POP OVER HERE

Have you ever made popovers?

Do you know they are one of

the easiest things you can

ever make?

The only TRICK to them

is

You HAVE to eat them hot.

They are NOT GOOD cold.

They take exactly 40 minutes

from oven to mouth!

AND ~ They only take

FOUR INGREDIENTS:

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt.

That's it!

(recipe follows)

I use the oversized muffin tin

and I prepare them with this.

If you have never used this

product  you will not believe 

how good it works- 

it is oil and flour

in a can...and one can lasts

forever.

Now I don't know if these are

supposed to have a hole in

the top but my own 

always do!

They come out looking 

all lopsided and wonky...

but they sure taste good!

Yep - 40 minutes and then you

can treat yourself to this...

They are good with butter

and Raspberry Jam.

My Hero is a good taste tester...

We eat in a set up like this 

every day......

And, if you believe that-

I have some swampland in 

Florida to sell you.

Can you tell MyHero and I

are "friends" again?

yeah...the fastest way to 

a man's heart is through

the kitchen.

ahem..

maybe...
Popovers:

       1 cup flour

1 cup milk

2 eggs

½ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Grease and flour six 6-ounce custard cups or one of those jumbo muffin tins (that's what I use)

In a medium bowl beat eggs slightly, Beat in flour, milk and salt until just smooth; being careful not to overbeat. Fill custard cups 1/2 full.

Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 20 minutes. Decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake for 20 minutes more. Immediately remove from cups and serve piping hot.

There's Ice Inside Our House

Get your coffee---this is a long one.

Plus, coffee will give you something

to spit out your nose when you

laugh-

Now I know-

YOU ALL have perfect marriages,

perfect husbands,

perfect understandings.

There is never a raised voice

in your house.

There is never a smoldering

resentment because 

SOMEONE

doesn't listen.

I know that YOU have a marriage

like that.

okay-

I also know that 

MOST OF YOU

are big fat liars...

okay...not FAT...but liars.

Let me tell you about 

OUR LATEST SNAFU.

Most years since we have been

on the Bay MyHero has

cleared an ice rink for 

the kids.

It is quite a trek down to the

Bay for the kids and you

have to go around the rocks.

I suggested that 

MyHero put the skating rink

in our back yard being

as it is big, pretty level

and close to the patio

and lower bathroom.

No...He says....No!

Me:Fine, I say (not really meaning it).

I look out several days

later and he is pushing snow

around in the backyard.

Me:WHAT ARE YOU DOING

MAKING AN ICE RINK?

I yell (because he can't hear

outside-not because I am mad)

Him:Never Mind- floats back on the wind

Me:Well...If you ARE building an

ice rink you need to EDGE it

with something--AND--DON'T

MAKE IT SO BIG!!!!

Him:NEVER MIND...comes back

at me.

Me: OKAY--BUT I AM JUST TELLING
YOU-YOU HAVE TO LINE THE

PERIMETER WITH SOMETHING-AND

MAKE IT ABOUT HALF THAT SIZE!

Him: NEVER MIND I SAID!!!!!!

Allrighty then.

Too bad SOMEONE can't hear the door

slam behind me because the tractor

is running. Where is the satisfaction

in THAT?  A silent door slam...pfttttttt.

So...the SIDES are in place-

SNOW SIDES!

SOMEONE gets the hose out

and the METERED WATER starts

running....and runs....and runs....and runs....

It runs for 72 hours...

Now it looks like THIS!

Let's run the water another 48 hours

just for fun.

Hmmmmm....still  not skate ready.

Let's go rent a 

BIG PUMP and pump water

out of the Bay and fill

that sucker up.

Me:  You should have added a

barrier around the perimeter.

Him:  Why don't you just go do

something else and shut up about it?

Me:  Well, I'm just sayin'.......

Him:  I DON'T NEED YOU TO
TELL ME THAT ONE MORE TIME!

Me:  OKAY!!!!!....(walking away and 

mumbling to myself- (Well, if you'd listened

to me in the first place we coulda been

skating by now)

Him:  WHAT?  WHAT?  YOU KNOW
I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!!!

(he really IS deaf in one ear)

Me:  I didn't say ANYTHING anyway.

(Liar, Liar-God is gonna get me)

Okay- Now we are running the

BIG PUMP with BAY WATER

for several hours.

Here is how it looks now.

Notice the two off to the side

"discussing" the situation.

Me: Ummm...Say Jethro (remember the Beverly Hillbillies)...Whacha thinkin'?

Someone fails to see the humor in

ANY of my comments.

Me: Hey Boys- I'm thinking he should have put a

barrier around the perimeter.

