Love deeply. Laugh. Cry. Talk to God. Be realistic about the to-do list. Stay in touch. Hug. Dream. Smile. Break Bread often with Family. Spend Time with your Girlfriends. Shop til you Drop! Extend Grace. Be Quick to Forgive and Slow to Anger. Walk. Breathe. Sing. Dance. Read. Eat Chocolate. Savor a Good Glass of Wine. Wiggle your Toes. Sleep well. Life is Good!

Tuesday, December 25, 2012




Beautiful Christmas Day!

at least until the tornado warnings and sirens began.

Coveting your prayers thru the night!








Monday, December 17, 2012

Tis the Season ...







My Great-Aunts's Tinsel Tree adorns our home!
 
Alabama Snow!

Holiday in Lights!

Christmas Kisses!

Elf Antics!


Pinterest Ideas come to Life!


A collaboration of friends!

Joy to World ....
It's still there within the creases and
folds of sadness, chaos and evil.



Monday, November 19, 2012

Thanksgiving Leftovers ...





LEFTOVERS . . . 
(if you're lucky enough!)







Paninis - Butter slices of Sourdough Bread ... spread one piece of bread with cranberry sauce and the other thinly with dressing or sweet potatoes (or both) ... stack on the turkey and provolone.  Grill til crusty!!

Turkey Hash over scrambled eggs!  It's just brown gravy with all the small and medium turkey bits in it!!  Always a morning after meal served with hot biscuits!!!  If you have gravy leftover .... add it too!

Ham -  Breakfast omelettes or quiche or Beans or sandwiches for the Iron Bowl!!

Turkey/Waldorf Salad - just combine the two!  Great in a tortilla wrap!

Sweet Potatoes for breakfast!!  Spread onto a bagel or toast!!  Add a schmear of cream cheese for a little extra decadence!!

Deviled eggs .... Toss them into the food processor and make egg salad for sandwiches!


Green Bean Casserole is a great starter for a pot of soup!

Dinner Rolls - use for mini sandwiches (sliders) during the Iron Bowl!!  Or, toss in the freezer and save for a bread pudding!

Mashed Potatoes - topping for a modified Shepard's Pie - turkey and veggies!  Why not use dressing as the bottom layer .. then cranberry sauce ... then turkey ... and mashed potatoes .... heat til browned on top!

Chicken n' Dumplins - Are there really any EVER leftover?  Not here!  But if there were they would be a great start for a nice, thick chicken pot pie filler!

Cakes and pies are great beginnings for cake pops!!  I usually wait a few days and slice and individually wrap and freeze for later!  Just set out to thaw while preparing dinner!

If you have leftover veggie trays, consider soup!  Save those dips for the Iron Bowl on Saturday!

Don't forget to make up a couple of plates of leftovers and deliver to someone ... better yet, invite them to your home for Thanksgiving!!

Here's another link from my blog ... a 'what to do with party leftovers' post!  I'd love to hear your suggestions!!



Iron Bowl
Alabama vs. Auburn
Saturday, November 24th
2:30 pm CST


Sunday, November 18, 2012

Pumpkin Roll



I my Friends!!

I mentioned awhile back that I would miss the Pumpkin Roll my
 neighbor's mom used to make me every year for Thanksgiving 
or Christmas.  Mrs. Norma is making Pumpkin Rolls in Heaven now.  ♥

   A dear friend saw my FB post and ... 
Look what she made me!! 

Needless to say, it won't last til Thanksgiving!
Thankfully, she shared the recipe with my peeps on Facebook.
I'm sharing it with you!  It is outta this world!  I promise!!


Thank you Tricia!!!  We need a day in your kitchen!!!

~

Tricia's Pumpkin Roll

Combine and beat on high for approximately five minutes:
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla

In separate bowl, sift together:
3/4 cup self rising flour
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Fold dry ingredients into wet mixture.

Pour into (sprayed) non-stick 10x15 jelly roll pan.
Bake in pre-heated 375 degree oven for 15 minutes.
Allow to cool in pan for approximately 5 minutes.  
Turn onto damp tea towel and roll up lengthwise until cooled.

Meanwhile, prepare filling!

Mix: 
6 oz softened cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Opt:  Add chopped dates, chopped pecans, grated orange rind 
and a squeeze of fresh orange juice to the filling
Me: YES!!!  add these!!

