I'm fruity, not flowery....

Let's talk about smells, specifically how our house smells. I have a neighbor, Janet, whose house always smells WONDERFUL. She told me that it's due to Bath & Body Works Plug-In Diffusers, you know those little thingies that you plug into the walls. She tends to buy what's on sale, mostly flowery scents, and her house always smells really fresh.

Marti went out and bought scents from Bath & Body Works for her house, and again, it smelled great. She bought flowery scents, too. So, naturally I have to jump on the bandwagon, and I load up with all kinds of scents. I had brown sugar vanilla in the den, and clean linen in the bedroom, and some kind of flowery scent in the living room.

Lindsay and I were shopping a couple of weeks ago and I decided I needed to try Juicy Nectarine. Unfortunately they were sold out at our store, but she picked one up for me on her recent trip to Nashville.

I'm in love. Oh, I can't tell you how good this smells, ladies. No more flowery scents for me, nope, it's fruit for me from now on. I should have realized this because Yankee Candle's Pineapple & Citrus has been my fave for a couple of years now. And ever since Ang introduced me to the Febreze scent machine, I've been using their Tropical Scent Stories Disks. I've never been a vanilla girl like Ang and V, Nisha, too. Never been a spicy/cinnamony type either, too 80's for me. But I've found my niche with the fruity stuff... It's ME, it's REALLY ME!!!

And the clerk at Bath & Body Works told me that they have a new pineapple scent coming out this month. I'm SO there... I'm replacing EVERY ONE of my plug-ins with Juicy Nectarine!

If you aren't on to these things, give them a try. They have a huge assortment, they smell mahvelous, dahling, and you can decide if you are a fruity or a flowery girl....

I got this note from Cyn tonight...

Seems like I'm not the only one eating oatmeal, and she's only in her 30's! Here's what she had to say about the perfect oats -

I hate to tell you, but since last summer, I have been queen of the Oatmeal.  I live for it.  I eat it for breakfast everyday--and sometimes have it for dinner, too.  In the summer--sometimes breakfast and lunch.  The standard instant is too sweet.  Sometimes I can't get the seasoning in the old fashinoned right.  This is the magic formula.  (after MUCH experimentation)

Into a bowl, but 1 pack of Quaker Weight Control Maple and Brown Sugar (I like it b/c it isn't as sweet)
Then add,
1/4 cup Quaker Old Fashioned Oats
1/4 cup of milk (I use whole b/c Alisha does)
3/4 cup of water
Microwave it for 2 minutes
Add 6 almonds.
Add a sprinkle of salt, stir,  and........heaven!

It's official, I'm old!!!!

I just ate oatmeal for dinner supper. That's it, it's all over, now. I've been teasing Hooterville about eating cereal for dinner supper for years, now I'm doing it.

Holy Batman and Robin, I actually I ate OATMEAL for dinner supper and I liked it, I really liked it! It's a sad day in Heavensville, girlfriends a sad, sad day....

It's a new month, a new look...

Thumbs up to the talented artists at KB&Friends for the elements I used to construct my header. The goofy looking little leprechaun reminds me of an old nerdy grade school teacher of mine... Oh, he was such a trip, he used to stand in front of class, with his pants belted and hiked up underneath his armpits and would stand there in front of us and daily scratch his nether regions. As you can imagine, he was NOT one of our more popular teachers. Harmon Stein, that was his name, now that's a blast from the past, I haven't thought of that old fart in years! And do you know that our grade school secretary is STILL the grade school secretary at my old school, Booth Elementary. OMG, and I'm fifty-seven years old!!! She is well into her 80's and they say she is still as sharp as a tack! Talk about a TRIP!!! You go, Lois!!!

I've been SO nostalgic lately, ladies... Ever since my gleaning popcorn post, I've thought of all kinds of childhood stories to share, and I will. You will all find it boring, I'm sure, but it's a healthy thing to do - talk about your childhood... I didn't think mine was all that unusual at the time, but when I put pen to paper, I realize that it was far from normal. A single Mother, young daughter, living in the country on a dirt road, heating with a coal stove, no television, no running water, no bathroom. Jeez Louise, I'm beginning to sound like the Waltons! But on a more positive note, the lack of television forced me to read, to listen to classical music, it was actually a gift that has stayed with me thru my life. Well, I also listened to the Grand Ole' Opry, but I have no love for twangy, hillbilly music. Hey, two outta three ain't bad....