Son#2:  Mom- Just let it go, okay?

Me: (walking away)...Well....I ..um... was just gonna say...........

Wait!  Wait!

What is THIS I see?

SOMEONE is taking his tractor 

and heading off into the distance..

Me to myself- Don't go away mad-

just go away, okay?

An hour or so later I look out towards

the bay.  The sun is setting

What is THAT I see?

A failed rink in front of a

REAL ICE RINK.

ummmm...Did you notice it is about

HALF the size of the one in the yard?

Just sayin'....

Me:  That looks good!

Him: (heatedly) I should never have listened to YOU in the first place about 

putting it in the yard!

Me: (icily) I'm going for a Starbucks!

(where my humor AND MONEY are both appreciated-hmmm-I wonder how many 
Starbucks dollars are laying out there in
useless groundwater)

Anyway.....

My New Year's Resolution?

I am never gonna tell him what to do again
and I am not even going to LOOK at the
water bill when it comes in.

Don't you just love REAL LIFE?

How To Sew A Horse- WHAT????

You remember yesterday

we talked about the 

Horse Whisperer?

ahhhh...Robert Redford.......

Well, You can't have him

because I saw him first!

Anyway....

 I seem to have a

Horse Theme

running through my head.

You know, not every little boy

will grow up to be a 

Robert Redford.

Some men might not have women

swooning at their feet

and doing their menial things

like sewing on buttons.

Knowing that~ I figure it is 

never to early to start teaching

little boys basic skills.

Here is a quick tutorial for you.

Let me tell you- getting a picture

of this kid is like trying to photograph

the wind- He runs when he sees the 

camera and 

NEVER STOPS MOVING!

No shirts and buttons for this boy.

Nope!

He is sewing something else.

Something only a boy would sew!

Whatcha working on there, BigBoyE?

shhhhh...Nana...Be quiet......

Well,what are you sewing?

shhhhh....Nana....Don't look at me!

Okay...but can I see what 

you are sewing?

Well, aren't you just the cutest little

horse's butt sewer 

I have ever seen?

How's the sewing going?

Shhhhh....Nana.....I am NOT

sewing anymore-I am playing with

THE MONKEY BOX!

Yeah...and speaking of monkeys...

I say-

I think I see a 

MONKEY HOLDING a monkey box.

shhhhhhh....Nana...I'm not

talking to you!

Hmmm.....you and MyHero have 

more in common than I thought.

He's not speaking to me either

but that involves an 

ICE RINK and THAT 

is a story for tomorrow.

Maybe we'll be talking by then...

or....maybe not...

ps- I don't think the little charmer

above will ever have to sew on

his own buttons!;>)

A Bunch Of Random Nonsense

Now, I am NOT

saying you are 

DUMB or anything 

but if you popped in to

read this after reading

my title...well, I am 

just a TAD worried 

about you.

Random Nonsense #1

Only in Green Bay, WI

would you see a creche made

out of stolen signs...

(don't ask how I know that)

and NO this is NOT on

my property...nor do I know

who this belongs to...lol

Random Nonsense #2

What is behind this curtain?

Christmas storage-

I worked on it ALL DAY LONG

yesterday.

Before:

Now: Areas have been 

flip-flopped and I am 75% done.

After:

Halloween & Spring

Random Stuff #3

What do you get when you

send someone 

(because they are the turkey whisperers)

a priceless

TURKEY PAINTING?

Okay- it wasn't priceless.

I paid $1.99-yes-you 

read that right- $1.99

before it ever hit the sales

floor-I saw it just inside the 

door and someone marked it

for me.

Anyway- what do you get

when you send it to 

SOMEONE?

Well, if you are lucky you

get THIS!

A handmade walnut 

CUTTING BOARD

made from wood cut from

their own property.

Can you see the live edge on it?

It feels like silk.

It also had some "tools"

I love the handles on these-

they look like antiques, don't they?

Okay-there were also several

Starbucks items in there

(she knows me well)

and a darling little night light..

and some candy...

(the naughty girl)

Random Thing  #4

You read about the 

TURKEY WHISPERERS

above?

And you have heard of a

HORSE WHISPERER..

That's MY favorite horse whisperer.

And sometimes...when I am 

feeling like I am talking to 

someone that is too 

stubborn to listen

(names not mentioned here

 to protect the guilty)

I have decided to heed the

advice that 

Tete @ Beyond the Garden Gate

gave me the other day.

Wise advice, indeed,

don't you agree?

I laughed right out loud when 

I read it.

Hope you have a blessed

wonderful Sunday..

No more random nonsense today.

Come back tomorrow for

more of my

REGULAR NONSENSE!

