I finally tackled an item on my to-do list that I've been avoiding. I have an old computer that I've been holding onto until I had time to dismantle it so that I could remove the hard drive and destroy it. You don't want anyone getting a hold of your personal stuff, you know. The hard drive is the small silver box laying to the right of my dismantled computer.
I had a wedding reception to go to this past weekend for the daughter of a close friend. I didn't get any pictures of wedding guests or the wedding couple for that matter because I was too busy visiting and eating. My, oh my, did I eat. I think this amount of eating has recently been featured on the news and referred to as "binge eating". I did NOT however partake in purging, although I probably would have slept better and felt better if I had.
Aside from eating, I did make time to get pictures of the scenery around Skelly Lodge where this reception was held. The view was amazing and you could see for miles, literally. The huge boulders pictured here were a photo opportunity waiting to happen, and many of the guests and wedding party took full advantage. Even though the trees had no leaves it was still a very picturesque place.
Cody and I ventured out on Sunday to look for geocaches in the area. This was something that I've been curious about for the last couple of years after reading about it on an online news site. The appeal for me is that it takes place outdoors and I love to be outdoors if the weather is nice.
Just so happens, it was a very nice day and we had nothing better to do anyway. So with my camera and GPS in tow, we headed out and begin our day of discovery. The inside of trees make good hiding spots, especially when it is surrounded by broken limbs. Cody loved it and didn't seem as apprehensive about walking into certain wooded areas as I was.
Our first cache contained tattoos and other miscellaneous and very small items. We exchanged a tattoo but on the next few caches, we only left our name and the date of our discovery. I'll be going online to visit the geocache site to leave a comment about each place that I visited and to let others know that there is a geocache still to be found.
I received my Social Security statement in the mail this past week because it's that time of year when I get this reminder that my birthday is coming up in a couple of months.
Anyhoo...did anyone else receive their statement recently and compare it to last year's statement, only to find out that if you retire at the age of 67 you are now eligible for a lower amount of income than what the previous year statement indicated? Even though you have now contributed a whole year more of social security taxes? RaggleFaggleFrickinFruck?!!
Yesterday, I received a wonderful package in the mail from Jessica at A Moxie Mom. I entered a drawing on her blog and won!
It's a Dermalogica Skin Kit for that troublesome dry skin that many of us suffer from daily and especially during the winter months. I can't wait to use this kit. Thanks Jessica!!
I just finished reading "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon and I'm now starting on her second book in the series called "Dragonfly in Amber". I can't wait to find out what happens next with the two main characters, Claire and Jamie.
I also purchased an audiobook to add to my Ipod so that I'll have something to listen to on the airplane ride to Las Vegas that I'll be taking next week. There is a showcase soccer tournament there that Caitlin's team is attending.
Remember when I sent in my gold jewelry to see how much it was worth? Well, it wasn't as much as I would have liked but then again, I know nothing about the value of gold. The day after I received my check there was a news segment on tv talking about how the value of gold is down these days and to wait until it rises again before selling. Too late!
I have the option to return the check and have my gold returned if I'm not ready to sell or to deposit the check and consider it a done deal. I'm considering my options.
Cody left one of his Christmas presents in the pocket of jeans and I washed it in the washing machine this past weekend. Dried it too. Ipods aren't meant to be washed.
I was watching Rachael Ray the other day and she had a segment about a company that buys gold jewelry called Red Swan. You send in your jewelry and they mail you a check. If you aren't satisfied, you contact them and send the check back and they return your jewelry.
So I've decided to try it. I have a couple of pieces of old jewelry that probably aren't worth much but I'm curious to see what I can get. Plus I'm not attached to the jewelry that I've chosen to send in. I haven't worn any of it in over 20 years. One piece is a necklace that an old boyfriend gave to me and then I have a ring that had the tiniest diamond in it once but the diamond came loose and I lost it. Those two pieces along with a gold chain is what I've chosen to send in and see what happens. The people at Red Swan will probably open up my box and laugh when they assess the value or they'll be mad that they paid the postage to have me waste their time. Ha!
I have a nice pair of earrings that I considered sending in but I'm too attached, even though I don't like to wear gold jewelry. Afterall, silver is "da bomb" these days. I also can't part with my "add-a-bead" gold and lapis bead necklace because it was such a popular trend when I was in high school and I remember returning to the store often to purchase more beads everytime I had enough money. Do you remember doing this? Anyway, this necklace stays. What if I need this piece of jewelry as proof that certains things in my life really did occur when I'm old and reflecting on my past.
I just had to post this picture of my Mema. I haven't seen her in many years and I've been asking for a picture for a while now, but since my dad doesn't own a camera it has taken some time. He took this picture of her with his camera phone last weekend. She still drives her car and gets it washed each week. Her and her sister(good genes in that family) take trips together when they can and she reads so much that I'm sure the library is having a hard time keeping her in books. She is pictured here working on a crossword puzzle which she starts and completes daily. All of my childhood memories of her are special. When Tanya and I were little girls, we LOVED staying overnight with her and my Pepa on their farm. This special woman also turned 98 years young this past January. I think she's incredibly special.
Have you ever had a coffee that was so strong tasting that after you took a sip, it tasted like you just smoked a cigarette? Ok so it wasn't a coffee, it was one of those coffee type drinks with added flavor and a fancy smancy name. Anyway, I had that happen earlier this week when I was sampling a Caramel Latte. Uhh...thank you, McDonalds?
