Oldies but Goodies…

Remember when you were a kid and your mom used to make strawberry Jello and put bananas and strawberries in it?  It’s still crazy good.  I made some yesterday, and it was like going back in time.

Okay, so I did eat it with a dollop of yogurt, something I never had as a child, and a sprinkle of nuts, but oh, it was so refreshing.  I tossed the bananas with Fruit Fresh so they wouldn’t turn dark, and it was sublime.

 

And, continuing my little trek down memory lane, I’ve been using 20 Mule Team Borax to freshen my linens this summer.  It’s only been around since the beginning of time, and it still clumps in the box, but it’s awesome, makes everything smell so clean.  Now if I just had a clothesline.

Oh, well, a girl’s gotta dream…

Organize your life with Wunderlist…

It’s too hot to do anything else, why not get organized.  I have found the neatest app, totally free, and it works with Windows, Mac, Ipad, Android and Iphone and allows you to syncronize between everything.

It’s not difficult to figure out, it’s very simple to use, just watch this video to get you started.  If you’re like me and most of my friends, we can’t remember anything.  Our thoughts are so elusive, they’re gone in a heartbeat, but with this little application you can quickly type out what you  need to remember, and you’ve got it on your computer and if you have a smartphone or iPad, you can sync with it.  You can even email your lists to your friends, and share lists with people, so they can add to them as well.

The possibilities are endless, just watch the video and give it a try.  What else do you have going on this steamy day.

~ jan

Here’s the free download….

 

My summer garden…

I took some pictures of my garden this weekend and made an album.  Enjoy…

~ jan

If you double click the picture, it will enlarge to full screen

Baby Moose in the sprinkler, a feel good moment for all of you…

Jean sent me this video, it is precious beyond words.  Take a moment to watch it, and enjoy the beauty that is nature and the wonder of animals.  Huge smiles for you this morning… 

~ jan

Here’s whats making me smile this morning…

Fleurs from the garden, a cute little watermelon jar and my red ramekins.  Don’t you love color in your kitchen?

Time is a River–what a fascinating book…

Last week I read Time is a River, by Mary Alice Monroe.  Oh, was it a great book, about, of all things, a woman fly fisher.

I was so entranced with the book, I realized that I would have loved to have learned fly fishing.  I somehow, can’t see me in waders at this stage of my life, but it was a nice little fantasy.

To be surrounded by water, nature and serenity, gently casting the line, oh yeah, I would have loved it.

So, if you want a great read this summer, this is a real page turner.  I just love books where women retreat to mountain cabins, surrounded by nature, that type of fiction always appeals to me, and this book took it to another level, complete with a resident “spirit.”

Here’s the site, if you want to read the synopsis. I’m a big fan of Ms. Monroe, all of her books have been excellent, especially The Beach House, a favorite summer read of mine from a few years ago…

Here’s a video trailer of the book.

Enough already…

We complain when it’s cold, we complain when it’s hot, but holy crap, it’s a towering inferno in Heavensville.  With temps hovering near 100 and the heat index at 120, it is stifling.  Hubby and I were out this morning, my chest felt congested, my eyes were burning so badly from the ozone, all I wanted to do was come home.  And dear hubby reminded me that hot weather is really hard on old people, bless his hot little heart.

I take Mollie out to potty, she is oblivious to the heat, sits on the sidewalk, and I have to go out and drag her inside.  Hubby is holed up in the den watching cowboys, it’s too hot for him to even play in the garage like he does most days. The air conditioner is going full blast, all the ceiling fans are running, and I’m sitting at the computer with a fan blowing on me, thinking that our energy bill is going to be astronomical this month.

Maybe we should take in a movie, but there isn’t much to choose from, so here we sit.  Too hot to go for a ride on Milly, too hot to talk to the neighbors, let’s just hope the power grid doesn’t go down, that happened in parts of Heavensville this morning and knocked out our internet.

Remind me of this in January, when the snow is flying and I’m complaining about sub-zero temps.  But, Geezy Pete, the weather is horrid!!!

Growing old is SUCH a bitch….

