Day 1

We all woke up to 2 or so more inches of the white snow. The grass had just started to peak out and say, "hello". We are back to the endless sea of snow...which by the way I LOVE! It is wonderful...when hot flash land hits I go outside and breathe in the cold...steam evaporates off me...yes it is true!

So far, so good on day one of diet hell................actually, I must admit I kind of like it, as I am also doing it on the computer too. It does a lot of the tracking and points for you...once you get the hang of it! Next Wednesday..January 6th.....next weigh in........

Walking

Due to the amount of snow my walking has been curtailed of late. Of course, that could be an excuse? So, I have decided to try a well worn diet...weight watchers....my goal..to lose weight...I will start this evening....I love to cook and truly LOVE to eat what I cook...does that make sense? (My sweet daughter has informed me that I am a foodie...I will have to be a diet foodie?) I'm throwing this out there to make me and me alone accountable for this eating that I do. My children will have to go along on this venture with me...meaning the sweets and baking of such will end....in some sort of degree? It will be too tempting and my willpower is, shall we say "weak"? I have to lose 50 damn stinky pounds but want to get more off...my wonderful physician has informed me not to see it as such...take it a pound at a time....so every Wednesday I will post the poundage lost...the gain(please no) and the no loss...as I know this happens.......Join me on my journey to diet hell....won't you?

Merry Ho Ho and all that...

Christmas and out and about....

We ventured out the dawling and yours truly...mistake....
Too many of the english people were out there........

The snow storm I missed....

I missed the big snow storm....very sad...yes...it is true...I love snow.....I was at work...working...no windows......
I only have a few pictures with snow coming down............
The rest are from today...two days after...my sweet dawling rescued me.......
Yep that is a big truck on it's side....
I believe you can click on these and they will get bigger.....
See the deck...I painted most of it then the weather changed.....

snow

Looks like the snow is a coming.....I have to work this evening and my 12 hours Saturday and Sunday...sooooooo....guess I'll be staying in Hotel Medical Center.......fun.........french bath....stretcher for bed....fun.....loads and loads...."we" are "suppose to get Maybe...two feet? We'll see...." So, think of me stuck in a hotel of sorts.......................

Cooking...Baking....Baking...Baking

I have made 18 tins of cinnamon buns....if I see another I will vomit...........I am done until the next year!
The cookie baking starts soon......

My dawling has been sick with a head cold...he is in hot toddy land.....all I had was bourbon.....Unfortunately, at night when he sleeps...I want to tape his mouth as he sounds like a bear...although I personally have never heard a bear snore....which reminds me of the night he was snoring so loud..I was having a strange dream that the vacuum was on and I could not get it to turn off.....it was the dawling snoring..... I love him...I do....He talks in his sleep... but we will leave that for another time.....

My sweet girl comes home soon...can't wait...The three boys miss their sister ........the Daddy misses his oodles of boodles....the dogs miss her.....the house misses
her...the road... well... we miss her.....

snow

We got 7 inches of snow...true. I was not able to roll around and jump in the stuff or make snow ice cream or anything.........I was working......and my workplace got...well.... a lot of nothing...mush...it never got cold enough during the day for any kind of sticking...

Back to the original statement...we have 3 dogs....2 of them are Golden's and the short one is a cardigan corgi.....so when we take them out to do their "business" suddenly the deck has become fair game. Do you get my drift(in more ways than one)? It seems when our Molly ( the 13.5 year old golden) goes out she will do her thing...then the other two have to follow and do their thing in the same exact spot! Come on now.....I left the ramp specifically for ole Molly...but when it snows all bets are off...we like the deck! Sooooooo, no snow ice cream...everything is yellow..............

Those circles.................

Remember the rug of pain? Well......I am just about finished with a Karen Kahle design...The Peacock......I love her stuff but dear Lord...I hate circles...could not figure out why...suddenly it hit me...like a ton of bricks...those damn circles ....a light bulb moment! I must get it done! I have plans to start a new quilt for my daughter......A depression quilt with the Panache collection....

Now off to get ready for work........................

The pie

Two posts in one day, or there of......I got my lover boy kitchen aid 6qt mixer back. To celebrate I made a pie.....a chocolate pie from the now defunct Gourmet magazine.........but the meringue...oh the meringue........I made Italian Meringue ....and that my friends...I got from cooks TV....you know I could spend hours watching....click on the link...it will zoom zoom you over...knock yourself out! I leave with some pictures of the pie...not cut...waiting......my mouth has been sutured shut but I'm desperately trying to find some suture removal scissors.....

PS notice the bleach wipes? My friend, my companion...

Yes, it is true..............

