FEBRUARY BLESSINGS-COUNT THEM 1- 2 -3

There are three blessings

that have happened this last week!

ONE!

My friend, Sissie's son, 

Jeff (here)

has been on a prayer list

and many of you have

prayed for him and sent money

to help with his medical bills.

It appears that the open wound

at the base of his spine is healing

and

THE INFECTION IS GONE!

TWO:

My friend, Jettie's surgery

was a real success.

She came home Friday

and is almost pain-free.

She started therapy yesterday.

This is an old picture of her

but the only one I have in my files.

Thank you all for your prayers for her.

THREE:

I may LOOK SMART---

hahahaha-never mind---

but when it comes to monkeying around

with computer things..

well...

If the hat fits-wear it...

I finally figured out how to get

A HEADER WITH PICTURES.

However, 

I could NOT for the life of me

figure out how to get the 

'green' background off 

the top of my blog.

To the rescue~

Linda, My Fairy Blogmother

(Life and Linda)

Let me tell you-

she is as beautiful inside as 

she is on the outside.

She did NOT 

make me feel like an idiot.

I felt like it was Christmas

and

just like Santa Claus

'then in a twinkling'

SHE FIXED MY PROBLEM

AND

she fixed problems 

I didn't even know I had!

Now THAT is a good FIXER!

So---if you need help--

you can check out her blog.

She has several tutorials 

to tell you how to fix things yourself..

and I could do SOME of them..

but she is a self-taught

fount of knowledge

and I would bet that if you have

ANY KIND OF PROBLEM-

she can fix it.
She also designs blogs--
and can fix any of your
blogging needs.
Did I mention she is 
VERY CLEVER?!

Another little un-counted blessing-

I was downstate WI 

on Sunday watching

The SweetCheeks play 

volleyball for POWER.

She is an awesome player

and in her first year on a team.

Okay- she 

WAS NOT WEARING THAT

for Volleyball but 

it is the only picture I can find of her

on this computer.

One of these days,

I am gonna have to find a 

WINDOWS 10 FAIRY

that can do for me/my computer what

Linda the Fairy Blogmother

did for my blog.

For all you others that are

COMPUTER CHALLENGED

I found one bit of really

GOOD ADVICE.

Y'all have a great and

BLESSED WEEK!

I am over at the VA this morning
and then helping someone
STAGE A HOUSE
for sale this afternoon.
Yay!!!!

REMEMBERING MY BROTHER, CHARLIE

Four years ago February 4th,

 my daughter, Mimi,

and I were driving through a blinding snow storm

trying to reach Pennsylvania before 

my brother, Charlie,

went into surgery.

 He had gone in a couple of days prior and thought 

he had a bladder infection.

This is a man that was never sick a day in his life.

As it turned out, they never did do surgery.

He had gone from hale and hearty to

desperately ill in a few days time.

We got there late February 4th  and he was

very ill.

The dreaded words came from the doctor-

Stage Four Cancer.

Incurable.

Rare.

Fast moving.

No treatment available for this type of cancer.

He died the next day.

February 5th, 2013.

Even now it is surreal.

Even now I think I will pick up the phone 

and hear his 

half-laugh saying,

"Hello, Sister- Dearest"

(a take off on Mommy Dearest- don't ask)

Even now, I can hear him telling me 

how happy he was,

how much he loved the girl he had married,

how much he loved his children and grandchildren.

He was one of the kindest souls I have ever known.

Right after that Mimi invited me 

to spend a couple of days

with her and her boys 

while her hubby was out of town

I thought it was fitting to go.

And, as we mourned losing Charlie, 

we celebrated the fact

that she was carrying another little life around.

Another little girl to love.

Charlie loved Mimi.

She reminded him of our side of the family

with her curly red hair and her blue eyes.

He would have loved this baby, too.

This sweet little baby turned out to be our own little

Anna Ireland (Bright Eyes)

Rarely a day goes by that I don't

think about him and remember

something funny he said or did.

