IT'S TOO COLD TOO SOON HODGEPODGE!

It's still Wednesday so it's still Hodgepodge Time.  I want to wish Joyce a Very Happy Birthday! She comes up with the questions every week.  I hope your Birthday is as special as you are Joyce.

1. I'm celebrating a birthday this week so a question relating to aging feels appropriate. Douglas MacArthur is quoted as saying, 'You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair." Would you agree? If not why not?
WHY!! Nothing like starting off the Hodgepodge with a hard question Joyce!!  I think we are as old as we feel on any given day.  It changes from day to day.  Some days I feel really old when my body creaks and cracks while on other days I feel very young and even taller.  I don't know if fear or despair have anything to do with it. I think it's all a state of mind.

2. What remarkable feat, interesting piece of trivia, or historical event occurred on your birth day and month? Not necessarily in your birthyear, just the same date/same month.
~Tupac Shakur's Me Against the World makes him the first rap artist to debut at No. 1 on the US charts while in jail on charges
~A massive earthquake Named the 'Good Friday Earthquake,' that measures 8.6 on the Richter scale struck Alaska , flattens buildings and triggers a massive tidal wave in Alaska
~The U.S. Congress and President Washington authorize the creation of the U.S. Navy

3. Describe a time or circumstance where you wanted to 'have your cake and eat it too.'
I honestly can't think of anything.  Sorry.

4. What's something you do that makes you feel young? Something that makes you feel old?
~I feel young when I play with our grand girls.  Playing dolls or running around the yard with them makes me feel young.
~I feel old when so many others seem to understand modern technology and I'm a bit lost. When I ask the computer IT guy a question I sometimes have to ask him to explain the answer.

5. When did you last do something that was 'a piece of cake'?
I designed and sewed a bag for August's stroller that would hold lots of stuff so I don't have to carry a lot stuff.

6.  Beef, wine, and cheese all improve with age. What's something else you'd add to that list? (not necessarily food or beverage)
Growing old with the man I love.  He gets better with age!  As Robert Browning said “Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be"

7. If I were to have a giveaway when we hit Volume 200, what should I give away? By my calculations we'll hit Volume 200 on November 26th, the day before Thanksgiving, which means whoever wins would have whatever it is in time for Christmas.
What ever it is you give would be something from your heart and that would make any giveaway a great giveaway.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
This weekend Hubby is off for a "Men's Retreat". It's a great time for Christian men to get together, worship God and develop great friendships.  I like it when he gets to take off and be with other Christian men and develop those friendships.  I also like that I can have fish while he's gone - Hubby is allergic to fish.  I can also have breakfast for dinner and eat at whatever time I want to.   So it's a win-win for both of us.  He always comes home happy, tired, and full of God's love.

So these are my answers, what would be yours?

HAPPY GRANNY HODGEPODGE!

The first Hodgepodge of September.  WOW the Christmas stuff is coming out, the days are being counted down and the 31 parties are in full swing with - " Hey, get your Christmas shopping started now". Let's slow down and talk about what is happening now.  Today is Hodgepodge day.

1.  What's something you wanted to do this summer that you never got around to actually doing?

Going to the Beach and walking around and getting Fried Dough there.  But in October we are taking a real vacation (Lord Willing) and we will get to it.

2. Share a favorite memory of your own back -to-school days as a child.

We didn't have school buses and we either walked or rode our bikes to school.  My favorite memory was to get to school and see who got a new bike for school because they grew so much over the summer or their old bike "Just wore out".  Do bikes wear out anymore or are our kids driven everywhere?

3.  What's one chore or daily task you prefer doing 'old-school' ?

Laundry. I still put Vinegar in the spot marked Fabric Softener, and still use simple laundry detergent.  I don't use nor need those pods and whatnot's to get clean clothes.

4.  Share something you've learned in life through the 'school of hard knocks'.

Spending money is easy, saving is hard and sometimes a lot harder, but when you get to pay cash for something you've wanted for a long time - that feeling - right there - is priceless.

5.  As a child, did you mostly bring or buy your lunch for school? What was your favorite thing to find in your lunchbox?

I brought my lunch to school, we didn't have a cafeteria so either the students brought lunch or went home.  I liked finding a whoopie pie (also known as a "moon pie") in my lunch.

6. Football season is upon us which has me wondering... how big of a sports fan are you (not just football) ? On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being 'I scream at the players through my television screen' and 1 being 'is knitting a sport?' where do you fall in fandom? 

Napping is a sport as well, right?

