Charli and Me

It's a Saint Patrick's Day Party!.......

2010-03-16T05:07:00.000-07:00

It's a Saint Patrick's Day Party!...

Good morning dear friends! Welcome to the second annual Saint
Patrick's Day Party hosted by our sweet friend Kathleen at http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/ Thank you Kathleen for hosting this fun event! Please stop over to Kathleen's to see what she and some of our other friends have been up to.
As you can see everything is just a wee bit Irish around here at this time of year. If you take a scroll down my side bar you will be able to see some of my Saint Paddy's Day decorations. Don't forget to take a look at the Leprechaun trap my grandson Ryan and I made. We are hoping to catch one of those sneaky characters some time this evening. Please wish us luck ♥ I hope you enjoy your time here. Thank you so much for stopping by.

My Irish soda bread is in the oven and the house smells simply devine.

Maybe you would like a loaf of your own to take home.

As you can see my table is 'wearin the green.' The candles are lit and the tea water is on. Would you care for a piece of candy?

Saint Patrick's Day just wouldn't be Saint Patrick's Day without this little fellow

This is my little pooch Charli. As you can see she is all set to celebrate the day. She is such a little diva! She insists on dressing up for every holiday.

"That's right but Saint Patrick's Day is my very favorite holiday!"

"Oh Charli, every holiday is your favorite as long as there is food involved! You silly dog!"

I hope all of you have a truly beautiful and blessed Saint Patrick's Day ♥

"Wishing you a rainbow

For sunlight after showers-

Miles and miles of Irish smiles

For golden happy hours-

Shamrocks at your doorway

For luck and laughter too,

And a host of friends that never ends

Each day your whole life through!"

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY ♥

With warmest regards, Carol

An impromptu get together.......

2010-03-14T15:29:00.001-07:00

An impromptu get together

What do you do when you find yourself having a little impromptu get together? I love little imformal get togethers and my motto has always been to make them as simple as possible. Yet, I do want everything to be fresh and delicious. The first thing I will do is head out to one or more of my favorite stores.

Number one on my list of stores is always my favorite fruit market. For this particular get together I bought some cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, a mixture of olives, an aray of cheese, and some thin sliced hard salami.

Next it was off to my very favorite Lebanese restaurant. There I picked up a tub of the best and freshest humus in town. I also got an order of lemon garlic butter. It's my favorite! Then I ordered a dozen Lebanese flat breads hot, fresh, and right out of the oven. This bread is sooo good! It goes well with anything. This restaurant has a big stone oven and when you eat there you can actually watch them make the bread.

Then it was off to the number one bakery in our area, because after all, you cannot have a get together with out dessert. At least I can't :>) This time I chose a speciality cake which happens to also be my favorite. It's called a cassata cake. It's actually a torte with whip cream frosting. The inside of the cake is layered with a cannoli type cream.

When I got home all I had to do was chop up the vegetables, cut up the bread, set everything out on the table, put on the music, open a bottle of wine, put the tea water on, light the candles, and I was all set.

Well, there you have it..... Instant get together with all of the foods my family and friends love.
I hope you are having a lovely day ♥
I will leave you with a quote, "Joy is prayer, joy is strength, joy is love. Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls."
-Mother Teresa-
Isn't that beautiful?
With warmest regards, Carol

Sugar cookies wearing the green!......

2010-03-10T19:00:00.000-08:00

Sugar cookies wearing the green!

It's almost Saint Patrick's Day and time
to add a little Irish cheer to our homes.
Spring is coming and the birds are singing ♥
Remember you don't have to be Irish to enjoy
the day. I wish all of you could come over for some cookies and tea. For those of you who love to party, there is a Saint Patrick's Day party going on right here in blogland on the 13th. All of the information is on my sidebar. I hope to see you there.
Sugar cookies
This recipe comes courtesy of my 'woman's Day' magazine. The recipe was featured as an Easter Sugar cookie and called egg-cellent sugar cookies. Well instead of Easter cookie cutters I used shamrocks and leprechaun hats. Thus they became my very own lepre-sham cookies :>)
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter,
softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
1 tbsp light corn syrup
1 tabsp grated lemon zest
2 tsp vanilla
Beat butter, sugar, and salt with mixer on medium-high until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to medium and add egg. Beat until combined. Beat in corn syrup, lemon zest, and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add flour in two parts. Devide the dough into two parts. Shape each part into a disk and wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate one hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough between two sheets of wax paper to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out shapes and transfer to a cookie sheet. Bake approximately 12 minutes or until cookies are golden in color. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

These days sugar cookies are so easy to make! I used the Betty Crocker gel and cookie frosting. No mess. No fuss. I thought the colors were perfect shades of green. After I finished frosting the shamrocks I just added some green sugar springles.

Do you know what the best part of making these cookies was? When I packed them up and dropped some off for Ryan and Michael, our son told me that he remembered me baking these shamrocks and leprechaun hats when he was a little boy :>)

"Charli did you have something to say?"

"Well I just wanted to say I don't think it's fair that dogs have to wait in the car!"

"Charli for goodness sakes I was only in the house a second. Come on. I'll give you a treat. You know you want one don't you? Charli look at me. You know your being difficult."