Enter If You Dare-Scary Stuff Ahead

Don't say I didn't warn you!

If you have 

ANY CARDIAC PROBLEMS

please

DO NOT OPEN THIS DOOR!!!

Well, I can see my picture is a bit

tilted so turn sideways when

you go in.

These doors open off the little

kitchenette we have downstairs.

On the other side is a lovely

media room for 

movies and popcorn.

But THIS SIDE?

It is the one area that never

really got finished.

One of those-

"We should have finished that

when we moved in" areas.

OK...READY?

OH MY!

Are you sure you are ready?

Enter at your own risk.
MyHero won't believe I am
really posting this till he 
sees it for himself.
It is one of those
"are you crazy showing that"
conversations.
I am proud to answer YES..
because if you aren't a
TAD CRAZY
you aren't real!
Anyway- ready?  
Here we go!

The basement has 3 areas.

I am switching the Christmas/Fall/Spring

area with the sewing/store crap area.

Ummmmm....scared yet?

Deep breath...

The top (2 pictures) area is

switching places with

the bottom (2 pics) area.

Everything in the world has

been stashed in this side

of the basement.
Notice how nice and neat my
fabrics are?  NOT

Don't know what to do with something?

Put it in Nana's storage area.

Whew!

That was scary showing that in

real life.

If you don't see me for a day

or two you will know where

I am.  Please call 911 if

I do not resurface to answer

emails by tomorrow.

You know what else is scary

down there?

Remember I said there were

THREE areas?

Well, there is a 

home gym area, too...hahahaha

You know 

WHAT'S REALLY SCARY?

The treadmill has started

leaving me messages!

S-C-A-R-Y!

See you later?

I hope!

Happy Birthday To The Secret Agent

How I wish I could do a

LONG & GLOWING

post about my dear

daughter-in-law,

The Secret Agent,

but I won't.

I won't because her job

makes it scary to have

her face out in the 

cyberworld.

That's the same reason

I don't post pictures

of her beautiful little baby boy.

Anyway,

I will tell you that she is a

wonderful addition to our family.

A Blessing!

She knows me well....kinda scary

really.

I suppose she has

"profiled" me seeing as that

is what she does for a living.

I would like to know what 

criminal traits I possess but she

is too nice to tell me.

We have started doing a name

exchange for Christmas in our family.

She got my name this year.

It has to be handmade and 

not cost more than $25.  

Pretty restricting if you are

not creative.

I got lucky.

She IS creative.

okay..

and smart...

Here is her inspiration

courtesy of Martha Stewart.

(I think)

Here is HER take on it!

Is that SWEET, or what?

I love it!

If I had been thinking on

my feet I would have

written Happy Birthday

on those plates.

But-

I am too lazy to go 

back and do it now

so I will just say it

instead~

Happy Birthday to

The Secret Agent.

I love you much!

I hope  you have many, many 

more wonderful birthdays!

Thanks, too, for putting 
up with this crazy family
you married in to...oh...
had you only really known-
TOO LATE!
~you are stuck with us now~

An Ice Rink In Our Back Yard

MyHero loves to putter

on the ice.

He has been making an 

ICE RINK

for the kids most winters

since we have lived on

the bay.

It is quite a trek down

to the water edge so this year

he decided to flood part

of our backyard.

Isn't it beautiful?

Oh- Wait! That is

NOT OUR RINK.

But...look at this...

Oh- Well, This is

NOT OUR RINK either.

Here is a little picture history of

OUR RINK.

New Year's Eve Day:

My Hero-plowing the area to

make the banks.

Go-MyHero-Go

Um....okay......

Well, it IS looking rink-shaped,

do you know what we do next?

We ADD WATER!

The bigger picture

And let water run all night long.

New Year's Day...

Is it RINK Yet?

Do you see it?

There it is!

ICE!

(In the far right corner)

Ummmm...I am thinking by 

the end of February

we can use these!

If not-just so you know-

There is FUDGE cooling

on the back porch

Help yourself!

More Ice Rink Adventures

to follow.

I HOPE

A Real DO IT DIET

Ah-Welcome 2013!

Are you starting a brand new diet

and exercise regime?

Are you struggling with

appetite control?

DO NOT USE DIET PILLS!

No, Indeedy!

I have something better

than 

DIET PILLS.

I have just the answer for you.

Post this on your fridge.

It's a guaranteed appetite

suppressant.

Pinky Promise!

Remember Richard Simmons?

Do you?

Well, here I offer you a

little fruit with your vegetables.

(notice the strategically placed hat)

See?  You aren't hungry now,

are you?

Happy Smiley New Year