Pioneer Woman is coming to FoodTV

August 27th, mark your calendars ladies!

 

Pinterest, the best thing that’s happened to the internet in YEARS!

Okay, we all know I tend to go off the deep end and become anal about the things I find online, but seriously ladies, Pinterest is quite possibly the best thing I’ve found in years, possibly E-VER!

It’s just exploded online, and if you are clueless as to what I’m talking about, think of it as a bulletin board, and you pin pictures of things you find online on it.  Instead of bookmarking links that you never go to, you just pull up your Pinterest boards, and it’s all there, front row and center, staring at you.  You make as many different boards as you like, pin as many things as you like – actually most of mine is just repins from other people I follow.  It’s quick, it’s easy, it’s TOTALLY addictive.

So now I’ll tell you what to do to get you started -

The first thing you do is create a Pinterest account.  It is going to ask you to login with either Facebook or Twitter.  Okay, I know, you’re thinking I have no desire to be on Facebook or Twitter, so you create a bogus Twitter account.  You just go to twitter.com and make an account.  You will never use it, it’s just a dummy account to get you set up with Pinterest.  I know, it’s a hassle, but it’s SO worth it.

Now I’m going to show you a Pinterest tutorial so you know how to set your boards up, but FIRST I’m going to show you my boards.  I’ve only been doing this for a week and I already have 141 Pins on 68 different boards.  Some people I follow have 30,000+ pins, and yes I will be one of those people eventually.   I’m obsessed, what can I say.  When you go to my boards and click on a picture, then you keep clicking until you get to the source, be it recipe, kitchens, autumn is in the air, whatever – if you want to go to the source for a recipe or more information you just keep clicking on the pictures until it takes you back to the original post.

Here’s my Pinterest Boards check me out and see what I have so far.  I always give you a heads up on all the good stuff, and this is the crème de la crème…..

Here’s a tutorial, watch this, sign up, don’t forget to follow me, so I can see what you’re finding, and you’re on your way.  As long as you’re logged in and go to pinterest.com, it will show you updates from people you are following.  This changes quickly, I check it a few times a day…

Enjoy, you’re going to thank me for this one.  Pinkie swear you will.  ~ Jan

The magic of Abby…

The world through the eyes of a twenty-two month old is totally enchanting.  We had a family visit in Lexington last weekend, it was hubby’s birthday, the guys went to Detroit for a guy weekend to see Greenfield Village and the Ford Museum, the girls had a fantastic time, having a “Welcome to the Family” weekend for Deanna, as she and John will be married soon.

Deanna snapped this picture of Abby Sunday when she and Uncle John were blowing bubbles.  It’s one of those photos that will always be a favorite.  She’s absolutely precious, this little granddaughter of mine..

This little piggie went to market...

Hair, do we ever get it right?

So today I get a haircut, a new guy that Ang really likes.  He was a little butterfly of a man, flitting all over the salon, and very good at what he did.  Actually it was more like reconstructive surgery, since my last haircut was gawdawful, and even though I had let it grow, he still had to cut it really short to straighten out the bad cut. And you don’t even want to hear about the girl that cut it the last time.  Hubby found her at a rummage sale.  Why I ever listened to that man in the first place is beyond me.  She was a really sweet girl, her salon was just a couple of miles from home, but she really butchered my hair, the only way I can explain it was that it was like a bowl cut with wings.

Anyway, I told this little fairy of a guy what I wanted, really shaggy around the face, REALLY shaggy, and he was a whiz with the scizz, but I’m not REALLY shaggy and it’s not the haircut I envisioned, but in all honesty, he didn’t have a helluva lot to work with.  And don’t go getting your panties in a wad, I’m not discriminating against gay men, actually I adore gay men, they are always fun and entertaining.  I’m just explaining him to you…

And so it will grow, and then I will get it cut again, and not like it again, because that’s the way it is with my hair.  And it’s not helping that this almost sixty-two year old face is attached to that hair.

