a picture says a thousand words..

i haven't blogged in a while because quite frankly i haven't felt like it.
i feel like this gal...

it's probably because i made 4 delicious Pecan Pies.

here's the recipe......

3 eggs

1cup sugar

3Tbs butter, melted

1/2 cup dark corn syrup

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1tsp. vanilla

1Tbs flour

1- 1/2 cup chopped (not fine) pecans

here's whatcha do.....

wisk 3 eggs

mix in sugar

mix in butter

mix in dark corn syrup

mix in light corn syrup

mix in vanilla

mix in flour

add nuts and mix with a blender on low for just a few seconds

pour into a pie shell

make our own or use a premade......

here's what you get.....

*note* you have to chop up your pecans (NOT FINE) so that when you cut the pie, it will cut better!  If you leave the pecans whole you CAN NOT cut a pretty piece of pie!

Dinner Club....

this week has been a crazy week.  the week of "Dinner Club" is always a crazy week and then you add on all the extra activities of our busy life and we've got ourselves a CRAZY WEEK.

extra activities of the week include:
rearranging my book shelves and redecorating the living room.
cleaning out closets. why?  nobody is going to look in the closets you say?  so...
work...early morning inservives.
cleaning up the yard.
cleaning out the garage.
Thanksgiving Dinner with My Girl at her school.
ordering My Man some well deserved custom Elephant Boots for his cute lil tootsies.
making dinner menu.
shopping.
cooking.
working.....oh yay, i do have a JOB!
and just plain "Gittin Ready" for a house full of hungry friends.

why all that work for dinner club?  what's dinner club?

well, for the last 7 years 7 fabulous couples have joined every other month to eat, socialize and knock back a few spirits! 14 wonderful people make up a group known as "The Tasteful Two's Dinner Club."

it's our turn, so on Saturday night we will feast on Grilled Pork Tenderloin, Holiday Stuffing, Mixed Green Salad with Cranberries, Carmelized Pecans and Asiago Cheese, Green Beans, Homemade Pecan and Apple Pie.....

a Thanksgiving Dinner with our friends whom we are so very THANKFUL to have in our life.

ps...i am also thankful that every 14 months we have a serious motivation to clean up, clean out, and redecorate.....even if it does make for one seriously CRAZY week.

carmel apples...

my girl has loved apples for as long as i can remember but NOT with the peel.

but a few weeks ago, when we went to the Pumpkin Patch, the school sent along a sack lunch for the kids.

it included:
a sandwich
carrot sticks
cheese doritos
one whole apple
chocolate milk

when it was time for the apple....

i bit into it and removed a large section of the apple peel so she could get to the "meat."

after she noticed her classmates eating the peels, she tried it and do you know what?

she liked it.

she's been eating lots of apples lately so when we were at the store we bought some carmel apples.

she calls carmel..."carnbull"

here's what the taste test looked like

i love the fall.  i love fall foods.  i love carnbull apples.

BUT My Girl doesn't like em!!  she doesn't like anything that makes her hands sticky. she gets that from her daddy.

o well, more for mommy!!!

book signing!

went to see PW at her book signing.  it was lots of fun.  Lainie and i got in line about 5:15 (even though we were in DESPERATE need of a glass of wine) because it started at 6:30 and there were lots of people already there and we weren't sure how many people would be there.  anyway we chose to just stand there and wait it out.  THANK GOD WE DIDN'T GET OUT OF THE LINE.  the line lasted 5 hours!!!!

in line we met a couple of gals (Lynette and Karen) and had fun visiting with them.  Lynette has a blog and you should check it out!  she too lives in the country and she homeschools her cute 8 1/2 year old son.  check out her blog here.  she was very sweet to take pictures and send them to me so that i could have pics for my blog.

we waited one hour for our turn but PW sat there for 5 hours and so graciously spoke to everyone for a bit and signed the cookbooks with a personal message.  i had 7!  she even asked who each person was and then she personalized each signature.  LUV HER!!

so, here's how my second meeting with PW went down:

Lainie and i walked up to the table.
i pushed Lainie in front of me and peeked around her!
then PW said, "hey, I know you!"
i died.
then i said something like, "well we have met before." and she said, "where?"  i told her that we had met her at the Range Round Up Rodeo.  she said she never forgets a face!!

**note.....i had my eye liner permanently done 2 hours before this picture and my hair was not dirty!

then Lainie asked all sorts of brilliant questions and i just smiled and bobbed my head all goofy like...again.

