Category:

I'm BAAAAAAACKKKK!!!!!! I brought some Eddie Rabbitt and Ronnie Milsap and Crystal Gale with me. OH! Also a Tasty Monterrey Chicken Recipe!

5/28/2014

Hi! Hi Hi!!!!!!!!

I Love Lucy. Who doesn't?

Did you miss me???

Say "Why Of Course I Did (crazy lady)"....

....even if you didn't :):)

Wonder where I've been the last
8 1/2 months???!!

Well,
II've been real busy....

with important things....

Like letting cats hang out on my head...

Noodle, Rescue Kitty Extraordinaire.

What?
YOU don't let cats hang out on your head?
Whatev!

Wait.
Is that weird?

Well, I let cats sleep in
my hoodie too...
Giblet Pearl, our 2012 Thanksgiving Day kitty...she is our, uh...plus size kitty...

What???

Having a kitty sleep in your hoodie is NOT weird. Trust me.

I googled it.

All the cat websites say it's NOT weird. So there.

Other than that though.....the last eight months....well......

it was
a looooong, gray, winter, eh?

It was the kind of winter that would test sweet Laura Ingalls Wilder's patience even.
That one stick of sugar poor Laura got for Christmas would not be near enough to sustain high spirits this past Iowa winter.

Tain't Matter!!!!!!

IT'S SPRING AND SUMMERTIME NOW!!!!

GO SUMMERTIME, IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!! GONNA PAR-TAY LIKE IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!!

I know you want this glider, I know you're just SALIVATING to get this glider. You can't have it. It's mine.

And I have a deck now to put my vintage glider on!

Of course I've been working all along, too.
Duh, of course!
SOMEBODY HAS TO MAKE A LIVING 'ROUND HERE.
Heeeeeeeee.
Does perusing decorating websites while snacking on
chips and salsa count as "w - o - r - k"???

For Pete's sake, shhhhhhh, that's our little secret, k??

Anyway, I've been hard at work detailing on cars
like these...

Top Left: 2004 Chevy Impala SS Sedan Black 125k Miles $7750
Top Right: 2008 Chevy Uplander LS 4 Dr Tan 117k Miles $7585
Middle Left: 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP Comp G Pkg Sedan Maroon 102k $7685
Middle Right: 2006 Chevy Impala LS Gray 119k Miles $7385
Bottom Left: 2000 Chevy Impala Sedan Green Metallic 110k Miles $4985
Bottom right: 2003 Pontiac Grand am SE Sedan Gold 93k Miles $5685

But I've also been
doing a crapload of laundry too...

with Baby
who loves to hang out and look for
loose change and bills in the washing machine.
Well maybe that's ME who loves to look for loose change and bills...whatev.

No. My washing machine is not dirty. Your computer screen justs needs cleaning.

LOOK!
BABY THE KITTY CAT TOTALLY SCORED THE BIG BUCKS THIS LOAD!!!!!
THAT looks
like LOTSA CASH amongst those jammies and socks!!!!

Eh....

ended up to be 6 bucks...

I've seen better.

Let's see what the next load in the washing machine brings.....

JACKPOT!!!!!!!!
ka-ching ka-ching ka-ching

YEAH!!!
Now this is what what I'm talkin' 'bout!!!!!

Fifteen
Smackeroos!!!

I can buy like 4 lbs of hamburger with this!!! Or 260 lbs.
chicken legs.

I tasked my best security officer on guarding this
Operation:
washer windfall MoneyKeep Yer hands Off, It's Mine, All Mine.

Officer Baby
got bored though....

and took to guarding

the more lucrative dishware on the dining room shelves, instead.

One of these things is not like the others. One of these things just doesn't belong....

OKAY!! OKAY!!!
I'll stop fooling around and get to posting about food now, especially this super easy, yummy dish....
Monterey Chicken

Chicken breasts
piled high with barbeque sauce, tomatoes, green onions, green chilies and BACON!

Not many fixins for all the deliciousness!

And it all starts

with these fixins!!

Now, in my 8 month absence,
my website provider thingie TOOK AWAY THE PRINT OPTION for my recipes!!
Can you believe it?
Yahoos.
Anhoo, I guess if you want to print off the recipe you will have to click on the document and follow instructions accordingly.
Uh, good luck with that one :) If neither one works, let me know by emailing me at [email protected] or comment after this post and I'll see what I can do.....
Thank you!!!!!

monterey_chicken.docx
File Size:	15 kb
File Type:	docx

Download File

Okay, first off, you need to even out those chicken breasts, so I put them between plastic wrap and pound them out.
Some people get enjoyment out of this, I just get grossed out quite frankly.

Next,
throw some aluminum foil on a baking tray.

I really wish someone would submit this picture into a contest for most boring, dumbest picture ever. It'd be the only contest I would ever win.

Okay, I'm gonna amp up the excitement a bit with the next photo.....

What?
It's more exciting than aluminum foil, yes?
Anyway, drain the tomatoes. OH!!! I've made this twice and the second time I used FIRE ROASTED diced tomatoes and those provided a bigger punch of flavor by the way!

So cook and chop up your bacon
and chop up the green onions....

Now write a love note to your BFF Bacon.....

Or you can sing the song
Love In The First Degree
to make your point about your undying love for BACON.

By the way....did you think Crystal Gayle sang that song,
"Love In The First Degree?"

That was my first guess.

Also. What was up with Crystal's hair?? I mean, it was pretty and all, but wow, there had to have been some 5 year old spaghetti sauce somewhere in there. Or Twinkie crumbs or something.

Did you know Edie died in 1998 at the age of 56 from lung cancer? Doesn't seem possible, does it?

My second guess on the artist who sang
Love In The First Degree
was Eddie Rabbitt.