7. Share a favorite quote you think might inspire students of all ages at the start of a new school year. 

“We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face…we must do that which we think we cannot.”  Eleanor Roosevelt

8. Share a Random Thought!

We (Hubby and I) are still getting to watch the grand girls which helps out our Daughter and Son-in-law for a few hours.  We are still super tired after they leave. But talking to them, watching them care for each other and for the "babies" we play with is such a joy. Poor Pepere has no idea how to play with dollies.  He just watches us and shakes his head.  Yes, we talk a lot with out Dollies.

And every sentence starts with "Grannie, guess what?" They are so much fun!

Time Goes By.

Tomorrow, Saturday the 30th our little boy 'Naturial's All In The Music, August Rush' will be 3 years old.  How fast the time goes.

He started out like this:

This is his Momma, with all the babies she had.  Our little boy is on top with the black spots on white coat.  Momma was a powder puff and dad is a hairless.  Both powder puff and hairless are born in the same litter.   This was the first photo the breeder sent me asking if I could figure out which were hairless and which were powder puff.  I couldn't in this photo so she sent me photos of each dog separately and when I saw him I put him on my short list of dogs I liked the look of.

Here was the picture she sent me and I thought wow, is he little?

She gave them names, this was Ditto and at one week old look at that face!!

She sent me another photo asking if I could find him in there.  His ears were still taped and still, I loved his face.  Here he is with the siblings.  They are all so cute. 

Our slippery little boy was really taking shape and I couldn't wait to pick him up.

At 10 weeks of age we were able to drive drown and pick him up.  He was ours.  

Becke, the wonder dog started right away, taking care of him and teaching him.  

They still nap together and Becke sure looks happy about it.

So Tomorrow is his 3rd birthday.

I'll make him Scrambled eggs with cheese for Breakfast and stew beef with green beans for dinner.  

Happy 3rd Birthday our Little Man.  You've come a long way!!

SCHOOL BEGINS HODGEPODGE!

Thank you Joyce for coming up with more questions. Want to play along? Answer the questions here on your blog.

1. As August draws to a close, share what's been your favorite weekend of the entire summer?

There have been a few Mondays when Hubby and I looked at each other and said what a nice weekend it was.  But it was because it wasn't packed full of places to go, people to see, or household things to fix, repair, or clean.  It was low key, relaxed, do-what-we-want-when-we-want-to-do-it  kind of weekend.

2. Labor Day is marked in the US of A on Monday, September 1st.  What paying job have you held that you've loved the most? Liked the least?

My current job as class coordinator and dog class instructor is my best job. The job I liked the least was working in a small pizza/burger place as the cashier.  I hated that job and I was not good at it all!

3. Does the new school year start before or after Labor Day where you live? When do you think it should begin? There is much discussion now about older students having later start times to their school day...your thoughts?

School here starts differently for different schools. Some of the small towns around here and the charter schools have already started this week. Some of big city schools start after labor day.  I think we should have school year round.  After all the building is there. We should be using it.  Some kids will forget a lot of what they have learned after 9 weeks off.  It needs to run year round with a bigger break in December.  As for the start times, I think we should start at 8:00 a.m. and forget all the stupid classes like study hall so that the kids get out earlier.

4. What's something you've worked at recently that could be deemed a 'labor of love'?

I love to make and send greeting cards to people who are hurting.  This is a labor of love for me.

5.Which of the following work idioms can you most relate to right now...'A woman's work is never done.', 'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.' 'Many hands make light work.'

Many hands make light work.  My Hubby has done so much to help me over the years and more so this summer.  He tag teams with me when we watch the grandgirls so that I can sit and rest up a bit.  He cooks, cleans, does laundry, drives me all over, helps me in every way to make my life easier.  He is a true blessing to me and I thank God every day for such a Godly man who takes such great care of me every day.

6. Crab or lobster or thanks, but no thanks? Favorite way to have your choice prepared?

Lobster is such a treat for me and I like it Lazy Man Style, all ready out of the shell and sittitng in butter all ready for me to enjoy.

7. Albert Einstein is quoted as saying, 'Three rules of work: Out of clutter find simplicity; From discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.' Which of the three do you consider to be the most important? Share one of your own 'rules of work'.

