Candy Cane Wreath

 

 

 A Sweet Neighbor Lady brought AJ & ME a Potted Poinsettia. It was a delightful surprise and it looks great on my mantel. I thought, I need to take her a little gift in return, but what? Ask and you shall receive ♥ I saw this on a Face Book Post and knew right away this was the gift for my Neighbor. It was so very easy to make and it was finished in about 1/2 hour.

Click on pictures to enlarge :)

 



 

 

 

 

 

Okay this is what you will need:

20 Candy Canes

Something to put in the middle

Something to put around the edge

I picked a plastic glitter bow and some plastic wrap candy mini ornaments

You will also have to get your Glue Gun out of storage, and I used tiny clear rubber bands for securing the canes (optional)

 

 

 

Now first run a strip of hot glue down the edge of one cane and stick another cane on the glue. Do this 10 times. After the glue cooled I then put the rubber bands on the canes.

  

 

 

 

Now lay your pair of cans on the table to form a circle. Hot Glue the tips together while still laying on the table.

 

Then Hot Glue the ends. Not all ends meet and there will be a gap between some. To help secure the middle..... 

  

 

 

cut a circle out of cardboard, I used white card stock paper. Hot Glue it in the middle on the back side.

 

 

 

Now you are almost finished. After the glue has cooled and is set, turn the wreath over and Hot Glue your middle piece on and your trim pieces.

 

 

 

Now tie a ribbon on the top for hanging.....

Ta-daa, a very Sweet Christmas Wreath. I would not hang this on the door. It is Fragile.

 

Merry Crafting!!!!!

Fresh Apple Cake w/ Brown Sugar Caramel Frosting

I love Fall Food,..... Melons, Pumpkins, Apples, Pears, Squash, Spinach, Sweet Potatoes, Turnips and so many more fall crops. I love when Fall comes and you have had all the Red Tomatoes you can use and you do not feel bad about picking some Green and frying them. I  also love fall recipes. And nothing says Fall like Fresh Apple Cake. Well I jumped the gun this year and tried an Apple Cake recipe before the First Day of Fall, Sept 22, 2013. It turned out so Yummy.

 

 This is what you will need, plus 1/4 cup milk not in the picture. One little hint that keeps me from making mistakes when baking: I always read the recipe and set everything I will need out on the counter. Then as I use the ingredients I put them away one by one. No more wondering if you forgot an ingredient....if it is not on the counter it was used.

 Mix with a beater the wet ingredients plus the white sugar and then beat in the dry ingredients. The batter will be very thick. Peel and dice the apples. I used 3 medium Gala Apples...next time I may try 4 apples. Mix apples in by hand. 

 Spread into a greased & floured 9" x 13" cake pan. I use Baker's Joy, a spray with a mix of oil & flour. Bake!

 You will want to use the tooth pick test to make sure your cake is done. You will also want it to cool for 2 hours before icing.

 For the icing you will melt the butter, brown sugar and milk in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes stirring a few times.

 Now you will pour the boiling icing into a small bowl and put the small bowl of icing in a larger bowl with ice water. Be sure not to let water get into the icing.

 Now you will beat with a mixer until the icing cools down and is thick. To see if it is cold to touch, stick your finger in it!

 Blob it out onto the completely cooled cake and spread. One more tip: if you do not have an Off Set Frosting Spatula...INVEST in one!!!!

 My Family likes cold Cake. This is wonderful cold or room temp. You can of course add nuts to this recipe, bake it in a Bundt Pan or use a different Frosting.

 

Recipe:

Fresh Apple Cake w/ Brown Sugar Caramel Frosting

 

Beat in large bowl....

1 1/4 cup oil

             2 cups white sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

Add dry ingredients:

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 Teaspoon salt

1 or 2 teaspoons Cinnamon (your choice)

batter will be very thick

Add to thick batter by hand, not mixer,

3-4 peeled and diced apples of your choice. Any cooking apple, but not a Delicious, they turn to mushy when cooked.

Put in greased and floured 9x13 pan and bake 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. Check with tooth pick at 45 minutes. Let cool for 2 hours.

 

Recipe for Frosting:

1/2 cup butter...yes BUTTER!

1 cup packed Brown Sugar

1/4 cup milk...or you can use evaporated milk or even heavy cream.

Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Then transfer to an ice bath and beat with mixer until cool and spreading consistency. Spread on cooled down cake.

We eat ours cold out of the fridge.

Enjoy!!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 



Amazing Grace....Spaying a Rescue Pit Bull

Hi Fans, This is Mimi. Well morning came very fast for Gracie. We played by the Vets rules and there was nothing to eat or drink after 10:00 last night. I bet she was wondering why she was getting woke up so early and was taking a ride before her eyes were barely open. Gracie loves to ride in the Van. Grampy said "of all three Doggies we own she, would be the Best Traveling Pet".

