Tiger ears are part of her identity? Just when you think you’ve heard it all…

Dear Margo: A friend of my husband is getting married. I barely know the man, and I’ve met the intended bride twice. A verbal invitation was extended to both of us. Oh, by the way, the bride requested that I not wear my ears to the wedding.

Several years ago, my husband bought me a headband with little tiger ears on it. Ever since he put it on me, I’ve worn my ears everywhere, including to two weddings and a funeral. I’ve made them a part of my identity — my personal trademark, if you will. Going anywhere without my ears makes me feel self-conscious and only partially dressed.

My initial reaction was to wear the ears anyway, but then I realized I am not exactly obligated to attend the wedding. I’m not close to the bride or groom, but my husband considers the groom to be a good friend; the invitation included me out of common courtesy. Perhaps I should keep my sulky, uncooperative self at home, even though my husband would prefer I suck it up and go. I have some months to think about it. What’s your take? — M.R.S.

Dear M.: Maybe you and I are on the same wavelength, or maybe we’re both nuts, but I think your trademark ears are a hoot. And who doesn’t love individuality — besides the bride? Seeing as how you wear them everywhere, I wouldn’t dream of suggesting you leave them at home for the upcoming nuptials. (Do go, by the way.)

Odd of the bride to suggest what you wear and what you leave home, but let’s assume she will be so engrossed in the festivities that she will not notice. And to be realistic: Little tiger ears are much less attention-getting than big, floppy bunny ears. At least with your little tiger ears, no one can say you are celebrating Halloween early or reliving your days as a waitress at a Playboy club. — Margo, individually

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Dear Margo is written by Margo Howard, Ann Landers’ daughter.

Fall, FINALLY!!!!

The leaves are swirling, the days are shorter and the nights cooler.  My maple tree’s are showing their color and I’m thrilled that my favorite time of year has finally arrived.

I’ve got beans in the pressure cooker, brown rice in the steamer, it’s just that kind of day.  Now if I had cider and donuts for an afternoon snack, life would be perfect.

I just put a recipe for Spiced Cider on Jan CAN Cook.  If you don’t visit me regularly at this site, I’m pretty active, posting recipes frequently, you might want to check me out.  The recipe for Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding I put up yesterday looks killer!

~ jan

Here’s the click>>>

Senior Citizens are really funny!!!

I was all ready to leave and run errands, but decided to watch a video my friend, Mary, had sent me first.

Well, by the time it was over, I had laughed until I cried, my makeup is smeared, I now have to do a touch up before I leave the house.

This is a hoot!  It takes a couple of minutes to get into it, but it’s so darned funny!  Unfortunately, I’m starting to see a lot of myself in this lady…

~ jan

Maybe I’m a little bit smarter….

When we know better, we do better ~ Maya Angelou

Remember last spring when it was time to switch out my closets?  I had such a mess, my bedroom was a disaster for days weeks, I couldn’t get it together, ended up having a meltdown in the middle of my bed, crying and asking hubby to help me because I was completely overwhelmed.  Law-dee, I don’t want a repeat of that fiasco this fall.

But once again, it’s that time, all of my winter clothes are sitting in the garage in their crates, waiting for me to be overwhelmed once again.  I should just take a deep breath and get rid of a lot of stuff.  But, oh no, on the off chance that I might somehow lose enough weight to wear those clothes that will be hopelessly dated if I ever accomplish it, which I won’t, I hang on to everything.

Knowing what was ahead of me, I asked hubby yesterday, “If I make you an apple pie, will you help me switch out my clothes?”  Well, that was the right question, and LC, always the negotiator said, “do I get that pie today?”  But I’ve learned a thing or two myself, and told him, “nope, first we switch the closet, then you get the pie.”

I just may be on to something here. Bribery, blatant bribery.  No more tears for me, nope, no siree, I’ve got help and Pillsbury Pie Crust, that pie will be easy peasy…

I need to get a life….

