Photo Hunt - Beautiful

The Photo Hunt theme for today is "Beautiful" - that certainly falls into many categories for me, so I will have a tough time narrowing it down, here are several things that make me think of the word Beautiful...

A Beautiful Bahia Honda Sunset in the Florida Keys - a lovely gift from God...

The joy of laughing with my son...

A Yucca plant against a gorgeous blue sky at White Sands, NM...

My sisters...

My mother at the age of 16...

Another fantastic sunset at Bahia Honda...

My wedding day...

For more "Beautiful" Photos, visit PhotoHunt at http://tnchick.com/

Have a blessed day

Friday Funnies - Key Lime Cheesecake

This particular funny took place SEVERAL years ago (note: the youthful thighs and groovy early 90's clothing).


I had made a delicious Key-Lime Cheesecake for a going away party that we were holding at my dearest friend Kim's house. I safely managed to get the cheesecake there (still in the spring form pan). Kim wanted me to pose for a photo with it, and I placed one hand on the rim, and one hand flat on the bottom, "springing" the cheesecake out of the springform pan. It flipped upside down and hit the counter, then landed on my thigh, shoe and the floor.


OF COURSE, Kim and I ate the part that hit the counter, and it was VERY tasty, lol. Yup, this was not the first faux pas of that kind that I have made, nor was it the last... :)

To see more Friday Funnies, visit homesteadersheart

Have a blessed day...and keep your hands off the bottom of your springform pans!

Chocolate-Cherry Biscotti

This is a recipe from a Cooking Light, I put my changes in parenthesis.

Chocolate-Cherry Biscotti

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour (I use King-Arthur-Organic_100%-Whole White Wheat for all the flour)
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I replace with Nutiva-extra-virgin-coconut-oil )
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
2/3 cup dried tart cherries (I prefer sweet or mixed tart/sweet cherries)
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I ALWAYS add a little more chips than called for, lol)
Cooking spray

PreparationPreheat oven to 350°.
Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flours and salt in a bowl; stir well with a whisk.
Beat sugar and eggs with a mixer at high speed until thick and pale (about 4 minutes). Add oil and extracts, beating until well-blended. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in cherries and chocolate chips.
Divide dough in half; turn out onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Shape each portion into a 10-inch-long roll, and flatten to 1-inch thickness. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove rolls from the baking sheet; cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325°.
Cut each roll diagonally into 20 (1/2-inch) slices. Place slices, cut sides down, on baking sheet. Bake at 325° for 10 minutes. Turn cookies over, and bake an additional 10 minutes (cookies will be slightly soft in center but will harden as they cool). Remove from baking sheet; cool completely on wire rack.

Yield 40 biscotti

The Beach - Our God is Amazing!

I moved to Florida from Texas about 14 years ago. Thinking back, I remember that after I moved here, one of the things that made me stay was the beach.

When my son was young, we spent countless weekends body surfing and jumping waves, building sandcastles and looking for shells. As he got older, the trips became few and far between, he mostly went with his cousins to go surf now and then, and I went on my lunch hour to have a little quiet time and contemplate and be reminded of how Great our God is. As life progresses and my days are filled with the things that need doing, I realized that I had not been to the beach in 3 years, not our beach that is.

Now, understand me, I have no desire to be a sun "junky", I do not want to have skin cancer, nor do I want to look like a leather handbag when I get older. I just really like the beach, there is something so amazing about looking out at the ocean and the vast sand and knowing that our great God created it all with his hand.

I began to miss the smell, the breeze and the sound of the waves. So I decided that I would plan a trip to the beach. Today I packed my swimsuit, sunblock and a beach blanket. After I left the gym, I headed East for the entire 12 minutes that it takes (and I haven't gone in 3 years???).

This really is the perfect time for a visit; school is in, the tourists have gone home, the 9-5ers are still at work, and the beach is just as I like it...quiet and calm.

