Film vs. Digital, a little giggle for you this afternoon..

This is so true.  I remember back in the day, when I got ready to take pictures of Ryan's high school graduation, his 8th grade graduation pictures were still in the camera, same roll of film.

Now we take thousands of pictures, which we never develop.  Are mine organized?  Oh heck no, they're strung out all over the computer and backed up on multiple external hard drives .  I remember a few years ago when I got my MAC, I was so excited about iPhoto and face recognition.  Well, that lasted about a week, and I gave up on tagging all those pictures.  And I think at this point, the number of pictures i have is so overwhelming that they will never be organized into any type of albums.  

I suppose when I'm pushing up daisies and the kids are going through my things, they will have to figure it out.  Somehow, I doubt that it will endear them to me, but that's just the way the cookie crumbles.

It's too mind boggling to even attempt figure it all out, so Scarlett will just let the family go for it!  Let's see, I'm sixty-three now, so if I live another twenty or twenty-five years, that's gonna be a whole lotta pictures.  Forget the endearing, they are going to hate me!  

But they will go through them, because by then they will want to see what they looked like all those years ago.  Sucks to be them, huh...

And remember, no matter how much we dislike having our pictures taken, we will never look better than we do right now.  I look back at pictures of myself from five or ten years ago that I thought were terrible at the time and now I think they don't look so bad.  ;o)

That Cwazy Wabbit Strikes Again!!!

 

Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes our way
Born to be wild
Born to be wild

I go out on the patio this morning, it's warm today in Heavensville, 64 degrees at noon, Maggie was trotting behind me, anxious to do her business.  I look straight ahead, and there sat Butterbean on top of the waterfall.  He's just sitting up there looking at me.  I look over, one of the doors to his hutch was open, "apparently" hubby hadn't locked it properly yesterday, so who knows how long the little scamp had been running free.

I was in a panic, because even though the patio is enclosed with a fence,  I'm always afraid he will jump off the back of the waterfall to freedom, but apparently he has no desire to do so.  I'm  yelling for hubby, he comes out and the chase begins.  Round and round they go, with Butterbean zooming from one end of the patio to the other.  He's in the shrubs, he's under the shrubs, he's behind the tree, and all the time I'm thinking...

"Run, run, as fast as you can. 
You can't catch me! 
I'm the Gingerbread Man!

He stops long enough to say hi to Maggie.  They're sniffing noses, she gets bored with him, he follows her for a bit, and then he's off again.  I get the bright idea to drag out Petunia's (John and Deanna's bunny) cage, put some alfalfa and a carrot in it, in hopes of luring him inside so that we can shut the door on him, but oh no, he didn't want any part of that.  He stood on his hind legs, sniffed the outside of it, and then he was off to the races yet again.

By now LC is getting frustrated, and I'm reminding him that it's his fault that Bun-Bun is loose in the first place, so he hangs in there.  And finally, finally Butterbean is tired of the chase, and thinking his home sweet home is looking pretty good, after all there is a heated pad to lay on, fresh water, rabbit chow, alfalfa, he has all the amenities, so he "allowed" a frazzled LC to pick him up.

He put him in his cage, gave him his carrot, and now he's happily munching away.

Where is my camera when I need it?????   Where??????

Louise DuArt, the woman is amazing!

I just saw Louise DuArt do this impersonation on Home and Family.  The woman is brilliant, just watch this!

The flu is scaring the beejusus outta me….

I don't do flu shots, I just don't!  But, I'm changing my mind and hot footing it down to the pharmacy to get one.  The media has me in a panic, then this morning I read on Facebook where one of my friends spend four hours last night in the ER with the flu, one of her friends commented that they had been to the ER with it as well, that was enough for me!

I'm just going to suck it up and do it!   How about you, have you had yours????

So profound ;o)

Who's superior, dogs or cats?

 

Highly debatable, and I'm highly prejudiced, but dogs are, if not superior, at least cleaner.  Dogs don't use a litter pan and then jump on your kitchen cabinets.  Eewwwwww!!!!!