Lainie asked why MM took so long to call. he had a girlfriend.  he waited to call until after they broke up. she then asked PW when she was finishing their love story and she said...soon.  but we'll have to buy the book.  i'm buyin!

i told her that MY MAN is sure she has a crush on him and she said it was true.  she signed MY BOOK and it said, "To MY MAN, Thinking of you every day!"  then there were lots of hearts and her signature!  the good news is that later in the evening MM signed my book too.

right above the picture of his...tail in chaps!!  it say's. "the end."

the cookbook is fabulous!

so far i have had the Olive Cheese Bread, Rosemary Garlic Potatoes, and the Flat Apple Pie.  all yummy and last night i made the Potato - Leek Pizza!!

make it soooooon!  what?  you don't have the book yet...for shame!!

there will be another book signing on Tuesday, December 15th at the Barnes and Noble on May Ave.

sadly, i can't go BECAUSE she might call the law on me for stalking her since she already remembered me!  hmmmmmm......i wonder what i would look like as a brunette? 

just a thought!

where's spell check????

in the beginning i told you that i can not spell.  http://www.milesofkate.com/ told me there was a spell check! 

where? 

my last post is terrible.

sorry.

i will do better!

please still love me.

i need lots of love and acceptance!

family

i am just a sittin here in beautiful Tennessee and i am just soakin it all in.

we came for the wedding of two wonderful kids.  seth hall and becca mccall.  last night we witnessed some AMAZING young adults.  who says that the kids of today are not like they used to be?  these kids restoreth my hope for the future our great country.  these educated, well spoken, christian kids make me proud.  it made we really think about the parenting choices i make with My Girl.  i am a strong believer that it all starts with good parenting...and LOTS of PRAYER. 

speaking of good parents.  i just have to say.....i love MY Man's parents.  they are exceptional, supportive, loving, christian parents.  they are people you want to immulate.  i want to be MARTHA (Mimi) and My Man is so Glenn.  In more ways than just a little....it seems.

as i sit here listing to some fabulous music Mimi is playing on her Bose....I am just soakin up the sweet smells of her home.  it's actually the smell of Mimi.  it's a combination of wood, fire (even though there is not one going), lavender and vanilla.  it's almost like the smell of expensive pipe tobacco.  there are plants, pictures, and color everywhere.  AND there are notes.  Mimi is a note girl.  just looking around i see notes that i see say:

To thine own self be TRUE.
Toas N.M. red chili peppers....505.267.3226
Isaiah 65:24 Before you call, i will answer, while you are still seeking, i will hear.
A reminder to get online and get Katie a bording pass @ 2pm.
Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be.

o and there's laughter......mimi's special laughter.

i have no idea who she is talking to but BOY how she is sharing her sweet laughter with them.  i always enjoy hearing Mimi laugh.  it's one of my favorite things. 

man, there's nothing like family.  i love this family.

i gotta go get dresssed for the wedding.
i gotta go wake up two sleeping beauties!

and i am NOT taking about My Man and his Daddy!

bff update...

remember my bff brandi?  she did get her braces on and as i said she would....she looks beautiful with braces.  she's the only girl i know that can look beautiful with braces. 

remember i threatened her with posting more pictures of her if she didn't tell me something?   well, she delivered and hopefully one day i can share that with you but for now i will keep it hush, hush, BUT just so you know......she is NOT pregnant with the world's 4th cutest kid on the planet.  it's something else...something i will tell you...later.

i told you that she was brilliant and i meant it.  she chose me as her bff right?  seriously, she is a brilliant artist.  she has a masters in teaching and she was an art teacher until she got a real job.  now she's a momma and a homeschool teacher.  she is teaching linc and berty to be brilliant too and she is still doing some painting.

last week when i went to her home i took some pictures (she does not know) and now i am posting them!!  i am posting them because i am proud of her and i want you to see what i saw in her kids playroom!

if you ask her........this is a work in progress.  if you ask me.......heck it looks finished!!  when she does complete this art  project....i will post the finished product! but for now.......take a look.

at the time i took these pictures i just took them to show My Man and My Mom but when i downloaded them i thought i am going to post these and share them with the world...or at least the 15 people who read my blog!  you would think that i should ask first but heck no!  i know her and she would want me to wait, but i know me and i figure she can't get too mad at me...we are BEST FRIENDS FOREVER.

i am so proud of her and a lil jealous too.  i thank GOD he put her in my path...I LOVE MY BFF!

and P. S. Brandi.....if i don't get my original B. R. for Christmas.....i will be FORCED to post the picture of all pictures!!!

what can i say...i'ma gal who knows how to get what she wants...and i will do it by force or bribery.

critters.

i came home late the other night.
when i got home i had to make a pitstop in the garage bathroom because i could not hold my bladder one second longer. 

as i sat there (well i have to explain!!) i heard this funny sound.  it was loud and at first i thought it was Sunshine, our cat.  so i opened the bathroom door and looked at the side door to the garage.
IT MOVED.

and in a very short second...I WIPED and ran to the door!!  i opened it and.....

hanging halfway in the screen was a large raccoon!

he had torn a hole in the screen and was coming in for some cat vittles!!!

i screamed and slammed the door.

poor raccoon.  i wunder if his name was ricky? or rocky?

anyway i bet he had a serious headache!  hope so, i almost had a heart attack!

on a good note...this door is circa 1968 and it has needed to be replaced since 1988.  forget replacing the screen.......we are getting a new door!!  whoo hooo!