What's Happenin'!

Outside my window: Chill has definitely come to Nashville. We're in the 30's these days. I'm very happy that my garden girl, Sara got my planters decked out for the holidays. This is the first year she's done it and I love it. There is one on either side of the front door.

Lots of stuff from the garden. I think she brought those red sticks. I'll have to look around and see if I have something like that when you strip off leaves.

I am thinking: About how far behind I am on the holiday decorating. I have no idea when I'm going to get it all done. I had planned that today would be the day. But, we went to our first Christmas party of the season last night. I never considered the standing around factor of the party. We had only planned to stay an hour. At about an hour and fifteen minutes, my feet were really starting to bother me. I signaled to Butch that it was time to go. We sought out the hosts to say our good-byes. They insisted we stay just a few more minutes as the entertainment was going to start. Well, if you know "music city," there is incredible talent here. A young girl---maybe 20 at most---started to sing---some of her own original songs and she was fabulous. Unfortunately, she was also seated right where I needed to get by to retrieve my coat. There wasn't really a good time to do it. Sooo, another 45 minutes later, we said our goodbyes and left. I hobbled to the car---honestly, nearly in tears. When we got home, I checked my emails and went straight to bed. I couldn't get to sleep for the throbbing in my feet. All that to say that I need to take it easy today. The decorating is going to have to wait another day. And I need to go to the grocery store. Don't know when.

I am thankful for: Good health---despite my comments above, I'm happy to be healthy. Last year at this time, I was sick and stayed that way through most of December. I had my flu shot last week, so I'm good to go!

From the kitchen: I made a huge pot of chili that I put in the freezer for Jordan's birthday dinner. I tripled the recipe and am not sure that's enough.

I'll start making some breads and cookies in the coming days too. Just trying to prepare for the family.

I am wearing: In years past, I would start wearing Christmas clothes on December first. Not so much anymore. I don't even have that many sweaters anymore. Seems like ANY Christmas sweater is deemed "an ugly Christmas sweater." I have a couple that I do not think are ugly, so I will be wearing them at some point. Just not every day.

I am hoping: To finish up the wrapping today---or at least by tomorrow. I know I still need just a few more things. I'll know better when the wrapping is done and I can go over the completed lists.

I am reading: Comfort and Joy by Kristen Hannah. It came as an offer via email from Kindle. It was only $1.99. I've grown leary of these cheap boos as they are usually what I consider "fluff!" But, since I love KH, I'd already decided that I was going to read everything she has written. This is an older book. I'm nearly finished. So far, it's been pretty predictable---entertaining, but not surprising. I have a feeling that something surprising is coming. Still, it's been a fun read.

I'm watching: OMGosh!!! I am SOOOO in to Breaking Bad. The meth cookers are so inept at drug dealing. A high school science teacher finds out he has cancer and not long to live. He is "breaking bad"---slang for cooking meth---to make a lot of money to pay for treatment and provide for his family. His young "dealer" sidekick isn't so good at the business side. They bought an old rv as their portable lab---they drive it way out in to the desert to cook. My favorite line---and there have been many: cooker to dealer----"You brought a meth lab to the airport?" Response: "Well, I had to pick you up and thought it would save time."

I am busy creating: I haven't done a thing lately. I need to "get on it" as we have AYM on Monday. Not only have I not started my page, I can't even remember what the topic is this month. Maybe Sunday---if the wrapping, decorating and grocery shopping is done. We'll see....

I'm bummed: That the whole house seems out of control right now. That's another thing to add to the list. The dining room is full of wedding stuff.  The library is full of wrapping stuff and gifts. The family room is full of wrapped gifts---no tree to put them under. Butch plans to get the tree today so that will help.

I am hearing: I'm listening to Christmas music. It's only been a few days and I'm already getting sick of it. Basically, it's the same 25 songs---just sung by different artists. I might need to get out some of my old cd's: Transiberian Orchestra, Mannheim Steamroller, Amy Grant, The Carpenters, Johnny Mathis...

I appreciate: Free medicine! What??? 

