Brain Drain Part 4

31.  "We should have brought a change of clothes and then we could have gone back through the line," he said.  I almost choked on my sample.  I laughed and laughed.  He loves teasing me because I love to try samples at Sam's Club.  His humor is one of his greatest lovable assets.


32.  Don't tell Blaine, but we are not going to watch the World Series.


33.  I want to see my sisters.  One is across town, one is in Branson at the moment, and one is in Mississippi, and honorary sister is in Coweta.  Probably could count on NOT seeing them any time soon.


34.  Do you make candy at Christmas time?  I used to make a lot of different recipes each year, but for the last five years not so much.  One batch of fudge and some caramel popcorn.


35.  I hate watching Mecum car auction so why do we have it on tonight?  Perhaps it is because dear hubby brought me a dish of ice cream topped with whipped cream and pecans...........yeah, he can watch whatever he wants.


36.  I threw my back out this morning and all I was doing was getting out of the chair to get myself another cup of coffee.  Two Aleve and one muscle relaxer later, and I was ready to shop again.


37.   I found the cutest simple little Christmas décor at Walmart today.  Isn't it cute?  Just a little plastic 7" animated piano that plays three tunes and it was less than $10.  Surprisingly, it really sounds like a recorded piano.  I'm going to have fun just pressing the play button throughout the holidays.  I will have my own little pianist.  The link will open when you click on Christmas décor above.


38.  Brown beans--do you like them?  I love them especially the way I make them.  I do NOT soak.  I sort and wash them, add them to the pot and cover with a couple inches of water.  As the beans cook they will swell and the longer they cook the water will be absorbed and the bean broth will get thicker and thicker.  You will need to add water as they cook.  But remember the longer they cook, the darker the broth will become.  Add any flavorings you like; ham, sausages, onions, jalapenos, etc.


39.  I follow several decorators on Instagram.  One thing I have noticed is how clean their houses are............I don't think I can ever achieve that cleanliness.  I am quite comfortable with the lived in look.


40.  Don't be afraid to open the door for someone including men.  I call that just being nice.


41.  Today at Walmart I had 10 things in my cart which I thought were cute.  I had these things in my cart long enough to realize that I was, indeed, impulse buying.  I took the time to take those things back to their rightful shelf and left feeling like I did the right thing.


42.  My daughter..........she came after me to do a little shopping around noon.........after I was feeling better from my back incident.  I love our time together and she makes me happy.  Bringing along her daughter just fills me with pride.


43.  Clowns--don't like them.  Don't like a happy clown.  Don't like a sad clown.  Don't like a scary clown.  NO CLOWNS FOR ME.  In fact, they might be in the running with snakes and my scariest things.


44.  Do you read books on your tablets?  I have, but I much prefer turning the pages of a real book.


45.  I find that the older I get, the more I love going to bed early.  I think I am turning into my parents.  Hubby, however, still stays up till 12:30 or 1:00 every night so I guess it really isn't an age thing.  I'm getting sleepy.......Oh, I guess it's okay to go to bed now...........10:04 p.m.


46.  My 14 year-old grandson is growing up!  He has muscles of a man!  I am not a fan of that look, but oh my............stop...........  I still haven't given up on my image of him as a baby.


47.  I subscribe to several magazines.  That's not so bad, but what is bad is I don't read them. 


48.  Coming up with 70 brain drains is harder than I thought.


49.  I ordered flameless candles yesterday.  I feel like the glow of a candle warms the house so I look forward to decorating with these. 


50.  One of my pet peeves is when my family members washes their hands in my kitchen sink before coming to the table.  Yep, a pet peeve that I try to divert by sending them to the bathroom.


Night night all.


I love you all.   

Part Three of Brain Drain

21.  A friend took me to lunch today and it just made my week.  Such a kind person. 


22.  "I just want the d... thing to work," just said my hubby.  Technology may or may not be involved.


23.  My little Stormy has been gone for two years, but there are times when it seems like yesterday when that little storm cloud came running as hard as he could across the yard just to check in with his master.


24.  Just go with your heart.................


25.  Have you ever looked around at the amount of stuff we have in the world.  Stuff that we may or may not need, but it's out there.  Somewhere along the way of civilization, we went way beyond our needs.  Result = stuff.