Flu Symptoms

The flu season is in full swing, and frankly, it scares the beejusus outta me.  I don't want to be sick!  It takes me FOREVER to recover now that I've gotten old(er).

So I'm online, reading, and find the following information.  Looks like if I develop symptoms, yours truly is going to be hotfooting it to the convenient care clinic ASAP!

Seasonal flu is a contagious respiratory infection caused by different flu viruses.  It's important to understand flu symptoms so you can seek immediate treatment, especially if you have a chronic medical condition.

The earlier you recognize that you have the flu can also make a difference in how long it lasts. Prescription medications called antiviral drugs -- Relenza and Tamiflu -- are most effective when given within 48 hours of the onset of flu symptoms. These flu drugs are effective against the typical strains of seasonal flu.

Always dreaming….

 

When it's summer, it's hot, I dream of fall.  Then I'm tired of fall and dream of winter.  Now I'm tired of snow and dreaming of spring. We had a taste of it today, sunny temps, out and about on Milly with the Maggin Waggin.  

In case you're interested, spring begins at 7:02AM, on March 20th.  That's not very long….

Life is good...

Downtown Abbey: 5 Best Moments from season 3 Premiere

 

It's back!  The best television, possibly ever.  Oh, it was delightful last night, I enjoyed all of it, it's so witty, so well scripted, those Brits sure know how to do it right.

If you  missed it, you can read all about the best moments here.

Why maybe it's not such a great idea to wax your eyebrows yourself...

Now, I've been waxing my eyebrows for years with pretty good results.  I heat the wax in the wave, put on a blob with a q-tip, let it set, rip it off.  It works pretty good, not perfect, but good.  Well, once I did rip out a chunk of skin, but I won't go there. *blush*

So, me, being me, decided that I could do a "better" job if I used those little cloth strips.  So I trudge to Sally's, bought the  strips, come home and Friday I decided to give it a try.  Well, let's just say that every.single.time I do something like this, who appears magically in my bathroom??????  Hubby, yes, hubby!!!!!!!

It's like he has some kind of radar, the man will watch westerns in the den for hours, i never see him, and as soon as I start to do something like this, he shows up!  And I don't particularly like him hanging around when I do these "procedures" as he is usually full of advice, albeit, good advice, but not something I particularly need at the moment, and he makes me nervous as hell!

But before he arrived,  I had waxed my right eyebrow, then stuck the strip into the wax, now you can imagine what I looked like, bad, really bad, and just as I was putting  the q-tip to my left eyebrow, here  he comes.  Oh crap!  I saw him, got rattled, stopped midair with the q-tip in my hand and a big blop of wax dripped onto my eyelash and cheek.  "What happened," he said.  Arrughhhhhh, "it's no biggie" I told him, but this was what I didn't need at the moment,  hot wax on my face, and in my eyelashes.   Now I'm really rattled, and he continues to stand there, so when I put the wax under my brow, somehow some of it slid up, don't ask me how it slid up, I haven't a clue, onto my eyebrow.

By now I'm starting to get frantic, because I know that I have a major problem, so I go ahead and stick on that other piece of cloth, look up at him with those strips hanging over my eyes and shoo him out of there as fast as I can.

Now I go to work.  I was able to rip the wax off of my cheek, but it's attached firmly to my eyelashes, which are sparse anyway, so I take oil, and try to massage it out.  It worked pretty good, I didn't lose too many eyelashes, but the eyebrow was a whole other ballgame.

There was this big old blob of wax that wasn't going to come out with oil, no way, no how, and I was forced to peel it off, and of course all the hair on the side of my eyebrow came off with the wax, and now I'm left with half an eyebrow.

Geezy Pete, what a mess!  I was on the fence as to whether I should just put the wax on the other brow, peel it off to even them up, and just use eyebrow pencil to shape them, but there is nothing worse than an old(er) woman with penciled in eyebrows in a thin line.  Sooooooooo, I'm I'm applying my soft brown MAC eyeshadow with my angle brush, recreating the eyebrow, and thinking that as old as I am, the damn thing probably won't even grow back in.  You know how it is, at our age, hair only grows where we don't want it. =o(

Thank gawd for bangs.  Mine are long, and I'm sure as heck not getting them cut anytime soon.