And so it goes, this Monday evening.  It’s not been one of my better days, tomorrow will be better, and Wednesday it will be cooler, and Thursday I get to see Abby, who Lindsay says  is now calling me “Grammie-me.”  I have yet to hear her utter those words, Ryan was trying to get her to say it Sunday, telling her to “say hi to Grammie.” But like always when we try to get her to say my name, she yelled “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO” into the phone as loudly as she could – I swear that precious little thing is going to give “Grammie-me” a complex if she doesn’t call me SOMETHING, soon.  I’ll take ANYTHING!  And of course hubby got on the phone and said hi to her and she yelled “P-PA, P-PA” joyously.  And of course he was just beaming, and I could have just smacked him.  Well not really, but you get my drift.   Oh the unfairness of it all!

But we’re going to work on it this weekend, and just maybe she will call me something other than “NOOOOOOOOOO.”   Just throw me a crumb baby girl, just throw me a crumb….

Sunday Church Social…

Hubby and I went to a church social today.  A country catholic church just a few miles from us has one every August and the food is always so good.

The lines are long, we go early to beat the heat, and sit under the old shade trees waiting for our number to be called.

Simple, wholesome food, fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, dumplings, dressing, corn and green beans, dinner rolls and different kinds of cake for desserts.

You sit in a gymnasium at long tables, sat up with pitchers of tea and water, and big bowls of to-die-for coleslaw, fresh tomatoes and green peppers.

And yes, it was just as good as it sounds.  Diets to the wind, sometimes you just have to live in the moment and enjoy the food.  I adore the angel food cake, it’s yummy with great frosting.  We sat and conversed with the others at the table, it was so refreshing, like going back in time.  They have a huge following, the crowds were really getting large by the time we finished.

After we left, LC summed it up by saying, “this is the way life is supposed to be.”  What a good time it was…

Note:  I just found this coleslaw recipe online, it would be very similar to what we had today.  Check it out, here…

It all goes back to childhood….

Maggie and I took a ride on Milly this morning.  I’m sitting by the creek, sipping my coffee, enjoying the birds, listening to the frogs, watching the tadpoles in the water, and I was completely, totally, at peace.

And I’m thinking to myself, this is what it’s all about, this is my Utopia, nature, my place of ideal perfection.  And it all goes back to childhood, to my country roots, to summer days spent by my ditch, playing with my animals under a shade tree, living in nature.  But what about people that are raised in the city? 

Are they comforted by the sound of garbage trucks, sirens, busy, bustling people?  Do they enjoy the smell of gas fumes?  I’m not being facetious here, I really wonder if that gives them peace.  But, of course, I have no way of knowing, I’m just sayin’…

40 years ago today….

LC and I were married.  Can it really be that long?  Where did all those years go?  Who is that couple that stare back at us in the mirror?  We actually took pictures of each other, looked at them, and said simultaneously, “enough of this shit.”  Seriously, old(er) people shouldn’t take pictures of themselves, it’s too depressing!

It was a good day, hazy and a bit cooler, just a nice easy time.  We have a local German festival, The Volkfest, I’ve always wanted to go, and today was the day.  We went for lunch, I had pig knuckles, beans, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes, hubby had bratwurst and German potato salad, and it was absolutely, positively horrid! I guess I don’t like “authentic” German food, it’s too sour and vinegary for me.  My neighbor’s recipe for German potato salad is much better than anything they had to offer.  But it was something to experience, and actually the pig knuckle was the best part.  Thank gawd we left before they started to polka, I just don’t think I was up to watching all those old men dance.

We went to dinner tonight, had a great meal, then cruised the river and drove through our old neighborhood.  It was a nice day.  I’m mellow…

Happy Anniversary to us!!!

Lucille Ball: A Tribute

She would have been 100 years old this weekend…

Coconut Oil, it’s a good thing…

A few months ago, I bought this coconut oil at Whole Foods.  I bought it to make chocolate candy, it’s a long story, I won’t bore you with it, but the upshot was it tasted too much like coconut, and I didn’t like it.