Missing you today, Charlie, 

but know I will see you again

someday.

You know where to look for me-

I'll be in the

not-quite-perfect corner.

Miss ya, buddy!

NANA DIANA'S CORN & POTATO CHOWDER-SO GOOD YOU'LL WANT TO CRY!

Well, it is still cold here in Wisconsin.

You've heard of Dumb & Dumber?

Well-here we have Cold and Colder.

Nothing like a good chowder
to warm your bones.

I have been making corn chowder 

for a long time.

However, each time I adjust the recipe a bit.

This is THE BEST RECIPE

that I have made up so far.

It is nice and thick and creamy

AND EASY...

Did I mention EASY?

I will give you the full recipe at the end.

Fry up 1/2 pound of bacon.

Use any old bacon cuz 
it doesn't have to look pretty...

you just want it for the taste.

Fry it till it is GOOD & CRISP.

Then drain the bacon.

 Put bacon on paper towels to drain
but save bacon grease in pan.

While the bacon get potatoes ready.
 Boil until they are almost done-
but not mushy.

While those are boiling

I microwave shredded carrots and chopped celery
and onions for about 4 minutes each.

When those are soft toss
them in the pan with the bacon grease
and saute for a couple of minutes.
Add cream of corn, onions, 
carrots & celery  to the pan 

with the bacon in it.

If you have a weak stomach look away...

SweetCheeks says it looks like someone 

"puked in the pot"

Stir in half and half and chicken broth.

Add the thyme, parsley and seasoning salt,

garlic powder (or chopped garlic) and pepper.

 Then stir in the potatoes.

I keep it warm in a crock pot until it is time to serve it.
It is SOOO good!

Recipe is at the bottom.

Oh- yeah!

You are in a for a treat.

Your hubby will lick his bowl-

just make sure he licks the 

RIGHT bowl-

NOT this one!

So-Here's the recipe:

Nana Diana's Easy Crockpot Corn & Potato Chowder

Ingredients:

1# bacon

2 large potatoes- Microwaved, baked or boiled until done

2 cans Cream of Corn

1 can Niblets Corn

2 large celery stalks- I use the leafy parts, too.-chopped

1/2 cup chopped onion (or reconstituted onion flakes)

4 to 6 cups of whole milk OR 

2 cups half & half & 32 oz chicken broth (or thin to taste)

1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon thyme

1 Tablespoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon Lawrey's seasoning salt

1 Tablespoon minced garlic (I use the one packed in oil)

                         OR- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt-or to taste

Pepper to taste

Directions:

In Saucepan: 

Fry bacon until crisp.  Remove and save drippings.

In Crockpot:

Mix together 2 cans cream of corn and 1 can niblets corn. 

Add milk (or half & half and milk or half & half & chicken broth)

Stir in Thyme, Parsley, Lawrey's salt, garlic (powder or chopped garlic) and salt and pepper.  

Stir in 3/4 pound of the chopped bacon.-reserve a couple pieces for garnish.

Meanwhile:  Bake, microwave or boil  2 large potatoes until done.  Peel skin off and cut into bite sized chunks. Sometimes I leave the skins on.

Microwave onions, celery, carrots in glass bowl 4 minutes until soft.

Then toss chopped celery and onions & carrots into the hot bacon grease for a few minutes. When onions and celery are translucent transfer then to the crockpot.

Heat through on low and serve.  Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Note:  For some reason this demands more salt than most soups.  Add salt until it tastes "right" to you.

If you want a thicker chowder take about 1/3 cup flour and mix with 1/2 cup milk until smooth.  Slowly stir into hot chowder and let cook until thickened.

Garnish top of bowl with a few bite sized pieces of bacon.

Serve with a side salad and a loaf of French bread and the meal is complete.

This is even better reheated on the 2nd day- IF there is any left that is.

And...make sure that YOUR hubby doesn't turn into one of these after eating all that soup.

Not that I know what

THAT IS ALL ABOUT!!!!