Eddie Rabbitt wrote a duet for Crystal Gale actually.

He actually got his start in the business by writing for Elvis Presley and went on to write hits for Ronnie Milsap and of course for himself as a crossover artist.

Remember Ronnie Milsap, though?

Did you know Ronnie was blind????

WHAT THE WHAT??!!

I had NO IDEA!!!!

I love Smoky Mountain Rain!!
I dare you to listen to this and not hum it for the
rest of the day....HeeHee......you're welcome :)

This is Crystal and Eddie singing
Just You and I,
the song Eddie wrote for their duet.

And of course Eddie's biggest hit was the song
Every Which Way But Loose.
Watch this video, you will see a younger Clint Eastwood....
he was so handsome and likeable, eh?

Anyhoo, getting back to the yummy Monterey Chicken.....

Grab that non-stick skillet pan....

Salt and pepper up those chicken breasts....

Grill those suckers up until they are no longer pink....

Place the cooked chicken breasts on a baking sheet lined with foil.

Combine the can of diced chiles and tomatoes in a bowl...yum!! Smells awesome!

Now get everything ready to go and it goes quick from here...

See those chicken breasts?
1. Spoon some of the BBQ sauce on them.
2. Sprinkle the cheese...yum...
3. Now spoon the chile tomato mixture on.
4. And top with green onions.

Place in oven and bake until cheese melts (5-10 minutes)...
well, okay, if you INSIST!

Hello Lovely
Monterey Chicken!
Where have you been all my life?

C'mere!

I want to EAT YOU!!!!

Okay,
so this is a
super simple,
easy,
weeknight meal.

It's not gonna knock the socks off famous chefs from famous restaurants...

But this dish will satisfy hungry husbands, wives, kiddos, kiddos' friends, relatives, friends, and anyone else who may show up for dinner.....

Okay, so that's all I got for now.....first post in eight months and the best I can do is Crystal Gale and Monterey Chicken.
Yee Haw!

Hey wait.....
Tim's coming down the road.....

And he wants to say Hellloooooooooooooooo!!!!
Helllloooooooooo, Tim!!

Okay, now that all that excitement is out of the way,

I will bid you adieu for a bit until I can get my brain focused on the next blog post (which may be vegan....)....I KNOW!! VEGAN!

So until next time my good friends, eat well and well....SAVE SOME FOR ME!!!! :):)

Have a great week!!!

Talk at ya soon!!

So They Make These Receptacle Things To Help With Crappy, Messy Laundry Rooms Called BASKETS! Also Baaaad Food Pictures, Cute Babies And The Big Finish Of Hot Dogs!

9/9/2013

Floppy Magoo Recipe #1:
Does this look yummy to you?

It doesn't, does it??!!

This was supposed to be Apple Crisp.

It was more like
Apple Flop.

Apparently the "topping" was supposed to be a "crumble" not a smear of goopiness.

And apparently this was supposed to have "flavor" too.

Floppy Magoo Recipe #2: This Squash Bread Stuffing was more like Let's-Dry-Out-Your-Mouth-And-Dehydrate-Your-Whole-Body-By-Sticking-A-Bunch-Of-Bread-In-There-With-A-Tiny-Bit-of-Vegetable-And-Bacon-And-Call-It-A-Stuffing Dish.
I felt like I was in the Sahara Desert.
Waaaaterrrrr, I neeed waaattteeeerrr.

Floppy Magoo Recipe #3:
Chicken on Nachos.
So I was TRYING to make something
original.
Something that no one has ever made BEFORE - ever in all the culinary history of the world.

Shut up!!!!

I SWEAR on a stack of Grandma's Better Homes and Gardens cookbooks that the crap laying on those chips is real food!!!
F.
O.
O.
D.
Food!!!

Not poo!!
Food!!!!
It was supposed to be Chicken Nachos.

Tim wouldn't eat it.

He's a snob.

Floppy Magoo #4: Could someone come over and clean my kitchen?

What about my kitchen from a week ago?

WHY CAN'T I KEEP A CLEAN KITCHEN??!!?
And why does my mother-in-law leave her empty wine bottles on my counter all the time??!!??!!

Heeeeeeeee. I'm just teasing.

Those aren't my mother-in-law's.

Those are my mom's!!

Dear Ma,

Please Do Not take me out of the will. I was kidding for Pete's sake!! It's pretend, it's a blog, I LIE sometimes!

Love,
your favorite daughter Angie

Hey LOOK!!! My laundry room is a little clean though!!!!

GO ANGIE, IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY, GONNA PARTY. LIKE IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY. Re-looking at this picture again, I know it looks messy but BELIEVE ME, this is CLEAN! For me.

I discovered "receptacles" y'all!!

The fancy word for them is "BASKETS!!!"
They are helpful in corralling laundry!!

Still partying, like it's my birthday, keep partying, even though it's not my birthday!

And one month after discovering receptacles, how is the laundry room looking,
you ask??!!

GO ANGIE, IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY, GONNA PARTY, oh I'll shut up now.

YAY!!!!
Still clean!!!!

Kind of.

Cloooose enough!!!

Completely random photo of
birds on a wire in the yard a month ago!

Floppy Magoo #5:

*shaking head*

I have no explanation.
Move along now.

*shaking head*

Floppy Magoo #6: These combo potatoes didn't look too bad before going in the hot oven, did they?

Well, we didn't eat them. They came out limpy-magoo and flavorless. Even the cats wouldn't try one. They sniffed and walked away.

Completely.

Utterly.

Serious.

Human mom crayzee. She can kiss our smelly feeeet.

Okay, let's move on to more
deeelish things....

Our beautiful, soulful niece Annabelle and her family came over for dinner one night this summer!

Annabelle &
Little Boy Blue played
and played
and played!