You know, when it takes you a half an hour to decide what pin number to make your debit card, you have serious issues.

Well, that was me today, and I finally decided, but I don’t really like those numbers so I’m going to change them.

Jeez Louise, this is crazy.  Ummmm, consider the source!

Five things I can’t live without

That’s the key word here, “things.”  It’s not family, or sweet bebe Abby, or girlfriends, or my precious little M&M’s.  Take those away and this is what’s left that I must have!

1.   Computers, they are my window to the world, and I dread thinking what my life would be like without them.  What did I do with my time before the internet?  And with my computer I can download ebooks, probably the greatest spinoff, for me anyway, that has come from this wonderful invention.  What a treat it is to sit in my jammies at 9pm, download a book and read it without ever leaving my living room.  Buy those books?  Never, our public library has thousands of titles just waiting for me to download when I want to read.

2.  My morning coffee with fat free half and half.  I didn’t develop a love for coffee until I was well into my 50’s, now it’s a must have, every single day.

3. Nature.  It’s the balm that soothes my soul, I love the wind on my face, the smells, the colors, the birds and the bees, I find my center and inner peace with nature.

4.  Milly.  I’ve often said that golf carts are old people’s bicycles.  I grab the fur kids, hop on Milly and I’m off on an adventure.  It’s so much fun and gives me so much freedom, I love it!

5.  My smartphone.  Cellphones have evolved so much, it’s amazing the things that you can do with them.  With it, I’m in touch, so you be in touch… ;o)  Ohhhh, how cheesy was that???

And that’s what I can’t live without?  What about you, what are your five things?

Look who’s having a birthday party….

It’s hard to believe that sweet bebe granddaughter is going to be a year old next week.  Her mom and dad are busy planning the big event, and I’m one excited grammie!  Oh, what a good time we’ll have!!!

Add senility to the list, too….

My boys are three years apart, not four, as Linds reminded me earlier this afternoon.  So not only am I getting food all over me, senility is sitting in as well.  Oh well, at least I won’t realize that I’m dribbling my dinner all over myself  if  I’m senile…

So, to correct the earlier post about how old I was when they were born, almost twenty-two with John, almost twenty-five with Ry.

Geezy Pete, this old lady stuff is a pain in the patootie…

I’m not turning into my mother after all…

Law-dee, I’m turning into my father!  I am, and he was the sweetest man that ever lived, but it’s not the sweetness, it’s the, oh how do I put this, it’s the inability to eat any type of food without getting it on me, that is making me think I’m so much like him.  The poor man had stains on all of his ties, all of his shirts, he couldn’t eat anything without getting food on him!

I had just a smear of jam this morning on my toast, just a itsy bitsy miniscule smear of cherry jam, and yep, somehow it ended up on my shirt.  This is happening with alarming frequency, I’m getting food all over me.  Dilly, you quit smiling, I know, I always get stuff on me, but lately it’s been every meal.

My boys laugh at me all the time, teasing me about getting old, and then I remind them that I was a young mother, I was twenty-one and twenty-five when they were born, and that they aren’t that far behind me.  I think it’s a shock sometimes, they think about babies in your thirties but not me.  Oh, I was just a couple of months away from being twenty-two when John was born, almost twenty-six when I had Ry but that’s young by today’s standards.

And if I could do it over?  I think I would rather have been older.  I would have been wiser, with more life experience to guide me.  But then I wouldn’t have the energy that I had in my twenties either. 

So now that I’m a friggin’ genius with almost sixty-one years of life experience, let’s see what kind of wisdom I bestow on poor Abby.  Undoubtedly just the ability to eat and make a mess of it, that will probably be my legacy to poor bebe granddaughter…

And so it begins….

Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Autumn

 

I’m old now, it’s all about comfort….

My friends and I always laughed at older woman who wore “stretchy” pants.  That would never be us, oh no, we would never wear those.  But I’m talking knit ones, or the dreaded polyester blends with the elastic waist band.  Yuck!

