I'm Running Behind...

Hope you all had a great New Year. Mine was quiet. I'm ready for a brand new year too. A new year for me means a fresh start and I'm all for that. I'm gonna say I expect 2012 to be a year of changes. I just hope they will all be good ones.

 I'm running behind on my blogging. I have a mouse I can control now and that makes all the difference in working this laptop.

On New Years Eve I took pictures in the gardens and fully intended to make a post then but I just didn't get around to it. I hope you'll let me share a couple of blooms with you.

Things are looking pretty straggly in the gardens but when I got to looking I found some signs of life in there. I have to say that I'm not a great gardener during November and December. But now that January is here I'm ready to get the ball rolling. Went shopping today too. I'll show you what I got in just a minute.

Dianthus is in bloom.

I thought this beauty died on me after I moved in Sept (I think). Darla you told me it would spring back.

I can't believe I have parsley still doing so good. It looks better than it did in the summer.

The osteoporum has new growth all over and the blooms just keep coming.

The geraniums had a nice bloom on it but sadly it faded with the most recent cold snap we had 3 days ago.

And the pentas have also given to the cold. Just don't look at all that dead stuff on it. Just don't even look.

Daffodils are popping up. Yeah. Anybody think we're gonna have an early spring. I do.

Hyancynths are one of my favorite blooms. I'm looking forward to these babies.

I don't know what this is but I can't delete. I hate that because I've got to move on and you do to.

I am so pleased I still have these blue babies blooming.

I was surprised to find this one sprouting new growth. Of course it's gone with the cold now. I have a couple of layers of leaves in my gardens. I tend to think it adds a layer of protection to the roots of some plants.

Yes that's a little bloom on it too.

Ooops. Blurrrryyy. Azalea in bloom.

I love clouds. I probably have said that before but anyway I caught a couple sky pictures today.

this morning

mid-day

mid-day

evening

Oh - I told ya I went shopping. I'm getting in the mood for some more pretties in the garden. I also have my seed starting stuff. Don't yet know how I'm gonna do this since I don't have a green house. I'm thinking a grow light.  

Hope I didn't bore ya too much.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I want to wish everyone a bright and sunny day New Year. Happy New Year blogging buddies.



I'm thinking about gardening now. Just sayin. In the planning stages.

Merry Christmas - This n That

Yuck - look at our weather today. And tomorrow will be 80% rain but the weatherman is calling for a slight chance of rain for our Christmas day (that is so far - subject to change). It is rather warm for this time of year but the cold front is coming down to cool us down over the next day or so.

I hope you all are having a nice day even if the weather is nasty where ever you are. Are you ready for the holiday? This is a busy time of year and with it often comes stress due to just trying to so much. I used to worry about making sure my kids had enough presents of the things they asked for and things I thought they needed. Always thinking are they equal. Wouldn't want to do more for one than the other. My stress consisted of getting dinner on the table. Trying to see everyone I needed to. Since the children are grown I don't worry so much. It is what it is and that is all I can do. And that is how I see it now.

I was thinking of doing something different than the traditional Christmas dinner we ALWAYS have. Was thinking of grilling steaks and all the fixins. Maybe.

I stopped in the local Goodwill and I was happy to find these plates. They will be perfect in my red kitchen when I get it done. I am going to hang them on the wall.

I ended up with lots of pecans this year. Roasted these and they are very good. Melted 1/2 stick of butter, mixed in 1 tea of sugar and poured over the nuts. Sprinkle with salt and bake at 225 for about 30 minutes stirring every 15 minutes. Increase the heat to 250 and bake for 40 more minutes stirring every 10 - 15 minutes. Let cool and enjoy.

I have done lots of baking and candy making this year. Loving the memories that is coming with the baking this year. Haven't done this much since my kids were home and my kids would get in the kitchen and help me out. My butter cookies with the icing on it - well let me say they taste way better than they look. Butter cookies, shortbread and PNB cookies. Butter cookies here http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/patrick-and-gina-neely/the-neelys-butter-cookies-recipe/index.html  - Gina and Pat Neely's recipe. Of course Gina has these cute little piggy cut-outs. I sliced mine. Gina loves her little piggys I tell ya. The icing on the cookies is a first for me. The cookies turned out ugly with absolutely not color so I decided to add some. Needless to say it didn't turn out the way I wanted but they taste super good. I flavored each of the three icings with lemon and butternut and third with caramel flavoring. The shortbread cookies here http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/shortbread-cookies-recipe/index.html and Ina makes some good cookies. I added butter flavorings to all my cookies in addition to the vanilla.

 Fudge, Martha Washington Balls, PNB fudge, Snowballs.

 Took this sky pic last week and just wanted to share a prettier sky pic than the one at the beginning of this post.

I just had to share my house babies. Sorry about the poor pic quality. These two don't sit nicely for photos. In fact Buddy will hang his head when he sees the camera. go figure.

 This one still doesn't have a name but I think Kitty will do. She answers to Kitty and nothing else - well she does answer when I shake the cat food bag. She is running toward me.

Wishing each and eveyone of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Hope you have the best family time this year. Be safe out there. I will be traveling on Friday and Saturday and I'll be watching my speed. (got pulled over for speeding yesterday and talked my way out of a ticket and got a warning. I was doing some smooth talking too and pleading for him not to spoil my perfect record).

My Christmas Tree and a Recipe

 My Tree.

Martha Washington Balls.

2# conf sugar

1 can sweetened cond milk

1 stick butter

4 c finely chopped pecans

1 pkg of semi sweet choc chips

1/4 block of parafin wax

Mix butter and milk and add sugar - mix and add nuts. Roll into balls. Melt choc and wax together in a double boiler. Using toothpicks dip balls into choc and set on wax paper to cool.

Scrumptious Peanut Butter Fudge

2 c sugar

1 sm can of evap milk

1 tbl butter

1 tea vanilla

1 tea caramel flav

3 heaping tbs of smooth peanut butter

combine sugar and milk in saucepan and stiring constantly and bring to boil. Boil for 4 minutes or till therm reaches 234 degrees. remove from heat and add margarine and flavorings and peanut butter. Stir till combined and pour into a buttered square pan. 

Fantasy Fudge (oh and the crumbs you see well they will not go to waste. just saying) recipe on marshallow creme jar.

Have a great day. Only 11 days to go till the big fat jolly man pays a visit to the children. Oh the magic of Christmas in the eyes of those little ones.

Happy Holidays

Good morning everybody. I can't believe it has been over a month since I last posted. Not much to catch up on here. I've been cooking/baking a lot and enjoying every minute of it. Busy making candy and cookies. Made my first batch of peanut butter fudge and it is so yummy. One fav I haven't made in a very long time is Martha Washington Balls. Sooo good. All this candy and cookie and cake baking just takes me back to when my kids were young and we used to do this every year.

I received my seed orders and looking forward to a beautiful spring. I have put down lots of seeds this fall and many are coming up already. I'm hoping for some beautiful breadseed poppies. Catherine blessed me with these poppy seeds a couple years ago and they have been passed on to many of you and I still have plenty. Seeds go on to live forever. I love that.

I bought myself a present - a Gateway laptop. Don't laugh but I don't know how to use it. I'll figure it out. Now I won't feel so bad blogging and posting while I am at home instead of at work.

I do have some things in bloom and I'll get my lazy carcus out and get some photos. Does anyone else just kinda forget about the gardens this time of year? I'm just not that into it right now but wait till January and all that changes.

Hope you have a great day.

PS thank you to all who have asked about me.