I spent about an hour just enjoying the sights, smells and sounds of the beach. There were only a handful of people there. No radios, no loud teenagers, no obnoxious drunks, no beach bunnies, just a few small family groups and some individuals soaking in the sun. I sat there watching the waves and loving the sound of them rolling down the coastline - God in his greatness created them to make just that specific sound. I enjoyed hearing some distant screeches and giggles from young girls playing in the surf - sweet laughter that our God was so gracious to gift us with. I watched birds running through the surf snatching little critters out of the sand - His beautiful creation. The salty sweet smell of the ocean is unique and I know that God made it's delicate balance to hold sealife.

Then a storm began to roll in from behind me, the sky was beautiful. Brightest blue ahead of me, dotted with puffy white clouds, then as I looked to my left and behind, the deep gray blue was rolling in and distant thunder rolled through the clouds - how fantastic and awsome our God is. Then I knew it was time to head home (you don't hang out on the beach when there is thunder...). It was a nice break from the routine of my day and a breath of fresh air - Florida really is a pretty place to live, and I am thankful that God created this little piece of land sticking out into the ocean. I am thankful that He moved me here and I am thankful that I can see His handiwork in all that He has made.

Have a blessed day!

The Jane Austen Brunch

The Jane Austen Birthday Brunch

My best friend Kim, has been so kind as to provide me with a daughter... ok, not REALLY, but close. I never had a daughter, so I have fulfilled all my "girlish mothering desires" through hers, as "Aunt Kathy", and I am thankful for the relationship we have.

Since she will be having her 15th birthday soon, and the three of us are obsessed with all things Jane Austen, I decided to throw her a Jane Austen style brunch. I began a few months ago by making each of us a Regency Era day dresses, I made each bodice and sleeve just a little different for variety, and for some reason I decided on "blue hues".

For brunch, I prepared Spinach-Bacon-Quiche, spiced-blueberry-muffins, stuffed-strawberries, Italian-Cream-Cake, and of course coffee and tea - during this time we listened to the soundtrack from Pride and Prejudice.

For a craft we made Regency Era bonnets while Pride and Prejudice (the movie) played in the background. Unfortunately Kim took home two nice size glue gun blisters.

Of course, we had a lot of fun and laughs and took a gazillion photos of our time together. Kim, however, went into a laughing fit over one of our photos and when this woman laughs, there is often no way to pull her out of it...

It was so much fun, next year maybe we'll do Civil War Era....I think I'll need a bigger living room with those hoop skirts though, LOL. :)

Have a blessed day!

Works for me Wednesday - Tropical Storm Fay

Yesterday, for Tackle it Tuesday, despite the storm I was able to get to Joann Fabrics to get some craft materials. Today, for Works for me Wednesday, my hubby was able to get to work by wading through almost 3 feet of water and carrying his uniform, gun belt and laptop in a bag over his shoulder, LOL...he had a fellow officer meet him across the bridge at the entrance to our neighborhood, and he'll have to borrow a car from the shop at work... yup, a Tropical Storm is no excuse to miss work when you are a cop!

Bye Honey, have a nice day! :)

I guess Miss TS Fay has decided to sit herself right on top of us (going about 3mph) and dump rain continually, and it's still coming. This morning we looked down the street and saw yellow tape crossing the road at one of the intersections...

We went for a little bike ride to see if there was ANY way out of our neighborhood. I couldn't take photos of the deepest part because it began to rain hard and I didn't want to ruin my camera. However, at the deepest point, it came to the base of my husbands handlebars - sidenote, just in case you were wondering, it's a great workout to ride your bike through deep water, LOL.

Because of the deep patches at the intersections, there was no way that a car, or even a large truck could get out of the neighborhood, we saw MANY people in various vehicles trying (but it was raining too hard to get photos, sorry). We saw a couple of cars that had been washed up onto the sidewalks.

Not everyone was having a bad day though, plenty of people were out having fun, we saw several canoes and quite a few kids with floaties. Note - not a good idea considering the animal waste and who knows what else that has most likely floated up into the streets. Our neighborhood is surrounded by several canals and we do live in Florida, so I wouldn't be surprised at all if someone spots a gator in street!

Heading back from the "pool" - LOL

Come on kids - let's go get some pizza!