I hope all of you have a bright and sunny day!

My dear bloggy friend Madeline has been very ill, and I just want to say, Madeline I hope your feeling better today. You are in my thoughts and prayers ♥

With warmest regards, Carol

Facebook.... And an apology......

2010-03-09T10:27:00.000-08:00

Facebook.... And an apology.....

A little less than a year ago, like many of you, I decided to join Facebook per a family request. For our family it's been more of a place to share our schedules, pictures, and daily information. When some of my blogger friends asked to join me I was very happy to share. To me the more friends the merrier. I have always been a very open person and now that I am getting used to Facebook I found it was fun to connect and share with family and friends.

In the beginning of my Facebook experience I even asked several of my blogger friends to join me. One of them accepted and one of them didn't. I did not have a problem with the one who didn't. I just thought that maybe Facebook was getting a little too personal for them.

Several months ago a couple of my family members were looking over my friend page and asked me who some of them were. When I said they were part of my blogging family, or an old school friend, they said they felt I had over stepped they're personal boundaries. They said they had wanted to keep Facebook a more private site at least for now. As most of you know my family is reluctant to even let me post pictures here on my blog. In hind sight they were right and I should have consulted them first.

Shortly after the conversation with my family I went through my list of friends and deleted all of those who were not somehow directly connected in some way to my family. It was an extremely difficult decision for me to make. I certainly didn't want to hurt any one. I realize doing it this way was extremely rude but my plan was to contact each person individually to let them know why and what had happened.

As many of you know I have had computer problems in the past and have recently gotten a new one. With a new product comes a new learning experience. I have not figured out how to get the blocks off of my computer, and therefore, have no access at this time to anybodies e-mail address. When I try to get an address off of a blog all that comes up is a little box with an error in it and an OK button. All of the e-mails I did have were lost when my old computer crashed. I am slowly collecting them again as I receive them. I really didn't feel comfortable trying to explain this under a comment section of a blog so I decided instead to do it publicly here on my blog.

Maybe some of you have wrestled with a similiar problem. If so, I would love to hear from you.

I AM TRULY SORRY IF I HAVE OFFENDED ANYONE, FAMILY INCLUDED!

I hope all of you will understand.

I care very much for each and every one of you and I do hope I will be forgiven.

I pray that I won't lose any of my dear friends because of this.

With warmest regards, Carol

Irish Soda Bread (Spotted Dog)

2010-03-08T06:48:00.000-08:00

Irish Soda Bread (Spotted Dog)

For those of you who are new to my blog I thought I would share my recipe for Irish Soda Bread. Actually it's not my recipe though. Instead, it comes courtesy of Mrs. Biddy Gahan, from Cahir, Co. Tipperary, Ireland. It is the recipe that I have been using for many years now. The texture of the bread is more like a scone and it has become very popular in my family. I thought instead of typing out the recipe this year I would share with you the way I usually transport it. I've made special gift cards and dressed up recipes that I save in the document section on my computer so they are readily available when I want to share a recipe or give a gift. That way all I have to do is print what ever I choose onto card or stock paper, cut it out, and I'm ready to go.

The darkened area on this gift card is where I would punch a hole to attach it to a bag or box.

I like to include a recipe if I am giving a gift of food to someone who I know doesn't already have it. If you would like the recipe for my soda bread all you have to do is click on this recipe to enlarge it. You can also zoom it if you would like it even larger.

When making soda bread sometimes I will also attach a green knife to the bag depending upon where my bread is going. This is a great idea if you are delivering bread to an office, school, or hospital where a knife might not be readily available. I purchase most of my green bags at the dollar store where they are very reasonably priced. I like to use some sort of pretty ribbon to attach everything to the bag. And there you have it. I wish I could make up a little bag for all of you ♥

If you decide to make Irish soda bread for your family, or prehaps a special friend, the most important thing to remember, as with any Irish bread, is to make the sign of the cross with a knife over the bread to bless it. Then poke four holes in the bread to let the fairies out. That way your bread will be perfect each and every time you make it :>)

I hope all of you have a lovely and blessed day ♥

"What's that Charli?" Oh Charli says not to give your little pooch any raisins as they are very toxic but a tiny smidgen of the dough would be greatly appreciated. "Charli you are just to much but you are so right about the raisins."

With warmest regards, Carol

And then there was one......

2010-03-05T03:18:00.000-08:00

And then there was one.......

Those of you who have been following my blog know that my grandson Ryan and I have been painting bird houses for all of the holidays. It's been a lot of fun doing these little crafts with him, but guess what? He sold me out for a Wii. That's right! His mom and dad bought a Wii over the weekend and there was no way Ryan was going to come over to my house to paint a silly old birdhouse:>) Instead, he choose to bowl with his dad. I stopped over later that day to see how it was going. Ryan was doing a great job! It made me reallize that my little Ry is getting older and I'm losing my little crafter just like I did Jessica, Michael, and Thomas. I think this grandma better start learning how to play all of the Wii games just like I tried to learn guitar hero in the past :>) With Jessica there was always some kind of girlish thing to do.

