Heart to Dream

 I don't know about you but when I dream I see, smell, taste and feel as if it actually took place. Last night was no different although by the end of it I recognized a common theme had strung throughout the dream. While traveling through what seemed like a movie set of Harry Potter combined with Gone with the Wind. I know I know but it was a dream and dreams always make sense, right?  Anyways; I moved from one place to another in all forms of transportation. I vividly recall boarding a train that said 'Heart Lines' on the side of the boxcar with this huge beautifully hand carved wooden heart on it with scroll work around the name. Then I saw that the tickets had hearts on them. After leaving the train I met up with some friends. Friends I haven't seen in years and years; way too many years. It was all so real, although the timeframe was more like the late twenties or early thirties and it took place in England ~ a place I've never been, but I sure was last night. My friends and I went shopping, strollng through some beautiful little shops. We passed some trees and without any mention of it I noticed a heart carved in one of the trunks. That was when I first noticed my friends locket hanging around her neck.

I still hadn't made the connection of the heart theme but it was becoming  more evident to me that I was seeing several of them, one right after another. I next noticed them subtly hidden in the brown and gold uphostered tapestry hanging against the wall, in the jewelry cases where one would expect to see them, in clothing hanging on racks, on book covers. Hearts had even been woven within the linen tableclothes.

We stopped for tea and when it was served the waitress set a beautiful antique floral teapot before us ~ with a heart hidden in the flowers and then she set down a plate of complimentary cookies. Hearts!  

I made no mention of this to my friends but by now I had recognized a definate theme being made very apparent to me. Just as I was about to share my discovery with them ~ I woke up!  It was a beautiful dream but still somewhat mysterious!

Spring Checklist

My spring checklist is moving right along:

* Purchase garden seeds - done
* Clean kithchen cupboards - done
* Buy new bib overalls - done
* Clean bathroom closet -done
* Clean linen closet - done
* Clean clothes closets -
* Start seedlings -
* Paint walls -
* Shave legs - done
* Plan garden -
* Get haircut - done

So what's on your list?

Chicken Crescents

Several years ago my niece gave me this fantastic recipe! Of course I always doctor the original recipes up by adding something here, changing something there ~ it's like an addiction.  I can't leave anything alone without tweaking it.  Anyways ... this is what we had for supper and it was delicious!

Chicken & Broccoli Crescents

I took left over chicken - deboned it and cut it into small chunks.  Then I shaved a little cheddar cheese on top and combined it with the chicken.   Take crescent rolls and roll the chicken and cheese into each crescent triangle and place in a greased pan.  Take a can of cream of chicken soup and add some grated cheddar cheese.  Melt on medium heat until smooth by adding a little milk to thin it.  While that was warming up I took some fresh broccoli, chopped it up and steamed it just a little so it was still firm.  I drained the broccoli and put it on top of and around the cresent rolls.  Add one can of drained mushrooms on top. Then I poured the cheese sauce on top and a little more grated cheese.  Bake at 350 for 25 to 35 minutes or until browned on top.  Enjoy!!   

To My Surprise!

Much to my surprise 

 I recieved a blog award

from my sweet friend

Cindy over at

'In My Life'

she has a wonderful

Geneology blog.

Now it's up to me to share the award with others. 

Following are the instructions:

1. Acknowledge the award by posting to (your) my blog.

2. Nominate 15 other blogs that I think are lovely (gosh .. only 15??)

3. Contact each person to let them know that they have been nominated.

 

Drum Roll Please ....

1. UpnorthwithMel

2. Dar's Stuffings
3. Ship's Log

4. Yooper Yarns 

5. Run-a-Round Ranch

6. Sugar Lump Studios

7. The White Farmhouse 
8. Nature Trail
9. Much Love
10. The Decorating Diaries
11. The Life and Times of Remington
12. The Country Blossom
13. Stone Gable
14. Many Rivers to Cross
15. Delightful Order  

So at the risk of being a rebel ~

I'm bending the rules a little

if anyone would like this award

and wasn't listed

please grab it and link it

back to me. 

Have a wonderful morning, day or evening ...

whichever is appropriate at the moment you read this. 

Ah.. that's better!

You know the old joke about "my back goes out without me" well ...