One of my rules is 'A clean workspace will give you time to work'  I really cannot work with a desk covered in piles of stuff, I need to concentrate on what I'm doing, not of looking at piles of stuff.
As for Einstein rules, I guess I would pick "Out of clutter find simplicity" because I would toss out the clutter and what is left is simplicity.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

According to the Farmers Almanac, us folks up here in NH are suppose to have a cold and snowy winter.  DUH...It's winter and it's NH!! Still people are talking now about how terrible it will be and they are dreading it all ready.  Me I'm so so happy that summer has returned and the temps are in the 80's, even if it is only for the first 3 days of the work week.  Starting on Thursday temps return back to the 70's and dry.  I'm not thinking winter, I'm thinking summer!  I guess cancer does that to a person.  We think of today, not tomorrow and certainly not of winter because many of those with cancer will never see winter.  I am blessed to have a Hubby that keeps me focused on today and looking forward to a better today.  Winter will be winter and there is nothing I can do to stop that.  

A Play Date Birthday.

This is August Rush sleeping on the couch on top of an electric throw.  He loves to sleep there especially if I'm under the blanket!  He knows his job is to hold me down and he takes his job very seriously!!

Those who know August also know that he is not very confident and so every thing new has to happen slowly for him.  He will make me a better dog trainer and a better dog owner because I constantly have to break down behaviors for him to tackle in small segments.  So imagine my surprise when I opened my mouth and offered for August and I to go over to help a friend who has a small dog that is not very confident.

My friend has had the new-to-her dog for 3 weeks and Sunday was the dogs 4th birthday.  She wanted a friend for her baby girl so August and I went over for a play date.  The dog is a 4 year old long hair Chihuahua called "Sunshine".

I was stunned to see how quickly August settled down and got to work making Sunshine feel comfortable.  He walked up and smelled her quickly, then walked away. He went back to smell her again, then after 3 seconds, he walked away again.  After a few more times of short meetings, he was ready to go for a walk with her.

Sunshine's mom, learned fast not to lean over him as he yelled at her and clearly was not happy about it.  He backed away from her as soon as she bent down towards him. I quickly called him away and told her to not bend over him and to just look his way but not to look at him.  She learns fast!

Sunshine's mom could lean over Sunshine and August would walk up to her for a treat.  But she did not lean over August again.  He liked that.

 They walked nicely by our sides and shared a bowl of water as it got hot out there!  When the traffic became heavy, and the black top became too hot for their little feet, both dogs went into their separate strollers.  Then my friend and I continued walking and talking.  Yes, we have strollers for our little dogs, don't laugh.  It allows us to continue to walk for exercise and not worry about our little ones being over tired or over heated.  

Back at her house, August drank some of her water and checked out the toys in her toy box and cooled down while Sunshine watched from Mommy's lap.  

What surprised me was how quickly August relaxed and just enjoyed her company, enjoyed the walk, enjoyed the toys, enjoyed the water and the cool hard wood floor.  In all, he just did what I had hoped he would.  He helped make a new friend.  

 

What a cute little girl, Happy 4th Birthday Sunshine! It was a fun day!!

Have you ever had a play date for your dog?  Tell me the story. I love those stories.

No Hodgepodge, Just Me.

There is no Hodgepodge this week, Joyce is taking a week off so that she can live her life and not just write about it.   I know that feeling.  I took a lot of time off for my health and starting up blogging again is going slowly.  I think I'll do a Monday - Wednesday - Friday blog for a bit and see how I feel.

Today I'll share a recipe I just made.

I feels like fall has come upon us.  The daytime weather is up to 70's and dry.  The evening temps are in the low 50's with a breeze. Our electric bill is happy as the AC is off, the windows are open and the cold air is fresh and clean.  But it makes me feel like I should be putting up the fall decorations and digging out the crock pot.

Well the fall decorations are not up but the crock pot did come out.  Do you use your crock pot in the summer? I know of people who do and I know that using it would mean a lot of hot good meals in the summer but I don't use it until it gets cold. And it was cold yesterday. So out came the crock pot and the first thing I made was.....

Rice pudding.  I really love rice pudding but it's not very low carb so I changed up the recipe a bit to lower those carbs.

It turned out really good and with a dollop of low carb ice cream, it was a delish ending to a great dinner.

So what did I use for a recipe:

2 cups Almond milk

1/3 cup rice

1/6 cup sugar free maple syrup

1 teaspoon butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

pinch of nutmeg

Grease crock pot, dissolve maple syrup in milk and scramble the egg, then add it to the crock pot.

Add all the rest of the ingredients, pour into crock pot.

Cook on high for 6 hours. I added walnuts in the last 1/2 hour just because I could.

It makes enough for 6 servings so it's a good size amount!  And it's good too.

So we are having a Fallish August.  I hope we get summer back, and that this trend doesn't continue to make an early fall and even an earlier Winter!! 

Weekend of Gold!