The saying, “Growing Old Isn’t For Sissies” is starting to ring true around here.  I haven’t identified with music, or most television shows for years now, but lately, I don’t feel like I’m in the loop of life either, instead, I’m standing on the sidelines watching the younger generations do all the fun interesting things I used to, but no longer do, and without the energy or desire to do these things if I could.  I’m not depressed, life is going along smoothly, and I’m grateful for the health and well being of those I love, I just don’t like the feeling that I’m  out of synch with the woman I used to be and the woman I am now.

I think that perhaps a lot of my problem stems from the fact that I don’t allow myself to “think” like a woman in her 60’s, that I still “think” like my younger self, but of course I look and act older, and no longer fit the old mold, so that isn’t working for me.  But what should I be doing that’s more age appropriate?  I abhor the thought of going to some Senior Center for lunch, playing cards, listening to people lecture on health care and tax shelters.  I think this behavior is for “old” people, but surprise, I’m old now, too, but I just can’t relate. 

I would never be on a bus to Branson, I detest organized anything, and so I’m floundering, trying to find my niche as a senior citizen, when inside, I haven’t let go of the younger me and accepted my age.  It’s like I’m in transition, but I don’t know what I want to transition to.

Are any of you struggling with this, are you nodding your heads in agreement with what I’m saying?  Is there an answer, or is this just one of those gray areas that has no answers.

So, for now, I’ll continue to do the simple things that give me pleasure, gardening, reading, pets, friends and my sweet family.  I have so much to be grateful for, John and Deanna will be married soon, Abby will be turning two this fall, and LC and I are cohabiting peacefully since his retirement.  So, I’ll count my blessings and maybe I’ll find my stride and some new interests that I can share with all of you.  In the meantime, I’ll just keep on keeping on…

Memories that last a lifetime…

As I look back over my life to moments that were truly memorable, it’s feelings that I remember most.  Not what kind of car we drove, where we lived, where we vacationed, nothing superficial, just those simple things I talk about so often that I remember most.

• The smell of the earth after a summer rain
• Hanging clothes on the line to dry on a bright summer morning and the way they smelled of sunshine as I folded and put them away
• Clean little boys, fresh from their bath, running through the house into my arms. Just inhaling their sweet little boy scent and kissing those soft little cheeks, it was pure magic
• Crickets and frogs and fireflies on a summer evening
• Pitchers of sun tea in a big glass jar
• Mother coming to visit with a bouquet of flowers, sometimes picked along the road
• The smell of new mown hay as hubby and I took evening rides in the country
• A pretty sundress, worn with a summer tan
• Summer days, spent at the lake with the boys and Muffin, our cocker spaniel. Veronica and I, sitting right in the water in our lawn chairs, talking, one eye always on the kids.

I could go on and on, the older I get, the most I reminisce about my younger years.  I appreciate what life gives me more today than when I was younger, wisdom really does come with age…

Happy 4th of July!!!!

I Pledge Allegiance to the Flag

Of the United States of America,

And to the Republic, for

Which it Stands,

One Nation, Under God,

Indivisible,

With Liberty and Justice for All…

Tiger Lilies always remind me of mother…

The tiger lilies are in bloom, and they always bring childhood memories to the surface.  Mother was a gardener, she never ordered from catalogs, or bought from nurseries, she got “starts” of plants from friends, or she dug plants by the side of the country roads, and as a result, our yard was a riot of color in the summer.

My beloved ditch bank was covered in tiger lilies, started from a few plants, and over the years multiplying until the whole bank was a mass of orange color in the summertime.  We had no hose, no running water, we would carry buckets nightly to water the plants, she always took care of her plants, regardless of how tired she was.

The older I get, the more I admire her strengths, and her talent.  She lived off the land, and enjoyed the beauty of nature in the plants that she nurtured year after year.  I don’t have tiger lilies, but they always make me smile when I see them, and I think I need to tuck just one plant into my garden.  A pop of orange color amongst all the pinks, just to remember my roots, where I came from and how strong I now am, in large part because of her…

Baby elephants in the pool…

My friend, Carlene, sent me this link this morning. I thought you all could use a smile on this rainy, at least in Heavensville, Monday afternoon...