I've been seeing a chiropractor off and on for several years now and I don't know what I'd do without him.  I try to keep myself in line but certain parts of my body like to twist and turn on their own.  I'd like to call it flexibility but in reality that would have been years ago.  I could once put both feet behind my head at the same time, but now I celebrate just getting my shoes tied in the middle.  You know you can tell a fat person by the way they tie their shoes ... on the outside edge. By the way, I can still tie my shoes in the middle!  I've been working on that and am now hoping to keep my body in line longer than a month at a time. 

A little history of why I see a chiro:  I broke my back in a horse accident when I was 12 years old.  They didn't even know if I could walk until the swelling went down. Thank God, I can walk. Heck, in my younger days I've even been known to dance on a bar once or twice (sister Mel is a bad influence on me - lol)  I wore  a body cast for 6 months and a back brace for an additional 6 months.  Then when I got married they didn't know if I should have children or not because of delivery.  Once that was affirmed as a go, I had three kids with the last one weighing 10# 10oz.  Fortunately I had the same doctor for all three deliveries who had tended my back years prior. He knew me well and he knew my back.  


As I got into health care, I worked in hospitals, nursing homes, home and hospice care.  Throughout those jobs I've had my jaw dislocated, my shoulder muscles torn loose, another incident when my shoulder was dislocated and herniated discs in my lower back, etc.   I was known to be compassionate, understanding and patient with clients, so therefore I was assigned to a lot of the 'tougher' cases.  Now you know why I started seeing a chiropractor to keep my spine in line. 


Today when 'doc' asked how I was, I responded with "I hurt from my neck to the heel of my left foot!"  He said I was really twisted up and it was any wonder that my body hurt.  He adjusted my neck, upper back, mid back, lower back, right hip, both knees and my left foot and heel.  Whew .... I could instantly feel the relief. I followed doc's orders and put ice on my low back and heel when we returned home. 


I love our chiropractor and told him that if we ever move, he better pack up his family and move with us! 

This is Spring?

First Day of Spring 2011

This is Spring?

It's 'slushing' out!

a mix of snow and rain

heavy, wet

yuckiness!

Yes folks, yuckiness is a word!  Especially in our neck of the woods where it 'slushes' out on the first day of Spring.  As my sister Mel over at UpNorthwithMel says we were at the stage of snirt! But now we are covered with snow again.  I want to see some green.  You have no idea how bad I want to see green ... I was so desperate that I even tried the casino this past weekend, and they let me down ... no green their either!!  The only green is what I left there ~ but it wasn't a wasted weekend.  We spent some time  sitting in the hot tub, sauna and swimming with  four of our grand-loves.  A lot of laughs and hugs were shared. 

But then we had a white 'slushy' drive home.  Who'd a thought this was the first day of spring?  How did you welcome spring?  

~ and now for a little fun click the link below ~

~ and turn up the volume ~

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Or so we Thought!

We live in 'small town' U.S.A. You know - one of those little towns heading toward  extinction.  It was once a booming mining town with the huge population of just over 10,000.  Now that alone should give you an idea of how small this place is if during its boom days it was still that dinky. 


We actually chose to live here for the peace and quiet but there is such an undertow of resnentment towards newcomers that its hard to fit in.  One guy told us he lived here for over 15 years and never felt like he belonged.  So he moved. We know the feeling. They aren't a friendly bunch! There are a couple of people with warm smiles but even after 5 years of living here people  are still looking at us suspiciously like we are strangers and they are wondering what we are doing in 'their' town.  


I can imagine by now you are wondering why we don't just move. Well  with the economy sitting where it is, now - is not the ideal time to sell. We wouldn't even  get back what we paid for our home. Which we do love - we have a great house, just not a great feeling about living here anymore.  I sure hope things pick up in the economy so we can put this place on the market.  Heck - We may even take our chances and plop a "For Sale by Owner" in the front yard and see what happens. 