It was all hubby's fault, it was.  He rattled me.  MEN SCHMEN!!!

When he's smilin' the whole world smiles with him...

 

 

Ben's almost five months old now.  What a little cutey patootie he is...

Your morning giggle...

 

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Let the Good Times Roll...

Just following Pioneer Woman's herd….

Ree blogged this morning about how wonderful WoodWick candles are, but what sold me was the fact that they crackle when they burn.

I may just have to order this Applewood fragrance from Amazon, it's totally ringing my chimes.  I would love this burning in my sunroom.

Amazon.com: Woodwick Candle Applewood Medium Jar: Home & Kitchen

Here's their homepage, they had a huge variety.

WoodWick Candles and Diffusers, Best Prices and Free Shipping

Maxine, how about a smile this morning...

A man left his bike chained to a tree when he left for WWI in 1914

 Sadly, he never came back...
 

 

What an amazing picture this is.  My friend, Roxie, posted this to her Facebook wall this morning, I had to share.

 

Kids and pets...

 

I snagged this picture from Facebook. Doesn't it make you feel good, just looking at it? What an adorable pair these two are...

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What is my problem?

I couldn't wait for cold weather and snow, now I can't wait for spring.  Is it human nature to be dissatisfied, or is it just me.  Jeez Louise, I don't have a chance in hell of a garden like this anyway.  I snagged this picture online, it's Susan Branch's garden, complete with a picket fence, one of my favorite things in life.  Isn't it wonderful?

It's a sunny day, temps in the low 20's.  I just may go for a ride on Milly after while, since hubby put her winter cover on.  That should at least be invigorating.  Ya think?

Happy New Year

'Twas the month after Christmas and all through the house, nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.

The cookies I'd nibbled, the fudge I did taste, all the holiday parties had gone to my waist.

When I got on the scales there arose such a number! When I walked to the store (less walk than a lumber)

I remembered the marvelous meals I'd prepared, the gravies and sauces and beef nicely rare.

The pies and the cakes, the bread and the cheese, and the way I never said "no thank you please".

As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt, and prepared once again to do battle with dirt, i said to myself as only I can "you can't spend the winter disguised as a man!"

So away with the last of the sour cream dip, get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip.

Every last bit of food that I like must be banished, till all the additional ounces have vanished.

I won't have a cookie, not even a lick, ill want only to chew on a long celery stick.
I won't have hot biscuits, or corn bread or pie, ill much on a carrot and quietly cry.

I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore, but isn't that what January is for?

Unable to giggle, no longer a riot... Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!

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Well, my New Years Eve was a disaster...

Holy Schmoly, nothing worked the way it should have yesterday.  I spent forever in the kitchen, made a cheese dip in the afternoon, we didn't enjoy it, neither one of us enjoyed the Country Club Chicken, the bananas were too green in the banana pudding, it just didn't do it either, and we couldn't find anything good on Netflix, we watched a horrid movie, fell asleep in the second one, gave up and went to bed at 9pm.

This will be a better day, this has to be a better day!!!!!!

And don't worry, I'm not going to bore you with a recap of last year.  I hate those, too.  Been there, done that, time to move on. 

♫♪Move 'em on, hit 'em up, hit 'em up, move 'em on
Move 'em on, hit 'em up, Rawhide Cut 'em out, ride 'em in, ride 'em im,

let 'em out, cut 'im out, Ride on in, Rawhide!

H'yah! H'yah ♫♪

 

Black-Eyed Peas for New Years Day

If you’re one of those people who makes black-eyed peas on New Years Day, I have a wonderful recipe for you.  My neighbor, the one with the fantastic German Potato Salad recipe, makes this every year, and it’s a fabulous dish!

