This Too Shall Pass!

HI everyone! Remember last week when I was anticipating the warmer weather? Well, we were blessed. Last Thursday the temperature reached close to 60 degrees. I loved it! I felt energetic. I managed to get my household chores completed early in the morning. Then I went outside and took a deep breath of the God given fresh air. It was wonderful! I looked around wondering what I could do to enjoy the outside weather. It's January! There is nothing to do in or to the yard...and besides the yard is strictly Mr. Chat's job. In the spring & summer, he won't let me mow...because he says very few people mow the way he does. He won't let me plant flowers...because frankly, I kill every green thing that I touch. That's why I have converted most of my inside plants to plastic ones (SHHHH! On the positive side, I can enjoy the greenery year round. I don't have to feel guilty if I forget to water them. All I have to do is wipe the dust off of them every now and then and I am good to go!!!) Besides he charts out his landscaping very carefully so a second pair of hands is not necessary. ANYWAY!!! After walking around and appearing to my neighbors as if I was lost and confused.... I decided that I needed to do something else. So I jumped in my car and went to Wal-Mart. Yep! That's right folks. That's the way I spent my gift of beautiful outside weather....walking through the inside of Wal-Mart! Aren't we humans pretty silly sometimes?

I should have cherished it more because this is what I woke up to this morning:

and this:

That was just the first wave we had. It is mostly ice & snow. It's not as bad or as deep yet as they said it was going to be...but they keep saying that more is on the way. A big change from 60 degrees, isn't it? But this too shall pass. I know other people in other states have had a very hard winter so far. Our meterologists say the storms that will be hitting us over the next few hours will be headed for the states that have already had their fair share of ice & snow this winter. I will be praying for all of you. And I won't complain about what we are having right now....especially since I squandered the gift we were blessed with last week.

I am going to put on a thick pair of socks and a nice warm sweater....and.... you guessed it....I'm going to brew a pot of coffee and sit back and count my blessings!

Could I Be the Next Betty Crocker?

I'm sitting here watching a cooking show. The food looks fantastic! But are you kidding me? Is it just me? Or do any of you make a little mess and get a little messy when you are baking? I mean, if I make a cake out of a mix.... there's little to no mess. But come on! Am I the only one that looks like a person who's been in a little bit of a wrestling match when they bake something completely from scratch? I dirty a few bowls...and oh Lordy!!! My counter has bowls and ingredients scattered all over it. And let me tell you, I sure don't look like this woman who is showing me how to make these fancy little puff pastries!!! Her kitchen is sparkling. She has perfect hair, perfect clothes (with no hint of flour anywhere on her outfit). She has a good manicure. And I want to know how she does this trick: She keeps reaching her spoon out into an area just outside of the eye of the camera and the spoon magically comes back with whatever ingredient she needs. Maybe that's my problem. The next time that I want to bake something, I'm going to get all fancied up. I won't get any of my ingredients together. I'll just put some elevator music on in the background and wave my spoons around in the air...and before you know it....Viola! A wonderful dessert for my family. And afterwards, I can go model for Vogue. Bon Apetite!!!

Where Did the Time Go???

Every generation likes to revisit fashion , music, & styles of the previous generation. My dad graduated in 1954 and my mom graduated in 1957. They were married in 1957. Most of the kid's parents that were in Junior High with me were about the same age as my parents. I remember the night the first episode of "Happy Days" was aired on TV. Everyone went nuts. We all thought Fonzie was really cool. Saddle Oxfords became in high demand for the girls my age. Even the local area high school cheerleaders wore saddle oxfords as part of their uniform. A local radio station started playing "The Oldies." When I started singing songs from the 50's, my parents tried to hide their smiles. When I announced to them that I wanted a pair of saddle oxfords, they just looked at each other and shook their heads. My mom said she wished she would have saved hers for me. Sorry, Mom! That wouldn't have worked. There was a difference in our Saddle Oxfords. You see, in the 50's, my mom & her friends got their oxfords dirty---In the 70's, our oxfords had to be kept really clean.

Fast forward 30 years. When my daughter was in Junior High, she started liking styles and music from the 70's. Being that I was 10 years older than my mom was when I was that age...I approached my daughter revisiting my era with a different attitude. Some of it was fun...but there was some of it that I said "Absolutely NOT" to. My daughter is grown and out of school now and we survived the "70's fettish". She's a girl with her own taste and personal pride. So no damage was done.

The other night she brought home a People Magazine for me to see. It featured the fashion, music, movies, & TV shows of the 80s. OK. I'll admit that I miss some of the TV shows. But good grief!!!! Most of those styles & songs were hideous!!!! I can't wait to hear what my daughter's future children will say about the early 2000's. LOL!