Remington - The Cuddliest of all Fur!

Don't you just love the people you meet through blogging? Well, I've come to know a very special dog as well. His name is Remington and he's a love.  Click on his name and check him out. He just celebrated his second birthday so I did a scrap page in his honor and I sent it to him as a gift.  Isn't he just the cuddliest of all fur!!  

1-11-11 Our Fairy Tale

Today is 1-11-11 it's also our 9th anniversary!

 Happy Anniversary to us!  

Our Fairy Tale 

I have to share how this all came about.  You see I was married for nearly 28 years to my first love.  We had and raised three children together.  I lost him to leukemia in 1999. Following his death I concentrated on my future and started nursing school. During this time and unknown to me, a high school classmate lost is wife to colon cancer a few months after my loss.  Another mutual classmate told us about each others loss. We reconnected over the internet via emails, chatting and then phone calls and our relationship grew.  By the time I finished my classes, he invited me up to see Alaska to visit with him for a summer of carefree frolicking. We canoed, hiked, went deep sea fishing, camped, laughed, shared our thoughts and dreams and before we knew it the summer vanished.  We returned together to our hometown for a high school reunion.  Plans were that at the summers end I would go my way and he would go his and we would resume phone calls etc. Wrong - we had fallen in love and love is a very powerful thing. So I packed up some of my personal belongings and I returned to Alaska with him and we got married.  And this folks, was just the beginning of our Never-ending Fairy Tale.

Our wedding bands.

Fish & Hushpuppies

On the left side of the platter we have a crisp-on-the-outside-but-oh-so-moist-on-the-inside-scrum-deliishous-hushpuppies. And on the right you'll find lightly-coated-beer-battered-halibut-chunks.  OH MY GOODNESS they were so good!
I was trying to recall the last time I used the deep fryer.  We both agreed it was about SEVEN years ago.
As much as we  love what cames out of that thing, we really don't need the extra calories so I've been trying to resist temptation.  I guess seven years is a pretty good run at that!
Wipe your lip, you're starting to drool!

What's on the Menu?

Fish! 

I'm going to make 
 beer-battered fish,

coleslaw and hushpuppies. 

Drooling at the thought of it. 

 I usually bake or pan fry fish

BUT

I'm hungry for some good

old fashioned deep fried

~ so it shall be !!!

I recently wrote about doing time

 on the dreaded treadmill

 but

I'm not about to deprive myself

of one good guilt free

 meal of pure pleasure. 

All this 'fish' talk reminded me of my favorite picture of my husband fishing for halibut on one

 of our excusions out of Valdez, Alaska.  I sure do miss our summer fishing trips.

I did this scrap page a few years ago, it's one of my favorite scrap jobs.

Before and After

Okay, so here's my dilema - I want to show you pictures of my before and after shots - you know, just like on the T.V. show The Biggest Loser - but for the past thirty some years all I have are BEFORE pics.  But the good news is that I'm thinking about my new exercise program  ~ I'm up to thinking about it at least three times a day!

Alrighty then, so maybe I'm not quite that BIG and I'm certainly not that skinny but I'd settle to be the perfect "in-be-tweener" version. Oh yah, I amost forgot to mention that I've actually started the treadmill thing ... so I'm on my way! 

Graphic found on the net.

Mmm ... How I Love that Smell

We all have 'favorite' scents.  A few of mine are the smell of bread baking, clothesline dried sheets, brisk mountain air and the scent of a fresh bathed baby.  But there is one scent that I haven't been able to get out of my mind for over 30 years ~ I know, I know ... sad but true.  I love the smell of a certain mens cologne.  Although I've been watching for it's return - I have had no luck finding it.  And truth be known if I did find it, I'm sure it would be such an old bottle that the scent would have changed with time.  But my little pug nose still quivers at the thought of smelling Russian Leather just one more time.  

I actually stopped by a table in a restaurant several years ago and asked the gentleman if I could ask him a question. He said sure so I asked if was wearing Russian Leather cologne, he chuckled and answered yes.  I told him that as I was passing their table I could tell as it is my favorite of all mens colognes.  It wasn't that he was drowning in it, but it was the fact that my nose happens to be fine tuned for that scent. 

Simple Things

I sure love my life. My husband just looked across the room at me with those big blue eyes and I can't help but to smile. For simple unspoken moments like that, I am thankful.

Memory Drops

Flickers in the Dark

" May the bright spots in the old year

Be but flickers in the dark

When compared with what the new year

Will enkindle with its spark."

Margaret Rorke

Subtle Hints

We had a wonderful Christmas smothered in Grand-loves! 

 We recieved this gift with a subtle hint ~

I guess they want us to move closer! 

Christmas Goodies

Go ahead ~ help yourself!

 Calories were magically removed!