The most recent photos I took were from about 2 hours ago, and the water has risen so much since then. We are quite lucky, as we are located in a good spot in the neighborhood and sit a little higher than some houses. However, the street in front of our house now looks like a river and people are able to canoe in front my house now!!!! However, 3 hours ago there were houses near the entrance to our neighborhood that already had water coming inside, it makes me sad to think of what is happening inside their homes right now.

It continues to be an interesting day, even as I type this, the water has "broadened" our road so much more. I don't want to even think about how my hubby will get home tonight!!!! Hopefully not wading through chest high possibly alligator and snake infested water - I never thought I would say this, but I think he should sleep at work! :(

Stormie says "Mom, what's happening out there????"

UPDATE: Hubby was able to call me from work. The Outback restaurant brought all the guys at his precinct Steak and Lobster for lunch - what a blessing and a special treat. Also, his "loaner" car is a big 4wd truck, so he won't be swimming with gators tonight, (sigh of relief!). :)

For more Works for Me Wednesday posts, please visit worksformewednesday

Have a blessed and DRY day!

Kathy's Chicken Noodle Soup

This is a basic recipe, so it can be varied according to your tastes. I am kind of a "throw this in the pot" kinda gal, so most of my recipes change each time I make them. This is what I did for dinner last night...

• Leftover BBQ chicken from Sonny's - LOL - Remove bones and skin and shred the chicken (you can use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery, or any other leftover roasted chicken you have)
• Cooked Noodles - I had Fettucine on hand, so I broke it into 2 inch lengths and boiled it.
• Chopped carrots, celery and onion (you choose the amount)
• Minced garlic (I like garlic so I use about 2-3 big cloves pushed through a garlic press)
• Herbs de Provence (this is one of my all around favorite herbs for cooking) -use 1 tsp
• Kosher or Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper (to your liking)
• White Wine (about 1/2 cup)
• Chicken and/or Vegetable Broth Homemade is BEST! :) (use a couple of cans plus enough water to give you some broth)
• Whole Wheat flour (ok, you can use regular flour, but I use WW) - about 2 Tbsp
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Get some water boiling, and cook your noodles, set them aside when they are done. In a large soup pot, heat some olive oil. Saute onion and garlic until soft, add carrot, celery, Herbs de Provence, salt and pepper. Saute a few minutes. Add chicken broth (set aside about 1/4 cup broth in small bowl first), add wine, chicken and noodles. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer 10 minutes. In the small bowl, mix with a whisk 1/4 chicken broth and 2 Tbsp flour until smooth. Whisk this into the soup. Uncover and simmer about 10 more minutes, stirring a few times. Serve with biscuits! Yum.

Tackle it Tuesday - Tropical Storm Fay

This little storm is bringing in plenty of rain and wind. Nothing out of the ordinary as far as good size storms go for our parts, and at least there isn't any lightening! woo-hoo! :)

Today I decided that since the gym was closed and I wanted to finish up some sewing crafts for a special lunch this weekend, I needed to run over to Joann Fabrics - stormy or not! :)

The roads were VERY full of water, so it was interesting. Plenty of wind, but no lines down or anything crazy like that. JoAnns was open (I called first), and I got what I needed just before they decided to close early. As I ran out to my car I got soaked by a nice thick rain band that decided to fall at THAT moment, lol - oh well - I didn't melt. :)

Me and my soaked jeans! :)

So, first thing after changing clothes, I decidedto warm up a nice bowl of leftover homemade chicken noodle soup, check here for my recipe...KathysChickenNoodleSoup

The most interesting thing I saw on my way home was a man jogging. Let me tell you, the rain is coming down as if I was starring in a 1940's movie titled One Dark And Rainy Night. It was POURING, the roads and sidewalks were at least 6 inches deep with water. This guy had on his jogging shoes and running shorts and didn't seem to notice the rain at all. Every step he took this huge splash came up, it was pretty funny - wish I had my camera!!!!

I made it home safe and sound...here are a few not so exciting photos from this storm...

One of my pretty plumeria plants (this one is almost a tree) became uprooted by the wind. Well, I have been wanting to move it to a new location, so I guess I should be thankful - no digging required. :)

My puppers Stormie, wondering why we have a swimming pool on our back porch!!!!

