeper, ladies.  ~ Jan

Here’s the quick link…

Garden pictures in late July…

This hasn’t been the best year for my flowers, despite micro irrigation, the extreme heat is taking it’s toll.  We also had rain last night, so things aren’t as perky as they could be, but it is what it is, so on with the show…

The begonias are doing well, despite the heat.  the window box is flourishing, and when I look at pictures of this battered Adirondack chair, I’m reminded of the stain that is sitting in the garage.  I was going to spruce up my chairs, then it got too hot, I lost interest, maybe next year…

Here’s a closeup of that window box.  I’m a big fan of begonias, they're colorful, they tolerate extreme conditions and best of all, they’re cheap!  You get a lot of bang for your buck with begonias, I’ve spent big money on this window box in past years, and the results were no better than they are with the begonias.

And a few years ago, I was so excited about planting balls of flowers, but the thrill is going, maybe this is the last years for the balls of flowers, and maybe not.  This is not the summer to make any long term decisions about what I want to do in the garden.

I bought this statue of a little boy reading a book years ago.  It’s always been a favorite, it’s battered now, too, but I don’t mind the deterioration of it so much.  It’s old, like yours truly, it’s weathered a lot of storms over the years.  I’m a big fan of asparagus fern as well, but never bring it inside, it always drops needles in the house and it’s more trouble than it’s worth to try and winter it over.

Ryan bought me the wind chimes in the left corner of the above picture when he lived on Whidbey Island.  They tinkle and remind me of him.  It always makes me smile, moms do that, smile when they think of their kids…

This was Mother’s birdhouse and her wind chimes.  This birdhouse is ancient, and the chimes are standing the test of time really well.  I like having some of her things around me, it reminds me of what was important in her life and what she enjoyed.  And the older I get, I find I enjoy a lot of the same.  Who would have thought it…

I got the bright idea this year to plant boxwood in two large pots and surround it by impatiens, actually I think it was my friend, Veronica’s idea.  Well, the impatiens grew really large so you don’t see much of the boxies peeking thru, but they will grow, they’re just slow.  The impatiens are pretty droopy this morning, but they will perk up when they dry off a bit.

Another one of those flower balls.  Okay, so they look pretty good, maybe I will keep them next year after all.  Scarlett will think about it next spring!

The herbs need a haircut.  They are not the beauties they usually are, but the rosemary continues to thrive.  And yes, that’s a pot of rabbit manure in front of Butterbean’s rabbit hutch. The pot was hubby’s idea and rabbit manure is the best fertilizer, after all.  It does help to take it out of the pot and put it around the plants, though. 

And then there are the carrots.  If you have a bunny, you have to plant carrots!

They aren’t very big yet, but bun-bun doesn’t care.  That cwazy wabbit goes bonkers every time I pull one.  Sweet little creature…

And this is the way my garden looks this 27th of July, 2012.  It could look worse, considering the heat we’ve had.

The key to organization is containment….

I really do try to practice what I preach, and anyways, if this doesn’t keep me organized, it sure is cute, faux chocolate brown alligator and leopard print, what’s not to love?  I can never find a pad of paper when I’m at the computer, so hopefully this will help and I do love that lining, and I have a matching file box.

Oh, I’m such a cheap date.  $12.99 (TJ Maxx) and I’m a happy girl….

100 year-old Idaho woman on Jay Leno Show

If you need a giggle this morning, give this lady a watch.  She’s not the Fruitcake Lady, there will never be another Fruitcake Lady, but this one is just precious, too.

Her mannerisms remind me so much of my mother, thanks for sending Carlene.  This is a treasure.

Here’s the link…

Whaddya mean there’s no internet?

We’ve had issues for about a month now, intermittent signal, annoying as heck, too!  My neighbor Marti has same ISP as we do, I call her, she always has a connection.  Soooooo, I finally gave it in and called for a technician to come check the lines.

Now, I hate worse than anything, for these guys who have barely started shaving, to come to the house.  This one was a bit older, I’ve had worse, some of them are cocky, too, probably trying to appear knowledgeable so that people won’t notice that they just started shaving.  But anyhoo, this one said we have too much voltage coming into the house.  Too much voltage?  Now that’s a new twist, I haven’t heard this one before.

But the fact that he had to call his supervisor to confirm that this was the problem leaves me a bit skeptical as to how much he really know.  And he spent a lot of time in his truck, I figure that he was probably Googling for answers.  Nevertheless, he took away half our voltage, and for now I’m up and running.

But like I said, it’s intermittent, it may work today and not tomorrow.  He said the hot weather was affecting the cable.  Duh, it’s buried.

But what do I know, I just sit here, looking at the outdoor thermostat, and day after day it  says 99, 100, 101, you know the story, yours does too.  I can’t wait for November, surely it will cool off by then!

Houzz, the best thing I’ve found since Pinterest

If you love decorating, or just looking at beautiful houses, this site is for you!!!!!

Okay ladies, I always share my finds, well actually I didn’t find this one, my friend, Nisha, told me about it, but you all will just love this.

It’s pictures, thousands and thousands of pictures of beautiful rooms like the one above.  There are interior rooms, exterior shots, gardens, all styles of homes, it’s a decorator’s dream.  And the kids rooms are amazing!

For instance, I’m looking at kitchen photos right now,  and they have 98,135 kitchen design photos.   No, that’s not a typo, they have ninety.eight.thousand kitchen photos. You can filter by style if you want, or browse all of the pictures.  You can drill down and just look at breakfast nooks or islands or cabinetry, and much, much more.

I found this picture above by going to the kitchens area, and in the search box I typed, in quotes, “country kitchens” and started browsing.  I saw this picture and I’m like, oh, I love that mural over the stove.  *sigh* a girl’s gotta dream, and I do love roosters!  You can spend hours and hours on this site.  In fact, you will probably be wishing that Jan had never shown you this.  ;o)

After you register with their site, login and then you create your own ideabooks with the photos you like.  I even found a kitchen gadgets area, and of course I was all over that like a hot potato!

So go to houzz.com, sign up and start having fun.  If you have an iPad, there is an app you can download.

Prepare to be amazed at the selections.

~ sez jan gushing at the sheer magnitude of beautifulness…