Celebrating a Speed Limit

First you get your favorite friends together. And one of them hosts your party and does all the work.
Now that's what I'm talkin about!!

and you mix it up right, 10 grown ups and 10 little people.

because the big people need something to look at besides each other and all of the food!

excuse me, we thought about a picture after scooping some out. This is blueberry salad. There is really nothing salad about it. It should be a dessert! yummmy. I can't tell you how to make it. From the first time my friend made it 10 years ago I have refused to find out. I might gain a 100 pounds if I could make this stuff.  I know it has jello and blueberry pie filling in the bottom and some kind of nutty crunchy cream cheese topping.... it will definitely make you fat.

gather round and EAT. We had barbecued chicken marinated in cilantro and onions, smoked baby back ribs that fell off the bones, home made macaroni and cheese, baked beans with bacon bell peppers and onions in them, cucumber and tomato salad with pesto dressing, fresh home made bread, home churned butter.....

and Tres Leche cake. Whew my stomach was exploding with all the love. Isn't this cake gorgeous? It was so delicious. We also had a little platter of cupcakes for the little people.

who ate them up.

and wore some of what they ate.

They had mercy on me and did not put candles on the cake in multiple quantities. I told them a forest fire like that would give me another asthma attack.

the kids played, both young,

and mature.

and then maybe the best gift of all. One of my friends really plays well and he brought a laundry basket full of sheet music and began playing and singing.

everybody gathered around and joined in. Little babies get the bouncy knees to the music which is so cute.

and the slightly older ones get a bit excited...

and just boogie down!

Which I think is just bringing them up right! Teach them to have joy with all ages of people.

It was the best birthday party ever.
Thanks to my friends.

Tired Tuesday

Establishing pack authority.

After 23 years I still think my husband is hunky and I love the way he walks. The man has the moves.

Want to make friends?

No way they ain't having none of it. These are two bent outta shape cats just look at their faces!

and as the sun sets on another very busy day...

I look to heaven for some help. Even a perfect puppy is a busy puppy and ALL babies wake up at the crack of dawn. It's not just potty training. It's what to chew on and what not to chew on. It's sit stay, down stay, come here, no-no-no- good baby---good baby don't bite my toes---go potty-- go night night-- be quiet--- down---good baby----

I'm so tired. tomorrow may be wordless wednesday.

Baby Roman is awesome his mom is just a bit pooped.

Getting to Know Him

Doing what a growing puppy does best.

Resting with a full belly while my mom is at her desk.

Figuring out this play together thing and just what is that thing in ma's hand?

Please let me bite your toes. OUCH.

No baby, no bite. See how little he really is?

But he already has a BIG dog look.

We had a lot of fun reading your suggestions for names. We read them all and made a list of about 50.
But with naming anyone their are two people who have to agree.
I liked Reuben, Rudy, Roman, Samson, Dane, Max, and Noah.
The Hunny liked Gabriel. I kinda liked that but not a hundred percent sold on it.

Guess what the Hunny's daughter suggested? Well Dad, you could name him Roman Gabriel you know their was a quarterback with that name. We don't care anything about what team or anything else. But I wasn't getting anywhere with Roman by itself.  She can be so smart. Done deal.

Roman Gabriel.

You can knick name that to death so no telling what he will actually get called.
RO-Man-- hey little man--Gabe--G---Ro--and then there is BABY which is kinda sticking at this point.

You know in the South all kinds of people use two names--like Karen Deborah.

Maybe I should go and get a puppy football.

He's HERE!

The cats are having a committee meeting to discuss....

The fella who took over their house. They no longer are rulers of the roost. They have been temporarily moved upstairs so they can escape until they adjust.

He is definitely number one.

He isn't as big as he looks. He is a puppy. He will be 4 months old on August 9th so you can do that math.  What a sweetheart. Not ONE accident. He already knows what "go potty" means. He understands, no, come, and I LOVE YOU. He is adorable.

There is just one problem.

I can't call him Baby for the rest of his life. Especially when he is going to be a BIG dog.

I want to name him Reuben. Daddy isn't so hip on that. His daughter suggested "Rudy" which would be hysterical. All my pets have had the names of one of Lucy's pets. Well guess what? She had a PIG named Rudy. I am not thinking that my new baby is going to be named after a pig even if it IS cute.

I like Benoni too, it means "son of my sorrow." We thought about Gabriel.  I read through a dog name list and wrote down an entire page.

Can you believe we finally got a puppy?

