Cowboy Fries & Blue Cheese Gravy

Admit it, I had you at Blue Cheese, didn't I?

I also made Chicken Fried Chicken and poured the gravy over the top. OHMYGIDDYAUNT it was good. Of course, if I had a steak it would have been better. That was just poor planning on my part- not having red meat in the house.

Purebred DORKcat Proof

See that little red dot next to his eye? Yeah....his eye is swollen shut.

You see, I had to take Askhim to the vet yesterday (another bill, yay). I noticed on Wednesday that Askhim wasn't really opening his left eye. It looked as if he was perpetually being woke up in a groggy or drunken state.  By Wednesday evening, his eye was swollen shut.

Thursday morning I make an appointment for the vet and take him in.

Shout Out

I'd like to give a shout out to some of the people reading my blog. No, I won't call them out by name. That would be rude and highly unprofessional, not to mention an invasion of privacy. No, I just want to say HI! Thanks for reading! to all my friends and a few strangers in faraway lands (and some not so far away).

A HUGE welcome! I see you! to all my readers from:

Cocoa, Florida
Poplar Grove, IL
Frisco, Texas,
Oklahoma City, OK
Laie, Hawaii
San Francisco, CA
Janesville, WI
Orlando, Florida
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Schaumburg, IL
St. Louis, MO
San Jose, CA
Chicago, IL

and many more locations!

Thanks for reading. I hope I keep you entertained.

Humps, Slumps, and Dips

I bought a 4" mattress topper the other day. A good one. (And those things aren't exactly cheap!)
You know the kind- with the memory foam top?
I mean, honestly, if we are going into armegeddon, I want to at least sleep in style. Am I right?

We really need a new mattress. Ours sags and is just horrible to sleep on. We already have three foam egg-crate cushions on the top of our mattress. And the bed *still* sucks.  But I don't get as many work hours as I used to and cannot afford to purchase a new bed just yet, or even a good mattress itself. And I have credit cards, but I don't want to add debt when my hours are reduced. No, it's pay now or not get one at all. I'm patient. I win slow. But I win. And I like to do it without incurring debt.

Anyway- I figured, a topper is half the price of a low-end mattress. We'll try that first. If it fixes the icky bed problem, yay. If it doesn't, we'll buy a medium-end mattress and stick it on top. Either way, it's less money out of pocket for me.

No Coincidences

I don't believe in coincidences. Not really. I mean they happen, yes. But they are for a reason, even if that reason is unknown to us now or for a while. So, coincidences happen, but they aren't coincidences because there's a reason behind them.

Does that make sense?

Grau pointed me in the direction of a blog post entitled, "An Unexpected Ass Kicking"
What a wonderful experience! Truly.

I've always loved the older generation. They have known so much in their lifetimes, that a few are bound to be exciting or interesting or both. Most all are unusual. Think about it, what the elderly remember are usually the highlights, the most laughs, the best loves, the unusual circumstances and the toughest lessons of their life.

Baking Fool

I thought yesterday was going to be my 'oven hot' day. Turns out, today is one as well.
It's a good thing the weather has been cooperating! I love the temps in the 70's with cool mornings. It reminds me Fall is around the corner, and we all know how I love Fall!

Yesterday, I made four loaves of Banana Bread. Youngerspawn loves my banana bread! So three of the four loaves are going into the freezer. That way, the boys can have some when they get here next week.

Z to the Max

I've never required much sleep. I get by on what amounts to the average of four hours a night. Some times I get more, some times I get less.
On the nights I get less, I must have a nap. Me with less than four hours sleep is not a pretty sight.
Oh, I don't get ugly or critical or mean (I'm rarely mean). No. I get loopy. I don't remember things well. Sentences are said backwards. I have a hard time thinking of specific words. Loopy.

Lately, I've been in bed for my generalized four hours of sleep. But I'll wake up two or three times and have a hard time getting back to sleep. Those small interruptions were enough to make me 'slightly off' for the past few weeks. I still function. I'm not cranky. I don't yell.

But as Grau told me last night, I'm just a bit 'off' my usual game. And only someone who's been sleep deprived can see the signs.

Make It Homemade. Make it Frugal.

I started wondering just how many things I make to avoid spending gobs of money at the store. I mean, I would rather spend my hard-earned money on things I *want* not on things I need.  Okay- yes, I spend it on things needed, too- like gas, and electricity and food. But only because they are needed.

What if you could make something at home instead of buying the higher-priced item from the store?

How to DIY Harry Potter Wands and Spell Book

I am a big Harry Potter fan. Yeah yeah. I'm an adult, yes. But I love the Harry Potter series since my kids were little. I would read a chapter or two to them every night, and laugh right along with them as I read aloud. It was a special time, me reading to the kids every night. One that I cherish.

And as an adult, my love of Harry Potter has not subsided. It is such an interesting series. I am very much enthralled with how Rowling used actual Latin words as a basis for her spells, and even character names.
Did you know that Umbra means shade or shadow? That gives a whole new meaning to Professor Delores Umbridge, doesn't it?

Well, I have friends that are bigger HP fans than I am. Seriously, they can quote every scene and tell you which spell was used in which movie.

Shrubs. Historical Goodness.

I came across a way to preserve fruit and drink the result. And apparently, it is an OLD technique. It's called 'Shrubs.' I thought the name referred to the fruits picked from shrubs, or trees, and are usually the older fruit. Meaning the fruit is almost mushy or bad, but not yet and is still edible. But according to the history here I am totally off base. But that's nothing new. I still like my definition better.
A basic background is thus:

The word shrub comes from the Arabic sharaba meaning 'to drink.'

The first reference to 'shrub' in the English Dictionary comes in 1747 and is defined as 'any of various acidulated beverages made from the juice of fruit, sugar, and other ingredients often alcohol.'

So I started making my own shrubs today. I'm starting out with one from strawberries and one from cherries. Now, as the article link states, they have focused on alcoholic shrubs. I am making non-alcoholic shrubs using apple cider vinegar.

Day 1 of Exile- Oyster Crackers, Raspberry Peach Melba and Halloween

HA! I crack myself up! Exile. teeheehhee

So today was my first full day of FB Hiatus. I did not have a problem with it. Mostly. A couple of times I  thought, 'hey, I'll hop on FB and see if....' and then my brain kicked in and I told myself no.

Then a friends daughter came over and we spent the rest of the day doing craft things. Currently we are making Styrofoam tombstones for Halloween. Super easy, but waiting for paint to dry takes time.

Oh, and we made Ranch Oyster Crackers (I've posted the cracker recipe before, just not the Oyster cracker version) and Raspberry Peach Jam. OMG! That jam is fabulous!