Well, let me tell you, these days I live in yoga pants.  If I’m home, I’m in them.  I actually resent the fact that I have to change into something that has no “give” when I go out.

Those old women know what they’re talking about with the pants that stretch.  These things are wonderful.  I’ve worn them for the past few years now, and they are just sooooo soft and comfy. 

And my pants of choice, the Nike ones, black, slim fit with a flared bottom.  They’re the best!  I love putting them on of a morning and just putzing around the house.  I’m actually looking forward to winter so that I can just settle in and not go anywhere.  I’ve always been a homebody, but now more than ever.  My computer, a good e-book, my dogs by my side, it’s pure bliss.

It’s those simple things, once again, ladies…

Oh my, we’re having wea-ther….

It was 99 friggin’ degrees in Heavensville this afternoon.  Sure glad tomorrow is first day of fall, the temperature is going to drop all the way down to 95!  Whoohoo…

Holy Schmoly, is it ever gonna cool off?  I remember this time of year so well because of Ryan’s birthday.  When he was a little boy the temperatures would be cool by now,  we would have on light jackets, and the boys would be wearing little corduroy overalls with long sleeved shirts.

That was normal, 99 degrees on the 21st of September is definitely not normal!!!

Coldstone Creamery Hot Cocoa

You know I always tell you about the good stuff.  I was in Wally World yesterday, checking out the tea selection, and right beside the tea set boxes of Coldstone Creamery Hot Cocoa packets.  There were three flavors, milk chocolate, regular and dark chocolate.  I bought the regular, 70 calories, made hubby and I a cup last night, and it was awesome.  Really intense chocolate flavor, and I made it with 6 ounces of water, not milk.  It was so much better than the Swiss Miss low calorie, you will love this!

It’s a winner, here’s a $1.00 off coupon if you’re interested in trying it.

And speaking of tea, you all know I’m a huge fan of Celestial Seasonings Tea.  Well, last week Deanna and I were talking about chamomile, she loves it, I didn’t remember the taste, so I picked up a container of Celestial Seasonings Honey Vanilla Chamomile.  Oh my, it’s fantastic…

~ jan

You have to check out these cookies, ladies…

I made the best chocolate chip cookies, ever, last weekend.

Details and recipes on Jan CAN Cook…

Guess who walked three steps to Auntie V last weekend…

It was Ryan’s birthday weekend, Lindsay surprised him, arranging for four of his college friends to come visit for a long weekend, then she and Abby escaped from all that testosterone by coming to our house. 

It was a great time as usual, and little Miss Abigail actually took three steps. right into Veronica’s arms.  Can you imagine how thrilled we all were.  There was a whole lot of squealing going on.  Of course, I think it was just so special that she walked to Auntie V, you would have thought it was the first baby that ever took steps, we were all so surprised!

She’s poised for takeoff now, oh her mama is going to be one busy lady, chasing her around the house.

 

 

Cynthia brought Jasmine and Alisha to visit on Saturday.  They were so good with Abby, it’s so special to see these sweet little girls that you knew as babies holding your granddaughter. 

Abby loved them, she was all eyes, sitting on Jasmine’s lap, watching everything Alisha did. 

Linds wished they lived closer, they would be great at entertaining Abby.

 

 

She took a bath in Grammie’s tub.  Is there anything sweeter than a baby taking a bath. 

Oh, I’m so smitten, what a special little granddaughter this is…

This is why I'm cutting my hair... SERIOUSLY!

I've been back and forth, do I cut my hair, or do I continue to leave it long and wear it up and french braid it occasionally.  What a reality check this was, I'm calling Mary Beth tomorrow for a cut.  Geezy Pete Hil, what were you thinking...