He hasn't been here for 24 hours yet and we are BOTH just besotted, smitten, overcome, and in love. He is super smart and very laid back. He is lying on my feet while I type. I won't be here long because I have to go cuddle with him some more. His parents are both very large. His dad is HUGE! They have great bone structure and have a very lovely pedigree of champions. My big question was health. So far he has not had any dog with epilepsy or cancer. Good because that was a real heartbreaker. Rasmus will have been buried now for 3 years in October. It took us a long time to get over the heart break. Dad  wanted another black male PURE poodle, nothing else would do.  He said "no doodles no mixes," he wasn't going to budge on that.

Since it is my birthday this month I nagged asked daily. I know an opportune moment. I brought up a puppy every single day and then I found one.  He said yes finally, what else could the man do? I wore him out down. Then I showed him a picture and he got tears in his eyes. He said, " Yes, we want him, go get him".  He wasn't to far away in Louisiana. The little guy did well considering he had never been in a car, or a severe thunderstorm including thunder and lightening, or seen windshield wipers before. It was a good thing that I am a broken in mama and have been thrown up on, and drooled on before. I was prepared for that. After about an hour he laid his head in my lap and travelled very well. Bless his little heart. The first thing I did when I got home was take another shower, and clean up the car.

He checked out his new digs and approved. Since he is already crate trained I bought one. I'd rather have him in my bed. The Hunny said if the dog is in the bed he won't be. Shucks...

I love to watch him with the Hunny he follows him everywhere. Little tail wagging. Oh my heart be still.

If you want too you can suggest some names.

It is also perfectly acceptable to applaud, sigh, clap, or have a party.
Happy birthday to me!!!!

A Variety Post.

People have asked about where I get seeds. Before I knew about Linda at Home Town Seeds, I purchased a lot from this company. This catalog has a lot of flowers and herbs. It's pricey but they have good products. My zennia's are from them.

This is my favorite mixer. I use it for so many things. The latest task I have called upon it to do is make butter.

This is cream in a recycled container from ILean the happy jersey cow. It is raw. I don't worry about ILean she is healthy and happy. She has a great diet and gets a lot of sunshine. Perfect for a great dairy product. When milk isn't pasturized it separates and this cream floats to the top and gets skimmed off. The original skim milk! What I have here is the good stuff- the CREAM.

Can you believe this color? It is going past whipped cream and on it's way to being butter.

In the old days this whole process involved a butter churn and lots of arm work. I bet women in the old days did not have bat wings under their arms. Maybe I should get a churn? Nawh, I love my mixer.
While my power tool is working I will have lunch. It's 2 in the afternoon so I'll have an ice cold beer with my lunch. It's really hot and I am working hard making butter.

Then it happens, the machine changes in sound and the butter is in chunks and the milk is separated from the fat. It is not buttermilk. In the old days milk was left at room temperature to clabber before it was churned. This is sweet butter.

Which I dump out into a colander and rinse. Then I squeeze it to get the rest of the milk out and put in little containers in the freezer. This fresh butter spoils after about 2 weeks. It doesn't hardly last that long. My thin husband who has no weight problem eats it like cheese. He loves it and has a little bread with his butter. I very carefully enjoy small samples. It is incredibly tasty stuff.

Also on the agenda today is what to do with the tomatoes that are coming in quickly now. I have put up 17 pints and 3 quarts of salsa. I haven't made any Italian food yet. That all by itself lets you know that I have been sick and depressed. I am the happy queen of Italian dining all summer long, with the appropriate music and wine. Not this year, until today.

This is how I make fresh garden sauce for pasta. Start with some olive oil in the sauce pot and then start mincing and chopping. First onion, minced very finely to fool the husband who thinks that onions are not good. Then bell peppers, chopped up and added. Green are essential but if you have a garden full of colorful peppers toss them all in. Then I cut up all of my ripe tomatoes. I do not skin them or seed them I use the whole thing. Then I add salt, pepper, oregano, and a frozen ice cube of pesto that I keep in my freezer. When I harvest my basil I make a day of it and make pesto until I think I'm going to be sick. Then I freeze it in ice cube trays that have been sprayed with Pam. One days work can make enough pesto for a couple of years.  I also add a couple cloves of minced garlic and a generous pour of good red wine. I like Merlot. Never cook with bad wine. If it isn't fit to drink, it isn't fit for anything.