26.  You don't always have to be right.  You don't always have to express an opinion.  There are times when I am in conversation when I realize that what I am about to say will have little relevance in the long run, but in the short run might cause friction............so why try to explain my point.  After all, we are not in a debate class.


27.  I am looking forward to Thanksgiving this year.  I usually dread baking the turkey, but this year I have a new outlook on life.  I want to make my meal extra special and I'm looking forward to exploring recipes.  To tell you the truth, my family would prefer the plainer side of sides..........get it side of sides?


28.  Confession:  I skipped school one time in my life; my senior year--one day.  My girlfriend and I went to the state fair with our boyfriends.  We even talked my friend's sister-in-law into writing an excuse letter to our principal.  That is about the extent of my rebel period.


29.  I just want you to know that my life is better when I do NOT watch the news.  I also want you to know that my life is better when I don't tap into Facebook. 


30.  I got an Alexia, and I think I like it.  She's a pretty smart old gal.  She keeps my TO DO list and keeps me on track.  I think she's my personal assistant.............isn't it amazing how technology has evolved since 1988 when I first use a Deck Mate?


That's all I got today...............


I love you ALL.

Part Two of Brain Drain

Here I am again.


11.  Ice Cream = Cherries, Pecans, and Cream.  Husband fixing me a bowl = love.


12.  Lowe's have all their flowers one-half off.  Now, PLEASE, come plant them. 


13.  Friends.  I wish I had cultivated more.  To all you younger folks, start your friendship tree early.  And remember, not every friend has to share your exact same values.  We are all in this together, people.


14.  Make your bed daily.  It will make you feel so much better every time you go into your bedroom.  In fact, for me, when I walk into my bedroom and the bed hasn't been made, it really brings my mood down.


15.  Money.  Save it!  It will come in handy one day.


16.  I joined a club Saturday.  OHCE.  We will see how that goes.  It is a service organization.  Who knows I might cultivate some new friends.


17.  I need to clean my return air ducts.  Just keeping it real.


18.  Sometimes my hubby talks to the TV.  As an engineer he can't help but question a lot of what is said on the TV.  Come to think of it, I, too, question a lot of the rhetoric, but I don't talk to the TV.


19.  I will never get white carpet again.  I actually wish I had hard-wood floors......but, it's not going to happen.


20.  I would love to go to New York again, but with a group of people.  I want to see some plays.


Well.......that's 10 more of my brain drain.  Just having a little fun, folks.  Don't take me seriously.


I love you.

70 Brain Drains

Recently, I turned 70 years old and for the first two weeks in October I was under the weather.  At the beginning of the month, it was my plan to give you 70 things that mean absolute nothing.  Just 70 things that I kind of call my brain drain.  Nothing serious here.  So here are a few of my 70 things that I will add to so they will add up to 70.  Understand????  Me, neither...........part of the brain drain.


1.  Just because you are sick for a few days doesn't mean that you are down for the count.  It is easy to get into the "oh woe is me" mode..........but here to say, I'm back.


2.  Flatware placement in this order.  Left to right, salad fork, dinner fork......right of the plate should be the steak knife (if required), dinner knife (both with sharper side of the knives toward the plate), then the small spoon.  My granddaughter placed her flatware that way at the restaurant last night and told me that was the way you do it.  One proud grandma.


3.  PBS has great programming.  Sunday night is my favorite, i.e. "The Durrells in Corfu". 


4.  It's autumn..........take a look around!


5.  Leave the polish off your toes during the winter........let those puppies breathe.


6.  Have you found your talent?  One thing I have learned is that not everyone has a talent of one of the arts..............but that doesn't mean you can't just be nice.  I'm trying to develop and hone this skill, and honestly I truly do believe being nice is a learned skill. 


7.  I'm not a great housekeeper, but that, too, I am try to hone......otherwise known as getting up when I'd rather set on the couch and wait for bedtime.


8.  I'm not going to win the lottery, but I buy tickets every once in a while.  A girl's gotta dream.......and I dream big!  Oh yeah, I'm got a whole list of people I am going to help.


9.  My husband falls asleep with his tablet in his hand and it falls on the couch waking him.  Then the whole process starts again.  He probably does this 15 times before he actually puts the tablet down and gets comfortable in his recliner for his nap.  It is the funniest thing.


10.  I don't understand ripped jeans being a fashion.  I just don't get it.  Shaking my head, I just don't get it.


See you tomorrow maybe with some more brain drain.