 Grampy always gives Gracie a boost into the van and always picks her up out of the van.

 We did stop at the Potty Area of the Vet's Office to give Gracie one last pee.

 Gracie has been to the Vet's Office twice and she is always excited to get in. Some Doggies put on the brakes at the door, but not Grace. She enters the Office wagging that non stop tail and full of her Gracie Smiles!

 Even though there are other dogs & cats in the office Gracie stays pretty close to Grampy.

 Shortly Gracie's name is called and the girls take her from us. As you can see she turns around and says "Mimi & Grampy aren't you coming?" We tell her "No Grace, we can't come with you now, but Mimi promises to come and see you as soon as they let me."

 The Office Gal hands Grace over to one of the Nurses and away she goes wagging that tail (that is always a blur in the pictures) and sniffing each examining room in the hall.

I really have this sick feeling in my stomach. I really wish I could have stayed with her awhile. I do not want her to think she has lost her home, or that she did something wrong and is being punished. I really do not know how dogs think....but I do know how Mimi thinks and feels about her pets. I guess because of Gracie's past, that we know nothing about but, speculate the worst, I feel she is Fragile and a Special Needs Doggie. Please send Gracie Loving and Reassuring Vibes today ♥ Mimi

A Short Trip to the Far East

Well yes it's ME. I have been away from my Blog for awhile. I have had my mind on a few other projects for the past 3 months and be sure, I will let you in on them in the near furture. The last Blog was in March when my Sis & Niece came down for a visit to see Mom in the Nursing home. Most of their time was spent with her but we did get out a little. One afternoon Jen & ME & Madison took them into the City to a very Unique Large Grocery Store. The name is pronounced "Cow When". I think this is Chinese. We shopped for over an hour in there and could have stayed another hour if we had more time. They have everything Asian you can think of, plus alot more.

Enjoy the Tour......

(click on pictures to enlarge)

 

 The Store is huge and the building is new, modern and beautiful on the outside....but when you go in you feel like you have just made a trip to the Orient.

 The first area was packaged goodies. Madison is holding up a Giant Sesame Seed Cookie.

 and of course there was the Favorite Fortune Cookie.

 The next area was Produce. Above is Fresh Pealed Bamboo.

 Cher is holding up some kind of Big Radish.

 The next area we came to was the Meat Department. This may get a Little Hairy for some of you...but just toughen up and look! Pigs Feet...not to bad, my Mom use to make these with Cabbage, when I was a Kid. And they are good Pickled.

 How about some Cow Feet or Cow Tongue. I hope they didn't have Foot & Mouth Disease!

 How could anyone pass up Pork Hearts, Pig Snouts, or Beef Leg Tendons?

 Now this looks pretty norm...Stripped Bass and

 Crab....love the Legs ♥

 How about sharing you Favorite Recipe for Pork Uteris

I was thinking, this fall during Football Season, instead of having Buffalo Wings for the Guys, I would try Buffalo Chicken Feet!

 Nothing like a Big Pot of Duck Head Soup stewing on the stove.

 Here Madison & Jess modeled the Oriental Straw Hats. They look ready to venture out into a Rice Paddy Field.

 Along with aisles & aisles of canned and bottled and frozen items, there was a Bric & Brack Department. Statues, Lanterns, Potted Bamboo Shoots to grow and so much more.

 Here Madison is looking at a a Lucky Frog, tempting her to grab his Brass Ring for Good Luck.

 

We did end up buying some Fresh Sushi to eat in the car. ME, Jen & Madison really liked it, but Jess & Cher passed. We took them to Sonic.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is Summer and do not forget to hang your Hummingbird Feeders. Fill them with sugar water, no red food coloring. My recipe is 1 cup water and 1/4 cup white sugar.



AJ, Murphy and a Tuna Fish Sandwich

AJ comes home for lunch almost everyday. It gets kind of hard to keep a variety of things to fix him for lunch. One of his favorites is Tuna Salad Sandwich. When I was a Kid my Mom made Tuna for sandwiches. She would drain the can of Tuna "in Oil" and stir in some Mayo....that was it. Slap it on bread and there you go...a tuna sandwich. I really never cared for it as a child. When I married AJ, a hundred years ago, he wanted a Tuna Salad Sandwich. Well I made him the Tuna & Mayo. He said "nope let me show you Tuna Salad". Eggs were boiled & diced, and some Midget Sweet Gherkin Pickles were diced micro small. This was added to the Tuna & Mayo I had made. I also learned to buy Tuna in Water, not Oil, better for you. Well his Tuna Salad was Great, I loved it! Been making it that way now for a hundred years!

