Ms Piggy & Kermit Adventures a Begins Tomorrow
We have now completed our time here in California and am headed out tomorrow to begin our adventure of traveling and visiting family and friends. We have had such a great time these past 3 years learning our surroundings here in Southern California. The friends we have been blessed with here are so very special to us. Thanks to all for the outpouring of love you have shared. We are headed tomorrow to spend a few days with Some of our kids. The sadness we feel tonight from leaving here will be eased a little by the hugs we receive from our grand kids tomorrow.
Randy and I thought it would be fun to make a game of our travels. We are taking along Ms Piggy and Kermit with us. Every stop we make we will take their picture and give hints as to their location. Instead of Where’s Waldo? We are playing Where’s Kermit & Ms Piggy? Participate by commenting your guess as to where you think we are! The fun begins tomorrow
Movers & Shakers
The movers are here and we have begun the reality of entering our new season. I will post a great new recipe tomorrow that I found while going through old magazines the other night. IT is a chocolate scrumptious dessert that you will want to make for Valentines. So stay tuned and say a prayer today for us. We aren’t as young as we were the last move and I think our “stuff” grew due to the beautiful weather here in California.
So Many Thoughts, So Little Time
As we are fastly approaching moving day, Wednesday, there are just so many thoughts going through my mind. One thought is, “I DON”T WANT TO GO” and another is “HOW IN THE WORLD DO YOU PACK FOR TWO TO THREE MONTHS WHEN I CAN’T GET TO CLOTHES BECAUSE THEY WILL BE IN STORAGE SOMEPLACE”…where will we go for this new adventure? Will we travel to places which hold special memories or search out new adventures in places that we have always wanted to find..where will we be living around Dallas?… where will we be going to church? Will I be living in a house or a condo? Will we be able to just fall back into the life we left 3 years ago? Will we really spend the time with family that we intend?
Only time will reveal the answers to the questions. We have been up to Big Bear for the weekend with 4 other couples who we have come to love these past 3 years. As we were driving up the mountain, snow began to appear last Friday and it never ceases to amaze me that we can drive 2 hours away and enter a winter wonderland. The purpose of the weekend was to have our traditional Super Bowl party up there with lots of food, card games and of course, the ladies shopping and going to the tea room. Each time we have been there has engrained the fact that we have been so blessed here the past 3 years with friends who have become just so very dear to our hearts. When we are cooking together in the kitchen for the 10 or us, we have learned each others moves and what we do best. Some of us are the ones who do the actual cooking. Some set the table and clean up, while others provide the conversation that makes us all laugh. We have bonded so beautifully with our friends God has given to us here. The friends here have shown us how to love others and truly open your heart to newbies. We never felt like the new kids on the block because of their kindness and hospitality.
Both Randy and I hope that when we return to Dallas, that we will have learned how to reach out to others. We learned so much the past 3 years regarding friendship. Don’t just tell someone to call if they need something, most people will never call. Go ahead and do what you feel is needed. Take a meal by when needed, invite people into your home, regardless of the dust on the table. Reach out to friends by including them in everyday simple activities. When we remember some of the things that people here have included us in, it is usually the simple things that we look back on so fondly. I really truly pray that I continue to “pay it forward” as we head back to Texas and begin this new season of life that is called, “retirement”. We anxiously hope that our lives will spread the joy and encouragement to others that we have received here in California.
Pistacio Cake
This cake is so much better than the one we used to make all the time in the 80’s..we were invited over for dinner to some friends house last Sunday evening and when she brought this cake out and set it on the counter, my mouth began to water. The frosting in this cake is amazing. Trust me, you will love this cake. I cannot wait to get my hands on a oven and some cake pans (all of ours are packed) and make it so I can eat the whole thing. Thanks Sylvia and Al for a most wonderful evening and meal. Made such a nice memory.
Mix Together:
1 box of Duncan Hines White Cake mix (the moist one)
1 cup liquid Canola, Crisco or Wesson Oil (whichever you have)
3 eggs
1 cup of club soda
½ cup chopped pecans
1 box of pistachio instant pudding mix
Mix well with mixer and spread evenly into 3 round cake pans.