2 cans black-eyed peas, I drain and rinse for a more subtle flavor
2 cans italian stewed tomatoes 
1 lb. sweet italian sausage, with casing removed 
1 large onion 
2 tablespoons of italian seasoning 
1 teaspoon of oregano, if desired

Brown onion and sausage, drain, crumble and dump all in a crockpot, simmer on high for 3-4 hours, meanwhile cook a cup or so of pasta, any small pasta will work and stir it in at the end.  
This is so good, and so easy….

Enjoy and Happy New Year

My day so far...

I was going to lunch with a girlfriend, I was!

Hubby and I were going to Angelo's, our favorite Italian restaurant for dinner tonight and then to a movie, we were!

Instead, I woke up this morning with a Tri-State Boomer of a headache and legs aching, due to the latest front coming in.  So much for girl's lunch out.  And rain/sleet/freezing rain is forecasted for this afternoon, so much for going to Angelo's, I had to cancel our reservation.  And there was el zilcho that I wanted to see at the movie anyway, I was all excited to see Quartet with Maggie Smith, but they've backed the opening until January 13th.

We had to rethink our New Years eve, which meant eating in and cooking, so we had to go to the grocery store, so despite the fact that I felt like el crappola, we trudged out in the weather this morning, hubby maneuvering me thru the ice patches on the driveway to get to the car.  The SUV has to sit out because Tootie is in the garage, heaven forbid Tootie sits out in the weather, and the golf cart is in the garage, as well,  no room for two cars.

 And, in an attempt to make me feel better, LC did take me to the Donut Bank for a maple pecan roll and a cup of the best coffee in Heavensville.  

The Donut Bank was packed this morning, and it's always interesting to people watch.  I sipped my coffee, ate my yummy roll while sitting at a window table watching the flag blow in the wind, the snow swirling around, and for awhile, life was good.  But, alas, it was a temporary fix, the sugar rush was gone by the time we got to the grocery store, where the entire population of Heavensville had congregated.  By the time we had waded through the aisles and checked out, my Tri-State Boomer, which was bad before, was now attacking me with a vengeance.

Now I'm home, not leaving either.  I ingested massive amounts of caffeine and Excedrin in order to soothe my aching body and throbbing head, which will no doubt result in the jitters.  But we do have a nice dinner planned, Country Club Chicken, which my friend Barb made recently and loved, a green salad, baby peas and a loaf of french bread to bake.  And dessert?  What we didn't get for Christmas, because we had to leave Ryan's early due to the weather, a comfort dessert we both love, homemade, warm banana pudding.

And that's my day so far.

Hope yours is going better than mine. 

~ Whiney Jan

Emma and her Mustang, Cinnamon

This is the most adorable video I’ve seen in a long time.  Little Emma is absolutely precious, and the horse is so gentle with her. 

I snagged it from FaceBook and had to reduce the size so that it would fit on my main stage, so the quality isn’t the best, but I couldn’t find a copy of it on YouTube.  Emma is SO sweet, she reminds me so much of our Abby at that age….

How about a giggle today..

With the Holidays upon us I would like to share a personal experience with my friends about drinking and driving.

As you may know some of us have been known to have brushes with the authorities from time to time on the way home after a "social session" out with friends.

Well, two days ago I was out for an evening with friends and had several cocktails followed by some rather nice red wine.

Feeling jolly I still had the sense to know that I may be slightly over the limit.

 

That's when I did something that I've never done before - I took a taxi home.

Sure enough on the way home there was a police road block, but since it was a taxi they waved it past. I arrived home safely without incident.

 

This was a real surprise as I had never driven a taxi before; I don't know where I got it and now that it's in my garage I don't know what to do with it.

 

Happy New Year.......

Auntie Em's Oatmeal Cookies, the BEST!!!!!!!

