Happy Monday

Not too much going on right now...there's a light layer of white stuff on the ground, and baby, it's cold outside.

The weekend flew by way too fast. Our middle DS and his wife had a housewarming party Saturday afternoon. It was really great to be able to be with all the kids and also 2 DIL's and one SIL, and a DIL to be. When we got there, our three DS's were outside playing a little football with our grandson. Too cold for me. But they had a good time. Its nice to know they still haven't outgrown tackling each other in the cold. And even nicer to observe that male bonding from inside the warmth of the house.

DH and I had an scintillating time yesterday defrosting the freezer downstairs in the dungeon. We found that we have a lot more food down there than we knew about. LOL. I procrastinated for months about that chore... its probably my least favorite one...next to cleaning the refrigerator. Ugh.

Last night we watched a comedy dvd we had picked up, Tim Conway and Harvey Korman. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. It was great! I found a sketch of theirs, "The Dentist" at youtube.com.



What fun! I think it is hilarious to watch Harvey Korman trying to keep a straight face while Tim Conway does his part of the routine.

Classic ...gotta love it.

On a totally different note... last week was quite a week for my dear hubby. Since he was in high school, he knew he had a sister, from his Dad's previous marriage. All he knew was her first name, and her maiden name of course. But nothing else.

Last week, our son the web designer, called, and said someone contacted him via his website, and asked if he was related to a man in San Jose (the man in San Jose just happened to be my husband's father).

To shorten the story, this lady contacted DH and her Mom is DH's long-lost sister, and apparently has also been looking for him for years. So now they are in touch, have spent hours on the phone, and we are making plans to meet her and her family - possibly in the spring.

Such exciting happy news for hubby! He thought he would never find her, and now she has found him. I am so happy for him, and her. Family is so important!

Have a great Monday,
Lissa

"Dark Pursuit" review

You probably figured out from some of my previous posts that one of my favorite authors is Brandilyn Collins. She is a christian suspense writer, and writes what is called 'seat-belt suspense'. It really is! I have really enjoyed her books, and I have read all of them.
I was thrilled to be able to preview her newest book: "Dark Pursuit" !!! DH thought it was pretty funny to see my face when I opened up the package, and saw my copy.
I couldn't wait to sit down and start reading it!!!
The story is set in the San Francisco bay area...and I love that...that's where I grew up, and I am very familiar with many of the places in the book, although the town is fictional. (in a fiction book. LOL)
The story started, and without giving it away... the reader came to the 'logical' conclusion. As the story twists and weaves it way through each and every page, you are carried on a roller coaster ride of suspense...all the way to a surprise ending...one that you would not have guessed at all.
As Brandilyn says, and I quote...'fasten your seatbelt and don't forget to...breathe'.
This was an excellent book...not for the faint of heart. Great page turning suspense! Enjoy~~~~

Knitting Backwards

I've been knitting an ascot scarf for a gift, and it is straight garter stitch with a few YO's on the ends for a little lacy looking edge. Easy pattern, really... but the attention deficit disorder kicked in (I have to do 16 inches of garter stitch...not much challenge in that)... and I started to wonder if I could knit backwards, so it would be more interesting, because I was getting bored... and so I wouldn't have to keep turning my work because they are short rows. It can be done, I've found out...and I thought it was fun. You need to watch your tension though, as I found out it is pretty easy to knit too tightly when knitting backwards (for me, anyways).

I am not the only one that has thought of this ... there is a really nice tutorial posted on Knitty dot com that explains it quite well! After looking at the tutorial, I think what I am doing is 'purling back, backwards'. Or more simply put... "left handed knitting" .

Oh well, either way, it makes it a little more interesting for me...and Momma always said I do everything backwards.

Chocolate Chip Friendship Bread - Yum!

I made Chocolate Chip Friendship bread for our youngest DD last week, because she asked me to...I have not made it for quite a while, and she was hungry for some. Someone asked me if I would share the recipe, so here it is:
(I don't remember who I got the original recipe from. I have had it for a long time.)

