Butterfingers

Oh gosh, I have the funniest story to tell you guys. Today, I was in a errand frenzy. I had to go to the bank, feed the grandsons, (Whataburger of course), go to the post office to mail off the proof for the cookbook, go to the health food store and finally, go to a local community ministries store to donate a large tub of clothing and shoes. The last stop was the ministries store, and Martin drove around back to take the clothes to the donation point. I hurried into the store, because I cannot resist a second hand store, and as I walked in the front door, there before me was the computer console of my dreams. Now, for many years, I have wanted a computer hutch that was all-inclusive: meaning that it could close up when you are done, and when opened, had nooks and crannies, a place for the screen, the cpu, and a swing out desk. Something like this usually costs around 800.00 to way over a thousand, depending on the quality, and that is why I have never been able to get one. Well, like I said, there before me at the front of the store was this fabulous computer hutch, with everything I always wanted! And guess what? It was only 200.00! I decided then and there that it was going home with me! I asked the clerk to be sure it wasn't already sold, and behind her, she was putting up a sign saying that all desks were 75% off! Hold on Nellie! I almost attacked the poor little thing when I asked her if that hutch were also on sale and she brightly and cheerfully said, "YES IT IS!" I had to sit down. I was going to get my computer hutch for only 50.00! I ambushed Martin when he walked into the store, saying "give her 50.00 bucks and load this baby up!" He just blinked at me and said, "Okay". He realized the magnitude of the blessing we had just been given, and was as tickled as I was. Now, this hutch is about 7 feet tall and very heavy. Martin got some of the men at the store to help him load it on the truck, taking care not to nick it or scratch it in anyway. He tied it down with several cords, and took his sweet time getting home to make sure it got there safely. I was just a giggling fool the whole way, and finally we drove into the driveway with our treasure. Remember, this is roasting hot Houston, and I wanted to get the thing unloaded and into the house before I melted, so I went ahead and got the dolly and opened the gate for martin. He untied the hutch and carefully began to scoot it toward the tailgate. I forgot to tell you that square in the middle of the bed of the truck is a hitch ball sticking up that we use to pull our bar-b-que trailer. This ball is about 4 inches across and sticks up about 4 inches. Can you see where I am going with this? In the heat, martin's hands had become sweaty, and while he was scooting the hutch, it slipped from his hands and slammed down on the ball hitch. I heard the bang, and turned around to see the most pitiful sight ever. There stood Martin, with an expression on his face of a little boy who had just dropped a triple dipped ice cream cone! He looked at me with a look of horror, and 3 things happened within seconds. First, I realized the ball went through the back of the hutch, second, this was funny as hell, and third I started laughing and hugging martin at the same time. How could I be angry with my boy when he was trying so hard to make me happy? All is well, the hole in the back is perfect for running computer cords and electrical cords to the unit. I am happily typing at my new hutch, once again having been tremendously blessed by Heavenly Father. Oh, and today is Little Otto's birthday. For those of you who don't know, Little Otto is my son who was killed 18 years ago by a drunk driver. He would be 31 today, but he is still my Little Otto. Finally, after all these years, I can enjoy his birthday without crushing heartache- I know he hates it when I carry on the way I do. But this year, I am just happy knowing he is close to me, and that he knows that I know that he and I will be together again. Say! Maybe Little Otto made it possible for me to have my new hutch? Who knows?

Chicken coup

Well, I received the proof for the new cookbook and had to look through it to make sure everything was printed correctly. It looks great, but I did find one mistake. In a recipe calling for chicken soup, the recipe said, "add one can of chicken coup." I think that is hilarious! I corrected it, but I wanted to share this with you.
Oh, and REALLY GREAT NEWS! Jacky has gone 3 days in a row without a doopie in the house! I am so pleased, that means that now I can take down the barriers to the living room and dining room. My house looks like a maze- you have to walk straight from the kitchen to the bathrooms and bedrooms, but hopefully my luck will hold and I can go back to normal.
Martin put together a gorgeous work center for me to work on to make the jelly, candies and other items. It makes me feel so good that he is so supportive of my efforts. I feel that I can go ahead with my dream of "From Nana's Kitchen" and express my talents. The work center has tons of storage, a wood butcher block top, and is 6 feet long. There is room for everything, tiny boxes of pectin, utinsels, lables, and on and on. I love organization, but I am the type of person who will forgo convienience if it is too costly. Martin told me that I was worth it, so now I am ready to go. I love making those mason jars with cookie mix in them, called "cookies in a jar" but it was hard to set up an assembly line for a lack of space. Now, I can just line up everything and go right down the line. I like to make chocolate chip, peanut butter chip, M&M cookies, brownies, oatmeal-cranberry-white chocolate chip- gingerbread and sugar cookies in a jar. The other idea I make is called "Alpha-Soup". It is alphabet pasta and other ingredients in a mason jar, and you just add it to 1 quart of boiling water to make a really yummy soup in no time! Hopefully, next month, I can display my items at a craft show and that should give me an idea of the popularity of my wares! I will keep you informed- thanks for listening!