My virtual gift to you!

Merry Christmas!

HOLIDAY TRAVEL

As you are out and about traveling over the holidays please remember this:
   
A recent joint study conducted by the Department of Health and the Department of Motor Vehicles indicates that 23% of traffic accidents are alcohol related. This means the remaining 77% are caused by assholes that just drink water, coffee, carbonated drinks, juices, energy drinks, and healthy crap like that. Therefore, beware of those who do not drink alcohol. They cause three (3) times as many accidents.

Seriously now ~

If you drink - don't drive!

images found on net 

Oh my goodness

 what's that girl been up to now?

Wildlife Wonderland



Good Morning!

 Although it was over 20 below this morning; as the temps began to rise the animals began to move.  Within a short time frame we had deer, wild turkeys, crows, numerous chickadees, nut-hatches and mourning doves visit our back yard. The weather didn't seem to bother them in the least. I have to admit that I prefer seeing all this wildlife from the comfort of a warm and cozy house.  With all this activity going on I sometimes forget that we have a 'city' address.

Game Time!

Did you play games at family gatherings?  We did, do and probably always will.  Now it's mostly cards but when my sisters and I were teenagers ... into our young adulthood ... then our mid adulthood ... we spent hours playing SCRABBLE.  We would even take a board along to the beach, and we each kept one in our campers. Have board will travel. What memories ~ What fun!!

 Now that I'm thinking about it we enjoyed several games!

How about you?

And Dear Sisters, GAME ON next time we get together!

All images from the internet.

Sparkling Nights

It's beginning to look

a lot like

CHRISTMAS! 

 Pictures just never do justice to the Christmas lights glow.

I remember waking up in what seemed like another world on Christmas morning because Santa came. Not only did he drop off toys but he also delivered a beautiful tree. What a breath-taking wonderful surprise! It was dressed in colorful balls, candle ornamets that bubbled, and sparkling lights - all draped in shimmering silver icicles. Each one perfectly hanging across the branch, as if the elves had an inch-worm in their pocket to determine the spacing of each icicle. And the floor was covered with presents, presents, presents! We each recieved one or two gifts, but it was always exactly what we wanted. Santa is so good at this sort of thing. I suppose I was in awe because there were so many gifts, but now I realize it was because there were nine of us kids in the house. However, beieve me, we were all very content with what we recieved. Our socks were hung on the fireplace and magically filled with various fruits while we slept. Bowls of nuts were set out on the table and we could only see a few crumbs left behind where we had left cookies for Santa. 

But now it seems that every year the trees go up earlier and earlier. As much as children like to help decorate, and yes I know that Santa is a very busy man, I personally think it takes away that moment of 'awe and surprise' for them on Christmas morning.  Stores are running the holidays all together. I remember when they would at least let Thanksgiving pass before seeing the Chirstmas items on the shelves. But like life itself, traditions change and we continue to adapt. But I still sometimes prefer tradition.

  Reminder:

 JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON!  

Creative Mind

My husband jokes that 

I collect craft supplies!

Sad thing is
 (as she whispers) 

he's right! 

I can't pass a good deal.

I'm guilty of collecting

while hardly ever creating!

Time to REFRESH

my creative mind!

I need a kickstart -
just a gentle one please.

Oh My! Times have changed.

My memory is still good! I can actually recall the days when I could have pulled this off ~ or better yet Santa could have pulled it off me!

Wink wink! 

Oh come on people ~
Why do you think he winked all the time?!

Close Up - But What?

Look at what was looking at me

 How would you like to see

some moose pass by your window?

Oh how I miss my Alaskan experiences

We tossed them some cabbage

 But they still loved to browze

Then they napped in our lawn ~

perfect view from the kitchen.

The moose cow and calf

 set up camp in our yard for

a couple of months

 back in 2004.

Wine Anyone?

I did this scrap page a while back.

Wine ~ we like wine!

But what to do

with all those empty bottles ...

Suggestions welcome!



GIVING THANKS

Happy Thanksgiving

May every day

be a time

to reflect on

your blessings!

Reincarnation

From the first signs of spring until the last leaf drops in the fall - we seem to go non-stop around here.  But now that there's snow on the ground:
 

My animals have gone through reincarnation:
 My ass is a dragon!

Pics are from the internet "Shrek" movie.

I just love the Shrek animation series.



In other words: My get up and go has got up and gone!  But this too shall pass.

Flowers

The snow has barely hit the ground
but I'm already missing
my summer flowers. 

To see more of my flowers

CLICK

on my Today's Flowers label

My Pillow Fetish

I have fallen in love with throw pillows.

Southwestern styles came with the sofa.

All the others I found for $1.00 a piece

Oh how I love the Good Will Store.

Can you believe only a buck a piece?  
Aren't they beauties?