It's summer right?  Well around here you wouldn't think it was.  The windows are open, the breeze is blowing in and the night time temps are in the low 50's.  During the day it gets into the mid to high 70's.  It feels like the beginning of Fall.  I'm not happy about it. I like the heat of summer!! I hope this doesn't mean that Fall will start sooner than it should followed by a long and cold winter.

Several weeks back I got a message that a woman named Sue wanted to touch base with me.  At first I thought she was a client so I looked her up in the computer system and she was not there.  I couldn't figure out who she was but her name was so familiar. I knew that I knew her! I put her on the back burner and took care of current clients.  After a few days I remembered who she was.  My friend from my growing up years. Our houses were right next door to each other.  We could sit by our bedroom windows and talk to each other for a bit before we went off to sleep.  She is 9 months older than me and we hung out all the time.   She graduated a year before me and got married and moved away.  Her last name changed of course and I lost track of her.

Hubby and I met her way back in the early 80's or was it the late the 70's...neither of us could pin down exactly when we got together again.  Our kids were small and I'm not sure she had her daughter yet when we met up again but it was as if no time had really passed. We laughed and talked and told stories of what was happening in our lives. It was a very nice visit.  Then life once again caught up with us and we were busy raising kids, working, making homes, and living lives.

In June she moved back to the city and she found where I worked. She popped in on a weekend and left me the message and when I heard her voice (after I remembered who she was), we picked up right  where we left off.  Our kids are now adults with kids of their own but we are still friends. Different names, different histories but one thing still in common, our shared past.

So we get together, look at old pictures, talk about our kids, our husbands, our grand kids our siblings, and laugh remembering all the times we shared and all the stories we still have to share.

So in this cool weather, Hubby grilled chicken and I made macaroni salad and we laughed and shared stories and remembered.  I can't help but remember a song sung in my youth.

 "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is Silver and the other is Gold.

A circle is round, it has no end. That’s how long I want to be your friend."

It was a Golden Weekend.  How was yours?

FEELING GOOD HODGEPODGE!

Thank you Joyce for once again creating these question. It makes coming back to blogging a lot better. So play along and lets have fun.

1. The best part of waking up is____________________________________.

Waking up!  Really it is, just waking up is a gift.

2.  Given a choice, which animal interaction would you most like to experience (or for those non-adventurers...which would you dislike the least?)- Swim with the dolphins at one of several locations in the Florida Keys, a lion encounter ten minutes from Victoria Falls (Africa), or a day at a remote base camp high in the Big Sur wilderness via the Ventana Wildlife Society helping track California condors?

For me swimming with the dolphins at one of several location in Florida would be just so much fun!

3. What is something you fear about 'old age'? What is something you look forward to?

Getting old seems to mean that now that my kids are grown, my wisdom is real and my good sense is true, my body is falling apart and simply cannot do what I love to do. What I once loved doing all day, now takes me all day to do it.
What I look forward to is that I no longer care if I fit the description of a woman in her 60's. I live my life with no apologies or people to please.  Take me or leave me, it's all good.

4. Hot sauce...are you a fan? If you answered yes, what's something you make/eat that must have hot sauce? On a scale of 1-10 how hot is too hot?

Not a fan at all!  I don't like hot food like Indian or even Mexican food.

5. It's been said that children learn what they live. What do you think children learn at your house?

I hope our kids learned to play in the dirt and not worry about getting dirty. I hope they learned to put away their toys before bed. I hope they learned that no matter what they do, we still love them (although we may not like what they did and there will be consequences).

6. What's your favorite movie with a number in it's title?

Love potion #9 I just love Sandra Bullock movies. 

7. Saturday (August 16th) is National Tell a Joke Day...share one here.
A boy with a monkey on his shoulder was walking down the road when he passed a policeman who said, " Now, now young lad, I think you had better return that monkey to the zoo." The next day, he was walking down the road with the monkey on his shoulder again, when he passed the same policeman. The policeman said, "Hey there, I thought I told you to take that monkey to the zoo!"  The boy answered, "I did! Today, I'm taking him to the cinema."

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I'm back!  It's been one very long break as my health made it almost impossible to do anything else but go to work and come home, climb on the couch or climb into bed until the next morning.  It turned out I have Lyme Disease as well as cancer!  I've been on a very strong course of meds to help kill it off fast and get me back to "normal."  I feel like this is the first time since June that I feel like having fun again and that I will not fall asleep in a second.  So here I am again.  I hope I get to stay on this healthy road.  

Fall is in the Air! Also know as "What To Wear?"