It's a boy!

How happy I am to report that my son Aaron and my darling daughter-in-law are going to give me another grandson! This will be their fourth child, (Ben, Ali and Audrey along with new baby) and number 7 grandchild for me!Yes, we are overrun with little boys in this family, and yes that makes the little girls that much more precious to me, but I don't care what it is, I am always happy and excited to know that yet another incredible child will be joining our family! The baby is due in December, so I have to get cracking on another Christmas stocking!
Update on Jacky, he is doing so much better, I guess this is the price you pay for new puppydom! Rocky is so happy to have a brother, he has stopped chewing on stuff, getting into stuff, sneaking stuff from off the counter, tearing up stuff in the yard and for the most part, stopped jumping on people when they come. Now, Jacky is chewing on stuff, getting into stuff, and tearing up stuff in the yard. Fortunately he is too short to reach the counter- but he has figured out that I keep the pig ear chewies in the bottom drawer next to the stove. I have threatened Martin that he had better remind me of this current puppy experience if I EVER decide that more than two German Shepherds is a good idea.
Martin has obtained a Bar-B-Que trailer that encloses a rotating pit that can accomodate up to 40 briskets. Now, this thing is parked next to the house for the time being, and it looks somewhat like a FEMA trailer on wheels. I am happy for him. For many years, he has wanted a large pit inside a large trailer that he could cook many large briskets on, and by the grace of Heavenly Father, not only did he find the pit of his dreams, but got it at the price of his dreams. There will be brisket! Lots and lots of briskets! Already orders are pouring in for Martin's talents, so perhaps this could be a retirement bonus! We are trying to think of a good name for Martin's efforts, and my grandson Ben has come up with a pretty good one. He suggested "Brisket Heaven" and if any of you have ever had Martin's brisket, you would probably agree that it is an appropriate name! I will keep you informed- there is much to tell you, and I am looking forward to sharing!

Stemming the tide

Well, I cleaned up much less today after jacky- actually he is doing very well as new puppies go. (and I do mean "go"). I finished a huge batch of blueberry preserves and was in the process of cleaning the kitchen, when I received a phone call from a very dear friend, saying she was coming over to visit and bring me a surprise. I sped up the cleaning process, put bright placemats on the table, swept the floor, swept the back patio, did a quick check and decided that everything looked pretty good. I sat down for a while to await my friend, basking in the cool air of the ever-present fan that runs 24-7 along with the airconditioner. I was just beginning to relax, when I smelled a familiar smell. You guessed it, a great, big pile right on the tile floor. I wasn't sure how much time I had, but I have become very proficient at cleaning poo piles, and jumped up, grabbing paper towels, spray, a walmart bag and tackled the latest offering. I picked it up with about a dozen paper towels, (I need to make sure I don't actually touch the stuff!) stuffed it in the walmart bag, sprayed the spot, scrubbed with more paper towels and then stuffed them in the walmart bag too. I was done in under a minute, flat! Then, I ran to the trashe can outside, dumped the whole thing in the can and returned to the kitchen. It was then I realized that just because you pick up a pile, it doesn't mean the smell leaves too! It was at this very moment that I saw my friend parking outside on the curb- and I grabbed a can of febreeze spray and started bombing the room with all the energy I had. The puppy started sneezing from the spray, but I was only worried that the aroma of his latest gift was still lingering in the air. Just as my friend made it to the gate of the patio, I opened the laundry room door and launched that can of febreeze onto a shelf somewhere. (I may never see it again). My friend came in the house and hugged me, while presenting me with a fabulous bouquet of sunflowers! She was either very good as masking her feelings or the febreeze actually did the job, because she did not react as if we must have a 500 pound puppy living with us. (after all, with what Jacky is dumping, it is not a stretch that he could be that big!) Will it ever end? How many cases of paper towels, how many gallons of Odoban, how many supersized cans of Lysol, how many giant containers of "Wee Wee deodorizer" must I buy? I am trying to remember if Rocky was like this, and Martin assures me that it is possible. And another thing, that puppy cannot possibly be eating enough to justify his efforts at elimination! I hope the future will show that I have overcome this trial, and can report that Jacky is happily decorating the back yard with what he his happily decorating my house with now. I love the little guy, and try to remember that he is just a precious little puppy that will bring many years of love and devotion. Right? Right? Someone tell me that I am right! Love ya, me

PS- my sweet sister in law and my brother gave me a fabulous gift last night! It is an antique ice box from the 30's and I am going to use it to display my jams and jellies! (I still have to check with Ashely though, since she owns the store!). I hope she approves, because I cannot think of a better way to promote my jellies and jams than with something so unusual. I can't wait to see it!