Abby's First Artwork....

Like all our children have done, Miss Abigail decorated her first door with crayons.  I think she shows promise, don't you ;o)

If You Ask Me, Betty White’s latest book…

This book is like a box of assorted chocolates.  With each chapter, you take a bite, and it’s so good, but it’s a surprise, you never know what you’re going to get.  Some chapters are creamy, some have nuts. Who doesn’t love Betty White, and who doesn’t love a good summer read?  Oh, this is such a treat, and it’s chocked full of wisdom.

I’ve added a GoodReads box to my right sidebar, you can click on it, and see what’s on my bookshelf.  I wish some of you would join me on GoodReads as friends, it’s is such a good time,and a really informative site for booklovers.  Here’s my friends link again, in case you might be interested.

I’m reading so many good books, I’m totally absorbed by books this summer.  I just finished Friendship Bread, it was just wonderful, and makes me want to go right out and make a batch of starter.

The author of this book, Darien Gee has a website, Friendship Bread Kitchen, with the starter recipe, and a badzillion variations in her recipe box.

So, if your time is limited, and you just can read just one book this summer,  give Friendship Bread a try.  It’s a good thing.  Pinkie swear. 

I’ll tip you off to some of my other goodies, I have several beach reads to wade through, but only for those of you who read easy breezy novels.  I don’t do the heavy stuff, remember, just the trash. 

Works for me!

~ jan

What’s making me smile this week…

• Fresh Market, just opened yesterday in Heavensville, I was there when the doors opened, It’s totally AWESOME!
  
• Jane’s Krazy Salt, love it on everything
  
• Johnson & Johnson Baby Oil Body Wash – Original Scent, ahhhhh
  
• Grampie’s Salad Dressing Recipe, courtesy of my friend, Barb
  
• Vanity Fair Napkins, the white dinner style ones with the embossed shells.  Yes, I know it’s strange, but I really enjoy them.
  
• The M&M’s haircuts, I’m finally getting the hang of using clippers
  
• Friendship Bread, a great read about life and loss, and finding hope again
  
• Anticipation of seeing sweet little Abby tomorrow, maybe she’ll say “Hi Grammie” when she sees me ;o)
  
• My fleurs, the garden is in bloom, oh people you are so missing out by not having micro irrigation – lush blooms, totally 100% maintenance free.  I can never thank John enough for setting it up last summer.  It’s fantastic!
  
• That piece of apple pie that’s sitting on the kitchen counter

I hope you all have a lot to smile about, too.  ~ jan

Old dogs, taking life one day at a time….

We live our lives alongside our pets, growing old together, and sometimes the changes are so subtle that we don’t realize the deterioration. Mollie has degenerative hips, and has gotten noticeably worse since this spring.  She has good days and bad, sometimes she can’t stand up from a sitting position on our stone floors, or even outside on the concrete, and I have to lift her to the carpet or the grass so that she can get traction to walk.  Sometimes she stumbles, and if it’s really a bad day she bunny hops in the grass to go potty.  But some days she’s fine, running through the yard, following us around, a lot of it depends on the weather, like the rest of us when we get old(er).

I groomed her today, she no longer stands in the sink, or stands on the grooming table, but that’s okay, we work around it.  She’s happy and not in pain, her little tail wags, her eyes are bright and shiny, so we carry her on the bad days and rejoice when she’s having a good one and runs through the yard toward us on those short little legs.

Mollie was a breeder mom that came into our lives five years ago.  At that time the breeder said she was six years old, but we’ve always thought she was older.  She’s a such gentle little soul, our Mollie.  She was never spunky, never played with toys or even jumped on the couch, and we attribute it to the fact that she probably didn’t get much attention as a young dog.  She’s the direct opposite of Maggie, who has always been a little social butterfly, but then she has been the center of attention her entire life.

I always say that Mollie loves me like nobody else ever has, she shadows me constantly, is miserable when I’m not around, and is always content just to be by my side.