Just let this simmer for several hours until it cooks down into a lovely sauce that you can ladle out onto the pasta of your choice. It is really really really delicious.  I don't measure so sorry, but you can do this, really you can.

I bought this book to try and figure out new ways to use up my garden produce. I don't think I have ever seen so many canning recipes collected into one place in my entire life. I LOVE this book. The author refers to her Grandmother and her kitchen frequently. She has knowledge of the way things were done when a recipe said to "salt until you gag,"  and she has modern knowledge for example, "quick and easy freezer pickles." I learned to can in my twenties but it never hurts to brush up on technique and this book has everything you need to know. She also discusses fermentation. It is readable, interesting and fun. If you garden and can, it is a must have. You simply must have it. I am going to try the watermelon rind pickles and the green tomato chutney. My friends 90 year old mother said that her mama made watermelon rind pickles that were to die for. So with an endorsement like that I am game to at least try it once.

These are the books I have been reading to soothe my hurting soul. I can't recommend them highly enough. Right now there are a lot of bloggers out there who are suffering. Some are sick, afraid, some are hurt, some are not revealing anything except they are suffering and some have just stopped blogging for now.
I spilled my beans. I really didn't have a lot of ways to get my pain out because my asthma was so severe I couldn't talk. I didn't completely hang out all my laundry but I shared a lot of personal pain. The pain is still there. I didn't cry today, but I did yesterday. I have cried a stinkin river.

I read about this book "Plan B," over on Angie's blog "Bring the Rain." Pete Wilson is her pastor. He is hip and cool and REAL. Pete Wilson is not religious, he is a real man with a real walk, with a real God. He tackles some very hard issues in this book. At the end of the book he explains how nice it would be to wrap it all up with a bow and a conclusion. Except you cannot wrap up the subject of human suffering with a bow. We cannot explain why bad things happen to good people. We cannot give a pat answer or  a glib response if we really want to make a difference. We can only point up to God who will carry us through the problem, even if He doesn't take it away. It's one of the best books I have ever read in my entire life. Ever. and that is a period.

Right now I am reading the Stormie O Martian book "Just Enough LIGHT for the Step I'm On," another keeper. Powerful, insightful, comforting, and the truth; mixed with her personal story of abuse, drugs,
the occult and almost killing herself---her story is amazing. If you are having a hard time and trouble in your life read about hers. You will find something to relate to. She is an excellent and engaging storyteller.

and finally I want you to meet somebody. Recently this lady has written me a ton of sweet e mails to encourage me. She is precious. Her blog doesn't have a lot of readers and I think she a lot to say. Her last post was about being depressed. She has fibromyalgia and suffers a lot. Maybe you can relate to her. Maybe you can relate to depression. Maybe you can relate to a kind soul. Go by and say hi, and share an encouraging word.
http://knitpickingit.blogspot.com

We talk a lot out here in bloggyland, but one of the things we do best is support each other. Maybe it is because we are on the internet that we have more freedom to express ourselves. I'm not sure that I could even begin to explain it. I know what it is that I experience through it -- community. We are a real neighborhood of real friends, that is my story and I'm stickin to it.

Distractions!

Lately whenever I go to my computer, I have company.


He may start over here for a few minutes.

Until he wants to know what is so much more interesting than petting him.
If I have a drink he wants that too.

Then he starts patting the keys. I swear he has learned how to open the CD drive because he does it constantly. If that doesn't work he will stand up and start walking across the keyboard.

Pushing him off the desk doesn't work. He is a CAT not a dog and he is persistant. So I try putting the mouse on my leg.

Which interests the kitty-- you know how cats are about mice. So he starts reaching for the wire.

About which time I just give up and give him what he wants.

and then he is content.  I have not accomplished a thing, but the cat is happy.

Introducing!

http://amberandamethyst.blogspot.com/

You know me every once in awhile I find a cool blog that doesn't have a whole lot of readers. A cool enough blog that it should have some readers!

Do you ever ride the bus?

If you rode the bus would you knit and makes gorgeous socks? Washrags? blankets?
she does.

How about making your own blend of curry? Slow roasting the different herbs and seeds and then crushing them into a lovely powder for super uber good flavor?

There is a cat too. "Boots" who looks a bit like a main coon and thinks she is the Queen of England.

Pretty interesting pair these two.

I just love interesting and unique people. How about you?
I thought so!
So go see for yourself! and say hi while you are there.

I have some others I am thinking about to introduce you too. What about you? Found any cool blogs out there lately? Something new to read?