Yep, I went to pick up---not one---but two prescriptions. When I went to pay, the pharmacy tech said, "there's no co-pay today." I replied, "I never have a co-pay, I just have to pay for it." She said, "well,  not today." I said, "It's FREE??" Yep, it was. I don't get it. Of course, due to Obama Care, our monthly insurance is going up 25%---from $1000 to $1250 a month, so maybe that's why. Still, my prescriptions are not that expensive. Remember last month? I only paid 27 cents for one of them. I guess with a $250 monthly increase, I AM paying for those prescriptions---and a pretty penny at that!

Speaking of "free stuff"---Mindy and Butch got their Maker's Mark Ambassador Christmas present.

Last year, we got the scarf for the bottle. This year we got the ear muffs. Butch hasn't re-stocked the bar yet for the holidays. They will look better on a BIG bottle!

I regret: I don't usually have regrets---so I'm not even counting this as a regret. I just regret that we didn't finish in one sitting. 

t planned a special activity for Butch and me---reminiscent of our early marriage---44 years ago when we made all of our Christmas ornaments. This year, I bought this:

I thought it would make a nice centerpiece for the game table in the rec room. I actually bought two things.

Having NEVER---yes, never---done Legos before, I had no idea how long it would take. Butch was always the one who "played" with the girls. I was more of the cuddler, reader type of mom.

I figured I would work on this cute train. When I opened the very little box, there were all of these little pieces---nearly 300!

I gave Butch the big box---nearly 1000 pieces. Within the box, there were two sets of 6 bags with 2 huge instruction books.

Butch started to complain right away. It said "expert" not he box. I stopped him with, "it says 12 and up! Come on, this is supposed to be fun." He said he'd need a gin and tonic for that. I said, "you better make it a double!"

 He mellowed out quickly and started in on the fun!

I finished the train and said, "uh oh, are there supposed to be pieces leftover?" He said no. Sandy said they always give you more than you need. We'll finish it up this weekend.

And, it was fun!!

Here's hoping you have a fun and productive weekend yourself!!!

The End of an Era

I cannot believe that I'm "old" enough to say this, but it's true. What ends today (for us) is the era of the "home phone." 

I've lived just about every era of the telephone in my 60+ years---from our fist "party line" in the 1950's to my iPhone today.

The first phone I remember was the box hanging on the wall. You were tethered there with about 3 ft. of cord. We had a "party line" which meant that any given time, you could pick up the phone and hear other people talking on it. I still remember my very first phone number---TUrner 6-2209. Like every good little girl, I memorized it in case I ever got lost. Where I'd get the dime for the pay phone is anyone's guess. You only dialed the first two letters, then the number.

We got rid of that "party line" and had our own private line. That number was SHerwood 1-5105. We had that number all growing up until the exchange was changed to numbers---741-5105---sometime in the mid-60's. We had very specific instructions for taking phone messages.

There was no such thing as an answering machine. Whoever answered the phone was the answering machine. 

I have no idea how I wound up with one of the legal pads we used for messages. I'm so happy to have this record of how things "used to be." There is so much here---the way phone numbers were, a sampling of everyone's handwriting and even the detail of the messages. We took message taking seriously in our house!

There was no such thing as "call waiting." If someone was on the phone, another person calling got a "busy" signal. It got to be pretty frustrating for our parent's friends. With 7 kids in the house, someone was always on the phone. We had an extension phone in the basement. And those same kids would listen in on your conversations. If you were on with your boyfriend, they would make kissing noises. Annoying to say the least. They were brats!

Finally, mom decided that we girls---who had the whole upstairs to ourselves---should have our own line---provided we PAY for it. The deal was---each time you made or received a call, you were to put 10 cents in to a jar. That worked for about 2 seconds. At the end of the month, there was nothing in the jar but IOU's. And I will admit---most were probably mine. Considering our allowance was only $2.00 a week, which had to also pay for all things social, it was never a realistic goal. Add to the fact that back then---a 15 minute car ride away---put you on the "toll call" list, I was doomed! My cousin Chrissy was a toll call away. We didn't talk on the phone much because of that---luckily we were together just about every weekend.

Boy, did we fight over that phone. And I'm not just talking screaming and yelling. We got pretty physical. Then again, the twins and I we were always physical fighters. I still have the fingernail scars to prove it!