Out front the rain was coming down pretty hard and the wind was doing it's thing...

This is inside the porch, the screen door leading out to the yard, my feet are in a couple of inches of water...

Oooops.... I guess I should have taken down that plant, it got upturned by the wind and now it is on top of another plant - yikes - I'll have to repair this mess tomorrow...

Two views of my planting area just outside of the back screen porch. There is a step up where you see the cement change color, the water is all the way to the top of the step, about 5 inches.

Have a blessed, and dry, day!

For more Tackle It Tuesday Posts, visit 5minutesformom

Photo Hunt - Colorful

PhotoHunt

This weeks Photo Hunt title is "Colorful", here are a few photos that brought that to mind...

One of my sisters at a restaurant in El Paso, TX - the sign on the wall made her glow in red...

The gulfside beach at Bahia Honda SP in the Keys. I loved the colorful umbrellas and the gorgeous sky...

This is a quilt I am making for my Mom, I have been "making" it for way too long, but hopefully will get it done this year, lol...

Some colorful glass jars on my kitchen windowsill...

For more Colorful Photo Hunt Photos, visit here...http://tnchick.com/archives/category/sph

My Husband Rocks - Mechanic

I absolutely adore my husband just for who he is. However, I do get these fantastic extra added bonuses as well, hee hee. As a young boy, my hubby became fascinated with taking things apart and putting them back together again. This began with small objects and then, as he got older it turned into motorcycles, jet-skis, and cars. Though he has no certificate to prove it, the man is the best mechanic I know - he can fix, build and/or rebuild any vehicle... :)

Before we met...The Hot Rod (oh, the car is pretty nice too, hee hee)

When we were dating, he fixed my car in my apartment parking lot...the way to a girls heart is through her engine, lol

If it needs fixin' it doesn't matter where we are, he can do it! :)

The dirt bike was stolen, miraculously retrieved (that's another story), re-built and then sold... :)

The not-running camper we bought for REAL cheap - totally rebuilt it inside and out and it purred like a kitten! Took it halfway across the country and later sold it to a woman who drove it completely across the country (Fl to CA).

There have been many more, but I guess we didn't take photos, because I couldn't find them, lol. I am a blessed woman indeed! :) I love this man.

To see more Hubbies that Rock, visit here...RockinHubbies

Have a blessed day,

Wordless Wednesday

For today's Wordless Wednesday I will express somethings that make my heart stop beating....



My husband...It was a LONG way down. I was taking this photo from a swinging bridge over a gorge.... gulp...






Our son...

I like it when his feet are on the ground like this....

This position makes me pretty nervous...

This one makes me kind of sick to my stomoch...

Ahhh, feet on the ground again.... good.

Just in case the other one didn't make you queezy, here's another angle... ugh!

I think I need to go lie down, lol....

For more Wordless Wednesday, visit here wordlesswednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom.

Have a blessed day!

Brenda's Photo Challenge - Play

Well, as is the norm for most Mom's when I heard the word "play", I thought of my child, lol. I went to the photo albums and found some of my favorite "play" pics... hope you enjoy! :)

Play with Toys

Play with Food

Play the Piano

Play in the Street

Play in the Park

Play the Guitar

Play in the Waves

Play Soccer

In a Play

Play with your Camera (on the right)

That was my take on the theme today of "Play", hope you enjoyed my little walk down memory lane. :)

For more Photo Challenge participants, visit http://brendaphotochallenge.blogspot.com/

Have a blessed day,

Photo Hunt - Dark

PhotoHunt

The theme for Photo Hunt this week is DARK. When I learned that, thoughts of night shots, fireworks, night skies, and dark rooms, came to mind.....then from out of nowhere came DARK CHOCOLATE, and I was pretty much done. So, I went grocery shopping and JUST for the Photo Hunt picked up a bar of Dark Chocolate.
Hey, double bonus, I also got a dose of Anitoxidants, LOL!

NOTE: TNChick, I know you don't like chocolate, so I apologize if this post is disgusting to you, LOL. :)

To see more cool Photo Hunters, visit http://tnchick.com/.