And Annabelle's parents brought a bee-utiful baby boy with them...our new baby nephew Graham!!

This yittle chunky baby was not even two months old!

That is one well fed yittle tiny baby boy!!!
Look at those chunkmeister legs!

However...
Little Boy Blue
was intrigued by this new baby boy his Grandpa was holding and talking to...

yet confused why HE wasn't the recipient of the holding and cooing.

So everybody
practiced the art of compromise.

Oh my gosh, don't even get me started on our two new baby nieces who are one month apart!!!
They look like yittle tiny burritos I love them so!

Baby Niece Kathlynn is six weeks old here....and Baby Niece Matti is two weeks old!!! Oh my gosh, Ima eat those two babies up they're so darn yummy!!!
And the kicker is Tim and I got to snuggle all three brand new nieces and nephew within a few months of each other! Blessed is what we feel!

So I'm going through my roll of pictures and I
spy this picture....
Now why would I take a picture of my dirty work shoes and dirty work shorts at the end of the day with that super lovely birthmark on my leg?

Well, the next picture told the story.

No it didn't! It didn't tell the story!!
These pictures were taken FIVE WEEKS AGO! Heck, I can't remember what I ate for breakfast much less why on earth would I photograph dirty clothes?

The only thing I can think of is to prove that I work hard.
Really? Why would I think dirty clothes prove that?
My cats go outside CLEAN every morning and roll in the gravel and dirt for hours. Does THAT prove that they are hard workers? On the contrary. They're lazy, spoiled felines who do things like roll in the dirt and gravel for hours. For fun. Just Because.

Clearly there's no closure to THAT conundrum so let's keep moving on...

It's very important
what I want to show you next....

Orange
and
yellow handled silverware!!!
Picked these up at auction. They forced me to bid on them. Cause they're awesome.

Also I wanted to show you the
summer kitchen.
We use it as an outdoor sitting room/office.

See that Radio Flyer wagon by the door,
in the left hand corner up there....

...It cost like
30 million dollars!!!

Seriously, have you priced wagons lately??

When did little red wagons get so expensive?

Back in my day, you could buy them for a nickel and stick of sugar I'm pretty sure.

So this is the ceiling of the summer kitchen.

I have a few vintage frames just hanging around up there.

And on the floor is this handmade,
all weather, turtle rug...it came from a Florida flea market.

Washes and wears great! Perfect for a summer kitchen.

I'll tell ya what I like A LOT is this set of rattan nesting tables.

Cute AND functional.

Picked up this set for $25 at a used store this summer, what a steal!

Now this is a 1940/50s metal outside set that I had purchased several years ago. There is a chair too.

I still have the original floral plastic cushions but traded those out for these more comfy ones.

This is a set of 4 cottage prints that look better in person than this picture shows.

Okay, since all these fantastic pictures and text were just sooooo exciting today,
I feel I must end this post with a bang!

Did you know you can put hot dogs in the crockpot!!!
True dat!

It's so much better and easier than cooking 56 hot dogs over a hot grill while everyone else is having fun!

Worked perfectly by the way!!
Throw them in on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours.
They get all nice and warm and taste like the dogs you get at the ballpark! The outside ones even get some lines on them. Yum!
Crap. Now I'm hungry.

Thanks for humoring me guys!
Oh! I did make some beef fajitas that were absolutely fantastic so I'll be sharing that recipe next time.

Stay cool and we'll
talk at ya soon!!

Super Boring Randomness On A Cold Snowy Day

1/30/2013

Oh my goodness,
you know this post is going to be a snoozefest when the first picture is the inside of Angie's washing machine!

But look in there!

That's a $10 bill there
AND
another bill!!!

I got excited...it could be like two $10 bills, that's like TWENTY bucks total!!

Twenty bucks! Twenty free dollars!
The world is at your fingertip with 20
FREE
dollars!!
Happiness is just around the corner.
All wrongs suddenly become righted.
and YES MONEY DOES BUY HAPPINESS EVEN IF IT'S ONLY TWENTY DOLLARS!

WHAT THE WHAT????

$11???

What kind of crap is that?

Somehow
that $9 difference is a big deal.
It's the difference between me buying that really cute pillow I've been eyeballing and not buying that really cute pillow I've been eyeballing.

Eleven bucks.

Eleven bucks buys me a gallon of milk, two dozen eggs and a bag of cat litter.

Oh,

and dashed dreams.

Oh well,

at least I have cute blue~and~white napkins.

Seriously? You wake me up and no treats are involved? Gibby not happy.

And a cute
Thanksgiving Day kitty
named
Giblet Pearl
who is a little annoyed I woke her up with the
clicking camera.

Hey, I'm curious.
Do you ever get out the broom just so the kitty in the house can be temporarily entertained?

No?

Well, I don't either.

I just got those pictures up there off internet.

Do you think my fridge needs more stuff
on it?
Is it looking a little bare?

Gibby
is caught red-handed.....

...being naughty.

I love how Vinny in back there
is just sitting like,

"Dude. You are gonna be in so.
much.
trouble!"

I love chunky, colorful glass.

Like this Blenko glass vase.

See that nice sheen on it?

That's called kitchen grease.

I'd like to get serious here for a minute if you will allow me.

I was just kidding about the getting serious thing.
Isn't this 70's vintage Bob's Big Boy cute??

He's a bank!

Maybe that's where I'll hide that windfall from the washing machine this morning.

And how about this vintage 1970's
Curad boy??

Now, how cute is he???

The back of his head is a bank too.

This is in my kitchen.

Because baseball collectibles should naturally be in a kitchen, yes?

See how I keep that girly vase up there though? Hehehe

Now this thing is a vintage 60's popcorn megaphone.

Spectators purchased these at pro baseball games and they held popcorn.