Carefully unroll the cooled cake.  
Spread filling over top ... not quite to the edges.
Roll the cake back up.
Me: Slice and devour!







Thursday, November 15, 2012

Kale Powder


KALE

From the garden ....





to the sink and then the dehydrator ...



At this point I usually just loosely pack it in a jar and toss a handful into soup.  It can also be rehydrated and sauteed!  But, instead, this batch went into the Vitamix (or food processor) and then into a jar!


Next stop .... added to a smoothie or soup!

Kale Chips!

Mean Green Juice!


~


Daily Dose



~






Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Catching up ....



I know!  I've been a slacking blogger lately!  Keeping up with a blog, a FB Page, a house, a garden, the kids, the grankids, the to-do list ... is time consuming.  Something always falls by the wayside.  My art has fallen even further behind.  Hoping to get into the studio soon and get started on some Christmas gifts.  It's been a busy summer canning, gardening and working on health issues.  An even busier season is sneaking upon us!  The holidays are coming!!!


Halloween!
Best Costume:  Harry 


Thanksgiving!
Hoping to pull this off!!


Christmas!
Love a giant tree!


Caro is coming for an American Thanksgiving!!!  She paid a from France two years ago.  It had been over ten years since she was here as our exchange student.  Looking forward to having our Caro home again!

Jennifer and Caroline
Christmas 2010



More to come .....
Taking a commercial break to visit newest granbaby girl!!


Follow me at  Healthy Wealth Wise & Other Junque
in between blog posts to keep up  with our whirly, twirly happenings!

Friday, October 19, 2012

Been a little occupied!!

We welcomed our second granbaby girl 
into the world this week!  What Joy!!!

Harper Leigh
8#12oz
20"

(same exact weight and length her big sister was)



First photo arrived on everyone's cells while we excitedly
chattered in the Labor & Delivery waiting room!


Gramma meeting Harper for the first time!


Big Sister holding Baby Harper for the first time!


Home Bound!!








Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Cookies -n- Shortcuts!


Got Milk?
Or, Coffee?

You're gonna need one or the other!

These are by far our favorite cookies!
There's a story here!

Me and my daughters took a long weekend trip to the Big Apple several years ago during Spring Break. It was our first trip!  We stayed at the Doubletree Hotel on 7th Avenue. When we checked in we got a cookie!  When we returned from sightseeing, we got a cookie!  When we returned from dinner, we got a cookie.  Every single day!  I learned the first day to ask for one when we left the hotel for the day too!   Not just any cookie!   Warm.   Decadent.  Sinfully delicious!  When we returned home, I made it my mission to find  the recipe.  I found a copycat.  It was dead on!! 

Anywho! I made these cookies today for my daughter.  She's expecting our second granbaby girl anytime now!  She is packaging these cookies as 'thank you' treats for the hospital staff and visitors after Harper's birth!  You bet I was happy to do it for her!!





Doubletree Cookies
Short Version a/k/a quickie!

1 large sleeve of Tollhouse Cookie Dough
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

Mix all together and combine just until blended.  You can use a scoop or roll a ball into your hand.  You can also press the ball flat onto a cookie sheet.  It depends on if you want a flat cookie or a mound.  Both shown in photo below. Use parchment paper!

Bake 11-13 minutes.  Cool on wire racks.






Doubletree Cookies 
Long Version a/k/a made from scratch!

1/2 cup rolled oats
2-1/4 cups all purpose  flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 eggs
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans

Grind oats in food processor til fine.  Combine ground oats with flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in medium bowl. 

In mixing bowl, cream together cutter and white and brown sugars, vanilla and lemon juice.  Add eggs and mix until smooth.  Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and blend well.  Do not overbeat.  Add the chocolate chips and nuts and mix by hand until blended.  

Chill the dough overnight in the fridge ... for best results.  

Spoon rounded 1/4 cup portions, two inches apart (or large ice cream scoop) onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes until light brown and still soft in center.  Cool and place in an airtight container to keep soft.




Monday, October 1, 2012

September ...

Oh My!  

Have I really not blogged since September 5th?

Dang!  Time slips by fast as I age!

How can I catch you up?  Pictures!











What?
You want words too?

Maybe tomorrow!

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Aspiring towards Less is More ...



What do all these photos have in common?