Have a blessed day,

My Husband Rocks - Generosity

Once again, there are far too many things I could say about why my husband rocks, but a blog I posted yesterday made me think of something specific. My sweet, precious husband Rocks (hee hee, I feel so teenage when I say that, lol) because he never, ever, complains, or even bats an eye when I come home with oodles of plants, bags of mulch, bags of compost, or come to him with graph paper depicting plans for my garden "extensions", including walkways and pergolas, lol. (see inmygarden)

I am not a "shopping" kind of woman, I don't have need for fancy clothes or shoes, I'm not into jewelry, I don't get my nails and hair done, I'm really pretty much plain jane. So I indulge my "spendy" desires on plants - and he just smiles alongside me. I know it can get a bit crazy at times, but I also know that after a hard day at work, it is a joy for him to come home and see bright happy blooms on the outside of the house and bright happy smiles on the inside! :)

I love this man!

To read more about Rockin' Hubbies, click here...http://myhusbandrocksblogroll.blogspot.com/

Have a blessed day!

In My Garden This Morning...

Gardening is one of my passions. I love to plant new things, rescue dying plants, fill my garden with fragrance, color and texture. I love the feeling of seeing a flower bud open for the first time, I love the first time I get to smell Confederate Jasmine in the spring. I head out to my garden often to pull weeds, trim plants and just see how things are growing, today I wanted to invite you along...

This is what I see when I am at the computer or at my sewing machine, this "butterfly garden" sits in front of the windows. I have witnessed many birds bathing, and butterflies fluttering here...

Early morning is the only time that I can catch these pretty little blue flowers, as soon as the day heats up the flowers close ... This honeysuckle vine curls up right next to my garden swing, where I can pluck a flower and taste the sweet honey-like nectar...

The tiny orange and yellow flower of the ground orchid plant is so delicate, and sits up high on tall stems ~ I love the bright, happy colors in this flower.....Sweet Pink Plumeria (or Frangipani) flowers are wonderfully fragrant and pretty to look at. These tropical flowers come in many colors and are used to make Hawaiin leis...

I have had the same Hibiscus plant for about 14 years and it occassionally sends off a "double" bloom, like the one shown here. I love the ruffled look...and apparantly the squirrells love the taste, they will clean the bush off in a day...This little white begonia is a hardy plant that is very forigiving when I forget to water. It has died down to the soil before and comes up after a good batch of rain...

I have completely forgotten the name of this plant, maybe someone out there in blog-land can help me out???? I love the little snapdragon type pink and white blooms, very delicate and pretty....I have two clematis vines at the base of two of my rose bushes and they rarely ever bloom, I was surprised to see this peeking out at me the other day....

It is really kind of late in the season for Gladiolus to be in bloom here, it's too hot, but we have gotten a LOT of rain and it has brought up several of my glad that I thought weren't going to bloom at all. I love the golden red of this one....This bright orange and yellow "happy" Lantana is what I call a "volunteer". I never planted this one, it came up near my back fence one day (no doubt planted by a bird), and it has become huge plant that needs constant cut backs. I can't get rid of it though, as I have terrible "plant guilt", lol - besides I love the flowers and the strange pungent scent of Lantana...

After a gentle rain everything looks so refreshed... Here a Venezuelan Buttercup is happy for a good watering (this is another volunteer plant of which I have TOO MANY)... This is one of my favorite flower photos, I love the way this Mandevilla sort of just said "take my picture"... :)

A freshly opened bud of Carefree Wonder Rose is happy to have a little sun-shower...My big yellow Plumerias are unbelieveably fragrant, they smell like Coppertone Suntan Lotion!!!

If there is a "scent" that I could associate with what I think heaven will smell like, it would have to be the freshly opened flower of Butterfly Ginger ~ I wish you could smell it...I can only describe it as a mix of gardenia, honeysuckle and jasmine - beautiful.

Have a blessed day!

Thankful Thursday - Hope

I am late getting online today, but I wanted to participate in Thankful Thursday, as there is ALWAYS something to be thankful for... :)

This is a word of encouragement for those Mom's out there who are a little weary about disciplining their sons. Sometimes, as a Mom, it is difficult to punish our children, and often times, we have a hard time when our husbands see fit to punish them. Many parents today are far too concerned about what the world thinks about discipline, but we need to keep our eyes on God's Word in all areas of child training. Don't be overly concerned with "crushing their personlities" or the too often used phrase "choosing your battles", God's Word gives us hope in one thing for certain - discipline.

"Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death."

I am thankful for God's Word, through it there is hope for my son's future.

Have a blessed day,

Go here for more Thankfuls...http://www.eph2810.com/?p=820

Wordless Wednesday...

Ummmmm.........does anyone need a tissue? :)

This is my sweet little boxer girl "Stormie" - I don't leave tissue boxes out anymore, lol.

Have a blessed day,

Visit http://www.5minutesformom.com/3947/wordless-wednesday-24/ for more.

Tackle It Tuesday - Sweatin' the Small Stuff

For this weeks Tackle, I am going to "Sweat the Small Stuff". I don't have any really huge projects that really need tackling at this time, but there are always lot's of litte things that need tending to that are easy to forget. Some of these things don't get real "dirty" but can always use a good wiping down, others strangely accumulate scary amounts of dust in a seemingly short time so they need to be tackled more often. Some of the places I have hit in the last couple of days and will continue to hit throughout the week are...

Inside of Microwave and Toaster Oven
Window sills
Ceiling Fans
Wash all my collectible teacups and saucers
Baseboards
Dust and clean glass on all picture frames
Window blinds
Cabinet doors
Light fixtures

Last but not least, I plan to dust the office, yikes, I really hate trying to dust unerneath all those cords, wires, and "office objects", but it must be done, lol

I'm sure that as I go through this list in the next few days, I will find a few more things to add. :)

Happy Tackling!

To visit more Tuesday Tackles, visit...http://www.5minutesformom.com/3831/tackle-it-tuesday-112/

Photo Hunt - Clouds

PhotoHunt

Wow, I love the topic for this weeks photo hunt. When I was homeschooling my son, one of the assignments I made for him for writing was to go outside and lay in the backyard, look up at the clouds and write a story about what you see (anyone who homeschools boys, knows that you MUST be creative with writing topics, lol). As a child, I loved to look at clouds and make up stories about who or what they were and how they lived - I had a grand imagination, lol.

Needless to say, the topic this week is exciting and fun for me, I had to post more than 3 pics, because I couldn't choose my favorite ones. :) Sorry!

Look at each photo carefully before you scroll down, think about what you see and then see what I see... :)

What do you see?.....

I see a funny Ape face... if you see something different, let me know.

What do you see?...

I see a grouchy old man with a big nose...do you see something different?

What do you see?...

I see the boot of Italy...do you see it too? :)

What do you see?...

I see a cute little old school teacher with big hair, a big nose and big shoes, lol!

What do you see?...

I see the pouting face of someone who didn't get their way...never a nice thing to see. :)

I hope you enjoyed cloud dreaming with me, it was fun to go out and do something that I haven't done since I was a kid.

Visit the link at the top of this post to see more Photo Hunters!

Have a blessed day!

My Husband Rocks...Because He Makes Me Laugh!

Last week I left a comment saying that I was going to put my hubby's funny faces on here, but when I wrote my post, I decided to talk about how much he has built and done to our home.


Soooooo, this week, I am going to say...My Husband Rocks because he makes me laugh. I don't think there is a day that goes by that my husband doesn't make me laugh. I'm not talking about little giggles here and there, I mean, laugh hard. The man is funny.

A little background. When I began dating my husband, there were a few people at church who asked my best friend, Kim (http://homesteadersheart.blogspot.com/) if she thought he was really "right" for me. They were concerned, because while he is definitely a godly man, he is so SERIOUS (he's a cop). I am a typically light and happy, loves to smile kind of gal, so this confused people. Well, Kim had already had the opportunity to "get to know him" and she assured everyone that he was perfect for me. :)

Let me just add, that when he needs to be, he is a completely serious man, and a wonderful strong leader of our home, as well as being a hunk-o-man! :)

I LOVE THIS MAN!

"A cheerful heart is good medicine..."

Proverbs 17:22a

Have a blessed day!