I asked my hubby if he wanted to paint a bird house with me but he choose to watch a hockey game instead. Well I didn't let that stop me. I got out the paints any way and dressed up this little bird house my self. I think it looks rather festive.

And where was Charli while all of this was going on? She was perched in our living room on her new favorite look out post. Here she is looking to the left and then to the right. Believe me she doesn't miss a thing going on in our neighborhood.

I hope what ever it is your doing this weekend, your days are lovely and blessed in every way ♥ As for me, well right now I'm off to make some soda bread :>)

With warmest regards, Carol

Spring is here!......

2010-03-03T19:48:00.000-08:00

Spring is here!.........

While I was at the library earlier today I happened to glance out the window and saw not one, not two, but three red Robins! Darn, why didn't I take my camera! Robins have always been a sure sign of spring in our area. (Thank you Kids Domain for the use of your clip art http://www.blogger.com/www.kidsdomain.com/ )

I know it's not official yet but happy spring everyone!
I hope your today and tomorrows are lovely and blessed in every way ♥
With warmest regards, Carol

Tea Party Tuesday.....

2010-03-02T05:13:00.000-08:00

Tea Party Tuesday......

I have decided to join my friend Rhondi at http://rhondisrosecoloredglasses.blogspot.com/ this week for tea. Rhondi is hosting a fabulous tea party and it's not to late to join in the fun! Just bring out your pretty dishes, write your post, and then click on the above link. I hope to see you there.....

Welcome to my tea party! Come on in and sit down. We are having a very informal get together. As you can see I have a little Irish venue planned. Would you prefer coffee, tea, or milk? What's that you say? Is that green milk? It sure is. I don't know how it happens but those sneaky Leprehauns are playing tricks around here again and have always managed to turn our milk green around Saint Patrick's Day. Just ask any of our children or grandchildren.

I have made some apple scones just for you. We love them here at our house and I hope you do too. Would you like a peice of candy? Please help yourself. I'm so glad you decided to stop by. It's always a joy to visit with my dear friends. Don't forget to say hello to Charli. She can see such a little pest. She just loves to be the center of attention :>)

I'm so glad you decided to stop by ♥

'When Irish eyes are smiling,

Sure it's like a mornin Spring.

In the lith of Irish laughter,

You can hear the angels sing'.........

I hope all of you have a beautiful and blessed day ♥

With warmest regards, Carol

It all started with a leaky wash machine hose!...

2010-03-01T06:24:00.000-08:00

It all started with a leaky wash machine hose!...

Last week I walked into my laundry room to find water all over the floor. I hate when that happens! Thank goodness it was only a leaky wash machine hose that could easily be corrected thanks to my husband, Mr. Fixer. After cleaning the floor I decided it was time to tidy up the laundry room. I had cabinets and drawers neatly filled with clothes we have had for many years because my hubby doesn't like to part with anything. He was so good about helping me sort things out. I was very surprised that he actually agreed to give away a pile of things, unless of course, he's snuck out into the garage and brought it all back in a little at a time when I haven't been looking. He's been notorious about that sort of thing in the past. Well, our little project went so well that I actually got him to sort through the clothes and things in our closets. It wasn't so much that our closets were messy as that they were packed with clothes and coats from as far back as the sixties in some cases. Now my closets look beautiful, spacious, and roomy. Even little Charli's closet got a make over:>) I will have to show you a picture of it some day. All of her clothes and hats hang on little hangers arranged according to the holidays and seasons.
I don't know about you but we have many boxes of pictures and things we have collected for our children through the years. I made a pile for each of them and I have been slowly giving them they're old report cards, papers, and projects. I had even kept some of they're grade school Valentine's cards. Needless to say, it was a very nostolgic week for me going through all of these things.
As I was going through our pictures I found some pictures of my hubby and I. I know I don't usually post pictures here but since these are so very old, and some of you have shared your older pictures, I thought you might like to see what we used to look like :>)

These are pictures of my hubby and I way back in the sixties the year before we got married the first time. I think I have told you before that we eloped and then remarried later in our church.

Where has all the time gone?

The picture at the bottom is of my hubby and I around the time our youngest son graduated from high school many years ago.

Of course we are a lot older now. Instead of saying we have gained weight, have gotten pounchy, and became much grayer, let's just say we have aged and matured :>)

Forty five years later, and with all of life's ups and downs, I can honestly say my hubby is still the one for me ♥

That's it! No more strolls down memory lane for me. I have a lot of things to do to get ready for Saint Patrick's day and spring!

I hope all of you have a beautiful and blessed day ♥

With warmest regards, Carol

Friends Forever!..... A very heart warming gift....

2010-02-27T09:28:00.000-08:00

Friends Forever!... A very heart warming gift...

Recently I popped over for a visit with my dear friend Maria at http://maria-pogaduszki.blogspot.com/ When I arrived I found this very precious and heart warming gift waiting for all of us who visit her. For those of you who have not met Maria I do hope you will stop by to visit with her. She is a lovely lady and a true bloggy friend. Maria lives in Poland and writes about her country and customs, her life and family, and she also shares wonderful recipes. Thank you so much Maria! Your gift warms my heart ♥

At times, in our daily lives most of us face injustice, profound loss either by death or separation, physical and/or emotion pain, because after all, life is full of it's ups and downs for everyone isn't it?

