Happy Birthday Trinity!!

Trinity.....Happy Birthday!!  

Love, Grandma and PopPop

New Fans on the Porch

When it came time to replace some light fixtures inside and outside of the house, we decided to add a fan on our front porch. We really like to sit out on our porch during the warmer weather especially, during the summer. But it can get hot out there so Grandpa suggested putting up a fan. Doesn't it just look so "Southern"?

We also replaced the lights on the garage and back deck with sensor lights. Inside we put up three new ceiling fans. Our house has an open concept and in the dining room area, there was a chandelier which we did like for several reasons. First of all, we do not use that space as a formal dining room....it is part of the extended living room (actually, Grandpa's fish tank area) . Second, we kept bumping our heads on it. We raised it once but it still wasn't high enough. Besides it was one of those fancy schmancy  candelabra types and we just are not that sort of people. There were already two ceiling fans in living room area so we decided to get three new matching fans and replaced the chandeier and the other two. It has a nice uniform look.

And, I did what I will be doing more of.....I hired a professional to come in and do it. We had purchased all of the fixtures ourselves, but the electrician installed everything....worth every penny. Also worth not having Grandpa on a ladder and hearing the words that would come out of his mouth if something goes wrong.

Like I said, we are at a point in our lives (and adding Grandpa's illness to it) that we just cannot do some of the things ourselves around the house as we could years ago. Grandpa is having trouble accepting it but he will; especially if I get to the phone before he catches me if something needs fixing.

Hey.....gotta do what ya gotta do!

Goodbye 2013
Welcome 2014
LIVE, LOVE and  LAUGH!!

Christmas Cookies

Now, I don't really like to cook, much less bake. Well, not exactly. I don't mind cooking 'one dish' meals like chili or one pan baking like brownies. But.....I had to suck it up this year because Grandpa asked for his favorite Christmas cookies and our quilt club had a cookie exchange. So, one morning last week I got up....said to myself  "Ok, you can do it.....even if you can't you WILL do this."

Here are Grandpa's favorites....Peanut Blossoms. I did buy the wrong kind of kisses but I think these look a little more festive with the stripes, don't you....of course you do.

For the quilt club, I chose chocolate peppermint. I mean, what goes better together than peppermint and chocolate except of course peanut butter and chocolate. Then again, there's caramel and chocolate or peanuts and chocolate. Let's face it.....chocolate is like it's own 'food group'.  Anyhow, here are the cookies for the quilters. 

My secret.....MIXES! For me they were a lifesaver. To be honest, I don't think I could even find a teaspoon or measuring cups for dry products in this house. Speaking of dry products, if I was to make Grandpa's cookies from scratch I would have had to buy flour, baking soda, and brown sugar. Then vanilla....I mean who keeps that in their kitchen cabinet as a 'staple' item except for maybe Rachel Ray. When I read the homemade recipe for the Peanut Blossoms, and saw the ingredients and the kitchen tools I would need, I figured after shopping for all that stuff, the cookies could come out costing an average of $4.99 per dozen. Sure, I love Grandpa to death and then would have the measuring spoons, cups and vanilla, etc. but hey, it would all just sit there until next year again....most likely. So, I threw caution to the wind and let Pillsbury and Betty Crocker do their thing. And, let me tell you.....they do it well!! There they are....the miracle mixes. All I had to add was an egg, oil and water. The chocolate peppermint cookies even came with the peppermint sprinkles. The peppermint frosting was extra - I bought it but I didn't use it; it just would have been another step and I didn't feel it was necessary and they would have stuck together when packing in gift bags.

"Piece of Cake".....or "Cookie" I guess. Thank you Pillsbury and Betty Crocker. Next year I will also try your sugar cookie mix and maybe make cut out cookies....or maybe not. I'd have to buy a rolling pin and cookie cutters. Oh, and then there would be the frosting and sprinkles.

I may have to think on that before I make any promises.

I'm Back........

Hey......did you wonder what happened to me?  I'm still alive and well. Having been blogging for a while because Grandpa bought me this early Christmas gift called an iPad and I have been spending a lot of time learning the ins and outs of using it.

One thing I haven't figured out yet which is why I have not been in 'blog land' is how to get the photos I take with the iPad (and believe me, it takes gorgeous pictures) downloaded to my blog. I can write on my blog, but you know me.....I love to include those photos. Anyways, until then I thought I would drag out the faithful laptop and do a little blogging after dragging out, also, the faithful digital camera to take some photos.

So, I have a few blogs planned. Enjoy the first....."Lexi's Toys".

Lexi's Toys

These are Lexi's toys......well, not all of them. There are more scattered throughout her bedroom, Shelly's car, the garage and the rest of the house. This pile of toys usually resides in the corner of the living room but we needed to make room for the Christmas tree so they got moved around the corner to the dining area and the tree went up.......

Split shot of Lexi's 'Toyland' and the Christmas tree.

I really have another reason for this post. Take a good look at all those toys....I mean REALLY take a look at it. Do you really think Santa needs to bring this little darling more toys? She has it all! If she wants to go shopping, she has a shopping cart. If she wants to hide out and have some 'alone' time, she has a tent. I usually just go in my room and close the door myself. She has a crib for her 'babies' but I haven't really seen a baby for a while, but I'm sure they are buried there somewhere. At last count I came up with about 5 various purses and/or backpacks....a girl never knows when she may need one in her travels. There's the piano if she wants to do a little dancing which she LOVES to do. Oh look! There's a pair of green reindeer antlers; they are new. All of her teeny tiny toys, blocks, people, cars, castle and assorted pieces, her cell phones (yes, plural) and other items, too many to mention, are stuffed in that big red plastic bin way in the back against the wall. The only thing missing in this photo is her lawn chair.....oh yeah, she has that in the house too, even though it is not the season for lawn chairs.

Now you decide......does Santa really need to bring this child more toys? But, then again, what fun would it be on Christmas morning without her opening up new toys and watching her eyes light up?