Friday

It's Friday! Thank goodness. I was very happy to walk out of the office at 1:15. And won't have to return until Monday morning at 5:00. The snow has stopped. It sure is cold.

Feast One Hundred & Seventy

Appetiser

What is your favorite carnival/amusement park ride?

My favorite ride was the Scrambler. I don't care for rides that take you high in the air or drop you from high heights like roller coasters. My favorite ride at Disneyland, CA will always be Pirates of the Carribean. But for most rides in the amusement parks we have gone to I am the official family waiver & camera and stuff animal holder while the kids would ride all the rides.

Soup

How do you react in uncomfortable social situations?

I act different in different situations. Most times I talk too much. Fill in the quiet awkardness with too much chat. Other times I just recede and stay quiet, leave or avoid the situation entirely.

Salad

On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy discussing deep, philosophical topics?

Probably an 8 or 9. I am not afraid to discuss politics or religion or any other type of intense topic. I am interested in what other people think. But I try to stay true to my beliefs and not let other people influence my thinking. I definitely can agree to disagree.

Main Course

Did you get a flu shot this year? If not, do you plan to?

I got the flu shot from the nurse at work and then a pnemonia shot from the doctor's office. Being diabetic I think its required. I hate being sick, so if this keeps the flu away, I am all for it!

Dessert

Approximately how many hours per week do you spend watching television?

Too much that is for sure. I watch from 21 hours to 40 hours a week. More in the winter because I don't venture out as much.

Thursday

Snowed overnight. The drive to work wasn't too bad. Work was normal. Lori came by on my lunch break and I gave her my Avon order. It was good seeing her.

When I left work the sun was out and snow had melted from the roadways. I stopped at Dutch Brothers for a mocha. Yum-orific!

Thirteen Things about Saoirse 13 Love/Hate Things I Feel About Snow 1.... Love - Making Snow Angels 2. Hate - Driving In The Snow or On Icy Roads 3. Love - Sitting in front of the fireplace sipping from a mug of a warming drink watching the beautiful snowflakes coming down. 4. Hate - Melted Snow that Turns Into Ice or Snow Berms 5. Love - Snow Cream (Click on the link for the recipe) 6. Hate - Icecicles - The only kind I like are hanging on the outside of houses. 7. Love - Wear winter hats, gloves and scarves 8. Hate - Cost of Home Heating Oil 9. Love - Seeing the trees and mountains dusted with snow. Looks just like a Christmas card. 10. Hate - Snowballs on the my little dogs fur after a romp through the snow. 11. Love - Wearing my new Winter Coats and Boots. I bought 2 on sale on Black Friday. Don't we just love those good sales? 12. Hate - Slipping and Falling on melted snow that turns to ice! I think we can all agree on this one. 13. Love - Treating myself to a sugar free double chocolate mocha on a cold snowy winter day. Perks my spirits right up!

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Wednesday

Big snow coming! That is what they are warning us of. Oh Joy another wonderful drive to work. This morning and this afternoon wasn't so bad. Most of the roads were sprayed.

Where is the global warming everyone is squawking about? I want to email Al Gore and say What's Up? It is so dang cold....brrrr

After work I stopped at the library and returned books and picked up my books on hold. One is GPS for Dummies. I want to learn all I can before I get mine.

I also stopped and picked up a Papa Murphy's pizza. I did not feel like cooking or shopping. And M will have something fun to take for lunch tomorrow.

I watched Oprah! Incredible weight loss stories.

Tuesday

The snow finally came. We got about 4 inches. Driving to work wasn't too bad. only slid just a little in one place. Admin gave us hot chocolate and whipped cream to warm us up. It was as busy as it was yesterday. When I left work the snow was melting and most of the main streets have been sprayed. The side streets were still slippery. I decided to come straight home.

I have found something new to do on Tuesdays. Its called Secret Ingredient Tuesday. She names a secret ingredient and then you post 5 recipes using the ingredient.

Secret Ingredient #1 Sugar

Spiced Pecans

2 1/2 cups pecan halves
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

PREPARATION:
Put pecans and oil in a flat baking pan; stir until pecans are coated. Roast in 300° oven 20 to 25 minutes, stirring frequently. Cool.

Freak'n Good Ribs

INGREDIENTS
3 cups pineapple juice
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons mustard powder
1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground ginger
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 pounds baby back pork ribs
1 (18 ounce) bottle barbeque sauce

DIRECTIONS
In a large baking dish, mix together the pineapple juice, brown sugar, mustard powder, ketchup, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and soy sauce. Season with cloves, ginger, garlic, and cayenne pepper. Cut ribs into serving size pieces, and place into the marinade. Cover, and refrigerate, turning occasionally, for 8 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (80 degrees C). Cook ribs in marinade for 1 1/2 hours, turning occasionally to ensure even cooking.
Preheat grill for medium heat.
Lightly oil grate. Grill ribs for 15 to 20 minutes, basting with barbecue sauce, and turning frequently until nicely glazed.