I have been cooking and cooking...and more...
I love Thanksgiving......lots of food....lots and lots...Although, every year I promise that we will have leftovers...that will last for weeks...it never happens...I have boys.......thus I will add a picture of self I stole off child #2's page................this is me now....number 108......I need to suture my mouth while cooking....must go do my waddle walk...........

Bleach

The flu has left the building...for now....I have bleached and bleached and bleached. My number 2 child will be coming home from college next Tuesday. She will come home to a totally germ free house.....and those that know me....will shake their heads in agreement. (I am a clean freak.....don't tell) I have gotten better...somewhat. My next mission is the refrigerator. I have had dreams of different ways to clean that baby. I think I have come up with a wonderful idea...I have tons of those big plastic containers one puts junk in to store.....I will fill one with my mixture of beloved bleach and put the refrigerator shelves in to soak.....then another container to rinse it off! I am a genius in the cleaning world! Although, my clothes show my genius involving bleach.....you know....bleach spots from where I forget myself and start cleaning and then I have spattered spots of bleach on my tops, pants, and whatever else is around. It's a sickness..............ahhhh, the smell of bleach.

Flu

Yep....the flu has hit the house......the teenagers/young adults have it......#3 child has had going on day 5. Child #4 has just started his adventure..........

something to ponder

Please click on this and really listen

The mixer

I have found some interesting sites that "explain" how to fix my lover boy mixer.........but due to the nature of the beast it will be taken to fixer up man......stay tuned.......

My kichen aid pro 600

Can one say BLAH really loud!
My Kitchen aid has been a wonderful machine....used carefully...knew it had the plastic parts....hoped it would never die..it died....
It had been given to me...not like one can hop in the car and buy another....plus...found a site....tres interesting..........
click here..read and weep along......

In the "bowls" of society this is really not that big of a deal.....UNLESS one loves her Kitchen aid...and it was red!

Cooking

I have been on a cooking roll this afternoon. First of all... I love making bread...I love to punch it...hit it.....I feel so much better afterward. This particular white bread came from...Baking with Julia..............wonderful cookbook! (see the finger poke in bread...I did that...it's for decoration)



Then I made these bad boys....for the children...even if they are 17, 20, 21, and 33...who cares.....oatmeal, chocolate, crunchy peanut butter, milk, sugar, and butter...very fattening...but it does have fiber...3 cups worth.........
This came from..... The Gift of Southern Cooking: Recipes and Revelations from Two Great Cooks: Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock
I need to stop.............help me!!

Cemeteries

While we were on our semi-getaway this old cemetery caught my eye. I think what I found interesting is the location....right smack dab in the heart of Rheinbeck. In fact, a parking lot somewhat surrounds it. A lot of the grave sites are in bad shape....but interesting nonetheless! I love cemeteries, I find them very calming. When I was much, much younger I would go to our local, beautiful cemetery, sit under a tree and study. It was beautiful due to the location...on a cliff of sorts with a river flowing by. Plus, my "peoples" were right there.... I use to think the branches of the old trees were arms protecting me.............Of course when it started to get dark the chicken factor crept in.....

My new .....old diner

Ahhhhhh.....memories of a new, albeit old diner.....

Please forgive me, but the collective, we "par-take-ified" (your new word for the day) in our food....then took pictures of the after...........it was soooooo good! The biscuits were homemade, then they put those calorie ridden babies on a grill......come to Mama......I left a few bites......didn't want to look too pigified! (another new word for the day)......

If you ever go through Red Hook, New York please you must eat at this diner ....just remember to forget your diet!

The end of wool, sheep, animals..etc...for now

This is a picture of my "dawling"... I made him carry the wool. He was getting sick of the place....can't you tell? I also had to click a picture of the farm sign from Virginia. Although he was pleasantly surprised he still would rather go fly fishing....his analogy is...."Lindy when you take me on these adventures I go, but how would you like to go shop in a fishing store for hours on end?" I always say, "No Problem." Can we buy more wool? Thus, the face of disgust......

Sheep with a story to tell

1. There is a story line here
2. The sheep with the coats....they were getting ready for a breakout
3. The lone goat pen.....the leader was in there
4. The sheep (God-des) was trying to pop out a pink egg
5. The sheep pointing his hove at the green coat guy was debating in his small brain...maybe I should use him as a type of ladder and just jump out? Then what do I do?
6. The bi-color sheep were just fed up and wanted to be left alone!
   

The rheinbeck's sheepies........some with the wool and

and some without their wool. We had all different types to see and touch. I felt sorry for this one..........(click on the pictures they will enlarge)

These naked sheep were embarrassed...don't look at them!

This ole sheepie preferred to turn away from my camera. Sleep was on her mind.
click this....
This particular sheep animal wanted me to come closer. She had an urgent message, it was my secret to keep under wraps.