Now, I consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur of Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.  They've always been my favorite, and I've tried many recipes over the years, searching for the "perfect" cookie.  Is this it?  Well, maybe it's not perfect, but it's pretty darned close, these are the best I've ever made.  I've had the recipe for Auntie Em's Oatmeal Cookies on Jan CAN cook for a couple of years, but I never had wheat germ to make them, and I was a little skeptical, after all, wheat germ is "healthy." ;o)

So yesterday, hubby was at the store, and I had him pick me up a package of wheat germ, and I made a batch of these cookies.  I made them exactly like the recipe said, with cinnamon and golden raisins, and scooping out 1/4 cup measured amounts on my Silopat Baking Sheet.  I only put six on a sheet as they spread, you will want to leave quite a bit of room between cookies.   I took them out of the oven, they looked good, they tasted great, but cold oatmeal cookies are the true test.  I don't like them hard and flat, I want them to be chewy, yet crisp, and these were all of the above.  They aren't puffy and cake like, they are a crisp oatmeal cookie around the edge with a perfect chewy center.

So, if you're an afficiado like moi when it comes to oatmeal cookies, don't take my word for it, buy yourself some wheat germ and golden raisins and bake them for yourself.

The only thing I did differently was bake them for 18 minutes, 14 minutes wasn't enough in my oven.  It makes  a huge amount, my dough is in the fridge, waiting to bake when we want them, I'll probably put some on a cookie sheet pop them in the freezer to firm and then bag them in the freezer for later use.

Four stars on this one, ladies.  Here's the quick link.

 

 

 

 

 

Boar's Head Chipolte Chicken Breast

If you haven't tried this, you're in for a treat!  The guys picked this up at the Kroger Deli over Christmas. I requested mesquite chicken breast, they came home with Boar's Head Chipolte Chicken instead, and the wow factor was off the charts.  Okay, so that's a bit much, but it was absolutely yummy!

This morning I opened a Hungry Girl Newsletter, seems like I'm not the only fan, it was her #2 pick of best new foods for 2012.  Oh, did I mention that 2 ounces of this deliciousness is only 60 calories.

Boar's Head rocks, a little pricey, but a whole pound of this is cheaper than a couple of burgers and fries at Mickey D's, and a lot healthier for you.

You can email and thank me after you've tried this. ;o)

~ Jan

Note:  Here's what Hungry Girl had to say about it...

Boar's Head Chipotle Chicken Breast

2 oz.: 60 calories, 1g fat, 420mg sodium, 1g carbs, 0g fiber, 0g sugars, 13g protein -- PointsPlus® value 2*

NEWSFLASH! If you skip the supermarket deli counter and head right to the prepackaged meats, you're missing out, BIGTIME. Exhibit A: this zesty seasoned chicken!!! Boar's Head reliably makes some of the best sliced meats around, and this is a recent favorite. So delicious and truly unique... Basic turkey slices are jealous. Pick some up, and devour it. It'll likely become a staple in your lives, as it has in ours!

Baby, it’s cold outside!!!!!

We came home Christmas afternoon from Lexington, as there were blizzard warnings for Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. We had eleven inches here in Heavensville, it’s pretty, but I’m ready for it to melt now.  The kids were adorable, Abby was so excited opening her presents, it was a wonderful Christmas, hope yours was, too…

Hot fudge from the Dairy Queen

 

When the boys were little we would buy gallon tins of hot fudge from the Dairy Queen. It was a family favorite, especially for Grandma, who would eat spoons of it straight from the tin, she would also put in her coffee, she was positive gleeful when she found it in our fridge.

So, we decided to surprise the family with hot fudge from the DQ, but it no longer comes in a tin, now you buy it in a large plastic pouch.

It was a huge hit and brought back wonderful memories, the guys are in the kitchen now dishing up Hot Fudge Sundaes and Amish Sugar Cookies...

 

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The Magic of Belle Island

This is a little gem of a movie that I watched on Netflix last night.  Morgan Freeman is as smooth as slow running molasses, his co-star, Virginia Madsen’s acting was a bit stilted, but  little nine year old Emma Fuhmann stole the show.