We wake up to temps in the 40's, leave for work and it's 50's, lunch time it's 60's, come home and it's 70's! So that is why we are all getting colds, no one know how to dress around here.

Really, it's so cold in the morning that oatmeal is the breakfast of choice since it's so cold when you climb out of bed. But by time we come home, it's in the 70's and getting really warm for the sweatshirt and socks that I had on in the morning.  The best part about the cooler temps are the wonderful colors of fall.
As much as I don't like the changing temps, or the cold, I DO love the colors of fall.
The mustard yellows, the burnt orange, the dark reds. I love those colors. And have them in many places in our home.

The plants are loosing their colors and getting ready for their long sleep. So we spend some time this past week, cleaning out the flower beds and getting them ready to sleep.

Gone is the hill of flowers, full, colorful and beautiful.  In it's place is the scarecrow with dirt around it. The mulch will soon be spread on top to cover the earth, but for now, the full flowers are gone. 

There are still some plants that look good, but that will not last long.  We haven't had "Indian Summer" yet. Is that still PC?  I hope so because I don't know what else to call that time of year when the temps climb one more time to the 80's and 90's followed by rain that sets us into the permanent fall.  It's coming and we are working hard to get ready.

August's Birthday 8/30/11

This week we are testing and finding out results of test. So to keep my mind off of all we are going through here is a bit of this and a bit of that.

Our little boy Naturals All In The Music, August Rush is now 2 years old. WOW The time has sure flown by!

For those who don't know, August Rush is a breed called Powder Puff Chinese Crested.
Chinese Crested come in 2 varieties, powder puff and hairless. They are born in the same litter.

August's Mom is an Apricot Puff

Here she is with owner/breeder  Sharon.

His dad is a Black and White Hairless

Yes, the hairless still have some hair. on the head (called the crest), tail and all four feet. But the body is hairless.

August was the second one born in a litter of 6 (4 puffs, 2 hairless)

That's our August at about 24 hours old, only about 6 ounces big!

He looks nothing like the little thing thing we first saw.

The breeder gave them all names so she could keep track of them all, he was called Ditto for the start of his life.

He grew

Always curious even from the beginning.

And he grew.

That's him all the way to the left with his ears taped.  Can you see the 2 hariless?

This was him when we picked him up. He sure does look different!

And became

Our 2 year old little man, cuddle buddie, bed hog, who has learned so much from his big sister and is a joy to have.

Happy Birthday to our little man.

I think he got the best of each parent. The long coat of his mom, the coloring of his dad.

The Last Summer Hodgepodge

Wow this is the official end of summer so what better way to celebrate than with the newest Hodgepodge.
Join us to play.

1. Labor Day weekend (in the US of A) is approaching...what's something you've labored over this year? 
Cancer. It has occurpied every moment of every day for over a year now.  I've put a lot into getting well. It's a lot of work.

2. What is one word to describe your 'job' or career?
A "Calling". I love being a wife, homemaker, mom, grannie and dog owner. It's far more fun and more important than the day job that I love but is not my life. 

3. What was your worst or least favorite job ever? Why?
Many, many, many years ago, I worked at a fast food place in town. It was TERRIBLE.  We had spaghetti and burgers and lots of different foods and to watch how they were prepared was just sickening.  Taking orders from hungry people who are all ready drinking was even worst.  I was so glad that I was terrible at it and didn't last long. Never again.

4. How do you measure contentment?
Contentment is a state of mind when you finally understand that "stuff" does not define you. It doesn't make you better, taller, more popular, more healthy, less sick, younger, or prettier.  It's just stuff. Contentment is when you find out that you, all by yourself, warts and all, are all you need.  

5. Pickles-like or dislike? What is something you eat that requires a pickle? Dill, bread and butter, sweet gherkins...what's your favorite kind of pickle?
I like pickles, most of the time I eat sweet bread and butter but I do like sweet gherkins.

6. In your current house-town-state, what is it you like living close to?
Our daughter lives in the same state as us.  She lives about 50 minutes west of us and that is not that close. But since our son and his wife and their sons are on the other side of the country, she is very close and I love that.
What is close to us - Nothing really. I live in the country and love that!  Trees, a few ponds, wild life. When I'm home I'm away from so many things and I love that.  

7. What is one thing on your 'want-to-do' list before summer draws to an official close?
I would like to go to Acadia National Park before it gets too cold.  Hows this for a sunrise!