Sugared Grapes

15 min 15 min prep
green grapes
2
egg whites
1/2
cup sugar (approx.)

For one regular size bunch of grapes, 2 egg whites.
Brush grapes with egg whites and then sprinkle sugar to TOTALY cover grapes.
Freeze until needed the day of.
This makes a very pretty garnish that's REALLY yummmy!
The crystallized sugar makes the grapes crunchy and sweet!

New Orleans Pralines

1- 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup + 2 T. Half and Half cream
1/2 stick butter
1 1/2 cups pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients except the pecans and vanilla in a heavy saucepan

Mixture will be thick. Stir until it comes to a boil, then turn heat down to a low boil. Stir occasionally; spoon mixture up on sides of pan to melt any sugar that hasn't melted.

Cook until the mixture reaches 239 degrees with a candy thermometer. If you don't have a candy thermometer, bring it to the soft ball stage.
Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla and the pecans. Stir until the mixture begins to thicken and becomes creamy and cloudy. Spoon onto waxed paper to harden

What usually happens is that by the time the mixture turns cloudy, signaling that it is time to drop onto the waxed paper, it starts hardening too fast to drop correctly. You should then stir in about 1 - 2 tablespoons of warm water to thin the mixture. Don't add too much - just enough to make the spoonfuls drop and settle in a "puddle". You don't want them to look like chunks of rocks.
If cooked to the correct temperature, it won't take a minute to harden by stirring. If you don't cook them long enough, they remain "sticky" and never become firm. They should be firm, yet creamy. If you don't eat them all the first day , wrap them individually and store them in an airtight container

Balsamic and Brown Sugar Glazed Beets

7 to 9 beets, peeled, quartered
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons butter

Combine beets with water, brown sugar , vinegar, and butter. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue simmering, uncovered, for about 1 hour, or until beets are tender and most of the liquid has boiled away.Serves 4 to 6

Monday

Back to work today after 4 glorious days off. We paid for those days off today. It was call after call. The day just zipped by being so busy.

Stopped by Safeway and bought a case of water. jack the fish needed water. We are planning on buying him a new tank.

It's going to be a very cold and snowy week. I am planning alot of soup and sandwich nights and other warm us up meals.

Monday: Cream of Mushroom Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Tuesday: Albondigas Soup and Cheese & Green Chile Quesadillas

Wednesday: Three Beans and Smoked Sausage served over hot white rice

Thursday: Egg Salad with green olive sandwiches and Macaroni Salad

Friday: Pizza

Saturday: Alfredo Chicken and Biscuits

Sunday: Breakfast: Waffles and Bacon

Sunday

Cold and gray outside. Lazy day inside. Slept in and then took a nap. I guess I needed more sleep.

We are meeting friends at Rancho Chico for dinner tonight.

Sunday meme:

1. Have you ever taken an art class?

Yes in high school and college

2. Do you draw, paint, or sculpt?

I like to create collages which includes all 3. I also like needlework, quilting, beading and other crafts.

3. Do you ever attend art shows or other artistic exhibitions?

Yes, when there are any. Spokane is not considered an art mecca.

4. What kinds and styles of art are you drawn to?

I love all kinds of styles of art. I'm mostly drawn to western paintings and gothic photography.

5. What kind of art do you actually have in your home?

I have oil painting of a Mountain Man Scene. We also have a framed print of Norman Rockwell's Lake Powell scene and other prints and paintings spread all around the house.

Saturday

It is bone chilling cold and damp. At least its not snowing. The frost is heavy enough to turn everything white as if dusted with snow.

Did a little bit more shopping today after dropping M off at work. The stores were not as crowded as yesterday, but, still busy enough. I finally found the leggings I was looking for at Walmart.

The theme for this week is hot. I chose a picture of hot chile peppers.

Friday

I got out this morning for the JC Penney 4:00 AM sale. I took advantage of the boot sale and bought 4 pairs of boots for only $138. These were $79. boots marked down to $27. I also got a mini chopper, some bras and some presents that I cannot list here because someone might read this and spoil the surprise. I still have more shopping to do, but I came home to take a break and have some breakfast.

Friday Feast (Thanks Gattina!)