I have found our blogging community to be some of the most incredible, kind, and caring people I have ever not met. This treasured gift is just one example of what I am talking about. We support one another, pray with one another, learn from each other, and share with each other. We giggle, laugh, and cry with each other. How is that possible when most of us have never met? I think we are drawn together by our love of God and humanity.
I would like to keep this precious gift circling around blog land so I am offering it to all of those who stop here. Thank you for your friendship! "And although we live so far apart... Always remember you hold a piece of my heart!"
With warmest regards, Carol

Adding a little Irish to every day goodies......

2010-02-25T03:05:00.000-08:00

Adding a little Irish to every day goodies...

All things can be a little Irish on Saint Patrick's Day and that includes every day miniature candy bars.

In a previous post I shared with you an idea that my friend Knitty at http://lazydayandsundays.blogspot.com/ shared in one of her posts for making the most adorable smiley face labels for teabags. In that same post Knitty shared her idea for making candy bar labels. All you need are Avery address labels. (Template 8160) These labels fit nicely over Hershey's Nugget's, Hersey Miniatures, and Nestle's Treasures. You can make all of your labels the same or mix them up with various kinds of clip art as Knitty did for a baby shower she was planning. Either way they are very simple to make. Thank you so much Knitty for sharing this wonderful idea!

I think these darling little candy bars are very festive and pretty. They would make a lovely addition to any Irish tea table. They could also be used as party favors. Now where did I put that green ribbon?

What a great way to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary on Saint Patrick's Day!

I hope all of you have a lovely and blessed day ♥

With warmest regards, Carol

It snowed!......

2010-02-23T03:19:00.000-08:00

For all of you who have been literally dumped with snow, I'm sure you will be a little perplexed with my enthusiasm, but yesterday was only our second major snow fall of the year. I'm sure I will regret saying this next year but I have missed the snow.
I have missed those snowy days of long ago when school was cancelled. I have missed those days when the snow was good for packing and we could all get outside and play. I miss the days when my children and grandchildren were little and we would make snowmen and angels in the snow. I miss chasing them all around the yard, falling down, and laughing until our tummy's hurt. I miss the days when my hubby and I would put them on sleds and pull them up and down our street.
This year it was only me that got out out to play and enjoy the snow. My hubby was busy clearing it away and Charli was sitting by our back door begging to go back inside. After I finished building my snowman I took a picture of it with my phone. Then I sent it to all of our children and grandchildren for old times sake.
One of the first things I saw when I woke up this morning was my silly little snowman. It made me smile. Of course my hubby has been relentless in his teasing but that's how I know he likes it too.
Some people may say I'm a little childish but I have always believed in that inter child we all have. I think we need to cultivate it and bring it out. It's something I have always made a point to do. As a society we are much to serious. I think that's why some of us are so happy when our grandchildren come along. We have an excuse to do silly and fun things again. Try doing something fun today that you wouldn't normally do. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at just how good it will make you feel.
With warmest regards, Carol

How to catch a leprechaun......

2010-02-21T16:35:00.000-08:00

How to catch a Leprechaun...

Recently my hubby and I helped our grandson Ryan to build a Leprechaun trap. Yes, that's right, a Leprechaun trap! We had so much fun! We heard about them last year on some of the blogs and thought it would be a great project to try. Now I've never heard of a Leprechaun being caught before but who knows. This just might be the year that it happens.

If you are interested in building a trap with your special little someone there are tons of 'how to' information available on the Internet.
In our case this is what we did. First we went on the Internet to find out all we could about these nasty and very tricky little characters. Then we discussed what would be the best way to capture one. Since the Leprechaun is an Irish legend Ryan decided to make his trap as green as possible. He made a list of all of the things that he thought would attract a Leprechaun and then we helped him to incorporate them into the trap. Everyone knows how much Leprechauns like gold so Ryan decided to use gold glitter on his stairs. His net also has flecks of gold running through it. I was fortunate enough to have found that material a head of time. Ryan made a rainbow and also a sign to help the Leprechaun know which way he is supposed to go. He made a path out of shamrocks for the Leprechaun to follow and then put some artificial grass in the bottom of the box. We think he did a very good job!

He even put a treasure chest in the bottom of the box. A sure way to lure a Leprechaun in don't you think?

The day before Saint Patrick's Day my hubby and I will deliver the trap to Ryan's house. Who knows what he will find inside of it on Saint Patrick's Day?

Our little guy is growing up so fast. We are truly blessed to have these special moments with him.

Charli loves project days too because any time spent with Ryan is a very happy day for her.

It's hard to believe that Saint Patrick's Day is right around the corner. Do you celebrate Saint Patrick's Day in your home? I would love to hear from you.

It's been snowing here for the last several hours. It's very pretty and it looks like we already have an inch or two of accumulation.

I hope all of you have a wonderful day ♥

Happy Monday everyone!

With warmest regards, Carol

Temple Grandin......

2010-02-19T06:35:00.000-08:00

Temple Grandin.....