Someone was always "hogging" the phone. Jennifer slept with it under her pillow at night so she could talk to her boyfriend at all hours. I got myself in to some trouble one summer by talking to my boyfriend who worked at a resort---a long distance call away. Long distance was waaaay more expensive than a simple toll call. When that phone bill came in, my best friend, Reenie, loaned me the money to bail me out. It took me a lot of "head cashier" hours at Target to pay her back!! My mom never knew---or if she did, she never let on. Actually, now that I think about it, she HAD to know. I was never good with my money. I was the type that if I wanted to do something and my friends didn't have the money, I'd pay. I never had much money for long. One drive through Steak n' Shake could wipe me out for a week.

Anyway, the phone has changed over the years to many different styles---from rotary dials to push buttons. Somewhere along the line, area codes were added---but only used when dialing long distance. Sometime in the 1990's, long distance was cheap. By the 2000's it was free. 2010's brought the use of area codes in big cities for every call you dialed. That just happened here in Nashville in the last six months.

Pretty soon, everybody had cell phones firmly attached to their person. I never wanted to get rid of the home phone because I didn't want to have to carry my cell around the house. We have/had six extensions all over the house. But, about six months ago, we realized that the only calls coming in to the home phone were "junk" calls. You, know the ones---annoying recordings. I don't get those. Who actually listens to them? Someone must or they would have been deemed ineffective. At least they are in this house. Or, we got lots of calls regarding our credit, ("don't worry, there's nothing wrong") requests for charitable donations, and now the political crap has started. I'm over it.

Once I had my surgery I couldn't really get to the home phone, so I quit answering it. Every one that calls me knows my cell number and would reach me that way. Finally, we made the decision to get rid of the home phone. Butch tells me we'll be saving about $400 a year.

Hmmm, money in my pocket. But for how long?

An end of an era. Boy, that sure sounds old. Now we don't even have to memorize phone numbers anymore---Siri will dial it for you with just a voice request. Besides, should I get lost today, there isn't even a payphone to find. They are long gone too! It was good while it lasted. 

Hello 21st century.  I guess the next thing to go will be my rolodex:

A few months ago, Mindy couldn't resist posting this on Facebook: 
Spotted at Butch and Barbara house: a real life Rolodex. What's more is that my mom still uses this-- like actively keeps it up-to-date. This thing has to be worth some money, right? I can picture the eBay caption now: "the last current Rolodex IN THE WORLD!"

Doesn't everyone have a rolodex? I couldn't get along without mine.

Another Recipe Share

Today, I'm sharing Sandy's recipe. It was so delicious that it was hard to choose between her dessert and Steph's. Mostly we had a little piece of each!

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

Streusel Topping

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup flour

¼ t. salt

½ cup quick oats

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

Mix all ingredients until crumbly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.

Apple Cheesecake Bars

3 Granny Smith apples cored, peeled and cut in to ¼” pieces

½ cup plus 2 T sugar, divided

¾ t. cinnamon

¼ t. nutmeg

1 ½ cup flour

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened

2-8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 ½ t. vanilla

2 large eggs

½ cup caramel sauce for topping

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 pan. Toss apples with 2 T. sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg---set aside. Combine brown sugar and flour in a large bowl. Add butter and mix until crumbly. Press in to pan and bake 25-30 minutes until golden.

Beat cream cheese, ½ cup sugar and vanilla on medium until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time just until incorporated. Pour the batter over the warm crust. Drain apples (if necessary) and spoon evenly over cream cheese. Sprinkle streusel topping on top. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes until filling is set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. Top with a drizzle of the caramel sauce prior to serving.

Elvis is IN the House!

Elvis the Elf on the Shelf---that is!!

Sandy found The Elf on the Shelf years ago in a little gift shop in Michigan---long before he was a "thing!" She said she's about over it. On Monday, she got up in the middle of the night because she had forgotten about Elvis. When she came downstairs, this is what she found:

Little did she know what that little rascal was up to!! 

I can't wait to see what he's up to this holiday season. 

The only thing I know for sure is that he's not allowed to go in Elizabeth's room!!

How Do You Spell Success?

Maybe you have to have a few epic fails before you can declare success!! Or, is Steph really turning in to a good cook after all? You be the judge.