Amish Friendship Bread

(Do NOT refrigerate or use a metal bowl or metal spoon)

***

Day 1: Receive starter – do nothing

Day 2: Stir with wooden spoon (do not use metal)

Day 3: -same-

Day 4: -same-

Day 5: Transfer to large covered container. Add 1 C milk & stir. Gradually add 1 C flour & stir.

Gradually add 1 C sugar & stir.

Day 6: Stir with wooden spoon

Day 7: -same-

Day 8: -same-

Day 9: -same-

Day 10: Add 1 C milk & stir. Gradually add 1 C flour & stir. Add 1 C sugar & stir. Take two - 1 Cup

starters out. Keep one, and give one away to a friend.

To the rest, add:

1 C. oil

1 tsp. vanilla

3 eggs

Stir. Gradually add 2 C. flour & stir. Add 1 C. sugar & 1 tsp. cinnamon and stir. Add 1 ½ tsp. baking powder, ½ tsp. baking soda, 1 small box vanilla or French vanilla instant pudding. Stir only until blended.

Add 1 C. chocolate chips and 1 C. chopped nuts (optional) (At this point, ovoid over stirring. It will make your bread ‘tough’. (ask me how I know this :o)))

Pour immediately into 2 well greased loaf pans. Bake immediately at 350º for 57 to 70 minutes on upper shelf in oven. When toothpick comes out clean, it is done.

Cool 6 minutes in, and then remove from pan. Cool on rack.

Serve with or without butter or margarine.

You can also substitute butterscotch chips or toffee crunch chips.

*** If you want to make your own starter, combine 1 cup milk with 1 cup flour, and 1 cup sugar. Then follow directions beginning with instructions for Day 1 of recipe.

ENJOY!!!

Our Little "Squirt" May 1997 - Oct 3, 2008

This is so hard to write. We had to have Squirt put to sleep on October 3rd. He was 11 years old and the sweetest little guy. He has had health problems for quite a few years, but with medication, etc. - he kept on going. He was completely blind, had diabetes, Cushing's disease and hypothyroidism...but he was happy, and loving, and doing well with the medications.

I was in California taking care of Mom, who had had surgery, and DH called me one night and he was very upset. He said Squirt had started having seizures. He took him to a small animal emergency hospital, and they said his blood glucose was so low that they could hardly get a reading. They put him on a dextrose IV and also valium. They had DH pick him up the next morning and take him to our regular vet. They monitored him and checked him over, and he kept having seizures.

The Vet told us that the seizures had caused too much neurological damage, and he was suffering. We couldn't let him suffer anymore. It sounds stupid, I know, but I called the vet office and asked their vet tech, Kim, if I could talk to Squirt, so I could say good bye - she held the phone up to his ear, and she said he calmed down when he heard my voice.

Our hearts are still broken. We will all miss him so much! The other doggies miss him too...they keep looking for him, especially Sassy.

Surely there must be a heaven for a precious little dog like that? I hope so. He blessed our lives with his.

...Grieve not,
nor speak of me with tears,
But laugh and talk of me
as if I were beside you...
I loved you so,
'twas Heaven here with you.
Isla Paschal Richardson

Kermit March 2007-September 10, 2008

DH and I have had an awful day! Our little Kermit (AKA Kermie, our little 'alien friend') had to be put to sleep today. We lost a very special and sweet little birdie. (I had posted about him a few times...this one was one of the posts).

Kermit had not been his usual perky, talkative self for several weeks. Dr. Sarah, our birdie doctor, had been trying to make him better. He had antibiotics, and we have been hand-feeding him for about three weeks. He had just been getting weaker, and not able to eat as much.

I took him to see Dr. Sarah yesterday, and she felt a mass in his abdomen, that wasn't there two weeks ago. She had me bring him back for x-rays today. He had a very large tumor on his liver, that was affecting his nervous system and compromising his lung capacity, and also his digestive system. It was not something that could be surgically corrected, and he probably would not have survived surgery, either. We made the decision to have him put to sleep, and not let him suffer any more.