Studio

Studio

Pantry shelf

Quilt Tops

Garage

Small Appliances



It's all aspirational clutter.  Things I aspire to use or have always wanted to do, thinking if I go ahead and accumulate the supplies, surely I will tackle the desire.  Ha!  A lot of things accumulated back in the "Martha Stewart Wannabe Days" are still hanging around.  More recently, it's art project paraphernalia and canning jars!

I've been re-reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, while awaiting arrival of her newest book, Happy at Home, which arrived yesterday!

Gretchen  writes about many types of clutter:

Nostalgic Clutter: relics clung to from an earlier life ... in my case, useless things that evoke memories or (I'm afraid) guilt, if I toss it. Yes, there are a few boxes of memorabilia in my garage ... along with a few dollhouses I built many years ago.   IN MY GARAGE.  Does that tell you anything?  I made a decision to use it or lose it ... give it a place in my home where it can be used or enjoyed or let it go.  I made a decision.  Haven't gotten around to acting on it yet.  ;-)

Conservation Clutter (aka recyclable clutter):  things I've kept because they're useful ... in may case, containers, vases, old pillowcases.  Yes, Colleen!  Those containers!  I tossed over half of the containers.  I may not use them all at once, but when you need a good jug or just the right size jar ... they do come in handy.  And, who does not have a cabinet or shelf full of old floral vases?  I confess.  I did.  I sent them all to Goodwill.  Now, I have a cabinet of good floral vases.  No! Really!  Nice ones ... like Tuesday Morning and TJ Maxx nice. I haven't counted them, but if anyone needs extra vases for a wedding or something, I'm your go-to gal!  Or, clear serving containers, or pewter trays ... [clearing throat].  Still wondering about the pillow cases, eh?  When I was actively participating in outdoor art events, I used old pillowcases to slip framed originals into to keep from scratching the frames.  They still come in plenty handy for all kinds of things, so they are still hanging around.

Bargain Clutter:  unnecessary things bought home because they were on sale.  No!  I don't carry on this type of behavior, although it is in my bloodline.  On the other hand, my husband will buy nine measuring tapes at a time if he finds a good deal (have to excuse this one since he uses them daily in his line of work, as does every single one of his employees), as well as his once-a-year fishing rodeo splurge on white t-shirts which are like his off work clothing of choice.  Uhm.  Wait.  If I find a pair of shoes I love, I will go back and get another pair just like them right away.  It's justifiable when you have an orthopaedic issue. Oh, never mind that .... the topic was 'unnecessary things' after all ... so, none of the above really counts.  But, just ask my sisters about my Mom's Bargain Clutter issues!!

Freebie Clutter: gifts, hand-me-downs and giveaways.  The scenario goes something like this:  Daughter de-cluttering her home sends smart phone message with photo and caption "want this?" or "want this back"?? .. to which, not giving it much thought, I respond "sure" ... it ends up at (back at) my house.  Then, often ends up at someone Else's house!  The circle of clutter life!!

Crutch Clutter:  things we keep/use, but know we shouldn't.  The worn out night-gowns.  Paint or grease or soil stained t-shirts.  Hey! Why mess up a clean one when I'm heading to the studio, kitchen or garden?  Raggedy, no-support left in them tennis shoes.  Ha Ha! I bet you thought I was gonna say bra, didn't you?!!

Buyer's Remorse Clutter:  Hanging onto something  you shouldn't have bought until it gets enough age on it to justify what you spent for it in the first place.  I'm not going there!


Okay, now that we've settled that and you've learned more than you wanted to know about varietals of clutter, take a look at the next photo and then go back and look at the last photo posted above labeled "Small Appliances".  Notice anything?



Between the Kitchenaid mixer and the Food Saver ... an identical box.  Two food choppers.  Yep.  This is what happens with clutter of all kinds.  Things get lost misplaced.  It wasn't even lost.  One has never been used.  The other has, but it goes back into the box because it's easier to store.  [shaking head back and forth, back and forth].

* * * * * * *

Visit The Happiness Project site when you get a chance.  
I came across it several years ago and visit regularly!
The site isn't about digging yourself out of the throws of depression.
For me, it's been a 'less is more' and 'consistent daily routine' message.

Get your hands on Gretchen Rubin's books.  They are motivational reading!! 
 I often tell myself when attempting to procrastinate ... just do it!  
I especially love her 10th Commandment: 
Do what ought to be done!
and while you're at it, make your bed!


The Happiness Project