It was such a good storyline, and worth your time just to watch Morgan Freeman.  If you’re a Netflix subscriber, put this one in your queue.  It’s really good…

Christmas Carols, Kids Gospel Quartet

 

This is so funny, the little black kid is hilarious!!!!  Just what we need tonight, a smile!

Maggie Moo aka...

 

I was just checking Pioneer Woman's blog and she had just posted an entry about her dog Charlie's nicknames.  And since I'm such a Pioneer Woman groupie, and short on time this morning, Dorothy's  going to follow down the yellow brick road and do the same with Maggie.

The first picture is baby Maggie at four months, the second is one of my favorites of her all wrapped up in my hoodie, just look at that face!!!!

And now for her nicknames, because like Ree, I seldom call her by her real name, why do that when there are so many choices.  And her real name?  Margaret MooLatte, aka Maggie Moo, however, she also goes by...

* Maggin Waggin'
* Horse Feathers
* Punky Brewster 
* Snookums
* Shake 'n Bake
* Punkin Pot
* Majjin Wajjin* 
* Maga-Mooooooo, Dog of my Dreams 

And my favorite of all, "Little Dog Child"

That's a lot of names to give such a small dog. 

That is all...

 

It won't be long now...

Parfum and old women...

There is nothing in this world worse than heavy, sweet overpowering cologne, even worse when it's on an old women.  

I was in line today behind this lady that had on the most obnoxious, heaviest, cloying perfume ,  the smell was so overpowering it was nauseating.  It took me back to when I was a little girl and mother always wore Tabu, the most gawdawful perfume known to (wo)man.  I remember getting so car sick, especially in the winter when she would have the heater on full blast, that horrid  Tabu would just permeate the entire interior of the car and I would turn positively green!

Why do you always notice all of these heavy scents on old(er) women?  Is it because they've worn the same fragrance for years and years and haven't changed with the time?  All of the old perfume houses still sell the fragrances that were popular back in the day, but times have changed, perfumes have gotten lighter, they aren't overpowering like in the old days.  

Thank goodness for daughters-in-law who buy me trendy scents.  But even if they didn't, I wouldn't wear the heavy stuff.  Okay, one exception, I've always loved Chanel No. 5, but I haven't worn it in years, I wonder if I would even still like it.

I remember in the 90's, I was such a fan of Giorgio and Red, then came the new millennium and I transitioned to Calvin Klein and Clinique Happy.  And these days I'm enjoying Marc Jacobs, Daisy, a fragrance that Lindsay bought me last year.

So if you're stuck in a time warp with your fragrance, maybe it's time to rethink it, the person behind you in line will be so grateful.  

 

Our little “Elf on a Shelf”

 

I thought you might enjoy a smile this morning, Lindsay dubbed this picture, our very own “Elf on a Shelf”

All I want for Christmas is Seinfeld…

This one of my favorite pictures of baby Abby.  This little horse goes to bed with her every night, he’s ragged and worn now, he’s been her best friend for three years now,  and his name is Seinfeld.  When Abby is asked what she wants for Christmas this year, she says, “I want a new Seinfeld that is bright and sparkly.”

And so the search began, Seinfeld is actually a Carter’s Just One Year Plush Pony Horse with a Pink Saddle, and he’s been discontinued.  But I found one on eBay for the “bargain” price of $39, and of course her Daddy ordered it right away, he was just happy to find one.   I asked her what else she wanted Santa to bring her and she said, “That’s all I want, Grammie, Seinfield is enough for me.”

Oh, sweet little Granddaughter, are you ever in for an awakening on Christmas morning.  I can’t wait for her to open her presents, she is going to be so excited, but I suspect that her “bright and sparkly” Seinfeld will be her favorite gift of all.

Christmas through a child’s eyes, it’s pure magic…

Note:  I should add that Abby is not actually staring at the horse, she’s staring at the television in this picture, and guess what she’s watching?  Seinfield, thus the name.  Just wanted to clear that up. 