Recently I had the opportunity to see the
movie 'Temple Grandin' now playing on HBO. This movie is simply outstanding and I have been recommending it to everyone I know. The movie is about
Temple Grandin and her struggle to over come Autism.

Temple Grandin was born in 1947, and by the age of four, still had required no verbal skills. Her only means of communication was humming, peeping, and screaming out of frustration. A family physician made the diagnosis of Autism. The physician told her mother that Grandin would remain low functioning. His recommendation was to institutionalize. Her mother refused to accept the physicians recommendations, and instead, took Grandin to several neurologists. She began working with Grandin on the development of behavioral and verbal skills. She also provided Grandin with some very unique and educational experiences.

Grandin is now a professor at the University of Colorado. She has received her doctorate degree in animal science. Her journey has been absolutely incredible. Today Grandin lectures on Autism and is the author of a collection of books on the subject. There are many valuable lessons to be learned from this movie. One lesson being not to give up on others just because they seem some what different than ourselves. I walked away from this movie with a much better understanding of the challenges children with Autism and their care givers face.

"You have got to keep autistic children engaged with the world. You cannot let them tune out"
-Temple Grandin-

http://www.templegrandin.com/templehome.html
http://www.templegrandin.com/templegrandinart.html

Have you had an opportunity to see this movie? If so, I would love to hear from you.
I hope all of you have a lovely and blessed day ♥
It's a beautiful sunny day here and Charli is sprawled out on the bay window ledge in our living room. She wants to make sure she doesn't miss anything that just might happen on our street.
With warmest regards, Carol

Labels....... A fun and creative idea!.....

2010-02-18T06:06:00.000-08:00

Labels...
A fun and creative idea!....

One day while visiting with my friend Knitty at http://lazydayandsundays.blogspot.com/
I noticed she had written a post about label's. Knitty loves labels and has some very creative and charming uses for them. She was in the process of planning a baby shower and she had just made the sweetest label's to place over miniature candy bars that I had ever seen. On that same post she had a picture of a smiley face label on a tea bag. I thought it was so cute that I decided to make some of my own. Mine aren't exactly like Knitty's but I think they turned out rather well.

First I took a smiley face sticker and inserted it into my photo album. Then I transferred it to paint and erased the yellow background. I probably could have just made the smiley face in paint but I didn't. Oh well, maybe next time. I'm still in the process of learning. After I erased the yellow background I transferred it back to my photo album. Then I made the labels using an Avery template as Knitty suggested.

The only Avery labels I had at the time were long and thin but since then I have purchased larger ones.

After I finished the label's I attached them to teabags. I have a special friend who is coming to visit me on Saturday and we always drink tea together. Do you think she will notice the smiley face on her teabag?

Since visiting Knitty I have been on a label making frenzy! These labels have me thinking of other things I could do with them. I can decorate tea bags for holidays and birthdays, add verses, or funny little sayings of some sort. I'm even thinking of making labels for wine glasses. Thank you Knitty for sharing this fun and creative idea!

Do you like using labels for other things besides addresses? If so, what are some of the ways in which you like to use them? I would love to hear from you.

I hope all of you are having a bright and sunny day ♥

With warmest regards, Carol

Lent.......

2010-02-17T03:27:00.000-08:00

LENT......

Today marks the beginning of lent in many Christian communities. It is a time of contemplation and renewal of faith.

I invite you to join me in the following prayer:

Dear Lord as I make my Lenten journey with You,

Send me Your spirit,

Help me to turn away from sin,

And help me to fast and pray,

So that I may know You

And serve You better.

Let me be renewed through my grace with the world

Amen

"As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold Grace of God"

-1 Peter 4:10-

Recently I read an article that I would like to share......

"Spirituality is a way of life and is made up of four parts:

Receiving the gifts of God with gratitude

Cultivating them responsibly

Sharing them lovingly in justice with others

Standing before the Lord in a spirit of responsibly

THE GIFTS OF GOD

Your faith, hope, love, joy

Your family and relationships with others

Your intelligence, talents, and skills

Your imagination, compassion, and vision

Creation in all it's splendor

With so many blessings come great challenges. At all times in our life, we have an opportunity and a responsibility to share what we have been given"

-Deacon Ron-

St. Anastasia Parish

Peace be with all of you ♥

With warmest regards, Carol

'An 'American Song Book ' Tea.....

2010-02-16T00:05:00.000-08:00

An 'American Song Book' Tea.....

Recently my brother, sister-in-law, sister, brother-in-law, husband, and myself had the distinct pleasure of attending a tea at the historical village in our area. In addition to a quaint little tea, we had the opportunity to be entertained by members of the Michigan Opera House touring company who put on a marvelous performance entitled 'The American Song Book.' We heard a little ragtime, vaudeville, and some wonderful old crooning music complete with trivia about the era in which the song was written, tidbits about the composers, and interesting facts related to the songs. The lady and gentleman who gave us the delightful cabaret-style performance were outstanding to say the least and received standing ovations. With loving jesters and adulation's they were quite convincing as they sang song after song while we listened in awe. There was much joy, many smiles, and lot's of laughter as everyone shared stories and reminisced. There was even audience participation during the actual songs at times.

The concert was held in the old church on the village grounds which is known for it's wonderful acoustics.