Let’s let her tell the story:

Sometime in September I saw the cutest fall treats on Facebook. They were little candy acorns, and I could tell no cooking was required. I decided I would make them for Thanksgiving and surprise everyone with my contribution.

Fast forward to the weekend before Thanksgiving. I actually read the recipe so I can make the grocery list and discover it’s not an easy thing at all! Let’s just say it included melting various amounts of chocolate one at a time for each candy and using a kitchen blow torch. Given my track record with cooking, it’s no surprise I don’t own one of those! So, I decide I’m going to modify the recipe to something simpler that I can handle. But, since I am not an experienced cook, I worried that my modified version wouldn’t turn out, so I needed a back-up plan. I found what appeared to be another simple dessert, Pralines and Cream Dream, on the internet. I made the grocery list and Nicky made the first run to the grocery store.

I began with the acorn treats. My modified recipe required a Hershey kiss and a butterscotch chip be adhered to a mini nilla wafer using frosting. I patiently unwrapped all the Hershey kisses and assembled the first acorn. Being economical, I had Nicky buy the knock-off brand nilla wafers, which were still pretty large. Since this was a festive Thanksgiving contribution I needed to be perfect, I really wanted the “right” mini nilla wafers that would give the acorns the correct proportions. Nicky made his second trip to the grocery store and the rest of the acorns were assembled without incident.

Next up: the Pralines and Cream Dream. Let me just say that individually, none of the steps were all that difficult. However, each was somewhat time consuming which was adding up to a very tedious recipe. I was able to make the crust just fine, and had blended the two creamy interior layers. Once everything gets assembled, the dessert is topped with homemade candied pecans and caramel. That’s where it got interesting. The directions were to put the sugar and pecans over medium heat and stir until the sugar was melted. I did that and waited. And waited. And waited. It was taking forever and that sugar wasn’t melting! So I kicked the heat up a notch. That did the trick and the sugar melted pretty fast. I wanted to be sure each pecan had the same amount of “candiedness” so I stirred and cooked and stirred until I really had nothing but a solid black burned pecan mass. I opened the back door to air out the smoky kitchen and sent Nicky to the grocery store for the third time to buy more pecans.

While Nicky was at the store, I pulled out another pan and prepped the sugar (wait, not enough sugar! Texted Nicky to add that to the list.) for the second attempt at candying the pecans. I noticed some black specks mixed in with the sugar and investigated to discover that the non-stick coating on the pan was coming off! No way was this going to work – that pan needed to be trashed. But since my other pan would need a power drill to remove the black mass, I decided it was best to just buy a new one. Nicky makes his fourth trip to the grocery store. This time when he came home, the list had grown to include beer. I can’t blame him, I needed a drink, too!

All in all, I made 3 “simple” treats. It took a little over 4 hours and 4 trips to the grocery store. Casualties of the cooking war included 1 box of fake mini nilla wafers, 2 cups of pecans, 1 cup of sugar, and one non-stick cooking pan. Judging by that, it looks like I lost the fight. But, my treats were a success, so I’d say I won! Maybe next year I’ll just stick with the fancy napkin folds for my festive contribution.

Stephanie has given me permission to share her recipe for the Pralines and Cream Dessert. It's really good! She made it on Sunday and froze it. I asked her if the recipe said she could freeze it. She said, "no" but didn't give it a second thought. Just goes to show that sometimes maybe inexperience is a good thing. I would never have thought you could freeze this. It came out just fine. Nice to know when you have leftovers that could go to waste!

Pralines and Cream Dessert

 1 box crushed Sandies pecan cookies

¼ cup melted butter

Mix and press in to a sprayed 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Cool.

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

8 oz. cool whip, thawed

¼ cup powdered sugar

Beat until smooth. Refrigerated until ready to assemble.

2 small boxes INSTANT butterscotch pudding

3 ½ cups milk

Mix together and refrigerate until ready to assemble.

1 cup chopped pecans

½ cup sugar

Combine in medium pan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is melted. Spread on to parchment paper and cool.

12 oz. cool whip

¼ cup caramel ice cream topping

Spread cream cheese mixture over crust. Top with pudding. Spread cool whip over pudding. Sprinkle with candied pecans and drizzle caramel topping over all. Refrigerate.