I Think You Might Like It, Olivia Newton John & John Travolta

No, I don’t actually like it, that’s the name of the video.  They reunited to make this video for charity, which is always a good thing, but as for the video itself, ummmmm, lets just say that you can’t really go home again.  His goatee and spray painted looking hair just aren’t cutting it.  She was always a pretty lady, still is.  Guess I’m jut not much of a Travolta fan in light of all the gay bath house allegations that have surfaced this past year.  I do like the car, however, it’s the original version of my  Tootie…

Always a critic, Jan, always a critic, but don’t take my word for it, give it a watch and see what you think.  The reviews have not been kind….

Older Women, has our time passed?

Oh, I hope not, but I have to wonder. 

Martha Stewart is seventy-one years old now, network television cancelled her show a few years ago, then she went to Hallmark, which was a huge deal, she had several hours of programming daily, but they cancelled her, as well.  Even Oprah, who a few years ago could do no wrong, has lost her luster now that she's fifty-eight years old.  Obviously, television audiences aren't interested in senior women and the ratings just aren't there to support them.  Never mind that older women in all walks of life have so much knowledge, it's sad that it isn't always recognized,  there is so much that could be contributed.  

One of my favorite celebrities, Cristina Ferrare is back on the Hallmark Channel, co-hosting Home & Family.  She's still beautiful at sixty-two, and has so much to offer, I hope that Hallmark realizes what a jewel the woman is and takes good care of her. 

I'm in my  sixties, and I'm fascinated with women in their eighties and nineties.  They are a wealth of information, they're witty and fun, and I respect their knowledge and their ability to live in the moment, I learn so much from them.  But perhaps it took age and wisdom of my own for me to appreciate them.   I don't see the years on their faces and bodies,  I look past that that and see what's inside.

Oh, older women could make this world a better place, given the chance, but of course that isn't going to be, so we just observe, and understand, far more than we sometimes are given credit for.

Just some provoking thoughts for you this sunny Tuesday afternoon.  

The best Christmas dinner…

I’ve made beef tenderloin with mushroom wine sauce for years.  Ryan is making it for Christmas this year, he couldn’t find his recipe, I found it and posted it on Jan CAN Cook, so we’ll always have it.

If you’re looking for something really special, this is it ladies.  You don’t have to use a whole beef tenderloin, you can marinade steaks and bake them in this sauce.

Here’s the quick link for you.  You won’t go wrong with this, it’s wonderful.

Last Minute Christmas Presents…

If we weren’t limiting our gifts this year, my daughters-in-law would so be getting earrings from Stella & Dot.  But, sadly, I’m already over my limit, so I have to pass on this idea, but perhaps some of you are still scrambling for girl gift ideas.

They’re on eBay for great prices – here’s a link to the earring section

And here’s a link to their overall selections

And if you’re old(er) like Moi, you may not be familiar with Stella & Dot.  It’s a very trendy line of jewelry, lots of celebrities wear their line, they have really pretty things, really pretty things…

Darn those spending  limits anyway    Maybe next year, girls 

Jan’s Little Makeup Tip…

I love, love, love, Revlon ColorStay Makeup for Combination/Oily Skin.  My daughter-in-law, Deanna, introduced it to me a few years ago, it doesn’t wear off, you don’t get a shiny forehead, the price is right, it’s such a good deal.  You have to be careful when you buy it, though, because some of them now say 24 Hour on the top of the lid.  That’s not the right one, the one we like looks just like this picture.

So anyway, I’m putting on my makeup, realizing, once again, that I had forgotten to buy  my  (Fresh Beige) base, my bottle is empty, I’m pounding it against the palm of my hand, and of course, nothing is coming out!

It’s just one of those mornings, but then I had a Christmas Miracle.  My brain actually engaged!!!  Quick, before I forgot what the miracle was, I grabbed my blow dryer, aimed that sucker at the the bottom of the bottle still upside in my palm and blasted it!  Sure enough, it started to drip, drip, drip, the last traces of the elusive liquid puddled in my palm.

I was estatatic!  Why had I never thought of this before?  And WHY didn’t I pick up a new bottle while I was out this afternoon. Why????????