Making progress!

Last night, we got the big idea that if we crated Jacky and took him out every couple of hours, he would understand that pooping in the house is a no-no. Between Martin and I, we were up every two hours as planned and this morning, no poo-poo on the floor. (I probably wouldn't have noticed anyway, I was so bleary and tired!) We had errands to run, and so we put a folding table against the doggie door so that Rocky and Jacky could enjoy the lovely summer day- (whatever, it is Houston, just plain hot, hot, hot!) Anyway, when I got home, the table was knocked over and an exhuberant Jacky was INSIDE the house. I braced myself for what I knew would be a mountain of poo, but to my delight and surprise, nothing! Then, just as I was congratulating myself on a job well done, mister Jacky went into the dining room where he always leaves his piles and tinkled right in front of me! I snatched him up and dribbled him through to the back door, where I deposited him in his designated "tinkle" area. Martin and I went to petco to get some other type of tinkle deterrant, and came home to yet another poo-free house! Even though there was no poo, I went in to yet again mop the dining room with a "guaranteed" odor remover and then it hit me. Sitting on the piano or near it in the dining room was the following: a gallon of vinegar, a large bottle of clorox clean up, 3 kinds of odor eliminator, a roll of paper towels, a roll of trash bags, a brand new super-sized box of swiffer mopping pads, the swiffer mop itself, (with another brand new container of cleaner in it) and a large can of Lysol. Something is dreadfully wrong here! Then, Martin came up with an idea. He went and got two giant cardboard boxes and made a barrier between the dining room and the rest of the house. After having a nice doggie dinner, Jacky began to forlornly sniff the barrier, pacing back and forth. I called him out to the yard, and Hallelujah! He did his business! Maybe I am jumping the gun, but there have been no more accidents tonight, and Jacky has gone in and out of the doggie door several times. I don't care if I have invested a royal amount on "anti-poo and pee" solutions, if the little dear can get the hang of going outside, then it will be money well spent.

New Puppy Jacky!

Oh, I forgot to tell you that we have a new member of the family! He is (of course) a german shepherd and is now 13 weeks old. He was a blessing that fell into our lap, and we are so tickled. We have been wanting a brother for Rocky, and this little baby is just perfect. You will hear more in the future of Jacky, but for now, join us in welcoming him to the family.

PS- he is a pooping little devil, I am really working on house training him! I don't know where all the poop is coming from, I don't think an elephant could make that much! Isn't Rocky getting big? He really loves his new little brother!

Does anything ever go right?

Hello all, I am home now from a really wonderful stay in El Paso with Aaron's family, (Sarah, Ben, Ali and Audrey) and it has taken me a few days to catch up on things. First of all, I was smothered in love and kisses from my grandkids. Then, I had to go to the Coach outlet, (I know, I am naughty) and then we went to a darling little town in New Mexico, I think it is called Old Messina, but I am not sure. It was very close to the Mexican border, and in my opinion, as good as acutally going to Mexico. I bought a large gourd and the clerk drilled a hole in it. Ben, Ali and
Audrey painted it and it is hanging up as a birdhouse. While I was there, Martin and I went into the desert to find some cactus. Oh, there was plenty of cactus to be found, it was a veritable cactus wonderland. Cactus everywhere. Remember now, we are talking about me in the desert in this cactus wonderland, and of course I get excited and don't exactly pay attention to the details around me. I saw one cactus in particular with a lovely salmon pink bloom on top of it and started over to it. Just about the time I reached it, the thought very strongly went through my mind to STOP! I stopped right there, wondering why I would have such a strong impression. Maybe there was a large snake close by, or something like that. As I was looking around for whatever the trouble could be, I noticed that not more than 10 feet ahead of me was a sharp drop-off. I hadn't noticed the edge of the cliff, because there was so much foilage grown up in front of me. My heart began to hammer as I realized that perhaps I could have been hurt. I edged closer to the edge, and to my surprise, it was about a 40 foot drop! The way I lumber along, I probably would have gone over the edge before I even knew what happened! As I stood there thanking Heavenly Father for the warning, I realized that Aaron, (he is an orthopedic surgeon) would have been really upset if I had fallen off the cliff and he had to work on me! Anyway, the cactus was still waiting for me, but I used much more caution after that. I was able to get some really lovely little specimens, and I hope the survive the coastal climate. I will write more tomorrow of the other adventures from my vacation, I am tired from just having made another 28 jars of peach jam! Love, me