G'nite John Boy...

Boy, do I have an opinion about this!!!

Paul McCartney's estranged wife, Heather Mills, says her prosthetic leg should not pose a problem for her when she competes in a U.S. dance competition reality television show.

She told TV entertainment show "Extra" in an interview set to air Wednesday that "it's very unlikely" her prosthetic leg will "fly off" when she competes on "Dancing With the Stars." She is the show's first contestant to have an artificial limb.

To prevent such an incident, she said she will wear a special strap.

And what do I, a fellow amputee think about this. Well, you didn't ask, but here goes -

First of all, I would doubt very seriously if her leg flew off, but it would be pretty funny if it did. And second of all, I can still shake my booty with the best of them, you dance mostly from your hips, not your ankles, but those intriquete steps will pose a real challenge for her and she is gonna have to be one helluva dancer to not look awkward. Fatigue will be a real problem for her, too, because she is going to have to expend so much more energy dancing than her co-stars that it will be extremely grueling for her. If she overworks herself in rehearsals, she will have to deal with friction burns on her leg, which will be horribly painful.

And she's been an amputee long enough that she should be past the stage where she is trying to prove to herself and everyone else that she is "normal", because she isn't, for pete's sake she is missing a foot! And I don't care how much she pays for a fancy schmancy prosthetic leg, and even if she gets out there and dances her little heart out, there are going to be moments when she looks "unnatural."

What will interest me is to see how they costume her - if her costume flares high, people are going to see that strap, and it isn't pretty, trust me.

My question is why the hell is she doing this? What is she trying to gain from this? Sympathy? Admiration? Acceptance? Or maybe she is just looking for attention? But in my opinion, this is just not right. Sorry gang, I can't jump on the Heather Mills bandwagon on this one.

I'm sure there are radical amputees jumping on their soapboxes and saying, "way to go, Heather" - but not this lady. Most amputees are just average people, who don't want to be singled out for their "handicap." Does it bother me one whit that I have no feet, or that people know it. Of course not, I have absolutely no problem telling anyone that I'm an amputee, in fact I've been known to gleefully tell rude people that I'm a double amputee just to get their shocked reaction. Yeah, I know, I'm a little devil but sometimes people deserve it. But seriously, I'm really proud of myself that I manage to get up and walk on my own two feet every single day but I don't feel like I have to broadcast it to the world.

I think this silly woman needs to step back, be grateful for what she has, and not put herself out there for John Q. Public to ridicule. And trust me, they will - the late night talk show hosts will have a field day with this one. And I will feel no sympathy, this was her choice. Silly, silly, woman...

Hi from Heavensville....

I've been a busy little bee lately, and haven't posted, but I did want you all to know that munchiebusiness.com has been down, I'm still trying to get this stuff switched to new server - it's working now, but if you can't access this page thru munchiebusiness.com over the weekend it's because I'm making the switch. You can always gain access by going directly to http://jansdailydish.blogspot.com/

Anyhoo, I wanted you all to know that I made the oatmeal cookie recipe that I posted on Eating Right last week. They were WONDERFUL. I'm an oatmeal cookie freak, and these cookies were REALLY good.

I just did a few tweaks to original recipe, which I'll add to the recipe on the Eating Right site.

Here's how I changed recipe - I used Cinnamon Applesauce instead of plain, then added an additional 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon - I also thought batter was a bit thin, so I added an additional 1/2 cup or so of oatmeal - they turned out PERFECT. Only 2 tablespoons of butter in this recipe, ladies...

Give them a try - you can access them here!

I also need to tell you all about Lindsay's Mom's recipe for Pork Chops with Sauerkraut and Mashed Potatoes, I'll do that tomorrow. It's late, I'm outta here....

What would I do without Nisha, she always comes up with great ideas...

John called me on his way home from work this evening. Tonia is traveling, he had to have a dip for work tomorrow. I recite all our old tried and true ones, nothing was ringing his chimes. So I told him I would call him back, then I get on the phone to Nisha.