We heard songs from composers like Dorothy Fields, Rogers and Hammerstein, Ira and George Gershwin.

Do you remember songs like 'Moon River', 'Someone to Watch Over Me', 'On The Sunny Side Of The Street', 'Swanee', 'I'm in the Mood Fro Love', 'I've Got Rhythm', 'Hey Big Spender' or 'I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm'? Well, those were just some of the songs we heard that day. If you would like to take a walk down memory lane I found this wonderful site you can visit. It's a Gershwin site and it has a jukebox where you can hear some of that wonderful old music yourself. Ahh... Those were the days..... These types of songs have always been favorites of mine.

Do you remember watching all of those old Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, and Ginger Roger movies? They were the best weren't they?

http://www.gershwin.com/v1/launch.html

We had a wonderful time. I still can't believe I actually talked my hubby, brother, and brother-in-law into coming to the tea. They said they really enjoyed the entire experience and would love to go back to the village again.

And where was Charli while we were at the village? She was home alone and not to happy about it. However, I made it up to her. She loves to listen to music and she has enjoyed listening to the tunes on the jukebox at the Gershwin site as well.

How about you? What kinds of music do you enjoy? I would love to hear from you.

I hope you have a beautiful day ♥

With warmest regards, Carol

Happy Valentine's Day ♥

2010-02-13T20:29:00.000-08:00

Sending tons and tons of wishes your way
And then a line to say
Hope some very special family and friends
Have a blessed and fun filled day!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY ♥

Welcome to a Valentine Party!....

2010-02-11T16:08:00.000-08:00

Welcome to a Valentine Party!....

For those of you who haven't heard, Laurie at http://bargainhuntingwithlaurie.blogspot.com/ is hosting a Valentine's party today here in blog land! That's right! And it's not to late to join the fun! All you have to do is write your post and then link up with the rest of us to celebrate Valentine's Day. You can share anything you would like from wedding pictures, to decor, tablescapes, and cards. The best part of the party is that even our pets are invited. Now I ask you, how cool is that? I hope you will come to the party or stop by and visit with some of the other gals. As always, thank you so much for stopping by here.

For those of you who don't know, this little girl is my dog Charli. We are a team and she goes just about every where I go. I say my dog but as you can see she is wearing a bib that says, 'My heart belongs to daddy.' Ha! That's because she has my hubby wrapped right around her furry little paw. All she has to do is give him a hug, or sit on his lap, and she gets all of the treats she wants. Charli is quite the diva and loves dressing up for just about any occasion.

For my part of the Valentine celebration I thought I would invite all of you to tea. I am serving Red Rose Original, Cinnamon apple, and Orange Spice tea today.

Don't you just love Valentine's Day? Just think! A special day set aside to let everyone know how much you like, love, and appreciate them. It just doesn't get better than that. As you can see love is in the air at our house. There seems to be hearts every where! Don't you just love those tiny cinnamon hearts, colorful conversation hearts, and yummy chocolate foil hearts that appear on the shelves in all of the stores at this time of year? I am serving chocolate foil hearts at our tea today.

One of my favorite things to do when I am having a Valentine's tea or party is to use those small Valentine cards that children take to school as seating cards. I think they look very festive, and besides, who wouldn't want to receive a Valentine at this very special time of the year. I found some charming baby birds at Michael's the other day and I thought they would be perfect to use for my seating cards. I know the birds are blue but I still think they look rather pretty.

Since I knew you were coming I decided to bake

some cookies.

OATMEAL-CRANBERRY COOKIES

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 1/2 cups rolled oats

1 cup softened unsalted butter

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tbsp. honey

2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/3 cups dried cranberries

1 cup white chocolate chips

( I also added 1/2 cups chopped pecans)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in oats. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar and granulated sugar. Beat until combined. Beat in eggs, honey, and vanilla until combined. Stir in cranberries, chocolate chips, and nuts.

Drop onto cookie sheet two inches apart. Bake 9 to 11 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and cool completely. Makes 42 cookies

-mixing bowl.com-

This is the Valentine's basket I have had for many years. I love it because the material in the basket has a very pretty vintage theme. I always use this basket on Valentine's Day, to either transport goodies I make or buy for the Valentine's parties we are invited to, or to store goodies for the parties we have here at home.

Because all of you are so special, and my cookies turned out so delicious, I decided to make each of you a small bag to take home.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Don't forget to stop by Laurie's to see what everyone else has been up to.

Thanks again for stopping by to visit Charli and me!

I hope all of you have a lovely day ♥

With warmest regards, Carol

Oh dear!.... Look what happened to my cake!....

2010-02-08T03:52:00.000-08:00

Oh dear!... Look what happened to my cake!....

For some reason I have not been having much luck in the creative arts department of late. First I made a mess out of the alligator I was going to give my hubby for Valentine's Day. Luckily though, I just finished making another Valentine's Day card for him, and I must say, it turned out rather well. He is going to be so surprised! I can't wait to give it to him. I wonder if he's finished making mine yet?