Cook 25-30 minutes @ 350 degrees. Cool
Icing:
1 cup of powdered sugar
½ cup of 2% milk
1 (12oz.) container of cool whip
1 (8oz.) sour cream
Beat together until mixed well
Then add:
½ cup of chopped pecans
1 box of pistachio instant pudding
Mix well, spread between layers of cooled cake & then spread icing on top & sides. There will be more than enough icing – so apply thickly
Can be made night before & placed in refrigerator. It freezes well – IF you have any leftover!
Mess In the Midst
This morning we woke up to the doorbell ringing at 7:15. Randy told me that he had not seen me move that fast in 20 years. I am one of those that think about things like, will I have on make-up and a “wouldn’t mind being caught in this outfit” outfit in case of rapture, earthquake or unexpected visitors. It dawned on us that the painters were here to paint the kitchen back to the original blah color that it was when we moved in. What happened to the lazy guy who never shows up until the afternoon? When did people start showing up for work at 7 a.m.? I guess I am already getting use to this retirement phase of watching GMA in jammies and finally getting a shower around 10. I just remembered that when I opened the door, I was apologizing to 4 strange men that I had not even brushed my teeth and was worried about what they were thinking. Why do I do that? People that I can’t even carry on a conversation with because I don’t speak Spanish, nor they English and I am standing in my robe half zipped explaining that I didn’t think they would be there that early and I normally don’t answer the door with bad breath or in my robes. They just nodded to the crazy lady standing in the doorway and pushed they way past to the kitchen. I quickly went to take a shower, leaving Randy to answer any questions, not that we would be able to understand them, but we can nod or say “si” and look like we halfway understand what they are asking. I certainly didn’t want them to think that we are the old geezers that sit around in their jammies till noon, drinking coffee and watching The View. Of course, when I came into the living room, finally dressed and with clean teeth, what is Randy doing but sitting there drinking coffee, working on his computer with the TV blaring in the background of The View. Hurridly turning off the TV, I ask Randy “what in the world must they think?” He responded that we would never know because we can’t speak Spanish and we would never see them again, ever, so why was I so worried?
So today, we are taking a break from boxes and from the mess that is all around us. Friends are taking us to lunch. I am going to make sure that the painters see that we have a life and friends and that we eventually do dressed in street clothes. I hope they are still here around 6 when they can see us leave again with “more” friends who are taking us to dinner. That way maybe they will know that we don’t just sit around in the evening, watching Wheel of Fortune in our sweats with a TV tray in front of us. It would be just my luck that they are the ambitious types that will be finished and cleaning up just when we take a break to sit and watch Ellen. I will be sure that on their way out the door, to let them know that we are going OUT to dinner with friends. After all, you never know whose house they might be painting next and we want to leave a good impression. You know how gossipy some people are.
Pimiento-Cheese Scones
This has really been fun going through magazines, some dating back to the early 90’s and tearing out some that I had never noticed before tossing the magazine away. This is a new side of me, actually getting rid of old magazines. I promised hubby that I would really try to start doing that so we don’t have to pay for a storage unit for cases of books and magazines. I cannot promise how long I will keep that promise, but just seeing how this has made him smile makes me want to try harder to make better use of space that is not covered up with cookbooks. When I saw this recipe last night and knowing how Randy loves Pimiento-Cheese, I promised that I would make them sometime this week, when we aren’t packing boxes. Here is the recipe.
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teas baking powder
1/2 teas salt
1/4 teas baking soda
1/4 cup cold butter, divided
1/2 of a 3 oz package cream cheese, diced
1/2 cup grated sharp-cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 of a 4oz jar diced pimientos, drained
1/4 cup plus 1 Tables heavy cream, divided
Preheat oven to 450. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda.
Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter and cream cheese until mixture resembles coarse meal. Fold in 1/4 cup cheddar and the pimientos. Make a well in center of the mixture and add 1/4 cup cream. Using a fork, blend mixture until a loose dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 3-4 times. Roll dough out to 1/2″ thickness. Using a 2″ round biscuit cutter or a different shape of your choosing, cut scones, rerolling scraps no more than twice to use up all dough.
Place the scones on the prepared baking sheets, spacing at least 1″ apart. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat scones with remaining cream and sprinkle with remaining cheddar. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown.