She recited all of her old tried and trues, I was going, no, I don't think that's what he wants, so then she says she was at a party recently and somebody had Black Bean Salsa that was good, but she didn't have the recipe.

So I Google it, find the following recipe, read the great reviews, and the tweaks for it that people used, texted it to John's phone, he picked up the ingredients at the store, and I would imagine that it's chilling in his fridge right now.

I'll update you on how it turned out, it sounds great - I posted recipe on Jan Can Cook - the tweaked recipe - we added juice of a lime to this and minced garlic. You could also add jalapenos if you want it really spicy. I personally would omit the cilantro, but John is a fan, so he was chopping some to mix in and then using it to garnish.

Here's the recipe.

She's a member of the horsey set....

You all know too well the trials and tribulations of poor little Maggie's nappy hair. I have done EVERYTHING but shave her ala Britney Spears trying to get the tangles out. Despite my best efforts with shampoos, conditioners, Lindsay's pricey Redkin stuff, she just keeps getting worse as her adult coat is emerging.

So today, out of desperation I go to Rural King and tell them I want to see their Mane 'n' Tail collection. They didn't have any! DIDN'T HAVE ANY, IT'S RURAL KING FOR PETE'S SAKE....

Nope, they told me to go to Sally's Beauty Supply... So off we go, me and Mags to Sally's where I purchase on sale, and with a coupon, no less, a bottle of Mane 'n' Tail Horse Detangler...

I come home, attempt to spray it on Maggie, but she's in a playful mood, wants no part of that cold spray on her underbelly. So I wait til she's fast asleep on my lap tonight, give her a few squirts, start brushing and hot damn, the tangles are coming out. Still a chore, but it works, IT REALLY, REALLY WORKS!!!

Jan and Mags, doin the Happy Dance tonight, Happy Dance, Happy Dance....

Poached Eggs, Toad-in-the-Hole and other such breakfast triviolities...

I'm not even an egg person, so I don't get why I have this obsession with poaching eggs. Now Trisher, she's the egg woman, she boils a dozen at a time and eats them daily, well not the whole dozen, she just stores them in her fridge. Trust me, I know this because I've borrowed enough of them when I need one for a salad. Anyway, I think it's just that it's the eggs/spring thing, and wishful thinking for me, and memories of making the boys Toad-In-The-Hole (cut a hole in a slice of bread with a round juice glass, put a pat of butter in a skillet, and when it starts to sizzle, put in the bread, break an egg in the middle, toast one side, flip toast the other) that made me Google how to poach an egg this morning... Now I used to have this little handy-dandy egg poacher for Ryan, since he loved them, but it's long gone, so I did it in the skillet (small skillet, 2 teaspoons of vinegar, a dash of salt in water boiling at a simmer) boiled it for 3 minutes, lifted it with a slotted spoon to my plate, doused it with Hot Sauce and salsa and it was pretty good. Would have been better on a toast point, but that's another day...

And speaking of Hot Sauce, it was time to throw out the old, purchase the new, so I bought Frank's Hot Sauce, came home, told Hooterville what I bought, she's saying, "oh, no, you got the wrong one, Louisiana Hot Sauce is way better, she's right of course, she's always right, the Louisiana Hot Sauce is lots better, I started dousing it all over my taco salad, and when that was wonderful, I started putting it on EVERYTHING. Kind of reminescent of when a kid douses all of their food with ketchup! Am I regressing? With hot sauce? Probably, but who cares... Works for me...

Now go poach yourself an egg and see how it works for you....

Popcorn...

Late last night we were watching FoodTV, and it was the story of Orville Redenbacher. I was watching his early years, and it brought back a flood of memories from my own early years.

I was telling Ryan and Lindsay how, as a child, we would glean popcorn. The farmers in our area always grew fields of popcorn and in the fall, after they harvested their crops, Mother and I would take burlap sacks and walk the fields, picking up the ears of corn they missed. We would fill our bags, dragging them behind us, and then would sit around a wood stove in the evenings and shell the ears of corn into quart fruit jars. And did we throw the corncobs away, nonono, of course not, we threw very little away, Mother would save them in a bucket, dip them in kerosene and throw them in our wood heating stove to get the fire going. OMG, this sounds like something from Little House on the Prairie. But you have to remember, this was fifty years ago in rural Southern Illinois... Both of the kids were looking at me like I had totally lost it, and it does sound rather bizarre to talk about, but that was the life of a country girl in those days.