 

 When AJ comes home for lunch Murph is right next to him in a matter of minutes. He is so content he soon is fast asleep.

 Soon that Smeller takes over! Eyes wide open..."Is that Tuna I smell?"

"Yes Murphy, it is Tuna and I save a nibble just for you".

AJ & ME ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ our Pets!



No Pitbull Puppies for Our Amazing Grace

Hi Fans, This is Mimi talking today. Gracie is doing fine.  She just got done scaring off (by barking) the Trash Truck and the Postman is next. Well you all know Grampy & I took Grace to the Vet Monday and we were told there were no puppies. She is having a False Pregnantcy, all the signs but no pups. What may have happened is that she got bred while living on the streets, but it did not take. Her body on the other hand thought she was pregnant and the hormones kicked in. This is a hormonal condition that does happen sometimes with dogs. The picture down below was  the day we took her to the Vet for the first time. She looks PG and she felt PG, she fooled the Vet. If I would have gotten an ultra-sound it would have shown there were no puppies, but the Vet said as long as she does fine there was no need...and Gracie did fine. I fed her 9 cups of Puppy food a day. She started, after a month, in slowing down on the food and of course I thought this was because she was going to deliver the puppies, but in reality she was just not starving any more. She has gained 11 pounds of much needed weight. When the Vet said there were no puppies, her, the aide and Grampy were elated! I sat there in compleat disappointment. I had fell in love with these non-existent babies. When I heard Grace was pregnant I was heart sick and when I heard she was not pregnant I was heart sick! I had 2 groups that were going to help me find homes for the puppies, and a wonderful Fan had even given her a New Bed to birth in and contain the pups as they grew. The Vet could see my didappointment and said in a somewhat stern voice " This is the best thing for Grace and the world. If you want to play with puppies go volunteer at a shelter or the pound!" and I knew she was right. Pitbull or even part Pitbull dogs are not accepted by the majority of people. I see this with my own eyes. When I tell someone about Gracie, they are very compassionate until I say she is a Pit and I can see their mood change and usually get to hear some horror story about a Pitbull attacking someone.



 

 

 

Well our Grace is not having puppies and I am sad and I know some of you are also. But this story is about Amazing Grace and not the many pups she had in the past or the pups she is not having in her furture. Monday Grace got all her shots, will start on heart worm meds along with Jack & Marley and will be spayed on April 22. She is now eating regular Dog food just like Jack & Marley and the vet says the weight she has gained is perfect and she needs not to weigh more then the 47 pounds she weighs now. 

 

 

When we left the Vet's office Gracie was all smiles. She knew all along she was not going to have puppies, but just didn't want to tell me. She knew I would be sad, because I was having so much fun thinking about them. Again she stood right next to Grampy on the way home. She loves riding in the Van.

I hope you continue to follow Grace's story. Grampy & I have a lot of work ahead of us getting her ready to become one of our house pets. The next thing on our agenda is giving her a bath in the shower and working on house potty training her. Thank you Fans for checking in on Grace. Mimi ♥

If you want to follow Gracie's story go to

http://facebook.com/mimiandgrampyandgrace



Scentitize Square Candles Spree!

Cher and Jess made a quick trip to OK to visit Mom. The weather was dreadful just about the whole time they were here. We did get one nice Saturday and Cher, Jess, Madison, Jen and I had a nice afternoon. We all squeezed into the car and headed for OKC.

 

 We never wasted our time eating out...we ate in the car. Convenience Store Lunch! Yummy!

 Our first stop was "The Feathered Nest". This is a fun upscale Craft Mall. There are Antiques, Home Decor, Vintage and New Items, Gifts and Collectibles.

 This Mall also carries Scentitize Square Candles, Misters, Oils, Defusers, Light Bulb Lamp Warmers, Fragrance Oil Lamps, and Candle Warmers. These items are all sold by my Daughter Jen, in her booth.

 Jen goes th the Feathered Nest every week-end to restock. This week-end we took Jess and Cher. The two Gals were amazed at how many different aromas there are and the catchy names like:

Fried Green Tomatos, Homeward Bound, Pumpkin Giving, Twist & Spice, Ruby Dew Twisty, Raisin Berry, Lemonade, Casablanca Lillie, China Rose, Hya-honey and many many more!!!!

 Be prepared when you stop at Jens Booth you will be there awhile...just smelling!

 Jess and Cher had a great time smelling and trying to fiqure which smell they liked the best. Jen loaded her Aunt and Cousin up with lots of fun smellies to take home.

 

After we left The Feathered Nest we headed to another unique place!

Check Back in a few days for Part II of this Saturday outing. You will not believe your eyes!!!!

~~~~~~~~~

Don't forget to check in on our Amazing  Grace:

http://www.facebook.com/mimiandgrampyandgrace