So we are living life one day at a time, enjoying her every day, giving her lots of massages and special treats, and when she has  a day like today, when she is walking really well, our lives are a little more joyful.

That’s all any of us can do anyway, live in the moment, one day at a time.  Dogs just grow old too soon, but oh what joy they bring to our lives in the years we have them…

~ jan

The Clydesdales are in town…

The Clydesdales come to town every June for the ShrinerFest and even though hubby isn't a horse lover, he good naturedly takes me for a visit every year. It was a cloudy, cool morning when we wandered over to their tent, and I had a hard time getting a picture of their faces, they were too busy eating hay. The dalmation was there, too, and he was totally interested in sniffing me out, no doubt smelling the M&M's on my pant legs. I'm always in awe of them, they are so magestic, and as I watched them, just for a brief minute, I was a kid again...

goodreads, it’s a good thing…

I don’t think there is anything better than summertime reading, a love of mine that started in childhood.  There was a steady supply of books at our house, due to mother working in the drugstore, because every month the book vendors would come in, rip off the front covers of all the paperbacks and leave the books to be tossed.  Mother would bring home stacks of them, and those books instilled a love of reading that has been a lifelong adventure.  I’ve spent many, many  hours in the summertime under a shade tree absorbed in a good book, with a glass of iced tea, and usually a dog or cat in my lap.  Oh, what wonderful memories I have…

I recently stumbled across goodreads – it’s a total awesome site. After you register your account, you can add friends, browse what they are reading, show what you’ve read, what you’re currently reading and what’s on your wish list.  There are reading groups, lists of bestsellers and about to be released books.  It’s a reader’s dream.  And I’m not even going to get started on how much I enjoy the ibooks app on my iPad, that’s for another day.  But I have to tell you that the iPad is so much better than my Sony Bookreader, it’s absolutely wonderful!

I’ve added 62 books so far, a ton of Robyn Carr, because I enjoyed her Virgin River Series so much.  One of the best series of easy reading that I’ve ever found. I’ll be adding more as time permits, it’s such a good way to organize what you’ve read and want to read.

When you go to this link, remember, I’m a total lightweight, easy breezy romance novels, that’s what I like, no men authors either, just women.  And what am I reading right now?  Actually four books, Flowers on Main, The Help, 44 Charles Street and Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen.  And at the top of my wish list is Betty White’s, If you Ask Me.  Wow, a bit of nonfiction, that’s a stretch for me. ;o)

You can join my friends list, then we can share book ideas.  It’s so much fun.  Here’s the link to get you started

~ jan

Click Here to sign up and see what it’s all about…

Loretta’s Pralines from N’awlins….

Twenty years ago, hubby and I went to New Orleans and discovered Loretta’s Authentic Pralines in the French Market.  At that time Miss Loretta herself stirred the candy in the big copper pot, today she is much more business savvy than that, but the recipe is the same.

I adored the pralines, brought them home to the boys, John went crazy for them, Ryan, who never was a sweet eater, didn’t know what all the fuss was about.  John started making them with a recipe I brought home from some ladies in a little restaurant in Louisiana, they told me the secret is to make them using Pet Evaporated Milk, and he’s made them ever since.

He and Deanna were in New Orleans over Memorial Day, and what arrived in the mail yesterday – this box of pralines from Loretta’s.

Law-dee, that boy sure is good to his mama….  You’re the BEST, Johnno, I’ll think of you with every bite I take…

Say Goodbye to the Food Pyramid

I don't know about the rest of you, but I think this is the best new thing to come along in years.  This is one “out with the old, in with the new” idea that got it right! It’s so much easier to navigate than the old food pyramid – so visual, just one look and you know what you should be eating.  Now I’m just waiting for them to come out with plates that actually look like this – hey, I would buy them, especially if they are made of great looking pottery with maybe snazzy veggie/animal illustrations around the edge.

It’s so easy, even for little children, to see what portion sizes should be.  Kudos on this one, Department of Agriculture, talk about a good thing…