Surise at Acadia. Image from Google.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
We had our last Chemo Treatment yesterday. After 4 months of weekly chemo treatments I have 10 days off with no one to see and no blood to give. Today was bitter sweet. Starting in September  we start to test to see where I am and what happens next. That explains why most of my answers are cancer related doesn't it?  Sorry.  It has been a part of our lives for over a year now.  It will continue to be part of our lives for a time still to come.  This really stinks.

THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL HODGEPODGE

One of the things I like about Wednesday, besides it being Hump Day, is that I don't have to come up with a blog post.  I have Chemo on Tuesday and so thinking is a bit hard.  Here, I just have to come up with the answers (we get the questions on Tuesday).  Thank you Joyce on so many levels.

1. What's your worst food memory?  How about one of your best?
When Hubby and I got married, I told him I could not cook.  He apparently didn't believe me. One of our first meals was cold Macaroni salad. I got the recipe out of one of the cook books that we got as a wedding gift.  I thought it would be easy.  It was---well until it came to the part that read something like "Cool in fridge". I'm a type "A" person and really needed a time frame.  For some reason, we didn't eat it that night, or the next and at some point I forgot in was in the fridge (it moved towards the back).  A week later, I found it and it had small green spots on it.  WOW! I thought that was some seasoning or something so I served it for dinner.  Hubby didn't eat it...... Who knew?  I did warn him that I couldn't cook.

Again, I was still a newlywed and it was our first Thanksgiving.  We had the turkey, we had the stuffing, it all came out of the oven on time and looked perfect ---then we realised that I stuffed the wrong end of the bird.  The food was still great and we had the best laugh at how far I had come in cooking (it was all edible) and the time together was priceless.

2. Do you appreciate people telling it like it is, or would you rather a speaker temper his/her words and maybe beat around the bush a little?  How about when you're the one communicating...which type are you?
This depends on the relationship of the person talking to me.  Do I really know them? Do they really know me?  Do they know about what they are talking about?  I've had many people tell me how I should treat my cancer, when in fact they never heard of my type of cancer and had no idea about the medicines I am taking.  I take advice well if it is from people who really care for me and are not just trying to show others how much they know.
When I'm giving advice, I follow the same rule. If I don't know the person, and have not been asked for my opinion. I shut up and listen.

3. What's your favorite place to hang out?

HOME----THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME

4. When do you most feel like you're a slave to time?
The calendar!  When I look at our calendar over the past 16 weeks it is full of doctor's appointments, blood tests, church appointments, meetings to attend, classes to teach.  It can get pretty overwhelming.  Not all doctor's appointments were for me either. Some where vet appointments for the fur-babies or follow up appointments for Hubby.  But still, my goodness!  There have been a lot of places we have had to be.  So I feel like a slave to the calendar.

5. What was the last concert you attended?  Who'd you go with? Was it any good?

WOW! I had to ask Hubby that one because I really couldn't remember.  We don't go to a lot of concerts, I really don't like the crowds of people bumping shoulder to shoulder and having to park so far away from the action.
A few years back we went to a Scottish Festival and they had a group "Atlantic Crossing". They are really good and I really enjoyed that concert.  Something about folk music with Scottish and Irish musical influences mixed in just makes my heart happy.

6. Reality TV...harmful or harmless?  What's your guilty pleasure when it comes to reality TV?
Don't like it - nothing about it is real.  I think it's far more harmful than harmless.  So I watch none of them. Now I did watch a few episodes of Duck Dynasty and I do like that some of the men are church Elders. I also like that they pray on TV and teach pretty good lessons, but I can't watch even them for long.

7. What's something you think is overrated?
"Roughing It" as in camping in a tent, sleeping on the ground, and using the "Outhouse".  If I'm going to go camping, give me a RV, with power to cook inside, sleep on a real bed, have a bathroom with a working shower.  Or better yet, a hotel with room service.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
Had Chemo yesterday, I have one more to go!  YUP, the end of this round is in sight.  I'm so happy for all that the staff does at Norris Cotton Cancer Center. They are so kind, with a good sense of humor and they patiently answer all our questions. I hope I don't have to see them again anytime soon.  God knows the answer to that part so if He decides I need to see them again soon, I am glad that they are there for us.

Low Carb Living

Since starting Chemo I've fell off the Low Carb Wagon.  I ate what I felt like eating and enjoyed it very much. But it's time to get back into shape.  With each day I feel a bit stronger, the naps are a bit shorter and energy lasts a bit longer.  So I began my journey back to low carb living, with dessert because Cancer has taught me to enjoy everything!

I found the recipe for low carb cheese cake at www.genaw.com. It does have a different texture but as desserts go, it's good!  At only 2 net carbs a slice, I can dig in and enjoy it often.

