Good evening!

I have just eaten an obscene amount of cheese, along with crackers, apple and grapes. I love Cheese Night! We are planning an evening of film watching…. Edward Scissorhands is on now, with Grease for later. We are letting daughter stay up to see the New Year in.

Lady Hawke, is the pear cider made by Magners? If so, I have some too! My DS bought some to try. I quite like it, it is very light.
How is your daughter enjoying her Christmas books?

Oh, and I treated myself to a couple of real books, both of which I have been waiting for for a LONG time, so I am happy!

Helloooooo.

MM, we just did this very simple appetizer. Three thin spears of asparagus (if thick, blanch first) wrapped together side by side with a slice of prosciutto that has been spread with cream cheese (you can add onion and chives or other flavors). Put in a baking pan or cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and roast for 10 minutes in a 425 degree oven. Yummmm.

Am trying to clean the house so we enter the new year with a clean home. Hopefully it’ll stick throughout the whole year. :)

flurking

MM, sorry – my sister hadn’t gotten back to me and I’m just home now. I pulled out what I thought was the recipe, but it is apparently just a shopping list since I made it with my sister the first time I made it and must have just remembered the second time, but that was over a year ago, so we’ll see how well I remember it:

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 jar Marie’s chunky blue cheese (I think it’s a 12oz jar.)
1 bottle of Frank’s hot sauce
1 block of cream cheese (I think it’s 8oz.)
2 bags of shredded cheese (We used cheddar, but I’m sure you could use whatever you like.)

We baked the chicken first (I think it was at 400 degrees) then let it cool a bit until it was comfortable to touch, then shredded it into a 13×9 foil pan. Then we mixed the chicken with the blue cheese, cream cheese (which was around room temp so it would mix better), about a bag and a half of the shredded cheese, plus the hot sauce. There wasn’t a set amount of hot sauce – just enough to cover it all and then I put some extra because I like it hot! Once everything was mixed together well and spread evenly in the pan, we sprinkled the remaining half bag of shredded cheese over the top and put back in the oven to heat through until it was all melted together. We eat it with tortilla scoop chips. We do the one pan of it for our family parties and it’s plenty, so if it’s just you and your husband, there’ll probably be a lot leftover!

And now I’m in the mood for it, lol!

I’m going to read for a while and then I think I’m going over to my dad’s tonight. We’ll probably watch a movie. Hope everyone enjoys the evening! Happy New Year!

I was going to my daughter’s tonight to play games but it is snowing again. I have just spent too many days being busy that I decided just to stay home. Besides I fall asleep around 8PM until 11 PM. My eyes have just now gotten to where I can see. I went to the doctors this morning and had them checked out for surgery. They will do my right eye Wednesday.

It snowed about 5 inches Friday night. No one was going to Indy from down here. My brother drove down and picked me up. I spent the night at his house. They brought me back home yesterday. I had been aggravated at my brothers for not making the arrangements or even helping me make them for our brother. They have made up for it. They arranged a beautiful memorial service. One brother picked up the flag from the funeral home. He had it put in a beautiful case that had his stripes, medals, and his Marine Corp picture. It was really nice. They also had an American Flag and a Veteran flag on either end of the alter table. They had his other Marine Corp picture redone and had it sitting beside his urn. There was a 12 man silent salute, Most of the veterans looked to be about my brother’s age. After the service, we all went to the local VFW club for dinner and to socialize. It was really nice. My brothers really made me proud of them. They did say they didn’t see how you could arrange a funeral in a few days when they had over a month and still didn’t get everything done they wanted to do.

CoolG, good for your brothers! I am so pleased they spent time to arrange such a memorable service. You’ve all done your late brother proud.

Josephine, I thought about cleaning the house, does that count?!

Ditto what asti said, CoolG.

Asti, I think it does! LOL. You just made me feel less stressed about it so I’ll just vacuum a bit and have my son wipe the floors with disposable wet cloths. I’ll cook some dishes then just chill out…not so hard since our high today is way below freezing

Happy New Year to all!!

Cool G: Your brothers came through. Glad it went well.

Josephine, it’s really not worth stressing about! My sitting room is still strewn with Christmas gifts and random baubles and bows. I will deal with the laundry basket tomorrow. As long as my kitchen and bathroom are hygienic, I say there is no cause for undue concern! Enjoy your evening!

COOLG, I’m so glad the memorial service has been done and with such fine results. It sounds very nice. I can’t imagine what they might have done with more time. It appears all of us here are staying in tonight.

ASTI, we have cheese, olives, crackers and apples. That will be if we decide we are hungry later. We had a lovely lunch at the Chinese restaurant. It is an order from the menu place and the food is so much better than a Chinese buffet. At a buffet they have cooked and spiced to the lowest common denominator, meaning everything is bland and tastes much the same. So, it was a treat to be able to order a dish and tell them I wanted it as hot and spicey as I liked.

Cleaning? I have taken all my Christmas pictures avoiding the floors and piles. Maybe I will clean again someday.

Big Ben has just bonged. A very very Happy New Year to you all. xxxxxxxxx

A very HAPPY NEW YEAR to all! We have just toasted the new year with mulled wine and watched the firework display in London on TV.

This evening we watched a DVD I bought just before Xmas, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen based on the book of the same name. Very unusual plot, very contrasting outdoor locations, fine performances. Check it out on IMDb.

Asti All the best for the new year.

CoolG Full marks to your brothers for a fine memorial service, and for complimenting you on your arrangements for your brother’s funeral at comparatively short notice.

Off to bed.