After one was done snarfing the popcorn, you punched out the bottom and it became a megaphone so you could yell at the players.

Below the baseball shelf in the kitchen, sits the all mighty communication board.

I think we're a little late on that Chicken Dinner at St. Patrick's Church from 1960.

See the top right hand corner of this board?

Therein is a turn-of-the-century picture of a lady and her bicycle.
Love it!

Here's the picture,

out of Cedar Rapids.

Man, those ladies were heavily garmented back then,
weren't they?

For those of you new to this blog...garmented is a word...in the Pretend Word Dictionary. Look it up.

Next to the top secret communication board are two pictures of old houses.

The top house is a pencil drawing from the early 1900's,

the bottom is an old photograph maybe circa 1920's.

I love pictures of old houses
and old people
and old cars
and old Christmas stuff and...
well, you get the drift.

OH!
I know what I was going to show you!!

See this? Isn't it cool?
I bought it at an antique shop in Hermann, Mo.
It's a handmade boat dock on driftwood.

Look at the detail of the boat dock...

And the detail of the pelican...

Well,
see Vinny here?

Vinny ATE THE HEAD OFF THE PELICAN LAST NIGHT.
WHO EATS THE HEAD OFF A PELICAN FOR PETE'S SAKE??!

Well, I glued the pelican head back on and it's safe for now.

As another nod to my nautical collection,

here's an advertising thermometer in the shape of a captain's wheel.

OH!

Here's a vintage shell lamp in my kitchen I wanted to show you.

And look at these two adorable vintage birds.

Tweet.
Tweet.

Guess what I found in my barn?

This cool vintage
Iowa plate!

Interesting, hmmm.
1. A field of ripened corn.
2. Where the Indians roamed.
3. Corn fed pork.
4. Ready for market.
5. The capital.

As we all know, Iowa is so much more than, uh, "Ready for market."

Okay, now see this recipe box?
It's from Tim's family.

This recipe says
Rice Salad.

Soft Chocolate Frosting...yum!!

Coconut Cake...oh my!

Yummy
Hunk Pickles!

Hot Milk Cake...what??
I'll take TWO please!

I like chunky, texture-y things like this memory ware vase that I've had for years....

And this shell vase thing...with wings apparently.

This art piece and throw are texture-y and chunky...

And this artwork is full of texture...I love this picture.
I paid $7 for it at a consignment shop.

And who doesn't love chunky beef stew as in
Beef Stew with Paprika and Beer?

Except I won't be sharing this recipe cuz it was just meh. Okay. All right. Nothing to groove on. Typical. Not out of the ordinary.
Done or raw,
fills the craw.
Type of thing.

Should have tasted more interesting with all these ingredients though,
don't ya think?

Well, I better get back to work now.
The electricity has been going on and off all morning due to this heavy wet snow and ice storm.

This picture does not describe the miserableness of the snow out there...it is snowing and blowing terribly...I can't even see my neighbors' houses.
And apparently my spatial meter is off because I reported to Tim this morning that there were no drifts in the driveway.

Tim informed me that the snow there was 3 feet deep and I may want to reconsider my definition of snow drift.

Okay, this was taken out my front door right now at 1:10pm.

Yowza!

Okay guys, thanks for humoring me with this ridiculously boring post!
Have a good Wednesday....stay safe if you're in a
stormy area!!!
Talk at ya soon!!

OH HELLO!!!! A Guest Post From Kitty-Cat

11/27/2012

Hi There!!!!
My name is Kitty-Cat.

Peek a boo. I'm heeeeerrrre!

I'm new here in the family.....that's why I don't have a formal name yet...I just got here Thanksgiving day...

...but I've already noticed a few things.

#1....My Momma don't like to fold laundry.

Ever.

See that pile on the left hand side there on the floor? Clean.
And on the dryer? Clean.

Hey jerk, give me three cat treats if you want to enter. The good treats, not the crappy cheap ones.

Also, I've noticed my brother Vinny is the laundry room landlord.
Or acts like it anyway.

He likes to sleep on the clean laundry too.

Makes ya wanna eat at my momma's house, doesn't it?

You mess with my routine, I give you death stare too.

I don't mess too much with Vinny though, cuz he can give you the
death stare.

Like this.

All I did was jump out of my new parent's arms into the living room for the first time and Vinny hissed and ran onto the stairs and stayed there all night.

Staring.

And staring more.

And then he just kept staring.

For the WHOLE night.

Momma should come into the laundry room more often though, you know, to fold clothes and such.

When she does come in,

it's because she's putting nice smelling candle stuff in her warmer she bought from her sister JoJo who sells Scentsy.

OH! I met my Aunt JoJo on Thanksgiving. She's nice.

What you mean I'm "full-figured?"

Aunt JoJo's doggie Bella is nice too.
Bella gives my momma many wet,
slobbery kisses.

Bella's sister, Princess Hemi, looks just like Bella.

Princess Hemi must have been eating when this picture was taken. Both doggies are super-spoiled, and very "well-fed" gals.

#2 Thing I've noticed....my Momma takes boring pictures and thinks EVERYONE should like them....

Case in point,

I saw her tear outside this morning in her pajamas to get this picture of the sunrise.

Kinda too bad about the Hawks this year, huh Dad?

I find those kinds of things terribly boring.

I'd rather be watching football with my new dad than looking at yet another scenic picture.

Maybe my momma ought to tear outside in the DAYLIGHT and do something about her "Fall" arrangement when it's almost December.

#3 Thing about my Momma I've noticed...she loves to cook and follows recipes exactly and sometimes a dish comes out okay like these savory carrots and chipotle sweet potato casserole....

Don't even get me started.