It doesn't have a crust which is where most of the carbs are.  By changing out the flavor of Jello, I can have different flavors of cheese cake.  

No-Bake Jello Cheesecake

1 small box sugar free Jello, any flavor

1/2 cup boiling water

1/2 cup sour cream

16 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 Tablespoon Vanilla

In a small bowl, dissolve the Jello in the boiling water, stirring for 2-3 minutes.  Chill until no longer warm. In a medium mixing bowl mix the sour cream, cream cheese and vanilla slowly to avoid getting a curdled mess.  Add in the Jello and mix very well

Pour into a greased 10 inch glass pie plate and chill.  

It's a nice dessert and by changing out the flavor of jello you can have strawberry cheesecake, or Orange. I made this one with lemon jello so I enjoyed lemon cheesecake.

So I'm back on the low carb wagon and working towards getting back into shape. 

Welcome to a New Week

Our girl, Becke, 13 1/2 years old and still smiling!

Good Morning to you all and I hope you are having a good week.  Our weekend was really nice!  We had a combined birthday party and farewell party for a friend's son who turned 23 years old and will move to Arizona this week.  We told him that the birthday party was for him and the farewell part of the party was for his parents.  So we sang "Happy Birthday" to him and "Celebrate" to the parents!  It was a good time of food, laughter, memories, and friendship.  I like those smaller parties where you can really talk to everyone  there and get caught up with their lives.

I also got to play in the yard a bit too. It's really getting over grown with weeds, dried out stalks and fall is in the air so we better get a start on cleaning up the yard. I had the energy and it felt so good to do something physical for once!

It's starting to feel a bit like fall up here.  Temps fall into the 40's during the night and we wake up to temps in the low 50's.  By mid day it gets up to the high 70's but it drops back down again every night. We will still have the occasional humid, hot, hazy day with temps back into the high 80's and maybe  into the low 90's (if we are lucky) but those days will be far and few now.  I've even seen a few leaves turning.  Not the whole tree, but a few leaves have begun to change into the bright fall color that so many others flock up here to see.  But I digress...

August, the almost 2 year watch dog.

August went outside with me and watched over the work.  He was in charge of helping to get the yard waste into the brown paper bags but he spent most of the time just playing in the dirt and watching me work.  I can't believe he will be 2 years old next week.  He is so much fun!  I really never thought I would love a small dog but he really has my heart strings.

We cleaned up the rock wall by the house, pulling out the weeds, and debree and general clean up. It felt good to get it looking neat.  Hubby and I went shopping and picked up a few more bags of rocks to dress up the front of the house.

Sunday, we drove 1 1/2 hours to a small town south west of us to worship with the church that meets there.  The congregation has about 35 members and they had 3 men who were qualified and had a desire to serve as Elders so they were going to be installed on Sunday.  For a small congregation they all really know how to belt out those songs. The singing was amazing!  The saints there were very welcoming and friendly and we felt loved there.  No matter where we go, we find saints to worship with.  We wanted to show our support for the new Elders and to rejoice with the church there. I'm so glad we did!

It was a great weekend.  We are suppose to have a few hot, humid days coming up and I for one will love it.  It will not be long before the blankets will be out and the windows will be closed.  Fall will be here before we know it.

Do you get a real change in the weather where you live? Is it something that you look forward to?  Of the 4 seasons, which is your favorite?

2013 Is Half Done!? Say it Aient so --- Hodgepodge

Well, if it's Wednesday it's Hodgepodge day and I look forward to Joyce's questions every week, don't you?  So play along.

1. The first week of August is National Simplify Your Life Week...what's one thing you could do this week to qualify as a participant?
For me the answer is to go to God first to ask if something I want to do or want to have is within His plan for me.  That would save me a lot of worry and time chasing rabbits.

2. It's also National Peach Month...peach pie, peach cobbler, or please pour me aBellini?  What's your peach pleasure?
Cobbler, warm please. With ice cream of course. Thank you.

Photo by Google

3. Eleanor Roosevelt once wrote, "Do one thing every day that scares you." Agree or disagree...explain.
I agree that doing something that scares  us is good for us.  It feels like we conquered something, and of course we have.  Doing something every day that scares me? Not so much.  I live a stressful life and adding something that scares me to the list, not going to happen. After all I'm trying to simplify my life....

4. What's your favorite household chore?  Yes-you have to name one.
Making the bed. I love to look at a freshly made bed and then climbing into it.  I just love to walk into the room and seeing our bed.  It makes me happy.
  