The best part was popping the corn right away. When fresh picked, it still had a high moisture content, so the kernels wouldn't actually pop, they would just swell to a large size and they were really crunchy, and REALLY good...

But it was not a good time walking the fields, picking up that corn. It was usually muddy, and cold, and the bags were heavy, but we did it, and it was free. And to think that today, we just go pluck a jar off the shelf at the grocery store, for over about $4.00 for a quart of Orville and take it home to pop.

Life is definitely much better, now... Well, except for the $4.00 a quart....

Whatever was she thinking???

I just wonder why this woman would go out looking like this. Do you think she looked in the mirror before she shashayed out in public looking like this and went, "damn I look hot."

Just had to post this for your viewing pleasure this Friday evening. I'm sitting here just shaking my head. I may be getting old, and I'm far from a prude, but this is just WRONG!!!

Talk about drumsticks!!! Egads, woman, cover those up!

Healthy Grocery List

I just published a great healthy grocery list on Eating Right. You might want to give it a look.

My most memorable Valentine's Day....

It was not an ahhhhhhhhhhhh, it was an OH, NO!!!! Hubby and I had been married for about 12 years or so, and he comes home with a Valentine's Day present. I open it up, and it's an exercise suit! Today, I would think it was a great gift, but when you're in your mid 30's, it's not exactly romantic, know what I mean, Vern.

I was NOT a happy camper, and I let him know about it. Poor feller, he thought he was being such a good boy, and I acted like a total shrew about it.

Oh well, live and learn. Here we are on our 35th+ Valentines Day. It isn't exactly romantic this year, either, but I'm older and wiser and totally content just to be here and have him with me.

Egads, I'm getting SO old....

I so enjoy a good bowl of oatmeal in the morning... Oatmeal... OATMEAL??? I wouldn't have eaten oatmeal in my younger years for anything, now I think it's sublime. LC, too. Not the instant stuff, not the 3 minutes quick cook stuff, or the steel cut oats, but regular, old fashioned oatmeal. Actually, the best I've found, except for Trader Joe's, which I don't have access to is Wal-Mart's store brand of Great Value Oven Toasted Oats. They come in this huge box, are dirt cheap, and they have a wonderful flavor.

Cooked til it's creamy, I add Splenda, lots of Saigon Cinnamon (buy it at your local grocer, Saigon Cinnamon is far and away the most fragrant cinnamon you've tasted) and a healthy splash of Fat-Free Half and Half. Sublime, I'm telling ya, sublime...

Old age is rolling right in, ladies, but not to worry until I switch to Cream of Wheat (no teeth, no chewing) and start eating the stuff for dinner!

How true this is...

This was on a Yorkie message board this morning. This is so me....

Grow Old With Dogs
When I am old... I will wear soft gray sweatshirts... and a bandana over
my silver hair..... and I will spend my social security checks on wine
and my dogs. I will sit in my house on my well-worn chair and listen to
my dogs' breathing. I will sneak out in the middle of a warm summer
night and take my dogs for a run, if my old bones will allow... When
people come to call, I will smile and nod as I show them my dogs... and
talk of them and about them... ...the ones so beloved of the past and
the ones so beloved of today.... I will still work hard cleaning after
them, mopping and feeding them and whispering their names in a soft
loving way. I will wear the gleaming sweat on my throat, like a jewel
and I will be an embarrassment to all... especially my family... who
have not yet found the peace in being free to have dogs as your best
friends.... These friends who always wait, at any hour, for your
footfall... and eagerly jump to their feet out of a sound sleep, to
greet you as if you are a God. With warm eyes full of adoring love and
hope that you will always stay, I'll hug their big strong necks... I'll
kiss their dear sweet heads... and whisper in their very special
company.... I look in the Mirror... and see I am getting old.... this is
the kind of person I am... and have always been. Loving dogs is easy,
they are part of me. Please accept me for who I am. My dogs appreciate
my presence in their lives... they love my presence in their lives......
When I am old this will be important to me... you will understand when
you are old.... if you have dogs to love too. ~Author Unknown

There is life out there at 8am...