And sometimes her dishes come out so disgusting like this one two weeks ago, that she can't even swallow one bite of the crap and has to throw the whole thing out AND WORSE, wash the pot which definitely does not make her happy.

#4 Thing....my Momma LOVES, LOVES, LOVES cheesecake! Loves it!

I haven't seen her make cheesecake yet but she also loves a good sale, clearly, and stocked up on the Philly Cream Cheese.

I'm thinking a cheesecake is in her future.

Also my momma wants ya'll to know that that is NOT a can of dog food in the refrigerator. It's refried beans. She would never store dog food on top of people food....geez.

#5 Thing....my Momma lies sometimes on this blog.

#6 Thing I've noticed about my Momma is that she has been very busy lately with stuff like these boxes.

I wish she would keep the lids off these boxes more so I can sleep in them.

Cuz right now I sleep on places like the inside of momma's coat while she's at the computer.

Climbing on my momma's head is so exhausting.

Last Thing I've noticed about my Momma...she likes to put cars for sale online like these....

2002
Pontiac
Grand Prix GT...

2004
Pontiac
Grand Am GT...

She LOVES this 'like new'
2003 Buick
Century Custom
with 127k miles...

And then last night I tried to stop her from posting this
2000
Pontiac
Grand Prix GT
by repeatedly doing flying leaps onto her sweater with my claws out, but it didn't work. She posted it instead of playing with me.

So I waited patiently for my momma to get done with her work so she could give her undivided attention to me.

And she did.
Eventually.

Swear to God my mom has all her teeth, she is not missing one like how it looks.

Yeah,

I like my new home pretty good. I'll keep my new mom and dad happy and be their loveable kitty cat for the next 20 years I guess.

I suspect you'll be seeing a lot more of me :)

Let's see how many times I can put my bottom in mom's face before she gives me to dad.

In fact I gotta get back to crawling on my momma,
she looks like she's missing me.

So, we'll see ya next time!!

Momma says she'll talk at ya soon too!

Have a good Tuesday night!!!

Just A Quick Cat One Here And Then On To Show And Tell

6/7/2012

I'm an early riser.
I typically wake up happy.

Credit: malariaworld.com

I do my best work between 5-7am every morning.
I'm clear headed, creative, productive and like to get a lot of work done during those two hours.

The cats, however, have other ideas for me...

Here we are now. Entertain us.

*Sigh*
This is 18 year old Holyfield who is always the first to jump on my work table, before the coffee's even done brewing.
We play a game every morning for 25 minutes where Holyfield tries to lay on the keyboard of the laptop and I push him away. He then tries to lay on the keyboard of the laptop. I push him away. Again the keyboard. Again pushed away. And again. And again. And again. Over and over.
Holyfield calls it "getting petted and loved on".
Angie calls it "pushing the cat away from the keyboard."

And Vinny here insists on being wherever my camera is.
All.
The.
Time.
This is no
exaggeration.

Told
ya.

Vinny's brother Pepper, enjoys attention too.

But what Pepper enjoys more is...

...corralling his brother Vinny every single morning and leading a loud, raucous meowing chorus of
FEED US OUR TREATS YOU OLD LADY!!!
NOW!!
MEOW!!!

Now I know you think I must be embellishing about these annoying cats in the morning...
magnifying the reality.
But Ima tell you,
THEY JUST WON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!

Case in point!!!!!
You didn't believe me, did you?

And then after repeating the following;
five hundred times every morning...
"Get off your brother!!!"
"Get off Holyfield!!!"
"Get off my keyboard!!!"
"Get off the kitchen counter!!!"
"Stay out of the oatmeal!!!"
"Stop biting my feet!!!"
"You've had enough treats; no more!!!"
"Stop eating Holyfield's treats!!!"
"Leave the dog food alone!!!"
"Leave the dog alone!!!"
"Are you in or out? I'm tired of this Grand Central Station stuff!!!"
"Leave the ##@*&% mouse outside, that's disgusting!!!"
They finally settle down and I get some peace and quiet.

Right about 7am,

when my clear headed, productive, creative mojo is waning.

zazzle.com

But, they're all keepers. Especially Holyfield.

Who you will see has assisted me in presenting the following
Show And Tell items we picked up on a weekender in Stillwater, MN.

Let's start with this small stained glass cross we picked up at a really quirky bead and gift shop.
$20.
Not bad eh?

The craftsmanship is beautiful, the gold detailing in the corners is not visible in this picture.

Tim bought this and I almost fell on the floor cuz he NEVER spends money, well other than a pop and an occasional cigar.

This is that fun and quirky bead shop where we bought the cross.

Love it!

Moving on, this is my absolutely favorite tickle-me-pink thing I bought on the trip.

A super cute red and white french fry basket.

Ca-ute!!!

Look at that cute plastic-y basket weaving!
Don't ya just want to fry up some fries, throw them in there, slather them with salt and ketchup and GO TO TOWN??!!!

Don't ya??!!
Yes??!!

Actually, I bought this basket at an antique mall in a cute town called Cannon Falls, right outside Stillwater. This mall was a bit pricey.
However......this basket was just one buck!!! One buck!!! Doing a dollar dance here, lalalalallalala, dolardollardollardollardollar. *head spinning round*

Know what else I bought there?

This big plasticy spoon rest.

It's like a foot long.
As in inches, not sandwiches.

See, it says Betty Crocker on it!! How cool is that??

That sticky stuff above Betty there is the remnants of the sticky price tag.

Guess how much I paid for this.
It was more than a buck.

Five bucks.

Not too bad eh?

Not only is this spoon rest functional but it doesn't break the Bank-O-Angie.

Q: Hey, could my background display tablecloth be any wrinklier???!!

A: No.

Oh don't even get me started on these appetizer plates!

You know how I loves me the dishes!!!