Have a great weekend!!!

A PRAYER REQUEST FOR MY FRIEND, JETTIE!

Hi there!

My friend that encouraged me to
BLOG

in the first place 

is having

 HIP SURGERY

tomorrow morning.

Since switching over to this 

new computer I can't pull up

any of my old pictures

so I don't have a picture of her.

She did write this book though

and I was able to find it on the

internet.

Interesting title, huh?

(and a good book)

However,

She says she has
NO FEAR

going into this surgery.

Not sure I would be that calm.

Three years ago she had 

HIP SURGERY

on her other hip

and had a good recovery.

Six months ago she had

KNEE SURGERY
on her right knee

and she has done

really well since then.

However,

HER LEFT KNEE
 is killing her and

without this surgery

she will be in a 

wheelchair because of the pain.

To complicate matters,

her back has been 

"giving her fits"

(as they say in the South)

and she is in constant pain.

Because of the upcoming surgery

she has not been able to take

pain meds.

Please say a prayer that the 

SURGERY will be SUCCESSFUL

and that JETTIE

 will have an

EASY RECOVERY.

If you are not a PRAY-ER

please send your good wishes.

I told her she should go for a

BOOB JOB

while she was under the knife

cuz there aren't too many 

things left to be replaced.

Hmmmm...maybe that's why

she doesn't want a

BOOB JOB!

(yeah- I know surgery isn't funny---

BUT---Jettie wouldn't expect

any less from me)

A PRETTY PINK VALENTINE TREE

Now I KNOW some of you

are going to be thinking...

Okay! That is TOO much.

And...it may be TOO MUCH

but  I think that 

SOMETIMES-

TOO MUCH is BETTER

than

LESS is MORE--

Doesn't make any sense?

Don't worry about it...

I never said I was going to make sense here.

Now I ask you- Is that cute, or what?

What?

More?  You want more?

Little boxes of candy tucked here and there.

And the hearts I showed you how to make

here

And a topper made by sweet Tete.

Tete rhymes with Sweet...

and Pete and neat and...okay..I quit

It's perfect, isn't it?

At the base is a sweet crocheted

table topper that belonged to my mother.

This was made by Lulu one year.

Every tree needs an angel

Soft and Pretty

Love it...

SEE? It's Pinkly Pretty!!

This little beauty sits in the bay window

in the front sitting room

in front of the old leaded glass window

I saved from one of the houses

we rehabbed.

The matching window had too

much damage and fell apart.

And, now that you have enjoyed 

A Bit Of Beauty

I give you 

ONE MORE BEAUT!

My understanding is that he is

STILL LOOKING FOR A DATE

for

VALENTINE'S DAY~

Anyone interested?

Anyone?

anyone?

anyone...

Have a great 

PINKLY PRETTY WEEKEND!

THE SADDEST LITTLE GREEN BAY PACKER BACKER

My daughter posted this

and I just had to

SHARE IT HERE.

Look at our little

Bright Eyes!

I think that face belongs in 

PICTURES,

don't you?

(notice she has her hands

'tattooed' for the game)....

I'll be over at the VA today

pushing some sad 

Green Bay vets around.

Be back in a day or so 

with some 

NEWS

or sumthin'......

OCTOPUS ON THE ROCKS- A DELICACY I SERVE ALL THE TIME---Told in Nana Diana STORY FORM

This, my friends, is

FOOD FOR THOUGHT!
What we are going to talk about today is 
The Feeding Frenzy For Little Ones
otherwise known in some circles 
(those without children) 
as Lunchtime.

Join me at the table as we get set up. 
Places please! 
Are your hands washed? 
Three little girlie
heads nod up and down. 
Okay- Sit! 
No SweetCheeks! 
That is NOT your chair. 
Your chair is the one 
with the plastic wrap over the seat- 
Good, good...
Player number three has assumed the position
 I think that's what it's called-
I don't watch a lot of football-okay-
I go to the football PARTIES-
I pretend that I am watching football...
but basically, 
I am making jokes 
at everyone else's expense- 
 So, Player #3 has taken her place. 
Ria wants to sit on the bench 
with the pillows.
That is her favorite spot. 

pinterest
However, there is a small glitch in this plan. 