So, it’s been sitting on the shelf in my pantry, and if you read about coconut oil, it’s good for a multitude of things other than cooking with it.  People use it as a daily supplement, and to moisturize their skin, and they use it to condition their hair.

I gave it a try as a conditioner this morning.  I didn’t warm it in water, no need for that, this stuff liquifies immediately. All I did was scoop a dab of it in my palm, held my hands together and it turned to liquid.  Then I ran it through my hair and left it on for a couple of hours.  Of course I looked like an Elvis reject, with my hair all greased up, no way I would have answered the door if somebody came, but when I lightly shampooed it and rinsed it out, I could really tell a big difference.

The dryness was gone, my hair was soft and shiny, and “conditioned.”  And, it’s a big pound jar, (think half of the size of a jar of Crisco) so it’s a really cheap deep conditioner/moisturizer.  And the coconut smell is much more appealing on my hair than it was in that chocolate.

You can get this at Walgreen’s, on sale for $10.  I liked it so much, I’m going to try it as a skin moisturizer next.

Don’t you just love a deal???  I always scout out the good stuff for you ladies, and this is a winner!!!

~ jan

Grammie’s secret weapon, my iPad!!!

Abby is twenty-two months now, a sweet little girl who runs and plays and adores her “P-Pa.”  Yes, P-Pa, he’s no longer Gampa, now he’s P-Pa.  And me,  I’m still just a blip on her radar screen, she only has eyes for him.

She and Lindsay visited this week while Ryan was out of town.  We had so much fun, friends came to visit, her Auntie V got to play with her, and we went for rides on Milly, and out to lunch with Ang, it was such a good time.

After a few hours of her ignoring me, I decided I needed a “gimmick.”  I brought out my ipad, and downloaded games and flashcards, and my little techkie granddaughter decided that Grammie was okay, after all.  She loved the iPad, we played games and watched videos, and she laughed and clapped those little hands, and her fingers were busy tap tapping away on the screen.  She was good, too.  She could figure out all the toddler games.

I’m so glad that I’m smarter in my old(er) age.  Sometimes you just have to bring out the big guns and change with the times.  So much for baking cookies, forget the cookies, entice them with the electronics…

Out, damned spot!! Getting rid of age spots on the cheap…

We all have them, the dreaded age spots.  Years in the sun, genetics, whatever the reason for them, they are horrid and we just want them gone!

Whether you have the discoloration, the flat darker ones, or the raised moles, what would you say if I told you that you could get rid of them for under $10?

Intrigued, sure you are, and you can do it!  I read a few years ago about using Gel Wart Remover to get rid of age spots, and I’ve been using it ever since.  I asked both my dermatologist, and a family doctor if this was a safe way to remove them, they both said it was.  Of course they aren’t going to promote this, they get big bucks for removing age spots in their office.

Using wart remover is just like a mini chemical peel.  You put a dot of it on the age spot, let it dry, and peel it off.  In a couple of days you can repeat it, but don’t do it too often or it will burn your skin. You don’t see results immediately, but in a few days, you will see the age spot dry up and then you can peel it away.  Moles, of course take more applications, just be patient.  You feel a slight tingle when you apply the gel, this is normal.

When the spot is gone, you are left with a red dot where you used the wart remover, but that disappears quickly.  Of course you wouldn’t want to use this on spots that look “suspicious” but for regular, ugly age spots it works perfectly.  I may have blogged about this previously, and even if I have, it’s worth a repeat.

You can all write and thank me later for saving you so much money.  Now head out to the drugstore and give this a try, you will be impressed, pinky swear you will.

~ jan

Monday morning…

It’s cool this morning in Heavensville, I sat outside, drinking my coffee, watching the M&M’s scamper through the yard, and the horses were looking at me through the fence.

My flowers were abloom, the birds were singing, and it was so peaceful. Life is good this Monday morning.

It’s those simple things, again…

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!!!