I've pretty much been in hibernation, but I dragged my lazy butt outta bed, and met Ang at Starbucks this morning for coffee. Dunno if it was seeing Ang, the caffeine, or being out amongst the living, but I feel mahvelous, dahling..... Probably a little bit of all three.

Nothing like a little jazz in a coffee house, a good friend and a cuppa java early in the AM.

Now ain't this a crock???

I just got a newsletter from Oprah titled - How to Age Brilliantly and Love Yourself from the Inside Out...

Ya right... Nobody ages brilliantly that I've ever seen. We all look like we're heading to Cuba things are sinking so far south. I'll think of loving myself from the inside out the next time I'm sitting at my 6X magnifying mirror looking for errant chin hairs.

But, if you've a mind to check out this info, plus makeup tips for the "mature" woman, hey have a go at it.... Good luck and I'll check back in a couple of years to see how it's all working out for you....

Here's the click!

It's me, it's REALLY me!!!!!

pro·cras·ti·nate

To put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness

That's me!!! I know better, I realize that doing whatever needs to be done doesn't require as much effort as putting it off for DAYS and DAYS and DAYS!!!! I'm lots better than when I was younger, but I still do it.

I'm so boring today, I haven't read anything interesting online, no funny news to tell, I trimmed the fur on Mags ears this morning, that's about the extent of my excitement. I did make the grilled bananas that I posted on Eating Right last week for breakfast. And they were just as good as HungryGirl said they were. Even hubby gave them a thumbs up.

Just had to post the following so you can all go around all day with this song in your head!!! And me, I'm going to go put something off, but I'm going to be singing while I'm doing it... nononono, bad girl, Jan, bad girl....

Garden Party

- Artist: Rick Nelson
- peak Billboard position # 6 in 1972
- inspired by Rick's experience at a Madison Square Garden concert
- Words and Music by Rick Nelson


I went to a garden party to reminisce with my old friends
A chance to share old memories and play our songs again
When I got to the garden party, they all knew my name
No one recognized me, I didn't look the same

CHORUS
But it's all right now, I learned my lesson well.
You see, ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself


People came from miles around, everyone was there
Yoko brought her walrus, there was magic in the air
'n' over in the corner, much to my surprise
Mr. Hughes hid in Dylan's shoes wearing his disguise

CHORUS

lott-in-dah-dah-dah, lot-in-dah-dah-dah

Played them all the old songs, thought that's why they came
No one heard the music, we didn't look the same
I said hello to "Mary Lou", she belongs to me
When I sang a song about a honky-tonk, it was time to leave

CHORUS

lot-dah-dah-dah (lot-dah-dah-dah)
lot-in-dah-dah-dah

Someone opened up a closet door and out stepped Johnny B. Goode
Playing guitar like a-ringin' a bell and lookin' like he should
If you gotta play at garden parties, I wish you a lotta luck
But if memories were all I sang, I rather drive a truck

CHORUS

lot-dah-dah-dah (lot-dah-dah-dah)
lot-in-dah-dah-dah

'n' it's all right now, learned my lesson well
You see, ya can't please everyone, so you got to please yourself

And what did I do this blustery day???

Sat here all day, built a new Eating Right page. It's definitely different, definitely green PISTACHIO!!! Hey, I went outside my box for a change...

I have soup simmering on the stove, the fire is blazing in the fireplace, the M&M's are snoring beside me. Yeah, it's a good thing....

Maggie doesn't like football...

Ryan and Lindsay are Superbowling in the living room with Munchie sleeping close by, Mags and I are in the sunroom, she alternates between woofing at the speakers and shaking. She just doesn't care for the sport... Neither do I. Just doesn't ring my chimes...

Ry is making the Williams Sonoma recipe for stuffed meatballs that I posted back in January on Jan Can Cook. Hubby is on his way home from work, and it's colder than a well digger's butt in Heavensville...

John and Tonia were here yesterday, we had a great day, just a family weekend.... Works for me.....