GRAYMAYNE, I have seen Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. We enjoyed it. My daughter and I went to see The Very Best Marigold Hotel when it was in the theaters. We enjoyed it very much. I think she has spent way too much of her life with octogenarians. She understood what was funny and/or touching about a lot of it.

Happy New Year everyone!

Happy New Year to our UK friends!

Happy New Year!!!!!!

Happy New Year too!!!

Happy New Year everyone!!!

MM gave me the idea. She posted a video on Facebook and I realized how nice it was to hear her voice. So, I made a video and posted it on Facebook. So, anyone I haven’t met here or talked to on the phone can watch my video and hear my voice. We were able to hear IRONSOS’ voice on the news report when he was interviewed. I like hearing voices. It is better to meet in real life but I like to know how people sound. I realize I have met or spoken to most of you but I haven’t spoken to any of the UK contingent. I would really like to hear your voices so those of you with access to a video camera, get going and email or post on Facebook.

Happy New Year East Coast!!!

LadyHawke – my son was laughing at me. He says its time for me to get a new tree. LOLOL! I must say the tree is over 10yrs. old. :)

MM, I am shocked every year when I pull these artificial trees out at the enormous number of needles they lose without going bald. Your tree doesn’t look bad. Mine is 19 years old. My parent’s tree is much newer, only four or five years old. By the time I load them down with ornaments they don’t look so bad. Sparkle makes great camoflage.

Well, HAPPY NEW YEAR! I’ve made it.

Happy New Year!! ;)

We went to a friend’s house and pulled crackers at midnight. They were light cardboard instead of paper, so took a bit more strength to actually pull. ;)

Cool G It sounds like your brothers did well. ;)

I am looking for a pre-lit tree. I want LEDs, not mini-bulbs and about 4’ to 4’6" tall. But not a “patio tree” with the planter type base. I want a regular tree that is that tall, and fits in a regular tree holder. I have not found one in three years of searching the local stores. I suppose it is time to search online. I have found the right size and type of tree, with minibulbs, but not with LED lights. I don’t care if the lights are all white or multi-color. If anyone has a lead on such a tree, please email it to me. ;)

Shoes. I have a lot of shoes, but only a handful that I actually wear. Loafers by SAS, one pair black & one pair brown. Clogs by Easy Spirit that look like athletic shoes in front, one pair in black and one pair in tan. And 4 pair of Birki sandals in the same style, but different colors. Black, bronze, brown and a tan with red and orange print. None are heels and none are very dressy. They are all very comfortable and go just fine with slacks. The last time I wore a skirt or dress was in May 2003, to my MILs funeral. ;)

The loafers are strictly for winter, the clogs are year round and the Birkis are strickly for summer. ;)

Oh, and slippers or moccasins that I wear inside the house. ;)

Happy New Year.

I had a lovely night at home with the DS and my brother-in-law who lives with us. I made lots of appetizers, thank you all for your great recipes. I have copied them and stored them on my iPad. :)

Deanie – I knew we Leaky ladies had a lot in common. We don’t own many shoes and we have really only one or two favorite pairs. One of the ladies from work has so many shoes they take up a whole closet. She sorts them by color and season. :(

MM, I used to be one of those people with piles of shoes. WON and SALLY very kindly replaced a pair of my beautiful shoes that I could no longer wear. However, on a daily basis I have pretty much one pair I wear all summer and one pair I wear all winter unless I’m dressing up. I do have some alternative summer sandals that I don’t worry so much about getting wet as I do my Birkenstocks. So, I probably still have a lot more shoes than you and DEANIE are talking about but I probably have less I actually wear regularly.

I managed to stay up until midnight but I was prepared to go to bed. I had already been in and brushed my teeth. I had put my gown on and I had put the dogs out, brought them in and crated the boy dog. So, once midnight hit I clicked the “Submit Comment” button and went directly to bed after kissing my daughter and DS goodnight. I have not seen midnight on New Year’s Eve in over ten years, closer to fifteen.

I have no plans today outside of cooking some blackeyed peas. I know my daughter will want me to come up with something fun but it is cold and overcast again. At least the laundry is under control.

MM, I used to be one of those people with piles of shoes. WON and SALLY very kindly replaced a pair of my beautiful shoes that I could no longer wear. However, on a daily basis I have pretty much one pair I wear all summer and one pair I wear all winter unless I’m dressing up. I do have some alternative summer sandals that I don’t worry so much about getting wet as I do my Birkenstocks. So, I probably still have a lot more shoes than you and DEANIE are talking about but I probably have less I actually wear regularly.

I managed to stay up until midnight but I was prepared to go to bed. I had already been in and brushed my teeth. I had put my gown on and I had put the dogs out, brought them in and crated the boy dog. So, once midnight hit I clicked the “Submit Comment” button and went directly to bed after kissing my daughter and DS goodnight. I have not seen midnight on New Year’s Eve in over ten years, closer to fifteen.

I have no plans today outside of cooking some blackeyed peas. I know my daughter will want me to come up with something fun but it is cold and overcast again. At least the laundry is under control.

Great, my first post of the year is a splinch. I thought I clicked last night at midnight but it went through before midnight my time.

Good evening!

After my daughter’s very late night, she slept ’til 9.30 this morning, which has to be a new record!

It was beautiful today, bright and sunny for the first time in weeks, it seems. We wanted to go for a walk, but everything is under water. So we went to the beach! We had a lovely stroll along the sea front, and down the pier. We watched grey squirrels playing in the public gardens, and ate fresh, hot doughnuts. Not a bad day at all!

I wish we had somewhere like that to go too, ASTI. MM has that wonderful little town to which she can drive and you have the sea and/or the park. We are doomed to go walk around a retail shopping mall. It is too dreary and wet to go anywhere outside.