We bought these at a store named appropriately enough "The Dining Room Shop" or something like that.

The label on the front tells you they are appetizer plates for the top of your glass.

The plates are safe to place on the top of glasses because of this foam thing on the bottom.

Myself, I just love the colors in these plates.

So soothing.

I even used them already for the Pizza Stuffed Mushrooms.

OH!

At this antique shop I paid a buck for the following item....

Gulf Oil paraffin wax!!!

Now I collect oil and gas related stuff but I never thought I would see Gulf Oil on a paraffin wax box!

Hilarious!

Aren't the colors great though!

And here's the instructions on the back.

Love it!

Again, only paid a buck.

Now we went to this antique shop...it was humongous, never-ending, super busy, full of life, and fun!!!

It had three floors!!

The third floor was nothing but furniture. Furniture everywhere!!!

Hundreds and hundreds of pieces, big and small.
It was kind of creepy and gothic up there.

All I bought was a $2.99 vintage Christmas bulb though.

Yes, I paid $2.99 for this tackmeister, tackthousand, tackiest-ever bulb.

I know you want it.
You can't have it.
It's mine.

I saw it first.

Okay, last thing to show you...Tim picked this up...again, oddly hilarious.

Readylite Emergency Battery Candles.

Candles that look like batteries.

And size "D" batteries to boot according to the box.

Crazy!!!

And they really are candles.

This is the side of the box.

And the back with the candle instructions...
remove paper before lighting.

Um, okay.

So, that was the extent of our shopping excursion,
that didn't include food anyway. :)

Hope everyone has a good Thursday!!!
This IS Thursday, isn't it?
Yes. Yes, it is. Just looked at the calender.
It's Tim's Dad's birthday!...Happy Birthday Richard! Don't party too much today, cuz you know, no one's gonna come bail you outta jail :)

Have a good one guys,
talk at ya soon!

Scooby Doo and Mindy Too

5/20/2012

picgifs.com

Scooby Doo says,

"Rood Runday Rafternoon!"

Mindy Peaches says....

"Ditto!"

Here,
sit a spell on this here bench in the shade.

If you don't mind, I'd like to talk about
Mindy Peaches.

Mindy Peaches is
9 years old
and she is blind.

She went blind at the age of 7.

You can read about it here.

You can't tell right away that Mindy's blind.

She's a Beagle though.
A Beagle's life is their nose
and they are constantly sniff, sniff, sniffing, nose to the ground.

Constantly.

Mindy used to be on a real long chain where she could roam the driveway,
shop,
barn
and partially into a cornfield.

Here, she's burying one of her chew toys by Tim's shop.

But then she would also do this.

And dat not good.

Dat gets doggie kerplunked.

And we did not want our Mindy to get kerplunked.
So,

What to do? What to do? What to do?

Well,

we built a nice picket fence around the yard so Mindy could be safe and never have a near miss with a car again.

And then we kept building fence

and building fence...

Until she had an acre and a half to frolic in, out of harm's way.

We even left a 10 foot buffer strip around the property full of tall grasses and weeds....

so that she can feel like she's in
The Great Beagle Wild.

Roar.
I mean woof.

And we started a large brush pile
so that little critters can hibernate in there....

and all those little critter smells would gives hours of sniffing enjoyment to a nose sniffing Beagle.

There's plenty of shade to run around in...

And sun

to roll in.

When Mindy gets bored being in the field,

which is often,

she can freely meander up to the house and yard.

And she stays safe here because of this sign on the front gate.

If she doesn't want to come in the house or hang in the yard, she can freely snooze away in the summer kitchen.

But most of the time,
all Mindy Peaches wants
is to break free of the expensive (for us)
acre and a half playground.

And beg to be on the chain so she can go stare longingly at freedom.

And ponder ways to break free.

Silly doggie.

Well, thanks for listening to

Mindy's Playground Story!!!

In closing, Ima show you a random peony picture.

Okay kiddos, hope everyone had a great weekend!!!!
Have a nice evening...talk at ya soon!!!

Two Cats For Sale...JUST KIDDING!!!! Geeez...

12/6/2011

Two Cats For Sale!

We don't find Mom's humor amusing.

JUST KIDDING. Geez.....

I'll pay you to take them!

Okay, so our two twin cats Vincenzo and Pepperoncini

aka Vinny and Pepper
aka The Twins
aka Frick and Frack
aka the Two Little (insert words of choice here)
aka The Ornery Devils
aka Two Cats For Sale

came to us two years ago in December 2009 at
3 months old.
Two sweet little rescue kitties.

Well, other than Pepper's constant hissing (left) for a week straight, they were total adorable!

Oh, they were adorable!

See the two of them under the tabletop tree the first day we got them?

Cute!

When I say cute, I mean 100%, no denying it, completely, utterly, truthfully adorably cute!

Look at them! Just look!! Don't ya just want to pet the sweet yittle kitties?!?!

They were fun and curious and played and wrestled and explored fun places together
all the time...

They found cozy spots to rest together....

And they tried to be big boys and hang out with their pet siblings...

We cute. We sweet. We gonna change though.

Can you say,

"So Cute You Just Want To Eat Them All Up!"

Christmas 2010, one-year-olds.

Well,

one day

they got

BIG.

And started destroying things...

What? What'd we do? We were just walking by the curtains and they just happened to fall down.

This picture was taken within seconds after the dining room drapes and rod had fallen down from an apparent
kitten curtain climbing contest.

Naughty kitties!!!

Just waiting for mom to put up all her Christmas crap so I have new things to play with.

And then last night in the middle of the night, we hear a big crash. Yup, one of my new cool drinking glasses lay shattered on the kitchen floor with Vinny dazed in the middle of the broken glass.

And then this morning, I wake up to find Vinny laying on a towel on top of a basket.
Which is fine.