SweetCheeks is sitting NEXT to the bench. 
That means that she can, 
at any given moment, 
touch the food on Ria's plate~ 
That makes Ria scowl and howl. 
This will NOT work.
 Shift SweetCheeks. 
She does NOT want to move
 because she can't SEE. 
See? See what? 
It's got nothing to do with 
the view out the window-
it has everything to do with 
"seeing" Ria's plate. 
Too bad, so sad-
You're moving because....
the bench is built in and can't be moved. 
Okay-two down...One to go...
Lulu can sit anywhere because 
she will mind her p's and q's. 
Well, most of the time-
we might discuss this later.
Lulu sits in a chair.


Now, we throw 
ANOTHER player into the queue. 
It is MyHero! 
He has heard the word FOOD- Lunch? 
Where is HE supposed to sit? 
Lulu is in his "regular" place-
whatever that means...
since when did God stamp 
YOUR NAME on THAT chair
I ask ever so nicely(not)....
MyHero takes the only seat left.
It is next to SweetCheeks. 

YAYY-She says...Papa is sitten wif me. 

"I don't want to sit by her", he whines-
"She touches me with her greasy hands." 

"Dey NOT greeeezy,Papa! she exclaims-
 rubbing her hands on his shirt to show him. 

Players #1 & #2 are giggling
as MyHero inspects his shirt sleeve.
Sadly, he cannot find any grease.

What are we having you ask?
Here it comes, folks! 
My super-secret special meal 
that EVERY kid will devour 
with joy in their hearts. 
What is it you want to know.....Ready? 
OCTOPUS ON THE ROCKS! 

Stop gagging...
you will love this, I promise. 
Here is how you fix it. 
Take one hot dog. 
Split it in half leaving about 1-1/2" unslit.
 Cut the slitted sides into "legs"
Yes...yes...now you are getting the idea. 
Cut each side about 3 times. 
This will give you a 6 legged octopus 
(which no one will comment on
 until they get to Kindergarten 
and know it has 8 tentacles). 
Stand him (or her) upright on a paper plate.
Spread the legs out and put in the microwave.
 Zap it for 1 minute. 
The legs will curl up a bit-perfect. 
Put two dots of ketchup on for eyes 
and 1 big one for a mouth. 
Great~ Good Job! 
Now, the rocks 
(which you have made beforehand and have waiting on the stove) 
That happens to be macaroni & cheese. 
The trick is it MUST BE the shell kind 
Octopuses /Octopi?-
 DO NOT LIKE
to sit on any old macaroni.
You need SHELL shaped macaroni. 
I like the Velveeta brand cuz it's easy. 

(yeah...yeah...I know...y'all make yours from scratch-it sucks to be you). 

So, make a nice little mound of shells 
on the plate. 
Plop Mr.Octopus in the center...
Make a  big smile-y mouth 
the first time 
you serve this
so you don't
 scare the Bejesus out of the kid. 
Then, ah yes...
what is the vegetable 
to go with this delectable dish 
you want to know? 

It is SEAWEED. 
That's right! SEAWEED-
also known as Spinach. 

Your kid doesn't eat spinach? 
You will be surprised and amazed. 
You will be overcome with joy-
you will almost faint-
You will send me letters 
of praise and blessings~
Yes! They do eat spinach
 IF they think it is seaweed!
 (barring that-try green beans 
but it doesn't look nearly as cute 
as you can  plainly see).

So, there you have it folks. 
A gourmet feast for any child. 
And, if you are very good, and don't whine, 
one day soon I will tell you how to make 
Nana's Bananas.

This is longer than my regular posts
and a story from when 
SweetCheeks was little.
I might throw one of these in
now and then---
just for fun.