Still thrilled with micro-irrigation…

It’s September, never a good month in my garden.  By September, I’m tired of watering, doing it sporadically, the plants are fading away, the ferns are dying.  But not this year, oh no, it’s a jungle out there.  Just look at the size of these plants!  And I haven’t watered one single time since mid July when John installed the micro irrigation system.  Isn’t it awesome?  Check out the size of that impatien next to the the chiminea,  it’s huge!

Some of you may think, egads, that’s overkill.  Of course it’s overkill, it’s me, ladies, I’m always over the top.  But I lo-ove it.  I think it’s wonderful! 

We’ve had such a hot dry summer here, it just astonishes me how well this works.  Hubby installed it in the front, also, so I don’t have to water the plants in my little courtyard.  I’m 100% maintenance free.

Think about it for your gardens next summer.  I can give you all the info.  It’s very inexpensive, it’s all commercial products, not consumer, prices are much better.  It’s an amazing sight to behold… 

~ jan

 

Fish stew, first attempt….

Okay, after several emails back and forth with Carlene this morning, I decided to give fish stew a try.  She was skeptical because flounder is thin, she thought it might disintegrate in the soup.  She lives in Maryland, has great access to all kind of fish and seafood, unfortuanately, in Heavensville it doesn’t happen.  I have to use frozen.

So here’s what I did, here’s how it turned out, and here is my take on it…

• 1 can diced italian tomatoes (a few herbs can’t hurt)
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 2 yukon gold potatoes, diced, with peeling left on
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 onion chopped
• handful of chopped cabbage (I didn’t have bok choy)
• 1 cup frozen lima beans
• handful of frozen peas.
• salt and pepper to taste

I simmered the veggies in the stock, then added two whole pieces of frozen flounder, and let it simmer for about 10 minutes, then I took the fish out, gently, and let the rest of the soup simmer until done. 

Carlene likes her soup without cornstarch, we like the broth a bit thicker, so I added a tablespoon or so of cornstarch mixed into 1/2 cup water at the end.  Then I flaked the fish into chunks and carefully put it back in so it didn’t fall completely apart.

And????

It was good, it could have been better I think with a splash of white wine or sherry as Carlene suggested, but nothing was open, and I didn’t want to open a bottle for this.

It does taste like fish, but it’s not overpowering.  I added a few chow mein noodles (no croutons in the pantry) for some crunch.  And yes, that’s a dip bowl I put it in – it’s my favorite bowl for soup….

I would do this again for sure, but I don’t think I would want it more than a couple of times before tiring of it.  However, if I would have had bok choy, I would have worked in 3 of the five cancer starving ingredients, cooked tomatoes, bok choy and flounder.

Starving Cancer: Anti-Angiogenesis–Dr. Oz.

New research shows that 40% of women in their 40s have microscopic breast cancer. Even more shocking, almost 100% of people in their 70s will have microscopic cancer in their thyroid glands.

I was in the kitchen last week, turned on the television, Dr. Oz was on, and was very interested in what the segment was about, starving cancer by eating five foods regularly.  It’s pretty simple, ladies, we can do this and it could save our lives.

I was talking to Ryan about this earlier this week, he suggested making a fish stew, eating a cup of it a few times a week, using all the ingredients in this list, except for the strawberries.  I’m going to talk to my foodie guru buddy, Carlene, see if she can come up with a recipe for us… 

Here’s the video

And here’s the list of foods 

• Bok Choy
• Cooked Tomatoes
• Flounder
• Strawberries
• Artichokes

Exciting news at our house this weekend….

John and Deanna are engaged!!!!!  He proposed in Europe last week, and we are all absolutely thrilled about it!!!

Deanna is absolutely, positively adorable.  She’s spunky and cute, kind and gentle, funny and sweet, a true southern lady, and we’re all so lucky to have her in our lives. 

John is so happy, I’ve ever seen him as contented with his life as he is now.  All of our friends and family are so excited for them, oh what a wonderful gift this is. 

They came home to tell us this weekend, we’ve just had the best time!  Life is good for our family, we are so blessed.  ~ jan