5. Fodors recently listed (what they've dubbed) the ten most beautiful sunset spots in America. Click here to read more and see the pretty pictures, but this is their list:

Butterfly Beach in Santa Monica CA, Mount Haleakala in Maui HI, Old Fort Marcy Park in Santa Fe NM, Laguna Beach CA, Hopi Point in Grand Canyon AZ, Four Seasons in Miami FL, Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica CA, Gay Head in Martha's Vineyard MA, Ensign Peak in Salt Lake City UT, and Mallory Square in Key West Florida.

Have you seen the sun set from any of these spots?  If you could choose to watch the sun set this weekend from one spot on the Fodors List, which would you choose?  Where was the prettiest sunset you've ever seen?
I've never seen the sun set from any of these places but if I were to choose one it would be Mount Haleakala because, it's in Maui, HI!  
The prettiest sunset I've ever seen was when we lived in Albuquerque NM.  We lived right next to the desert and when the sun set, the desert sand became the color of gold!  It always reminded me of the "Streets of Gold" talked about in the Bible.  So beautiful!

6. What's your favorite or most used app?  If you don't use apps how about your favorite or most visited website?
Most used apps? Holy Bible, Facebook,  and of course Pinterest!

7. We've recently passed the halfway mark for 2013...write a seven word sentence that sums up your year thus far. 
No one fights Cancer alone, Thank God!
 8.  Insert your own random thought here.
The weather here got down right cold for a few days.  I mean it's down in the 40's at night and only up to 60's and low 70's in the day.  We even put a heavy blanket on the bed.  It's suppose to heat up a bit and most likely we will have  more rain!!! I'm so done with the rain and I know who to blame....I have a blond friend who keeps washing her dog and every time she does, it rains!!  She (and I know you are reading this and you know I mean you) really needs to live with a dirty dog a bit longer.  

So here are Joyce's questions and my answers. Join in on the fun and answer these as well, then visit others to see if their answers match yours.

1. Share one way you think the world has changed for the better since you were a kid?
SKYPE.  When I was a kid there was no such thing and so once family and friends moved away, they were gone!  Oh sure, there were letters and photos in the mail, but that usually didn't last long and after a few months, the letters and mail would stop and maybe you would get a card on your birthday or Christmas but the closeness was gone.  Now wilth Skype, you can talk, share, laugh, cry and share your life at any moment in time.  With Face Time on your phone, you can even shop together while being in 2 different places.  That is so cool!!

2. How 'bout one way it's changed for the worse?
No one is safe anymore.  When I was a kid we played outside all day and I do mean ALL DAY, from sun up to sunset.  No one knew where I was and frankly no one was worried about me.  I was safe.  I could ride my bike all over the city and come home when the street lights came on, eat dinner, take a bath and climb into bed.  Now, all of that is gone.  We have to not only know where our kids are, we have to be there as well to make sure they stay safe.  Safety is gone. That is so sad. 

3. Starlight, starfish, starling, Starbucks...your favorite 'star'?
Starlight, hands down. I love sitting on the deck and looking up!  All those stars up there just for us to look and wonder about? What an amazing God we have.

4. Name a song that's overplayed, but you love it anyway.
I really don't listen to the radio much unless it's talk radio or Pandora where I can pick the songs that I want.  So since I'm picking the songs, it's anything by the Beach Boys.

5. When did you last have home made ice cream? Your latest favorite flavor?
I can't remember the last time I had home made ice cream but  my newest favorite flavor is Cake Batter.

6. What do you think is the best way to inspire or motivate people?
Praise works for me so I guess it would work for others, don't you?

7. When was the last time you were without power?
Maybe back in April?  The transformer at the end of the driveway blew the "Thingamagig" and we were in the dark for a few hours.  We called the power company  and a repair crew came right out.  They were very nice and thankfully the weather was nice and they had a "Thingamagig" in the truck so it was all good.  We lose our power in the winter at least once almost every winter.  Then we can be out for days!! Living off the generator and getting showers over at my brother-in-laws house gets to be tedious.  The generator keeps us warm and the food cold but it doesn't do the water.  There has to be a way to hook that up????

8. Insert your own random thought here.
The big news up here is that a local food chain is closing 6 of it's stores.  More jobs lost, more people struggling.  It's all so sad.  We don't shop at the store because it's far more expensive than where we do shop but still, it's jobs lost --- again.
Also, I did have chemo and so we are officially at 5!!!  I never would have thought that I would be happy to HAVE chemo.  Oh the things I've learned.

Now it's your turn, how would you answer the above questions?