I love you.

If You Could Eat the Box

Good morning all.  Getting ready to grab my granddaughter from pre-K and head to the mall for a very quick look at shoes.  Yes, I need a pair of comfortable sight-seeing shoes.  Going on several fall trips...we hope.


Anyway, yesterday for lunch the hubby and I couldn't quite find the perfect thing to eat.  Searched high and low and without peeling potatoes and dirtying up the kitchen.  Viola, I found a delicious looking TV dinner in the freezer.  It was a big one although the package serving size was one so we decided we could split it.  And then I found a couple of pork ribs that I had frozen from another meal so we definitely will have a filling lunch (why I don't date things for the freezer, I'll never know).


Well, I have to tell you, the meal was less than stellar.  In fact, inedible.  The beef pot roast was horrible despite the fact that it was a rather more expensive, name brand.  And the ribs...........they had been in the freezer too long.  So we had our couple of bites, and decided that we'd save our appetite for our evening meal.


Then he says this "If you could eat the box, we'd be full now." 


Get it???  I won't try to explain.


I love you.  Have a great day.


 

I Need to Go Shopping

I need to go shopping.  I have now gone through my clothes for fall and realize that the fall/winter things I got just this last spring on sale are not what I want to wear this fall.  Maybe I need to rethink all those great end-of-season sales.  What I wanted to wear just six months ago is now exactly what I don't want to wear.


Anyway, this morning as I was chatting/texting with my sisters someone mentioned that fall will be upon us this Saturday...............oh my.............don't tell me..........I could have been wearing my white pants another week????  Let me explain.  This year I put my white pants away the day after Labor Day...reverting back to the old rule "no white after Labor Day".  Who made up that rule, anyway?  For the last few years I totally ignored that rule thinking that if it is 90 degrees outside, surely it would be okay for me to wear white pants.  Surely!  And besides summer isn't even over on Labor Day.  BUT this year I started reassessing my age and decided maybe I should adhere by the rule.  After all, I don't want to spend the rest of my life in Fashion Police jail.  So I put the white jeans away.  (See you next spring.)


Then this morning after working outside for 10 minutes, I got hot!!!  So later today when I head for my yearly mammogram, I am going to rock my white jeans one more time.  (Hello again white jeans.)  If you see the Fashion Police, don't tell them please. 


Have a great day everyone.  I still need to go shopping. 


I love you fellow Fashion Police law breakers.

I Found His Stash

I've found his stash............


Tonight as I was browsing (otherwise known as snooping) around my hubby's computer room looking for my Trader Joe's Chocolate Coconut Almonds which I gave to him yesterday to hide them from me.  I even told him to flush down the toilet, one at a time, if he didn't want them.  "I never want to see these again."  You, friends, know I did NOT mean that.  That came out of the mouth of a crazed woman who had realized that she'd just eaten two dozen of these little nuts.  Yes, she hadn't even realized that she'd been chewing. 


So......what do I do?  ........I go searching for my candy........a day later.  I knew that he knew that I knew he wasn't really going to eat them or flush them.  No, he knew that my frantic immediate quest for a smaller waistline was only temporary.  He knew that I'd be searching for them eventually.  So, he put them back in the pantry.  Tonight I thought they'd still be in the computer room somewhere so I quietly began my search.  I sure didn't want him to know that I wanted them back.  I was just going to get a few, put them right back where I'd found them, him being none the wiser. 


BUT......pulling open the first drawer, I found his stash.  Yes, I opened that drawer and found a container of Sour Cream Pringels, two boxes of Chocolate Covered Raisins, and a can of cashews.  And.............on the desk was a jar of Nutella with a spoon beside it.  I had no idea of his stashes.  I had no idea that while I was beating myself up because I was having a love fest with my chocolate almonds, he was in there with enough goodies to fill a grocery aisle having his own food fest.


Well, he's sitting here on the couch with me, none the wiser that I found the almonds, that I ate six, and that I know that he has his stash.  Nope, not saying a word.  I think it's sweet that he has his stash.  I think it's sweet that he has his computer room with a drawer of goodies.  He's just sweet.  And I think it is REALLY SWEET that I got to sneak a few almonds.


Here's a link to my new favorite TJ treat.  http://www.traderjoesreviews.com/product/trader-joes-chocolate-coconut-almonds-reviews/


Yes, I found his stash.