Recently I decided it might be fun to bake a Valentine's Day cake for my family so I got out all of my baking supplies and went to work. I made a cherry chip cake, poked holes in it, and drizzled cherry Jell-O inside. So far so good right? Well, that's when I discovered I didn't have enough frosting to finish the cake. I decided to use cookie decorating icing for the border instead of running out to the store. Big mistake! As you can see the frosting melted down the sides of the cake and would not hold a shape when I used my 'Fun Gun' decorating kit. I also messed up the writing on the top of the cake so my hubby came to the rescue and tried to doctor it up for me. By this time I was ready to toss the whole thing in the garbage but my hubby added the cinnamon hearts and tried to convince me that it had all turned out beautifully. Ha!

I have been blessed with the best family in the whole world because they all told me how nice it looked even though I knew the truth LOL
I have to admit, that even though it was decorated rather silly, it did taste good.
Charli seemed to like it. She loves frosting and even came back for seconds minus the cinnamon hearts of course :>)

I hope all of you are having a fun week getting ready for Saint Valentine's Day ♥

With warmest regards, Carol

But where is the snow?........

2010-02-06T03:57:00.000-08:00

But where is the snow?......

Charli and I happened to be driving through a near-by town the other day when we came across these cheery little snowmen. Since I had my camera in the car I thought I would snap a few pictures. I'm not complaining at all, but in our area we have had an unusually mild winter. There has only been one snow storm where there was enough snow to shovel and I don't remember our degrees ever dropping below zero. It has been quite different than in recent years where the temperature would only reach five or ten degrees for days at a time and it seemed that all we did was shovel ourselves and sometimes our neighbors out of the snow.

I was curious as to why this city had hung all these snowmen up so I went on the Internet to find out. Don't you just love the Internet? What did we ever do with out it? Well, apparently, this small town is quite a cheery little place to live. They hang scarecrows in the fall, snowmen in the winter, and there will be hearts for Valentine's Day. All of the local businesses get involved and each business decorates in a different way. I didn't read anything about a contest and I'm wondering if they have one. Regardless, it sounds like quite a friendly and fun place to live!

Happy Saturday everyone!

I hope you have a beautiful day ♥

If you are in a wintry place I hope stay

warm and cozy. If you are in a warm

place I hope your day is sunny

and bright!

With warmest regards, Carol

National 'Wear Red Day' for women....

2010-02-05T00:35:00.000-08:00

LET'S GO RED!...
Today is National Heart Disease Awareness Day for Women....

The first Friday of February every year is designated as National 'Wear Red Day' to help gain support and raise awareness of heart disease in women.
Did you know that one out of every four women will die from heart disease? Coronary heart disease remains the number one killer of women. To learn more about heart disease and risk factors just click here:

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/educational/hearttruth/lower-risk/what-is-heart-disease.htm

To learn more about National Wear Red Day click here: here:

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3067888

Heart and Vascular Health and Prevention

Seven ways to a Healthier you

1. Add cocoa to your coffee. It's a rich source of plant chemicals called flavanois, which lowers blood pressure and improves heart health.

2. Get your groove on. Dancing is an exercise you can do anywhere-from the ballroom to your living room. You'll burn calories, reduce stress and strengthen your muscles and bones while you're at it! (Remember to check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program)

3. Eat at least two meatless dinners each week.

4. Snack on frozen berries Refreshing and low in calories, berries are a great source of phytonutrients-substances that protest us from free radical damage.

5. Laugh. It's an effective way to beat stress, which unmanaged, can lead to high blood pressure, higher cholesterol and a build up of plaque in your arteries. Goof off with your children or watch some ridiculous You Tube clips. It's contagious!

6. Turn in shamelessly early. Poor sleep has been linked with high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, heart failure and heart attack- so don't fight it. Go ahead and turn in!

7. Reward yourself. For each positive behavior you implement this year-big or small-reward yourself once you reach your goal! Choose healthy awards. Download some new music, get a message, or meet a friend for a movie.

Miller family Heart and Vascular Institute

Heart and Vascular Heath and Prevention

-Cleveland Clinic-

I hope all of you found the above tips from the Cleveland Clinic helpful. Don't forget to wear red today! Please remind all of your loved ones and girl friends that it's time for a heart smart check up ♥

For those of you who have inquired about Charli, thank you so much! I'm happy to report that she is doing fine. I took her over to meet the new groomer yesterday and she seemed to like her very much. Hopefully her next grooming experience will be a positive one. Right now she is curled up in the chair here in my office. I can almost hear her saying, "Turn out the lights Grandma. Can't you see I'm trying to sleep" :>)

I hope all of you have a happy and heart healthy day ♥

With warmest regards, Carol

A Religious Meme...... Three Hours with Christ...

2010-02-03T03:23:00.001-08:00

A Religious Meme..... Three Hours with Christ....

What if you were able to go back and watch any three hours of Christ's life. Which three hours would you pick? It sounds like it would be something easy for to answer but I assure you it was quite difficult. How does one choose with so many amazing moments in Christ's life?

Well, that's exactly what my friend Michael at http://www.reachparadise.com/ asked those of us who visit his blog when he decided to host the following meme.......

Here is the question.....

"If you could go back and watch any hour of Christ's life, which hour would you choose and why?"