Appetiser

Imagine that you are deaf, dumb and insensitive to touch. What other image of happiness could you have?

Warmth on a cold snowy day and Coolness on a hot summer day.

Soup

Do you collect anything?

Earrings - Every kind you can think of. I was so sad when we experienced the heartbreak of a break in last summer. They stole about 300 pairs of my newest earrings. Some were irreplaceable one of a kind earrings. What is sad the policeman said that they probably threw them away upon finding they were not fine jewelry.

Salad

When do you start your Christmas?

We no longer celebrate Christmas. But we do celebrate Winter Solstice!

Main Course

What would you do if you were in a corner and a snake was staring you down?

Slowly move peaceably away and leave well enough alone or shoot its head off with my Glock 19.

Dessert

If you were in the library and had gas

Oh My! Find the closest womens restroom and take care of the problem.

I went back out to take advantage of the sales going on. Went to Joann's and bought all the beading supplies I need. All beading supplies were 40% off and then another 20% of your total purchase. I went over to Circuit City, but they were out of all the televisions we had selected an interest in. I did get M's VHS rewinder that he needed for work. I then ventured over to Michael's. I bought more beading materials and used their 25% off coupon.

Came back and took M to work. We stopped at Zipps for lunch. It was so cold. Only 19-23 degrees today with a dusting of snow. I had to go and visit Robin at the bank. It was nice seeing her. I wish her bank was more accessible, but by being downtown the parking is a nightmare. She showed me some of daughter's lastest glass jewelry. I bought a beautiful pendant. Signed the needed paperwork and then decided to walk through the mall. The PETA activists were protesting in front of the mall. I checked out the calendar store. Too many choices that I could not make a choice. I then went to Claires but they really did not have anything different or unique.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! We had such a great time at the casino. We ate at the sit down restaurant - not the buffet and it was unhurried and nice. Afterwards we played several machines. I think my favorite this time was a machine called Fairy's Fortune. It was a very interactive game. And I won money! Yeah. They also make a really great sugar free mocha at the deli. Thank you everyone at Northern Quest - We had the best Thanksgiving ever!

Thirteen Things about Saoirse 13 Things I am Thankful For 1…. Michael, my husband of 23 wonderful years. 2. My son, Gideon, who is independent, handsome and happy. 3. Our daughter BJ, who is beautiful and perfect. And Jacob our one and only grandson. 4. Lady, our female shihtzu mix, who came to us abandonned and shy and now owns our heart and soul. 5. Sammie, our male shihtzu, who came to us abused and grumpy who is now a lover and world champion snuggler. 6. M's Mom who survived a heart attack this year and seems to become stronger everyday. 7. Her husband, Chris, and his friendship. 8. Carol & Roger - We love you and hope you are enjoying the mild weather down in Texas. 9. Our house. 10. Our good jobs. 11. Jiffy, my car, that I love driving each and everyday. 12. All our friends who we love and enjoy. 13. Our life in Spokane. Links to other Thursday Thirteens!1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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Wednesday

It was nice and slow today at work. I read quite a bit of my book today. Had my one on one which went well.

When I got off work it was bright and sunny, but, cold. I stopped at Circuit City and bought M's first present. Don't tell, I'm trying to keep it a secret till the 25th. I bought him Guitar Hero for his Playstation. He has always wanted it. I also picked up the new Josh Groban cd. It is awesome. What a voice! He would be very cool to see in person.

Ok MaMichelle I'm ready to play:

5 Things found in my room (this is my craft room I'm speaking of):

Plastic Roll Around Cabinet Chocked full of my crafting Goodies

Sewing Machine

Spare Laptop Computer and Desk

Boombox

Bookshelf holding 3/4 of my cd collection

5 things I’ve always wanted to do:

Adventure off to Sisters, Oregon and visit the Largest Outdoor Quilt Festival

Win the Lottery

Go houseboating on Lake Powell, Page, Arizona

Have fun at Disneyworld, Orlando, Florida

Visit South Whitley, Indiana and lay flowers on my grandparents grave

5 things found in my bag:

Current book I am reading

Wallet

Address Book

To Do List

Plastic bag with my teeth supplies

5 things in my wallet:

Debit Card & Credit Cards

Library card

Cash

Coupons

Current receipts

5 things I’m currently “in to":

Reading

Beading

Quad Double Chocolate Sugar Free Mochas

Shopping

Watching Movies

Sending out wishes to everyone for a Happy Thanksgiving!

Tuesday

No snow overnight as predicted. Yeah! That's a good thing.I am only working 2 days this week. Too bad I cannot do that every week. My across the wall new neighbor moved in. Barbara. I like her. She's about my age and has alot of knowledge.

