My New Years Resolution

This will be my resolution list for this year!


1. I promise resolve to post every single day and if I can't, have a darned good reason for not!


2. I promise resolve to not use the small print... but to always click the larger print arrow so you can read me without your glasses on!


3. I promise resolve to make my pictures as large as I can.


4. I promise resolve to give intelligent, witty or just darned sweet comments on every one of my followers posts.


5. I promise resolve to try to click your ads if you are 'Google Monetized' up.

6. I promise resolve to entertain you! 


Are we going to have a dynamite year?


You betcha! 

I Make Meatballs!

This is an old favorite of our family's and I just made it last week. 

The folks that Dick works with all decided to have a potluck lunch last Wednesday.

I guessed this dish would be something no one had ever eaten... and I was right!

Here's an extra easy, exotic dish for your New Years Bash!

Here's my ingredients:

2 boxes of frozen Swedish style Meatballs. 

(My boxes had 48 in each.)

2 cans of whole cranberry relish.

1 big bottle of Russian salad dressing

1Pkg of dry onion soup mix.

1 can or baggie of Sauerkraut, drained.

Mix everything up in a nice big roasting pan.

Pop into the oven at 350 degrees and let bake uncovered until the sauce is clear and all caramelized. It took mine 2, 1/2 hours.

Then, I piled it all in my crockpot and put it in the frig.

The next morning, off Dick went, crock pot in hand with my dire instructions to plug it in and turn it on low when he got to work. Like a well trained guy, he did!

I kept a few out and had them myself that day, between wrapping and precooking our Christmas dinner.

OOOHHHH! They are good!

Dick came home and brought an empty crock pot, a nice compliment to me! This simple dish was a huge hit and no- one could guess the ingredients.

Everyone wants the recipe and so now they all have to Blog me! HA!

Snow pictures

Driving home home from work I passed this clump of pine trees.

I can't imagine a winter world with no evergreens in it.

They make everything seem warmer somehow!

We finally got a real snow!

I took my new camera with me to work today and although it wasn't sunny, I think I got a few decent pictures for you on my trip home.

The sky is still threatening more!

Still some open water for the ducks and geese. 

 

So serene!

Rows of apple trees.

Still some picking to do!

The flowers all have hats!

What's inside? Joshua and Company

This is one of the vintage buildings in Port Stanley: Harbor House. It was originally a fish house. (Where they unloaded the boats and processed the fish.) This store is so lovely that I have to share.

Remember Joshua and Company over at Almost Retired Handbook?

Let's go shopping!

Beautiful displays and lots of natural light!

Interestingly arranged!

 

Bath soaks and soaps of all sorts.

Furniture and Christmas decorations. Is that a silver punch bowl I see?

Spices and tea mixes. Pots and tea towels.

Makes you want to come on over with your credit card right? 

....and that's what's inside Joshua and Company!

I Make Coffee Cake!

I wanted to make a nice coffee cake to take to my sister in law's home for Christmas morning.  

Wouldn't this be super for New Year's morning too?

Here's my ingredients.

1 Cup real butter

1 tsp real vanilla 

2 tsp Bourbon

2 tbsp cinnamon

1/2 cups pecan pieces

3/4 cup brown sugar

3 tubes of refrigerator biscuits

First of all, melt the butter

Toast the pecans... be careful not to let them burn!

  Add all the above ingredients except the nuts to the butter.

Give it a stir.

Start the bottom of the pan with some butter mixture and some nuts.

Open up a tube of biscuits and break each individual biscuit in half.

Roll in the butter/spice mixture and start layering in the pan.

Every so often add some nuts.

 

Keep going until you've filled your pan.

Drizzle the remaining butter/ spice mixture over top and let it settle in.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees.

Mine took about 30 minutes because I like it dark brown.

Cool for a second.

Now!

If you're going to eat it at your house, flip it onto a plate now, before the sugar hardens.

If you're traveling with it, let it cool in your pan and cover it.

Which is what I did!

(Schwing!)
To my sister in laws house, Christmas morning!

I popped the pan back into a 250 degree oven for about half an hour.

Flipped it onto one of her plates.

It filled her home with such an aroma as we unwrapped gifts!

Some slathered on more butter, some took their piece plain.

I must say, it was seriously good!

PS: If you sometimes wonder why I take my pictures with dirty dishes in the background and in a dirty oven? It's just so you know it came from a real kitchen in a real house!

Oh Christmas Tree!

I saw this Christmas tree down at Joshua and Company and we might have to go buy it!

It stands about six feet tall and is only about three feet across at the bottom

 

 I love how the snow is frosted on the tips

 

And you know how I am about birds!

The pine cones are awesome too!

Would I miss the glass ornaments? Would I miss changing up the style each year?  Would it 'feel' like a Christmas tree if we just had that one?

These are IMPORTANT questions!

Oh well! I guess if I have that many questions about the whole process, I better stick with what I've got!

Merry Christmas To All!

For me, flowers are a necessity of life and I wouldn't want to live without them. Forever in my memory,  home has always been surrounded with blossoms and Christmas was no exception.

Poinsettias are used as gifts and decorations and although the ones of my youth were always brilliant red, the shades of pinks and creamy whites are now commonplace.

The poinsettia is a lovely plant and surely signifies this special day as no other could.

 May peace find you today and I hope your loved ones made you smile. 

In my days of business, I am forced to call out 'Happy Holidays' so that I do not offend or upset someone.

To my way of thinking, what comes from your own heart is the spoken greeting a person should use and if it is from your heart, how can that be offensive?

So this is what comes from my heart:

Merry Christmas my friends!

It is the very best wish that I could possibly utter and it goes out to you all.

Yak tomorrow!

Please remember that as beautiful as poinsettias are, they're toxic to our little furry friends.
 

I decorate our Bathroom too!

I like to decorate my bathroom for Christmas. I think mostly because it's a little more girlie than the rest of the house, although I'm not a girlie kind of girl.

I adore these vintage baskets I found at Value Village long ago. They are permanent on this shelf and are very brittle. I couldn't resist their earthy colours.

I stuff the bigger ones with washcloths and top them off.

Our over the you know what cupboard just gets a little Christmas pick.

And when the family gets here, I will have this sweet little tree perched on the tub.

This is where it will sit all the rest of the time. (Remember our kittie with the big poofie tail?) 

All is now complete! Take off your shoes and get a beverage and relax! 

Merry Christmas to all!

Finally! We have decorated!

First of all, our tree...

My doves look awesome perched on branches. 

This year, I decided to nestle my ornaments rather than hang them.

 

 

Oh! There's one of the fellows that the cat dragged in!

 

Of course we pay homage to our racing Heros. I of course have some sense and have rooted for Jimmie Johnson for forever, but Dick sticks to his Earnharts! (Notice how envious Jr looks?)  

Suzie says: Enough already mom!