We are both mourning the loss of our little feathered friend. We will miss him so much! He was such a character, and such a joy! Hard to imagine that we could get so attached to a little parrot...but we did. His life was just way too short.


He will be missed so much. Rest in peace, our sweet little birdie friend.

Fishing, knitting and book reviews

We (my oldest DD) and I just got home a little while ago from spending the afternoon swimming and fishing with my good friend, Nancy. We always have such a good time together!

First we went over to Nanc's house (out in the country) and she fixed us lunch (two different zucchini casseroles...yummy!) and we ate outside - the weather is beautiful today! Then we got the 'grand' tour of her vegetable garden, and best of all, some of the garden fresh veggies, and some apples off of one of her trees.

Then we left to go to a small lake nearby that we like to go swimming at. The water was cold, but 'refreshing'. (that's a nice way of saying it gave us goosebumps!) Needless to say, we did not swim too long!

After that, we left to go to a different lake (up here in the
'Nort-woods' remember, we have a LOT of lakes to choose from!!!!) to go fishing.

We usually don't come home with any keepers (but we don't care...hmm...some fisher'men' we are, huh?), because we fish from the shore, and its a shallow lake.

We did manage to use up our 'old' worms leftover from our last fishing excursion. Nanc caught a nice size sunfish, and I caught a nice yellow perch. We had brought along a 5 gallon pail and put some water in it, and had Nancy's fish in there, and then went to put my perch in there, and the sunfish had flipped out of the pail and back into the water, so we let the perch go too. I did catch a largemouth bass (I love how they put up a fight!) but it was not quite legal size, so I caught it and released it. The majority of the fish we caught were little dinky baby panfish. So our average fish was - hold onto your hat, here... only about 2 or 3 inches long. Yep...ridiculously teeny!

But...the main thing is we had fun! It was great to be out in the water, in the sunshine, and fresh air, with a great friend. I didn't have to catch any fish to be happy about being out there.
(having God's gift of a wonderful friend, and the beautiful nature that He created was more than enough!)

Thank you to anyone that has been praying for Mom. She went home yesterday. The Drs. decided it was NOT a heart attack. They did say she has an 'ileus' - which is a pocket in the intestine, that can 'back up' and become blocked. It was very painful from what Mom said. She is feeling a little better, but still very tired and weak.

I finished one of the baby sweaters I have been working on (except for sewing the sleeve seams) and started another one. The first one was fun to make...and yep...it was the pattern with the SSK that I didn't enjoy...but I am getting used to it and actually LIKE doing it now! LOL!

I thought the first sweater turned out so cute (I used the light yellow Bernat satin WW), that I started a second one. I am using Vanna's Choice Baby in a pretty aqua color, and using white for the main part of the body. It never hurts to have extras around for a special baby gift. Actually, the yellow sweater IS for a gift...and the aqua and white one is for my future grandbaby that is due to arrive in Jan 2009. I will post pictures here when I am done with the second one.

Speaking of the future 'baby grand', I bought some sweet printed flannel the other day at JoAnn's to make some receiving blankies out of for the baby. I will be crocheting an edging around the blankies too. And I will also post pics of those when I get them done.

I finished the third book in the Hidden Faces series that I am reading by Brandilyn Collins. I could NOT put that book down! I think it might have been the best one I have read so far...and I was sooo wrong about the ending. It took a total twist and turn near the end of the book...the kind that leaves you sitting there saying..."THAT'S who it was???" I had it guessed all wrong! Good job, Brandilyn! The book was a christian mystery and again...kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. And I love how Brandilyn gets the spiritual points across. In this one, called Dead of Night, it was a lot about spiritual warfare, and again, the power of prayer. And how sometimes, we may not even know how to pray or what to say, but the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, and leads us to pray.
(Romans 8:26: In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.)
I just started the 4th book in the series. AND, I won a book from Brandilyn's newsletter called Sneak Pique!!! So by the time I finish Web of Lies - my book that I won (Violet Dawn) should be here. Too Cool!!!

Have a great Wednesday, friends!