The rules are as follows:

* To make this a bit easier, you can choose three one-hour time periods. (Your "top three" if you will)

* To make things harder, you cannot choose His birth or any period from the Last Supper on.

* If you have a blog, post this question, rules, and answer it there. If you would rather not spend a post quenching my curiosity, or if you do not have a blog, feel free to post your answer in the comments section of this post so we can all share.

* Put a link to your post in the comments section of this post so we can all share.

* Tag three other people.

If I could go back and watch any three hours of Christ's life I would choose the following...

The Boy Jesus in The Temple

Here Jesus is only twelve years old and he is found by his "astonished" parents sitting with the teachers at the temple listening and asking questions. The teachers are surprised by how much he knows. I would have loved to have heard those conversations. Can you just imagine? I would also have liked to know all that Mary and Joesph felt and had to say about it. It must have been an absolutely amazing experience for all those present on that day.

Blessing of the Children

We all know how much Jesus loved children. He wanted the children to come to him. I would have loved to stand back and watch as He blessed and interacted with them. I can just see they're Innocent sweet faces looking up at Him and Jesus with His loving arms reaching out to them. I think the time Jesus spent with the children would have been very touching, joyful, and beautiful to have seen.

The Return of Twelve and the Feeding of the Five Thousand

By now Jesus had thousands of followers who just want to be with him and hear him preach. They had no concern for themselves and many had walked miles without any thought of food but Jesus as always was thinking of them. Jesus took care of them as he always will take care of all of us. I think it would have been incredible to have been there that day. How blessed and safe all of those people must have felt to know Jesus was Christ the son of GOD!

Well, there you have it. That's how I would have liked to spend my three hours with Christ. I am now supposed to pick three people to tag for this meme, but instead, I would like to offer it to everyone who visits here. What three hours of Christ's life would you choose, and why? I would love to hear from you. If you decide to do this meme please leave a comment here so my dear friends and I can visit.

I hope all of you are having a lovely day ♥

with warmest regards, Carol

In Addition to Tea, I love Coffee!.......

2010-02-02T00:30:00.000-08:00

In Addition to Tea, I love Coffee!.....

In addition to tea, I love coffee, and especially the speciality coffees offered at places like Starbucks and Caribou. I started drinking them when my niece and I would sometimes meet at a coffee shop on a day we both had off from work. Caffe Mocha is a favorite of mine. I rarely frequent an actual Starbucks or Caribou any more because these coffees are so rich, fattening, and expensive but I have to admit that when ever I visit our local hospital, and sometimes one of the Target stores in our area, I will indulge and give myself a special little treat. Both of these places just happen to have a Starbucks in them.

Recently, my husband, bother, sister-in-law, and myself were at a restaurant and I noticed they had speciality coffees on the menu. Well, I just had to try one of them so my sister-in-law and I decided to order them for dessert. I tell you we were in seventh heaven. They were delicious and just look how they were served. Hot steaming espresso with dollops of whipped cream, a hint of cinnamon, and CHOCOLATE! They were just perfect! It's something I can definitely seeing myself having or serving to guests on a cold winter evening here at home.

Do you like speciality coffees? If so, what is

your favorite kind. Do you like to serve them

at home? I would love to hear from you.

I hope all of you have a wonderful day ♥

With warmest regards, Carol

A Huge Thank You and a Second Year Blog Anniversary......

2010-02-01T05:52:00.000-08:00

A Huge Thank You and a Second Year Blog Anniversary....

I just wanted to thank all of you again for the kindness and concern you have shown Charli and me during the very unfortunate incident Charli had at the groomers recently. THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART! After four consistent nights of no sleep, Charli, my hubby, and I are now all doing so much better. In fact, we are all doing great! Friday night we were up again from two to four o'clock in the morning because Charli had worked herself into such a state that she actually began vomiting. On Saturday she finally made a turn around and was able to sleep through the night. By Sunday afternoon she was playing with her toys, teasing my hubby, standing guard in our living room window, and back to her very cute and silly little self. Our vet has assured us that physically she is OK. If only our animals could talk. I would love to know what exactly happened to Charli that day at the groomers. I will be taking her to a new groomer. The new groomer was recommended by Anne. I would like to stop in there this Wednesday. I want to pay a surprise visit and just have a look around the shop. I also want to see how Charli reacts to the groomer. Anne says she is an older woman who happens to love schnauzers and seems to understand they're personalities well.

In the mist of this crisis with Charli my second year blog anniversary has come and gone. It's unbelievable to me how quickly these past two years have went by. My blogging experiences have been phenomenal to say the least. I have enjoyed getting to know each and ever one of you. Thank you so much for your continuing friendship. I look forward to another great year of blogging with all of you.

In lieu of the blog give aways usually associated with an anniversary I have made two donations instead. The first one to Paralyzed Veterans Of America and the second one to a Haiti Relief fund.

I hope all of you are well and those living in winter states are staying warm and cozy. It seems like winter is going by fast this year. The other day I happened to be in Kroger's when I turned around and noticed Easter candy displayed on a shelf. Even thought it's a little early it was a reminder to me that spring will be here before we know it.

Happy February everyone!

With warmest regards, Carol