Makes appox 24 scones (depending on size of cutter you use)
Saturday Mornings
I know I’m not alone in loving Saturday mornings. They are the mornings that make it feel like a holiday. It is the one morning that you can sleep in without guilt, although, it is the one morning that I seem to wake up earlier than the other days. Going to bed Friday evenings, as I am crawling into bed, I get that little “spring” in my step, just knowing that I can sleep past 7 if I want, but invariably, my eyes open between 6:15-6:30. One of my favorite things is to come into the living room and while covered up with my soft blanket, watch the sunrise coming over the beautiful houses across the street. Since we have windows from ceiling to floor, the view from our condo, which is on the second story, affords us a most spectacular site. The streaks of orange, yellow, pink and blue of the sunrise are great reminders of God’s gorgeous creation that He has given to us to enjoy. We only have 16 more mornings here in California before moving back to Texas and I plan to treasure each and every sunrise from the best seat in town…my window. It also reminds me that we are to look ahead and not behind, as I sometimes do. I need to focus on what lies ahead and know that God has something for us in this new season we are entering.
So whether it is Saturday morning, or Monday or Thursday mornings, may I trust in His unchanging grace and know that as Randy and I leave this most beautiful place, we will go with a “spring” in our step, as we ride off into the sunrise of a new beginning.
Decadent Chocolate Pecan Pie
This recipe caught my attention because it was different from the other chocolate pecan pie recipes I have made in the past. Taken from Paula Deen magazine, it has a layer of dark chocolate as the bottom layer. I couldn’t even wait until it cooled off before tasting it. It is scrumptious. Took a couple of pieces to a friend who is packing to move to Denver and she loved it.
1 unbaked 9″ pie shell
Preheat oven to 350.
2 (4 oz) bars bittersweet chocolate, chopped *(I didn’t have any on hand, but had a 10 oz package of 60% cocoa bittersweet chips so used 3/4 of that package instead. Worked perfectly)
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 tables melted butter
1 teas vanilla
2 cups chopped pecans
1/8 teas salt
Melt the chocolate with the whipping cream in the microwave in 30 second intervals until chocolate is melted. Stir until mixed well. Pour chocolate mixture in to the unbaked pie shell and chill for 30 minutes, Mix the eggs, sugars, syrup, butter, vanilla, salt together and then fold in the chopped pecans. Pour over chilled chocolate layer and bake in preheated 350 oven for 1 hour. (Mine only took 45 minutes). Cool completely before serving.
Garage Guru
We are in our second full month of retirement season. We consider ourselves very lucky in that we are still speaking, no holes have been put in the walls nor has 48 Hours had to be called out to cover a story of Southern Fried Homicide. We have actually formed a little routine of personal space and since we are packing to leave California, heading back to Texas, the energy we use packing takes up lots of vent up anger. Every day Randy heads out the door telling me that he is packing up the garage. What a guy. He spends hours out there. I never realized we had so much in the single car garage behind our condo. But he kept assuring me that it just takes time to organize the things that we had stored out there and he was trying to do the best job at packing the seasonal wreaths and left over car wax. Yesterday I began to feel badly that I was up here in air conditioning while my precious little retired husband was outside in the hot garage working his little fingers to the bone. Being the wonderful wife that I am, I thought I would surprise him with a giant glass of iced tea along with a plate of cookies to show him my appreciation. When I rounded the corner to the garage, what did I behold? There he was, sitting in a recliner that he had ordered from Ebay, watching football on a small tv that we had stored in the garage cabinet. There along the back wall was a small fridge, loaded with candy and cokes. A ceiling fan had been installed. No wonder he didn’t “mind” packing up the garage. He assured me that I just happened to catch him on a break, that he really had been packing. But as I glanced around the garage, I was still seeing wreaths nailed to the walls and the car wax was still on the shelf. I fell for the story he told me that he had begun to park my little car outside because he needed the garage space to keep the boxes for our packing,
I guess we both need a little time to ourselves, no matter where we have to go to get it. When we get settled in our new place in Dallas, I will volunteer to unpack the garage. I’m going to use the recliner to sit and read the “job posting” section of the Dallas newspaper. He would make one fine WalMart greeter!