Back to 'small town' U.S.A.  You hear all kinds of pleas for support to keep these little towns going.  Well ~ as I was making out my short grocery list I decided to go online and print off a few coupons.  Coinsiding with the items on the list we printed off enough coupons to save over a quarter of our bill.  Mind you, there is only one small grocer in the town.  We picked up a few fresh fruits and vegetables and a few other items on the short list - items with online coupons to lessen the blow.  Or so we thought!  SHOP LOCALLY is what they preach. But they do nothing to promote their plea.  We get to the checkout and pass the gal our coupons. She looks at me and says in such an unfriendly tone "those are no good - we don't use online coupons!"  Whaaaaaaaaaat??? They don't use online coupons.  Are we lost in the dark ages or what???  If this small town wants our business the least they could do is to put a friendly face behind the counter and to work with us in our attempt to save money by accepting online coupons.




So from now on, we will continue to print off online coupons and head out of town another half hour away, and we will continue to schedule our shopping along with our doc appts to save on fuel cost and we will use those online coupons!  So there, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!!

4 a.m.

wide awake

sleepless night

insomnia

 again



Earthquake and Tsunami

The more footage that comes along showing the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan  - the more my heart aches for them and the harder for my brain to even grasp what all they're going through. 

Here's one of the latest videos I've seen:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1605260179420&comments

Watch it to the end - unbelievable! 

Please note that this is a link to a facebook page and beware of some of the language in the comments.

There's also a pretty graphic one out there with a whale smashing into a building. Sad!

Prayers continue ~ ~ ~ ~  

Budget Decorating

I'm a budget decorator

~ by choice ~

 an eclectic mix

of tapestry

glass

stoneware

a mix of natural

with faux 

an honest expression

of me!

I found these little pillows at the Good Will store

knowing I could recover them

and then like magic I found three empty pillow cases

like it was meant to be

and new pillows are created

with a bit of hand stitching

and WOW they're beautiful

and they're reversible!!!

along with past pillow purchases at the same store

I've spent a total of $8.00 on eight pillows! 

Gotta love a deal like that!

Mmm... and the Recipe too!

I've been fighting the urge to bake

... all winter long. 

Not an easy thing for me to do

because I love to bake

and I really love

to EAT!

this morning 

  I BAKED !

Apple - Date - Molasses Scones

The real recipe name is

Apple - Oatmeal Scones

but they have all

these other goodies

inside too!

1 1/2 cups of flour

1 cup rolled oats (oatmeal)

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chilled butter or margarine, diced

3/4 to 1 cup of chopped unpeeled apples

2/3 cup chopped pitted dates

1 large egg - beaten

1/4 cup milk

2 tablespoons molasses

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Position rack to center of oven - preheat to 400 degrees F.  Lightly grease and flour a baking sheet.

2. Blend dry ingredients, cut in butter with two knifes to resemble a course meal.  Add apples and dates. 

3. Beat egg then add the milk, molasses and vanilla to beaten egg.

4. Gently add egg mixture to dry ingredients until dough holds together.

5. Transfer dough to prepared pan and genlty pat into an 8 inch circle.  Using a serated knife score the dough into 8 wedges being careful not to cut all the way through the dough.  Brush top with a little milk.

6. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until top is browned.  Remove from oven and serve hot.  In the event of leftovers - cold is good too!



I Want This

I love this flower garden 

    the way it flows along

flashing its beautiful colors

its a soul soother 

Photos found online

Friendly Advice

"Never approach a bull from the front,

 a horse from the rear,

or a fool from any direction"

- Anonymous

 

Bull photo - CherShots

other photos - internet finds

Perfect Timing

Every once in a while

the timing is perfect

for the camera's click!

Tip Toeing Barefoot

I've been doing a LOT of daydreaming lately. I've planted and replanted my garden at least a dozen times. I've hung flowing curtains on my arbor, dug in the dirt, rearranged rock gardens, plucked flowers from my gardens and tip-toed barefoot across the dew kissed grass ... but only in my mind. I've toasted marshmellows over an open fire, drank iced tea, clipped fresh herbs and walked in the warm rain ... but only in my mind.  Until then I will just share some scrap pages of my beautiful blooms from last summer!

See why I'm having such a hard time being patient!

Dang snow!!!

Happy Anniversary!

Today is Mom & Dad's anniversay. Although Dad passed away a few years ago  he is certainly never forgotten. So as a tribute to Mom and Dad and their years together I will share a couple of scrap pages I've done!

Yes that little cutie in the middle is ME!

Are you tired of my scrapbooking yet? 

Longing for Spring!

CherShots Scrapbook Page

Spring

Author: unknown


Spring is far away.