I love you. 

I Give You Basil Pesto

I GIVE YOU BASIL PESTO

It's BASIL time!

Look at that beauty with its shiny green leaves.

It needs a trim; its second one this year.

And what do you do with the trimmings?

You make Basil Pesto, of course.

On a beautiful raining Saturday night, what's better

than making a batch or two of this glorious sauce?

It takes just a little bit of time, 

a little basil, garlic, roasted nuts, olive oil,

Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper

to bring it all together.

Viola--I give you Basil Pesto,

the final product, and certainly it does

deserve this larger photo.  It worked hard for its

time in the freezer.  Those four packages are now safely

tucked away, freezing as I type, for future family

gatherings or maybe for just the hubby and me.

My sister-in-law gave me this recipe a few years back

and it is and will remain one of my top 5 recipes.

I haven't been very faithful to my blog in a few years.  I used to enjoy it so much, but haven't found much to write about in a while.  I am not sure I know why I stopped writing because I still find it immensely satisfying.  So..... I am going to write again.  It may take me a while until I get my groove back.  Until then, I give you Basil Pesto. 

Enjoy your Saturday night.  I love you.

Have you ever tried mixing tiny ribbons of basil and minced garlic in softened butter?  ..........a great steak topping. 



Blue Eyes..........

Good Sunday evening, friends.  It has been a long time since I posted and tonight I am feeling a little nostalgic so maybe I can come up with a post. 


Earlier this evening I heard the Willie Nelson version of "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain".  What a haunting, beautiful song...........and the lyrics are so mesmerizing.  It makes me want to hit the repeat and try, I repeat, try to sing along.  I didn't know until a comment on Facebook that Willie didn't write this song, but, to me, his is the best.


My family did listen to country music, however, it was not the only genre.  Perry Como as well as Sonny and Cher, along with big band music and Patty Page.............we had it covered, not to mention my sisters at the piano playing and singing hymns in the back bedroom or practicing for the high school choir.  Throw in a little Mitch Miller and Lawrence Welk.  If you listened carefully you might hear my dad singing "Duke of Earl"; you see, he liked it all.


.......And dad sang along to this song so it sends me back when I felt safe and secure....to the time when we left the doors unlocked ALL the time.  Cars, too, were left unlocked and children could play outside long after dark.  You can't catch fire flies until dark.  Not going to leave our cars unlocked these days, but maybe the world would be a better place if there were more music and lyrics like this.  Maybe easy listening pop music and hymns are better for the soul.  Just thinking out loud here.  I'm beginning to sound old and out of touch, huh?


Well, this certainly isn't the post I had in mind when I sat down at the computer, but it is in the books.  Might have to go listened to "How Much is That Doggie in the Window".


I love you.  Maybe we will meet again............


(As wonderful as my childhood was, I wonder if my mom thought her childhood was even better.  Just wondering.)

Hallelujah

Hallelujah.  Hello there everyone. 


Nothing special going on tonight in suburbia OKC.  The hubby is at the end of the couch reading something on his little tablet, the lamp is low, and Pandora is streaming the best easy listening music.  Whoever came up with this play list has done it right. 


"Pachelbel For the Potomac" by Laura Sullivan.
"Lyin Eyes" by the Eagles just finished.
Michael Buble is must be a favorite because he is on every 10th song or so.
Who doesn't love "Unchained Melody" by Bobby Hatfield?
Adele--need I say more?
Jason Mraz--wish I could see him in person.
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole is beautiful.
Any song by Sam Smith.............aah.  He's got the voice.
Now here's "Here Comes the Sun" by the Beatles.
Ben E. King "Stand By Me".
Maroon 5--"Won't Go Home Without You".  See, the whole gamut.
Roy Orbison--"Pretty Woman".........mercy!
And it wouldn't be easy listening if not for Celine Dion.  "My Heart Will Go On"
Some guy named Boyce Avenue is singing "Thinking Out Loud".  I never heard of him, but do like that song.
John Mayer................
"Hallelujah" by Rufus Wainwright..........I will stop there for what song more beautiful.....hallelujah..........


Nostalgia, love, sorrow, compassion, spirituality; emotions have run the gamut tonight, but oh what a relaxing evening.  It makes me wish the whole world could be wrapped in this warm feeling. 


Hallelujah.


I love you.