Except right under that towel is a delicate

TWENTY DOLLAR BIRD ORNAMENT!!!!!!!

TWENTY DOLLARS! Did I happen to mention I paid TWENTY DOLLARS for that bird ornament?

TWENTY DOLLARS!!!
I've never spent more than a few bucks on an ornament but I spent TWENTY DOLLARS ON THAT ORNAMENT!!! Twenty dollars!!
AND HE WAS LAYING DIRECTLY ON TOP OF IT!

*sigh* Thank goodness it didn't break.

I should be paid for this hard job of keeping the house safe from mouses.

And then at that same moment I hear Pepper making weird noises under the dining room table.
I look under the table and see Pepper playing
WITH A REAL DEAD MOUSE!

You see that mouse over to the right of his face on the rug? See it?!?! Arrrgghhh!
*Cue to Angie's heebie jeebie dance, arms flailing, the whole enchilada*

Well, I suppose at least he was doing his job.

And these are just a couple examples of their naughtiness. They are naughty every day.
If they're not terrorizing the other pets literally, they are flying like squirrels onto your back, your bottom or your legs as you walk by their domain or they're shredding paperwork, paper towels, newspaper or each other.

And see those two gorgeous aqua Italy vases against the wall on the old console stereo?
I only paid $1 for those vases at auction but they are old and they are beautiful and full of texture.

Mr. Italy vase, you completed me.

Well,
one of those vases has a LOT MORE TEXTURE to it as of last week.

*Angie is now taking a moment to wipe the mist from her eyes*

Now do you see why we call these two

monsters Two Cats For Sale?

Okay, seriously, in the end, of course we really do love
our two little Titans Of Terror...

Because they are so darn cute and keep us company when we walk our blind doggie Mindy Peaches in the open field.

Yup, we picked the right home two years ago, didn't we bro?

And because they make us laugh by

STILL trying to fit their fat two-year-old bodies in the same napping spaces.

Best friends forever.

But you may want to check with me in about a week or so, when all the Christmas trees are up.

I have a feeling things might change.

JUST KIDDING!!!!! Geez...... Of COURSE I wouldn't sell my kitties. Duh! Crap, I'm not a mean old witch you know. Geeez...

Wait,
how much did you say you'd pay?

KIDDING!!!

Have a great Tuesday everyone!!!

A Tale Of Two Minestrones And A Bulldog

10/11/2011

A Tale Of Two Minestrones And A Bulldog

Once upon a time a nice (questionable) lady (questionable again) named Angie made two Minestrones. One Minestrone was by Rachael Ray. And the other Minestrone was by Giada De Laurentiis.

While making the Minestrones, Angie wondered how Giada stays so skinny after making all that delicious food that she whips up on her cooking show.

Photo from CookingLight.com

Angie also pondered how much money does Rachael Ray REALLY need to make in a lifetime?

Photo from Babble.com

But Angie digressed and eventually got back to the work at hand....the two Minestrones.

Both Minestrone recipes were similar, yet each was very different.

Angie took pictures of all her hard work on these two Minestrone recipes over the course of two nights. She was so proud of herself; she had documented two soup recipes and would share it with the world!!!!!!

And then one day Angie went to share both Minestrone recipes with the world.

It was then that Angie came to the full realization that she has mashed potatoes for brains.

Angie had accidently deleted Giada's Minestrone recipe pictures. all forty of them.

She shook her fist and shouted, "WHY, WHY?"

But she knew why.

Because she has mashed potatoes for brains.

But like most strong heroines, Angie picked herself up off
the linoleum floor,

told the cats and dog to quit staring at her,

dusted off her apron

and proceeded to make a Veggie Minestrone recipe instead to share with the world.

But first we have Rachael Ray's Mighty Minestrone Soup recipe!

Don't let the list of ingredients scare you off this recipe.

It is really quite easy and quick to make, full of hearty flavor and exceedingly healthy!

Look at that yummy pancetta!

I didn't know exactly what pancetta was, so I went to the deli at my grocery and they sliced 1/4 lb. off for me. I assume it comes packaged too, not sure.

OhOhOh, click on this for the link to Rachael Ray's _Mighty Minestrone recipe!!!!

And thus begins the sauteeing of the pancetta and the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery. Cook all until the vegetables are softened.
By the way, the pancetta aroma with the veggies is fantabulous!

Add the beans, chickpeas, herbs, tomatoes, stock and water to the pot and bring to a bubble. Add the kale or chard and cook until wilted...

Add the pasta and boil the soup until the pasta has cooked al dente.

Remove the soup from the heat and allow to cool about five minutes.

Serve with plenty of grated cheese at the table and some crusty bread for mopping.

This Mighty Minestrone soup is fantastic! The chickpeas bring a wonderful element of flavor as well as texture.
The kale or chard (I've used both) brings a lovely element to this dish as well.

Now onto the Veggie Minestrone!!!

Oh. My. Goodness!

This Veggie Minestrone is so healthy and truly one of the easiest soups ever to make!!

And this is the link to Uncle Bill's Vegetarian Minestrone Soup Recipe, click here.

We start with sauteeing the onion.

And move onto adding the stock, zucchini, carrots, beans, celery, tomatoes and spices.

This is starting to look DELISH!

Let simmer on medium-low for 25 minutes.

Can you even believe how easy this is?

OH! Look who came to visit!!!
My niece dog Princess Hemi!!

Hi Princess!!!
Auntie Angie loves you Princess!!!!

(Princess is what we would call,
um, full-figured.)

Princess Hemi, stay still, so I can take your picture pu-leeeze!

Okay Hemi, Penelope is not afraid of you so you can stop trying to scare the cat!

Clearly, it's not working. You're too adorable and sweet and cuddly-snooky to scare anyone!!!