After work I went to the library and returned books and rechecked out one M is reading. I put a hold on a book, GPS for Dummies. I checked out 2 new cookbooks and a travel book, Hidden Places in Washington.

I went to the grocery store for milk and bread. The store is loaded with food to the rafters because of Thanksgiving. I am not cooking this year. We are going to the casino. I want to have a fun weekend. I do not want to clean and cook. I plan on shopping on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. Kohl's opens at 4:00 am. I am thinking I may check it out. Depends on what I see in the ads. I need to call Sharma and see if we are still meeting for breakfast. I will need to go downtown and see Robin at the bank on Friday. It will be a fun busy day. I am looking for a pair of boots and beads for my new addiciton. Ace Hardware is advertising a digital picture frame for only $49.99. That about $90.00 cheaper than I've seen them for. They open at 7:00 am on Friday.

I watched My Favorite Things show on Oprah with jealously. She gives away the best stuff. I'm like everyone who watches her show, this show is always my favorite. She had one of my favorite singers, Josh Groban on. I definitely want his new cd. Yesterday I got in the mail the Keith Urban cd, Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy Thing. A little too rock for my liking, but its okay.

More questions:

1. What kind of soap is in your bathtub right now?
Bath& Body's Melon Cucumber body wash

2. What would you change about your living room?
The shape of the room

3. Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty?
So sad, no dishwasher

4. White or wheat bread?
Big new white bread, just bought today.

7. What is on top of your refrigerator?
Electric griddle, snacks, green plastic divided server (too big for any cupboard)

8. What color or design is on your shower curtain?
Bear, moose, canoe woodsy design

9. How many plants are in your home?
One - Lorna gave us a peace lilly for a housewarming gift 2 yrs ago. It needs re-potting bad.

10. Is your bed made right now?
Yes

11. Comet or Soft Scrub?
Comet, Pinesol and lots of other cleaners

12. Is your closet organized?
Organized? Shoes in boxes above, hanging clothers and 2 plastic tubs of tshirts - Not enough room for everything. I need more closet or less clothes.

13. Can you describe your flashlight?
It is orange and black and made by Black and Decker. It is big and has a rechargable battery.

14. Do you drink out of glass or plastic more at home?
Costco red cups - I hate washing glasses!

Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now?
No. Just poured some out. Crystal Light Peach Tea

16. If you have garage, is it cluttered?
Beyond cluttered, even after 3 trips to the dump. We keep working at it.

17. Curtains or blinds?
We have both, plus shears in the front window

18. How many pillows do you sleep with?
One queen sized extra firm

19. Do you sleep with any lights on at night?
A nightlight at the top of the stairs and a nightlight in the bathroom
More tomorrow.

Monday

I got behind this week and we did not have 2 of the meals I had planned last week. So, they are going to be the first 2 I start off with this week.

Monday: Minute Steaks, Mashed Potatoes, Creamed Onions & Green Beans

Tuesday: Cha Cha Pork Chops, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Green Salad with homemade buttermilk ranch salad dressing

Wednesday: Chili and cornbread

Thursday: Thanksgiving - Casino Night!!

Friday: Soup and Sandwich

Saturday: Chicken Stir Fry

Sunday: Out to dinner at Rancho Chico with friends

Took all 3 dogs to the groomer. Karen came in on her day off to do the pups since I cancelled on her on Saturday.

M got the 3rd laptop working after talking with HP tech support. I got the house straightened up for the cable visit. Comcast came and installed the phone, a new modem and all the tv channels they offer.

I think I am heading to bed early. It is supposed to snow overnight so I will want to leave a little earlier than usual in the morning.

Sunday

Well, I totally destroyed my other blog, so, I had to start a totally new one.

Yesterday Lorna came over and we spent the afternoon talking, laughing and gossiping while we made beaded bracelets. It was fun to swap supplies. She taught me alot and had a wonderful day.

Today, we got up and I went to the store because we were out of milk. I bought food for the week. When I got home I made a huge breakfast. Went back to bed and took a nice long nap. That was surprising because I went to bed so early the night before.

The rest of day we read the paper, watched tv, played on the computer and just enjoyed the day being together. Finally got out of the house and went to Circuit City to look at tv's. Out tv that we have had for the past 12 years the color is going out. We have the big screen downstairs, but really need a good working tv for upstairs too. While there we also looked at GPS Navigational systems. I want a handheld one to use to go geocaching. Its at the top of my Christmas list. On the way home we stopped at Dutch Brothers for mochas.

Now for the rest of the evening I am trying to recreate my blog. I hope everyone can find me.