Wait! The world shall waken;


It is not dead, for lo,


The fair Maids of February


Stand in the snow!

Thinking Outside the Box

I'm short! And with age working against me I believe I'm already starting to shrink, and not in a good way either!  I'm shrinking in height, not width! My dream of someday reaching the back corners of my cupboards is useless.  So I improvised!  I took two old cassette racks, removed the spindles and compressed them into lazy susans.  Then "abra kadabra" a wave of my hand and "poof" - perfect for those deep corners I was speaking of. But first what the heck is all that stuff back in that dark abyss? Oh my goodness ... am I alone in saving containers for future use?  Please tell me I'm not alone! But to be honest even I was shocked at how many things I had shoved back into that one cupboard. 

And all this stuff too!

 First step: Empty and clean cupboard!

Next: Insert home fangled lazy susan.

 And finale step: Reload and rotate as needed.

I love a success story!

Repost ~ Enjoy!

Ok, I'm guilty .... just went back through some of my old posts and I like this one a lot so I thought I would share it again:

http://chershots.blogspot.com/search?q=pastel+dreams

Hope you like it
'hugs from afar'

You are now entering ~

 ~ the twilight zone!  No, no, no ... not the television show from years ago but the 'ugly stage' of winter.  We woke up to a dense fog this morning.  Although the weather is warming up to which I am happy - it leads to the 'ugly stage' of winter!  Snow is melting, mud is forming as the wet and dampness in the air is playing bongos on my knees and elbows.  I wish I could fast forward to green grass and dry yards.  That was one of the huge differences I noticed while living in Alaska.  Spring in Alaska comes quickly.  You would not believe how fast the buds turn to leaves 'Way Up North.' Two weeks tops for the transition!  But here in what most of the U.S. calls 'Up North' spring carries on for what seems like forever.  At the very least a couple of months vs. a couple of weeks.

Scrap page done by CherShots

Bright Spot

There's a new bright spot in the house!  After being chosen as the lucky winner of a gorgeous 'goldfinch drawing' on TexWisGirl's blog - I now have a bright little piece of spring in the living room. Thanks again Texwisgirl ~ you light up my life!

My Scrap for You!

~ Happy Valentine's Day ~

'hugs from afar '

Sister ~ Sister

My older sister whom is now deceased, was hospitalized several years ago.  I told my other sisters that I was going to see her so if they wanted to ride along they were more than welcome.  So we all loaded into my car and off we went.  First stop was to pick up some 'gifts' to make her smile. Now please note that our oldest sister has a tendency to 'mother' the rest of us ... regardless that we were all in our 30's to 50's at the time.  Anyways as we are going into the store she reminds us that we should really stay close by one another.  Well this just cracked us up!  So we took ahold of one anothers hands and walked in like a line of little ducks following her. Then when we got into the store we would extend our arms making sure our fingertips still touched saying "Sister, Sister" as if we were little kids afraid to be seperated. We all had a hoot! We still remind her of this on occasion. 
As we were shopping; besides finding gifts for Lana we also found some "Groucho Marx" glasses to put on before we entered her room ~ after all isn't 'laughter the best medicine?"  She laughed so hard, along with all the nurses and the people walking down the hallway. But after our visit we tucked the glasses into our purses and pockets and proceeded to get on the elevator.  Well this one young fella got on with us. He kept his back to us and stood right up close to the door. I nodded to my sisters in suggestion that we put our glasses on.   So when we had them in place I said, "excuse me but do you see a family resemblance?"  He turned around and in a moment of shock, his hand covered his wallet ~ as if we were a team of gangsters I guess ~ and to his relief the door opened.  There we stood chuckling as we got off the elevator and as others were getting on.  They were all laughing as that one poor guy high tailed it out of there. Eventually he did turn around and smile.  It was all very innocent - honestly!  Our entire lives we've heard that there is a strong family resemblance. You be the judge!

                             Cher                      Lin                      Dar                   Col                   Mel

Put on a Happy Face!

Sometimes when outside presssures 

get you down - like

the kids running around acting crazy,

the weather stinks or you have health issues

... you just have to pull yourself together

and put on a happy face!

At the very least

I hope this made you

SMILE

for a moment!

Have yourself a WONDERFUL day!