I went to a local pub/grill last night, called the Fox and the Hound, for a dinner with several local bloggers. We were expecting around 20 women and actually had about 15 show up, so it was a really good turn out for this event. note: If I get any names wrong in this post, please forgive my memory.
Some of my "getting aquainted" time was spent with these girls, Jerri Lynn, Georgie and Dawn. Jerri Lynn and Georgie live in the Tulsa area and Dawn lives in Owasso, closer to my neck of the woods. You can't see it but Georgie is wearing a shirt that says "I heart Dawn" made by her daughter. We all love Dawn for putting this event together. I found out that Jerri Lynn is from Ft. Worth so with both of us being from Texas, we talked about things that Texas has that Oklahoma doesn't have like good mexican food, barbecue and Dairy Queen. And what a coincidence that we both have family in Midland.
Here is Dawn with Michelle and Jessica. I enjoyed meeting Michelle and finding out how her and Dawn became friends. Both of them love blogging and photography. Jessica was very nice and I look forward to reading her blog.
I was also able to visit with Melinda and Maggie who are pictured here with me. I'm the one who looks awkward because I'm the most unphotogenic person. But I digress.Hayden informed me that he needed a new pair of shoes because his were feeling too small. So after school, we went to our local shoe store and found him a nice pair of athletic shoes. We threw away his size 6 shoes that were too small with a hole forming in the toe area and he walked out of the store wearing his new, size 9 Adidas. Yes, I would say that his shoes might have been feeling a bit small.
I decided to take a little hiatus from the blog world this past week and focus on doing other things like chillin', kicking back, relaxing and taking it easy.
Although it's not easy to relax when you are cultivating a science experiment in your backyard. I decided to partially uncover the swimming pool to check on the water since it's been almost 4 months since we covered it for the winter. I peeled back the cover and noticed that the water was a little dark
but I figured the pool cover was the cause so I peered down through the water trying to locate the drain at the bottom and couldn't see it. I could however see the pool light and with this object to focus on, I could see that the water was definitely not in good condition and even a bit of a green tint. The water in my swimming pool has been infected with an algae and has started to turn green and just the thought of the water turning dark and murky soon makes a chill run down my back. Not only that, I'm having swimming pool dreams where I'm removing the cover to find out what lies beneath. I'd be lying if I said I'm not at all freaked out by this.
For as long as I can remember, I've had this water phobia focused mainly on plumbing problems that involve uncontrollable water issues or water flow. So if my toilet overflows, I remain calm, rational and deal with it like an adult, but it spooks me to my core!
My next door neighbor teasingly asked me when we were getting my car repaired because he was a little concerned that I was making our neighborhood look bad driving this unsightly mess around. I reminded him that I've never denied being white trash trying to fit into an upper class environment and right now, my white trash is showing.
I'll be taking my car into the body shop this week and finally getting it repaired from the damage that was done in San Antonio. We normally would have taken care of this already but we had to wait for the insurance company to actually make contact with their client to determine who was liable. Puhhlease!! We weren't even in our car and they need to verify who was liable? I hate insurance companies and thier stupid mindedness! They love to take our money every month but their butt tightens up when they need to give a little back.
I got up this morning and started a crock pot of stew and then proceeded to make a rich fudge from the back of the Hershey's Cocoa label. My mother has made this recipe many times and I had her teach me how many years back. I decide this time to make it the way the Hershey's label suggested and all went well until I got to the end.
Hersheys says that after you reach a certain temperature to remove from heat and let the fudge cool to 110 degrees, a temperature I never reached because it started hardening up. I went ahead and added pecans, which is an adjustment my mother made to the recipe and an important one, and then began to stir it. This was an incredible struggle and took lots of muscle power. I was able to get it onto my platter but unable to spread it out because it set almost immediately. In the end it was still quite delicious.
I used a candy thermometer this time and it sure made things easier. My mother had taught me to watch for a glossy-ness in the chocolate and if you put a small amount in cold water and you were able to form a ball with it, then it was ready. I was always able to make the fudge successfully but never felt comfortable deciding when the chocolate was glossy, so the thermometer was a great tool to use. Here's the recipe but I've altered it to the way my mother taught me. It's very rich and chocolatey, so if you think you can handle it then try it and let me know what you think.
Classic Rich Cocoa Fudge
3 c. sugar
2/3 c. cocoa
1/8 t. salt
1 1/2 c. milk
1/2 stick of butter
1 t. vanilla
1 c. pecan pieces
Butter a large plate or platter.
Mix sugar, cocoa and salt, in a heavy 4 qt saucepan, until all lumps are gone. Stir in milk.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a full rolling boil. Boil, without stirring, until mixture reaches 234 degrees on candy thermometer or until small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water forms a soft ball which flattens when removed from water. (Thermometer should not rest on bottom of pan)
Remove from heat. Add butter and let melt. DO NOT STIR. When butter is melted, add nuts and stir. Spread quickly onto prepared platter; cool completely. Cut into squares.
I stopped at Movie Gallery the other day to pick up some things for Christmas and the woman that checked me out absolutely annoyed me to the point that I was pretty mad by the time I left. She kept saying things like, "Do you need anything else, Sweetie?", and "Can you please sign here, Sweetie", and the final blow was "Here's your receipt, Babydoll".
AAaaaaarrgh!! I bet she called me "Sweetie" at least 4 times. I don't know, maybe it's just me but there is something about a woman who is the same age or younger than me calling me these ridiculous names. Maybe if she was 90 I would have thought it was cute. I felt like it was lacking respect. She better not catch me on the wrong day; a day that my children have seen me have in the McDonald's drive-thru.