What?

You don't like to be called sweet and adorable and cuddly-snooky?

Hemi, don't leave!!!
I'm sorry I called you sweet and adorable and cuddly-snooky!!!

I promise I won't do that anymore. STOP!

You are a regal dog! Yes, you are so mean, grrrrrrrrrrrr!!

I'm scared of your mean bulldogly cuddly-adorableness, oh sorry Hemi, come back!

Come back you scary mean-scary-growly dog you; there's Veggie Minestrone to eat! Come back Princess!
I'm soooorrryy!

Well after all that activity, I plate up a big bowl of
Veggie Minestrone.

And I share this tasty Veggie Minestrone with two turkeys.

Gobble gobble.

And so the evening ends with our heroine eating a super quick, super healthy version of Veggie Minestrone and making certain not to delete the pictures she took of the process.

And Angie was happy once again.

The End.

Our Beagle Is Blind

7/25/2011

Did those dang cats take off with my chew toy again?

Mindy Peaches is our Beagle and she is blind.

She went blind two years ago at the age of seven. It happened gradually over a period of 5-7 days and we never picked up on it. Apparently that is very normal, especially with Beagles, because they sniff their way through life and compensate this way for the diminishing sight. Her blindness is permanent; she can not distinguish light from dark.

We were devastated when we found this out. We felt like bad pet parents that we couldn't pick this up about our dog, that she was going blind. There were signs, but it was gradual over days...running into the cupboard, not directly seeing a treat in front of her. Other than that, Mindy went for walks, ran in the open field and played with her pet brother Carter (Carter was a 12 year old Beagle at the time). She had even been to the groomer but the visit was within the first two days of diminishing eyesight and not noticeable. My in-laws were over, the kids had stopped by, customers were here and petted her, NO ONE NOTICED. Business as usual.

The morning I figured out Mindy Peaches could not see, I took her to the vet and was referred to the specialist in Cedar Rapids. We immediately went to the specialist and there the news was delivered; Mindy had SARDS (Sudden Acquired Retinal Disease).

SARDS is permanent blindness. There are 4000 cases diagnosed every year in dogs. It affects all breeds but more often in females starting at about the age seven. Mindy is female and she was seven years old. There is no known cause for it and the vet field is divided on possibilities, the general consensus does seem to lean toward an auto-immune disorder. Some dogs with SARDS can see light, others can't. Mindy can't.

The specialist and his assistant were full of information about this disease. They assured us that it is the norm for pet owners not to notice signs of SARDS, as it is gradual over 7-10 days and then one day the sight is gone. Most importantly, they emphasized that non-seeing dogs live the exact same life expectancy as seeing dogs. They also said most breeds of dogs handle blindness just fine and compensate in other ways. Beagles have an advantage because they have such strong smelling senses.

Mindy's life hasn't changed since she went blind two years ago. She still wags her tail when new people come in, still steals food when you're not looking, still runs in the open field. Only now the field is fenced in, 1.5 acres, with a sign at the gate that reads:

I ask you, does this look like a dog who is sad because she is blind?

I not sad as long as it's not 20 below zero with 10 feet of snow

Mindy gets to run free in the open field during the day...

She gets to explore in the evenings if she wants....

When she acts bored, I will put her on the chain and she gets to roam the rest of the property......always checking out Tim's shop first...

Get out of my way cat, I got lots of exploring to do before mom brings me in.

And then onto her old hiding place for years worth of bones...

Hahaha, my bones are still there, safely preserved under two inches of dirt and mulch

And then at the end of the day, she gets some snuggle time, whether she likes it...

See, life isn't so bad when you're blind. I wish he'd wake up and give me a treat though.

Or not...

Seriously dudes, I wish you'd go away.

For an update on Mindy in May 2012,
click here.

I'm BAAAAAAACKKKK!!!!!! I brought some Eddie Rabbitt and Ronnie Milsap and Crystal Gale with me. OH! Also a Tasty Monterrey Chicken Recipe!

Tain't Matter!!!!!!

IT'S SPRING AND SUMMERTIME NOW!!!!

GO SUMMERTIME, IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!! GONNA PAR-TAY LIKE IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!!

Place in oven and bake until cheese melts (5-10 minutes)...
well, okay, if you INSIST!

Hello Lovely
Monterey Chicken!
Where have you been all my life?

So They Make These Receptacle Things To Help With Crappy, Messy Laundry Rooms Called BASKETS! Also Baaaad Food Pictures, Cute Babies And The Big Finish Of Hot Dogs!

Super Boring Randomness On A Cold Snowy Day

OH HELLO!!!! A Guest Post From Kitty-Cat

Just A Quick Cat One Here And Then On To Show And Tell

Scooby Doo and Mindy Too

Two Cats For Sale...JUST KIDDING!!!! Geeez...

A Tale Of Two Minestrones And A Bulldog

Our Beagle Is Blind

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Tain't Matter!!!!!!IT'S ﻿﻿SPRING﻿ ﻿AND ﻿SUMMERTIME﻿ NOW!!!!

﻿﻿GO SUMMERTIME, ﻿IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!! GONNA PAR-TAY LIKE IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!!﻿

﻿﻿﻿Place in oven and bake until cheese melts (5-10 minutes)...well, okay, if you INSIST!﻿﻿﻿Hello Lovely Monterey Chicken! ﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿Where have you been all my life?﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿

Author

Categories

Archives

Tain't Matter!!!!!!

IT'S SPRING AND SUMMERTIME NOW!!!!

GO SUMMERTIME, IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!! GONNA PAR-TAY LIKE IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!!

Place in oven and bake until cheese melts (5-10 minutes)...
well, okay, if you INSIST!

Hello Lovely
Monterey Chicken!
Where have you been all my life?